Chapter 3: The First Strategy
671 Words
The arena pulsed with an eerie glow, shadows flickering as the echoes lurked, waiting to strike. A suffocating silence filled the space, broken only by the tense breathing of the players.
Ava’s fingers gripped the controller tightly, sweat forming on her palms. “Sam, did you see that? The moment one of us moves, the echoes copy our movements.”
Sam’s brows furrowed. “Yeah. I thought this would be easy, but even the first level is brutal.”
Jake groaned, frustration evident in his voice. “What kind of game did your mom even create, Ava? This is impossible. There’s no clear way out!”
Ava smirked, masking her own uncertainty. “What’s wrong, Jake? Are you scared?”
Jake scoffed. “Scared? Me? Never.”
“Then shut up and focus on the game.”
The echoes crept closer, their glowing red eyes locked onto the players. Every small movement triggered another afterimage. The players who had moved too much were already gone—eliminated.
Ava’s mind raced. Think, Ava. There has to be a way out.
[ Game Over No Way Out ]
Ava stayed still, watching the echoes carefully. They mimicked their movements… but with a delay. That meant the key was controlling their own movement carefully.
Jake took a step back. Another echo appeared instantly behind him.
“Jake, stop moving so much!” Ava warned.
“What? Why?”
Before he could react, his echo lunged at him. He barely dodged, but as he rolled to the side, three more echoes appeared.
Sam cursed. “Crap, he’s multiplying them too fast!”
Jake gritted his teeth. “Screw this!” He pulled out his character’s weapon—a rusted dagger—and slashed at an echo.
The moment his blade touched the shadowy figure, his screen glitched violently.
Then—
CRACK!
Jake’s avatar shattered into a million fragments.
A blood-red message appeared on the screen.
[ PLAYER ELIMINATED. ]
The room fell silent.
Ava’s stomach dropped. Jake was gone.
This game… was deadly.
A robotic voice echoed across the arena:
“Survive for 3 more minutes.”
Ava’s heartbeat pounded in her ears.
Sam clenched his fists. “Ava… we need a plan. Fast.”
Ava inhaled sharply, her mind working at lightning speed. “I have an idea, but it’s risky.”
Sam’s eyes locked onto her. “I’m listening.”
Ava’s Plan
Ava watched the echoes carefully. They weren’t just mimicking them—they were delayed copies. If the players moved recklessly, they created more echoes, but if they moved strategically…
“Sam, listen to me carefully. We need to move in patterns.”
“Patterns?” Sam asked, confused.
“Yes! The echoes copy our movements, but there’s a delay. If we move in a way that forces them into each other’s path, they might cancel each other out.”
Sam’s eyes widened. “You mean… make them collide?”
Ava nodded. “Exactly. Watch me.”
She took a slow, calculated step forward. As expected, an echo formed behind her. But before it could attack, she took a quick side step. The echo followed, but its movement caused it to collide with another echo.
The two glitched violently before shattering.
Sam’s mouth dropped open. “No way… it worked?”
Ava grinned. “Yes! Now, we just need to time our movements right.”
Sam followed her lead, stepping forward, then shifting directions just before the echoes attacked. One by one, the duplicates collided and shattered.
30 seconds left.
More echoes appeared, but now they knew how to manipulate them. The game wasn’t just about surviving—it was about outsmarting the system.
A robotic voice echoed:
[ Stage 1 Complete. ]
The arena vanished in a flash of white light.
Sam exhaled, dropping back into his chair. “Holy crap… we did it.”
Ava’s hands trembled slightly as she stared at the screen.
Stage 1 was over.
But something in her gut told her… this was only the beginning.
- Writer
