"Rio, come on lets hang out".
"No, I'm good thank you".
I told you that's what he will say, he is a loner.
Rio is your average kid high schooler, average looks, average at sports, average looks and having no friends. He can't seem to find anything to excite him. "Life is a waste of time, I just want to do something fun".
Nothing exciting ever happened to him.
Life is such a waste of time… he thought. I just want something… fun. His eyes slowly grew heavy, and before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep.
"Oi what is this?"
"Huh? Is this a joke?"
Rio heard these noises all of a sudden and woke up to a completely unfamiliar room.
"Eh what is this place?"
"And why is everyone...shadows?"
He looked around, people, hundreds of them.
Everyone here are shadows, no faces, no features, just dark figures.
"What is this place?"
Just then he bumps into someone
"Hey watch where you are going". He retorted,
"S-Sorry" Rio muttered.
But something felt off.
The voice.
It sounded… distorted.
He looked around again.
Everyone's voices...
They all sounded the same.
Just then, a screen popped up on the wall and a shadow appeared.
"Quiet down you peasants." The room went silent.
"Welcome to the Game of Shadows."
"I have summoned all 500 of you to play a game...with your lives at stake."
You must be joking! I didnt sign up for this! I want to go home!
All kinds of complaints can be heard from across the room.
"Shut the fuck up!" The room went into a standstill.
"Unfortunately, you don't have a choice whether you want to play it or not. So just shut up and do it".
"Each of you will now be assigned a number. It will be visible to both yourself and others, unless stated otherwise".
"That number… will be your only identity."
Rio blinked.
Player 313
"The rest?" the figure continued. "Your name, age, personality, even your gender… you are free to fake it."
"You have no faces. No real voices. No truth, except your actions."
Even more complaints errupted.
Just then one of the players, Player 228, raised up their hand, and said in a very polite manner "Hi sorry, I don't mind playing the game, but could you explain what is this place and who you are?"
"This place is a shadowrealm."
"It is a warped world with no sun, no reflections, and where you all players appear as silhouetted featureless shadows. Over here, voices are distorted, faces and names are obscured, personal information are blocked and changeable."
"The only truth is in your actions. As for who I am..."
"I am Shadow"
"I guess I'm known as...the gamemaster around here".
Just then Player 399 shouted "Fuck off! I won't play your game. I don't give a shit whether you force me or not, I am leaving".
"Ok sure, go ahead, if you can find an exit".
Just then Player 399 and more players scrambled to find an exit.
Walls, doors, even ceilings.
Nothing.
No exit.
After minutes of panic, they calmed down.
"Good" Shadow said calmly "now that you are all disciplined, I should probably tell you how to get out of this world."
Everyone eyes widened.
"Basically only 5 of you will return. In this world of darkness, truth is just another weapon."
"Will you survive by trusting others?"
"Or..."
"Will you become the best liar of them all".
"Let's begin."
The floor suddenly lit up.
A towering machine stood silently in the distance.
Red tiles spread across the ground.
"The first game," Shadow announced, "is called Silent Step."
"A simple trial."
"Here are the rules."
"When you hear move… you advance."
"When you hear freeze… you stop."
"Anyone caught moving during freeze…"
"…will be shot dead by the Watchtower."
"The Watchtower detects vibrations."
"Every tile carries slight vibration… but some more than others."
"The red tiles are called Echo Zones and they are extremely sensitive."
"Step on them…"
"And even the smallest movement may kill you."
A timer appeared.
5:00
"You have five minutes."
"Fail to reach the end…"
"You die."
"And one last thing."
The room went still.
"Everything you say… is being recorded."
Rio narrowed his eyes.
"You may even unlock… special abilities."
"But how?" Someone shouted.
Shadow chuckled.
"That… is not made to be known."
"Now…"
The timer started ticking.
"Let the game begin."
Rio took a step forward.
A grin slowly formed on his face.
Finally…
Something fun.
Ok Shadow, show me what you got!
To Be Continued