Nightmare Game
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 73
Offering?
Ethan’s mind raced. Why would Arachnis brand her kills with that?
Villagers couldn’t read it—only the priestly line, like Tela, held the key.
Was it planned, then? Did Arachnis know they’d cross paths with Tela, gleaning the truth? Or was the message meaningless, a taunt either way?
Irene and Zoe’s grisly end flashed to mind—a killer who savored torment, toying with prey.
Maybe both: their every move watched, fed scraps of truth or red herrings to keep them scrambling. Classic Arachnis move.
But the real snag? Could a rebellion alone twist a benevolent god into a chaotic one?
Or did something unspeakable shift in her, something Tela couldn’t see?
He knew she held no more answers. Standing, he tossed one final question. “Tela, how long have you been out here?”
Caught off guard, she blinked beneath her blindfold. “I ... don’t know. Everspring Meadow’s different—no clocks, no calendars, no night.”
“Years, maybe? A decade? Who can say?”
...
Meanwhile, Bennett, the group’s lone Blessed, rallied the others to hunt the envelope’s flowers.
Pride had once been his fuel, but now he felt it leaking, replaced by a quiet slump.
This was his second Dreamplay. First round, an orphanage hide-and-seek with kids, one a monster in disguise. Find it, name it, win.
Some didn’t make it, but Bennett shone, piecing clues to unmask the creature. The lion took notice, granting him the Lion’s Blessing for his leadership.
That victory puffed him up for round two, convinced Blessed were the key—stronger, sharper, chosen for a reason.
But this Dreamplay’s strangeness, and Ethan’s razor mind, shattered that confidence.
Bennett’s plans didn’t spark like Ethan’s, who could seize the big picture and call shots with surgical calm.
He’d tried leading early, warning they might be the Ceremony’s true offerings, urging a boycott.
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