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After several attempts, Group C managed to convince Nada to come down with them. Each one turned on their flashlight to find family photos. Hussam was astonished: "Family photos in the school? There never was a basement in this school. It must be that the Playrooms' randomness creates new places."
Yahya shouted to the others: "I found several diaries and photos!"
Nada sat on the chair and examined the photos, which showed a family that seemed noble and wealthy. However, they could not identify the family except for one man—they guessed the diary belonged to him, as it was signed "Alcont Dictrist Morantin." Upon reading, he wrote:
> "I, Alcont, like any normal human man, have a family: my wife, my daughter, and my son…"
The photos showed a couple with a child and a daughter. But what shocked the group was not the family itself; what terrified them was the information in the diary that flipped their perception and revealed much. The diary read:
> "As a secret supernatural researcher like myself, always seeking the new and the greatest, I sacrificed everything before and behind me to achieve the impossible. At three in the morning, after my wife and children were asleep, I took my car and headed toward the Bolman Palace, the infamous residence of the Nika family, who held a secret no one could uncover. I took enough food, water, and clothes to survive inside the house for a whole month. During this month, no news reached my family or children, by my own command.
I searched every photo, every corner of the palace, and thanks to my analytical skills, I discovered that the paintings and the number of corners formed a symbol or code pointing to directions. I drew the directions on a paper but didn't know the correct sequence, so I tried permutations until the possibilities exceeded a hundred. In the end, I discovered something unforeseen: a transparent passage with glass barriers in the garden of the palace. I relied on touch until I felt a box, which I opened to find a pendant and a book with a skull in the center, made of human bones.
I entered the palace and began reading until I finished in one day. The concept was that the rituals in the book would grant me immortality and eternal life. Tempted, I wore the pendant called Flactri, lit the candles, and brought the spiritual stones recommended by my friend from Egypt—ancient Egyptian stones generating immense spiritual energy. As I performed the rituals, my skin peeled from my body, my internal organs vanished, my horns grew, and my human nature turned suddenly into savagery. Everything around me folded into darkness as I transformed into a Lich, a mythical creature.
Suddenly, while alone in the darkness, fear crept in. My thoughts took shape on the ground, creating a world where everything scared me, making me the embodiment of fear—and fear for you, the reader of my diary. You can only read it if you exist in the world I created."
The diary slammed shut with force, floated in the air, and opened again, revealing blood-written words:
> "Fear is me, and as long as you are afraid, you will not leave my world!!"
Nada's fear increased greatly. The group sensed movement in the room. Hussam shone his flashlight into a corner to reveal a very tall shadowy figure, with glowing white circular eyes. As soon as they shone the light on it, it moved. Yahya guessed it was a Shadow Monster afraid of light, having read about it in magazines. He instructed everyone to shine their lights on it, and they ran quickly—except Nada, who did not face her fear and remained frozen, allowing the entity to possess her body and drain her blood.
Kawthar witnessed this while crying, unable to help. Hussam nudged her to move, and the last thing Kawthar saw of her friend Nada was a calm tear and a faint smile. The group found themselves in a lit corridor, and Kawthar fell to the ground in disbelief at what had happened. Hussam sat, breathing heavily, and Yahya stood unsure of what to do. He finally said:
"Let's go back to the classroom; maybe it's a safe place… (laughs) What if we stay here until it dies?"
The others followed, each carrying deep sorrow toward the classroom, which would soon become a crime scene, leaving no sense of safety.
Group A, meanwhile, found the classroom had been the site of a massacre. Manal was the only survivor. Malah threw himself at her: "What happened? Speak!!!"
Amnia searched the bodies and was shocked at the manner of death: "They were killed by a random entity, it seems."
Manal stammered: "Y-yes… the school… was hideous in shape."
Adam asked: "What did you do to survive?"
Manal replied: "It was asking questions, and anyone who answered wrongly or said anything was killed. I remembered your advice and stayed silent until the bell rang."
Suddenly, Team C arrived, noticing Malak's dire state. She noticed Nada missing: "No no no no! Don't tell me…?!?!?!"
Yahya said: "Nada is dead, unfortunately, everyone."
Ameen added: "And Maryam too… Team C is without Manal."
Everyone fell silent, sitting in a gloomy atmosphere. Some showed their grief, like Salma, who cried for her lost friends. Malak wiped her tears, then shouted fiercely:
"Everyone!!! There's no time for crying. Sadness won't change reality. Our actions will change reality! I will not let fate control my story!!! I will sacrifice myself for those dear to me!!!"
Her speech enraged everyone against the entities. Malah stood and said:
"Comrades, I'll go on a solo mission. Adam gave me the monster identification cards. I'll bring you weapons and search for Ziyad. Stay here and care for the injuries of Team C. It's time to settle some scores."
Malah left, carrying a baseball bat, a walkie-talkie, a large bag, and a flashlight. The others remained silent, exhausted and powerless to stop him.
Malah wandered through the corridors, opening doors in search of anything useful. By chance, he entered a huge, spacious room where weapons hung from thin strings and a chest at the far end was filled with baseball bats. When Malah grabbed a weapon, cubes like barriers sprouted from the ground, and a French soldier in Napoleonic attire appeared, carrying two rifles. He threw one at Malah, who ducked behind a barrier as the counter began.
Malah guessed it was a laser game like the ones he played before coming here. The soldier started shooting at him, and though he had no experience with real weapons, it turned out the rifles fired plastic bullets. One hit Malah, peeling his skin at the point of impact. The counter showed that ten hits would explode his body—and the same for the wooden soldier.
Suddenly, Malah heard a dog barking beside him, making him jump in fear, unaware of the presence of dogs in the Playrooms. The dog belonged to Marwa, accompanied by Ziyad, who carried a backpack with supplies, a sickle, a stick, and a bat. Malah was shocked:
"You idiot! Where have you been all this time? I crossed your name off, thinking you were dead!"
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