6 Currents of time

*WARNING: Mentions of torture/abuse/slavery*

Somewhere in Mesopotamia.

Twenty-one years ago.

On a cold sunny day in the morning.

This place. I'm back here again, reliving this terrible memory, my legacy, my greatest sin.

"Ahmad?" said in a muffled voice.

"AHMAD?" said again in a muffled voice.

I turned to my left to see who was calling my name; I saw a familiar face. It was my older brother Muhannad.

He was two years older than me. I was sixteen years old at the time.

He was the twin of my other sibling, Faisal.

They both had short black hair and brown skin; the only difference was that Faisal had a scar next to his left eye.

"Snap out of it; the convoy is near," Muhannad said.

The convoy we were planning to ambush was traveling on the main road that led to Babilim.

We took positions on two hills facing each other.

I and my older brothers, Muhannad and Faisal, were on the eastern side.

On the opposing hill were my other siblings, Kaiden and Radhi, and my father, Amir.

Kaiden was our eldest brother. His age was twenty-two years old. He had long black hair that reached his neck and a short beard.

My father was in his late forties. He always wore his brown turban and had a thick gray beard mixed with white.

We stayed on top of those hills for an hour, crouched and waited for my father's signal to start the ambush.

As we waited, I saw my father's signal. He used a small piece of glass and reflected the sun's light in our direction to alert us.

I looked to my right and saw the convoy down the road, made up of three carriages. And two wagons, one in the front and one in the back.

I pulled my monoscope to get a better look.

The wagons on the front and back were guards escorting the convoy, and the carriages in the middle carried the loot we were after.

Our informer told us that the convoy had gold and other things meant as a tribute to the king of Mesopotamia; Failure was not an option.

As the convoy reached the ambush spot, our attack began.

Kaiden stood up, extended his hand outwards, aimed at the explosives we planted on the road and shot it with a thunderous lightning bolt.

His timing, as usual, was impeccable.

His shot triggered the explosives to take out the front wagon at the right time, and the rest of the carriages were untouched by the explosion.

The convoy stopped, and their horses started panicking.

My father descended the hill first, unleashing his battle cry, and all of us followed his lead, except Radhi, who was ordered to stay in his position to give us support from high ground.

My brothers and I ran down the hill as planned.

I targeted the first carriage; Faisal and Muhannad targeted the second and third carriages. At the same time, my father and Kaiden attacked the second guard wagon.

As I descended the hill onto the road.

I ran towards the first carriage. It had only one driver; he was panicking more than the horses he was trying to calm down.

I jumped onto the driver's seat and tackled him out of it, and we fell to the ground.

He resisted at first, throwing wild and inefficient punches at me. It was apparent that he was not a fighter or a soldier.

I managed to get control of the fight. I went behind him and locked his neck in a chokehold with my right arm.

He resisted more than before, trying his best to fight for his life while he whimpered and cried, But in the end, I pulled my dagger from its sheath strapped to my left thigh.

I repeatedly stabbed his chest while holding the chokehold as hard as possible.

I stabbed and stabbed and stabbed until his movements began to slow down. I put my knife back into its sheath and shoved that man's corpse onto the ground. It lay there motionless, lifeless, as the man's blood began to flood the sand beneath him.

I turned to my left to check on my other siblings.

Muhannad and Faisal had already killed the carriage drivers, But I saw in the distance Kaiden and my father fighting two guards each; unlike the drivers, the guards are trained fighters.

I ran to aid them in their fight.

As I passed near Muhannad and Faisal, I shouted, "Brothers, follow me!" Then kept running to the back of the convoy with my brothers behind me.

We reached my father and Kaiden. I passed behind my father, leaving his aid to my other siblings.

I came to Kaiden's Aid and stopped.

He didn't need any help. He fought those guards with a broad smile. He enjoyed being on the thin thread between life and death.

His movements as he fought were fast and unnatural. He dodged their sword attacks swiftly and laughed each time they missed him.

He stood proudly in front of them, looked down at them, and said, "I have seen camels put up a better fight."

The first guard charged at Kaiden as he roared his battle cry. Simultaneously, I pulled the crossbow strapped on my back and shot the second guard in the head.

