In the Persian Market: The Roar of an Empire

Episode Twenty-Four: Requiem of the Sandstorm, Terror of the Unseen Enemy

1. A Prison of Zero Visibility

The sun vanished, and the world was swallowed by an ochre-colored void.

A violent sandstorm—a haboob—erased the outlines of men and horses alike. With visibility reduced to mere meters, all that remained were the wind’s savage roar and the brief, distant screams of those meeting their end.

“…Don’t break formation! Grab the hem of the man beside you!”

Cyrus shouted through the cloth wrapped around his mouth.

The Market Army had linked themselves together with the “lifelines” Danesh devised—old hemp ropes once used in the market—preventing them from being scattered across the sea of sand.

By contrast, the once-disciplined Macedonian army was torn apart by this unpredictable force of nature. In the blinding darkness, they mistook comrades for enemies and began cutting one another down.

2. Shahab’s Ears and Sound

In this battlefield of blindness, the only true “eyes” belonged to Shahab’s sharpened hearing.

He slipped the sound of his flute into the wind, sending signals only his allies could understand.

—Three steps left. Stay low.

—Heavy infantry approaching from the right.

“…Found them. The outer edge of the Great King’s ‘shadow.’”

Moving through gaps in the wind, Shahab emerged behind confused Macedonian soldiers like a reaper, silently harvesting lives.

“The people of the market are used to the dark,” he muttered.

“This isn’t your nobles’ kind of war. The rules are different.”

3. Inaz’s Wisdom: A Path of Scent

“Everyone—follow this smell!”

Inaz released into the wind the most pungent and distinctive spice blend she had ever created.

With sight rendered useless, the people of the market navigated by scent, locating both themselves and their rally points.

“Cinnamon and clove—that’s the smell of our home!”

The memories of the five senses, cultivated in the marketplace, surpassed any Macedonian military manual, becoming the ultimate form of navigation.

4. Nirfar’s Prayer Without Light

Fighting the wind, Nirfar clung to the neck of her white horse.

Around her gathered wounded warriors of the Bahar tribe.

“Your Majesty… this is our limit. Are we just going to wait to be buried alive?”

“No,” she answered softly.

“This storm is our ally. Alexander the Great is not omniscient. In this darkness, he too must be afraid—no different from any other human.”

She began to sing.

It was not a song of victory, but a gentle lullaby once hummed at dusk in the old market, when merchants closed their shops and returned home.

Her voice pierced the howling sand, anchoring the souls of warriors on the brink of despair.

5. A Monster Smiling in the Dark

At the center of the Macedonian forces, Alexander dismounted from Bucephalus, raising his shield like a roof as he calmly endured the storm.

“…Intriguing. Someone is trying to use this storm.”

The wound carved into his cheek in Episode Nineteen still burned red.

From the darkness, he clearly sensed the drifting scent of spices—and the faint echo of a woman’s song.

“Cyrus. Nirfar. Would you turn even the wrath of the gods into a ‘market device’?”

Drawing his sword, Alexander ran his fingers along its cold edge.

“Very well. Show me how this device ends.

When the storm clears, will it be your kingdom that remains—or my glory, greater still?”

6. The Signal of the Final Clash

As the sandstorm reached its fiercest vortex,

Cyrus issued his final command into the darkness.

“…All right, you bastards—ready yourselves!

The storm’s eye is coming. That moment is our final deal—the ambush where we wager everything we own!”

Just as planned: the climax—the full-scale assault using the sandstorm itself.

The curtain rose on the decisive strike.