[The Next Day / 6:00 AM]
[The Camp / Zeus' Training Session]
The air was stormy and the sky was covered with clouds in a gloomy, cold atmosphere.
The children lined up neatly.
And when Zeus was about to start his speech, a crow swooped down from the sky and hit Raneem, then flew away just as quickly.
The little girl screamed in surprise, and everyone wondered what was wrong with that bird.
(Suhail / 15 years old): "The bird was moving strangely, as if something pulled it down against its will."
Zeus turned to Suhail and spoke to him mentally, laughing, "Was it obvious? No, only this kid noticed it. Maybe I should have added more runic pieces to the wings, but then I might not be able to control it smoothly, and I don't think it could handle the extra energy... Anyway, it served its purpose in the end."
Then Zeus adjusted his facial expression and spoke seriously and with a frightening tone:
_ "It is said that the crow can see the dead before they even die, as if it smells death. Raneem, is there someone chasing you or trying to kill you?"
(Raneem, anxiously): "Me!? No, no."
Raneem remembered the stone doll from yesterday, and fear slowly started to seep into her depths.
(Zeus): "Alright then, let's start today's training. Today our training is different from usual. We will conduct a simple test, you can think of it like a game. You will split into two groups: the first will run to the mountains and hide, and the second will search for the fugitives. The duration of the test might extend for many hours, but the disappearance of the sun will automatically mark the end of the game."
Everyone felt strange about the exercise, and some felt worried.
Zeus began dividing the students in a way that seemed random on the surface but was actually perfectly calculated.
He added Raneem, Sattam, Sama, and Tala to the fugitives team.
(Zeus): "The fugitives team must start running when I give the signal, and the chasers team will begin chasing them after half an hour. One last thing: if any of you are caught within the first two hours, you will be severely punished."
""So that's what he was aiming for. He wants us to lose, but in your dreams that will happen,"" thought Sattam, smiling and accepting the challenge that was only in his imagination.
(Tala): "I will go with you."
(Sama): "You are slow, but we will take you and then hide you somewhere until we come back for you."
(Zeus): "I almost forgot. Your official clothes have arrived. They are in the box. Go and get your clothes; each piece has the owner's name written on it. Also, I would like to mention that these clothes are special: they are durable, comfortable, and designed similarly to military uniforms but in different colors—specifically black. I love this color."
The children received their outfits and began changing one after another in the tents after lining up in a long line outside.
It took some time for everyone to finish, and Zeus looked at them happily, seeing the designs he had created himself on them.
Completely black clothes: wide black pants and a sleeveless black jacket with a hood.
They looked more like assassins from a criminal organization rather than warriors from a military unit, although the unified insignia and the runic drawings on the back of the cloak lessened the assassin-like feel into more of a military uniform feel.
Indeed, the runic engravings on the cloak's back weren't mere drawings; they were movement and energy storage engravings.
With these clothes, Zeus could control the children at any moment, perhaps even making them fly, and he could also give them an unforgettable experience of terror.
Zeus smiled with hidden malice before announcing the start of the training.
The first group scattered in all directions, knowing that going to the village was forbidden.
And the second group began monitoring the time until they launched after half an hour.
As for Zeus, he had already set off to track his targets.
...
Flying through the air after a long jump, Zeus observed the children's locations.
""Let's see, it's good that they are still together. What's this? Why does the map show that they left someone behind, or did someone take off their cloak and throw it aside? I will increase my speed.""
Zeus launched his grappling hooks much faster than the calm movement he had before.
And after just a minute, he reached the location to find Tala hiding among many rocks.
""Those bastards left her alone here! Now, the last bit of hesitation and pity I had towards them is gone.""
Zeus landed in front of Tala, startling her with his sudden appearance and descent from the sky.
(Tala): "Did I lose, sir? Will you hit me!?"
The girl felt afraid, and Zeus spoke reassuringly with a slightly cold tone:
_ "I am not from the chasers team; I am your teacher. Also, I will not hit you even if you lost early. I will only hit those bastards."
(Tala): "Don't hit them!"
_ "Why?"
_ "I love them."
_ "They left you here alone. They are just bastards."
(Tala): "No, I am slow. Sama told me I must hide here. She will come back for me later."
""I doubt they will come back,"" Zeus thought before sitting on a rock near Tala.
And when he checked the map, he realized that one of the chasers was coming in this direction.
He looked at the little girl and an idea crossed his mind.
(Zeus): "What do you think about coming with me?"
_ "No, they will come back here. I must wait for them."
(Zeus): "As you wish. By the way, several chasers are coming here soon. If they find you and you lose, you will be punished, meaning a severe beating."
Fear was clearly visible on the little girl, and she asked while trembling:
_ "But you said you wouldn't hit me."
(Zeus, smiling wickedly): "Just because I said that doesn't mean I was being truthful. Also, I might change my mind at any moment. For example, now I changed my mind. I wasn't lying when I said I wouldn't hit you—I was truthful then—and now I am truthful again. So think: do you really believe they will come back for you? Are you willing to put your life at risk for a word they said?"
The girl fell into deep thought and could barely grasp the idea Zeus wanted to convey, and perhaps if she hadn't seen it practically, she wouldn't have understood easily.
(Tala): "I will go with you."
The wicked smile disappeared from Zeus' face, replaced by a cheerful smile accompanied by a victorious laugh.
(Zeus): "Alright, alright, little one. If you are capable of learning, I will support you till the end. By the way, I changed my mind again: if you get caught early, I won't punish you. So don't worry."
The girl calmed down a bit, and Zeus realized that she wasn't just an ordinary child as she seemed. She was brave despite her young age and appeared capable of learning quickly. Zeus would make sure of that anyway, and if it were true, she would have a remarkable future.
He carried her on his back, allowed the spinning disk to support her, and launched away with his grappling hooks towards the camp.
The girl clung tightly to him and occasionally stole glances downwards and around before fear of the height or the difficulty of opening her eyes against the wind overwhelmed her.
When she looked and saw Zeus with his eyes closed, she felt frightened, thinking he might crash into a wall or misfire his grappling hooks.
Nevertheless, Zeus moved correctly every time, and Tala wondered how he managed that.
...
(After a few minutes)
Zeus arrived at the camp and was spotted by Amjad.
(Amjad): "I didn't know you would participate as a chaser too. Now everyone will lose."
_ "I'm not a chaser. I'm helping this little one hide here. These kids are too stupid to expect someone hiding inside the camp."
Tala finally understood why Zeus brought her here and felt happy.
(Zeus): "Tala, hide inside the tent until everyone returns. Do we have any other children under nine years old who aren't strong enough?"
(Tala): "Yes, sir."
(Amjad): "Yes, there's the little girl Layan (7 years old), and the two boys Qusay (8 years old) and Kinan (9 years old). I don't think they have enough mental strength. Tala, even though she's weaker than them physically, her mental resilience is much stronger. The children of Scorpion Village are not to be underestimated."
Zeus patted Tala's head and nodded approvingly.
_ "I can see that. You are a strong girl, Tala. What do you want to be in the future? Maybe a genetic warrior?"
The girl didn't think much and answered immediately:
(Tala): "A botanist."
(Amjad): "She loves flowers very much. Wajda taught her some basics of plant science, and thanks to her, Tala fell in love with these sciences."
"This is interesting, maybe I will send it to my brother William someday, he may not be an expert in plant cultivation, but he is an expert in using them to make genetic serums and chemical liquids."
(Zeus): Are you still here?
Tala laughed loudly and ran away to hide in the tent, thinking that all of this was a game she would surely win thanks to the trick of Master Zeus.