The Great Rift (South Coast)
Northern Tip of the Dark Continent
3rd POV
"I've come for Aladdin." A feminine figure descended down to meet eye-to-eye with the Guardian of the Rift. Yunan simply stared at her.
"Aladdin is here on the Dark Continent. So is Azami and you're in my way, Yunan. Thanks to your tricks, the Dark Continent became a dark maze with no way out. It took me a while to break through it." Arba confessed. She shifted her staff and asked.
"Why do you stand in my way?" She asked. Yunan simply chuckled at the obvious question.
"Because I am the Guardian of the Rift."
"Really? All I see is an empty shell that lived on after choosing his king." She taunted. Yunan didn't fall for that instead he retorted back.
"Aren't you the same? We're past by our sell-by dates. Aren't you also a magi of the past, Arba? Why do you continue to group yourself with the children?" He gave her a smug smile. Arba frowned and looked at him deadly in the eyes.
"Even now, I can hear its words. I won't listen to a puppet of Solomon."
"Huh? I'm no puppet. I chose Sinbad on my own free will so I won't lose to you." Suddenly, the rukh around them flared up and it signaled the start of a fierce battle.
"Borg Al-Samm!!" Arba's borg turned from defensive to offensive and attacked Yunan. He moved out of the way and formed a strong barrier using alchemy.
"Al Kimia Al Qadima." Arba seemed amused with the display of power. She gathered strength magic in her staff and destroyed his barrier. She was about to hit him but he disappeared in the nick of time before appearing behind her to attack.
"So fast... am I becoming slower?" That was when she noticed the force binding her. She quickly dispersed it.
"What feeble abilities!" He was blown away by the force from the binding. Arba mocked his power and told him that his fangs were wearing out. He skid to a stop with clothes torn, bloodied hands and scratches on his face. He stood up and lightning bolts appeared.
"You think my fangs have grown dull? Let me show you." Bolts were now in his hands. Arba looked a little confused with the display of power. He released it and the lightning went directly to her. Unfortunately, she manipulated her borg and punched the spell away.
"Dazzling blue lightning?! It doesn't suit you, Yunan!"
"That's right! This isn't my original technique. I'm just mimicking Sinbad. Bararaq Saiqa!!" Rows of thunder appeared and hit her directly. Her Borg cracked and was toasted under the thundering clap of lightning. Just when he was sure that she was finished, her body remained standing. She was smiling and her body displayed red flesh. She attacked the poor guardian out. With the remaining magoi he had, he aimed to crush her whole body to which he succeeded. A huge amount of flesh scattered around the floor but they formed together to form another body.
"Ah...Ah..." He huffed in fear and exhaustion. Arba returned and smiled sweetly at him.
"Wounds like that heal in no time at all!" She cheered. She engulfed the magi in a tight grip.
"As a magi, your rukh will simply return to the Sacred Palace if I kill you. That's why I will dye your rukh black! I will make you fall to depravity!" She tried to force her rukh towards him but she was flung off the magi with a strong force.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing to him, you fucking witch!?" A menacing voice asked. She forced her head to see a sea of pink hair glaring at her with piercing red eyes.
"Azami."
"Don't you dare touch the people I love, Arba or else, it will be your head." She threatened. The said magician glared at her. Yunan opened his eyes to see the girl he loves glaring at the enemy.
"A-Azami."
"Don't speak right now. Although I'm grateful for what you did, that was stupid, you idiot." He just smiled at her efforts in scolding him. Soon, five more figures descended down the rift. The blue haired magi touched Arba's shoulder.
"Solomon?" She said but soon, frowned when she noticed that it was Aladdin. Azami stood up and carried the wounded magi to Morgiana.
"Please take care of him."
"Leave everything to us, Mister Yunan." Aladdin said. The said magi smiled and gave an apologetic smile to Azami. With a borg from Azami, they were protected.
