I could choose dream Nikki—an easy way out. But it wouldn't be real. Nikki wouldn't be real, and in the end, as my life's essence dissipates, I would cease to be real as well.

The only way to win this game is to not give up. No matter what happens, I cannot give up. I may not have encountered these supernatural trials in the past, but I've encountered plenty of hardships along the way. If I've survived so far, I can survive until the end.

"Let's go, Ze. I'm ready," I say as I give him a decisive nod.

He stares at me intently as he takes my hand and leads me down a foggy path. It's only a matter of seconds before we're back to our starting point in P'davi. But the difference is the sky is dark, where before it was light.

Just how many hours was I trapped in there?

"We need to camp for the night," Ze declares in a rough tone.

He doesn't let go of my hand as he leads me back into the forest—to a place he scouted before. It's a rather remote area at the base of a mountain. There's even a small aperture inside the rock that we can use as shelter for the night.

After placing our bag on the floor, he sets about making a fire, all the while not exchanging one word with me. In fact, there's something entirely off about him as I catch him staring at me every now and then, his expression inscrutable. There's anger and irritation as if he'd like nothing but to strangle me on the spot. But there's also something akin to longing, as if he wants to tell me something but stops himself just short of uttering the words.

"I'm sorry." I take a deep breath, deciding to offer him an olive branch. "I should have stayed put. But you shouldn't have left me alone either," I point out.

He's sitting by the fire, polishing his sword. Slowly, he raises his gaze to me.

"I should not have left you alone." He gives me a nod before turning his attention back to his sword and ignoring me.

"Am I forgiven then? I'm sorry I jeopardized the team." I force a smile. My stunt not only would have cost me my life but also theirs. I belatedly realize how deep my foolishness ran.

He doesn't reply, merely releasing a guttural grunt, his eyes glued to his sword.

"Uhm... Did you see anything?" I muster the courage to ask.

He lifts one brow at me.

"You know... In the bathtub?" I swallow against the wave of embarrassment that grips me.

He watches me intently, the purple of his eyes darkening as he pins me with his stare.

"If you did, can you please forget that happened?"

He suddenly stabs his sword into the ground, his upper lip lifting to reveal sharp teeth bared at me.