That's right, Irgos," Culex sneered, steadily holding one finger from his left and only remaining hand against Irgos's skull. "Take it all in."

  Irgos's body convulsed uncontrolbly as spasms wracked him. Thunder roared beneath them, shaking the ground of the stormcloud with violent tremors that tortured his frame.

  And then, it stopped.

  Yet, unlike the rest of Culex followers, his wild brown hair—whipped chaotically by the storm—didn't fall. Even his eyes remained wide open, unnervingly still.

  Culex's lips curled in delight as he watched. "Well, isn't that splendid, my dear friend?" he said, stepping back from the boy. "Now, you will see the world as it truly is."

  "It is a pleasure to serve you, Master," Irgos said, his voice ft as he turned away from the man. His gaze swept over the churning clouds until it locked onto his sister.

  Arada couldn't move. She y paralyzed on the stormcloud's dark surface, her limbs suspended in the thick, oppressive air as if glued there. She couldn't breathe; the specter of imminent death looming over her.

  Slowly, Irgos began walking toward her. Each step pressed into the fluffy cloud beneath him, the softness betraying the darkness that now consumed him.

  Arada wanted to scream, but no sound came. Her voice was gone, stolen by terror.

  Irgos smiled, a cruel twist of his lips, and crouched beside her. His piercing, unrelenting gaze never wavered from her face.

  "Now that's what I call true sibling love," Culex chuckled, his voice dripping with satisfaction. He stood a short distance away, his form framed by the stormcloud's swirling energy. "So sweet, the bond you two share. Too bad we won't get to see you any closer."

  Irgos pced his right hand on Arada's cheek and his left on her forehead. "Join me, sis," he said, the sadistic smile etched into his face. Leaning closer, so close that a stray brown lock brushed her skin, he whispered, "Let's be together... in the realms of unconsciousness."

  And with that, he drove his middle finger deep into her skull.

  A searing pain erupted—not just in her head but through her entire body. At that precise moment, it felt as though a thousand bolts of lightning left the cloud beneath her, surging into her mind. Her vision blurred, her strength faltered, and, finally, her eyes closed.

  The cloud dissolved. Culex and Irgos vanished. Only the relentless feeling of loss remained—or rather—it intensified.

  Am I dead?

  Her body responded with the sensation of unbearable weight, as if it were packed tightly with energy.

  I guess... not?

  It felt as though every part of her body had been taken apart and reassembled. Her head buzzed incessantly, like a swarm of a million bees.

  Suddenly, she became aware of an intense warmth radiating from just above her belly—a stark contrast to the icy chill in her skin and bones. A faint glow seeped through her eyeshes.

  Wait... what?

  She struggled to open her eyes. Only her left eyelid cooperated, and even then, it barely lifted halfway.

  Her vision was chaos—a jumble of thick beige and brown patches, floating and blurring together. She tried to make sense of it.

  Is that... a person?

  It seemed as though someone was crouched beside her, pressing something warm against her navel. She tried to focus on their face, but something was... off.

  She squinted, unsure, but it looked like a white bandage was tied around their head. There was no time to think about it further. As soon as she tried to crify the image, her eye shut again, against her will. The pain overwhelmed her mind, dragging her into unconsciousness.

  * * *

  "And now that the mp had been returned to its rightful owner, the Prince of Avbaquar thanked Merchant Elliot for his hard work and granted him the hand of his sister. The two were married, and they lived happily ever after."

  With that, Alexander closed The Djinn of Avbaquar, signaling the end of the story.

  Arada sighed. Man... that was so much fun. Why is it over already?

  Irgos had the same thoughts. "That was awesome," he said, shifting his position around the campfire. "I want more."

  "Tomorrow, we'll start a new story, Irgos," Alexander replied. "Do you have any suggestions for what we should r—"

  "Hey, it's my turn," an indignant El interrupted from the other side of the fire, her blond hair shimmering like fmes in the firelight. "I get to pick the next story. That was promised."

  "Oh, that's right. I forgot," Alexander admitted sheepishly. "So, what will it be? We still have The Tunnels of Vispiria, The Forgotten Fields, Bck Ghosts..."

