The marble corridor was deathly quiet.
Sora stood under the left archway, hands at her sides, fingers flexing slightly like she wanted to reach for a weapon.
Rin leaned against the opposite wall, face unreadable beneath the shadow of her tangled hair. The sigil on her neck no longer glowed, but the memory of it was enough.
Matthew stood in the middle.
His wristband continued blinking, waiting.
So did the corridor.
The masks on the wall began to move.
Subtle shifts—eyelids lowering, smiles twisting, frowns deepening.
Watching.
Judging.
Waiting.
"I don't trust her," Sora said flatly.
Rin didn't flinch. "I wouldn't either."
"Then why are you here?" Matthew asked.
"Because I didn't come to apologize," Rin said. "I came because none of us get out of this alone. Not anymore."
"That's rich," Sora snapped. "You sold us out. Left us to die. What changed—guilt?"
"No." Rin's voice was cold. "Access. I've seen the root directory. I know what happens when the last door opens. I know who's waiting."
Matthew held up a hand. "Enough. There's a game coming. We don't know the rules. The system's breaking down. We either go in together, or not at all."
Sora narrowed her eyes. "How do we know she won't turn on us again?"
"You don't," Rin said simply. "You never will."
Matthew turned to both of them. "Then let's decide now. If we step through the mask chamber, we step through as one unit. We don't need to like each other. But we need to play smart. Agreed?"
Silence.
Then Sora stepped forward.
"I'm not doing this for you," she said. "I'm doing this because I'd rather be betrayed by someone I know than someone I don't."
Rin nodded once. "Fair."
Matthew looked between them—two allies who had once trusted each other.
Two enemies who might have to again.
Then the corridor shook.
The central mask on the wall twisted into a grin—and the door behind it creaked open.
A voice—not mechanical, not human—hissed through the room.
"THE GAME BEGINS WHEN YOU ALL LIE."
They froze.
And then—
GAME: THE MASK TEST
TYPE: DECEPTION / SACRIFICE
PLAYERS: 3
WIN CONDITION: ONLY TWO LEAVE.
BONUS: +5 LIFE TO THE SURVIVORS.
Rin's eyes widened. "They're testing our trust."
"No," Matthew said.
"They're weaponizing it."