I looked back at him to see what had happened to his fight; the fight between him and the guard was unfair.

The guard attacked repeatedly, and Kaiden evaded every slash.

He put up a distance between himself and his opponent, extended his hand, and shot a lightning bolt that made a zapping sound on the guard's sword arm.

The guard dropped his sword, winced and screamed.

After that, Kaiden's face turned red, and his facial veins expanded.

He charged at the guard and punched his stomach.

The guard dropped to the ground and started coughing and gasping loudly for air.

Kaiden kneeled, put his hand on the guard's neck, stood up slowly and lifted the guard.

He looked into the guard's eyes and asked, "Have you ever experienced the power of lightning?"

The guard spat on Kaiden's face and grinned.

Kaiden laughed and said, "I guess not."

A lightning spark rose from Kaiden's shoulder. It stood straight and made a loud snapping sound. It started moving slowly from his shoulder to his hand.

The spark passed by Kaiden's elbow.

The guard began to scream and yelled, "I surrender! I surrender!!"

Kaiden grinned and said, "Embrace death. Embrace your birthright!"

The spark kept moving slowly and reached Kaiden's wrist. The guard screamed in terror, and then it went into Kaiden's hand and disappeared.

Suddenly the guard's body tensed up, started shaking violently, and made a muffled growl.

Moments passed, his eyes became red, his ears began to pour blood, and his skin darkened.

My brother kept electrocuting the guard until his eyes popped out of their sockets. They hung on his face, held only by a thread of flesh.

Kaiden dropped the body on the floor and said, "Good thing they didn't feed you."

Kaiden turned his sight on me; he was furious. He walked to me hastily, grabbed my neck, and slammed me on the wagon's bed next to me.

He looked into my eyes and yelled, "If I wanted your help, I would've asked for it!"

"By my father's orders, I am to protect my deranged elder brother," I replied.

My brother tightened his grip on my neck. I gasped for air and tried to get his hand off my neck.

"My father did a poor job of raising you. As your elder brother, I will take this responsibility into my own hands and beat manners into you," he said.

He kept choking me, and my vision became blurry and started to darken, but I wasn't going to let him get the better of me.

I pulled out my knife. I was ready to drive it into his neck and end his miserable existence.

My father yelled at us, "Kaiden! Ahmad!"

Kaiden let go of my neck.

I dropped to the floor, gasping and coughing.

He told me in a smug voice, "Next time, father won't be here to protect you."

Before he walked away, he kicked the sand beneath him in my direction and spat at me before he walked to my father.

I looked at him, gritting my teeth, telling myself I would have his head one day.

I looked in my father's direction to my left.

I saw the guards' bodies lying on the ground, my father was sheathing his sword, and my brothers stood behind him and laughed at what had just happened to me.

I stood up and brushed the sand off my hair and clothes. At the time, we all wore wool garments colored beige.

I went to my father and stood in front of him.

He looked at me and said, "Go check the front carriages with Faisal and Muhannad."

I nodded and walked to the first carriage with my siblings behind me.

We reached the first carriage, the one I attacked. I saw that driver's body was still there, with flies flying over him; it won't take long before the maggots also found his body.

I opened the first carriage's back door and found gold and jewelry filling half the bed.

I looked at Faisal and told him, "Stay here until our father comes to you."

Faisal nodded and said, "understood, sand-boy."

I grabbed Faisal by his collar and said, "Do I need to remind you who is second in command?"

"Once Kaiden is in charge, you're lucky if he doesn't include you in the whore's tent," Faisal said.

Furious at my brother's reply, I slammed my forehead into his nose.

He groaned and cursed me as his blood spilled on the ground.

"Let your beloved Kaiden heal your nose," I replied.

Muhannad and I walked to the second carriage parked behind the first one.

We opened the carriage's back door. There wasn't any gold or jewelry, only three women inside. They all wore torn clothes and had scars on their bodies.

They looked horrible and abused terribly.

I noticed a little girl behind them. She had white skin, long brown hair, and olive-green eyes.

She looked unharmed and untouched; Luckily, her captors had morals.

I told the little girl to come forward.

