"I do not want to end like this… I do not deserve what is happening."
Tears fell from his eyes while he clenched his teeth tightly.
Even so, he stayed where he was, not knowing what to do.
His face was covered in darkness, and despair was clear in his expression.
Then he heard a voice whisper:
"Do you want life?"
The boy froze for a moment.
"What kind of question is that? Of course I want it… I want it very much," he muttered, thinking he was talking to himself.
The reply came:
"Then open the box.
Throw the coin.
If you see the smile, you may open the door.
If you see death… you will remain inside the room."
His body trembled.
"A box? Which… box?"
He raised his eyes and tried to explore the room. He only knew that it was dark, had no exits except the door, and was full of rats.
Then he saw something.
A faint shine.
With difficulty he left the door and crawled on the ground like an insect attracted to light.
He reached the source of the shine.
It was a corner full of dirt and filth, and the shining object was buried inside it.
With his pale, trembling hands he began to dig quickly. After a few moments the object appeared completely.
It was a crystal cube the size of a fist.
It had a strange shine… as if it did not belong to this world.
The boy picked it up and raised it in front of his eyes to examine it.
But when he looked carefully, his eyebrows frowned.
"This is not a box… there is no place to open it."
At that moment the voice inside his mind spoke again, as if it were his own voice:
"Will… is the key."
The boy raised the cube high and struck it against the ground.
Boom.
The rats in the room jumped and their sounds became louder.
The boy looked at the cube and said bitterly:
"This world… this cursed world."
He raised the cube and struck it again.
Boom.
"My life has never known a single moment of happiness in this world that wants me to die… that wants me to be miserable."
But the cube was not scratched.
He struck it again.
Boom.
Then again.
Boom… boom… boom.
The rats became more restless with every hit.
"I am nothing in this world… nothing that deserves all of this."
Boom… boom… boom.
His determination grew stronger. His eyes became red and filled with tears.
"It does not matter if everything that happens in this world has meaning… or if it is only chaos."
He raised the cube again.
"I only…"
He struck it with all his strength.
"Want to live."
At that moment something strange happened.
With the next strike…
The cube shattered.
It turned into crystal dust that spread around the boy for a few seconds, then disappeared completely.
The boy felt warmth spreading through his body, as if a light energy had returned some life to him.
When he looked at the ground…
He saw something new.
A black coin.
It was much smaller than the cube, but its aura was frightening.
He picked it up slowly and tried to examine it under the faint light that came through the cracks in the door.
There were strange carvings on both sides of the coin.
On one side there was a terrifying creature that looked like something from nightmares. It had seven arms, and on its face there was a twisted smile that disturbed the soul.
On the other side there was a similar creature…
But its head was cut off.
It was holding its own smiling head in its hands upside down, which made the smile look like a frightening frown.
The boy froze for a few moments.
Then he remembered something important.
He had to leave this room.
But…
"What is waiting for me behind the door?"
His body shivered at the thought.
He looked at the coin again.
"This is not a normal coin."
The voice echoed in his mind:
"Throw the coin."
He took a deep breath.
"Alright… I will throw it."
He hesitated a little, then said to himself:
"If the smiling face appears… I will go out.
If death appears… I will stay."
Then after a moment he added:
"And I will throw it again."
He closed his eyes for a moment to calm himself. Then he placed the coin on his thumbnail and flipped it into the air.
The coin rose while spinning between its two sides.
Smile.
Death.
Smile.
Death.
It was as if fate itself was being written while it spun.
Then it finally fell into the boy's hand.
He opened his eyes slowly.
The result was…
Death.
He froze for a moment.
He wanted desperately to leave this miserable place.
He raised his hand to throw the coin again…
But suddenly—
A loud sound exploded.
The sound of someone trying to open the door.
His whole body froze.
He quickly jumped and threw himself against the door to support it, just like before.
The attempts to open the door continued for several minutes.
But the door did not open.
Once again.
When the sound finally stopped, the boy remained pressed against the door for hours.
He did nothing.
He only stared at the black coin in his hand.
He thought about throwing it again…
But the rats suddenly attacked him.
He spent a long time pushing them away, and they left new wounds on his body.
After that he did not dare to throw the coin again.
He felt that something bad would happen if he did.
Time passed slowly.
The darkness became thicker.
The cold became harsher.
The smell became unbearable.
Staying awake became difficult.
He whispered with a weak voice:
"I… I only…"
Then the voice returned again.
"Do you not think this is a good time to throw the coin?"
Hope was tempting.
And he had no other choice.
His body was close to collapse.
So…
He threw the coin.
It rose in the air while spinning.
Then it fell into his hand.
He opened his eyes slowly.
The result was…
The smile.
His eyes widened.
Suddenly he felt some life return to him.
Survival was no longer impossible.
He stood up with difficulty.
He walked toward the door.
His heartbeat was striking his chest violently.
He placed his hand on the lock.
He hesitated for a moment…
Then he opened it.
Slowly…
He opened the door.
And what was behind it appeared.
It was the same gloomy corridor where he had been running before.
He looked around carefully.
No one.
No sound.
After a moment of hesitation, he took his first step outside the room.
The floor of the corridor was sticky.
It had a dark red color.
There was a body lying on the ground.
But the boy did not notice it.
He simply walked over the blood…
Trying to move as far away from this place as possible.