Survival Game, Book 1: The Fool

Act One: Chapter Six

The first door led to a second hallway, with two more doors parallel to each other on either side of the royal purple walls covered in strange designs. Is this... a joke? Ryou wondered as he approached the door on the left. He said this was where the test was, didn't he? He glanced around the hallway for anything he may have missed, but nothing was there. He even looked down at the black and white checkered floor to see anything off in the pattern, his reflection appearing on the recently polished surface. Am I really that nervous? He noticed his own pale complexion. I look awful... Even his choice of attire was poor, choosing only to wear a plain white T-shirt and a pair of beige pants with black shoes that'd worn out years ago. The shirt had seen better days as well, its cotton thinning from age despite it clean enough to look new.
"Nakahara-kun." The speaker turned on once again. "I see you are hesitant. Are you going to go on?" His mentor asked, the slightly taunting tone bothering Ryou in a way he couldn't explain. He wasn't angry nor annoyed, yet he was still bothered by his mentor's way of speaking. "I may be your teacher, but I can't guide you when it comes to fate. Think carefully. You first approached the left door without thinking. Yet is that the right choice? You were probably confused, wondering where the test was, yet you never thought that this was the test. A test where your choices will depend on rather you move onto the second round or you end up trapped and unable to leave. So, choose wisely." The speaker cut off before Ryou could ask any questions and he was left alone once more.
This is the test, huh? Ryou took his hand off the doorknob and backed away, examining each door. How am I supposed to know which one is the right one? Both doors looked identical to one another, making it difficult to know. He glanced at both doors a few times, hoping something out of place would catch his eye, but nothing did. I guess I'll go left. It was the first one I chose and I'm sure my instincts were correct. He still continued to second guess himself as he passed through the left door and he wondered if he should turn back and change his mind. But, as soon as he turned around and tried to open the door again, it was locked. Did he lock it...? Ryou continued to turn the doorknob over and over again, seeing if it'd just jammed and wouldn't open.
"It's pointless, Nakahara-kun." The man's voice spoke once again. "I told you to think carefully. Once you make a choice in life, good or bad, you can never go back and restart again. Thankfully for you, neither door was correct. When it comes to fate, some choices don't matter at all. They just lead you to the bigger decisions, no matter which path you take. Turn around and you'll see for yourself. It's not like you can go back now." For once, the speaker didn't cut off and Ryou turned around to see another set of doors. This time, there were four doors, two on each side, and a stained glass window at the end of the hallway. Pictured on it was the words: 'XX: JUDGEMENT,' along with the picture of a woman in the middle of two fields, one lush with vibrant grass and flowers while the other was full of dark skies and decaying trees. A small antique table lay beneath the window, with a piece of paper laid onto it. When Ryou approached it, he noticed there was a question, with multiple choice answers below. I thought he said there wouldn't be stuff like this here...
"Here's one of the decisions you'll have to make." His mentor explained. "You may think it looks like some written test, but I assure you, there are no correct answers. Only your choice and the path fate gives you. Question 1," He began reading the card as if it was right in front of him. "Your father is terminally ill. The doctors have provided treatment, but your father continues to decline. Suddenly, a new drug comes along and the doctors want to test it on your father and see if it'll work. Your mother is away on a business trip and cannot be there, so you have to make the final decision. What will you do?" Ryou had to stop himself from wincing as he heard the question. Did he have to make it so close to home? But, then again, they have my records. He probably knows what happened to me and is seeing what I would've done if Mom didn't have to. In his case, there was no new drug, but he assumed his mentor meant as if the AX drug was available back then. What would Mom have done if this was real...?
His mentor continued, seeming not to notice Ryou's reaction to the question, much to the boy's relief. "Your answers are as follows: One, would you accept the doctors' offer and try out the new drug? Two, would you decline the drug in fear it'd only speed up the illness? Three, would you avoid the decision and wait until your mother returns to choose instead, even if it meant this could take a while? Or four, would you avoid the decision entirely and continue the current treatments instead? Remember, don't concern yourself with the answers themself. Focus on what you would do."
What... would I have done? I was a kid back then, but... Ryou knew exactly what he would've done, even back when he was young. "I guess... I would've chose the first option. I would've gave him the drug. That way, even if he still died, I would at least know that I tried everything I could. If I refused the drug or continued the treatments while knowing I had other options, I'd regret it in the future. My mind would keep wondering what if I had done something else or if I had chosen the drug and it saved him after all. I would want to know I did everything first. And I wouldn't want to let my mother decide because I was given the choice, not her. If I made her do it, it'd put the stress on her instead and I'd regret that as well." He decided solemnly, suddenly wishing that he could go back in time and make the question come true, where he would be older and may have saved his father. But, that was impossible and he couldn't do such a thing.
"Very good. Though it was only a simple matter of choices and there was no correct answers, I'd have chosen the same if it was Satoko." The voice behind the speaker commended him. Ryou wanted to ask who Satoko was, but his mentor didn't give him the time. "Proceed through the first door and you'll face your next choice." Ryou heard a clinking sound to his right and as he turned, he suddenly realized that the doors had been numbered and whichever choice he picked determined his path. The other doors must be locked. He assumed as he proceeded on.
