"What the—" I looked down.

  My hands were disappearing. Skin, bone, blood evaporating. I couldn't feel them anymore. Beside me, Rona and Isaac were undergoing the same strange transformation.

  "Teleportation?" Isaac mused, as if he were inspecting a piece of faulty tech. "It's already been invented? Hmm… I wonder what the mechanism behind it is."

  No panic. His body was crumbling, and he treated it like a science problem.

  "Rona is fading? Oo~ Body feels tingly!" Rona giggled, enjoying the sensation like a kid on a roller coaster.

  I turned. The other children, less fortunate, screamed. Some pounded on the pillar, desperate to break the unseen force pulling us apart. A few just collapsed, empty-eyed, already broken.

  My first thought?

  This is going to be hell.

  Whoosh.

  We vanished. Leaving the dungeon behind.

  I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was steel. I looked up. A steel pillar towered above us. Impossibly tall.

  "Holy crap. That's freaking tall," I muttered.

  "We shrunk?" Rona asked, eyes sparkling. "Big food!" she cheered.

  Ignore her. I don't know her.

  A massive floating blue screen materialized with a cheerful, mocking smiley face. Around it, smaller screens flickered to life, each one displaying cheering audiences. Not just cheering. Howling. Clapping. Barking. Hungry.

  Thousands of eyes stared down at us.

  [Ladies and gentlemen, welcome and thank you for coming. I am Mr. James, your host for this lovely evening.]

  The voice oozed charisma and cruelty.

  [Looking at you all here, I know many of you are eager for the game to start. Therefore, let's wait no further as I humbly present to you... The last game of the main event of the year. The Grand Maze!]

  The crowd erupted. Compared to the first game, this was a stadium filled to the brim. More spectators, more excitement, more madness. And none of it was for us. The cheering wasn't for the kids standing on this platform.

  They were screaming for something deep inside the maze.

  [Before we begin, I would like to announce something important. Today is a special day, the Day of the Valley. The day our ancestors built the Valley from scratch. Their sacrifices shall be remembered. Let us all pray in honor of their courage.]

  The crowd fell silent instantly. Even the wind stopped moving.

  "No wonder he's so prideful. Everyone shuts up the moment he talks," Isaac muttered beside me.

  I nodded. "Yeah… He's got them in the palm of his hand."

  A flash of memory of burnt Monica crept in. I glanced at Mr. James. If I had my phone, I would search 'how to induce amnesia on a person?'.

  After what felt like a ritual more than a tribute, Mr. James continued.

  [Now… since this is the first time we've held the main event on the Day of the Valley, we decided to tweak the Grand Maze a little to make it more exciting.]

  What a coincidence. How could he treat us like guinea pigs? I scrunched my nose.

  [Previously, our little bunnies would just hop along, but this time… they'll have some company.]

  Company? Introverts only need solitude. I'm an introvert!

  "Blood! Blood! Blood!" the crowd screamed, thundering the words until the ground trembled.

  [That's right. More blood shall be shed, more screams shall be heard, and most important of all… more euphoria for all!]

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  They loved it. We trembled.

  I grabbed Isaac's arm, whispering, "Oui… this might really be our last ride. Our last hug?"

  Isaac pushed my hands away, adjusted his glasses, and ignored me.

  [For those who don't know how the maze game works, allow me to demonstrate.]

  Creak.

  A door behind us groaned open. Two small, cute brown dogs trotted out, tails wagging. "Arf!" they barked. Some kids around us melted. "Awwww~" they cooed, forgetting where they were. Rona tilted her head, clearly unimpressed.

  Isaac leaned towards me. "Rona doesn't like dogs?"

  "Maybe."

  The dogs wagged their tails, then looked up, mouths unhinging like machines. Rows of serrated fangs gleamed with saliva.

  No one said a word.

  I backed away. "Knew it. There's something wrong with those dogs. Nothing here is ever cute without a price."

  "Cute doggies!" Rona still cheered.

  Isaac stared at her, stunned. "Before they opened their mouths, you had no reaction. And now they're cute?"

  "Oui. What a frie-." I coughed. "I mean acquaintance."

  The dogs strutted into the maze, tails wagging. On the floating screen, we saw the world through surveillance eyes, watching as they entered… a mirror maze.

  "Mirrors?" I asked, squinting.

  "Mirror maze," Isaac confirmed. "No wonder your Master warned you about being blind."

  "Oui... a maze is bad enough, but mirrors? Who the hell designed this crap?!"

  As the dogs navigated, my skin prickled. Something is off.

  The dogs stopped. Nose twitching. One step forward. Another. Then it happened.

