PARADOX

The silence in the dark room was thick, broken only by the rhythmic crunching of chips and the soft, persistent clicking of a mouse. A faint light filtered in from a half-open window in the corner, casting just enough illumination through the evening to reveal a solitary figure seated on a cushion on the floorboards. The silhouette, almost entirely obscured by the gloom, showed hints of long, slicked-back brown hair, which caught the occasional glint from the outside light.

With one hand, the figure reached into a crinkling packet of chips beside the cushion, pulling out a handful. The other hand skillfully manipulated the mouse on the small table in front of her, her movements precise and practiced. The computer screen in front of her glowed brightly, depicting a frantic scene: characters holding firearms, their barrels aimed at menacing cyborgs. The intensity of the game contrasted sharply with the stillness of the room, as the girl remained entirely absorbed in the virtual world.

Suddenly, the figure shifted, breaking the trance-like state she had been in for what felt like hours. She stood up, causing the cushion beneath her to crinkle and settle, the noise unusually loud in the quiet room. Almost immediately, the lights in the room began to flicker, casting eerie, shifting shadows on the walls. The girl froze, her attention momentarily diverted from the screen.

From somewhere deep within the house, a voice pierced the darkness. "AWANDEA! I'm leaving for work!" The voice was sharp, urgent, and slightly muffled by the walls, but it managed to break through the eerie silence.

Startled, the silhouette turned around swiftly, her gaze darting to the source of the voice. She reached for the light switch with a steady hand. With a quick click, the room was flooded with a dim but steady light, revealing her in full detail. The girl was a teenager, her long brown hair slicked back but slightly unkempt, strands sticking out in random directions. Her pale face, devoid of expression, contrasted sharply with the dark shadows under her eyes, likely from countless hours spent staring at the screen. She wore a large blue hoodie, the sleeves extending almost to her fingertips, hiding her hands. The black jean shorts she wore contrasted with her bare legs, and her fingers, dusted with salt from the chips, glittered faintly under the light.

"Okay," she muttered in response, her voice flat and devoid of any enthusiasm. She turned off the lights with another click, plunging the room back into darkness as she liked it. The sound of clicking and munching resumed, filling the void as she returned to her game.

What felt like hours later, her phone on the table next to the computer began to ring, its shrill tone cutting through the silence. Awandea sighed lazily, not bothering to move much, and switched the call to speaker mode. The voice of the person on the other side filled the room.

"Awandea. It's me. Orez. How are you?" His voice was familiar, though his tone held a trace of hesitance, as if he was unsure of how his words would be received.

"Good," she replied tersely, her focus never wavering from the screen as her fingers continued to click the mouse, guiding her in-game character with practiced ease.

"I called to give you an update," Orez continued, undeterred by her lack of enthusiasm.

Awandea didn't respond, the only sound in the room being the clicking of the mouse and the muted action on the computer screen. Orez waited for a moment, perhaps hoping she would say something, but when she didn't, he pressed on.

"A new game will be launched this evening," he announced.

At this, her fingers paused, hovering over the mouse, and her gaze shifted from the screen to her phone. Her expression remained unreadable, but there was a spark of interest in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

"A new game?" she repeated dimly, her voice still monotone, but now tinged with curiosity.

"Yes. The name is unannounced," Orez confirmed, his voice carrying a hint of excitement.

Awandea didn't reply immediately. She continued to gaze at her phone, as if processing the information. Then, almost abruptly, she stood up, the cushion beneath her making a soft crinkling sound. She turned the door handle and stepped out of her room without a word leaving Orez hanging just like it seemed.

She descended the stairs slowly, her hand caressing the side rails as she did. Her steps were almost silent, her movements methodical and deliberate. At the bottom of the stairs, she took a quick glance at the dining table, noticing the half-finished meal still sitting there, before turning and heading down the corridor.

Awandea walked down the hall, her destination clear in her mind. She stopped in front of a beautiful white door at the end of the hall. Without hesitation, she turned the door handle and stepped inside.

The room she entered was neat and orderly, a stark contrast to the casual chaos of her own space. Her eyes scanned the room quickly before she moved towards a large wardrobe at the far end. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small key, which she used to unlock the wardrobe door. Inside, among other belongings, was a red purse sitting in one of the drawers.

She picked up the purse, her expression still blank, and shut the wardrobe door. As she left the room, there was a faint grin on her lips, though it didn't reach her dull eyes. Awandea walked back down the corridor, her steps as silent as before, and returned to her room. She closed the door behind her with a soft click.

