The odd one

The clock on the wall approached five, its quiet jumping of seconds reaching its peak of nervousness as the final seconds approached. Everyone stood in a tense circle in front of the altar, eyes fixed on the ancient timepiece embedded into the dark stone wall. A heavy silence fell over the room, the kind that wrapped around your chest and refused to let go.

“Hey, Sai,” Corvin asked, glancing nervously at his friend. “What happens if that hooded figure comes in here and kills us the moment the clock hits five?”

Sai looked over with a grim expression. “Well, Corvin, if that happens… I guess we’ll die. Again.”

“That’s optimistic,” Corvin muttered sarcastically.

“Shhh, you two,” Eira and Mira said in unison, not taking their eyes off the clock. The final ten seconds ticked away. Five seconds remaining.

And then—the clock stopped.

“Uh…?”

“What?”

“It stopped again?” Reith asked, eyes wide with disbelief as he looked up at the motionless second hand.

“What now?” Sai murmured, scanning the room for any changes. But everything was still. No movement. No sound.

Reith took an instinctive step forward. The moment his foot touched the floor, his scar began to glow—an eerie, pulsating black light, the same shade as the walls shot out from the scar on his face. Then, without warning, the clock ticked again, dropping to four seconds with an audible click. Sai instinctively moved up next to Reith to inspect the scar.

“Hey, dumbasses, get back here!” Corvin shouted, cupping his hands in front of his mouth. The moment he finished speaking, pain shot through upper body. His own scar glowed a deep purple through the fabric of his shirt.

“What the—?” He stumbled backward, clutching his chest. “Aghh!” he cried out, collapsing to his knees as everyone watched in terror.

Tick. Another second.

“Uhm… guys?” Eira’s voice trembled. Her arms scars were glowing a soft, pale blue. “What’s going on?”

Sai turned, bewildered. Mira rushed to Eira’s side and grabbed her hands. “It’ll be fine, okay? Just breathe. Deep breaths.”

Eira nodded weakly, but her composure didn’t last. She screamed, wrenching her hands away and falling to the floor, curled into herself in pain.

The fourth tick echoed through the chamber.

Mira stood over Eira, her own body beginning to react as another tick was heard. Her breathing grew shallow and strained, and she clutched at her throat. “Aaahh…” she gasped, struggling to speak. Through her fingers glowed a yellow light as she pressed them against her own scar.

“Help…” she whispered, her voice faint and cracking.

Despite the obvious pain, Mira managed to stay on her feet. She turned toward the altar just as the clock ticked again. Through blurred vision, she saw Reith standing calmly, his black scar still glowing but otherwise unaffected.

“What?” she whispered, stumbling toward him. “Reith, Sai!” she managed to shout.

Reith turned, meeting her gaze just as the clock ticked once more.

Sai, the last still standing moved up closer getting a view of the changed altar, he groaned as his body jerked in pain. A burst of red light surged through his shirt. He fell to his knees, clutching his chest. “AARGH!”

“Reith!” he cried, pointing a shaking hand toward the altar that shined a red color. “Please—its a puzzle!”

Reith’s eyes snapped toward the altar. Without wasting a second, he sprinted forward. As Sai collapsed one hand reaching the altar. Reith skidded to a stop in front of the altar and noticed something new.

The floor around the altar had changed. It was made out of some rock material with lines of the dark material the walls and floors were made of.

four glowing symbols two on each side of the altar shined, each in a distinct color. In the center was a sword glowing a hint of red, carved directly into the stone. To the right side—Blue and Yellow sigils pulsed softly. To the left Purple and Black

“Okay… I think I get this,” Reith murmured, before sprinting toward Corvin. “Sorry about this,” he muttered before grabbing Corvin’s wrist and dragging him across the floor. With seemingly little effort, he placed Corvin directly onto the purple axe-shaped symbol. Instantly, a beam of purple light shot from the platform following the black lines toward the altar—but it stopped just short of connecting.

Reith smiled slightly. “So that’s how it works…” looking down at Corvin and then the others. “i wonder”

Without wasting another second he pushed Corvin off the platform, then he ran over to Sai. Reith carefully placed him against the altar itself, setting him onto the red symbol. The line of red light flowed from the altar directly towards the center Clock.

Next, Reith turned and met Mira’s eyes. She was still upright, barely, watching everything unfold through pain-clouded vision.

“Are you okay Mira?” Reith asked as he bent down to lift Eira into his arms.

Mira didn’t answer—just nodded slowly as he walked past her as

he carried Eira. He laid her down gently next to the blue platform. Then he returned to Mira, who was staring at the ground, her entire body trembling.

“Hey,” he said softly as he reached her again, he ended up placing a hand on her shoulder to catch her attention.

She flinched and looked up at him. Her face was pale, lips trembling, eyes watery with pain.

“You ready?”

Instead of answering, Mira reached out and gently touched the area just below Reith’s glowing scar. When she pulled her hand back, it was stained with blood—thick and dark. Reith looked at it silently. Then he raised his own hand to inspect his scar. Blood and black goo covered it.

“It’s fine,” he said, steadying his breath. “Come on.”

He supported her as they walked to the yellow sigil. Once she sat down on it, the platform lit up, the yellow beam connecting cleanly to the altar and mixing with the red as it made its way towards the clock.

“Just sit tight.”

Reith returned to Eira and nudged her body fully onto the platform. The light pulsed brighter, the blue line shot toward the altar, illuminating the dark room

As he moved back toward Corvin to finish the process, he passed Sai, whose body was twitching slightly. He was whispering something.

“No… please… don’t hurt him…”

Reith’s steps slowed. He didn’t know why, but his body felt heavy. Then he tasted something Metallic.

He coughed, hard—blood splattered on his forearm.

Still, he pushed forward, kicking Corvin’s limp form fully onto the platform. The purple light now fully surged into the altar.

Only one platform remained.

Reith took a shaky breath and stepped toward his own. He didn’t make it.

His body gave out, collapsing face-first onto the final platform.

As his scar glowed pitch-black and the clock ticked once more, all five lights surged into the altar and combined towards the clock.