"I'm glad you are here." Aswad smiled. "It's a real pleasure meet the famous and powerful warrior you are. Such a legend in the magical world of the Seven Deserts. Faaris, the all mighty leader of the Army of Jihad."

He's the perfect villain to represent the kind of demoniac powers that Karak keeps alive, and this only increases the dark fame of Aswad. Because, if it were up to Aswad, he wouldn't look that disgusting as he actually does. He's a man, a normal human being, only with magic powers. If he weren't the Lord of Karak and of a bunch of demoniac creatures, he wouldn't be that easily hated.

This makes Aswad almost a normal king... but he's the lead of a dark city and the whole atmosphere around him seems dead. There's nothing else that could give any hints about him being actually a man, or someone else. There's something of demoniac about him that can really disgust. And suddenly he summons Faaris, who's some kind of demoniac creature as well. After all Aswad and Faaris are very similar. They both can't get peace until someone alive does what they need, they're much more than normal men, because Faaris is dead and Aswad is alive even when he would be supposed to be dead, they are even bounded by the same destiny, for only Azrak's blood can save them. Aswad sometimes can seem pathetic in believing he can easily win Ali or Azul, but eventually it's clear he's very smart and he's determined to take his plain to the end.

As the author says: "Both of them are dead OR are supposed to be dead but they are under some sort of magical spell of black magic. They are not ghosts in the strict sense of the word, because they are flesh and blood and yet... they are creepy. From the first moments I knew I needed someone to 'do the dirty job' for Aswad since the Lord of Karak is so 'royal' that he'd never go to the deserts to fight Ali. And I needed someone good enough. And Faaris was cool and he was magical. Not to mention he has a special way to manipulate Ali's mind and heart." As for Majid, he's a nice little character. But he's only a guard as much as Rasoul could be. At times it even seems like he's sorry to see all Aswad is doing to Azul. "He's loyal to Aswad and to his duties but he's not the warrior type. He's just... there."

As in Aswad's plan, Ali and Azul have to deal with the fact they would have less expected ever: the other's gone. The two parallel scenes are the most dramatic ones of the story. And they also show very well the differences among Ali and Azul's kind of reactions.

Ali has to listen to Faaris telling him that Azul was sacrificed the night she was kidnapped. Karak renewed itself thanks to her blood and that was it. Thus, Ali's quest is pointless. "Ali goes crazy", as the original plot says. Since the times of Crescent Love, it's been pointed out that Ali has one great fault: he can easily lose his temper when it comes about the people he loves. And it's so natural, so predictable that he completely goes mad when Faaris announces him Azul's death and gives him her mystical blue diamond as a proof.

Ali surely feels like they had just pulled out his heart. He actually cries his heart out. His reaction is very violent, he cries, he yells, his whole body is shaking... his pain is so pure and intense that he wants to kill his own life right there. He just cannot see the reason to go on if Azul's gone. And he feels so completely guilt because he never came back to her the night she was kidnapped and he spent weeks and weeks wandering around the deserts. Ali is possessed by a blind rage against everyone and everything: Azrak, the book, Reeh... he's a man who's totally lost his mind.

If Ali's scene is so dramatic and powerful, Azul's one moves to tears. What she has to face is even worst: she actually has to see Ali killing himself. In that moment, it's like someone had hit her with thousands of daggers. Ali doesn't get to watch the sacrifice of Azul, but Azul gets to watch Ali stabbing himself. And this image is something that's going to torture her soul for the years ahead.

As the author says: "This image of Ali stabbing himself is going to be one she's going to have in her mind for a LONG time. And in her nightmares. And Ali is going to feel so guilty. He has to help her overcome that. She's going to be crying and Ali is going to hug her, to reassure her everything is fine. That suicide attempt is something that's only between them. Later on in Q3 Ali is going to ask Azul to keep that secret away from his parents for he's so ashamed of it. So it's a secret Azul has to keep in her heart and it's painful. That's why when they are married Ali is always keeping her in his embrace at night, when they are sleeping. He wants her to feel him alive and safe."

But Azul cannot break in front of Aswad, unlike Ali could do as soon as he was away from Faaris. She has to be strong, to face the Lord of Karak right there. And then the same rage invades her, as she starts beating Aswad himself. The time for crying and letting out all her pain will come only later in the solitude of her room. Somehow, her reaction is more controlled, but more dangerous because of the memories that are going to haunt her for the rest of her life.

What is it that stops Ali from doing the wrong thing? First of all, suicide is not allowed among Muslims, just like it's not allowed among Christians. Thus, suicide is a sacrilegious act. But Ali is not thinking at all in those moments. Such a pain inside a little heart is something too much even for him. It's only when a ray of the sun rising flashes on the blade of the dagger that Ali stops himself. The sun represents life, and its natural appearance makes Ali's mind wander in time and space. He remembers Azul, his parents, the people he loves. For the love he has for them, he understands how terribly wrong that is. It's like a sign from Allah: and Ali is quickly ashamed of his attempt.

This is why the author decided the last part of Q3 (from Chapter 9 on) should be PG rated. The whole theme is a little too much for younger readers. Aswad wants Azul not because of a crush or something else, it is much the desire to possess her by having a child who would save Karak. Somehow we could also say he wants her body because he never succeeded and will never succeed in having her soul. He doesn't want her to love him, to choose him instead than Ali, he only wants that heir and, knowing Azul would rather kill herself, this whole thing takes shape as a very violent plain. This could be too much complex for kids. One particular line from Aswad is very violent towards Azul. He talks about her as if she was a thing, to possess, to use: "But your girl, your beloved Azul will be mine... in the way she never was yours." This is such a big contrast, it just shows the different ways Ali and Aswad thinks of Azul: the first sees Azul as his most sacred treasure on this planet, almost a goddess, an angel actually; the second sees Azul as a way, an instrument to get revenge over the whole world, but most of all to win over Azrak's blood.

"And yet I wanted it to be this way, a mature theme." Evi says. "This is much more than just the villain wanting to conquer the world. This is a villain trying to conquer life in the first place. Aswad knows he can easily conquer the deserts with his magic but he doesn't care much about it. He leaves the dirty work to other people. He's more concerned about conquer life for him and for Karak. And life... well, life is the result of the true and deep love between a man and a woman. So Aswad wants to renew that life in a very violent way. As I said, its not my intention to have a morbid story, but only to prove the power of true love. And it's such a delicate theme to touch that it hasn't been easy but then again, I wanted it that way."

"Azul's heart was broken and she felt she had no reason to go on in life. But she was determined not to let Aswad go on with his plans. She was going to fight in the name of Ali. In the name of that endless love she had for him."

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