She was hesitant at first, but then one of the women in the carriage stood before her as if trying to shield her from me.

I placed my foot on the edge of the carriage's bed and said, "Defy me, and this carriage will be left for the beasts."

The woman trembled, moved aside, and cleared a way for the little girl.

She walked closer to me with her head down and tried her best to hide her fear.

I looked at her and asked, "How old are you, little girl?"

"I…I am ten years old," She said.

"What is your name?" I asked.

"My name is Yasmine," She replied.

"Yasmine, I have a little brother about your age. I want you to be his companion," I said.

Yasmine looked at me, shocked at what I told her, and I met her look with a soft smile.

I turned to Muhannad and told him to bring me Radhi

Muhannad looked at me in displeasure and said, "Are you serious? You want to gift her to Radhi instead of selling her?"

"I asked you to bring me Radhi, not your opinion," I replied.

Muhannad sighed and left to bring Radhi.

I looked at Yasmine and told her, "As my little brother's companion, I am ordering you to keep him happy and do what he tells you to do. Did I make myself clear?"

She nodded and said, "Yes."

I looked at the rest of the women behind her and said, "Your fate will be decided once we reach our camp."

I looked to my right and saw Radhi approaching me.

I turned to him, smiled and said, "There is our little protector, good work on your efforts."

"Thank you, Ahmad. Although I didn't do much," Radhi said.

"Don't worry about that. I have good news for you," I replied.

"What is it, Ahmad?" he asked.

I looked at Yasmine and told her to come out. She stepped out of the carriage and stood before Radhi.

"My very own slave, I always wanted one of those," Radhi cheerfully said.

I was disappointed in his reaction.

I closed the carriage door, stepped closer to Radhi, smacked his head and said, "I didn't say she is your slave. She'll be your companion."

Radhi rubbed his head and replied, "Understood, Ahmad."

"Come, let's go see father," I said.

I walked back with Radhi and Yasmine beside me. I saw Muhannad and Kaiden talking with our father next to the third carriage.

I approached them and said, "Father, it's done."

"Where did you find the little girl?" Father asked.

"She was in the second carriage with three other women," I replied.

"Why did you let her out?" Father asked.

"Radhi is no longer a child. Sooner or later, he will need a woman by his side. I took the initiative and brought one to him," I replied.

Father laughed and said, "Always thinking ahead, Ahmad."

"What did you find in the third carriage, father?" I asked.

"We found thousands of Dinars inside," Father replied.

"We should head back to our camp, father. Before the smell of blood attracts beasts," I said.

"Take the second carriage with Radhi. Muhannad and Faisal will take the first carriage, and Kaiden and I will take the third carriage," Father said.

My father turned to Kaiden and said, "Signal our reinforcements. The raid is over."

"Understood, father," Kaiden replied.

Kaiden took a spherical glass ball out of his pocket, distanced himself from us, and threw the ball into the sky. It exploded and released green smoke.

"Good throw, Kaiden. Let's take those carriages and leave." Father said.

After a while.

We returned to our camp in the afternoon.

Our camp didn't stay in one place for long. We moved around to avoid being spotted by our enemies or the uncountable number of nobles, chiefs, and lords we robbed.

The camp's layout stayed the same no matter how much we relocated.

Around the camp's outer grounds, we had planted various traps. All were considered forbidden to use because of the damages they could cause.

We had a tall, shaded fence surrounding the inner grounds to protect the tents inside from the elements of nature.

We parked the carriages inside and left the rest of the job to our men to take and store the valuables we looted.

They emptied the carriages, and our slaves took them apart to use the wood and steel for other purposes.

I usually oversee the process since being my father's son meant I had a shared responsibility to look out for our small tribe. Although my other siblings share that responsibility, none took it seriously.

Kaiden was always busy with his whores, held up in his tent and barely seen on regular days.

Muhannad was nowhere to be found, I am not sure what he does in his free time, but if he kept himself alive and ready for combat, I couldn't care less.

Faisal, where could I start with him?

After Kaiden, he is the vilest and unholiest creature I have ever seen.

Suppose he wasn't smoking our tobacco supply. He would bring his boy slaves into his tent to spend the night with them.

