A prayer that came from the heart was the oldest magic there was. In desperation, when someone uttered a prayer, it was always answered. Before Mikal could act upon his threat, a group of people appeared as if out of thin air.

"Your highness, we are here to help," one of the said and bowed to Gesar.

His mother must have been worried about him for her to send the Nagas to help. "Cease him," he demanded and they wasted no time in grabbing Mikal and tying him up.

Nur stayed close to Gesar as she watched them in fascination. After Mikal was bound, they took him to the great hall. It was time for good old interrogation.

"It's time to spill the bean," Nur said to Mikal, who was bleeding and cursing on the floor.

As it turned out, The Nagas didn't know the meaning of the word mercy. They used brute force and magic to make him writhe in pain. Yet, the man resisted.

"Why are you making this difficult?" she said again.

"Because if you find him, that would be the end of him." As soon as he said the word, he realized his mistake. But it was too late. They knew all they needed to know.

Leaving Mikal's fate to the Nagas, Nur, and Gesar left to search for his body. He must be somewhere in the castle. It all made sense now. The reason why he couldn't leave the place or why he could never move on to the afterlife. It was all because of Zanpu's curse.

"Wait," she said. "This place is too big and you have been to every part of it. We won't find anything like this."

"What then?"

"I'll ask for help." She crossed the corridor and went out into the garden. Closing her eyes, she sat down under a tree and started chanting something.

Nur spoke too softly for Gesar to understand her words, but he guessed she must be praying. She sat with her hands on her knees, palms facing the sky. He could hear her rhythmic breathing. Whatever she was doing, it seemed to work. A mist appeared and moved towards one of the west buildings. They followed it.

The mist led them to the dungeons. There, in a small room, at the end of the narrow corridor, they found a crypt. Nur opened it, and they found his body. Gesar looked at himself in fascination. The body was well-preserved. If they didn't know any better, they would think he was sleeping. Even his clothes were intact.

"What now?" he said, hoping Nur had an answer because he didn't. They found his body and knew he wasn't dead. But his soul was outside the body and as far as he knew, there wasn't a way to return it.

"This is unusual." She seemed to be considering their options. "Maybe your mother can help?"