The taste of cheap coffee still lingered on Adrian's tongue when his eyelids began to close.
He felt as if he were falling into an endless hole, his thoughts slowing as he lost all sense of space. Darkness wrapped around him like a heavy blanket, dragging him into a bottomless void.
A sudden, piercing scream snapped him out of the trance.
"Shit!" a man wearing a business suit exclaimed as he took in what was happening around him.
Adrian blinked several times, trying to focus his vision. They were inside a white hall with a platform adorned with exquisite golden decorations, crafted from a material resembling marble.
The walls stretched upward into what seemed like infinite space, with no visible ceiling; only a diffuse light flooding everything, without any apparent source.
Scattered across the marble floor were a thousand and one people, some still unconscious, others beginning to wake with groans of confusion and terror.
The screams began to spread like a virus—first one, then three, then dozens.
Adrian stood up, still disoriented, and started looking around.
The air carried a chemical smell, a mix of freshly burned ozone and something cloying that churned his stomach.
The last thing he remembered was being in his apartment, drinking that awful coffee before…what? He touched his temple, trying to remember what he had done next, but his mind was blank. He checked himself for injuries; nothing.
He walked toward the nearest wall and touched it; a cold sensation ran through his hand.
There were no answers in the walls.
A hologram appeared on the platform, drawing everyone's attention.
Only its silhouette was visible: that of a girl with slender hips and a wide waist.
The figure flickered occasionally with static, distorting its contours in an unsettling way.
"Attention, biological units nearing their expiration date!" the figure sang out with a cheerfulness that echoed through the hall.
"I have collected one thousand and one of you. Statistically, one of you will die within the next hour. Isn't that exciting? Like a game of chance, but much more fun!"
Before the hologram could continue, someone interrupted.
"Who are you?" a young man bellowed from the back of the hall; his voice trembled slightly despite its defiant tone."Why did you bring us here? My parents… they have lawyers, connections. When they find out about this…"
The boy, with perfectly styled blond hair and hazel-colored eyes, stared at the hologram, trying to maintain his composure.
His right hand clutched the gold watch on his left wrist, as if the object could protect him from anything.
His suit looked tailor-made; it probably cost more than Adrian earned in a month.
"You have until twelve o'clock to release me," the young man continued, his voice cracking at the end. "My family will find me and—"
Boom.
Before he could finish the threat, his head exploded in a crimson cloud.
A dry crack preceded the rain of blood and brain matter that splattered across the white marble, staining it with a vivid red that grotesquely contrasted with the floor's purity.
Adrian felt something warm hit his cheek; he instinctively wiped it away, his fingers coming back stained red.
A fragment of—no, he wasn't going to think about that. He swallowed, a dry sound scraping his throat.
The silence that followed was sepulchral, broken only by the broken sobs of those just waking up and the choked gasps of horror from those who had witnessed the execution.
The Lady observed the chaos with what seemed like satisfaction, allowing the terror to settle for a few more seconds before continuing.
"Well…" the hologram's voice shifted into a chilling, almost playful tone."I said someone would die. I'm not a genius for predicting something like that, am I? Though, let's be honest…"
She paused, as if savoring the moment.
"Now that I have your attention, I'm going to explain what this is. Pay attention, because this lady does not repeat herself.Well… that's a lie. I do repeat myself if I get bored, but trust me, you really don't want to see me bored."
The figure fell silent for a moment; her silhouette slowly rotated as she observed the panic on the survivors' faces, like someone admiring a freshly completed work of art.
"First of all, you're probably wondering: what is this place?"
She made a dramatic pause, turning her silhouette in an elegant motion, as if evaluating her audience.
"I see. You're all so bored… or what is it? Did a mouse eat your tongues?"
The hologram began to display a warped white smile through the static, far too wide to be human.
The image flickered, distorting for an instant before stabilizing again.
"Well, if you don't want to ask, this lady will tell you, since I'm very generous," she continued, swaying her silhouette in an elegant yet unsettling manner.
"This place is the Palace of Taxation. You, my adorable organic creatures, were brought here so you can attempt to save your miserable planet.Yes, that very one you're destroying with such dedication."
A murmur of confusion rippled through the survivors, but no one dared interrupt this time.
The memory of the blond boy's remains was still far too fresh.
The metallic smell of blood now mixed with the ozone, creating a nauseating combination that lingered in the air like a silent warning.
The Lady seemed to delight in the palpable fear before continuing.
"You see, Earth is currently suffering from a resource shortage," she explained with feigned sadness. "Overexploitation, climate change, the usual…"
"The overuse of what little you have left has pushed your world to the brink of destruction."
"You will have to carry out missions in different worlds to gather the funds necessary for this humble lady to save your planet."
Adrian frowned, processing the information.
'What kind of resource would an entity capable of teleporting a thousand people even need?''And why send them—fragile carbon-based beings?'
It made no sense.
A middle-aged woman beside him sobbed quietly, wiping her tears with trembling hands.
The Lady's voice echoed once more, dragging everyone's attention back to her.
"If you succeed, your planet will live a little longer," she added, the static on her face forming what looked like a mocking expression."If you fail… well, the universe has many other planets far more interesting than yours. And far less troublesome, I might add."
She extended her digital arms in a theatrical gesture, like a star waiting for applause from her audience.
"Now that this lady has explained everything so elegantly, you should praise me," she said, her voice heavy with expectation. "Come on, don't be shy.Let me feel the love. I don't want to have to repeat what happened a moment ago."
Suddenly, a sharp metallic sound rang throughout the hall, bouncing off the white walls.
Tiiin!
A semi-transparent screen appeared in front of everyone present, floating in the air with glowing blue letters. The text was impossible to ignore.
[EMERGENCY MISSION: ADULATION]Objective: Convincingly praise the "Lady" of the Palace.Reward: 1,000 gold coins (Initial Survival Fund).Failure Penalty: The coins will not be distributed. (Note: Without funds, the mortality rate in the first mission is 99.9%.)
Adrian narrowed his eyes. There was something else. In the lower corner of the screen, in tiny, nearly transparent letters, an additional line appeared:
Note: The adulation must last exactly 30 seconds. Shorter or longer durations will result in a 50% reduction of the reward due to administrative expenses.
Exactly thirty seconds. Of course there was a catch.
Adrian stared at the floating screen as he began thinking about how he should praise the Lady without sounding completely ridiculous.
Silence returned, but this time it was charged with desperate urgency. No one wanted to be the next to lose their head.
The man in the business suit was the first to react, dropping to his knees on the bloodstained marble.
"Oh, great… great Lady!" he shouted with a trembling voice, his hands clasped in supplication."Your beauty is infinite, and your generosity knows no bounds! Thank you for giving us a chance!"
Others began to imitate him, falling to their knees and shouting desperate praises.
The chaos of voices filled the white hall. Some cried as they begged, others stammered incoherent words of adulation.
It was a symphony of terror and servility.
Adrian clenched his fists, watching the scene. He glanced at the small note again; exactly thirty seconds.
Finally, he took a deep breath and raised his voice toward the hologram.
"Great Lady, your wisdom has enlightened us. We are grateful for the opportunity you grant us."
He counted silently; one… two… three…