And thus, the next chapter! This'll be the last time we hear of 'Aatiq'. I personally like her next name more than this one. Anyway, reviews!

Galarvis - Yeah, poor Yunan. He's higher up on my list of favourite characters but it's just too easy, I can't help myself

Akira D. Ryusuke - Thanks so much! I love the series too and I'm sad to see there aren't enough SI's for it. And I'm glad you like Little Rukh, she's probably one of my more developed and favourite characters. I hope you continue to enjoy my story and thanks again!

curlystruggle - Yayyy, that's the aim. It's true, Yunan is amazing. I'm trying really hard to write him well...

Well, let's just get right into it!

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

"You're such a lazy little Rukh."

Small paws prodded at my back.

I grunted. "Fuck off. I don't seeing you doing much, you furball."

"I told you how to save them, didn't I? I don't care much for how humans conduct themselves so that was a favour on my account."

"Fuck. Off."

"Lazy and rude Rukh."

"You heard them call by my name, didn't you?" I scowled, peering at him from behind my white curtain of hair. "You don't see me calling you 'Djinn' every thirty seconds. I'm not even a Rukh anymore."

"I've been listening. It's an insignificant name that you will probably abandon like your last one, why should I call you by it?" Valefor sniffed. "I could give you a thousand names, if you'd like. Messenger of the King? Carver of Fate? Breaker of Worlds? Far more fitting if you ask-"

"Aatiq."

The djinn was interrupted by Sinbad approaching. Sending the boy an indignant glance, Valefor huffed and stalked away, leaving us to talk.

I watched him with a baleful expression before turning to my ally. "Ponytail."

He must have so many questions.

"Are you injured?" He smiled cheerily and I frowned. That wasn't the kind of question I was expecting but sure.

"Nothing that will last," I answered warily.

"That's good," he commented. "What kind of a man would I be if I let such a lovely girl with such beauty b-"

"If you're looking to flirt, I think Drakon over there just got his heart broken," I cut him off, uninterested in this meaningless small talk. "If you act quickly, you can be a rebound. Might even get laid."

His smile became a little strained at my crudeness, even more so at the suggestion. I closed my eyes, wanting nothing more than to nap and wait for my magoi to return. I still had about a third of my reserves left but even that was probably less than I'd like, especially considering that we still weren't out of this stupid, freakin' dungeon.

As if summoned to prove me right, a yell brought my attention to Assassin-Brat's body, still emitting those fucking Black Rukh.

"That bitch is like a bloody cockroach..." I muttered in frustration, climbing to my feet.

"How come..." Sinbad blanched.

"He's falling," Valefor commented beside me in disbelief. "How can he already be falling?"

Some people fall. Most people are pushed.

"I think he was pushed," I murmured, mostly to myself, as my eyes flickered around the room. She had to still be here somewhere. Small enough, quiet enough that I couldn't sense her. Like a bug in the dark.

Soft echoes of laughter filled my ears and I flinched. "You may have destroyed the core, but I can make a new one with this human as a perfect power source. With this, I can regenerate the magical beast as many times as I want."

I pursed my lips, chewing on my tongue thoughtfully.

"What a pity. You were so close."

A determined look plastered itself on Sinbad's face and he stepped forward. I knew that look. It was a I'm-about-to-do-something-stupid-because-it's-the-right-thing face. Also known as the Sinbad-special. Great.

"Can it be...?" Valefor blinked and gasped in realisation. "Stop! A human's body can't-"

Sinbad raised his hand, ready to plunge into the storm of Black Rukh, and I tuned the rest of the djinn's words out as I moved.

"Wait." He paused in surprise as a pale hand came to rest on his arm. I smiled at him as my gaze shimmered white yet again. My eyes paled and gleamed, two stars amongst lightning, two white birds in a storm of black wings. I still had a third of my magoi, after all. I could do this much. "Allow me."

He was confused, understandably. "Aatiq?"

Yeah, I thought, I'm definitely going to ditch that name. It comes with far too many questions now.

"I can't save him, only you can, but I can lessen the burden. I'll be a safety net of sorts," I explained, my grip tightening as I pooled more magoi from the well within me. "If you fail, I can help you return."

