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In one blink, they were in a white room. The next, they were standing barefoot in warm grass under a lavender sky. A gentle breeze carried the scent of honey and some other floral note they couldn't place.
"...This feels illegal," Zack muttered.
"It feels like a trap," Liana corrected, narrowing her eyes.
The field stretched endlessly, dotted with crystal-clear lakes and trees with silver leaves that shimmered. Birds chirped, but not like normal birds—each call was a chord, each flap like wind chimes. A sun hung low, casting a lazy pink glow over everything.
"Welcome," Sia said brightly, stepping onto a cobbled path lined with blooming roses. "To the Sanctuary."
"Sanctuary?" Alex echoed, unimpressed. "Is this where we wake up and realize we've been in a coma the whole time?"
"Nope," Sia said, popping a grape into her mouth. "This is the real deal. A slice of paradise for the handful of you who didn't completely disappoint me."
Kyle raised a brow. "Didn't we, like… fail?"
"Spectacularly," Sia agreed, chewing. "But failing creatively is worth something."
The group looked around. They were dressed in soft, comfortable clothes, no blood or grime in sight. A villa stood nearby—polished wood and glass, stocked with food, beds, and even hot showers.
"I don't trust it," Mia said, arms crossed.
"Good," Sia said, throwing her arms out dramatically. "Because it's not here to be trusted."
She hummed as she walked ahead, her black coat sweeping the dirt. "Most students are still in there," she said, tossing a look over her shoulder. "Dying. Repeatedly. For six more days." She clapped her hands once. "Yay, survivors! Seriously, the respawn animation is hilarious."
Alex groaned. "That's… not something to be proud of."
Liana muttered, "She's actually enjoying this."
Zack just blinked, pale. "Did he punch my soul? I think Avork punched my soul."
The pain was gone, but the memory lingered like smoke in their lungs. Yet here was Sia, practically skipping, leading them away like they'd just finished gym class.
"Welcome back to the land of the living!" she said with fake cheer. "Sit. Relax. Breathe. You're not bleeding anymore… probably."
They collapsed onto a bench in a strange metallic space. Bright lights above, no walls—just open skies and mist. A floating platform hovered nearby. A dream, or a simulation? They weren't sure.
"No medics?" Liana asked.
Sia sat on the edge of the bench, biting into an apple. "You're healed. Mostly. Cry about it later."
Alex leaned forward, fingers tangled in his hair. "Why us? Why pull us out?"
Sia winked. "Because someone decided to go all 'I've died enough times to awaken my wolf DNA!' mid-simulation. Very dramatic."
Liana added, "And I might've mentioned awakening my vampire blood."
Zack shrugged. "I just said I liked explosions."
"That too," Sia smirked. "The system flagged your group as… how do I put this? Freakishly interesting. So now? I'm your mentor. Surprise!"
They stared at her.
Alex whispered, "This has to be the weirdest break ever."
"Better get used to it," Sia said, biting another apple she definitely didn't have before. "You're special now. With great power comes… really weird field trips."
"What the fu—" Liana started.
"Language!" Sia cut her off, sing-song.
They sat in silence, the air buzzing with disbelief and exhaustion.
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