Deserted Island

Day 1

Armad had been contemplating all the things that had happened to him, and why his life had suddenly turned into something it was not.

"'My Enigmas', that's a pretty heavy name." Iliyasis said, pointing at the book in Armad's hand. It was a simple notebook used by Armad to record all the new mysteries surrounding his life.

"You said you know something about my missing Miyura?" Armad asked. Iliyasis taught 'Djinns and soul' in the academy, so he supposed to know something about soul magic.

"Your Miyura was likely destroyed in the explosion. Gifts can not survive without a soul, and the only way your Miyura could have survived the explosion was if it carried a portion of your soul. It's impossible, but in the unlikely event that your Miyura has taken a part of your soul, then it is out there somewhere, waiting to slowly evaporate. Souls are invisible and you can only sense them using soul sense or if you have the Gift of the Black Eyes. You have none. So, probably, your miyura and a part of your soul are right here, we just can't see them. I don't know how or even where you can get a spell like soul sense. Even if you get it and you somehow find your Miyura, there is nobody on the lower worlds with the skill to join a fragmented soul."

He had just lost his Miyura and Iliyasis was telling him it was gone forever. That the only way to confirm it otherwise was to become a soul mage. He believed Iliyasis was telling the truth to the best of his abilities, but he also believed he would find his Miyura. "I don't know how, but I'll find it." Armad said. "The Triple-factor, any ideas?"

"Triple-factor is a ghost." Aish said. "There is no record of his actual actions against the First World. No record of his real name and no record of his family background. He has no allies, friends or accomplices. He works alone like the sun. His last seen locations only became public several months after he left them. You can't find such a man by asking around or publishing in the newspapers. You can't find him, no matter what you do."

"So what are you suggesting? Should I give up?" Armad asked.

"Not give up, be prepared." She said.

"And how would you suggest I prepare?"

"Um.. I.. am not sure but... "

"You see, that's the problem of finding a man that has eluded the authority for a century. I know it isn't much but my only option right now is winning the Jinzidal and getting his last location. I'll probably pick the trails from there." Armad said.

"How about you let him find you?" Iliyasis said after minutes of consideration.

"And how exactly am I supposed to pull that off? What kind of insanity would I have to do for him to take notice of me?"

"Not much, you just need to have something he wants. So the question is do you have anything the Triple-factor wants?"

Armad fell silent. To know what the Triple-factor wanted he needed to know the man. He needed to at least know his actions...

"Wait... I think I have something he may want to have." Armad said. "Aish, have you checked that name up?"

"Saif Iqra, right? I did, and there was nothing even remotely related. The language ain't even Aldurish."

Armad grimaced. He removed the book out of his pocket and showed it to them.

"Does writing your name on the cover with gold changes anything?" Cokali quickly asked as he saw Armad's name written boldly on the cover.

"Is that the book you get from the Non-touch World?" Aish asked.

"Any luck deciphering those words?" Iliyasis asked.

All three had different questions about the same book. Instead of giving them answers, Armad went on to tell them how he initially got the book in the interworld dungeon.

"It's real name is Saif Iqra." Armad said.

A book that spoke and transformed into a sword, a book craved by old mages from the time before The Descent, a book written in an unknown tongue... It easily rang a bell for something widely known.

"I think this book is the famous Book-sword known and craved by all." Armad said.

According to the legends, the Book-sword was left behind by King Wilberforce II. When the King realized he had lost the war, he used his remaining strength to create the Book-sword and entrusted it to his commanders. Urúrú fought for the Book-sword and killed the commanders but they didn't get the Book-sword. Rumors had it that the Book-sword offered one hundred wishes to any who touched it.

"Hehe... you are kidding, right? It can't be. Listen to yourself, bro. You can't just stumble upon the famous Book-sword just like that." Cokali said.

"Like what?" Aish asked.

Cokali narrowed his eyes. "...like it was waiting for him. It just doesn't sound like it. I would expect something more.. "

"Shut up, Cokali." Iliyasis snapped. He looked at the book thoughtfully for a long moment before he nodded. "I agree with you. I am only surprise that you can't read it. I mean, it is supposed to be written in Wilburish and that's your mother tongue, right?"

"With the way it keeps transforming from a book to a sword using the First Writers' Technique, I would say it's the Book-sword. And that will explain why those four people came after you." Aish said understandingly.

"Label them as The Missing Four." Iliyasis said.

"What now? Are we solving a puzzle?" Cokali asked, bored.

