Azamir sat with his family for lunch, with his older brother and his father.In the midst of lunch, his father Azar and his brother Qays discussed the state of the emirate, especially the two coastal cities that had become a trade link between the sultanate and the eastern continent: the city of Drienasas for the eastern port, and the city of Conilmadran for the western port, with their current city Naran in between.
And in the middle of the conversation, a small quarrel broke out between them. Qays said to his father:"We must stop trading with the duchy in golden water. We don't even know what they use it for, or whether its price is fair for us."
Father: "And what do you suggest? Should we cut ties with them for the sake of some profits? What should we do? Let our people live on fish? Or go seek peace from the scoundrels of the western continent?"
Qays: "But father, we don't know what its benefit is to them. Ever since it was discovered in the lake near the capital of the sultanate and brought to us, we found that it only helps heal wounds. Yet the duchy's merchants flocked to buy it. We even tried to give up part of our profits in exchange for them telling us why they wanted it, but they refused. Doesn't that plant some doubts in your mind?"
Father: "Certainly, and that's why we sent our merchants to investigate."
Qays: "It's been two weeks since they left, and the round trip takes no more than five days. Don't you see the strangeness of the situation?"
Father: "Stop! Don't you trust our men?"
Qays: "But…"
Father: "But what? Do you think the duchy scares us? Our ancestors fought it, and even the Nauern Empire, and we were never defeated."
Qays: "We lost the land beyond the mountains and many of our people died. Is that a victory?"
Father (slamming the table): "Do you think some golden water will open our borders and defeat our soldiers?"
Qays: "No, but it may attract the greed of others toward us, and that will be the doom of our nation."
Father: "A ruler cannot be greedy. Remember, they are the only ones who could extract platinum. Both continents rely on their coins, and their ancestors even ruled this whole world."
Qays: "That's why we must take precautions. If our merchants don't arrive in two days, we will send scouting ships. Do you agree, father?"
Father: "Yes, but we must have faith."
Qays: "I will go now to train."
Azamir: "I will go too, to finish the lesson with Sheikh Tir."
Many children gathered in the mosque square, with Sheikh Tir in their midst. He said:"As I mentioned earlier, the first sultan toppled the duchy, although the duke took all the treasures. Yet his flight weakened the unity of the princes and forced them to submit and surrender. The first sultan took their treasures and expelled them from the sultanate. During the seizures, he obtained much information and old books, and thus some secrets of the new lands began to be revealed—resources they had never seen or heard of before in their continent.
As for our sciences, in our homeland the sciences of mechanics, astronomy, thought, and finance developed. But this continent is different; they developed the sciences of the body, the human form, alchemy, potions, and blacksmithing. Nevertheless, they were not backward; as you can see, the walls of our cities are covered with catapults and cannons, and even our watermills are the foundation of the mechanical knowledge brought by our ancestors, which allowed them to withstand their enemies.
In addition to astronomical maps and the science of stars that benefited our merchants in navigation and mapmaking without harming our bodies. But the sciences of the new continent are dangerous; for example, the Draughtborn knights are a group of unfortunates exploited as human experiments to create weapons of war through alchemy. The inhabitants of the eastern continent say they are one of the remnants of the great Halethar, which united the two continents into one empire.
The people of the new Halethar Empire see themselves as its descendants, but most inhabitants of the continent doubt that. After several years of gathering information, we obtained this map."
Tir pointed to carvings on the wall:"As you can see, the map shows two massive continents, with the middle lands between them, controlled by a didactic kingdom. It is said their ancestors were migrants from distant lands. In the south lies our land: the Elaf Sultanate. Between it and the eastern continent lies our island, distinguished as a connecting point between the sultanate and the eastern continent. By exploiting its location, we achieved great financial profits, so much so that the sultanate relies on us to provide resources and information.
That is why we must be ready for any attack upon us, and one day you will be part of the guardians of our lands. After the first sultan took control of the remaining princes' lands, they obtained many potions. Out of curiosity and desperation, some individuals drank them seeking strength, and most ended up dead. Thus, they realized that the power of the potions came at a high price.
The sultan banned their use until information was gathered and research was done to reduce their effects. Everyone realized this ban could lead to losing their advantage in war, so they began capturing every Draughtborn in the sultanate's lands to develop ways to fight them, and thus the Draughtborn Slayers were created."
And so, at the end of Sheikh Tir's lesson, a strange silence prevailed among the children, as if the words had carved something deep within them. It was not merely a history lesson, but a hidden warning, a call to prepare for what was to come.
Azamir lifted his head and looked at the map of the two continents and the ancient carvings, and for the first time felt the weight of his ancestors' legacy and the responsibility to protect it. And as the evening sun cast long shadows in the mosque's square, Sheikh Tir whispered:"Remember well… the greatest strength lies not in the potions, nor in the weapons, but in resolve and faith… as the first sultan did."
On his way back home, Azamir spotted from afar a strange flag being raised on a ship's mast on the horizon, approaching the port of Drienasas at an unusual speed. An indescribable feeling took hold of him, a mix of curiosity and fear.