Everything changed forever the moment I realized I no longer recognized myself.
What was once under control was now uncontrollable and permanent.I was the killer of this game I once thought I was the victim of.Tears rolled down my cheeks.Years ago, I spent a long time watching myself in the mirror Zenan had looked into.With each glance, parts of me crumbled and scattered around.I felt I had lost too much of myself.Maybe there was no such person as "me."
To find this "me," I watched the matches held in the hall for a while.On the tables, power or money were usually placed as attribute points.Winners unlocked abilities based on these.Although I wanted to see devices involving memory, there were few examples.People fled like scared rabbits, clinging to any twig that might save them.
Among the passing crowd, I felt like a living statue, frustrated by my inability to move anywhere.
I walked to a game table.Contrary to what I thought, there were four players at the table.I recognized the game.A crystal-shaped prism had four arms, one on each side.Each player simultaneously turned an arm.The arms were connected by hidden mechanisms that locked some arms at certain numbers.The player who turned the last lock won the memory points.Strangely, I recalled enjoying this game once.
All four players looked at each other uncertainly.The only thing they couldn't hide was the mask of bluff.Their fear was so obvious…Curtains around the red-lit table had been pulled aside, and people had been pushed to the edges.The game area was separated by poles from the crowd.
The announcer turned to the fearful players and read monotonously.
"Welcome to Arm Turning Session 2. From the moment the bell rings, players must turn their arms. The game continues until only one player's handle can be turned. The winner receives memory points. Are you ready?"
"Yes," came the voices from the table.
I blinked and looked at the screen.
They all started turning their arms with a crisp sound.They twisted like winding a spool.As the arms creaked, the expression of despair on their faces grew.Then one player suddenly fainted face down.The crowd had been so caught up in the fear of the game they stared at the crystal prism without blinking.White-uniformed personnel came, lifted the player, and laid them on a stretcher to take to the hall's exit.
Looking fearfully at the stretcher's wheels, I felt as if the wheels were rolling inside my head.
"One player missing," the announcer said calmly."Is there anyone who wants to join, or should we do the traditional selection?"He took out a die from his left hand.It was a multi-sided die.Numbers flashed in certain patterns.The player whose number came up would join the game.Suddenly, recognizing the familiarity of the game, I raised my hand.
Everyone was silent, staring at me.
"You?" said the announcer."Alright then. You may join the game."
I walked toward the other players and stepped between them.
They gave me cold and distant looks.
The bell rang again.
My ears rang as I started turning my handle in sync with the others.Everyone's eyes were on me, the newcomer.But it was clear they also felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
Amid creaking sounds, I went into deep thought.
One of the four arms would remain last.A crystal-shaped prism.Each arm could stop at different points.How could this be controlled?Maybe there was no luck involved.I just had to understand the mechanism.How would I do that?A spectator never expects a rabbit to pop out of a closed box.
When we turned the arm exactly seven times, one arm got locked.The player's face showed extreme fear."Player 2, arm locked."
We waited for the bell again.
The arms started moving again.
"Player 3, arm locked."
The man's face was extremely shocked.He looked pale.
I looked at the other player, and we exchanged glances.Seven and two more turns.Seven and nine were the numbers where the arms stopped.I tried to remember the All or Nothing rule:You either win completely or lose completely.The slightest mistake causes you to lose everything.
While waiting for the bell, I decided to make the most of the seconds passing.I needed logic, not emotion.
Could there be key systems that trigger at certain numbers?If so, what kind of pattern did it follow?
I lined everything up in my mind:
Player 2 — 7 turnsPlayer 3 — 9 turnsAll or Nothing.
Then I added the numbers 7 and 63.
Seven and 6 plus 3."7 and 9," I murmured.Could it be related?
In these games, you had to make a guess and follow that rule.If everything wasn't entirely luck, it could only depend on you like this.
We started turning the arm.We turned it three more times.
My subjective thinking time was over.What should I do?Was everything left to chance once again?My fingers were almost wet.Sweat covered every inch of me, and my limbs trembled.
At that moment, the player across from me stopped turning his arm.
Player 3 — 12 turns.
All the voices in my head stopped.I looked at the arm still turning in my hand.How was this possible?I had won.
The hall filled with applause.The sound of clapping echoed in my ears.I was at a loss.From deep within me, a victorious consciousness rose.I wanted to raise my hands, to command the crowd.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in an empty hall.I had fallen asleep on the red seats.My foot was resting on the armrest of another chair, stubbornly.I quickly got up.It had been a dream.The Memory Points game.I had seen hints about the future.I was supposed to play number 4.I wasn't sure what to pay attention to.I didn't understand the mechanism of the game; I only knew I would win.But would I only win if everything went according to the rules, or the moment I touched the wheel of fate?
Rising from where I had lain, I ran toward the exit of the hall.While climbing the stairs step by step, my fingers slid along the railing.The timer on my wristwatch had expired.Just as I kept running, I saw a book on the counter in front of the black glass.It read: "Games and Probabilities."
I remembered seeing this book somewhere before.Yes, I had definitely come across it once again.Inside a bag.The cover was slightly open, and I was sitting on the floor, on my knees.In Ayaz's bag.Had he left this book for me?I suspiciously reached out, lifting the book on my fingertips, and dusted the dirt off the cover before opening to the first page.
One page was folded, sticking out slightly compared to the others.
"Crystal Prism Game."
Below, there were four arms and a description of the game—just as I had seen in my dream.There was some information about the mechanism, but I couldn't understand it clearly.It seemed more like something only engineers could grasp.I needed someone knowledgeable about this.I checked the barcode on my arm.One hour left.Within the last hour, I had to reach someone knowledgeable in this area before being invited to the game.Closing the book confidently, I hid it under the chair I was sitting on.This would be my one hour.