In the kingdom of Mikironomada, the size of a city and its status were measured by the number of statues guarding it.
As many recognized the light as the beginning of another solidification process of a new statue, news spread around the city about what was happening at the city gates. The people of the town talked about it in hushed voices. Some were happy, some were sad, some were just surprised, and some decided to go there and see for themselves.
But before even the people around could see Armad, Nusi, and the two young men had led Armad inside the city.
Luckily the people outside were mostly first-time visitors, so they needed to walk through the gates in a determined order so that the statues could examine their minds to make sure they didn't come with bad intentions. They had no option but to watch as Armad escaped.
After Armad had escaped, they turned to the six statues in front of the yellow gate. The earlier light that exploded and spread everywhere had begun to disappear from the city, slowly coalescing in the middle of the six statues. The process continued until the morning light came. At that moment, many locals from inside the city had arrived. And before sunrise, over a thousand people had gathered there. The whole scene changed from silent as Armad saw it earlier to a market.
They talked about the same thing: "what kind of statue will appear this time around?"
The sun came up and with enough illumination now you could see that in addition to the different facial features of these statues, their clothes were also different. For example, the first three statues from the right had voluminous cloaks and short pants on their bodies. They didn't have any weapons in their hands. The next two both had robes, the old-fashioned, voluminous robes, on their bodies. They also had no weapons. The last one had a long spear in his hand. He wore a long-sleeve shirt and trousers like a modern man.
***
Meanwhile, in the southeastern part of the city, there was a very tall mansion built at the center of palm trees. Upstairs, in a large room, Armad, Nusi, and the two young men who accompanied them sat on cushioned chairs. They had already treated the wound on Armad's forehead and brought him fruits, fried meat, and milk.
Nusi looked at him and smiled. "I never thought what happened to Bihanzin would happen today," she said. "That's why I didn't explain these things to you. It's all my fault, sorry. You should rest and sleep. I will tell you everything in the morning."
Armad wanted to hear everything right there but Nusi was already leaving the room. He decided to wait until morning.
That night, Armad was surprised at how much sleep he had. He didn't wake up until the sun was nearing the middle of the sky. He woke up to find three maids, all of whom were wearing white garments, sorting food for him. As he got up from the bed, the maids fell on their knees. "Good morning, lord Armad, we hope you have been well."
Armad recovered from his daze and cleared his voice. ''Lord? Who is the lord?” He asked in surprise.
They politely raised their heads to answer him, but at that moment, two young men asked permission and entered the room. They were the same men he saw yesterday who accompanied them into the city.
After greetings, they explained to Armad how the rest of the house was, where his closet was, and how many maids were there to serve him. Then they left. But still, no one answered Armad's questions, which made him increasingly skeptical of what was happening.
He took a shower, dressed in a new robe from his closet, and went out into the balcony to see the city from a distance.
He stood with the wind blowing all over his body, the red scarf he had tied around his head fluttering in the air. He thought about home and his mother. Half an hour passed without him even noticing it.
"Armad, have you slept well?" A voice from behind him said.
He turned around to meet Nusi, who smiled at him. She clapped her hands, whereupon two maids appeared and two chairs were made available for them to sit on.
"The air in our town, is it good or bad?" She asked after sitting down.
Armad smiled with gratitude. He appreciated having a place to stay, and the clothes and food and everything.
They spent some time talking about mundane issues and the weather before she finally took a deep breath and began to explain, ''everyone's life is written for them long before they take their first breath. For example, when I first thought of inviting you to come with me to this city, what I planned was to provide you with a suitable environment and get you admitted into a Bending school. But you see, because of something I never imagined, that wouldn't be possible."
She lifted her chair a little and set it straight so she could face him and look him in the eye. She looked so serious all of a sudden, like a witness sworn to confess a bitter truth.
"Armad, that plan of getting you into a school is the first of three and is not possible now. So we've to choose the second or third option. Our choice will depend on what happens when you enter the Non-Touch dungeon. You see, in this city, there is no question of ethnicity or sectarianism, the only indication of your position is your Bending. The Non-Touch dungeon will be opened in a few days. We should wait until then."
She took a deep breath and looked even more serious. "You told me your story, I would like to tell you mine as well. If I'm going to live with you then you deserve to hear it. You can decide to stay or leave afterward."
Armad narrowed his eyes but he didn't interrupt.
"The Djinns came from one of the underground cities called Shadeníza. We were one of the largest ethnic groups in all the seven worlds, even competing against the Ururu. Our name was known in all the worlds, and our power was recognized by all. And then one day, some people appeared in the equatora. They were only a hundred, although some say they were up to one hundred and one, and some say one hundred and two, but these people alone were able to defeat eight kingdoms in seven days.
