📜 READER RULES
"A Realm Where Cowards Get Lost Twice"
1. This story uses a system structure.
Not a tax system, not a coding system— a choice-based survival system.
And every choice has consequences. (Yes, even the stupid ones.)
2. You must be as honorable as a grandmaster in desert chess.
Once your finger touches a pawn—no takebacks.
No crying. No "I didn't mean it."
Live with your decision.
3. Do NOT read all paths.
You're not an omniscient deity. Choose one route and stay loyal.
If you peek at the others, the jinn will judge your commitment issues.
The protagonist's fate is now in your hands.
If they die, that's between you and your conscience.
Do not DM the author at 2 a.m. to blame the plot twist.
5. Confused? Terrified? Regretting your choices?
Perfect.
That means the system works.
Proceed.
6. You may laugh, scream, or re-evaluate your life choices.
You may NOT go back and redo the chapter.
This is not a dating sim.
This is destiny—with lag.
***
Voices began to arrive. Not roars.
First—just a soft tremor in the ground.
Then a faint rustle between the glass-tree trunks.
Then short breaths, like a group of creatures excitedly stepping off a ride.
Rafi tensed.
"Bro…" he whispered, body leaning forward.
"Hear that?"
He swallowed.
"Astaghfirullaaaaah—!!!"
Sahim held his breath too. His eyes swept across the garden.
And then they came.
Out of the flower mist, the first figure appeared: a tall, slender body, moving as fluidly as a cat's shadow. Fur clung to it like frozen smoke. Its eyes—pure white. No pupils. Its mouth hung open, long sharp teeth jutting out.
If not for the flowers… this would be exactly the moment to run for their lives while reciting Ayat al-Kursi at full speed.
But what the creature did was—
"…BAAAAAAA."
It stopped right in front of Rafi and Sahim, tilting its head slightly. Its long tail swayed gently. Then, with a body that dangerous, it suddenly leaped to the side and…
ROLLED around in the flower bed like a puppy that just found a new mattress.
Silver mist bounced around it. The creature let out strange sounds—not growls, more like a "grrrp..prrr..prrr!" from the wrong server.
Sahim stiffened.
"Bro…" his voice thinned,
"…what… is it doing?"
A second creature emerged. Bigger. Longer fangs. Whiter, brighter eyes. It entered the same area—immediately started running little laps around the garden, crashing into flowers and flipping over like a parkour athlete absolutely high.
Another one came.
And another.
And another.
Within minutes, all the Nabat al-Muhayyil around them turned into…
A monster playground.
The creatures grabbed at flowers, rolled, leapt at each other, shoved, tumbled—each wearing an expression that, if translated into human language, would say:
"YO THIS IS SO FUN YOU HAVE TO TRY IT!!"
Rafi and Sahim sat frozen in the middle.
Two normal humans.
Surrounded by creatures that—if seen on a horror movie poster—would be an instant skip.
And yet now…
their biggest fear was… being invited to play.
One creature stopped right in front of Rafi. Its long teeth dangled. Its breath was hot. Its dark fur quivered—not with rage… but from excessive joy.
"Grrr–fffhhh–rrr!!"
It lowered its head and gently bumped Rafi's chest, like a cat asking to be petted. Rafi didn't move. Inside, he passed out seven times.
"Bro…" he whispered toward Sahim, barely moving his lips,
"…if I stand up and it asks me to sprint, I'll die of a heart attack first."
Sahim swallowed hard.
"Bro… I think… in this sun mode… the Nabat makes everything… happy-high."
He glanced at Rafi.
"Except for two people whose noses got baptized by the first pee of fortune."
Rafi nearly laughed and cried at the same time.
"So we're immune… because we got peed on…?"
"Partial immunity, bro. Insulting… but life-saving."
More and more of them kept coming.
Heavy steps from the right; a creature whose fur looked like black smoke mixed with green light. From the left, a shorter—but stockier—creature pushed into the flowers and immediately flopped onto its side, rubbing its back against the glowing petals.
All of them were smiling.
Yes—smiling.
With sharp teeth.
With layered jaws.
But still: smiling.
Sahim whispered, softly, afraid to disturb anything.
"Bro… if we stay here… I think they're going to try to… play chase with us…"
Sure enough.
The one that had been bumping Rafi's chest suddenly jumped back, arched its body like a cat about to sprint, tail low, white eyes glowing.
It hopped sideways.
Spun through the flowers.
Stopped again in front of Rafi.
Shoved his shoulder with its heavy head.
"Grrr–rrrh–!"
Sahim didn't need Google Translate.
"That's… universal language for: 'LET'S PLAY TAG,' Bro."
Rafi blinked very slowly.
"No. NO. I—NO. This is not the Doraemon Iniverse."
Sahim bit his lip. Very carefully, he leaned closer to Rafi.
"Bro… if we go along with it,
we'll be dragged far away, exhausted, and when the flower effect wears off…
they'll realize we're snacks."
