[Training Camp]
(Zeus): First, you are being punished for disobeying the order to line up, and for no other reason. Second, regarding your punishments, they are as follows: Let's start with you two — Rashid and that scoundrel Sattam hanging from the tree. Your punishment is a duel... with me. Let's begin.
"Finally, I get to hit this bastard," thought Sattam, whose eyes sparkled with hatred, rushing in before Rashid, who decided to wait and observe Zeus's strength, even though he had already seen some of it and knew they were in for a brutal beating.
Zeus dodged Sattam's attacks. The boy was using two curved, heavy swords similar to Khaled's weapons, and Zeus was assessing the child's abilities.
"This kid has memorized the moves, but his timing is terrible. He doesn't choose the right moves at the right moments."
(Zeus): Are you done?
Sattam charged forward with strength and speed he had previously concealed, trying to deceive Zeus. He jumped above him in a scissor move with his broad swords aiming for Zeus's neck.
Zeus caught both swords with two fingers from each hand, pinching the sharp edges of the blades.
Then, he pulled the swords and flung them away, causing Sattam to crash to the ground. The boy quickly sprang up, doing three backward somersaults to distance himself from Zeus.
(Zeus): Now it's my turn.
Sattam didn't know how or when, but in the instant he blinked, Zeus was suddenly in front of him, fist headed straight at him.
Sattam raised his arms quickly to block and shut his eyes in fear.
He felt nothing. When he opened his eyes, Zeus was no longer in front of him.
He felt strange—then realized someone had grabbed him by the collar from behind, flung him, and the wall was rushing toward him.
"Damn it, I'm the one flying at the wall," thought Sattam just before crashing into it, crying out in pain. His vision blurred, and he felt dizzy.
(Zeus): Come on, Rashid. Will you fight or are you just a coward afraid of a challenge?
Rashid narrowed his eyes and spoke in a cold tone:
"The sons of Sahba do not fear challenges. Show me what you've got, you damn scoundrel."
Well, he ended up smashed into the wall beside Sattam. Zeus concluded that Rashid was clearly less skilled than Sattam, but had significantly greater strength and defense.
(Zeus): Raneem, your punishment is to inhale this flower.
(Raneem, terrified): No, sir! Please, anything but that!
Zeus sensed something was wrong. The girl's acting was obviously poor, and he was an expert in deception.
"Maybe the children of this village are trained to withstand poison."
(Zeus): Fine, as you wish. I'll change the punishment.
"What!?"
(Zeus): Is there a problem?
(Raneem, flustered): No, sir. Thank you for your kindness.
"Kindness, you say?" Zeus smirked wickedly and thought.
Raneem felt danger from the man before her for the first time and waited for her punishment in anxious doubt.
One of Zeus's chains shot out, grabbed the girl by her legs, and lifted her upside down.
She thought Zeus was about to hurl her at the wall like he did with the boys and was terrified — she wasn't a fighter, and her body wouldn't survive such a throw.
Zeus easily sensed her fear and threw her with even more force than the others. Even Amjad was shocked and drew five venomous needles between his fingers.
Just as Amjad was about to strike Zeus's hand—the one connected to the chain—he realized the girl's speed inexplicably slowed half a meter before hitting the wall, only to be yanked back rapidly.
The chains spun her through the air in a loop for ten seconds before stopping and gently placing her down.
The girl couldn't even stay standing for a second before collapsing from dizziness and vomiting. Zeus also realized she had wet herself from fear.
He immediately carried her with the chains into the tent before anyone noticed the puddle, and tossed her bag of clothes beside her using the chains.
The tent was empty. Zeus looked at Amjad and spoke with a polite smile:
(Zeus): Don't worry. I'm not the enemy of these kids. I just want them to become stronger as fast as possible. I'm precise in my actions...
Amjad nodded hesitantly. In truth, he had no objections to Zeus's methods. On the contrary, such harsh and strict methods were the norm in their village.
(Zeus): Now, who's left? Rafaf the painter and Qusay the box-destroyer. You're both exempt from punishment. Go join Tala and the others to start cliff-climbing training. Climb it twenty times—up and down.
The children left, and Zeus began watching who was climbing. He quickly noticed some outstanding kids.
Among them was the girl Nora from the Village of Sadeem (10 years old). What made her stand out was that after struggling to climb the first time, she tied a dangling rope to help her descend and ascend quickly.
It was a smart move, and Zeus decided not to stop her, even though using the rope reduced the physical benefit of the training.
Another standout was a boy named Suhail (15 years old) – from the Village of the Yellow Stone.
What was remarkable about him was that, unlike the others who rushed to climb first for the top spot, he took his time analyzing the best path for a fast climb.
He chose a zigzag path instead of a straight one, making his climb easier and faster. This allowed him to conserve his physical energy for longer.
Then there was Fares (8 years old) – from the Village of the Mole.
What stood out about him was his recklessness and frequent falls. Someone might think this is a flaw, but Zeus saw the positives in the boy—he was brave, unafraid of falling, and charged forward without much thought. This could be a strength in certain situations, despite being a weakness in others.
Sometimes, hesitation is not an option—especially in direct combat.
But there was one child who captured Zeus's and everyone else's attention without exception.
Not because she was the most skilled or for her looks, for example.
(Zeus speaking to Amjad): Is there something wrong with this girl's mind?
(Amjad): I don't know. Her name is Shahd, 9 years old, from the Village of Red Sands. We only have one other child from that village, and to be honest, none of us have ever interacted with those people before. We only know general things about them.
Zeus kept watching the girl with curiosity, wondering if she was trying to get attention or if that was just how her mind worked.
Shahd was climbing the cliff with her back against it, her eyes wandering downward, watching her height increase.
Strangely, she always placed her hands in the right spots without even facing the wall or looking at it.
It was bizarre—yet despite the oddity, Zeus recognized her talent.
Then there was the girl Layan (7 years old) – from the Village of the Yellow Stone. Aside from her poor performance, the only remarkable thing about her was her continuous laughter.
She would climb a bit, then throw herself toward Amjad to catch her, her laughter and joy filling the air.
Zeus slapped his forehead and thought with a warm, amused smile:
"Taking care of kids under ten will be tough. But… why don't I find myself annoyed with them? Maybe with the exception of the Scorpion Village kids—those brats I need to watch out for," he thought, imagining the days ahead.