Garden of Uncertainty

The group passed through the mansion's entrance into a grand hall that stretched endlessly before them, its size both magnificent and oppressive. Rich crimson carpet unfurled like a river of blood beneath their feet, leading toward an imposing staircase that vanished into shadows above. Rich tapestries depicted ancient stories above, and grand chandeliers cast everything in a sickly yellowish glow, their crystalline forms swaying slightly.
Following in the wake of the seven wives and Graves, the group's footsteps were muffled by the thick carpet as they marched through the hall, when suddenly a voice, heavy with dark amusement and barely contained malice, resonated through the hall. The words seemed to whisper directly into each person's ear despite the source remaining invisible.
"Welcome, my guests, to the true beginning of your evening. Rejoice for the revelations that await you.”
The unexpected announcement brought the group to an abrupt halt. Graves's lips curved into a knowing smile, his pale hands clasped behind his back as he savoured his master's words.
"Seven games await you, each designed by my beloved wives to excavate the truth of human nature. Each game claims one participant, the one who proves... incompatible. The final survivor earns the privilege of meeting me directly."
"But understand, these are not trials of skill or chance. They are excavations of character. Each game will strip away one layer of pretence, one comfortable lie, one protective delusion. Some will discover they possess unexpected nobility. Others will learn they are monsters wearing human faces. Most will simply learn they are food."
The voice's pronouncement was followed by laughter that shook the very foundations of the hall, a sound so filled with cruel mirth that it seemed to seep deep into their bones.
Graves withdrew a bloodied handkerchief from his coat pocket, dabbing at tears that streamed from his eyes. "As eloquent as ever, master. Ah, how your words move me to such profound emotion."
‘Crazy, seriously, the entire family is fucked.’
The silence that followed pressed down upon them like a physical weight, heavy with fear and creeping desperation. Miss Blackwood's fingers found her locket, clutching it as tears carved tracks down her pale cheeks. "Please, I just want to find my sister. I don't want to die here."
Captain Stone stepped forward, his military bearing evident even in the face of horror. His broad shoulders squared as he assessed their situation. "Listen, we're in a survival situation now. I think it's time we were honest about our capabilities." He paused, his weathered face grave as he weighed his words carefully. "I'm a tier 2 Anomalite, with Concordat. I have abilities that could help us navigate this nightmare. I suggest we pool our resources and work as a unit."
Miss Grey cleared her throat delicately, her instincts warring with obvious reluctance to reveal too much. "I... I have some capabilities as well. Nothing spectacular, but useful for investigation and analysis."
Madame Ravenwood nodded slowly, her numerous shawls rustling like the wings of roosting birds. "The spirits grant me certain insights. I've walked the boundary between worlds before; this place whispers secrets to those who know how to listen."
Miss Blackwood looked around the group with dawning hope, her grief momentarily overshadowed by the possibility of survival. "If some of you have abilities, maybe we can all escape this alive. Maybe you can help me find Sarah."
"That depends," Adren said quietly, his voice cutting through the group's optimism like a blade. "On whether we can trust each other."
Every eye turned to him, the weight of sudden suspicion settling over the group like morning frost.
"What do you mean?" Professor Thorne asked, his pen hovering uncertainly over his ever-present notebook.
Adren's gaze swept across each face, lingering just long enough to make each person uncomfortable. "Come on. Look at this place. Look at what's happening here. You really think all seven of us are legitimate humans who entered this plane?"
The temperature in the hall seemed to plummet several degrees, their breath beginning to mist in the suddenly frigid air.
"There are bound to be constructs among us," Adren continued, his voice steady but carrying an edge of cold certainty. "It's common knowledge, most planes tend to have constructs who are there to ensure the original narrative is followed. You three just mentioned you're Anomalites, meaning you've done this before. You should know better than anyone how these scenarios typically unfold."
Miss Grey's hand moved instinctively toward her coat. "You're suggesting some of us aren't human?"
"I'm suggesting we'd be idiots not to consider the possibility. In situations like blindly trusting each other will spell our doom."