Rafi's eyes widened slowly.
"If we STAY here…?"
Sahim looked around. More and more creatures poured in.
Some shapes were unclear.
Some were spiral.
Some looked like shadows that owned shadows.
And still, all of them… smiled.
"If we stay… we're like chairs in the middle of a concert.
Everyone plays around us, and we can't leave."
Rafi fell silent.
ZURQ still hung high in the sky.
The Nabat glowed softly.
The scent of pee was slowly losing the fight to the flowers.
Everything arriving—
arrived in a good mood.
For now.
He clenched his jaw.
"Okay."
His voice was quiet, but firm.
"Wait until the sun shifts a little. Once the light drops, this happy effect should weaken."
He glanced at the creature in front of him—currently busy chasing its own tail.
"We run while they're dancing."
Sahim frowned.
"So… stealth mode in the middle of a monster rave?"
Rafi nodded, face pale but resolve blazing.
"If we run now, we get chased as a pack.
If we run later, while they're distracted…"
He shrugged.
"Our survival chances go up a little."
"Don't forget to take these flowers. They might be useful."
Sahim nodded and took a deep breath.
"…ya Rabb… fine. Stealth strategy in a kindergarten garden for jinn."
ZURQ climbed toward its highest point.
The creatures' movements slowed.
Their strange laughter softened.
Some collapsed into lazy sprawls, rolling around with far less energy than before.
Rafi hunched low.
"NOWWW!!!"
They stood—slowly—
as slowly as humans can stand without setting off an alarm.
The creature in front of Rafi glanced once.
Let out a short "prrrk?" sound.
Then… went back to licking flower petals.
Rafi and Sahim threaded their way between massive resting bodies, dodging tails and long teeth that, under harsh logic, looked like decorative fences of death lined with smiles.
Flower mist brushed their legs.
Rafi's heart hammered his ribs.
Sahim gripped his bag so tightly his knuckles went white.
"Bro…" Sahim whispered,
"…if we survive this…
I'm unfollowing every account that says 'solo healing in nature is peaceful'."
They were almost at the garden's edge when something pressed against Rafi's leg. He flinched, biting back a scream. He looked down.
A small creature—the most "normal-looking" of all—was standing beside him.
Half a shin in height.
A soft, round body covered in short fur.
Big, round eyes, white with a faint green ring in the center.
Long ears drooping to the sides like a lazy dog.
It stared up at Rafi.
Let out a tiny sound:
"Hrrp!"
Then… stepped forward half a pace, keeping level with him.
Sahim hissed softly.
"Bro… bro… it's coming with us."
The little creature turned to Sahim, mouth parting slightly… almost like a smile. Its tiny tail—previously hidden—began to wag.
Rafi stared back.
"Will it… get mad if we leave it?"
The small creature rubbed its head against Rafi's shin. Gently. Then stood level again. As if saying:
"I'm coming. Period."
Sahim lifted his hands slightly.
"Bro… yeah. We can adopt it.
This isn't a monster.
This is… a cute pet."
Rafi wanted to scream "NOT NOW", but the distant sound cut through everything.
Not laughter.
Not joyful shrieks.
A roar.
Deep.
Vibrating.
Far… but felt in the bones.
The garden's light stretched their shadows away from the sound.
The lounging creatures suddenly raised their heads. Their ears pricked. White eyes sharpened. Some stood, hissing softly—not playfully now, but alert.
The happiness filter thinned.
Survival instinct returned.
Rafi clenched his jaw.
"This—this is our sign, bro. WE PICK UP THE PACE NOW."
He grabbed Sahim's arm. The small creature beside them stepped forward too, half a stride ahead.
They broke through the garden's edge, past the last line of Nabat al-Muhayyil. The floral scent slowly faded behind them. New smells rose: damp soil, something metallic, and… the raw smell of animals that have never known perfume.
They jogged—not a full sprint, but nowhere near a relaxed walk.
The tiny monster kept pace—its short legs working fast, tail still wagging, glancing back now and then as if keeping watch.
A few minutes later—
The glass forest thinned.
The trees grew denser, more solid.
ZURQ's light fell through the leaves in scattered patches.
And from ahead… right in front of them, between shadow and light…
A row of dozens of yellow flashes appeared.
Hovering above the ground.
Moving slowly.
Closing the gap.
Eyes.
Nothing but eyes.
Rafi slammed to a halt.
Sahim froze with him.
The little creature stopped too… then stepped forward half a pace, standing just a bit ahead of the two humans. Its tail stopped wagging.
"Bro…" Sahim whispered in panic,
"…those…"
Rafi swallowed, gaze locked on the wall of eyes.
"…I think we just left the playground…"
He inhaled slowly.
"…and walked straight into their dinner queue."
The creatures in front of them shifted—slowly, in unison. White teeth flashed between shadows. The small creature at Rafi's side let out a low sound, somewhere between a purr and a warning growl.
The world held its breath.
—To be Continued—