Page 35 of Knot Your Fated M.U.S.E.

My shadows are enraged at the commentary, their mangled whispers impossible to translate in my head. I’m not the only one reacting to the statement, though mine isn’t physically noticeable.

Riot slams her fist against the glass again, a snarl twisting her pierced lips. Azurite's heterochromatic eyes narrow dangerously, while Luna tilts her head like she's listening to something none of us can hear.

"Now, now." He tsks like we're misbehaving children. "That spirit is exactly why you're valuable. But it does present certain...logistical issues."

He stops in front of my cylinder, and everything in me screams to break through the glass, to tear that smug expression from his face with my bare hands.

To show him exactly what kind of monster they've created.

"So we're going to play a little game." His reflection appears in the glass, overlaying my own like a grotesque mask. "Tonight,you'll share accommodations. One room, four omegas, endless possibilities."

The white coats shift nervously, but he silences them with a raised hand.

"By sunrise, I need that number reduced to three. You can either choose amongst yourselves who to sacrifice or..." His smile widens, showing too many perfect teeth. "...we'll eliminate all of you and start fresh with the next batch."

The implications hit like physical blows:

Kill one to save three.

Murder a fellow survivor.

Become the monster they want us to be.

Or die.

All of us.

Before the sun rises.

Our silence couldn’t be more deafening.

"No volunteers?" He feigns disappointment. "No immediate standouts for sacrifice? How disappointing. I had such high hopes for your survival instincts."

A hissing sound fills the air – subtle at first, then growing louder. A pale green mist begins seeping into our cylinders through hidden vents, and my blood runs cold.

Fight it.FIGHT IT!

I try to hold my breath, but my lungs are already burning from the water trials. My body betrays me, gasping in the tainted air before I can stop myself.

The effect is immediate:Vision blurring at the edges. Limbs growing heavy. Thoughts turning sluggish.

Through increasingly unfocused eyes, I see the others struggling:

Azurite's calculated composure finally breaks as she coughs, those mismatched eyes growing glassy.

Luna sways more pronouncedly, her unseeing eyes fluttering as whatever other senses guide her begin to fail.

Riot fights the hardest, banging on the glass even as her movements grow uncoordinated, screaming defiance until her voice breaks.

Stay awake.Have to stay...

My poor shadows are begging me, but now they’re so distant. So far away, it ignites panic within me. The shadow of voices that made me fear insanity has become a safe haven that’s being stolen from my grasp.

I try so desperately to fight this losing game.

But the darkness creeps in, inexorable as the tide.

My legs give out first, the strength to brace against the glass deserting me. My knees hit the floor that tried to drop us into oblivion just minutes ago.

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