Chapter 18 How Many Times?

***

{Outside The Projection}

The hall had not heard a single word since the projection last resumed, and this silence persisted even after it paused, giving the crowd a long moment to breathe, a reprieve from the repeated whiplash they had been experiencing.

This time around, the silence wasn’t quite as heavy.

Everyone was still processing what happened, replaying what they’d just seen in their heads, trying to make sense of it.

Malik had nearly done something impossible, and yet, it was something they expected of him.

It wasn’t just the act itself, though, that left them stunned.

The way Malik—a kid with no real clue about the wider world—managed to adapt to a completely new environment on the fly. It was incredible. Almost inhuman.

And yet, even with all that, it still hadn’t been enough.

His life had slipped just out of reach, like a cruel joke.

Not that it mattered much. His goal was misplaced from the start.

The river?

Yeah, not exactly the safest option.

Huda knew that better than anyone.

As Malik’s memories played out in front of her, she found herself stepping closer to the projection, almost like she was trying to climb inside it. Trying to feel what he felt at that time.

It was twisted—a messed-up way to atone for the helplessness she couldn’t shake.

Sure, Malik would eventually become the one to destroy everything she cared for, but that didn’t matter right now. Not to her.

Right now, Huda needed to do this.

If she didn’t, she wasn’t sure she’d ever forgive herself.

“Ugh…”

And as she stood there, the pain he felt crashed into her like a rampaging draft monster, forcing her to kneel.

Alongside that pain came an obvious realization.

Malik hadn’t saved them; no, he had thrown them straight into a Dandan’s mouth.

But she didn’t blame him. How could she?

He didn’t know. He couldn’t have known.

Regardless, her thoughts weren’t on the river, her brother, or herself anymore.

They were stuck on him—on Malik, slamming into the ground, body broken, life snuffed out in an instant.

She looked down and her face went pale.

Her eyes widened, and her mind kept reliving that sickening fall over and over again.

The bitter taste in her mouth from earlier wouldn’t go away; rather, it only increased in intensity.

Her throat felt like sandpaper, too dry to swallow, too tight to breathe.

She could barely stop herself from breaking down then and there.

And she wasn’t the only one.

“That… that was insane.”

Azeem muttered, his eyes wide with something close to awe.

“I thought he was gonna save them for sure.”

For a moment, there was nothing but that—expectation.

Because Malik? The Sultan they knew? He always found a way. Always. Like some unstoppable force of nature barreling through every roadblock.

And now, even with all the answers staring them in the face, even knowing the why behind it all, their brains just couldn’t reconcile it. It didn’t fit.

It felt like a lie.

All of it was just so different from what they thought to be the truth.

“…Not now… please.”

Layla couldn’t take it anymore.

With a shaky exhale, she dropped to the ground like her legs had given out.

“He… He was so close. So damn close…”

She shook her head, looking at the projection as if hoping the scene would change by her sheer willpower alone.

But no.

The screen was frozen right there, right on the aftermath.

On the crater where Malik’s body had hit the earth like a meteor, dust still settling.

A cold, hard truth. One she couldn’t argue with.

One that sat like a weight on her, on all of them.

And though she knew it wasn’t fair, she couldn’t stop herself from hoping.

Hoping that next time, maybe—just maybe—her husband wouldn’t leave Sinbad behind.

That he’d find a way to save them both, no matter the cost.

Not for the sake of Sinbad; she didn’t give two shits about him, but for Malik’s sanity.

His descent into madness was on the horizon, ready to pull him under.

But for now? Just for a little longer?

She wanted to catch those glimpses of her Malik—her husband.

The glimpses hiding deep within him, the rare few that made her fall in obsessive love.

‘…One more time… just one more.’

That was all she was asking for.

***

{Inside The Projection}

The world blinked.

“Haa…”

Malik let out a breath and his eyes dimmed as if he had confirmed something… bad?

Shaking his head, he let those thoughts go for later and began to count down again:

“Ten… Nine… Eight… Seven… Six…”

No more hesitation. He sucked in a sharp breath and prepared himself for entry.

‘Five… Four… Three…’

Malik didn’t even finish counting this time, opting to curl into himself instead.

His face showed fear, not only at the incredible pain he was about to experience but also for the impossible he had to achieve.

Then…

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!”

His scream resounded once more as his back was torn and bloodied.

He pulled Huda even closer, practically squeezing the life out of her as he turned around and snapped his body into position, aiming straight for the nearest Aether pocket.

Like clockwork, he was tossed around from one to another, flying through the air.

He didn’t have the luxury of enjoying the ride; each twist of his body made him want to puke.

Fortunately, there was nothing to puke, so he was fine in that regard.

Each burst of Aether slapped him around in a different way, even though he went at them with the same speed.

Some pockets were like being launched out of a cannon; others dragged him down, almost suffocating him in their pull. A few had sent him soaring up, while most slammed him close to the ground.

But every time, no matter the result, he got closer.

Closer to Sinbad.

Closer to not screwing this up.

And it wasn’t long before…

“SINBAD!”

Malik shot out, arm outstretched, muscles on fire, fingers just grazing the back of Sinbad’s shirt before yanking him in close.

The boy was limp, completely dead weight—but alive.

That was all that mattered.

‘…Now the last one.’

Quickly scanning his surroundings, he found a pocket not so far away from the water, hung a fair distance below.

Adorning his earlier posture, he tracked it like a hawk, angling his body just right.

He, with sheer instinct alone, had calculated it, calculated everything, down to the millimeter.

Bracing himself, Malik threw everything he had into the dive, piercing straight into the pocket.

Then—boom—it hit him like a ton of bricks—his body flying forward, straight to the river.

The water was coming up fast—way too fast.

“Shit!”

But Malik didn’t panic.

With every ounce of his strength, he twisted, using the momentum to steer them along the flow, hoping to lessen the impact.

Closer.

Closer.

SPLASH!

They hit the water hard.

It felt like slamming into a wall made of mercury.

The air was knocked right out of him, and for a split second, he thought his chest was going to cave in.

But then, the river took them in, swallowing the fall with a bone-shaking crash that sent exploding ripples all across the river’s surface.

They sank. They survived. Finally… right?

Wrong.

Before Malik could even think about celebrating…

‘…N-No.’

A shadow passed overhead, and his blood ran cold.

He craned his neck, squinting through the water.

Something was moving above him. Big. Fast. Moving like a hunter would before a prey.

The shadow circled back, and it didn’t take long for its shape to become clear—a massive body slicing through the water like it was its home, its territory.

Rows of jagged teeth glinted in its huge mouth that split open in the middle, making it seem impossibly wide.

‘Oh, come on, as if I haven’t had enough!’

The beast didn’t care about his complaints.

It was closing in, moving with the kind of speed that would’ve made anyone give up.

But not Malik.

He kicked hard, trying to propel himself and the kids out of the way.

His muscles screamed, his lungs burned, and yet, his efforts were worthless.

The shark-like creature had reached them, its jaws ready to swallow them whole.

At the last moment, Malik twisted his body, flinging Sinbad and Huda away while pushing himself to it.

‘I’ll—’

His final actions changed nothing.

Its maw snapped shut around them before he could even form his final thought.

His world vanished in a blur of water and crushing darkness.

Then—nothing.

No dreams, just death.

***

{Outside The Projection}

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…Just how many times is he going to die?”