I offer my sincere thanks to everyone who participated in this contest! Judging your entries was so fun- they were all extremely well written and each had a different take on the prompt. Now, I'm sure you'd like to see the results, so here they are!

Contestant 6, Celynne Varr:

FORFEITED

Contestant 17, Blayze Lesatia:

The clear glass allowed shadows to seep in, darkness engulfing her like a woolen blanket. As soon as Blayze stepped through the door, it mended itself, almost like the entrance was a mere puncture instead of a rectangular structure. In front of her stood a table, once again embracing the inky night mixed with splashes of light. She took a tentative step forward, wiping her perspiration-coated palms on her leather pants.

The closer the table loomed, the swifter her heart thumped against her ribcage. Each footstep bounced off the walls, which felt more like an invisible barrier, like a force field. On top of the table stood a bright object, the only vibrant shade in the cube. The sky blue coated in dainty sparkles contrasted the malicious and seemingly perpetual darkness, almost like a glimmer of hope at the end of a tunnel.

After gulping in a deep breath, her palms rested against the rugged surface. She knew she had to win. She'd come this far. She felt she could be classified as a skilled swordsman, a weapons master, perhaps. However, she never excelled in simple logic. Now, Blayze couldn't be mocked as a imbecile. No, she possessed more than average smarts. Alas, merely a step up from average would never compare to the incredible minds inhabiting the planet. Especially Cascadia who, technically, didn't inhabit the planet anymore.

The girl jumped back in fright, a hand flying over her rapidly beating heart. The box stood propped open, an eery message inscribed upon the lid's interior. The shade of the letters surpassed that of the box on the darkness scale. In loopy, delicate handwriting, it read 'Solve the puzzle.'

Her head cocked to the side, bewilderment flashing through her widened icy eyes. Puzzle? She understood no blood would be shed, but she never expected to solve a puzzle. Maybe a jigsaw? In her already shattered heart, hope lingered and dug roots. Alas, the logical part of her knew the task wouldn't be so simple.

For a moment, Blayze stared at the box's contents. Her head spun as her fingers gripped the clear table. Pinches of light reflected off about a hundred cubes. Their colors matched that of the message's letters, which had long since disappeared. Cubes? Puzzle? Blayze couldn't stomach this information. This was it; her final, epic task? In order to obtain a million duvats and add meaning to her existence, someone expected her to decode a hundred identical cubes?

A gasp escaped her lips as her eyes met the floor. Ice cold liquid engulfed her angles, hundred of tiny jets streaming water into her cube. She felt her demise neared. If she couldn't solve this so called puzzle in time, the water would surely drain the life from her. In this moment, she reflected upon her life. If it ended here, what had she accomplished?

Guilt seeped into her heart, yet she fought to push it away. She murdered her own sister for money she'd probably never hold in her grasp. All she ever accomplished included pushing people away, locking up her heart, and throwing away the key. That's all she had to show for her whole existence.

Violently shaking her head back and forth, Blayze forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand. She had to win. She was going to. No obstacle could restrain her from her goal. Slowly, her fingers traced the face of a cube. Smooth. The next cube held the same texture on each side, as did the next.

She didn't need to glance down to know the water danced just above her ankles, chilling her to the bone. Time ticked by, and each second counted. She ran her fingers along the smooth glass of the ceiling. At this rate, she'd drown in mere hours.

Frustration boiled within her. As her hands clenched into fists, she noticed a tinge of something surrounding the cubes. Her aura, which blossomed around her, must have initiated the strange hue. But what was it? Light blue encased each of the cubes, each glow reaching a different brightness. Could that be the solution?

A smile stretched across her face. Just arrange the cubes from weakest to strongest glow. The task seemed so simple. Of course, it took some effort to figure out, even if it had been on accident. Refusing to allow herself to become deterred, Blayze's eyes scanned over the various cubes. Her hand stretched out, grasping the one with the weakest aura. Slowly, she maneuvered it out of the box and onto the tabletop.

