They were almost there. At least, that was Deneve’s hope. Aakman was far south in the desert, further than she had traveled previously. The trip hadn’t been terrible, but it was long as she refused to take a camel.

Finally, they saw it. A couple of tents with fencing around them to keep the sand from covering them. “That must be the place,” Lord Red said tiredly.

“I believe so,” Deneve agreed. She sighed with relief that they hadn’t gotten lost. The desert was vast, and even with a compass, it could be daunting to find places, but it seemed she had a natural affinity for it now.

As they drew closer, they saw someone who had spotted them as well. Stepping into the enclosure, they walked up to the man they could only think was Atosa, but before Deneve could adequately greet him, he spoke, “Outsider was it truly your will to come here?”

Deneve started at the question but answered firmly. “Yes, it was.”

“Foolish Human…” Atosa said acidly.

Deneve merely gazed at him calmly as she waved her hand and created ice beneath his feet. Atosa looked at her in astonishment.

“Wait. You’re…?” Atosa stumbled, confused.

Let me handle this.

Then the black spirit did something he rarely did. He made himself corporal. Deneve heard the gasps of both Atosa and Lord Red. Atosa seemed to be amused once his surprise wore off.

“How could this happen?” Atosa asked, looking curiously at Deneve. “Has the time of our waiting finally paid off? Perhaps it is still premature to be sure, but …you seem like the one we’ve been waiting for.”

“What do you mean?” Deneve asked.

“Will you listen to our story?” Atosa asked.

Deneve nodded as Atosa gestured to the open tent with what looked to be very comfortable seating. They quickly moved to into the shady area and sat.

Give him some wine. It’s proper protocol.

Deneve dug into her pack, pulling out a bottle of sweet fig wine. She quickly popped the cork and offered the bottle to their host, who looked at her with a touch of surprise followed up by a nod of approval.

“My thanks,” Atosa said graciously. “This will be a long story, and a drink will be nice to have. It started back in the time of Imur Nesser. The Aakman were the guardians of ancient civilization back in those days. However, King Imur didn’t care too much for the ancient civilization. he only cared for conquering the whole of Valencia.”

“Sounds like a typical power-hungry king,” Deneve shook her head.

Atosa gave her a small smile, “Yes, the real problem began when the king decided to move the gigantic ancient man that used to roam the desert. It is considered a sacred being, so they were not to be touched. After that, we constantly interfered in his plans. Until one day, it came to a head, and he attacked us directly. It was a massacre. The few of us that were alive left the desert until King Sahazad asked for us to return.”

“Most likely in an attempt to use you for increasing his own power,” Lord Red scoffed.

Atosa nodded, “Yes, he did so under the guise of helping us, but in fact, he wanted to know the secret of the chamber. Sahazad doesn’t know that what is in that you are the one we have been waiting for. He has no idea what the halidom really is. He just wanted some silly key.”

“What do you mean?” Deneve asked curiously.

“The reason the Aakmans exist is to protect the ancient civilization. Those foolish humans almost exterminated us, and you shall restore order to chaos. The halidom is for you alone. The black spirit is the key. He has forgotten his true self as well, and we shall help you both.” Atosa explained patiently.