Sinbad cracked a grin that resembled a bit of a grimace. "What's with the lack of faith? I won't let myself fail."

I smirked. "Let's chalk it up to trust issues then. Now hurry the fuck up, we don't have all day."

He raised his hand once more and thrust it into the chaos. I held fast to his wrist and wrapped my magoi around the both of us, like glimmering white threads.

I felt something, like the pull of a vacuum, tugging at my power until our surroundings lit up and fell away.

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

Sights and sounds bombarded us from all sides and I made sure not to let Sinbad go.

"What is this?!" Sinbad called, looking around in awe.

Smiling shadows. Bloody hands. Cloaked faces.

"Memories."

A familiar voice answered for me and I perked up. I knew that magoi.

"Baal," I exclaimed cheerily. "Old man, how you been doing?!"

"Little Rukh..." Baal's presence lingered about us as we fell through the whirlwind of memories. "I see you are guiding my Master through this turmoil. Allow me to assist."

I loosened my power as his took its place. I focused instead on the string of magoi unspooling behind us, a safe and secure connection to our bodies.

I had infused as much of my magoi into Sinbad's body as I could without hurting him, reinforcing his mortal ass so that he wasn't ripped apart or anything. With his power free, Baal was now able to guide us directly to where we needed to go.

The risk to Sinbad was minimal with both Baal and I here. That reminds me...

I took a breath and closed my eyes, letting my senses expand throughout the space.

There.

I zeroed in on Falan's presence and struck hard.

It was all essence and spirit in here, the very stuff I was carved from. It was too easy to drive her out without even alerting Sinbad to her presence.

This is my domain. Get out.

In Parthevia, Falan cried out in pain as her crystal ball cracked and shattered. "No!"

I withdrew my senses back, satisfied. I had severed her link to the brat, the conscious part of her still here through that thing she'd implanted in the assassins. It was through this that she'd spoken to us earlier and it was through this that she would've controlled the demon.

She couldn't control the demon now, so if we could just keep it from being formed, then our job here would be done. I added 'make sure that she's properly severed from those other two assassins' to my mental checklist of things to do later. The stupid list was steadily growing the longer I was in this body.

"My Lord," Baal was addressing Sinbad now as I redirected my spare energy into that connecting thread. "I am directing you to the child's subconscious. Frankly speaking, you must save the boy. If you leave him like this, he will fall and never return from the darkness."

I sensed we were nearing our destination and let the boy go, trusting Baal to guide him through the last stretch. Sinbad twisted to face me as I started to lag behind.

I shrugged in response to his unspoken question. "Someone has to pull the thread from the other end. I'll deal with those pesky Black Rukh too, while I'm at it. You just get the kid out."

I wasn't here to change the path, only to make it easier. Clear some of the obstacles, if you will. It was still his path to follow in the end. Besides, what was minutes in here was seconds in reality. He would likely wake up right after I would.

Sinbad nodded and disappeared into the light while I began to follow the thread back. I'd left it wrapped around his wrist, still unspooling.

"Goodbye little Rukh."

"Seeya later, Baal."

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

The moment I opened my eyes, I unleashed a wave of light to obliterate the Black Rukh already surrounding us.

"Aatiq!" Blue yelled from somewhere behind me but I ignored him. I needed to concentrate.

Keeping a firm hold on my power, I didn't let the light dissipate, instead curling it around us like a hurricane. I herded the storm of Black Rukh in until the only thing pushing the others back was the violent winds.

This is not fun. I am not having fun right now.

Stop whining, a helpful (yet very unhelpful) voice in the back of my head spoke, you're the one who wanted to fight.

My muscles and body strained as a sharp headache formed.

"Fuckin' die already," I roared, slamming the light together and forcing it down into the vacuum.

It evaporated any Black Rukh it touched, and I vaguely heard Sinbad shouting something beside me. He'd returned but my thread was still there.

Had he...?

Yes, he had. He'd removed my thread, placing it on Jafar, and pulled himself back out with Baal's power.

Sneaky.

I pulled on the thread, letting Sinbad's lightning deal with the last of the Rukh as I took hold of my thread and dragged the brat out.

"Goddamn it, you brat!" I howled. "Everyone's waiting for you so hurry the fuck up already!"

The thread went taut

and

s

n

a

p

p

e

d.

