A group of people wake up in video game world and are forced to work together to survive and find out how to escape.

Trapped in a trap within a trap.

Chapter 40.

In a cell. I can’t believe it. The cold, damp stone walls press in around me, the dim torchlight flickering just enough to highlight every crack and shadow. I lean against the rough wall, my arms resting on my knees as I try to steady my breathing.

I glance over to the cell next to mine, where Kaida sits, gripping the bars between us. She looks pale but oddly calm, though the tension in her posture is hard to miss.

My eyes drop to the small puddle on the floor in front of me, the water rippling slightly as I shift. I lean forward, peering into it, and there it is—the face I’d started to forget.

Gone is the face I’d grown used to, the one I saw every day when I woke up in this world. Now it’s… Alex. My face. My old face.

My heart sinks as questions start flooding my mind. How is this even possible? How did the game do this? What does this even mean for me now?

I lift my hands, staring at the rougher, broader fingers that used to feel so familiar but now seem strange. Could I even use a bow like this? Are all the skills the game gave me gone? Am I still…

Kaida’s voice pulls me out of my spiraling thoughts. “So this is what you really look like, huh?”

I glance up at her, swallowing hard. “Yeah,” I say softly, my voice heavy with uncertainty. “This is me. The real me.”

She tilts her head, studying me carefully. “You look… different. It’s weird, seeing you like this.”

I let out a humorless laugh, my gaze dropping back to the puddle. “Tell me about it. It doesn’t even feel real.”

Kaida’s fingers tighten around the bars. “How does something like this even happen? I mean, is it the game? Did it mess with you?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve been stuck in this body—Artemis—for so long, I thought… I thought that was just who I was now. But this…” I gesture to myself, shaking my head. “This changes everything.”

She’s quiet for a moment, her usual teasing tone nowhere to be found. “Well… are you okay? Like, really okay?”

I hesitate, my chest tightening. “I don’t know,” I say again, the words feeling heavier this time. “I really don’t.”

Kaida leans back, letting out a deep sigh. “Well, for what it’s worth, I don’t care what you look like. You’re still you. Still Artemis—uh, Alex—whatever you want to call yourself.”

Her words bring a faint flicker of warmth to my chest, but it’s quickly buried beneath the weight of everything else. What am I supposed to do now?

I lean my head back against the cold stone wall, staring up at the ceiling as my thoughts swirl. I did it to an extent. I’m still here. I’m alive. But… I’m a guy again. I’m me… I think.

I glance down at my hands again, flexing them slightly. They feel familiar, like a piece of me I’d forgotten—but not entirely right.

And yet… it feels so…

I can’t put it into words. It’s like wearing an old coat that doesn’t quite fit the way it used to. There’s a familiarity, but also an alienness that I can’t shake.

Kaida’s voice cuts through the silence, soft but cautious. “And yet… what?”

I blink, realizing I must have spoken aloud without meaning to. I glance over at her, her expression curious but not mocking for once.

“It feels… off,” I admit, my voice low and uneven. “Like, I recognize this body. It’s me, but at the same time… it doesn’t feel like it’s me anymore. Does that make sense?”

Kaida tilts her head, frowning slightly. “It’s like you’ve been someone else for so long, this feels wrong now?”

I nod slowly. “Yeah. Exactly.”

She exhales, her grip tightening on the bars again. “That’s… a lot, huh?”

I let out a short, bitter laugh. “You could say that.”

Kaida leans her head against the bars, her voice softening. “So… which one feels more like you? This, or… Artemis?”

The question hits harder than I expect, and I’m not sure I have an answer. My mind flashes back to everything I’ve done in this world, all the ways I’ve grown into the person I’ve been—Artemis. The leader. The archer. The…

I clench my fists. “I don’t know,” I say finally, my voice almost breaking. “I don’t know who I’m supposed to be anymore.”

Kaida’s quiet for a moment, her eyes softening. “Well, whoever you decide to be, you’re still you, Alex. Or Artemis. Or both.”

Her words hang in the air, but they don’t bring the comfort I wish they would. Who am I now?

I’m a guy again. The thought echoes in my mind, sharp and unrelenting. Even if I decided I don’t want to be… I don’t have a choice.

