Chapter 32: "Belated Regret,"───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 01 - 15 - 2027 ║║ Friday║ 3rd Midnight of the Games ║The velvet lights of the room I was in, which was behind the podium stage, cast ominous shadows on the wall as I sit in the corner, waiting. The air was still dark and musty, filled with props and costumes hiding sinister secrets, as if like me, it was also waiting for the clock to strike midnight and summon me to do my dare.I try to calm my nerves, but dread fills my stomach like lead.I agreed to this dare, this macabre stunt to prove myself just earlier, believing doing a dare was much easier for me to blabber a truth that's part of my past. But, now I was starting regret choosing this path 'cause it fucking feels I am trapped, destiny and pride forcing my feet forward even as every cell in my body screams in protest. A cold sweat breaks out across my skin and my stomach churns at the thought of what I must do, what profane acts

Chapter 34: "Tugged Into the Unknown,"───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 01 - 18 - 2027 ║║ Monday║ Class Day║"Damn it," Muttering a silent curse within my hitching breath I eternally screamed within myself that I should have known someone would take the bait for my turn in the game. Now, the repercussions of my dark game had come for me, as it was also wrapped in that bloodstained bandage on Killian's pinkie fingers.I know at once that he is the one who suffered my dare, the one I never thought he would accept. Regret washes over me as I realize the pain I must have caused him, the scars I have left, both visible and invisible. He stops a few feet away, his expression unreadable yet his eyes revealing a hint of misery. The silence stretches between us, thick with tension. I open my mouth to speak, as if to apologize, but the words die on my lips as he turns and walks away, vanishing once more into the trees, leaving me alone with my unknown guilt

Chapter 36: "The Vivace Strings,"───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 01 - 18 - 2027 ║║ Monday║ Class Day║Second's passed like a turd in the wind, as the truth Killian and his roommates was preparing to disclose promised to be as darkly humorous as it was disturbing, a morbid punchline that would shatter whatever innocence remained in that moment. My mind raced with questions, though I knew better than to speak them aloud. I simply nodded for Killian to go on, dreading yet desperate to hear the full truth of how my darkest night had come to pass. He leaned in closer, his voice dropping even lower, "What I'm about to tell you stays between us, understand?" I nodded once more, bracing myself for the sinister tale I felt sure to come.I steeled myself for how many times of today, wondering how our lighthearted banter from mere minutes ago could so quickly give way to this ominous revelation. But as I waited for Killian to continue, a sense of foreboding

Chapter 38: "The Olympia's Cup,"───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 01 - 20 - 2027 ║║ Wednesday║ Class Day║"Attention to all students of Rozbite Lustro Institution, this is your headmistress Miss Rose, speaking. I request that you all proceed immediately in an orderly manner to the school's front yard. Teachers are to accompany their classes and ensure that all students are accounted for. Those of you still within the school buildings are to make your way in silence to the nearest exit and join your classmates outside. Do not dawdle, do not stop to collect belongings, and do not stray from your teachers. Any student who fails to report to the front yard in the next five minutes will face severe consequences..."I was immediately heightened and alerted when the headmistress's voice boomed from the speakers, an uncharacteristic stern edge now lacing her usually calm tone. The hairs on my neck stood up as her words reverberated through the empty corridor

Chapter 40: "The Price of Victory,"───── ❝ K I L L I A N W I L D E' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 01 - 22 - 2027 ║║ Friday║ Olympia's Cup 1st Training Day║The ear-piercing sound of the siren tears through the still morning air, jolting me awake. With the realization sinking in, I figured out that today is the day — the first day of training for the Olympia's Cup.Through the morning silence it's loud noise pierced its shrill cry, signaling the start of another day at the Academy. I groaned and pulled my pillow over my head, hoping to drown out the noise. But who the fuck am I kidding? It was still no use — the siren continued its relentless wailing until every student was out of bed."Damn it," I cursed as I plucked my eyes awake, widely aware that another routine of mine would be put up this day. Every morning in here was oddly the same, awoken by that ear-splitting siren before the sun had even risen, then we will shuffle like zombies to the cafeteria for a tasteless br