Hello readers, this is the 3rd chapter of Alibaba the fallen. This is a little dark... Well the story is quite dark to begin with XD. There is also a little fight but I'm not sure if it's good or not since it's my first time doing it. Well I hope you like this chapter ^_^.

Review corner:

NoImagination: Yeah it was very hard to read and it was harder to write :(. And yep, Hakuryuu was a little annoying when he kissed Morgiana. Oh well his approach did go into my favor XD. Yes so many questions that I need to answer in the succeeding chapter hahah. Thanks for the review.

kagome1237: Thanks for the review. Is that Judal? hmm maybe? XD.

Ilostmybelt: Thanks for the review and compliment ^_^.

Guest and the Guest before : Thanks for the review and I hope my story continue to entertain you :).

Updated: 8/24/2014

Chapter 3: Hang in there

He was in a good mood as he walked around Balbadd. Even though, he was sent here to relay a message from the empress, he didn't care. It was a menial task for someone such as him, he shouldn't even be doing this kind of work but he doesn't care. He liked this place, the people looked so happy and content and yet no one could see what was underneath those facade. The people here were leaking black rukhs, no matter how much they hid it, no matter how much they cover their bad thoughts, they wouldn't be able to hide their black rukhs from him. He felt energized here, so who cares about the menial task he was given to, it's not like he cared about that message anyway. Though, he wonder where did his protege go.

"Ah what of it, his probably just fooling around." He said.

Though, his leisure walk was interrupted when a blur suddenly run into him. He was so caught off-guard that he stumbled and was sprawled on the floor. He muttered a few curses as he looked at his assailant and give him a firm beating but he was surprised to see who run into him. No, what he was probably surprised was not the person but the state of that person. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Alibaba, he could clearly see his rukh has completely turned black. He didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was clear and it meant only one thing.

"Did my eyes had just deceived me, or is it true that Alibaba has fallen?" he said in confusion.

He had not known the man for a long time but he had fought him for quite a few battles and from his assessment, he was one of those people who were almost impossible to bring down and to see him fall.

"This is quite interesting. I wonder if the organization had anything to do with this... I doubt it, they would have asked me if they did." He said as he followed Alibaba.

He followed him but was careful not to be too close, lest he might be detected. He saw him run out of the city and into the desert. He stopped into a small oasis and stared at the water while murmuring. Curious of what was happening, he silently hid on a nearby bush and listened to what he was saying.

"No, why is this happening to me. Why do I always have the short end of the stick." Alibaba muttered.

To the observer's surprise, Alibaba suddenly spoke into a different tone. The tone was still similar to Alibaba but a little deeper.

"As I have said, you just need to surrender your will to me and I will erase all of it. All the pain, all the suffering. Surrender to your despair and everything will be gone."

The observer's eyes narrowed as he saw the dark rukh strengthen and manifest itself around Alibaba.

"Who are you? Why do you keep on telling me these things? How can I be sure I could trust you..." Alibaba asked.

"Looked at the water and see for yourself."

Alibaba looked at the water and he saw himself at the various parts of his life.

A picture of him carried by his mother showed and the boy said.

"I am you, the boy who had nothing but his mother."

Then it faded and changed into a picture of him crying beside his dead mother. While crying the boy said.

"I am you, the boy who lost the only person in the world who truly loved him."

The picture faded again and changed into when he was introduced by his father to the others in the castle, the boy spoke.

"I am you, the boy who was looked down upon by everyone in his own land for being the bastard child of the king to a harlot."

Another picture came, when he was betrayed by Kassim and he attacked and stole at the palace.

"I am you, the one who was betrayed by his friend."

Then it was when he became a cart driver doing his best just to be able to eat atleast twice a day.

"I am you, the one who had to suck up to those asshole customers and ferry them around the desert just to be able to eat."

Then, he was showed the various times when he was saved by his friends and them getting the attention while he was sidelined and then everyone was having fun and he was made fun off.

