Chapter 21: Rebuilding
Genie had found a closed off room on the fourth floor of the tower. If Mirage had been watching, she would have figured out by now that they were all there. But as Abu recounted the story of their encounter with Mirage, Genie realized that Aladdin's plan had destroyed the viewing crystal Mirage had used to view everything the group was involved in. Mirage's own usual viewing power didn't work in Karais (contrast of magic). So she'd had to improvise. He knew that she was using something to monitor them, but hadn't known what up until that point.
Genie had transformed into a reporter, taking notes on everything Abu was saying. "Slow down, slow down. Just the facts, monkey. What happened after that?" Abu continued to explain in very quick details delivered in screeches and paw gestures. When he was finished, Genie transformed back in to his usual self, looking stunned. "Man, you guys really went through it while I was gone. I thought it was a lot the first time I came into Karais, but seriously?"
Abu pointed a paw at Genie, screeching a series of statements that were so quick that anyone who didn't know the monkey wouldn't be able to catch them. But Genie simply nodded along until the monkey finished. "Oh, you wanna know where I've been?" Genie pointed to himself, as if he couldn't believe the monkey was asking. When Abu nodded, Genie grinned. "This requires some pampering, because let me tell you..."
Abu was surprised when Genie used his magic to make him sit in a reclining chair, his arms resting on the arms of it, palms down. Genie had transformed into a manicurist, examining Abu's nails with a certain kind of scrutiny. He clicked his tongue. "Now, monkey, what did I tell you about paying attention to your claws? These cuticles won't take care of themselves!"
"Uhhh..." Abu, for the first time in a while, really had nothing to say.
Genie sighed. "Fine, while I'm doing my work, let me tell you the gossip on what that infuriating feline did to me THIS time." Genie clearly embellished his story with furious whispers and add-ons, but summarized his task of protecting Agrabah's Palace, protecting the Sultan, then having to go into town to get rid of all the monsters there, then arriving at Karais and rounding up citizens of Agrabah that were stranded. And then having to regroup everyone displaced at the first hideout into another hideout before he finally arrived at the tower.
Genie must have observed Abu's jawline dropping at five (maybe six) different levels during the course of the conversation. By the time he was finished, Genie pointed to Abu's nails. "There, now you know the whole story and you have better nails to show for it. First one's on me."
Abu was stunned at his shiny, freshly manicured nails on all of his paws. "Wow."
Genie used his magic to make the chair disappear and remove his costume. Abu's shiny nails remained intact though. "But seriously, it was a lot. And knowing that Mirage did all of that..."
They were both startled to silence when Aladdin, lying a distance away under a blanket and seemingly asleep, suddenly woke with a start. The prince gasped as his body sat upright, struggling like he couldn't get enough air to breathe.
"Kid? Easy, easy." Genie didn't spare any time going to Aladdin's side. Abu was quick to follow as they saw Aladdin hold his stomach. It was a long moment before Aladdin could speak.
"Abu...I'm glad you're okay. I thought the worst."
Abu started to hug Aladdin at his middle, but when the prince winced, he pulled back, concerned. "Aladdin."
Aladdin rubbed the fur on Abu's back to soothe the monkey. "I'll be okay. Just...sore from where Mirage hit me with her magic several times. Packed too much of a punch. If any of those blasts hit you after the first one, they would have killed you. I didn't want that to happen. Really surprised they didn't do more damage to me, but still."
Genie winced. "And even then she was probably holding back. Not thinking about how much worse that could've been."
"Tell me about it. Genie..." When Aladdin looked up to meet Genie, the look of guilt on Genie's face startled the Prince to silence. "Hey, what is it?"
Genie's shoulders slumped. "Just wanted to say I probably have the same words that you just said to Abu. Was trying to figure out another way to say them."
"You mean, 'I'm glad you're okay; I thought the worst?'"
"Yep, those."
Aladdin sighed. "But you're the one that saved us. If you didn't get here when you did, we'd both be...you know. Thank you. Thank you also...for before. Didn't get a chance to say it."
Genie rested his hands on Aladdin's shoulders. "Sure. But really seems like you're hurting. You okay?"
