How were they to proceed?

  The strange voice had mentioned quite a lot. Truth was a fickle thing here, and deception was all that would permeate the air. The entire environment was their enemy, and the only way to escape it was supposedly that black gate. But even that didn't seem to be the end. It also said their own minds could betray them, but that wasn't even the worst of their concerns.

  What was truly concerning was the fact that it said they'd have to survive even themselves, which made a chilling lot of sense considering that the voice also implied that only one person would pass the trial. Though its phrasing didn't necessarily mean one person alone would pass, this was a trial where seemingly lies, truth, and somehow, flames were the keys to salvation, as well as eternal damnation.

  Who could say for certain what it actually meant? Lucian at the very least considered this to be the only possibility and would only consider the others when there was more solid proof. And considering the strange voice's words, he wouldn't find a lot of that here... none at least that he could believe.

  'And I know a bunch of them are also thinking the same thing,' Lucian thought as he observed the others, silence permeating the air. They all seemed to be considering their options while scanning each other. They were sizing each other up, weighing threats: who to watch, who to ignore, who might be useful, who's too useful (and thus dangerous), who's harmless...

  Who they want to follow and who they want to be followed by.

  Lucian noticed this and frowned a bit. He wasn't liking his chances. He was scrawny looking, and his fighting skills, while not all trash, were barely street level. He had no standout qualities to keep him from being just another number. Well, nothing aside from his freakish tenacity and his stubborn will... his analytical skills were surprisingly impressive though he wasn't sure how much that would help.

  The silence went on for quite a while as everyone considered their options, but soon, everyone started to feel weird.

  'Something feels off here.'

  He felt a pressure pressing down on him. It was extremely subtle at first, but soon enough it became somewhat more prominent and overbearing. His body began to stiffen up; he lost control of all his muscles, especially his jaw. He couldn't even will a single sound out of his throat, and his consciousness began to waver.

  'What the hell is going on here?' Lucian thought in a panic as he struggled to force himself to make even a single move. Unfortunately, his body no longer paid heed to him and continued on the process of shutting down. The only part of his body he had control over was his eyes, albeit just barely as they too were becoming increasingly heavier. He noticed that the others seemed to have entered the same state. In fact, they even seemed to be faring better than some of the others, a few already on the floor, completely still as though they had fallen into a great slumber.

  Looking at their eerily calm figures on the floor, Lucian knew he didn't want to end up like them.

  He doubled down on his efforts, struggling to push his body to move even just his finger.

  'Come on. I just gotta move one single muscle. Move!' Lucian roared in his heart as he pushed his brain to the limit to will and command his body to even twitch. This was the second time in mere hours—at least in his current stretch of consciousness—that his body ignored his commands. It was absolutely frustrating. He couldn't let this trend continue.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  This angry thought filled his head, and suddenly he found himself breaking out of the unseen chains that bound them... temporarily. He barely managed to flex his right arm and swiftly moved it to his side, pinching himself to grant a jolt of pain that would hopefully help him reawaken his entire body's nervous system. Unfortunately, that too was fruitless. He didn't register the touch, much less the pain.

  His arm was quickly seized and drawn back to its dormant state. He was powerless once more.

  'That didn't work? What else can I do then? This is just the first trial! An absolute scam! Was this even designed for humans to pass? It just started, and I'm already about to die!' Lucian's thoughts screamed out as his mind's gears spun relentlessly, trying to find a solution to this hopeless predicament.

  Nothing came, but he didn't give up. He had a second chance, and he was damn well pumped for that first sip of wine from his enemy's skull. He couldn't give up!

  But as he was giving it his all to break out of his unseen restraints, someone else suddenly yelled, "Ahhhhhh! I... refuse to die already!"

  Lucian could spot the person from the periphery of his vision. A muscular build with weathered, scarred skin. His hair seemed to already be graying at the temple, so he was definitely experienced.

  'Guess I'm not the only one who managed to gain a bit of control back. Unfortunately, it's fu—huh.' His thoughts were interrupted as a tremor ran through his limbs, the sensation like pins and needles returning after a long sleep. His stance faltered, forcing him to stumble forward a bit. And it wasn't just him.

  Everyone regained control of their bodies, and quite a few toppled over, with most just stumbling and others having more unique reactions. The sketchy guy choked, clutching his throat. The braided beauty blinked rapidly, her intense blue eyes wide with surprise.

  'What the hell just happened?' Lucian thought to himself as he began breathing heavily. Though relieved, he was just as baffled by the whole thing.

  "What the hell just happened?!" another voice exclaimed.

  'Of course, he's the first to yap off.' Lucian rolled his eyes as he watched the sketchy guy start jumping around in a panic, frantically trying to get answers no one had.

  Well, to be fair, he wasn't the only one. Heck, even he was freaking out, but he was more calm and analytical about it. They were currently oblivious as to what caused their immobility and if it would happen again.

  'What caused it, and what conditions were we in that triggered it? How did we break out of the paralysis? Even when I forced my body to move and pinched myself, nothing changed. If anything, the paralysis got even stronger. It only stopped when... that old man yelled out.' Lucian thought in realization as his eyes automatically searched and landed on the aging but still gallant old man.

  Like almost everyone there, he was panting quite heavily. Despite that though, his eyes were still sharp, and his stance was stalwart, seemingly like someone with a high level of discipline.

  'Like a soldier,' Lucian considered. But his thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he saw the old soldier's gaze upon him. It was sharp and piercing, as if warning him to back off. His heart skipped a beat but calmed right back down as in the next instant, his gaze changed targets.

  Lucian was confused for a moment, but it made more sense when he realized quite a few others were also staring at the old soldier. They seemed to have realized the same thing Lucian had. The old soldier would know more.

  Eventually, even those who were quite slow were also staring at him. They didn't figure it out, but with the number of eyes on them, they knew something was up, and they simply put two and two together. Soon the man was being swarmed by a small crowd, all demanding details on how he negated the paralysis.

  Lucian, of course, didn't follow the crowd, instead opting to walk to the edge of the group. Sure, he had questions, but there were reasons he wouldn't join them. One, it seemed extremely stressful to get into that crowd. Sure, he had lived in the slums, but he still had some limits. Two, eventually, the important answers would be spread in the group soon enough. There was no need for panic. And last and most importantly, he had a strong guess as to the cause of the paralysis.

  'And if it really is, then this will truly be a dreadful journey.' Lucian shook his head at the possibility. But as he was walking, he suddenly caught on at the periphery of his sight. Someone was staring at him. He instinctively reacted and turned to meet the intense stare of the braided girl.

  Her beautiful blue eyes seemed filled with the brightest of curiosity and a little something of glee. The fierceness of her gaze was somewhat enchanting... as well as creepy.

  '...what the hell does she want? I mean, the attention's because it's from a girl like her, but no way is she even remotely thinking like that. Our conditions are too dire. And besides... her eyes are scary.'

  A bit rattled, he nodded at her curtly before walking even further and settling down to rest while taking off his large coat. The heat was seriously no joke.

  And to his most discomforting misery, the braided beauty kept her eyes on him the whole time.

  'Please let me reach that gate already.'

  ...

  "So, we've considered all the possibilities and also as well taken into account how we were released from the paralysis' firm grip. And we can say we are almost certain that the cause was..."

  'Silence. Alright, we're screwed,' Lucian sighed as he heard the conclusion the group had reached.

  While truth, lies, and flames could be either their fortune or ruin, silence was their deadliest enemy—utter and guaranteed doom!