The valley trembled under the monks' fury. Their chants rose in unison, a deep, resonant hum that shook Ahmed's ribcage and made his teeth chatter. Auras swirled like visible storms, each monk radiating the crushing pressure of decades—no, centuries—of spiritual discipline.
Ahmed staggered back, clutching Nana to his chest like a shield. "Nope. Nope! This is unfair! All I did was ask them to smile! Since when is failing etiquette punishable by death?!"
Whorina's velvet voice slid like a blade into his ear.
"Oh, honey… you don't understand monks. Their smiles are sacred. To them, you've tried to desecrate a thousand years of restraint. In their eyes? You're not just a fool—you're blasphemy incarnate."
Ahmed's jaw trembled. "BLASPHEMY?! I didn't even curse! I just—oh heavens, they're glowing brighter!"
Liuyue calmly sheathed her sword. "This outcome was predictable. You should have puffed out your chest more assertively."
Ahmed shrieked. "THIS IS NOT ABOUT MY CHEST, LIUYUE!"
Tsu Nan clasped his hands behind his back, watching the charging monks with absolute serenity. "Magnificent. By becoming their enemy, you will unlock their true depth. A strategist's dream!"
Ahmed pointed at him in despair. "YOU'RE INSANE!"
And Nana, tugging at Ahmed's shirt, chirped, "Mama… rock hungry."
He nearly fainted.
The Unexpected Intervention
The monks advanced, blades flashing, when suddenly—
A cry split the air.
It wasn't a battle cry. It was high-pitched, fragile, and soaked in grief.
Everyone froze.
From behind the ranks of monks, a small girl stumbled forward. Her robe was too long, sleeves dragging in the dirt. Her eyes were red, tears streaking down her face. She couldn't have been more than eight.
The eldest monk raised his hand, and the formation halted instantly. His gaze softened as he turned toward the child.
"Daughter."
Ahmed blinked. Daughter? Wait—the Great Elder has a kid?
The little girl hiccuped through her sobs, pointing a tiny finger at Ahmed.
"Father… he's funny looking. Don't kill him yet."
Ahmed's knees buckled. "I-I'll take it! Mercy through mockery, I'll take it!"
But the elder's voice was grave. "This man has disrespected our vow of stillness. He must be punished."
The girl stomped her foot, tears spilling faster. "You always punish! You never laugh! You never play! Mother's gone, and you won't even smile for me anymore!"
The valley fell silent.
Ahmed's heart cracked. Even Whorina paused, her laughter dying mid-breath.
Ahmed's Desperate Idea
Ahmed glanced around. Monks glaring. Companions utterly useless. Death looming.
And yet… there was the child.
Her tiny fists clenched. Her eyes filled with the kind of sorrow Ahmed recognized too well: the kind of ache that doesn't heal with silence.
For once, something inside Ahmed wasn't about fear, or humiliation, or even survival.
He crouched down, scooping mud into his glowing blue hands. His companions stared at him in confusion.
"What… are you doing?" Liuyue asked.
Ahmed molded the mud with trembling fingers. He pressed, smoothed, pinched little shapes, his face furrowed in concentration. Finally, he held up a lumpy figure with crooked ears and a misshapen nose.
A mud animal.
He set it on the ground and wiggled it toward the girl with exaggerated movements.
"Rawr," Ahmed croaked, forcing a silly voice. "Beware the mighty… uh… mud bunny! Fierce guardian of the valley!"
The girl blinked, her tears pausing.
Whorina's laughter slithered back, low and cruel.
"Oh, look at you, darling. Playing with children. How wholesome. Don't forget you're still a glowing blue idiot about to be executed. Go on—make her laugh while you still have a head."
Ahmed grit his teeth. "Shut up, Whorina. Just this once."
He made the mud bunny hop, fall over, get back up, and pretend to sneeze mud.
The girl's lips quivered. Her eyes widened.
And then—
She laughed.
It was a small laugh, cracked from crying, but it was real. Pure.
The valley trembled again—but this time, it was not from anger.
The monks' weapons lowered. Shock rippled through their ranks. The Great Elder's stoic mask cracked for a heartbeat, his eyes wet.
Ahmed exhaled shakily. I did it. I actually…
Nana's Jealousy
"NO!"
The shriek came from Nana.
Her little face scrunched, her teeth bared. She stomped her tiny feet, glaring at the laughing girl like a rival.
