When old Abu-Raudat arrived at that point in his farewell, the two of them burst into heart-rending tears and embraced each other again.
The scene made tears of compassion roll down my cheeks, for separation from a loved one is never sweet. Even Jauharul-Layal, whose heart was as hard as that of a demon, could not stop tears from falling.
They remained in that state for about fifty seconds. Afterwards, Raudatul-Abyad gently withdrew from her father and walked toward me. Without delay, she and I mounted Jauharul-Layal and sat upon him.
Jauharul-Layal sprang up with the fierce vigor of an ancient warrior, spread his enormous wings, and soared into the sky, cutting through the clouds. From the moment Abu-Raudat could still see us until we vanished from his sight, the journey began, and I was filled with utter amazement at the terrifying speed with which Jauharul-Layal flew. In all my life, or even in history, I had never heard of a demon capable of such speed in the sky.
We traveled through the air for seven continuous hours without rest or stopping. After another hour had passed, Jauharul-Layal folded his wings and swooped down swiftly, landing on a path.
The place where we landed was a forest filled with towering trees, rocks, valleys, and thick thorny bushes. Even the silence that reigned in that forest was enough to strike terror into the heart of any living creature.
With deep concern, I looked at Raudatul-Abyad and said,
“O beautiful queen, don’t you see that camping in this forest is extremely dangerous? Just look at the nature of this place.”
Raudat was about to speak when the prince of the young demons abruptly interrupted her and said,
“Danger avoided is danger prepared for. Even if harmful creatures exist in this forest, we must camp here so that we regain our strength before confronting the palace of the King of Sorcerers.”
Raudatul-Abyad replied,
“Indeed, your words are solid as stone, O prince of the youth. Therefore, we must remain on full alert, even through the night.”
After saying this, we moved toward a large tree. We sat beneath it, brought out our provisions, and refreshed ourselves. When we were done, we lay down to rest and ease our exhaustion, while Jauharul-Layal began patrolling the area to ensure complete security.
Suddenly—unexpectedly—a beautiful young maiden appeared before us.
She was tall, perfectly built, and strikingly beautiful. Her nose was long and gracefully curved, beneath it a well-shaped mouth with crimson lips. Her neck was long and elegant like that of a gazelle. Her bosom was full, firm, and upright, shining like ripe fruit, irresistibly captivating. Her stomach was flat as though she had never eaten, her waist tightly drawn in, while her hips flared outward into graceful curves—so balanced that even a cup placed upon them would sit firmly. Her thighs were shapely and smooth, her skin soft and tender like that of a newborn baby. She wore garments made of animal skins from head to toe, clinging to her body and revealing every feature that could attract a man’s attention.
Wohoho! Truly, no sane man could behold such beauty without being overwhelmed by desire.
When we came face to face with her, we all sprang to our feet at once. We stared at one another in silence. In all my life, I had never seen or heard of a woman as beautiful as this maiden. Even with all the beauty of Raudatul-Abyad, the maiden surpassed her greatly.
After about fifty seconds, the beautiful maiden finally spoke in a trembling, flute-like voice:
“O Matawus ibn Raziwan, and Raudatul-Abyad bint Abu-Raudat, know that for four years I have been waiting for the chance to meet you in order to obtain the map of the palace of the King of Sorcerers, Bazzagul-Nadiyar. My goal is to avenge my father’s death at the hands of the four kings of the world and to rule the entire world. My wish is to fulfill my father’s dream of global dominion.
Therefore, I call upon you to hand over the map peacefully. But if you refuse, then the torment of the SHARP EDGE OF MY SWORD will surely befall you.”
Upon hearing these words, I looked at her with intense anger and said,
“O you tyrant, know this: your deluded heart has deceived you into thinking you can rob us by force. Know that water is not scooped with a basket, and even without testing, an arrow is stronger than a chicken’s beak. Whatever awaits you on this path, we shall see how you intend to seize the map from our hands.”
Hearing this, the maiden became furious. Her eyes flashed red, tears spilling as she looked at us and said,
“It is ignorance that made you call me a tyrant. But there is a need for me to briefly tell you my story.”
