Nader slowly moved toward the strange man, his eyes full of tears, not believing what he was seeing. Ali noticed this, quickly grabbed his arm trying to stop him, and whispered sharply: "What's wrong with you? Have you lost your mind? Why are you revealing your secret identity in front of strangers like this? Change back to Sekhmat's form immediately!"

But Nader ignored him completely. He pushed him away with unusual strength, then kept walking until he stood face to face with the man. With a trembling voice, he asked: "You... are you really Marwan?"

The man smiled a calm smile and said: "Yes, my friend... but I'm surprised, how did you recognize me so easily after all these years?"

Nader's eyes widened in shock: "How? I saw you with my own eyes falling from that huge height!"

Marwan sighed and said with a gentle, slightly blaming tone: "You're the kindest person I've ever known, Nader. You know very well that a fall from that height doesn't kill a Gear user, but you convinced yourself that I died from that moment... You couldn't even look down back then to make sure. I'm sure Sekhmat knew I didn't die."

Nader froze in place. He immediately transferred his consciousness to the shared space in his mind with Sekhmat and asked with hidden anger: "Did you know?"

Sekhmat replied with his usual coldness: "It was as clear as the sun."

Nader, stunned: "But you're the one who told me that whoever activated the system in the pyramids had to die for the system to stop!"

Sekhmat: "I told you what I knew about the system's mechanics, and I didn't lie to you technically."

Nader, screaming internally: "But you didn't tell me he was still alive! Why?"

Sekhmat sighed inside Nader's mind and said: "I didn't want to hurt your feelings. When you convince yourself of an idea, you hold onto it and it becomes impossible to convince you otherwise... just like you're doing now."

Sekhmat was silent for a moment, then continued in a sharp, warning tone: "Look at yourself, all the signs point to these people leading us to destruction, and you still insist on following them. Everything about this man (Marwan) seems fake."

Nader tried to interrupt to defend, but Sekhmat continued forcefully: "Don't interrupt me! You didn't meet him by chance, I'm sure someone sent him to you on purpose. This man used the Gear brilliantly even as a child, and in that battle he was able to control (Askm)... Do you realize how difficult that is for a normal human? I made it easy for you to control me, but Askm wouldn't have surrendered so easily."

Sekhmat added suspiciously: "Remember well... this friend of yours was a new student at the school, and he chose to be friends with you out of all the people, even though the other kids avoided you. And a few months after he came... boom! You found me."

Sekhmat concluded firmly: "I'm sorry to tell you all this in a way that might seem aggressive, but you always let your feelings cover the facts."

Nader returned to reality with a distracted mind, not knowing truth from lies.

Meanwhile, unlike Maryam and Ahmed who were standing in a fighting position, ready for any betrayal, Ali noticed that Youssef was sitting on the ground, holding his head as if suffering from a severe headache.

Ali approached him and asked in surprise: "What's wrong with you too?"

Youssef replied in a low voice: "I also know this person... I feel like I know him very well, but I don't remember how or where."

Ali looked at Youssef in surprise, then turned and walked quickly toward Marwan. He got very close to his face and asked with fake seriousness: "Do I know you too?"

Marwan stepped back a little and said in surprise: "I don't think so."

Ali sighed with sarcastic relief and said: "Good, I just wanted to make sure, because everyone here seems to know you somehow."

Ahmed intervened sharply, still keeping his eyes on the new soldiers: "Who are you? And what do you want?"

Marwan replied calmly, raising his hand in peace: "Don't worry, we're forces from Atlantis, and we've been watching you for a while. We're not here to hurt anyone."

Ali sarcastically: "Since you're (good people), why didn't you step in to help us when we were almost dying?"

Marwan: "You could say someone delayed us... also, we don't have instructions to interfere in your personal fights."

Then he looked at Ahmed and Maryam and said: "Anyway... I'll take you where you want to go. Weren't you looking for a way to Atlantis?"

Ali laughed sarcastically and said: "Wow! You're taking us to the villains' den? And of course you're ready to welcome us there... Classic trap."

