Chapter Nine: The Love of Ice
Through a magnificent ceremony, the marriage of Queen Bahar and the brave Barzak was solemnized.
The entire kingdom of Kailira seemed to have adorned itself for an unprecedented celebration.
Every path, every alley, and every house was illuminated by countless lamps, the air filled with the fragrance of newly bloomed flowers and the hum of joy. Waves of happiness cascaded through every corner of the kingdom.
A wise faqih came forth to officiate their sacred union, his voice echoing the holy words of Ar-Rauf.
Around the newlyweds, the citizens cheered spontaneously, their eyes reflecting deep respect and love.
Such a royal and heartfelt wedding had rarely been witnessed in the history of Kailira.
It was not merely the union of two people; it was a sacred bond between two great souls, casting the entire kingdom in a new light of hope.
********
Several months later.
In the silent depths of that hidden cave within the Yordil Mountains, an ancient, long-forgotten consciousness suddenly awoke beneath the earth.
The damp walls of the cave shimmered with innumerable ancient symbols—they were neither written letters nor painted images, but had been sung long ago in a language lost to time, a language whose meaning only Queen Bahar could comprehend.
Each glowing symbol seemed like a whisper of history, carrying secret messages buried deep within the womb of time.
At the very center of the cave, a magical flame burned.
It was no ordinary fire, but a mysterious light rising from shadows of memory, awakened from the depths of oblivion.
In that strange light stood Barzak, a clear line of blood glinting on his powerful arm.
Upon it, Queen Bahar traced letters with the tip of her delicate spear—a promise in an ancient tongue, possible only through the deepest connection between the two of them.
These two souls, lovers separated through ages, were reunited today.
Their magic merged.
Their bodies touched, but the touch was not merely of flesh and blood.
It was the reunion of the secret harmony across all levels of nature.
A flood of a thousand lights flowed around them, yet it was not as harsh or dazzling as sunlight—it spread as a mystical glow.
A soft orange light.
It was gentle like a shadow, caressing the surroundings, yet so profound and irresistible that even the sky seemed to step back for a moment, a witness to this miraculous scene.
The light seemed to transcend earthly bounds, hinting at another world.
Bahar's gown swayed softly in the air, performing a mysterious dance with the breeze.
From the deepest layers of the earth, from the core of her being, a sound rose—unforgettable. It was no ordinary noise but a song written in an ancient language, lost to oblivion thousands of years ago.
Bahar and Barzak stood side by side.
In the silence of an eternal moment, they touched each other's hands.
And now, through the combined magic of Queen Bahar and Barzak, the dormant melody awakened again, returning as the echo of history into the present.
The mountains trembled under the influence of this tune—no, it was not a mere earthquake.
The cave itself quivered.
Bahar and Barzak gazed at each other.
In that vibration, a cry of life emerged, the long-unspoken anguish of hidden hearts, and a yearning for freedom.
As if after a thousand years of deep slumber, their hearts suddenly awakened, and the pulse of that awakening spread through all of nature.
Each vibration proclaimed the dawn of a new era, where ancient power and new love merged.
The vines and leaves of the ancient shadowed trees outside, where the wind had always played, now remained still.
The air had frozen, not simply stopped—but as if a profound enchantment had seized it.
Nature's silence became a wondrous spectacle.
The air, like an invisible being, gazed in deep admiration at the newlyweds—the lovers.
It seemed to want to partake in their magical harmony, to merge with the echo of their souls' union.
This stillness of the air became a silent witness to their love, a symbol of a miraculous moment.
The trees outside leaned forward, not from any storm—but from reverent immersion, as if bowing in acknowledgment of this unity.
The distant white deer paused. A white swan, swimming in the icy lake, rose and exhaled into the air—unseen, yet the river shimmered from the vibration of its breath.
Barzak and Bahar.
They stood upon a crumbling stone peak, like the final witnesses of an ancient history. The world around them was mesmerized by a magical silence.
The cave glowed in a seamless orange light. The vibrations had ceased.
Even in that fragile expanse, their presence was a symbol of power, like an unyielding moment of a dream.
When their eyes met, a profound connection was formed—as if two souls united in a cosmic pulse.
That gaze was not merely the language of eyes but the deepest feeling of life, an indomitable expression of love and resolve.
And in the depth of that gaze, under the influence of that immense force, the entire cosmos seemed to tremble, every star, every planet, every particle feeling the vibration of this magnificent union.
