As the sun sank beneath the dark horizon, King Ardashir’s heart was weighed down with deep anxiety following his bitter defeat against the formidable Worm of Haftvad. Withdrawing his battered forces from the water's edge, he spurred his horse toward Pars. Yet the enemy pursued relentlessly, cutting down his renowned champions and crying out in triumph, exolting the glory of Haftvad's monstrous beast. Terrified and lone, Ardashir galloped across valleys and steep slopes until he reached a great city.
At the entrance of a quiet dwelling, he encountered two noble young brothers standing by the door. Seeing a dust-covered, distraught rider in the late hour, they asked who he was and whence he fled. Concealing his true title, Ardashir replied that the King had fled from the wicked army of Haftvad and the demonic Worm, leaving his followers behind in utter disarray. Moved to deep sorrow upon hearing of the King's plight, the youths at once helped him dismount, welcomed him into their house, and prepared a lavish banquet.
As they served him, the two brothers offered profound words of comfort: 'Neither sorrow nor joy endures forever in this fleeting world. Consider the fate of the tyrant Zahhak, the malevolent Afrasiab, and Alexander the conqueror—they all passed away, leaving behind only evil names. So too shall Haftvad meet his ruin.' Reassured by their wisdom, Ardashir revealed his true lineage: 'I am Ardashir, son of Sasan! Give me your counsel, for how can we overcome Haftvad and his beast?' The brothers bowed in homage and revealed the secret of the enemy's strength: the Worm was no ordinary creature, but an Ahrimanic, blood-spilling demon roosting in a high mountain fortress flanked by the sea.
Emboldened by their counsel and taking the two youths as his trusted guides, Ardashir rode to Khurrah-i Ardashir, where his dispersed army and wise counselors rallied around him once more. Rested and reinvigorated, the King led his host toward Jahrom to punish the rebellious traitor, Mehrak Nushzad. Though Mehrak tried to hide, Ardashir captured him, struck off his head with an Indian blade, threw his headless corpse into the flames, and put his entire lineage to the sword—sparing only one hidden daughter who managed to vanish into secrecy.