"I will be. But not if Mirage is still trying to destroy both Karais and Agrabah both."
"Well, I can tell you Agrabah's doing great - Sultan's in one piece, Palace is intact, and city - no more citizens have disappeared. And as for Karais, every displaced Agrabah citizen is accounted for."
"Seems like you were able to do a lot," Aladdin said. But Genie took note at the sadness in the prince's voice. He knew why as Aladdin continued. "Twice Mirage has tried to kill me and I haven't made much of a dent in destroying the staff she was wielding. If it hadn't been for you guys," Aladdin looked between Abu and Genie both for a long moment. "I wouldn't be here. Let's just put it that way."
"Kid, I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit. Abu told me what happened, you knocked it out of the park in terms of what you've done. Actually, might be better if I just show you." Genie helped Aladdin to his feet and they walked to the far corner of the room to look out one of the windows of the tower. Aladdin gasped as he saw the view outside. Even Abu was impressed.
"The city...Mirage was right. I forgot all about that. She said that part of Karais was restored - its limbs, body and blood, but not its brain, heart and spirit." Aladdin sighed. "It looks more like what Carpet and I saw through the portal before we were dragged in. Still, not quite there."
"Will be once we destroy the staff," Genie said, his tone optimistic. Abu screeched in agreement.
"Genie, can you do it? Would your magic be enough to destroy it, even semi-phenomenally?" Aladdin asked.
"Yeah. I can definitely do it. But I'll admit something - I wouldn't have been able to take it out in one go; that staff has layers to break when it comes to the magic within it. You actually made my job easier." Genie put his hands on Aladdin's shoulders as his eyes met Aladdin's. "So don't say what you did before wasn't worth anything. Matter of fact, I..." Genie looked away. "I know I said it before, but I'm gonna say it again as many times as I need to - but I'm really sorry we didn't take you seriously before. It wouldn't be this out of control if we had listened to you."
Aladdin shook his head. "We're already too far in to look back on anything. Right now, we need to figure out where Jasmine and the others are, before Mirage gets to them.
At the moment Aladdin finished his statement, a scream cut through the air on the outside of the tower. Aladdin and Abu's eyes went wide as they recognized from whom it came, as it was on the level above them.
"That sounded like Jasmine," Genie said with a wince. "Probably meeting with Mirage and hearing about you guys 'dying' from the fall."
Aladdin's brow narrowed. "We'll have to prove that rumors of our deaths were greatly exaggerated. But not by going in there without a plan. I've got one where if we time it right, we should be able to destroy the staff and help the others. Let's end this."
Aladdin made sure not to look down as he stood on the outside of the broken room on the fifth level of the tower. There was nothing beyond the thin platform he stood on but open air. Thankfully the breeze wasn't that strong as it teased the strands of his hair. His back pressed firm against the stone of the tower. He couldn't tell what was going on because not only could he not hear the details of the conversation between Mirage, Jasmine, Iago, or Siva, but he couldn't see anything from where he stood. Probably better that way for the moment.
Genie was positioned next to him, making sure that both Aladdin and Abu were on steady platforms before they could sneak into the room. Abu was on Aladdin's other side, closer to the hole in the wall that used to be the window of Mirage's lair.
"You go first, Abu, just like we planned." Aladdin said softly. "Keep yourself hidden and observe until you see one of them in trouble. Sounds like right now they're just talking. Jasmine's upset but at least it sounds like they're all right, for now. Let's keep it that way."
Abu gave a silent salute before he disappeared out of view. Aladdin turned to look over his shoulder at Genie. "Give the signal when it's good for me to follow him, Genie. I know there's enough rubble in the room for me to hide behind. I can't be spotted either in order for this to work."
"I'll be on standby when you're ready for me or if things get dicey. Just say the word," Genie said, giving a salute of his own. But his expression went from lighthearted to serious. "Kid, I know you know this, but I'm going to say it again - don't try to fight Mirage directly, with or without the staff. You're already banged up enough from the last several fights; there's not a scenario where Siva could heal you which wouldn't make you both vulnerable to Mirage. I don't want a situation where you really wind up dead at the end of things. Any of you for that matter."