Water swayed just below her knees, causing panic to seep into her bones. Chills ran up and down her spine from the temperature. It felt like the water had been placed in an ultra freezing-freezer and thawed enough for it to become a liquid. Maybe it wasn't water at all? Maybe it had been genetically modified, or existed as a scientific creation? No matter what name the substance was given, it still stung the flesh beneath her clothes.

Her fingers trembled. Her teeth dug into her bottom lip, toying with it until the bluish blood trickled down her chin. So many cubes, so little time. No, wait, that cube's aura shone less brightly than that one. Oh no, that cube glowed too much. Frustration gripped and pulled at her mind. Her movements became robotic, automatic responses to flickers of light.

Her aura suddenly disappeared, the comforting glow abandoning her. Her lips tugged into a frown, teeth clenching together. Exhaustion consumed her, yet only fifty cubes sat on the table. They all seemed to mock and taunt the poor girl. She bared her teeth at the inanimate objects, running a hand down her face. The freezing liquid reached above her knees, a constant reminder of what lay at stake.

Soon, the tips of her curls met the water, floating on the surface. Her body trembled, teeth shaking and temperature dropping. Another cube rested on the table. She had almost completed the task, yet her heart felt heavy. Would she complete the task before she drowned? Could she really win?

She forced her aura to reignite. Nerves fluttered in her stomach. She had to win the million duvats. So, she attempted to block out all distractions. Blayze's gaze locked on the table and cubes, never wavering to the abyss of ink surrounding her. A pungent smell lingered in the air. Her eyes leaked and even more of her curls stuck to her back.

"Almost there," the girl grunted to herself. Her delicate fingers wrapped around the final cube. A giddy smile graced her face as she dropped it in its place. Relief consumed her, an feeling of elatedness bubbling within her chest. Her eyes linger on the starless sky, tears pooling within them.

Blayze's arms raised towards the glass ceiling as she slowly pivoted in a circle. Suddenly, she halted, dropping her arms by her side. Nothing had happened. Water still rapidly gushed into the cube. There were no gaudy lights or celebration music. She hadn't completed the task.

"Ugh!" She screamed, her throat burning and voice cracking. "I knew it was too easy! Now I'm gonna die in here!" Her aura blossomed rapidly, tinges of blue forming a sharp tip. The aura icicle in her gasp slammed against a cube.

A gasp escaped the young girl's lips, her knees immediately bending. She submerged herself under the water, hair expanding around her and even more shivers racking her body. Splinters of the icicle flew above her, narrowly missing the top of her head. With eyes wide open, she observed the soaring fragments with fascination.

Cautiously, she resurfaced. The cube didn't hold the slightest dent. Curious, she willed herself to form a miniature icicle. Her whole body ached from overworking itself, yet she ignored the pain and thrust the icicle towards a neighboring cube. This cube formed a slight dent, the icicle splitting in two.

Her chest rose and feel in a rapid manner. The girl realized the true task. However, the water already rested at her breasts. She realized if she didn't work with haste, she'd suffocate. So, she began testing the cube's reactions, unable to observe a correlation to the reaction and the brightness of the cubes's glows.

Her hands trembled while her fingers nearly failed to grasp an aura icicle. Blayze's nerves burned as her mind spun in a million circles. Water rapidly rose, eventually covering her mouth like liquid duck tape. She placed the fiftieth cube in its rightful position.

Sweat plagued her non-submerged flesh. Chilling liquid tickled her nose, causing her to stick it in the air. Of course, this action complicated her task. Her eyes struggled to observe each reaction. Soon, her face pressed against the clear ceiling, every few seconds dunking under the water in order to observe each cube's reaction.

As the water completely filled the cube, Blayze gulped in a final breath of fresh air and pushed herself towards the table. Lungs yearning for another gulp, she grasped the final cube and placed it at the end of the long lineup. Dark circles dotted her vision. Suddenly, water flowed the cube, leaving her gasping on moisture spotted ground.

"Congratulations, Blayze Lesatia! You've won the Million Duvat Endeavor!" A voice rang out.

A weak smile graced her features. "I did it."

...................................

@bookwormSarah is the winner by default, as TheWatermelonTroll has forfeited.

Congratulations!!! You will play the main character, Thing, in my next novel! PM me to claim your other prizes.