Hello everyone out there!
So Magi belongs to Shinobu Ohtaka, my OC to me, there might be references to this world, music etc, spoilers for those who haven't read the manga this far and some spelling mistakes because I do the correcting stuff on my own and English is not my native language.
Even so, have a fun time reading!
Day 27: The ones who will be leaving
Good and not so good things happened in the last week, Lenka decided after summarizing the past five days she spent in Kou.
On the good side was that Hakuei visited Lenka, Kougyoku and Miran in one of the rear gardens where the two dungeon capturers had been practicing fencing. The princess had hugged her and thanked her for talking some reason in Hakuryuu while her first household member, a petite man named Seisyun, showed Miran how he used his household vessel. The boy had been very impressed.
Almost too soon for her taste they had said their good-byes as Hakuei had to return to the Tenzan plateau to govern her part of the imperial army.
That meant, another point on this side, that Hakuryuu had spoken with his sister and accepted her, well, encouragement to get his ass up and jump over his shadow and apologize. A step towards the better future.
Third point on the good side, she got along well with Kougyoku's brothers, especially Kouha, who was more than ecstatic to have found someone who would spar with him, survive his insane overpowered attacks and then let him plait her hair. Kouen was happy that she gave him the scrolls she had taken with her from her house in Reim and the notes of the Toran inscriptions she had photoed back in Orobas' dungeon a long time ago. Koumei was simply contended that she didn't bother him as he had more than enough work with the preparations he had to make for his departure to Balbadd.
And then there was the bad side.
Lenka would have never expected that she would miss Reim. But she did. She missed the chance to go out and do her grocery shopping in the afternoon with Miran. She missed her study where she would sit down some evening to read, drinking a cup of tea before going to sleep in her comfortable bed. And oh god, she missed Muu Alexius. Somehow he just wouldn't leave her mind, every memory she seemed to have from Reim contained him.
I have officially declared you love-sick, Foras had grinned when she asked her djinn. The others agreed more or less enthusiastic. Eligos had a giggling fit, Orias tried to become invisible and Orobas looked like he was going to murder the poor man.
I am not love-... shit.
Now she was not only officially love-sick but had realized she was in love with him as well. Damn.
Well, you could have it worse, Foras mused and glanced at Gusion.
The Magi kid would have been worse.
Which Magi kid? Judar or Aladdin?
Aladdin as in Prince Aladdin? He's here? I have to meet him!
Soon, Lenka told her then sighed and concentrated on her mental list again.
There was the next point. Gyokuen aka Arba aka the evil witch queen of the east knew her name and that she was here so she could stay in Kou only for a few more weeks before she got kicked out.
And the third...
"I say the pink one suits her better."
"Are you stupid? It's clearly the red one!"
Kougyoku and Kouha glared at each other, both were holding a kimono to Lenka's face as they were debating what she should wear for her birthday tomorrow. She couldn't believe that she had been for longer than a year and three months in this world but she really would be turning twenty. Time surely flew by.
"I like the turquoise one, but you surely wouldn't listen to me," said Miran from his place on the couch. The four of them plus two maids were currently standing or sitting in Kougyoku's dressing room where the sibling were debating the color of the kimono she should wear.
"Red!"
"Pink!"
"Red!"
"Pink!"
"You should probably name it, Kougyoku-red and Kouha-pink."
"But I say pink! Lenka!" Kougyoku wailed and looked at her friend with big puppy eyes. Kouha did the same and let his lower lip quiver ever so slightly, a trick Miran must have told him in exchange for blackmailing techniques. The day they had met had created monsters.
"Please say red. You would do for me, right?"
Lenka sighed and patted both their heads. They were just adorable when they did that.
"Clad me in every colour you like, decide which is the best and in the end you might decide that layering them is best. It's my fate to be a dress-up doll for red-haired or pink-eyed individuals, isn't it?"
The Rens looked at each other then nodded.
"Deal."
The blonde sighed again and stretched out her arms to receive her punishment. Miran grinned wide at his guardian.
