The silence was haunting. It was sickening.

As Dagger left the area, the tensions between the group didn't lighten up as they all looked down at the floor between their feet. The only sounds that remained were the small clicks and buzzes of the slot machines around them.

"I think I'm going to go to the garden," Aspen murmured dazedly as he started to walk off, opening the door and leaving.

Raven cleared her throat. "It's best for everyone if we take some time to ourselves."

"None of us...will actually accept his proposal, right?" Brody whimpered.

Leo attempted at a reassuring smile. "I don't think so. We're all trying to get off, right? In that case we should work together to try and get out all together."

Raven nodded. "Indeed. There is no purpose in trying to gain an advantage. Let us all take a break for today. We can mull things over and then get together tomorrow, alright?"

"In that case, I'm going to go to my cottage," Raymond muttered as he left, a few others following behind him.

Leo looked around to see that only Cornelia, Gin, and Raven remained after almost everyone had dispersed.

Raven sighed, a look of exhaustion clearly imprinted on her face. "If any of you need me, I'll be at the hotel. I need coffee."

"Allow me to make it for you," Gin said.

The Ultimate Knight shot a glare at him. "If you do anything to it I'm going to choke you."

"I'm open to all sorts of fetishes."

"You're the worst."

Gin smirked as Raven scowled and began to walk away, trailing after her. "I'm serious, though! Let me make you coffee."

"If you make it anything other than a normal black coffee then I'll flay you alive."

"Right, right."

Leo smiled awkwardly as he turned to Cornelia. "Wanna come with me to go see if Elson is okay?"

Cornelia blinked in surprise before she shrugged and nodded. "Sure. I don't have anything better to do."

Leo opened the door to the exit, walking out of the casino as he shielded his eyes from the blinding light of the tropical outdoors.

The Ultimate Pilot hummed as she walked. "I've noticed something."

"What is it?"

"You're really sensitive to light, aren't you?"

"I guess so? Half of my days are spent sleeping so I guess I'm more accustomed to the darkness. Darkness tends to make me drowsy though."

"Hmm...I wonder if there's a science behind that. Like your anatomy and stuff. I wonder if it's different somehow."

"You didn't strike me as a very scientific person, if I'm being honest," Leo admitted.

"I'm really not. I prefer to just get out there and fly, but they made me take a bunch of courses on what to do if I got hurt. It's better to just take an entire anatomy class in case anything happens, so you'll be prepared."

Leo kicked up some sand as he continued to walk. "That makes sense."

"It was rough, if I'm being honest. I kinda like getting out and just trying things out."

"Is that why you crash all of the time?"

"Hey! It's not all the time!" Cornelia pouted as they began to cross the bridge. "How mean."

"I'm not doubting your skill! I just remember you saying that you've crashed your planes multiple times?"

"That's trivial. I broke records, you know!"

"I'm very aware, believe me. Anyway, I'm sure that all of those extra classes came in handy when you crashed and had to survive on different islands, right?"

"I mean, I guess. But no one in this world, heaven, or hell can come up to me and say that I needed geometry to figure out how to cook and eat fish. I firmly believe that all you need is a pocket knife. Look!" Cornelia reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pocket knife as she flicked it open and waved it in Leo's face.

"Hey! Be careful!" Leo exclaimed as he stepped back slightly.

"You're too soft. It's too small to actually kill anyone."

"S-still. Did you learn to bring one around everywhere with you?"

"No, my classes only cared about the science and the explanation behind stuff. They would never teach me something that useful. That's why I think it's useless."

"You seem very invested on this whole thing of not going to classes."

Cornelia sighed as she stopped momentarily, glancing back at the island behind her. "Perhaps. Classes cost money. I would do anything to not have to pay to take classes...but at a certain point you have to pay if you want better education."

"You're not wrong."

The Ultimate Pilot looked sullen as she began to walk again. "I want to hurry up and actually begin to fly for a living. I want to pay my parents back."

"That's very noble and sweet of you," Leo commented, unsure of how to respond to her sudden remarks.

Cornelia shrugged as they arrived at Leo's cottage. "It's the least I can do for them. I...I have to get out so that they don't have to go through all of that hardship."

"I'm sure we'll get out soon," he encouraged.

She seemed to brighten up slightly. "You're right. I'm sure...we'll get out soon. And then I can go save them."

"Of course. We all have someone to save. Speaking of save..." Leo sighed as he opened the cottage. "Elson? Are you still in here?"

The Ultimate Conductor cracked open the closet door slightly. "Is Dagger with you?"

"Why would he be with me?"

There was silence before Elson slowly came out of the closet. "Fine, fine."

"Did you sleep well?" Cornelia asked.

Elson stretched as he put his cap back on. "Leo's bed is really comfortable, yeah. Best sleep I've had since I got here."

