Chapter 4: Intruder

Another school day, but with a different feel because it carried a noticeable change for Khaled. After the teacher moved his seat to a place far from Adam and his group, he finally felt some relative safety and peace that he had been missing inside the classroom.

The class passed smoothly, without any harassment or disturbances. As a result, Khaled felt content.

So, instead of returning home directly as usual, he wanted to wander a bit in the nearby library, perhaps find an interesting book to read, or at least have some private time to do something different to rearrange his thoughts.

He entered the library with quiet steps and began to wander among the shelves filled with new and old books, dozens of stories and worlds around him hidden between those pages.

Surrounded by the library's tranquility, he took a deep breath, sensing a unique excitement he hadn't experienced elsewhere.

As he checked the shelves, his eyes passed over many different titles until they landed on a book with a short and mysterious title. Khaled muttered, "Intruder."

For some reason, his eyes were glued to the book's title, as if the book was calling to him. He felt that this book, unlike others, held something waiting for him.

He reached out and picked it up, staring at it for a few moments before sitting in a quiet corner away from the eyes of others.

He opened the book, the first page, and began to read:

"William was born an orphan boy who didn't even know his parents' names. He never had a family, so he had never felt belonging before. William grew up alone, without friends, without a goal or meaning to his existence. He lived each day as it came, neither hating life nor fearing death, he was just there."

The hero of this story owns nothing, no one. Which is completely different for the hero of Khaled's story, 'Nour'.

This made Khaled very interested in the story. His reading speed increased. In a short time, he had already read a few pages.

"War broke out and William was forcibly conscripted. In the army, they taught them that this was the purpose of their existence, to defend the homeland and protect their families.

William wondered: "But I've never had anything like that before, is there really any meaning to my being here? Hmph... it doesn't matter, is there any meaning to my being anywhere else?" For him, these words were just nonsense, but he didn't care, he was truly empty with a cold face devoid of any expressions.

Khaled stopped reading for a moment, feeling a strange attraction towards William, something in his character, but he couldn't pinpoint it. He continued reading:

"William was sent to the front lines. There, he witnessed his comrades, whom he had trained with for months, falling one after the other.

He looked at their corpses with eyes as empty as the abyss. There was no sadness, anger, or even pity. There was nothing.

He wondered again: "I spent so much time with these comrades, we helped each other in many situations, but now I stand before their cold, lifeless bodies, so isn't the right feeling I should be feeling now sadness? Why can't I feel anything? What's the difference between me and these corpses? Am I really alive?"

He sighed and continued: "It doesn't matter, since I'm stuck in this world, I can only keep going."

Khaled pondered for a bit and thought, "Is this really possible, for a person to reach a stage of emotional void? Can he really be called human anymore?" Khaled thought about this idea, finding it scary, unrealistic, but he still continued reading, his fingers trembling as he turned the page:

"The war was still ongoing, William's side achieved a great victory, as a result, they managed to capture a large group of prisoners.

William was tasked with executing them.

Amidst the sound of the prisoners' screams and pleas, William prepared his weapon. Without hesitation, he aimed his weapon at them. Looking into his empty, abyss-like eyes, the prisoners realized there was no point in pleading, their fate was sealed.

As soon as silence fell, William began firing his rifle at them. For a few moments, the sound of gunfire dominated like thunder.

Suddenly, silence fell. Blood flowed towards William until it touched his shoes. William looked at this scene and said: "All these comrades, I was the one who took their lives, I killed them, I executed them. Unlike my comrades who fight to protect their families and their homeland, I have nothing like that, I just kill because I can. I have nothing against them, but when I see them like this, the only thing I feel towards them is worldliness. All these humans are inferior even to livestock, at least we slaughter livestock and eat their meat, but these humans will eventually be burned as if they were garbage, and I am the one who made them like this, I have humiliated their existence."

"Isn't this kind of funny? All of them, when they were born, their loved ones celebrated them and were happy for them. They grew up experiencing all kinds of emotions, sadness, happiness, love, hate... only to have their end at the hands of an emotionless person who didn't feel a shred of pity while executing them... No, this isn't even funny... this is terrifying... who am I? Even the beasts in this world have feelings, what exactly am I? I'm scared... scared of myself."

