The Blood-Drinking King of the New Moon
š Page One: The Golden Kingdom
Once there was a vast and prosperous empire.
Fields of emerald crops stretched beyond the horizon, blue rivers shimmered beneath the sun, date groves swayed in the wind, and marketplaces buzzed with cheerful voices.
The King was just and wise. The Queen was gentle and kind. With their four princesses and one prince, the royal palace overflowed with laughter and warmth.
Every evening, the melody of the sitar floated through the palace courtyard.
The poor were given food and clothing.
The people would proudly say:
"In this kingdom, injustice cannot survive."
It was a land of peace, joy, and harmony.
But no one knewāfar above, in the silent sky, a cursed darkness was gathering.
š Page Two: The Arrival of the Dark Guest
It was the night of the new moon.
Suddenly, the sky turned pitch black. A violent storm broke loose. Lightning slashed across the heavens. Rain poured down in torrents. Trees were torn from the earth.
On that very night, a knock echoed at the palace gates.
An old man stood there.
His hair was white, but his eyes glowed with an unnatural light.
In a trembling voice, he said,
"Grant me shelter."
The compassionate guards allowed him inside, and the King welcomed him as a guest.
Yet in the old man's eyes flickered a reddish gleamā
a detail no one noticed.
Late that night, a faint cry was heard from one of the palace chambersā¦
The next morning, a princess was found lying pale and lifeless.
The old man's lips curled into a strange smile of satisfaction.
And his wrinkled skin seemed slightly tighter than beforeā¦
š Page Three: The Feast of Blood
With every new moon, it happened again.
One by one, someone vanished.
The old man's hair began to darken. His back straightened. Youth returned to his face.
But his eyesā
they burned like fire.
One night, a maid saw the truth.
Not an old manā
but a monstrous creature with long fangs, drinking blood in the shadows.
Before she could scream, his hand crushed her throat.
The scent of blood thickened the palace air.
Within months, the King, the Queen, and the Princeāall were gone.
And the old man?
He now stood young, strong, and handsome.
He declared himself the Emperor of Seven Realms.
The people believed him to be a miraculous ruler.
But every night, muffled sobs drifted from the palace halls.
š Page Four: The Dervish Appears
On the edge of the kingdom, beside a humble mosque, lived a wandering dervish.
He knew this was no ordinary fate.
On the eve of the new moon, he immersed himself in prayer.
Suddenly, a voice echoed within his heart:
"The time has come for truth to rise."
That dreadful night, he stood before the palace.
Inside, the false king prepared for his next victim.
Then the dervish raised his voice in the name of Allah.
Lightning split the sky.
The king's body trembled violently.
His handsome face began to melt.
His skin tore apart, revealing his true formā
A black demon, with long fangs and a blood-stained tongue.
He screamed:
"Stop! My power is fading!"
But the dervish continued his prayers.
š Page Five: The Tragic End
The storm grew fiercer.
The earth cracked open, flames rising from its depths.
The demon collapsed to the ground.
His body shriveled into a skeleton.
With one final, horrifying scream, he crumbled into dust.
His shadowy soldiers turned to ash and vanished into the wind.
Dawn arrived.
Sunlight bathed the palace in silent peace once more.
The people understoodā
the tyrant had fallen.
Even today, along the desert paths of Iraq, shepherds tending their camels and sheep tell this tale.
Children listen from their mothers' armsā
to the story of the Blood-Drinking King's terrifying rise and sorrowful fall.
And people remember: