Chapter 20: The Black Sun vs the Void

Amihiha's View.

After that whole dungeon conquering, I found myself on the bag that carried the treasure in that dungeon. What's strange was that I was also... moving? I quickly sat up and found myself floating down a large river in an extremely hot desert place. I hate really hot places. I found myself sweating a lot from the desert heat, so I decided to cool myself down by dipping into the water. I grabbed my bag of treasures with one hand and dove into the river.

The river's coolness felt refreshing to my body. It may not be as cold as Imuchakk, but it was cold enough to ease my sunburn. The river's flow was soft, so I could swim easily. Deep water doesn't scare me too much, since I'm always involved in hunts. After a few minutes of cooling down, I swam out to the surface with only my head out. Whenever I come out of water, my hair usually arcs in the air and splashes water behind me, but the amount of splashing I heard has... decreased.

I took my free hand and felt my hair. Much to my surprise, my ponytail is gone. My hair now only reaches up to my neck, but does it really matter? Nope. I don't care about my hair.

I looked around to see if there was anyone near, but was only welcomed by large fields of sand. I can survive quite well without too much food. The only thing I ate were monsters that were foolish enough to stand in my way. I clenched my large bag of gold and continued to swim alongside the river's stream.

Almost a day later.

Nightfall has come and the cold aura of the night took over the desert. While I found a few fish to eat, I only ate necessary amounts to keep me filled for only an hour. My arms and legs feel like an Imuchakkan jellyfish: limbless, and limp. Even if it's really cold, I've faced much more colder climates in Imuchakk. The clothes I wore were specialized to fight against cold weather, in support of our adaptation to cold environments. I thought Rametoto joked that he could spend a whole month in Imuchakk without any clothes, but when he came back after a month-long hunt, he never shivered and had a large amount of food for the village.

I rested the bag on a sandy coast beside the river. No signs of nearby civilization or threats. I put my head on the bag and dug my unicorn horn into the sand. I realized that during my journey, my friends were absent. I'm not sure if they woke up first or are in different places. I just started to miss them. I miss Ramses's seriousness, Emiline's talk about fashion, and Franklin's laziness.

I haven't had such good friends in so long. I was usually scorn for my talents and prodigy, but grandpa never disowned me. But even though he believed in me, my former friends got jealous and left me after a few days of hunting, and he left me to go on hunts. They thought they didn't need me because they thought I didn't need them due to my prodigy. Even if I was, I was still a child, and I still have feelings.

The only thing I could hear was the rustling of the sands and the stream of the river. I've always been outside, so the sounds of nature don't really mean a thing. With a sad look in my eyes, I surrendered to sleep.

Tomorrow.

I woke up to the noon sun burning my skin. I grabbed my untouched bag and sheathed my unicorn horn on my back. After eating a fish, I started to walk alongside the river. I realized that swimming takes much more effort and my body doesn't feel to nourished thanks to only eating a few. If I needed to eat, I'd chomp on some fish, if I was thirsty, I can just drink from the water. I've never went through a desert, but I know how to survive.

Hours and hours past, all I did was walk, and no signs of a civilization were shown. I stayed by the riverside, as nearby towns would settle there to sustain themselves. I started to get exhausted. Even when I swam into the river, I saw no edible fish nearby. The water was the only sustenance I have left, and the weight of both the bag and my sword started to take over me.

All of a sudden, a giant scorpion emerged from the river waters and started to charge at me. The sound of the large splash was surprising, and I immediately dropped my bag of gold and carried my weapon.

"I hope you're ready, Goap," I said to my weapon.

I charged at the scorpion and threw a downward swing at its head. The scorpion gripped my horn and attempted to toss me away. I rooted my feet to the ground, feeling the claw struggling to pull me away. I realized that I have a Djinn in my unicorn horn. I closed my eyes and focused my Magoi on my weapon.

"Spirit of Youth and Freedom..." I muttered.

