The peace they experienced in the last room lasted only moments. Suddenly, the floor began to tremble slightly, and the room's lights transformed from dim white to a dark red light seeping from the corners of the walls.
Arian quickly grabbed Lian's hand, pulling her into a corner. His voice was low but stern:
"Prepare yourself… This isn't just a physical test. This time, it's the mind that will be consumed."
Before Lian could ask, a door opened before them, revealing a long, dark corridor filled with moving shadows on the walls. Strangely, there were no weapons or sharp wires, only a series of mechanical puzzles—intelligent traps that relied on fear, speed, and intelligence.
The bright red light moved randomly, each beam touching a specific area on the floor, and each area contained a deadly trap for every wrong move or thought. Survivors from the previous trap stood behind them, their faces pale, their eyes scrutinizing every step. Some whispered, "Don't take a step into the first sin… the light is watching everything."
Lianne felt her anxiety rising. "How… how do we know which step is right?"
Arian looked at her, his voice low but sharp. "Just stay calm and focused. Don't think about blood or fear… your movements should be guided by your mind, not your heart."
They began to walk slowly, each step calculated. Shadows shifted erratically, and distant metallic sounds creaked with every light that touched the ground.
Another survivor cried out, "Stop! The light… it touched his foot…!"
The cry of pain faded quickly, leaving a chilling trace of terror in everyone's hearts. There wasn't much blood, but the mental threat was more potent than any previous bloody trap. Lianne felt her heart flutter, but Aryan's presence beside her gave her a strange sense of control:
"Focus on me… one wrong move and we're just like them."
They moved step by step, Lianne breathing slowly, each movement calculated, each trap carefully avoided, while Aryan showered her with silent signals, guiding her with a gesture or a quick glance.
Then came the second mental challenge: on the opposite wall, glowing red puzzles appeared, constantly changing, and they had to solve them to unlock the next doors. Any mistake would turn the light into a deadly edge on the ground.
"The puzzles… we have to solve them together, quickly," Aryan whispered, his eyes scanning the rapidly shifting symbols.
Lianne took a deep breath, her mind working on the symbols, calculating every move:
"Like this… and like this… yes!"
Aryan smiled faintly, then exclaimed,
"Perfect… one more step!" Slowly, with each code solved, sections of the corridor lit up and the shadows faded, until finally the doors illuminated, and the passage was safe to reach the next room.
The other survivors were breathing heavily, but they felt a momentary sense of relief.
Lian looked at Aryan, her eyes glowing with exhaustion and fear, but she felt they had become a true team, mind and body intertwined.
"We survived… this mental test," she whispered.
Aryan simply looked at her, his eyes holding a silent warning:
"The Organization hasn't shown everything yet… each test gets more agonizing, and each step will be harder."
The room was quiet now, the red light beginning to dim, but the sense of danger and dread lingered, seeping into the shadows, as if the Organization were watching them from every angle, testing every part of their minds, bodies, and souls. Layan felt that every trap, every puzzle, every test had become part of her character, and that survival depended on focus, confidence, and true courage.