My chest tightens painfully as my thoughts spiral further. What’s Lorien gonna say? The image of his smile flashes in my mind, and my stomach churns. How do I even begin to explain this?

I lower my head into my hands, my fingers pressing into my temples as I sit there, trying to steady my breathing. The cold stone beneath me feels like it’s pulling me down, grounding me in this awful, inescapable reality.

“How are we getting out of this?” I mutter under my breath, the words slipping out without thinking.

Kaida glances over, her face a mix of worry and frustration. “I’ve been wondering the same thing.” She leans her head against the bars again, sighing heavily. “This isn’t exactly how I imagined today going.”

I let out a short, humorless laugh, my voice muffled by my hands. “Yeah, no kidding.”

Kaida shifts slightly, her tone softening. “We’ll figure something out. We always do, right?”

I lift my head just enough to look at her, and the faint flicker of determination in her eyes brings the tiniest spark of hope. “You’re awfully optimistic for someone locked in a cell.”

She shrugs, forcing a small smile. “Gotta balance out your doom-and-gloom vibes somehow.”

I shake my head, leaning back against the wall with a heavy sigh. We need a plan, I think. But my mind feels like it’s stuck in a fog, and the weight of everything is making it hard to think clearly.

Kaida tilts her head, glancing toward the cell door. “Think the others even know we’re missing yet?”

Lorien… I think again, my chest tightening. I hope so.

“I’m still here if you want me to pop that cell open,” Shade’s voice murmurs smoothly in the back of my mind, low and almost teasing.

I freeze for a moment, my pulse quickening. Is that the play here? I think, my mind racing. “If we try to escape now and get caught, they might not be so nice next time.”

Shade hums softly, almost like he’s enjoying my hesitation. “Well, you could sit here and hope they decide to let you go out of the kindness of their hearts. Seems like a solid plan, right?”

“Shut up,” I mutter under my breath, just loud enough for Kaida to glance at me curiously.

“Uh, everything okay over there?” she asks, arching an eyebrow.

I force a weak smile. “Just… thinking.”

She frowns, clearly unconvinced, but doesn’t press. “Well, think faster. I’d really rather not rot in here if that’s an option.”

“I’m offering a very clear option,” Shade says, his tone smooth and insistent. “A little shadow work, and poof—bars wide open. No one has to know it was you.”

“And what happens after that?” I think back, my frustration bubbling. “We escape and get caught? Or worse, we hurt someone?”

Shade’s chuckle is low and dismissive. “Your call, Artemis. But sitting here waiting for their judgment doesn’t strike me as the best play.”

I press my fingers to my temples, the weight of the decision bearing down on me. Is this really the best option?

Talking didn’t work before but maybe if we just tell the truth?

Kaida sighs loudly, leaning back against the wall of her cell. “So, fearless leader, any ideas? Or are we just sitting here waiting for someone to magically bust us out?”

I glance at her, my chest tightening. What do I do?

“We wait,” I say firmly, though my voice wavers slightly. “If we break out, they’ll know, and we’ll be on the run in a castle full of guards who might not want to just lock us up again.”

Kaida stares at me, her expression tight with frustration. “And what happens if we wait?” she asks, her voice sharper than usual.

“I don’t know,” I admit, the words heavy as they leave my mouth. “But I’d rather take the chance of talking my way out of this than running headfirst into something worse.”

She exhales sharply, leaning back against the bars. “Great plan, Artemis. Just wait and hope they don’t decide to throw us in the dungeon for the rest of our lives—or worse.”

“I’m not happy about it either, Kaida,” I snap, the stress of everything catching up to me. “But right now, it’s the only option that doesn’t make things worse.”

She’s quiet for a moment, her eyes dropping to the floor. “Fine,” she mutters eventually. “But if this goes south, I’m blaming you.”

“Blame me all you want,” I say tiredly, leaning back against the cold stone wall. My hands ball into fists as I try to calm my racing thoughts.

Shade’s voice returns, low and almost smug. “Playing it safe, huh? Interesting choice for someone in your position.”

“Not now,” I think sharply, trying to block him out.

