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Chapter Twelve
Belial's Magic
Morgiana spends the next few days learning the ins and outs of her metal vessel. Hakuryuu does his best to instruct her. The first time she's able to transform her necklace into its weapon form she nearly drops it in shock. The enormous skeletal scythe that appears in her hands is a far cry from the kind of weapon she expected to receive based on her own personal fighting style. It looks like something straight out of a nightmare. She has never wielded a blade before and she doesn't know the first thing about scythes.
"You'll need to be very, very careful with that," Hakuryuu warns. "That blade does not simply cut; it banishes the spirit of whatever it touches to another dimension entirely."
Morgiana looks down at the weapon in her hands uneasily. She doesn't understand exactly what Hakuryuu means by banishing someone to another dimension but she doesn't think she much cares for such a power. Killing is one thing. She can do that if she must. But sending someone to another dimension… The thought sends a shiver up her spine.
"It's a weapon best saved for when it's really needed," Hakuryuu says, reading her mind. "Kicks and punches will suffice for most enemies."
Morgiana sighs in relief and allows the scythe to change back into a necklace. She doesn't think she will be using it very often.
"More important to us is Belial's other power," he continues. "The ability to create illusions. That magic is what we will use to bring Al-Thamen to its knees."
Morgiana nods. The day is warm and sunlight streams through the gaps in the branches of the fruit trees that shelter them. She tries not to become distracted by the sweet smell of plums and the pleasant feeling of the mild breeze on her skin.
"I want you to try to show me an illusion," he instructs. "Using Belial's powers, you can make your victim believe anything. You can show them a scene of your choosing or force them to live their greatest fear or even trap them in a fantasy where all of their dreams come true. The limit is your imagination."
Morgiana furrows her brow. She's never had much imagination. She wonders if these powers are really suited to her.
"Anything is okay," he assures her. "Try starting small. Just focus on an image in your head and then will me to see it as well. That's all there is to it."
She closes her eyes and tries to do as he instructs. It takes her a few moments to think of something but once she does she focuses hard on the image and then on Hakuryuu. To her amazement, the mark on her necklace begins to shine.
Hakuryuu's pale eyes stare vacantly ahead for a short moment and then he blinks and she can tell that his awareness has returned. He frowns and looks confused. "Did…you just show me Alibaba getting married to a gorilla?"
Morgiana flushes and looks down at her hands. "It was the first thing I thought of," she admits.
Hakuryuu's cheeks puff out and a beat later he's laughing. Morgiana watches him unsurely for a moment and then begins to laugh herself. It was an odd choice.
When Hakuryuu is able to stop laughing, he says, "Let's keep practicing. This time, try to make your illusion talk."
Morgiana nods and closes her eyes. She sifts through her mind for a good scene. She thinks briefly of Aladdin and then Alibaba and even Sinbad. She has many memories with all of them that she can show him. She thinks of Hakuryuu himself and recalls meeting him for the first time in Sindria and then their mission in Zagan's dungeon. She remembers how he threw a tantrum when the fake Zagan picked on him. She can vividly recall him sobbing on the floor. 'You're all stupid!' the Hakuryuu in her head wails.
She hears a strangled noise from the Hakuryuu in front of her. "Not that!" he exclaims and she opens her eyes to see him holding his head and shaking it violently. He stops and looks up at her with a pained expression.
She raises an appeasing hand to him. "Ah… Sorry."
Hakuryuu closes his eyes and sighs. His cheeks are pink. "Anyway, it seems like you've gotten the hang of simple illusions. We can work on the more complicated stuff later so why don't we take a break," he suggests. He opens one eye to look at her wryly.
Morgiana won't argue with that. The sunlight on her skin and the warm grass beneath her are making her feel drowsy. She thinks she could go for a nap. Hakuei and her men aren't planning to start moving again for a while yet. Decision made, she crawls over to where Hakuryuu is sitting and curls up on the grass beside him.
Hakuryuu looks down at her and tightens one corner of his mouth in a mock pout. "I see how it is."
She stares back up at him wordlessly for a drawn out moment and finally he sighs and falls onto his back next to her. "Fine. I guess a nap sounds nice."
She smiles and scoots closer to snuggle against his side. He laughs and moves his head so that he can rest his cheek on her crown. The grass is soft and cushy and the air smells of plums and it doesn't take long for Morgiana's eyes to begin to droop. She allows them to fall shut and lets the nice day steal her away to dreamland.
For once, Morgiana doesn't dream of the future that was lost. She dreams instead of the imperial palace in Rakushou. She's standing on a stone pathway near the training grounds. The scenery is a familiar, however the palace grounds look different to her. The place is full of flowers and all around her she sees noble ladies wandering the gardens in brightly colored dresses. It looks like a scene out of a painting.
It's odd, but Morgiana can somehow tell that she's dreaming. The kinds of inconsistencies that would normally be overlooked in a typical dream are starkly apparent to her. She understands that this Rakushou is not the one she visited in the lost timeline. It's fresher looking and more bustling and she wonders why she would dream of such a place but it's not like she can control what her sleeping mind decides to conjure up so she just accepts it.
