I jumped almost instantly when we landed nearby, the Lightning dragon gently placed Nya on the ground, "You okay, Nya?" I asked her, helping her up and making sure she didn't need medical attention.
"Y-Yeah..Thanks, girlfriend." She thanked me, "No problem," I replied.
Sora woke up from being knocked out after hitting the rocks from before with the help of Riyu beside her. She sat up as Riyu nudged her, happy she was okay.
"Yeah...you saved us." Nya looked at the dragons, giving her utmost thanks to them.
"Thank you, dear friend. It was very courageous of you," I rubbed the Earth Dragon's nose in thanks, and he growled in satisfaction.
"Where are we?" Sora asked, holding her head.
The dragons entered the cave we landed before, Riyu also, "Guess we're supposed to follow...?" Nya asked the three of us following the dragons.
"This is...cozy..." I mumbled, seeing the inside of the cave being used as a 'cozy home'.
"What are we doing here?" Sora asked before being startled by another voice.
"Yes! What are you doing here?! You dare invade the sanctum of mighty Arrakore of the Djinn?" The voice said, Nya and I immediately went battle mode to protect Sora, "Trespassers will feel the full might of my unstoppable magic as it presses down upon--Augh!" The Djinn hit his head on a rock when he started to ascend to show himself.
"Zanth...?" The Djinn asked as Sora the dragon went to lick the magical being who laughed at the affection, "S-Stop it! You know I'm ticklish!"
"Why did you call her Zanth?" Sora asked, "Well, that's her name, duh. You travel by dragon and you don't know her name? Rude. I sent someone from my realm nearby but I assumed it was my imagination. You sensed me too, I presume." The Djinn sassed at my student before smiling back at the dragon.
He looks down to see Riyu looking at him in interest, "Oh, and who is this? You certainly have a special energy about you, little one." The wish maker smiled, petting Riyu, "Are these name not knowing, two legged-people also with you?" his smile vanished when he saw us.
We took off our hoods just in case, to not raise suspicion, "You can stop staring, I am real. The last Djinn. Would've cleaned up if I knew I was gonna have company but uh...nah...wouldn't have cleaned anything actually," the Djinn picked up a can before throwing it away, floating towards his couch and cleaning up a bit.
"I thought Djinnjago was destroyed," Nya said.
"It was. However, I was on a long quest, in another realm when it happened. Upon my return, there was nothing left of my homeland. Except this grain of sand. It is all that remains of the once great Noble Djinnjago. Well...Except me." The Djinn spoke, showing us the last grain of sand of the realm.
Sora growled and nudged the magical being who petted her nose, "And now you, Zanth. You must've been in another realm like me. DJinngagian Dragons could always travel to other realms."
Sora walked around the home of the last Djinn, "So, you've been alone this whole time?" She asked the being.
"Does this look like a place that gets a lot of visitors? I started that puzzle but figured...Hm, what's the point...? No one's ever going to see it. That stack of laundry has been there for years now..." The Djinn grumbled in laziness.
"Okay...Disgusting...Come on Riyu...Let's go over here." I pinched my nose before getting Riyu away from the stench.
Sora picked up the painting, "You should at least hang up some of these pictures. To make this place feel like home."
The Djinn only shrugged her off, "For what? So I can impress the rocks in this cave?" Xanth started to growl at the entrance of the cave making Djinn notice something upon her call.
"What? Howlers, are you sure? Of course, this would happen to me just my luck..." The Djinn asked the dragon before grumbling under his breath.
"What's just your luck?" Sora said, "Let me see your hands." The Djinn groaned when seeing our markings.
"Oh, don't tell me you attempted to use Seeker Stones without the proper guidance?" The Djinn asked angrily making Nya nervously answer his question, "Um...possibly?"
Nya gave me a look, "I know. I won't say it. Oh, who am I kidding?! I love saying it! I told you so!" I scolded my friend.
The Djinn groaned in anger, "But Nothing happened. The stones didn't work." Sora told the magical being who only crossed one set of his arms.
"Oh, they worked alright. Worked to cursing you!" The being told us.
"Is that what those weird things that attack us were all about? A curse?" Sora walked up to the Djinn.
"They're called Hwolers, they're a curse from the misuse of Djinn items. They can only be defeated with Djinn wish magic," the being explained.
"Then good thing Sora-urm, Xanth brought us here, wish magic is your whole thing, right?" Sora asked.