"This is funny. And you'll look pretty."
"Is this your revenge for the curse of porridge?"
"It might be karma," he shrugged with a smile.
"I like it here. Kougyoku and Kouha are nice. And the food is good."
"Heh," the prince smirked while Kougyoku blushed a bit and smiled at the fanalis.
"Thank you."
"Though here is that guy. I don't like him. He smells bad."
Lenka shook her head and Kouha looked a bit confused.
"Who again?"
"Judar."
"Oh," he shrugged and wrapped a obi belt around her waist.
"Yeah, he's a bit strange but funny at the same time."
"I don't like him," repeated Miran.
"I have to glare so much at him I get headaches."
"I can teach you a glare, too," Kouha offered and left it to his half-sister to dress Lenka. He closed his eyes to mentally prepare himself for a second then his face took a vicious and blood-thirsty expression. The blonde felt his killing intent rise like the tide until it hung in the air like the heavy atmosphere before a thunderstorm.
"Piss of, you low-life scumbag, before I gouge out your eyeballs, rip out your intestines and cook a soup from them which I will feed you so you will die in agonizing pain."
The boy shuddered then cheered and clapped while the maids tried to hide in a corner far, far away from the prince.
"That was fantastic! The growl at the end was absolutely perfect!"
"I know," Kouha grinned smugly and balanced on his heels before spinning back to Lenka.
"You have good taste when it comes to your followers. But your sense for fashion sucks."
She rolled her eyes.
"That's why I have friends like Kougyoku to doll me up, don't I?"
"I still can't believe you're friends, but apparently you are."
"Hey!"
"That sounds like something Judar would say."
"Nah, I'm somehow glad that she finally has someone besides him who will spend time with her."
"That's sweet of you," the blonde smiled at both of them. Kougyoku glanced at her brother.
"You were thinking about my well-being?"
"Well, duh, she's my sister, right?" he shrugged nonchalantly then furrowed his brows in confusion when she blushed bright red and disappeared behind her sleeves.
In the end they decided on both the Kouha-pink and Kougyoku-red kimono with a few more white under them and a deep teal colored obi. Lenka felt like she was wearing twice as much as normally, extremely slow and limited in her movement, but she didn't complain as she was sure that both siblings would Extreme-Magic her into the next year if she said something against their choice of clothes.
So she endured being woken up early the next morning by Miran who wanted to congratulate her first and have breakfast, then spending hours in the bath with Kougyoku before getting dressed and having her hair done by Kouha who was adamant on forming a complicated tower with the help of several small needles, sticking one of his sister's pretty pins through it and braiding the strands hanging down. At least she could be sure that she was absolutely gorgeous, and a glance in the mirror confirmed this.
"I am a knock-out," she said admiringly, raised her outstretched arms to examine the flower pattern on the sleeves then grinned at her friend, the brother of her friend who was now a friend as well, the maids and Miran.
"You could make a lot of money with fashion counselling, you know?"
Kouha's boyish grin was really cute in her opinion.
"Of course we could, but the fun runs out after a while."
"Then I'm glad I had the chance to take advantage of that."
Kougyoku giggled openly, much to her brother's surprise.
"And now I can show you around."
"Like, aimlessly strolling around for the world to see my beauty and cower to your feet and beg you to share your divine intuition of what is going to be fashion in the next season upon them?"
"Exactly," Kouha cackled and hopped from his chair.
"I want to show you to brother En and the geezers who thought you were a barbarian from Reim."
Lenka frowned.
"I don't want to impress old men. And don't you dare to drag me into a war council, Kouha."
"Aw, but's so funny if they start choking on their spit."
"I know, but either way I don't want to get shown around like a prized cow, I had my fair share of that already."
Miran handed her Eligos so she could strap the sword to her obi belt. The pink-haired male pouted.
"Your sword ruins the picture."
"Kouha, you know, walking around without your metal vessels is like running naked through a snowstorm. Utter lunacy."
"Have you made this experience already?"
