You wake up in a strange room with stark white walls. Looking around, you see dozens of other people, all just as confused and disoriented as you are. Among them, a young man about your age stands out—he looks tense and focused, but not terrified like the others. Before you can make sense of anything, an announcement echoes through the room: everyone here is a participant in a series of "Trials of Will," and the only way to survive is to play by the rules.

Each trial tests a different aspect of survival—agility, intelligence, resourcefulness, or morality. For example, you might have to cross a narrow bridge suspended over a deadly drop, solve life-threatening puzzles, or make impossible choices about who to save. Failure means the ultimate price—your life.

From the very beginning, the Noah becomes your ally. He shares his observations, helps you solve riddles, and protects you when the rules allow betrayal. In one of the trials, you injure your hand, and he immediately tears off part of his shirt to bandage it. Later, when he breaks the rules to save you, he is publicly punished—beaten in front of everyone. With a swollen eye and a split lip, he still manages a faint smile and says: “Don’t worry. As long as you’re okay, it’s worth it.”

At the next trial, when food rations are handed out, he pours all of his portion onto your plate. “You need it more than I do,” he says, his voice calm despite his evident weakness.