  "Psst, sis," Nari whispered in El's ear. "Can you please pick something with a flying carpet again?"

  "Yeah," Arada agreed. "Flying carpets are the best."

  Alexander ran a hand through his long blond curls. "I'm not sure we have any more stories with those," he said with an apologetic smile. "But I'm sure you'll like the others too."

  "Then, how long before I'll be able to read?" Irgos asked impatiently. "I want to read those stories myself."

  "Patience, Irgos. Reading is learned word by word. But given how fast you pick up new words, I bet you'll be reading The Djinn yourself by your sixth birthday."

  Irgos's face lit up with excitement. "YES!"

  Arada grinned at his reaction, thrilled by the thought that her brother would soon be able to read such stories. "Or you can always ask me for another story," she offered. "I can read fine."

  "Or ask Josh—he likes reading, too," Alexander added. "Isn't that right?"

  Josh—a small boy with short bck hair sitting to their right—nodded shyly. "But... I like it better when Alexander reads... without him, the stories are boring."

  The group burst into ughter. But Josh had a point: though his reading and writing skills were impressive for a boy Arada's age—something she envied—Alexander's tone and delivery were simply unmatched when it came to storytelling.

  "Are you sure, Josh?" El teased after the ughter died down. "Alex's voice is getting weird tely—it's all crackly, and some days it's really deep..."

  "That's normal for boys my age," Alexander replied. "It's part of growing up."

  "Bleegh," Nari groaned. "I don't wanna have a voice like that ter."

  "Don't worry," El said with a smirk. "It only happens to boys."

  All eyes turned to Josh, who looked away shyly, and to Irgos, who pouted. A few giggles escaped from the girls' mouths.

  "What's so funny, you little rascals?" a calm voice called from behind. "Mind sharing the fun with me?"

  Arada looked back and saw two legs approaching the campfire—one of them partly repced with steel and metal. "DAD!" she excimed in pure joy.

  "Oh, hey Cura," Alexander greeted the man. "Just our daily story time. We finished The Djinn today, and El is choosing the next book."

  "That's right," the ten-year-old girl said proudly. "I have ultimate decision power."

  "Sounds good," her dad said as he settled down near the fire. Using his wooden staff for support, he found a comfortable position, his steel leg resting in the grass.

  "Don't you have any fun stories?" Irgos asked him. "You still haven't told us why you have that thing for a leg. Doesn't it hurt?"

  Arada perked up at that. She had always wondered about her own foot—why it was different from the other, and why Dad had told her so explicitly to keep it a secret.

  But as always, her father didn't answer the question. "Sorry, guys, can't talk about that." He paused, gazing up at the sky. The first stars were beginning to emerge against the darkening blue. Then, he exchanged a brief look with Alexander, who nodded in understanding, as if he knew what was coming next. "However... there is a story I have to tell you."

  "YAY!" Nari squealed, tugging at Cura's sleeve in excitement. "Tell us! Tell us!"

  "But it's not what you'd expect. It's a terrifying story."

  "I don't care," El said boldly, folding her arms. "I ain't scared of anything."

  "Alright, alright," Cura began. "Beyond the fields surrounding Overmore, there is a forest. And beyond that forest lies a forbidden nd—abandoned for a long, long time. It is called the Old World. You must never go there, because dangerous monsters roam beyond those trees."

  Josh shivered. "For real?" he asked. "Or are you making it up?"

  "Boo!" El shouted at him. "Scaredy-cat!"

  But Cura ignored her. "This is not a fantasy. And I will have to tell all the children of Overmore eventually... so I'm telling you now. The creatures that live there... they are horrible. We call them jelly monsters, because their faces look like jellyfish tentacles. And when they find you, they eat you alive."

  A heavy silence fell over the fire. Then, Josh burst into tears.

  "Maybe you could have phrased that st part a little better, Cura." Alexander said, crouching next to the boy and rubbing his back. "Hey, don't think about that," he said gently. "It's not true..."

  But Josh wouldn't stop crying. The thought of those monsters had rooted itself deep in his mind.

