Hey! How's summer, everyone?

It's almost time for me to pack my bags and head off to college. A lot of things happened lately that put me off from updating properly. (Don't worry. It wasn't a bad reviewer or anything like that. Life just sucker punched me in the face and reminded me about the sucky parts of reality. Let me tell you, it doesn't hold back.) I appreciate you all for being so patient with me!

(A Personal Note Concerning the Manga's recent events: GODDAMMIT OHTAKA! WHEN I SAID THE WAR WAS GOING TOO SLOW DOESN'T MEAN THAT HURTING KOUMEI IS OKAY! AND WTF ABOUT THIS SINBAD/DAVID DEVELOPMENT?!)

(As you can see, I am not okay.)

Questions:

Though, Kouha was drunk and yet when he didn't say the truth of his main reason to kil Aum, does that mean his mind was still clear at that time? Confused in this part: Yeah, don't worry about it. I wasn't so clear on that scene either so it was my fault. Kouha was actually semi-pretending to be drunk because he wanted to see how Yasmine acted around him and what questions she would ask him. It was a trick that he pulled with all the girls he drank with to test them. Of course, Yasmine passed.

So, now know Hakuei is Tao's beloved. Does Hakuryuu know about this but if he knows, will he actually 'slaughter' Tao for 'peeking his sister while she was bathing' accidentally?: No, Hakuryuu does not know about Tao yet. Will he 'slaughter' Tao when he finds out about the bath incident? Oh, definitely. Especially since Tao is a Judal lookalike. Wouldn't it be stranger if he didn't? Of course, he'll prefer this development more than Kouen and Hakuei getting together. (I am actually an EnEi fan, so I find Hakuryuu's aversion to the pairing hilarious.)

Please indulge the one with bad memory: Has Sammi come up before, and if so, what has been said about her?: Don't worry. I only mentioned Sammi from here and there. Remember Chapter 31? Shion and Aladdin accidentally exchanges memories. In Shion's exploration of Aladdin's Alma Torran memories, he finds a scene of Arba having an argument with a woman named Sammi. Amani/Phoebe has a connection with Sammi which will be explained in this chapter.

Was Jamal as protective of Yasmine in the original timeline?: The most protective cousin in the whole planet. It was his fault that she died single the last time around.

And will Hel ask Maya about his father?: They'll have this conversation eventually. As much as Hel hates his biological father, he's also curious. He's probably wondering how his sweet mother ended up with a douchebag like his father.

And will Hakuryuu kill Tao for his relationship with Hakuei?: Again, probably. Poor Tao.

I'm really enjoying this story so far, however I feel like 12 is way to young for Amani to capture a dungeon, especially if she was without company: Though I do agree that twelve is a very young age to capture a dungeon alone, it must be remembered that she is technically about thirty mentally. She also has her misdirection ability, which allows her to practically cheat through the whole thing. If it wasn't for her ability as a Blessed Child, she honestly wouldn't have made it unscathed.

How will Hakuryuu handle seeing his sister with her boyfriend?: He won't like it. Period. There might even be a murder. (Again, poor baby Tao. He doesn't deserve this rage)

Artwork:

Again, jangirl183 has outdone herself with a picture of the "Andromalius Djinn Equip"! Go and check it out and give her some love!

And guess what? Children of Solomon has its own TV Tropes page made by the wonderful TransparentAnswer! It's beautiful and I'm completely overjoyed with its existence in general. Go check it out!

More good news! I now have a beta! The talented MomoYoMaki will now be editing this fic of grammar mistakes and other things. She is currently working on Chapter 7. She is an overall wonderful person and I would like to thank her for her hard work so far!

(Throws confetti)

Now, onwards to the story!

Children of Solomon

Chapter 37: Unplanned

Tao hadn't believed his parents when they first told him about their clan's curse. It was completely outlandish and, honestly, very scary to a younger Tao that his love life was being controlled by something he didn't even understand. He had scoffed at the idea of 'love at first sight' and focused on his search for Kido.

'It's stupid.' He had thought ignorantly as he decided to completely reject his supposed 'other half' if he ever met her. 'It's some stupid magic messing with my feelings. I'll choose who and when to fall in love with, not some stupid curse!'

But then again, Tao had been so young. He didn't heed his parents' desperate efforts to make him understand the true machinations of the curse.

Eventually, they gave up and decided that they'd let him experience the thing first-hand.

"He'll learn." His father had sighed as he comforted his wife who had been inches away from tearing her hair out of frustration. "It'll be the hard way, but he'll learn."

Tao wished that he'd listened to his parents back then. It would've made things so much easier.

But nooo – he just had to make a point, didn't he? He just had to be a stubborn little shit and swamp himself in denial. Not that accepting the whole curse thing would have helped him prepare for the actual experience, but still. Tao liked to pretend that it would've helped a little bit.

Not that anything would've helped him when he accidentally walked in on Hakuei bathing. And he almost got his head cut off for the mistake. (Stupid Gui curse. Couldn't it have arranged a less embarrassing meeting?!)

During his near-death experience, Tao fell hard. And the worst part? There was no doubt or hesitation. Tao accepted his curse as if it were a part of him – like he accepted that his hand and leg were a part of him – and he was happy about it.

So happy, that he almost overlooked how she held herself and how she spoke. He almost didn't notice her clothes and the all-too-familiar banner of the Kou Empire.

Oh yes, Tao knew about the war-like nation. It explained Hakuei's bout of violence on their first meeting. Much to his relief, she revealed herself to be a naturally kind and gentle person after the unfortunate misunderstanding was cleared. Completely apologetic, Hakuei bandaged most of Tao's wounds and offered to accompany him to his next destination.

Tao accepted. (He would've followed her anywhere at that point.)

It was awkward at first. Though Tao already felt the powerful affects of the curse, he had still been a bit wary of his new traveling companions. He quickly learned that most of them were soldiers. Only Ri Seishun, a small man who Tao easily assumed was a child, seemed to know Hakuei in friendly terms.

"I am Ri Seishun, Lady Hakuei's loyal household member. I hope that we can be friends." The blue-haired male had introduced himself to the recent addition to their group. Taking notice of Tao's confusion, Seishun tilted his head. "Oh? You didn't know? My lady is the First Princess Hakuei of the Kou Empire." He clarified kindly.

It was crushingly disheartening when Tao learned of Hakuei's true identity.

(Figures that the curse would lead him to a Princess connected to Kou Empire and completely out of his league.)

Because of this, Tao tried to distance himself from her at first. It both confused sweet Hakuei and drove his parents crazy. But what could he do? Tao was a nobody from a clan that no one even knew existed – had existed. What could he offer her?

Nothing.

So, with that in mind, Tao made sure to keep things formal between them, as much as it pained him to do it.