"Hehehe, but all this doesn't really matter, it's death in the end, right?"

"Is there any meaning to fear?"

"In the end, I think I'm just an intruder in a world where I own nothing." William sighed as he looked at the sky.

Khaled muttered, "It's death in the end..." A shiver ran down his spine as he read these words.

Many questions ran through his mind, "Aren't feelings and principles what make us human? When you lose them, and look at both death and life with contempt, doesn't that make you a demon?"

Khaled fell into deep thought, comparing Nour's character with William's. Nour, who represents light and life, and William, who represents fall and darkness. Khaled found himself trapped between these two sides. A question he couldn't get out of his mind, "What if I lost everything... Mom... I have nothing left, will I become like William?"

But he quickly denied this, "Impossible, this is unrealistic, a human cannot reach this degree of emptiness, I refuse to accept this."

Despite saying this, there was still a lot of doubt in his heart, as he still felt a strange connection towards William.

He looked at the book again, he had already spent a few hours reading it, and now Khaled reached the last part of the story where William's ending would be revealed.

He was very excited, but also very nervous.

Despite trying to turn the page, something was stopping him. Every time he tried to push himself, the feeling of suffocation increased, and his heart beat faster.

It wasn't that he didn't want to read the ending, but he couldn't. He could feel how tragic William's ending would be. He was worried that this might affect him in some way.

While he was in the midst of this conflict, he heard a familiar female voice calling his name, "Khaled...!?".

He slowly raised his head to find Sarah looking at him with her usual smile, simple and warm. He finally breathed a sigh of relief, leaving William's world.

He hastily closed the book, while replying with a confused smile, "Ah... Sarah! Hello!"

She looked at him questioningly, then sat beside him, "You seemed lost in thought, what were you thinking about?"

"Nothing really... I think I just drifted off a bit." He shrugged hesitantly.

She noticed the book in his hands.

She rubbed her chin, while asking with a smile, "Is this the book you were reading? Tell me what it's about, I'm really curious to know what kind of books you like."

Khaled paused for a moment, then replied with a forced lightness, "It's nothing special, just a fantasy novel about a good hero who moves to another world and takes responsibility for protecting it, hehehe." He said with a small fake laugh and looked away, as if running from the truth.

Sarah also laughed, "Oh, I didn't know you liked this kind of story. Considering your gloomy personality, I thought you might prefer dark stories."

Embarrassed that she had hit the truth, Khaled tried to change the subject, "What about you? Do you have a favorite kind of story you prefer?"

She replied with unaffected enthusiasm, "I love exciting stories that make you think, like detective stories. What I love about these stories in particular is the ending, when the criminal is finally identified and their motives are revealed. Everyone has a reason for committing crimes, whether it's for revenge, survival, or to feed inner desires, or sometimes to convey certain messages, which makes them leave a trace or pattern that can be followed. That's always the reason for their capture."

Khaled seemed interested in her words, saying in a more profound tone, "But what if there is no motive? They just kill because they can, because they have no principles or ethics, which makes them devoid of empathy and guilt... just emptiness, they see no difference between the lives of humans or animals."

Sarah was surprised by his serious tone, she had never seen him like this before. She replied slowly, "A criminal like that is the worst... killing without a goal or purpose, which means they can think clearly during their crimes, because there are no emotions driving them, the rate of their mistakes will be very low, and they won't kill in the same way again, making it impossible to find a pattern to follow. A criminal like that is a nightmare and a real challenge for any cop."

She paused for a moment then continued, "But what's the incentive that drives them to go through the trouble of killing in the first place, that's so strange it's hard to believe someone like that exists."

Khaled thought internally, "Maybe because there is no reason... they have lost everything that could be a reason."

But on the surface, he laughed jokingly, "Hehehe, don't worry about that, it's been a while since we talked, and here I am talking about killers and these scary things."

Sarah laughed with him, "On the contrary, I also enjoy these topics. Anyway, this is the first time I've seen you in the library, you don't come here often, do you?"

"Yes, I was just feeling bored and came to the library to find something interesting to read. Because of your talk about detective stories earlier, I think I'm interested. Can you suggest some novels to me?"