  "I'm... sorry for what I said," Cura told him. "Let's get you back to your mom and dad..."

  Josh nodded, sniffling, and Alexander led him back to the vilge.

  "He's such a coward," El scoffed. "Even spiders scare him—"

  "El," Cura cut in sharply. "Not now. Everyone has their fears. This isn't the time for that."

  "So it's real?" Irgos asked once things settled again. "Those... jelly monsters?"

  Cura nodded. "That horn you sometimes hear? It's a signal that they're nearby."

  "So that's why we have to stay inside when we hear it," El realized. "So we don't get eaten."

  "Exactly," he confirmed. "But don't worry—they rarely come close to Overmore. Maybe twice or thrice a year. But when they do, we can't take risks."

  "Dad, can you tell us more about the Old World?" Arada asked, her curiosity burning. "I'm dying for a good story. Just continue."

  Her father sighed heavily, before answering abrubtly. "No. I can never tell you about the Old World."

  "Why not?" Nari asked.

  "Because it is against the rules of the Old World to speak about the Old World."

  Arada frowned. Huh? That's weird.

  An even deeper silence fell. After a moment, Dad folded his hands together and spoke with finality.

  "So, there you have it. Now you know why we sound the horn sometimes—it's to warn everyone of the jelly monsters that live beyond the forest. That's why you must never, NEVER, go past those trees, because if you do, you'll very likely be eaten alive."

  "Cool," El blurted out. "So, guys, when are we going to—"

  "ELLA!" he snapped. "This is NOT a joke. Don't EVER go beyond that forest. Didn't you hear a word I just said?"

  El sighed, long and heavy. "Yeah, fine."

  "Promise me," he pressed. "Swear that you won't go there."

  "I swear," El said seriously, her earlier excitement fading fast. She was adventurous, sure—but she also knew when to listen. Especially when someone like Cura—who was never this serious—issued a direct warning.

  "All of you," he continued. "Promise me. Just like El."

  "I promise," Nari echoed cheerfully. "Just like big sis."

  "I promise too," Irgos said meekly. "I'll never go near the jelly monsters."

  "Same here," Arada added.

  "Say it explicitly," her father insisted. "Say that—"

  Sigh.

  "Dad, I just—"

  "Please, honey."

  Their eyes met. His gaze was tense, serious—but also fearful. Arada could see how much he cared about them, how desperately he wanted to protect them. But there was something more behind his fear. Like the Old World held secrets far worse than just a few monsters.

  "I promise," she said at st.

  "Good," Dad whispered. Rising to his feet, he dusted off his pants and leaned on his staff. "Now, I need to go check on Josh and apologize." He started walking toward the vilge, throwing one st gnce over his shoulder. "Don't stay up too te, alright?"

  The four children watched him go in silence. Then, their uneasy gazes drifted toward one another. No one spoke.

  "Well," El finally broke the ice, crossing her arms. "That was... weird. Not the kind of story I expected, honestly. Real or not, I'd rather have The Djinn."

  "Me too," Nari agreed. "It's way more fun when Alex reads. Cura's voice is so boring. So boring, I actually want to go to bed." The little girl let out an exaggerated yawn and stood up, grabbing El's arm. "Come on, big sis," she grinned. "Time for bed."

  El didn't protest. "I guess I can't resist the tremendous strength of my strong, strong sister," she joked. "But you're right. After that story, I could use some sleep too."

  "Same," Irgos agreed, getting up alongside them. "Goodnight, sis."

  "G'night," Arada muttered, still half-lost in thought. "I'll stay here a bit longer. Just wanna... watch the stars for a while."

  "Don't fall asleep out here," El warned. "You'll catch a cold."

  "What do you mean? It's August."

  But El didn't respond. She left the fire with Nari, Irgos following close behind.

  Man, Arada thought as she sat alone, staring into the flickering fmes. So that's why we have that horn... But I've never actually seen one of those jelly monsters.

  She considered her options briefly but quickly realized Dad was right. The Old World seems like a dangerous pce. I'm gd I promised never to go there. Never.