Arslan Senki: Legend of the Twins

34. The Past, the Present, and the Future

"Curse of the devils..." Farangis echoed.

Bahar nodded. "Everyone was terrified of me. Even my father disowned me... I was all alone."

"But... what about your mother?"

"She passed away of sickness when I was seven. My father naturally blamed me for that," Bahar smiled bitterly at the memory, "He used to beat me everyday and when I was twelve he drove me away from home. I, not knowing where to go, then sought refuge in the Head Kahina's place... and was trained to be a priestess there."

Bahar let out a thin sigh. "My earlier years as a trainee priestess, too, were not easy. Everyday I would fight with the other trainee kids, especially that rock-headed Alya. Though, the weird things that I experienced almost everyday became less and less frequent each day, maybe because I was around so many priests and priestesses. Head Kahina told me nasty djinn like to be around my presence, and that's why everyone around me had bad things happening to them. For ten years I learned how to repel those djinn and after that, I was exiled for five years in order to control them as my ally."

"Control djinn...? You can actually do that...?" Farangis' eyes widened in disbelief, "Most I can do is ask for their guidance... no wonder you are called the Empress of Djinn."

"That's just a given title from the Kahina, but well... it takes fifteen years of training and extra insane destiny to get it," Bahar stated gleefully, causing Farangis to sweatdrop, "...but I still have yet to fully master it..." she continued, frowning.

Farangis blinked again. "You mean you still can't fully control those djinn? After all those crazy years of training you've been through?"

Bahar nodded. "But there is this one djinn that became my ally... he's special. He can predict the future and control the other djinn to certain extent."

"Amazing... you befriended such a powerful djinn."

"Yes, but a djinn is still a djinn... and djinn and man aren't that compatible with each other," Bahar slowly shook her head, "If possible, I don't want to have any more business with him, but he really likes my blood!"

A bead of sweat rolled down Farangis' cheek as she gulped. "Blood...?"

"To control a djinn, you need an offering. Djinn are so picky, too..." Bahar sighed thinly, only to burst into laughter the very next moment, "Oh well, maybe he will release me only after I die!"

The older woman went silent after that while Farangis didn't know what to say. She needed time to think about all of this... and so both of them only let themselves sink in their own thoughts.

"Farangis... can I ask you a favor?"

The called woman turned to her senior, smiling as she nodded. "Sure."

But she only received silence as a response. "...nevermind. Loyalty means to serve only one master, after all... and you've found him." Bahar muttered the last part mostly to herself.

Bahar lifted up her gaze, locking it with Farangis'. A sharp glare was now adorning her eyes. "Instead, Farangis, I want you to...."

"........"

"..........what are you talking about, Senpai?!"