But Hakuei would have none of that. She was steadfast in her attempts to get to know him better. She would purposefully seek him out and would situate herself next to him whenever they took a break. He resisted at first, but reluctantly submitted when he realized that his struggles were useless. Tao helplessly allowed her charm to tug him further and further as she revealed little – but precious – things about herself through her actions and words.

("You remind me of someone." She had mentioned briefly in one of their conversations before shaking her head, dismissing the thought. Tao didn't think much about this at the time.)

Eventually, Tao admitted defeat and allowed himself to fall completely without any more struggle, much to his parents' relief.

'It's fine.' He had assured himself. 'As long as if it's only me, it should be fine. Eventually, both of us will have to separate and go on our own ways. Eventually, she'll find and fall in love with a handsome noble with more riches and power than me and live a happy life. That's enough for me.'

Unfortunately, it didn't work that way. Tao had forgotten a significant part of the curse that made all this self-assurances null and void.

"I love you, Tao."

The curse was only a shortcut to the inevitable.

Hakuei had somehow fallen in love with him. Him. Tao Gui the commoner. Tao Gui the clanless. How he managed to catch her fancy would forever elude the Gui youth, but the confession had both filled with insurmountable elation and despair.

He knew, of course, that he couldn't lie to her and reject her. But he also knew that such a relationship between them would be close to impossible.

"I…I'm sorry, Hakuei-sama."

No, it was impossible.

So that was why he chose to leave.

For once, his parents did not argue with him when he made that decision. It was obvious that remaining with Hakuei would not help him in his search for his little brother. Tao hated himself for making Kido seem secondary compared to Hakuei, which fuelled his determination to leave this group and leave now. If he kept thinking like that, finding Kido would definitely be impossible.

Hakuei tried to talk him out of it at first. She had been convinced that her confession was the cause of his abrupt decision. The guilt and heartbreak on her face almost did him in.

Almost.

But Tao was firm. He didn't let her talk him out of leaving, but he made sure to make her understand that it was not her fault.

"My little brother was taken from me." He had explained to her. "Where you're going…I already know he isn't there. Though very kind and accommodating, the Kouga Tribe has not seen my brother…or his kidnappers. I'm afraid that I have to leave or finding any lead on my brother will be impossible."

Hakuei had been very understanding after that. She too had a little brother who she cherished.

She sent him off reluctantly with a roughly knit red scarf to keep him warm. It was only halfway finished since she had planned on gifting it to him later, but Tao loved it all the same.

He never took it off.

Leaving broke her. It broke both of them. But it had to be done. Family first.

Funny thing was – as much as it hurt him – Tao never regretted leaving. How could he when it was that exact choice that led him to Kido?

Tao couldn't help but stare when he finally gathered the courage to look Hakuei in the eye. It had been almost a year since he last saw her. A year. And now, seeing her again, Tao knew that the possibility of him leaving her a second time would be close to moot.

"H-Hakuei-sama." He somehow managed to stutter out his greeting. Mentally, he cursed himself for speaking so clumsily. Briefly, he wondered if this was what his little brother felt whenever he was around the Blessed Child. If that was the case, Tao swore that he would never make fun of Kido's complicated love life ever again.

Hakuei smiled brightly at the sound of his voice. "I knew it!" She breathed excitedly. "Even though you hid your face, I recognized your hair and eyes. I knew it was you!"

'Solomon, she's still beautiful.' He couldn't help but think as she showered him with questions about his recent whereabouts. Distantly, he did his best to answer her while admiring how her time in the Tenzan Plains hadn't dimmed her beauty in the slightest. On the contrary, Tao thought that her time exposed to the sun and wind only made her the more beautiful.

Tao's thoughts stuttered to a stop when his eyes landed on a small scar.

"Hakuei-sama…you were injured…"

At his words, Hakuei self-consciously placed a hand over her cheek. "Oh, this? It's nothing. I was just a bit reckless during a small skirmish, that's all."

Tao internally struggled to keep himself calm as he fussed over Hakuei. "You shouldn't have been so reckless." He scolded her as his hands hovered over her old injury, not daring to touch her so familiarly. "This injury could have been treated properly to avoid scars like these. Why didn't your healers tend to this earlier?"

Hakuei frowned in displeasure as she thought about the event. "It seems that I did not have the complete loyalty of my men. Even the healers weren't mine."

Tao twitched before glowering at the ground darkly. "Those bastards, daring to betray Hakuei-sama like that when she was so kind to them…when I get my hands on them I'll –

"Please don't worry, Tao." Hakuei cut him off with an amused smile. "I had help from a very kind, blue-haired child. The soldiers who betrayed me are no longer a problem."

From the sidelines, Kougyoku brightened at the mention of the 'blue-haired boy'. Tao sent her a curious glance as the pink-haired Blessed Child spoke up. "He's Aladdin, right? I met him in Balbadd."

"Really?" Hakuei turned to Kougyoku with interest. "I'm glad that the two of you met. He's a very good boy. Though, Aladdin was rather insistent on making his way to Qishan to reunite with his friend. What happened? There is just so much that I want to know. Did Aladdin ever manage to see his friend again? How did your engagement with Prince Ahbmad dissolve? And why is Tao covering his face?"

Kougyoku and Tao shared a look before turning back to Hakuei.

"It's a long story."

Hakuei smiled beatifically. "Then isn't it a good thing that I love long stories? You can tell me everything on our way back to the main camp. I'm sure that Seishun will be thrilled to see you both again."

"Kouha-sama~!"

Upon their arrival, JinJin, JunJun, and ReiRei wasted no time in returning to their master's side. They wasted no time in hugging his legs and crying a river's worth of tears. Yasmine smiled at the scene fondly while Jamal did his best to angle his precious nee-chan away from the three new crazies.

"Uncle Ha!"

The three attendants immediately backed away when Kohaku flew out from the carriage with a bright smile. Kouha was knocked back a few steps by his niece's surprise tackle. When he regained his bearings, he stared at the young girl with a mix of happiness and incredulity. "Kohaku-chan…why are you here?"

Kohaku tilted her head to the side cutely. "Does Uncle Ha not want me to be here? I wanted to make this a surprise to make you happy. Papa said I should. Was that a bad idea?"

"No, no, no, no! I'm really, really happy that you're here!" Kouha was quick to say at the sight of her watering, puppy-dog eyes. "But…shouldn't you be on your way back to your mother? Seishin must be worried sick about you!"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Uncle Ha! Mama knows that I'm with you. I'm supposed to come with you to Magnostadt since it's the safest with you and you're already going there!" Kohaku assured her very confused uncle laughingly. "You see…I'm going to be a student there!"

Before Kouha could say anything to that, Kohaku was whisked away from his arms by an enthusiastic group of children, Jamal included.

"Congratulations." Hel said simply while patting her head.

Opal, on the other hand, was more enthusiastic. "Go knock this pointy-hats off their feet with your talent! You'll do great over there."

'I'm looking forward to learning magic with you, Kohaku.' Selene wrote with a cheerful smile. 'It's very nice to know that there will be another girl around.'

