God’s Cube

The day was overcast, and a grim light coloured Gladiatori High School's courtyard. A small group had come together. Now former students, some teachers, and the family members of those who never did come back. Today was the day of memorial, a yearly ritual to remember the students that died attempting the Cube after graduation. There was silence, an unsaid ritual, full of loss, regret, and the inescapable reminder of what the Cubes had taken from them.

Thesi stood shoulder to shoulder with Augusto, neither of them was smiling as the proceedings unfolded before them. The voice of Professor Luciani, low, but steady, though marked by the tinge of grief, came from nearby. She was their class’ homeroom teacher, having held that role through their highschool. Though she only taught history, for the rest of the highschool, for this class in particular she was the figurehead that gave them a common point.

"I still can't wrap my head around how many never came back," 

Augusto said, his voice low, the carefree expression he usually wore was gone.

Thesi said nothing. He looked out at the small memorial rocks that lined the edge of the courtyard, one for every student who had never walked out of the Cubes alive, and there were so many more than he wanted to accept. His eyes landed moved towards those of his classmates. spotting a few of the names that sounded vaguely familiar: Luca, Elisa, Matteo, and Ilaria. He hadn’t socialized much, but he still knew those of his particular class.

"Ilaria's parents are here." 

He said in a low voice, nodding toward the back of the courtyard, where a gray-haired older couple was standing, their faces long with sorrow. They had just lost their only daughter. Ilaria had been one of the smartest in their class, full of life and ambition. She was going to make it through the Red Cube, she knew it. Then she didn't.

"I remember the last thing she said to me, she told me she wasn't afraid. That she was sure she’d make it through."

Thesi said, moer mumbled then spoke. Augusto turned to him. 

"Do you think she really wasn't?"

Thesi shook his head. 

"I don't know. Maybe yes, she was always full of confidence in every class activity. Or, maybe she just didn't want us and her family to worry."

Professor Luciani finished speaking, and a moment of silence was observed by the crowd. People bowed their heads and closed their eyes, some quietly weeping and others standing as a statue, too overwhelmed to react. The moment of silence dragged on, thick and heavy, weighing down upon all who were present.

Thesi felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find Elisa's mother beside him. Her eyes were red and swollen. Her voice cracked as she spoke.

"She always spoke fondly of you, Thesi. She sometimes complained you didn’t give her the time of day, but she was happy the few times you talked with her, she said she saw pain ease throughout the years when looking in your eyes all this time."

Thesi's Adam's apple bobbed hard as his mind clawed for something to say. Augusto had always pointed out how she had a crush on him, but he didn’t understand the feeling until very recently, when he came to terms with these emotions as well. He didn’t know what she saw in him, but now he was left with regret, regret of leaving her hanging all these years even if his feelings weren’t mutual. When he replied, his voice was barely audible. 

"I'm so sorry." 

Elisa's mother mustered a weak smile; her eyes were far away. 

"She was brave. They all were."

Thesi nodded, even though the words sounded hollow. The pain of loss ran too deep for any words of regret or sympathy to offer ease. She turned away then and joined others, and Thesi turned back to Augusto, who stared at the stones with a grim expression.

"Do you ever wonder, if it was worth it?

Thesi didn't answer immediately. The question hung between them, was it worth it? Wanting to challenge the Cubes, gain power, allowing life to be lost in such a way.

"I don't know."

As the end of the ceremony was nearing, people began to leave. The darkening sky mirrored the mood of the crowd. Slowly, families walked away, carrying with them their grief, while others stood still, not wanting to be pulled from the stones of their loved ones' final resting places.

"I hate this part, I hate how it feels like we're just waiting for more names to be added. Next year when the new year of classes goes for graduation, 60 to 70 percent of their names would be added here. The rate of survival has gone up, but it’ll never make it easier." 

Augusto whispered as they watched the mourners go away. 

Thesi didn't say a word, but he knew what Augusto was talking about. Every year, the stones grew in number. More names, more faces taken by the Cubes. And with each passing year, the silence after these ceremonies would be a little more suffocating for those left behind.

The sound of their footsteps echoed from the stone walls as they walked away from the courtyard, the silence hung heavy with memory. He thought of Augusto, who faced the Red Cube with eagerness, just like so many of the others they had lost. Luca, Ilaria, Elisa, all of them had been full of the same hope and determinism that Augusto and those that survived had. But that feeling isn’t enough.

After a long period of silence, Thesi spoke. 

"Before we left, we discussed possible attempts to become Mixed, do you still want to try?"

Augusto turned to him with furrowed eyebrows. 

"Sometimes. Now I'm not so sure I'd want to, after all.”

Thesi nodded, he knew more than anyone else present, that a second attempt was even harder, it had almost taken his life, but he couldn’t say that. He hoped his friend would stick with what he got, becoming a Red was enough for Augusto, or at least, Thesi wanted it to be enough for him.

They walked in silence again, the soft city sounds creeping back gradually into the background. The streets moved on, the people moved on, and the world did, too. Far away, Gladiatori High stood quiet, a reminder of what was lost and what still remained.

The world would move on, they would too, their next step was approaching. The echoes of those who had fallen would follow him, just as they do for everyone who had survived. They would explore with him the challenges to come.