After the feast ended, none of the chosen participants were allowed even a few quiet minutes to settle themselves. The moment the final trays were cleared and the great circular dining hall began emptying, servants and attendants immediately appeared from every side of the chamber and guided the seventy-five participants toward another wing of the dome complex. The movement was smooth, efficient, and controlled so thoroughly that it felt less like being escorted and more like being transferred.

The next stage was introduced simply as an interview.

But even that was clearly part of the show.

Each participant was taken one by one into a recording chamber where floating cameras hovered at several angles while bright light panels adjusted automatically according to height and facial position. The room itself was plain—white walls, a single marked standing point, and a lens directly ahead that forced everyone to look forward whether they wished to or not.

They were instructed to introduce themselves, state their sector, and answer simple prepared questions.

Name.

Age.

Occupation.

Why they believed they had been chosen.

Whether they feared death.

Whether they wished to win.

Some answered confidently.

Some stammered.

Some froze completely when facing the cameras.

For many, it was their first time standing under so much direct attention.

The Capital did not simply want competitors. It wanted stories.

Among the chosen participants, there were combinations Tyler had not expected. In one interview room visible on a nearby monitor while he waited, he saw a middle-aged husband and wife standing together. They had both been selected from the same sector and still held hands while introducing themselves, trying to smile despite obvious fear.

Elsewhere, a boy younger than Victor struggled to answer basic questions without trembling.

A woman from another sector introduced herself with forced confidence while tears gathered in her eyes.

Everything was being recorded.

Everything would be broadcast.

When Tyler’s turn came, he stepped onto the marked position calmly.

The lights adjusted around him.

A floating lens hovered closer.

"State your name," a mechanical voice instructed.

"Tyler," he answered without hesitation.

The camera paused for facial capture.

The interview lasted less than two minutes.

Yet far away, somewhere no official map acknowledged, that simple answer caused unexpected silence.

Deep underground, beneath broken concrete and forgotten tunnels far beyond monitored sector zones, a hidden group of people sat gathered around an old cracked tablet powered by a patched battery unit. Their shelter was small, built into abandoned underground utility passages reinforced over many years by scavenged metal and stolen insulation. They were neither official sector residents nor rebels. They belonged to those who survived by vanishing completely—people who lived where government systems did not search often and rebels had no reason to control.

The tablet screen flickered badly, but the broadcast remained visible enough.

Tyler’s face appeared.

The underground room became still.

One man leaned closer to the cracked screen, eyes widening.

"This guy... he’s still alive?"

Another immediately turned toward him.

"What?"

The first man pointed.

"He calls himself Tyler now?"

Several others gathered around.

For them, the face on screen belonged to someone they had once known differently.

Tyler had lived among them before.

Not long ago, he had vanished after falling into the river while saving a child during a flood surge near one of the outer hidden tunnels. No body had ever been recovered. Everyone had assumed he died. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Yet there he was Alive and Wearing a white suit. Standing inside the Capital as one of the chosen.

The first man immediately turned and called toward the back of the shelter.

"Come here."

A little boy appeared, still sleepy, rubbing his eyes.

The man lifted the tablet slightly and pointed at the screen.

"See? The brother who saved you... he’s alive."

The boy stared at the cracked display.

Relief slowly spread across his face as he recognized Tyler.

Back inside the Capital, the interviews ended quickly after the last participant finished.

Then came numbering.

A large display appeared in the main chamber while attendants distributed metallic badges to each chosen participant.

The assignment followed sector order.

Sector 1 received numbers 1 to 5.

Sector 2 received 6 to 10.

The pattern continued until Sector 11.

Tyler and the others stood together as their badges were handed over.

Tyler received 51.

Rose received 52.

Tansy received 53.

Victor received 54.

Kennedy received 55.

The badges attached firmly to clothing and immediately activated, glowing faintly as though linked to internal tracking systems. Now it’s second tracking item other than the band on their wrist.

Then there was no explanation, Only movement again.

This time they were led toward a row of transport pods.

Each participant was assigned separately.

The pods stood upright in long rows— smooth oval chambers large enough for one person only. Once inside, the doors sealed tightly from outside, cutting off all visibility beyond the curved shell.