Leo couldn't help but smile. "You're welcome."

Elson smiled sheepishly. "So, I heard that Dagger called you all down. What was that all about?"

Both Leo and Cornelia immediately went quiet.

The Ultimate Conductor blinked slightly in confusion. "Not good, huh?"

"That's a gross understatement, but yeah," Cornelia said.

"What happened?"

"We got a new motive," Leo said.

Elson paled as he slowly sat down. "Already?"

Cornelia nodded grimly. "It's called 'Sloth.' Dagger will do whatever you say if you murder someone as long as it's within the rules."

There was silence before Elson took a deep breath and laid back against the bed. "Shit."

"Yup."

"Which circle of hell from Dante's Inferno did Dagger come crawling out of?" Elson wondered.

"Literally all of them," Leo responded.

Cornelia snorted slightly. "You're not wrong."

There was the sound of someone's stomach rumbling, followed by Elson's face turning red. "I...I should eat, huh?"

Leo began to laugh. "Let's go to the diner, I'm sure there's leftovers from breakfast."

Cornelia yawned tiredly. "I'm going to go take a nap. For some reason that entire ordeal was just exhausting."

"Have a good rest then," Leo waved as he opened the door, the three of them exiting before going separate ways.

Leo walked alongside Elson for a bit until they got to the diner. Elson peeked in before he turned back. "I see Angel and Yumi, so I'll be good for now. Thanks for walking me here." He bowed sarcastically. "What a gentleman you are."

Leo laughed and punched him in the shoulder lightly. "Shut up and go eat, you nerd."

With that, Leo walked off, leaving Elson as he started to circle the island.

~

He soon found himself back on the second island once again, ready to go explore the area some more.

There was a figure laying in the garden, motionless.

Leo suddenly felt anxious as he slowly approached the completely still person.

No way...someone couldn't have died so soon, right?

Upon closer look, he realized that it was Aspen.

He let out a breath of relief as soon as he saw the Ultimate Ice Sculptor's chest rise and fall with each breath that he took.

Aspen stirred as Leo got closer, eyelashes fluttering open as he woke up.

"Ah...sorry for waking you up," Leo said awkwardly as he stepped back.

Aspen shook his head as he slowly sat up. "No, it's okay."

"You seemed really out of it, though."

"Hmm..."Aspen pondered thoughtfully as he removed some flower petals from his hair. "I guess so. I haven't slept that much recently."

"Why not?"

Aspen merely smiled and shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe it's just unease."

"Un...ease? About getting murdered?"

"No, no," Aspen shook his head. "I'm not really concerned about that."

"You seem very confident in everyone else's restraint."

"I suppose I have to be."

"I guess you're right. It'd be worse to constantly live in paranoia."

"That's what Dagger wants us to do. I...I'll never give in to him," Aspen said, his voice raising slightly.

Leo was taken aback by Aspen's sudden outburst. "If getting murdered wasn't the source of your unease, then what was?"

Aspen blinked slightly. "Oh. It's because I haven't sculpted anything in a while."

"That's it?!"

The Ultimate Ice Sculptor smiled sheepishly. "It's how I relieve stress. I'm not like everyone else. You guys are all really talented, and you can do things other than your specialties. I've always been frail, and I pass out easily if the temperature is too warm. I can't really support myself either. All I know how to do is sculpt."

"Give yourself some more credit. You're extremely kind and you're braver than all of us put together. You're not afraid to stand up to Dagger. That means the world to all of us."

"...thanks, Leo," Aspen whispered as he played with the flowers next to him. "Perhaps...some of my unease was from that. I feel some of it disappear."

"I'm here to talk if you ever need someone."

"That's greatly appreciated."

"And...there's no giant chunks of ice to mess around with, but would you like to still try it with ice cubes? Or we can grab a bucket and then freeze our own ice blocks? I can help you with that."

Aspen hummed as he stood, brushing off his pants. "I never thought about doing that."

"Let's go try it out then!"

With that, the two of them headed back to the first island, entering the supermarket.

Eve looked up, startled. "Oh! U-um! Hello."

Aspen waved as Leo smiled and greeted her back. "What were you doing here, Eve?"

The Ultimate Medium looked down at the floor. "C-Cornelia invited me to go swimming at the hot springs with her, but I needed a swimsuit."

"Well, have fun then," Leo said as he grabbed a couple of buckets and went back to Aspen.

"Th-thank you!" Eve said as she went further into the store to find the swimsuits.

Aspen smiled as he nodded. "Those should work."

"Let's fill it with water and then freeze it."

"The kitchen would be proper then."

"Let's head onto the diner. It's only a bit away and there's a freezing room, if I remember correctly."

"Lead the way," Aspen said.