"I am the part of you who couldn't accept that everytime he was in a pinch, he needed to be saved. That no matter what we do, they would always get the attention and we are made fun off. "

He shook his head not wanting to accept the last piece but the voice continued.

"Accept it or not, the truth still remains. You showed them your smile and said, it was alright but it never was. All your life, you were made fun off. For being the bastard son of the king from a harlot to being not able to score a single girl or how you seem to always have the worst luck even if you were just trying to do what was right. Everyone had made fun of you, everyone did not understand how you felt, whenever they bring those up."

And finally he was showed the scene of Morgiana and Hakuryuu kissing.

"And most of all, I am the Alibaba who was betrayed by the very girl he loved and his friend. Didn't she said that she needed time to discover what love is? Didn't she said that she wanted you to teach it to her? Didn't she said that she liked you too? Well, guess what, she also said that she liked Hakuryuu to and lo and behold she had let him kiss her while you got nothing, not even a kiss on the cheek. She could have pushed him off if she was against it, she was a Fanalis afterall. But she didn't, she chose him and just like before, you are left alone."

Alibaba just stared at the picture, his face unreadable and his eyes were dull.

"Surrender to your hate Alibaba, are you not tired of trying to do the right thing and getting the short end of everything? Are you not tired of being made fun off? Alibaba, you have done enough, it is time for you to do what you want. What you truly want!" The voice almost shouted.

"Yes... It's time for me to be true to myself... It's time for me to do what I want and not what is good for others... I am so tired of this life... I surrender..." Alibaba said in a monotone.

"That is right, now embrace the darkness..." the voice said as Alibaba was surrounded by the dark rukh and was about to be fully consumed by it if he just didn't felt someone's dark rukh nearby.

He stood up and gazed at the bushes with his dull eyes and said.

"Show yourself Judal. I have no time to play with the likes of you today."

Judal showed himself with an amused grin and said.

"Well well, for all the times that I had faced you and your friends, you were the last one I thought to fall but lo and behold, you are here fallen just like me."

"And what are you going to do about it?" Alibaba answered in a monotone.

"How about joining forces with me? Join Al-Thamen, we will make sure you get to fully utilize your new power and get your revenge on those people who had caused you so much pain. Join us and let us put this world into chaos so they could also feel what we felt. What do you say, Alibaba?"

Alibaba and Judal stared at each other for a long time, that was until Alibaba gave his answer with one word.

"No."

"Are you sure about that answer? We can help you in all of your revenge and goals." Judal persuaded.

He only got a dead stare from Alibaba.

"Well that's too bad. And here I was trying to be good and offer you a great opportunity. Afterall, us fallen have to stay together for everyone is our enemy. Why do you refuse to join us? Don't tell me you still have a small amount of loyalty to your so called friends?"

"I have no loyalty to them, not anymore. But I refuse to be used by anyone or anything, be it them, the Kou empire, Sinbad or Al-Thamen. My goals are my own and I shall fulfill it without anyone's help or directions." Alibaba answered.

"What a waste. Now, I need to dispose of you. We wouldn't want you to be interfering on our goals. It's not personal, just being careful since a fallen could tap a great amount of power." Judal said as he materialized several ice shards and sent it towards Alibaba.

"So be it." Alibaba said as he unsheathed his sword and tried to summon Amon but no flame came out as he was assaulted by the ice shards.

Judal laughed as he saw Alibaba got hit by several ice shards.

"Guess your little friend forgot to tell you. Djinn's do not respond to dark rukhs. There is a reason why we made the dark Djinns. Because the fallen, have nothing but dark rukhs."

"I see." was the only word that came from Alibaba.

"Well, dance for me Alibaba." Judal laughed as he sent several lightning strikes at him.

He watched as Alibaba dodged the strikes but was having a hard time because of the wounds he got from the ice shards.

