Babara cleared his throat and gave Armad a little of the old history of the seven worlds.

"Today we are in the year 1854 after Amri. As you know, 'Amri' is an Aldurish word that means bringing people down to foreign lands. The people of the seven worlds know about the events that took place during the last 1800 years after Amri but very few of them are aware of the events that took place before Amri. I am Babara and I am one of those few. I was born in the year 27 before Amri, which makes me 1881 years old."

Armad looked at him and he could suddenly see wrinkles on his forehead and white hair.

"The time I was born in was the worst in human history. It was a time of war like no other. My mother gave birth to me as she was being chased by the enemy. She died by giving me all of her pol. My father has already died a long time ago on the battlefield. Having lost everything and everyone, I was only able to survive because of my mother's pol. Do you know what caused that war?"

Armad shook his head.

Babara closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "The first world doesn't have the central region known as equatora. A large body of water called the Red Sea instead divided the world into two parts. King Aldaima Wilberforce, better known as the First Wilberforce, was the first person to ever rule the entire land east of the Red Sea some 9541 years before Amri. He united all tribes under one banner and reigned for 6,000 years to 4033 B.A. Despite living for so long he didn't have a son and his younger brother Eyriyon Wilberforce had to become Wilberforce II. The world lived in peace during both of their reigns. It wasn't until the year 954 B.A that Ururu became the first creatures to cross the Red Sea into the eastern lands. That's about 3,000 years after Eyrion has succeeded the throne.

"I have heard that the people of the east didn't accept Ururu at first especially because of their strange eyes. They called them names. But then King Eyriyon spoke against it and the hatred for them died. Five hundred years later, Ururu began to call people to a new religion. A religion of the two commandments: Amri and jinzidal.

"Under the Amri commandment, they preached that people can't live together in harmony. They wanted King Eyrion to send people of the lesser tribes down to the lower worlds and leave only the great tribes in the first world so everyone could live in peace. Whereas under the jinzidal commandment, they preached that two people can't truly understand one another until one agrees to follow and obey the other - a slave and his master. They wanted King Eyrion to introduce a system of the slave trade that would make the powerful tribes even more powerful.

"I did not know what happened after that but several years later, King Eyriyon asked Ururu to stop dividing his people and causing havoc or he would send them back to the western lands beyond the Red Sea where they had come from.

"Ururu ignored the warnings of the King. A few years later, Eyriyon summoned one hundred of his commanders to fight them. Ururu retaliated by summoning the power inherited in their black eyes. The war lasted for three hundred years. Over a million lives were lost. I will never forget when I was twenty-five years old and every soil in the first world had turned red because of the blood that flowed on them. This battle, as you know, was won by Ururu and as a result the two commandments, Amri and Jinzidal, became a reality. The Lord King put the entire world to sleep and when we woke up we found ourselves in the six lower worlds, defeated, cast, and confused.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"So many things happened after that but I must tell you about the book-sword. When we arrived here, we were desperate and lost. We keep wishing for a Wilberforce (or anyone) to come and save us. A rumor started going around that King Eyriyon is not dead. They said he left his will in a book and he sent one of his commanders away with it. They said he would return to save us from the hell known as lower worlds.

"I didn't believe it. When Ururu killed someone they made sure they stayed dead. There was no way they would let Eyrion come back. But then a few years later, the Lord King sent troops to search for the so-called commander sent by King Eriyon. Later on, we were all interrogated to make sure we weren't hiding anything. They told us they were looking for the commander and a book. But they later changed it and said they were looking for a sword. One morning they would say a book and the next they would say a sword. People began to call it book-sword. They even paid people for any information on the book-sword that might help them. You would think they would have found it by now, right? But it seems they have not yet found it. There are still old groups searching for it. They did, however, kill the commander carrying the book and even publicly announced it. I wonder why they couldn't find the book-sword up to now. Anyway, this is but a small part of the history."

Babara struck the ground with his staff and a jar of water appeared. He gulped it down and turned to look at Armad who was standing there marveling at the absurdity of it all. Even in his dreams, he'd never thought that his Wilberforce tribe was that old. As for the book-sword, he now understood why Uznu Ururu was so desperate to have it.

He remembered how his miyura disappeared because of it and how he was caught and almost killed by Uznu also because of it. Indeed, the book had caused him more troubles than he could count. He wouldn't just give it up now until he knew what was in it.

Babara interrupted his thoughts with a harrumph. Armad told him about the book-sword from the moment he got it to the moment he lost it and fell into Ururu's hands. It got Babara thinking for a long time until Armad began to get worried.

"It seems your Wilberforce blood is stronger than I thought." He sighed. "But time will tell. You aren't the only one with Wilberforce blood in his veins. If you don't have any questions we will start the training right away."

"When you asked me about my name," Armad said. "You already know about it. But why did you send me to find Triple Factor if your only goal is to help me train? There were many ways I could have gotten the training that were less risky."

Babara smiled. "A good question. Yes, there were many options and I didn't have to send you to look for Triple Factor. But Hidaya, your mother Fatima, and your grandfather Zaikid all believe that Triple Factor is the only person who knows how to control the book-sword. I'm sure one of them has talked to you about Triple Factor in the past."

Armad immediately remembered what his mother told him about the man. It all made sense to him now. Babara already knew the Wilberforce were looking for Triple Factor and so it was only appropriate to send Armad to do the same.

"But," Babara said, raising a finger in warning, "do not tell Hidaya about it. My decision helped you to get the book-sword and even awaken your bloodline. I beg you, even if I die, do not tell her about it."

Armad rolled his eyes in surprise. "Even if you die?"

Babara nodded. "Yes, even if I die. Did you not know that ten demonic spirits deceived Hidaya in 1801 B.A. They poisoned themselves to death before she captured them. But Hidaya called an army of djinns and they resurrected them. She then killed them again in the cruelest way. She has a name among the djinns, you know."

Whenever Armad heard such comments about Hidaya he would feel as if it wasn't the sister he knew.

"Well, if you remain loyal then I won't have any reason to tell her." An evil smile came over Armad's face. He'd found the one thing Babara was afraid of. "But what do they call her in the other realm?"

"Leave that name alone, brat, let her tell you when you meet."