Nusi retreated in panic, hiding behind Spoon. She couldn't possibly understand what was going on. How could a prince be looking for her? How did he even know about her? She had only been in the world for six years and in all those years she had never been to Infiria, let alone met the prince who ruled the empire. The crime she committed must have been so great since the son of one of the five jinzidal Kings was sent to look for her.

"Do not be afraid." Prince Niyashi's voice rang in her ears as if a harp was being blown. "I'm not here to harm you. I'm here to help you. Although I am not able to tell you why I have been looking for you or how I know about you, even though these questions are on your mind, I'll still ask you to trust me. This house is yours from now on. Not only it, everything in it is now yours. There are one million ayrid coins in the safe for you to use before I come back. I have asked our people to make you citizens of this country so you can enjoy the benefits of being one. They will also put you in a school to help you develop your skills. Some people will take care of you until I return."

The prince stood up and approached the bed right where Nusi was stuck behind Spoon.

Ilias stood forward to defend her. "I will not let you harm my sister while I am alive," he said.

Surprisingly, Spoon also jumped to stand by Ilias. The bed was a little louder this time around because of his weight. Spoon was shaking though, his stomach heaving up and down because of his heavy breathing.

"I ... ma ... b ... I will not let you... you never touch. Either you go or you go."

Niyashi didn't stop and Spoon began to shake as if he'd been buried in snow.

"Stop!" Spoon made a loud battle cry. But Niyashi didn't seem to mind it and continued walking. He stood near Spoon, where he turned his head to look at him. Once the two locked eyes, Spoon fell to the ground unconscious simply due to panic. He went straight to the ground but Niyashi hurried to catch him with a burst of laughter.

"Haha... Nusi, you have someone to protect you while I'm gone. Interesting. Very interesting." He rubbed Spoon's hair playfully. Then he turned and left the room laughing.

***

From that day on, they never saw Niyashi again. They were first afraid of the huge building but they eventually relaxed. Everything they needed was there and when they went outside there were slaves who would take care of them. They never had to steal again and they soon became like the wealthiest children in Khan. Gradually, they got admitted into a Bending school and learned how to Bend.

All the while waiting for Niyashi to come but he didn't. Summer came and went, autumn came and went, winter came and went. Another summer came and went. Gradually, they spent a year in that house. All three worked together to become very active in school. Ilias chose the sword, Spoon chose the djinn, and Nusi chose strategy and healing.

By the time they were nine, they began to forget about Niyashi. He disappeared from their minds after many more years.

Then one day after they returned from school, a maid told them they had a guest upstairs whenever they were ready.

They thought it was one of the guards giving them a report on something, so they went to their quarters, bathed, and ate. It was already evening when they went to the guest room to see the guest.

Nusi wore a long-sleeved Miki royal dress with a lion design. Her beauty was evident by now as she was already fifteen years old. Her long hair laid on her beautiful dark skin, shining.

Spoon was slightly more obese but he now had a strong gait. As for Ilias, he was taller, thinner, and more humble-looking than ever. His red sword hanging over his shoulder.

The man they saw in the guest room was someone they didn't expect. Sitting comfortably in the guest room and reading the new edition of daily poller was Prince Niyashi.

They approached him with complex expressions on their faces, none of which was fear. One thing they did know was that if Niyashi had wanted to harm them, he would have done so long ago.

Niyashi straightened up with a smile on his face. "Oh my... you are all grown-ups now. Nusi... look at you, you are almost as tall as I am. Spoon you...."

But when Niyashi put down the newspaper that covered his face and they saw his face, their eyes went wide. He was the same as they saw him nine years ago, perhaps younger even. The same height, size, and face. It was as if they were much older than him now. Especially Ilias who looked like an adult already.

"W...what are you? What's going on?"

That was the only thing the three of them asked in amazement and confusion.

Niyashi just smiled. "Don't worry, I will tell you my story in time. As you can see, my looks don't determine my age since my body has stopped growing ever since the day I turned sixteen. No one in the world knows about this except my family. And now you. So you're going to promise me you won't tell anyone about me. If you make this promise to me, I will help you whenever you need help and I will explain everything to you when the time is right, including why I am looking for Nusi and why I am not getting older with time."

All three looked at each other in amazement. Ilias was the first to speak. "Then why don't you tell us everything now?"

Niyashi replied smiling, "because I can't."

Nusi held her breath. "I will promise you what you seek but only if you answer one question for me."

Niyashi tilted his head in surprise. "What is the question?"

"Tell me," she said. "Do you know my father?"

Niyashi took a deep breath and bowed his head. He didn't want to answer the question but it seemed Nusi had been wanting to ask him that question for a long time, and she wouldn't take his promise if he didn't answer her. "I know him," he said slowly. "But I won't tell you anything about him now."

***

From that day on, Nusi, Spoon, Ilias, and Niyashi made a promise. Niyashi stayed in the house for a long time this time around and later on he returned to Infiria.

In time, Nusi became one of the most talented students in Mikironomada but Niyashi didn't come to congratulate her even once.

She was nineteen when she ran for the exam that would allow her to become part of the parliament in Khan. In time, that exam would lead her to meet with Armad. Something that would change the course of her life forever. But the prince didn't congratulate her even when she passed.

She hadn't seen him until the jinzidal tournament. Needless to say, she was surprised to see he was exactly as she had known him thirteen years ago. She wanted to meet him, to talk to him, but he refused to. According to him, there were ears buried under the ground and eyes fixed in space that would hear and see them together.

***

Ilias stood with his sword hanging on his back, looking at the giant statue of Daikirin at the entrance of Khan. Next to him was Spoon who was also looking at the same statue. Surprisingly, they weren't the only ones watching the statue. More than five hundred people were just staring at it and then comparing it to the picture in the newspapers in their hands. For many years there had been only six statues at the entrance, but a few months ago another was added. Men and women came from different places to see the new statue which depicted a young man with some cloth tied around his head. And on his right hand was a bolt of lightning while on the left was a sword. His eyes had brownish color to them. His hair was black and short. It looked just like the Armad Wilberforce that everyone was looking at on the page of the newspapers.

Ilias looked at Spoon and nodded. "Ururu knew about this statue and I think it's partly the reason why they put such a high bounty on him. Though we still have to look for him. He is the only one who can tell us the specifics about where our sister Nusi is."

Spoon nodded. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's just take the road. We'll come back to this city only after we find her, or we'll die trying. She will do the same for us."

On that day, Spoon and Ilias started looking for their adopted sister Nusi Djinn. They didn't mind where their journey would take them. All they cared about was her safety.