Magi: Hiraeth

41: Resurfacing Darkness

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"There is someone with dark rukhs in the palace.." Sinbad muttered to himself as he walks through the halls in a hurry to find that person.

Meanwhile in the other side of the palace...

"Yam-san, I need to go! There is something bad happening right now!" Aladdin hurriedly left the library where Yamuraiha and him were chatting in.

"Wait! I'll come to!"

Aladdin sense the foreboding feeling of darkess and it was close. Too close.

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"Third sword stance, Sakura!" She charged with an attack that is continuous yet has a smooth flow lf the sword strike. As if slicing falling petals off a tree continuously without pulling back. Alibaba was able to counter all of it but with the magoi enveloping it, it became somewhat of a short whip that striked Alibaba again when it extended from the sword.

It was a marvelous play on a sword. Sharrkan can't help but smile proudly seeing it again. It has been so long since he had last seen it. It gave him quite a hard time but he was able to succesfully defeat Aoren twice when they fought with it.

"Alibaba..do you want to test out your djiin equip? Aini is still unresponsive." She suddenly suggested as they continue to attack and block.

"Yes!" He jumped back before conjuring his djiin. "Dwell in me, Amon!"

"That's it, Alibaba! Aini, Come forth!" She ran to the edge of the tower before jumping out the ledge. She equipped her djiin mid-air before shooting up to the skies.

Sinbad and Aladdin arrived at the same time soon after the two flame metal vessel users are in the skies.

"Sharrkan! There is someone with dark rukhs in this area! Have you seen anyone suspi--" Sinbad said as soon as he arrived but he cut himself mid sentence when he noticed Yukiko up in the air in Aini's djiin equip.

"There!" Aladdin pointed up in the air as soon as he saw where the dark rukhs flew to.

"But that is Yukiko-sama with Alibaba!" Yamuraiha stated as she looks up.

Up in the air, Yukiko can clearly see the beauty of the southern island country. The golden colored mud houses than shines under the sun and the deep blue colored sea surrounding it, giving its blessings.

Just then, she sensed the whole right side of her body throbbing in pain. She noticed her veins appearing on her skin and she can feel the blindness in her right eye.

"No..No..No! NO!" she desperately tries to rid herself of the darkness slowly eating her inside but it only grew.

"My king! What are you doing?! You shouldn't have used me! Dark rukhs tried to take over me and I needed the others help to supress it!"

"Aini, I'm sorry.." she cried as she watches her sword slowly grow dark. Realizing what she had done, she fell helpless.

"I..I fell..into the darkness you tried so hard to keep me away from.." her tears now streaming down her cheeks. She finally remembered what had happened to her in Magnostadt.

"What are you saying, my king? You didn't wished for it entirely! You had no choice but to use that!" Argued the water djiin Procel.

"Procel is right. You need not worry of such thing. You dispelled it once, you can dispell it once more!" Gusion reassured her.

"No, I can't anymore.." she replied as she realizes what is happening to her now.

"I..am a failure as a king.."

The pain was pounding on her body and was growing to be even more painful as seconds pass by. She screamed in pain as something dark was clawing its way to her head. A dreaded voice laughing inside her mind, along with a mocking sentence:

Ren Kouen is just fooling you, my dear Yukiko~ Just like what Sinbad did to you~ Your people still confined to the shackles of slavery because of the man you chose to love. How much more pathetic can you be~?

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD, XERXES!" she yelled in pain as she pulls on her hair. Her djiin equip flickering off her body; dark rukhs are entering it as the dark mage's voice continues to laugh mockingly inside her head.

Then the once beautiful view of the island country from up in the air before her eyes turned black. Her body now falling from the sky.

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Alibaba can only see her back as he fly towards her. He noticed that she was writhing in pain.

"Yukiko-san! Are you all right?!" He yelled, worried. His eyes widened in shock when he saw her body go limp and fall from the sky; her djiin equip gone.

But before he can even reach her, a person zooms on over and embraced Yukiko, concealing her from Alibaba's view.

It was Sinbad in Valefor's djiin equip.

"Yukiko..It's me, Sinbad." He whispered to her as he cradles her in his arms. He brushed her hair to the side and saw that reoccuring regret of his. That sight that haunts him even in his sleep.

Yukiko's body was blighted once again and it was worse than before.

"..Sin..bad...Sin? Is that you?" She called out as she reaches out her hand to him; glazed over eyes looking at nothingness. He grabbed hold of it and nodded vigorously as he reassures her that she is going to be fine.

Yukiko on the other hand felt like she is falling continuously in a dark place filled with nothingness. Light slowly being further away from her reach until she heard Sinbad's voice. She immediately grabbed onto it and she was suddely pulled out of the darkness.

When she opened her eyes, she can clearly see Sinbad's amber eyes full of genuine worry. The bright blue sky behind his back. He embraced her tightly as soon as he saw that she was herself again.

"You'll be fine. Don't worry, you'll be fine.." he touched her cheek giving her a small smile even if his eyes were still filled with worry.

"I'm sorry, Yukiko..I'm sorry.."

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