The Djinn only held a solemn face, he shook his head, "Used to be my 'thing'. But our realm was the source of our magic. Without Djinnjago, all of my wish magic is gone!"
"You threaten to use magic on us like literally a minute ago." Nya had a sassy look while crossing her arms. Recalling the encounter.
The Djinn waved it off, "Oh, just a bluff. I'm powerless. I was once a great hero, saving lives and now I can't motivate myself to take a bath. Ew..." He sniffed his armpit and gagged at his smelly self.
"Riyu, please come back here. That's not sanitary..." I advised like a mother would to their children.
"Ew..." Sora backed up, holding her nose.
"Since when did you know how to be so motherly?" Nya teased me as I only shrugged, "Eh, when you have a younger sibling or have friends that don't act their age, you pick up some tricks."
"Well," Nya held her head before trying to explain the Djinn of our conquest, "we're miles away from the Howlers now. What are the chances we'll ever run into them again?" Nya asked.
"Probably 100% since we have the markings on our right hands." I stated, "She's right." The Djinn spoke up, making Sora and Nya gasp.
The Djinn only sighed in disappointment, "Do I need to explain what a curse means? The Howlers will hunt you to the ends of the known realms and beyond. They'll never stop until they drain the energy of those who've been cursed. And all the living things they're with."
Hearing that got all of us to worry, I pat Riyu's head as he whimpered in fear, "Don't worry. We'll figure something out. It's not the first time I've been drained by an enemy with my life on the line! I've got experience."
"Why is she saying that so proudly like it's nothing?!" Sora asked in utter disbelief to Nya, "Eh. She's always been like this. Don't mind it, she's just trying to cheer Riyu up."
"Even you, special one. And now you've cursed me by coming here." The Djinn looked at Riyu before facing us.
"Okay...So It's a little worse than I thought." Nya admitted.
Sora raised her hands in sheer disappointment in herself, "Didn't I tell you I was a black cloud, Nya, Sensei?" Our markings started to glow again, "This can't be good, right?"
Nya looked at her marking before taking out a Seeker Stone that had the eye, "What is the weird eye for? Do you know what that means?" Sora asked.
"It means, they've found us." The Djinn answered before hiding behind a rock when hearing the Howlers.
"If they ask, I'm not here." The Djinn popped its head out of his hiding spot before going back to hide.
"Welp. We're doing this the old-fashioned way! Ninja style, girls!" I told the group, putting my hood on with Nya and Sora.
"It's time to shut these Howlers up for good!" Nya went to do Spinjitzu with me but we got hit away.
Sora was blasted away by a supersonic attack, landing right beside the hiding Djinn. The Lightning dragon was able to electrocute one of the Howlers away while Xanth used her mouth to throw the other away.
"Why aren't you fighting? You're the only one who knows how to beat these things!" Sora asked.
"You're only postponing your loss. Just quit. It's so easy." The Djinn waved her off.
"Then you've never met a Ninja. They won't shut up about not quitting!" Sora sassed the being before going to kick the Howler that tried to get Riyu.
"Don't you dare!" Her kick wasn't enough as the Howler recovered and threw her on the couch.
Nya went first to try her luck but the Howler saw her coming and hit her in the gut, getting the Water Ninja on the couch with my student.
"Alright! That's enough!" I started, taking out my spear and going to attack the Howlers.
"These things are unstoppable!" Nya pointed out, holding her head in pain.
"And that Djinn guy REFUSES to help! What a downer!" Sora laid on the couch, "'You can never win. Why even try?!"
Nya only raised her eyebrow at her, "Wait...I don't sound like that do I?" The student asked making Nya shake her head, "No comment."
Riyu was hit and fell right in front of the girls, making Sora angry and join me back in battle. Nya stayed back to tend to Riyu.
I grunted when one Howler used its supersonic attack on me while the other hit me in my stomach away, "Urgh!" I fell near the Earth Dragon who roared in anger when seeing me in pain.
"Thanks, Rocky..." I thanked the dragon, holding my head after getting rid of the dizzy spell.
Rocky let out some steam in acknowledgement of my thanks, "Go all out!" I nodded to the dragon who went to help and got the Howlers away from Sora and Nya.
"How? Haven't I made it more clear that I am powerless?!" The Djinn reminded Xath.
"No one is ever powerless!" Nya grunted, using her Spinjitzu to push back the Howler.
The grain of sand started to glow inside the bottle attached to the D'Jin's neck, "What...? What is happening?"
"I think I know. Hope." Sora answered.
