(I'm French so sorry for my english. I hope you'll like this story!)

The Fall

Chapter 1: Ashes

For me who only saw darkness during fourteen years, he was like the sun. An overwhelming, strong and irradiating presence that throws away all my black and white world. He was pure as the snow, warm as the summer, calm as the moon. I was red as the blood, brown as the dust and all I was able to saw was the grayish, lifeless world miroiting in my eyes. I was dirty, my hands were stained with invisible blood. I wasn't mean to be to his side, I was sent to kill him. But he accepts me, raised me, show me what kindness was. He erased all of my darkness with his smiles and carefree behavior. I couldn't understand him at first time, he was so crazy, so foolish. But he was my light.

We had everything.

We lost everything.

The threat Judal made to Sindria Kingdom some times before became true, he warned us but Sin and each people who knows about Judal thought it was just one of his antics. We thought that the leaders of the Kou Empire wouldn't fellow his crazy idea of declaring war with a kingdom as strong as them. Sinbad made friend with two Ren heirs on purpose after all.

But the war started.

One clouded night the screams of the inhabitants awaken every single one of us. The fire has already took over the whole harbor and was getting closer and closer to the capital and the palace. Judal was busy breaking Yamuhaira barriers while she was trying to keep them in place. Unfortunately the Kou army had already made his way in our former joyful and colorful country.

It only took them ten minutes to destroy the little houses and to turn everything to ashes. Women and children were screaming while their husband raised their weapons to prevent the enemies to go any further. Explosions were heard everywhere, it was a hell on earth.
A so well-known hell for me.

The other seven generals were fighting at their full strength and started to push back the enemies. I don't know how many people I killed this day but it was a long time I saw my wires and my clothes stained with so many blood. It was only natural for me, I wasn't even watching what I was making, I moved on pure instinct while the snakes of Baal ate my opponents.

But then he appeared.

He wasn't from the Empire, I know that at least, nobody inside it were able to use this kind of magical power. He was from Al Sarmen and seemed to really enjoyed what he was watching. In a blink of an eye he sent a magical light on Yumahaira who had succefully restored the barriers and sent her fly against the palace wall. Sharkkan had screamed and jumped to the man in black coat but he got the same punishment without being able to raise his sword against him.

"Dwell in my body, Focalor"

It was at this precise moment that a reddish glow pierced through the man, making him come back in the air with a half-burned arm. The smoke disappeared in a blink of an eye, letting the shape of Focalor, one of Sinbad's principal Djinn equipement, appeared in front of the enemy. His once joyful and carefree eyes were full of anger and resentment and we knew that things would be getting serious. We hoped that he would be able to put an end to that ridiculous war without being forced to use that. I didn't want him to see him in that state again, nobody wanted.

I threw one of my wires behind me, killing the opponent that wanted to hurt my back while watching the Al Sarmen guy expression.
He was happy. He was hurt, in front of the most powerful warrior of Sindria and yet, he was happy.
There was something in his eyes that I didn't like at all, a certain form of madness and slyness while watching Sinbad. He was really enjoying himself and he made me really uneasy without knowing why.

"At least, I found you! You've come! Let's fight together" he said with a singing voice. "You should join your force with us, you would be even more powerful!"

Sin looked at him as if he was the biggest idiot and the earth and smiled, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry but I don't need any help, I find myself powerful enough, don't you think so? I'm too awesome to hang out with guys like you!" His face became deadly serious as he stared at the other man. "Besides, I really don't like your little organization and your manners. Stop making fun of my country, as well as the Empire, and go home. It's an advice."

"Or else?"

Sin smiled again.

"Or else I'll have to make you go home in a less diplomatic way."

"I see. What a pity. Fine, I'll have you join us ever if you want it or not, I don't want to lose an opportunity to have such a strong man on our side."

"You can try"

Sinbad flew onto him and send him crash on the ground with a punch. Relieved, I went back to the large group of enemies that wanted to destroy the palace. I hardly saw anything else as the time ran fast while I was killing them, never looking elsewhere. I didn't have the opportunity, they were too many and kept arriving. I didn't how many times pass since the beginning of this mess and I started to feel exhausted, having difficulties to breathe normally. It was then that I felt a blade piercing through my left leg, letting a little scream of pain goes out my mouth while the enemy retired the sword. I was ready to make my snakes pierced through his heart when he fall down, his head turned in an abnormal way.

"Thanks, Masrur".

"You're okay?"

"Yes, it's nothing."

