Chapter 4 The Birth of the Heir Born of Fire

The Dawn of Prophecy

Saturday morning was about to break when the sun's timid rays began to creep across the edges of the desert. The air was still, heavy with the mysterious silence that enveloped the Palace of the Sun of Ages, that majestic citadel which had regained its grandeur after Azarukh, the Fire King, returned to his throne surrounded by molten lava and smoke, following his devastating victory over the Blood of the Jinn and the destruction of their cursed kingdom.

Deep within the palace, where the walls seemed to breathe fire and shadows twisted like serpents, Zahariq the Jinn-the Sun of Ages' loyal servant-had returned to report on the ruins of the deserted Blood City.

Upstairs, the Sun of Ages sat with his usual dignity on his massive throne, carved from black meteorite stone, his eyes glowing like coal, scanning the distant horizon. It was said that he never slept... and that the night feared him as fire fears rain.

But this night was no ordinary night.

As he immersed himself in eternal silence, a deafening scream pierced the palace, echoing like a lightning strike in a grave. A woman's scream... followed by the cry of a newborn baby.

Slowly, Shams al-Duhur raised his head, his eyes wide with surprise and suspicion.

He whispered to himself,

"So... the prophecy has finally come true."

In the next room, the journalist Susan lay on the bed, drenched in sweat and blood, screaming in pain, while the investigator Muhammad stood beside her, his face pale, his hands trembling with fear and dread.

Moment by moment, the baby entered the world, crying fiercely, as if it had emerged from the womb of fire rather than a woman.

Susan gazed at her newborn with tear-filled eyes as Muhammad approached, his voice hoarse:

"This child is the key to our salvation from this hell, the price of our escape from the palace. Give him to me... he must be presented to Shams al-Duhur."

His words were cold and sharp as a blade.

Susan carefully handed the baby over, as if she were parting with a piece of her soul, and Muhammad held him against his chest with equal measures of caution and awe. He emerged from the room, each step heavy, the cries of the child echoing along the long corridors, as if the entire palace were awakening to a mythical rebirth.

At that moment, Shams al-Duhur recalled the black manuscript he had found years before, inscribed with cryptic and bloody messages:

_A_D_Kh_L_ Child of Two Parents

He had spent years trying to decipher it, until he realized that the letters concealed his name and the secret of his immortality:

Sh: Sun

Ad: Ages, the passage of time

Kh L: Immortality, eternity

The last phrase, "Child of Two Parents," was the prophecy he had never understood... until now.

"Shams al-Duhur... is reborn from a child born of two human parents."

A mysterious smile spread across Shams al-Duhur's face as he listened to the cries of the approaching newborns, as if the palace itself were breathing new life. He opened his arms slowly, flames dancing around him like demonic wings, and whispered in a low, ancient voice:

"Welcome... my awaited heir."

- Presenting the Newborn to Shams al-Duhur

Mohammed stood before Shams al-Duhur, his heart heavy with responsibility and fear of what the future might hold. In his hands, he cradled the newborn, the tiny body trembling in his palms, its faint cry echoing as if announcing the arrival of a new destiny.

Mohammed carefully lifted the child and presented him to the sheikh, his voice calm yet filled with reverence:

- The newborn, Sheikh Shams al-Duhur.

Shams al-Duhur smiled mysteriously and rose from his ancient chair, his heavy footsteps echoing softly against the stone floor. He reached out to take the child, his glowing eyes scanning him as if to see all the secrets of fate within.

And in a voice full of authority and charisma, he spoke:

I name you Shams al-Duhur II, to be the Son of Goodness, the Guardian of the Heir, and the Defender of His Inheritance