The day after, he would do it again, adding our animals, and the day after, he would do it again, adding our men slaves.

The day after, he would spend his night with only one woman to express his apology to the laws of nature before repeating his shameless cycle all over again.

Radhi Was always helping me with my daily efforts to stabilize our camp. We have been together since we were young, naturally. Because we shared the same mother, but she passed away recently.

I oversaw the dismantling of the carriages.

Radhi came to my side and asked, "Can I help you with anything, Ahmad?"

I turned to him and said, "Radhi, you have a woman now. Take care of her. I can handle the rest."

"Brothers come first, women later," Radhi replied.

Amazed at my brother's reply, I couldn't help but smile.

All my life, I've known nothing but hatred from my older siblings, but to see my younger brother holding me in such a high place in his heart. It motivated me to keep living and strive through the hardships I face.

"Ahmad?" Radhi said.

"…. Thank you, Radhi, but we are almost done with dismantling the carriages," I said.

"As you wish, Ahmad," Radhi said.

I watched Radhi return to his tent, and my only thoughts after our small exchange were.

How could I protect his purity from this life we live? The bloodshed, the enslavement, and the thievery we rely upon to survive.

All I could hope for at the time was to wait for a miracle to happen, a chance for salvation.

I went to my father's tent to report. It was a sizeable black wool tent with white and red stripes.

I stood near the tent's entrance and said, "Father! I came here to report."

A while passed, and I heard my father.

"Come in," he said.

I went inside. It was faintly lit by oil lamps, as the thick sheets of the tent didn't allow the sunlight to pass inside.

My father was smoking his pipe as he sat down. I walked to him and sat before him, and crossed my legs.

I looked at my father and said, "The dismantling is done, and the goods have been stored away."

Father took a puff from his pipe and said, "Good work, anything else?"

I looked into my father's eyes and said, "Have you reconsidered my proposition?"

Father put down his pipe and said, "How many times do I have to tell you this?"

I stood up and said, "Father, our tribe can't keep living like this!"

Father stood up and said, "This is a tribe of warriors, not a tribe of servants!!"

"To what end, father?! Do you want us to live a life of Bandits and mercenaries until every one of your sons dies like a dog?" I shouted.

Father grabbed my collar and shouted, "Your grandfather and those who came before Lived and died by the sword like the warriors they are, and now you want us! The sons and men of Hayja to bow down to appease those who sit on their thrones!"

"Yes! Face it, father. Our elder tribe abandoned us, and our lord disowned us. We are alone! And now you, our leader who can't let go of the old ways, will get us killed because you would not let go of those ungrounded principles!" I shouted.

Father became furious and punched me.

I fell on my back and grunted as my nose bled.

Father looked down at me and said, "I made a mistake trusting a spoiled brat like you as my successor. Get out! Before I drive my sword into your heart."

I stood up slowly, wiped the blood off my mouth with my left sleeve, looked at my father and said softly, "As you wish, father." And walked out.

I stepped out of the tent and saw a woman walking away suspiciously and hastily to my left.

I knew that she was eavesdropping on the conversation earlier.

I followed her as she went deeper into the camp and kept going after her until we reached the storage area.

The storage area was a set of four large white tents, and its layout was two tents facing each other.

She went inside the one on the right.

We used That tent to store jewels, tobacco, and other valuable goods.

I had my doubts at first about following her in, but I told myself it was just me against one woman; She wouldn't stand a chance.

I walked delicately and went inside.

The pungent odor of tobacco and spices filled the air inside. I looked around. There were wooden crates stacked upon each other, with the sunlight faintly lighting the place through the holes in the tent's upper fabric.

I tiptoed and looked to my left and right as I went. I could barely see between the spaces of the stacked crates. I reached the end of the tent, and I couldn't find her.

I sighed and muttered to myself, "Damn."

I began to walk out of the tent, heard footsteps behind me, and turned around quickly, only to be knocked out.

I woke up sitting on a wooden chair, my calves and thighs bound to the chair and my hands tied behind my back.

I groaned as I felt my jaw sting. I opened my eyes and noticed that whoever tied me had stripped me of my clothes; luckily, they didn't take my underwear.