"No, I fought in the Reim Colosseum without a weapon. Not exactly my most intelligent move but I managed to survive with as much as a scar. The others were not that lucky..."
"I want a good fight soon, I'm bored as hell."
"You sound like Judar."
Kougyoku frowned.
"Now that you mention him, I haven't seen Judar for a few days. Where could he be?"
"As long as he doesn't wait in our room again he can be anywhere he wants," Miran piped in, openly showing his hostility towards the Magi. Lenka walked over to her friend and comfortingly squeezed her hand.
"He might have heard of a peach harvest somewhere and is now raiding the orchards. Don't worry, he will be fine. What is there in the world that could stop Judar?"
"You for an instance."
Orobas muttered something about this being the only sign of intelligence that had ever shown and she silently agreed with his opinion. Judar was a bit mad after all. Okay, rather mad. Kouha stretched his arms then kicked the door open.
"Who wants to go and scare some random people?"
"Count me in."
Wearing a slight smile she followed the siblings out of the room, Miran to her left from where he could easily attack or defend, even though she doubted that he needed to. There was no one stupid enough to attack three dungeon capturers in broad daylight after all. Except Judar who landed in front of them with a wide toothy grin.
"Hey, blondie! Or do I have to call you hag now?"
"You are going to confuse us one day if every woman older or younger is 'hag' to you," Lenka answered and smiled back at him and the energetic mass of Rukh he emitted.
"Yeah, anyway, I got you a present!"
"You never got me a present!" Kouha complained and crossed his arms in fake sulking then jumped his Magi friend, or rather attached himself to Judar so he couldn't fly away again.
"Because you're not special."
Kougyoku squeaked behind her sleeves; the ship was sailing, no matter what Lenka, who was now scowling at her, said. She was simply in denial.
"So, blondie, guess what I got you?"
"Easy, that one. A dungeon."
He grinned even wider and clapped in mock surprise.
"My, you are so clever!"
"I try my best. So, which dungeon is it? And where?"
"Gamigin. A few miles northwest from here. Storm djinn if I remember correctly. Or Decarabia? I don't know. Maybe Aim? Häagenti?"
Oh, please Amy, Eligos loved teasing him because of the girlish name! It so didn't fit him! Or Häaggy!
Good old times, Gusion murmured.
"If you raised all of them in the last few days I know why you were nowhere to be found," grinned the blonde then slightly tilted her head to hear the drop-shaped beads of her hairpin clink together.
"Just not today, I like the outfit too much to get it in a dungeon."
He pouted a bit then shrugged and tried to turn on his heels but was stopped by Kouha.
"Stay, Judar!
"Please!"
Kougyoku joined and in a flutter of robes and flailing limbs they effectively pinned the cursing Magi to the floor which caused Miran to snicker in amusement. He loved seeing suitors – or possible suitors or imaginary suitors – suffer and was happy when he could do his role as first executioner. Leaning back and having others do the job was almost as great. Less work for him, more pain for the suitors.
The arrival of a servant stopped the bickering as the man stopped and bowed in front of them.
"Ambassador, his Excellency Ren Kouen requests your attendance at the war council."
"Oh fudge," the curse escaped Lenka then she nodded and looked pleadingly at the others.
"Can't one of you come with me?"
"I'd like to, but, you see, I'm not a general..."
"I'll stay with Kougyoku! I am underage after all!"
"Hell, no, not the geezers!"
She stared at Kouha until he sighed and let go of Judar who instantly left the ground and rolled around in the air.
"I don't want to-"
"Prince Kouha!"
Another servant rushed in their direction and almost stumbled when he bowed.
"His excellency Ren Kouen has asked for your company at the war meeting."
"Damn."
The Magi cackled while waving at them.
"Have fun, losers. I'll go take a nap."
Kouha glared at the disappearing figure for a second before he gestured Lenka to follow him.
"Come on, brother En doesn't like to wait. Bye, Kougyoku and Miran."
"Ciao ciao," she blew a kiss towards them and laughed when the princess blushed and her household member did as if he would catch it and press it to his cheek. God, he was so adorable. She was so glad that he was her household vessel it was almost impossible to describe.