"Hello? Awandea? Hello? Where did you go? At least hang up or inform me!" Orez's voice, now tinged with concern, echoed from the phone that still lay on the table.

"Here," she responded, her voice flat and indifferent.

"Hey. Where did you run off to?" Orez asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and exasperation.

"Money," she shrugged, as if that single word explained everything. She sat back down on the cushion in front of her computer, placing the red purse beside her.

"Awandea. Will you buy it right away?" Orez asked, sounding both surprised and somewhat impressed.

"Yes," she replied, her fingers already moving towards the keyboard.

"Wow, okay. So I'll call you back then?" Orez's voice carried a hint of resignation.

Awandea sighed softly, her annoyance barely contained, and then switched off her phone without another word. The room was silent once again, save for the clicking of the mouse as she continued her game.

Orez stared at the screen of his phone, his brows furrowed in frustration. "She is so..." he trailed off, his words cut short by his clenched teeth. He stood up abruptly, the chair he was sitting on scraping against the floor. In one swift motion, he lifted the guitar that had been leaning against the wall at the end of his room. He began playing a self-made song, the melody filling the space around him. Outside, the leaves on the trees swayed gently, as if dancing to the rhythm of his music.

At exactly seven o'clock, Awandea was seated in front of her computer, the blue light from the screen casting an eerie glow on her pale face. She entered her card details into the browser page with practiced efficiency and placed an order for the newly launched game. Her expression remained blank, her focus entirely on the screen as she completed the transaction.

THREE DAYS LATER

"Awandea. Did you order something?" a familiar voice called out from the dining table. Awinita, her half-sister. Awandea was seated opposite the source of the voice, her eyes focused on the plate of food in front of her.

"Yes," she replied simply, her tone flat as always.

"What is it this time? Another game?" Awinita asked, a note of exasperation creeping into her tone as she took a bite of steak.

"Yes," Awandea replied, her words punctuated by the sound of her chewing.

"Why do you keep buying them? You should start studying, you know," Awinita insisted, her frustration growing.

"Okay," Awandea responded, her tone unchanged, her attention never wavering from her meal.

"Awandea. Please. Talk. To me," Awinita implored, her voice tinged with desperation.

"Yes," Awandea replied again, offering nothing more than a single word.

Awinita's patience snapped. "Why are you doing this to me? Can't you act like a normal female? Do you hate this house that much? Do you hate me that much? Why should I even put up with you? You are the daughter of my father's first wife. She ran away, that witch-"

Before she could finish, Awandea sprang up from her chair. With surprising speed and agility, she jumped on her sister, pinning her to the floor with one hand squeezing her throat and the other holding a fork dangerously close to her right eye.

"Look, Awandea. I am sorry. I am sorry, I shouldn't have spoken ill of your mother. So please let me go and put the fork down. Please. It's dangerous for both you and me," Awinita pleaded, her voice shaking with fear.

Awandea didn't flinch. Her dull eyes remained locked onto her sister's, her grip unwavering.

"Let me go, Awandea. If something happens to me, how will you get your food, huh? Your clothes, your tuition fee? Your books and allowance? The games that you need so much?"

Awandea's grip on Awinita's throat began to loosen, the mention of "games" breaking through her cold, detached state. She lifted herself off her sister, her movements calculated and deliberate. Dusting off her oversized blue hoodie, she seemed to retreat into herself, the intense moment dissipating as quickly as it had flared. Without a word, she turned and walked away, her steps measured and slow, heading towards the stairway.

But Awinita wasn't finished. Anger and hurt mingled in her voice as she shouted after her, "SOME STUPID GAMES MEAN MORE TO YOU THAN ME? WHY DO YOU GO AROUND WITH THAT NAME THEN? IF YOU HATE ME SO MUCH, HOW ABOUT YOU-"

Before she could finish, Awandea turned back sharply, her eyes narrowing. In a swift, almost reflexive motion, she raised her arm and hurled the fork she had been holding. The metal utensil flew across the room, missing Awinita's eye by mere inches, and embedded itself with a loud thud into the wooden table behind her. Awinita froze, her breath caught in her throat, her hand instinctively clutching her chest as her heart raced. The realization of how close she had come to being seriously injured sent a wave of shock through her, leaving her paralyzed with fear.

