The night had fallen heavily on the Spiral Island. The castle torches flickered against the sea wind as if they knew something was coming. Hasan, Fakhrul, Darwin, Hridoy, and Zara waited in the great hall – all restless, all silent.
Earlier that night, Noah had arrived carrying a sealed letter – the royal mark of Spiral Crown burned into its wax. Hasan broke the seal and read aloud:
"I will meet you at dawn, royal garden. Just you and me. No one else.
- Fahad."
The name alone silenced the room. No one slept that night.
At sunrise, Darwin brought Hasan his ceremonial crown. Darwin's face was tense, voice steady.
Darwin: "You should wear it."
Hasan: "It belongs to him, Darwin."
Darwin: "You're not meeting a mere man. You're meeting a man who thinks he is more powerful than us. Let him know who we are, what we can do."
Hasan: "But Darwin…"
Darwin placed the crown gently on Hasan's head.
Darwin: "Not a word, Your Majesty."
Hasan sighed, nodded once. The weight of the crown felt heavier than ever.
Together with Fakhrul, Hridoy, Zara, and Darwin, he entered the royal garden. Hasan went to the place where he and Fahad would talk, and others stood behind the gate of the royal garden. Hasan took a seat and waited for the unwanted guest.
When Fahad arrived, even the birds stopped singing. He came dressed in a dark sorcerer's cloak, black as the night itself, marked with silver runes that pulsed faintly like veins of light. On his head – a jagged crown forged from obsidian and steel, its edges faintly glowing blue.
He came alone. Fahad's boots clicked against the marble path until he stopped before Hasan. He smiled – calm, deliberate, venomous.
Fahad: "May I sit, Your Highness?"
Hasan: "You may. Who are you? What is the relation between you and Spiral Crown?"
Fahad: "Some call me the dead man walking, some call me the sinister. But once my father gave me a good name."
Hasan: "And that name is?"
Fahad: "Patience, Your Highness. First, my story – and then my name."
He began pacing slowly around the table, every word a dagger.
Fahad: "I was born in a royal family. I was born to be a king, but fate wanted me to become the destroyer of my own family. My father was abandoned by my own grandfather, and my mother died without treatment. My father and I vowed to take all that was ours. Spiral Crown gave me and taught me what my family never gave me. Now, they made me their King."
Hasan: "Then why are you here? What do you want from us?"
Fahad: "My name is Fahad bin Galib. Actually, we are cousins."
Hasan: "Spiral Crown is finished now. We killed Grok years ago. Then how can I trust your words?"
Fahad: "You think death ends legacy? Foolish king. Spiral Crown is not a bloodline – it's an idea, it's a legacy. And remember, ideas… never die."
He turned sharply toward Hasan, eyes burning a deep, unnatural blue.
Hasan: "I have no cousins. And if there is one, still he doesn't deserve the crown."
Fahad: "Ahh! You think I came here to request the crown? I don't ask anything from anyone. I take what I want. And as the crown belongs to me, there is room for asking. I am just here to tell you that if you don't give me the crown gently, I will forget what the relationship between you and me is."
Hasan: "If you don't get out now, I will forget about my kindness."
Fahad: "Oh, really? Then forget it. I want to see what you can do."
Hasan stood up and drew his sword from its sheath.
Hasan: "Then come and fight me."
Fahad cast a spell that turned the sword into a bird. Hasan was astonished. Others saw all this from a distance.
Darwin (through comms): "Your Majesty, leave him there. We will see him next. But for now, you should come back."
Fahad stood up from his chair and smiled roughly.
Fahad: "Brother Hasan, I am not here to take you down. You are my brother, elder brother. Your family is my family. If we fight like children, what will people say? Let's divide our duties. The island is mine, and the business is yours. Deal?"
Fahad extended his hand towards Hasan.
Hasan: "No deal and get the hell out of here."
Hasan left the garden and stepped forward to the castle.
Fahad smirked. A faint ripple shimmered through the air around him, as if reality itself bowed for a second.
Fahad (whispering to him): "You'll hand me everything you own before this is over. Just wait, brother."
He turned and left, the ground cracking faintly beneath his last step.
Hasan burst into the council chamber where his father, King Hayder, and his uncle Galib were in discussion. Hasan grabbed Galib's collar and pulled him up.
Hasan: "Why did you come here after so long? What do you want from this island?"
Hayder: "Hasan, he is your uncle. I order you to leave him right now."