Despite the somewhat sadistic grin he now shared with Kougyoku.
The meeting room was filled with a table on which a map was placed and chairs for the old men and war generals. Kouen who was sitting at the top with his household around looked rather bored in her opinion but started smirking when he caught sight of his brother and her in the traditional Kou dress. Koumei nodded behind his fan.
"Kouha, Miss Lenka."
"You actually look decent for once," the older stated bluntly and one or two of the elders snickered. Lenka rolled her eyes and smiled wryly while walking up to him.
"I've slapped people for less, Lord Kouen."
The elders gasped in shock but his smirk turned into a grin.
"I guess that was Sinbad?"
Grr, stupid king, Orobas murmured. She chuckled and shook her head, enjoying the way the braids brushed over her shoulders.
"For a change it wasn't him, but usually it is Orobas who tries to maim him."
One of Kouens household members, the one with the snake hair snorted and got then whacked on the head by the larger pig man.
"Seishuu, brat."
Lenka chuckled inwardly at this display of the ranking in Kouen's household and took a look at the map. It showed the whole eastern continent and the known part of the western, the territories owned by Kou were marked with metal tiles. The different armies were symbolized by flat pentagons, much like gaming pieces. She immediately spotted Balbadd at one of the southern peninsulas and nostalgia welled up in her. A long time had passed since the revolution.
And then she spotted Magnostadt and a shiver ran up her spine. Kouen noticed her staring at the map and waved his hand at the magicians' country.
"I want to know what Reim will do."
She gave him an incredulous look.
"Anything else I can get you? The moon perhaps? That was sarcasm, by the way."
"I noticed. So?"
"Do you really think I will tell you?"
Some of the elders had become red-faced during their conversation, disbelieving of the fact that someone, moreover, a woman was talking back to Ren Kouen! What a disgrace! One of the generals, the one with the once blue hair and missing eye spoke up.
"My Lord, please pardon me speaking, but why exactly is that woman here? There is a reason why the business of belligerence is conducted by men, not women."
Anger flared up in the traveler and her fingers wandered to the hilt of her sword. That was exactly why she didn't want to take part in this. Kouen briefly raised a brow at the man.
"She is here because I want her to be here."
"Your excellence," one of the elders said, "'tis not my right to criticize you-"
"Then don't," stated the prince and looked at her.
"Judar said you would join our cause and I had the impression you would sympathize with me as well."
"Not exactly. I might be one of his dungeon capturers," at this everyone but the Ren siblings and their households gaped at her, "but I am indebted to Lady Scheherazade as well, and perhaps even more."
Muu Alexius, Foras hummed in the back of her head with a suggestive wriggle of her brows. Lenka chose to ignore the djinn and to lay some of her cards on the table.
"What I can say is that Reim is prepared to fight. If the order comes I will leave to do my part of the deal."
"Scheherazade hired you?" Koumei asked suddenly, causing her to blink in surprise and raise her right sleeve to her chin to take a thinking position. She had conquered a dungeon and then offered her services to the Magi, thus becoming her king candidate. If she thought about it a bit longer...
"More or less."
"So you are a kind of a mercenary. A dungeon capturer mercenary. A one-person army."
Note to herself: never underestimate Ren Koumei.
Noted, Orias nodded and scribbled a few more symbols on a scroll.
"That would be the most adequate description I guess," answered Lenka slowly, returning Kouen's stare that became more and more excited and preying with every second. He even sat up to scan her again. And the other persons in the room eyed her with new interest as well now that they knew that she was a dungeon capturer.
"What do we need to offer for you to work for us?"
She shook her head and thrummed on the hilt of her sword.
"It's not like you have a saying in whom I assist. I follow my own path under the guidance of the Rukh towards the ultimate goal."
"I could give you Kougyoku. You like her and she likes you."
"Excuse me?!" yelled Lenka, shocked from how far he would actually go. Kouen shrugged.
"It will be Kouha then."