The silence in the cell stretches out, broken only by the occasional sound of footsteps echoing faintly down the corridor. My chest tightens with every passing moment, and the weight of the unknown bears down harder.

“If this goes south, I’m blaming you.”

The words echo in my head, and I can’t help but feel the weight of them pressing down on me. It’s like everything’s back to normal, I think bitterly. Same as always for Alex—people mad at me for everything, like it’s all my fault.

Shade’s voice is surprisingly gentle when it comes this time. “She’s just stressed. Same as you.”

I let out a quiet breath, closing my eyes for a moment before opening them again to stare blankly at the wall. The rough stone surface is uneven, the cracks and patterns running through it doing little to distract me from the sinking feeling in my chest.

Kaida doesn’t say anything else, and neither do I. The silence is thick and heavy, broken only by the distant sound of muffled footsteps somewhere far off in the castle.

I shift slightly, lowering myself fully to the ground, my head resting on my arm as I stare at the wall. My thoughts spiral, questions and doubts colliding in my mind like an endless loop.

What happens if we wait? What happens if we don’t?

My jaw tightens as I close my eyes again. Why does it always feel like everything’s always on me?

Shade doesn’t respond, and for once, I’m almost thankful. The silence feels oddly fitting as I lie there, staring at nothing and waiting for whatever comes next.

Is this how the story comes to an end? I think bitterly, staring at the rough stone wall in front of me. Trapped in a cell until I die of old age—if we can even age in this world.

The thought sends a chill through me, and my chest tightens as I roll onto my back, staring at the ceiling instead. The dim flicker of torchlight makes the shadows dance above me, but it’s not enough to distract me from the overwhelming weight of it all.

Kaida shifts in her cell next to me, but she doesn’t say anything. Maybe she’s as lost in her own head as I am. Or maybe she’s just giving up hope.

Is that what I’m doing too?

Shade finally speaks, his voice softer than usual, like he’s stepping carefully around my thoughts. “You’re being dramatic, Artemis. This isn’t the end. Not even close.”

“Feels like it,” I mutter under my breath, my voice barely audible.

“Come on,” he says, his tone light but firm. “You’re Artemis. Or Alex. Or whatever you choose to call yourself. You’ve made it through worse. You’ll figure this out. You always do.”

I clench my fists, closing my eyes tightly. Do I, though? It feels like I’ve been stumbling through everything, barely holding it together.

“You’re still standing,” Shade says simply. “That’s what matters.”

“Just leave me alone, Shade,” I think, my teeth clenched as I turn my face toward the wall.

Kaida shifts in her cell next to mine, letting out a frustrated sigh. “You’re really just gonna lie there? No plans? No pep talks?”

I don’t answer. My mind feels too heavy, too full of everything and nothing all at once.

“Fine,” she mutters, her voice quieter now, more tired. “Guess we’re just waiting, huh?”

I close my eyes, the weight of it all pressing down on me. Waiting. That’s all we can do right now, isn’t it?

The stone beneath me is cold and unyielding, but I don’t bother moving. There’s nothing else to do, no plan, no escape route that doesn’t end in disaster.

The cold cuffs on my wrists keep me from forgetting where I am even while trying my best to.

The silence stretches on, and I let it, sinking further into my own thoughts. Maybe this is all I deserve. Maybe this is the story I’ve been writing for myself all along.

I don’t know what to do with this, I think, staring blankly at the stone wall. It’s not just me being Alex again. If I don’t have the abilities the game gave me—if I can’t shoot a bow, or fight, or lead—I’m as good as dead here.

The thought sends a wave of cold dread through me, twisting in my chest like a knife. Everything I’ve survived in this world has been because of those abilities. Without them… what am I?

I sit up suddenly, the frustration and fear bubbling over. “Just so you know,” I say, my voice sharper than I intended as I glance toward Kaida’s cell, “this is why I didn’t want to do this. I knew something would go wrong, and now we’re locked up, and they’re going to do who knows what to us.”

Kaida flinches slightly at my tone, but then her expression hardens. “And what, you think this is my fault?”