I lifted my head and leaned back on the chair, and sighed for letting an enemy get the better of me.

I looked around and saw I was still in the same storage tent and noticed my clothes were thrown in the corner on the other side.

"My prince, you're finally awake?" The woman said.

A woman came out from behind. She stood before me and looked at me with a malicious smile.

She was a young woman, possibly in her twenties. She had short black hair and a sharp jaw.

She wore a sleeveless beige shirt and black pants. I noticed her leather waistband had two daggers. I looked closer into her arms and noticed they were toned and well-built.

"You're from the Mesopotamian military, aren't you?" I asked.

"You're sharp, my prince. What gave it away?" She said.

"Your arms are well-built. The only two who include women in the military are Kemet or Mesopotamia, but we never operated in Kemet, so that leaves the latter," I said.

She crossed her arms and said, "You're well-informed for a nomad."

I smiled and said, "I will take that as a compliment."

She smiled and said, "Do you know why I brought you here?"

"You're feeling lonely?" I said.

She chuckled softly, aimed her hand at my leg, and said, "Last chance, my prince."

"Are you going to use that hand to please me?" I said.

She shot a faint lightning bolt at my left leg.

I suddenly felt my body tense up. I was out of breath, and my heart was beating rapidly.

I looked at her, panted and said, "You're one of those damned magic users!"

"Correct, my prince. Now talk before I start using fire instead of lightning," She said.

"You can't kill me," I said.

She stepped closer to me and said, "You're testing my patience, little prince."

I leaned forward and said, "If you wanted to kill me, you could have done it already."

She went behind me and pulled my shoulders back forcefully, then whispered to my ear, "It is true I can't kill you, but I am allowed to hurt you as much as possible."

"Empty threats mean nothing to me, woman," I replied.

I heard her chuckle softly. She wrapped a thick towel around my mouth, then stood before me.

She pulled her dagger from her waistband and said, "It brings me joy to see you resisting."

She held her dagger up with her right hand and used flame magic in her other hand to heat the blade.

She kept heating the blade's tip until it turned dim red, brought it closer to my thigh as she looked at me with a wicked smile, then slowly pushed the melted tip of the dagger into my thigh.

I let out a muffled scream; the pain was unbearable.

I felt a burning sensation in my thigh, and the sharp pain made me believe my thigh muscle was being torn apart. I was nauseous and almost vomited.

She pulled the dagger out, healed my wound, and said, "I can do this repeatedly, and the best part is you won't die out on me," then let out a wicked chuckle.

I leaned forward and looked at her, panting, tears falling from my eyes.

She tilted her head and said, "Are you crying, my prince?" she pushed me back with her right foot, keeping it on my chest.

She untied my cloth gag, pulled my hair back and said, "speak! And the pain stops."

I looked at her and said, "If you think I value my life, you're greatly mistaken."

She smiled and said, "Is that so?"

She stepped back and said, "let me give you an idea of your tribe's situation, my prince. That convoy you attacked today was a decoy. Didn't you find it strange? A convoy carrying valuables barely had any guards escorting it?"

"How do you know about all of this?!" I asked.

She sheathed her dagger, crossed her arms and said, "The military knows your tribe likes to collect women and use them as slaves, so all we had to do was plant an agent among the women you found. And your so-called informant? After bribing him, he was more than willing to feed you false information."

I leaned forward and said, "You're bluffing!"

She stepped closer, leaned down, put her hands on my knees, and said, "let me tell you what's going to happen since the military now knows your camp's location. First, we'll execute your father, Kaiden, the twins, you and your little brother, Radhi."

"Touch Radhi, and I swear I won't rest until I kill you!" I replied.

"Ohh, I might as well pay a visit to Radhi and his little maiden after I am done with you," She said.

"Try it, and you will lose my cooperation," I said.

"What made you think you hold any value to me?" She asked.

"Because you never mentioned anything will be known to the public, this whole operation, your presence here and the deal you made with our informer only points to one conclusion, you want to erase this tribe from history without anyone ever knowing," I said.

"That's a bold claim. Why do you think we can't lay siege on this camp?" she said.

