Ethan's fingers curled into a fist. His breath was steady, but his mind was racing. 9,999 floors. A system that didn't care. A chance to be separated forever.
And now this?
Reliving people's deaths?
His gut twisted. "This is worse than I thought."
Nathan rubbed his temples, exhaling sharply. "So, not only do we have to worry about surviving—we also get to experience other people's final moments of dying?" He let out a bitter laugh. "Fantastic. Love that for us."
Samuel's jaw tightened."Bound to the phase they died in…" His voice was lower, quieter. "That means… if we die, we become part of it too."
Nobody responded, but the implication was clear.
Ivy, usually the one to analyze things calmly, found her hands trembling slightly. Not out of fear—out of realization.
"It's psychological." Her voice was soft but sharp. "The Tower isn't just about killing us. It wants to break us mentally. Force us to feel deaths that aren't even ours."
She swallowed hard. "It's designed to wear people down, to make them lose themselves."
Toby had been silent the longest.
Now, he let out a slow breath, adjusting his glasses.
"…We have to be careful." His voice was even, but there was an edge of tension beneath it.
He tapped his knuckle lightly against the desk. "Because if we step into the wrong phase… it won't just be our own deaths we'll be dealing with."
His words settled into them like ice.
Ethan, Samuel, Nathan, Toby, and Ivy stood before the rest of the group, going over everything they had just read.
The 9,999 floors.The 50/50 teleportation risk.The Band of Conjunction.The Echo Effect.The Hidden Phase Doors.
By the time they finished, a heavy silence settled over the room.
Harper's arms were crossed tightly, her usual confidence flickering with unease.
"So, let me get this straight." Her voice was measured, but there was an unmistakable edge. "We step into a phase where someone died, and we get to relive their final moments? Just… feel whatever they felt before they died?"
Zara let out a slow, shaky breath."That's messed up."
Harper scoffed. "That's an Understatement."
Derek was quiet. He hadn't said a word since the explanation ended.
His brows were furrowed, jaw tight—deep in thought.
Whatever was running through his mind, he wasn't ready to say it out loud.
Alice and Lena sat next to each other, their postures mirroring—both disturbed, both trying to stay rational.
Alice rubbed her temples. "Okay. It's a psychological attack. That's what this is."
Lena nodded, exhaling. "It's like Ivy said—the Tower doesn't just want to kill us. It wants to break us first."
Riley let out a harsh, frustrated sigh, shaking his head.
"This just keeps getting worse." His voice was tense, laced with frustration. "Every time I think I understand what we're dealing with, it just… spirals into something more impossible."
No one argued.
Because he wasn't wrong.
Milo leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. "Welp, at least we don't have to pay rent. Pretty sure the mental trauma covers that."
A few people glanced at him.
Milo sighed. "Look, man, I dunno how else to process this. Either I joke about it, or I sit here having an existential crisis."
He paused. "Actually, might do both."
Owen had been staring at the floor the whole time.
Fidgeting slightly.
When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet, uncertain."So… if someone died in a phase… we have to feel it? We can't stop it?"
Nathan nodded. "That's what it says."
Owen swallowed hard. "That's…" He shook his head. "That's insane."
But no one disagreed.
Because they were all thinking the same thing.
This wasn't just a tower.
It was a nightmare that wouldn't let you wake up.
And the worst part?
They still had to move forward.
The shock of what they had learned weighed heavy in the air.
No one wanted to move.
No one wanted to press that button.
Alice took a slow step forward, her fingers gripping Ethan's sleeve, holding onto him without a word.
Like she was searching for some kind of stability.
But Ethan?
He felt just as lost.
His thoughts raced, but one realization cut through the noise in his head.
He exhaled, his voice quiet but firm.
"This is a perfect trap… don't y'all think?"
Alice's grip tightened slightly, her gentle eyes locked on him, waiting for him to explain.
Ivy and Toby?
They already understood.
The others?
They waited.
Ethan's gaze swept across the room, his mind piecing it together.
"The city is beautiful. Perfect. Convenient. Flawless. It makes you want to stay."
His voice grew heavier.
"It's better than the unknown. And yet… some people still choose to explore further."
He paused.
Then, his jaw tightened.
"So the Tower makes sure they regret it."
The words hit hard.
"It makes exploring worse. It makes it painful. It makes you question why you ever wanted to leave."
A bitter chill ran through the group.
Because they knew he was right.
Ethan's eyes flicked toward Victor.
His expression was unreadable, but Ethan knew.
Knew that Victor had already figured this out before they did.
His voice dropped slightly, calm but laced with frustration.
"Are you satisfied now, Victor?"
The air hung thick between them.
And finally—Victor smiled.
Victor smirked, tilting his head slightly as he spoke.
"My, my… you sound angry."
His voice was smooth, calm, almost teasing.
"But hear me out."****"
He gestured around the room, his tone still laced with amusement.
"Do you really want to stay here? This perfect little city, this illusion of safety?"
His gaze swept over the group, his smile widening.
"You do realize we need to escape, right?"
Then, his eyes flicked back to Ethan.
"Don't you have a family?"
Ethan's breath hitched.
Victor's smirk deepened, knowing he had his attention now.
"You want to leave your brother and… 'sisters' alone?"
The words hung in the air like a slow-acting poison.
