Jasim awakens from the unconsciousness that struck him as he searched for Raisa. He looks around, and ponders about his situation…
Jasim: Wh… What is this place? Uhh… Why does my head hurt a lot? W… Wh… Where am I?!
Dino appears in front of Jasim, and cackles villainously…
Dino: Haha! The legendary commander of the Destaanis, is chained in this very cave!
Jasim: So, you've captured me, and the Destaani would come down falling down on its head… That's what you assume, right?
Dino: Exactly! You may be on a league of your own, but you are the key to destroying the Destaani! Supreme Leader Serhad will be very pleased with my outcomes…
Jasim: No matter how much you try, the Destaani would stay firm and intact, just like it has been for centuries…
Dino: We'll see about that… Oh, welcome Mr Serhad!
Supreme Leader Serhad enters into the cave…
Serhad: Wow! Look at who's here! Dino, did you take good care of our guest?
Jasim: Dino? You're the one who defeated us in the Santorini Islands?!
Dino: Yes, I was the leader that commanded the mercenary group that brought your defeat in the Santorini Islands… And yes, I made sure that our "guest" was comfortable while he was with us…
Serhad: So, everything is set… (chuckles)
(Meanwhile at the Destaani HQ)
Raisa: So, Jason Hunt and Jansher were just made up aliases to distract us from the fact that Jasim would be captured by that inglorious Serhad! If we could only focus on what actually mattered…
Jamal: Calm down Raisa, how would we have known about such a setup?
A message reaches Jamal on his beeper…
Jamal: Our scouts have traced his location…
Raisa: Where is he?!
Jamal: The Nicea caves
Raisa: Let's go there right away!
Akira: Hold your horses Raisa… We don't know what awaits us there. Let us get further information from our scouts, and then let us make a good plan to save Jasim…
Raisa: We don't have much time for all of that, let us go there and save him right away!
Saeed: Raisa, I can understand your worry, but in this case, having a bit of patience can decide whether Jasim comes out alive, or if he'll die due to our carelessness…
Raisa: ARGH FINE! I'LL GO MYSELF THEN!
Jamal: Raisa, please be patient, we'll take action within an hour or two for sure, but let us make sure we understand the situation, and then let us move forward… Alright?
Raisa: Alright sir…
(At the lands of Tanjore)
In the beautiful yet ancient city of Tanjore, the Rawther clan is a dominant force in the city. The clan leader Fazil gathers his council…
Fazil: I have gathered you all… To talk about a very important and distressing issue…
Ahmad: What is it leader?
Fazil: It is about Jasim, and I have received some information about him…
Zain: Alright but, why are we discussing about a Turkish commander within a Tamil council?
Fazil: Jasim is actually a Tamil commander with Turkic roots and origins Zain. When have we ever given up on saving our brothers and kin?
Ahmad: But does Jasim know about his roots?
Fazil: Hopefully he does know about his roots, else we will be facing against him, and that would be no good for either of us…
Zain: What happened to Jasim though? I guess we got sidetracked a bit…
Fazil: The nasty and vile Supreme Leader Serhad has taken Jasim captive, and he plans on causing chaos by wiping his memory and capturing the other members of the Destaani… We will avoid this situation by saving Jasim from the hands of that dastard, and by doing so, we will avert a danger that will surely reach us as well in the future…
Ahmad: That's great and all, but can we reach on time and save him?
Fazil: That part of the mission has already been taken care of…
Zain: I didn't understand?
Fazil: I've sent a few of my warriors to Nicea already, and they'll save Jasim from the hands of that "leader" and bring him to Tanjore…
(Meanwhile at Nicea)
Raisa, Akira and Saeed lead a team of about 20 soldiers and march to the caves to save Jasim…
Raisa: I just hope we're not too late…
Saeed: It's good that we took precautions and made a plan with patience…
Raisa: Only time will tell how effective our plans are
(At the Nicea Caves)
Serhad gets the memory eraser MZB6 serum injection ready…
Serhad: Magnificent! The drug that will open the gates to my dominance is right in my hands!
Dino: I wish you an easy and successful path to your dominance, Supreme Leader Serhad
Serhad: Thank you very much Dino! Let me do the honours of taking the first step for my complete dominance!
Dino: As you wish, sir…
Just as Supreme Leader Serhad walks toward Jasim with the syringe… The electricity within the caves is completely cut off…
Serhad: WHAT THE HELL! GO AHEAD AND CHECK THE POWER SUPPLY RIGHT AWAY!
Dino: But the power supply is working just fine?
Serhad: THEN WHY… DID THE ELECTRICITY GO DOWN?!
Soon after, they hear gunshots, followed by chain dangling sounds. The electricity is restored after about 5 minutes. Serhad, who fainted on the ground due to the PO5 smoke grenade gas, wakes up to find his soldiers dead, and Dino lying on the ground, and injured heavily…
Serhad: Dino! Who did this to you?
Dino: Their faces were masked sir… But whoever did this to us, they are very skilled…
Serhad: The Destaanis broke in and ruined our plan!
Dino: No sir, it wasn't the Destaanis
Serhad: What?! Then who else could it be?!
Dino: Not sure about that but, the fighting style definitely does not belong to any Turkic commander, warrior, or soldier…
Serhad: Hmm… I see... Someone else is pulling the strings then, but I'll find out who it is very soon! Let's leave this place right away…
Raisa and the team reach the Nicea caves, but after 30 minutes since Serhad left…
Raisa: They changed locations! JASIM IS GONE!
Saeed: On the contrary, Jasim was saved…
Raisa: WHAT?!
