[[[[ Raneem's Perspective ]]]]
I'm feeling thirsty.
_ How long has it been?
Sama asked and then answered herself,
_ Maybe two hours.
(Sattam): Why do we have to follow the rules!? I have a better idea—let's start hunting the pursuers instead of running from them. It's the same thing as long as they don't catch us, right?
(Sama): You clearly weren't paying attention to the explanation! We don't lose just because they catch us—they only need to find us. If they manage to catch us, they get extra points in the final evaluation. That's it.
(Sattam): I don't remember him saying any of that nonsense!
(Sama, annoyed): You don't remember anything at all.
The two of them started arguing, and as I was listening, something else caught my full attention.
Not just one—but hundreds of tiny dolls stood above us, staring down at us.
I froze in place, my body trembling in fear, and I spoke with difficulty,
_ Sama… Sama, ab… ab… above us!!!
The two looked at me with confusion, then raised their heads—and when they saw what I saw, they both froze too.
Suddenly, all the dolls smiled at us.
I screamed and ran, with Sama running right behind me.
(Sattam, terrified): Stay back!! I can crush you with my swords, you bastards! If any of you come closer, I'll smash you—wait… … I… I'm sorry, mom…
Sattam turned and fled, running after us.
We ran—I don't know for how long—but I could barely breathe, and my legs gave out beneath me. I collapsed.
Sattam ran back, picked me up, and continued running alongside Sama.
While we ran, I saw someone on the side—not too far away. I was terrified for a second, but then I quickly realized it was that strange girl, Shahad.
_ Run! Don't just stand there!
My voice faded as we passed her, and I didn't know what would happen to her… and Sattam didn't dare stop… or maybe he didn't see Shahad—I don't know.
. . .
[[[ General Perspective ]]]
"This is interesting," thought Zeus as he watched Shahad, who in turn was observing the stone dolls with curiosity and not even a hint of fear.
Hundreds of smiling dolls had gathered around her, and suddenly she reached out to pick one up.
Zeus hadn't given that doll any orders and grew curious about what the girl was planning to do.
(Shahad): You're not alive.
"How did she realize that!?" Zeus was shocked and felt a twinge of fear when he looked at the girl.
(Shahad): How are you moving?
Zeus made the doll stand and write in the dirt with its finger: "I am alive."
(Shahad): You're a robot.
"There's something strange about this girl," Zeus thought and decided to have the doll ask her how she knew.
(Shahad): That's because you don't talk.
"Wait a second! What? … I think I finally get what's going on. This girl is just a lunatic, like that psychopath… that reminds me, I need to contact them when I get the chance," Zeus thought, recalling the insane man who'd been killed by the two officers. He also wondered about Soray, Beatrix, and news of his family, friends, and cousins.
Zeus left, and the dolls retreated as well—at a precise, measured speed. The goal wasn't to catch the kids early but to drive them toward a predetermined path.
Zeus was able to steer them by deploying dolls along the paths he didn't want them to take and leaving the desired path clear.
What Zeus didn't realize was that Shahad was running after him and the dolls too, despite being slow and constantly tripping. Still, she kept going so she wouldn't lose their trail.
.....
Raneem, Sattam, and Sama arrived at a wide cave with a dark tunnel inside whose destination wasn't clear.
Behind them, the dolls closed the exit.
Sattam unsheathed his short, curved swords and took a combat stance.
To overcome his fear, he decided to attack first—charging forward, screaming madly.
As for the girls, they decided to run deeper into the cave, but they hadn't taken more than a few steps before something massive moved in the darkness.
(Sama): What is that!?
The girls backed up slowly while Sattam kept slashing dolls left and right—until he was overwhelmed by their sheer numbers and pinned down.
From the shadows emerged a giant doll, three meters tall. Unlike the smaller dolls, what made it unique—besides its size—was that it was missing an eye and had a partially broken body, giving it an ancient, mysterious aura.
The small dolls leapt to pin down the girls as well, and Zeus could hear their screams from outside the cave.
Not far away, Shahad hid when she heard the screams. Zeus could still see her, though she couldn't see him.
