It's cold.

As the first words I'm able to register this early in the morning, my hand pulls the comforter tighter around me. The fabric still has the heat my body emitted from earlier, making it difficult to leave the bed. Everything is so soft and warm under here, I don't want to move. The only thing that was not covered was my feet, but that was a usual routine that I had gotten used to over the course of my nineteen years of existence. Heaven forbid I try to hide my feet as well, as it just leads me to feeling overheated even when my room is about to drip icicles from the ceiling.

I pondered over the time, tempted to turn to see the clock, but I had an easier way of accessing it. The sacrifice was a bit of heat to shift my hand out and grab my charging iPod, and I had to consider this my greatest challenge in the wee hours of the morning. That's as much as I can tell, seeing there's not any sunlight pouring out the windows yet. Deciding that as my best option, my hand dashed out and pulled the device over, pressing the middle button to confirm the time.

Four forty-five AM.

I groaned, putting it back on the side of the bed as I shrunk my hand into the blankets. This wasn't an abnormal routine either, but it was an annoyance. One day, I thought, I shall be able to sleep like a normal person does, even if normal is defined by the relative responses in one's life. Eight to nine hours would be preferred in my case, and I would like to be able to sleep before the clock reaches midnight. An unlikely outcome, but one can dream.

As with a routine such as this, the next step would be to rise from the grave, er, bed. Rolling to my side, I shifted up, placing my feet on the carpet before standing up to stretch. A small pop from my back and I stop, drifting over to the small lamp and turning it on. Blinded momentarily, my eyes adjust to the lighting and I immediately go to my alarm clock and flick the switch. The last thing I need is for the thing to scare me half to death as I get ready for college.

Speaking of such, I think a much needed shower is in order. Picking out some clothes from the drawers, I marched out the door of the room and into the bathroom. Locking the door, I undressed quickly and stepped into the tub. I adjusted the settings, and the shower head soon started pouring hot water. The heat was able to wake me up enough to not feel like a corpse and have to drag myself everywhere, which was definitely a start to the day ahead.

After scrubbing myself clean, I turned the water off and stepped out. I noticed I used quite a bit of hot water as the room had remains of stream floating about. I dried off quickly, put on my fresh, clean clothes, brushed my hair and headed back to my bedroom.

The bedroom I had was what I considered to be "big". I could be able to give it a bit of personality without overdoing it. A few posters were here and there, a display case for some figures I collected stood tall in the corner, a book shelf stood next to my desk, a bed off near the corner with the nightstand, and there was a drawer between the bed and the closet, which was off in another corner. There was a flat-screen TV I got as a gift hanging on the wall close by my bed, hooked to a gaming console on a small stand. I did have it easier than others, I can admit that, but this was mostly things I earned so I don't really have much in the way of room to say I am spoiled rotten. Summer chores may have been hard, but it got me what I wanted so the work paid off in the end.

Throwing the clothes into a basket, I sat down in front of my desk before turning the computer on. Hanging on the monitor was a hair tie, something I put there last night so I don't keep my common trend of losing hair ties every single time I put my hair down. Grabbing it, I tied my hair back and scanned the desk for my glasses case. Again, the thing grew legs and decided to run off to who knows where. However, my red glasses were on the other side of the monitor near the back, so I didn't need to think about the case at the moment. That could come back after I finish up classes for the week.

Adding the glasses to my appearance, I heard a call from downstairs. No doubt the older, feminine voice was my sister letting me know she finished breakfast. Content with the fact I didn't need to wait an hour for food, I jumped out of my chair and skipped out of my room and past the stairs.

A note to anyone who wishes to motivate me: Food is the answer.

The arching entrance to the kitchen was lit up, and once I stood in front of it, I could see the tall figure preparing the plates of food. If there was a time and place for movie magic to work it's way into this monologue of my mind, this would be where some sort of song plays as I introduce my sister to the audience. As silly as it sounds, I might as well do it.