Jamal was bouncing with happiness for Kohaku.

"Finally, someone acknowledges that you're awesome! Better yet, we're going to be traveling buddies!" He squealed. "OMS, this is going to be so great! We'll share a carriage and we'll play lots of games and we'll stay up all night, and I'll paint your nails and –

"OMS?" Hel interrupted.

" – Oh my Solomon, duh. Get with the program, Hel." Jamal rolled his eyes and effectively ignored the deep growl that erupted from Hel's throat. He turned his attention back to Kohaku. "Anyways, we're going to have a blast together!"

Kohaku giggled excitedly and nodded in agreement. "That sounds great, Jamal!" She turned to her uncle imploringly. "I mean, can we Uncle Ha?"

Kouha was about to say no. He really was.

…But how could he when his adorable niece was looking at him with those eyes? Kouha might have not liked the Jamal kid very much, but even he could see that Kohaku was more energetic and outgoing than usual.

With a defeated sigh, the pink-haired prince nodded reluctantly, earning loud cheers from the two children in front of him.

Kouha mentally groaned as he heard Kohaku and the little hellion begin making 'sleepover plans' while making their way toward the rest of the group to say their goodbyes. 'This is going to be a terrible trip…'

Yasmine looked over at Kouha curiously.

"Does that mean that we're going to share a carriage for the whole trip, Kouha?" She asked innocently, causing his gloomy mood to do a complete one-eighty.

'This is going to be a great trip…'

Amani inspected Sammi's drawing for the thousandth time but nothing of importance was revealed no matter how many different angles and ways she tried to view it.

'It's just…a well-drawn copy of a photograph.' Amani thought in defeat as she ran her hand through her hair in mild frustration. 'There's nothing here. No secret message. No clue to how Sammi got here. Nothing.'

So why? Why did she leave something like this for the Blessed Children to pass down to their successors for all those generations?

It just wasn't like Sammi to do something pointlessly. She always had an intention when she did things, no matter how silly they were. There must be a reason why she decided to plant this scroll in this world.

'And why did she copy this photograph, out of all things?'

Amani traced the all-too-familiar faces of Phoebe's old classmates. Nostalgia coursed through her as she mentally matched up names to the faces that stared back at her.

A younger Phoebe stared back with her usual, blank default expression. This contrasted the vibrant Harley, who was holding Phoebe's hand and laughing at the camera. Remy was at Phoebe's other side, shyly glancing at the figure of a young man with a blush adorably splattered across his cheeks.

"Class G5." She murmured wistfully to herself as her eyes settled on Sammi's grinning face. "Class Genius Five of Stanton High."

It had been a program created by the school board after Phoebe's genius was discovered. She had skipped grades with ease because of her eclectic memory and her parents' strict upbringing.

They always expected nothing short of brilliance from her. Always.

So that was what she gave them: a brilliant child. Phoebe had prided herself for exceeding even her parents' almost irrational expectations back then. She had exceeded the expectations of her teachers too. They had been thrilled to have a young genius like her thrive within their school walls.

So why not gather other, brilliant minds and teach them together under the tutelage of brilliant teachers?

And thus, Class G5 had been created.

Phoebe Winthrop, Remy Perdue, and Harley Kingston were the first students, the guinea pigs, of the project. All three were only twelve years old at the time. They were all placed under the tutelage of Eric Trent and Samantha Ackerman, college graduates and geniuses by their own rights. Since they were the ones who understood the genius students the best, teaching them to bloom had been no hardship.

Amani looked at the awkward figure of Sydney at the corner of the picture being hugged closely by her brother. Honestly, she had been the extra 'student' of the class since her older brother was her only ride back home.

(In a way, despite her average I.Q., Sydney had a different brand of brilliance to her. She brought a sense of normalcy into the class with her interest in soccer and dancing.)

Because of a certain 'incident', Class G5 never managed to make it through the school year. This had been the only picture Sammi had managed to take of all of them before the high school decided to disband the whole program.

'Oh Sammi,' Amani sighed mentally, 'as much as it warms my heart that you cared about us enough to replicate the photo, couldn't you have left a less confusing clue? Maybe a note in English?'

Amani was jerked out of her thoughts when her bedroom door opened. An exhausted Koumei stumbled into the room, barely managing to throw an armful of scrolls onto an elevated surface before haphazardly tumbling onto their bed.

After a beat of silence, Amani spoke, "Welcome back. Was the war council giving you a hard time again, Anata?"

Koumei grabbed a pillow and attempted to smother himself with it.

"Ah."

Amani rolled up Sammi's scroll and put it away for the time being before making her way to the bed. Climbing onto the covers, she settled herself right beside her husband. She took no time in helping him change into his nightclothes, all too familiar with the situation. It wasn't a strange occurrence for Koumei to come back to her this exhausted. He had been at another meeting for Kou's internal affairs. Well – it was Balbadd's internal affairs now. The ministers and nobles were relentless with their petty pleas for raising tax or increasing land, taking full advantage of the limited time they had with Koumei, who they viewed as the weakest link in the Kou Family because of his lack of physical strength.

'Shows what they know about my husband.' Amani thought smugly. 'Though he lacks aptitude in physical strength, he makes up with his intelligence and tactical genius. He doesn't look it, but Koumei can be ruthless. He is a Ren.'

Any attempts of bribery or blackmail were either ignored or skillfully turned against them. Koumei showed no mercy during the meetings, treating the whole thing as if it were child's play.

But there was only so much her husband could do alone and with little sleep. He was only human. And the ministers and nobles were able to learn. They discovered that they could sometimes get their way if they stretched their meetings long enough.

Sometimes, Koumei wouldn't even have the energy to make his way back into the bedroom, preferring to use his work desk as a substitute for his bed.

Disapproval radiated from Amani's expression as she tugged Koumei under the covers. "They shouldn't push you so hard. You're stressed enough as it is with the increase of war council meetings." She murmured.

"Balbadd is new land. It's a given that they would kick up more of a fuss than usual." Koumei explained tiredly, somehow managing to send his wife an apologetic look. "Not only that, it is the center of all trade. It's priceless to Kou."

Which meant that those greedy, old men were squabbling over her country so they could increase their influence like scavengers over scraps.

Bitterness slid down Amani's throat like corn syrup, but she hid it well. She focused on making her husband comfortable. She rubbed soothing circles up and down his back, loosening any knots that she found on her way. "Well, at least it's done and over with now. You should focus on getting your energy back through sleep. I'll make breakfast and dinner for you tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"Heavenly. And you'll have a guard with you?"

Amani smiled. "Even better. Hakuryuu has decided to make himself my bodyguard." She informed him amusedly. Strangely, Koumei's body tensed at the mention of his stepbrother. "So far, he has done a wonderful job. He came with me when I visited the library and stayed until I was finished reading. Isn't that sweet?"

