Four days after Armad used the mysterious Bend that allowed him to flee, Nostalgia and her siblings quietly walked away.

 

They had spent the previous hours looking for Armad before they finally left. Kiru was impatient with Hasanu and insisted that they left the place before another 'accident' happened.

 

Nostalgia didn't regret helping Armad, but she also agreed with her brother Hasanu to take full responsibility for the situation. She wouldn't want Armad to destroy what they'd been working on for decades.

 

Hasanu was silent and drowned in thought. Every few minutes, Kiru would glance at him or Nostalgia. But none of them intended to apologize to the other.

 

So they set out for Sisiya on their horses. Three days later, they left the Denizen territories to enter the Jahne mountains. From there to Sisiya was roughly a two-week journey.

 

As the morning wore on, Hasanu slowed down and looked at Kiru. "What did you see when you looked at that boy?" He asked.

 

Kiru smiled. So he does know something about the boy that I don't, huh?

 

"I noticed two things," said Kiru. He raised his left index finger. "First, I noticed he was able to stand on the air." He looked at Nostalgia as if expecting her to say something about it. She didn't respond. He frowned but ultimately ignored her in favor of continuing the conversation. "Second, even he didn't know he could stand on the air. I saw him tried to reach out for something to hold. If Nostalgia hadn't grabbed him in time, he would probably have died without having discovered that he had the ability."

 

Kiru fell silent and looked down at the ground like he was contemplating something. After a while, he raised his head and looked at Hasanu for a response.

 

Hasanu sighed. "Is that all you noticed?"

 

Kiru nodded.

 

"As I told you earlier, you should focus more on reading. You need to increase your memory too."

 

Hasanu turned serious. He looked at the sword hanging over his shoulder for a moment before looking to the side.

 

"I had conflicting thoughts about the boy when I first saw him, which was why I just kept an eye on him since I didn't have enough evidence. Partly why I continued to follow the events without interfering.

 

"You see, the first thing is the red cloth covering his forehead. It's special, jamsik special. Light doesn't penetrate through it."

 

Kiru looked at Hasanu in confusion. "Jamsik? Why did he use such a thing to cover his forehead?"

 

Hasanu sighed. "The cloth doesn't make me nervous," he said dismissively. "It's what's beneath it. If I wasn't mistaken, there was a miyura on his forehead. And the brand is different, unique. Jana Sisiyu mentioned it in his book. Its mark doesn't disappear when a person is born. I have never actually seen it. A lot of people think it doesn't exist, that it's just a myth. But..."

 

A miyura that doesn't disappear after birth?

 

"I... am not following, brother," Kiru complained.

 

Hasanu sighed in response. "What do you know about miyura?"

 

"The word miyura is from Aldurish," Kiru explained. He knew that much even if he didn't like reading. "It means birthmark. It's commonly used to refer to a birthmark on the forehead. In addition to the fallen House Wilberforce, there are at least ten other ethnic groups that have it. In these tribes, every person is born with Miura on their forehead.

 

"Each tribe has its mark which is unique to them and does not look like any other. It is sometimes used to identify ethnic groups at birth or even a missing child.

 

"However, seven days after birth, the miyura disappears on its own. It won't appear again until the person reaches the primary awakening. Most people awaken after reaching five hundred years of pol. Afterward, the mark will appear on their forehead whenever they use pol."

 

Kiru looked at his brother expecting praise instead he got another question.

 

"Then," Hasanu said. "What would make someone hide their foreheads?"

 

"To stop others from seeing their miyura," Kiru said. And then his eyes went wide with realization. "You think he's a miyura on his forehead? That... will make sense. Maybe he doesn't want others to identify his tribe."

 

"Yes," Hasanu said. "And maybe he doesn't want others to identify the miyura."

 

So it could be the miyura he was hiding tribe? Is he so important?

 

"I see," Kiru said. "I think I understand it now. Especially since he hasn't awakened and he's not supposed to have his miyura yet."

 

Hasanu nodded in agreement. "Ibasi Sisiya," he said. "He has a similar miyura. I mean the design and the writings. I'm not sure if it's the same miyura or not. That's why I wanted to take him into custody."

 

They continued in silence for a while. Kiru could see how angry his elder brother was about Armad escaping and how he blamed it on Nostalgia. But there was nothing he could about it now. Only the King could punish a princess.

 

"Another thing is the Bend he used last. It appeared to be Bending time. I think..."

 

"But he already has lightning," Kiru interrupted with a frown. "He can't be Bending two different essences. That will be crossing over. He can't be..."

 

"What?" Hasanu asked. "You think he can't cross over? Why not? I can do it."

 

"But you are the fourth battalion Commander," Kiru protested.

 

Hasanu just smiled and looked away.

 

Kiru was dumbstruck. Ibasi Sisiya taught his father King Bihanzin how to play with the sword. And the kingdom was named after him. Did this mean that Armad had the same miyura as the legendary Ibasi, and he could cross over too?

 

"Well," Hasanu said with a renewed vigor. "Now all we have to do is hurry back home and tell the King what the board says. The great secret is finally ours."

 

He looked at Nostalgia meaningfully. Armad heard the words directly from the board, and she pulled the information out of his mind. Now that Armad was gone, only she knew about it. Nostalgia was silent for a while but she ultimately nodded at him.

 

So off they went, stopping to rest now and then until they had exhausted three more days.

 

The following day, they came across rocky terrain. It was an odd sight. Some of the rocks were just like pebbles, small and insignificant. But some were big enough to hide a battalion. The whole place would be suitable for an ambush, Kiru thought.

 

Hasanu ordered them to spend the night there, and only leave when the sun came up in the morning.

 

They pitched a tent on a rock and slept there.

 

Kiru who had been thinking about what his brother told him about 'training his brain' picked a book from his bag. It was titled Eccentric Races of Old. The first race that was discussed in the book was Ururu, the current leaders of the first world and the creators of the two Commandments.

 

In Aldurish, he read from the first page. The word Ururu refers to the demi-human tribe living in the first world. But in the Old Aldúrish dialect, the word Urú has two meanings: first, the color black, usually used for things related to the human body - such as skin and eyes; second, a righteous leader that was less wealthy or poor.

 

Hundreds of years ago, before Amri, a demi-human tribe displayed eyes so strange and unusual. Both their sclera and irises were black, having none of the white sclerae that every race had.

 

Because of the color of their eyes, people called them Uru.

 

But the demi-humans didn't like the name. According to them, Uru means poor, and it was unjust and an insult to their might on earth.

 

Therefore, the name was changed to Urúrú, adding 'ru' at the end. Conveniently, the word 'Rú' is the name of an ancient tribe of arrogant demons who once ruled the world.

 

Kiru drew a long breath and closed the book. That was partly the reason he hated reading. Everything was about Ururu. He would like to see the first worlders fall from their golden thrones and crushed.

 

He slept shortly after.

 

Early in the morning they went into the mountains and continued on their way.

 

The weather was different in the mountains. The morning sunlight was dimmed by imposing rocks and soon replaced by darkness. A cold wind blew over their faces. They had to slow down and continued with care.

 

Hours later, they heard a loud voice coming from the surrounding caves. It was directed at them. ''The fourth commander of the Sisiyan army, Hasanu Sisiyu. A wise man once told me that stealing from a thief is a debt."

 

Kiru and his siblings stopped and stared at the surrounding rocks.

 

"I'm talking about the six-level ayrid in your hands. Give it up to save your lives. Refuse and die. I will, of course, take what I want from your corpses."