Nightmare Game
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 125
The men’s camp totaled six, with four selected; Victor and Gavin went unnamed.
Victor kept to himself, rarely chiming in, always deferring to Julian behind the scenes.
Gavin fumed, frustration boiling over—he tried masking it, but subtlety wasn’t his strength.
In the end, he shot glares at Ethan and Leo, then buried his head in his meal.
He probably never imagined the women skipping him, a Blessed, for two nobodies he deemed worthless.
Being overlooked stung, but what gnawed deeper was missing out on women’s intel.
He’d rely on secondhand shares from the team, blind to any tweaks.
Leo beamed at his pick, stepping to the guard’s side, awaiting the others’ calls.
Mason’s face twisted subtly, a mix of surprise and unease.
He missed Julian eyeing him from behind, a predator’s cold stare fixed on prey.
From the list’s reveal, Julian had been dissecting the puzzle inwardly.
His plant in the women’s camp had caught his cue, picking his designated target.
Beyond that, pairings didn’t matter; his focus stayed on Clara and Nora’s choices.
In the men’s group, Victor and Gavin were out—Victor’s his own, Gavin’s shady vibes would repel Clara outright.
Her caution meant vetting partners hard; she’d spot a snake.
Next up: Leo and Ethan, low suspicion so far—Ethan a bit iffy, but shelvable.
His real concern: Mason. Victor’s whisper had flagged him spotting The Fire of Judgment early, leading straight to a fork.
The guy’s edge might run sharper than expected; Clara picking him wasn’t impossible.
Her choice served as his litmus test.
When results dropped, Julian puzzled briefly, then clicked—convinced he’d cracked the code.
In his scenario, Clara, shielding her men’s ally, should’ve tapped someone irrelevant.
Nora too—and she had.
But Clara bucked logic, snagging his top suspect. What did that signal?
Empty fort strategy.
The term hit first: feints within feints, impossible to pin.
Clara knew him well, exploiting his paranoia by deliberately choosing her partner for intel relay.
On the surface, picking Mason cleared Julian’s doubts; but really, it baited a second guess.
Why such a glaring slip? Wouldn’t she foresee his foresight?
That’s the genius: his overthinking bred hesitation, dialing down Mason suspicion.
But—
This time, I’ve seen further.
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