"It really is quite marvelous how a fallen changes his personality. You know I've seen many people fall and not one of them had the same personality as they were. Though, I've also never found anyone who had exactly the same personality as the other but all have one trait... All hates something so much that they'd do everything to fulfill that hate."

He never got a reply as Alibaba continued to dodged without showing any kind of emotion.

"I don't know about me though, from the very beginning I already hate peace. Maybe that was because everyone on my poor village was killed by Al-Thamen so they could get me. They raised as I am now, not that I have any qualms about it."

Still no reply, which really irritates Judal since he was starting to look stupid so he decided to taunt him a little.

"So, you actually hated what had happened to you but refused to show how you really felt? What a moron, you never knew you were nurturing a monster inside you. You kept it hidden inside your heart that it now decided to destroy its prison and show its disgusting fangs. I wonder how your so called friends will take this?"

He gave a sinister smile as he said.

"They will probably hate you back, afterall fallen ones had no right to live with the people of white rukhs. We who turned our backs from the light shall never have the right to gaze back at it..." Judal's eyes widen when he realized that Alibaba was suddenly nowhere to be found.

"What?" was the only words he could say before he had to jump away when he felt someone appear behind him.

He landed a little away from his attacker and he cursed when he felt his back bleed from a slash wound. Apparently, he wasn't able to fully dodge the attack. He looked at his attacker and his eyes widen when he saw Alibaba with no trace of wounds.

"How? You were wounded and surely you were tired from dodging all those lightning."

But he never got an answer as Alibaba suddenly disappeared and he had to duck his head to avoid it from being separated from his body via Alibaba's sword. Alibaba then turned and delivered a roundhouse kick to his face. Judal was sent rolling on the ground from the strength of the kick.

"You talk too much." Alibaba said in a monotone.

Judal spit the blood from his mouth as his struggled to get up. He had his hand on his knees as he tried to straighten himself. He was still groggy from the kick he got but Alibaba was not going to wait for him as his neck almost broke from a strong punt kick he received in the face.

Nose broken, a couple of tooth missing and a bruised and bloodied face, this wasn't what Judal was planning when he was just strolling at Balbadd earlier. Alibaba would pay, he would make him pay.

Judal started to gather the black rukhs around him but he was too far from Balbadd, unlike white rukhs that were easily around, black rukhs can only be found on places with so much malice. Right now, only Alibaba was the one emitting black rukhs. Refilling himself will take time but in turn it will weaken his enemy.

"Trying to refill yourself using my black rukh?" Alibaba asked.

Judal snarled as Alibaba caught on his plan too easily.

'I forgot, he is a pretty clever person.' Judal thought but he was surprised when Alibaba was just standing there and letting him take his black rukh.

'He's doing nothing? Is he underestimating me? Very well, then I will just take him on his offer.' Judal sneered as he took on more of Alibaba's black rukh.

After a while, Judal stood up. He had gathered so much black rukh that he felt his power had grown a couple of notches.

"You'd be sorry for underestimating me. Though, I have never thought you would have so much black rukh." Judal said with a sneer.

"Finished gathering my rukhs? I don't see a significant change from you or me." Alibaba answered in boredom.

"Why you!" Judal snapped as he created several ice shards and sent them towards Alibaba but as the ice shards were about to hit him, the ice shards transformed back into black rukhs and then disappeared.

"What? What happened?" Judal asked in bewilderment.

"The magician who cast the magic can dispel the magic he cast, that was a basic knowledge not only to magicians but to other people." Alibaba answered.

"No, I never canceled it!" Judal exclaimed.

"It was I." Alibaba said as he appeared behind Judal and grabbed him at the back of his neck. Judal felt all the black rukh inside him leaving his body and going to Alibaba. Alibaba let him go as he slumped into the floor. He felt so tired that he couldn't even move.

