"Take a good look around you, because at the end of the game..." 

The atmosphere grew dark.

"...Only one of you will be alive."

Nara's heart dropped.

"What?"

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Episode 1

Game Start

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The world isn't a fair place. 

There are people being discriminated against, being assaulted and abused, dealing with depression or grief, too poor for a roof over their head or even a meal, left to steal and sin.

Yes, the world isn't a fair place. 

It leaves too many people suffering.

However, 20 of them will get the chance to change their lives.

20 of them will get the chance, but only one will attain it.

"1! 2! 3! 4! 5!" 

One by one, the cloaked god counted until all 20 pedestals in front of him were no longer empty. Like setting a candle aflame, a human would appear into the arena. Each of them sharing something in common: they have been wronged by society.

Number 8, Yeun Nara landed harshly onto the matching pedestal with eyes wide open in alarm. Just moments ago, she was at the hospital caring for her sickly mother when the hospital staff should've been. Instead, their attention and care were all for the important CEO next door.  Nara was angered, but there was nothing she could do to change the way things were, the way society worked.

Not recognizing where she was, Nara quickly rushed to her feet. Her eyes landed directly onto the giant figure cloaked in a black robe floating in the center of all the pedestals. Taking a few steps back, her foot reached the edge of her pedestal and slid right off. Falling backward, Nara squeezed her eyes tight and braced herself for the fall. Before she could release a gasp, she felt a magnetizing sensation pull her back onto the platform, causing her to land onto the floor on her hands and knees.

"Careful. You wouldn't want to end things before they even start...now would you?" 

As the voice drew nearer, Nara lifted her head up only to come face to face with the cloaked figure. He slowly lifted his head up, but as soon as she saw his sharp teeth, she dropped her eyes to the ground, afraid to see the rest.

With a laugh, the figure floated back to the center.

Nara only relaxed enough to take a look around her. At every pedestal, stood a boy or a girl roughly her age, looking just as terrified and confused as her.   

"Greetings!" The figure finally acknowledged everyone. 

The boy at the first pedestal, Namjoon, cleared his throat. "W-where are we? What are we doing here? Who are you?"

The figure snapped his head towards him before floating over, the cloak waving behind him. He stretched out his arm, his long finger pointing at the boy. "Patience, young one."

The girl next to him, Wendy,  shook so much she fell to her knees in tears.

The figure floated back to the center. "Don't waste your tears on me. I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I'm here to help you."

Nara looked at everyone more closely, trying to see if she could pick out a familiar face. 

Two: her classmates Jisoo and Solji.

At least, I'm not alone here. She thought.

As she continued to skim through the different types of people, one struck out the most.

The boy to her right was different than the rest.  On the seventh pedestal stood Kim Taehyung. He wore his blood-stained sweater with the hood over his head, but that's not what set him apart It was the fact that he stood with so much confidence and bravery. Nara tried to get a look at his face, but she couldn't make it out from under the hood of his sweater.

"Society has taught you that you don't matter and burdened you with many obstacles. What for? You are all still trying to figure that out. Tell me, have you wondered if you're really weak or if society just made you that way? That is why I have brought you here. You have a weakness, but I can give you a strength."

He stretched out his arm and turned over his hand. From the palm, over a dozen tiny black orbs emerged. Like a mini tornado, they swirled in the air until they made their way to each individual.

For a while, no one moved. 

Number 15, Hoseok, suddenly snatched one into his hand, making it shatter and disappear into thin air.

This gave everyone else permission to do the same.

Nara took it into her hands. As soon as it shattered, she felt the surge of power course through her veins. 

A tiny voice inside her head said, "Healing".  It was her new ability, something that could help her mom. By the way everyone's faces were lighting up, it meant that they had received something they also found useful.

"Congratulations! You are all granted one of my abilities!" The hooded figure threw open his arms as he smiled widely, a hint of eeriness to it.

Everyone started to cheer.

Jungkook, number 10, tilts his head. "What am I supposed to do with-"

"Careful." The cloaked being swung his arm so the air emitted from it shut the boy up.

