"Yes, he was my older brother. In fact, we met your father thanks to him. He was truly a benevolent person, beloved by the townspeople. One day, the King of the country died, and a tournament began to select the new ruler. My brother was strong—one of the sixteen master knights in the world. He possessed a unique Cesrad technique that could create tornadoes, earning him the title 'Hurricane King.' Fighters from all over the world participated in the tournament: Mages, swordsmen, dwarves, beastkin, Dragonkin... every race was represented. The tournament lasted about four months. My brother, naturally, defeated his opponents with ease and rose to the semi-finals. In the final, only one opponent remained: Ozaros..."
Artun frowned again after saying this name. Clearly, he held a grudge against this man named Ozaros.
Ishtar interjected. "Who is this Ozaros, Uncle? You looked angry again after saying his name."
Artun took another deep breath and continued:
"Ozaros... Ozaros is the murderer who killed my brother."
Artun paused for a moment, then continued:
"Of course, my brother defeated him after a tough battle in the semi-finals and was elected the ruler of Sahirba, a country located in the Timark Desert. Ozaros was an arrogant and selfish man. He couldn't stomach my brother's victory and began plotting to dethrone him. That was around the time we met your father. One day, my brother and I were dealing with paperwork as usual. Suddenly, my brother asked, 'Hey Artun, what's the status of the walls protecting us from the desert winds?'"
"Since my brother ascended the throne, he had made me his advisor, and I was helping him with state affairs. 'Why don't we go and check ourselves?' I suggested."
"My brother liked this idea. We mounted our horses and arrived there after a two-day journey. These walls were massive structures protecting the country from the desert's savage sandstorms. The walls had a special ability; they protected not only the ground but also the sky, creating an invisible shield enveloping the entire country. My brother and I climbed all the watchtowers one by one. We repaired the damaged, special mana stones used to generate the shield. My brother wasn't just a good warrior; he was a graduate of Magic Engineering from the Black Dragon University, one of the best universities in Avalon. Thanks to him, we finished a three-week job in one week. While I was walking on the walls for a final check, we suddenly heard a scream from outside."
"Help! Help us!"
"It was the voice of a young man. My brother and I quickly looked toward where the voice came from, but we couldn't see anything due to the desert storm. So, we went outside the walls and ran toward the voice. The air was very dusty. My lungs weren't as durable as my brother's. He tore a piece of cloth from his white robe and gave it to me to cover my mouth. After running for a while, we finally reached the source of the voice. There, a young man and a woman had fainted. I took the woman on my back, and my brother took the young man. We ran back and finally brought them inside the walls. We both collapsed on the ground, coughing. The sandy desert air had filled our lungs. After a while, we recovered. The young man and the girl woke up too. The young man had brown eyes and smooth features; we thought he was a noble's son. The girl was a beastkin and spoke our language, so she must have been one of us. My brother began to stroke the heads of the two youths with both hands and smiled warmly."
"With a gentle voice, he asked, 'Hello children, what are your names?'"
"Since the young man didn't know our language, he looked at the girl. She began to speak:"
"'My name is Arew, and this is Andor.'"
Ishtar immediately interrupted: "Wait, wait, so is that how you met Auntie Arew and my dad?"
"Yes," Arew said with a sad voice. "That day, because the ruler saved my life, he became my older brother too. I still haven't forgotten his gentle touch from that day."
Artun paused for a while, then continued:
"My brother and I were wondering what the two of them were doing lying in this desert. Where did they come from, what was their goal? So, to satisfy my curiosity, I asked: 'What are you doing in the middle of the desert on such a stormy day?'"
"The two youths fell silent with suspicion. Clearly, they had drifted here after a bad event. My brother saw this and said, 'Artun, the kids just woke up. Let them rest first, we can listen to what happened later. You must be quite hungry, come, let us host you.'"