I shake my head, my voice lowering but still tense. “No. It’s everyone’s fault. Everyone wanted to do this—everyone thought it was a great idea to sneak into the castle and take what we need, and now look where we are.” I lean back against the wall, letting out a bitter laugh. “But hey, it’s fine, right? Because it wasn’t my decision to make.”

Kaida glares at me through the bars. “You could’ve said no, you know. You’re supposed to be the leader, aren’t you?”

Her words sting more than I want to admit, and I look away, my jaw tightening. I tried. I tried to stop this, but no one listened. What was I supposed to do—force them?

The silence that follows is heavy and tense, and I can feel Kaida’s eyes on me, even as I stare at the ground. It doesn’t matter. We’re here now, and nothing I say is going to change that.

The sound of nearing footsteps pulls me from my thoughts, and I glance up just as a guard steps into the room. His heavy armor clinks with every movement, and his face is half-covered by a metal helmet, leaving only cold, impassive eyes visible.

“What is your name, boy?” he asks, his voice sharp and direct.

I don’t respond. My jaw tightens, and I stay rooted to the spot, glaring at the floor.

He chuckles, the sound low and unsettling. “Scrawny,” he mutters, almost to himself, “but we’ll make it work.”

Before I can react, he pulls out a key, unlocking the cell with a sharp click. The door creaks open, and I scramble to my feet, my heart pounding.

“What are you doing?” I ask, my voice sharp as he steps toward me. “Where are you taking me?”

The guard grabs my arm roughly, his grip like iron. “To your new home,” he says simply, dragging me toward the door.

I stumble after him, twisting to look at Kaida, who’s still sitting in her cell. “Wait! What about her?”

The guard doesn’t answer, and Kaida leaps to her feet, gripping the bars of her cell. “Hey! You can’t just take him! Where are you taking him?!”

Her voice echoes in the stone room, but the guard doesn’t so much as glance her way. He yanks me forward, his grip unyielding as he forces me out of the room and down a dimly lit corridor.

“Let go of me!” I snap, struggling against his hold, but it’s no use. The guard is too strong, his pace too steady.

My chest tightens as we move farther away from the cells, Kaida’s voice fading behind us. What does he mean, ‘new home’? What are they planning to do with me?

The cold, damp air of the corridor seems to press in around me as the sound of our footsteps echoes endlessly, and all I can do is hope that whatever happens next… I’ll survive it.

After what feels like an eternity of walking through dim corridors and winding pathways, the guard and I emerge into the open air. The sudden brightness makes me squint, and I catch sight of other guards standing nearby, along with a group of disheveled people—prisoners, by the looks of it.

Great.

We’re all herded toward a large iron gate, and beyond it, I can see the city walls stretching into the distance. The clang of metal fills the air as the gate creaks open, revealing a line of carriages waiting just outside.

The guard doesn’t say a word as I’m shoved forward with the rest of the group. My hands ache from the heavy chains binding my wrists, and I glance down to see the dull metal links digging into my skin.

We’re directed into the back of one of the carriages, where more guards wait to ensure no one steps out of line. The air inside is stale, the wood creaking underfoot as I’m roughly pushed down onto a bench.

The chains on my wrists are quickly secured to the floor of the carriage, the metallic clang echoing loudly in the confined space. I glance around at the others, their faces grim and defeated. No one meets my gaze.

The door slams shut behind us, and I feel the carriage lurch forward as the wheels begin to creak against the road.

Where are they taking us? I think, my mind racing as I stare at the small window in the back of the carriage. The city begins to blur past us, the towering buildings replaced by the faint outlines of trees and rolling hills.

“Prison transport?” I wonder aloud, though no one answers. My chest tightens as the realization sets in: whatever this is, it’s not good.

The chains rattle slightly as the carriage jolts over a bump in the road. I lean back, my heart pounding as I try to piece together what’s happening. What does ‘new home’ mean? What are they going to do to us?

And, more importantly, how do I get out of this?

“Ok, we tried this the civil way. It’s time we just leave,” Shade says, his voice sharp and insistent.

“Yeah, I don’t think getting taken to wherever is gonna turn out well,” I think back, my eyes narrowing as I glance at the chains securing me to the floor.