"Got it." Aladdin resisted the urge to raise his arm to his aching side and moved into the room at Genie's signal. He quickly ducked down behind a cluster of stones as he listened to the conversation.
"I'm going to make my offer again, because I don't think any of you know what position you're in right now," Mirage said, her voice irritated. "Aladdin has set my plans backward for what he did to MY staff. I'm offering you the opportunity to not only keep your magic without side-effects, but also promising not to harm any of Agrabah's citizens trapped here.
"Why should we believe you?" Jasmine snapped. "You killed them! They were trying to stop you, and you...you actually expect us to help destroy Karais when all they were trying to do was save this city and Agrabah? You're wrong. So completely wrong."
Aladdin's heart hurt at the pain in her voice. Jasmine...
"Princess," Aladdin couldn't see Siva at first, but from where he could listen, he could only assume that Siva was holding her back from Mirage. The merchant hesitated a moment. Daring a glance, Aladdin saw the merchant shake his head and turn his attention to Mirage. "This city is not yours to mind, Mirage. Like her highness, I would not and will not help you. Not only is it not something either Aladdin or Abu would want, I would never help you after what you've done to our kingdoms."
"Me neither. Carpet agrees by proxy," Iago said. On one hand, it made Aladdin feel at ease to hear how quickly the bird responded, but also surprised because of how serious the bird sounded. It was different for Iago, but it may have been him reacting in the seriousness of the moment and from what the group assumed.
Aladdin couldn't see Mirage from where he hid, but he heard her screech of frustration. "You all have been warned. I suppose that if you won't abide by my will, then you will perish by it!"
Aladdin was not expecting to hear Mirage suddenly shriek, alongside a loud thud. Seeing the surprise on Siva's face meant that Abu had probably enacted his very sneaky trick.
"Curse you, monkey! Tricks from beyond the grave! I thought I had taken care of all of these infernal bananas."
"Uhh, I don't think that banana was there bef-" Iago had started speaking, but it sounded like someone had covered his beak. Likely Carpet.
"I won't let you do anything else to harm this city, Mirage! Nor any of us!" Jasmine shouted. That's when Aladdin chanced a glance from behind his hiding place. He saw the moment Jasmine lunged for Mirage.
But while Mirage had been momentarily distracted, she still had a firm grip on the staff, which she aimed at Jasmine.
"Princess!" Siva shouted.
Come on, Abu, Aladdin thought.
Abu made a cluster of bananas appear over Mirage's head, which dropped over her, and made her miss getting off a blast that would have hit Jasmine if it hadn't been deflected. Instead, it soared past her, towards Siva, Carpet, and Iago. Carpet was quick to shield Siva and Iago as the blast zoomed past them and crashed towards the stairs in the part of the tower behind them. If they were going that direction, they would have had a broken stairwell to greet them.
Jasmine wrenched the staff from Mirage's grasp, but seemed to freeze when she realized - probably at the same time as Mirage - whose power had made the bananas. Abu, who wasn't shy about stepping out of his hiding place at that moment, stuck his tongue out at Mirage in a mocking gesture.
Mirage had been about to aim a blast of magic at the monkey, but Aladdin realized that was his cue to warn the princess. He revealed himself from his hiding place and shouted as quickly as he could. "Jasmine! Throw the staff outside!"
Jasmine - despite her shock - was very quick to follow through, throwing the staff towards the open air outside the tower. At the last moment, realizing the distraction, Mirage aimed her magic - not at Abu, but at Jasmine.
To Aladdin, the whole scene felt like watching something play out in slow motion. His feet acted sooner than his mind as he ran towards Jasmine. Her eyes wide with horror as she saw Mirage's usual powers, the green, clawed blasts aimed towards her, with nowhere to run. Aladdin grabbed her, throwing his weight as much as he could to avoid the magic attack. The only part of Mirage's magic that ever made contact with either of them was clipping a small part of Jasmine's hair, before zooming past them harmlessly.
"Shield your eyes, kiddos!" Genie shouted.
"NO!" Mirage screamed.
Everything happened at once. Aladdin and Jasmine fell to the floor, skidded so quickly that there was no chance that they wouldn't hit the opposite stone wall at full force. Aladdin angled his body so that he'd take the brunt of the blow over Jasmine. At the moment he yelled from the impact against the wall, Genie's magic collided with the falling staff.