Awandea didn't wait to see the aftermath. She turned back around, her expression as blank as ever, and continued up the stairs. The familiar sound of her footsteps echoed down the hallway, but it felt different now, weighted with the tension that hung in the air. She reached her room and quietly closed the door behind her, shutting out the world beyond.

Inside, the darkness was a comforting embrace, a sanctuary from the chaos of the outside. She walked to her desk and sat down in front of her computer on the cushion. The faint blue glow of the screen bathed her face in an eerie light as she pressed the power button. The machine hummed to life, and as the startup sequence began, the room was filled with the soft whirring of the fan and the clicking of keys as she logged in.

Awandea leaned back in the air grabbing the headset from the table, her eyes fixated on the screen as the game she had been waiting for finally began to load. The anticipation that had been simmering inside her for days now reached its peak as she leaned forward again and put the headset on, she could feel her heart rate quicken ever so slightly, the excitement building as the game's title screen appeared in bold, neon letters: CAPTIVITY.

Her fingers moved deftly across the keyboard, navigating through the introductory screens with ease. She barely registered the routine checks and updates, her mind already focused on what lay ahead. Then, the rules of the game began to scroll across the screen, each word drawing her deeper into the immersive world she was about to enter.

---

RULES:

The game consists of three sections: preliminary rounds, game rounds, and final rounds.

The game spans across a total of fifteen halls, each one designed with unique challenges and themes. Every hall has a guide-an NPC character assigned to explain the rounds and provide assistance to players. These guides are more than just mere instructors; they are gatekeepers, and how players interact with them can affect the course of the game.

The selection rounds, which are held before the preliminary rounds will be held in the grassland outside the main game premises, an expansive, lush environment where the initial selection process takes place. Four hundred players will compete, but only two hundred will advance past this first stage. The game truly begins when players pass through the imposing main door at the end of the grassland, marking the transition from the outside world into the labyrinthine halls of CAPTIVITY.

Once inside, the preliminary rounds consist of thirty-two increasingly difficult levels, each designed to test not just skill but also strategy and mental fortitude. Players are not alone in this endeavor; they are assigned to teams, a dynamic that adds both cooperation and competition into the mix. The teams are assigned by the "Sneakers," an enigmatic group of NPCs who roam the game, selecting players they deem worthy and assisting them in various ways. The Sneakers are crucial allies, and earning their favor can make the difference between success and failure.

The first twenty teams to clear the preliminary rounds will move on to the elimination quests-a brutal, high-stakes phase where only fifteen teams will emerge victorious and proceed to the game rounds. The stakes grow higher with each passing level, as the number of competitors dwindles and the challenges become more intense untill they reach the final rounds with only ten teams remaining.

---

Awandea's eyes skimmed over the list of enemies and allies she would encounter. The descriptions were straightforward, but she knew better than to take them at face value. Enemies in the game ranged from mischievous Elf kids and the unsettling Melissa's students to packs of brown and black puppies that seemed harmless but could be deadly in the wrong circumstances. Allies in the game included her own teammates, the mysterious white puppies, and the Sneakers, who could be the key to navigating the game's most dangerous twists.

But what really caught her attention were the player weapons. Each type was labeled with a letter, ranging from the more common E type-smoke grenades, to the coveted Z type-swords, and the highly advanced X type -laser armor. The weapons were categorized based on their power and rarity, and she knew the right choice could significantly alter her chances of survival.

---

Player Weapon Information:

- E type: Smoke grenades
- D type: Shields
- C type: Whips
- B type: Blades
- A type: Spears
- S type: Guns
- Z type: Swords
- X type: Laser armor

Further information will be given by the game NPC and other sources within the game.

---

As she absorbed the information, the final lines on the screen seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy, drawing her in even further:

---

If you wish to escape reality...

If you wish to control a world beyond imagination...

If you want to change the life you live in...

If you want to be a winner...

Join us. In CAPTIVITY.

We await your presence if you are one of us.

---

Awandea felt a shiver run down her spine as she read the invitation. There was something almost hypnotic about it, a pull that she couldn't resist. The words resonated with a deep, unspoken part of her, the part that longed to escape the suffocating reality of her everyday life.

She watched as the game continued to load, the final preparations scrolling rapidly across the screen:

---

Launching data.

Initializing data.

Configuration of data.

Getting character ready.

---

Her heart pounded as the final screen flashed before her:

---

Launching game.

Completing platforms to enter.

Entering world.

Welcome,

Crosslette Awandea