"You're afraid of losing something more important than human lives. You're afraid of losing your reputation because you know about the traps we use to protect our camp. If word of this deadly equipment got out, chaos would ensue," I threatened.

She stepped away from me and glared at me in silence.

I looked at her and said, "if you want my cooperation, it will have to be on my terms, or I'll make sure Kemet's military will be informed about everything."

She frowned and asked, "And what are your terms?"

"Amnesty and permanent residency in Babilim for Radhi and me, and twenty thousand Dinars," I said.

She sighed and said, "That can be done."

"I want the approval of my terms to come directly from your king. Fool me or try to forge the approval letter and the deal will be revoked," I said.

She crossed her arms and said, "Do you expect me to trouble my king with your insignificant demands?"

"Fine, I guess the ambassador of Kemet will be more than happy to provide them," I said.

She went behind me and cut my hands, thighs, and calves free.

She stood before me and said, "We will contact you when our part of the deal is ready. Betray us, and I'll make sure you and your little brother die painfully."

I stood up, rubbed my wrists, and said, "The same goes for you, worry about your end of the deal, and I will worry about mine."

The woman walked away, and her body disappeared with every step until she vanished entirely when reaching the tent's entrance.

After seeing what she did, I was bewildered. I never knew the curse of magic could do something like this.

After that horrible encounter, I returned to my tent. I hardly slept, knowing that powerful enemies had already infiltrated our camp.

As the days passed, I kept doing regular activities around the camp, not wanting to draw suspicion to what had already happened.

I was preparing for both cases. I wrote a letter if the Mesopotamian military decided to betray me, and it had the full details of the components used in our traps.

I sent it to a safe keeper in Sky-city using a messenger falcon.

I included a note that said if I don't come for that letter in two years, the message will be delivered to Kemet's ambassador, who was staying there.

Since the King of Mesopotamia and the Emperor of Kemet signed a treaty to never step into that city, it is the safest place to store it.

After two weeks, late at night.

I found a strange small box on my bed. It was black and had the symbol of the Mesopotamian lion on its sides.

I opened it and found a letter wrapped in the middle with a white silk stripe. I took it off and read the letter, and it said.

"By order of the king, the demands of the young prince shall be provided for, the prince and his brother will be under the king's protection, any harm done to them will be considered treason, and the guilty of such crime will be executed.

And in return, the young prince shall provide the assistance he offered to aid the military in preserving the peace and prosperity of Mesopotamia.

-King of Mesopotamia"

At the time, I was surprised. I never thought the king himself would reply this quickly.

I took the letter to my wooden desk and pulled my lit candle to the middle.

I flipped the letter on its backside and hovered it over the flame. If the letter is authentic, it would reveal the invisible ink. And to my surprise, it did.

The invisible ink displayed the symbol of the eight-pointed star of Ishtar shining its light down on a lion looking above.

I muttered to myself, "This is authentic."

"We honored our part. Now it is time to honor yours," a woman behind me said.

I gasped, turned around quickly, and said, "WH… it is you again."

She crossed her arms, smiled, and said, "Did you miss me, my prince?"

I sighed in relief and said, "No, but there's one thing left to do to make sure your letter is real."

I stuck the latter's edge to the candle's flame, which caught fire.

I pulled it away slowly, turned around, extended my hand, and watched the letter burn.

The flame slowly crossed one-fourth of the paper, and the rest instantly burned out and gave off the smell of flowers.

I looked at her and said, "Now you have my full cooperation."

I opened my safe chest and pulled out a scroll containing all their wanted information.

I walked to her and said, "You should have everything you need here."

She approached me, extended her palm, and said, "Let me see it."

I gave her the scroll and watched her as she read it.

She glared at me from the corner of her eyes and said, "How did you obtain all this information."

I smiled and said, "I have my ways."

"Tomorrow at the same time, be ready and ride the armored carriage parked outside the camp's ground to the east," she said.

"I can do that, but I have to bring my brother and his woman first," I said.

"Don't worry about them. We will deliver them to the carriage," She said as she walked away. Only to disappear into thin air yet again.

I sat on my bed, sighed, and thought. I finally had the opportunity to give Radhi a second chance in life at a grave cost, but that is a cost I am willing to bear.

