Tsatsuba Book 1 Abdulaziz Sani Madakin Gini

Description

TSATSUBA

Book 1

By Abdul'aziz Sani Madakin Gini

The Author Begins His Tale....

Queen Larbisa was a legendary merchant tycoon and a colossal warrior queen who ruled over a massive kingdom—one that surpassed all other nations of the world in size and population during her era. Queen Larbisa had amassed a legion of exceptional warriors who were known as the Whirlwind of Pestilence; any nation they targeted for war was utterly crushed, regardless of the strength of its defenders.
The greatest anomaly regarding Queen Larbisa was that she did not practice sorcery, nor could any sorcery or witchcraft affect her. However, the world’s most powerful seers and sorcerers had delivered a definitive prophecy to her: she would never bear a child unless she completely destroyed all forms of sorcery existing in the world. Furthermore, if she truly wished to eradicate all global sorcery, she was bound to send a quest to retrieve a legendary tome known as TSATSUBA, which had been authored over forty thousand years prior.

The Legend of the Tome

The original owner of this book was the very first King of the Jinn Sorcerers, who single-handedly formulated forty billion magical talismans, meticulously inscribing every single one of them within this volume, titling it TSATSUBA.

Every form of sorcery in existence originated from this book, and the ultimate antidote to each spell was contained within these very talismans.

Over the past forty thousand years, countless sorcerers from across the globe had set out in search of this book, only to meet their demise along the treacherous path. Anyone who intensified their search inevitably perished due to the extreme, lethal security guarding the tome.
When Queen Larbisa first heard the accounts of the TSATSUBA text, her mind was thrown into total disarray, and she lost all joy in life. After deep contemplation and rigorous analysis, she issued a grand proclamation across the entire world:

• Whoever successfully retrieved the book of TSATSUBA and delivered it to her would win her hand in marriage.
• She would divide her kingdom and wealth, granting them an equal half.

• Furthermore, whoever mastered the book of TSATSUBA would gain absolute dominion over everything and everyone on Earth—including wild beasts and birds, as they would be bound to obey their every command.
  Driven by this ultimate prize, sorcerers, monarchs, and great heroes ventured out into the wilderness to find the book, dying in catastrophic numbers in their pursuit.
  The looming question remained: Who would be capable of delivering the book of TSATSUBA to Queen Larbisa, knowing full well that if they held the book, they could dominate the Queen herself and attain any wealth or status they desired?

  The Encounter at the Palace

  Historians and mystics unanimously agreed that no woman possessed a face or form as flawless as Queen Larbisa in her time. At the exact moment she issued the proclamation for the retrieval of the TSATSUBA book, she was exactly twenty years old, having ascended the throne at the tender age of twelve.
  Queen Larbisa had no greater desire than to secure an heir before old age caught up with her, ensuring her empire would not fall into the hands of someone outside her bloodline, as she was the sole surviving member of her royal lineage.
  One day, while Queen Larbisa was seated in her grand palace administering the affairs of her realm as was customary, a poor dervish entered, begging for alms. The royal guards immediately blocked him, preparing to throw him out, but Queen Larbisa barked a thunderous command, ordering them to release him.
  Instantly, Larbisa stepped down from her throne, walked all the way to the beggar, grasped his staff, and looked him in the eye. She said:
  "I will give you food to eat until you are completely full today, old man. But you cannot repay me with anything, for I have no need for food or mortal wealth."
  Upon saying this, Queen Larbisa turned around and led the old man deep into the royal palace. This act utterly astounded everyone present, including the townsfolk and the ruling council, because Queen Larbisa was notorious for lacking pity or compassion for the poor; she was exceptionally tight-fisted, never giving away anything unless it directly served her own interests.

  Inside the Grand Parlor

  When Queen Larbisa brought the dervish into the grand parlor of her private chambers—which was as vast as an entire house—the old man was thoroughly starstruck, looking around in awe. He had never found himself in a place of such immense luxury and opulence.

• The Flooring: The entire parlor was carpeted with an exotic rug of such profound softness that the moment you stepped on it, you felt as though you were sinking into its fabric.
• The Seating: Surrounding the parlor were approximately two hundred chairs, every single one crafted entirely from pure gold.
• The Centerpiece: In the center of the parlor stood a massive statue of a peacock made from a greenish-yellow celestial gemstone (jauhar). It was engineered with such ingenuity that water continuously cascaded through the peacock, gathering into a massive basin made of flawless pearl—a breathtaking and wondrous sight.
• The Lighting: Hanging from the ceiling were over a thousand lanterns, also crafted from pearl, cast in a perpetual, shimmering glow.