Everyone stopped cheering.

The atmosphere started to change, making Nara's stomach knot up.

"If anyone finds out about your ability, it will affect you. With just a slip of the name, your strength will become your weakness."

"So no one can know what we have?" Number 4, Seulgi, said almost to herself.

"What's the catch?" Number 12, Yoongi, questioned with a head tilt and a tiny scoff. "Let's face it. We've never gotten anything in our lives that didn't come with a price. This will be no different, am I right?"

The figure let out a loud laugh.

"Smart, you're going to make it far in this game. You're correct, there is a price to pay. By accepting the orb, you have created a contract with me. A contract...to participate in my little game. Take a look at your wrist. That number that you see is my mark. It's what lets me know where you are and if you are alive."

If you are alive. The words echoed through their minds as they turned over their wrists to find a tattoo of a number, their number.

"It will also make it easier for you to know the other contestants so you know just who to kill."

Everyone's heads snapped up so quickly it amused the higher being.

"Take a good look around you, because at the end of the game..."

The god's smile grew wider as he continued, "Only one of you will be alive."

Nara's eyes widened. "What?"

Then that means...

Number 5, Seokjin, stepped forward on his pedestal in anger. "I can't do this!  I can't kill my sister!"

He looked over at Number 19, Yuna, who shook her head as she cried, "I can't kill my brother!"

Nara felt nauseous. How can he expect us to kill each other? Some of us are classmates, some siblings, and other lovers... Just how?

"Then the two of you won't make it in this game. It's kill or be killed. What's it going to be?"

Jimin, number 18, stared in disgust. "We won't kill each other for your twisted entertainment."

"Are you so sure? What if I told you, the winner gets to keep their power?"

Nara picked up her head. If she wins, she can keep her healing ability? Mother... She thought of her dying mother and how she could save her.

Jimin clenched his teeth and shut up.

The cloaked figure relished in the change. "That's what I thought. None of you guys would be such a fool to turn it down. After all, the others didn't either."

"The others?" Number 1, Namjoon, asked. 

"That's right. This is the third game."

"I won't kill, I won't," Jungkook whispered over and over until the cloaked god flew up close to his face, shutting him up.

"Then be killed. If you won't kill, be killed. I say this as a warning. Amongst you all is the winner of the past games."

"Winner of...past games?" Number 11, Hani, talked the words until it made sense to her. "The person has won three times?!"

"Why is he playing with us?!" Number 9, Ryujin shrieked.

The god flew over to her. "Because they wanted to, my dear. You see for some people this is a way to get back at the world. To use your new found strength to become stronger. To change what society has made of you. Some people just can't get enough."

Everyone's eyes widened.

Nara felt it hard to breathe. How is she going to win against someone's third time playing? Someone who enjoys this?

"There are 20 of you now, but only one can keep my power. Who wants it more? Who would kill for it?"

The god brings out his arm from his cloak and waves it in the air to reveal a countdown counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds to a week. "The clock starts now." 

Taehyung's arm twitches back, something that caught Nara's attention.

He waves down his hand to reveal a set of rules. "Don't reveal your power to anyone. A mention of your power changes your strength to a weakness, disadvantaging you." 

With another wave of his hand, a chart with all of their numbers and names appear. "There are now 19 of you, there will only be one in a week or less." 

"Nineteen? I thought..." Namjoon saw a strike through number 20 on the chart and turned his head to look over at the corresponding pedestal.

Everyone followed suit and stared at it where moments ago someone stood, Yeun Nara's classmate, Solji.

"What's it going to be?" The god smirked, 

"Kill or be killed?"

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■ NAXUS GOD OF THE SUPERNATURAL. HE HAS OVER 100 DIFFERENT ABILITIES AND ACQUIRES NEW ONES ROUTINELY. HE OFTEN GETS BORED AND CAUSES MISCHIEF. ALTHOUGH FORBIDDEN, HE LIKES TO GIVE HIS POWERS TO HUMANS TO SEE HOW THEY REACT.

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