  A shadow lunged from the mirrors.

  For a fraction of a second, the dogs were still wagging their tails.

  Crunch.

  The screen didn't censor a thing.

  The arena fell silent.

  "Crunch. Crunch. Crunch."

  It devoured them like they were snacks. Fur, bone, flesh. The sound echoed louder than it should have.

  For a second, my brain refused to understand what I was seeing.

  Then someone screamed.

  Panic followed. Some cried. Others looked away, puking, tears pouring.

  But I didn't blink.

  I watched as blood painted the mirrors. The monster lifted its head. Guts slithered out of its jaw like wet ropes. Its eyes gleamed with human hunger.

  I didn't look away. I couldn't. My lips trembled. A corner of my mouth twitched upwards. Heart hammering. Eyes glittered with excitement.

  "Llyne? Llyne." Isaac's voice cut through the trance. He shook me. "You okay?"

  I blinked. "Huh? Oh… yeah. Just… this place messes with your head, huh?"

  I laughed. What was that? That feeling? Di-Did I enjoy the scene? I took a glance at the screen. The feeling returned. I looked down and shook my head. No. I'm normal. I don't take joy in killing.

  In the corner of my eyes, I saw Mr. James staring at me, and he smiled. I looked away. ...What's wrong with me?

  Isaac's cut through my thoughts. "Tell me about it," he gritted his teeth. "Was that a chimera? I didn't know they existed. And it passed through the mirrors like it wasn't even there..."

  Wow. That cleared my head instantly. Nice job, Shorty. Of course, I ain't telling him that. Ever.

  "B-But… do we really need to go into the—"

  "Maze," he finished for me. "Yeah. That's the only way to win."

  [My, oh my~ Looks like I couldn't finish the demo. What a pity! But worry not, my bunnies and dear audience. Let me explain. The objective is simple: reach the center of the maze.]

  The blue screen twirled. A bunch of confetti exploded around it.

  Isaac tilted his head. "I wonder what their return on investment is."

  Why would you care about their investment instead of your life? I didn't even blink.

  [However, more monsters like the one you just saw will be waiting. And once you reach the center, a guardian will challenge you. Pass the guardian and climb the ladder to proceed to the next level.]

  "What?! There's more than one level?" someone screamed.

  Dogs can't climb ladders… I sweated.

  [Indeed! The Grand Maze now has a total of five levels. And with each level, the difficulty will increase. Complete all five, and hit the red buzzer at the top… and you will be granted any wish you desire.]

  A wish. My chest tightened. ...Would resurrecting Ma count?

  Her face flickered. I bit my lips. Hard. A metallic tang spread across my tongue.

  The kids froze. The moment 'wish' was mentioned, something shifted. Their eyes sharpened. No longer allies. Predators.

  [Ah, and the rules~ Each bunny must travel in pairs.]

  WHOOSH.

  Before I could react, a force split us all apart.

  "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

  I was yanked sideways, arms and legs dangling helplessly. I landed with a screech. When the pull finally stopped, I collapsed to the ground. A rainbow of disgusting substances erupted from my mouth. I wiped it away and pushed myself up, my jelly body wobbling.

  No one moved. Then she appeared.

  A little girl. Pale as ash. Long black hair hid most of her face. She clutched a teddy bear, its button eyes scratched and dull. Her nails were bitten to the quick. She stared at me. I waited for her to blink. She didn’t.

  A beat later.

  "Eeek!"

  I recoiled. The girl was still staring. "What the—"

  …Was she screaming at me? Rude. I know I'm pretty, but that felt excessive.

  I glanced around. Rona was with the boy with bloodshot eyes. Isaac stood beside a brown-haired boy who looked dragged out of a nightmare.

  Mr. James's voice boomed again.

  [And if one of you loses your pair… There will be punishment.]

  I turned back to the girl. She muttered softly, voice trembling. "Die… all… hopeless."

  Pessimistic, much.

  I knelt and offered my hand. "Hi. I'm Llyne. What's your name?"

  She looked up, teary-eyed. I smiled. She smiled back.

  She looks so pretty when she keeps her mouth shut. Let's keep it that way, shall we?

  Then she screamed.

  "We're all going to die! We won't make it! We'll be stuck here forever!" Her voice was cheerful. "The monsters will eat us! Our blood will splatter, our guts will hang out just like those dogs, just like those dogs—"

  She kept smiling. She never stopped.

  I took another step back. "…Before the monsters eat us, I'll probably die from your negativity," I mumbled.

  Why... Oh, why am I paired up with another abnormal person? What have I done wrong?