Leo nodded as he started to head down the road to the diner. As soon as they arrived, he opened the door, walking in after the Ultimate Ice Sculptor. They walked into the kitchen before setting to work.

Leo put one of the buckets in the sink, turning on the faucet.

"Let me ask you something," Aspen said.

"Go ahead."

"What is it that you like to do?"

Leo blinked in surprise as he turned the faucet off. "I mean...I guess I like to be with other people. I'm not very picky but I don't like doing things alone."

"That makes sense," Aspen commented as he picked up the bucket full of water from the faucet and went into the freezer room.

"How so?" Leo asked, following him in. He felt a blast of cold air, shivering as he rubbed his arms. "And you're unfazed by this cold? How?"

"Just an occupational thing you get used to. Anyway, you're always hanging out with people. It's the exact opposite of me. And on top of that, even people like Cassini and Gin don't mind hanging out with you."

"I guess you're right. You're...more observant than I expected."

Aspen laughed as he walked back into the kitchen and began to fill the second bucket with water. "You flatter me. I just happen to take notice of things I'm interested in. Like everyone else."

"I see."

"This is the last one, so we're good after this."

"I think people might start coming in for dinner anyway, so we can eat as well."

Aspen inhaled sharply as he picked up the bucket of water before walking back into the freezer room, setting it down. Her turned around, wiping off some sweat from his brow. "Shall we go back to the dining area?"

Leo nodded before he walked out of the kitchen to see people had already gathered. As per usual, there was already a plentiful amount of food on the table.

Elson glanced up from his booth, eyes brightening as he waved. "Hey, Leo!"

Leo waved, smiling slightly as he went to gather food. "I'll come join you in a minute."

A few moments later, more people began to file in as they grabbed food and sat down at the tables.

Yumi glanced around at the restaurant as she stood up. "Is everyone here?"

Elson looked around, his mouth stuffed with food. "Mhmmmmm," he managed to say.

"Swallow first."

The Ultimate Conductor pouted as he swallowed his food. "Who are you, my mom?"

"Excuse me?" Yumi turned to face him, her cold glare targeted at him.

"S-sorry!"

Leo laughed as he took a bite of food, blinking in surprise as someone sat down across from him. "H-hello."

Raymond blinked tiredly as he looked up. "Hm? Oh, sorry. I didn't really recognize who I was sitting down next to. Your table was just the closest."

"Ah...I see. You're welcome to stay, of course."

"Wasn't planning on leaving."

"Of course," Leo sighed as he finished his glass of water.

Raymond yawned as he ate a handful of grapes.

"Did you not sleep either?" Leo asked, folding his hands on the table.

"Not much," the Ultimate Codebuster muttered.

"Was it...for cracking codes?"

"Hm? Oh, of course not. I don't like working or thinking."

"...wouldn't sleeping have been the best option then?"

"Sleeping is so boring, though."

"Isn't that exactly what you prefer?!"

Raymond smiled as he finished his grapes. "No, no. I'm talking about games."

"G...games?"

"Exactly. Games are revolutionary! You can practically do anything in games if you search hard enough for the right one!"

"Is that all you do, then?"

"You make it sound as if it's a bad thing," Raymond pouted. "Games improve you. You have an increase in dexterity and physical ability, brain power, and other skills."

Leo glanced around, realizing that most of the people had left except for a few who stayed back to clean up. "Sounds interesting, I guess."

Raymond stood, leaning closer to Leo. "Let me prove it to you, then!"

"What?"

"Come with me to my cottage. I'm going to play video games. Join me until 10:00."

"Eh? I was going to go—"

"Change your plans then! Come on!" Raymond grabbed his wrist and started to drag him out of the diner and down the road.

Leo stumbled along behind him. "Fine, fine! I'll come with you and play video games with you, so just let me go!"

The Ultimate Codebuster grinned as he opened the door to his cottage, letting go of Leo. "Come in, then."

Leo took a deep breath as he rubbed his wrist and walked in, eyes widening as he noticed the amount of computers and gadgets that lay within the room. It seemed that every space possible within the cottage, including the floors, was occupied by a laptop or tablet of some sort. "Woah."

Raymond walked over to an oversized beanbag chair sitting at the foot of his bed, sitting down in it. "Sit here," he gestured at the spot on the floor next to him.

Leo closed the door behind him before he sat down next to Raymond, crossing his legs. "So what game are we playing?"

"First person shooters, obviously."

"Obviously."

Raymond handed him a controller, leaning forward and turning on his game console. "Let's do a team match first."

"Team match? Against who?"

"I don't know...I think they're CPUs, most likely. There's no way Dagger would let us have any communication with outsiders."

Leo looked up at the screen as he fumbled his way through the controls, trying to customize his character. "I see. What are the controls for this?"

