NOVEL NEXT Chapter 37: First Game
*cough* *cough*
Kai's throat convulsed violently, releasing a short, hoarse cough that echoed in the silence. "Where am… I?" he whispered. He tried to open his eyes, but darkness was the only thing he could see.
He attempted to open his eyes again, still shrouded in darkness. "I can't see anything…" he muttered, then moved his hand to his face and realized the blindfold was tightly tied around his head. Using his hands, he untied it and threw it to the floor.
When his eyes finally absorbed the light, everything around him was completely white. "Was this all just a dream? Am I… schizophrenic?" he wondered, thinking he might have ended up in an asylum.
His gaze fell on his sister, Mei. She lay on the floor, motionless, a black blindfold covering her eyes, her arms slightly bent by her sides.
He approached her. "If only you had white hair, you'd be Gojo…" Kai said with a faint smile, gently reaching toward her face. His fingers touched the blindfold covering her eyes and softly removed it. "Are you okay?"
She mumbled something unintelligible, muffled, as if still struggling with confusion. Slowly, she opened her eyes, the surrounding light momentarily blinding her. "Kai… where are we?" Her question was soft, yet full of bewilderment.
"I don't know…" he replied, sitting down on the floor beside Mei.
Suddenly, a clear, powerful voice echoed through the room. "Welcome to today's special edition of Survill!" The voice was unmistakable — authoritative, undeniably commanding. Without a doubt, the siblings knew who it was — it was the Elf King, Elandor.
"What's happening here!?" Kai shouted, abruptly standing from the floor.
"You once escaped death; this time, you will not… You will pass through three death games until one of you dies… Only then will the prophecy remain unfulfilled…" the king's voice explained.
Instinctively, Mei grabbed her brother's hand and gently pulled him close. He leaned toward her, instinctively, and as their faces drew near, she whispered softly into his ear: "Ask him… what will happen if we refuse to play…"
Kai nodded, taking a deep breath as he slowly rose. "And what if we don't play…?" he asked.
"Then we will kill you, of course!" the Elf King shouted, while faint, sinister amusement resonated in the silent room.
"Looks like we have an audience too…" Kai thought.
"Let the games begin!" the king bellowed, his voice rolling like thunder through the white, sterile room. At that moment, the wall in front of them shifted, and an opening slowly appeared.
Kai and Mei exchanged a look, and in that instant, their eyes spoke louder than words. They knew, without a shadow of doubt, that they had to play for at least one of them to survive. Silence between them was thick as they both tried to devise a strategy. Slowly, they nodded, accepting the inevitable.
"This is my chance to kill her!" Kai thought, a slow, almost predatory smile curling on his lips.
In the next room, light illuminated a large table, and a huge screen hung high on the wall above them.
"The first game is a mathematical challenge," the king's voice echoed. "Problems will appear on the screen, and you must solve them correctly to proceed. Each correct answer increases the difficulty of the next. Mistakes will bring punishment — and the further you go, the harsher the penalties."
The voice chuckled sharply. "I added this game just today, as I heard you are clever. It is single player, so you must decide who will play."
Kai and Mei carefully studied the rules, their hands lightly gripping each other as they assessed the situation. Every moment of silence was tense, their hearts pounding.
Without looking at his sister, Kai spoke quietly, yet his voice was surprisingly calm for the situation: "You or me?"
Mei looked at her brother. "I will!" she said decisively, consciously sacrificing herself for the potential punishment.
"How many problems are there in total?" Kai asked while looking at the screen.
"Twenty," the king replied briefly.
Kai turned to his sister. "You know… I thought Elves were elegant beings, but no, they run Death Games… How did we even end up here?" he asked, digging deeper and deeper down the Rabbit Hole.
Mei remained silent, then approached the table, holding onto it to maintain her balance. "I'm ready!" she exclaimed, signaling she was prepared.
The first problem appeared on the screen: 2+2
"Huh?" she asked, surprised by how small the numbers were, then answered without hesitation: "4!"
12-15 appeared on the screen.
"-3!" Mei shouted, immediately.
