Margana: To Seek The Truth

17. The Call of Fear

Isn't this an abandoned skyscraper? Why would I be teleported to this branch? Looks sketchy to me. I'm not going inside... It looks terrifying. Literally nothing inside it, the paint is peeling off like crazy, what is this place?! I didn't have a different choice, a forest that seems endless lies behind me, not going in there. There's no sign of life within these walls, do I just go through this thing?

I've learned my lesson from the activity of "He", I can't trust anything that this world says, especially from the overseers. I turned around to check my surroundings once more, then I heard a low chime coming from the skyscraper. Letters appeared on the walls reading out... "Redemption Challenge: Your Last Chance". I see, this is the last try that I have to get out. Do I really need to do this alone though? I just realized how important Lino is to me on this journey, where could he possibly be?

I heard a chime from above me, and there opened a portal that looked just like the one I went through. I immediately moved aside, not knowing what or who could've come through. To my surprise, Lino!

"Lino! Is it really you?!"

"did it have to drop me down like th— Margana?"

"Yeah! Lord... I thought I'd have to go through things alone!"

"Same here, sadly. I'm pretty sure that the overseers brought us together to this redemption challenge."

"Yeah, right! Also— I'm sorry for what happened at the previous activity."

"It's all in the past, let's just worry about what's in front of us now."

I nodded in reply, I'm glad that I'm not alone anymore. I guess we'll enter now... The atmosphere is tense yet horrifying. My eyes were in awe when we opened the front door, it looked so modern and chic! Everything in this room looked like the best hotels I've seen, and reminded me a lot of Earth.

We heard the elevator open slowly, and a child about the age of 10 came through. She seemed kind but it was obvious that she was someone under the command of the overseer for this redemption round. I swear, if we had to hurt her— I'd feel guilty if it meant my life and Lino's.

"Hello dear contestants! Miya's name is Miya! Miya will now show you to the actual lobby. Miya is sorry that dear contestants were eliminated from the main process! Miya's master will give you two an opportunity to go back, lucky contestants!"

She talks weird... Does Miya use the third person point-of-view? Adorable! We get into the skyscarper's elevator. It looks pretty! It's made of real thin glass, I don't trust my life onto a sheet of glass.

"Oh? Yes master, Miya will execute it properly."

Huh? Execute it properly? What does she mean? Will the boss not appear and explain things? The redemption round should be run by the overseers themselves, right? It's really important though... Something seems sketchy yet I can't place my finger on things.

I couldn't help but ask, "Miya, will you explain the rules now?"

Lino took the opportunity and followed up with a question right after, "Where and who is your master?"

The little child just laughed saying, "Sure I will contestant Margana! Just let this lift reach a few floors higher. Contestant Lino, unfortunately, Miya cannot answer your question."

I looked at the amount of floors and, to my surprise, we were on the 100th floor. Wait, the elevator just slowed down a lot. Will she explain the rules now? God, I have to remember not to trust everything. I hope that this activity is easier than most, I doubt though, this is the redemption challenge anyways.

"To my dear contestants, Miya will now explain the rules of the activity. It is called Hide and Pick a Door!"

"Hold on, Hide and Pick a Door? That sounds unusual. It seems like hide and seek, am I wrong?"

"Contestant Margana, you are right about one aspect of the game! However, Miya has more to explain about this thrilling game."

"Miya, another question. The Pick a Door part, what does that mean for the activity?"

"Contestants Lino and Margana, please wait for Miya to fully finish the instructions before questions! Ahem... There are a total of five areas you two have to go through to make it to the top of the skyscraper. The storage room, the kitchen, the deluxe bedroom, the office, and the poolside. Within these you have one minute to search for the hidden door with 2 locks. Be careful! Make sure to hide after every cycle to avoid being caught by the seeker! There will be a total of 7 cycles of finding and hiding per room. That's all!"

"That's all? Seriously? That's an understatement. It wasn't good thinking that this was the easiest challenge yet. This is the outright opposite of easy! Are we expected to win this thing?! This activity is practically rigged, it's just not doable!"

"Contestant Margana, yes, you are expected to win the entire thing in order to make up for your loss and move on to the next challenge."

"Do we get a redemption round after this?"

"Sadly, the answer is no, Contestant Lino. If you fail this round, you fail everything. The consequence? Your life. Not to worry! After some time, small guides will appear to help you out!"

Lino and I had clear fear in our eyes, we didn't know what would happen and why the games were all so hard. I was tense, I felt like leaving the skyscraper and just living in the forest outside. This was humanly impossible to win... Right? The seeker must have some heightened senses to track us down better. We have to be vigilant about our surroundings if we want to survive this crazy activity. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not letting this opportunity pass me by. 

The redemption round wasn't going to be easy, that's for sure.

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Author's Note:

Heyyy! Here's a new chapter of Margana and even as the author, I can say that things are getting intense! Sorry for splitting this chapter into two, I'd like to crate a cliffhanger! ❤️ Please expect a thriller/suspense-filled theme for chapter 18! 

Question to ponder on: Who is Miya's master?