As Ethan pressed the button, the group standing beside him—Lena, Milo, and Riley—flinched.
No matter how many times they mentally prepared themselves, the sensation of teleportation was unnatural. That feeling of being ripped away from reality, of being weightless yet crushed at the same time.
Ethan, however, kept his grip on himself. His body tensed, but he was ready.
After a full day of rest and recovery, he felt like he could perform far better than he had before. Sharper. More prepared. More in control.
And then—
The world wrapped around them.
It felt like being swallowed whole, their vision consumed by an overwhelming bright light.
It wasn't just white—it was blinding.
Like stepping through a threshold where reality itself bent.
And then—
They were there.
Standing on a road.
As the blinding light faded, the group slowly opened their eyes.
A cold gust of wind brushed past them. The ground beneath their feet was solid, a clear stretch of worn asphalt. Tall, frozen trees lined either side of the road, their branches motionless, coated in a thin layer of frost.
Milo blinked, processing the sight before him.
"We're… on a road?" He let out a small, incredulous laugh. "That's crazy."
Lena exhaled, glancing around. "Well, yeah… but this is supposed to be Phase 5, right?"
Ethan, his eyes scanning the area, answered simply.
"Yeah."
He didn't take it further.
Because, really, what else was there to say?
Riley stood a bit further back, silently observing their surroundings. His eyes darted between the icy treetops and the long, seemingly endless stretch of road ahead.
His hands were shaking.
But he forced himself to clench them into fists, trying to maintain his composure.
Lena wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing them slightly. "It's colder than I expected."
Milo kicked a loose pebble on the road, watching it skid across the frozen surface."So what now? We just… keep walking?"
Ethan took a deep breath. "First, we figure out where we are."
And with that, they began their first steps into Blizzard Road.
Ethan kept one thing in mind as he looked around.
"We need to find the rulebook first. Any ideas where it might be?"
He asked the group, his voice steady but focused.
Milo, as expected, was the first to respond. "Pfft, maybe it's hidden in one of the trees, waiting for us to climb up like monkeys." His voice had that familiar joking tone, but underneath it, there was still unease.
Lena rolled her eyes. "Milo, be serious."
Milo raised his hands in defense. "Hey, I'm just saying! These phases love to mess with us."
Lena sighed. "Well, I have no idea where it could be, but we should all search together."
Riley, his arms crossed tightly, glanced around the area. "Let's check the surroundings first." His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it—like he was trying too hard to sound unaffected. "If it's not out in the open, then we'll look in the trees or whatever."
Ethan nodded, taking in their suggestions. "Alright. Let's spread out but stay within sight of each other."
Then, his eyes scanned the surroundings.
At first glance, the phase didn't look dangerous.
It was just a road.
A single stretch of asphalt, long and seemingly endless, disappearing into the horizon.
It wasn't pristine—small cracks ran along the pavement, tiny imperfections that made it feel real, lived-in. The faint remnants of faded highway markings were still visible, splitting the road down the middle, as if this had once been a part of a much larger world.
And that was the strangest part.
Everything about it—the layout, the structure, even the way the road curved slightly in the distance—felt eerily normal.
Almost like it was asking them to follow it.
Beside the road, a sparse collection of trees stood scattered across the landscape.
They weren't thickly packed together like a forest, nor were they completely bare. They just… existed, planted at random, as if someone had forgotten where to place them.
Some stood tall and proud, their branches stretching outward, while others looked withered, like the cold had drained the life from them.
And yet—the cold wasn't here.
A thin layer of snow clung to the ground, soft and powdery, but strangely not cold to the touch. It was like the aftermath of a snowfall that had just melted, leaving behind only a delicate trace of winter.
The air itself was warm.
Not stifling, not suffocating—just the right kind of warmth.
Like a cozy morning in early spring, where the last remnants of winter still lingered in the wind but the sun had already begun to reclaim the sky.
It was… comfortable.
Too comfortable.
A place that felt safe, familiar, almost inviting.
But the group knew better.
Nothing here was meant to make them feel at ease.
And eventually, that warmth would fade.
After taking in their surroundings, the group began their search.
Milo climbed up a few trees, pretending to scan for anything useful, but mostly to entertain himself. Every now and then, he let out exaggerated monkey noises, beating his chest slightly.
"Ooo Ooo Ah Ah—guys, I think I see something—oh wait, no, just a branch."
Lena chuckled. "Milo, you're ridiculous."
Riley, however, was not amused. His brow twitched as he kept his focus on the ground.
"Can you stop acting like an idiot and actually help?" he muttered.
Milo grinned down from the tree."Ohhh, look who's in a bad mood today. Didn't get enough sleep? Or is this just your default setting?"
Riley ignored him, rolling his eyes.
Ethan, on the other hand, was completely focused on the task. He didn't engage with their banter—he simply scanned the area with sharp eyes, checking every possible crevice or hidden space.
Then—
"Look, guys. I think I found it."
Riley's voice cut through the air.
Everyone stopped what they were doing.
Riley stood in front of a tree, his fingers reaching into a thin crack along its bark. He carefully pulled out a folded piece of paper, slightly crumpled and worn from being wedged inside.
Milo dropped down from the tree, brushing off his hands. "Well, well, would you look at that—Riley actually focused on something for once."
He smirked. "Huge improvement from when we were packing food and you kept sneaking glances at Alice and giving Ethan death stares."
Riley's expression darkened instantly.
He turned his head and shot Milo a sharp, warning glare.
Milo froze."Oh."
The smirk vanished from his face, and he took a small step back, putting his hands up in surrender. "Okay. Got it. Sensitive topic. I'll shut up now."
Lena, stepping in before things got worse, smiled lightly. "Good job, Riley. Seriously."
