Niche walks mechanically to his magical garage with the infamous trunk.

  Ryota watches. "Dude, when's the last time you—"

  But Niche is already at the trunk. His hand on the handle. And something's different.

  He's not trying anymore. Not wanting. His mind is elsewhere; he’s not focused on keeping the roaches at bay anymore.

  The breakthrough comes not from the strength to do something, but the lack of it. Niche learns to exist in the space between wanting and acting. In that quiet place, he can feel reality shifting around him like smoke.

  Now, he forces himself to resist the urge of the roaches. That urge burns brighter than ever in Niche’s mind, but his compliance with that urge tires. He doesn’t to burn the roaches anymore, because he sees the truth about it. He can see that burning the roaches doesn’t help anything, although subconsciously he desired to so desperately.

  Now, that feeling is gone. He doesn’t comply with his desires. He doesn’t burn the roaches; at least not this time. Immediately, he feels relief as his mind releases the constant attention on the roaches. Ideas flood into his mind: ideas of thinking, analysis, affection, hatred, cruelty. He thinks again for the first time since the cave. The valve that clasped on, restricting his flow of thoughts, diverging it, redirecting it, and siphoning it, bursts open, releasing the floodgates of thinking.

  Following this, the pain hits, temporarily removing the flow state of his thinking.

  But the pain has come in too late. Niche already experienced that heightened intellectual state, and, motivated to regain that feeling again, tries harder than ever. The motivation tanks a few seconds later, but something has changed in Niche. For the first time, he forces himself to follow a sequence without a motivation to do so. He sticks with this resistance, although he has no motivation or emotional factor telling him to push through.

  When he finally completely resists the urge, his body starts vibrating as the roaches move freely throughout his body with no restriction. He feels every roaches’ legs’ movement, but his mind does not successfully convince him to do anything about it.

  After Niche resists his instinct and his body vibrates from the movement of the many roaches, Ryota, witnessing this scene play out, goes to say something, but thinks about it and keeps quiet.

  The unintentional shaking of Niche’s body causes his hand touching the trunk latch button to violently vibrate, stimulating the button and effectively unjamming the latch. This causes the latch to release, and when Niche hears that click, he swings his arm up to rip open the trunk. He releases his grip and sticks his other hand right in front of the box. Flames erupt from his hand and the glass box turns white-hot and instantly vaporizing into plasma, leaving no smoke behind.

  In the box’s place lies a key. Niche, after taking a few seconds to realize what he accomplished, snatches the key and slams the trunk door closed.

  Panting, Niche looks down at his hands, the key gently resting on his palm.

  "Finally," Niche says, his voice hoarse from years of frustration.

  "That's it?" Ryota asks. "Ten years of attempts and you just... stopped caring and it worked?"

  "The trial wasn't about intelligence." Niche holds the key, staring at it. "It was about reaching a state where you act without desire. Where you do things without wanting outcomes. Where you don’t care anymore."

  The roaches inside him suddenly still. Then, one by one, they begin to dissolve.

  "They're... they're dying. My fire is working on them; it’s burning them." Niche almost collapses from relief. "The trial's over. They're finally dying."

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  For the first time in a while, Niche can stop fighting. He can just… exist.

  When all of the roaches burned away, the two are teleported back to the white garage.

  "We can leave now?" Ryota asks.

  "Yeah. We can leave."

  A new door appears out of thin air on the wall facing the previously existing door. Niche turns around and walks to this door that was just created.

  He opens the door, stepping out.

  ???, Present

  Niche and Ryota step into empty downtown, the door slamming behind them after they step all the way out.

  This looks like downtown... but where are the people?" Ryota asks.

  They stand in the empty street. No cars. No pedestrians. Just buildings under a gray sky.

  Niche turns around. The door they just exited is now a coffee shop. Faded sign, dusty windows. Ryota turns too.

  Niche opens the door they just came out of. He looks in at the familiar room inside, but it wasn’t the familiar room he hoped he would see.

  A voice interrupts Niche’s thoughts, the only external sound that called from the middle of the empty intersection. "I advise you not to look back if you want a chance of getting out of this place,” the voice of a male called, calmly but in a loud voice.

  Ryota spins instantly, his fists raised. "Huh? There's no one here,” he says, confused.

  The voice on the intersection laughs maniacally. “So, you decide to be ignorant, huh? Not listening to authority can really hurt you. That’s something you should know.”

  As the man rambles on, Niche looks at Ryota who is blindly staring forward.

  Seemingly ignoring the man’s monologue, Ryota confusingly talks to Niche. “Hey, Niche. There’s no one here, although I thought I heard a voice a second ago. I guess this place really

  empty, and we’re the only people here.”

  The voice, after a long monologue, calls out, “This is what happens to those who stop me from carrying out the King's orders. Die, you brainless husk!"

  Suddenly, Ryota screams, doubling over. He drops to his knees, gasping. Spikes pierce from his body parts, namely his palms, knees, mouth, and eyes. Blood pours from these wounds as deep gashes appear across his torso and arms. These spikes retract back into Ryota’s body, taking chunks of Ryota with it and leaving behind a blood of pool, a large scrap of flesh, and bones.

  “Ryota!” Niche calls out.

  What the hell?! What’s this guy’s problem?! Fuck, I need to check on Ryota! No. I can’t look. I need to keep my eyes forward not to risk looking back. This shifter behind me; I need to fight him. No. Don’t act rash. Turning around wouldn’t help anything. I could just become like Ryota if I turn around now. I don’t know this guy’s powers, and I can’t gamble on it just because I’m angered by what he did to Ryota. I need to think carefully. What are this guy’s powers? His limitations? First, I need to consider powers.

  As Niche thinks, the man calls out to him to taunt him, but Niche’s thinking pace quickens.

  The only reasonable explanation this man could have as to why he is here is because he is related to the game.

  Niche suddenly perks up as the man continues talking.

  Wait…I’ve heard this voice before. It sounds familiar…that’s it! This man behind me is the gamemaster!

  After this realization, Niche became elated before a second realization brought him to horror.

  If this is actually the gamemaster…that means he has the ability to manipulate reality. This man behind me who critically injured Ryota and is walking towards me has the ability to manipulate reality.