"Brother En?!"
"That's it."
She pointed on him with her right and he frowned, knowing what terrible things the ring with the red jewel could do to him. He would be first princess instead of first prince for an unset time period.
"You simply can't sell your siblings for power! And how you dare to suggest that I would agree!"
The man tilted his head, an amused glint joined the hungry one in his eyes as he stroked his goatee while some of the other council members grumbled something about her being not in a position where she could tell Prince Ren Kouen what to do.
"I merely suspected that you would join the empire through a marriage contract?"
Orobas, Eligos, Orias and Foras screamed in different emotions ranging from anger to fangirling.
"Get in line, there are others who have asked first," hissed Lenka while blushing furiously so that she matched her kimono.
Muu Alexius! Foras shouted, always the helpful reminder in situations where she would rather hear Gusion telling her something useful.
… there is nothing I have to add right now. Except that you could threaten the goatee the next time.
Not the goatee! pleaded Eligos.
Of course the goatee, Orobas grumbled and started playing with the sharp cooking knife. In the meanwhile the target of their revenge had raised both brows, his brothers showing similar signs of surprise, as did most of the others in the room.
"No kidding?" Kouha asked disbelievingly and skidded around to look in her face, wide-eyed and absolutely interested in her answer. Almost sparkling with the desire to know just who would want to marry someone like her.
"Really not kidding me?"
The blonde glowered at him but it would take a lot more than that to see him flinch and back away.
"There is a reason why there is the 'Chase the Suitors away from Lenka'-committee. Another comment like this and I'll be going back to Reim and you can look for someone else to let you practice braiding, to loan you more Toran scrolls and... whatever you need, Koumei."
The man scratched the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his face but at the same time a calculating glint appeared in his eyes.
"Everything?"
"I have to precise, something materialistic or achievable with my djinn and not in the political, sexual or betraying people department. No destroying cities until I deem them dangerous."
He scratched his head again and nodded, already planning what his brother would need to reach his goal and what she could do to help.
"I think I will find something."
"You possess more Toran scrolls?" Kouen asked and almost jumped from his chair to walk over to her and stepped right into her personal space. Lenka frowned and took a step back.
"There were some in my house in Remano. Plus I was in a few dungeons, so, well, maybe?"
"Forget Kouha. Marry me."
AAAAH! THAT'S It! DIE! Orobas yelled and pulled Eligos' potato cannon from under the couch then got tackled by the owner of the weapon.
Not the goatee I said!
Lenka opened her mouth either to scream a very nasty answer at him, in terror or to reply calmly when the door burst open and a black flash raced towards her and stopped in the last moment to wrap his arms around her shoulders. Judar grinned wide at his other dungeon capturer then cooed:
"So the red twerp was right, there was someone hitting on you, blondie. But I have never guessed it would be Kouen. How interesting. You are quite popular, right?"
"Miran told you someone was hitting on me?"
The Magi snickered and pressed his cheek against hers.
"He did, blabbing something about how you are in danger because both of you are being useless right now because of this being Kou and not Reim and so on. So are, or aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm being hit on, impressed that you chose to listen but why were you doing him the favour? And we're not useless, just polite enough not to maim the sexists right now."
Judar started to play with one of the braids, still grinning mischievously.
"Well, twerp promised to ignore my presence because it was your birthday. I get chills from the glares he sends me all the time even before I get even close to you. It's sooo annoying. I might even catch a cold, you know?"
Lenka reached back to scratch his head while smiling contentedly. In situations like this she was more than glad that the Magi was interested in her; he was the best distraction one could imagine.
"So that's why you're using me as portable warmer, aren't you?"
"And pillow."
"Hey, don't destroy the hairdo, I spent hours on it," Kouha yelled and tried to batter the Magi away which led to Judar lifting from her back to float in the air.
"Go away, Kouha. I got her now. Wait until it's your turn again."
She sighed and carefully shook her head then glanced at Kouen who was still looking at her – was he waiting for an answer? Holy Solomon on toast. He was persistent.
