"Garrick," the large, broad-shouldered man said in a deep voice.
He did not say whether it was his real name, and no one asked. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with a broad chest and shoulders and short-cropped brown hair. Even without his power, he carried himself like a man accustomed to making others back down before he ever had to ask.
’A classic thug straight out of a K-drama,’ Ravian thought sarcastically.
The large man looked around for a moment, sweeping his gaze over everyone before saying, "I won’t tell you where I came from. The name is enough."
The thin man followed.
"Sylvan."
He appeared several years younger than Garrick, with black hair plastered to his forehead and eyes that moved faster than the rest of his features. He did not look brave, but he had been the first to point out the contradiction in the entity’s words and the first to ask about speech addressed to everyone.
"And even if the name is fake, it won’t change anything anyway," Sylvan said coldly before stepping back and yielding the spotlight to the next person.
The third man gave a faint smile that did not reach his eyes.
"Kaiden. I used to work in trade, and that much truth won’t kill me... probably," Kaiden said, scratching the back of his head.
He appeared close to thirty, with refined features and dark blond hair. His voice did not tremble, but his index finger kept rubbing against the side of his thumb throughout his introduction.
As for the fourth man, he had stood apart from the others ever since he awoke. A frightening scar ran from above his eyebrow to his temple, and he said only one word:
"Bran."
’That was quite a lot to say, Bran.’ Ravian gave Bran an encouraging nod.
"That’s all?" Garrick asked.
Bran looked at him calmly.
"That’s all he asked for," Bran said, gesturing toward the unknown entity standing to one side and watching them with an unsettling smile.
Instead of passing to Ravian, the turn moved on to the women.
’Huh? Oi, oi! Am I invisible, guys?!’
Ravian wanted to speak but chose to remain silent, as all of this seemed like a mere formality to him. After all, only one person would survive this place.
The woman in the blue robe raised her head first. She appeared to be in her late twenties, with black hair tied behind her head and pale blue eyes that matched her robe.
"Mirai."
She added nothing about herself, but her tone was steadier than it had been when she first asked about the fate of the final two participants. She had either overcome her initial shock or hidden it where no one could see it; no one could tell which.
Then it was the next person’s turn.
"Elena," the tall woman said.
A few years older than Mirai, she wore a red robe and had light gray hair and sharp features that did not easily betray her fear. She watched the others’ hands as closely as their faces, as though she still could not quite believe that direct aggression had become impossible.
The younger girl with delicate features hesitated briefly before saying, "Talia. My name is Talia."
Her voice was barely audible, and she seemed about to say more but stopped when her gaze met the faces around her.
Now only the old man remained... and Ravian, of course.
The old man straightened his back, revealing that he was taller than his initial stoop had suggested, then said, "Aldric. I spent many years adjudicating disputes in which the parties lacked complete evidence, and it seems I haven’t strayed far from my old work."
His disclosure of his experience was no casual remark. He had told them that he could analyze testimony and rules while also positioning himself as someone they would need.
’A move both useful and dangerous,’ Ravian thought, then noticed the silence that had suddenly fallen.
Finally, everyone’s attention turned to Ravian.
’Oh, so you saved me for last?’
There was no benefit to using his real name, even with the entity’s assurance that they would be unable to track him down. Besides, he had grown accustomed to another name during his time in the capital.
"Rayan," he said calmly.
Sylvan waited a moment, then asked, "Nothing else?"
Ravian raised an eyebrow at Sylvan being the one to ask this time; the first time, it had been Garrick.
"From what I heard, he asked for nothing more than a name."
Bran looked his way for the first time, perhaps because Ravian had given nearly the same answer he had, while Sylvan’s eyes narrowed slightly and his gaze lingered on Ravian before Sylvan quickly looked away.
The unknown entity clapped, but its hands passed through one another. Even so, the sound of applause thundered from every direction.
"Wonderful. Nine names, nine potential lies, and one soul that will leave. Now the show can truly begin."
The mist behind it fell away all at once.
The gray ground trembled beneath their feet, then towering walls, columns, and staircases surged from it as though an entire palace had been buried beneath a thin layer. Corridors extended in multiple directions, chandeliers blazed with warm yellow light, and an ornate ceiling unfolded overhead where none had existed a moment before.
Their clothes changed at the same time.
Mirai’s blue robe vanished, replaced by formal black attire with a chain of silver keys hanging from one shoulder. The men wore dark servants’ jackets whose designs varied according to their duties, while aprons and white gloves materialized as part of the women’s attire.
As for Ravian, he found a black pen clipped to his chest and a slim ledger in his hand.
A window of violet mist appeared before each of them.
{Location: Evernight Palace.}
{Temporary Identity: Palace Servant.}
{Position: Correspondence and Accounts Clerk.}
Ravian read the final line a second time, then raised his gaze to the palace that had finished taking shape around them.
The entity disappeared, but its laughter continued to echo within the walls.
"Serve my guests well... and do an even better job of killing one another."
"Let The Nightmare BEGIN!"
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