AN: i would like to start by saying thank you to FireLark he is mt co-writer who has a few story's out, there rely good reads i recommend "Chokers" it is by far my fevered check it out as soon as you can.

i also would like to challenge all you writer's out there to make more fanalis story's rather existing characters or OC anything goes yaoi, yuri anything just make more fanalis story's ok and PM me wen your going to take my challenge!

Disclaimer: Magi does not belong to me.

"Lord Mu!" A messenger rushed into the room, out of breath and sweating from the run here. I looked up from the papers I was reading through, rather relieved that the man had come and allowed me to take a break for a second.

"What is it? Did you need something?" I asked, standing up and moving over to listen to his message.

"Lord Nerva said that Lady Scheherazade requires your presence in her throne room as soon as possible." The man said, with a tone of voice that told me he was reciting the words exactly as they had been said to him.

'Ah… what had the corps done this time?' I wanted to sigh, but held it back. It wouldn't do to do something so undignified in front of the messenger.

"Thank you for your work." I clapped a hand on his shoulder (gently, mind you, gently) and sent him on his way with a friendly smile, then went to the papers on my desk and piled them neatly.

After that, it was off to Lady Scheherazade's throne room. I was rather dreading the almost inevitable lecture about letting my Corps run free. It was generally the only time she summoned me; when one of my soldiers destroyed something. This could range from a hole in the wall to flat out devastation of an entire building somewhere.

I made my way through the streets of Reim, walking slowly and a little reluctantly, even though I knew it would be easier to just go straight to Lady Scheherazade and get it over with.

I really didn't want to face that "I'm disappointed in you, Mu" stare and the lecture that always came with it. To make things worse, Nerva was the one who told the messenger, meaning he would be there to make disparaging comments about my corps and the Fanalis in general.

Unfortunately, it was only a short distance to Lady Scheherazade's throne room, and I made it there within a few minutes even with my dilly-dallying and procrastination.

Upon my cautious opening of the double doors, I surveyed the room to see, as predicted, Nerva's smug sneer. Contrary to my expectations though, Lady Scheherazade didn't look at all disappointed. She looked worried instead, which was somehow worse.

"You summoned me, my lady?"

"Ah, yes," she motioned for me to enter. "Do come in."

I strode to stand before her, briefly saluting.

"Mu…you keep track of all your soldiers, correct?" I nodded. If I didn't (like that one time I had been laid up in bed ill) they would wreak untold amounts of havoc and cause thousands of coins worth of property damage. "Have any of them gone missing?"

She leaned forward, staring deeply into my eyes, her normally neutral gaze suddenly focusing on mine, gaining an unnerving intensity. It felt like she could read my very soul with those eyes, like she could tell if I lied. Luckily, I hadn't lied to her before and didn't plan on starting now.

"No, my lady," I stated seriously. "All of my fellow Fanalis are present and accounted for."

Once I said that, Lady Scheherazade relaxed a little, but looked a little mystified. The smug look on Nerva's face transformed into a frown.

"If it wasn't one of his dogs then who was it?" I wanted to strangle him. But as usual, I kept the smile on my face and waited for Lady Scheherazade to fill me in as she saw fit.

"The 13th dungeon, Beleth has been captured," she told me solemnly. I could see why she was so concerned now. She had sent two perfectly suitable king candidates into that dungeon some time ago, along with a platoon of men. None of them had made it out. She hadn't tried again, preferring to raise other dungeons. However, that didn't explain why they were asking about my corps.

"There have been rumors in the same area as Beleth of a red-haired demon with burning crimson eyes and herculean strength attacking slave traders and caravans importing beasts to the Colloseum," she continued. Ah. That was the problem. "We're assuming the dungeon capturer was a Fanalis."

"I suppose that is reasonable," since red hair and eyes were basically a motif for the Fanalis, there was no room to argue that.

Nerva loudly cleared his throat several times and loudly unfurled a scroll, drawing my attention towards him.

"According to every single one the victims who were attacked by this man, before they even saw him they heard eerie music, but they dismissed it as someone playing their lyre in the woods." At this point, Nerva sneered, obviously thinking them foolish. "However, when they gave their testimony we found that they said they became wearier the longer they listened to the music. All of them displayed signs of magoi overuse, despite the fact that most of them didn't know how to use their magoi in any way. We think that Beleth's power allows the user to drain magoi."

My eyebrows shot up, arching almost to my hairline. That would be…extremely dangerous used against a Fanalis; we only had the bare minimum of magoi to begin with. Taking that bare minimum away would almost certainly be fatal. I knew very well now why Lady Scheherazade appeared so worried.

Nerva frowned as he continued to read off the scroll.

"Rumors also say that every time, the 'demon' would stop and say, "Now you know the pain that you cause others." in front of his victims, before taking away their… cargo." I suppressed another glare; personal beliefs and ideals were not suitable to be argued about in this kind of situation, most especially not in front of Lady Scheherazade.

Nerva gave me another condescending sneer, and I dug my nails into my palms, hoping the pain would help to keep my anger at bay.

Lady Scheherazade stood up, her staff rapping sharply against the marble floor to draw our attention.

"Mu, I will leave this to you." She stated commandingly. "You are to find the Fanalis and persuade him to join your Corps. If he has conquered Beleth then he is also my king candidate and should be fighting on behalf of Reim, not against us. If you cannot persuade him, then…"

"You will put him down," Nerva finished for her. My eyes widened, and I turned to Lady Scheherazade, hoping for a contradiction. She was frowning at Nerva, but she did not disagree with him.

Silently, I dropped my eyes to the floor and bowed.

"Your wish is my command."

Leaving the throne room, the dread was even worse than when I was coming in. My heart felt like it was made of lead, the order that meant I would possibly have to kill one of my own weighing heavily.

Arriving at base, I called for Rohroh and Myron. Like always, they were there by my side in a heartbeat.

"Brother? What did you need?"

"Yeah Captain, you seem worried. What's up?"

Quietly, I explained what Nerva and Lady Scheherazade had told me, and told them our orders.

"Alright! A new member for our pack!" cheered Rohroh. Always optimistic, that one.

"You dumbass! Didn't you listen to anything he just said? If he refuses, we have to kill him!" Myron screeched angrily.

"Well… If he refuses, then I'll just beat him up till he accepts." Rohroh shrugged, scratching at the back of his head.

"You uncultured moron! Things don't work like that! People don't work like that!"

"Why not?"

I sighed again, their argument fading out as they went to rally the troops, but a reluctant smile twitched at my lips anyways. I was always happy to meet another one of my kinsmen. I just hoped that I wouldn't need to end his life.

-Chapter End-