Noor smiled from behind his mask. He pressed a button, and the mask retracted automatically, revealing his face and his handsome Arab features. The children gasped, startled by the appearance of this stranger to their planet.

Noor removed the small iron tiara that reached his cheeks and placed it on the little boy's head. He pressed a button on the boy's forehead, and the mask sealed over his face. His siblings stared in amazement, completely stunned. "How do I look?" the boy asked.

The little girl breathed, "Amazing. Like a hero from the stories."

The boy was thrilled. He stood up straight, puffing out his chest, and pointed a thumb at himself. "From now on, I will protect you. Those awful Franks won't be able to reach you."

He then looked at Noor. "Thank you, kind mister. But you are not Ghlizan or Franks. Where are you from?"

Noor scratched his head and looked at the sky, thinking. "From a planet called Earth. I know it's a strange name, but we used to think we were alone in the universe. That we were the center. That everything was created for us. And here we are, roaming the cosmos, only to discover how ignorant we were."

"Welcome to our planet, kind mister," the boy said. "I am Mshdal, this is Malha, and the little one is Lala."

Noor smiled at them all. He noticed Tulkas studying his features, sizing him up from head to toe. He ignored him and said to Mshdal, "I will fix your house. I don't think the Franks will return to your village anytime soon, not after the resistance hit them."

Malha, the red-haired girl, asked with childlike innocence, "But how will you fix it, mister? It's all burned. It will take a long time."

Noor gave her a bright smile. "Don't worry. This is easy for me."

Tulkas shook his head in disapproval and sighed, annoyed that his mission was being prolonged. Noor noticed. He looked at the 3D map on his watch and said, "Let's rest in this village for a bit. It's a big planet, and the location my friend marked is far. We won't find the crystal without days of searching. If my friend finds it, he'll send me a message. I haven't heard from him in a while. Maybe he hasn't found it, or maybe he's run into serious trouble."

Tulkas looked at him sharply. "I am treating you with respect... for now, boy. I still hope you will shed this cloak of ignorance, return to the Enix, and remember that we are the ones who gave you this power. But if you prove to me that you are a lost cause, or if you try to deceive me, I will kill you, take the map, and find your friends myself."

Noor swallowed hard and nodded.

Noor walked toward the charred house. The flames had already died down due to the strong winds on Ghlizan. He stretched out his hand and closed his eyes. The house began to change. Wood appeared from nothing, assembling itself plank by plank. Shattered glass reformed. The char vanished from the structure, and the cracks sealed. In less than a minute, the house stood exactly as it had before.

The children's mouths fell open. Lala, still on Tulkas's shoulders, whispered, "It's a miracle. You're a miracle maker, kind mister!"

Malha's face lit up. "You are the miracle maker! My father told me the Lord would send a miracle maker to help us against the Franks!"

Noor looked at Tulkas in surprise. Tulkas spoke, but in a different language the children wouldn't understand. "In times of crisis, on every planet, the common people invent myths about a man who comes with miracles to free them and defeat their enemies. I find this clinging to a fantasy savior to be a form of weakness and surrender. The planet's inhabitants fail to free themselves, waiting for a liberator who never comes. I've seen this story many times. Some wait hundreds of years for nothing."

Noor smiled at the children. "Let's go rest in our new home."

The children ran into the house, laughing and exploring every corner. Noor followed them inside, imagined a comfortable sofa into existence, and threw himself onto it, groaning as his stomach rumbled.

Tulkas entered cautiously, scanning left and right. "What if the Franks return with a larger force to reclaim this village? One of us must stand guard."

Noor waved a dismissive hand, already half-asleep. "You are my superior in rank and power. It would be disrespectful of me to take the first watch from you."

Tulkas clenched his fist, exited the house muttering to himself, and then scaled the roof as quickly as a shadow. He sat on top, leaning against the hilt of his sheathed sword, observing the beautiful night of Ghlizan after the sun had set.

The sky of Ghlizan was studded with thousands of glittering stars of many colors, and the three moons illuminated the planet's surface with their bright glow. The fields sparkled like diamonds and gemstones, thanks to the glowing minerals abundant in the planet's soil.

The scene was magnificent, yet he also saw the smoke of distant villages rising, and he heard shelling here and there, and battles raging in various places. He looked at the charred village around him, noticing that a quarter of it had survived the bombardment.

Then he heard a sound. He partially drew his sword and saw one of the Franks soldiers staggering between the houses, covered in wounds, calling for help. He looked exhausted, and blood was flowing from his arm.

Tulkas realized he must have been wounded during the resistance's chase, but he hadn't died. He had crawled and staggered all the way back to the village, knowing he would die before reaching his own distant camp without a transport. He was now seeking refuge from the very people he had been trying to kill. What an irony to be at the mercy of those you didn't have any mercy upon.

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