Zakat ; a mandatory process for Muslims and is regarded as a form of worship. Giving away money to the poor is said to purify yearly earnings that are over and above what is required to provide the essential needs of a person or family.

Akhi : My brother.

---Carson's POV---

It was surprising to see Nadir roaming around openly, as if he wasn't afraid to be spotted by his former master, or his guards.

Guards that seemed relatively lax, ushering people inside without a care. One of my men had already gathered the needed information on Nadir's previous master and I was quite surprised.

All of the briefings and information I had gathered came back with the same conclusion; that Sheik Sadiq was an honorable, kind and gentle elderly man that shared his riches with those who had less.

It didn't mean that the man merely handed out coins to the poor, as that would be against most of these peoples' faith.

No, the man offered them a more than generous payment for simple tasks, allowing the poor to fulfill an easy performed job in return for payment and a hot meal.

In fact, following Zakat, one of the five pillars of Islam, Sadiq had donated several amounts of money to provide the community with a mosque, a small clinic and had aided a struggling restaurant as well.

Thanks to this religious donation, an obligation to any practitioner that earned quite well, a lot of Sadiq's people were fed, clothed and had a safe place for prayer and sleep.

As such, it seemed many of the citizens praised Sadiq and his selfless actions.

But who knows what dark secrets lurked behind this gentle façade? After all, Aakif had been a true monster while his subjects were none the wiser.

Still, it puzzled me that there were next to no guards patrolling around Sheik Sadiq's place, especially due to the flood of visitors on a regular basis.

Nadir could easily fake being a former slave needing sustenance and find his way in...

There were so many possibilities for Nadir to sneak in, even Mord'U and myself were capable of walking in without being stopped by the guard.

The inside was beautiful, showing wealth while remaining relatively modest. Well-kept gardens and sloping pathways curved around the inner patio, where several citizens were watching in awe.

Awed by the group of excellent dancers, twirling around elegantly, spinning and twisting, some even flipping over one another with a surprising ease.

Both men and women, showcasing their talents, their athleticism in both dancing and sparring.

"It seems like Sadiq's palace is a place where the locals get together and have fun." Mord'u commented, eyes following a curvaceous female, who gave the man a flirty wink as she danced along.

"Seems so." I agreed, understanding that these people were a blend of religion, all coming together with respect for one another.

This entire community was one of love and acceptance. Different religions coexisting peacefully without provoking one another.

And in the middle of this community, just relaxing, conversing with the people around him, was Sheik Sadiq.

Honestly, I was surprised on how easy the man was to find. There were little to no guards around, no obvious signs of weapons besides the patrols on top of the walls.

Even then, they wouldn't reach Nadir in time if he decided to make his way through the masses and plunge a blade in the man's chest.

"Look." Mord'u spoke up, nudging my side and motioning his jaw in the distance. When I followed his gesture, I blinked, realizing that Nadir was already mingled with the crowd.

"You got to be shitting me." I murmured, wondering if we were going to see an assassination up close.

Though I quickly realized that there were guards here and more than I had accounted for. Not actual, professional guards.

But the people that were gathered here adored Sadiq. You could see it in the way they let the elder speak first, how they spoke calmly to him even if they were in a heated discussion.

And none of them dared to bare their soles towards the man, as I knew that was a sign of disrespect in their culture. Everyone who entered here removed their shoes and when they sat down near Sadiq, took the utmost preparation to make certain they seated in a way that the soles of their feet weren't bared.

My eyes flitted through the crowd, surprised to find Nadir with relative ease. The man had mingled himself with the dancers for a moment, twisting and turning with an elegance that drew attention.

My eyebrows only rose when he moved away from the dancers and instead of venturing closer to Sadiq, headed towards the warriors.

A young male was fighting his competitors one by one, winning with little to no effort. After a quick glance, I realized that this young man in his early twenties, was undoubtedly a son of Sadiq.

While Sadiq's hair was thinning, turning white in multiple places, this young man was a spitting image, a reflection of how Sadiq would've looked like in his younger years.

Now, watching Nadir tread upon the fighting arena with his face still partially covered, I swallowed tensely, wondering if he was going to make an example of the young man before him.

A teaser of what was to come.

It made me wonder if this young man had lashed out at Nadir in the same cruel manner as the former's cruel masters. After all, Nadir hadn't killed anyone that was unaware or uninvolved with the slavery business.

Even the few guards he killed, were all corrupted, rotten to the core with numerous deaths by abuse on their shoulders.

The fight started easily, both parties holding wooden staves. The rules were explained and simple to understand; They were not there to beat one another to death, merely to be the first to land three hits one another.

"This is gonna be good." Mord'U murmured, tilting his head while he leaned against the wall. Both of our eyes remained on Nadir as several of my men slowly filtered through the room, all keen to see Nadir in action.

And he didn't disappoint. He moved with elegance and ease, avoiding most of the man's attacks and parrying the few blows that looked like they were going to hit.

It wasn't too long before Sadiq's son got frustrated and made a mistake. He released his double handed hold on the wand, hoping that his extended reach with a one handed swing could reach Nadir.