Well, I thought as the light blinded everyone in the room, knocking me back a few steps, if he's not out by now then he's gone.

The white faded slowly and I dropped to my knees, exhausted. And there, surrounded by slowly evanescing magoi, was the brat, his wrist firmly in Sinbad's grasp.

"Hey, you still breathing?" Sinbad looked almost as tired as I did. I felt even worse.

I stifled a groan as the brat sniffled and tears left a damp trail in bandages.

"... yeah."

Thank fuck, I fell flat on my back, satisfied that it was finally over. My magoi was much lower than I'd like after all that and I was so, very tired.

"Take a nap, little Rukh," Valefor settled beside me, watching as the others tackled those two in relief. "You've earned it today."

"But if I fall asleep now, I won't get to say goodbye," I teased halfheartedly.

Urgh, my bones ached. He fondly flicked my nose in response. "That was as good a goodbye as any. Sleep. I will choose a king now, while you rest."

"Like there was ever really a choice."

I yawned and closed my eyes. The last thing I heard before I faded away was his amused chuckle and I didn't wake up for days.

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

"Aatiq!" Sinbad yelled, jabbing his finger in my direction accusing. "You're supposed to be resting."

I sneered and downed the last of my bottle of booze. "Just 'cause you're a lightweight, don't mean I can't have some fun!"

"Oi!"

I had slept for days, during which it seemed my magoi had replenished, fixed up my broken bones and replenished again. (This really was the best body)

I awoke to festivities outside and a doctor who, in my opinion, was a little high strung. He stopped bugging me though the moment he realised that my arm and ribs had healed in a matter of days. That gave me the chance to slip past him.

Like hell I'm not going to join in on the party after what I've just been through for that pesky future king.

Sinbad soon found me toasting with some Imuchakk warriors and catching up on what I'd missed. Hence the irritable pestering.

Hinahoho didn't seem to mind my involvement as he appeared soon after with a bottle and Sinbad quickly gave on arguing with me.

"This is a congratulatory drink as proof of our appreciation," Blue announced, filling Sinbad's cup. He merely laughed boisterously as I rejected the cup and took the bottle instead, calling for another one.

"The warrior's sake cup is a choice alcohol in our village, given only to honoured warriors," he explained as I took a greedy gulp. "It would bring me great joy if you were to accept it."

"Shit that's good," I muttered, looking up to see Ponytail staring blankly at Blue.

"Wimp," I scoffed, taking another swig.

"Do you hate it?" Blue inquired. He grinned. "Perhaps this congratulatory cup is too early for a kid like you."

"No, no, this is fine," Sinbad protested, a look of concentration on his face. "I'll be the king of a country some day, I can't go around rejecting a traditional toast."

The extra bottle arrived and I grinned, taking one last mouthful before shoving the half finished bottle into his hands and taking the extra for myself. He fumbled with it for a second, panic flashing in his eyes as he eyed the amount of alcohol I'd given him.

"Great, finish this one up for me then," I chortled, filling a cup for Blue and chugging half of the rest. I thought I heard him mutter something like 'demon...' under his breath for a moment but decided it was probably my imagination.

Ponytail gulped. "Bring it on. This is no big deal."

Aww, I thought he looked kind of cool when he said that but the effect quickly faded when he slumped, red-faced and practically unconscious, minutes later.

Slowly, I eased the first bottle from his arms, snickering. "Maybe that was a bit much, yeah?"

"Definitely a kid," Blue commented, finishing his cup.

I refilled it and downed the last of Sinbad's bottle instantly.

"Wimp~" I snorted.

Blue and I toasted cheerily. It seemed he'd gotten over his little issue with Sinbad and I found that he was far more enjoyable to be around when he wasn't all stressed out. We'd only been drinking for less than half an hour when something one of the Imuchakks mentioned earlier flashed across my mind and I turned a sly grin on Blue.

"Say... what was it I heard about you proposing...?" I asked cheekily. "You got a girl, do ya, Blue?"

He froze in dread at my expression.

"Spill!"

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

I liked Rurumu.

She had spunk.

I mean, I had skipped out on that meeting where Blue got permission to marry her and Sinbad had somehow managed (cunning) a monopoly agreement for Imuchakk goods with the king but she seemed cool.