I wait for something—some flicker of shadow or shift in the air that signals Shade is doing his thing. But nothing happens.

“Feel free to do your thing,” I think impatiently.

“It’s not working,” Shade replies, his voice tinged with annoyance.

“What?”

“The chains,” he says, his tone clipped. “They’re enchanted. I can’t do anything.”

“Of course they are. Why wouldn’t they be?” I think back, biting down a frustrated groan.

The chains rattle slightly as the carriage jolts again, and I lean my head back against the wooden wall, clenching my fists. “Great. So much for an easy escape. Now what?”

Shade hums thoughtfully, though I can hear the irritation behind it. “Don’t give up so quickly, Artemis. Enchanted doesn’t mean unbreakable.”

“And what do you suggest?” I think back sharply. “You want me to just brute-force my way out of this with nothing but wishful thinking?”

“No,” he says coolly. “But if you stay in this carriage much longer, you’re going to regret it. So start thinking.”

My jaw tightens as I glance around the dim, cramped space of the carriage. The other prisoners sit silently, their expressions blank, like they’ve already resigned themselves to whatever fate is waiting for them.

But I haven’t. Not yet.

I glance around the carriage, my voice cutting through the tense silence. “Anyone know where they’re taking us?”

The other prisoners exchange brief, uneasy looks, but no one answers at first. Most of them keep their heads down, avoiding eye contact like they’re afraid to even acknowledge the question.

Finally, a man across from me, older and rough-looking with a long scar running across his cheek, speaks up in a low, gravelly voice. “Depends on what they’re in the mood for.”

I frown, leaning forward slightly. “What do you mean?”

The man shrugs, his chains rattling slightly with the motion. “Could be a labor camp, if they think you’re useful. Could be worse, if they think you’re not.”

The words hit like a stone in my gut, and I glance at the other prisoners again. A few shift uncomfortably but still say nothing.

Another voice pipes up—this one a woman with short-cropped hair sitting a few spaces away. “Sometimes they send us to the mines,” she says grimly, her eyes hard. “Sometimes you don’t come back.”

“Mines?” I ask, my chest tightening. “What kind of mines?”

“Who cares what kind?” she snaps, glaring at me. “You dig until you drop, or they decide you’re not worth feeding anymore. Either way, it’s a death sentence.”

I lean back against the wooden wall, my mind racing. This just keeps getting better.

“Still think waiting it out was a good idea?” Shade murmurs in the back of my mind.

“Not the time,” I think back sharply, trying to keep my composure.

The older man lets out a bitter chuckle, his scar pulling at the corner of his mouth. “Wherever we’re going, don’t expect it to be nice, kid. That’s all you need to know.”

“They can’t just do that, right?” I mutter, mostly to myself, as the weight of their words sinks in.

Shade’s voice hums softly in my mind, smooth and sharp. “Why not? They’re in charge, aren’t they? And let’s not forget—you did break into their castle.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, glaring at the floor. “That doesn’t mean they can just throw people into mines or… whatever this is,” I think back sharply.

“And who’s going to stop them?” Shade counters, his tone almost amused. “You think the guards care? The laws here aren’t exactly built for fairness.”

I glance around the carriage again, taking in the beaten, resigned faces of the other prisoners. The chains, the way they avoid my eyes they’ve already accepted whatever’s coming.

“What about them?” I think. “Who knows what they all did to be here? Maybe some of them don’t deserve this.”

Shade snorts. “And maybe some of them do. Doesn’t change the fact that no one’s coming to save any of you. The only one who can get you out of this is you.”

I tighten my fists, the chains biting into my wrists as the carriage jolts again. He’s right. No one’s coming. If I don’t figure something out, this is it.

But the question remains: How?

The cuffs on my wrists are thick, solid metal—no way I’m slipping out of them. I glance down at the chain connecting them to the floor of the carriage, testing it with a small tug.

Maybe the chain?

I twist my wrists, trying to find some weak point, but the links are tightly forged, no gaps or thin spots to exploit. Damn it.

Shade hums thoughtfully. “Not a bad idea, but unless you’ve got superhuman strength hiding somewhere, that’s not breaking anytime soon.”