• The Ambience: A mysterious, intoxicating fragrance wafted through the air, its source completely untraceable.
  Everywhere the dervish looked, exceptionally beautiful handmaidens were diligently dusting, cleaning, and organizing. This place was truly a paradise on Earth.
  The dervish looked at the golden chairs, but their sheer majesty intimidated him. He reasoned that he was no nobleman to sit on such thrones, so he plonked himself directly onto the soft carpet on the floor. Seeing this display of raw country ignorance, Queen Larbisa and her handmaidens burst into laughter.
  Queen Larbisa looked at the head of the handmaidens, a woman named HULAIRA, and commanded, "Go and bring my guest every single variety of food available in this palace."
  Hulairah bowed, replying, "It shall be done, my sovereign," and swiftly exited the parlor.
  Queen Larbisa then turned back to the dervish and said, "After you have rested, I shall return to you this evening so we may converse before I dismiss you. You brought me an explanation that has left me in deep suspense, claiming that if I feed you today, you will feed me for eternity—even though there is nothing in terms of food or wealth that I lack or haven't inherited. You certainly will not leave me in the dark; you must enlighten me."
  With that, the Queen walked deep into her private quarters. She walked for quite a while until she vanished from the old man's sight. Left alone, the dervish began to daydream, wondering to himself: If the outer parlor is this magnificent, how breathtakingly beautiful must the inner chambers of the Queen be? Surely, it must double this splendor in every aspect.

  The Feast and the Terror

  Shortly after the Queen’s departure, twelve different handmaidens entered the chamber, each carrying a massive platter of food. Upon each platter were six distinct varieties of delicacies. The handmaidens placed the platters before the dervish and promptly withdrew.
  What followed terrified every single handmaiden watching from the parlor. They began to wonder if this beggar was even human. Throughout their entire service in the palace, they had never seen a man finish even a single bowl of these portions, as the bowls were massive and filled to the brim—often requiring five grown men to finish one.
  Yet, the moment the dervish finished the platter in front of him, he pulled another platter close, mixed all six dishes together, and devoured them instantly. He then pulled a third platter. Seeing this insatiable display, the handmaidens panicked completely. They fled to the edge of the parlor in a frenzy, screaming, and stood huddled at the doorway, peeking in at him.
  As if it were a mere joke, the dervish proceeded to consume every single scrap of food on the platters, letting out a massive burp. A goblet of fine wine had been brought to him; he lifted it to his lips and drained it completely in three massive gulps. Usually, when that goblet was filled with wine, no matter how many guests visited the palace, they could never finish it, always leaving a substantial amount behind.
  When the handmaidens saw that the dervish had wiped out all the food and drained the legendary goblet, their minds shattered. They sprinted deeper into the palace complex, screaming hysterically:

  "There is a Jinn in the Queen's parlor! It is not a human being!"

  Upon hearing this alarming news, the palace guards unsheathed their weapons and rushed into Queen Larbisa’s parlor, completely surrounding the dervish.
  The dervish was profoundly shocked and terrified, utterly clueless as to what crime he had committed to warrant being swarmed by armed men.

  The Sovereign's Investigation

  Amidst the chaos, Queen Larbisa was informed of this wonder. Filled with immense curiosity, she stood up from her seat and hurried into the parlor. Upon entry, she found her warriors surrounding the dervish, trembling with their weapons drawn but hesitating to strike—evidently terrified by the supernatural feat they had witnessed.
  Queen Larbisa barked a thunderous command at the guards, and they immediately fell back. She looked through the gap and saw the dervish sitting in their midst, shaking violently with fear and drenched soaked in sweat.
  Seeing his raw terror, Queen Larbisa was instantly convinced in her heart that this man was no Jinn, but a mortal human being; if he were a Jinn, there would be no reason for him to be terrified of her mortal soldiers. Larbisa turned to her guards and handmaidens and ordered everyone to evacuate the room immediately. They complied in a rush, leaving the parlor as silent as a graveyard.
  Queen Larbisa walked over, sat down very close to the dervish, and fixed him with an intense, skeptical gaze. She said:
  "O old man, tell me your story and reveal everything to me in absolute truth. If you dare tell me a single lie, you will not leave this room alive."
  Hearing her threat, the dervish let out a heavy sigh, his eyes welling up with tears that streamed down his cheeks. He looked at the Queen and spoke:
  "My name is HUZAILATUL MARWASU, and I hail from the far southern reaches of the world, from a nation called MADINATUL SAUWABA. My father was a colossal, powerful sorcerer who lived an exceptionally long life; he spent four hundred and forty-three years on this earth before he passed away, at a time when I was merely six years old.
  I was the youngest child of my family. When I was a mere infant, my mother passed away and left me. At that time, my four older siblings were all over twenty years old. These brothers of mine grew up with immense intellect, swiftly mastering the arts of sorcery under our father, and they rapidly became renowned sorcerers.
  I, however, was born profoundly dim-witted. No matter what I was taught, I could never grasp it. If my father recited magical talismans for me to mimic, I could never repeat them. Furthermore, I was incredibly lazy, incapable of doing any basic chores, even if it was just sweeping the house.
  Because of these flaws, my siblings grew to detest me. To make matters worse, I grew up with a monstrous, insatiable appetite. However, whenever I ate to my satisfaction, I could go for twenty-one days straight without consuming another morsel of food—I would only drink water.
  The strangest thing was that throughout those twenty-one days, I never felt the need to urinate or ease myself. But it reached a point where I would single-handedly deplete the entire grain reserves my father had stored in our granaries—reserves meant to sustain our household for ten years.