Suddenly, my horn started to produce water. Soon, the water started to coat my blade. I really didn't know what to do with this water, nor did I know how. I held my blade tighter and the water surrounding my sword soon spiraled madly, causing the scorpion to withdraw its claw. I threw a powerful punt at its face, causing it to be knocked back. The scorpion wiped the blood off its face and glared at me. The stinger shot toward me and I repelled it with my unicorn horn.

Scorpions aren't edible due to the fact they were bugs. The scorpion did a 360 sweep with his claws, but I managed to dodge it and I ran to his left. With my feet in the water, I grabbed my horn and dug into the water. I closed my eyes and focused my Magoi into the sword. After a few lessons of Magoi Manipulation with Ramses, I learned that I could use it as if I'm "controlling the elements". I could sense my soul look through the "eyes" of the water. As if I was their commander, they awaited my order.

"Go!" a series of water pillars shot out in front of me, launching the large scorpion into the air.

I ran to his shadow and prepared to slug this pest. I unearthed my horn and held it with both hands. I remembered that Franklin taught me how to play a strange game called "baseball" and you had to hold a stick like this and attempt to hit a ball. Despite his enjoyment of teaching it, he was scared whenever the ball is launched and especially when he's "outfield".

"Go... to..." as soon as it was near, I swung it with full force.

"SPACE!"

Sometimes, Franklin said that when he batted the ball with his stick. Strangely, I found enticement in that phrase.

The blunt edge of my horn tossed the scorpion high into the air, growing smaller as it distanced. I looked away from it and dug my sword into the sands of the river. I heard water burst behind me for some reason. I looked behind and saw some wet spots on the sand. Must have been Goap's power to surge the water behind me. With a shrug, I sheathed my weapon on my back, grabbed my bag and started to walk down the riverside.

Another few hours later

Oh Emiline, I really hope you're there on the next village. I could use some of that mystery healing magic you used on me. Franklin, I hope you can use your zombie strength to help me go through this harsh desert. I can't take this burning hell. My whole body started getting heavy and I soon fell into the warm sands.

Somewhere.

I woke up, lying down on a bed in some sort of white tent. I looked around and saw my Metal Vessel and bag of gold. I'm glad that my stuff wasn't stolen. I just had to know who my kidnapper/savior is. I pushed aside the blanket gently and scanned the area. I was in a tent, and I looked at the entrance and saw a Heliohaptan doctor. She was wearing a white tube top and had white hair with green eyes hidden under her bangs. Generic Heliohaptan, though I mean no offense.

"Your highness, the Imuchakkan is awake," she called out to the entrance.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps from behind that veil. It was pulled aside to give way to the King of Heliohapt: Armakan Amun-Ra. He walked with grace and a bit of haughtiness from his little frown. His eyes were closed and the giant snake on his neck was so long that two people had to trail behind him and carry the large tail, as if he wore some sort of long robe. He wore the usual royal household attire with added golden armor on his belt, feet, and his chin.

"So... are you the one that conquered Goap?" he asked me.

"Er... yes?"

"Hmph."

I just glared at his rude comment. Sure he's royalty, but that doesn't mean he can just freely be a rude boy.

"I just captured it, genius," I replied with a snarky tone.

Another "Hmph" came out of his mouth as he faced away from me. He wiggled his finger in a taunting way.

"You should respect those who are higher than you, Amihiha," he simply said. My eyes widened from his knowledge of my name.

"How do you know my name? Did Sinbad tell you?!"

A light chuckle escaped from his mouth. He faced me with his closed eyes and faint smile.

"No, Ramses did,"

"Huh?"

How did he contact him? Eye of Rukh?

"If you weren't a friend of Ramses, I would just leave you dying in the sands. I mean, why would an Imuchakkan come to the desert?"

"Maybe because I was adrift after my dungeon conquest in the MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN!"

Armakan now had a scared look, but his eyes remained closed. He had his hands out in apology.

"Look, look, I'm sorry," he apologized,"I never knew. The only thing I found weird is that an Imuchakkan conquered a dungeon,"

"Tell that to Rametoto," I said as I looked away grumpily.

"Good point," he cleared his throat and did an apologetic bow.

"I'm very sorry for my rudeness to a fellow King Vessel," Armakan said.