"Ah, uhm, no, thanks, actually I'm-"
Lenka stopped when she found no words for him. What was she at the moment?
"Not interested in a relationship."
Was she really?
Oh, come on, Lenka, no one can be that dense, complained Foras. Gusion seemed to raise a brow.
… look up dense in a lexicon and you'll find her picture then.
Eligos saw her at confused and clueless, too.
Again her djinn were the voices of reason and insanity in her mind, well, only the girls. Orobas and Orias had miraculously vanished to leave girls to girl problems.
But Eligos think that Kouen would fit into her predatory-pattern. Red hair, intelligent, family-friendly...
"Goddamn, Eligos! Don't stare at me like that, try living with three djinn who try to set you up with a guy at every chance they get, one who breaks down and hides in the corner at the mentioning of relationships and one who orders his household to execute the suitors," she snapped at the men in the room who looked at her like she was crazy for suddenly starting to shout at air. Judar broke out in a fit of almost hysterical giggles.
"Is it the pervert?"
"They are all perverts! Okay, maybe not Orias, but Foras and Eligos for sure, and I guess Orobas too. Gusion is a case on her own."
… glad to know I'm a case on my own.
Me too.
Perverts have more fun in life, right, Eligos?
Eligos absolutely agrees with Foras.
The morals here are really low, because if you are okay with being perverts and everyone else is something must have went terribly wrong, Orias mused.
"Yeah, weeell, that was a reason why Sinbad suddenly stopped offering marriage to me after he witnessed what it means to experience pervert hell with Lenka."
The Magi was doubling over with laughter now, much to the confusion of the elders, especially when Kouha and the snake-haired Seishuu joined. The blonde rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and waited for them to calm down again then gave Kouen a small smile when they didn't.
"Life isn't easy for you either, is it?"
"At least I have no executioner committee following me around," he smirked. Lenka shrugged.
"Well, if you have no one hitting on you you don't need one. Poor Kouen, no one wants to marry you."
"You are very confident in your abilities. And I could have a wife if I wanted."
"I know that I'm exceptionally powerful, having conquered five dungeons only confirms that I'm absolutely right when I'm acting slightly megalomaniac."
"Do you plan on building up your own country one day?," Koumei asked from behind his fan. Judar instantly stopped laughing and sat up straight in the air, legs crossed and eyes fixating her.
"Maybe. I don't know. I helped Ja'far, Sinbad's advisor with the official matters, the budget and expenses during my stay there, I'm familiar with how much this is, and then there would be the audiences with the civilians who need my help in judicial issues, not to mention foreign affairs..." shaking her head Lenka took her favorite thinking position with her right hand loosely covering her mouth and the other arm stabilizing the elbow.
"And then there would be the money problem... and where to built. And what to build. And how. And which agricultural system, taxes..."
And her mission was always first.
Koumei nodded in agree.
"I see you have thought about this already."
"Among other things."
"Such as?"
"You know what."
"Me," Judar stated and wrapped an arm around her shoulder again.
"Definitely me. It's easier if you have a Magi helping you. She was thinking about how to convince me to help her."
"Definitely not," Kouha deadpanned.
"Definitely yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes! Forever and ever after! I'm a Magi!"
"As if! You belong to Kou!"
Lenka sighed, rolled her eyes then picked Judar out of the air, hung him over her shoulder and nodded at the princes.
"I'll be removing him now. See you all later, maybe for a drink after dinner? Good? Bye then!"
The door slid shut behind them before the nobles in the room could even blink. Koumei was the first to sigh in defeat.
"She certainly knows how to change topics."
Kouen grunted in agree but the smirk stayed on his face. Now he knew that there was the possibility that they could hire Lenka to fight with them. The goal to unite the world seemed a lot closer with her assistance. He just had to figure out what to offer. His brother would probably know already.
"I appreciate the thought behind your attempt to rescue me, but wasn't this a bit much?" Lenka asked and licked peach juice from her finger. Judar simply shrugged and plucked another fruit from the tree they were sitting in.