"Aladdin, Morgiana, Hakuryuu, Setta and Lucien. So this is where you were and you're back." He whispered. Azami clutched her metal vessel before going to him. She healed his wounds with the help of Hakuryuu. Most were finally closed but there were some that needed stitching.
"This is bad. We need to disinfect these wounds soon." Azami mumbled to herself. Morgiana nodded. Setta stepped forward and raised his staff to erase the dye in his rukh. After that, Morgiana, Hakuryuu, Setta and Lucien faced Arba in a battle showdown. With a kick from Morgiana, the witch skidded down the rocks and muttered in an angry voice.
"You're such disobedient children." She was about to hit Morgiana but Setta sent her off tracks with his ice magic. To twist it off, he coated her legs with heavyweights.
"That should teach you a lesson. Hakuryuu-san, it's your turn."
"Thank you, Setta." He took his spear for a spar and slashed the witch. Arba dodged and Morgiana took this chance to attack. Suddenly, the black-haired magician spun and attacked both of them. Setta clicked his tongue and used gravity magic to put her in place.
"You're starting to annoy me, Arba."
"Oh? You don't think I'm not annoyed with your insolence? You gotta be joking with me, Setta. Taste this!" She used her staff to attack Setta. It hit his legs which bled. Then came another attack from her. She mercilessly injured his body but Morgiana and Hakuryuu got in the way.
"Tch. That really hurt."
"Are you alright, Setta?" Azami asked. He grinned at her which made her sigh in annoyance. With Stolas, she healed his injuries and returned to the battlefield.
"I'm the strongest swordsman of Alma Torran!" Arba proclaimed. Setta and Azami scoffed at that. Suddenly, her hands fell from her own.
"Huh?"
"Zaug Al-Adhra!" Hakuryuu used his djinn to cut off her hand but not without Setta deadweights. They were to make sure that the attack will cut her off guard.
"Why is my body decomposing?" She asked in confusion.
"An attack using the bacteria of the Dark Continent. So now he can manipulate the flora of Alma Torran! But..." Yunan looked back at Arba whose body was retracting back to its original form.
"Ta-da!" She showed her arms which didn't even look like they were cut off.
"Let's see about that." Lucien used his own power to attack the witch and send her far before receiving another one from Setta which was another ice magic.
"Thalg Al-Salos!"
"Thalg Salsa!" Two attacks in a row gave Hakuryuu the chance to decompose more of her body. Then Morgiana swiped off her feet and kicked her back. It was so fast that even Arba couldn't keep up.
"Why can't I keep up!?" She asked frustratedly. Hakuryuu decided to answer that question.
"That's because you're in the Dark Continent. No creature exists that can par with the lions' speed."
"Miss Arba. You were the strongest in Alma Torran but that was because you never fought a Fanalis." Morgiana glared at the said woman. If you'll take a good look, there was even a small spark in it. Yunan was in shock while Azami smirked at this.
"What do you think, Brother Yunan?"
"You'd better close that mouth of yours or you'll be the one to taste the insects of Dark Continent." Azami threatened. Aladdin laughed at that because Azami didn't have a good experience with their food. On her third day in Kina, she was forced to eat insects. Crispy insects, plainly served. No side dish or anything. She shuddered at the thought.
"Aladdin. Please don't remind me." Arba gritted her teeth in anger and shouted, "You bitch!!"
Azami's POV
Dark Continent Battlefield
'Wow. She snapped.' I was amused with this. This was the first time I saw her so angry. She didn't really get angry so easily and even when we fought two years ago.
"They've gotten strong. Stronger than what they ought to." I said to myself. I was proud of them all. Arba looked at us seriously and I guess things were about to turn upside down.
"I'll stop clinging to my pride then." The air cackled around us and there were three attacks headed for them. Luckily, Hakuryuu and the others were able to dodge it in time. It was amazing. In front of us was a huge hole and deep at that.
'Should you really be amazed with this?' Ronove asked.
I sweat dropped and laughed internally. I knew it was not the time to laugh. Sitri sighed at my contentment. Lucien came back and told Aladdin that they will not be able to defeat her. He nodded and stood with his staff. Yunan looked at him confused but I stopped him for I was still healing some of his wounds.
