The sun began to set over the tranquil Inner Capital. Few people now strolled through the grounds of the city despite temperatures dropping to ideal for walking up so many steps.
The contrast was stark. With no sun, the reflection from the Grand Palace faded and, with it, the glimmering brightness of the city. Only torches lit with fire, perched far and wide across the capital, ensured a firm eye could maintain its view over the city.
Much like the guards that consistently patrolled each level of the capital, life within the Grand Palace never stopped or slowed down.
Ibraheem, alongside fifteen others, including Rahim and Iman, sat around a large, round table in one of the Palace's many rooms. Everyone had their eyes focused on Ibraheem who stood at the head of the table and commanded the room with his domineering presence.
"Let's start now, shall we?" Ibraheem was met with simultaneous nods from everyone present. "For those who are unaware, Rahim, one of my wonderful sons, has made a discovery that could change the entire nature of our army. He claims that, if he is able to figure out how to properly exploit what we have found, our chances of victory in battle will become even greater than they already are."
Just outside the door waited Hussein and his mother, the King's wife and Avia's Queen. Hussein stared blankly at the guards that were directly in front of the door, ensuring that no one could intrude on the important meeting inside.
"When do you think they will be finished in there?" Hussein asked, an innocence evident in his voice.
"I'm not sure, Hussein. But in the meantime, why don't we go and do something fun together? Who knows how long we'll have to wait." Hussein's mother took his hand, something he still adored despite being the fourth oldest child, and let her guide him away.
At the same time, Ibraheem finally sat down, his face bearing that same agitated frown as it always did. He sat up straight, his elbows resting on the table in front of him as he put his hands together, prepared to listen to Rahim speak. Iman was next to him, lying on a seat far too big for any ordinary human. In fact, the chair's width far exceeded Ibraheem's, and the chair overshadowed its grandeur, too. She inattentively lay on her back, her head resting on her hands as she looked up at the ceiling.
Right across Ibraheem sat the General who itched to pounce on anything speculative that Rahim was about to say. Next to him sat a woman with glistening, blonde hair, her cleavage sticking out from her tight, purple dress. She never took her eyes off Ibraheem who never returned a gaze, even for a second.
Rahim stood up, only two seats away from his father, and began to brief everyone on his findings.
Before he started, he pulled something from his pocket and lifted it into the air for all to see. A strange-looking silver-coloured sparkling rock rested in his hand, instantly gaining everyone's full attention.
"This is Cindrium. I hope you all like the name I chose for it." He nervously laughed and coughed as no one laughed or applauded his choice. They simply awaited his continuation. "From what I have gathered, it is a highly reactive metal which, if mixed correctly with other substances, could be used to wreak havoc on yo— our enemies. What we need to do is continue searching for it and, if we find more, I could potentially make a vast array of weapons which would make toppling our enemies in battle far, far easier. Not to be optimistic, but I'd say the reaction could potentially mimic, or even transcend, Hussein's explosive powers."
The General kissed his teeth, making sure everyone around the table could hear it. "How can we be so sure that what he says is true? What if searching for this metal is no more than a waste of time? And if we do find it, what if we prove it is useless? We won't even be able to sell it!"
Ibraheem replied with a threatening demeanour in his voice, not blinking once as he eyed the General. "Are you doubting my son, Kuron?"
The General quickly rose from his chair, holding out his arms to signal he recognised he had overstepped the line. "No, sire. I'm just being realistic, that's all. How can I be so sure that what he says is correct? Aren't you a man who hates speculation?"
A menacing grin grew on Ibraheem's face as he leaned onto his left fist. Tilting his head, he said, "Of all the people I know, Kuron, you should be the one to know that I only hate speculation when it proves meaningless. Given that, I am a man of results. If my son has come to this conclusion, then there is no reason to doubt his analysis until he disproves it himself. He is the smartest man in the kingdom, after all."
The General ditched his more apologetic tone and decided to attack Ibraheem. While the woman next to him laughed, everyone else watched on, waiting for another one of the King and General's squabbles to come to an end.
"Your growing age is making you become more careless, sire. I have proven to you on many occasions that listening to me brings you no harm—"
"I suggest you sit down and refuse those words…immediately."
"Kuron, please sit down. You are angering the King," urged the woman beside him.
The General backed down, but Ibraheem couldn't help but get in another word. "Would you like me to give you a repeat of what my son did to you? Or, should I say, a repeat of all you have ever known?"
The General bit his lip and dug his fingernails into the palm of his hands, choosing to look away from Ibraheem and not entertain him any longer.