Galib: "What is this, Son? Why are you being so rude? What have I done?"
Hasan throws him to the table. He turned to his father.
Hasan: "Father, do you know about him?"
Hayder: "About who?"
Hasan: "Fahad bin Galib – your brother's son. The King of Spiral Crown."
The silence in the room was sharp. Hayder's eyes widened. Galib's lips trembled – then curved into a strange, satisfied smile.
Hasan: "He claims the throne."
Hayder: "He has no right to it."
Galib: "No right? Our father made you King and cast me aside. For years, my family carried that wound. Do you think we'd die with it still bleeding?"
Hayder: "Brother, you chose the wrong path and became our enemy. You shook your hands with the Spiral Crown. My sons didn't get the throne through family rituals. They earned it; they proved themselves as worthy kings. But you and your son never did."
Galib: "You can't deny our share in this island. All of the property we have here will be divided into two equally."
Hayder: "You never came back. I thought you were here because of our relationship, but you… You have no right to stay here. I realized today that my father never told a lie. Not then you deserved to be the king, and not today."
Galib: "Okay, that's enough. If you don't want to give the throne like that, then let fate decide its true heir. As I'm a member of our royal council, I demand a trial by combat. Whoever wins, rules the Spiral Island."
The word combat hung like thunder.
Hasan: "Then so be it. Two days from now, he will face me. And only one of us will stand."
Galib left with a look of grim satisfaction – the smile of a man who had waited decades for revenge.
That night, the island stirred with whispers. Word of the royal duel spread across every corner. Zaber is still thinking who could send such a message like that. Suddenly, his phone rang; it was Tayeb.
Tayeb: "Did you hear that?"
Zaber: "What?"
Tayeb: "A guy named Fahad came to the Spiral Island and demanded the throne. He claimed that he is the cousin of Siddik."
Zaber: "You mean the son of that strange man, who came on the day Siddik disappeared?"
Tayeb: "I am not sure. But maybe… Now the heir will be decided by a trial by combat between Brother Hasan and Fahad."
Zaber: "Tayeb, I will tell you something, but you have to promise me that it'll remain between you and me only."
Tayeb: "Yes. Tell me what it is."
Zaber: "I got an encrypted message yesterday. It said that I have to protect the throne and him."
Tayeb: "Whom? And who sent it?"
Zaber: "Still couldn't figure out. And also, I don't know whom to save and from what."
Tayeb: "Maybe, Brother Hasan. Someone may know about today's matter earlier and let you know."
Zaber: "How can a man know the future?"
Tayeb: "Yes, that's a good point. Okay, we have to go to the island two days later. See you there."
Zaber: "Okay. See you there."
Zaber cut the call and again started to think about the message. All of a sudden, a guy came to Zaber and kept a hand on his shoulder. Zaber stood up and smiled. It was Alexander Henry, a friend from Siddik's Stamford days.
Henry: "You look serious? What's the matter?"
Zaber: "Henry, I got a message. It erased itself instantly. No trace left."
Henry: "Describe it."
Zaber: "Zaber, protect him and the throne."
Henry: "That's Siddik's encryption pattern. He made it long ago. Only he could ghost a message like that."
Zaber: "His brother is fighting his cousin two days later."
Henry: "I heard it. That's why I am here."
Zaber: "Do you think Siddik knew about it before us?"
Henry: "Maybe… He can sense dangers from a distance."
Zaber: "Henry, I need you by my side."
Henry: "For him, always on your duty."
Deep beneath the earth, beyond the eyes of any satellite, Arthur entered a chamber pulsing with faint blue light. The air smelled like dust and machine oil. Dozens of monitors showed shifting data – world maps, satellite grids, live feeds. He found Samia standing before a console.
Arthur: "Where is he?"
Samia: "Exactly at the right place. Did you get a call from him?"
Arthur: "No… only an encrypted message."
Samia: "As expected. He'll return, don't be tense."
Arthur: "Are you happy with him? I mean, you are a princess, you belong to a kingdom. But you are living with him in a cave full of monitors, and life risks."
Samia: "You know what he told me when he brought me here? 'You're in a relationship with me. Peace will never find you.'"
Arthur: "Hasan is on a gamble."
Samia: "Siddik won't let him down. Never."
Arthur: "Then what's the plan?"
Samia: "You know him. He doesn't follow plans. He shuffles the story in the end."
Arthur: "He is an enigma."