Maryam looked at Marwan suspiciously and said: "Ali's right, it's too obvious. The last person who set a trap like this was (Mohamed Ali) in the citadel. Find another trick."

Nader interrupted with a firm voice, his eyes still shining with tears: "I'm going. I don't care if it's a trap or not, I need to understand what's happening."

Ahmed took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then looked at his team and said seriously: "I don't know why you think we have a choice. This path is carefully designed. A golden opportunity to go to Atlantis comes right after our fight with Omar? It's definitely not a coincidence... I'm going."

Ali said with sarcastic surrender: "Great... maybe this time we'll finally succeed in killing ourselves."

Everyone left the pit in silent anticipation, to find an advanced vehicle waiting for them. Its external shape and design were similar to that huge ship that fell on the pyramids, but much smaller and more streamlined.

As soon as they settled into their seats inside the vehicle, Nader couldn't contain the questions storming his mind. He turned to Marwan and said with a tone full of pain and doubt: "If you really were sent to me, how much did you lie to me? Is your name really Marwan? And that lady... was she really your mother? And why did she say she didn't know us after the pyramid system shut down?"

Marwan gently placed his hand on Nader's shoulder and looked into his eyes saying: "Don't overthink it, Nader. It's simpler than you imagine and you'll understand soon. Yes, Marwan is the name my father gave me, and yes, that lady was really my mother. But... my mother forgetting me since that day was the best choice for me and for her."

Marwan pulled his hand away and continued seriously: "I haven't been a child since then, and she can't keep worrying about me while I do what I do. I take care of her from afar anyway. Don't misunderstand, I promise I truly consider you my friend, it's just that this burden is too big for me and you."

While they were talking, Youssef was sitting in his seat, staring at Marwan's face in complete silence with sharp looks.

Maryam interrupted this charged moment with her usual practical voice: "I'm sorry to interrupt this moment of blame, but can you answer some basic questions? Why were you watching us? And why did you come out of the ocean now specifically? And why don't you communicate with the world? And who are you anyway?"

Marwan straightened in his seat and answered calmly: "I think any organisation that knew about dangerous biological weapons walking on two legs would have followed you, that's not special. And sorry, I haven't had the chance to properly introduce myself... I am the Supreme Commander of Atlantis Special Forces, and the direct deputy to the Ruler of Atlantis."

A light silence fell in the vehicle after this heavy introduction, so Marwan continued: "The people of Atlantis are an ancient people who decided thousands of years ago to completely isolate themselves from the rest of the world, hoping to return to the surface again at the right time."

Maryam asked with curiosity and caution: "And why is this the (right time)?"

Marwan replied with absolute seriousness on his face: "Because there's a war coming very soon, a war that will completely change the world as you know it. And the Ruler believes this is the right time to return to the world again."

Ali intervened suspiciously: "Are you going to wage war on the world to conquer it?"

Marwan smiled with slight sarcasm and said: "These people lived thousands of years without you, and they'll live longer. We don't care about that and we're not seeking to conquer you. All I can tell you now is the same thing the Ruler told the people... It's the war of the past against the future."

Ali blinked several times then said with fake seriousness: "So... the people of Atlantis aren't a bunch of super-intelligent octopuses?"

Marwan's expression changed and he looked at him stunned: "What... what?"

Then he took a deep breath to regain his calm, pressed a button beside him, and all the chairs leaned back to be more comfortable. He told them: "Let's postpone this conversation now... relax until we reach our destination."

Not much time passed until the vehicle reached its promised destination... Atlantis.

The view from the vehicle windows was breathtaking. Atlantis was an island floating on the water's surface, circular in shape and geometrically organized. In its center stood a huge tower, while the rest of the island's surface was divided into advanced facilities and vast green gardens pleasing to the eye.

But the most noticeable observation was the colors; the dominant color of the entire city - besides the garden greenery - was glowing blue. This blue neon ran through building designs, decorated the streets, and extended in a complex network of glowing blue lines and paths pulsing with energy like the island's arteries.

