I took a deep breath and looked at Prison.

 

"You wish I'll give in to you," I said spitefully. I lifted the sword and pushed it right through my stomach, expecting it to hurt excruciatingly but instead, I could only hear a loud scream calling out my name before I instantly out. 

 

That didn't feel so right. 

 

My eyes blinked open and I looked around. White around me everywhere. 

 

This didn't look so right either. 

 

I was the only one standing there in the middle of... Nothing, really. No one else, no creature or blood or well, anything. It was just white. I looked at my hand, unsure why I was expecting the cuff to be there but it wasn't. I tried to motion in the air to pull out the menu or something at all but nothing happened. 

 

"Hello?" I said almost meekly and took a small step forward before feeling too confused and took another step back instead. 

 

"Hello," a voice responded and as if he was performing some kind of magic, Prism appeared while turning around. I blinked, stunned. I wasn't exactly surprised but well, the whole thing was already a shock to me. 

 

"Prism..." 

 

"You sound disheartened. Feeling a little lost?"

 

"Prison killed Minhyun... Why wouldn't I feel like this?" I asked while falling to the ground, exhausted from everything. "I tried so hard to survive with him. To make it to the end together." 

 

"Mmm...but did you see him die?" Prism asked and tilted his head. 

 

"Huh? What do you mean?" I raised my head hopefully. "Is he alive? He didn't get crushed?" 

 

"I'm just saying~ you didn't see his dead body." 

 

"Stop making fun of me and just tell me the truth!" I snapped unintentionally as I pulled myself up to my feet, about to grab Prism. 

 

"Woah, woah. Don't get so worked up now. I just said you didn't see his dead body so that doesn't mean he's dead." 

 

"Thank god." A huge rush of relief went through my body as I felt like collapsing again but I stood my ground this time. "But how..." 

 

"I can't say much for you on the other hand. I mean, which smartass would stab himself while trying to win a game?" he chuckled and I frowned. 

 

"I didn't know what else to do, okay? Wasn't the smartest thing I've done for sure... How do I go back to him?" 

 

Prism lifted his hands and I took a step back unconsciously. He pulled off the helmet and I raised my brows. 

 

"What are you doing?" I asked softly. 

 

"Congratulations, Kang Dongho. You're the winner of this game," he said with a real smile on his face. He looked... 

 

"Normal."

 

"What? You wanna fight?" he hissed before laughing. "The helmet sure put up too much expectations on how I'll look without it."

 

"Wait! What do you mean I won??" 

 

"I mean exactly what I said and now for the long winning speech." He clapped his hands and stopped as if waiting for me to say something but all I wanted to do was just punch him. I sighed and shoved him a little. He didn't seem fazed or insulted by it. "Well? How does it feel to win?" 

 

"Like . Give me Minhyun and my friends back." 

 

"Is that your wish?" 

 

"Huh?" 

 

"For me to give them to you."

 

I stared at Prism and he tilted his head. 

 

"You know I can do so much more than that, right?" 

 

"I..."

 

"Let me show you something, Dongho." He snapped his fingers and beside us, Minhyun appeared. I gasped and rushed over but he held my arm. I was about to pull it away when another Prism appeared as well with the helmet still on.

 

"What is this?" I asked in confusion since Minhyun didn't even seem to realise I was there.

 

"This is the conversation I had with Minhyun the last game."

 

"Huh?" I turned my focus back to them as they started to talk. 

 

"There are three endings you can pick from. The happy ending, the true ending and of course, the new ending." 

 

"What's so different about all of these?" Minhyun asked. I couldn't stop staring at him. What was this supposed to mean? I thought Jonghyun had won the last game so why did it seem like Minhyun was the winner of the last game now? 

 

"For the happy ending, you can have anything you want, anything you need, anything you desire. But of course, nothing else except you is real there." 

 

"That's not a very happy end..." 

 

"For the true ending, you will find out the truth behind this whole game. The truth about yourself and also the truth about your current reality." 

 

"Sounds bitter." 

 

"Of course, maybe you'll even wish you hadn't leave this world." 

 

"And the new ending?" 

 

"You'll get to restart the game again. Try your hardest to achieve a different path but your memories will be wiped."

 

Minhyun didn't seem too distraught about his choices as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. 

 

"I want to be with Dongho." 

 

Prism blinked before letting out a chuckle. "You can be with him in the happy ending. He will be yours forever and e-" 

 

"No." 

 

"Excuse me?" 

 

"I want to restart again... I want to escape with him and everyone else. You'll allow that to happen, won't you?" 

 

Prism hummed and shrugged. "Depends. Are you willing to break the game to get there?" 

 

"I will if I have to. I'll break your game."

 

"And that's how you entered a new game again," Prism said while turning to me. I flinched and bit my lip. 

 

"Minhyun was the reason we played the game again? Then... What about Jonghyun?" 

 

"Jonghyun's wish was even simpler than Minhyun's. He merely wished for his memories of Minhyun to be retained when I told him I wouldn't revive him even if he chose the true ending, thinking that the game started again because of his wish."

 

"Huh?" I held my head for a moment, trying to process the information Prism just dropped on me. It was Minhyun all along... "Then..."

 

"There was never a sole winner, Dongho. I thought you already knew that from the beginning."

 

"The objectives... As long as we cleared that, we win... Wasn't that the case?"

 

"That's right. So now, it's your turn to make a choice," Prism said and snapped his fingers again. Minhyun and the other Prism disappeared.

 

"Do I get to choose endings like he did?"

 

"You get to choose anything you want."

 

"Anything? Even if I choose to leave with everyone?"

 

"But don't you want a happy ending? Forever be happy with everyone instead?" Prism said and grinned.

 

"But it's fake... You said it yourself... Everything is fake."

 

"Then you wish to know about the truth of the horrors you're in?"

 

"Is it possible for me to save everyone?"

 

Prism shrugged and chuckled. "Do you think you'll be able to save everyone?"

 

"I want to..."

 

"Even if your memories are fake?"

 

"Prism... Stop trying to get on my nerves."

 

"It's just in my design to do it."

 

I sighed, unsure of what to choose. What to do. The happy ending path seemed like the worst and the best choice. I wouldn't have to worry about anything else, I could get anything I want... The truth, as Minhyun said, seemed like a bitter truth. Maybe there was still more to this than just a game. And the new ending....to start all over again, just to maybe end up the same all over again in this hell hole or have a slim chance to change the course of things. 

 

"I choose..."

 

~~~

 

> the happy ending.

 

> the true ending.

 

> the new ending.