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They had lost so many companions—everyone who studied with them was gone—and now they found themselves falling downward toward an unknown fate, not knowing what awaited them or what they would encounter there. But they realized they would not die from this fall, for they found themselves descending slowly, as if there was no gravity. From afar, they glimpsed a city covered in some kind of structure; it seemed that life—human or otherwise—existed there, though they didn't know which.
When they reached the ground, a shepherd noticed them from afar. He approached and said: "You're back again. Unfortunately, you may never meet your loved ones again."
Adam asked: "What do you mean? Haven't we returned home?"
The man said: "You make me laugh! No! You haven't returned, and you will never return to your homeland. Anyone who survives a Playroom is brought to this place—a world without sun or moon. How do we see our surroundings? I don't know; perhaps fear of the darkness allows us to perceive it. Anyway, welcome. I will take you to the city where survivors live—those who have forgotten their families, their homes, and what they love or hate."
Amin asked: "So we will live as slaves?"
Ziad continued: "Alone, neglected, without purpose?"
Omnia said: "Who are we if we do not strive and pursue our goals?"
Adam replied: "Since entering here, we've changed. Perhaps because we left our usual lives behind, perhaps because we overcame our fears and learned from losing what surrounded us. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
Malah said: "Enough talk. I feel this air is poisonous!"
The old man said: "Yes! And if you stay like this, you will die. Wear these masks like me."
He threw them the masks; each of them put one on and followed him. They entered the city after a long walk, shocked to find such an advanced city in this place. The old man took the five of them to a foul alley, and behind a door covered with drawings, they found a young man surrounded by several tools. The old man left them there and said: "They are other returnees."
The young man spoke with a smile: "You must be shocked by what you've encountered before." (Everyone shook their heads, saying no.) "Well, I will start by explaining. This city is governed by clear laws: work, or you die. There are eight divisions: Exploration, Purification, Weapon Crafting, Medicine, Cooking, or Guarding."
Adam asked: "Okay, how can we return to our homeland and our world?"
The young man said: "That is nearly impossible, but not entirely. You must embark on a journey to a place no one knows—the place called 'Nimwa,' the farthest point in this world. The worst part is, anyone who reaches there will be chosen by the Lich, one of you, to take the place of this madman who will spend his life searching, transforming into a monster to serve the rest."
Omnia asked: "Who is the Lich?"
The young man said: "It is the true embodiment of fear. He is the controller, the creator of the Playrooms and all that is inside, the ruler of the random entities. So, do you still wish to leave?"
Adam: "Yes!"
As Adam was about to leave, the young man asked: "Will you fight the monsters with your bat or your fists?"
Adam: "Is there another option?"
Young man: "I know you will die, but I won't let you depart without help. Survivors of the Playrooms awaken a cell called 'Nivida' within them. This allows them to choose a single weapon to bind to their soul—losing this weapon means losing your soul. I will take you to the weapon crafter to choose your weapon."
When the group arrived at the weapon crafter, Amin and Adam were shocked to see who it was—their bus driver. They both shouted at once: "Abdul Razzaq?!!!"
They embraced him, and Adam said: "What are you doing here? Come with us!"
Abdul Razzaq said: "Unfortunately, I cannot travel with you. I've lost my men, and I cannot risk dying. I also have no family waiting for me—no mother, no father, no wife, no children."
Adam interrupted: "We!! We want you with us."
Abdul Razzaq: "I'm sorry. Don't make me cry; I've cried enough."
Adam and Amin hugged Abdul Razzaq and said: "We will come back and bring you."
Abdul Razzaq: "God willing! So, what weapons will give you power over your fear?"
Adam: "A light sword."
Amin: "A rifle."
Omnia: "A pistol."
Ziad: "A bow."
Malah: "Strong gloves."
Abdul Razzaq: "And the little child there?"
The child hid behind Adam. Adam said: "I don't think he wants a weapon."
Abdul Razzaq: "Ah, I see. Then, name your weapons something connected to a memory, a loved or hated thing."
Adam: "Dove of Peace."
Amin: "Tear."
Omnia: "Karma."
Malah: "The Judge."
Ziad: "Truth."
Abdul Razzaq had each of them place their hand into a hand-shaped mold. They felt a strange energy flow through a tube into a flask. Once full, he arranged the flasks and placed papers with their names next to each one. Weapon crafting would take time, so the young man named Van Jan made them work in cooking under Omnia's supervision and the famous city chef, Roko.
During this period, Omnia improved her cooking skills and learned to make a variety of dishes, unlike the others, who continued to mess things up and were eventually kicked out by the chef a day before the appointed day. That night, the group gathered at Van Jan's place until morning.
They arrived before Abdul Razzaq's workshop. Seeing them waiting, he said: "Haha, you seem excited to carry your weapons, which now contain your souls."
Adam and Amin helped him open the workshop. Abdul Razzaq placed the weapons beside each of them and said: "Simply, you can wield your weapons, which will add tremendous power and intelligence according to the strength of the 'Nivida' cells in each person."
Each of them took their weapon and went to thank the young man, but Abdul Razzaq stopped Adam, held him firmly, and said: "Adam, your soul has an ailment; it has an elevation in the higher self. Some evil touches it. Is there something you wish to speak about?"
Adam freed his hand and said simply: "No!"
Adam then followed the group to the young man who covered them with a boat and instructed them to take the sea route first, saying it was the correct first step toward Nimwa. He led them to the back of the city, where an unknown sea awaited—no one knew what lay beyond, and those who sailed it never returned to tell.
They sat in the boat. Adam began rowing. Some wind moved his hair, now reaching past his neck. Strangely, the sun appeared on this sea route as a sunset, never changing its position. Adam continued rowing, smiling falsely at the young man as he drifted with the water, then stopped rowing.
Omnia touched his hair and smiled, sensing an old connection. She said: "Your hair has grown longer than before."
He replied: "Yes," but it seemed he saw something sad within himself, not Omnia, who secretly admired or loved him. He stepped back and said: "Tell me about your father, with whom you live, and your mother, who entered the Playroom."
Omnia: "Since losing my mother in a random Playroom, my father changed—or rather, revealed the hidden evil inside him. He became drunk and abusive in front of me every day. Despite all this, and even though he traded drugs before me and brought prostitutes home, I tolerated him as a father. Once, I received a text from my mother's phone, so she apparently found a way to communicate with those outside the Playrooms and shared that information with me. When my father discovered this, he took the phone, smashed it, and kept shouting: 'Your mother is just a whore! A whore! She ruined my life!!!'"
Adam said: "So, what bad luck for you."
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