Xerxes was petrified by her appearance.
What now? Should I say I'm not your daddy?
The unresponsive behavior from Xerxes made the girl stop smiling and gaze directly at him. She repeated, "Papa," and stepped closer to Xerxes. "Can you get the moon for me?" Xerxes felt like maybe the unsettling smile wasn't that bad after seeing the serious expression on her face.
Let's just say it—I'm not your papa. She looks like she's going to annihilate me if I don't say something right this second...
Xerxes was about to speak when someone grabbed his arm and started sprinting away from the little girl at such a terrifying speed that Xerxes stumbled a few times, struggling to keep up. They didn't stop until they reached the house and entered through the front door, slamming it behind them. They panted heavily, trying to catch their breath. Only then did Xerxes realize it was Nova.
"Where were you both? We were beginning to worry," Bailey asked, a bit taken aback by the sudden run-in. "What were you fleeing from?" Lucas stepped forward, checking to make sure the door was locked securely.
They were both fortunate that the mountain had no trees, making it a clear path from there to the house. Otherwise, Xerxes was certain the little girl wouldn't have left them alone so easily. Nova was the first to regulate his breathing, so he spoke first.
"It was the same little girl Kai had drawn."
***
They explained the entire situation as they sat down and drank water.
"Was she really chasing you? That's so terrifying," Savannah said, frightened by the image of her following them in the dark.
Nova looked at Xerxes for the answer. He clearly had been too focused on running away to see if she had actually been following them. "I didn't have the time to look behind either. I was too busy trying to keep up with you," Xerxes replied.
"Kai, transcribe the story word for word." Lucas had already prepared a pencil and a stack of papers for Kai to reproduce the story for them.
Kai got to work immediately, pausing frequently to recall the dialogue from the book he had read in his childhood. He finished an hour later, having written a total of...
"That's it? Barely two pages?" Nova read the story repeatedly, but he still couldn't believe it was so brief. They had really gotten lucky with this book, he thought.
"What do you mean that's it? How are we supposed to acquire the moon?" Gerald shouted angrily at the ridiculous request. He was nearing the edge of insanity. There was no way they could obtain the moon. The dungeon was simply a trap for their demise. He gritted his teeth and removed his glasses to rub his exhausted eyes.
The loud shout had startled Elise, who was crying uncontrollably while Bailey held her, walking back and forth, rocking her in her arms.
"There should still be a way to obtain the moon for the story to progress. The moon is required, even if it seems absurd. The dungeons always have a method to complete the story. That has been proven by countless professional infiltrators," Lucas's voice was tinged with frustration. Even though he spoke in a steady tone, he was clearly fed up with the others. "We can proceed to the next phase now. Since Monica has done her part for now, we need to find the ladder and retrieve the moon." He sighed and placed his head on Savannah's shoulder, appearing drained.
Mary, the little girl's first dialogue, was the infamous line: "Papa, can get the moon for me?"
"But when I didn't respond, she looked like she wanted to kill me. However, her papa didn't reply to her either. He was a man of action; he simply got a ladder and retrieved the moon for her." Xerxes was beginning to feel despondent. Why did Mary threaten him? Was he that unlikable? Maybe that was why he could never any make friends in all his life.
"How much milk can one drink in a day? Leave some for me too!"
"Why are you drinking so much when you can't even use the restroom?"
Nova and Kai were arguing over the last bottle of milk in their own world. No one was paying attention to Xerxes. Feeling even more depressed, he headed upstairs to sink into solitude. But even that wish wasn't granted, because Mary was standing at the end of the bed, gazing at the moon's profile from the wide open window.
Xerxes was terrified, but his feet were still moving forward. Once again, his mind and body were on two different chapters. He actually went inside the bedroom and sat on the bed, his eyes never leaving Mary's figure.
Mary appeared less menacing as she stared at the moon, and she wasn't moving either. So Xerxes's nerves began to settle slowly when Nova burst through the door, screaming his name at the top of his lungs.
"Xerxes!"
Startled by the voice, Mary ran toward Xerxes at breakneck speed, about to strike him in the face. But she dispersed like a soul finding a new body to inhabit.
"What was that?" Nova couldn't clearly see where the black smoke originated from. He looked around the room, puzzled.
Xerxes's upper body fell flat on the bed behind him; his soul had left his body.
"I... I thought I was going to die..." he blinked rapidly.