"Can Aladdin really win?" He asked. Morgiana dropped beside us and assured him. I was about to change as well but Aladdin stopped me because he wanted to show me his newly found power.
'Newly found?'
The rukh around me fluttered and in front stood thousands of Al Thamen members. I recognized most of them but there were new ones as well. Falan was there and it pained me to see her this depressed. Then they combined their power and unleashed a destruction magic. Yunan thought that it hit him and to be honest, I also thought the same thing but I noticed his fingers pointing upwards.
"That magic. He mastered it!"
"Dhoruf!" It manipulated the space fabric and repelled their magic. I let out an amazed sigh when Hakuryuu told us that he mastered it during his stay here in the Dark Continent.
"The 7th kind of magic manipulates the laws of physics. To push objects, to distort them and accelerate. Aladdin can alter the very laws of this world with one finger."
"That's amazing! I didn't think he would master it so easily. It took Solomon 4 years to distort the fabric. Right, Setta?" I smirked. He laughed and nodded. Lucien gave us an amused look before shaking his head at our antics. Every attack they copied from the king vessels were used but of no match to him.
"Dhoruf Luyila!" Several rocks hit them and were back to being dolls. Merely dolls.
"S-So strong!"
"Damn. That's one strength all right. I can't wait to show you guys what I learned." I grinned. Soon, Arba and Aladdin versed once more. This time, she wasn't holding back. For every hit she gives, there seemed to be something. A strong feeling of anger and disappointment.
"Dhoruf Medon!"
"I will continue opposing Solomon's arrogance for all eternity!" That made Aladdin angry.
"King Solomon is dead! Even if he created this world, the lives of people in this world belong to neither you nor Solomon! Isn't that so!?" He asked. Arba wasn't one to back down so she pushed him further.
"No! Everything in this world is the result of his arrogance!" Aladdin tried to touch her but she stepped back.
"Don't touch me!"
"I will bring Miss Hakuei back!" Finally, he was able to pull out Arba from Hakuei's body. It slumped down on him and I quickly jumped down to heal the poor girl.
"Stolas Hayat Qasira!" My staff glowed and it healed the cuts and bruises left by Arba on her body. The rest were grateful for Aladdin's work. Hakuryuu trotted over to Aladdin and demanded him to release his sister. Setta laughed at that and told him that the poor magi wasn't even doing a thing. He scowled.
"It's alright, Hakuryuu." I assured him. He stepped back to let Aladdin explain everything.
"Arba can only manipulate Gyoukuen's children. That's why I replaced Miss Hakuei's body with another using Mister Yunan's Alchemy Magic. What we have here is a human flesh but everything about it is different from the original body of Miss Hakuei." He explained.
"But the human body is extremely complex. To think that you can easily replace it... Unbelievable. Just how many ceremonial orders did you use?" The blonde magi asked. He answers him with around 1,022,000 individual orders. Yunan was about to fall from shock but I held him close. They laid down Hakuei's new body to rest. Just then, a black scorpion made its way to Hakuryuu and bit him. I was actually scared that he will be the next victim. Even Aladdin. But the black haired prince told him that it was to teach her a lesson.
"Don't scare me like that!" Aladdin said. Morgiana smiled at their bantering while Hakuryuu explained everything to Arba. I felt her rukh go back to the doll. Lucien stepped forward and told me that he will not be able to go back for he still has some things to accomplish in Kina.
"Oh~ Is it Nanaumi? You know, if you don't get together soon, I will really kick your ass. Show that girl! You don't want to be compared to Takeruhiko right?" From that day on, I saw Lucien scowl for the first time. I laughed at that but he pulled me and whispered.
"Aren't you going to choose soon? Yunan loves you but you're also bothered by Sinbad." I smiled sadly at that. I love Yunan but I just don't know about Sinbad. I was also about to make the biggest decision of my life. For this thing to end, I have to do it.
