Arch-bishop Almajiri and his four other fellows were too powerful to let Yunus control them. On a united front, they could finish off a Divine-Saint cultivator, and talk less of a mere fraction of a soul. Forget about taking orders from him, as a fraction of a soul, Yunus was currently not worth a second look from them.

And for that, Yunus wouldn't dare to be careless. He was naturally domineering since childhood. And even now, there wouldn't be a reason to make him invite someone that he couldn't control. But for a reason quite mysterious to Abdin, the alms-giving skill of Arch-bishop Almajiri had suddenly appeared.

On the other hand, there were Munniq and Biyakin. All three factions had no special ties with Yunus. The only common thing among them was Abdin - All three wanted to end his life. But Munniq didn't want him to die right away until she claimed his loop skill. Yunus certainly wouldn't let her do so. And Almajiri wouldn't agree to set his eyes on Abdin without instantly killing him.

They were currently united but would soon disagree. He didn't know what schemes Yunus was plotting, but he needed to come up with his plans.

At a time when his cousin seemed to be making a move, it was only fitting that he also moved. If only to win.

"Juwaira," he called. The princess looked up at him. "Can you lend me your soul for some time?"

The princess shook her head vehemently. There was no way she would chomp down another ayrid. She ate a black one, then a yellow one, and now only God knows which would be offered to her. The purpose of the yellow was still a mystery to her.

Abdin gave a wan smile. He didn't have the time to give her a detailed explanation of his plans since there was a chance that Munniq was listening. But...

"It won't hurt," he said. "Soul-lending is something as old as time. I won't be ungrateful to you if you do me this favor."

Juwaira hesitated but eventually shook her head. She had wronged him once but had also appeased him twice in return.

An awkward minute of long silence followed.

Shortly afterward, she took her leave. She stopped midway and turned to glance at him. Their eyes met, and she hesitated for a long second before she turned around and left.

Abdin sat still without reacting. He sighed and shook his head. And for a long while, he sat there before a grin slowly lightened his features.

In the evening, he went out in search of San. The elderly man was surprised to see Abdin at his house. Only five Will of San students stood guard outside the house. Abdin waited at the entrance after seeking an audience.

"Pardon me, Commander," San said as he saw him. He quickly came forward and bowed deeply before Abdin. "I didn't know it was you."

Abdin had warned the guards not to let San know that it was him. San didn't know it was him until he came out. In response, Abdin shrugged and changed the subject. "How are the preparations going?" he asked.

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San sighed. "We have a total of thirty-five thousand soldiers. Our enemies double that number at least thrice. I was also informed that they had left the town of Sum behind and should arrive in the next sixteen or seventeen days. The wall should be enough to fortify the castle, but I am not sure what to do about the core formation experts that I am sure are going to come."

Abdin never thought that thirty-five thousand soldiers could be rallied at so short a notice. But he figured that it had to do with the arrival of the Will of San disciples, now all residents of the castle. He had also prepared seven hundred golem warriors on standby. Five hundred among them were core formation experts, enough to protect the castle from above and keep intruders at bay.

With the help of Abdin, they could overcome the enemies regardless of their number. The real problem was Munniq, Yunus, and Biyakin. Abdin had yet to make any proper plans for facing them.

"I want to send Tairen to Shurein, Ura, and Dadiyan empires, that's why I'm here. As his father, I come to you to know your opinion about that." San blinked in surprise. He believed that Abdin had the right to send Tairen anywhere in the world without informing him first. There was some reason he chose to inform him now.

"Commander is free to do as he wishes without any protests from this frail old man," he said.

At that, Abdin grinned and took out three folded papers from his pocket. The symbol of a star with the name 'Abd' was etched on each. On the bottom corner was the name of each of the three empires.

"I want him to take these letters and deliver them personally to each emperor. I want him to get it done before a month. He may need a return scroll in his journey."

Leader San laughed. The Will of San's treasury was still at his disposal, and he was the only one who could issue a return scroll. It dawned on him that this was the Commander's reason for seeking his permission.

"Done, Commander," he said.

Abdin stood up and took his leave.

Many things concerning this war needed careful plans, while others needed sheer luck.

His enemies were after him alone, while he had his mind set on Yunus. It wouldn't be such a great loss if he died provided he killed Yunus first.

On his way back, he toured the castle to make sure there weren't any beggars before returning home.

In the days that followed, Abdin was mostly to be found hunting in the hidden world of the castle. And at nighttime, he came out to draw seals and bury charms at different parts of the castle. Then he returned to the palace to meditate some more. Each night, he wrote the names of his three arch-enemies thrice before going to sleep.

The time seemed to pass at a snail's pace until one day, Kilod came to inform him that the much-awaited army had arrived. Abdin rose, wore his chainmail, and headed to the battlefield.

On the wall were stationed rank upon rank of soldiers. The resident kings were each leading a squad of about four thousand men each, all stationed on different angles of the fortress.

The princess and San were leading five thousand men each while Abdin himself led a squad of just one thousand.

During the past few days, Abdin had ordered each of them to select and train their squads to their taste. After that, they should gather together, with Juwaira and San as commanders to practice synchronization, so they could face their enemies uniformly.

All preparations were seemingly done with, but seeing the large size of the approaching army somewhat demoralized them.

The twenty-kilometer forest that stretched before the castle was filled with the fighters of Biyakis. They filled the forest and spilled over beyond it, making their camp to be pushed to the rear.

They were all in white army uniforms with the symbol of a swan. They were mostly riders or hovering above the ground. Only a few were on foot.

Inside the castle, battle cries and drumbeats filled the atmosphere.

Abdin understood his men's misgivings but didn't comment. His eyes were glued to the enemy camp, waiting for Yunus or the Arch-Bishop or any of the others to show themselves. But up to that moment, none of them did.

After ten minutes of silently watching each other and estimating one another's strength, Biyakis warriors began to fan out. Their initial distance from the castle was about a thousand feet. It stayed like that even as they fanned out; they were careful enough not to move any closer. From that position, they made a ring around the castle.