Trapped In Elysium: A Virtual Reality Nightmare-Chapter 170: Wrong Choice

The queen’s heart clenched as she looked at Liam. He wasn’t the same brave, calculating man who had fought through every trial, survived the impossible, and led them this far. That man was now hidden behind eyes drowned in pain—eyes that had seen too much, lost too much. The name Anna had turned Liam into something else, something fragile. And terrifying.

He stood like stone, facing the king, shoulders tensed, fists tight, and that haunted, broken expression locked onto his face. The moment the king offered the chance to bring Anna back, something in Liam had shattered—and rebuilt itself into a single, relentless desire. The mission? The team? The treasure? None of it mattered to him now. He only saw one thing: a way to undo the past.

The queen had seen this kind of look before. Centuries ago, in other men and women, in tyrants. That look that said I would burn the world for the one I love.

She stepped forward slowly, her voice cautious. "Liam... you can’t do this. Think. This isn’t just about you."

Liam didn’t even turn. "You didn’t know her," he said, voice low and raw. "She was everything. My light. When she died, a part of me died too."

"I believe you," the queen said softly. "But that pain—it’s why you’re here. It’s part of your strength. Don’t let it destroy everything else you’ve fought for."

His jaw clenched. "You don’t understand."

"I do understand," she insisted, stepping closer. "I spent centuries trapped between life and death. I’ve felt longing, regret, rage... but I also know that love—true love—doesn’t ask us to burn the world. It asks us to endure it."

Liam turned his head just slightly, enough to glance at her from the corner of his eye. But his gaze quickly returned to the king.

The king stood silent, regal, watching them with ancient eyes. He had not spoken since he made the offer—he knew the power of silence. He knew Liam was crumbling.

The queen’s voice shook now, desperate. "Your sister... would she want you to throw away your destiny? To doom everyone who believes in you?"

Liam said nothing. The silence stretched. His breath came uneven now. The idea was locked in his brain—he could bring Anna back. He could undo the worst pain in his life. All he had to do was give up everything else.

And he would. The queen could see it. That was what terrified her.

She clenched her fists. The power of the king was suffocating. She could barely move under his gaze. She couldn’t touch him, couldn’t defy him—not in strength, not in magic. But she had to do something. Anything.

And she knew this wasn’t over yet. The king had made his move. Now it was her turn. She couldn’t let Liam fall—not like this. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The queen’s breath caught in her throat.

She stood behind Liam, her gaze darting between the man she had grown to trust, and the being who claimed to be a king—but whose power bled through the space like a poisoned fog. She could feel it pulsing, not from a living body, but from a fragment. A shard of something ancient. Something bound to the treasure.

That’s not him, she thought. That’s not the king. Not truly.

It had taken her time to see it. The presence before them was too grand, too overpowering, too pristine in its malice and memory. It had the king’s face. His voice. His memories. But it was not the full soul. It was a guardian. A remnant. Left behind to guard the treasure—and test those who dared reach for it.

And Liam... Liam was seconds away from surrendering everything to it.

The king had asked him again, calmly, coldly, "Are you ready to sacrifice everything? To forfeit the treasure... your path home... your friends... for her?"

Liam hesitated.

Just for a breath.

The queen felt her heart strain in her chest.

Then he nodded once. "Yes."

His voice didn’t tremble. His shoulders didn’t slump. He sounded resolute. But she saw it—the tremor in his fingers, the way his throat tightened. He hesitated because some small voice inside him still remembered everything he’d fought for. But Anna’s memory had drowned that voice out.

The queen knew what came next. She’d seen it before, long ago. The return of the dead was not a gift. It was a trade.

Life for life.

It was the oldest rule in the ancient scripts. You cannot pull from death without giving something in return.

And Liam had no idea.

He thought he could give up the treasure, the mission, the glory. But none of that would be enough. The law of the tomb was clear. If he asked for the dead to return, then someone—someone living—must take their place in the cold soil of the dead.

And that was the worst part. Liam didn’t know the full cost. He was stepping into a trap wearing his heart like a blindfold.

If she warned him—if she told him what she knew—the soul fragment might lash out. It might crush her on the spot. She was standing on a thread. One wrong word and the whole test could collapse.

But if she said nothing...

He’ll damn himself.

Her breath came shallow. Her pulse pounded.

The king’s eyes—those golden, dead eyes—watched Liam closely. Not with empathy. Not with curiosity. But with calculation. The queen saw it now. This was more than a test. It was hunger.

And Liam was walking into it.

The queen had no power here. The tomb’s ancient magic had made sure of that. She was only here as a witness. Only Liam could pass this final trial.

But if he fell—if he made the wrong choice—it would cost everything.

She needed a way out. A way to delay the answer. A way to make Liam pause. Think, she begged herself. There must be something... anything...

But time was slipping.

And so was Liam.

The king raised a hand slowly, palm outstretched. "Then come," he said, voice like the chime of a funeral bell. "Swear it before me, and her soul shall rise."

The queen’s heart raced.

And Liam took a step forward.