The chamber was filled with the sounds of clashing steel, the twang of arrows, and the sharp, ragged breaths of my so-called teammates.

The chaos unfolded around me like a scene from a distant dream, one I was watching from behind an invisible barrier, detached and unaffected.

Marcus lunged at Tobias again, his twin daggers a blur as he aimed for an opening in the larger man’s defenses.

Tobias grunted, deflecting the blow with a heavy swing of his claymore, the sheer force sending Marcus staggering back.

The ground beneath them cracked under the strain of their relentless battle, but neither showed any sign of slowing down.

Lily, perched on a crumbled stone pillar, loosed arrow after arrow with deadly precision, her eyes locked onto Marcus.

Her usual playful demeanor was gone, replaced by cold focus.

Evelyn, on the other hand, was paralyzed with fear, her trembling hands gripping her staff so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.

And me?

I still stood there.

Watching.

Their frantic movements, the desperate shouts, the glint of their weapons, it was all so... predictable and useful.

They were fighting to survive, to cling to the hope that somehow, against all odds, they could escape this twisted game without spilling each other’s blood.

I leaned against the cold stone wall, my arms crossed, eyes scanning the battlefield with a detached curiosity.

My heartbeat was still steady, my breathing slow.

Don't panic.

Tobias’ voice rang out, raw with anger and frustration.

“Allen, damn it, do something!”

I met his gaze, unblinking.

His expression was one of desperation, like he was grasping at straws, trying to find some sense of unity in the chaos.

“I will ask again, Why?” I asked, my voice calm, devoid of emotion.

His eyes widened, lips parting in disbelief.

“Because we’re a team, you idiot! We need to-”

Team.

The word felt meaningless now, hollow.

A fragile illusion shattered the moment the system gave its decree.

I had seen it before, the way people broke under pressure, how friendships and trust crumbled when something important just like survival, was on the line.

I tilted my head slightly, my voice quieter this time.

“You still think that matters?”

Tobias’ grip on his claymore tightened, his face contorted in anger.

But before he could respond, Marcus struck again, forcing him back into the fight.

The clash of their weapons echoed through the chamber, but I barely registered it.

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Lily’s voice cut through the chaos.

“Allen, move!” An arrow whizzed past me, striking the ground just inches from my foot.

She was testing me, angry, frustrated, confused by my inaction.

I looked up at her, meeting her gaze.

There was something there, something raw.

Fear?

No, it was deeper than that.

She didn’t understand.

None of them did.

With a slow exhale, I took a step forward, my boots crunching against the debris beneath me.

“You’re all wasting your energy,” I said, my tone as level as ever. “The system gave a command, it's not some lag or something escapable, if you think that, then you are a idiot. All that matters now is how hard you fight. Because only one of us is leaving here.”

Evelyn, who had been rooted in place, finally found her voice.

“Allen... please.”

Her eyes pleaded with me, filled with something I couldn’t quite place.

Hope, maybe?

I stared at her for a long moment.

“You shouldn’t have come here, Evelyn. I'm sorry”

Her lips trembled, but she had no response.

She knew I was right.

They all did.

Tobias roared, charging at Marcus with renewed fury, his claymore slamming down in a powerful arc.

Marcus barely managed to dodge, rolling to the side and coming up with a knife slash that nicked Tobias’ arm.

Blood spattered onto the ground.

They bled.

They screamed.

They fought.

While I watched.

Part of me screamed at me to help...

But I didn't.

What if I go and help, and we successfully stop or kill Marcus.

The system isn't going to let us go.

Then Tobias and Lily will have no other choice than to fight theirselves, it can not be escaped.

Every human wants to live, even I.

But when they fight theirselves, and if one emerges victorious.

I will have to kill the person.

That is why in my own terms, I prefer they die fighting theirselves.

I don't wish to fight and kill any of them, unless when necessary.

Marcus laughed, a crazed edge creeping into his voice.

“Allen’s got the right idea. Just sit back and let us do the dirty work, huh?” He flashed me a grin, but I didn’t return it.

Lily’s hands trembled as she drew another arrow.

“Shut up, Marcus.”

It was all unraveling.

I could see it happening, the way their movements were growing more desperate, their strikes more reckless.

The exhaustion in their eyes, the weight of their choices pressing down on them.

The air was thick with the scent of sweat and blood.

The sounds of battle had shifted from the chaotic clamor of many to the harsh, ragged grunts and desperate gasps of only a few.

The floor was littered with discarded weapons, broken armor, and the scattered remains of what used to be a team, now reduced to enemies.

I stood at the edge of the chaos, watching as the remnants of my once-strong team fought tooth and nail for survival.

Tobias, Lily, Marcus, and Evelyn, four bodies fighting as if their lives depended on it.

Tobias and Marcus were locked in a brutal exchange, both exhausted, their movements slower than before.

Tobias’ claymore swung with less precision, his energy flagging, while Marcus’s dagger strikes grew more desperate, each one narrowly deflected by Tobias’ heavy blade.

“You’re... too slow, Tobias,” Marcus hissed, his breath ragged but his grin still wide, manic.

He danced around Tobias, his dual daggers flashing, striking with precision but never landing a killing blow.

He was savoring this, savoring the chaos.

Lily, on the other hand, was a wild force of nature.

Her arrows flew with deadly accuracy, each one aimed for the soft spots between Tobias and Marcus, her eyes darting around the battlefield as if calculating her next move.

She was agile, quick, but the weariness in her face told the story of someone stretched too thin, someone who knew this could be the end.

Evelyn had retreated to the corner of the room, her staff gripped tightly in her trembling hands.

She was out of breath, her body slumped with exhaustion, but her eyes were locked on Tobias and Marcus.

She didn’t have the strength to help, not anymore.

I could feel the weight of their gazes on me, flickering between me and the chaos.

They were waiting for me to make a choice.

They were waiting for me to do something, anything.

But I wouldn’t.

I wouldn’t get involved.

Not now.

“Tobias!” Lily shouted, her voice high and sharp with panic.

She fired another arrow, and this time it struck Tobias in the shoulder.

He grunted, the force of the impact pushing him back a step, but he didn’t fall.

He stood tall, his gaze narrowing as he turned toward Lily.

“Why are you doing this?” Tobias asked, his voice a low growl, pain lacing his words.

Lily faltered for a moment, as if the question had caught her off guard.

But then she shook her head, the fierceness returning to her eyes.

“I am sorry, we have no choice, Tobias!” she snapped. “We have to survive. We all do.”

Survive.

That word echoed in my mind.

Survival.

That’s all this was now.

I was watching them fight for something that didn’t matter anymore.

In the end, survival meant everything.

But they all looked like walking corpses.

So where is survival in them.

As Tobias lunged at Marcus, their blades clashing with a force that shook the ground beneath them.

Evelyn hands were shaking as she muttered an incantation under her breath, casting a protective shield around herself.

But her magic was weak, her energy spent, and I could see the fear in her eyes.

She didn’t want to die.

None of them did.

But then...

The final clash came suddenly