Sandborn - Awakening of the Frozen Sand

[Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you.] – Jean-Paul Sartre

At that moment, the barrier rippled again, and Hamsha entered the enclosed space, shocking Surumadur with his presence. Mouth open, eyes boiling with fury, Surumadur glared at Hamsha but did not utter a word.

"I was once kidnapped by a group pretty dangerous men," Azar began. "They put something in my drink, and I woke up tied to the ceiling of a dark, wet, and moldy place. Rats were crawling on my boots. Nasty experience. The people who took me tried to alter my mind, corrupt my thoughts, and force their will upon me. They wanted me to become their puppet."

Azar laughed, gesturing to his head. "Their methods were old and rough, following the theory of mind corruption. Anyway, after a few days, a group of people led by a dear friend of mine entered the building to rescue me. But the sight before them was beyond their level of understanding. I was serving fresh seafood, accompanied by the melodious sounds of a guitar, while my kidnappers polished my boots and waved large fans to ensure my comfort."

"Why have I shared this little story of mine with you, you might be asking," Azar said, bending forward, alternating his gaze between the tied people's eyes. "Because I have the means of making you work for me without altering your memories or enslaving your minds. My technique is more profound than that, and I want you to understand that Hamsha here, even if working for me, still keeps most of his free will. And you will follow his example."

With that, Azar approached the unknown man. Bringing his palms together, Azar closed his eyes, tapping into his soul power.

Connect to the Void Archive! In my name, Azar Tora Daremon, here and now, I call the initiation of the soul enslavement ritual for this man before me. I am fully aware of the consequences and accept the punishment for any wrongdoings this man will commit on my orders. I also make the oath not to tamper with his sanity or manipulate his free will for purposes unrelated to me. Begin! he spoke in his mind.

[ Connecting to the Void Archives ]

Identifying ritual...

Ritual identified: Soul Enslavement

Caster: Azar Tora Daremon

Target: Yusuf i al Tamary

Requirements: A drop of blood, Incantation, Runic symbols

The system's voice echoed inside his head. Taking the same needle he used before, Azar poked his finger to obtain a drop of blood that he applied to the man's forehead. Then, starting to draw the runic seals in the air, he spoke inside his mind.

By the shadows of the forgotten,

By the power of the bound souls,

I bind thee, [Yusuf i al Tamary],

To serve, to obey, to yield.

Bound by blood, sealed by will,

[Yusuf i al Tamary], you are mine to command.

[Acknowledged]

Soul Enslavement ritual: Successful

Altering soul information: Successful

[Yusuf i al Tamary] is now your servant.

Ritual Effects: Activated

- Unable to resist orders

- Unable to think and act against the master

- Unable to commit suicide

- Target maintains free will

- Able to refuse commands

- Any thought and action against the master will be stopped by the punishment of pain.

- Any resistance against orders will result in the punishment by pain

After the voice of the system stated the repercussions in place for both the caster and the target, the ritual took effect, and a rune containing the energetic information of the ritual was engraved into Yusuf's soul. Like Hamsha, Yusuf resisted the intrusion of the strange power, resulting in an unbearable pain burning his soul. When the screams ended and the tired man lowered his head in submission, Azar approached again.

"Now, Yusuf, let me have a look at you," saying this, Azar grabbed the man by the hair, lifting his head to initiate eye contact.

"What have you done to me?" Yusuf asked before part of Azar's awareness entered his mind, searching through his memories for the information he needed.

"Who are you people, why are you doing this?" Surumadur asked Araumir, totally disregarding Hamsha.

"Chief, we made a mistake by accepting the Sarabians' offer," Hamsha spoke.

"Hamsha, tell me, who are these people, what do they want from us?" Surumadur asked.

"They want answers and your cooperation, Chief," Hamsha said.

"...What happened to you? How could you betray the tribe? How could you betray me?" Surumadur questioned, visibly hurt by the betrayal of his right-hand man.

Hamsha kneeled, bowing his head. "Chief, I had no choice, I was captured and-"

Trying to say something he wasn't allowed to, the mark on his soul started burning, forcing him to endure another wave of horrible pain.

"What have they done to you?" Surumadur tried to free himself and check Hamsha's condition; however, the centipede's legs tightened their grip on him.

"I'm fine, Chief, as long as I don't try to act against orders, I will be fine," Hamsha said, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead.

"Will they do the same thing to me?" Surumadur asked, his voice trembling.

"I'm afraid so," Hamsha replied.

Finishing gathering the information, Azar staggered back, holding his head as a strong headache and dizziness made the world spin around him.

'Is everything good?' Araumir asked telepathically, appearing at his master's back to support him.

'Yes, just that it's much harder to control without my eyes and with my current cultivation,' Azar replied in the same manner.

Still supported by Araumir because of his poor condition, Azar asked, "Yusuf, you're not the one I was hoping to find. You have no ties with the Sarabi tribe. But before I decide what I should do with you, I have a question. How could you risk your life to save the one who killed your wife?"

Hearing his words, everyone turned their attention to Yusuf. Not really expecting an answer but curious for the explanation of what in the Void System Azar was talking about. Yusuf himself watched Azar with wide eyes, not knowing how he knew something so intimate about his past.