I went to sleep that night only to be haunted by guilt in my dreams.

Tomorrow, midnight, on a full moon.

I packed my necessary items and money and walked out of my tent.

I looked around and found no one to be seen, only the voices of laughter and the smell of tobacco and alcohol to be noticed.

I strolled to the camp's exit that was near my tent.

I found two of our guards standing next to it, but something felt unnatural about them. I felt like I was in the presence of death, and my heart started beating rapidly.

I approached them and whispered, "David? Irfan?"

They opened their eyes, and I jumped back in terror.

I looked closer into their eyes, they were blood red, and tiny flames rose out of the corner of their eyelids.

They talked in a synchronized, deep voice, "Go, Ahmad, you shouldn't keep him waiting."

Out of fear, I followed their command.

Whatever took over the guard's bodies, I knew deep down. It was pure evil.

I kept walking and looked at my compass to check if I was on the right path until something called my name. I saw a crow with the same eyes as those guards.

It stared at me until it spoke and said, "Follow me."

I gasped and said in a broken voice, "As you wish."

I followed the crow. It flew slightly above me as I made my way through the soft, cold sand.

The crow flew until we reached a small sandy hill that reflected the moon's gentle light. I climbed it until I finally got to the top.

I saw the armored black carriage there. It was larger than any carriage I had ever seen.

It was parked without guards or a driver sitting in his seat. Only two large black horses were there.

The crow sat on top of the carriage, it looked at me with its demonic eyes, but I instinctively understood what it wanted me to do.

I opened the carriage's steel door, it was heavy, yet it was warm even though the winter season was still at its peak.

I got in, and the carriage was warm inside and had the strong scent of flowers. It was lit with lanterns that shined a warm white light.

The compartment's walls were sky blue, and the wooden floor was beige.

I saw Radhi and Yasmine to my right. They were sitting on a large seat with white leather covering its base.

They looked at me suddenly and had the same demonic eyes I saw along the way.

"Radhi? Yasmine?" I said in a broken voice.

"They are alive and unharmed," a man said.

I looked back and saw a large white man with a long, thick black beard.

He was sitting on a small sandy-brown carpet with red and pink flowers drawn on it.

He was enormous. His head reached my shoulders even though he was sitting down.

He wore a white turban and a thick silk robe colored gray with two lions knitted on his broad chest, facing each other.

He looked at me with sharp, determined eyes and said, "Sit down."

I sat in silence before him and crossed my legs.

He drank from his cup and said, "I am very disappointed in you, Ahmad, yet you show promise."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He picked up a letter from an open box next to him and threw it at me.

I picked it up, opened it, and read it briefly. It was the same letter I thought I had sent to Sky city.

I looked at him and said, "How?"

He smiled and said, "I have my ways."

I looked down and said, "Are you going to kill me?"

"No, you're worth more to me alive," he said

I looked at him, stunned at what he told me.

"Ahmad, tell me, why did you decide to sacrifice your people for your brother's sake?" he asked.

"I did what I had to do. This is my sin to bear," I said.

"You knew the price was too high, yet you took the risk to achieve your goal," he said.

"I had to make that choice. My people, my father and brothers, are stuck in the old ways. The world has changed, and if we don't adapt, we will be swept off our feet by the currents of time. I will not stand by and let my little brother suffer for the mistakes of the old and bitter." I said.

The man's eyes widened, grinned and said, "Brilliant answer, young prince!"

He stood up, extended his fist to me, and said, "Serve under me, Ahmad. Help me build a great nation where all men, women, and children stand equal. A nation unshackled by the old ways. A nation where the oppressed and the enslaved can truly be free!"

Inspired by the man's words, I stood up and said, "Is such a feat even possible?!"

He looked into my eyes and said, "Yes! And men like us who are willing to take the risk are the only ones able to make the world a better place for future generations."

He extended his hand to me and said, "Will you serve under me, Ahmad?"

I shook his hand and said, "if that is your goal, I will gladly help you see it come to fruition. But a man with such goals cannot be a normal person. Who are you?"

The man smiled and said, "My name is Kurigalzu. The protector, servant and King of Mesopotamia."

The End