It was another hot day of our travel and since I was in the western part, I had to travel a long way to the east. The magic cloth was able to take me until Qishan and I was able to take a great look at Balbadd. The country was restored though in a different way. Kouen and Koumei did an excellent job. The problem was I could still feel a little hostility from the slums.
'It will still take a long time for them to heal, My Queen. They were suddenly colonized after all.' Sitri said. Stolas was curious so Furcas had to tell him the story.
'How interesting.' The healing Djinn commented.
"It was a tough civil war. It must still pained Alibaba but he was trying to move forward again which is a good thing."
'It will not be easy but My Queen and the boy still needs his magi. His power is yet to awaken. Maybe three years from now, he will be able to stand on his own and be a king.' Stolas said. I smiled at that. That will be great if he will be a king in his country. His people will have a just king. Alibaba was someone who didn't judge people easily and it would be better if Aladdin will become his magi. Leaving the past behind, I glanced at the map once more. I would be lost again if I won't pay attention to it. It seemed like we were nearing another city.
'Are you sure you don't want to use full djinn equip and fly there?' Furcas asked. I nodded reluctantly since it looked like it will just be a waste of magoi. I decided to search for a tree (even though most were dead) and stopped to rest my sore feet. Once I found one, I settled down and ate some of my rations. I was about to eat when a thought came to me.
'I'm alone now and maybe I can practice some of my attacks.'
'I thought you didn't want to spend magoi, My Queen?' Stolas slyly said. I could feel a smirk form on his face. Damn.
'Maybe I can spare some! That's all!'
They laughed at me and I figured that maybe I was a little tough on myself. I needed to loosen up a little I guess.
"All right! Here we go! Spirit of Virtue and Arts, use thy magoi and bring forth your household. Embody me, Stolas!" My body was engulfed in light and was now in Stolas' form. A blue flowing dress covered my body but it bared my shoulder and has slit of both side. On my chest was a white satin cloth that extended on both my arms. Last, my head was adorned with rose gold chain. It was the most decent equip I had somehow!
"This is so beautiful. I can't believe out of three, Stolas has the decent djinn equip!"
'Well, you look more stunning in my clothes, My Queen.' Furcas said with a smirk. Even Sitri agreed with him as it shows my assets.
'Assets?'
'Well, you've grown to be a beautiful woman. Your chest has grown and your feminine features are more evident.' Furcas suggested. An irk mark grew on my head and I managed to make the djinn appear before I bonked his head.
'Ow.' Sitri laughed at him but I also threatened her a special punishment. She shivered in fright which made me smirk. I tuned them out and called for Stolas. He taught me how to handle his weapon which by the way was a staff with a moon insignia above. He said that it was mostly for healing but I could also use it in battle. His attribute was life and sound after all.
I was able to perform at least three attacks and was able to use sound as barrier. Next was to heal myself and something. I spotted a dying bird somewhere and I tried to revive it. It was almost unsuccessful but I was able to pull through. When it came to myself, it was a complete failure. I cut my palm and healed it.
"Satas Ashaff." Purple light surrounded my hand but instead of it closing, it worsened! Blood poured out and I quickly fetched my water and rinsed it. Tearing a part of my thin blanket, I wrapped my palm up and sighed.
'That was a failure.'
'That's always a problem, milady. Whenever you use healing magic, you should also mind the amount of magoi you use. For instance, if it is a shallow wound, use only a small amount but if it is not, apply your magoi slowly. It must also not only concentrate at one point but learn to spread it.' Stolas explained. I nodded before trying again. This time, it healed but not fully. It was now a shallow.
"I still need more training but magoi manipulation is a little difficult."
'Isn't Alibaba boy going to Reim for magoi manipulation training?' Sitri asked. Now that she mentioned it, he was. I should have gone with him but there was still some matters I needed to concern myself about.
"I have to find that magi and king though."
'Why the king? I mean, once you visit Kou again, you'll have to face Kouen for another battle.' Furcas said. Stolas even agreed but I told them that he had wild exceptional skills that I wanted to adopt.
'I hope you will not be too wild though, My Queen.'
I laughed before packing my things. I didn't need to practice with Furcas and Sitri since they were the djinns I used frequently. Besides, I just got Stolas so it was good to have a background check on him. I examined the map before moving. It seemed like the next city was called Minotia.
After three hours of traveling, we finally reached the city. It was a port bustling with people. It was wide so to say and I was surprised that it wasn't invaded by any country yet! Just then, I noticed a barrel wiggling.
'Are barrels supposed to move?' I made my way towards it and right before my eyes, was a man clad in green huddling inside the barrel. I was stupefied.
"Mister, what are you doing there?" He looked at me and I saw his striking eyes. They were a shade of pale dark blue. I felt my face go red and I took a step backwards.
