On the third floor, the representatives of the five Jinzidal kings watched everything in silence.

Asifu sat down with the other envoys in utter silence. If it was just Armad then the decision was clear, but with Nostalgia added to the mix then everything became complicated.

I have never expected an opportunity so soon. Asifu thought.

"Commander, what do we do?" The surrounding guards asked Asifu. The auction took place in his home country and, as the first division commander of the country, he was responsible for everything.

"We do nothing." He said. But the other envoys didn't agree.

"Excuse me?" Prince Bizaya said.

"Are you crazy? We can't just sit around and do nothing." Said Han Amuru.

"My home, my rules. If you don't like it, leave." Asifu said with a tone that broke no argument.

***

Meanwhile, on the podium Aish and Armad had freed all the slaves.

"Ready to go?" Nostalgia asked.

But it wasn't Armad who answered her. "Ready to go where?" The Djinn Netti asked.

"Why are you putting yourself and your country at risk? Is the boy worth it?" Kalkutu asked.

The two Djinns materialized a few meters away from them in their battle suits.

"Yellow Dance!" Armad immediately reactivated his most powerful Sword. He knew he couldn't take a Djinn down. But he had no choice but to try.

Nostalgia crushed a seventh grade ayrid in her pocket and opened a portal. "Get in." She said.

Armad hadn't seen when or how she summoned the portal but it was there and it was real.

A trap?

"I don't sense any ill intentions from her. I would say a 30% chance of escaping if we enter the portal, and a 0.01% chance if we faced the two Djinns." Iqra said.

"I can't hold it up for much longer. Hurry up." Nostalgia shouted exasperatedly.

Armad hesitated. He didn't trust her. He had no reason to. The sword worshippers probably wanted him dead but they would first torture him and get the list of the people who knew The Secret because of him.

"I'll track you down and kill you myself if this portal is another trap." Armad said. Nostalgia was too focused on the djinns to give him any answer.

"You know we are taking it out on your father if you let him escape, right?" Netti said.

"My father has nothing to do with this. This is my actions and mine alone." She said.

Armad gritted his teeth and jumped into the portal just in time to avoid Kalkutu's stealthy slash.

The portal glowed and disappeared.

***

At the centre of a nameless forest, a square shaped doorway appeared. Armad walked out of the doorway into the forest. The doorway dissolved into a pool of blood. The blood instantly evaporated, leaving behind a... ring. A smooth, golden ring with multiple runes carved into its surface.

Armad looked around the forest. He was alone and in the middle of nowhere, with no any civilization in sight.

Now that the adrenalin was out of his body, all the things that had happened came back to him. The Jinzidal, his battle with Tyren, Uznu Urúrú, losing Aish and his Djinn at the hands of Uznu, Kalkutu and Netti and how they tortured him for five months of torture. Armad literally trembled with anger and frustration. He just wanted to save his mom and nothing else. And yet the world wouldn't let him.

"I'LL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!" He raged. Now that he'd tasted defeat he understood the importance of strength.

Aish... where are you?

He remembered how Aish went against the admiral for him, and what happened afterward. She had probably died because of him...

No, no, she is alive. I can feel it. Armad shook his head in denial.

Armad stood up, his heart pounding with rage. He would save his mom, and Aish. Whatever it took. And then he would take the fight to the slavers.

He opened his longevity tab.

Longevity: 67 years

You have received one hundred years from a Quest.

Claim longevity? Y/N?

He sat down cross-legged and pressed yes. He felt the powerful longevity coursing through his body like goosebumps. He felt invincible.

An oily liquid came out of his pores. His clothes were soaked in dirt, sweat and blood. He remained in this state for a whole hour before the oily liquid stopped pouring out of his body. He stood again and took a look at himself. His skin was pale but okay. He was slightly taller, his bones lighter and his muscles stronger.

You have successfully internalised 100 years into your soul.

Longevity: 167 years

+3 spell slots

+2 sword slots

NB: after the first one hundred years, you'll get a spell slot after every fifty years and a sword slot after every one hundred years.

Armad smiled. A bolt backed by one hundred and sixty seven years would be fifty meters wide. Enough to level a whole village down to the ground. He walked to the nearest pond and cleaned himself up.

Then he sat down again and cross his legs. He would become stronger. Much, much stronger.

The first spell in his mind was the one he saw in the first page of the Book-sword. He'd been waiting for a slot to activate it and now he was ready.

He closed his left eye and cleched his left hand, while he simultaneously spread his right hand and widened his right eye into a saucer.

"Male, Female, Man, Woman, Dordor, Dordaness." He chanted.

He waited but only for a minute. And the spell initiated into his SLP.

New spell detected.

Spell name: Thunderbird

Physical Gesture: 0.01%

Conjuration: 0.01%

Manifestation: 0.01%

Of course, Armad wasn't finished. Even if he wasn't serious when his sister trained him, he had still memorized some of the important spells.

He locked his fingers together for ten seconds. Then he released his thumb, index and middle finger to point at the sky. He added a small dance with his legs which seemed to synchronize with the hand gesture.

"Wind, Earth, Lightning, Fire, Water, Nature Energy, Longevity, Soul, Body, Mind." He chanted.

New spell detected.

Spell name: Longevity Sense

Physical Gesture: 0.01%

Conjuration: 0.01%

Manifestation: 0.01%

He had one spell slot remaining and many spells in mind. After a short debate he decided to leave it for any Gift related spell he might urgently need. He didn't have any sword fully memorized but he would soon get them.

The nine months ultimatum was over and he didn't find the Triple-factor. He could go home and force Babara into helping him. He could also take his mom and look for help elsewhere. The name mentioned on the first page of the Book-sword could be a good start. Whatever the case, it was time to go home. But first the voice in his head and this... ring that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.