“No. I want to go to bed.”
“Then I’ll get the tent set up for us.”
The fire snapped sharply.
Then it flared upward in a sudden burst of blue light.
Mara jerked back as a hologram spiraled out of the flames, expanding into a massive screen suspended above the firepit. The GSG emblem spun dramatically, accompanied by the roar of a holographic audience that materialized behind it—cheering, waving glowing banners, and acting like they were watching a championship game instead of a survival contest.
Mara muttered under her breath, “They really love their theatrics.”
Vaelor’s lips twitched. “It is their way.”
A booming announcer voice filled the canyon.
“Welcome to the mid-games recap! Let’s take a look at our surviving competitors—and those who have fallen!”
Mara’s stomach tightened.
The wordThe Fallensparked over the fire.
Two names flashed across the hologram in icy blue letters:
Beast and Quadro - Departed
The hologram audience clapped in reverence. Mara’s chest tightened. She hated how casually the GSG treated death.
Next came theEliminated:
Gora & Felon – Disqualified
Esto and Vor – Disqualified
Famia and Arisa – Eliminated
Footage showed Felon arriving alone, then Gora limping with Mara and Vaelor supporting her. The audience booed Raton loudly. One hologram held up a sign readingCOWARD OF THE SEASON.
Mara shook her head. “At least they got that part right.”
The recap shifted to the remaining pairs and their current rankings:
Blaine and Dugan – First Place
Mara and Vaelor – Second Place
Klosh and Rattan – Third Place
The announcer’s voice grew excited.
“And now—our Showmance of the season!”
Mara’s heart dropped. “Oh no. No, no, no—”
The hologram zoomed in on her and Vaelor—moving through the Veil, Vaelor catching her when she slipped—And then the kiss.
Projected twenty feet tall over the fire for all to see.
The hologram audience exploded with excitement.