Several main roads branched from the circular island platform, extending to dive into the ocean waters. Just by looking, one immediately concluded that these extended roads were nothing but huge docks, where dozens of ships and vehicles of various shapes and sizes lined up, waiting for movement orders.

The vehicle docked smoothly at one of the docks extending around Atlantis' edges. As soon as the door opened and their feet touched the dock walkway, they were surprised by an unexpected sight; huge crowds of people lined the sides of the road, cheering enthusiastically, their voices rising as if in a massive national celebration welcoming them.

Marwan looked at them and smiled, saying: "You're heroes here. The King's Gear users have a legendary and very special reputation in Atlantis lands... these people love you, and they're waiting for you to be their support in the coming war."

Then he continued explaining: "I'm not explicitly asking this from you, nor forcing it on you, but I'm just explaining why these people look at you this way and what they expect from you."

Ali's smile widened until it almost split his face, and he started waving at the crowd with excessive enthusiasm as if he were a movie star. He had used his abilities for a long time thinking he was doing good, but this was the first time he truly felt like a real "superhero" as seen in comics, not just a teenager training in secret.

Marwan then led them on an extensive tour to get to know the place, but he warned them at the beginning: "Most people here don't speak Arabic, so it's better not to try communicating with them without a translator to avoid any misunderstanding."

During the tour, the heroes realized that Atlantis wasn't just that circular floating island on the surface. Due to the large population, the city was divided into multiple deep layers extending beneath each other.

The amazing thing was that the deeper they went, expecting darkness or claustrophobia, they found the complete opposite. The ceilings were so high that those standing under them thought they were natural skies, not metal ceilings. Marwan explained that the city relied on advanced devices capturing sunlight from the surface and passing it through huge lenses and paths to shine it underground, allowing residents to enjoy sunlight during the day and darkness at night naturally. Those living in the lower layers felt no noticeable difference from surface dwellers.

After finishing the depth tour, they ascended back to the main tower in the middle of the surface. Marwan explained that this building is the administrative center from which all city affairs were managed.

Marwan took them to one of the luxurious floors and showed them fully equipped rooms, saying, "These are your rooms."

The team exchanged surprised looks, and Sekhmat said with slight sharpness: "Our rooms? We haven't said we're staying here, or that we agree to stay with you from the beginning."

Marwan answered very calmly: "It's entirely up to you, you'll decide in the end. But in any case, these rooms are reserved in your name and open to you whenever you want."

Then Marwan turned to leave, leaving with them an attendant to meet any needs or inquiries. Before leaving, he said: "You're free to wander... any place regular residents are allowed to enter, you're allowed too. Take your time exploring the city, and I'll come back to you shortly to talk."

Ali walked quietly toward the man Marwan left to accompany them and meet their requests, smiling at him: "By the way... can I ask you a small favor?"

The man nodded respectfully and said: "Of course, anything you need."

Ali got closer and whispered his mysterious request in his ear. The man nodded in agreement and said he would fulfill his request as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the team was discussing what had happened to them so far, except Ahmed and Youssef who were completely lost in thought and disconnected from the discussion.

Ali said, leaning on the comfortable couch: "I wish we had come to Atlantis much earlier, I really love this place a lot."

Maryam crossed her arms and said cautiously: "I like the place too, but I feel something's wrong. What's happening is very strange; just a few hours ago we were unknown people to them, expected to be enemies after fighting their leader, and suddenly they appear from nowhere, treating us with all this love and respect as if this place is ours!"

Ali replied with a sarcastic smile: "Do you mean they'll treat us nicely and feed us a lot, then when we gain weight they'll eat us?"

Maryam looked at him with disgust for a moment, then said seriously: "Yes, metaphorically... that's what I mean."

Nader intervened with his quiet voice: "I still want to bet on my old friend."

Here Youssef interrupted them, suddenly getting up from his place and saying with an annoyed tone: "I'm going down to walk around the island alone... you've given me a headache."

Ali got excited about the idea and said: "That's a great idea! There must be many beautiful and strange things we haven't seen yet in this place."

Youssef confirmed he would walk completely alone, and indeed left without taking any attendant. After he left, the rest of the team decided to go down together to explore the city.