It was overwhelming. He felt the tension. Several thoughts flooded his head, and he did not know which one to give his attention to. . .

He asked himself so many questions at the same time, and some of these questions had no answer. He felt like he was losing his mind. . .

He drew his eyelids over his eyeballs only for what seemed like a second. And when he opened them again, darkness filled his eyes. The moon was no longer in his field of vision, nor did he feel the cool night breeze brushing his skin. He knew what it was; he knew where he was; he was just waiting for confirmation.

“Malak!”

Yes, that. That voice was what he had been waiting for. He thought about how quickly it came over him. He could have sworn he had not even fallen asleep before it crept up on him.

“It’s almost time!” It said to him.

“Time for what? I do not know what you are talking about,” Castar thought and heard it.

“You will know when the time comes, and your blood will guide you,” it said. Castar thought abou