Level Up: Voidwalker

She noticed Amir gulping but nodding as he spoke, ''My great emperor. A rider just arrived at Babylon reporting an Al-Munfiyah attack on Port Zalliyah in the Redwood Forest.''

The man avoided eye contact with her father. Darya turned to him and saw the anger in his yellow eyes while he ran a hand through his brown hair, ''Aridonia? Haven't the generals got the rebels under control?''

Darya watched the advisor shake his head, ''No, my emperor. The rebels raided the bank, escaped on the Red Serpent River, and used Blue Shards to destroy countless buildings throughout the city. The guards tried to contain the fires, but we believe they were distracting.''

She watched as her father got angry and slammed his fist on the table, scaring her mother and siblings, forcing her to speak, ''Father, there's no need to scare the children.''

Cyrus looked at her with rage but soon calmed down and nodded, ''I agree,'' before looking at Amir. ''Bolster the army in that region with 100,000 soldiers and send some of the Nightowls to find this Al-Munfiyah person.''

''How will you find them? And do you know anything about this person's father?'' Darya questioned while sipping some southern wine.

''No, I don't. It started twenty-one years ago during the beginning years of my reign and five years before your birth, Darya,'' Cyrus said while avoiding eye contact with her.

'Is he hiding something?' she thought before returning to her dinner as Amir vanished from the dining room.

That was when her mother, Roxana Safavi, chimed in, "Wasn't that the time you began your conquest of Aridonia and soon after seized the rest of Zarandar? I recall how furious you were; no one dared to speak to you during those days."

Her father nodded, ''I would rather not speak about those days.''

Everyone agreed and started returning to their meals before going about their business. Darya sat in the imperial palace library while reading about the empire's history and her father's conquest of the remaining parts of Zarandar.

She found hundreds of accounts of soldiers, commanders, and commoners from the regions, but one stood out. Although it was common for Achaemenidian Emperors to have harems, her father was different and stuck with her mother.

Darya poured through books and found a shepherd's account of the Achaemenidian conquest of the Pyrithia Kingdom. Her father led the charge and took out the royal family, but rumors speak of him falling for the realm's princess.

When she read this, it confused her, but she soon found many accounts from men she knew disputing the shepherd's account and called it slander as the royal family fled during the capital's siege.

She ignored that and pulled out a book written by the Oracle of Azhar'Zul, which was recovered when their army invaded the Blue Dune Desert. Darya opened the book and started studying its teachings.

An hour later, she closed it with a sigh, ''Damn fanatics. They truly believe in Azhar'Zul and his Great Jihad.''

''Yes they do princess,'' an old woman's voice.

Darya turned around to see an elderly Nubian woman who had served as her father's historian and slave for many years. She smiled warmly and greeted her, saying, "Hello Bibi. What do you mean?"

Bibi returned her smile, her bright expression contrasting with her dark skin. She sat down and continued, "My little flower, you and your father misunderstand Azhar'Zul like most of the desert people do."

''How so?'' Darya questioned with curiosity laced in her voice.

The old woman coughed before explaining, ''Azhar'Zul is the devil princess. If allowed to rise to become their leader, his Great Jihad will cover the world in the blood of a thousand kingdoms. The boy is evil incarnate and the Dark God's Champion who is here to sow chaos in the world.''

Darya stiffened, ''How do you know all this, Bibi?''

"I am Nubian. For generations, we have battled the Saharaelians. Yet, there was a time of peace when some of them visited our homeland, and some of us, including myself, journeyed to one of their cities on the border of our empire,'' the old woman explained before telling her more.

Afterward, the old Nubian woman shared all she knew about the prophecy with Darya, inspiring her to delve deeper into history as she searched for clues on how to stop the rise of Azhar'Zul.

***

[Zara Al-Zahiri's POV]

Zara Al-Zahiri, a captain in the Ghaziyan Warrior Legion, sat atop a karst just outside Megara. Gazing across the vast blue desert, a breeze sent her short purple hair flying everywhere. Her piercing yellow eyes spoke of a lifetime of fighting.