"I don't know yet but I'll cross the bridge once I get there."
He glanced at me with a skeptical look before leaving. Setta informed me that he and the others will be going back to Kina and let Hakuei rest there. I nodded and I left with Yunan.
"Are the wounds still hurting?" I asked.
"Not that much. Thank you for coming on time."
"I'm happy to help plus it really ticked me off when that witch tried force her rukh on you. Okay... maybe not her rukh but depravity." He chuckled at that and it left an uncomfortable silence. Well, for me that is. He broke it with one question.
"What are you going to do now?"
"Follow them, fight Sinbad, secure the Sacred Palace." And remove Solomon's rukh from the flow by forcing my own. Though I will not tell him that. It was my own after all. Not even Ugo knew of this.
"I see. Do you want to have some tea before you go?"
"Sure."
Sindrian Trading Company
Parthevia
"I can't believe I lost to them." She whispered to herself. Inside the doll, Arba growled in frustration.
"I will not be defeated next time. Mark my words especially you two, Aladdin, Azami."
Two days later
Oasis City, Qishan
Standing with his client, Fanfan Trading Company Ambassador, Alibaba, talked about the products of Kou.
"So is it a deal? These are good, Mister Alibaba!"
"Yeah! It's a deal, Chief! Qishan is like a second home to me after all." He said. He turned to Ana who nodded. After negotiations, it was time to leave again but not without remembering the start of his adventure. It was a bizarre adventure that occurred in his simple life.
"Can I have an apple now, Mister?" A voice asked. He looked up to see a familiar figure. Blue hair, eyes, red gen on the forehead, white clothing and Mogamett's staff.
"Aladdin?"
"That's right, Alibaba! To be honest, it was a little difficult to look for you." He confessed. Alibaba, with too much happiness, hugged his friend tightly.
"Look at you now. You're running a Trading Company. I've been watching you from afar all this time."
"What the hell!?" Alibaba exclaimed with a grin. He couldn't help but laugh at him. He noticed the changes in Aladdin's stature and complimented him a little. Then a feminine voice interrupted their reunion. He was face-to-face with the girl he promised his undying love.
"Morgiana?" He noticed her change as well. She was taller now. Her side ponytail was longer and her eyes were sharper yet there was still gentleness within them. She had the right curves in all places as well.
"Morgiana!? What the heck!? Morgiana!" He held her in his arms. She stepped aside to show another figure. It was Hakuryuu. They greeted each other formally until they finally shook hands in truce.
"Eh?"
"Hmph."
Azami stepped out of the alleyway with Setta in tow. They watched their reunion until she pulled the purple haired magician with her to give the rest one bear hug.
"Aww~ Come here you little crybabies!"
"Azami!"
"Sorry if I left unannounced, Alibaba. I hope Ana was taking care of you."
"She was! She helped me with the products a lot and with this, Kou will finally be revived." He explained. She gave out a relieved sigh before asking where Ana was. He told her that she went back to Kou to get the supplies.
'Guess I'll visit her there soon.'
'Yeah. And you need to give an explanation about your real name.' Ipos said.
'She's right, My Queen.' Stolas agreed. She nodded. Setta also showed himself which surprised Alibaba more at his change. He no longer have the baby face and his hair was longer now. Longer than Sinbad most likely.
"Setta! You're tall! As in so tall! Taller than me! How dare you!?" Alibaba said. Setta sweatdropped at him and slightly teased the blonde conqueror.
"Hahaha! No need to get jealous, Alibaba. It runs in the veins." He boasted.
"Yeah right. And you were really small back then." Her sister teased. He blushed heavily and tried to hit her.
"Please stop teasing me, Azami-nee." She just laughed. Alibaba invited them for some food and so they did.
=END=
Author's Note: Hey minna! It's great to see people following this story and I'm really grateful. For that, I'm here to tell you that this book won second place in Watty Awards under Hidden Gem! Thank you very much for the support and votes guys! I only wish for you to continue reading. We're nearing the climax! And maybe the end.