Al Rahman the red, and her husband Bubu

As Rufus and Div followed the lady through the city gates, their eyes widened in amazement at the sight before them. The gates opened with a deafening creak, revealing a world unlike any they had ever seen. The city was grand, with buildings that towered so high they seemed to touch the sky. The architecture was intricate and ornate, with intricate carvings and patterns adorning every surface.

Despite the grandeur of the city, there was an eerie silence that hung in the air. Rufus looked around and noticed that the streets were empty as if the city had been abandoned just moments ago. As he walked through the empty streets, he couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding.

The buildings themselves were immense, much larger than anything Rufus had ever seen before. But what was even more astonishing was the size of the inhabitants. The people who lived in this city were bigger than humans or sassans. Rufus had to crane his neck to look up at them, feeling small and insignificant in comparison.

"Where is everyone?" Rufus asked, his voice echoing through the empty streets.

"They are here. All around us," the lady replied cryptically.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake as something invisible ran through the streets. Rufus felt a surge of panic rise within him until a voice called out his name.

"Rufus!"

Turning around, Rufus was confronted by a sight that took his breath away. A large bird creature, with hands and colorful blue feathers, jumped toward him and hugged him tightly. It was big enough for its hands to wrap around Rufus and lift him up.

He listened closely and recognized the voice.

"Zara!?" Rufus exclaimed in shock, his eyes wide with amazement.

More large bird-like creatures, with big beaks and hands, soon appeared out of thin air, revealing themselves from their previous invisibility. Rufus was stunned by their beauty and grace, as they moved around him with ease and grace.

Even Div, who had been quietly following Rufus, showed his true form. He transformed into a large black bird with a staff, his eyes shining with an otherworldly glow.

"You have earned my trust, Zara's trust, my people's trust, and even Div's. Few have been granted this honor," the lady said with a hint of admiration in her voice.

As they continued to walk through the city, the djinns, for that was what they were, revealed more and more of their true form. Rufus was in awe of their majestic beauty and their peaceful way of life. The city had shown its true form as the true home of the djinns.

~~

They entered the palace of the goddess. It was enormous and grand. Bigger than anything they had seen.

"It is pretty humble. Wait until you reach Susia," Al Rahman said.

With them came Zara inside. She also hadn't yet met the god of the djinns.

They entered a hall that had an enormous pillow. The size of a small shack.

Zara bent over and looked as if she was worshiping. The goddess was in a humble sassan form, but then grew, changed forms, and grew massive wings. She became a massive being, similar to Zara, but many times larger, and her feathers were bright red.

The massive divine aura was definitely from a god, not as strong as Dalai's but still incredibly powerful and divine. The mere presence of her made one quake.

"I heard that you came to ask questions, to seek help and answers?" Al Rahman inquired.

"My sister. I wish to save my sister. I am looking for someone wise enough with knowledge that might aid me. In Ctesiphon, I stumbled upon depictions and texts of a blue djinn that aided the god Cyrus. I would like to gain his help as well," Rufus explained.

Al Rahman looked sad and sullen. "I too wish to speak with him once more."

Rufus looked confused.

"The skull you brought me, was the djinn you were talking about. My husband was a djinn sorcerer and a close friend to Cyrus."

"My husband's name was Bubu. He was a fairly unique djinn who was not born with divinity, unheard of for our kind. He was shunned by our people, ridiculed, and forced t,o live in the city of secrets because he couldn't hide his true form. Though this didn't falter him, as he never grew to resent anyone.

The universe had plans for him, however, for he had the power to control the divine winds. He was, in fact, a sorcerer.

He learned to shapeshift, and thanks to the endless possibilities the divine winds gave him, he was the most versatile of all the djinn. Not the most powerful, but able to turn into anything.

One day, a mighty flying fortress came to my city. Cyrus had arrived. He had come to seclude himself in our city, hoping to quell the loss he had in his heart, a loss of something precious to him."

Rufus then knew this was the family aid the djinn had given to Cyrus that was mentioned in the texts inside the temple.

"I was compelled to allow him entry and provide shelter, despite the djinns' hostility. Cyrus, however, was unfazed. He withdrew to grieve for a month every decade. He had a secret that he guarded. A secret about his family. During his visit, my foolish husband saw this as an opportunity to visit him. Ignoring the god's requests, Bubu boldly entered Cyrus's room, bearing treats and wine, eager for Cyrus to share knowledge of the world and heaven he had created. His boundless curiosity had gotten the best of him. Being a sorcerer, he couldn't help it.

At first, Cyrus rebuffed Bubu's advances, pushing him away. But with persistence, Bubu slowly wore down the god's defenses. Eventually, Cyrus took Bubu to his world, showing him everything he had built. Bubu was enthralled, his childlike joy radiating through the land.

My husband became the closest of friends with the god, a sorcerer who was reviled by many in the world of Sassan heaven. But because he was important to Cyrus, he was protected from harm. In Cyrus's absence, my husband felt a profound loneliness but refused to let it get to him.

Recognizing that Cyrus's pain was still present, Bubu offered to help him. "There must be an answer, somewhere, in the universe," he said, pointing to the sky. "Though I may not know it, we'll find it.""

Rufus was struck by the similarity of Bubu's words to those of Suomi.

"And so, the unlikely duo embarked on a journey through countless worlds, searching for a solution to Cyrus's private grief. But their quest was interrupted by a disastrous turn of events.

Iblis, the white demon and nemesis of the Sassan heaven, captured both Bubu and Cyrus. He bound Cyrus, attempting to break him, to demonstrate the futility of their quest. But years of friendship had made the god's resolve unbreakable, and he refused to be defeated.

But demons are devious creatures. Iblis bound Bubu right in front of Cyrus and sustained him with food and water, forcing Cyrus to witness the inevitable truth of a mortal sorcerer: death by time. As Cyrus, being immortal, was immune to the effects of aging, Bubu slowly faded away, locked up for decades until he finally passed away at the age of 134.

The hero who came to save Cyrus arrived too late, and his help was not well received by the mad god. He banished the mighty warrior to a life of exile, never to return to the world of Sassan. The pain of watching his dearest friend slowly die drove Cyrus to madness, leading him to attack the human colony. This was also what drove Iskander to invade the world of Sassan and deliver a mortal blow to the father of our Sassan heaven."

As Al Rahman recounted the tragic story, her voice shook with emotion The memory of her husband's suffering was still fresh, even after all these years.

"It was a cruel fate that befell my beloved Bubu," she said, her voice cracking. "But also to Cyrus. To see him grow old and die, right in front of his eyes. It was a torment beyond words."

Rufus felt a tight knot form in his chest as he listened to Al Rahman's tale. He could imagine the pain and desperation that Cyrus must have felt, watching his closest friend slowly fade away.

And as the story reached its climax, with Cyrus attacking the human colony and Iskander coming to the Sassan world, Rufus could feel the anger and sadness that still lingered in the air. The aftermath of that fateful battle was still felt in the Sassan world, even years later.

"Cyrus's madness was a tragedy for us all," Al Rahman said, wiping away her tears. "It cost us so much. But it also gave us hope, for on his deathbed, he saw the errors he had made, and threw away the madness. For Cyrus was a great god, and even Iskander wept when he heard the mighty god had died. My husband may be gone, but his memory lives on, a reminder of what we are capable of overcoming, and I believe my husband was still working his sorceries in some way in the last moments of Cyrus, to make him come to his senses. Like he had done centuries ago."