Rose entered hers nervously and She immediately looked at her sister when the door closed.

The interior was silent.

There was a soft seat, a small bottle of water, and nothing else.

The pod moved without warning.

There were No windows. No direction visible. No sound except faint mechanical motion beneath her feet.

Elsewhere, the same happened to every participant.

Tansy also walked into a pod.

Tyler’s pod interior looked equally simple.

He sat for part of the movement, then stood again when the pod slowed.

The transport ended.

The door opened and Tyler stepped out. The first thing he noticed was unfamiliar faces.

Ten people had arrived together.

Not sector groups. Mixed numbers. Different sectors. Different ages.

All stood inside a white room so clean it felt almost unreal.

The walls were smooth and empty except for five doors directly ahead.

Above each door floated a glowing number.

1

2

3

4

5

Then a mechanical voice filled the room.

[Welcome to the First Game of Capital Games.]

No one moved.

The voice continued.

[The rules of Capital Games are simple.]

A pause followed.

[You win, you proceed to the next game. You lose, you die.]

The words struck harder than any formal announcement earlier.

Several people visibly stiffened.

Then text appeared above the doors.

[Level 1: Clue: The safe doors are even numbers.]

A timer appeared beneath it.

[Timer: 20 seconds]

The room instantly changed.

The Panic rose. No one wanted to think too long. They quickly ran towards the Even numbers.

Door no. Two and four.

People rushed immediately.

The nearest participants ran toward doors 2 and 4, opening them and entering quickly before anyone else hesitated too much.

Tyler moved calmly with the others.

The ten people divided almost instinctively. 6 ran in door two and 4 in door four.

Inside, the next chamber was another white room.

Then:

[Timer: 0 seconds]

The walls lit green.

Safe.

The doors reopened.

A man wearing badge 67 burst into laughter.

"That was easy! Hahaha!" He laughed and moved his hand up and down in a different gesture while shouting 67.

His confidence lasted only until the next instruction appeared.

[Level 2: Clue: The safe doors are even numbers. Only four people are allowed in a door.]

The laughter stopped immediately.

Again the timer appeared.

[Timer: 20 seconds]

This time panic became violence.

People shoved each other instantly.

Door 2 filled first.

Door 4 filled immediately after.

Four people each.

Badge 67 tried to force his way in but someone shoved him hard enough to send him stumbling backward.

Another participant was locked out beside him.

The doors sealed automatically.

"Damn it! Damn it!" 67 shouted.

The other trapped participant suddenly laughed—a broken laugh already carrying despair.

A warning flashed.

[Please enter a door before timer runs out, or you will be executed immediately.]

The timer dropped fast.

[3 seconds]

The second trapped participant panicked and ran toward door 1.

67 stood frozen, unable to decide.

[0 seconds]

Door 2 and 4 turned green.

Door 1 flashed red.

A violent white light filled that chamber.

The screaming lasted less than a second.

When the door opened, only ash remained.

At the same moment, 67 was struck where he stood.

His body froze upright.

Then cracked like brittle stone.

Ash collapsed where he had been standing.

Several participants screamed.

Even those who survived visibly recoiled.

When Tyler stepped back into the shared chamber, the smell of burnt air lingered.

"This is madness," one woman whispered, voice shaking. "They’re reducing us on purpose."

Nearby, a sixty-year-old man looked almost empty already, sweat running down his face while his eyes remained fixed on the ashes.

Far above, inside the Capital, people watched the same event from home as if it were evening entertainment.

Families sat comfortably.

Children ate snacks.

Laughter mixed with shock.

To many Capital viewers, this was simply the opening excitement of the Games.

Then the next level appeared.

[Level 3: Clue: The safe doors are even numbers. Maximum three people are allowed in a door.]

The room exploded before the timer fully formed.

One man immediately punched the woman beside him.

Blood burst from her mouth as she fell.

The old man did nothing.

He only stared.

Tyler stepped toward the fallen woman and pulled her up.

But the moment she regained balance, she shoved him hard and ran.

Three entered door 2.

Three entered door 4.

The injured woman made it inside and laughed through blood, mouth broken but victorious.

Then silence returned.

Tyler looked ahead.

Only he and the old man remained outside the doors.

The timer continued counting down.