"Players, back to the game. I repeat, players, back to the game. Round 3 will start in 10, 9,"
After a short conversation, they returned promptly.
"8, 7, 6, 5,"
Before the timer counts down again, it has a follow-up message.
"Starting in round 3 will be a special one."
Everyone was silent and listened intently to what the timer had to say.
"What the?!"
Second's eyes also widened, looking to their side.
What is this?
On their side, where there is no longer a line painted on the floor, the border should be. From being a concrete floor to being m-mud? The whole floor, except for the bleachers and the volleyball court that they're standing on, was already surrounded by mud.
"Better be careful where you're stepping and don't cross the line. Round 3 will start in 4, 3, 2, 1, *whistle*."
It is evident on their faces that they are confounded by what kind of gimmick that was again. The timer told them to be careful and not to cross the line. Maybe, they'll get muddy when they step on it. She could also hear the boys, but they were unable to approach and help them because of the mud separating them from the bleachers to the court.
Second is the one to serve, so she threw the ball in the air and slapped it hard with her right hand. She passed safely and straight to the other team. Passed back to them, and it is spiked by Sixth. The gold team tried to follow the ball when...
"Ah!" Aeizen's squeal was audible to the court. She fell into the mud.
They winced at what they saw, and the rest of her group immediately helped her get out of the mud.
"Continue the game. It's your choice to help your co-member, but you must continue the game."
They were delayed by the timer's warning. Why did it take so long for Aeizen to get out of the mud? She still can't take her feet off the mud pit, so Twentieth helped her while the three continued to play. They were worried whether they still had to continue the game.
She hears Twentieth grunting to pull Aeizen's one of her feet with all her might.
"Darn it! I'm sinking even more!" Aeizen panicked.
They stopped playing, and she caught the ball. They watched Aeizen's position and were taken aback. Before, only her feet were submerged in the mud; now, it's up to her waist. The gold team is agitated and helps Aeizen up to get up.
"That's not just mud, it's quicksand!" Seventh called out.
Yes, he is right. You will sink the more you move. The boys were worried and wanted to help, but it was impossible because of the quicksand that surrounded them.
"Continue the game," the timer warned. The tone of its voice was alarming.
"Go ahead. Play without me," Aeizen pushed out her teammates to play without her.
They can't do anything. They must help their friends, but if they stop playing, worse is about to happen. The game continued.
The ball fell to the gold team. It turned gold. Inside, there is still a brain, and it looks like there are wrinkles on the side and in its center. Forzen lost focus on playing, but she still insisted on playing.
"Forzen!" Sixzen called out Forzen, but Forzen seemed to be spacing out, so she adjusted herself and ran again to pass the ball to them.
Aeith had the ball and passed it to the other side. She passed it to them, and Sixth was about to strike when she went out of balance, and she wasn't able to pass it to the other side. When the ball fell in front of her, she kneeled and covered both her ears. She observed the ball in front of her before it went back to being dark blue. It is silver because it landed in their territory, but it is no longer the brain inside, but an animated heart. The one in the middle is two animated hands holding, but it has a crack in the middle. Sixth stood up while still covering her ears. She looks troubled as if she were having a nightmare. Everyone felt there was something wrong with her.
"'Don't-" She no longer stopped her from walking when she crossed the line.
The former mud that surrounded them suddenly became a cloud. Blue and white colors enveloped them, but they couldn't feel the wind.
W-Wait w-we're in the sky?
"Aaaahhh!" They heard two girls scream. One is to Sixth, and the other is to Aeizen.
The quicksand transformed and became a sky. It's like they're on an airplane where you can see the sky. It's not just an illusion. They don't even feel the strong wind that you naturally feel. This is getting stranger. They both fell, and fortunately, their hands clung to the concrete floor of the court. It was as if they had fallen into a ravine. They were all alarmed and helped the two before they fell, which could have resulted in their death.
"Continue the game!" the timer exclaimed.
*explosion*
They were stupefied when they heard an explosion. Ninth got hurt.
Second glanced at the timer and it was less than a minute away. She doesn't know what they're going to do. The lives of everyone are at stake. How are they going to save each other?!
"Save those two, we'll play!" authoritative command, but mixed with fear by Tenth.
That's right, that's the only solution. She helped Sixth lift her to the ground while Twentieth aided Aeizen. Everyone was forced to focus on the game because someone had already been affected by the explosion.
"Just hold on to me," She lifted him with all her might. It was hard because the wind seemed to increase his weight.
She looked the other way, and Aeizen was already up, thankfully. A few seconds later, Sixth was lifted safely. Sixth ran closer to the ball and passed to the other group. She's playing normally now as if nothing happened. When he hit that, round 3 was over.
*whistle*
"Safe!" Aeith declared.
She noticed the clouds had stopped moving. The ball went through the sky, but magically it didn't fall. She stepped forward with her right foot and tried to step into the sky. The surface of the sky is as solid. It was as if they were stepping on a glass floating in the sky, but the concrete was as strong as glass. Other girls stepped as well and ran quickly towards the bleachers.
The girls hugged each other because of the tension. Aeizen sobbed, and they gave her water to drink. The boys greeted them. She sat alone, trying to distance herself from them, so she approached her.
Second stepped aside and hugged her, and turned to her. "Why?"
"Is something wrong? Earlier, I noticed you were panicking while covering your ears. You look stunned."
"I don't know."
"Do you remember anything?"
"I don't know. But when the ball fell on the floor, I remember something."
"What's that?" She interrogated her to find clues from the questions that formed in her mind.
"I had a friend—close friend, my only friend in my whole life. We had a strong relationship. But in an instant, I-I lost her." She felt downhearted when she shared her story.
She forced herself to smile for them to stop worrying about her. "I'll be okay."
This is the first time she has seen Aeizen scared that she needs someone to comfort her. If it is true that those are her memories, then those are unpleasant ones. If the expression of others changed when the opposing team scored, their memories slowly returned. If they cried after knowing their truth... would she still want to know the truth about her?
Behind those smiles that they exchange is a harsh truth that shrouds their genuine sentiments.