...
"First, let's get dressed."
Carved stone pieces with rune markings flew toward Zeus, assembling into a rock armor with a mask—moving stone pupils, a shut mouth, a long nose, and spiky long hair.
Zeus now looked like an ancient demonic being, standing nearly three meters tall.
He leapt from a 20-meter height and landed at the cave entrance.
Shahad witnessed the scene and hid behind the rocks.
Zeus entered the cave and saw the three kids tied up in the center of the chamber, with the small dolls dancing around them in a circle.
The giant doll was silently watching them.
The trio were crying in fear, and whenever one of the dancing dolls got close, they'd scream in terror.
Sattam, even while crying, barely made a sound.
When Zeus entered in his monstrous form, the three turned toward him. The dolls stopped dancing and lined up on the sides.
The giant doll stood ready as Zeus spoke—altering his voice using a simple program in his bracelet.
His new voice was terrifying, matching his tone and words, amplifying the dread.
(Zeus): ...
(Sattam): We didn't notice it, sir, please—we're sorry! We won't do it again!
(Zeus): You shattered my children. You killed them, filthy human. And you—you killed my son too!
(Raneem): I didn't do anything! Please let me go—I didn't kill anyone!
(Zeus): YOU! You're the worst of them. You were making poison to kill my children! You were going to murder them all, weren't you?
Raneem was shocked and spoke frantically, terrified.
_ No, no—it's not like that! I was making the poison to kill my teacher, not your children! Please believe me—the poison I make can't hurt stone, it only kills humans!
Zeus gave her a cold look, then yelled in anger—amplifying his voice through a sound booster:
_ Stones!!? Did you say STONES!!? You call my children mere stones!? Is that why you crushed and killed them!? Because you see them as just rocks!? And you were going to kill your teacher too!?… You are the filthiest creatures I've ever seen!… You don't deserve to live—I'll kill you… no, I'll torture you to death. I won't kill you quickly… take them to the slaughterhouse. First, we'll skin them and cut off their hands and feet… then we'll burn them alive.
The three were stunned by the monster's words. When the dolls started dragging them deeper into the cave, they screamed in horror—Sama even fainted from sheer terror.
"Finally, I fulfilled my promise to myself. Since they've wet themselves, it's time to end this act… or better yet, let's wait for the dramatic moment. That'll make my entrance unforgettable."
Zeus stepped out of the rocky suit, left it walking inward by itself, and waited for the perfect moment to intervene.
Sattam and Raneem watched as the beastly leader sat on a giant stone throne, with the giant doll standing beside him.
The dolls began to pin them down and pulled out sharp-edged stones, surrounding them. No matter how much Sattam or Raneem tried, they couldn't gather the strength to resist.
Their legs were useless, and their bodies felt like jelly from fear.
At that moment, just as despair overtook them, they heard a familiar voice from outside the tunnel.
(Zeus): You bastards! Didn't I tell you not to hide forever!? Didn't I make it clear that you had to be back before dark!!?
(Sattam): Sir, save me… we're here—please hurry, sir!
(Raneem): Master, please help me—I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!
The dolls backed off and took combat stances.
Zeus entered calmly, and the dolls rushed at him—only for him to unleash twenty daggers flying around him at high speed, forming a mini-storm that shredded every doll that entered its range.
Oddly, not a single doll managed to get past the flying blades, despite nearly 200 attacking at once.
All the dolls were destroyed, and Sattam started laughing maniacally from joy.
The monster leader gave a signal to the giant doll to attack. It did—and Zeus dodged its heavy punch that shattered the wall behind him.
Zeus released chains that coiled around the rock beast like snakes, tightening and constricting.
The giant fell, trying hard to break free but to no avail. The chains didn't seem strong enough to crush it by pressure alone…
Or so Zeus made it appear. His chains were strong enough to destroy this type of stone—but he had a show to put on.
The monster leader stood tall and grinned wide, met by an even wider grin and a look of challenge from Zeus.
Sattam and Raneem watched the scene, holding their breath, cheering for their master with all their hearts.