Closer Truth

Second Game : The Influence

The room was heating up—not from temperature, but from the thick tension in the air. Just minutes ago, everyone here was part of the same group, all determined to survive. But now, the new rule had shattered that unity.

Only those with enough "influence" would make it through.

Iyars remained calm amidst the chaos.

He knew some were panicking, trying to figure out how to make themselves useful to the group. Others were already strategizing, realizing this game wasn’t just about power—it was about who could convince the rest they were worth keeping around.

Iyars adjusted his expression—not too confident, but not uncertain either. If he wanted to survive, he had to be someone they couldn’t ignore.

He took a step forward, claiming the space like he belonged there. His gaze swept across the room before locking onto a particular man.

"You," he said, eyes narrowing at a sharp-looking guy with jet-black hair. "You have Void Manipulation."

The guy stiffened. "How do you know that?"

Iyars took a slow breath, setting his face into an unreadable mask, like he was seeing something beyond the physical world. "I can see people’s potential… and how much they’re wasting it."

Silence.

Some turned their heads, intrigued. Others remained skeptical, but Iyars didn’t give them time to dwell on it. He kept going.

"Void Manipulation isn’t just about controlling emptiness. You can erase gravitational fields around you, create a vacuum zone. That means you could immobilize an enemy without ever touching them. But you’ve never thought of that, have you?"

The guy clenched his fists, his expression a mix of frustration and realization. "I... never really considered it."

Iyars gave a small, knowing smirk. "And you—"

He turned to a woman, her posture guarded, her eyes wary.

"Chrono Rewind."

Her face paled, her pupils shrinking. She didn’t speak, but Iyars could feel the way her mind was racing. He had her hooked.

"Your ability lets you rewind time within a limited range," Iyars continued, voice steady. "But I know your weakness. You’re scared of taking big risks, so you only use it for minor corrections—to fix small mistakes, dodge attacks at the last second. But if you really want to maximize your potential, you need to think bigger. Stop just rewinding. Start strategizing based on every moment you’ve relived."

The woman swallowed hard. "How... how do you know all that?"

Iyars met her gaze head-on.

"Like I said, I can see potential."

Now, Iyars wasn’t just another player in the game. He had become something more. A mystery. An anomaly.

He wasn’t the strongest. He wasn’t the flashiest.

But now, they all believed they needed him.

He didn’t give them power—he gave them hope. And hope... was far more dangerous than raw strength.

But just as he was soaking in his success, something nagged at him.

His eyes met those of a silver-haired man in the corner of the room—one of the few participants who hadn’t spoken since the game started.

His gaze wasn’t one of awe or curiosity.

It was the gaze of someone who had figured something out.

Iyars quickly shifted his attention back to the game. He couldn’t afford to slip now.

A holographic screen flickered to life in the center of the room, displaying the list of those who had secured their spots.

One by one, names filled the screen.

Until only four names remained.

Four people who failed to convince the group they were worth keeping.

One of them was a brown-haired woman who had previously looked so confident. Now, her face had gone pale. Her hands trembled as she stared at her name on the elimination list.

"Wait!" she shouted, panic rising in her voice. "I—I can be useful! I can—"

Before she could finish, the floor beneath her began to vibrate.

A dark portal expanded beneath the four eliminated players.

They screamed.

They thrashed.

They scrambled to escape.

But there was no way out.

One by one, their bodies were sucked into the abyss, their figures vanishing without a trace.

Iyars stood motionless, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

He had won this round. He had survived.

But their screams still echoed in his mind.

He could still see their faces in those final moments. Panic. Desperation. Betrayal.

They never expected to be eliminated.

They believed they still had a chance.

And some of them... believed Iyars would save them.

Iyars clenched his fists.

This wasn’t the first time someone had been erased in this twisted game. But this time... something felt different.

He stared at his own hands, as if seeing something invisible.

Silence.

Taking a deep breath, he forced down any lingering guilt. This was a survival game. If he wavered now, then he’d be the next one to disappear.

Straightening his posture, he walked toward the next room.

His eyes sharpened.

the final games.... are waiting.

Third Game : The Past

I stepped into the next room.