"Mama play with ME! Not stranger! Nana no share Mama!"
Ahmed paled. "Nana, wait, it's not—"
But it was too late.
Nana's hands glowed faintly, unstable power pulsing around her small body. She slapped the ground.
The earth shuddered. Mud surged upward, swirling, shaping.
Within moments, an enormous mud golem loomed beside Ahmed's tiny mud bunny. Twice Ahmed's height, crude but imposing, its fists slammed together with a thunderous squelch.
The monks immediately raised their weapons again, eyes blazing.
The little girl gasped, her laughter replaced with terror.
And Nana pointed furiously at the mud bunny. "Crush! Smash Mama's toy! Only Nana play with Mama!"
The mud golem roared and charged after the poor lumpy bunny.
Ahmed shrieked. "NANA, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
Chaos Erupts
The valley spiraled into chaos.
Monks dashed forward to intercept the golem. Their chants filled the air, summoning spiritual light, but each strike only splattered mud, which reformed instantly. The beast rampaged in circles, stomping gardens, knocking over fences, flattening training posts.
Ahmed threw himself at the bunny, scooping it up before the golem's fist could obliterate it. "No! Don't kill it, it's symbolic!"
The girl screamed. "Save Bunny!"
Nana screamed louder. "NO! MAMA LOVE NANA ONLY!"
Whorina was practically howling in Ahmed's mind.
"Ohhh, this is rich! You're being outdone by a toddler, darling. She just made a stronger summon than you! The monks will love you forever—as the man who brought doom via childcare jealousy!"
Ahmed ran in frantic circles, clutching the mud bunny like a lifeline. "STOP COMMENTATING AND HELP ME!"
Liuyue leapt forward, sword flashing. "I will slay the beast!"
Ahmed blocked her path, screaming. "NO! You can't! If you kill it, Nana will cry—and then she'll probably summon a mud DRAGON!"
Liuyue hesitated. "…Fair point."
Tsu Nan clasped his hands, eyes sparkling with awe. "Behold! A brilliant strategy! Ahmed has weaponized sibling rivalry to summon unstoppable constructs. Genius!"
Ahmed wheezed. "I'M NOT DOING THIS ON PURPOSE!"
The Fix
Ahmed dropped to his knees in the mud, slamming his fists into the ground. "Okay, think, think… I can't fight it. I can't run. How do I fix this without making it worse?!"
Whorina's voice dripped acid.
"You can't. You're Ahmed—the Pretty Useless One. You ruin everything you touch. This is just another disaster with your name smeared all over it."
His hands shook. He looked at the crying girl, at Nana's jealous fury, at the monks' drawn blades.
"No… not this time," he muttered.
Scooping mud again, Ahmed began shaping faster, his glowing fingers moving with frantic precision. He made another animal—this one larger than the bunny, but smaller than Nana's golem. A floppy-eared dog, tongue lolling, tail wagging.
He set it down.
The mud dog bounded toward the mud golem, barking playfully. The golem paused mid-swing, confused.
Ahmed shouted, "Look, Nana! The golem's not smashing—it's playing fetch! See? Mama made a friend for your toy!"
Nana blinked. Her little fists unclenched. "Play… with Nana's toy?"
The mud dog barked again, wagging.
The golem tilted its muddy head. Then, slowly, it stopped rampaging. Its enormous fist gently poked the dog. The dog licked it.
The monks froze, their weapons halfway raised.
The little girl gasped. "It's… playing."
Ahmed, covered in mud and sweat, collapsed onto his back. "Yes… yes it is. Please, for once, let this be enough."
Epilogue Cliffhanger :
The valley finally quieted. The monks lowered their blades, staring in stunned disbelief at the bizarre tableau: their Great Elder's crying daughter giggling beside a mud bunny, a mud dog, and a mud golem—playing together in the dirt.
The Great Elder's face trembled, his expression on the edge of breaking.
And then—
He smiled.
The valley itself seemed to shiver at the impossible sight.
Ahmed's eyes widened. "Oh no. That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?"
Whorina whispered, her voice trembling with delight.
"Oh, darling… you just made the unsmiling elder smile. And now? You've broken something sacred."
The ground cracked open beneath them, ancient seals shattering as light spilled forth.
Ahmed screamed, clutching Nana and the mud bunny alike.
[TO BE CONTINUED....]