Instead, Nadir spun underneath the swing of the wand, coming up to let his weapon crash painfully against his opponent's wrist. As Sadiq's son cried out in surprise and pain, dropping his weapon, Nadir followed through on the motion, circling over and around the man before cracking his weapon against the back of the man's knees.

And as he crashed on the floor, winded from the impact, Nadir swung down, stopping his weapon just before it would hit.

The room was silent, as everyone realized that, if Nadir had pressed on, he could've easily fractured ribs and perhaps even disturbed the man's beating heart, racing underneath the wooden staff that rested diagonally across his chest.

But, much to my surprise, there was not a single moment of anger in the man's eyes. Instead there was shock, surprise and elation before he scrambled to his feet.

And then yanked Nadir in a hug.

"Alhamdulillah, Nadir, you're alive! Father! Nadir is back! Akhi has returned!" (Praise be to Allah)

Mord'U and I were stunned as a swarm of people went up to Nadir, who removed his facial covers and grinned, greeting everyone among a show of hugging from Sadiq's family members.

We approached the scene discreetly, Nadir catching our eyes for a moment before he smiled as Sadiq stood before him.

Both hugged each other warmly as they uttered the customary greeting, Sadiq even going as far as to press a kiss on Nadir's forehead as the man visibly shook with barely contained emotion.

"Nadir, Alhamdulillah , you are safe. I was certain that Mercer would lead you to your death." Sadiq murmured, holding onto Nadir, who blinked back tears and smiled wryly.

"Well, he did try but I managed to escape with my life." Nadir sighed, sitting down when Sadiq gestured to do so.

Sadiq pulled a face as he sat down, shaking his head. "I tried what I could to protect you all but my hands were tied." He motioned, holding his wrists together before allowing his wrinkled hands to fall in his lap.

Nadir nodded in understanding, sighing "I know. He threatened to have all the slaves here collected and distributed to those who'd make proper use of them." He snorted, shaking his head at that.

He motioned for us to approach and sit while Sadiq sighed, shaking his head in disdain. "Mercer never understood the finer details of the law, or how gratifying it is to return freedom to those who had it taken away."

A wave of respect surged through my body as Nadir introduced us as friends before explaining, "Sadiq buys slaves from bad situations like myself and then provides them freedom in exchange for a bit of labor."

Sadiq chuckled, waving away the praise. "Oh please, Allah blessed me with riches beyond what I need. It is my duty as a good Muslim that I in turn use his blessings for others."

He spread his hands out to the surroundings and it showed how well off the man was. There was drinks for everyone, food, entertainment. Everyone here knew they were safe, allowed to relax.

"Why?" I asked, making Sadiq turn his head questioningly in my direction. "Why aid so many beyond what is required by your faith?"

The old man chuckled at that, "My boy, I know there are brothers and sisters out there who are far better off than myself and will do nothing to aid these unfortunate souls."

"They are not true faithful and following the law, so I decided to take it upon myself to help where I can, whenever I can. I won't take my riches with me when Allah decides it's my time and I have instilled the same respect into my sons."

He smiled kindly, face softening as his eyes followed a woman with two young children. "And honestly, what better praise is there than to see the happiness of my people?"

I nodded, understanding what he meant. Sadiq was one of those few, genuinely good people who didn't need verbal praise for their actions, nor recognition from the community.

He didn't free slaves so his conscious was cleaned from sins, like some did. Instead, he did it because it was the right thing to do.

Sadiq put himself in their place and gifted them the life they were meant to have.

Nadir smiled, taking a sip of his offered cup of mint tea before sighing. "Sadiq was and forever will be the best master I've encountered. He saved my life, along with many others who were doomed to die under the hands of their cruel owners."

"When I first came here, I was wary after my experiences. Every bit of kindness shown made me anticipate retaliation because who would offer something without wanting nothing in return." Nadir shook his head, curls bouncing as he grinned.

"Then Sadiq sat me down and explained everything. That the contract was made and I would be freed as soon as it was done." His green eyes landed on mine before they saddened.

Placing his cup down, Nadir continued, "And then Mercer visited, having heard stories of my existence from former masters. Found it to be a waste to have me freed and threatened harm to multiple slaves if Sadiq did not comply with his wishes."

I turned my gaze to the old man, who sighed miserably as Nadir finished "So I went willingly with Mercer. To prevent him from returning with force and taking many more." The young man shook his head as he murmured softly "Nobody else needed to suffer to keep me safe."

Now I fully understood the rage that burned within Nadir's gaze, the sadness in Sadiq's eyes. To be so close to freedom just to have it cruelly yanked out of reach and worse, to surrender yourself to slavery once more in order to protect those you loved...

I could only imagine the cruelty Nadir had faced at the hands of Mercer. How much he had to endure and suffer, simply to prevent the man from returning and acting on his promise.

But now, the tables had turned and this time it was Nadir who was out on the hunt. And I would gladly join in, if it meant that his lifelong struggle would finally end.