Is this really a Game?!

"What ... is this?" Beast asked as he looked around himself, shocked at the fact that everything around him had turned dark. Reign and the others had disappeared, none of them were around, which shouldn't have been possible. They were Tier VI combatants, powerful individuals who had immense strength, observation, and sensory skills, and yet, they got separated in an instant.

Just what in the world was this "heart of darkness", and how was it capable of doing such a thing?

The oppressive atmosphere pressed down on Beast as he scanned the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of his teammates. However, the darkness was absolute, and he could see nothing beyond a few feet, even the heart, which was in front of him previously, was nowhere in sight now. He gritted his teeth, steeling himself against the encroaching fear.

"This... this isn't right," he muttered to himself, tightening his grip on his bow. He knew he had to keep moving, to keep fighting. He focused on his breathing, just as Reign had instructed, and began to take cautious steps forward.

Unbeknownst to him, the rest of the team was experiencing similar disorientation. Each member found themselves alone in the darkness, separated from their companions. The heart of darkness seemed to have split them up, isolating them within its malevolent aura.

Reign stood alone, his swords drawn and his senses heightened. The oppressive energy was almost suffocating, but he forced himself to remain calm. He had to find his team and bring them back together. He took a deep breath and called out, hoping his voice would reach the others.

"Shadow! Mia! Beast! Can anyone hear me?"

His voice echoed in the darkness, but there was no response. Reign felt a pang of frustration but pushed it aside. He couldn't afford to lose focus. He started moving forward, relying on his instincts to guide him.

Shadow moved silently through the darkness, his daggers at the ready. He was used to darkness and moving through it, but this felt different. The oppressive energy seemed to claw at his mind, trying to break his concentration. He clenched his teeth and focused on his training, pushing the dark thoughts aside.

"Reign! Wolf!" he called out, his voice barely more than a whisper. There was no answer, but he kept moving. He had to find the others.

Mia found herself in a similar predicament, her frost magic crackling around her as she tried to dispel the darkness. The energy was unlike anything she had ever encountered, and it took all her focus to keep it at bay. She moved cautiously, calling out for her teammates.

"Reign! Laura! Anyone!"

Her voice echoed in the oppressive silence, but there was no response. She gritted her teeth and kept moving, determined to find her way back to the others.

Tank, with his massive shield and war axe at the ready, moved through the darkness with determination. The oppressive energy weighed heavily on him, but he pushed through, knowing he had to find his teammates. He called out, his deep voice echoing in the void.

"Greenie! Aelrinder!"

"Where are you?"

There was no answer, but Tank didn't let that deter him. He kept moving, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of his friends.

They were all in a similar situation, they were all in darkness, with nobody else in sight. They couldn't understand what happened and how they were split up, and the worst thing was the fact that they couldn't find a trace of the others no matter what they did.

"Tch, they will never figure it out if they continue panicking like this," Aethion said while Jared shook his head at him.

"Patience is required, this trial is very different from the others, Master and his friends have to understand that, then they will be able to break out of it."

"Yeah, but how long will it take, you know damn well that this trial will be much more difficult for Reign than it will for the others."

"Look, he is already showing signs of change," Aethion stated as he stared at Jared who sighed and nodded his head.

"It will be difficult for him, but all we can do is hope for the best right now."

The two spectating Reign and the others, who were, obliviously, all changing slightly. A dark aura was slowly covering them and their skin was changing, Reign's a bit faster than the rest.

The most curious part of all of it was the fact that they were all standing motionlessly. Reign and the others were not far away from each other, nor had they been split up.

They were all standing in the same spot they were standing when they first entered the arena. In fact, from the moment they had seen the heart, they had entered a trance-like state, their eyes were open but unfocused.

One could see many different emotions on their faces, including apprehension, fear, anger, worry ...

As the Heaven's Hooligans struggled within their isolated darkness, their faces etched with varying emotions, the oppressive energy continued to exert its influence, twisting their perceptions and feeding on their doubts and fears. Each member was trapped in their own mental prison, battling the manifestations of their innermost anxieties and insecurities.

Reign felt an overwhelming sense of frustration building within him. The oppressive darkness around him seemed to amplify every doubt he had ever experienced. He felt the weight of his leadership pressing down on him, the responsibility for his team's safety and success magnified a thousandfold. The darkness whispered insidiously, playing on his fears of failure and inadequacy.

In his isolated space, Beast was similarly tormented. The darkness preyed on his self-doubt, whispering that he was not strong enough, not skilled enough to protect his friends. His hands trembled as he clutched his bow, memories of past failures flashing before his eyes, feeding the growing sense of despair.

The whispers continued, they told him how he was still the same weak, cowardly person he was before the system had arrived.

Tank's immense strength felt like a burden. The oppressive energy magnified his fears, making him question his ability to shield his friends. Every step forward felt like a battle against his own doubts, but he pushed on, driven by the need to find and protect his team.

Greenie, always fierce and unyielding, found himself struggling against the darkness that threatened to consume his mind. Visions of past losses and failures haunted him, eroding his confidence. He clenched his fists, determined to fight back against the insidious influence.

The past losses and failures were not only his own but those of his race as well.

Laura felt the darkness encroach upon her thoughts, amplifying her fears and insecurities. She remembered moments of weakness and doubt, but she also remembered the times she had overcome them. She drew on her inner strength, determined not to let the darkness win.

Aelrinder's connection to nature felt strained. The oppressive energy severed his link to the natural world, leaving him feeling isolated and vulnerable.

The darkness around them seemed to pulse with a malevolent rhythm, feeding off their fears and doubts. But within each of them, a spark of light remained. It was a flickering flame of hope and determination, fueled by their bonds and their shared purpose.

They still had no idea what was going on, but they were still doing their best to hold on, to make sure they would push through and meet with the others.

After some time, however, even with their mental states deteriorating and the changes in their bodies becoming more and more visible, they were still fighting against the illusion they were put under.

None of them had any notions of giving up and fully leaning into what the whispers were saying. They fought and fought, not giving up at all and gritting their teeth in order to persevere.

As they did that, even though they didn't notice it, the changes that happened in their bodies slowed down.

But as Aethion had previously stated, Reign had it the worst. It wasn't the whispers that made it more difficult, Reign was dealing with them just as well as the others were, not letting them get to him.

No, it was something different that made this much harder for Reign.

A voice, one he loathed, a voice he truly hated hearing as it was his own, just darker, deeper, and much colder.

It was the same voice he always heard when things went bad when he would lose control.

It was because of that loathsome voice that things were much more difficult for Reign. It was because of that voice that the speed at which Reign's 'transformation' was progressing didn't change at all.

"What do you want?"

"What do you want, I am you after all, so what I want is also what you want, Reign."

The voice said, its tone the same as always as the dark mist present around Reign started moving, slowly forming into the shape of a person.