"We took them to the guesthouse built in the towers. These walls were erected centuries ago by the founding gods of this country. We served them the country's traditional dish, tahini bread, with a side of date stew. Just as Atlonda is famous for its lemons and roses, this country was famous for its dates. They were huge and had a very sweet taste. The two youths began to eat with great appetite. Although I found it a bit savage, my brother found their state quite adorable. He watched them with his usual sincere smile."
"'Sooo, what reason brought you to my country?' he asked."
"The two youths lifted their heads. The girl suddenly whispered something into the boy's ear with a shocked expression. The boy suddenly shouted, 'Whaa! The Ruler?' The two youths immediately fell to their knees. Andor spoke in an unknown language: 'Simatiya lakanta urka.' Arew translated what the boy said: 'My friend Andor apologizes for his insolence towards you,' she said."
"My brother laughed. 'You two are seriously funny, but there is no need to be formal with me. In my country, no one is superior to anyone else. You can call me big brother.'"
"Arew translated what my brother said to Andor. Andor was relieved because in his country, this could have led to execution."
"Arew began to speak: 'Actually, my father is a merchant. We were returning from a date shipment to the Empire. Luckily, we found Andor on the road; he was also going to the Timark Desert with us. We traveled together for a while and became friends. But when we arrived at the Timark Desert, many bandits cut off our path, and only the two of us managed to escape. My father is currently in the hands of the bandits.'"
"Arew's face fell; she was worried about her father, after all. My brother gave me an ambitious look and said, 'Hey Artun, are you thinking what I'm thinking?'"
"Seeing my brother's usual spirit, I put my hand to my temples and smiled. 'You seriously love getting into trouble, brother.'"
"My brother leaned down, patted Arew's head, and gave that sincere smile. 'Don't worry, we will definitely save your father and friends.'"
"Arew suddenly hugged my brother and started crying. My brother responded with a warm embrace."
"The next day, we prepared to go outside the walls to save Arew's father. Fortunately, we brought our oxygen tanks powered by mana stones. Arew, Andor, and I wanted to go with my brother, but he didn't accept because we were still young. He hugged the three of us tightly and went outside the walls. A few days later, my brother finally returned. Yes! He had saved Arew's father. Arew ran toward her father and my brother, hugging both of them."
"'See? I kept my promise, I saved your father.'"
"Arew was so happy that tears streamed from her eyes. My brother picked Arew up. 'Thank you, big brother, I owe you. I will serve you for the rest of my life,' she said."
"That day, my brother gained two loyal servants, albeit for a short time. We set off with the merchant convoy to return to the city and finally arrived. During the year my brother reigned, the country lived in peace, but this peace would not last long... During that one year my brother reigned, your father and my brother became close friends. They practiced martial arts together, and thanks to this, your father became very strong. He made Arew the head accountant; she was a merchant's daughter, after all, she was good at calculation."
"But a year later, it was a peaceful and happy day as always. Suddenly, Ozaros and his men started a rebellion for the throne across the country. Ozaros traveled through the country one by one, slaughtering everyone with his murderous army. My brother was frantic. Finally, when his entire army was slaughtered, he decided to enter the war himself and single-handedly destroyed Ozaros's army. Only Ozaros was left. My brother and Ozaros prepared for a final battle."
"'Ozaros! You bathed my people, my army, the country I love in blood! And now you dare to stand before me and challenge me. I will tear you apart!'"
"At that time, Andor, Arew, and I were the only ones left from my brother's army."
"Ozaros said with an arrogant voice, 'My hatred for you grew even more the day I lost to you in the tournament. Today, you will finally die. You will die, TIRKAN!'"
"While Ozaros and Tirkan clashed swords for days, the three of us fought with the remaining army. During the battle, Ozaros had become exhausted, wounded all over. He was going to lose at this rate. Suddenly, a cunning idea came to his mind. If he couldn't defeat him with his own power, he had to strike at his weak point. Ozaros suddenly grabbed a spear and started running towards me. I collapsed to the ground, trembling with fear, unable to do anything. Just then, my brother's screams rose from behind."