"Very." Koumei said flatly. "But next time, take Chuu'un."

Amani frowned at his tone, but decided to leave it as it was for now. It was too late. Whatever that was going on between her husband and brother-in-law, she hoped that it could be resolved soon.

With a rare show of strength, Koumei tugged Amani under the covers, causing her to let out an undignified yelp. He held her closely with her back facing him. Amani allowed this without too much of a fuss after she got over her surprise.

"…How is she?" Koumei asked softly as his hands went over the small bump. He held her stomach protectively. "No one tried to do anything to both of you again, did they?"

Amani smiled to herself and slid a hand over his. "We are fine." She said simply. "Nothing happened today, really. I confess that it was a bit boring."

"Tell me about your day."

Amani blinked in surprise and angled her head so she could meet her husband's eyes to make sure that he wasn't joking.

He stared back at her, completely serious. "I mean it. I want to know how your day went. What was it that made it so boring? What can I do to improve that? Was there something you liked to do in Balbadd as a hobby aside from reading?"

Amani floundered for a moment before finding her voice. "But aren't you tired?"

"I want to hear about your day." Koumei repeated firmly. "It's the least I can do after leaving you alone for so long. If I can spend the whole day listening to the babbles of the ministers, I think that I can handle another hour or two listening to you."

Amani felt his lips press onto her temple, sending warm feelings through her body from head to toe.

"And you, my dear, are far more important."

Nine days later…

"Whoa…"

Sai whistled and looked up at the walls of Magnostadt appreciatively. The caravan driver had ridden off long ago, leaving right after a pouch-full of coins was thrown at his face.

"Now this is a kingdom."

Sai began to make his way toward the long line of magicians-to-be with his usual saunter. Though a wee bit uncomfortable with his new form at first, Sai had taken the change with a stride – as he always had done – and practiced his magic on his way here.

"Next!"

The shape-shifter didn't even blink as it was his turn to be potentially crushed by the overgrown, bronze hammer. As the weapon descended onto Sai's head, a borg was automatically summoned to deflect the way-too-big tool.

"Mou, is that all you've got, Mister?" Sai asked the man sweetly. He was disappointed to see that the guard didn't even twitch to his taunt. Seriously, he hoped that everyone else wasn't as uptight here or he would be in for a very boring school year.

'But then again,' Sai thought to himself as he stepped in front of the magical circle to be properly sorted into a student level or 'kodor' as they called it here, 'I shouldn't be acting like I usually do, should I? My mannerisms and my appearance don't fit together.' As much as it pained him to do so, he would have to abandon his usual Sai personality for the sake of this mission.

Sai took a deep breath and let it out before relaxing his features into a deadpan expression. He extended his staff, which had been gifted to him from the old lady priestess herself, and summoned a large, burst of fire.

"Hariq."

The result was instantaneous. A huge, pillar of fire erupted within the safety of the magic circle. Many people stumbled back at the spectacle and whispers began to accumulate around him. Mentally, Sai patted himself on the back and sent a mental thank-you to Yasmine for her years of Spartan training. 'I could have never done it without your crazy training regimens, Jazzy-chan.'

"What a huge display of power!"

"A fire-type? Dammit! I have that guy to compete with now?"

"Do you think he'll be accepting underlings?"

"A guy with a scary appearance and a scary amount of power? How frightening. We better stay away from that one. He's bad news."

At that certain whisper, Sai resisted the temptation to place his hand over his left eye. Now, what good would that do aside from gaining even more attention on that particular area? It was better to act as if it wasn't there. Everyone would eventually get used to it with time.

"S-S-Second Kodor!" The test instructor stuttered out. Sai was quick to snatch away his little badge and class schedule before making his merry way toward his designated room.

'Now…time to meet Scheherazade's little spy…'

Kouha took back that thought about the trip. It wasn't a great trip at all. Not even close.

For one, the little hellion had adamantly refused to let his 'precious nee-chan' be alone with him for even a moment. And even when Kohaku – his brilliant, wonderful, favorite niece – managed to grab Jamal's attention long enough for Kouha to grab Yasmine's hand and begin what was supposed to be a flirty conversation starter, some bandits decided it was a great idea to interrupt Kouha's alone time with Yasmine.

Fucking idiots.

Kouha made sure to take out his frustration by slaughtering them all thoroughly. He made sure that none of them escaped his wrath. That was literally his only chance to be alone with Yasmine, dammit! No excuse could pardon that!

Sadly, his little massacre didn't calm down the flames of his never-ending rage down by even a little. The trip had already been ruined.

And it had only been the first day!

"Thanks for the ride, Kouha-nii!"

Kouha waved after the blue-haired magician lazily. Though many things hadn't gone exactly as planned, the trip hadn't been a complete disaster. During the rest of the trip, he'd gained a new friend from the unique, little boy. Kohaku seemed fond of him too, which was a plus.

"Make sure to get me some magical souvenirs!" Jamal yelled after Selene. "And don't forget to write! I want to know about everything!"

Selene waved back to the Sasanian in acknowledgement before following Aladdin to the line-up in front of the entrance. JinJin, JunJun, and ReiRei finally sent Kohaku on her way after they triple-checked her belongings. Kouha wasn't really eager to let her go off on her own either, but he trusted his older brother. If En-nii thought that letting Kohaku learn magic in an enemy country was a good idea, then Kouha wasn't going to argue.

…But Kohaku really was a bit too young to be studying abroad, wasn't she?

"If anyone tries to bully you, tell me and I'll take care of 'em. Okay, Kohaku-chan?" Kouha reminded his niece before she left the carriage to chase after her friends. He opened his arms for one last hug. "Come here."

Kouha didn't tear up when he saw Kohaku go. He didn't. That was just…something that caught in his eye. That's all.

A comforting hand landed on his shoulder. "Hey…she's going to be all right in there. I've seen Kohaku in action during my time in Sindria. She's really talented."

"Uh huh."

"She'll be fine, Kouha."

"Right."

Yasmine struggled to find the right words to comfort her friend. Or, at least, distract him from his growing anxiety for his youngest family member.

"Did you know that Amani is pregnant?" Yasmine blurted out randomly before realizing that she actually hadn't informed Kouha about this good news.

(Well, Jamal could be blamed for that. He had been unusually clingy and distracting during the whole trip.)

Kouha's head snapped to Yasmine's direction, face frozen in disbelief. That expression quickly morphed into pure joy when the realization finally sunk in. "A baby? Really, Yasmine? Mei's going to be a daddy?"

"Yes."

"This is…this is AMAZING! I'm so happy for him! And Amani! She's going to be a great mother. I just know it. And I'm going to be an Uncle again! En-nii is going to be an uncle too!"

For some reason, the excitement that Kouha expressed at the news of gaining a new family member seemed endearing to Yasmine. It was almost sweet how genuinely happy Kouha was at the news. 'I wonder how he would react if he found out that he was a father?' Yasmine mused to herself.