"Umm..I..." I sounded like a stuttering fool but I was just shocked with how handsome he was. He stepped out of the barrel and touched my forehead, worry etched on his face.
"Are you alright, Miss?"
"I-I'm alright! I just feel a little hot after traveling in the dessert that's all." He still had this worried look so he took me to a restaurant and ordered foods. I was touched with how gentle he was. It made my heart flutter and I couldn't even understand my djinns' murmurs anymore.
"I'm Yunan and I hope you enjoy your stay in this city."
"Y-Yes! I'm Azami. It's nice to meet you. Are you by any chance, traveling as well, Yunan-san?" He chuckled at me before asking a favor to just call him Yunan. He nodded at my second question.
"I was about to travel back to the Dark Continent when I decided to stop here for a while."
"I see." We ate our foods in content along with some talks here and there. It was refreshing to have someone this nice for once in a while. That was when I felt my bracelet vibrate. I listened to Stolas and he told me that this person in front of me was a magi.
'He is!? Could it be that he's the 'Wandering Magi'!?'
It shook in agreement. I felt see Yunan's eyes trained on me. Guess he sensed my metal vessels. He was a magi and I couldn't hide anything from him anyways.
"You're a magi."
"And you're a king vessel. It's unusual to see a girl hold one." He mused.
I laughed before telling him a bit of my stories. It was fun talking to him and when I mentioned about healing magic, he decided to help me practice it.
"Really!? Is it really fine with you?"
"Yes. I could give you points as well." I thanked him before we moved to a remote area. I stood in the middle and hold out Stolas.
"Spirit of Virtue and Arts, use thy magoi and cover thee with your wisdom. Come forth with your household, Stolas!" I was once again covered in the same dress and I could see that Yunan was surprised with how appropriate my equip was. I smiled before taking out my staff and a knife. I sliced through my palm and concentrated my magoi on the wound.
"Satas Ashaff." It stung which only meant that I failed. Blood flowed out and Yunan stood up to wiped it off. I told him that it was natural though but he still healed it. After a while, he told me that my magoi was too strained and I needed to loosen it up by meditation. He instructed me to sit down and close my eyes. I felt his hand take mine and massage it throughly. It was soothing but I knew that face had gone red again.
'Stop this, Azami! Concentrate.' I took a few deep breaths and do as told. He tasked me to search for a point in my body where my magoi was stronger. It was in my stomach. I tried to control it and was a little successful.
"Now, try to lift it and shape it." I did and it was now contained in a circular manner. "Next, lift it up and let it flow to your staff while you think of spreading them once they're inside the body." It was a little heavy but I managed to do so before transferring it to my staff. Then once it was there, I pointed it to my wounded palm and spread the magic. Stolas let out an amused gasp before telling me that I did it right. I opened my eyes to see them healed. It made me happy and I literally jumped on to Yunan for a hug.
"Thank you, Yunan! Thank you! Yay!" Just then, I noticed just how near our faces were. I jumped out of him and looked away blushing. "Uh...I-I'm sorry about that! Uhm..." I was stuttering too much and I could see that he also had a red tint to his face.
'Oh no! This magi is falling for our Queen~' Stolas teased. Furcas was enraged while Sitri was giggling. My head pained a little with their noise and I was about to talk when Yunan asked me if I wanted to walk towards the market.
"S-Sure! I might as well buy some things! Let's go?" He nodded and without any further ado, we trudged towards the market. They sold a lot of things and I was literally overjoyed. Yunan laughed at my antics but there were times where he would hide in some random barrels which made me laugh.
"Hahaha! Now Yunan, let's go and grab some food! I need to restock." He looked at me with tears in his eyes and I guess he was not used with crowd. The kids even played with his hair which I had to stick up for him. I bought some water, meat, salt (preservation purposes), seasoning, medical supplies and new set of clothes. I gave Yunan a set of cloak to help him when traveling. He accepted it gratefully and that made my heart swell.
Night came and we rented up a room in a tavern. We were sitting on the floor while he was reading. I asked him if I could re-braid his hair and he agreed. His hair was soft as silk.
"How'd you get your hair this soft!? I envy you!"
"Your hair is also soft, Azami." He smiled at me which made me blush. This was a different feeling.
'No! My Queen!'
'Shut up old man! She can fall for him you know~'
'You two...'
Their talk continued to which I blushed. Thank goodness Yunan did not notice it. Once I was done with his hair, we read his book together but I guess I fell asleep.
Yunan's POV
Azami was really interesting. Like Sinbad, she had potential and I heard from Ugo that she was a guardian of some sort. She was kind and beautiful but I fear that her future bore darkness. After reading things about Alma Torran, I felt a weight on my shoulder and saw her sleeping away. I chuckled before carrying her towards the bed.
