It had been three months since Rayyan and Nael entered Jerusalem.
Nael, now comfortable among students of the unseen, trained day and night. He had grown tall, faster than any human child. His body absorbed knowledge like dry earth drinks rain. But his heart—still carried shadows. At night, he heard whispers. In dreams, he walked through fire. And always, always… a voice called him:
> "Son of flickering flame… awaken the Eye."
Meanwhile, Rayyan served under the direct command of King Solomon. His task was unlike any warrior's—it was not to kill, but to observe, report, and understand.
The world was unraveling.
Far to the northeast, beyond the River of Giants, was a place forbidden to most. A jagged land cloaked in storm and silence. Locals called it Jabal al-Haamisa—The Whispering Mountain.
Old maps refused to show it.
Birds refused to fly near it.
Even jinn spoke of it with fear.
Rayyan was summoned to Solomon's private chamber, where the wind was still and the air, heavy.
"There is movement in the mountain," Solomon said. "It calls to the broken, the outcast, and the seekers of forbidden power. I need you to go there. Alone."
Rayyan hesitated. "Am I ready?"
The prophet-king placed a scroll in his hand. "You were never meant to be ready. You were meant to be chosen."
Before Rayyan left, Nael snuck into the war hall.
"I'm coming with you," the boy said, fire flickering in his eyes.
Rayyan shook his head. "You have a purpose here, brother."
But Nael insisted, and eventually, Solomon allowed it.
He handed Nael a silver staff, not forged by man but drawn from the roots of the Tree of Life. It could silence corrupted jinn and absorb spectral energy.
So, the two brothers rode north with nothing but cloaks, prayers, and questions.
---
—The Journey—
As they approached the Mountain, the skies dimmed.
Thunder rolled across clear skies.
Nael looked up. "There's no rain."
"That's not thunder," Rayyan said, "That's a voice."
The land beneath their feet trembled. They passed through ruins of an ancient temple, now taken over by corrupted spirits. These were the Drowned Ones—souls that had refused divine mercy and were cursed to wander without skin, speaking in reverse.
Nael used the silver staff to hold them at bay. One screamed:
> "You seek what is buried! But you will awaken what was sealed!"
They climbed higher, and eventually, they found it.
The Eye.
Carved into the side of the mountain was a giant, weathered face. Its eye socket was hollow—yet somehow… it stared.
Rayyan approached it slowly.
Inside, he found a stone gate with writing older than time itself. The letters rearranged themselves as he read:
> "Only the blood of the Betrayer may pass. Only the one who denied the throne may open the door."
Rayyan turned to Nael.
"Iblis…" he whispered.
Suddenly, Nael screamed and fell.
A wave of energy hit him. His body convulsed. The mountain recognized him.
He was a descendant of the fallen.
The door began to rumble.
Nael looked up, eyes no longer pure.
> "Brother… something inside me is waking up."
Rayyan grabbed him. "No. Don't listen to it."
But it was too late.
The Eye of the Mountain blinked.
And the gate opened.
A path of black fire led downward—into the Vault of the Forgotten, where no prophet had dared enter, where even angels stood guard and trembled.
Rayyan drew his blade.
Nael took a step forward, shaking.
And together, they entered the unknown.
[End of Chapter 28]