My sister, Candace, was definitely that fitting role of the older sister who acted more like a mom: Long, thick brown hair, which was usually pulled back into either a bun or a braid (today she sported the braid), brown eyes, and dressed formally for the office. Light makeup was applied to her face, giving her a very lively appearance. She very much was a stern, hard-working woman who did whatever she could to keep us going.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," I heard her comment as she looked up at me, her mouth curved into a bright smile. "Rest well?"

"As well as an almost insomniac can, I'm afraid," I replied with a tired smile as I leaned on the archway. "You're up earlier than usual. Promotion, or meeting?"

"Meeting. I think the boss might be giving us more routes to promote sales." Handing a plate to me, I picked up the fork and stabbed into the scrambled eggs.

"Fun fact, I learned lipstick has fish scales in it... Or at least used to, I dunno if they still do." Taking a bite, I could see Can stare at me with her brows arched.

"Really? At this time of morning?" With a shrug, I swallowed the bite before replying.

"Just some trivia. Never know when it'll be useful."

We continued talking while eating, and after finishing, I did the dishes for her. It was our usual exchange: she cooked, and I cleaned. If I cooked, then she cleaned. She glanced over the clock, cursing under her breath.

"I gotta get on the road," she continued as she pulled her purse onto her shoulder. "Lunch is in the fridge, and make sure to get your water bottle. They say later today the temperature is gonna reach the seventies, and you should be hydrated anyway."

"Yes mom", I remarked, receiving a small smack on the arm. "Good luck with Mr. "I like being in your personal space". I think he might be extra claustrophobic-inducing today."

"Don't remind me." She sighed, walking out of the kitchen. "Good luck with your finals." It didn't take long until I heard the front door swing open, then shut closed.

At least now the sun was shining in the sky, as if the big ol' gas ball had nothing better to do.

The dark room was filled with bodies, each standing in front of a large ritual circle. They stood at the edges, praying silently as hooded figures stood behind them. One could not see the grin they possessed, but it wasn't a kind smile by any means.

"Let us begin", one of the figures roared. The immediate response to the call was the choir of prayers as the circle glowed. The bright birds around it violently began to react to it. Upsetting the balance, they fluttered about as if they were commanded to.

A far distance away, a handful of individuals felt a disturbance. From the reaches of the Kou Empire, to the corrupting city of Balbadd, a few could tell something was not right. A small boy stared at the sky, watching as the Rukh reacted oddly. He stared as some moved far among the clouds, disappearing out of his sight.

"Ugo, do you see that?" He would receive silence, but he continued to speak. "Do you think something is going on over there?" His gaze stayed for a while, seeing both white and black Rukh fly over. "Maybe when we find Alibaba, we can search over there together." The boy got an odd feeling, but without knowing where they were going, he would only stray farther from his friend, and meeting him was his current goal.

"I think... Something is changing."

I sighed as I stopped under a tree, feeling the sun burn itself into me. Maybe I should have listened to my sister more, as it did get hotter in the day. I did carry my water bottle, but I had yet to drink from it. Usually I enjoyed the heat, as fall was slowly turning into winter and I hated winter with a passion, but for some reason it seemed unbearable.

As I was thinking of needing a moment to cool down, I could feel the wind blow my bangs into my face. I opened my eyes, noticing the bright, shining lights in front of me.

Oh. It's these bird-things again.

Since I was young, I saw these small, fluttering birds and oddly, watching them made me realize a few things. For one, even though I am much older now, I can still see them and no one else does- Or at least, not anyone I know does. The second thing about these birds is that they give me some sort of trail to follow and help me know who to trust. Lastly, these birds sometimes give me daydreams, like I was living as someone else at points, but I never got to know who I was in these dreams, nor what I looked like.