Akira: Yeah, look at the dead soldiers of Serhad lying outside the cave entrance…
Raisa: Who saved him then?
Saeed: Hmm… Was Jasim purely Turkic??
Raisa: I… Don't know…
Saeed: You… Don't Know??
Raisa: Wait, I remembered! Jasim is not purely Turkic, he has Tamil origins as well!
Saeed: In that case, one of the Tamil clans saved him…
Raisa: Thank goodness! He is in safe hands!!
Serhad, who had been eavesdropping and listening to the entire conversation, leaves the Nicea caves with information about Jasim's ancestry… He goes back to his research facility, where Dino is currently recovering in the facility. Serhad goes to Dino's room…
Serhad: Dino! I cracked the code!
Dino: What do you mean sir?
Serhad: I found out where Jasim is from!
Dino: Where is he from sir?
Serhad: He is from the glorious lands of Tanjore!
Dino: He is a Tamilian? No wonder… The soldiers that attacked me back at the caves used more of a defensive strategy while fighting… But then again, the Tamil lands are home to an end number of clans… Which one would he belong to?
Serhad: Think about it… Jasim has both Tamil and Turkic origins, and which clan has such types of dual origins?
Dino: The Rawthers! But how did they get such origins?
Serhad: It is a very long story, but let me keep it short and concise…
Back when Seljuks was a force to be reckoned with it in the landscape of the world politics at the time, they sought to expand their influence beyond Anatolia and the lands they conquered. And so, they formed an alliance with the Cholas, known for their stellar ability to groom and maintain horses, and they were also a dominant naval force in the Indian subcontinent. The Seljuks sent their horses of the Arabian Horse breed, which was known for its speed, stamina and reliability, amongst many other qualities, while the Cholas sent their renowned horse masters, a win-win for both sides… Later on, Turkish artisans entered into Chola territory, and settled in their lands, and thus, their generations flourished. Oh, and fun fact, the Seljuk artisans' Turkishness actually affected the group's culture and Tamil language. For example, while Appa means father in Tamil, the Rawther Tamils actually say Aththa instead, influenced from the Turkish word Atha, which also means father…
Dino: Two different cultures that were continents apart, merged together in the most unexpected ways… It's baffling!
Serhad: Yes indeed… How are you feeling now Dino?
Dino: I was doing good, but now am doing a lot better after hearing the story you just narrated
Serhad: So, you can accompany me till Tanjore… Right?
Dino: Gladly sir, and besides, I would be visiting one of the regions that was always in my bucket list
Serhad: Alright then, get ready for the mission. I will meet you at the entrance in an hour…
Dino: Sure sir
(Meanwhile at Tanjore)
Jasim awakes from unconsciousness, and finds himself in a new place… Yet again…
Jasim: What in the world? Where am I now again?!
A masked, voice-changer equipped Fazil appears in front of Jasim
Fazil: Welcome home Jasim
Jasim: Home? Am I in Anatolia??
Fazil: No Jasim, your actual home…
Jasim: The smells… Am I in Tanjore?!
Fazil: (chuckles) Indeed!
Jasim: What am I doing here?! I need to get back to Anatolia before its too late…
Fazil: Hold your horses right there! You are not going anywhere before meeting someone important…
Jasim: Who is that "important person" now?
Fazil: You'll know soon
Fazil knocks out Jasim, then takes him to a secret room where he is chained around a chair. Ten minutes later, Jasim wakes up and sees someone he never expected…
Jasim: Haydar sir! Is it you?!
Haydar: Yes indeed… Welcome back home Jasim…
Jasim: Thank you sir! But I have a question…
Haydar: You've always been a curious cat, go ahead, ask your question…
Jasim: Had you given me a call, I would've arrived at Tanjore right away. Why did you bother with saving me and then chaining me?
Haydar: (laughs) Ahh Jasim, had you not asked this question, I would've doubted whether I truly saved Jasim, or did I save a doppelganger of his? As for the answer to your question… Circumstances… As simple as that…
Jasim: I didn't get you?
Haydar: As soon as we heard that you were endangered by that inglorious Serhad, I sent my men to save you. However, as soon as I bought you here, the rival clans were so eager to capture you, so I had to arrange… A stage drama of sorts, where the rival clans thought we were about to settle the accounts between us…
Jasim: That's quite the foresight sir, thank you for everything…
Haydar: No need to mention… Oh by the way, you have to meet this person…
The masked Fazil appears before Jasim… He then unmasks his face…
Jasim: FAZIL?!
Fazil: Yes brother…
Fazil then unchains Jasim, and they hug each other…
Jasim: It's been years!
Fazil: Yeah… And quite a lot has changed indeed… I am now the leader of the Rawther clan…
Jasim: That's fantastic!
Haydar: I guess, Jasim can go change his attire and Fazil, get the rooms and all the halls ready…
Jasim and Fazil: As you say sir…
Jasim goes to his guest room, and changes to a Tamil commander's attire… Meanwhile, Fazil and his men clean the rooms and halls… Two hours later, Jasim and Fazil meet at the training room… They shake hands and hug each other…
Jasim: Fazil, how did the room cleaning go?
Fazil: It went alright, a lot of nostalgia was invoked as I passed through the rooms and halls…
Jasim: So true, I walked around the lands of Tanjore, and it invoked a lot of nostalgia for me as well…
Fazil: Hah, namma ooru pola varuma? [Translation: Will any land ever be like our homeland?]
Jasim: Haha, indeed! The Earthy fragrance, and the wondrous farmlands… I've missed this place a lot!
After a moment of nostalgic discussion, they look at an achievement plaque and reminisce their old memories…