Chapter 7

“Interesting speech.”

The voice was calm.

Too calm.

It cut through the screaming.

Through Tess’s quiet sobbing.

Through Jax’s heavy breathing.

Through the distant scratching sounds crawling through the walls.

Lena turned so fast her neck hurt.

And then she saw him.

Riven Cross.

He stood in the darkness like he belonged there.

Calm.

Unbothered.

While everyone else looked like they were one breath away from breaking—

he looked untouched.

His dark eyes moved over the group slowly.

Sharp.

Unreadable.

His scarred hands rested at his sides.

Relaxed.

Like this place wasn’t trying to kill him.

Like the creatures were an inconvenience.

Like death had already introduced itself to him a long time ago.

And lost.

Lena stared.

Her breathing slowed for one strange second.

Not because she felt safe.

Because she felt confused.

Terrified.

And deeply aware of him.

“…who is that?” Tess whispered.

Her voice shook badly.

Noah’s face drained of color.

“Oh no…”

Lena looked at him.

“You know him?”

Noah swallowed hard.

“Everyone’s heard of him.”

Lena frowned.

“What does that mean?”

Noah leaned closer.

His voice dropped.

“That’s Riven Cross.”

Lena waited.

Noah looked even more nervous somehow.

“He survives every round.”

Tess let out a shaky laugh.

“That’s impossible.”

Noah looked at her.

“Exactly.”

Silence hit their small group.

Lena looked back at Riven.

He still hadn’t moved.

That somehow made him worse.

Jax stepped forward.

His jaw tightened.

“You got something to say?”

Riven looked at him.

His expression didn’t change.

“You talk too much.”

Several players gasped softly.

Tess grabbed Lena tighter.

“Oh my God…”

Jax laughed.

But it sounded forced.

“You think you’re better than me?”

Riven tilted his head slightly.

“I know I am.”

The entire space went silent.

Even Kai Storm looked interested now.

He leaned against a cracked wall with an excited grin.

“Oh… this should be fun.”

Mira Quinn stood near the back.

Watching quietly.

Always studying.

Always calculating.

Zane Korr stood in the shadows.

Silent as ever.

His unreadable eyes moved between Riven and Jax.

Like he was waiting.

Jax took another step forward.

“You think walking in here and acting superior makes people fear you?”

Riven’s voice stayed flat.

“No.”

He looked at the terrified players behind Jax.

“They already do.”

Jax’s face darkened.

“You got a problem with how I keep people alive?”

Riven finally moved.

One step.

That was all.

And somehow—

everyone flinched.

Even Lena.

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

Because he moved like someone who never wasted effort.

Never made unnecessary choices.

Every step felt intentional.

Dangerous.

“If you have to force people to follow you…” Riven said quietly.

“That isn’t leadership.”

Jax’s hand tightened around the broken pipe.

“That sounds like a challenge.”

Riven looked at the weapon.

Then back at Jax.

“You’d lose.”

Kai let out a loud laugh.

“Oh, I like him.”

“Shut up,” Jax snapped.

Kai grinned wider.

“No.”

Tension exploded through the room.

Lena felt sick.

This wasn’t helping.

The creatures.

The cracks.

The players.

Everything was getting worse.

“Can we please stop this?” Tess cried.

Her voice cracked.

“We’re all going to die!”

Nobody answered her.

A scratching sound echoed behind them.

Then another.

Then another.

Noah stiffened.

“…Lena.”

She turned.

The walls were moving.

No.

Something inside them was moving.

Dark shapes twisted beneath the surface.

Fast.

Hungry.

“Oh no…” Lena whispered.

Mira’s eyes sharpened.

“They’re surrounding us.”

Kai pushed away from the wall.

“Finally.”

“No!” Tess cried. “Why do you sound happy?!”

Kai looked at her.

“Because fear is exhausting.”

The wall split open.

A creature burst out.

Then another.

Then three more.

Players screamed.

Chaos returned instantly.

“RUN!” someone shouted.

Riven moved first.

Not away.

Forward.

Straight toward the creatures.

Lena stared in disbelief.

“What is he doing?!”

Noah grabbed her arm.

“We need to move!”

But Lena couldn’t stop looking.

One creature lunged at Riven.

Fast.

Its claws stretched toward his throat.

He sidestepped calmly.

Like he saw it before it happened.

His scarred hand shot forward—

The creature disappeared instantly.

Gone.

Like smoke.

Another attacked from behind.

He turned without panic.

Destroyed that one too.

Then another.

And another.

No wasted movement.

No fear.

No hesitation.

Just terrifying control.

Lena forgot to breathe.

“…how…”

Kai burst into laughter while fighting another creature.

“Now this is entertaining!”

“You’re insane!” Noah shouted.

Kai grinned.

“You’re boring!”

Jax shoved players behind him.

“Stay close!”

But people were panicking again.

Breaking formation.

Running in different directions.

One player tripped.

A creature dragged him screaming into a crack.

Tess screamed and buried her face in Lena’s shoulder.

“I don’t want to die!”

“You’re not dying!” Lena shouted.

But her voice broke.

Because she wasn’t sure.

A creature lunged toward Noah.

Lena screamed.

“Noah!”

Before Noah could react—

a knife flew through the air.

The creature vanished.

Everyone froze.

Zane stood nearby.

Expressionless.

His hand lowered slowly.

Noah stared at him.

“…thank you?”

Zane said nothing.

He walked away.

Again.

Like saving people meant nothing.

“That man is terrifying,” Noah whispered.

“I know,” Lena breathed.

The ground shook violently.

Much harder this time.

Everyone stumbled.

A loud mechanical sound echoed above them.

The glowing screen returned.

Cold white letters appeared.

ROUND ONE PHASE COMPLETE

Players Remaining: 29

Lena’s stomach dropped.

Twenty-nine.

That many people were gone already.

Tess began crying harder.

“That can’t be right…”

More words appeared.

PREPARE FOR PHASE TWO

“No…” Noah whispered.

“No no no—”

“What does phase two mean?” Lena asked.

Nobody answered.

Because no one knew.

Then the entire floor trembled.

Hard.

Cracks spread everywhere.

Faster than before.

Too fast to avoid.

“Move!” Jax shouted.

Players scattered.

The ground split between Lena and Noah.

“Noah!”

His hand slipped from hers.

“Lena!”

Tess screamed as another crack tore between them too.

Everything separated.

Too fast.

Too violently.

Lena dropped hard onto unstable ground.

Pain shot through her knees.

She looked up wildly.

“Noah?!”

“I’m here!” his voice echoed from somewhere far away.

“Tess?!”

“I—I can’t see you!”

The ground kept shifting.

Breaking.

Reforming.

Walls rose from beneath the floor.

Massive black walls.

Separating everyone.

“No!” Lena screamed.

She slammed her fists against the wall.

“Noah!”

“I’m here!”

His voice sounded farther now.

Panicked.

Muffled.

Then—

silence.

Complete silence.

Lena’s breathing turned uneven.

“Noah…?”

Nothing.

“Tess…?”

Nothing.

Her chest tightened painfully.

She turned slowly.

And froze.

She wasn’t alone.

Riven stood on the other side of the newly formed space.

Completely calm.

Watching her.

Like he had expected this.

Like this was exactly where he wanted to be.

Lena stumbled backward.

Her breathing turned sharp.

“What…”

Riven stepped forward once.

And the wall behind her suddenly cracked open.

Something growled from the darkness behind her.

Close.

Very close.

Riven’s cold eyes stayed on hers as the growling grew louder.

Then he said quietly—

“Run.”