They seemed frantic, as if they were spooked about something. I could say it distracted me to the point where I didn't notice my surroundings until I felt a drop pat my cheek, the cold but small drop alerting me that it was going to rain. Had I notice the dark cloud appearing over, which I may add was not there moments ago, I would've picked a different spot to hide. As I originally used this spot to hide from the sun, I decided a change of scenery would be good. Sitting up, I took a glance at my right, scanning all the way to the left side before finding a small place that would do well for shelter. I pulled up my hood and dashed over to the small structure. The pattering of droplets continued, increasing as I arrived.

It was a small park shelter, able to keep families dry and away from sunlight for a nice picnic should the occasion arise. Nearby was the playground, sand making more than half of the ground as the swing set and slide stood there bravely, pounded by the rain. Luckily, there wasn't any sign of life there, so there wasn't an assembly of kids dashing over to the dry area and doing whatever. I'm not good with kids, yet I attract them like using a light to get the attention of bugs. Maybe I should buy a different brand of soap or switch to a new shampoo.

Shivering from the now cold air, I hugged myself tightly, sitting myself down on the bench. I don't remember my sister mentioning this, but with living in a place where the weather has mood swings constantly, you can't help but bring a jacket or umbrella in case of emergency. At least I brought my old high school jacket and had it on, or else I'd be looking like a wet rat. A small sound shifted my head over back to the rain, and my eyes widened as I gazed at the sight before me.

The birds, both the bright ones and the dark ones, where flying around a certain area, spiraling upward into a very dark cloud. I stood up, walking to the edge of the shelter before stopping. The cloud above was almost like obsidian, had the bright birds not been flying into it. The winds had picked up, my hands grasping the edges of my hood to keep it from flying back. In the back of my head, I felt a conflict between two lines of thought.

My first one was telling me that I should not go over. It was saying that in disaster movies, this would be how I would die. The second one was basically saying "video game logic always makes this a save point or something really important".

Both were equally silly as they were frustrating... Yet I felt as if I should go over there. This was something only I could see, and they were guiding me. I heavily felt that way, almost like it was putting me in a trance of a sort.

My feet already responded before I could think clearly, taking each step in the cold, wild downpour of the storm. My mind and body were struggling in keeping control. It was cold, and dammit I hated the cold, so why was I in the middle of it? What the hell I am thinking?

They stopped once I reach the middle of the circle, my hot breath fogging as I felt my body tremble. A pull from my torso made me gasp sharply, my head searching around as I noticed nothing but the birds and the heavy rain. If the fluttering didn't make it hard to see already, the heavy downpour surely wasn't helping. Another tug and I was lifted up slightly, my feet barely touching the ground.

"Wh-wha-?"

Before I could finish, a heavy tug pulled me up higher, the speed making it hard to take a breath to scream. The birds flew closer around me, and I was starting to feel lightheaded. Everything was spinning, and I wanted it to stop. I shut my eyes closed, holding the sides of my head.

Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop-!

With that phrase echoing in my head, the feeling halted. The cold air was gone, and I could tell now something bright was shining from above. Very much scared and shivering still, I opened my eyes to confirm the situation around me. I gasped again, my hands lowering to my chest, my fingers still frozen in place like they could not relax.

In front of me stood the ruins of some building, patches of walls and ceiling missing as the harsh sun blazed above. My eyes scanned down to my feet, which were thankfully on the ground again, and had there not been sand, I would've kissed the ground.

Like any reasonable person, I began to think of several questions as my arms finally fell to my sides, continuing to scan the scene: Where was I? How did I get here? What just happened? Relatively normal questions, I believe, but still, the feeling of being in a foreign place was not easy on the nerves. Time felt like it paused; nothing moved and there wasn't a sound to be heard.

Unnerved by the silence, I took a step forward. Sand crushed under my shoes, and the noise was able to get me thinking a bit clearly. I made it to one of the gaps in the wall, crouching down under the broken hole and crawling out of the building.

I was greeted with two very visible sights once I stood up straight: There were tons of sand everywhere, and more buildings were around, though they were in similar shape as the previous one. It was deserted, in both the figurative and literal sense of the word. I could see a couple mountains of sand in the distance, but that was about it.

