The battleground had dissolved into static, a blinding storm of pixels that had swallowed Chase whole. When the haze had cleared, he found himself standing inside a dimly lit room high above the city.
"Where am I?" He wondered, looking around.
The air smelled of dust and old concrete, the kind of place that was long abandoned except for the purpose it now served. He looked, and then he saw a sniper rifle resting on a tripod near the window, its barrel pointing towards the glittering skyline.
"What's a sniper rifle doing here?" He muttered, confused at the sight. "Is this the next task?"
The system screen popped up in his face, ready to answer him.
[Second task: eliminate the target. Senator Alaric Veyna. Location: opposite skyscraper, penthouse level. Time: now.]
Then the screen showed a picture of Alaric Veyna before it disappeared.
"Wait, what?" He spoke, shocked. "Why? "
No screen showed up for the answer. He didn't understand the system at all right now. What was the point of this task? Was the system training him to become a hitman? Or was it something else?
He swallowed hard, his pulse quickening. Was he going to kill someone? No, it didn't seem likely. This was an illusion created by The Playground to help him get stronger. He had to do it.
He moved towards the rifle, the weight of inevitability pressing down on him. Through the scope, he saw the city come alive in sharp detail. Neon signs flickered, traffic crawled like veins of light far below, and in the glass-walled penthouse across the way, the senator paced.
Alaric Veyna was tall, broad-shouldered, his suit immaculate even at this late hour. He gestured animatedly to aides clustered around him, his silhouette framed against the glow of chandeliers. He looked untouchable, like a man wrapped in power and glass.
Chase steadied his breathing, finger hovering over the trigger.
" Uh, " he muttered. "How am I gonna do this?"
He fired.
He watched as the bullet struck the bulletproof window and harmlessly bounced off into the night.
"Oh, shit!" He cursed.
Alaric Veyna flinched, didn't move a muscle as the aides swarmed in and tackled him to the floor like a rugby player.
[Task Failed!!]
[Transporting out of illusion.....]
Chase vanished into the pixels and the next thing he saw, he was back at the cubic space. He hissed as he didn't expect to come back that fast.
[Would you like to leave the playground]
[Y/N]
"But I thought I couldn't leave this place until I finish two tasks," Chase asked, confusion written on his face. "You said it yourself."
[You can leave since you failed the task, but the next time you come, it will be the same task.]
"Fine, " Chase agreed, ruffling his hair. "Get me out of here."
At the command, the system transported him back into his room. Immediately, he walked over to his phone, picked it up, and gazed at the time.
"Twenty minutes have passed since it was 7:25." He announced, astounded. "So I've been there for twenty hours."
He placed the phone down on his bedside cabinet and walked out of the room to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He peered at it. There was only a half-eaten apple and a bottle of water in it.
He sighed a long weary sigh.
"It looks like I need to get a part-time job again." He muttered.
He picked up the bottle and closed the fridge. He drank deeply from the bottle and wiped his lips. There was a sudden knock on his door. Chase stared at the door, confused. He wasn't expecting anyone.
He walked over to the door and opened it. Outside his door, there stood a blonde girl fidgeting at his doorstep.
Chase narrowed his eyes. "Emila."
Emilia stared up at him. She looked shocked. 'Did he grow....taller? And when did he grow muscles?"
"Hey, Chase." She spoke. "You look refreshed. "
Chase scoffed. "What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to talk," Emila replied. "That's all. I'm not looking for trouble. I promise."
Chase stared at her for a long moment before he stepped aside. She walked in and he closed the door.
"Have a seat," he announced. "And tell me what you want to talk about."
Emilia sighed as she sat down. "I just want to say thank you for saving us. It means a lot to me. And I understand you don't want everybody to know it was you since you told the police not to do so, but.....thank you."
"Don't thank me," Chase replied, his tone clipped. "Your boyfriend was the one who caused this."
"I know," Emilia whispered. "I never knew he could do something like that."
"You knew." Chase spat, his tone laced with anger. "You just ignored it."
Emilia looked at him, hurt at what he just said. "That's not fair."
"Don't talk to me about fair." Chare scoffed. "You dumped me because of him. You were chasing popularity, and you got it. You knew he was a rotten bully who derived pleasure in people's suffering, yet you stayed."
Emilia didn't know what to say. She tried to speak but words couldn't form in her mouth.
Travis is in prison because of him." Chase continued. "So don't tell me anything about fair."
Emilia stayed silent as Chase talked. She didn't say a word. Chase sighed at her, before pointing to the door.
"I think you should just leave." He announced.
Emilia nodded and got up, heading straight for the door. She paused as she opened it.
"I really am sorry." She whispered. "I truly am."
Chase didn't turn from where he sat. "Leave."
Emilia sighed sadly and then walked out, closing the door. Silence returned to the room. Chase stayed the way he was, his anger dissipating now that she had left. He has to stop sulking. It was time for the next step. He breathed in and then out and allowed the silence to assuage him, clearing his mind and getting him prepared for what was next.