Adam stared into the bearded man's eyes, his face devoid of any expression, not blinking, seemingly not even breathing: just watching him like a predator stalking its prey.

The little bear noticed that the boy seemed somewhat calmer now (or perhaps too frightened to move), so he calmly commented:

—This isn't a test of speed; it's a test of wits. If he catches you, you die, but if you manage to run through the next 5 aisles, you'll live. However, you can't stop and you'll have to follow my orders. If you hesitate, you'll die, kid...

Adam didn't respond; he just wanted to escape from the uncomfortable gaze of the bearded man. The young hero tried to listen to the bear, but the words that reached his ears now sounded like meaningless murmurs, given how nervous he was.

The bear looked at the sorry state of the boy with concern and said in a rough voice:

—You'll do fine; I know you can do it. Just stay calm, and everything will be alright. Now get ready: the race of your life is about to begin!

Adam didn't answer, but his breathing began to steady. Finally, the shot signaling the start of the race echoed with the bear's shout:

—Run, Adam!

Adam's mind went blank, and he turned around to run with all his might. The young hero ran and ran, and the books around him seemed to distort from the speed he gained. His legs burned as if they were on fire from within, and the colors of countless books created a colorful tunnel stretching infinitely into the beyond.

*Footsteps, Footsteps, Footsteps* Adam ran, burning the fuel of his life to escape this infernally colorful tunnel.

The tunnel seemed never-ending, yet Adam didn't stop running. He didn't know how far he had to run, but from a distance, he could see another person watching him, getting closer and closer. It seemed like that person was his salvation.

Seeing the finish line, Adam ran even faster. However, the bearded man's smile felt like it was on his neck. Adam ignored it and ran towards the man in the distance, who didn't seem to be dressed in a robe but rather in a formal suit and top hat, with gold-rimmed glasses.

The man looked at him as if he were an exotic beast running away from another exotic beast, almost seeming to be amused by the scene. But Adam didn't care and kept running towards him, ignoring everything else.

The man on his back was incredibly close, so close that Adam felt the air brushing his back from several attempts to grab him from behind.

Being a small child, Adam was difficult to catch with the tall man's long hands, and for the moment, he managed to escape and gain ground with each failed attempt of the pursuer.

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When Adam was close enough to the supposed finish line, the bear, swimming alongside him on the floor, shouted some instructions at high speed:

—When I count to three, jump, turn around, and try to land on your back! Cover your head with one hand and look into the bearded man's eyes! If you manage that, you'll win the game!

Adam listened and kept running, getting closer and closer to the man with the top hat, who seemed to be standing on the doorway of a hexagon.

This time, the tall man stopped trying to grab him with his hands; he seemed to want to be as close as possible to prevent the boy from reaching the mysterious man in the suit, jumping at the right moment to catch him.

Then the bear started the countdown to the finish line:

—One... Two... Three: Jump, kid!!

Adam heard the command and jumped. The man on his back also jumped to catch the boy and prevent him from entering the door. The pursuer reached out with his long hands and managed to grab Adam in mid-air, causing both of them to fall to the ground and roll alongside the man with the top hat.

But the man didn't help and just watched the strange scene with a smile.

Adam tried to break free from the tall man's grip, but it was impossible.

The tall man, holding the boy in one hand, used the other to violently punch Adam's stomach, causing the boy to vomit blood onto the floor. Adam tried to kick the pursuer, but it didn't seem to do much damage. In desperation, Adam looked at the man in the suit and shouted:

—Help! Please, help me!

But the man in the suit just stood there, watching the scene with a smile on his face. Meanwhile, the bear seemed to have disappeared when it saw that the man in the suit wasn't going to help.

Adam desperately tried to shield himself from the man's blows, but it was impossible, and he slowly started losing consciousness as his teeth flew out of his face. Looking at the man in the face at this moment didn't stop him; it seemed to only excite him more to beat the young hero.

As the bearded man saw that the boy couldn't resist his blows any longer, he started drooling, staining his unkempt beard. Then, the tall man's face split in two halves, revealing a row of teeth on each side, and he lunged at Adam's head, trying to bite it off.

Adam used the last of his strength to cover his face with his hands.

"Aaaaahhh!" Adam screamed in desperation when one of his arms was torn off by the creature's teeth.

As if that was a signal, the little bear reappeared on the ceiling and yelled at Adam:

—Don't scream, you idiot, just say you need to use the bathroom!

Adam heard the bear's voice, and while writhing in pain, he saw the creature eating his arm and yelled angrily:

— I need to use the bathroom!

The smile on the man with the top hat's face suddenly stopped, and an expression of anger emerged as he shouted:

— How dare a beast interrupt a man seeking to satisfy his needs!

*Hush, Hush, Hush* Immediately, The tall man's body compressed in the air as if a black hole was sucking him in, and the sound of bones being crushed was heard as all his limbs compressed into one point. The tall man was squeezed to death, forming a large pool of blood on the floor.

Seeing that the fight was over, Adam continued writhing in pain on the ground while trying to stop the bleeding from his arm with his white tunic.

The bear swam over to Adam and submerged itself into his skin until it reached the remaining stump of the boy's arm. With its sticky body, it covered the wound and then jumped from what was left of Adam's arm to the ground.

Adam's pupils dilated, and he looked in astonishment at the wound on his arm: he no longer felt pain, and the blood wasn't flowing anymore; instead, a transparent adhesive-like substance covered what remained of his arm.

Upon realizing that he had lost his hand, Adam began to cry, but he was interrupted by the bear's words:

—You did well. You can regenerate your arm in the water of the cave, so don't worry about it. We're still in dangerous territory, don't get distracted, and listen to me.