"𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴!"

The scream echoed through the ancient temple, sending a shiver down Sizan's spine. He froze, his mind a whirl of fear and confusion.

The massive shadowy figure blocking the entrance seemed to pulse with an eerie energy, its form shifting and undulating like smoke caught in a breeze. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat reverberating in his ears as he realized there was no escape.

The room was filled with mutilated, disfigured shadowy figures, their eyes glowing a menacing red. Centipedes and scorpions skittered across the stone floor, their movements erratic and unnerving.

"𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴 𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴 𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴"

Piercing stares of those figures bore into his soul, paralyzing him with fear. He tried to scream, but no sound emerged from his throat, as if the very air had been sucked out of the room. Several of the figures advanced, their jagged forms cutting through the shadows. Sharp claws and mandibles scraped against his skin, leaving burning welts in their wake.

[Run...I have to run...]

The thought barely registered before his legs moved of their own accord. He bolted, sprinting through the labyrinthine chambers of the temple. The air was thick with the scent of decay and ancient dust, each breath feeling like a knife in his lungs. The walls seemed to close in on him as he ran, the oppressive weight of centuries pressing down.

"𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴 𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴 𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴"

He stumbled through a narrow passageway, his foot falls echoing off the stone walls. The shadowy figures pursued him relentlessly, their shrieks and hisses filling the air. Sizan felt sharp claws rake across his back, and he yelped in pain, his vision blurring with tears. He turned a corner, only to be confronted by a swarm of scorpions and centipedes, their chitinous bodies glinting in the dim light.

"𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴"

[I'm not going to make it! They're going to catch me! Faster FASTER!!!]

"𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴"

[Hual...Hadi???]

His legs felt like lead, each step more labored than the last. The chill of the night seeped into his bones, sapping his strength. He stumbled into another chamber, its walls lined with more of the eerie carvings. The figures were closer now, their breaths hot on his neck, their claws reaching for him.

"𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴 𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴 𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴 𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴 𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴 𝕳𝖀𝕬𝕷 𝕳𝕬𝕯𝕴"

[Hual...Hadi....They all...keep saying the same word..]

The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. Desperation clawed at his mind, and he did the only thing he could think of.

"H-H-Hual Ha-Hadi," he stammered Instinctively, his voice barely a whisper.

To his astonishment, some of the figures froze for a split second, their red eyes flickering. It was as if the words held some power over them. Seizing this glimmer of hope, he closed his eyes and screamed, "HUAL HADI HUAL HADI HUAL HADI!"

When he opened his eyes, the figures, along with the insects, were all frozen in place, their glowing eyes dimmed. Time seemed to stretch, each second an eternity as he continued to chant, "HUAL HADI HUAL HADI." The sense of dread hung thick in the air, but the figures remained immobile, their menacing forms halted.

[.....Move immediately...]

A deep, primal instinct urged him to move. He got to his feet, still chanting, and took a cautious step forward. The figures remained frozen, their eyes lifeless. He inched towards the exit of the chamber, his heart hammering in his chest.

But then, a massive, sharp force slashed through the air beside him, narrowly missing him. He jumped back, his eyes wide with shock. The Djinn statue, which had been a silent sentinel, had moved. With glowing eyes,its enormous stone fist had punched the ground where he had just been lying. The impact sent a shower of debris flying, and Sizan's heart skipped a beat.

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[IT MOVED! THE STATUE JUST MOVED!!!]

The realization was almost too much to bear. He was trapped in a nightmare, surrounded by horrors that defied explanation. The statue's eyes glowed with an ominous light, and Sizan knew he couldn't afford to hesitate. With a surge of adrenaline, he bolted again, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he ran deeper into the temple, away from the shadowy figures and the terrifying statue.

Each step felt like an eternity, the darkness pressing in on him. The ancient whispers echoed in his mind, their meanings elusive but their presence undeniable. He had no idea where he was going or what awaited him, but he knew one thing: he had to survive. He had to find a way out of this nightmare.

As he ran, the words "HUAL HADI" continued to echo in his mind, a haunting refrain that seemed to hold the key to his survival.

As Sizan ran, his voice raw from screaming "HUAL HADI," each word was like gravel in his throat. Every Djinn statue he passed started to move, their stony limbs creaking ominously. The statues, towering and imposing, wielded fists, swords, spears, and other deadly weapons. Their massive forms cast long, shifting shadows in the dim light. Despite the shadowy figures and vile insects frozen in place, the statues' relentless pursuit made the situation no less terrifying.

