~First World.

~The Black-eyed council

The eleven men on the helms of the worlds' affair were all present.

"I think you are in the right position to tell us about this boy that uses Eyrion's Sikai," Tadiyraini said, turning to Uznu.

"I first saw him at the last Jinzidal tournament in Seerisha," Uznu said. "He entered the contest as Armad Djinn, so I didn't give him a second thought. The Book-sword he carried was what attracted my attention. After trying in vain to rid him of it, I took him to the headquarters and tried some more, but all in vain.

"After a bit of research, I found out that the Book can not be forced out of him, even in death. The only way is to wait it out till it comes out of its own volition. The book has its own will, and if it senses the Black-eyed near it, it would retreat further.

"So I sold Armad, and employed my two servants to watch over him.

"Nostalgia killed my servants, and I lost Armad as a result. At least until now. I promise the council never to let him out of my sight again."

"Er... Didn't this young man's soul split when you captured him?" Tadiyraini said after Uznu was done with his speech.

Uznu cleared his throat and nodded. "Well, yes, his soul was split at the time. But I didn't know where the other part was at the time. Then, later on, I heard that Kilbaru's granddaughter has captured a peculiar soul trying to enter the first world. And this soul was also split like Armad's.

"I went there to see for myself, and it turns out to be the exact copy of Armad's soul."

"What exactly does this... 'Armad' stand to gain by all this?" Asked Tadiyraini, somewhat surprised.

"Well, he only seeks to get a cure for his mother, at first. But now he has joined the league of people trying to abolish the jinzidal."

"That is not a surprise, considering him being a brother to Hidaya Wilberforce, and the spawn of Fatima and Taidara Wilberforce. Spawns of Eyrion are bound to hate Jinzidal," Deputy Tadiyraini said nonchalantly. His voice seemed rather amusing.

"Could it be Hidaya who is using this boy Armad to achieve her goals?" A masked figure asked.

"Well, Hidaya must be killed whether she is behind Armad or not. All of them must die. Banzirshishirui too. If he makes it alive after this war, his status as a jinzidal King is forfeited," replied Tadiyraini.

"Let us look at this from another angle," Uznu suggested. "We know who Bihanzin is but we don't know his plans. It's very unlikely but I won't be surprised if he wins this war. The council has to protect the jinzidal at all costs. There will be a big problem for the jinzidal if we allow Bihanzin to win. Just he and Hidaya could slay the other Kings present in this war."

The deputy took in a deep breath and leaned back into his chair. "In the First Dawn, we sent everyone to the lower worlds. We were the ones in charge of the jinzidal then.

"But as time passed, we deemed it fit to give them their freedom. That was how we created the jinzidal Kingship. Inviting anyone we deemed worthy. Whoever agreed to our guidelines was made a King of jinzidal, and we got rid of whoever refused.

"Our guidelines are simple: protect the jinzidal. Anyone in charge would be collecting taxes freely. And no one would interfere with any of their dealings. We would both respect each other's boundaries. This was how we got the five jinzidal Kings from Miki Abbas, who was the first, to the last, who was Bihanzin.

"The jinzidal Kings take care of things in our stead, and opposing them is akin to opposing us. In a situation like this, we all must do all we can to protect them.

"As the one watching over Bihanzin, Kilbaru, how do you think we can subdue him?"

Upon hearing the question, Kilbaru unmasked his face. He had signature black eyes, but his head was completely bald. He had a scanty mustache and a goatee. "We have been watching Bihanzin since the talisman war. We made him King after the war. But then we discovered that he has an agenda of his own. Uznu, can you please remind us what you saw in the Book-sword regarding Bihanzin?"

Uznu answered, "During the battle of the Book-sword, we succeeded in reading the first page of the book. That was the first time I saw the name 'Banzirshishirui'. Some incomprehensible words were mentioned about his soul. I'm sure he is the same man that disguises himself as Bihanzin."

Kilbaru nodded. "That's right. Bihanzin is Banzirshishirui. Apart from that, we've also discovered that Bihanzin has a relationship with Miki Abbas. We are yet to know what that relationship is. But some five hundred years before Bihanzin met King Rafiya, Bihanzin and Miki were discovered to have taken lessons on pol usage together from an elder of the guardian Ranbirshishirui."

Uznu shrugged and murmured to himself, "Then why not depose the two, I am certain they've something up their sleeves?"

Kilbaru frowned slightly but didn't respond further.

"Fayra," Tadiyraini turned to one of the men on his right. "As the Eye on Hidaya, how do you think she can be overcome?"

"Hidaya's biggest wish is to do away with jinzidal. She would certainly like it if the Kings are defeated," Fayra said. "This war is an easier way for the realization of her goals. Three Kings might lose their lives and kingdoms if Bihanzin were to win. She is also with her Salsa at the moment, so Han'ibal may be defeated, albeit uneasily. I think the easiest way to defeat her is to inform her that we have captured her brother's soul. That could distract her and give Han'ibal a chance."

Tadiyraini sighed distressfully. He scratched his temples for several seconds before he looked to his left and said, "How do we go about this, Crown Prince?"

"Each of the reigning Kings of Jinzidal has a hidden goal," replied the crown prince. "None of them gives a hundred percent pledge to jinzidal. What they seek from us is immunity. That is the reason we face such problems in times like this. To prevent jinzidal from ever facing such crisis in the future, a COUP must be staged."

"A coup, what do you mean by that?" Tadiyraini asked.

"Only Han'ibal is useful among them," the prince replied. "The others are all to be replaced, gradually but surely. I already have some new candidates in mind."

The hall became full of whispers. Not even the deputy could openly argue when the crown prince decided.

The Prince cleared his throat and the hall became quiet again. He said, "Uznu, to eliminate that boy Armad, I'll grant you the right to use the strength of your pol years and your eyes in full force. Return with his soul so I can retrieve the Book-sword myself.

"Release Deniz Ururu from the dungeons, Deputy.

"Dul'Ururu, take the compilation of my sword Bends to Han'ibal. I heard that he aspires to become the strongest swordsman in the world and that's why he wants Bihanzin dead. Give him something of my techniques and his loyalty will be eternal.

"I shall amend the rules of the lower worlds after this war. THE PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO FORGET THE MIGHT OF THE BLACK-EYED!"