Sarah replied enthusiastically, "Of course, you've come to the right person. Since you're still new to this kind of story, I'll suggest some suitable novels for you to start with." She spoke in a confident tone with a slightly smug smile, as if she were an expert talking about her field.

"Hehehe, I think this is my lucky day." He looked into her honest eyes, devoid of any malicious intentions, he found her kind. He was happy to spend time with someone like her.

The two continued their conversation, something changed in Khaled's features, that cautious silence no longer filled his expressions.

Sarah's spontaneous laughter and her childish curiosity were like gusts of wind that blew away the fog that had formed around him.

He looked at his phone's clock, then said quietly, "I think I'm a little late, I have to leave now."

She nodded smiling, "Okay, but don't forget to read the novels I suggested to you, I promise you'll enjoy them." She said, raising her thumb.

He smiled and stood up, "Of course, since this is the advice of a novel expert, how can I not take it?"

He walked away until he left the library... but something was different in his steps, something that wasn't there when he entered the library.

After a while, Khaled arrived home, opened the door, and went up to his room quietly as usual.

He sat at his desk, starting to gaze at his room's ceiling.

He was still thinking about William and what his life story was like.

One thought crystallized in his mind, "People's true nature is only revealed when they face challenges that push them to their limits."

He immediately adjusted his posture, picked up his pen, and prepared to continue writing his story, "This sounds interesting, let's do it." He said with a smile.

A picture from his fantasy world began to form in his mind.

He moved to the middle of a large hall, where an old man with long white hair reaching his shoulders, and a medium-length black beard sat.

On either side of him sat the village elders, each with a distinct presence.

Nour's father was also among those present, sitting directly beside the leader, reflecting his high status in the village, while Nour sat behind his father, Tariq.

Seeing the serious expressions of his father and the village leader, he felt some tension rising within him.

The village leader spoke, breaking the silence, "Sheikh Tariq, share with us what you discovered in the forest recently."

Eyes turned towards Tariq, who began speaking in a serious tone, "Recently, I was on reconnaissance missions deep within the Great Forest, in order to find new resource-rich areas, but instead I found fresh tracks of Buri wolves. I fear they have begun to be active again."

Nour felt his heart beat faster. He had never seen these creatures before, but he remembered the elders' tales about them, creatures with silver fur and green eyes that glowed in the dark, giving them a ghostly appearance, known for their speed and massive size.

Sheikh Kailan, a strong man with long mustaches, spoke, "There hasn't been any trace of these wolves for years, we even thought they had disappeared from the area. We must not underestimate them, they cost us many lives in the past. I suggest we form investigative teams to monitor their progress."

Sheikha Lian, the village doctor, sighed, "If the Buri wolves have become active again, it's very likely that there's a new and powerful leader guiding them. They have always followed a strong leader, and without one, they would fall apart."

Sheikh Asher, a thin man wearing a green robe, added, "I don't think we should overreact. We have fought these wolves before and always prevailed. Although they are stronger and more dangerous than ordinary wolves, their numbers have always been small due to their low birth rates, and their leader is the real danger, and the previous village leader already killed him. It's impossible for another leader with the same strength to be born in just this period."

But Sheikh Rayan disagreed, replying, "Nevertheless, we cannot trust that. Many years have passed since they disappeared. I fear they have been increasing their numbers and strength. I suggest we raise our level of preparedness to the maximum. We cannot afford to be negligent, because it could cost us many losses."

Tariq nodded in agreement and added, "That's right. Unlike the rest of the monsters, Buri wolves cooperate, plan, and attack intelligently, which makes dealing with them much more complicated."

After all the elders had expressed their opinions, they turned their gazes towards the village leader, awaiting his decision. "I am sure all the elders here know about that night, when the wolves invaded the village... we suffered devastating losses because of it."

He continued in a sad, nostalgic tone, "To the point where the previous leader had to sacrifice his life to kill the wolves' leader, which gave us a chance to turn the situation around. It was a historic night that I don't want to repeat. Who knows, there might be another high-elite monster leading them, and even if not, I want to gather all possible strength to destroy them once and for all and get rid of this hidden threat that endangers us."

