"one...two.... three..., ran..."
Mathias shouted, his heart racing as fear coursed through his veins. He knew they were outmatched.
Alone, they may have been able to fend off a single predator, but two? A lion and a python were far too dangerous. Armed with only their spears, they couldn't afford to lose them—not like Gipir, whose bravery had almost cost him dearly.
As they fled, the ground seemed to tremble beneath their feet with the weight of the pursuing beasts.
Jack grasped Marcus's hand tightly, but with a spear in his other grasp, he couldn't run fast enough. "Mathias!" he shouted, desperation lacing his voice. "We need to move faster!"
Mathias, glancing back, saw Marcus lagging behind. Without a second thought, jack too wanted to hold Mary's hand, passed the spear he had to mathias for a moment to free his other hand.
"Hold on, Mary! We'll make it!" But the lion and python were relentless.
Suddenly, the lion lunged, leaping over Marcus in a blur of muscle and teeth.
Time seemed to slow as Mathias reacted instinctively. He combined the spears into one bundle, all the ten spears together. The python, massive and coiling, continued its pursuit from the other side too.
But as soon as Mathias combined all the ten spears together, a dazzling gleam appeared, and the gate opened, it happened that they weren't meant to take bake the spears to the old woman, rather they were to join all the ten together , and that would be the key to opening of the gate.
"Go!" Mathias urged, shoving Marcus through the shimmering doorway, followed closely by Jack and others.
The moment they stepped through, they woke on their world. But Mathias was not yet safe. The lion, in a final desperate attempt, snagged the hem of his clothing with its teeth.
"NO!" Mathias cried as he felt the sharp claws raking his flesh. He fell to the ground, the world spinning around him as the lion's jaws opened wide.
In a moment of clarity, he remembered the small bottle of kerosene he kept in his pockets.
Desperately, he unscrewed the cap and splashed the liquid towards the lion's face. The animal recoiled, momentarily blinded by the attack. Mathias fumbled to ignite his lighter, and as the flames flickered, he lit the lion's mane.
The creature roared in anguish, its fiery shock causing the python to slither away into the darkness.
But Mathias felt the burn as well, sharp pain lancing through him. He staggered back toward the gate, bruised but determined, barely managing to slip through before collapsing on his bed.
On the other side, Max, Nathan, and Abby immediately raised the alarm when Mathias didn't return. The panic overtook them as minutes turned into what felt like eternities. Finally, they stormed into his room, only to find him returned but severely injured.
Max, their doctor and a fellow player, acted swiftly, treating Mathias's wounds as best as he could.
In the midst of the chaos, Marcus's worry for Mathias kept him restless, robbed of sleep, and unable to think straight. In the dead of night, he quietly left his own home and knocked at Mathias's door.
"Mathias!" he called, anxiety lacing his voice. "Where's Mathias?" Abraham answered the door, alarmed.
"He's sleeping," Abraham said carefully. But Marcus remained undeterred, determination reflecting in his eyes.
"I won't leave until I see him!" he insisted, waiting outside Mathias's door through the chilly night.
Max emerged finally, trying to redirect him. "You'll wake him! Please, just come back another time."
However, Marcus's loyalty was unwavering.
"I'll sit here until I see him."
As dawn finally broke, Matthias opened the door, and his heart warmed at the sight of Marcus.
"Silly boy!"
He chuckled, and returned shortly with a blanket, wrapping it around his friend's shivering shoulders.
Just then, Mathias's phone rang, pulling them from the moment. A serious voice crackled through the phone.
"You're needed immediately," Bruce said, urgency palpable in his tone.
"Thank you for covering me," Marcus murmured, folding the blanket neatly as he prepared to leave.
"Take care of yourself," Mathias replied, concern creeping into his eyes.
The day dragged on, but Marcus felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. Arriving at the police station, he found Bruce waiting.
"MARCUS! What happened to you?" Bruce asked incredulously.
"I just had a rough night," Marcus replied, fatigue evident in his tone.
" OC needs you."
As he entered the OC's office, he felt the tension in the air.
"Marcus," the OC began, "You're the best detective Solot Town has ever had, but what has happened? Why have you failed to get any clue till now? And....have you seen today's news paper?"
The OC then handed him the new paper and on the front page was his picture and the headline was.
" SOLOT INCOMPETENT DETECTIVE."
Confusion spread across Marcus's face as he scanned the front page, where his photo loomed ominously beneath the headline:
He felt the anger boil within him, crumpling the paper as if it were a worthless piece of trash.
"How is this my fault?" he thought bitterly, knowing the sacrifices he had made. He had endured the deadly realm filled with danger all to uncover the truth behind a growing mystery.
Working tirelessly, he stepped outside for fresh air but was met with scornful glances and jeers from passersby on the streets.
They whispered and pointed at him, while others event threw thing in his face, blaming him for being incompetent to solve the death cases. To them they thought it was a serial killer, killing people at night . Which was far from the truth.
Every gazing eye felt like a needle piercing his already wounded pride.
As he walked through the streets, a car pulled up beside him. It was Mathias.
"Get in!" Mathias urged, concern etching his features. Driving back to his place, they sat in silence for a moment before Marcus spoke.
"People used to praise me, in the streets, and now. In the same street, things are thrown in my face.
"Let's finish this coming game," Mathias replied, "and when we do, I'll tell you everything I know about it."
Hope flickered within Marcus. "Are you serious?" he asked, a small smile forming.
Mathias nodded, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a card with an eerie image that read
Confused, Marcus flipped the card over to reveal another inscription—
"What does it mean?" Marcus asked, adrenaline surging at the thought of new clues and mysteries waiting to be unraveled.
"We'll find out together," Mathias replied. "This is only the beginning."
.