Chapter 23 Wetting Her Lips

Words : 1017 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

The world had... shifted. No jagged rocks, no familiar terrain. Just endless grassy hills rolling under a sky that seemed way too big. It was flat. Empty. Desolate. "You really have got to be fucking kidding me!" Malik turned in a slow circle, hoping to spot something—a stream, a puddle, a patch of mud; even a mirage would do. Nope. Just grass. Miles and miles of boring, dry grass. "Hahahahaha—Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!" His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as he licked his cracked lips. "If God exists like those annoying-ass preachers say... then I'm sure 'He' hates me." Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he tried to calm himself down: "Alright, Malik... This is fine. You're fine. You're not gonna die out here, and Huda's definitely not gonna die because you suck at finding water. Nope. Not happening." His pep talk wasn't great, but it was all he had. With a shaky breath, he pushed forward, his worn sandals crunching against the brittle, sun-bleached grass beneath his feet. The dry air clung to his skin, and sweat dripped down his face, stinging his eyes. He wiped at it with his robes, though it didn't help much. "...Maybe over that hill." A hill among many loomed ahead, its incline steep. Malik decided it was as good a direction as any—better than standing still and admitting defeat. He began the climb, his legs shaking all the way up. And when he reached the top, he stopped again, exacerbated. More grass. Malik stared at it, his hands on his hips, his chest heaving. "This place is a joke. A bad one." He squatted down, grabbed a handful of grass, yanked it out of the ground, and threw it as hard as he could. It fluttered pathetically in the breeze before settling a few feet away. "Cool. Yeah, real funny. Real freaking funny." He laughed, a bitter, broken sound. Still, he didn't stop. Malik wandered further, the sun beating down on him, his skin prickling with heat. His robe felt like it weighed a ton, but he didn't dare take it off. After what felt like hours, he stumbled to a stop. He swayed on his feet, blinking at the horizon. Still nothing. Still just grass. Malik dropped to his knees and slammed his fists into the dirt. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!" With a final punch, he flipped, relaxing his back on the ground in defeat. But then, as he lay there, cursing under each heavy breath, something clicked in his head. 'I need to get back... I really can't leave them for long.' He sighed. 'Huda needs me. Sinbad needs me... and this? It's wasting time.' Time was something they didn't have. Certainly true, but still, that would be the case only if Malik's time-looping ability wasn't taken into account. But it seemed that even though he had acknowledged it as a tool, he still wasn't going to rely on it the first time something tough happened. After all, if he did that, tomorrow might never come. "Ugh..." As the random trio arguing in the back had said, no one in the hall, or even beyond, could honestly claim that Malik did this for sexual reasons, much to Zafar's dismay. If anything, he seemed disgusted by it. And that, for whatever bubbling reason, had annoyed Huda the most. Whether it was effective or not didn't register in anyone's mind, like hey, he was at least trying, right? *** {Inside The Projection} "This is officially the worst thing I've ever done... and that's saying something." Huda stirred slightly, her body loosening up as her ragged breathing evened out a little. Malik sat on his heels, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and trying not to think too hard about what he'd just done. "Alright, relax for a bit. You owe me big time, you hear? Like... forever big." He glanced over at Sinbad, who was still curled up and snoring softly. "And you, little man." Malik pointed a shaky finger at him. "You better wake up soon and start pulling your weight. I'm not cut out for this babysitting crap." With that, he let himself slump back against the cool wall as exhaustion claimed him. His body felt like it had been wrung out and left to dry in the sun. Every muscle ached, every joint protested. He tilted his head back, staring at the dark ceiling above. "This is what I get for trying to be a hero... Should've just stayed out of it. Let someone else save the day." Even as he said those words, he knew it was a lie. There was no "someone else" that would've saved the day. It was just him. And unfortunately for whatever aspirations he had before this, he couldn't walk away. Not from them. Not from anyone. That wasn't who he was, no matter how much he wanted to pretend otherwise. "You guys better make it..." "..." "You hear me? I didn't haul your little butts here just for you to check out now... You're not... allowed. That's... that's an order!" The last word came out all wobbly, like his vocal cords had just given up. He swallowed hard, his throat dry and scratchy, blinking fast to keep his eyes from stinging too much. 'Can't sleep... no. Not yet...' Malik dragged a dirty hand down his face. The gesture didn't help much—it just smeared sweat and dirt around, making his cheeks sticky. 'Not until I make sure...' His knees wobbled, and he let himself sink, his feet spreading wide, trying to anchor him to the ground. '...They're... okay...' He blinked. 'Jus'... five seconds.' '...Just five.' And then, just like that, the fight was over. 'That's all~.' His eyes slammed shut like someone hit a switch. '...' '...' '...' Malik had fallen asleep.

Chapter 23 Wetting Her Lips

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