Magi: The Tale of Faith and Hope

The Black Rukh's Djinn

Alibaba stood with his sword held next to Cassim's neck. Hope kept an eye on his followers to make sure they didn't get any ideas about trying to free him.

"Prince Alibaba has completely suppressed the enemy inside the royal palace!" one of the guards cheered.

"!" Sinbad said, watching them. He stared at Hope. 'She jumped down just like that... How strong is she in that incomplete state?' he wondered. 'And Alibaba successfully materialized his Djinn Equip weapon! Of course, unless that man withdraws his troops, there's no way to end this rebellion...'

"..." Cassim was kneeling on the ground with his eyes cast in shadow. "Alibaba, I'm not going to do something like withdraw my troops," he said, slowly standing up. He took a step closer to Amon's sword. "If you want them to withdraw... I would rather die!"

"!" Alibaba was startled.

"I've decided this long ago; you should've also been prepared," Cassim told him.

"..." Alibaba furrowed his brow deeper and sweat slid down his face. He was appalled.

"So, do it. Do it," Cassim said, stepping forward. "Do it!" He stepped forward again so that the skin on his neck sizzled and burned from the heat on the edge of Amon's blade. "I'm telling you to kill me, Alibaba!!" he shouted.

"Cassim... you!" Alibaba said, gritting his teeth.

"Although he's been captured, he still won't pull out his troops," said one of the palace guards watching.

"Then there's no benefit to stopping him. At least by killing their leader, the morale of his men will break...!" another said. Hope frowned.

"Or you'll turn him into a martyr and make them more determined than ever," she said. She didn't want Alibaba to have to kill his friend—she didn't think he would ever forgive himself if he did—and she wanted to stop the fighting with as few casualties as possible.

"Killing him is the only way! If he kills him, it'll all be over!" the second guard argued.

"Ku..." Alibaba gritted his teeth harder. Cassim stared at him with a grim determination, refusing to back down. "Ku..." What should he do? "Ku..." Could he kill Cassim for the sake of the country? Would the fighting really stop, or would it be like Hope said? The longer he took to decide the more people were getting hurt and dying. "Damn it!" he cursed, drawing back his sword to strike.

"Alibaba!" Hope exclaimed, but he was already undoing his Djinn Equip, and his knife swung harmlessly past Cassim's neck as he attacked, not even leaving a single scratch. Cassim looked back over his shoulder at him with wide eyes. Alibaba fell to his knees and stabbed the ground with his knife.

"As if I could do that, you idiot!" he told Cassim, on the verge of tears. "Cassim...! Withdraw your troops!" he pleaded, turning around to face him with tears in his eyes. "If we stop right now, the rebellion will end! Then, who knows how you will be treated, so..." Alibaba was trembling, desperate. Desperate to save both his friend and his country. "So!"

"... You're really soft..." Cassim told him with the hint of a wry smile. He leaned down a little to put his hand on Alibaba's shoulder. "You think so too, right?"

"Any coward can kill. It takes courage to save a life," Hope said sternly, frowning at him. Alibaba looked up at her. Cassim glanced at her, looking slightly surprised. Cassim laughed.

"Heh. Heh-heh! I could never be like that. See ya..." he said and took his hand off Alibaba's shoulder and kept walking. The palace guards and soldiers immediately swarmed around him, stopping Cassim in his tracks. They had him trapped with their spears.