A statue swung a massive stone sword at him, the blade whistling through the air. He dodged, barely escaping with his life. Another statue lunged with a spear, the sharp tip grazing his arm and leaving a bloody gash. The pain was sharp and immediate, but he couldn't stop. He had to keep moving, keep screaming, keep surviving.

But he couldn't keep up with his voice anymore. His throat was parched, the words coming out as a raspy whisper. He stumbled, his body wracked with fatigue, and fell to the ground. For a brief, blessed moment, the statues' eyes stopped glowing and they froze in place. But his relief was short-lived as the shadowy figures and scorpions began to stir again.

[Just what the hell is happening?!]

The panic surged anew as the shadowy figures and insects closed in. With trembling lips, he forced himself to say the words again. "Hual Hadi Hual Hadi!" The figures froze instantly, their glowing eyes extinguished. But the statues' eyes reignited, and they resumed their deadly pursuit.

A statue's sword accidentally cut through few of the shadowy figures, the ethereal forms dissolving into wisps of darkness. A scorpion was crushed underfoot by a heavy stone foot. Sizan paused his chant, watching in morbid fascination as the statues froze once more and the shadowy figures began to move.

[Th-That statue! It just killed that shadow!!!]

He saw an opportunity. The shadowy figures and insects that had been struck by the statues were not moving again. A desperate plan formed in his mind.

As the vile creatures reached him, he began to scream the words again. "Hual Hadi Hual Hadi!" The figures froze and the statues sprang to life. The statues, swinging their massive weapons, inadvertently struck the shadowy figures and insects. Each blow was a mix of terrifying precision and chaotic destruction, cutting through the darkness and the crawling insects.

The process was grueling. Sizan's voice faltered, his body ached, and his mind teetered on the edge of madness. He had to keep the rhythm, keep the chant. The statues swung their weapons, crushing and slicing through the dark forms that swarmed him. Blood and ichor splattered the ground, the air thick with the scent of death.

Sizan's body screamed in protest, every muscle burning with exertion. He could barely stand, but he had to keep going. The statues' hits were random, but they decimated the shadowy figures and insects. Each scream of "Hual Hadi" bought him another moment, another breath.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the last shadowy figure was cut down. The chamber was littered with the remains of dark figures and shattered insects. Sizan stopped screaming, his voice a mere croak, and the statues froze once more.

He collapsed to the ground, his entire body shaking. His clothes were torn and bloodied, his skin covered in wounds and scratches. He tore pieces of his clothing to bandage the worst of his injuries, wincing with each touch.

"Finally," he whispered, his voice hoarse and broken. "I can be at ease."

He forced himself to his feet, his body protesting with every movement. The temple was eerily silent now, the oppressive sense of dread lifting slightly. He started to move towards the exit, each step a monumental effort. As he went to chamber to chamber, he kept looking at the frozen statues in a pent up fear what if they start to move.

As he entered the down floor and stand infront of last chamber and neared the exit, his blood ran cold. The largest shadowy figure, the one that had been blocking the gate, was still there. It hadn't moved during the chaos, but its piercing red eyes watched him with an intensity that chilled him to the bone.

It stood like a sentinel, its form even more imposing up close. Sizan's breath caught in his throat as he realized he was still not free from this nightmare.

It didn't move, but its deep, piercing stare seemed to bore into his soul.

[It...isn't moving...]

Sizan tried to say "Hual Hadi," but as he finished the sentence, everything started to blur around him. He blinked, trying to clear his vision, only to realize that the shadowy figure that had been standing far away to the entrance gate was now right in front of him, its sharp claw pressed against his throat.

A chill ran down his spine, more intense than anything he had felt before. His head would have been severed already if he had been a microsecond later in his chant. He kept screaming, "H-Hual Had-di Hu-al Ha-Hadi" his voice cracking with fear.

The statues slowly approached him, their eyes glowing malevolently. The massive figure's grip tightened, and Sizan felt the sharp points of its claws pressing into his skin. His mind raced, and a gut-wrenching terror took hold of him.

"HUAL HADI HUAL HADI!"

The statues continued their relentless approach, their stone weapons raised, ready to strike.

(End of the Chapter)