I particularly liked her right now as I watched her beat Jafar and Sinbad into the ground while trying to teach them some manners.

"Rurumu-Chop!"

Bam!

I snickered.

"Jafar, haven't I told you not to use such foul language?" The woman scolded, Jafar's corpse twitching on the floorboards in front of her. Sinbad was pale as cloud nearby, sitting upright for the first time since I'd met him and trembling.

I lounged nearby, enjoying the show.

She turned to me next. "And you, Aatiq, you're so unladylike. Come here, I'll teach you the proper etiquette when addressing your superiors."

"No need," I mumbled around a yawn. At their inquisitive looks, I smiled and stretched my back out like a cat before returning to my former splayed out position. "Just 'cause I don't act like a lady, doesn't mean I don't know how."

It was true. For some reason, Solomon had thought general etiquette and education would be useful or necessary or something. It was all there in my head.

After my little breakdown in the dungeon, having been overwhelmed by my own knowledge, I'd been slowly sorting through what I know. The stuff about the future and the past was still messy and scattered a bit through my head but I was steadily making my way through things like skills and general information.

Rurumu frowned, clearly doubting me. "Really? Well, then let's see your posture."

She patted a spot beside her. I sighed and stood.

Sinbad and Jafar gaped in disbelief as I assumed correct posture and drifted over, gracefully folding my legs beneath me as I sat. I was careful to keep it a perfect imitation of Rurumu's example earlier. She was pleasantly surprised.

"How is your literacy?" She checked, sliding a scroll across the table.

She had me read out finance scrolls and business reports to check my literacy with both letters and numbers, tested my general education, culture, geography, social studies, maths, etiquette and speech and made me walk with perfect posture from one end of the ship to the other and back again before she was satisfied.

"That's more than enough," she confirmed with a warm smile. I couldn't resist a cheeky smirk directed to the boys as she turned to them, her expression darkening.

They quivered fearfully.

"Unlike Aatiq here, you boys have a very long way to go!"

I smugly plunked down to the side and leaned against the wooden mast to watch the show.

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

Sinbad managed to corner me a few days later.

I'd been avoiding him but you can only dodge someone so much and for so long when you're stuck on a ship with them.

Truthfully, I'd been meaning to slip away from the group back at the Imuchakk port but there were no other ships departing at the time and Sinbad had been keeping an eye on me since the festival.

My visions had eased significantly, letting me know that there wasn't any immediate trouble for a while now. Only the issue that our time in the dungeon had left Sinbad with a few too many questions.

Hence, why he slipped into my room late one night after the others had gone to sleep.

I eyed him warily, having already changed into some night clothes kindly provided by the Imuchakk and currently folding my day clothes up. As I folded, I felt his gaze burning into my back.

Damn. Nowhere to run.

Hoping to distract him, I instantly remarked, "I don't care how hot you are or that I'm probably the only unmarried girl on this boat, I'm not gonna sleep with you."

Sinbad turned red and spluttered, caught off guard. "W-What?! Of course not! What the hell?!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, what were you thinking when you entered my room, late at night, alone?" I enunciated each point, enjoying the way he flinched guiltily at each one.

"It's not like that," he protested. I hummed disbelievingly and went back to folding.

"Really," he insisted. "I just... I have questions."

"I probably won't answer them, but if you want, ask away," I replied, finishing up and leaving the folded clothes on the end of my bed. It was a small room, no wardrobe or anything, just a bed and a chair really. As a result, even though he lingered by the door, we weren't very far apart. I kept my back to him for now, taking the time to properly school my expressions.

"In both Dungeons, you disappeared halfway through and then showed up in the djinn's main chamber long before any of us reached it," Sinbad stated. "How?"

Oh, he sounds pretty serious.

"I asked," was my immediate answer. He paused.

"Then why'd they let you in?"

I smirked, turning to face him. "How would I know? I'm sure they had their own reasons, so why don't you ask them?"

"Ok. What's a Rukh?"

I appraised him thoughtfully. "Yeah, not sure I'm allowed to tell you yet. Next question."

He took it in stride. "Allowed? Does that mean you work for someone?"

"Next."

"What was that light you used?"

"Next."

"It looked like a djinn's power. Are you a Capturer too?"