As if reading Yusuf's expression, Azar said, "Please, give me an honest answer. This will be the decisive factor in your fate."

Looking around, as if trying to find a helping hand to pull him out of the situation, Yusuf realized that everyone was paying attention to him. And that made him feel even more uncomfortable. But Azar didn't care how the man felt at this point; he just wanted an answer.

"I don't know," Yusuf burst out. "He is my brother, my own flesh and blood. I couldn't just let him be executed."

"Brother?" Azar asked calmly. "He killed the person you loved the most, Yusuf. How could you risk your life saving him? He made his choice by betraying you. And you? What about your kids? Who would have taken care of them if you died? Aren't they your flesh and blood too?" he spoke in a friendly tone, genuinely curious about the answer as his inability to understand tormented him from the inside.

Azar had an unwritten rule. Every time he entered someone's mind, he never roamed through their intimate memories unless necessary. But now was different. The second he saw that fragment of memory surrounded by strong emotions, he got absorbed by it. Maybe the time spent beyond the physical world made him weaker, unable to fully control his impulses. He knew he broke his own rule and would have to apologize for that, but now his curiosity about something that he was unable to understand took the best of him.

Everyone had free will, and after making a mistake, punishment followed. That was the rule of the system. And yet, even when his heart was filled with grief and anger, Yusuf almost traded his life for the one who took what he treasured the most: his wife. Azar couldn't comprehend why someone would go against the law of the universe.

Because even after Gnarabi, Yusuf's brother, was saved and allowed to roam the desert as a free man, he didn't change. Gnarabi continued to hurt people, even people of his own tribe. He continued to make trouble for his big brother who had saved him.

"Yusuf, your brother never had the ability to understand you and the meaning of your actions. By saving him, you only created more suffering for yourself, him, and everyone related to you. So why in the name of the system did you question its rules? I honestly want to know what pushed you to such lengths. Because obviously, it wasn't a good choice," Azar said when the man kept silent.

"I have no idea," Yusuf yelled. "I know very well that I've acted against everything I was taught, against my family, people, and the almighty system. But I did that because I couldn't just let my brother be killed like that; that's just the type of man I am."

"That's who you are?" Azar repeated.

Maybe that's the only reason strong enough to make one act against reason, he thought.

Then, the fluxolit on his hand pulsed with light, noticing Azar about a message.

[New Mission Received!]

Mission Name: Veiled Identity

Mission Grade: Unique

Description: To uncover your personal truth and advance to the next stage of your soul evolution, you must embark on the solitary journey of self-discovery. By exploring and adapting to the outside world reflected by your inner struggles, you will be able to unlock your full potential and get one of the missing parts required for your soul to ascend to the next level.

Rewards: ???

Notice: The mission is automatically accepted and cannot be discarded without completion.

What? You're joking? An unique mission from this? Azar spoke in his mind, looking up. Thank you very much, but I've already decided not to spend another day on this plane.

"Yusuf, thank you for telling me. I also want to apologize to you for invading your privacy. Please, forgive me," Azar said, bowing his head respectfully.

"Will you allow me to leave?" Yusuf asked.

"Of course, your life was never in danger. However, I order you to become an ally for the Mirha tribe and forbid you from ever sharing what you saw and experienced here. Including ourselves. As far as the others are concerned, this," Azar motioned to the place around, "has never happened."

"Yes, yes, I will do as you say. ...What exactly do you want me to do for Mirha?" Yusuf asked.

"Nothing that won't benefit you and your tribe. Mainly, I want you to never raise your blades against them or support others in harming them. If you want, you can cooperate with them on businesses that will reward both parties. Other than that, nothing."

"Alright." Yusuf nodded, hoping for things to end faster so he could take his people away from the Calabi tribe as soon as possible. This tribe was a bad omen.

Having his approval, Azar moved to face Surumadur, the one he came such a long distance for.

Connect to the Void Archive! In my name, Azar Tora Daremon, here and now, I call the initiation of the soul enslavement ritual for this man before me. I am fully aware of the consequences and accept the punishment for any wrongdoings this man will commit on my orders. I also make the oath not to tamper with his sanity or manipulate his free will for purposes unrelated to me. Begin!

. . .

As before, after finalizing the enslavement process, Azar moved to inspect Surumadur's memories. And as before, he staggered back, needing Araumir's support after finishing. Spending too much time inside someone's else mind was extremely taxing on his constitution.

"Despite the appearances you struggle to maintain, you're not too smart, right Surumadur?" Azar asked after feeling a little better.

"What are you saying?" Surumadur yelled, feeling insulted.

"Oh? It seems that the friendly attitude I showed Yusuf has made you quite daring," Azar said. "Burn!" he ordered, and the runic mark inside Surumadur's soul started burning.

Surumadur trembled, screaming as loud as he could, almost hurting the people's ears. Not long after, he started begging for the pain to stop. But Azar stopped only when he felt it was enough.

"Surumadur, you have to understand that with Yusuf I had nothing personal, but with you, for attacking the Mirha people, I have something very..."