He nodded and it was then that I saw all the bruises he got and how harsh his breath was. Taking the time to check on the others generals I saw that they all were in the same condition, keeping fighting but getting tired with each minutes. There were less enemies and the outside of the palace started to become clearer but we didn't have time to rest and I still had this bad feeling running on my heart.
I suddenly heard a laugh, a cold, terrifying laugh without any happiness, not so far away from us.

"You're quite a good warrior Sinbad! It's the first time I have so many difficulties against someone."

"Happy… Happy to heard that"

Sinbad's voice was weak and I could hear that he had some difficulties to breath.

"You could win if you use your full power"

"Don't tease me…"

"SIN!"

I rushed over the place where the two were facing each other and was ready to throw my Valalark sei when Sin raise his head.

"Don't come nearer, you can't fight him!"

"But!"

"It's an order, Ja'far!"

I froze. Sin never used his king power over us and less over me but when he did it always meant that things were going worst, too worst to have a chance for us to face it.

"I'll take care of him, don't try to fight him, he's too strong. I'll beat him and then I'll drink alcohol."

"Okay… WHAT?"

Sinbad laughed at his subordinate face. He knew all-to-well that Ja'far didn't like to see him drink as much as before but after a fight like that he could at least have some. Or rather he hoped Ja'far's motherly behavior would allow him to.

"… Okay but I want you to beat the crap out of him now!"

"No problem!"

Sinbad rushed to the enemy side before he suddenly froze. His opponent was raising a hand in the direction of a civilian woman, laughing hysterically while doing so. He was watching Sinbad, noticing every single of his movements, threating him to kill her if he moved.

"Masrur, Ja'far."

We acknowledged at the same time and ran to the woman's side as the enemy was throwing his attack. Sinbad punched him in the head, certainly breaking some bones and flew away. He feel relieved when he saw that we had time to protect her, Masrur ready to stop the attack while I was taking her in a safer place. But it was strange. The glow couldn't have reached the young woman even if we hadn't been there. Instead of aiming at us it derivate from his suppose goal and hit somewhere behind us. Busy protecting the sindrian we didn't pay much attention but all we saw then was a vision of horror. The attack didn't hit the rather empty land behind us but had indeed changed the course of his direction, destroying a dozen of houses and starting a fire which was getting bigger seconds per seconds, turning everything to ashes.

The Kou Empire army stopped the fight and moved back as many of them were took by the murderous claws of the flames. People were screaming their relatives and friends names, children coughed harshly because of the smoke, and some… Some were crying in front of a burned body.

A wave of panic started to rose in me, it was so similar to all I knew before meeting Sinbad, a grayish world stained by blood, cries, and burning corpses. It was unreal, so unreal, that our beautiful country, colorful as it was, could change into that kind of hell. But in the middle of it was flying a well-known figure, creating huge waves of water in order to stop the fire. I knew Yamuhaira would be out of magical power soon but she could, at least, restrain the flames for the time being.

Ready to help the civilians with the other generals, I heard a scream that I never heard before coming from the king's mouth. A scream full of anger and desperation, of helplessness and frustration as he was gathering all of Focalor power, a cloud of black rukhs surrounded him.

And there it was.

The circle orbs that appears on Sin's torso, divided in two parts, shines in resonance to his anger, the white part getting smaller as the dark one were crushing it. His curse was like the yin-yang of some countries, the two parts were meant to coexist, but it means that Sinbad couldn't use all of the powers he has. He had a strong, overwhelming power that was able to destroy a country in one instant but, if he were to use it too many times he would lost his sanity and fall into depravity. He has already half-fallen, the black mark on his body getting bigger each time he had to use this power.

And he was, once again, on the verge of losing it.

"No Sin, don't use that! Don't…!"

A strong column of light left Sinbad in order to fall on their enemy. A lethal pureness that was meant to kill directly, without letting any chance of survives.

"SIN!"

I saw him fall before getting surrounded by a cloud of smoke that prevents me to see him. I moved on instincts and quickly found where he was, panting vigorously while keeping his head in his hands. He seemed to fight something and I know all too well what it was. I screamed his name at the top of my lungs but he didn't look like he had heard me. He had raised his head though but his left eye was focusing on nothing while the right one was getting darker and darker.
I reached him after what seems an eternity and put my hands on his shoulders, kneeling down in front of him.

"Sin! Can you hear me? It's alright, Yamuhaira took care of the fire, the Kou army retrieved, you don't have to use this power anymore! Please restrain it! Fight it!"

He seemed to notice my presence and glance at me during a few seconds before closing his eyes again in order to push back the black rukhs that began to envelop him. I started to panic a little, I was so helpless, so powerless, there was nothing I could do to help my king besides staying with him and talk to him. It was the only way to keep up his attention and preserve his sanity.