Siva shouted the warning. "Everyone get down!"
All was quiet for a while after that.
Iago kicked over a few small rocks that had landed on his hind legs and shook off another few pebble sized rocks on his wings. He'd been lying on his stomach a distance away from where he'd been before.
"Hey, monkey, you still alive?" Iago asked. Abu was not too far away, coughing a few times before he opened his eyes and gave the bird a side-eye glance.
"Yeah, yeah. Owwwie."
"Just checkin', 'cause you showing up at the last minute pullin' that kinda stunt was only somethin' you, Al, and Genie would do. With or without magic power."
Abu slowly stood, eyes scanning the room. It was even more of a mess than before. More fallen stones, more littered debris, and it looked like that even part of the tower's ceiling was gone this time. His eyes found Carpet, who was slowly rising from the ground alongside Siva. Carpet had used his body to shield Siva from any falling dust or debris.
"Thank you, Carpet. That was a close call," Siva said. Carpet seemed pleased when the merchant ran his hand over the magic rug's back the same way Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie would do to comfort him. But Siva's calm expression turned to one of concern. He didn't see any trace of either Genie or Mirage, but Aladdin and Jasmine were still in the same space he'd seen them just before the explosion. Both of them hadn't moved, but it seemed from the way they held each other, they were afraid of letting the other go.
It wasn't until the group - Siva, Carpet, Abu and Iago - approached them that Aladdin and Jasmine slowly woke, the princess waking first.
"Aladdin? Please don't tell me..." But her expression relaxed when Aladdin opened his eyes wearily looking up at her.
"Hey, Princess. Are you hurt?"
"Just sore. Thankfully, Mirage missed us back there. Aladdin, you were...you are...?"
Aladdin sat up slowly and raised a brow at her. "Less dead than advertised? Yeah. Abu's pretty much the same way."
"Yep," Abu said with a wink.
"Am I the only one who has questions around here?" Iago said with a frown, folding his wings across his chest as he perched on Siva's shoulder. "I'd like to know where Blue Boy and Evil Incarnate Kitty went, and if we actually destroyed her staff."
"Honestly do not know about either Genie or Mirage," Siva said. "But if you wanted to know the answer as to the status of the staff, I think you should look behind where his and her highness are standing. The city...Karais is incredible."
Jasmine helped Aladdin to his feet without words, which Aladdin took as a sign that she knew he wasn't feeling well. He was grateful for it as the two of them joined the group. They all carefully walked (except Carpet, who floated close by) on the broken floor of the top room of the tower to look that the open sky beyond, a once gray sky with a sunset shining of a myriad of colors.
All of them noticed the buildings beyond the tower were brighter and more vibrant than before for the most part. The ones that weren't were steadily rebuilding themselves, piece by piece, as if invisible workers made of light were working on each floor, all the way to the tops.
"Wow," Aladdin said. "Talk about fixing things up quickly. I'm guessing we really did it - Karais is on its way back to normal. Wonder if Genie might be helping them out somehow."
Iago perked up. "Hey, maybe this also means Mirage turned tail and scrambled. This calls for some celebratory fruit. Monkey, share the goods! I'm starvin' over here!"
Abu had been about to make several crates of fruit appear when he realized, very quickly, that he had no magic power to expend. He screeched the discovery rather quickly.
"I don't have my powers either, come to think of it," Jasmine said, meeting Aladdin's questioning look. "Must be that when the staff was destroyed, it reversed our powers as well."
Iago frowned. "Yeah, I'm not gettin' any signals over here. But I said I wasn't gonna go invisible again since it screwed up the last time!"
"Siva, yours too?" Aladdin asked.
Siva nodded. "One part of me feels relief at no longer having the burden of such magic given what the cost to acquire it. But," he trailed off as he studied Aladdin. "I feel quite useless to be able to help all of you, especially you and Abu coming from that last encounter with Mirage."
Aladdin shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Siva. I'd rather be able to heal up on my own than think about you hurting yourself to help me. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way."
Abu screeched his agreement.