6x9 was the next problem.
"Easy!" she exclaimed, confidence radiating from her voice… but almost instantly, a jolt of electricity shot through her. Her body stiffened, muscles convulsing as a sharp pain ran through her limbs. She crumpled to the floor, gasping for breath, heart hammering in panic. The harsh glow of the screen illuminated her trembling form:
Wrong answer! Try again!
"Please stick to the answers only, without unnecessary chatter," said the king. "Every word beyond what is required will be noted — and it may not end well for you."
"So... I can't talk..." she thought.
Mei grabbed the table and stood. "54," she said.
Mei answered the first seventeen questions correctly, then faced the final three, the most difficult.
a/(b+c) + b/(c+a) + c/(a+b) >= 3/2
Mei paused. "This is a bit harder… especially without paper…" But then she began calculating.
"a=b=c," she said aloud.
(x+y+z)^3 - (x^3 + y^3 + z^3)
Her mind raced through possible solutions. She thought for at least a minute, checking her theory several times.
"3(x^2y + x^2z + y^2x + y^2z + z^2x + z^2y) + 6xyz!" she replied, and the screen went black. The only thing remaining was a 20 second timer.
"It's time for the last question. You have only twenty seconds for this one — fail or answer incorrectly, and you will be killed instantly," the king's voice boomed from the speakers.
"Only twenty?" Mei asked, panic creeping into her voice. She looked at Kai. "I don't know if I can do this…" she said.
Kai placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can do it, sis!" he said, trying to give her confidence.
"But… just one mistake and… and—" Mei began, but Kai placed a finger on her lips and leaned toward her ear.
"If you succeed, I'll kiss you…" he whispered softly.
Mei's face turned a deep shade of crimson, warmth spreading all the way to her ears. "R-r-really??? On m-m-my lips???" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper, heart pounding in her chest.
"On the cheek…" Kai replied with a smile.
Though it wasn't exactly what Mei hoped for, she nodded, willing to accept at least a kiss on the cheek.
"He hasn't kissed me yet…" she thought, unable to remember the last time he had truly hugged her or shown attention. He was always close in his own way, yet cold.
"I'll win!" she shouted loudly.
"Are you ready?" the king asked.
"I'm ready!" she exclaimed, confident she could solve the last math problem within twenty seconds.
The final problem appeared on the screen.
f(x+y) + f(x-y) = 2f(x) + 2f(y), f(0)=0
Mei blinked a few times. "Only twenty seconds…" she thought, watching the timer count down.
Numbers swirled in her head as she tried to solve the problem. Her thoughts overflowed with possible solutions, yet each yielded a different result.
Time was slipping away, and panic was creeping in. Her heart raced, her hands trembled — but then she looked up… and saw him. Her brother, smiling at her, calm and unwavering. That smile… it said without words: "You've got this. I believe in you."
Suddenly, something clicked inside her. All the doubts, all the fear… vanished. The thought of letting him down seemed ridiculous. His gaze gave her a strength she never thought she had. She drew a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and with a confidence that even surprised herself, she was ready.
8, 7, 6, 5… Time was nearly up.
The world around her turned into an endless spiral of numbers. She scanned for the perfect solution. "I have two answers! But which one is correct… 50%… Come on, all or nothing!"
4, 3, 2, 1…
"f(x) = k*x^2," she shouted, and the numbers on the screen disappeared. Mei collapsed to the floor, completely drained from the stress.
The king clicked his tongue at Mei's victory.
Kai approached Mei.
He gently placed a kiss on her cheek.
Her heart leapt, warmth spreading through her body. Her thoughts dissolved into simple joy: "He kissed me… right now, like this…"
She touched her cheek, tracing the spot where his lips had met her skin.
She felt her chest swell with happiness, the world around her disappearing, leaving only that moment and a silent, pure connection. The kiss was gone, but the feeling remained— warm, unwavering, perfect. "This is… beautiful," she thought, smiling.
The brother was smiling too, but in a different, more bloodthirsty way. "I'm going to kill you…!" he thought.