DAY 2 — THE VOTE BEGINS PART:1
The crackling of the fire was the only sound filling the heavy silence. Everyone sat in their chairs, tense and hushed. Their faces held neither hope nor fear—only a hollow, exhausted void.
Ecko took a deep breath and looked up at the stars. A sharp pang of sorrow shot through him as he gazed at the night sky. He couldn't believe how much everyone had changed in just a single day. Before coming here, they were just children who only knew how to fight. But now… they were simultaneously growing closer and drifting further apart.
As he thought of the past, a surge of rage bubbled up inside him. The days at the military academy, the grueling drills at the crack of dawn, the endless orders, the punishments… He clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together. But deep down, a faint voice whispered:
"At least here, I am free."
Suddenly, Meril's voice descended like an echo from the heavens:
"Begin the voting. If you fail to cast your votes, one of you will be chosen at random to die."
In an instant, every gaze shifted. Even the sound of breathing felt too loud. Ecko's blood boiled. The thought of being forced to vote against the brothers and sisters he had grown up with since infancy tightened a knot in his chest. He couldn't take it anymore.
He bolted to his feet.
"ENOUGH!" he screamed.
Everyone flinched. They had never heard the quiet, timid Ecko find such a voice. He was panting, his hands trembling. His eyes were brimmed with tears, his voice broken yet resolute.
"How much longer will this go on? Enough… I can't take it anymore! I know you're all sitting there in silence, acting like nothing happened, but I know you're crying inside! You're screaming in defiance! Maybe I'm not as strong as you. Maybe I can't stay quiet like you! But no matter how angry I got, no matter how much you hurt me… I never hated any of you. Not a single one! All I ever felt for you was love! And now you're telling me—to kill that love? You want me to murder the only precious people in my life? ENOUGH! I won't play your games anymore!"
Ecko collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.
"Enough… I don't want this anymore…" he whispered.
Then, Meril's voice rose, colder and sharper than ever:
"You were nothing but mindless weapons! Without me, you wouldn't even have free will. Your entire lives, you learned only one thing: to obey. 'Receive the order and execute it.' That is all. Many of you excelled in your crafts, but none of you ever felt true love for one another. Because you don't even know what true love is!"
Ecko snapped his head up, his eyes shimmering with tears.
"Stop!" he shouted. "Are you saying our love for each other is a lie?"
Meril's words cut through them like a dagger:
"Do you truly believe everyone shares your feelings? The bullying you endured as a child, the way they excluded you, the way they mocked you for being weak in combat—did you think that was love, Ecko? It wasn't. Everyone here lives for their own survival. Some are cowards, some are brave. Some are strategic, some don't think at all. But they are all selfish. Your true selves will only emerge alongside your powers. And now… ENOUGH! THE VOTING WILL PROCEED. NO EXCEPTIONS!"
Meril's voice cut off with a thunderous finality. Only the crackle of the fire remained. It was as if every mouth had been locked shut. Even the wind died down. Then, Carl stood up. His voice rang out with a steady but trembling fury.
"We shouldn't believe a word she says! She's saying this to manipulate us. She's playing with your minds, trying to turn us against each other. Everyone, stay calm. We will tell everything we know, everything we saw, openly. There will be no more secrets between us. Otherwise… this vote will not end well."
They all looked at one another. As the sparks vanished into the night sky, a silence settled that felt like it would never leave. In the firelight, their faces looked familiar, yet utterly foreign.
Meril, seeing that everyone had settled down, began to explain how the voting would take place...