"Come, brother." Aish led Armad away from crowd. "I know your opponent. I first saw him a few years ago when we tried to break into the underground city and he was sent to stop us. He blocked the entire tunnel with fire for three days. He is more dangerous than a wildfire. You have to be careful."

"Don't worry too much. I will not die until my mom is safe. I still haven't used my Swords and my Lightning Flash."

Aish shook her head. "I trust your skills but still be careful, don't die on me."

Armad nodded.

She moved closer to block him from the passersby. He'd suddenly become a celebrity and had to be protected from the public.

"Let's go somewhere else." She led him even farther away from the crowd. They passed the shops in front of the arena to reach an isolated area. "Take this," She gave him a small enchanted paper that was sewn by a white string. Armad widened his eyes in shock as he saw it.

"You know how to use it?" She asked.

Armad nodded. His eyes full of emotions and excitement.

"Aish.."

"Don't say anything, someone might hear."

"Aish.."

"What? Keep your voice down."

"...You don't have to do this." Armad muttered.

Aish smiled. "A little 'thank you' will be appreciated. Take these gloves to protect your hands when you use it." She handed him a pair of hand gloves.

"Is it true they've postponed the slave auction?" Armad asked as he pocketed the gloves and the enchantment.

"Yeah. Five months from now. Not all the countries are happy about it. What's with all the feeding and taxes."

"Good. I will use that time to deal with Tyren O. Bayajidda. What do you know about him?"

"Tyren? Hmm.. He became famous in the last four months, but you wouldn't know since you have lost those three months. I also read it in a report sent to my office. The followers of the last rebellion were killed in the last battle, all of them except him. Four months ago, he was found by merchants in the Deui desert. The report says there were four arrows and three spears stuck in his torso when they found him. But he was still kicking. I know it's crazy, but that's what the report says. Nobody even knows how he escaped the battlefield. The report says Tyren killed the merchants and ran away to look for other survivors of the rebellion.

"You would think the Jinzidal Army or the Border Patrol or at least the Contractors would do something, right? But they did nothing. Not even a bounty. They'd punished a country for a lot less.

"A month later, Tyren broke into a prison on the Fifth World and freed two hundred prisoners who used to work for his father. But still no bounty! People began to call him Tyren of the rebellion. Why do you want to know him? Maybe because of The Rebellion, right?"

"Yeah, but that's not all. I saw him on the deserted island. He was the guy that caused the explosion by slashing the book."

"What?! You are saying that guy was there as well? Why is this turning into an eerie mystery."

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"He was there, I am sure of it. The question is what was he doing there? They weren't on friendly terms with The Missing Four, else he wouldn't have attacked them. Does he want the book as well? The fact he's here means a lot. Maybe The Missing Four and my Miyura are also here, I just can't see them."

Aish drew a sharp breath and put her hands on her head. "You just want to save your mom and I just want to become the Archduchess, but this thing is transforming into something else entirely. We are fighting against an enemy we don't even know. Why don't we just give up: leave the damn book and everything behind, buy a house somewhere else where no one will find us and have a peaceful life?"

Armad sighed and knitted his brows. He had never been exposed to so much stress in his life. He wanted to rest. But..

"I won't give up on my mom just because of some.. mystery. I know what my chances were when I took the quest. But I took it anyway. I won't blame you for turning back now, you have already done enough. No one has ever been this kind to me except my family."

"I know you would say that." She found a seat. "You know this is just starting, right? Things will get really complicated when the First Worlders get into it. I am sure they want the book as well. What would happen when someone finally made the discovery that you are a Wilberforce and I am a Barren'dudu - the two cast out clans with the highest bounties? I really don't want to think about it."

"Maybe Iliyasis was right. Maybe we need to insulate you from all of these."

Aish smiled. "You guys are all cute. Always trying to protect me like a baby. I am seventy years older than you, maybe I should be the one protecting you."

"No, that's not what I mean. I'm going to go all out and I need someone to look out for my mom if something happens to me. It's funny but, right now, you are the only one I have. I've a cousin but she isn't even a mage, yet. That's why I want you to stay back. Whatever happens do not interfere."

"I get it, but nothing is going to happen. I promise." She gave him a cheeky smile.

"Hmm.." Armad sighed softly. "Listen, I have a new theory about The Missing Four and The Missing Miyura. What if the two were sent to the same place as Tyren? I mean, it was the same explosion that caused everything."

"But, if they were sent to the same place then that would mean Tyren would know..."

*Whistling*

"Is that..."

"The whistle signifying the start of the semifinals? Yeah, that's it."

They ran back into the arena.

Armad and Hán Amuru climbed the ring and faced each other down.

There was mixed emotions among the audience. Some favoured Armad but the majority favoured Amuru. Although Amuru wasn't a crown prince, he was a famous prince throughout the Third World and the rest of the world. Even Armad knew him.

Before the match began, Armad checked his pocket to make sure the book were there. For some odd reason, he felt greatly at ease when he was with the book.

Hán Amuru took a step back, he weaved the fastest hand signs Armad had ever seen.

"Gates of Old Hell!" He chanted.

A sphere of fire appeared above his head like a halo. It spread to surround his entire body from head to toe. Another sphere appeared again and it spread in the same way as the first to surround him in a second layer of flame. Four more spheres appeared to create six layers of impenetrable flame.

The flame roared and burned with a black smoke that further created another layer of protection. Nothing could approach him now. He was immortal as long as he was inside the Gates of Old Hell.

Han Amuru pointed at Armad who was observing everything from the side.

Five of the layers surrounding him disappeared and when they reappeared next they were next to Armad.

Hán Amuru clenched his fist and the five spheres transformed into five fire balls, forming a dome around Armad.

"Haha... " Hán Amuru laughed. "Armad, right? I have seen your fight with that idiot. Unfortunately for you, I don't underestimate my opponents. I don't discriminate between children, women and the weak, I burn everything down to ashes."

The dome of fire balls had completely surrounded Armad. The smoke suffocated him. Armad used the enchantment in his eyes to see seventeen years in each five ball.

"Lightning Flash!" Armad disappeared just in time to avoid the fire balls from crushing him into the ground.

Before he landed, another fire ball appeared above him.

Dammit, can he teleport those things?

Armad called another Lightning Flash to dodge it.

Amuru interlocked all his fingers and the six spheres joined together to form a single black sphere. The new sphere spread out to form a roof over the ring. Armad, Amuru and everything on the ring was now under the black sphere. The only way for Armad to escape it was to step out of the ring.

Hán Amuru clenched his fist again and the sphere encased the entire ring like a casket. The ring was now cut off from the rest of the arena with Armad and Hán Amuru still inside.

"I'LL BURN EVERYTHING DOWN TO ASHES!"