"Even Ururu had no choice but to retreat and set boundaries for their second and first worlds. But they left them to do whatever they wished in the lower worlds. These people never said what they wanted. They were never mentioned to have taken anything after the conquest. They don't demand any ransom and they don't kidnap anybody. But they kept saying they were on their way to fulfill a certain vow. So people started calling them Vow Travelers.
"Amid this chaos, the vow travelers suddenly disappeared. For three days, they went missing. Then on the fourth day, they appeared at the gate of our town, Shadeníza. They forced their way into the city and closed the gates from inside. From that Monday, 683 After Amri, no one has ever been able to enter or leave the city, and it remains like that to this day that I speak to you."
She paused, glancing at Armad, before continuing, "I know what you're thinking. That after all these years if no one enters or leaves the city, then where do I come from? That if the story of the Vow Travellers has spread all over the world, then why is it not known? Was it not written? Are 1,500 years too long to remember? These are indeed valid questions because only our parents and grandparents who have come out of the city before the vow travelers entered were freed. And they were the ones who reproduced.
"We are determined to go back to our city underground, drive out the so-called vow travelers, and save hundreds of thousands of our people inside the city.
“Two years after the vow travelers entered our town something happened. King Dul'Ururu assembled an army of his kind and appeared in front of our gates. He fought the vow travelers for more than a hundred days. But eventually, the walls of the city didn't fall, and the King wasn't able to enter the city. So he returned to his homeland in the second world.
"Our parents and grandparents tried to enter the city after that, but they could not as well. Even though, among them was our king's deputy, who knew all the hidden entrances to the city. They had to give up in the end.
"But then a few months later, a statement was released from the second world by King Dul'Ururu that any citizen of Shadeniza caught trying to break into the city would be charged with treason. In the same letter, it was forbidden to mention the name of the travelers, the vow, or access anything related to them. Anyone who violates the rules will be punished severely. And so the whole story died. The story that I and the rest of our people will never forget.
"For hundreds of years, our parents continued to follow up on why Ururu got involved. After more than a thousand years of following up, we discovered that Ururu intervened because they believed that the so-called vow travelers were linked to Triple Factor. And that was why Ururu got involved in the fight. And that's why they wanted to close any connections with the vow travelers.
"Well, Armad Wilberforce, this is my story. I would like you to remain here for a long time, but if you do, you can get involved in it because I and the rest of my tribe are still trying to break into the city.
Armad took a deep breath, and with a sigh, staring at her in amazement. He hadn't expected anything that grand. Although he could get involved with her if he stayed, he was more concerned about the connection between the vow travelers and Triple Factor. Of course, Ururu knew something but they wouldn't share. He would have a much better chance at breaking into Shadeniza than getting Ururu to cooperate.
Ever since he met her, Armad had never felt or seen any signs of evil in her. But that didn't stop him from thinking why she was telling him all of this. It was supposed to be a top-secret, wasn't she afraid he would expose her, or tell it to someone else?
''And one thing you need to know is,'' she continued explaining, ignoring the look he was giving her, "the light you saw yesterday in front of the city gates is now gathering outside the city even as we speak. When it's finished coalescing, it will form a human statue, which will be your statue.
"At the moment, it will be difficult for them to find you, but it won't remain like that when that statue solidified. It will look exactly like you so people will be able to recognize you. The longest period any statue took before it was fully solidified was three months. The shortest was nine days."
She fell silent as if thinking of something before she shook her head and continued, "you have to be determined and focused on the Non-Touch dungeon. It would even be better for you to leave the city once your statue becomes apparent. Although I should stress that your biggest obstacle right now is not the people hunting you as the Heir of Wilberforce, or the ones looking for you because you have awakened the Daikirin. No, your biggest problem is princess Nostalgia, the woman you met in the dungeon. She is the daughter of King BIHANZIN, better known as King Bihanzin of the perpetual damage.
"He's the King in charge of the slave trade in the fourth world, the first person to own a sword-holding Daikirin in Khan. In all the history of the world, there has never been anyone who has a better understanding of sword Bending than him. And if Bihanzin sees you as a target, then it's over for you. Also, for some unknown reason, anyone who once owned a Daikirin statue in this city was killed by Bihanzin. In many worlds, people are afraid of even mentioning his name. And there is a special reason why it is called perpetual damage. I have no power to protect you from his sword. And surely you can not stand before the perpetual sword."