Nour thought, "Monsters are classified through five levels:

-Ordinary monsters, which are the weakest and often targets for hunting and training.

-Elite monsters possess greater strength and higher intelligence than ordinary monsters. In addition to their enhanced senses and ability to execute complex hunting tactics, they pose a real danger.

-High-elite monsters are stronger and more distinguished than ordinary elite monsters. Apart from their extraordinary physical strength, their sharp intelligence is what sets them apart. It is said that they can even rival humans in this aspect, and they can control large herds of monsters, including elite monsters, making them a moving catastrophe.

-Monster kings, they are simply superior to the point where even high-elite monsters have no choice but to submit and obey them. Fortunately, it is very rare to see them, perhaps once every hundred years.

-And finally, monster emperors, there is no information about these monsters, only legends passed down from ancient times say that there are only a very few of these entities, so few they can be counted on one hand, and their mission is to protect the world and maintain balance. Their power cannot be measured by logic; they can easily wipe out millions of humans, or modify the climate, or even manipulate time and space. But all of this is just myth and cannot be verified."

Nour continues, "Anyway, the worst-case scenario is the presence of a high-elite leading the wolves. We cannot get out of such a situation without losses. I just hope Sheikh Asher is right." Sharp expressions appear on Nour's face due to the danger facing the village.

It was the first time he had faced a challenge of this level, so feeling worried and confused was inevitable.

Back in reality, Nour could feel the charged atmosphere inside the hall. The leader immediately began issuing orders, "To be safe, we must prepare for the worst. Sheikh Kailan, gather all the village youth and begin training them in various weapons. Sheikha Lian, I want you to form a medical team to collect all available medicinal plants. It is essential to replenish our medicine reserves. Sheikh Tariq, be their guide in the forest, direct them and protect them from any danger. As for me and the rest of the elders, we will begin arranging the village's defenses and planning for the confrontation."

The elders answered in one firm voice, "Present."

On the other side of the scene, Nour sat burdened with worries, sensing the approaching end of the peace he had grown accustomed to.

Not long after, the meeting ended.

Without wasting time, to begin their tasks, while Nour returned home.

The sound of his heavy footsteps echoed in the corridors until he reached his room.

He closed the door and sat on his wooden chair, the candlelight reflecting on his face, casting dancing shadows on the room's walls that added a sense of gloom to the room.

"Buri wolves..." he muttered in a low voice.

The thought of their return and the elders' serious and cautious handling of it worried him.

He tried to calm himself by remembering his training with his friends, but with the emergence of such a threat, he was no longer confident.

Questions continued to fill his mind: what would be the size of the wolf pack? And how strong would their leader be?

While he was lost in his thoughts, his father entered the room with a look full of paternal concern on his face.

"Nour?" he called in a quiet voice.

"Ah, Father..."

"What's wrong? You seem worried. Your mother told me you went straight up to your room, that's not like you." He said, leaning against the wall.

"Wait, don't tell me you're scared of those wolves from before, hahaha. You worry too much, the village has a long history with them, so we understand their nature and movements." He added in a sarcastic tone.

"It's not like that, it's just that the elders earlier were serious in dealing with the matter as important, and I'm afraid I won't be able to provide much help." He said, scratching his head embarrassedly.

His father looked at him with slightly widened eyes, then continued laughing, "So my son is afraid of being useless, hahaha. I think you misunderstood something. I didn't bring you to the meeting because I wanted to burden you with great responsibilities, but because, as part of the younger generation, the day will come when the village's responsibility will be in your hands, so I wanted you to gain some experience in how to deal with such matters. Don't take it too seriously, consider yourself in a lesson, nothing more."

He paused for a moment and continued, "However, I'm glad you take the village's safety so seriously. I'm sure the village will be in safe hands in the future, but for now, you can leave this responsibility to us and don't tire yourself out too much with it."

Nour smiled, and some of the worry disappeared from his face, "Okay, Father."

"However, that doesn't change the fact that a big battle is about to happen, so I will make sure to train you well in the coming days. It's better to be prepared because I won't be lenient with you. You must make everyone hear your name after this battle." Tariq said with a stern smile on his face.

Nour's earlier worry quickly returned. He only managed a nervous laugh, "H-hehe."