'She's really light. She needs to eat more.'
I set her down and pulled the blankets up. Her metal vessels vibrated and when I touched them, small versions of her djinn came out. I could feel dark aura seeping from one of her djinn.
"Hello there."
'Thank you for taking care of Our Queen even though she dragged you almost everywhere earlier. I'm Sitri by the way. This is Stolas and the one seething is Furcas.' She said.
I sweat dropped before asking if I did anything wrong. The two laughed while Furcas babbled about me being a potential lover. What? I blushed when I heard that and had to look away.
'Well, we'll be back now. Take care magi.' Stolas said.
'Don't you dare touch her.' Furcas warned. I laughed lightly before taking a look at the young conqueror. She was smiling before I too, decided to sleep.
Azami's POV
I woke up and noticed that Yunan was not here anymore. It saddened me a bit but I noticed his staff near the door. Where is he? Just then, the door opened and there stood a fully clothed Yunan with his hair dripping. I blushed a little but told him that his hair was still dripping wet. I took out a dry cloth in my bag and dried his hair. He blushed but sighed happily.
"Let's go breakfast later. I want some fresh baked bread and milk!" He laughed at me before asking where I was going next.
"I want to visit the Kingdom of Kina. I ought to meet their king after all. They said that he's a wild metal vessel user. Is it true, Yunan?"
"Yes. I also heard of him during my travels. He's a good king though, he just tends to show no manners." I laughed at that and guessed that we were going to work well together.
After we grabbed and ate our breakfast, I asked Yunan if we could spar. He was a little hesitant but I told him that I will be fine.
"Spirit of Lust and Ambiguity, use thy magoi to call upon your power and household. Come forth, Sitri!" I was engulfed in light and my twin daggers appeared in my hands. Yunan was surprised to see my equip and it made me flush but I called out Sitri's power and battled him. I learned that he could use Alchemy and has great magic. He was a tough magi. It ended up with me withdrawing. I was not strong enough yet after all.
"You will have to train more to get use to that power I guess."
"Yeah. It's good to have a battle with you Yunan! Well...I..."
The day continued and we talked about a lot of things. Two days have passed since our last battle and I decided that it was time to leave and travel to Kina.
"Yunan? I... I have to go soon." He smiled before he patting my head. He knew I had to depart soon.
"We'll see each other again as long as the rukh continues to flow."
"I'll be seeing you then. Thank you for teaching me a lot, Yunan." He smiled sadly and I brought myself to hug him. He was warm and comforting.
"I'll try to visit the Dark Continent. Are you going to be there too?" He nodded.
"A certain friend of yours will be seeking the Fanalis and I have to help her soon." It was Morgiana. I grinned at him.
"Please be gentle on her. Thank you again." I threw my cloth upwards before kissing his cheek.
"I-I...S-See you soon, Yunan!" I jumped and flew towards the kingdom's direction at top speed. He was left there with a red face but a gentle smile soon came to his lips.
"You're really something, Azami."
Towards the Kingdom of Kina, I had a hard time finding it. Rumors said that it was a floating island while some said that it was sunk deep below the ocean. I quickly took a turn to the left and examined the area. I had to land somewhere soon since I had been traveling for 3 consecutive days. I was surprised my magoi hadn't depleted yet.
'We need to hurry up My Queen. Your body needs to rest.'
"You're right. Okay. I need to speed up!" The magic cloth sent me skyrocketing and I noticed an island floating. Floating island!? I turned to the right and landed in a discrete part of the area. There was a little security here. I was about to walk towards the river when I noticed a person splashing there. He had a wild hair and his chest was bare! Unfortunately, I stepped on a twig. How unusual. Note the sarcasm.
"Who's there!?" I stepped out and waved at him. He was weirded out by my clothes but I introduced myself to him properly.
"I am Azami and I'm a traveler."
"What are you doing here? You're trespassing to my kingdom you know."
"Your kingdom? Wait. You're the King of Kina!?" He grinned before asking me my intentions. I told him that I wanted to train under him and he was surprised because I was a girl. I begged him to become my teacher; to teach me about strength and magoi.
"Hmm. That is a problem. I have to travel to Artermyra soon and I will be leaving for months." It killed my mood but I thought of another idea.
"Maybe you can train me while we're traveling. Can I please go with you, King of Kina?"
"How can I be sure that you will not kill me?" I guess I have to tell him a little bit about me.
"I am a dungeon conqueror, yes, but I am also a guardian. I will let my djinns tell you that." I touched his arm before thoughts of my djinn and their power slipped to him. He was stunned with my display of power. He nodded before taking me towards his castle. People looked at me in wary but I offered them a soft smile and a wave to the children. The king saw this and laughed at me.