And Victor saw it.
He saw the second something inside Ethan snapped.
For others, the words were a reminder of their own reasons to leave. A harsh truth they couldn't argue against.
But Ethan?
Sisters.
It struck a nerve so deep, it felt like a knife being twisted in his chest.
His mind didn't just register the words.
It relived the loss.
His fingers curled into a tight fist.
His heartbeat slowed.
His eyes darkened.
Cold. Menacing. Murderous.
A silent promise of violence.
And then—he started walking forward.
Step by step, his movements controlled, slow, dangerous.
The others didn't react immediately.
They didn't understand.
But Jace, Milo, Samuel, Toby, and Ivy?
They saw it.
They saw the way his muscles tensed, the way his shoulders squared.
They knew exactly what he was about to do.
Ethan was going to punch Victor.
And no one knew if he was going to stop after one hit.
Ethan's fist tightened, his steps slow but deliberate.
Victor's smirk remained, unbothered—almost inviting the hit.
Jace, Milo, Samuel, Toby, and Ivy were about to move, ready to step in—
But before any of them could—
Alice reached out.
Her fingers wrapped around Ethan's wrist, gently but firmly holding him back.
"Calm down… Ethan."
Her voice was soft. Steady.
Ethan's cold, murderous glare shifted to her.
For a moment, Alice felt the intensity of his rage, the sheer hatred burning beneath his gaze.
It was enough to make anyone tremble.
And yet—
She didn't let go.
She didn't even flinch.
Instead, she held on, her eyes unwavering.
"Please…" she whispered. "It's not the time to fight among ourselves."
Her words sank in.
Slowly, the tension in Ethan's body loosened—just slightly.
Not gone.
But controlled.
His breath slowed, his shoulders relaxed just a fraction.
Alice's grip remained firm, waiting for him to make the choice.
And finally—he exhaled.
Not in defeat.
But in restraint.
For now.
Ethan's breath was still heavy, his fingers unclenching as he took back control of himself.
His anger remained, but now it was focused.
"We leave." His voice was sharp, unwavering."We aren't prepared for the phases yet. We wait for Johnathan to heal, and then we discuss them first."
The group listened.
His tone left no room for debate.
Ivy and Toby nodded, reasoning it out quickly.
"He's right," Ivy said, adjusting her glasses. "We don't even have a plan. Jumping into an unknown phase without discussing risks would be reckless."
Toby crossed his arms. "And if we lose people in those first few transitions, it'll only make things worse. We need strategy first, not blind courage."
The others agreed. Even those who had been hesitant before could see Ethan wasn't wrong.
But then—
Victor stepped forward.
"You're all pathetic."
His voice was sharp, almost frantic—his usual amusement cracking slightly.
"That's it? We're leaving? Just like that?" His gaze flickered over the group. "So none of you actually want to leave this place?"
No one responded.
Victor scoffed. "Are you really this scared?"
His voice rose, his frustration spilling through.
"You talk about plans, about waiting, about safety—but what about the people waiting for us?"
His fists clenched.
"Your families. Your friends. Your loved ones."
His eyes locked onto Ethan.
"You were just talking about this being a perfect trap, and yet you're the one choosing to stay here."
His breath hitched slightly, his tone growing sharper, more desperate.
"You're all inhuman."
The words hit the group like a sudden shockwave.
But Ethan?
He didn't react.
He just turned.
Slowly, deliberately, he began stepping toward the exit.
Ignoring Victor entirely.
And then—
Disaster struck.
Ethan's steps were steady, his focus set on the door.
He reached out, his fingers brushing against the cold surface—
And then—
A force.
Unseen. Unrelenting.
Before he could even process what was happening, something invisible and overwhelming slammed into him with immense force.
BOOM!
His body launched backward, weightless, like a ragdoll hurled by an unseen hand.
The air rushed out of his lungs as he crashed into the floor, sliding across the room before slamming against the far wall.
The impact sent a sharp shockwave of pain through his body.
For a second—everything spun.
His vision blurred, ears ringing.
The room fell into a stunned silence.
And then—chaos erupted.
The room was frozen in disbelief.
The moment Ethan's body slammed against the wall, the silence was suffocating.
Then—movement.
"Ethan!" Alice was the first to react, rushing toward him, her heart pounding.
Samuel, Nathan, Milo, and Kacey weren't far behind, their shock barely contained as they hurried to his side.
Ethan lay there, body aching, struggling to process what just happened.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group?
Still.
Unmoving.
They stood frozen, their minds too slow to catch up, too overwhelmed to comprehend what they had just witnessed.
The Tower had just stopped them from leaving.
And it wasn't subtle about it.
Ethan gritted his teeth, trying to push himself up as the pain throbbed through his body.
Alice held onto his arm, steadying him, but her eyes were filled with concern.
And then—
A realization settled in.
Like ice creeping into their veins.
Toby's breath hitched. "Oh… oh shit."
Ivy's fingers clenched at her sleeves. "We made a mistake."
Ethan's breathing slowed as his mind pieced it together.
The Tower isn't letting us leave.
The air felt heavier.
The silence around them wasn't just shock anymore.
It was dread.
Because now, they all understood—
They weren't just choosing whether to enter the phases.
The Tower had already made the choice for them.
And now?
There was no turning back.