Craving Scarecrow

Ten minutes pass, and Elena and Eero emerge from the cave. Elena is squeezing her thighs and avoiding eye contact with Eero. Eero feels the same but gathers the courage to hold her hand.

"Why should we believe you? For all we know, you could be trying to manipulate us," Viktor says, stepping closer to the man.

"That's your choice. Believe me or not, I am not forcing you," the man responds, pushing his body forward with his hands as he looks at them.

"We can at least hear him out. Believing him or not is up to us," Nitin says, making eye contact with the man.

"Exactly. Here's some advice: if you came here to get something from the game, there's no better job than the military. You'll start from the bottom, but they'll pay you well, give you food and shelter, and protect low-ranking players from danger. Plus, they'll train you and teach you how to use Prabhavali. The different raids will give you good battle experience." He slides his hands into his pockets and walks past them effortlessly, vanishing before they can even blink.

"What? How did he do that?" Sebastian asks, turning his head.

"If I wanted to harm you, I would have done it by now. I have a different purpose here. You should move on and rest once you get there." The man sits back on the rock he was sitting on earlier.

"What is your name?" Freja asks as she gets ready to leave.

"I'm Osama," he replies, then disappears.

"We should go. Let's find the leaves and head to the capital," Nitin commands, using the compass to search for the leaves.

"Where is Eero?" Viktor asks, looking around.

"Elena's missing too!" Freja shouts.

As they search, Eero and Elena return with the leaves.

"When did you.....?" Anya begins but stops, confused.

"We didn't like what that guy was saying, so we went to collect the leaves," Eero says with a smile.

The group sets off. Soon, each one of them has their own large leaf. They lay the leaves on the ground, and Luka and Nicola are the first to ride.

"Let's go, my leaf!" Luka says as he rises into the air, but since it's his first time, he stumbles.

"Sit down instead of standing!" Anya shouts.

He sits, balancing himself, and the leaf stabilizes. Seeing this, the others get excited and start riding their leaves one by one.

Livio, afraid of heights, flies only to the height of a second floor, while everyone else soars higher without limits.

"Hey, coward! Come here, you idiot!" Tomasz calls, racing towards Livio at full speed, with Nicola and Freja following behind.

"I'm fine here, thanks! You guys go on ahead!" Livio tries to avoid them, but since he's moving slower, they easily catch him. Together, they pull him higher into the sky.

"Please! I'm scared! Let me go!" Livio panics as Freja and Nicola hold his leaf and pull him upwards.

As Livio struggles, Nitin and Sebastian touch his shoulders from behind, calming him. He feels his fear fading away, becoming braver, though he doesn't want to admit it because of past trauma. After playing around on their leaves, they continue towards the capital, Nitin leading with the help of the compass.

Meanwhile, Osama sits by the water, touching its surface and creating ripples. Slowly, a mermaid rises from the water.

"Osama, I told you I don't like you," the mermaid says, locking her eyes with him.

"I'm stronger now, and I can't wait to make you mine. I want to hear you cry in my bed," Osama says, grabbing her hands and trying to pull her from the water.

"I hate you! Let me go, you crazy bastard!" The mermaid struggles to free herself.

Osama squeezes her cheeks and tries to kiss her, but before he can, other mermaids swarm him, pulling him into the water. His eyes glow white, his vision in the water becoming as clear as it is on land. To his horror, the mermaids' flesh dissolves before his eyes, leaving only their skeletons, half-human, half-fish.

In shock, Osama reaches out to them, his body losing its glow while his hands radiate brighter.

"He's focusing all his Prabhavali in his hands! Quick, we have to stop him! He's going to shoot!" one mermaid yells, racing towards him.

But it's too late.

"I'm taking what I deserve! You can't stop me, cannon fi—" Osama begins, but a mermaid grabs his hands.

"You're not the only one who can use Prabhavali. We're still stronger than you." She pulls him deeper underwater.

The other skeleton mermaids swarm him, devouring him alive. He tries to scream, but the water chokes his voice. His blood stains the water's surface as giant white wings descend from the sky. A beautiful figure with long, untied hair and elegant movements floats down, bathed in moonlight. She begins to dance, creating ripples in the water, and the blood slowly fades away.

Below, the mermaids continue to feast on Osama, while above, the mysterious figure dances. Once Osama is completely gone, the mermaids dive into the depths, and the angelic figure ascends into the sky, vanishing into the moonlight. A single feather falls into the water.