Kouha would be ecstatic. No question about it. Yasmine knew that Kouha loved children and family, so having a child of his own would be something like a dream coming true to him. She could imagine him running around Kou Palace proclaiming the news from the top of his lungs…after telling his brothers and subordinates first, of course. Kouha would waste no time in buying anything and everything for the baby. He would spoil the child rotten with all those toys and he'd drive the mother crazy –

With a jolt, Yasmine's thoughts slowed the moment she thought about the mother of Kouha's possible significant other. It would be highly possible that she would be one of those palace maids Kouha would have his flings with. They didn't have protection here in this time period, did they? Maybe he already had children with his palace girls.

For some reason, the thought didn't settle well with her. Actually, Yasmine found that she didn't like the idea at all.

"Nee-chan?"

Yasmine broke out of her musings at the call. "Yes, Jamal? What is it?"

"Messenger birds." Jamal informed her simply as he held up two docile birds.

How Sai managed to tame those things to the point that they delivered every message without question, she would never know. Both birds extended their legs so they could be relieved of their burden. Yasmine gratefully took the pieces of parchment. "Jamal, why don't you get some seeds and water for the birds? They came a long way from home."

Jamal did so without question.

Yasmine opened the first parchment and quickly scanned its contents. She pointedly ignored Kouha's attempts to read what was written there. Unless he could read English, Yasmine thought that humoring him by standing still was not a problem.

"So? What does it say?" Jamal asked casually as he walked back.

Yasmine wordlessly handed the piece of paper to her little brother. "It's from Shion. A warning."

Jamal's smile dropped from his face the instant the words met his eyes. The abrupt transformation was eerie even to Kouha. The boy's eyes read and re-read the message before ripping it up into many pieces.

Jamal pinched his nose and closed his eyes. "Shit." He swore. "This is bad, Nee-chan. Really bad. If those people were able to wiggle into Sindria, out of all the countries in the world, then…fuck. This wasn't supposed to happen this soon."

"I'll try to stay safe, for now." Yasmine promised Jamal.

The red head shook his head vehemently. "No, that's not enough. You need to stay safe and be protected. Stay with him." Much to Yasmine's surprise, Jamal pointed at Kouha. The pink-haired prince looked just as surprised. "They won't dare touch you if he's around. Better yet, go to Kou with him."

Kouha opened and closed his mouth soundlessly at Jamal's verdict.

"Don't get the wrong idea." Jamal warned the third prince. "You still have a long way to go to get my blessing…but you're better than most of the guys I met." He admitted grudgingly. "Just don't go trying any BDSM shit on her or I'll invent a gun and shoot your ass to kingdom come."

Kouha blankly stared at Jamal.

Yasmine, on the other hand, looked mortified. "Jamal!"

"You saw what he did to those maids, Nee-chan!" Jamal argued back hotly. He crossed his arms stubbornly. "Even if you think the world of him, he's not perfect! I will not let you got manhandled by that guy! You deserve better than that!"

Yasmine turned away in embarrassment while realization crossed Kouha's face.

"Wait, you think that I'll hit Yasmine?" He asked the child, offended. At the child's resolute nod, Kouha looked ready to snarl. "Like hell, I'll ever do that to her!" He exploded. "What kind of low-life do you think I am? I would never." He emphasized. "Ever. Do something like that to her unless she wanted me to."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Kouha paused in mid-rant at Jamal's words, confused yet again. Yasmine, on the other hand, looked ready to roll over and die on the spot. "Jamal…stop it please…he doesn't know what you're talking about. Besides, he's not into things like that."

"And how do you know that?"

Yasmine looked all too relieved at the subject change. "I talk to his palace girls. They're all naturally chatty and approach me for advice whenever I come by. They're all very nice girls, by the way." She informed Kouha with a straight face.

"Wait. You talk to them?" Kouha asked, thrown back by the new information.

"His palace girls?" Jamal said with incredulity layering his voice. He sent Kouha a nasty glare, causing the prince to blush and look away with a healthy amount of shame. "This guy sleeps around too?"

"All guys sleep around, Jamal. Besides, he's an unmarried prince." Yasmine explained patiently. "And why is that so important to you anyways? Kouha and I aren't like that. He's a friend."

Jamal huffed dubiously. "If you say so, I guess I'll accept it for now." He came to his older sister's side and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Stay safe, okay Nee-chan? I'll be making my way to Reim to give the lovebirds a heads up to the threat. I'll be packing for the trip now."

And with that, Jamal disappeared into the other carriage to gather his things.

Meanwhile, Kouha shifted awkwardly beside her. He opened and closed him mouth, looking very much like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Yasmine really wasn't in the mood to indulge him at the moment. She had just recently discovered that her life was in danger because a group of people created specifically to kill her kind turned out to exist in this world earlier than expected.

(Not only that, Jamal's little stunt concerning Kouha's sexual interests made Yasmine lose a few years of her life, give or take. She could only thank Solomon that her friend didn't understand her brother's references. She would have actually died then.)

Yasmine decided that opening the next letter wouldn't hurt. She couldn't imagine the contents of the next letter to be any more shocking than the last. Besides, it was from Amani. Yasmine could at least trust her longtime friend to keep things calm and normal. She tore open the seal and took out the letter.

'Yasmine, recently I found an old, 'graduation' gift from Fatima. A scroll. She had claimed that it was passed down from teacher to student when she gifted it to me. Imagine my surprise when I found out that it was a sketch of –

She froze.

"What? What is it?" Kouha looked at Yasmine expectantly, forgetting the events that happened before. "It's from Amani, isn't it? What did she say? Is she okay?"

"She's fine and healthy. It's just a personal thing." Yasmine assured him shortly. She picked up from where she left off and forced herself to finish the letter.

- Class G5. It was drawn by Sammi's hand. It's hers. I know it. I can recognize her style from anywhere. Yasmine, I don't think that our current existence here in this world is a coincidence. There's more to it than a simple reincarnation. I'm looking for more information, but I'm drawing a blank. Perhaps your teacher might have given you a similar gift?

Yasmine tore the message up.

She didn't have time for this kind of shit.

"Sixth Kodor!"

Kohaku took her little badge of shame without any question or complaint. It really was a pity, though. She had expected to perform better with Yamraiha's teachings.

'Strange…' She thought as she watched Aladdin fail to summon his usual burst of fire yet again. 'I know that my body is weaker than most because of my sheltered upbringing and my young age. But unlike Aladdin, I don't have jewel suppressors. So why didn't my magic react as it used to?'

The creation of a large, whirlwind interrupted Kohaku in mid-thought. It had been difficult for Selene, but the young girl had somehow managed to discover and control her newfound magic with Yamraiha's careful help. Now, the girl had no problem with doing basic wind spells. The blonde wordlessly raised her staff to dispel her creation before turning to her test advisor.

"What talent and control in your magic, young lady! Third Kodor for you!"

