One moment he had been in the emptiness between Existentia and the trial; then, abruptly, he found himself cast back to the familiar orphanage corridor. As far as he could tell, no time had passed. Kang remained a step behind him, while Briana was ten metres in front of him and still running. Since he had stopped in response to the trial appearing directly in front of him, she was gaining ground on him again.


    The perfectly smooth sphere previously blocking his forward momentum had vanished as though it had never been there.


    “What the fuck?” Kang asked. His mouth was opening and closing like a fish as he stared at where the trial had been.


    “I don’t know, but…” he started to explain that there had been no harm done, that it had been fishing for a victim and failed, but before he could do so, reality shifted again.


    The darkhole trial had returned, and it was right ahead of him once more. It had only been gone for less than ten seconds, but this time its reappearance was different. It was not alone. There was one in front of Briana and Kang. He felt like collapsing as he realised with absolute certainty what was happening. The trial had mentioned finding his lever.


    “Don’t you dare!” he screamed at the trial, not caring who or what heard.


    The familiar rush of external anger swirled into him to reinforce his own, but as fast as it rose it fell away until it was just a wisp of a memory. This was not an enemy he could beat. He was defeated before the battle lines could even be drawn. Darkhole trials supposably remained active even in eternal empires. If those powerhouses were helpless against it then there was nothing he could do in a fight; that was why his pet fury, the one that often ruled him, had given up without even a whimper.


    Don’t you dare, he screamed inside, but it was too late for either internal or external actions. Briana had already touched her sphere. Her body was still, and he put the clues together. There was a certain pressure on the surrounding atmosphere, a change that was only detectable because of the complete lack of noise. They were in an orphanage, and even though it was a grand building, there were always snatches of conversation and the distant squeals of kids to be heard as you traversed the hallways.


    Right now, there was nothing. Unfortunately, there was no convenient leaf dropping from a tree outside the bubble of frozen time to prove his supposition, but his impression was accurate. It was the only explanation for the way Briana was completely immobilised. Briana’s state, Tom knew, in his core, was not something the wider world would be allowed to see. The trial had promised that they would be returned with no time having passed. Unless Tom had been separated from Existentia’s time flow, it was breaking that requirement. It was simple logic, but he was certain it was correct.


    They were caught in a bubble separated from the rest of Existentia.


    The other two had been caught by a trap designed to capture him. Tom’s eyes switched from Briana to the perfect sphere hovering in front of him. It was thrumming with energy, demanding he reach out and touch it.


    “Tom, don’t do it.” Kang warned desperately.


    He glanced at the other reincarnator and smiled sadly:


    “I have to. It’s got Bri.” He waved at where the young girl appeared to be frozen, her hand against the trial.


    “It might not. You can’t be sure!”


    He shrugged:


    “No,” he held his hand close to the surface of the sphere. “But it’ll take only a touch to find out. And you know it’s going to entice me to save her when I do so.”


    “You could say no.”


    “I could, but I won’t. I can’t abandon her.” Tom shook his head. “You know she’s in the trial because of us.” He pointed at her. It was a static moment captured in time, and, somehow, Briana was still radiating sadness. “That’s us. Everything - her emotions, her actions. That’s not her fault. She’s only a child. You know we’re responsible and not her.”


    Kang was clearly struggling with how to respond. He was attempting to find a way out; to think of a logical argument that could change the reality that the trial had them snookered.


    He failed.


    “I’ll help. We can save her.”


    “Don’t be an idiot. No offense, but I’m a much better fighter than you. This is on me.”


    “But then I’ll have to live with both you and her dying.”


    “You’re a big boy; you’ll manage it.”


    “No, I don’t care. I’m coming with you.”


    “No, don’t. Or at least don’t do so unless the trial confirms under a GOD’s oath that your presence will actually be helpful. I’ll be doing the same. We may not be able to save her.”


    “What do you mean?”


    “It’s the darkhole trial.” Tom didn’t need to say anything more; they all knew its reputation.


    The sphere in front of him throbbed once more, and Tom knew he couldn’t delay it any longer. It had been freezing time, and its patience was over.


    With his heart thumping, he reached out and found himself in blackness once more. The void felt far more smug that it had only moments before.


    On the GODs, everything I say is truthful.


    The words flashed up before he could say anything, and then changed to new ones almost as quickly.


    Briana has accepted my offer and is challenging the darkhole trial.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Internally, he screamed.


    Check mate. He had been defeated before he had even made a move.


    In the darkness, he swallowed. He had known that this was going to happen the moment he had seen that perfect sphere hovering in front of Briana. These trials had a reputation of preying on the vulnerable, and that was exactly the state she had been in. As a particularly susceptible six-year-old, he imagined she would have been one of the easiest victims it had ever pursued.


    “I thought you didn’t target children.”


    I don’t.


    Tom covered his eyes in despair. “So, this is my fault?”


    Yes. There’s always a lever.


    Unbidden, he could feel the water threatening to break out whenever he blinked. His imagination ran wild, and all he could see was an image of her being in this darkness, sad, confused, and terrified.


    “I need you to confirm that you only asked her because of me.”


    She is below the age of maturity. Under the rules, I could only approach her due to her link to you. The response couldn’t have been any clearer.


    “Can I join her and have us challenge the trial together?”


    Yes.


    “And if I do, will our team have a significant chance of beating you?”


    It would.


    Fuck, he thought in his head. It had him bound, collared, and beaten. He was going to accept the offer, and he was sure the darkhole trial knew it too. There was no point trying to play this cute.


