It was black, devoid of any color, sucking out all the life in the area. The surrounding environment, while wilted and barren, shrank back in the ball's presence that spawned above. Mesmerized, Ciro stared from below, Carina and Alya became only hazes in his periphery, even his alcohol lay forgotten. All that was left was him and the great ball above.

  But what was it?

  It rotated in the sky, reflecting the lights of the stars that it hadn’t engulfed. Ciro didn’t flinch under the luminous glow. Instead, his mouth lay open in awe. He swallowed hard. Just as he was about to ask Carina for answers, he was cut off.

  A booming voice echoed from above. Ciro felt the cliff underneath him tremble. He clutched his ears in pain.

  “Hello! It is I, Palou. Your trusted Arbiter.”

  Ciro looked back at the ball, realizing it was the source of the voice. The voice was so loud that it felt like it reached the entire planet.

  A sharp static noise followed. Ciro winced from the high frequency. He heard groans from the women next to him.

  “Oops. Sorry about that, I was far too loud. I should be at a good volume now.”

  The static noise faded, yet Ciro felt he could still hear it. What is that damn ball? he thought, glaring at it, clenching his fist. He called himself an Arbiter. Ciro thought back to when he had last heard that title. Then it clicked: Arius Steiger, the man who sent him here, called himself the Head Arbiter. This Palou person…alien is probably his subordinate of some kind.

  “I’m sure you’ve become acquainted with this new world. I hope you had fun with those creatures I personally designed.”

  Ciro gritted his teeth. They thought this was all a game, while he suffered trying to survive. He hoped he’d be able to survive and give them a piece of his mind. With a sigh of resignation, he tuned his ears to what Palou The Arbiter had to say. It seemed Carina and Alya felt the same way.

  They both stood watching the black ball, listening intently.

  “Anyway, the grace period is over, and we can truly start the Exofront pre-season with a bang! Where are my claps and cheers?”

  Palou sounded high pitched, his voice far too excited that didn’t match the nature of his job. While a brief silence came over the planet, the black ball suddenly lit up, pulsating with shades of red and orange. The artificial sound of clapping and cheering resonated across the valley Ciro stood in.

  Ciro could only pull at his hair out of frustration. Does this guy think this is all a joke?

  The ball returned to its pure black form. “Thank you. Thank you. Now that you’ve shown your adoration. I’m happy to announce I’ve got a message…wait hang on, let me find it…”

  “Ah yes, here it is. Ahem, with the grace period complete, Exofronteers are free to receive sponsorships and bribes…I mean gifts from viewers. The supplies I gifted to you will be the last bit of help I personally shall give you. So please make sure to impress the five or so people watching this.”

  As the ball finished its sentence, Carina whispered towards Alya, Ciro just about picked up what she said. “Sponsors. We need those to survive.”

  Ciro noted the information, unsure how he would go about getting sponsored. From what he understood, this was a barbaric game, where people across galaxies would watch. Who did he have to impress to get sponsored? And what did he get in return? He looked back towards the ball of darkness for more answers.

  “With that out of the way, I’ll be able to explain the rules for those who may not be aware of how this beta planet will run. Most of you will not survive. Out of the five hundred of you scattered across this planet, only twenty-five will be granted a place in the Exofront.”

  Only twenty-five of us will live! Ciro considered the probability of surviving. It wasn’t looking good for him or for any human. As his mind whirled, imagining different scenarios, all most likely filled with false conjectures. The voice from the sky spoke once again.

  “I’ll be hosting an array of fun games to whittle down our numbers, don’t you worry folks. But to my dismay, not enough of you have died as I hoped during this period. So I’ll be hosting a bonus quest right now as we speak. This event will be optional and deadly. But for those that survive, you’ll be granted bountiful rewards. Please consider joining. You have a couple of minutes to make your decision.”

  A loud cackle echoed from the sky, causing Ciro to wince; he blocked his ears. I’m starting to hate you, Palou, The Arbiter. In a split second, the shadow that rooted itself in the sky disappeared. The giant ball popped out of existence, compressing itself until there was nothing left. The stars reappeared, and the swirls of green and purple danced through the dark sky once more.

  “Did you hear him?” Ciro went over to the two women. “What do you guys plan to do?” He didn’t know if he wanted to stick by either of them. Alya had proved she would freeze up when danger came bearing down on them. And Carina. Well, Ciro was scared she’d stab him in the back.