Kohaku brightened up at Selene's placement and congratulated the other female with enthusiastic clapping. Though disappointed in his own power, Aladdin joined in too.

"So, what room do you have, Selene?" Kohaku asked the quiet blonde. Selene held up her schedule and pointed at the number at the corner. "Ah! We're roommates! Lucky!"

"Yes. It's very lucky that we're roommates." Selene signed in agreement. "It would be difficult to explain my condition to anyone else."

Aladdin pouted as he watched the pair converse.

"You two are so lucky to know your roommates! But I'll be on my own!" He complained childishly. The blue-haired boy crossed his arms and huffed, though the two girls were quick to catch the nervousness in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Aladdin. I'm sure that you'll become great friends with your roommate even though you don't know him." Kohaku said comfortingly. "And if you feel too lonely or stressed, you can always visit our room. We don't mind. Right, Selene?"

The blonde nodded in affirmation.

"Chin up, Aladdin! This is a magic school. We're going to learn so many things! And better yet, we're going to be classmates!" Kohaku smiled optimistically. "This is going to be fun!"

This was not fun. This was not fun at all.

"Keep running, Maggots!"

Kohaku knew that her current body was weak, but she didn't know that the gap between 'Kohaku's' strength and 'Amani's' strength was this large. Her legs threatened to wobble and give way at every step, but the young princess didn't dare stop. She knew the consequences of giving up. Her current magical instructor was ruthless in her punishments and unforgiving when a mistake was made.

Instructor Myers and Fatima were very similar in that aspect.

Kohaku was honestly a bit frustrated in herself. No matter how hard she tried, the magic that she had displayed back in Sindria didn't emerge from her new, metal staff.

What was she doing wrong?! Was it possible that it had all been a fluke?

Was it possible that she was…weak?

If that was the case, what was she doing here? Her father had been right about the talented magicians in Kou. Kohaku could have easily gained a kind, patient mentor there. All Kohaku was doing right now was being a burden and possibly ruining whatever plans Shion had for Selene.

It was logical for her to drop out right now when she had the chance.

'But yet…' Kohaku thought as she pushed herself further as the older magicians began to lag behind, 'It's selfish of me, but I want to stay here! I want to learn here! I want to improve! I can't support Shion in this state, so I have to become stronger so I can fight by his side when the time comes. I have to get stronger. I must!'

With this newfound determination, Kohaku ran faster.

Sai found himself a bit disappointed.

No, it wasn't the classes. That was a whole new experience for him. Sai found that he enjoyed learning about magic. The classes were all fun and challenging and the food there wasn't half bad either.

It was the spy.

"Since I've been here longer, you better call me senpai!"

The spy wasn't Titus Alexius as Sai had expected. There wasn't a blonde hair in sight when he walked into his new room. Instead of a Scheherazade lookalike, Sai found himself face to face with a plain-looking guy with no talent.

No seriously, this guy had no redeemable feature whatsoever both as a magician and a spy.

Especially as a spy.

"Hai, hai, senpai." Sai drawled sarcastically, shifting his body in a way that his Second Kodor badge would be shown off. The spy flushed and looked down at his Sixth Kodor badge angrily. Sai lazily leafed through his notes and wondered just what he did wrong to change the timeline. He was sure that Scheherazade would send Titus because of their connection. What use would this pathetic nobody be?

The spy peeked over his shoulder. "Hey…you were sent here to check on me, right?"

The nameless guy's sad attempt in gaining information made Sai want to wince. How obvious can this guy be? Scheherazade made a very poor choice in a spy. He made note to send a letter of complaint to the said priestess. He might not care about the state of Reim, but Sai had his standards when it came to fellow spies.

'Time to teach this so-called 'spy' a lesson.' Sai thought vindictively while morphing his expression into one of confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about, senpai?"

The spy back-pedalled immediately. "N-N-N-Nothing! Forget what I said!"

'Idiot. You react too much.'

"I just came here to learn magic. Just like you." Sai continued before giving his 'senpai' a 'suspicious' look. "You did come here just to learn magic…right?"

The spy scoffed condescendingly. "Of course, I did, you plebian! Why else would I be here? Please. It's not like I'm here in Magnostadt Academy as a spy for Reim." He laughed nervously. "That would be ridiculous."

'…He did not just blurt that out.'

This was beginning to get painful. Sai decided to cut the whole lesson short by shutting his book of notes with a loud 'clap'. The spy flinched at the loud sound and scrambled away as Sai stood up to blow out the lamps. "Whatever. I'll be going to sleep, senpai. Class starts early tomorrow so don't stay up too long studying, okay?" He said mockingly.

"It's not like the class needs any studying. We're not even learning proper magic." The spy sulked as he blew out his own candle. "It's just stupid physicals."

Kohaku found that her magic did improve as time went by.

Though Instructor Myers was particularly hard on her and Aladdin, Kohaku still had to appreciate the results that the woman's training bore. She was sure that, with a little more practice, she would be able to get back to her original power level. Training might be hard, but Kohaku was sure that she would overcome this obstacle.

'One more lap, one more push-up, one more –'

One month later…

By the end of the first month, Sai was already known as a withdrawn and standoffish sort of person. Since he couldn't risk making 'allies' or 'bonds' within the school unless necessary, Sai had no choice but to make himself as unapproachable as possible. Not that it was too hard. His appearance already drove most people away before he could even open his mouth.

It wasn't as if Sai had chosen an unattractive form. On the contrary, his appearance was attractive…in a rough sort of way. Unlike his favorite form, Sai was more toned and tall. His hair was more untamed but still black and his eyes were sharper but still gray. Even his features were different. He looked more like a masculine Selene in this form, which made his association with his little sister easier to prove.

But then there was a flaw that all his other forms did not have. Even his most atrocious forms were free of this quality because Sai hated it so.

A scar.

Instead of gunmetal gray, Sai's left eye was filmed over with a white sheen. It was obvious that he couldn't see through that eye. The scar that ran down from his temple to his cheek was no pretty sight, either. It was puckered and pink and frightening to see.

Yet, it was cut in a straight, perfect line with a surgeon's precision.

"How ugly." Sai heard a girl whisper to her friend.

Sai agreed.

How ugly.

"Those who survived the training are just six students!"

Kohaku and Aladdin shared triumphant smiles at their professor's proclamation. It had taken almost all the blood and sweat in her body, but Kohaku had somehow managed to pull through the whole training regimen.

'I did it, Shion! I managed to stay until the end!'

"I have to praise you. Especially the two midgets! I didn't think either of you would last until the end!"

Kohaku didn't think that she would last this long either. But she was fitter and physically stronger than she ever was before and she was ready to cast spells!

"Well then, finally to the magic lessons we go!"

From one moment to the next, Kohaku was taken from a world of Spartan body training to a world of magic. Her multi-colored eyes bounced from object to object in the room, soaking everything in. Her other fellow survivors shared her wonder.

