Magi: The Tale of Faith and Hope

Zagan Appears

"That white animal really surprised me," Aladdin said.

"Hakuryuu, you look pale," Alibaba observed. "Are you alright?"

"Did it hurt you?" Hope asked.

"Morgiana saved him, so I wouldn't think so," said Faith.

"... I'm alright," Hakuryuu said, still trembling a little.

"Morg, are you alright too?" Aladdin asked.

"Yes. That monster's claws just grazed me," Morgiana replied calmly.

"It doesn't look too bad, but let's treat it before we move on," Hope said, and she and Alibaba started looking through the bags for bandages.

"Um... Lady Morgiana, I'm sorry. It was my fault," Hakuryuu said with regret. "And also, I won't hold you two back next time!" he added to Alibaba and Aladdin. He felt bad. The twins hadn't done anything either, but at least they had been able to move out of the way.

"Don't worry about it," Morgiana told him. "It was really nothing."

"Hakuryuu, you are too serious!" Alibaba told him with a smile.

"..." Hakuryuu didn't feel any better.

"Kyaah!" they heard a faint echo that sounded like a screaming.

"?" Aladdin and Faith said.

"Did someone just scream?" Hope asked, furrowing her brow.

"What is it? Is it from the first room?" Alibaba asked as they ran back the way they came, following the sound of the scream. Aladdin and Alibaba made it out first. They could see someone small fighting the sunflowers and other creatures.

"!?" Aladdin gasped.

"Eh!? Why is that kid here!?" Alibaba exclaimed. It was the chief's granddaughter! She had a knife clutched in her hands, but the creatures had hold of her legs.

"Ah!" Hope gasped when she saw. She quickly pushed past the boys and rushed over to intervene. "Put down the knife! You're scaring them!" Hope called.

"I'm scaring them!!?" the girl said incredulously in the Torran language with tears streaming down her face. She was terrified. Hope waded into the fight and grabbed the girl, picking her up off of the ground. The creatures were so startled by her sudden appearance that they let go. Hope set the girl down and stood in front of her.

"Go home!" Hope told the creatures. "We're not going to hurt you, so go home." Alibaba and Morgiana hurried forward to help Hope clear up the misunderstanding. Aladdin, Faith, and Hakuryuu stayed with the girl.

"I told you not to follow us!!" Hakuryuu scolded her.

"Huh? Did you know about this?" Faith asked him.

—∞—

One explanation later...

"I see... you entered here to help your mother and your father," Aladdin said, once Hakuryuu had told them the whole story.

"... Sorry about this, it is my fault. I should have stopped her with more force... to think that she would be dragged into this as well," Hakuryuu said, feeling guilty.

"Don't feel that down, ok?" Aladdin told him.

"Sorry," Hakuryuu said glumly.

"..." Alibaba stared at him with a closed-eye smile. "How should I say it..." He put his hand on Hakuryuu's shoulder. "You are quite a pain in the ass for someone so serious, do you know that?"