  Do You Wish To Participate In the Bonus Event?

  [Yes / No]

  The message flashed in front of Ciro’s eyes. Wherever he focused, the screen followed him, unlike the other notifications he had received where he could ignore them. Hesitantly, Ciro hovered his index finger over [No] With a sigh, he pressed the button.

  You Have Declined Your Participation In The Bonus Event!

  Better safe than sorry, he thought.

  Carina watched him with a smile. “You declined, didn’t you?”

  “What if I did?”

  “It’s a respectable decision, to be fair. The only people who’d be interested in participating would be founders.” replied Carina.

  “What are founders?” Alya asked, her eyes shaky, trying to avoid the screen that plagued her vision.

  “The seven races that originally participated in the Exofront. They are the culmination of seven planets and multiple races, all trained from a young age for these games.”

  “Well, I’m glad I made the right decision.” Ciro huffed before sitting back down on the ground.

  Alya sighed, her face full of relief. “I’m so glad this was optional.” Ciro watched as she used her index finger to tap the air.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “It’s quite funny seeing someone use their screen,” Ciro smiled. “You pressed no, right?”

  “Of course I did. I’m not an idiot.” Alya scowled, turning to Carina. “Have you pressed no yet?”

  Carina’s jaw clenched at the question. “No, I’m still thinking about it.”

  Alya’s eyes widened in shock. “If you know it’s going to be dangerous, why would you even consider it? Only twenty-five of us are going to survive. Why make it harder? That floating voice said that there’d be more events, anyway.” Her voice grew with each passing sentence.

  Ciro nodded along. The situation couldn’t be clearer. Entering this unknown event, where dying was one of two outcomes, didn’t bode well at all.

  “There are going to be some huge rewards,” said Carina, her eyes glazed, still deciding what she would do.

  Ciro shook his head. “Whatever you choose to do. I don’t want any part in it.”

  His words triggered something within Carina. She threw herself at him. Grabbing him by the throat, she tightened her grip. Ciro attempted to wrestle her off; but she lay on top of him, using all her weight to pin him down.

  He felt her icy fingers, that felt like iron shackles on his trachea. A strangled gasp barely escaped his lips, a desperate plea for help towards Alya, who was yet to react. Panic flooded Ciro’s mind as his vision blurred, the edges darkening like ink spilling across paper.

  “What are you doing!?” Alya screamed, pulling Carina off of him.

  Carina didn’t relent; she pushed Alya away, but having released her grip on Ciro’s throat, he used the opportunity to throw a punch towards Carina’s face. Knuckle met bone. And a sickening crunch followed. Ciro quickly scrambled away, giving ample space between him and Carina.

  “You crazy-ass bitch!” Ciro wheezed, his skin red and blotchy.

  Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit him. His head throbbed, and he couldn’t see anything. Let me out, Little Ciro. That woman has disrespected us to no end. Let me end it permanently.

  “No!” Ciro screamed, clutching his head. Look. Look at her, Adams. Ciro’s vision returned only slightly. He could see Carina, her eyes deranged, blood flowing out of her nose like a waterfall. Alya held her back, restraining her arms so she wouldn’t attack for a second time.

  She appeared to be screaming, yet Ciro couldn’t hear a thing. You see her; she’s unpredictable. We need to kill her. I need to kill her.

  ***

  “You see him Alya! He’s unpredictable…we need to kill him. I need to kill him.” Carina shrieked as the blood trickled into her mouth.

  “What’s gone into you?” screamed Alya, trying her hardest to keep Carina away from Ciro.

  “You should ask what’s going on with him. He talks to himself. He hides things. We can’t trust him. So please…help me kill him.” Carina stopped resisting and peered towards Alya, her eyes pleading, begging her to take her side. She didn’t want to lose her best friend again, not to that monster.

  The future keeps changing. Alya never had that barrier stigmata. The Arbiter never spoke to us. This bonus event never took place. Carina didn’t understand why everything was so different from before. Did she truly go back in time?

  A Sponsor [Palou] Wishes To Gift You An Item

  Do You Wish To Accept?

  [Yes / No]

  Carina’s eyes widened at the message. Palou. That was the name of The Arbiter. He had said that the last storage cube was his last piece of help. In the original beta world, The Arbiter barely interacted with them.