---
Chapter Five
Long ago, about one thousand years and more in the past, when magical power and heroism were the currencies of authority, oppression and deception filled the hearts of mankind. Every king desired to attack his neighbor and annex his land into his own kingdom.
At that time, there were four great cities that governed the entire world: the City of China, the City of Rome, the City of Egypt, and the City of Hindu.
The City of China was ruled by King Abul-Uyum, a mighty warrior capable of fighting for three days without food or drink. In magic, wealth, and military strength, he surpassed all the kings of the western world, earning him fearsome renown.
The City of Rome was ruled by King Fitinatul-Muluk ibn Larab, a master sorcerer, a brave warrior, and a possessor of immense wealth. It was said that his palace housed an army of one million demons and humans, all sustained by sorcery. For this, he was called the Plague of Kings.
The City of Hindu was ruled by King Hubaizu ibn Shardas, a man of deep devotion, vast magical knowledge, and great wealth. Each day, through forbidden rites, his power increased tremendously, earning him the title the Hundredfold Plague.
The City of Egypt was ruled by the warrior King Ayumul-Barqas ibn Zairul, a man immune to magic—no spell or sorcery could affect him.
These four kings were sworn enemies, each desiring to eliminate the others and become the supreme King of Kings. Through divination, they discovered that this could only be achieved by possessing a book known as THE BOOK OF WONDERS, hidden in the cave of Garul-Shammar. The book contained fifty thousand powerful magical secrets. Whoever possessed it would become an unstoppable force upon the world.
However, the book could only be used with a key known as Miftahul-Sihir, which had been divided into four parts—each king possessing one fragment inherited from his ancestors.
Unable to retrieve the book themselves, they realized only one man could enter the cave: a hunter named Yasiran ibn Taufid.
After long deliberation, they agreed to unite their key fragments and enlist Yasiran. Once he retrieved the book, they would fight among themselves, and the victor would claim ultimate power.
One evening, as Yasiran, his wife Zarilat, and I—their daughter Sulaiza—sat peacefully in our hut, we heard the thunder of hooves and footsteps filling the forest…
(The story continues with Yasiran’s encounter with the kings, his inner struggle, his acceptance of the mission, and the emotional farewell with his family.)
When old Abu-Raudat arrived at that point in his farewell, the two of them burst into heart-rending tears and embraced each other again.
The scene made tears of compassion roll down my cheeks, for separation from a loved one is never sweet. Even Jauharul-Layal, whose heart was as hard as that of a demon, could not stop tears from falling.
They remained in that state for about fifty seconds. Afterwards, Raudatul-Abyad gently withdrew from her father and walked toward me. Without delay, she and I mounted Jauharul-Layal and sat upon him.
Jauharul-Layal sprang up with the fierce vigor of an ancient warrior, spread his enormous wings, and soared into the sky, cutting through the clouds. From the moment Abu-Raudat could still see us until we vanished from his sight, the journey began, and I was filled with utter amazement at the terrifying speed with which Jauharul-Layal flew. In all my life, or even in history, I had never heard of a demon capable of such speed in the sky.
We traveled through the air for seven continuous hours without rest or stopping. After another hour had passed, Jauharul-Layal folded his wings and swooped down swiftly, landing on a path.
The place where we landed was a forest filled with towering trees, rocks, valleys, and thick thorny bushes. Even the silence that reigned in that forest was enough to strike terror into the heart of any living creature.
With deep concern, I looked at Raudatul-Abyad and said,
“O beautiful queen, don’t you see that camping in this forest is extremely dangerous? Just look at the nature of this place.”
Raudat was about to speak when the prince of the young demons abruptly interrupted her and said,
“Danger avoided is danger prepared for. Even if harmful creatures exist in this forest, we must camp here so that we regain our strength before confronting the palace of the King of Sorcerers.”
Raudatul-Abyad replied,
“Indeed, your words are solid as stone, O prince of the youth. Therefore, we must remain on full alert, even through the night.”
After saying this, we moved toward a large tree. We sat beneath it, brought out our provisions, and refreshed ourselves. When we were done, we lay down to rest and ease our exhaustion, while Jauharul-Layal began patrolling the area to ensure complete security.
Suddenly—unexpectedly—a beautiful young maiden appeared before us.
