‘This is it. The last layer of the maze. When I jumped in the air I saw it. Something’s at the end of this room, hiding itself in reflections. I just hope there is a good reason for all of this.’

After a little while, dodging the laser became a simple task. predict its movement, move away in either direction. Repeat. Joel made it far enough that he could see the shadow of a humanoid figure. The last laser shot was predictable, aimed right to Joel’s head, he evaded it, and now he’s able to see what’s behind the crystal maze…

A European man who looks about the same age as Joel, sitting on a circular foundation and his feet jailed to the foundation, wearing only a sheet to cover himself. His body resembles coloured glass, and has a molten core for a heart. His eyes are connected to that molten core via heat tunnels. His arms are completely cut.

“Not you again… What do you want this time?” The chained man says.

“Again? I’ve never met you before!” Joel replied.

“Fuck no. This ain't the first time. You can take your little lies and stick them up your bum sideways!”

“The first time we’ve met was when your fucking laser almost blew my head off! If you think we’ve met before, then where?”

“Right here”

“...”

“Yeah you know, also I never thanked you for fucking my body up”

“Listen. You’re under the delusion that somehow I know you and I’ve done these things to you, I’m telling you I didn’t.”

“No? You fucking bastard!”

“Fuckface, just look at me! How can you recognize me if we’ve never met before!”

“Well dickface, unfortunately I have a problem… I can’t see!”

“Fucking hell. If you can’t see then why the hell do you think you know me! Fuck that, how were you able to shoot a fucking laser with such precision blind sited!”

“Well fuckface, Just look at me! I’m made out of glass! The slightest vibrations give me an idea where everything is!”

“You’re dodging the first question and you’re denying every word I say. Tell me then, why don’t you shoot me with a laser and kill me right now!”

“Aww come on. What’s the fucking point anymore? To spend a few more years entrapped in here while my body rots away? Sorry I won’t do that. And about earlier… I was a little scared since not many people come from other rooms to visit me and I got a bit unhinged! You don’t know, but I’m highly defensive and I overreacted!”

“Overreacted my ass– Wait, did you just say other rooms? What the hell do you mean by ‘other rooms’? This isn’t the only one?”

“Fuck me… Earlier I thought you were someone else, but now that I listen more carefully… You’re not the same, listen kid. This shitty place is an infinite maze, you got trapped somehow, you’re now forever lost.”

“What? No, this can’t be. More rooms of this fucking shit! I can’t handle it”

“Well… I did… Once, even though some fuck trapped me here I still lived, to tell you the truth, you can survive long enough in this world, but you have to be prepared to work your sorry ass off. Maybe you should go back to your room and get some rest.”

Joel looks intently at the next door next…

“No… I don’t think I will… I nee–”

“Oh please shut the fuck up! Pushing yourself further doesn’t fucking help you. Believe me, I’ve done my share of fucking up. And I had colleagues who did the same thing as you. Only ended up killing them in the process!”

“Then what the hell is next! Should I just accept reality and go back to my apartment then expect things to get better? Nothing’s going to change if I’m sitting down!”

“Well, Hell If I know what’s next for you, but everyone has their own path in these rooms, sometimes you need to stop a little bit to take a break, train, think things through, but in the end it’s up to you. You either kill yourself immediately or make a plan that’ll, at least, save you the trouble”

“...Somehow making my own path makes it worse”

“Cheese on a fucking pickle. Don’t overthink it, from what I know you have insane reflexes, I mean, only a few lucky bastards can evade my laser, and even those who do have died a long time ago. So consider yourself a lucky bastard!”

“Yeah thanks for the reassurance, I’ll take it and hold it dear to my heart and praise your name every second!”

“Sarcasm! I like it. By the way, I’m Degrie, and since we couldn’t talk because of our earlier altercation, I didn’t catch your name”

“My name is. Joel.”

‘This man, he was Death. He could’ve killed me at any time, but he didn’t. This can't be a man scared for his life, he never valued his life. His first shot was a warning, his second one was a test, his other shots were the trial and I succeeded. He saw something in me… Yet I have this lingering thought, why me? He didn’t allow me to kill him so easily, he needed to know that I was up for it…’ Joel couldn’t shake this feeling, emptiness filled his heart. Maybe he was disappointed he didn’t die?

“Degrie. You never wanted me to kill you so easily. If I’m going to trust you, I need to know why.”

“... What’s the fun in an easy win? If you had a big barnyard as your first room, would you be ready to take on more challenges? From the start I knew you were a beginner, you came in, barging through the door like a fucking fly without its wings, no plan, no intel, no fore-site. The first hit would’ve made a normal person sit down and cry to death, but you’re idiotic enough to try and challenge this room, and that’s what you need to survive!”

"...Fuck you"

"That's it!"