She turned her attention to the Dreambloom Mushroom in her hand, which glowed like the desert with a feint blue color. This rare plant thrived only in the deepest reaches of the Blue Dunes, cultivated exclusively by the Asadani people.

'I will find out the truth, then I can decide,' she thought.

Zara understood the risk involved; things could deteriorate rapidly if it reacted poorly with her body. However, she was determined to discover whether Azhar'Zul was the true messiah for her people or a pretender who would lead them to their doom.

Without wasting any more time, she swallowed the Dreambloom, which caused her eyes to roll back as she collapsed backward. Soon, she blacked out, only to find herself on the edge of the Blue Dune that bordered the Achaemenid Empire.

'The Deathlands, many of my people have died here defending the desert against our enemies,' Zara thought.

She turned around, only to have her jaw drop open. Zara spotted millions of her people watching a young man with a fanatical expression, standing on a rock surrounded by a group of serious-looking girls and an army of devoted guards.

He stepped forward in his scorched silk armor, his demeanor more intense, as if something profound had changed him. At the same time, she gazed at the young man with beautiful white hair and glowing azure blue eyes.

Zara spotted something black lying behind him, which caused her eyes to open wide. 'The prophecy is accurate. He tamed an Azhar Tiger as written.' The large black cat was lying against him like it always wanted to touch him, which she found adorable.

She was brought back to reality when he passionately shouted, "Long live the fighters!"

The Saharaelians erupted into fanatical cheers, echoing the phrase. Zara observed Azhar'Zul signaling to a redhead she instantly recognized as her best friend, Soraya Al-Muharib, who nodded and led the other girls away.

'He's real! The believers were right all along,' she internally thought.

That's when her vision changed. Everything went white, and her senses were muddled as she reappeared on the World's Edge Mountains, which separated the desert from the Achaemenidians.

She saw the enemy army forming across the grasslands and spotted Azhar'Zul casting a powerful spell. As he released the spell, the Dreambloom ran out, and she woke up to see Desert Eagles circling above, 'Damn rats with wings.'

Zara raised her hand and cast a spell to deal with the flying monsters, ''Gravity Bomb.''

The Desert Eagles halted, time seeming to freeze for an instant. Then, the air around them shifted, and they erupted into a blood mist. As the last monsters fell, a slow clap echoed behind Zara.

Turning swiftly, she saw Soraya and Circe standing there, smiles on their faces. Zara's face lit up with a radiant smile, and she sprinted towards the redhead and hugged her while speaking, ''Aya! I've missed you.''

Soraya giggled before returning the hug. ''Sorry, I haven't come down south in a while. I've been training with the Blades of Azhar'Zul. More believers have been joining the Path, Al-ladhi yushir al-tareeq,'' she said.

Zara shook her head but whispered, ''I've seen him, Aya! I took a Dreambloom Mushroom, which showed me two visions of him, and he's real.''

Soraya's blue eyes glowed excitedly when the words left her lips before she dropped to her knees to pray. This caused Circe to roll her eyes, ''What did you say to her, Zara? Is it about her Dajjal again?''

She glanced at the green-haired girl and rolled her eyes. "He's not the Dajjal, Circe. Azhar'Zul is real as written."

Circe chuckled, "You know what the Dreamblooms do, right?'' she explained with a knowing grin. ''They show you what you want to see, not the future."

After praying, Soraya stood up and retorted, "You will become a believer once we meet him."

"No, I won't," Circe replied firmly. "I do not follow the Path. My hope lies with our warriors, not some outsider."

Zara quickly interrupted to stop an argument breaking out, ''We need to gather supplies before leaving,'' she said while stepping forward. ''Plus, how can we find Azhar'Zul? Valoria is a big world.''

''He will be in Thalassar during the first month of Solaris,'' Circe revealed. ''It will give us enough time to get there.''

''How do you know that?'' Zara asked.

Circe laughed again before replying, "The Great Mother told me; she said I should be the first to know."

She smiled at this while Soraya's expression turned to anger. Sensing the tension, Zara addressed her best friend, "There must be a reason the Great Mother didn't tell you directly."

Turning to Circe, Zara continued, "When we leave the Blue Dune Desert, we'll only have each other to rely on, so we need to be at least civil."