Morgiana's feet take her to the training grounds and she sees two young men in white sparring with spears. She ventures over to get a better look. One has wild hair and wears a large grin and the other is austere and devastatingly handsome. He almost looks like Hakuryuu except for the absence of the large splash of scar tissue around his left eye. She watches them with interest as they swing and thrust their spears at each other. Many of the noble women have gathered to watch as well.
All at once, a hand holding a freshly plucked clover appears in her vision. Morgiana follows the arm attached to the hand and finds Hakuryuu standing beside her, smiling. She takes the clover and spins it idly between her thumb and index finger. "Those two are my brothers," he tells her nodding to the duelists. "The one smiling like a fool is Hakuren and the serious one is Hakuyuu." The women watching the competition give a gasp as the tip of Hakuyuu's spear slices the air just inches from his brother's face and Hakuryuu laughs. "They always were popular with the ladies."
Morgiana takes a moment to study the dueling young men. She can certainly see the family resemblance. Both share Hakuryuu and Hakuei's dark hair and pale skin and they even have the same mole under the left corner of their mouths. Her gaze remains on the older of the two, Hakuyuu, just a tad longer and then she turns back at her friend. "He looks like you."
Hakuryuu blinks down at her and then looks back at his brothers. "Who, Hakuyuu?" he questions. He raises an eyebrow at her. "Sure…I guess."
"He does," she insists. "You have the same jaw. And the same eyes."
Hakuryuu cocks his head pensively and touches his jaw. He lets his hand drop and shrugs. They watch silently for a few moments and Morgiana can't help but compare Hakuyuu and Hakuren's technique with what she's seen of Hakuryuu's. They are all masterful at wielding their weapons, to be sure, but she can see the differences. Hakuren's movements are full of energy and flair while Hakuyuu's are sharp and calculated. They both are able to make tossing a spear around look fluid and natural. When she first met Hakuryuu, she'd written him off as clumsy and lacking in real battle experience, but he'd quickly proven that he too was in fact very adept with his weapon. His technique most closely resembles his eldest brother's, she thinks, though she's always been able to sense a kind of desperation in Hakuryuu's style that is absent from Hakuyuu's.
"You know, I often wonder what they would think of me if they were still alive," Hakuryuu confesses, breaking the silence. Morgiana turns to look at him. "They were both so great. I used to think they were the strongest people in the world. I wanted to be just like them when I grew up." He smiles and chuckles. "I guess I became strong," he allows. "But I still have a long way to go before I can become someone they would be proud of."
Morgiana shakes her head. "I don't know what kind of standard your brothers had for something like that, but I think they would agree that you turned into a remarkable person." She slides her palm into his out of habit.
He threads their fingers together. Is it just her, or do his cheeks look slightly pink. "Morgiana," he starts, "you know, I…" He stops. His cheeks redden even more. "I…"
He trails off and all at once a look of shame appears on his face. He turns his head away.
"You what?" she prompts, cocking her head curiously.
"Never mind," he says. "Forget it." He shakes his head and when he turns back to her he seems to have recovered. He tugs on her hand. "Come on. Let's take a walk in the gardens."
Morgiana allows herself to be tugged away from the training grounds and Hakuryuu leads her back toward the place where the ladies in colorful dresses promenade in the afternoon sun. The palace gardens are stunning. Comparing them with the gardens of the Rakushou she knows is like comparing a river to a babbling brook. There are species of flowers that she has never seen before and the whole place is filled with interesting and exotic fragrances. As they walk along the cobbled path, they pass many lovely young women and the occasional retainer but nobody spares them a glance. Morgiana wonders if they can even see them.
"These are some of my earliest memories," Hakuryuu explains. He's studying a section of carnations and he brings up a wooden finger to delicately brush the petals of one of the crimson blooms. He turns to her and smiles. "It's nice to see the home of my childhood again, even if it's just an illusion."
Morgiana starts. "What?" She doesn't think the people in her dreams are generally this self-aware.
Hakuryuu points at her necklace and Morgiana looks down. The symbol next to the jewel is sparkling with power. He laughs. "Did you think you were dreaming?"
Her eyes widen and she looks back up at him in surprise.
"You made this place from my memories. You dragged both of us into this illusion when you fell asleep."
Morgiana stares at him. Her brain struggles to catch up. "Then…you're not a dream?"
He shakes his head.
She looks back down and touches her necklace in wonder. She hadn't intended to call on Belial's powers but somehow it seems she did. If it's this easy to draw on her djinn's magic she'll have to be careful in the future. She looks back at Hakuryuu. "How do I stop it?"
Hakuryuu looks contemplative for a moment. Finally, he says, "I don't know. I've never used a djinn's powers while sleeping before. It might be possible to will yourself out of the illusion. Or you can always just wait until your magoi runs out."