"'Artun, run! ARTUN!'"
"My knees were frozen with fear. At that moment, time slowed down. This was my brother's technique: Time Stop! I blinked. When I opened my eyes... No! My brother had jumped in front of the spear to stop the attack. His chest was covered in blood. I took my brother in my arms and pressed a piece of cloth on the wound to stop the bleeding. My brother collapsed to the ground. No matter how much I talked, he didn't answer. Suddenly, he began to speak, coughing up blood."
"'Artun, I think I'm done here. Take Andor and Arew and run.'"
"'No, brother! We won't leave you here, come on, wake up, let's go home.'"
"Tirkan smiled sincerely one last time. Andor and Arew ran to Tirkan's side. Tears were flowing from all three of their eyes. Ozaros and his army surrounded them."
"'Listen to me, with my last remaining energy, I will teleport you to the Empire. Build a life for yourselves there and do not ever come back here, children. You are my only family... I love you...'
"Suddenly, Tirkan's heart stopped, and he collapsed. The three of them began to sob uncontrollably. Suddenly, the place where the three of them were started to glow; it was a magic circle."
WHOOSH!
"The three friends opened their eyes. They had been teleported to a forested area. Apparently, Tirkan had succeeded. Andor, Arew, and Artun buried their brother's lifeless body, held a ceremony in the Sahirba style, and then began traveling together. On this journey, they met Nera, and when their final adventures were completed, they moved to Atlonda. But this was just the beginning; they still had many stories to tell."
Ishtar collapsed to the ground in tears at this tragic story. He didn't know what to say. Tirkan's sacrifice... How could a human be so merciful? Arew and Artun also cried, affected by Ishtar's emotion. After a while, they calmed down.
When Artun's last words fell from his lips, a dense, palpable silence settled inside the bakery. The cheerful bell of the shop, the noise of life outside, even the flow of time seemed to have stopped. The flour dust suspended in the air floated slowly in the sunlight, as if carrying the ashes of that bloody war. Apart from the crackling of wood from the stone oven, there was not a sound; even that sound wasn't enough to disperse this mournful atmosphere, on the contrary, it deepened the silence.
Artun, that mountain of a man, slumped his shoulders, fixed his gaze on the floor with his hands on his knees; as if he wasn't in the bakery at that moment, but still on that bloody battlefield, beside his brother's lifeless body. Arew had leaned her head against the glass, staring into the distance with misty eyes. Ishtar tried to swallow the huge lump in his throat, but it was futile; the warm air inside had suddenly turned ice cold, and every breath filling his lungs turned into a heavy stone.
Ishtar said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry, Uncle. If I had known, I wouldn't have reminded you. I'm truly very sorry."
"It's okay, son. I was going to tell you this one day anyway."
"Your brother was truly a wonderful person. I will definitely visit his grave one day. We are here right now thanks to his sacrifice, after all."
Arew said with a sad voice, "Honestly, do you know I admired that man? I think the best decision I made in my life was swearing loyalty to him that day."
"Absolutely," Artun added. "But one day, I will definitely kill Ozaros with my own hands."
Ishtar's face turned serious. "When that day comes, I will definitely help too."
Arew pulled Ishtar's ear. "Heyy young man, this isn't your issue, this is ours and your father's issue. Anyway, what did you come for? You forgot us, after all, you don't visit unless you need something."
Ishtar took out the cloth-wrapped item his mother gave him. "My mom forgot to give you this, she wanted me to give it to you."
Arew took the item and put it in the storage room at the back of the shop. After the three of them ate Arew's freshly baked buns with rose tea, Ishtar asked for permission to leave and set off from Artun's bakery toward the street described by the mysterious girl.
Ishtar was hesitant to go to this street because it was the center of drugs and gambling; it was essentially the hub of the city's underworld.