It was as if nature itself recognized the moment, the beginning of a new history written only in the depths of their eyes.
It seemed even perception had paused, forgetting its natural flow, merging into a miraculous silence. This was a cosmic event, a new gateway unveiling itself.
The first magic.
Ayremira.
When the blood from Barzak's strong hand merged with the mysterious rhythm of Queen Bahar's voice, thousands of magic staffs were formed. Each staff was not merely an object but a living entity, pulsing with ancient power.
These staffs were forged from a rare, ancient metal drawn from the heart of the Yordil Mountains—metal that could not be melted by ordinary fire, only shaped through precise ritual and indomitable will.
At the tip of each staff was set a celestial eye, containing cosmic energy, later placed atop the highest peaks of the mountains.
And those staffs, positioned on the peaks, were not ordinary objects—they were unseen vigilant guardians, whose combined gaze kept eternal watch over the entire continent of Astralind.
Their eyes were above all veils, where nothing on Earth could hide; everything was as clear as glass.
No deceitful king, hidden army, or treachery cloaked in power could escape their watchful gaze. Their awakened presence was the symbol of justice, ready to illuminate every injustice, their eyes showing nothing but clarity.
Second Magic.
Rukan.
Deep beneath the mountains, where the torrents of lava do not endlessly flow, lying instead in profound slumber—within that silence, an ancient phrase was sung. Each sound seemed like a living being, capable of sensing the faintest whiff of danger, shivering at the first hint of coming destruction.
From the infinite depth of love, Barzak plucked a hair from his own chest and handed it to Queen Bahar. That hair was like the hidden pain of his heart, a reflection of all the suffering and sacrifice of his past.
And Queen Bahar, receiving this token of love with utmost tenderness, let fall a single pure tear upon it—a symbol of her most sacred feelings, her boundless love, and hope.
From this profound union, an irresistible magic was born, named Rukan.
It was a moving reflection of lava, with a mysterious blend of black and blue, its waves gentle as moonlight, yet its motion as unstoppable as nature itself.
Rukan was a living form of love and sacrifice, a silent guardian.
Whenever an enemy unwittingly entered the valley, Rukan awoke with its indomitable power.
It flowed silently, yet with terrifying speed across the valley, obliterating everything in its path—heat, weapons, flesh, even the arrogance of enemies—leaving nothing behind.
Third Magic.
Dallas.
Amid three colossal, ice-cold stone blocks, Queen Bahar and Barzak drew closer to one another.
Immersed in the infinite depth of love, they pressed their foreheads together with supreme tenderness.
The moment seemed like the beginning of a cosmic connection, where two souls became one.
From the sweat of their joined foreheads, a gentle but powerful red light emanated, dividing into three streams and entering the heart of the three massive ice stones.
This red light symbolized their unbroken love and combined power, awakening a pulse in the silent stones.
If an enemy approached, these three stones together formed a barrier. They would shake the earth and strike fear into any foe.
******
When the echo of that final magic spread to the far distance, the air seemed to stop.
Silence all around.
Both of them sat down on the ground.
Barzak was panting.
Sweat dripped down his forehead.
A low, muffled roar emerged, like a wild creature.
Bahar.
She seemed to have forgotten her body at that moment. Kneeling, she let out a long, exhaled scream-like breath.
She said,
"Huh! If I had known it would be this painful, I wouldn't have done it."
They looked at each other.
A few moments passed.
Then?
They both laughed. Pure laughter.
The lower part of Bahar's golden gown was torn, wet, and in some places burnt to a dark brown.
Barzak slowly, silently, gazed at Bahar.
Bahar's hair clung to her forehead, damp with sweat, a dusty line tracing down her cheek.
Suddenly Bahar—a quiet laugh escaping her lips—said,
"The day you first saw me, you froze for a few seconds."
Bahar fell silent.
The weary love hidden at the corner of her lips rolled into a wave of laughter—
"Do you remember?"
she whispered.
Barzak paused, lowered his head slightly, then looked back at Bahar—thinking, how can someone be so beautiful even in such a battered state?
Barzak said,
"Everything. Your eyes—that moment—and today. Everything."
Both of them still trembled, the last wave of magic coursing through their blood.
Again, they laughed. That pure laughter.
They knew, here on this mountain, atop the peak of destruction, they had loved.