  The Protective Father

  Despite all my terrible traits, my father never hated me. Instead, he showered me with immense love and kept me close to his side. This favored treatment caused my brothers to hate me even more. Whenever our father sent us into the city or the marketplace, they would ambush me on the road, beating me mercilessly within an inch of my life, until townsfolk intervened to rescue me.
  I would be brought back home bloodied and battered. But before I could even arrive, my brothers would rush back to our father and lie, claiming: 'We crossed paths with our rivals, the children of another local sorcerer, and we fought a fierce war.'
  This happened three times, so my father forbade me from going anywhere. It became our routine to be together night and day; even when my father slept, he ensured I was lying directly on his chest.
  Every time I reflected on the nature of my existence—my stupidity, my laziness, and my gluttony—I would be consumed by deep sorrow and weep bitterly. But my father would continuously console me, saying:
  'O my son, know that a day is coming when you will be liberated from all these afflictions. But this will only happen after my death, and after you undertake a very long journey. Before I pass, I will reveal to you the exact region of the world you must travel to so you can be rid of these problems. It is then that you shall attain a colossal glory, the likes of which even I have never achieved.
  Bear all the persecution your brothers inflict upon you from now until the day I die, for your patience is what will lead you to the path of your ultimate greatness. I know your brothers have no greater desire than to destroy you, ensuring you inherit nothing from the vast wealth I have gathered. They have tried everything to kill you, but they have failed because I have placed a special mantle of protection over you. Everything that happens whenever you go to the market, I see it from here inside my scrying mirror. Every time you see townsfolk appearing to save your life from your brothers, those are not humans; it is I, shifting my form into those people to rescue you. This bitter suffering you endure at their hands is the very omen of your future glory.'
  Whenever our father reached this point in his speech, I would burst into tears and ask, 'O my father, when you die, who will be able to sustain my massive appetite, since you currently feed me through the power of your magic? If you are gone, how will I survive the malice of my brothers?'
  Hearing this question, my father would smile and say, 'I promise you, even after my life has passed, you will face no crisis, nor will you suffer for long.'

