Chapter 3
Zuhair bowed respectfully, folded his arms across his chest, and said calmly:
"Yes, you are right, Honored One, I am not Misak. Will you give me a chance to explain myself? Listen to me, the one who possesses the memory of your grandson and knows how you felt about him. Afterward, you can decide what to do."
The old man's hostile and warlike aura did not disappear. It still pressed down on Zuhair. The Honored Ancestor of the great clan descended from the pedestal and, literally piercing him with his gaze, began to examine the young man from all sides and replied, without ceasing his scrutiny. The old man's tone was calm, and that made it even more frightening:
"I am listening to you, but be careful in your words, I can distinguish lies from truth. Misak's body is under your control, but I have the power to extract your sea of reason and destroy you, whoever you are."
Zuhair understood that only by telling the truth could he gain Kumus's trust:
"By destroying my sea of reason, you will kill your grandson as well. I have no hostile intentions against you or your clan. I am one who came from afar and was on the verge of death. My name is Zuhair, and I am from a world called Arat. Your grandson's body saved me. I know how dear he was to you. But he too was on the brink of death."
And Zuhair told his story, withholding only the moments related to the Manuscript.
After listening to the young man in Misak's guise, Kumus, who had been carefully studying him, said:
"Arat, I knew that world… and I was there. But it was quite a long time ago."
Kumus fell silent for a long time, lost in thought. It seemed his thoughts were material. Zuhair felt them, but did not dare to disturb them.
"The transfer of soul and mind into another body, through space, is a very unusual skill, I would say, unusual even for my race. The only being I know who could do this... but it is not it. This is a gift of fate, and it is very valuable."
The old man mused aloud, looking at Zuhair. His fate was being decided.
"I sense several auras in you, which is unusual, but my grandson's aura is very weak. Having such knowledge in my mazhab, I could recreate any living being. My clan can recreate entire peoples, but we could not save Misak."
Kumus suddenly fell silent and calmly asked:
"So what exactly happened to him, I see that you were able to deal with it?"
"Poison," Zuhair replied briefly.
"I suspected as much, and you were able to remove it, another valuable skill. You are not simple at all, and your skills amaze me. I cannot scan other auras in your body. Did you try to save his soul?" the old man asked, referring to his grandson.
"His soul and mind were destroyed by the poison... Only a small part remained, which I am feeding with energy," Zuhair said with sympathy.
After some thought, Kumus finally summed up and said:
"I accept your truth as it is, but not a single living soul or substance should know about this. I understand that you acted under such circumstances out of necessity, and therefore correctly."
The old man continued:
"I suspect who had a hand in Misak's elimination. And I want to make sure my guesses are correct, and you will help me with this. You probably studied Misak's memory and know what happened to his parents. A very dark and mysterious story. I still don't know if they are alive or not."
Kumus rose to the pedestal and invited Zuhair:
"Now sit down, and we will talk in detail about what to do next."
After some time, Kumus spoke:
"Misak and Hufiyaz initially vied for my place in the future. According to the laws of our clan, initially the contender and subsequently the successor to the position of head of the clan, underwent special training. This is a path of trials, the passage of which differs from the paths for representatives of other lower clans."
"Did my father, that is, Misak's father, go through this path?" Zuhair asked.
"Yes, my sons Sidar and Kismir claimed to pass this path. This path is full of trials and requires dedication. Only the strongest of all can become the head of the clan. After the ritual, the choice fell on Sidar. He was supposed to replace me, having passed this path, but it happened that he disappeared along with Misak's mother. I suspected something was wrong then. But Kismir is also my son, and there was no evidence that he was involved. And yet, I did not allow Kismir to the Path of Trials until there was news from Sidar. But time passed, and something had to be decided. By that time, Misak and Hufiyaz were growing up, and I began to place my hopes on them. But the treachery of a hidden enemy manifested itself here as well. Misak fell ill with an incurable disease and began to fade before my eyes. I made every effort available, but in the end, I achieved nothing. Misak was dying, and I decided to put him into a coma, in order to at least slow down the effect of the poison. I fell into despair. And suddenly you appear, in the body of my grandson. Is this not providence?"
After some time, Kumus spoke again:
"I don't know your goals, and I don't know if you can help me. Time will tell."
Zuhair stood up from his seat and said in a bow:
"I will try to help you, Honored One. And I will put all my strength into it."
Kumus, looking at Zuhair, understood that this was no ordinary man. Everyone had a sea of reason, which emitted a certain aura. With due skill, one could feel the strength of this aura. And if one correctly developed physical and spiritual strength at the same time, one could recreate another aura in oneself, placing another soul in it and further developing it. But this required an unimaginable soul force with a sea of reason of the heavenly level. Even Kumus was only at the initial stage of developing a second aura. And this man radiated several of them, in addition to Misak's aura. And if you interact correctly with this guy, it will help not only to uncover the secret of the grandson's illness, but also to deal with the disappearance of the son.
"Now listen to me carefully," Kumus said and continued.