Captain Stone's military composure flickered for just a moment after hearing his reasoning.
The implication hung in the air heavy and imposing.
‘Well, I’m pretty sure it was tacitly understood among them, but mentioning it so straightforwardly, is it because he is human and tried to voice what others feared to say? Or is he a construct trying to sow distrust among us?’
Professor Thorne laughed nervously, the sound echoing strangely in the vast hall. "Surely you're being paranoid. We're all humans here. I, for one, entered this plane specifically to research planar concepts for my academic work."
"Are we?" Adren's gaze fixed on the Professor with laser intensity. "What exactly were you doing before you came here? What's your background in planar studies?"
An uncomfortable silence settled over the group like a burial shroud. Erel could feel the group dynamics shifting with almost audible tension, trust evaporating as quickly as it had formed.
Dr. West cleared his throat professionally. "This kind of paranoid thinking could prove dangerous. We all need to work together if we want to survive."
"Working together is fine," Miss Grey said carefully, her voice trailing as she measured each word. "But working smart is better. We should remain observant about... inconsistencies in others' behaviours."
Madame Ravenwood pulled her shawls tighter around her diminutive frame, her eyes distant as if listening to voices only she could hear. "The spirits whisper of deception, of faces that are not what they seem. Truth and falsehood dance together in this place."
‘Great’, Erel thought grimly. ‘Now everyone's suspicious of everyone else. But maybe that's not entirely bad. If there really are constructs here, paranoia might keep the real people alive longer.’
Victoria stepped forward with fluid grace, her rose-petal eyes blooming with obvious amusement at the growing tension. "How delicious. Trust is crumbling before we've even begun to play. Come, darlings. Let's see what grows from seeds of suspicion."
‘Almost all of them seem to be Anomalites, but constructs without a doubt will have false abilities to specifically confuse and mislead us.’
Erel kept his own abilities carefully hidden, maintaining the facade of an ordinary human. In a situation where information was power and trust was a scarce commodity, revealing that he was a Shaper, a tier 1 Anomalite, could either save his life or paint a target on his back.
‘Ah, I just wanted to return home, but now I'm stuck in this mess. First, I need to survive the immediate trial. Second, figure out who's real and who's not. Eliminating the constructs before they can coordinate against the humans would probably be the key to surviving.’
As Victoria led them through corridors toward her conservatory, the group walked in tense silence. The easy frankness from their earlier introduction had been replaced by wary glances and distances between them.
‘Better suspicious and alive than trusting and dead, ’ Erel thought grimly, observing how people repositioned themselves. Miss Blackwood stayed close to Miss Grey, seeking comfort from the only person who had shown her genuine kindness. Captain Stone maintained his disciplined bearing but kept everyone within his peripheral vision. Dr. West walked individually, as if observing the group dynamics rather than participating in them.
The corridors themselves seemed to mock them. Hallways curved back on themselves while somehow leading forward. Portraits lining the walls depicted cheerful family gatherings turning into violence and despair as they headed deeper.
"The architecture here is eerie yet remarkable, it seems to be an effect of the Imaginarium transfixing into nodes", Professor Thorne murmured.
‘There he goes again, blabbering,’ Erel noted with annoyance. ‘Does he think no one would notice? Well, maybe he didn't anticipate someone as distinguished in planar studies as yours truly would be here to recognise what he's spouting is pure bullshit.’
"Professor," Erel said casually, his tone conversational, "your research sounds absolutely fascinating. I imagine you've read Dr. Morrison's groundbreaking work on planar mechanics?"
"Oh, absolutely!" Thorne's eyes lit up with obvious enthusiasm. "His theoretical framework has been absolutely groundbreaking for the field. Revolutionary, really."
‘Dr. Morrison doesn't exist. I made that name up on the spot.’ The confirmation settled like ice in Erel's stomach. ‘First construct identified, bingo.’
Adren, walking nearby, caught Erel's eye for just a moment. There was something calculating in his gaze.
‘Is he testing me? Or is he a construct who caught my test and is trying to appear more human by seeming appropriately suspicious?’
