CHAPTER FIVE: The Waiting Room
Reina
It felt like being pulled through a dream.
One moment, Reina had been staring at the metal exit door. The next, the world around her peeled away—floor, walls, air itself—all dissolving like ash in the wind.
She didn't feel her body move.
She just… was.
Then, light.
She blinked and gasped.
She stood in an atrium—wide, open, quiet.
Polished white floors reflected a domed glass ceiling that stretched far too high to be man-made. Golden trees grew out of cracks in smooth marble, casting long, unnatural shadows. Other people were here—some sitting on low benches, some pacing, others whispering in huddled groups.
On the far wall, a giant screen rotated between playing cards, each labeled:
> ♠ Spades – Physical Trials
♥ Hearts – Psychological Trials
♣ Clubs – Team-based Puzzles
♦ Diamonds – Logic & Strategy Games
Each card gleamed with a number—2 to 10, and then…
Reina's eyes narrowed.
The cards after 10 showed faces: Jack, Queen, King. The King of Hearts pulsed with faint red light.
No one talked about those.
---
Noah
Noah sat alone on the edge of a reflecting pool. His reflection stared back at him with the same haunted eyes.
He hadn't spoken since he arrived. No one had approached him.
But he'd been listening.
> "They say if you collect all 13 cards of one suit, you get to leave…"
"No one survives the face cards."
"Hearts are the worst. People go in sane and come out… wrong."
"Some players disappear without ever entering a game. Like the system deletes them."
Others whispered about a Fifth Suit. A black card. Marked with an unrecognizable glyph. Some claimed it was a myth. Others claimed they'd seen it—just before a player vanished mid-round, screaming.
He looked down at the only thing in his hand: a card, now embedded with a strange, glowing mark.
> 2♠
That was the price of survival.
---
Reina
A woman in red approached Reina and her group. Her arms were covered in tattoos of cards. Her face was sharp, symmetrical, dangerous.
"You survived a Spade game," she said. "You'll want gear next time. Food. Clues."
She dropped a metal token onto Reina's lap. It was engraved with a ♠ and the number 2.
> 1 Token – Per Card Owned
"Each card you win gives you a token. Tokens buy gear. Intel. Protection."
Reina stared. "Protection from what?"
The woman smiled faintly.
> "The other players."
Then walked away.
---
Announcement
Without warning, the massive screen lit up. A monotone voice echoed through the atrium.
> NEW GAMES OPENING IN 15 MINUTES.
CURRENT AVAILABLE CARDS: 3♦, 4♣, 2♥, 5♠.
SELECT A CARD OR BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED.
CHOOSE WISELY.
The entire room shifted. Dozens stood at once. Others clenched fists. Some just stared, broken.
Noah met Reina's eyes.
They didn't know each other.
Not yet.
But they would.