EL: I feel weird for some reason... umm... hope you guys enjoy this prologue? I do not own Magi.
"Come and get me!" The girl giggled and raced off as quickly as she could. She could feel her muscles tensing as she gained more speed. The wind whipped around her and blew her iris blue hair back.
The boy smirked. "You're still too slow." He lifted into the air and swiftly cut through it, appearing by the girl's side in an instant. His black hair, which was tied into a segmented braid, was a bit mussed but he didn't care. "Tag! You're it!"
She spun around, panting. "It's no fair, Judal! You can use magic to fly and do all sorts of incredible things! I wanna be a magi! I want to see those weird butterfly things that you see too!" She pouted.
Judal laughed. "I'm awesome, aren't I, Athealda?"
"Yeah."
Judal looked at Athealda's pouting face and blushed lightly. "W-well, I think you're pretty amazing, too..."
Her face brightened and nothing else besides the sun could compare to it at that moment. "Really?"
His blush grew deeper. "Y-yeah..."
"How?"
"Well... the first time I met you, you didn't run away from me like other kids did... you held out your hand and told me that we would be friends from that day on..."
Athealda's face morphed into one of confusion. "How does that make me amazing?"
"Because you didn't run away and decided to become my friend."
"Anyone else would have done that!"
"But they didn't," he pointed out.
Realization and happiness spread over the girl like how butter spreads easily onto a slice of bread, and she smiled happily. "Thanks!" She pulled him into a quick hug. "Oh!" She exclaimed, "Look at the sun's position!" The fiery sphere of flame was currently descending in the west. "Bye Judal! I'll see you again tomorrow!"
He watched silently as she raced towards the direction of her home. Then he cursed. "I didn't get to tell her my feelings today, either."
The girl knelt at the foot of the throne, shaking slightly. She had been captured and taken to this strange room moments ago... and she didn't even know why!
"Is this the girl?" A silky sweet voice cut through the silence.
One of the strange masked men next to her spoke up. "Yes, Gyokuen-sama."
"I see... she doesn't seem like much..."
"But loo-"
"But her rukh is a different story... it is far brighter than an average human's... In fact, it's almost as bright as his..."
"..." The girl lifted her head slightly, hoping to catch a glimpse of her kidnapper's face.
Slowly...
Slowly... lift your head...
Slowly... don't let them spot you...
Slowly...
Almost there... I can see dark blue... hair... in braids... pale skin...
Slo-!
The masked man noticed the gradual tilting of her head and quickly pushed it down, back into a bowing position. "Don't, you little brat," he whispered at her harshly. His hand stayed on her head.
The sweet voice spoke up again. "The girl... we can't have her "tainting" Judal's rukh... take her away. Far, far away."
"Gyokuen-sama, why don't you just execute the girl?"
"I doubt such a-"a giggle was stifled" -weak and pathetic little girl can come back to the great and mighty Kou Empire if we put her far away enough."
Oh, how they were underestimating her... kind of.
It was during dinnertime that Judal heard the scream. High-pitched and piercing, it made him glare in the direction of where it had come from. The ripe peach in his hand dropped onto the ground.
"Who was that?" He turned to one of the men who wore white cloths over their faces.
The man bowed. "I am deeply sorry, esteemed oracle, but I do not know."
A lie. Judal could tell. The screaming continued.
"Whatever," he answered in an annoyed voice, "Just make whoever it is shut up."
"Of course, magi." The man nodded at another man who stood near the doorway of the dining room. He bowed at Judal and stepped out of the room. A few moments later, the screaming stopped abruptly and Judal was satisfied. He resumed eating his dinner.
The next day, Judal wait for Athealda to come over to the palace to play again. She had always came, rain or shine, to play games with him. Al-Thamen strictly forbid him from associating with outsiders, but, honestly, he didn't give shit about their orders.
"Athealda sure is taking long today..."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU GOT RID OF HER?!"
Judal knocked a porcelain vase down from its pedestal. It shattered into millions of pieces. Just how he wanted it to.
The masked man bowed deeply. "What I mean is that Gyokuen-sama ordered the girl to be sent far away. She also asks why you decided to form a friendship with her, although she told you very clearly not to."
"WHERE WAS ATHEALDA SENT TO?!" Judal felt as if he was losing his sanity, bit by bit.
The masked man answered with amazing calmness. "I do not know that."
Not a lie. An enormous ice spear crashed into one of the wooden pillars that supported the palace beams. The wood cracked and splintered.
"Esteemed magi, please do not take out your anger on the palace."
A large tornado was sent through the palace roof. It left a wide, gaping hole in its presence.
"Esteemed magi-"
The masked man was nearly turned into a human torch. Instead, a wooden table was set on fire.
"Esteemed magi!"
"Judal."
He froze. The masked man bowed. The only sound left in the room was Judal's heavy breathing and the sound of the flames devouring the wooden table slowly. Both were soon silenced.
"Judal dear, please calm yourself down and please stop destroying the palace."
"Where is Athealda?"
"The girl? I cannot tell you that."
"TELL ME!" Judal charged at Gyokuen but she shielded herself with a borg and he was blown back.
He felt himself being patted on the head. "I want you to go to our room and think about everything you've done. Everything."
Judal couldn't help but shiver. And on his way to his room, he realized how incredibly powerless he was against the witch.
"I'll never meet her again, will I? Athealda..."
XX
EL: I'm getting feely-feels... this chapter was pretty hard to write, you know? Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this prologue!
P.S. I'm incredibly sorry for any mistakes.