The seven worlds were divided by The Wall into three regions: the region on the right which was the Northern hemisphere, the region on the left which was the Southern hemisphere and then finally the region at the centre which was the Equatora. The Second World's Equatora was considered the first zone of the Equatora. The Third World's was the second zone and so on.

The Equatora was an isolated region: no one could go in or out. Their cultures and costumes, norms and values were completely different from that of the hemispheres.

Perhaps, the most important part of the Equatora was a holy island worshipped by the inhabitants. They called this island the Hidden Tornado. Every sixty years, a violent tornado would arise from the Hidden Tornado in all the six zones. They called it the Black Tornado.

The Black Tornado usually went on for five months before it settled down and returned to the holy island. The Black Tornado cleansed the lands and protected them from the evil spirits of the hemispheres. At least, that was what they believed. It also selected the next leaders of the zones for the next sixty years.

The selection was quite simple. All inhabitants were free to contest. The contestants would go into the tornado and fight. The last man standing at the end of the cyclone would be the king or queen for the next sixty years. They would also receive a Gift that would allow them to rule and gain influence, no matter their background. The Gifts were unspecific. You could receive a Djinn, a magic carpet, a spell or a sword. But it always served its purpose.

That was how the Equatora was ruled.

***

Somehow, Aish had found a way to the isolated Equatora through the Underground Empire. And she was about to be eaten by a two-headed, singing beast.

But her luck didn't run out, a familiar flute was blown. The singing Dordor waited to confirm the note for the second time before it threw its knife away and jumped to its feet. The surrounding Dordors all left whatever they were doing and silently stared into the distance. When the flute rang for the third time, they all ran to a hiding place.

The inhabitants of the Equatora knew the flute notes all too well. It signified the end of the current era and the beginning of a new era. But most importantly, it signified the coming of the Black Tornado. The sixty-year cycle was up three weeks ago, and everyone had been waiting for the flute.

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A few minutes after the first note, the current king of the sixth zone and his supporters arrived. He was a nine-headed, brown Dordor. Each head was dressed in a different armor that emphasized his commitment to win his seat again.

But he wasn't the only one ready to win the title. There were old Dordors who had been planning to contest for a long time. There were young and strong ones as well. Even humans and demons were there to contest. Everyone present had a longevity of more than five hundred years. Well, almost everyone. Aish was there, unconscious and with nothing more than eighteen levels. Few noticed her and none of them considered her a contestant.

Everything suddenly changed. One moment it was day and the next it was night. A night so dark nobody could see their palms. And the Black Tornado came. The contestants prepared their lifesaving treasures and weapons ready to fight, ready to win.

And the death match began.

***

The wind blew for five consecutive months nonstop before it settled down. None of the onlookers knew what happened in the Black Tornado except the Judges. The Judges were the oldest beings in the Equatora, the only beings who knew the origin of the Black Tornado, the only beings who were immune to the Black Tornado and the only beings who actually lived on the holy island. They weren't humans and they weren't Dordors. No one knew their race or faces as they always wore hooded cloaks and masks.

The Judges had seen everything, but they wouldn't report until all the inhabitants saw the winner. So they waited for another day for all the destruction to settle down.

The inhabitants of the Equatora watched with raft attention. The king was dead, his protectors were dead and the top fifty mages on the list were all dead and shredded to pieces. The last person standing was a woman.

She had a fair skin with bright green eyes. A small black staff floated above her head, which was a testament to her victory. Her clothes were tattered but she had no wounds. There was a small golden furnace in her left hand and a smaller version of the World Tree in her right. This woman was... Aish.

The eight Judges knelt down in front of her and bowed deeply.

Aish had been running all her life, hiding her real name just to have a life. She just wanted to become the Archduchess of a small country. But her life changed dramatically after meeting Armad. She was now in the sixth zone of the Equatora, and, by the order of the Judges and the Black Tornado, a ruler. Would she go back to Seith and her old life? Would she choose her new life over her past? No matter what she did, her story was just beginning.

***

Meanwhile, in the headquarters of the Jinzidal army, Kalkutu and Netti had been torturing Armad for five consecutive months. The book hadn't shown up yet. Armad had lapsed and regained consciousness countless times. Each time lasting less than a day. There was a strict manual for his torture. Usually, they started with peeling his skin off in the morning, scorpion bite in the evening and drowning at night.

"Will you give us the book?"

Armad clenched his jaw and he repeated the same thing he'd been saying for the last five months. "I'm Armad Wilberforce."

And the torture continued.

One day, Kalkutu and Netti came into the room. He thought it was another torture session but they tied him up, covered his face and mouth and then knocked him out.