"The ritual I mentioned is more of a competition and consists of two stages. The first stage is the recreation of life or breathing life into something lifeless. The second stage is the fight. Literally, this is the definition of who is stronger physically and spiritually. I see from your aura that you are between the second and third kadam. And you are much weaker than Hufiyaz. I have no right to help either of you, this contradicts the law and rules of the clan. But I can equalize the conditions."
"You probably know what Misak knew about the source of the red stones. This is a source of energy from the underground flame, belonging to our clan. Enriched with volcanic flame, an underground pond. It will help to raise your level at least somehow. In his time, Hufiyaz visited there, as did all the youth of our clan. For people like me, the source is useless, but for those who are at the earthly level, this is a good chance to increase their physical strength. Misak did not have time to visit the source due to circumstances, and it would be fair to correct this oversight."
Zuhair did not know about the source, most likely due to damage to Misak's sea of reason. The source of volcanic flame could help in the development of strength, and this was a good chance.
"I am ready to go to the source, Honored One," Zuhair confirmed his agreement.
"Don't rush. Now you are Misak. And many will soon learn about your recovery. I need to inform the council of five clans about this. And we need to prepare to receive guests in connection with this. In addition to enemies, there are also well-wishers who will be happy to see my grandson in good health. At this meeting, the time for the ritual will be announced. In the meantime, you have time to prepare for the first stage. From tomorrow, visit the center of geneticists and the bibliostorage, where there is valuable information and the history of our clan. And I also want to give you this amulet. It is more of a device that can hide your aura. But for an expert at the peak of the heavenly level, it is not an obstacle."
Kumus handed Zuhair a round metal object. Taking it in his hands, the young man felt heaviness and vibration, while a barely perceptible energy emanated from the amulet, previously unknown to him. He thanked the old man and put the device in his inner pocket.
"You must wear it on your body, it will interact with your sea of reason itself. And now I want to introduce you to someone. He is new to us and will be extremely useful to you."
Having said this, Kumus began to emit a barely noticeable energy message.
Zuhair felt the vibration of the ether and the approach of a strong aura. A man in a tight-fitting and thin steel suit silently entered Kumus's chambers. Bowing, he said:
"Bilosh greets the Honored Kumus," and then calmly added:
"And I want to congratulate the Honored One on the successful recovery of his grandson Misak."
Kumus nodded approvingly and said, turning to Zuhair:
"This is Bilosh Sagib. He will accompany you, and if necessary, guard you until the ritual. In fact, he is your companion. You can go and rest. If you need anything, be sure to contact me."
And then, turning to Bilosh, he said:
"Your head is responsible for my grandson."
"Glad to serve, Honored One. I will give my life for him," Bilosh said, bowing, and they both left the chambers of the ancestor Kumus.
Passing through the planetary hall, Zuhair saw a small gathering of people. The news of the recovery of the head's grandson quickly spread throughout the clan. This group of people quickly approached Zuhair, barely seeing him coming out of Kumus's chambers, and greeted him with their hands folded across their chests. At the head of this delegation was a tall middle-aged man in a brown robe girded with a steel belt. The people approached Zuhair, and he stopped, responding to the greeting with his hands to his chest. The leader was gaunt and straight as a stick. His features were elongated, and his nose was so sharp that it gave his image the appearance of a sharply sharpened ax.
"We are all happy for your recovery, Misak Sagib, and have been waiting for the opportunity to greet you. I hope you remember me, I am Hasin, the chief Life Inhaler in our clan. And I am engaged in research in the field of medicine. I am very glad that my humble treatment helped you get back on your feet."
Having said this, Hasin ran his hand over the gathering of representative-looking people and said:
"These are the elders and leading scientists of the Manshur clan. They, like me, have come to greet you and congratulate the Honored Head on this joyful event."
People expressed sincere joy, and the ether in this space slightly bubbled in the air, creating bizarre swirls.
"Thank you, Honored Ones, and you especially, Hasin Sagib, for your work and for saving my life."
Saying this, he thought about the fact that another stone had fallen into the piggy bank of secrets. Who is he, this Hasin. It was strange to attribute merit to oneself. It is necessary to find out the true intentions of this healer over time.
"Thank you again, Honored Ones. But I have to go." Saying this, Zuhair bowed and walked towards the majestic gate. Bilosh followed him at some distance.
Everyone was excitedly discussing the recovery and the changes that were supposed to happen after these events, and only one person watched the departing Zuhair with a silent and piercing gaze. Hasin Sagib was shocked that the young man was healthy. And not only that, he raised his level. According to his calculations, Misak should have gone to his ancestors today, tomorrow. And he was sure of it. After all, he personally filled the poison and the capsule and the life-giving solution and even the young man's clothes with measured doses, so that even the head could not recognize the cause of Misak's ailment. But the young man is alive and quite healthy. Hasin had no doubts about the strength of the poison. The poison was delivered with difficulty and caution from the planet Gamal, and there was no antidote to it. So someone helped the young man. Someone very powerful. And suddenly, through space, he caught an energetic connection that impatiently addressed him:
"So what happened, dear Hasin?! Why is the boy alive?"