"The Missing Four (or whatever you decide to call them) are the four mages who attacked me on this island. They were looking for the Book-sword, and I think the Book-sword, the rebellion, the secret and finally this man Amraikugyu Bayajidda are all related."

"Wait, wait, wait.. Hold on a minute, why don't you speak Aldurish?" Cokali said. He obviously didn't get a thing from all the conversation.

"I can see where you are coming from." Iliyasis said. "According to the sword worshippers that have tried to kill you, it was the voice in the fallen city of Bayajidda that enabled you to hear The Secret. You even said it was the same voice. Let's assume the person who spieled the secret is the same Amraikugyu Bayajidda who spoke in the fallen city. I know the name doesn't specify but for simplicity let's assume it's a man. So what do we know about him?"

"He has two things in common with the rebellion: one, they are both Bayajiddas and, two, they are both fighting the First Worlders." Aish answered.

"Exactly." Iliyasis said, "so the secret, Amraikugyu and the rebellion are connected in some way."

"Amraikugyu and the secret are obviously connected, but there's no proof of the rebellion's involvement. Why are we even talking about the rebellion?" Aish asked.

"That's because my mom fell fighting for the rebellion." Armad said.

"Wait... What? You can't be serious. The leader of the rebellion killed the last Heir of Wilberforce, why would your mom supported him?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out. If we wanted to rebel, we would do it on our own, not fighting someone else's battle. Allen and Ruiz brought her home. They are known members of the rebellion who have fought alongside her during the battle. They had no reason to lie."

The group fell silent for a while before Iliyasis inhaled deeply and sighed. "That's pretty mix up. Let's label your mom and the rebellion as The Rebellion. That was how it all began, right? Then you went to Babara who agreed to help you in exchange for the Triple-factor. Let's label Babara and the Triple-factor as The Triple-factor. You passed through the interworld dungeon due to the closure of the borders. And you incidentally came across Saif Iqra and the voice of Amraikugyu Bayajidda. Let's label these as The Book-sword. You were saved by the sword worshippers who tried to kill you after they'd gotten what they wanted. Let's label the sword worshippers and the secret as The Secret. Then you met us and you consequently got the Book-sword from the Non-touch World. Other seekers of the book hunted you down to this island, but they failed. Let's label them as The Missing Four. But you also lost your Miyura in the exchange. Let's label it The Missing Miyura. Did I miss anything?"

"The Rebellion, The Triple-factor, The Book-sword, The Secret, The Missing Four and finally The Missing Miyura. A bit weird but okay." Armad said.

"Alright, I get why The Secret and Amraikugyu are connected, and I get why The Book-sword, The Missing Four and The Missing Miyura are connected. But how does the Book-sword tied to the The Rebellion?" Aish asked. Cokali just snorted and left. He just didn't like things that weren't straightforward.

"Well, there is no direct connection, yet. But I got the Book-sword in the fallen city, which means it has some connection with Amraikugyu. And Amraikugyu is connected to both The Secret and The Rebellion." Armad answered.

"I get it. Let's take it as an educated guess. What's your point?" Iliyasis asked again.

"My point is if all these things are connected then we have something the Triple-factor wants, probably. We can get him to show his face if we manage to get his attention." Armad said.

Iliyasis nodded. "But we still have to figure out how to get his attention."

"That will be difficult. Any attempt or attempted attempt to get his attention will likely end in vain. Even if he did notice us, he would just lump us with the rest of the other miserable bounty hunters chasing after him." Armad said.

"What if you publicly speak against the whole slave trading? I am sure that will caught his attention." Aish suggested.

Iliyasis shook his head. "That would get us killed and it won't even work. It's pretty lame and the Triple-factor would just take us as foolish brats trying get attention."

"What if Armad wins the Jinzidal and then set all the slaves free? That will definitely caught a lot of attention."

Iliyasis sighed. "There will never be any good idea when it comes to luring the Triple-factor out. We will just have to try and leave the rest to fate. It will be a miracle if he shows up. I just want to make two things clear. First, we have to protect you, sister. I am sorry, Armad, but you will be the public face in all of this. If things didn't work out, we'll have to insulate Aish from all of it. Second, even if everything goes well, we will need your help in taking the Dukes down. I hope you won't forget our help."

"Asshole." Armad cursed loudly.

Iliyasis and Cokali only care about Aish. I've got to protect myself. Well, at least they don't hide it. Armad mused. He was happy he didn't tell them anything about the spell or the woman on the first page of the Book-sword. If everything failed, he would just look for the woman as plan B.

Meanwhile, back on the ring...