"You sure are something. Not afraid to be apprehend by others."
"Not really. They haven't done anything that I don't like. Plus, I love kids and they maybe naughty but they're still fun to be with."
"You're too nice kid."
"Hahaha! I don't think so. So what are you going to do in Artemyra?"
He told me stories about the Seven Seas Alliance. I spoke of my affiliation with Sinbad. He nodded and explained to me about the trade diplomat between their country. It was amazing to learn this things directly from the king. And isn't he a bit laid-back?
"King of Kina?"
"Takeruhiko Yamato. That's my name."
"Well then Yamato-san? Why are you trusting me so easily?"
"I don't. I'm just telling you this because it's not really important."
I was perplexed with his answer but laughed nonetheless. He was a peculiar one. He saw this and laughed with me as well. We entered the castle and he ordered his men to call Sinbad. Since I told him that I was affiliated with that man, he needed to confirm it. He did and I was glad that Sinbad allowed me to stay here and train under this king.
"I'm surprised that you were able to find him though, Azami. You traveled a lot huh?" Sinbad said.
"I did. I traveled for about 2 months now. Any news from Aladdin and the others?" I asked.
He told me that Aladdin and Setta were the only ones he could contact. Alibaba seemed to be lost somewhere while Morgiana was unreachable. I was a little worried but he assured me not to. After the call, Yamato-san escorted me towards my room. He discussed to me that my training will be a little eccentric.
'Maybe too eccentric.' Sitri commented. The others laughed and I assumed that training will be a pain in the ass. He informed me that he will be going to Artemyra in two weeks which gave me the time to train with him personally after dealing with paperworks and to meet his kingdom.
"I'm glad to be under you King Yamato."
"Stop with the formalities. Come on! Let's train!"
We did. He was tough and I have to say, I learned a lot. His people were nice as well and I was soon dubbed as the 'Mischievous Lady'.
Soon, our travels to Artemyra started. We encountered a lot of sea monsters but we slew them and everyone was overjoyed to do so. I was also able to spar in human form while with his soldiers. They were gruff yet still nice.
"You should turn not using your heel, Azami!"
"Got it!"
I tripped before I regained my footing and continued with my training. With determined eyes, I set my sword on the soldier's spear. It took a lot of strength for me to even defend myself. Guess in my human form, I still needed to train and make myself stronger. I couldn't afford to get left behind after all.
We reached Artemyra in three months and by that time, my hair grew longer and I had to tie it in high ponytail. My clothing also changed to a cream colored dress that reached up to my knees only. Huge two feather ribbon adorned the back of my dress and I smiled at how beautiful it was.
"Thank you, Yamato-san!"
Artemyra was an amazing country. Women were hardworking but I had a slight disagreement with one of the Queen's child. We bet on who's swordplay was powerful. I learned it from the king and soldiers. It was fun and we had a battle. Her name was Aniura but I call her Ani. Our relationship was like water and fire. We disagree on a lot of things but in the end, we get to be friends again. The Queen also thought of me as an enemy but Yamato-san explained every thing to her. I had to wait for two weeks before I could actually go outside and have free access to free spots.
"Ani! Are we going to spar again?"
"Sure!"
Training with them was fun but I had to travel the world within two years. It was almost a year now and I was able to finally get a hold of my three djinns. They knew but they thought that I told Sinbad about having three djinns. Nope. Not gonna happen.
"Alright! Let's floor this down!"
After three months, our diplomatic visit was about to end. It saddened me because I actually had fun for some time. I promised myself to visit them again and that lifted a heavy weight in my shoulder.
"Azami! We're going to return soon! Pack your things!" Daidura, one of Kina's soldier, said. Yamato-san had two soldiers with him and are pretty loyal. The other one was Kimura. I nodded before doing so. I wrote a letter to Aniura and the Queen, thanking them for their time. And finally, the day came and we departed back to Kina.
"I'll see you soon, Aniura!"
"You better visit me okay!?"
"Got it!"
In two months, we reached Kina and I told Yamato-san that I will be traveling again. He cried for me not to go. His snoot was running that I had to get my handkerchief and wipe it. The others laughed at him and I glared at them playfully.
"Good luck, Azami-san!"
"Don't leave me guys!"
"Don't leave my country, Azami!"
"Eh? But I have to Yamato-san. I promised a friend of mine that I will visit him, get stronger and establish strong connections elsewhere."
He pouted and let go of me. He helped me fix my traveling bags before I depart tomorrow. It was fun to say the least but I had to go soon.
'This will be my last sleep in this bed huh?'
'Yes. Now get some rest, My Queen.' Stolas reminded me. I closed my eyes and hoped for a good sleep.
=END=