She was tall, perfectly built, and strikingly beautiful. Her nose was long and gracefully curved, beneath it a well-shaped mouth with crimson lips. Her neck was long and elegant like that of a gazelle. Her bosom was full, firm, and upright, shining like ripe fruit, irresistibly captivating. Her stomach was flat as though she had never eaten, her waist tightly drawn in, while her hips flared outward into graceful curves—so balanced that even a cup placed upon them would sit firmly. Her thighs were shapely and smooth, her skin soft and tender like that of a newborn baby. She wore garments made of animal skins from head to toe, clinging to her body and revealing every feature that could attract a man’s attention.
Wohoho! Truly, no sane man could behold such beauty without being overwhelmed by desire.
When we came face to face with her, we all sprang to our feet at once. We stared at one another in silence. In all my life, I had never seen or heard of a woman as beautiful as this maiden. Even with all the beauty of Raudatul-Abyad, the maiden surpassed her greatly.
After about fifty seconds, the beautiful maiden finally spoke in a trembling, flute-like voice:
“O Matawus ibn Raziwan, and Raudatul-Abyad bint Abu-Raudat, know that for four years I have been waiting for the chance to meet you in order to obtain the map of the palace of the King of Sorcerers, Bazzagul-Nadiyar. My goal is to avenge my father’s death at the hands of the four kings of the world and to rule the entire world. My wish is to fulfill my father’s dream of global dominion.
Therefore, I call upon you to hand over the map peacefully. But if you refuse, then the torment of the SHARP EDGE OF MY SWORD will surely befall you.”
Upon hearing these words, I looked at her with intense anger and said,
“O you tyrant, know this: your deluded heart has deceived you into thinking you can rob us by force. Know that water is not scooped with a basket, and even without testing, an arrow is stronger than a chicken’s beak. Whatever awaits you on this path, we shall see how you intend to seize the map from our hands.”
Hearing this, the maiden became furious. Her eyes flashed red, tears spilling as she looked at us and said,
“It is ignorance that made you call me a tyrant. But there is a need for me to briefly tell you my story.”
---
Chapter Five
Long ago, about one thousand years and more in the past, when magical power and heroism were the currencies of authority, oppression and deception filled the hearts of mankind. Every king desired to attack his neighbor and annex his land into his own kingdom.
At that time, there were four great cities that governed the entire world: the City of China, the City of Rome, the City of Egypt, and the City of Hindu.
The City of China was ruled by King Abul-Uyum, a mighty warrior capable of fighting for three days without food or drink. In magic, wealth, and military strength, he surpassed all the kings of the western world, earning him fearsome renown.
The City of Rome was ruled by King Fitinatul-Muluk ibn Larab, a master sorcerer, a brave warrior, and a possessor of immense wealth. It was said that his palace housed an army of one million demons and humans, all sustained by sorcery. For this, he was called the Plague of Kings.
The City of Hindu was ruled by King Hubaizu ibn Shardas, a man of deep devotion, vast magical knowledge, and great wealth. Each day, through forbidden rites, his power increased tremendously, earning him the title the Hundredfold Plague.
The City of Egypt was ruled by the warrior King Ayumul-Barqas ibn Zairul, a man immune to magic—no spell or sorcery could affect him.
These four kings were sworn enemies, each desiring to eliminate the others and become the supreme King of Kings. Through divination, they discovered that this could only be achieved by possessing a book known as THE BOOK OF WONDERS, hidden in the cave of Garul-Shammar. The book contained fifty thousand powerful magical secrets. Whoever possessed it would become an unstoppable force upon the world.
However, the book could only be used with a key known as Miftahul-Sihir, which had been divided into four parts—each king possessing one fragment inherited from his ancestors.
Unable to retrieve the book themselves, they realized only one man could enter the cave: a hunter named Yasiran ibn Taufid.
After long deliberation, they agreed to unite their key fragments and enlist Yasiran. Once he retrieved the book, they would fight among themselves, and the victor would claim ultimate power.
One evening, as Yasiran, his wife Zarilat, and I—their daughter Sulaiza—sat peacefully in our hut, we heard the thunder of hooves and footsteps filling the forest…
(The story continues with Yasiran’s encounter with the kings, his inner struggle, his acceptance of the mission, and the emotional farewell with his family.)