Reaching into the pocket of my jeans, I grasped my phone, pulling it out to check the signal. Zero bars greeted me in the corner of the screen, but I could still try to dial for my sister. I quickly dialed her number, waiting for the tone. What screamed in my ear instead was not any sort of ringing, but the sound of a screeching electronic, as if you plugged a guitar in with the wrong settings and it started hollering. I immediately hung up, startled to death by the blaring noise. Pocketing my phone back, I sighed to myself.

I was alone. My hand clutched the strap of my bag.

I was alone and there was no sign of life. Feet shifted under me as stared at the ground, swallowing the hard-to-digest thoughts in my head. I could hear myself think of how this could not get any worse, and then of how it could have, but I shook the thoughts off. I couldn't lose any motivation to get out of here. Hell- I should use this insecure feeling to motivate me more to find a way back home.

I trudged on and examined around, keeping an eye on the buildings for any signs of movement and on the ground for any footprints. As long as there hadn't been too much in the way of wind, I could see if there had been anyone around recently, minus myself. I maneuvered around the area, noting that there were only a handful of buildings, similar to a small neighborhood. Keeping my senses on alert, I spotted a print in the sand. I squat down, eying it carefully. It was a footprint, and from the direction it was going, there had been more than just human footprints.

My nerves had calmed enough that I could smile. Even if it was small lead, I could follow them and find out where the hell I was. I stood up, dashing towards the small chance of hope I had.

I really was praying I'd be able to get home before my sister returned. I could really use her company right now.

It had been an hour or two since the student had ran away from the scene. Should he have stayed, he would have been stopped by the veiled men scanning around the ruins. They had felt a disturbance of the Rukh, one that they didn't have any involvement with, and immediately set out to find the source. Markkio stood silently, watching and waiting for a report. Next to him was the Magi and Oracle of the Kou Empire, Judal, who seemed very impatient.

"Are they really not finding anything?" He asked, bored to tears with how little they progressed.

"Looks like whatever caused the shift might have already stopped," Markkio replied, the usual smile on his face. "Or perhaps it left the scene to avoid suspicion. It's odd that such a gathering of the Rukh came and left so suddenly, wouldn't you agree?"

"The presence isn't gone though," Judal remarked, scoffing at the odd feeling. He felt annoyed, more so than usual. Whatever happened here had somehow influenced his mood, like there was too much of something and it was a bother, but what was that something? Definitely annoying, the Fallen Magi noted.

"We may have found a lead." The voice snapped the Magi out of his thoughts, his arms crossed as the veiled man spoke to Markkio. "It seems there's trail left behind."

"Where does the trail lead?" Judal barked, eying the man carefully.

"It leads to Balbadd, so we won't have a delay in plans-."

That was enough to have Judal smirking, a thought popping into his head as he stormed off. Soon, the Kou Empire's eighth Imperial Princess, Kougyoku Ren, would be sent to Balbadd to marry the current king, Ahbmad Saluja. The Al-Thamen would be there in due time, but his curiosity would mean he'd have something better to do than hang around with them.

He was going to find the source himself, and he would be sure to rid of it.

Hello! Thank you for reading the first installment of my fanfic. I've been debating for a while as to how to write this and what should happen, but after taking enough time in delaying I present you this, er, piece of writing. If you could, leave a review and tell me how you feel so far about the story. Aladdin and Judal make a short appearance, but soon enough they'll be more relevant.

So here's a question for you guys: What got you into Magi? I know watching it on Netflix was my reason, since Netflix is a useful tool in finding a way to waste time. Also, if you have any questions about Kris, feel free to ask. I'm going to be working with him as best as I can, since he's a newer character I have been working with.

As a note, the image used for the story is of Kris! He's got some long hair... I'm kinda jealous. Soon, I shall have a description for his appearance, or possibly an image. Why not both?

I wish you guys a good day! Thank you again for reading!