  The Passing of the Sorcerer

  Thus, my father continued to console me, leaving me in awe whenever I was in distress or panic. Then, one night, at the onset of evening, my father was struck by a severe, violent illness, violently vomiting blood. All five of us gathered around him. My mind was completely shattered, and I began to weep bitterly, but on the faces of my brothers, there wasn't a single shred of sorrow; they merely wore cold smirks.
  Our father looked at my brothers and said, 'Go deep into the wilderness and retrieve the leaves of the Suljara tree for me. That is the only remedy that can be steeped for me to drink and find relief.'
  Hearing this, my brothers became upset. The eldest looked at our father with deep annoyance and said, 'O our father, you know full well that the Suljara tree is exceptionally rare across all our local forests. We could spend days roaming the wilderness just looking for it.'
  Hearing this resistance, our father flared up in anger and bellowed, 'Is the hardship you will face in the forest more important to you than my survival? If you do not leave right now to find these leaves, I will instantly destroy every secret of sorcery you have ever mastered, and I will burn all my wealth inside this house to ashes!'
  Terrified by this threat, my brothers turned around and stormed out of the room, muttering angrily.
  Only after my brothers had gone far into the wilderness did my father painfully sit up. He pulled me close, cradled me against his chest, and I felt his tears pouring down onto my face. Summoning his remaining strength, he opened his mouth and said:
  'O my son, listen very carefully and compose yourself to hear the decree I am about to give you. If you hold fast to what I tell you now, you will attain a glory that surpasses my own. Know that I only sent your brothers into the forest so I could gain the opportunity to reveal to you the grand secret I have guarded in my heart for years. Know that it is my deep love and pity for you, given the nature of your afflictions, that drove me to preserve this great secret for you.
  Today, shortly from now, my appointed time will be fulfilled, and I shall depart this world. The moment you see that I have died, hurry into my private chambers. Touch my black iron chest with your left hand; instantly, the chest will spring open. Inside, you will see a unique traveling bag. Take the bag, sling it over your shoulder, and flee this house.
  The moment you step outside, you will watch this house sink deep into the bowels of the earth, vanishing completely as though it never existed. From there, turn your face toward the West and keep walking until you exit this city and head deep into the wilderness.
  Throughout the entire duration of your long journey, never look back, even if you hear the thundering stampede of wild elephants right behind you. Wherever you encounter a human or a Jinn, do not speak to them, and if they speak to you, do not answer.
  You will not reach any civilization until after twenty-one days. The moment you step into that first city, open the bag; you will find it contains nothing but an immense fortune of gold dinars. Seek out a massive quantity of food to satisfy your hunger and buy it—but ensure you consume this food in complete secrecy, away from the eyes of the public. Do not dare spend the night in that city. The moment you are full, prepare yourself, purchase a horse, mount it, and resume your journey.
  I assure you that you will spend forty-five years on this journey, crossing endless wildernesses and traversing great civilizations. By then, you will fulfill fifty-one years of age on this earth, and it is at that exact moment that the provisions within your bag will run out. You will arrive at a magnificent metropolis where a renowned warrior Queen rules.
  It is then that starvation will violently overcome you. Therefore, seek the path to the royal palace. The moment you enter the court, walk directly to the front of the throne and beg for alms, proclaiming: Who will feed me now, that I may feed them for the rest of their life?
  Undoubtedly, this Queen will order food to be given to satisfy your hunger. After that, ask her what her greatest desire in the world is. She will inevitably bring up the matter of a legendary book called TSATSUBA. You are destined to be the guide for the expedition that will set out to find this book. The book will surely be recovered, and the Queen’s desire will be fulfilled. It is then that you shall receive a colossal reward from the Queen, matching the grand promise she made to whoever retrieves the book of TSATSUBA.
  In the course of this journey you will undertake, you shall attain a legacy the likes of which no sorcerer has ever achieved, and until the world ends, your name will never be forgotten in history. But know this: you will endure extreme torment on this quest, and you will witness many terrifying wonders.'

  The Legacy Contained

  When my father reached this point in his revelation, I was filled with absolute bewilderment. I looked at him in confusion and said, 'O my father, look at me—I am lazy, cowardly, and stupid. How can I possibly guide such a colossal expedition, when I don't even know where one must go to find this book called TSATSUBA?'
  Hearing my question, my father strained to answer me, but a violent cough choked him, and he resumed vomiting blood. My mind shattered in panic, and in deep agony, I clung tightly to him. Eventually, the vomiting stopped, and he pulled me slightly back so we faced each other squarely. His eyes were fading, opening and closing with immense difficulty. He opened his mouth and whispered:
  'O my son, my beloved, know that as long as you are in possession of this bag of provisions, nothing will be impossible for you, and no tragedy will ever claim your life.
  It will take you a year and a half before you reach the location where the book of TSATSUBA is hidden, and this bag of yours will serve as your compass and guide. However, you will not succeed in reaching the location of the book unless you unite with four specific heroes. Three are women, and one is a man—and they are adherents of a religion called Islam. This bag of yours is what will lead you directly to these four heroes.'
  Hearing this, I was struck with even greater wonder—how could a mere bag guide us or speak on such a long journey when it wasn't a living thing? I opened my mouth to ask my father how this bag would guide us, but suddenly, I felt his entire body stiffen like a statue, and his eyes became fixed.
  In utter panic, I shook him, but he did not move. I collapsed onto his chest, weeping bitterly. Quickly, I laid him flat on his bed, composed his body, and ran directly into his private sanctuary.
  Upon entering, I walked over and touched our father's black iron chest with my left hand. The moment I did, the chest sprang open, and my eyes fell upon a bag crafted from leopard skin. When I lifted it, I felt a slight weight to it. I immediately slung the bag over my shoulder and rushed out of the house.
  The moment I stepped outside, I watched our home sink rapidly into the earth until it was completely swallowed up. At that exact moment, tears streamed down my face, for I knew that was it—I had parted with my father, my homeland, and my brothers forever.
  I was now facing a completely new life, one I had never imagined. Following the precise instructions and conditions my father had laid out for my journey, I did not violate a single rule. I kept moving forward without looking back and without speaking to a soul. Truly, I witnessed countless wonders on my journey, gaining immense knowledge, wisdom, and exposure regarding different races of people and varied cultures.
  The entirety of my forty-five years was spent strictly on the move, crossing all manners of highly perilous wildernesses and surviving every calamity..."