Morgiana considers this. "Then…if I can't will myself out…does that mean you're stuck here with me?"
Hakuryuu looks like he hadn't considered that. He raises his free hand to his chin. "Mm. I guess I am."
Morgiana looks down as she considers this. She doesn't think she likes the idea of possibly being trapped in an illusion until she wakes up, but being able to use her powers while unconscious could prove to be a useful skill on the battlefield. She can at least trap her enemy with her. Moreover, if it's true that she made this illusion from Hakuryuu's memories, then does that mean that she's inside his mind? If that's the case, can she affect things here or is she merely a spectator? She'd like to test the extent of this ability but she doesn't know if she feels comfortable messing around with Hakuryuu's memories. What if she accidentally rewrites them? She knows she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she did such a thing.
She furrows her eyebrows. "I'm going to try to stop it," she decides, looking back up at him.
He nods.
She closes her eyes and focuses on waking up. When she concentrates, she realizes that she can just barely feel the prickle of grass on her legs and the heat of the sun on her skin. She hones her senses onto these feelings and gradually more of her awareness begins to return. There are birds twittering the trees above her. She can hear Hakuryuu's steady breathing beside her and feel the press of his cheek on the top of her head. His body is solid and warm against hers. She smells plums.
She opens her eyes and she's back in reality again. She's staring at Hakuryuu's collar. She lifts her head and sees that his eyes are closed. He's still asleep. She allows herself to feel a small amount of triumph. It looks like she can exit her dreaming illusions after all. Now she just has to figure out how to control them.
She considers waking Hakuryuu to discuss what just happened with him but the day is so nice and the sun feels so warm that she lays her head back down and decides to just enjoy being able to take a break for once. He'll wake up when he wakes up. She watches the plum leaves rustle in the breeze and listens to the far off sound of Hakuei's men chatting as they tend to the horses. It's nice to just relax and do nothing. She so rarely gets the opportunity.
Now that she's figured out how to summon her weapon and create simple illusions, she will next need to learn to perform a djinn equip. She wonders how long it will take her. Days? Weeks? Months? At least she has two metal vessel users on hand to instruct her. She wonders if Alibaba has managed to do it yet. She can only imagine what he'll say when he finds out that she's become a dungeon capturer too. A small, vindictive part of her wants to master her djinn before him just to see his reaction. The rest of her wonders when she became the kind of person who would derive enjoyment from something so petty. She decides she doesn't care either way.
She hears cloth rustle next to her and turns her head to see Hakuryuu has woken after all and is looking at her. His face is only a few inches from hers and if she wanted to she could count every individual lash on his still drowsily half lowered eyelids. He blinks and then opens his eyes all the way. She can practically hear him mentally telling himself to be awake. He yawns and despite his conviction his eyes fall shut again. It isn't usually this difficult for him to wake up and she wonders if her powers have anything to do with it.
"Hakuryuu," she calls, lifting an arm to lightly shake his shoulder.
"Mmm," he answers, cracking his eyes open again. "I'm up."
Morgiana observes his struggle with amusement. "We shared a dream," she remarks, a corner of her mouth rising of its own accord.
"Mm. Yeah. Wish I'd known about that power back when Belial was my djinn. Really could've come in handy."
"How do you mean?" she questions, her smile widening at his sloppy diction. It's entertaining to hear him speaking without his normal level of carefulness.
"Because Gyokuen can't spy on us in dreams."
Morgiana's eyebrows rise. She hadn't considered that, but he's right. If she's able to induce a shared dream with someone, not only can she hold an enemy against their will, she can trade intelligence with her allies without risk of being overheard. It's actually a pretty useful ability.
Hakuryuu lets out another big yawn and forces himself to sit up. He looks more awake now. He reaches up with his wooden hand and smooths his mussed up hair. A few pieces of grass fall back to the earth. He looks more disheveled than usual but it's not a bad look for him, she privately thinks.
He stands and holds out a hand to her which she takes and he easily pulls her to her feet. "I guess it's about time we got back to the others," he says, shading his eyes as he peers over in the direction of the camp. "I imagine we'll be departing soon."
Morgiana nods and intertwines her fingers with his and they begin the short walk back to Hakuei. Despite herself, a wide smile splits her face. She's learned a wealth of new skills today. Slowly but surely, she's catching up to her friends. She's another step closer to fulfilling her promise to Alibaba and Aladdin.
She hopes that her new powers will be enough.
oO0Oo
Hey, friends! So many transitiony chapters lately. Sorry about that, but they're a necessary evil. I hope you were able to enjoy the slightly elevated amount of fluff in this one.
A special thanks to those of you who have been leaving me comments. I always get really happy when I see a new review in my inbox. I feel the love.
And speaking of love, y'all should go read Koukoi1412'sstuff if you haven't yet. It's amazing.
Next chapter: Hakuei and Morgiana start a motorcycle gang, Kouen is more studly than like everyone, and somewhere, Kougyoku is preparing to become plot relevant (finally).