"Don't stay here, Ja'far… If I were to…"

"I'm sorry, I can't obey you this time. I'll stay here until you come back to us."

"I see… Not very obedient, as usual…"

A little smile covers Sinbad's lips, showing that he indeed started to regain consciousness. I feel relieved and tightened my grip on his shoulders, letting him know that I wasn't going anywhere.
But then, in the midst of the battle's noises, I clearly heard footsteps behind me. Strong, determinates footsteps. I moved towards them but only saw a brilliant, reddish glow hit me, sending me fall painfully on the ground some seconds after. I tried to get up as fast as possible but my legs wouldn't hear me and I was falling again when a hand caught my neck and rose my body, tightening its grip doing so. I reacted on instinct and was about to throw my wires on the opponent but he violently hit me on stomach, making me coughed blood. He laughed.
I rose my again and glance at the man when I heard his voice. It was impossible, he should be dead after Sin's attack! But there he was, laughing like a mad man with a glint of pure madness in his eyes.

"Now it's time to get what I was looking for…"

He glanced at me, hitting me again and again, never loosening his grip on my neck. I was getting weaker and had difficulties to focus on anything but I clearly saw that he had moved to the direction where Sinbad was, putting me in the middle of them. Did he wanted to use me as a defense wall? I didn't know but it unnerved me to not being able to see where my king was. But I felt even more frustrated to be this powerless. I was too weak, too weak to fight the enemy, too weak to prevent the black veil from falling before my eyes. I was slowly falling into unconsciousness when I felt that something was wrong, really wrong. I was feeling cold inside, the fear getting bigger within each second. I already felt that way some minutes before when I saw the blacks rukhs surrounding Sin but the feeling was a lot more stronger. I opened my eyes and hit the man with all my forces left. Letting Sinbad returning in that state was out of question, I had to get rid of the Al Sarmen guy before he could do anything. But I was weaker than I thought and he quickly response to my kick on his head with a punch, catching my hair instead of my neck.

"You're starting to irritate me… I thought he would react faster than…"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence when a black glow hit him, making me fall on the ground again. I felt a sharp pain in my left leg, the previous injury I got some times before coming back, forcing me to stay on the ground. My breath was heavy and I felt that I could fall asleep within few seconds but I voluntary touched my injury, making the pain strong enough to keep me conscious.
I heard another explosion and quickly look behind me, waiting for the smoke to vanish. I blink and I saw him. The shape of Focalor was standing in front of his opponent, bigger than he used to be and, above all, way darker. I could only saw his back from where I was but I knew that the black spots on Sinbad skin weren't a shadow or a simple bruise.
A bruise wasn't supposed to grow bigger, It wasn't suppose to turn your arm and half your torso in black.
A new light appeared in Sinbad's hand, hurting the magician even more while the latter seems delighted by the situation.

"Good, very good, let's your anger explode, get stronger, you want to protect your kingdom and followers don't you? Use it, use that power, use it to its full extent."

"SIN! Don't listen to him, don't…"

My head fall on the ground again as I gathered my strengths to get up and yell at Sinbad.

"Stop it now!"

"Shut up." The black magician was about to send me another attack when Sinbad stopped him cutting his arm with a blade. The other one fall on the floor, screaming in pain and rolling on his right side. But I couldn't care less, the only thing I saw was the black veil that seems to envelop Sinbad entirely, his skin getting darker and darker as the seconds went.
Without any words, he rose his arms towards the sky, gathering the clouds around the column of light that appeared. He suddenly lowered them in the direction of the wounded man, making the glow falling on him without letting him any chance to survive.
An explosion fellow, bigger and brighter than the former ones. More than five minutes were needed for the smoke to vanish, letting a no-man's-land appeared. No trace of the enemy were visible, at least no trace of the corpse itself. The fabrics burning on the ground was an evident prove that the magician was there some minutes ago and had totally, irrevocably, disappeared.
In front of this empty place stayed Sinbad who was carefully watching the clothes before raising his head. Slowly, as if nothing happened around him, he moved to a lighter place, letting me watch in horror his now entire black body. His dark skins, his apparent veins, the black hole the curse circle had turned into, his half burned face… And his eyes.
I felt a strong pain burning in my chest. Was it too late?
I wanted to scream but I hadn't enough force too, I wanted to call any of the other general but the noises of the former battlefield was too high and all of them, even if they started to understand what happened, were too far away to move in time.
I kept saying Sin's name, even if no one could hear me, as I gathered my last strength to reach him.