Just like before, a sharp, piercing pain spread through my body the moment I crossed the threshold of the fractured space. The agony coursed through my nerves, like thousands of tiny thorns slicing me from within.

Pain.

But… I was used to it.

Crazy? Maybe. But I didn’t care on it anymore.

This room was different from the previous ones. There were no other participants around me. I was completely alone.

A large table sat in the center, accompanied by a chair and a half-body mirror standing upright before me. The air in the room felt strange, as if it concealed something unseen, something watching from the shadows.

Then, that voice rang out.

"HELLO EVERYONE, WELCOME BACK!!!!!!!!"

I winced. The announcer’s voice was louder than usual, reverberating as if it were drilling straight into my skull.

"This time… we present the final game: The Hidden Past!"

The Hidden Past?

"In this game, each participant will witness their past. The mirror of the past will show you two lies and one truth. Your task is to answer correctly. Which will you trust—the mirror… or the memories in your head? HAHAHAHA! And don’t forget, this game will last for four days… LET'S BEGIN!!!"

Silence returned.

I took a deep breath. Four days? That meant I had to endure without food or water for that long. A normal human like me would struggle.

But moments later, a tray appeared before me.

On it was a steaming hot steak and a glass of fresh orange juice.

I eyed it with suspicion.

From the beginning of this game, I had noticed something was off. The other participants were also given food, but theirs had a strange aura—something that didn’t belong to this world.

I stabbed the steak with my fork, cutting off a small piece, and lightly touched it to the tip of my tongue.

For a brief moment, a rich, savory taste filled my mouth…

Then suddenly, a scorching pain spread through my throat.

I immediately pushed the plate away. Radioactive. Just as I suspected, this food wasn’t meant for normal humans.

Luckily, I was prepared. I took a pill from my stash and swallowed it, neutralizing the poison that had begun to seep through my system.

I could only rely on the nutrient pills I had brought with me. There was no other choice.

As I chewed, my mind kept racing.

Their food supply is unlimited… because something is providing it.

From the first game, everything had revolved around thoughts and information.

As if… this was all planned.

I let out a slow breath.

Now, I needed to focus on this game.

Memories of the past…

I turned to the mirror.

And at that moment, my mind went blank.

I wasn’t aware of when I moved, but before I knew it, I was already seated in front of the mirror.

The mirror… was alive.

My reflection shifted. The person staring back at me wasn’t my present self.

It was me from the past.

Then, the vision emerged.

—

They betrayed me.

They sold me to Deith in exchange for their own safety.

I had fought for them, risked my life time and time again, facing threats that should have destroyed them. But in the end… they handed me over.

They sealed my power.

Stabbed me in the back.

Used a seal meant for Deith—treating me like a monster.

Why?

Why did they use me?

Why… did they throw me away?

I fought for them. I protected them. I… believed in them.

WHY?!

I was cast into eternal darkness.

Trapped within the Forgotten Night.

I did not die… but I did not live either.

Day after day, I battled within the abyss, fighting off anomalous entities that hunted me relentlessly.

Until finally…

I became—

—

"ARGH!!"

I gasped, snapping back to reality.

My breath was ragged. My heart pounded violently in my chest.

My hands were trembling.

What was that?!

That memory… That wasn’t me. It couldn’t be me!

I was just a normal human. I grew up with my parents. My father… my mother… my little sister…

I tried to recall their names.

But…

Nothing.

Their faces. Their voices. The life I remembered up until now… suddenly felt like dust blowing away in the wind.

No.

No, this can’t be real!

"Ridiculous…" I muttered, my voice barely steady.

I glared at the mirror, my reflection now feeling utterly foreign.

And without realizing it—

BANG!

My right fist slammed into the mirror with full force.

Cracks spread like a spider’s web, shattering my reflection into countless distorted fragments.

Blood dripped from my knuckles. But I didn’t care.

For the first time… I felt something I had never experienced before.

Fear.

Not fear of this game.

But fear that… I might not be who I thought I was.

I shut my eyes, forcing my breath to steady.

Calm down.

I couldn’t let this break me.

I had to stay focused.

There was still a game to win.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly opened my eyes once more.

The mirror was still cracked.

But my reflection within it…

Was smiling.