  “Yes,” she whispered. The screen shattered into fragments before disappearing. A blue light appeared from the sky and dropped right in front of Carina before fading away. It left a storage cube by her feet; the metallic box radiated smoke from the spatial transport it came through.

  Alya let Carina go. “What did you do?” she asked.

  “A sponsor.”

  Carina eyed Ciro; he was still wrestling with himself on the ground, occasionally screaming words like, “No.” or “I won’t let you win.” She didn’t care about what he was going through, his history, or the future. Revenge was the only thing that mattered. She picked up the cube before clicking the first compartment open. The ends of a small note materialized out of the cube. Alya watched as she pulled out the piece of paper.

  If sponsors had a message, they could send it through the system. Yet The Arbiter gave her a physical note. How odd. She unfurled the paper, making sure Alya couldn’t see. While difficult to read, through the bonus event invitation, she made out the contents.

  The letters were unknown to her at first, a language that was not from her world. But slowly, the words transformed into letters she recognized.

  Dear Regressor,

  I hope you’re enjoying your time in the past. I just wanted to provide you with my own little help to help you achieve your goals. I recommend you participate in the bonus event and use the insignificant item I provided in the storage cube. Everything will make sense once you open the box and accept the bonus event.

  Kind regards,

  Palou.

  P.S: Rip the note when you’re done reading

  Her gaze narrowed, but she complied with the request, ripping the note into multiple pieces that drifted along the wind.

  “What was on the note?” Alya asked, edging closer towards Ciro, her gaze fixed purely on Carina.

  Carina smiled. “I was out of my mind. I’m sorry Alya. Let’s go help that, idiot.”

  “Okay…” Alya agreed, her eyes narrowing.

  ***

  Ciro did everything to stop it all. Stop the memories. Stop the voice. He was drowning in the confines of his mind. Closing his eyes, he pushed away the things he desperately wanted to keep buried, and in desperation, he swam back to the surface.

  Back to reality.

  He opened his eyes. He was back. Alya and Carina looked back at him with concern. His eyes met with Carina’s and he quickly shuffled backwards. Tumbling over his feet, he landed face first onto the ground.

  “What’s gotten into you?” Carina smirked.

  Alya grabbed him and helped him get to his feet.

  “You are one crazy bitch, you know that!” Ciro’s mind raced. He didn’t want to fight. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. Loneliness was something he also wanted to avoid.

  He felt Alya’s elbow tapping him on the side. He turned to her as she brought her face closer to his.

  “Don’t do anything stupid. She said she won’t kill you. Just play along until you know when the situation becomes more clear.” Alya muttered quickly before shoving him aggressively.

  “He’s fine, it seems,” she said, her voice laced with contempt.

  Ciro’s eyebrows shot upward. He couldn’t understand Alya’s angle. Her whispers of concern didn’t align with any of her body language right now. It was fine. He didn’t need to know. He just had to leave.

  “I’ve overstayed my welcome. This would never work with me being the only guy in this trio.” Ciro walked over to Carina, Alya standing beside them. The air was tense. Ciro and Carina traded blows with their eyes.

  Carina broke the silence, a smile on her face. “You’re right, I guess this is goodbye.”

  What’s up with her? Ciro thought. He shrugged off his questions. There was no need to wonder. He nodded, “well I’ll be taking my leave then,” he walked past Carina, their shoulders brushing past.

  He barely made a meter of distance between the two women before he was stopped.

  “Wait. Ciro.” Carina called out.

  “What is it?” Ciro turned around, trying to mask his annoyance.

  “We’ll see you soon?” Carina replied, putting her hand towards Ciro.

  Ciro looked towards the hand, deciding whether to shake it. Ah, what the hell. Worst-case scenario, I’ll run away, he calculated. He slowly stepped towards Carina before taking her hand. “Alright make sure you survive.”

  Within a split second, a window appeared:

  You've Been Selected To Join [Carina Melania]’s Party For The [Bonus Event]

  Preparing To Teleport In 3 Seconds

  “You…” Ciro’s eyes widened in surprise. He threw himself towards Carina, but he felt frozen, like time had completely stopped.

  Carina had her hand on Alya’s shoulder, a wicked smile playing on her lips.

  Alya watched on in panic.

  Ciro felt himself being pulled away, a blue light clinging to his body.

  “Not again.”