The next hallway was the same as the previous one other than the picture, now replaced with one of a sun, its label reading: 'XIX. THE SUN.' The piece of paper had a different question as well, and Ryou skimmed through it before his mentor began to read. "Question 2, you are given the chance to sell your new product. If successful, you'll gain a vast sum of money and fame. However, the product you created is untested and could be potentially dangerous, but your family is in desperate need of money. What would you do? One, would you choose not to sell the product? Two, would you sell the product but wait until it's tested? Three, would you not sell the product and find a better job to provide for your family? Or four, would you sell the product untested?"
Ryou thought about it for a brief moment, re-reading the choices once more before responding. "Four." He decided. "Because my family needs the money now, they couldn't wait until I got a new job and it could take years for the testing to be done. And if I didn't sell the product, then it'd be a wasted opportunity for them." His heart began to quicken as his mentor hesitated. Did he choose the right answer? I should've picked two... "Wait, I change my mind!" He tried to protest, but his mentor let out a brief sigh.
"It's too late. Once you make a choice, you can't go back." The man replied, his rather strange voice sounding more normal this time. "I told you to think carefully. Now you must proceed through the fourth door."
Ryou did as told, starting to regret his decision. He thought it'd be the simple option at first, but now he wasn't sure. Was his mentor disappointed with him? Upset? Angry? He couldn't tell. Will I pass this test now? At first, he was uncertain of the Survival Game, despite agreeing to it for his mother's sake, but now he wanted nothing but to pass the test. Maybe it was just his nature of wanting to succeed in every task he was given, but something was driving him to continue on. I can't worry about that. I have to keep going. He firmly told himself, entering through the door with the labeled number 4 on it.
The next two hallways had only one door to them and Ryou began to panic when none of them led to the next question or even an exit. The third hallway was the same way and he paused at the next door, hoping his mentor would speak to him again. "I don't understand, what did I do? Where's the next question?" He demanded, frantically looking left and right to glare at the speaker, just in case his mentor could see him somehow.
"The choices you make don't always lead to the next one. Sometimes you are led through a straight path where nothing occurs until the time is right. Think about how you changed your mind the last minute. If this was in reality, you would've stopped what you're doing entirely until you have to decide rather you think you should continue or not. Like you said in question one, you'd continue to think about your other options if you didn't choose the one you felt was right. This time, you knew your family was involved and impulsively chose them over yourself or others. A noble act, but it's truly a foolish one. If they had nothing to do with it, I'm sure you would've chose a more sensible option. Keep in mind that this is your path and your path alone, Nakahara-kun. Do you see your family here, walking alongside you? No? Then that should tell you something. Fate brought you here for a reason. And you'll never know that reason until you focus on your own path and not theirs. Think of yourself for once. Think of what you think is correct, not what works best for the people close to you." His mentor finally replied through the speakers. "Think now. Do you think you can continue on and face your next decision?" Ryou nodded, forgetting that the man wasn't standing before him, but his mentor continued. "Then proceed." The speaker cut out after that.
The fourth hallway was another one with four doors and stained glass. Ryou almost sighed in relief. I won't fail this time! His mentor's words echoed through his mind. Think of myself... think of what I would want, not others... He kept telling himself to take his mentor's advice, to choose his own decisions. It proved more difficult than he thought. I've always tried to think of my family. How can I think of myself, when I'm here because of them? He thought, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the question. The glass was based on Wheel of Fortune this time. He glanced up at the glass to make sure he was right before looking back down.
"This one isn't a question." His mentor explained before Ryou can question it. "The Wheel of Fortune tells of the randomness of fate. Will you have good fortune or bad fortune? Nobody can tell what fate has in store for them. I'm sure you didn't think this was how your summer break would go. Yet here you are, where you were destined to be. Anyway, this time... you have a simple answer of yes or no." He began to read the paper. "Fate has brought you to four different paths. Yet each path is blocked, unreachable. You cannot turn back, so what will you do? Will you trust in fate to guide you? Fate is unpredictable, but sometimes it's the only way to guide you forward. Will you trust it, despite not knowing what it will do?"
Of course it's about fate... Ryou should've known. "I'd have to trust it." He answered. "If I can't go anywhere and didn't trust fate, I'd never be able to escape." Truthfully, he never cared much for fate. He didn't really believe in it. If he did, he'd have to believe that fate killed his father and destroyed his mother and there was some great reason for it all. But in this case, he had no choice. Or no real choice in the matter. He had to choose fate.
"A wise decision." His mentor commented with a brief chuckle added to the beginning of his sentence. "Fate is unpredictable, as I said before. Sometimes it's bad, sometimes it's good, but sometimes..." He paused as the glass window in front of Ryou glimmered and began to dissolve like mist, revealing a hidden door behind it. "Fate opens new, hidden paths... if you trust it."
Ryou stood, looking up and down at the huge door that loomed in front of him. "Go on," His mentor ordered. "It seems fate was fortunate to you. You've passed the first test and now it's time for fate to lead you into your second trial."
Ryou stood frozen for a moment. "I passed...? Seriously?" He could barely believe it, but the small flame of excitement that ignited inside him made him want to shove open the door and continue on. I passed... I'm one step closer now. He pushed through the door eagerly. I can help my mom and brother now. This'll give them what they need, if I help save this world from the Grandmasters. The thought finally occurred to him that his family wasn't the only ones that'd be saved by him. His whole neighborhood could live in peace now. But then he thought of what his mentor had said. I'll be helping everyone with my sacrifice, but... what would I personally get from it? He said fate brought me here, but if that's true, why would my destiny lie in the Survival Game?