    “As payment, I want to know the best path to take to maximise humanity’s chances of getting at least third in the competition.”


    No. There is a single question per team. I can answer what you’re asking or put you into a team with Briana. I can’t do both.


    Pointless fury welled up within him:


    “That’s bullshit. You promised an answer. You can’t change the conditions now”


    I’m not. One answer per team is specifically in the rules. You should have accepted the first time. That would have gotten you your answer and saved her from being put at risk.


    Tom was not sure about what to do. This was not a situation he had ever imagined facing. “What’s the nature of the trial?”


    I can’t tell you that.


    Tom felt like arguing, but the words changed before he could.


    It will be explained in full once you have accepted the offer. You will be put into a safe room and will be given time to strategize. The only way to gain insight into the darkhole trial is to accept the challenge mandate.


    “And if you enter it, the only way you can leave is by winning?”


    Correct.


    “What about weapons, items? I have nothing on me.”


    You are not disadvantaged. No external objects may be brought into the Explosive Growth Trial.


    There was no delaying this. Not even making an excuse about the need to get provisions would work.


    You wouldn’t have been given that option, anyway. This is your one and only opportunity to join Briana.


    “And If I don’t, does she have a significant chance of winning?”


    I can’t comment on other people. But you’ve seen how often I’m beaten. Is she better than you?


    For Tom, the answer confirmed what he already knew. She was dead - unless he acted.


    “Fuck you.” The trial didn’t react, and he hoped it saw his outburst as the grief and frustration that it was. “It doesn’t matter, does it.” He asked rhetorically. “It’s meaningless. Fuck this. I need to keep to facts. How about this question - if I join her, does the chance of her surviving increase?”


    It increases significantly.


    Tom licked his lips at that phrasing.


    It was a precise word choice. There was no need to clarify further. Both him and the trial knew exactly what it had meant. Under the GOD’s oath, there was no quarter for him to be misled. Him joining her, increased her probability of survival by at least twenty-five percent. That might be taking her from zero to a one in four chances of survival - or to a certainty. There was no way to tell which outcome he would be walking into, but his participation would improve her odds.


    There was the logical assessment, and on that measure all of his reasonings from earlier still held. The death of one six-year-old, no matter how talented she might seem should have had no bearing on his decision making. But offsetting that cold calculus were his feelings and moral obligations. Briana was in this situation because of him.


    “Why did she say yes? Dimitri has warned us repeatedly not to listen to you. She usually heeds that type of warning. Can you explain that?” He spat, unable to help himself.


    Because she is a child; because she was sad, angry and desolate.


    And, while you are not fully responsible for that… you did contribute.


    “Yes, I know.” It was not intentional, but the words were almost enough to break him.


    And we both know you’re going to say yes.


    “Maybe.” Mentally, he considered everything he had learnt and what else he wanted to find out about. “Will we be able to talk frankly, or will outsiders be able to see us?”


    Within the trial, you are protected from all forms of observation, including that of the GODs. Only I will witness what happens.


    There was nothing else he could think of, and future questions would just be him procrastinating before the inevitable.


    What’s your choice?


    “To save her.”


    A moment later, he was standing in what he could only describe as a high-class sitting room. There were tall ceilings, an expansive space that had a larger footprint than his parent’s house, three chandlers, elaborate wooden panelling, couches that belonged in a palace - then more mundane features, such as a sink with a water tap and a table with tea and biscuits. There were six doors that exited, of which only one was barred and that one had a set of armour for both him and Briana flanking it.


    Having quickly confirmed that there were no apparent threats in his environment, he focused on the broken tiny girl in front of him.


    She had her head buried in her palms while crying on one of the expensive couches.


    He cleared his throat, and her head snapped up. Bloodshot eyes greeted him.


    For a moment, she stared at him. The whites of her eyes were wild. “You’re a reincarnator. You are.” Then she buried her face in her hands, rocking back and forth with silent shudders going through her. He crossed the distance, separating them. It was only five adult steps, but ten of his, and then he was beside her on the couch and hugging her with both arms.


    “I knew the answer already, but I had to ask. I had to confirm. I’m sorry, but I had to know the truth.” She kept whispering, and he could only hear the words because he was sitting right next to her.


    Mutely, he sat there, his hand tapping a comforting rhythm on her shoulder.


    He felt like screaming in frustration. Of course, that was what she was going to ask the trial. Her life for a non-existent secret. He had never really expected anything else. The trial could have given them secrets that could have transformed the fate of humanity, but for Briana, there had only been one thing wrong with her world, and that was what she had asked.


    “I’m sorry.” He told her.


    She cried harder.


    He wished they had gone a different route to deal with their mistakes, but he and Kang had reasoned it out. With the knowledge they had, it had felt like the only choice.


    Absently, he patted her back.


    They hadn’t known about DEUS’ intervention. Nor had they been able to predict that she would react this way, or that the darkhole trial was going to find her.


    The choices had seemed so black and white.


    Do nothing, and then she would have to live her whole life with the guilt when they were assassinated.


    Or have her killed to remove the loose ends.


    Or do what they had done. Take steps to make her doubt her conclusions and memories.


    That last one, they had decided, was the kindest to her. They had never considered what would suit them personally. At least, Tom never had. It had been what was best for her and in that it seemed they had failed.


    Having her be murdered was never an option, and out of the other two, the gaslighting felt like kindness. But, perhaps, it hadn’t been.


    She stirred and looked at him with wet cheeks and a snotty nose”


    “Why didn’t you trust me?”