Riley glanced at her, then at the paper in his hands. His fingers tightened around it slightly.
Ethan walked over, nodding. "Hand it over. Let's see what it says."
But Riley didn't move.
Instead, he unfolded the paper himself.
His heart tightened.
Ethan was always the one in control. Always the one people looked to for answers.
And it irritated him, because Ethan was a leader—and because Alice trusted Ethan more than she trusted him.
It was stupid, irrational.
But it was there.
So instead of handing the paper over, he held onto it.
And he started reading.
"Phase 5 - Blizzard Road
Phase Difficulty: 12.2/100"
Riley's eyes moved across the paper, scanning the text as the rest of the group stood around him, waiting.
The first thing that caught his attention was something new.
A difficulty rating.
He read it out loud:
"Phase 0: 2.4/100
Phase 1: 10/100
Phase 2: 6/100
Phase 3: 6.6/100
Phase 4: 5.2/100
Phase 5: 12.2/100"
Riley's brows furrowed.
"Wait—difficulty rating? That wasn't in Phase 0 or Phase 1's rulebooks, was it?"
Ethan's eyes narrowed. "No. It wasn't."
Milo let out a short breath. "So what—you're telling me someone decided to start ranking these death traps now?"
Riley didn't respond. Instead, he kept reading.
"At first, this phase will feel comfortable.
The air will be warm—not hot, not suffocating. Just enough warmth to make you drop your guard. The sky will be clear, and the road will stretch endlessly before you. There is no immediate danger.
But do not be fooled.
The warmth is temporary. At 9:00 sharp, the temperature will drop drastically.
The warmth will vanish.
The sky will darken.
And the storm will begin.
A blizzard will overtake this phase, fast and unforgiving. If you are not prepared, you will freeze. If you survive the blizzard, the weather will return to normal.
Resources & Threats:
1) There is NO food in this phase.
2) There are NO entities… unless you choose the wrong path.
The Paths:
At some point, you will reach a crossroads. You will have two choices:
1) The Deep Forest – A dense, frozen wilderness. It may lead to safety—or it may lead to death.
2) The Road of the Unknown – A path that stretches beyond sight. It may be the way out—or it may be worse than the storm itself.
Choose the wrong path… And you will face
The Shape Shifter.
This entity kills and consumes humans, taking on their appearance. It will look exactly like one of your own. But it won't be perfect.
How to identify a Shape Shifter:
1) Weird behavior – It will try to act like its victim, but something will always be… off.
2) Abnormal changes – Something will be wrong with its appearance. A slight distortion. A detail that shouldn't be there.
If you fail to notice in time…
You will die.
The Right Path:
If you choose correctly, you will escape. However, do not get comfortable.
If you take too long, something far worse will come for you.
The Vorator."
Riley's voice faltered for the first time.
He felt Ethan tense up beside him.
The moment Riley read that name, the entire atmosphere shifted.
He didn't even have to look at Ethan to know—this wasn't just a random creature to him.
The silence was suffocating.
Lena frowned. "The Vorator…?"
Milo glanced between Ethan and Riley. "Okay… someone wanna fill me in? What the hell is a Vorator?"
Riley slowly turned his head toward Ethan.
Ethan wasn't looking at him.
He was staring at the ground, frozen.
Riley clenched his jaw. He knew that look.
Ethan was remembering something.
Something bad.
And then, before Riley could say anything—
Ethan's breathing changed.
A sharp inhale. A slight tremor in his shoulders.
His mind wasn't here anymore.
It was back in Phase 1.
Karlos
The thing that had hunted them relentlessly.
The thing that killed him.
Ethan knew exactly what the Vorator was.
And that meant they had no time to waste.
Riley saw Ethan's hands curl into fists.
For the first time since stepping into this phase, he felt real fear creep into his chest.
They couldn't afford to hesitate.
This phase wasn't about surviving an enemy.
It was about surviving time.
Riley swallowed. "Ethan…"
Ethan's jaw tightened. He barely whispered:
"We need to move. Now."
Ethan snapped out of it, forcing his mind to focus.
The biggest problem now?
There was no clock.
How the hell were they supposed to track time?
His eyes instinctively lifted upward.
The sun.
It was there—but he had no idea how to measure time just by looking at it.
His chest tightened.
They would have to figure it out fast.
Riley, still holding the rulebook, furrowed his brows as he processed the name.
"Wait, Ethan—what the hell even is a Vorator?"
His voice had an edge to it, demanding an answer. The way Ethan froze up after hearing that name wasn't normal.
Milo and Lena looked at Ethan too, waiting.
But Ethan didn't stop to explain. Instead, he turned, already stepping forward.
"We don't have time for that right now," Ethan said, voice tight with urgency. "I'll explain as we move—let's go."
Riley hesitated for half a second before shutting the rulebook and stuffing it into his pocket. He wanted answers, but he could tell—this wasn't the time to push.
Ethan glanced up at the sky as they started walking.
"We need to figure out the time," he said. "We can use the sun."
Then—he paused.
His brows slightly furrowed. His lips parted like he was about to say something—but no words came.
Milo, walking beside him, noticed immediately.
A small smirk tugged at his lips.
"Ohhh, I see what's happening here."
Ethan snapped his gaze toward him."What?"
Milo grinned, amused."You have no idea how to tell time using the sun, do you?"
Ethan glared.
Milo chuckled, stretching his arms. "Relax, man. Leave it to me."
Lena raised an eyebrow. "Wait—you know how to do that?"
Milo shot her a wink. "Of course I do. What, you think I'm just a pretty face?"
Riley groaned. "I'm already regretting this."
Ethan sighed, rubbing his temple. "Alright. Just do it fast."
Milo grinned wider, stepping ahead."You got it, boss."
And with that, they kept moving.