"No, have you seen their faces? Absolutely hilarious!"
"Why do these incidents continue to happen when you're around?"
"Must be your doing."
"I should have introduced you to the concept of bad karma," she murmured and placed the stone on the branch next to her. The setting sun flooded the orchards with warm orange light making the chilly breezes more bearable. A peaceful place, isolated through high walls and gates.
Lenka flinched and thus dodged the half-eaten peach he had thrown at her.
"What the heck, Judar, the dress is worth more than your sorry backside!"
"I call bullshit," he grinned and picked a new one.
"My ass is worth more than the empire."
Her laughter echoed through the silent garden. Judar snickered and flopped down next to her.
"By the way, Hakuryuu is still on his way to depravity. And halfway to Tenzan by now. Didn't you know? He left this morning."
She froze with a peach halfway to her mouth and turned to the Magi who was watching her with a lazy grin. His Rukh fluttered with anticipation, waiting for her reaction. Lenka frowned and lowered her hands.
"That's sad. I liked him the way he was. Kind. Honest. Someone you could put your faith into. And he didn't even tell me good-bye."
Judar chuckled.
"Kindness and honesty won't bring you far in life, you know. Not even you act kind and honest all the time."
"I know. But what do you want to achieve with telling me that? What is your goal?"
The atmosphere suddenly changed, playtime was over now. A strange glint filled his eyes, similar to the mad one she was familiar with. Determination.
"I want to have him fall into depravity to become my king vessel. I want to kill Ren Gyokuen. I want Hakuryuu to kill the hag, dismember her, disembowel her, dissect her, whatever he wants to do. I want to see him tear everything apart, burn the world to the ground so I can dance in the smoldering ruins and laugh at their faces when they realize that we are the ones who have the last laugh."
Whoa, murmured Orobas.
He's insane. As in, really totally absolutely bat-shit insane.
Lenka inwardly agreed with him. So much... anger... and gleeful anticipation couldn't be good for one's mental health. A wide grin had formed on the Magi's face during his little speech and he played with the jewel on his wand.
"Anyway, my offer still stands. Fall into depravity and come with us. It will be awesome for sure!"
Trying to swallow the lump that instantly formed in her throat Lenka looked down at her hands, then at the sky and finally back at him.
"It's not that easy, Judar. I can't fall. I swore an oath. However, I can understand you."
His eyes widened and he leaned forward until he was only inches away from her.
"You do?"
"If I were you I would want to kill Al-Thamen as well," Lenka nodded sincerely.
"Every single one of them. Painfully and slowly. But burning the world... it's such an interesting place. So many things left to discover. So many good things that could happen..."
Judar leaned back and she could see that he was disappointed with her answer.
"You don't understand. Now that's really sad."
"Then what do you want me to say then?"
"That you will fall and stay with me!" he yelled and the black Rukh swirled around him, their angry chirping filled the air with so much pressure that her fingers wandered almost unconsciously to the hilt of her sword.
"I can't. I'm sorry, but I really can't do this for you."
His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I thought you were different from all those fools. I had high hopes for you. Oh well, I don't care anymore."
He started floating and quickly moved away from her and the tree.
"Don't beg for mercy or understanding because you won't get any."
And then he was gone, disappeared in a vortex of depraved energy and anger. Lenka groaned and hit against the tree trunk and flinched guiltily when the wood gave in under the impact and peaches rained down, bursting open when they hit the ground and covering the grass with sweet pulp.
"Goddamn it."
Somehow she was not in the mood to celebrate any more.
Thank you for reading chapter 27! Eventful month for me in the real world, so no extra, but if you want to read something special, please PM me and tell me your wishes.
Oh my God, more than 100 favorites and reviews and 125 followers *cries tears of joy*
Thank you all so much!
And now that I have a break from university for Christmas I can write freely again, so the next update might come before January 3.
Don't panic, I will always update on time, there is no way I can stop writing now. The big event is coming up after all! I have a plan. And it's an awesome thing I believe.
Yours,
TheMultipleMeExperience