"You said that you never thought that I had so much rukh didn't you? Well the truth was, I was just stealing yours from the very beginning of our fight. You missed it because you were busy with your ramblings and it was being stolen from you on a smaller scale since I have no direct contact to you. Unlike you, I am no Magi. The rukh does not go to me, I have to take them forcefully." Alibaba answered with a dead stare.

"So... it was all a set up..." Judal said in realization.

"Yes, I have known from the beginning that I couldn't use Amon, I purposely let you injure me and let you be confident on our fight. Then, I suddenly retaliated and sent you on the brink of losing to force you to gather the rukh that I was emitting." Alibaba said in a monotone.

"Impossible, once the rukh goes to me... It is as good as mine..." Judal said in disbelief.

"Except mine is special, my ability does not fall into any of the eight types of magic. My rukh mixes with others and transforms them to my own and then on my command, they will go back to me."

"Then that means..."

"Yes, my rukhs were never converted to yours. I made them invade your rukh and converted it to mine, then I ordered them to come back to me. Of course, my body adjusted so it could accommodate the rukh I have received from you." Alibaba finished.

Judal's face paled as he realized that he had just fallen to Alibaba's trap. Alibaba walked towards him and bent down to whisper in his ear.

"Thank you for the rukh, Judal. Now I have the same amount of rukh as you had and in exchange for it, I told you my ability and I shall let you live. Afterall, we are fellow fallen. You may call it, mercy." Alibaba said with a sinister smile.

He stood up with the same smile which angered Judal to no end.

"I don't need your mercy... I'd rather die... You hear me!" Judal exclaimed as he tried to get up but he just couldn't as he saw Alibaba walked away.

"Save your strength, you will need every inch of it for I only left enough rukh so you would live." were the last words Alibaba said.

"I will hunt you down... I'll..." Judal's words were lost in the wind as Alibaba was already out of hearing distance.

Alibaba had been walking aimlessly at the desert for a while now, and he stopped when he felt his metal vessel shake.

"It seems the conversion is finish." he said as he took out the royal sword.

He could see that the royal sword had so many cracks around it as if it will break into pieces in any single moment.

"Good, now pour in as much rukh as you can to the sword." the voice said.

Alibaba poured in as much rukh as he could in the sword and it shattered in so many pieces. But that wasn't the peculiar thing that happened. When the sword broke, it released Amon's flame. The flame burned brightly in front of Alibaba as if it was trying to burn something. Slowly from the middle of the flame, dark rukhs were multiplying and were starting to turn the douse the flame.

"Get ready, it will attack you at any moment." the voice warned.

As if on cue, the flame caught on Alibaba and tried to burn him into ashes while Alibaba on the other hand, was emitting black rukhs to overpower the flames.

"Just a little more."

After a few minutes, the flame was doused and only the black rukh remain which got absorbed by Alibaba.

"It is now complete. Find a place where you could rest, somewhere no one can see you. You will need a week's rest to replenish yourself."

Alibaba walked as he searched for a place to stay.

"So, does this mean I have Amon's flames on my command now?" Alibaba asked.

"Not the actual flames but a replica of his flame abilities. This is how you will be able to become stronger and gain magic. Conquer Djinns and make their abilities submit to yours. You now have a magic capacity equivalent to a magi thanks to Judal except that the rukhs does not go to you willingly. So you still have to rest and replenish it by stealing from another creature with a black rukh." the voice finished.

"I understand." Alibaba answered.

In Balbadd, Hakuryuu was looking for Judal and he wasn't in a good mood and it was for a good reason because a few moments earlier.

~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~

A loud slap was heard followed by a sound of flesh crashing into a wall. Hakuryuu was in a daze, he didn't know what just happened. One moment he heard Morgiana said that she liked him and in a spur of excitement, he kissed her in the lips... again. But unlike last time he didn't get away unscathed but instead he got a strong slap that almost broke his neck as he collided to the wall.

"Why?" was all he could mutter.

"You've kissed me again for no apparent reason. And this time, I felt that I should retaliate because it is wrong." Morgiana answered.