Raymond watched the screen attentively as he waited. "Left joystick is to run, and A is the jump button. You shoot with these two buttons at the top," he said, showing Leo the left and right buttons on the top of the controller.

The TV made a small sound of confirmation as he confirmed his character. "Alright. You're gonna have to carry me for a while. I'm not very good at video games. I'm kind of slow at them."

"That's fine. Just follow me," Raymond said, leaning forward as the match started.

Leo watched in awe as Raymond began to rapidly press down on the buttons, expertly maneuvering his character as he fired at the other team. "How long have you played this?"

One of the members on the opposite team died as the Ultimate Codebuster threw an explosive in the game. "Since we've gotten here."

"Only that short amount of time?!"

"Anything can be accomplished as long as you don't sleep."

"That's...that's kind of unhealthy."

Raymond grinned as the match ended, showing their overwhelming victory. Leo looked at the screen, hands stopping as he set the controller down. "Did my presence even help you at all?"

"Not really."

"Thanks."

Raymond smiled as he stood and opened a window to let in some cold air. "But I had a lot more fun. I've spent so many years holed up in my own home. I...I wanted to avoid everyone at all costs, but it's just not fun that way."

"Why did you want to avoid everyone, if I may ask?"

"...so I wouldn't hurt them."

Leo blinked in confusion. "Hurt them?"

"I mean, what would happen if I made connections and then disappeared again? You know, as the Ultimate Codebuster, I get involved in all kinds of government schemes that force me to move around," he said quickly.

Leo decided not to question it further. "I see."

"Anyway, want to try going against each other competitively?" Raymond asked as he sat back down and picked up his controller.

"Already? I still can't even run around without dying."

There was a hint of a smile on Raymond's face as he selected the game mode despite Leo's protests. "Don't worry about it. You'll be fine."

~

Leo sighed in exasperation as he put the controller down, leaning back against the foot of Raymond's bed.

"That's makes it 29 wins for me and 0 for you," Raymond said as he yawned and turned the console off.

"I didn't ask."

"You've gotten better though. I thought I was going to die the last round at one point."

"At this rate, shouldn't you be in the pro leagues? You're obviously good enough."

"That involves other people."

"You're actually hopeless."

Raymond laughed as he stood and offered Leo a hand. "It's five minutes until 10:00 so you should head back now. I'll let you go, as promised."

Leo took his hand and stood. "I had fun. Thank you."

"See? I told you it would be worth it."

"Sure, sure." Leo waved as he walked out the door, turning back to face him. "See you tomorrow, then."

Raymond had already closed the door.

"...as expected of Raymond, I guess," Leo muttered to himself as he walked to his cottage, opening the door and going in.

He threw himself on the bed, eyes closing in exhaustion. It seemed like the hours of gaming that he had just done were imprinted as he saw nothing but flashing screens and lights in his vision. There was only the sound of the waves to slowly lull him to sleep after Dagger's nightly announcement went off.

~

It was dark.

He couldn't breath.

The water was slowly filling his lungs as he ran out of air, mouth opening in an attempt to scream as he grabbed at his throat, legs kicking desperately to find the surface.

There was only water surrounding him as he tried to reach for the sky that he could still see above the water.

It seemed like a weight was preventing him from swimming up to the life that he held so dearly.

He felt his vision begin to fade, a scream sounding out in the distance.

Everything was lost as the water took him away.

~

Leo shot up rapidly, breathing rapid. There was sweat on his forehead as he held a hand to his chest, feeling the quick rhythm of his heartbeat.

A dream?

That was the first dream he had since he'd arrived on the island.

Leo took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair as he closed his eyes and tried to calm down from the surreal nightmare he had felt.

"Only a nightmare?" he mumbled, looking out the window to see that the moon was still high in the sky. It had seemed...too real. It felt as if he had really stopped breathing, felt the water fill his lungs, felt the burning of his muscles as he had tried to escape his fate with no success.

Leo sighed as he slowly sank back into his pillows, ready to sleep once again.

There was a piercing scream.

His eyes widened in a panic as he quickly got out of bed and ran to his door in a hurry. "Where?!" Quickly, Leo fled his cottage, looking for the source of the scream that seemed to come distantly from the other island.

He froze in his tracks in front of the bridge as the island lit up with the monitors flickering on.

Time seemed to stand still as he saw Dagger's beaming face, water dripping from his hair as he sat at the desk in a swimsuit.

The host took a deep breath before he leaned forward, sneering at the camera. "I knew it was only a matter of time before someone took my offer."

He felt his knees shaking as Dagger began to laugh. "Ding dong ding dong! A body has been found in the hot springs! You will all have a limited time to investigate before the second trial! Ahahahaha!"