Chapter 1

From afar, I saw tiny black dots in the sky—growing larger as they came closer. Their arrival brought a constant roar, the sound of the rotors making my heartbeat pound even harder. Our district was rarely visited by the government—once every three years, to be exact. And when those helicopters came, it was always a warning.

I immediately pulled my gaze away from the gap and slid down the slanted metal support. It took me so much effort to climb up there, but getting down took only a second.

Heat spread across my backside, but I had to warn the others.

“The government is here!” I shouted the moment I ran into the people who spent all day working and rarely saw the sun.

Everyone wore the same panicked expression. Because the government’s arrival meant only one thing: trouble. Our lives weren’t good here to begin with, but being visited by the highest authority only meant things were about to get worse.

Why? Because of The Legendary Trinity.

“Quick! Hurry! Get back home!”

Shouts bounced around everywhere, everyone warning each other. I ran toward the hut to find my family. My foster family.

I rushed inside, seeing Mom and my foster sister, Windy, sitting and sewing. They looked at me coldly, as if I had come only to disturb their “peace.”

“The government’s here, Mom, Windy!” I said in panic.

“What’s there to worry about? We’re Naturals. They’re here to look for volunteers for the games, or the Strains!!” Mom’s voice sounded like a machine reading text.

“There aren’t any Strains here, right? Except for you.” Windy eyed me while letting out a small laugh.

“I’m not a Strains,” I defended myself.

I was raised in the Naturals district, where only humans lived. Meanwhile, the Strains district was for the altered humans whose genetics had mixed and become inhuman.

“You’re always wandering around alone, curious about the outside world. When there’s nothing out there but dust.” Windy pursed her lips. “Very ‘Strains-like,’ isn’t it?” she added mockingly.

I didn’t argue. I stayed quiet because that was what I was expected to do. I had to know my place, as a child who had been taken in and given shelter after the war.

I am Madison—Maddie—Lytwin. I’ve lived in the underground district of the Naturals for 21 years. For the past year, I’ve worked as part of the paramedic team. I do like it here. Though a part of me feels… caged.

The only thing that gives me hope is the ventilation gap, my tiny view of the world outside. Which is mostly dust and heat, anyway.

Knocks on the door startled the three of us. I opened it, and our neighbor stood there, pale-faced.

“Everyone must gather in the main hall. No exceptions,” he said, trembling.

“Nonsense!” Mom snapped, her face hardening. “There are no Strains here! Do they think we’re hiding one?”

“Don’t blame me if you get dragged out by soldiers later.”

His words made Mom instantly pale. She grabbed Windy’s arm, who also looked shaken. The three of us hurried out of the hut and rushed to the main hall.

Mom kept grumbling, since the district was rarely touched by the government. Every three years, they only came to gather a few Naturals to join The Legendary Trinity—primarily as paramedics or service crew.

When we arrived, people were already gathered and receiving numbered slips. Mom, Windy, and I were handed ours, too, though we had no idea what they were for.

Rows of soldiers with rifles stood tall and intimidating on the stage. A government official stood at the center.

“Three years have passed, and here we are again. The Legendary Trinity will soon begin. The rules for this year are different. Naturals who will compete will no longer be taken solely from the main district. We are giving you the chance to participate.”

His voice echoed throughout the hall and in my head. Why such a sudden change?

No Naturals here learned combat. We were workers—low-class people. We didn’t have powers like the Strains from the other districts.

My eyes fell on the number in my hand: 513.

It felt like a death sentence.

A projector flashed onto the wall, showing rows of boxes with numbers spinning randomly. Twenty boxes, meaning twenty people whose fate would be sealed today.

Numbers began appearing one by one, and the crowd gasped all at once. Mom squeezed my hand tightly.

“Give me your number!” she hissed, her face showing no panic, only calculation.

I tried to pull away, but she had already snatched the paper from my hand.

Then Mom shoved Windy’s number into my palm. “Make yourself useful to this family, Maddie! This is the only way you can repay us!”

“Five eleven!” the official called out. “If your number is called, step forward!”

My hand shook as I stared at the number 511 on the paper. This was nonsense. How could this number suddenly be the one I was holding?

I turned to Mom, shaking my head in disbelief. “Mom, please. I’m not supposed to go! Please, give me back my number!”

Mom and Windy dragged me to a quieter corner. Both of them looked at me with intimidation, and Windy even bared her teeth—her way of showing dominance over me.

“You will do what Mom says. What I say!” Windy hissed.

“No. You’re the one who should go!” I refused.

“You ungrateful brat!” Windy grabbed my forehead hard. “If you cause trouble, I swear—you’ll never live in this district again! You’ll be thrown out there!”

The threat hadn’t even settled when she released her grip, only for Mom to seize my shoulder with force.

“You think I’d let Windy go? Think carefully, Maddie. If you survive, you’ll bring our family a better future!” Mom panted, angry and panicked.

I knew that if the switched numbers were discovered, we’d all be in big trouble. But was I really supposed to go? When this fate wasn’t even mine to begin with?

“Us? Yet you’re sacrificing me? What part of this is ‘our family’?” I asked, trembling.

“Stop whining! You’ll only put us in danger!” Windy snapped.

Chaos erupted, and suddenly a gunshot rang out. People screamed as soldiers dragged out limp, bloodied bodies.

I crouched down, my body tense and cold with fear.

“Do you want Windy to end up like that? Or do you want to?” Mom hissed, her voice heavy with pressure. I couldn’t speak, not even stand.

If I ran, I’d die. If I surrendered, I’d die. Yet dying here would end everything. So… was I really supposed to step forward and gamble my life?

“I hope no more unnecessary casualties happen,” the official said coldly. “Now, those whose numbers were called—step forward.”

“Here!! Number 511, over here!!” Windy shouted while pointing at me.

People moved aside, staring at me like I was some kind of contagious pest. Soldiers rushed toward me. I stood frozen; I didn’t even have the energy to run.

They flanked me and escorted me forward. I turned to Mom and Windy, the two people I had considered family. They were smiling. Relieved.

Relieved that I was finally useful.

I looked around at the people of the district, those who lived beside me all these years. My fellow paramedics screamed in horror as they watched me being taken away.

Then I found myself face-to-face with the government official. His cold smile met mine.

“Congratulations, 511. You will be joining The Legendary Trinity,” he announced loudly.

Never in my life did I imagine I’d ever leave this district and see another part of the world. But not like this, not through The Legendary Trinity. Not as a participant. No one ever wanted that.

Because The Legendary Trinity was a cursed game held for the past century—a game where countless participants risked their lives…

And only one would survive.