None of them expected the thunderous voice - or sudden shadow that appeared near them then. "You have ruined EVERYTHING!"
Abu and Iago screamed. Aladdin, Jasmine, and Siva all recoiled at the sound of Mirage's voice and at her sudden appearance in front of them.
"That artifact was one of the rarest gathering staffs capable of harnessing the power of a city like Karais. You've managed to ruin it all!"
"Maybe you should have thought about who you were up against," Aladdin snapped. "I told you before, Mirage. Same game, same outcome. You were meant to lose."
"Not so fast, I was able to best your Genie in a game just a little while ago, in case you were wondering where he went off to. And since he's out of the picture for now, that gives me a little time to get rid of the lot of you." Mirage used her own magic first to throw several dart like blades of magic that pinned Carpet to a wall. Abu and Iago were barely able to dodge some of the blasts that went wayward. Then, Mirage used her clenched hands to make green binding spells surround Aladdin and Siva, lifting them off their feet and hovering to each side of her. Aladdin felt the coils of the spell dig into his arms and sides. His teeth clenched from the pain that went screaming through the bruises on his sides.
"Aladdin! Siva!" Jasmine cried. She started to step forward, but with the crumbling floor, she couldn't go much further without falling over the edge.
"Let us go, Mirage!" Siva shouted. From the way that Mirage lifted a brow at him, Siva realized he'd said the wrong thing.
"Oh, that's exactly what I was planning on doing to one of you. And you're such a willing volunteer. I don't think your healing powers will be effective if all of your bones are broken." The moment that she dropped him, both Jasmine and Aladdin looked on in horror, which was shortlived as Genie appeared and caught him mid-air.
"Nice try, Mirage," Genie said with a sly grin. "But you're no match for a magic city or a Genie, for that matter."
"I am if I still have one of your precious friends. You're just in time to watch him die, and then I'll have the rest of you following in his footsteps eventually."
Aladdin had been prepared for the blow that Mirage intended to give him, but her hand was stopped mid attack by...magic? A warm glow snuffed out the usual green magic that Mirage operated with. Mirage's mouth formed an 'o' of surprise as both of her hands were restrained by the same magic. Aladdin gasped as Mirage's magic released him, to be replaced by another that brought him safely back into the tower where he landed next to Jasmine, who helped to steady him. The magic spikes that had been trapping Carpet easily melted away, freeing him from his brief prison.
Aladdin knew that the magic wasn't Genie's.
Genie grinned. "Didn't you read the rules Karais made when the city got its powers back? I didn't expect any of the kids to know since it's magic encoded, but you definitely should have noticed. 'No violence is to be committed in or outside of our city, especially to esteemed guests. Any violator of this rule will be immediately expelled, with no possibility of return.'"
"What?!" Mirage screamed. "This can't be!"
"I did tell you that the staff was destroyed despite how much you went to search for it, I saw it happen," Genie said casually, after returning Siva safely to his feet. Jasmine and Aladdin were quick to stand at the merchant's side, making sure he was okay. "But you didn't listen and tried to get back here long enough to hurt these guys. So now the city's just carrying out what punishment it has for its rules."
They all watched as Mirage was dragged backwards, screeching and hissing, up to the point where she disappeared from view.
"That ended better than I expected," Iago said after a long moment of silence between them.
"Lucky it wasn't worse," Aladdin said. "We did it everyone. The city can rebuild itself now."
"What happened to all of the Scavengers?" Siva asked.
Genie nodded. "They're gone. Like I said before, Karais is a city made of light and dark magic. The Scavengers were looking for every last scrap of light they could get when the city was out of balance, thanks to Mirage. Now that the balance has been restored, the dark part isn't eating away at the light and it's more like they're functioning together. None of those things will appear so as long as it maintains the balance."
"That's great to hear," Jasmine said. "I guess that means we can...wait, what is this?" Jasmine's relief turned to panic as she looked at her hands. Siva and Aladdin saw what she was mentioning and were also stunned.
The Princess of Agrabah's body was fading away, and she wasn't the only one experiencing the effect.