"Next."

"Why do your eyes glow sometimes?"

"Next."

"How did you pull Jafar out with that glowy thread thing?"

"Next."

"How'd you summon that weapon before?"

"Next."

"You refer to humans like you aren't one. What are you?"

"Next."

"What did you talk with the Djinn about?"

"Next."

"What's your real name?"

"Next."

He breathed out an irritated sigh. "Can you answer any of my questions?"

"Sure," I smiled. "I just answered this one."

He took a moment to think, like I was a riddle to be solved. "Will you help me make my dream a reality?"

There's that cunning I was waiting for.

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" My smile widened. He finally seemed to realise how pointless this was. I would give him no answers right now.

Serves him right for trying to corner me too, I thought smugly. "Is that all? I'm not in these night clothes because they make me look good, you know. Though they are quite nice. Actually, you know what, about what I said earlier about sleeping with-"

"Ok, good night," Sinbad interrupted quickly.

"Huh." I blinked as he fled the room. "Is he scared of me or something...? From what I remember, he's supposed to be all suave and hormone-driven... wait, how old is he again?"

I shrugged and climbed into my bed. Oh well, wasn't really any of my business. Besides, if it keeps him from asking more questions, then it works out better for me.

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

"Come and have a look! Don't miss it! We got lots of rarities directly imported from the mysterious lands of Imuchakk and now is the only chance to get them!"

Sinbad's voice boomed throughout the busy streets and I dropped a giant plate of fish in front of him cheerily. I was so bored after weeks on that godforsaken boat that I happily volunteered to help unload all the Imuchakk merchandise.

The stupid little comments of 'oh, you don't have to, little miss' and 'we wouldn't want you to get hurt now, little girl' were quickly silenced as I piled three sacks of merchandise on top of a full wooden box and proceeded to heft it all into my arms. The Imuchakk gaped as I smugly carried it all down the ramp, not even breaking a sweat.

In my short time here, I'd quickly figured out that it was no good to argue about my strength with others. I might as well just show them and shut them up that way. To be fair, this body was built of more durable stuff than an average human body. If I were a human girl of my body mass, it would probably be physically impossible for me to possess the strength I do.

I still liked showing off though, if only to see the hilarious looks on their faces.

"Where'd you find this girl, Sin?!" One of the Imuchakk called out as I passed with a stack of five sacks. "She's amazing!"

"Eh?" Sinbad blinked. I paused on the spot at his following mischievous smile. "Oh, Aatiq? I found her jumping off cliffs so she could ride some dragons in a dungeon a while back."

Yep, there's those faces.

The Imuchakk froze on the spot, his expression twisting as he tried to figure out whether Ponytail was joking or not. When he couldn't tell, he slowly turned to face me, as if I would share a laugh and tell him Ponytail was joking. Instead, I smirked, winked and went on my way. It wasn't a lie after all.

We started to set up shop the moment we'd found a good spot and once the others had finished marvelling at their surroundings.

I scoffed as Sinbad instantly took to earning business by charming any and all ladies in sight.

Really. What an idiot.

As the girls gushed over him, I searched the skies. Hmm... I think I'll try heading north. Of course, I'd need to find a map somewhere along the way.

"Hey Aatiq!" Sinbad's voice stopped me in my tracks and I threw an innocent glance over my shoulder.

Ponytail's eyebrow quirked upwards. "Where're you heading off to? Aren't you going to help us sell all this?"

I sniffed. "Of course! Seeing as you've all flirted with all the females on this street and I've never explored Reim before, I figured I'd take a little walk and advertise our merchandise elsewhere."

Seemingly reassured, though a little suspicious, Sinbad shrugged and beamed. "Ok! Don't take too long!"

I smirked and waved, turning away.

Before I turned the corner, I cast one last look at the group.

Then I moved out of sight and kept walking.

We'd meet again.

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

Yes, she did just ditch them. She 100% ditched them. She will 100% ditch them frequently throughout this story.

Anyway, I have (stupidly) decided to take on three stories at once right now so my updates are slowing down but that's probably for the best. I was writing like 3 chapters a day, including editing. That's got to affect quality, right? To be fair, I think my chapters are also getting longer... oh well!

Until next time,

- Dragon