Ares walked toward his room, sweat dripping down his face, his mind still reeling from what had just happened. The assembly had left an impact on everyone present—some walked briskly, others dragged their feet, too exhausted to move faster. Ares fell somewhere in between, his thoughts clouded with confusion and unease.
As he reached his door, the muffled sound of shouting filtered through. Instinctively, he paused, listening carefully to distinguish the voices.
"Two females. Two males," he muttered to himself.
Realization struck him. These must be his assigned roommates. But something didn't add up. Where were they when he woke up? Why hadn't they been at the assembly?
Shaking off the thoughts for now, Ares pushed the door open—
WHAM!
Ares stumbled back, his head snapping downward as pain flared across his face. "Ugh..." he groaned, cradling his nose.
When he looked up, he found himself staring at a massive wall of muscle. A man loomed over him, easily towering past the doorframe. His broad shoulders and sculpted physique could rival a heavyweight lifter, his skin pale, his hair jet black, and his dark eyes carrying an intensity that made most people think twice before approaching.
For a long moment, Ares simply stared, unable to process the sheer size of this man.
Then, the man extended a hand.
"Hi, I'm Jones," he said with an easygoing smile.
Ares hesitated before taking the handshake. "H-Hi, I-I'm A-Ares."
Jones chuckled. "Relax, man. No need to be so tense. I'm chill."
His laughter was strangely disarming, reminding Ares of Ricko. The familiar warmth made him lower his guard slightly—only for a sharp female voice to snap him back to reality.
"Get out!"
Ares turned toward the voice and was met with the piercing red eyes of a striking woman. Black-haired, model-like figure, but her scowl ruined any allure she might have had.
"You perverts!" she barked, arms crossed in clear accusation. "Why the hell are you in a girls' room?!"
"P-P-Perv—?!" A shaky male voice stammered from the corner.
Ares' gaze shifted to the source, and his eyes widened in shock. A teenager.
The boy had messy blue hair, freckles, and glasses perched awkwardly on his nose. His stature was thin, awkward, and far too young to be here.
Ares felt a wave of realization crash over him. The military really would do anything for their experiments—including using underaged recruits. What lies had they fed this boy? What promises?
Keeping his expression neutral, Ares approached the boy and extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Ares."
The boy hesitated before responding. "H-Hi... I-I'm Jonathan."
Ares gave him a reassuring nod, about to speak when—
A sensation.
Soft. Warm. Pressing against his back.
Then, a whisper in his ear. "You smell... interesting."
Ares' entire body tensed as he yanked himself away, heart pounding. His gaze snapped to the silver-haired woman standing behind him, her blue eyes gleaming with mischief.
"You're more aware than I expected," she murmured, tilting her head like a predator sizing up prey.
Ares clenched his jaw. He had been focused on Jonathan, but even then, he should have sensed her approaching. How had she gotten that close without him noticing? Unless she has experience.
"And you are?" he asked cautiously.
She stretched lazily, placing a delicate hand on her cheek. "Nia."
Silence settled over the room.
"Nia?" Ares repeated warily.
Jones scoffed from behind. "Great. Another weirdo."
Nia's smirk widened. "Oh, please. You love weirdos."
Jones turned away with a muttered, "This is gonna be a long six months."
Ares' eyes flicked to the second girl in the room. She hadn't said a single word.
Unlike Nia, she gave off no playfulness—only silence. Her long brown hair framed a sharp yet delicate face. She stood as if she was nothing but a shadow.
"She with you?" Ares asked Nia.
"Hmm?" Nia glanced at the silent girl before shrugging. "Oh, her? That's Emily. She doesn't talk much."
Emily remained unbothered by the introduction, her gaze cold and unreadable.
Before Ares could speak, the black-haired woman—still glaring at them—clicked her tongue.
"This is a disaster. I'm surrounded by perverts, idiots, and freaks."
Her crimson eyes landed on Ares.
"You. Name."
Ares met her stare evenly. "Ares."
She folded her arms. "Sylvia."
Unlike Nia's chaotic energy, Sylvia radiated authority. The way she carried herself demanded attention. Ares immediately knew—she wasn't someone to underestimate.
A tense silence filled the room before Ares finally asked the question on his mind. "Why weren't you all at the assembly?"
Sylvia scoffed. "Like hell I know."
Jones sighed. "We all woke up here, same as you. None of us remember arriving."
Ares frowned. That makes sense...
Before he could say more—
BWOOOOOOOOOP!
A loud alarm blared through the room, causing everyone to flinch.
A voice crackled through the intercom.
"WELL, WELL, LOOKS LIKE MORE PEOPLE HAVE WOKEN UP!"
Ares' eyes darkened clenching his fists. Kendrick. Jones sees this a little concerned before turning his attention to the voice.
"Since you lazy bastards were unconscious during the assembly, let me make this short and sweet."
The amusement in his voice was unmistakable.
"You've all been selected for a lovely little government experiment. Whether you like it or not, you're here. So either you adapt, or you die. Simple, right?"
Sylvia's expression twisted with anger. "What the hell does that mean?"
Jones rubbed the back of his head. "It means we're screwed."
Jonathan visibly paled. "D-D-D-Die?!"
Ares exhaled sharply. "There are rules."
All eyes turned to him as he explained the regulations Kendrick had laid out earlier.
By the time he finished, Jonathan looked sick.
Sylvia dug her nails into her arms. "So we're just prisoners?"
Jones shook his head. "No. We're test subjects."
Ares noticed something.
Everyone looked disturbed.
Except Nia.
She smiled, her blue eyes shimmering with amusement. "Interesting. This is turning out to be more fun than I thought."
Ares' stomach twisted.
This girl... isn't normal.
Before anyone could respond—
BWOOOOOOOOOP!
The alarm blared again.
But this time, the voice that followed was different.
Deeper. Colder.
"EXPERIMENT 1 WILL NOW BEGIN. ALL SUBJECTS, PROCEED TO THE MAIN HALL IMMEDIATELY."
Ares felt his heartbeat quicken.
Jonathan trembled. "E-E-Experiment? W-We're not actually gonna—"
Kendrick's voice cut through him.
"Oh, you better hurry."
The unmistakable sound of a gun cocking echoed through the intercom.
"Because whoever doesn't make it in time?"
A gunshot rang out.
Screams followed.
The experiment had begun.