Armad was the first to wake up in the morning. He left the room and headed for the princess' quarters. When he arrived, he used photon jump to enter the house.

Nostalgia had already sensed him through his pol so she was waiting for him in the doorway.

"Morning," he said, sounding a bit awkward. He didn't expect to get caught so soon.

There was some silence before she nodded. "Morning."

"I will be leaving the palace today," he said.

Nostalgia looked at him in surprise. "You are leaving? Why? Is everything alright?" For just a moment, the cold princess lost her cool.

Armad told her about Nusi and how they planned to look for her. For some reason, she didn't look happy about it. Armad wondered if it was about him leaving or about him going after another woman.

"For how long will you be gone?"

"I hope to come back in six days."

"Then six days it's, do not go beyond that. And be careful, the seventh world is dangerous. Ururu keeps all their secrets somewhere in the northern hemisphere. A year ago, Uznu Ururu was appointed as the commander of the division guarding the place. You mustn't provoke them while you are there."

Armad smiled at the attention he was being given. He wanted to show his appreciation but he didn't know how to do that. After a moment of silent stare, he turned around and headed to the door. When he put his hand on the doorknob, he turned around and locked eyes with the princess. Just looking into her eyes felt... exceedingly uneasy. Maybe telling her he wanted to marry her was a bad idea. But that was how he felt and he didn't want to waste any more time on it.

He returned to the room. His traveling companions - Inara, Spoon, and Ilias - had already finished their preparations and were just waiting for him.

The four of them made their way to the Eycigan house near the palace. The only way to reach the seventh world in a short period was through the Eycigan portal. So they'd agreed to use it instead of the sea route despite the exorbitant price. When they arrived, Ilias pulled out 60,000 Ayrids and bought four tickets, each at the cost of fifteen thousand.

Because it was early morning and not everyone could use the Eycigan, there weren't many people there. Only an elderly-looking man and his family with four other men and a woman.

"My stomach doesn't feel good..." Spoon started but he soon paused and looked around at the mocking faces of his friends. "It's been an hour already," he complained.

Armad smiled and opened his storage ring to pick some fruits for the hungry man. Ilias and Spoon hadn't yet informed Armad about the specifics of the mission. But that didn't bother him. He would sign up for it no matter how hard it was. Nusi deserved that much from him.

And if something was bothering Armad at the moment, it was the two numbers he saw on the jinni wood. He didn't know what it meant and he was hesitant to ask someone. Things like this tended to be taboo among the inhabitants of the lower worlds. And he already had enough of that with his bounty and lightning form.

"Is something wrong?" Ilias asked him as they waited to enter the portal on the provided seats. "You have been scratching your forehead and you only do that when something is bothering you."

Armad smiled at the man. He often forgot how long they'd spent together when he was in Khan. "Do any of you you know of anyone having a double number on jinni wood?"

Armad tried his best to ask in the most neutral tone he could muster. Spoon and Inara shook their heads. But Ilias was silent for a moment before he nodded, saying, "Among humans, no. But all djinns have double numbers when tested."

Armad turned his seat to face Ilias and said, "Djinns, you are sure? But why do they have double numbers?"

Ilias replied, "Because djinns can give a part of their power to the human that enslaves them. You see, one number refers to the djinn and the other to the human bonding the djinn."

Armad took a deep breath and quietly said, "Thank you for your information."

In Armad's mind, the foundation of a new Bend was forming. If djinns could lend their power to humans because they'd two numbers, then he could probably give his power to others as well. But that would be like the contract, only that in his case he would be serving as the djinn. However, King Deniz Iluru, one of the five jinzidal Kings, already had the contract for Lightning. Even using lightning without a contract would piss the King off. How would he feel if Armad started giving out his lightning contract?

But if Armad managed to pull it off, he would have his army. A special force that obeyed him completely. In some ways, it would be even more effective than the armies of the Kings.

"Why do you ask? Have you started researching djinns? It's a nice area of study, if I may add."

Armad was thinking for an answer when their names were called and they ran to the front door.

When they entered, they found seven portals arranged in a row. Each had a number on it from one to seven. There was nothing but darkness inside each portal. The frames were made from the rare element, yeniy, and they glowed brightly, but that didn't lessen the darkness creeping out of the portals. This wasn't the first or the second time Armad was seeing the portals, so he could easily ignore the ominous sight. He collected the entrance rune from the guard assigned to him.

Then another guard asked them to repeat an incantation after him before he allowed them to enter. Each of them holding his entrance rune close to his chest.

Armad felt the usual dizziness. By now, he didn't have to even close his eyes. A strong wind pulled him in and he disappeared into the darkness.

When next he regained his calm, he saw himself appear in front of another door. It was no different from the one he'd just entered, and if it wasn't for the sudden change in weather that left him sweating, he would have mistaken it for one.

"Welcome to the seventh world, traveler," the gatekeeper said. He offered Armad cold water and dates before he showed him to a seat. Armad saw Ilias and the others already seated there. They must have arrived earlier than him.

He sat beside Ilias and looked around the place. It was a large hall enclosed in glass walls and decorated with some flashy stones of different colors. He tried to sense the stones and see if there was any pol in them but to no avail. It was as if a massive wall of earth was blocking him. They weren't just stone.

"Since we're all here," Ilias said. "Let me tell you about the mission - what we need and the dangers we might face." He looked around the hall and saw people coming in and he shook his head. "Maybe we should move away from here first."