đź“ś 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.
4. 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.
***
The flower mist still clung to their skin when Rafi finally dared to loosen his grip around Sahim. His breath hadn't settled. His heart kept punching his ribs like it had complaints for the management of life itself.
Behind them, the wet trail of the first creature's urine still shimmered faintly on the ground—threading between roots, mixing with sand, a territorial signature carved into the earth. Its pungent stench was now the only thing holding their logic together.
Rafi stared at the wet path snaking across the soil, still steaming lightly. The sharp smell mingled with the floral sweetness around them, confusing his nose about which one it should protest first.
"Alhamdulillah… thanks to this, the flower effect snapped right off," he muttered, breath still uneven.
But the moment his head cleared even slightly, his brain crept back online. He remembered how the creature had approached:
sniff first, appear later.
It followed scent, not sound.
Rafi's brows knit, his chest rising and falling.
"Bro…" His voice was hoarse, quieter.
"…how did creature find its target?"
Sahim blinked blankly.
"From what I know—nose, eyes, sensor things…"
"Na'am. The nose."
Rafi pointed at the wet trail with his chin.
"Our scent is masked now. Good. But…"
He inhaled sharply, as if afraid his lungs might misunderstand the situation.
"…if this scent trail connects to other places,Â
then for other creatures it's basically a neon sign saying:
 'SOMETHING CAME THROUGH HERE'."
Sahim, leaning weakly against a glass-tree trunk, raised one trembling hand.
"So… our position right now…"
He lifted one finger, still pale.
"…is like sitting in the middle of a scent highway… waiting for trucks to pass?"
Rafi shut his eyes and scrubbed his face hard enough to redden his cheeks.
"Don't phrase it like that, ya Rabb… I'm going to be sick."
But he didn't deny it.
Silence fell.
Only their breathing. And somewhere far behind them… something stepped onto the ground with a rhythm far too deliberate to be wind.
The sky shifted before their courage did.
VENA—the red-gold sun that dominated earlier—began to sink. Through the gaps of the forest, a pale green tint slid upward, as if someone were raising the brightness of the entire atmosphere.
ZURQ was rising.
The white-blue sun climbed slowly to the highest position; its light spilled across the flower fields like cold milk poured into a glass bowl. Everything grew brighter—not blinding, but…
Inviting.
Rafi lifted his face, eyes narrowing.
"Bro… look! the sun is changing!" he whispered.
Around them, the Nabat al-Muhayyil responded. Their blue-green petals shifted—soft white highlights blooming along the edges, like digital artwork being gently retouched. The silver mist that once made them drowsy thinned out, replaced by a light sweetness that loosened the chest.
Sahim sniffed softly.
"…Bro… this smell…" he exhaled, shoulders lowering.
"…it's like a freshly washed mosque carpet with discounted Ramadan bakhoor…"
Rafi inhaled too. Suddenly, his chest felt… unburdened.
No drowsiness,
no hallucinatory pull,
just… a strange, baseless moment of light happiness.
He immediately grew suspicious.
"I don't like this…" he muttered.
"I don't like being happy for no reason. That usually means… a bill is coming later."
Sahim let out a weak laugh—not out of amusement, but surrender. Yet his eyes kept scanning left and right like a cat recently sprayed with water. Every time the sweet scent tried sneaking up their noses, something pushed it back:
the creature's urine still clinging faintly to their clothes and skin.
Sweetness crept in.
Urine shoved it out.
Sweetness tried again.
Urine dug in like the last soldier on the battlefield.
Slowly—
Rafi and Sahim developed a natural, biological scent filter.
Silence dropped again.
Not peaceful silence—
the kind that inhales deeply before something happens.
They exchanged looks—they both understood.
ZURQ might grant breathing room, but this world never offered pauses without a price.
The wind shifted direction.
Rafi drew a long, careful breath—as if one wrong inhale might trigger something from either path.
"Bro…"
"Na'am?"
"We have to decide before something else decides for us."
Sahim pulled his bag closer, squaring his shoulders though his face screamed he was ready to faint again.
1 — Stay Hidden in the Flower Garden
Remain among the Nabat al-Muhayyil, hoping ZURQ keeps the creatures subdued… and plan their next move.
2 — Run Immediately
Take the risk and leave the garden now, sprinting toward one of the paths before the unknown creatures realize two confused humans are standing in the middle of their party.
—To be Continued—