Ibraheem turned back to Rahim. "Where were we? Ah, yes. Where do you think we can find this metal? Because if what you say is true, we should search for it right away."
"I'm not exactly sure. But we found this piece near the Avian pillar in the far West, and so we should start searching around there first. It's the only logical option really. I do find it strange, however, that this type of metal would reside there. The natural conditions shouldn't allow for something like this to exist. But none of that matters, of course, if that's where we find it."
The General was itching to say something, but he knew it was pointless. "The only issue is transporting the metal. Not only is it quite heavy but, if it is where we think it is, it resides far away from here. It will take ages to bring here, and we don't know how much we will find. But, for now, as long as I have enough to test with, we should be okay. If I can get it to work, it will be immensely beneficial to us all if there happens to be a large reserve. As I said earlier, if all goes to plan, I'll be able to make something that tips the balance of war further in our favour."
Ibraheem took the stage from Rahim, clapping as he stood up. "Very good, my son. It shall make those who oppose us fear us all the more. With this, we will—"
The double-doors of the room swung open, crashing into the walls, the sound of which echoed throughout the room.
"What is the meaning of this?" Ibraheem bellowed.
Iman jumped out of the huge chair, standing upright and suddenly came to life. "What are you doing here, Esah? You're interrupting an important meeting called by your father!"
Esah stormed toward Ibraheem, the guards behind him shouting their deepest apologies and excuses at the king as no one bothered trying to stop him. "Answer me! How is there another one? Where did he come from? How did he come to be?"
The General looked stunned. "What are you talking about?"
The beautiful woman next to him followed, side-eyeing Ibraheem as she stuck up for him. "How dare you interrupt the king like that!"
Ibraheem raised his hand, signalling for them to stop talking. He looked oddly calm, somewhat smirking at the seriousness of Esah's face. "It is fine. Let him speak."
Esah reached Ibraheem and firmly grabbed his arms, intensely glaring into his eyes. "Did you know? Did you know that there's another one of us—"
Ibraheem purposefully laughed loudly as he freed himself from Esah. He turned away from Esah and began walking to the other side of the room. "Lower your voice and speak to your father with politeness or I will not listen. And come over here, this is clearly a private matter no one else needs to worry about."
Esah reluctantly followed, but didn't wait to question his father. "Screw you, old man. Someone…someone just tried to kill me…my wife…Ali's children. They're on their way as we speak. I rushed here because I had to tell you. But…but I couldn't believe it at first…I think he's one of us."
"Nonsense. You must've become weaker since you chose to live outside of the Palace. Iman! Come here, my darling." Iman skipped to her father, eager to listen to his command. "I want you to show your brother what a real warrior can do."
Iman, thrilled with her father's indirect compliment, put her hand on her heart as it raced with excitement. She couldn't contain her happiness despite trying to act competently in front of her father. "Yes, father. I will not let you down. I will prove to you that I'm more than just your daughter!"
Ibraheem gave Esah his attention once again, but refused to directly engage with Esah's concerns. "Tell her where she needs to go…now!"
Esah slapped his forehead and looked at Ibraheem in disbelief. "What! But you don't understand, he's dangerous. He's—"
"That was not a request, son. It was an order from your king. Now, tell her."
"But—"
"Tell her!"
Esah stared down Ibraheem and never took his eyes off of him. But he nevertheless caved in and did as his father said. "Fine. He attacked me where I'm staying right now. You know where that is. He has a mask that looks like a bird, and is wearing black clothes. A hood covers his head, too. And so I suspect he will reach Havaz shortly once he has crossed the sea. You should be able to intercept him there if you hurry. But I must stress that—"
Iman wasted no time walking away, believing that she now had sufficient information to bring whoever she needed to kill down. "I'll get right to it. Thanks for that, Esah." She left her father's side and headed for the doors, shouting orders at the guards who failed to stop Esah from entering. "Bring me 20 soldiers. That should be enough to find this guy."
Esah stopped Iman in her stride, however, taking a firm hold of her arm and warned her. "He's…he's like us. Please be careful."
Iman slapped away Esah's hand. "What do you mean? They may be like you, but not me. It's like father said, you have grown weak since leaving here. I can tell you haven't been doing anything useful as of late. It's obvious from just looking at you." Iman went back to ordering the guards to prepare everything she needed, leaving Esah alone with Ibraheem as everyone at the table had dispersed amidst the chaos.
"Did you know?!" Esah exclaimed.
"Of course I didn't know." Ibraheem suddenly sounded concerned for the first time. "Esah, when you say he's 'like us'. Do you really mean it?"
"Of course I do! But it doesn't make sense how this is possible. The only man capable of being responsible for his existence…
…is you."