Three weeks later… Erold was riding a black horse in the middle of the desert, with Jasmin behind him holding on in fear, while a sandstorm that had begun to weaken gradually blew around them. The horse continued walking until it reached a sandy hill; it stopped at its peak, and Erold pointed, saying: "Behind that mountain, the terrain will change."
Jasmin replied in a faint, exhausted voice: "I am tired, Erold."
He smiled at her and said: "We will rest, little one… but we must find a safe place in this desert. Expect the worst; if you don't find a Jinn, you might find a snake… or worse, hyenas. So be careful, and do not stray from me as you did in the past days."
As they continued moving, Erold found a level spot, so he stopped and said: "This will be good."
He began unloading the gear from the horse's back, then turned to Jasmin and said: "Help me, little one, in pitching the tent."
But Jasmin ignored him, and remained lying on the horse, patting him and whispering: "Did you hear something, Utma (Darkness)?"
Erold laughed mockingly: "Since when did you call him by that terrible name?"
The horse neighed as if angry at the mockery.
Jasmin laughed and said to the horse: "Don't worry, Utma, just ignore him."
Erold finished pitching the tent and said: "Rest, little one."
Jasmin said in a shy voice: "Erold… can I ask you something?"
He replied kindly: "Of course, if I can answer it, I will."
She asked him hesitantly: "Can you tell me your story? I don't know much about you."
Erold sighed and said: "It is better that you don't know; there are many bad things…"
Jasmin interrupted stubbornly: "I don't care, I insist."
He replied smiling: "As you wish."
He lay on his back, then Jasmin lay down beside him. He began to say: "My story began in the Kingdom of Egypt…"
And he narrated to her everything that happened: about the King of Thieves, the real Erold, Elizabeth, how his name was originally Arthur, and why he changed his name to Erold. As he talked, Jasmin turned from a sleepy girl into a child full of enthusiasm and curiosity, shouting: "Whaaaat?! Your name is Arthurrr?!"
Erold continued his story, talking about the killing of the real Erold and Elizabeth, so Jasmin said while jumping with excitement: "And what happened after that? Did you fight the Jinn in that village?"
He answered her: "No… I was distracted, in shock. And I found myself working in a barn for a man named Mr. Ra'a."
She asked him: "Ra'a? Who is that?"
He replied: "An old man who took care of me for many years, until even my soul forgot who Erold was. But after years, the nightmares began to return. I see Erold dead, and Elizabeth screaming: 'Did you hate me to let me die?', and Erold's voice saying to me: 'You have disappointed me!'."
Then he continued in a low voice: "Until something inside me screamed: 'I will annihilate all the Jinn!' The voice was… my voice, but it wasn't me. Something deep within me was the one who screamed; strange, angry…"
Erold showed sad features and said in a faint voice: "As if it were a part of me… that I do not know."
He went silent for a moment, then continued: "I had to leave, even though Mr. Ra'a was clinging to me; he had no one but me… but I insisted, until I met you all."
Then he spoke about what happened to him in the world of spirits, and about the mysterious man… but he did not mention their names, saying to himself: "You shouldn't know everything…"
(He mentioned a small part about the stars then said to himself: "Even the story of the stars, you shouldn't know.")
Jasmin jumped with excitement: "Did… did you talk to the stars?! Impossible! And what did they say to you?!"
He replied with boredom: "Fine, go to sleep… we move in the morning."
Jasmin screamed: "You can't stop here! Come on, finish!"
But he ignored her and said to himself: "You shouldn't know everything, little one… ignorance can be a blessing sometimes."
The next day, Jasmin woke up to the sound of Erold pulling the tent so that it fell on her, and she screamed: "I'm still sleeping, you old man!"
He laughed as he poured a little water on her face: "We must move now, we will climb the mountain."
Then he pulled her and placed her on the horse's back, and set off toward the mountain, saying: "It will take a long time, for the mountain is rugged."
Halfway through, Jasmin said grumblingly: "Haven't we arrived yet?"
He replied: "No, not yet."
She said: "Then tell me… what happened with the stars?"
Erold sighed and muttered: "Forget it… I regret telling you anything."
And he said to himself: "How did I tell her that? She is still ten years old… these things might cause her harm if she knows too much…"
After a while, Jasmin screamed with explosive enthusiasm: "Weee have arrived!"
To find a new world opening before her behind the mountain, like a beautiful natural painting; green meadows stretching endlessly, and trees surrounding the place with their bright colors, and flowers swaying with a light breeze, fragrant with the scent of perfume and dew, while a flowing river sparkles, gliding gently in the middle of this enchanting scene.
Astonishment and happiness filled her eyes and she said eagerly: "Are we in Paradiiiise?"
Erold smiled then gently tapped her shoulder with the sheath of his sword, saying: "No, you are still alive."
Jasmin felt a little pain from the serious tone of his voice, and asked him: "And now what?"
Erold replied: "We must descend the mountain quickly, the sun on the horizon is about to set. And Erold (the man who died) once described to me the location of his village. It is near the sea."
Jasmin looked at him in astonishment and wonder: "Whaaat? Wasn't Erold from Egypt? What is this complexity? His name is Erold, and your name is Erold, should I call you by your real name?"
Erold smiled with a calm smile, and answered: "I don't care, Erold was from the North, but in his youth he met King Amon, and was impressed by his thinking, so he followed him."
He sighed for a moment, then said in a low voice filled with nostalgia: "Let's stop talking now and move. I know the place where we will live, but in the village call me 'Arthur', not 'Erold', because the name 'Erold' is famous there."
Suddenly, the mysterious emblem on Erold's chest began to glow with a white light; the light spread powerfully as if pulsing from deep within him.
Jasmin looked at him with concern and said: "What is happening?"
Intense pain gripped him, making him scream in agony, and the sound merged with the sharp mountain winds.
Then darkness slowly settled over everything, as if the whole world was drowning in darkness…