The Djinn turned to her in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"Your magic is based on wishes, right? Well, hope is like a wish. A wish if you try hard enough things will work out. We're not giving up, and our hope to stop these things is bringing back your land!" Sora explained further.
"That's preposterous!" The Djinn replied, as Sora stood up and went to throw rocks at a nearby Howler, "Is it?" She asked.
The grain of sand getting bigger making the Djinn now understand, "You may be right...I lost my land, I lost all hope. Hope is what I needed most!" The Djinn finally realized.
Sora was now on the ground after getting her butt handed to her by a Howler, "Cool...! So now will you help us?"
The dragons were pushed back by the loud supersonic attack from the Howlers, "Rocky!" I yelled in worry before I was hit too.
"Wish it!" The Djinn turned to Sora who was confused, "My magic works on wishes. I need you to wish for me to help."
"Uh...Okay! I wish for you to help us kick these Howlers in their butts!" Sora wished, her hopeful wish making the grain of sand get even bigger as it broke free from the bottle, now directly attached to the necklace of the Djinn.
"Your wish is yours to keep!" The Djinn now had swords in each of his four hands, "For the glory of the Djinn!" He yelled going to fight off the Howlers.
"Come on!" Nya told us, the three of us worked together to kick a Howler.
"Now, Master of Hope, wish for them to be gone!" The being told us.
"I wish for the Howlers to be gone!" Nya yelled, "Permanently, please!" I added.
"Your wish is yours to keep." The D'Jin finally took down the Howlers.
"Way to go Arrakore!" Sora cheered before we heard a thud making us see Arrakore who passed out from using his magic after a long time of not being able to use it.
"I'm not carrying him." I said, Nya and Sora gave me looks as I sighed.
"Oh, right...Telekinesis...I just HAD to have that ability..." I grumbled under my breath, lifting the Djinn onto his couch for him to rest.
"Well, I guess a certain 'special someone's' sass has been rubbing off of you~" Nya teased, getting me to stop in my tracks.
"Girl, you did NOT just do that..." I crossed my arms, facing Nya who chuckled, "I did!"
Sora was seen putting the pictures Arrakore had lying around, and also tidied up the table. (I told her to NOT touch the laundry as it is a safety hazard.)
"Care to tell me who's this 'special person' Sensei keeps getting teased about? I want in on the joke! Is it the supposed person who captured her heart?" Sora asked, wanting to know more about my love life.
Nya smirked, I only glared at her to not spill the beans, "Well~ let's just put it in a way that the 'special someone' is the only one other than Lloyd that can properly scold (Y/N)." Nya told my student who marvelled at the information.
"What?! There's someone out there that can do that?! I gotta meet them!" Sora smiled, turning to me, I rubbed my head in embarrassment, "Who are they?!"
"W-well, for starters, he is beyond attractive~ is SUPER strong, can be quite funny at most times which makes me like-no love him more. And he's just so-" I rambled before Arrakore woke up in a tidy home.
'Phew...! Just in time too...! I almost spilled the beans...' I thought, Sora huffed, "Aw! I was so close!" She crossed her arms.
"Haha! Don't worry, you're getting there, detective. You're past guesses are better than most. Then again, I am quite secretive about my personal life." I patted Sora's shoulder.
"Secretive? As in rambling about Earth Boy every episode of the season?" Nya teased with a smirk.
"Hey! Not every episode. Only most when brought up. Plus, how can I resist talking about him?" I smiled.
"We won, right...? I remember us winning..." Arrakore grumbled, shaking his head.
"We did! Thanks to you." Nya smiled at the magical being.
"I haven't been able to use wish magic in a long time. This is the first time I felt like a true Djinn since my land was destroyed." The Djinn spoke, sadly recalling the tragedy of his home.
"It's a little less destroyed now." Sora smiled, pointing to the large quantity of sand.
Arrakore smiled when he saw the grain of sand around his neck in the form of a necklace, get larger, "It's gotten so big already."
"With enough time, and enough wish magic, you can probably bring your entire land back," Nya told him with a smile.
I nodded with her, "With also getting your people back to the rightful Djinngago!"
The Djinn smiled and picked up the last piece of his puzzle and completed it, "I never dreamed any of this could happen. I can never repay you for what you've brought me. But, there may be a little something I can do." Arrakore smiled before looking at us.
"You were using the Seeker Stones, because you wish to find something correct? Maybe, I can help you with that." Arrakore offered us help.
We all smiled and let him help us happily, "We're listening Arrakore!" I smiled at him.