I exhale sharply, scanning the area again.

Maybe I can jump them when we stop and they undo the chains from the cart?

The idea sounds good for a second, but the more I think about it, the worse it gets.

There’s too many of them, I realize, my heart sinking. And I’d still be cuffed. Even if I ran, how far would I get? That’s assuming there aren’t even more guards waiting wherever we’re going.

“Good,” Shade says approvingly. “At least you’re thinking it through. That means you still want to make it out of this alive.”

I grind my teeth. “Of course I do.”

“So,” he muses, “what’s your next move?”

I exhale slowly, trying to push down my frustration. I need to wait. Watch. Look for a real opening.

I lean back slightly, doing my best to appear calm. If I can’t brute-force my way out of this, then I need to be smart.

“Scrawny, but we’ll make it work.”

The guard’s words echo in my head, and my stomach twists. Maybe that old prisoner was right—maybe we are headed for the mines. Forced labor, digging until we drop.

And Kaida… she’s alone now.

I grit my teeth, my mind racing. If she’s stuck there and I’m stuck here, what happens to her?

Shade’s voice cuts through my thoughts, steady and almost reassuring. “Don’t worry about her for now. The others will probably break her out.”

I let out a shaky breath. And what about me? I think back. There’s no way they’d find me, right? I’m on my own.

Shade is silent for a moment, and I can almost feel his presence shifting, like he’s considering his words carefully. Then, finally, he speaks.

“For now.”

For the moment, there’s nothing I can do but wait.

I hate it.

But if I can’t get out of these damn cuffs, then I can’t do anything. No fighting, no running, no plan—just sitting here, letting the carriage carry me to whatever hellhole they’ve decided to dump us in.

Shade doesn’t say anything this time. Maybe even he knows there’s nothing to do but bide my time.

I lean my head back against the wooden wall, staring up at the ceiling as the wheels creak against the uneven road.

Fine. I’ll wait. But the second an opportunity comes… I’m taking it.

Eventually, night falls, but the carts don’t stop. The only light comes from the flickering torches lining the path, casting long, shifting shadows over the road.

I glance out the small window at the back of the cart, but all I see is darkness stretching beyond the torchlight.

Even if I escaped now, I doubt I’d be able to find my way back to the city.

At first, I’d been paying attention—tracking every turn, every landmark, anything that could tell me where we were going. But now? The darkness has swallowed everything except for the dim outlines of the other carts in the convoy.

Most of the prisoners have fallen asleep, their bodies slumped forward or leaning against the wooden walls of the carriage. Their slow, steady breathing fills the silence, blending with the rhythmic creak of the wheels and the distant clatter of hooves on dirt.

Only a few of us are still awake.

I glance around, taking note of them—the older man with the scar, his eyes barely open but still alert; the short-haired woman from earlier, staring blankly at the floor, lost in thought. Another guy, younger, keeps shifting uncomfortably, his fingers tapping restlessly against his cuffs.

I exhale slowly, my breath barely audible over the sounds of the night. If they’re awake, maybe they’re thinking the same thing I am—waiting. Watching. Hoping for something to change.

But nothing has. Not yet.

I shift slightly, my own chains rattling against the wooden floor. My wrists ache from the cold metal, but I barely notice it anymore. The discomfort is secondary to the weight pressing down on me.

How much longer until we stop?

And when we do… then what?

Everything felt like it was going so well.

We found the way out—even if it had some kind of consequences, we had a path forward.

We knew where Lyra was. We were going to find her.

We even had a normal day, something that felt impossible in this world.

Veyron and Kaida finally got together.

And me and Lorien…

I swallow hard, my fingers tightening into fists. Everything seemed like it’d be okay, like we could face anything as long as we were together.

But now?

Now I’m chained in the back of a cart, being hauled off to gods-know-where, completely alone. No bow, no powers, no plan. Kaida is still locked up somewhere in that castle, and Lorien doesn’t even know I’m gone.

My stomach twists. Does he even know I was taken?

I shake the thought off quickly, but it lingers in the back of my mind like a dull ache.

How did it all fall apart so fast?

End of chapter 40.