Victoria glided ahead of them with inhumane grace, her vine-threaded skin pulsing with a strange light.
"How much further?" Miss Blackwood asked shakily. The poor woman looked ready to collapse from the accumulated stress and grief that weighed on her slight frame.
"Patience, darling," Victoria's voice carried subtle fascination. "My garden doesn't reveal itself to those who rush. Beauty requires appreciation."
They passed through an archway overgrown with vines that seemed to grow and change as they walked beneath it, stone leaves unfurling and flowers blooming beside them. Beyond lay Victoria's conservatory, a space that resembled a greenhouse.
The conservatory stretched impossibly far in all directions in a domelike structure. Glass walls soared, containing an ecosystem of a wide variety of plants that Erel had never seen before. The plants themselves seemed like a nightmare in their own right, flowers with human teeth that tracked their movement with predatory interest, trees bearing fruit that resembled vital organs still pulsing with life, blood red vines encircling them.
The air was thick with oxygen and humidity that made each breath heavy, carrying the thick, heavy metallic ting of blood.
"Welcome to my domain," Victoria announced, her rose-petal eyes blooming and closing with each breath like living flowers. "Tonight, we play the Garden of Choices."
In the centre of the conservatory stood seven plots of rich, dark soil, each roughly the size and shape of a grave. They were arranged in a perfect circle around a central pillar holding an ancient watering can that appeared to be carved from living wood.
"The rules are beautifully simple," Victoria continued, gliding between the plots, her vine-threaded fingers trailing through the air. "Each of you will receive a seed, special seeds that I've cultivated with careful breeding and selection. But these seeds don't simply require water and sunlight to grow."
She gestured toward the waiting plots with fingers that terminated in thorns. "They require intention. Purpose. The absolute strength of your will to survive. Each seed will grow into something that reflects the planter's true nature, their deepest desires, their hidden shames, the very things that make them human."
"But here's where it becomes truly interesting." Victoria's smile was beautiful and terrible, like a rose blooming in a graveyard. "The seeds are... competitive. They will actively work to prevent others from growing. Only the strongest will flourish while the others wither."
Captain Stone stepped forward with military directness. "What happens to the person whose seed doesn't grow?"
Victoria's laugh resonated with sudden coldness. "Why, they provide fertiliser for the others, of course. Nothing goes to waste in my garden."
Miss Blackwood whimpered, a sound of pure terror that seemed to please Victoria immensely.
"There's more," Victoria continued with obvious relish. "The watering can contains a very special liquid that responds to truth. Lies will poison your seed, causing it to blacken and rot. Half-truths will stunt its growth, leaving it vulnerable to stronger plants. Only complete honesty will provide the nourishment your plant needs to overcome the others and reach maturity."
‘Basically, we need to reveal are deepest fears or secrets’, Erel realised with growing unease. ‘In a group where trust has already been shattered, being forced to reveal personal truths could be fatal. The constructs could even use it against us.’
"How long do we have?" Miss Grey asked, her voice dimmed under the revelation.
"Until one plant has grown tall enough to reach the light above," Victoria gestured upward to where distant sunlight filtered through the glass ceiling. "Or until all but one have withered and died, leaving only the strongest to claim victory."
Adren was studying the soil plots, his mind already working on the implications. "And we choose our own plots?"
"Oh yes, darling. Choose wisely. Your life quite literally depends on making the right selection."
‘This is where the real trial begins, ’ Erel realised. ‘Not just surviving Victoria's trial but figuring out who's real and who's not before the constructs can coordinate to eliminate the humans.’
So far, his suspicions centred heavily on Thorne, but should he make a move? What if the Professor was genuinely human, just lying?
Erel knew that survival likely depended on eliminating the constructs quickly, but human confidence was a fickle thing. One seed of doubt planted in the wrong mind could easily lead to uncertainty that would doom them all.
‘Let me probe him more thoroughly before deciding on a course of action.’
The seven plots waited in their perfect circle, rich soil ready to receive whatever seeds and secrets would be planted within their dark embrace.

Chapter end