Myers was quick on snapping them out of their reverie by calling them all over in her own way. Much to Kohaku's confusion, the woman held up a small bust of a pretty female. While the bust looked nice, she didn't know what she was supposed to do.

"Touch this."

Kohaku should've known that it would do something painful. Since he was the bravest of the group, Aladdin went first. Poor Aladdin was singed to his hair by the time the statue was done with him.

Everyone else gave the statue a try, getting abused by natural elements like lightning and water. Only Sai Lin, the only other citizen of Kou in Kohaku's class, was fortunate enough to escape with only a gust of wind to her face.

And then came Kohaku.

Though weary of the magical tool, Kohaku was also curious about her magic type. She placed her small hands onto the statue and braced herself.

Whack!

All the other students winced in sympathy as Kohaku was hit in the face by an onslaught of plants and vines. The Kou Princess had to stumble away to avoid being hit by even more of the plants that was pouring out of the statue's mouth.

Many were immediately at her side, helping her free from the plants. Aladdin did his best to pluck as many leaves from her hair as he could.

Instructor Myers, on the other hand, made no move to help her. She stared at the young girl intensely and called out her magic type.

"Eighth Type, Purple Magician."

Kohaku's eyes widened.

'Life magic.'

Sai was finally reunited with his little sister a little after the first month.

Selene recognized him instantly despite his different form. How could she not? Sai was her brother.

Both siblings were content with telling each other about their learning experience.

"No one is giving you any trouble, are they?" Sai asked quietly, sending chilling looks at anyone who tried to listen into their conversation. The eavesdroppers were easily scared away by Sai's overall appearance. "Big brother can take care of them easy. Just say the word."

"That's not necessary. Everyone is kind to me. Even though I am handicapped, the teachers here are patient and helpful." Selene signed. "For some reason, my classmates are under the impression that I am from a noble family in Reim."

Sai laughed.

"That's because it's true, you silly girl!" He informed her, relishing the pleasant surprise that washed over her features. Ah, how he enjoyed her reactions to his surprise gifts. She was always so adorable. "I told my grandfather about you and he was more than thrilled to add you into the family. You are now Selene Shambal of the Yambala Gladiators. Wear the name with pride from now on, little sister, because you deserve to be treated like a noble."

But it seemed that Sai hadn't been the only one who had a surprise.

"…What?"

"Amani is pregnant." Selene signed again. "We discovered this right after she returned from Zagan's dungeon. Fortunately, the child and Amani are healthy. She is currently in Balbadd with her husband."

"…"

Selene looked at her brother's face with confusion. He looked upset. "Sai? What's wrong? Aren't you happy for her?"

Sai shook out of his daze and smiled. "Of course, of course. I was just surprised. It's just that it's rare for us Blessed Children to have offspring of our own, let alone settle with a spouse." He looked down at his staff. "It seems that I might have to leave Magnostadt Academy for the time being."

Selene looked alarmed. "Leave?! Why would you do that? What about learning magic?"

"Not permanently. I'll just transfer to a different term. Catching up won't be too hard." Sai soothed his sister. "Bee-chan might need me. She might need all of us there to support her. Remember, this is the first time in, well, ever that a Blessed Child is pregnant. There might be some complications."

Selene had a feeling that Sai wasn't telling her everything, but didn't prod him for the truth. If her brother thought that keeping information to himself was for the better, then she would trust him.

"At least stay until your first Iktiyar." She pleaded.

"If that's what you wish."

To my most generous benefactor:

Your wayward Magnostadt student you sent me to babysit is alive and well. Unfortunately, he was upset with the school curriculum and dropped out of his class on his own. It was too difficult for him, I'm afraid.

Your student was less than satisfactory in talent. He couldn't even recognize me as his overseer this whole time even though I made it obvious. It was quite mean of him.

Next time, send someone more talented or I won't even bother to watch over him. The last one was a complete waste of time and effort.

~ S. Shambal

P.S. I'm planning on taking a few months off of being a student in Magnostadt Academy after the first "Iktiyar" for personal reasons. This decision is not arguable. Just thought you would want to know.

Two months later…

Yasmine calmly stood next to Kouha as he spoke to Matal Mogamett with a straight face. She kept her face politely pointed toward the window and away from the leader of Magnostadt to show that she had no intention of harming him. She didn't want to ruin this for Kouha, after all. It had taken two whole months for her friend to gain entrance to the magical country and meet with this man.

Chancellor Mogmamett was not what she expected. He was a bit prejudiced towards the non-magical, yes, but he also had a gentle, grandfatherly air to him. He was at least polite to Kouha.

Well, as polite as one could be when their home country was being threatened.

Yasmine stood a bit straighter when JunJun came over to whisper in Kouha's ear. A magician did the same with the Chancellor.

"What?!" Kouha exclaimed in alarm.

Yasmine bit her lip and leaned in closer to her friend. "What is it, Kouha? What happened?"

"The Emperor is dead."

Ah. So it happened. Kouha's father was dead.

Yasmine winced sympathetically. Though the man had been unpleasant to meet with, he had still been Kouha's father.

Chancellor Mogamett, on the other hand, was not as sympathetic.

"Prince…we are in a dire situation now. This should no longer be a time for negotiations, yes? Return to your country as soon as possible please."

Seeing that they were no longer welcomed, Yasmine made her way to leave while Kouha added in his last threat. "The Kou Empire will invade Magnostadt soon. Before that happens…choose between submission or destruction. See you then."

The pure rage on the old man's face was the last thing she saw before the door swung shut.

"Man! What big news! I need to tell En-nii and Mei about this!" Much to Yasmine's surprise, Kouha didn't seem upset about his father's passing at all. His steps still held the same bounce in them as they did before and his expression was happy. "Or maybe they already know?"

"…Does that mean we're going to Balbadd to meet your brothers?"

Kouha nodded. "Yeah. It'll take a while for everyone to properly set up the funeral ceremony, so stopping by Balbadd won't be too much of a problem. Amani's over there, right? I'm sure that you're dying to see her and the baby."

Yasmine nodded with a small smile.

"Of course I'm excited. I can't wait to see her."

"Kougyoku, Hakuei-sama, you father has passed from this world."

Tao looked unsure of what to feel as he delivered the news. Hakuei seemed properly upset by the news of her stepfather's passing, but Kougyoku appeared indifferent and unsurprised.

The Blessed Child sighed. "How did you come by this information, Tao? I saw no messenger."

Tao held up a letter. "A little bird delivered this to me. It seems that one of your friends came to discover this news. My condolences in your father's passing."

Kougyoku nodded and stood up. "Thank you, Tao."

"Kougyoku?! Where are you going?" Hakuei asked as the Blessed Child made her way for the tent's exit.

Kougyoku paused for a moment to look back at her sister. "I'm packing, of course. I need to get to Balbadd well before the funeral. Kouen will need my support as a Blessed Child. You understand, right?"