"But you said that you like me..."

"I said I like you too but not in a way that I want to be your wife or empress. I like you as a friend, I don't think I could love somebody yet. It is too early for me and there is so much trouble happening around me to focus on something such as love." Morgiana answered.

Morgiana walked towards Hakuryuu and tried to help him up but he wouldn't budge.

"Hakuryuu, this isn't the time to be mopping around or confessing love. Alibaba needs us, he has been withdrawn and basically shut himself in ever since the summit. We need to help him." she explained.

"Alibaba this, Alibaba that... It was always Alibaba. You see no one but Alibaba. He is going to be married to Kougyoku, he has turned his back from his friends. He has betrayed Sinbad for Kou to gain power over Balbadd. Don't you see? He is just like the current Kou empire, he only wanted power, he only wanted to rule..." whatever he was saying was silenced as he felt the ground shook a little from Morgiana stomping over it.

"Do not say things like that about Alibaba... You know nothing of what he has been going through. I am very disappointed of you Hakuryuu, I thought you were his friend." Morgiana said as she walked away and left Hakuryuu.

~~~~~~~FlashBack end ~~~~~~~~~~~

Hakuryuu shook his head. He didn't mean to say those words about Alibaba. He didn't meant to lump him as a power hungry person just like Kou. He knew that Alibaba must had been coerced to do it in order to save someone or Balbadd.

No, Alibaba was his friend and will always be. He said those words in the spur of the moment, maybe it was due to frustration or maybe Judal's stupid teachings were starting to get through to him. It scared him and angered him at the same time. He had accepted Judal's teachings just to get stronger, so he could someday trample the Kou empire and rebuild it. But it seems he was falling into their hands and he has just realized it.

He couldn't turn back now though, he has a life long mission he chose to do. He can't abandon it halfway, even if he had to betray and forsake his friends for it.

"I'm sorry everyone..." he whispered as he continued to look for Judal.

On the other side of Balbadd, Morgiana was looking for Alibaba. Earlier after her confrontation with Hakuryuu, she came to check at his room but found it opened. She took a peek inside and saw that he wasn't there. Everytime he was not in his room, she was worried that he may not come back from his wanderings. She had already checked the places where he usually go but she didn't find him there. It worried her that Alibaba might do something stupid without her being able to stop him.

Suddenly, she heard a crack and looked to see that it was her household vessel.

"This isn't a good sign..."

She tried to conjure her vessel's power but it does not activated.

"Did Alibaba lost his metal vessel?" Morgiana asked in panic as she run trying to find him.

"Hang in there, I'll save you." she declared.

Just outside of Balbadd, a woman stood. Normally, she would be dressed in royal clothes and her hair would be pinned by a golden hairpin. But today, she wears none of those. For today, she wore clothes befitting more for a Kouga, clothes that were fit for a traveler. Attached to her hip was a simple sword and on her back was a simple satchel.

Her pink eyes scanned the gates of Balbadd as the wind blew swaying her dark pink hair that was tied into a single high pony-tail by a simple cloth fashioned into a ribbon.

"Hang in there, Alibaba-chan." she said as she entered Balbadd.

A.N. So how was it? I know the fight was fast but I'm still studying on how to make a better fight scene :D. Oh and if you don't know who the woman at the end was, you'll have to wait next chapter wahahha or you can google it to see who is that Magi character ^_^. If you are wondering her clothes, she is currently wearing clothes similar to Toya from the Kouga clan plus a travelling satchel and a sword hehe. So um now, I believe the pairing will be obvious, if it isn't then wait for the next chapter :D. And yes, Alibaba's power is to steal another person's black rukh but not white rukh.

How did Alibaba convert a Djinn's magic into his own? He didn't actually absorb the flames of Amon. The dark rukh destroyed it but before it got destroyed, it absorb the knowledge behind it.

In a simple example, it's like copying a book and then destroying it so nobody can benefit from it except for you.