The princess pointed to the digital screen above their heads.   

OPTION 1: GUESS THE FLOOR WHERE DANAËL IS LOCATED TO JOIN HIM. IF YOU GUESS WRONG, YOU WILL BE SENT TO FLOOR N1  

OPTION 2: SURVIVE 10 SECONDS ON THE TOP FLOOR. YOU WILL HAVE 50 ATTEMPTS. EACH TIME YOU FAIL, YOU WILL RETURN TO THE FIRST FLOOR FOR ONE MINUTE BEFORE CONTINUING YOUR NEXT ATTEMPT  

YOU HAVE 15 MINUTES TO DECIDE   

 Dod read the options carefully before addressing the princess:  

“Okay, dear princess, which option do you prefer? Death or death?” Dod said sarcastically.   

The princess raised her eyebrows and then moved a few inches away from the tree to make room for Dod, who had now stood up straight.   

 “Let's weigh the pros and cons, shall we?”  

 ‘The cons and the cons, you mean.’  

 “Right, are you done being so pessimistic?!” Exclaimed the princess, slightly irritated.   

 “What will happen if we don't choose anything?” 

 “I don't know, Dod, and quite frankly, I don't want to find out. The only question we need to ask ourselves now is this: which of these two options gives us the best chance of survival?” 

Dod remained thoughtful for a few moments, watching the clock and the seconds ticking away. They already had only five minutes left. If the young boy had woken up a little later, Evangeline would have had to choose on her own.   

“The option that seems most appealing to me is number 2.”  

 The princess seemed disappointed with Dod's answer, as she replied:  

“I was leaning more towards option number 1 myself. I'm assuming that we won't be able to guess which floor Danaël is on, but even if we're wrong, going back to floor number 1 wouldn't be hell compared to option 2.” 

“That's where you're wrong, Princess. Going back to floor number 1 would literally be hell,” he replied calmly.  

 “Come on! At least we know what to expect there!”  

"That's not the problem, Princess. The problem is that we're running out of time. Personally, I don't feel capable of clearing all the floors we've barely passed through, let alone the rest of the floors. If what you say is true, at least I've already broken through the imaginary barrier. I don't need to explain it to you; you already know, every drop of Fantasia counts, now more than ever."  

“You do realize that the last floor is the most dangerous of all? The artefact that powers the rest of this dimension is guarded by one or more monsters even more powerful than anything we've faced so far!” 

 “I just killed a gargoyle all by myself, with ten seconds and 50 attempts; I like my chances,” replied Dod, struggling to his feet.   

“I had the decency to wait for you to wake up before making my choice, and this is how you thank me?! You could at least consider both options!” The princess stood up in turn, glaring fiercely at Dod.   

“That's what I did! I just gave you clear and precise reasons for both options. If you're not happy, you can go fuck yourself!!”  

“Watch your language! Need I remind you that I am the second princess of the...”  

“That means nothing to me!” Exclaimed Dod, grabbing the princess by the collar. "Your title is worthless here. In this dimension, you are no better than me or Danaël! So you can keep your haughty, bourgeois remarks to yourself!!"  

 The princess brushed Dod's hands away with a sharp flick.  

"I've understood your game from the start! You're just a pessimist, and you've been looking to die from the beginning! I can't trust you knowing that... You know what, Dod, you're nothing but a lout! I should have gone with Danaël!"  

“That's fine, I was thinking exactly the same thing! At least it would have saved me a headache!”   

ONE MINUTE REMAINING BEFORE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NON-RISK ZONE   

Dod and Evangeline, now silent, exchanged a brief glance. At least now they knew what would happen if they didn't make a decision.  

 “Hey princess, I wanted to say...” 

 “Yes, I accept your apology, Dod.”  

 “That's not what I was going to say,” Dod frowned, "listen, I don't think we're going to survive. I'd rather be honest with you, that's how I feel, whether I like it or not, until we're out of this mess, I can't imagine being out of this mess. Do you understand? Despite everything... I can't just let myself die without doing anything. I made a promise to Dan, and I can't let him down. I'm not that selfish. If you don't trust me, I won't hold it against you. Sometimes I don't trust myself. The only thing I would ask of you is to trust my friendship with Dan, because to be honest with you, it's the only thing keeping me alive right now. So, when I tell you that I think option 2 is our best chance of survival, believe me when I say I'm not trying to die."  

30 SECONDS LEFT  

 The princess smiled slightly before placing her hand on Dod's right shoulder.