Hakuei nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Don't worry. I'll leave Tao with you so you won't have to travel alone." Kougyoku said with a knowing smile. "Oh, and don't do anything too bold, you two. I know that you two already agreed on going slow on your relationship, but you can't be too careful. We don't need a scandal on top of the funeral."

Hakuei and Tao's faces flushed simultaneously.

"Kougyoku!"

"O-O-Of course I won't do such a thing to Hakuei-sama!"

Kougyoku laughed.

"Mou, coming over to Balbadd took longer than I thought."

Sai, back to his favorite form, stepped off the boat and admired the view of Balbadd. He had to say that Kou knew how to work fast. He could hardly recognize the place even though he was there just a year ago.

Back in Magnostadt, Sai had passed the Iktiyar with flying colors. Jumping up to First Kodor had been a breeze. Having himself transferred was a bit hard, but the teachers understood his situation when he mentioned that he had to help a close family member with her pregnancy.

As expected, Aladdin was able to jump up from Sixth Kodor to First in one go. Really, that kid was scary. Kohaku, on the other hand, only managed to rise to Fourth Kodor.

Selene had also managed to rise up another level.

'Second Kodor.' Sai recalled with pride. 'Almost first!'

Magnostadt Academy was more interesting that Sai had initially thought. He couldn't wait to return to the school and learn more about magic.

'But first,' He thought as he turned toward what used to be Balbadd Palace, 'I need to get to Bee-chan.'

"Amani-dono!"

Amani looked up from her reading at the call and smiled in greeting. Through the months, her belly had grown bigger and heavier. Amani found that moving about and getting up was becoming more and more difficult, which frustrated her at times. Fortunately, Chuu'un was always there to support her whenever Hakuryuu wasn't around. She had grown closer to her husband's household member of late because of his constant aid. Kouen had also sent his own household members to check on her from time to time. Kin Gaku had been her least favorite visitor.

But above everyone, it was Hakuryuu who did his best to make sure she was comfortable. Amani thought his passion to keep the promise he made to Alibaba was endearing and admirable. Koumei hadn't been as amused.

"Hakuryuu." She said warmly. Beside the scarred prince, a black dragon chirped in greeting. "And Tiare! Are you back from your flight training already? I thought you two went out only an hour ago."

"A messenger interrupted us. He told us some news. It was...very troubling news. I was supposed to relay the message to Kouen, but I wanted to come and tell you first so you wouldn't be too surprised." Hakuryuu explained hurriedly as Tiare shifted back to her human form. She held a scroll in her hands.

Amani's sharp eyes caught sight of the Imperial Seal at the front. 'So it must be important enough for the Emperor to send the letter himself.'

Hakuryuu was shaking, which troubled her. Was the news really that bad?

"What is it, Hakuryuu?" Amani asked quietly.

"The Emperor," Hakuryuu swallowed, "is dead."

"...Dead?"

'Already? So soon?'

Worry filled Amani. "Does this mean that I would have to go to Kou for the funeral?" 'Does this mean my child will be born in Kou after all?'

Hakuryuu nodded apologetically, misinterpreting her reaction as fear of Al Thamen. "Yes. But they will have take time to properly prepare the body and successfully spread the news to every royal member of the family, so the actual date will be in another month, give or take. I know that Kou Palace is currently unsafe for you and your child, but I will make sure that you will be protected at all times." His eyes narrowed. "Especially from the witch."

"Thank you, Hakuryuu."

Amani's hand rested on her belly where her child rested. 'Hurry,' she mentally begged, 'For your safety and your mother, please hurry.'

Amani felt the baby kick.

Guess what the next chapter is going to be about? You got it. Amani is finally going to have her baby!

Now since I want to write this chapter right, it's going to have to take some time. I also have settling into college life to consider, so I might not update in a while (which means a month or two). I'll try and do my best to make the next chapter great!

Some Clarifications:

Tao/Hakuei?: Yeah, it's happened. But the two agreed on keeping the pace slow since there's a lot at stake if they ever took their relationship too far. They haven't even kissed yet! But let it be clear that the romantic feeling is mutual on both sides.

Class G5: It's a class that pretty much consists of gifted youngsters. Sydney is just an extra since her big brother is a teacher there. The program shut down within a year because of a certain incident.

The New "Sai" Persona: Since the Sai we all know and love usually attracts attention, negative or positive, he decided to tone it down by taking on a standoffish and sarcastic personality. His current appearance has something to do with his Degree ability. Feel free to guess how that is.

Jamal and Kouha: Jamal doesn't really hate Kouha. Actually, he would usually like Kouha as a person if it weren't for her interest in Yasmine. It's just a knee-jerk reaction for him to hate any guy who gets too close to his sister. More than his dislike for Kouha, Jamal values his sister's safety, so he trusts Kouha enough that he would protect Yasmine with his life against the possible threat.

BDSM and Kouha: In my experience with reading other fanworks, Kouha is portrayed as a violent lover because of the scene in the anime/manga when he slaps JunJun (who enjoys the experience). Of course the sex in the fics is almost always consensual, but I feel as if that take in Kouha wouldn't fit with Yasmine. She needs a kinder and softer touch when it comes to love. Besides, I can't really view her as a submissive partner. On the contrary, I would think it would be the other way around. But I'm confident that Kouha wouldn't demand this sort of foreplay unless she actively asked this from him.

But we're getting a bit too far in this subject. Yasmine isn't even aware of Kouha's feelings yet.

The Spy: He is a nameless character who will never ever come back ever again. Don't worry, canon isn't being changed with this. Titus, unlike Aladdin and Sphintus who joined in the seventh term, joined in the twelfth term. As much as Sai read the manga, there is bound to be some details that he missed like this one so he assumed that he would be meeting Titus. Well, at least this gives him the excuse to take a little vacation and be there when the baby arrives. Also, if you want an image of this "spy" character, check out Chapter 138, page 2. On the middle panel on the left, there would be an image of a young magician giving up on Instructor Myers' training and dropping out.

Kohaku's "Life Magic": It's actually one of the main, eight magic types. I picked this particular one out for her because of her close relationship with her Uncle Hakuryuu. This magic ability might seem OP, but it has its difficulties too. It's pretty hard to control, which is a bad thing for her since she needs to reach First Kodor by the time the year ends. Kohaku would have better luck with fire magic (which she isn't compatible with) than this, but this is just another trial she has to overcome. Kohaku is currently struggling more than she should with her magic because of a certain issue that will be revealed after the next chapter.

Blessed Child Baby Shower: Totally happening. They're going to give their fellow Blessed Child their support, of course.

Now, about the Chibi-Omake. I'm planning on focusing on Hel and Opal's adventures in Reim. (Plus Jamal, sooner or later.) I'm also thinking about making some Omakes about Judal's search and eventual training under Yunan since I can't really fit his adventures in the actual chapters. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks for your patience and support guys!

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