Genie winced, quickly interjecting. "I know that might be a side-effect worth worrying about normally, but it's nothing to panic over. You guys who were brought here by Karais's displaced magic - specifically the dark side of it - are being returned back to Agrabah. I think it's pretty much the same with everyone else that was brought here when they overused their magic. It's not going to hurt you."
"Now that you mention it, it doesn't hurt at all, it's just surprising," Jasmine said. "At least it wasn't like how we were brought here."
Iago and Abu also started to disappear. Abu screeched that he was glad to be going home.
"Yeah, finally, I need to get some shut eye to recover from all that," Iago said. "No more wielding magic for me; I'm good. Rather just stay out of the path of monsters and curses and anything else that might give me an anxiety attack."
Aladdin smiled. "Stay out of trouble, you two." They watched as Iago and Abu were the first ones to completely fade away.
Siva was next, looking between Aladdin and Jasmine with appreciation. "I look forward to seeing you back in Agrabah, my friends."
"Thank you, Siva. For everything," Aladdin said.
"I'll have to make it a point to visit your shop more often with Aladdin once we're back," Jasmine said.
"It would be a pleasure, your highness." Siva bowed to them both as he disappeared.
That only left Jasmine of the group. Aladdin realized that he, Genie, and Carpet were the only ones who hadn't been subject to the effect since they'd used other means to enter the city.
Aladdin found it hard to find words as he looked at Jasmine, cupping one side of her face with his hand. "I'm glad everything worked out for the best."
"Me too, Aladdin."
"Guess I'll see you once we get back to the Palace."
The only response Jasmine had to that was to kiss him. He held her and returned the kiss until she completely faded away.
Genie used his magic to repair Carpet's body from the attack Mirage dealt him earlier. He turned to Aladdin once he was finished. "Ready to go, kiddo?"
Aladdin nodded. "Is there more we can do to help Karais before we leave?"
Genie held a hand to his ear as if he were listening for something specific. Aladdin wondered if that meant the city was speaking to him, which felt weird but also interesting to think about. "They say no. Pretty much have everything under control to rebuild on their own. Though they told me that we should swing by the fountain in the middle of the city before we leave. Also for me to tell you that you have an open invitation to return anytime you want once they get things situated. That includes all of our usuals and Siva. For a magic city, Al, that's a huge honor. Most magic cities are finicky about inviting non magic folk in. But I guess since they realized what Mirage did with her abilities, they don't have that restriction anymore."
"Good to know. Okay, let's head to the fountain and see what they have for us."
Aladdin and Genie rode on Carpet to the heart of Karais. The prince couldn't believe how different the city looked in the time he'd been in it. Even as he looked over his shoulder back to the tower, the magic in Karais was already starting to repair and restore it to its former look, which was probably more grand that whatever Mirage had reduced it to. He'd have to go there the next time they visited.
At the fountain, Aladdin saw a few things that were waiting for him on the square rim of the stone frame. A bowl full of water, and two bouquets of flowers. It wasn't lost on Aladdin that the bouquets were filled with different varieties and colors of jasmine flowers.
"One for you and one for the princess," Genie said as Aladdin grinned. "They kinda made that distinction pretty clear and wanted me to let you know.
"What about the bowl of water?" Aladdin asked.
"They want you to drink that. And they made sure to tell me you should drink all of it." When Genie didn't offer any further explanation other than that, Aladdin's brow raised.
"Didn't realize how parched my throat was until you mentioned it. But I'm grateful for it." Aladdin took the bowl from his hands and sipped until he was done. He didn't realize that it had more of an effect than simply quenching his thirst. He dropped the bowl from his hands from the rush that went through his senses. Genie was quick to put his hands on Aladdin's shoulders to steady him.
"You okay, kid?"
"Yeah. Actually, I feel a lot better than I did. It was just a weird rush." Aladdin looked up at him. "Was that a healing potion?"
"Something like it. Their waters have the same kind of healing effect as Siva's magic did. Siva was able to heal everyone else mostly when he had that ability, but they said you still had some pretty bad ones that needed tending to. They didn't want you to leave without tending to those. Didn't heal everything, but you should feel better by tomorrow."
"I-I don't know how to thank them for that. And for saving me from Mirage earlier."
"You just did," Genie said quietly with a smile. "They know."