I just smiled from his apology and chuckled.

"Oh, no hard feelings," I replied with a casual accent,"I'm still grateful of your hospitality."

Armakan now smiled warmly.

"You're welcome, Queen Amihiha," he said.

"One question: how did you find me?" I asked the King.

Suddenly, a little Rukh flew to me and perched on my weapon. The sight of those little birds just brought a smile to my face. The sight of Rukh is like good superstition. If you follow it, you'll be lead to the right path. After all, the Rukh's guidance is "destiny". When I looked back at Armakan, he had a smile on his face.

"While I was visiting my expedition camp, I saw the Rukh lead me to the riverside. When I followed them further, the Rukh perched on your Metal Vessel,"

From what I heard from Ramses, you could absorb your respective element to gain more Magoi. But Magoi replenishment doesn't equal easing hunger.

Armakan put a finger on his goatee and opened one eye slightly, looking at my head. His eyes were green, like most Heliohaptans.

"Did you get a haircut prior to your entry into Goap?" he asked,"Ramses always told me about you having some notable ponytail."

"I think it was cut by other challengers; the Kou Empire," I said to Ramses.

"The Kou Empire? I see..." he closed his eyes again and walked up right beside me.

"Amihiha, if the Kou were to be aggressive again, you must be ready. As an experienced King Vessel, as well as your friend from a friend, I want to train you in how to use your Djinn,"

Franklin's View.

Grr, Mira is tougher than I thought. She managed to block out all my moves with ease, only with her weapon. I managed to scratch some of her clothing, though I didn't aim at certain parts. Despite this, she continued to fight, and ultimately, she managed to disarm both of my weapons. With a smile, she dug her lance into the pavement and pat my shoulder. My shoulder was sticky with the sweat and blood I shed during that 2 hour long battle. Even as her elegant, soft hand touched my shoulder, she didn't seem to mind.

"Franklin, you rely too much on your weapon, and to fully Djinn Equip, you have to focus your Magoi into your body, not just your weapon."

"I'm guessing my focus on swordplay was a big example?"

She nodded, confirming my answer.

"You seem exhausted... let's train tomorrow if I have some free time," she said as she walked away.

It was already late at night, and I feel really exhausted. I'm currently half-zombie right now, and after that whole fight, I can barely move my arms. I slowly walked to my scissor blades and grabbed both of them. As it transformed into a normal pair of scissors, I put them in my pocket and headed to my guest room.

The lamia, Amelia was sleeping in her bed. She was hugging a pillow for warmth, and her tail was barely blanketed. With her sleeping, I went to the wardrobe of the guest room and found a few casual togas to wear. Despite the large female population, their were a fair number of male/female togas in the wardrobe. I wore the white toga and tossed my other clothes into the hamper. When I lay down on the bed with a pomf, Amelia moaned and turned to me and hugged me with her arms. She felt slightly warm, but I'm guessing because she's a lamia, she probably needs as much warmth as she needs. My face is red with embarrassment from her touch, yet for some reason, I didn't really need the blanket. The bright side is that she's a sound sleeper and she doesn't snore. She felt soft as I embraced her skin. She smiled from my return of affection and leaned in closer to me, increasing the visibility of my blush. Hear breasts were soft, and my heart started beating fast. Thanks to exhaustion, and a strong will, I managed to keep my carnal will at bay before it went haywire. I know I'm the generic virgin/gamer, but all I can say is:"I've never touched a girl like this."

She was still in deep sleep, so I assume that she didn't hear me. The comfort started to overcome me, and I soon fell to the same fate as the Lamia: sleep.

The Next Day

As soon as I woke up, Amelia already left and left a note saying she was visiting Fayleene on how to use her Household Vessel. After eating breakfast, courtesy of Mira, we both entered the arena again.

"So, I'm pretty sure you know about the basics of Djinn Equip, right?" Mira asked me.

I nodded in response.

"So, if it's just using the Djinn's power to merge with your body, how is it hard to accomplish?" My largest progress right now was when my right arm started to grow black and green scales and my shoulders protruded spikes.

"It's because the Djinn takes time to bond with your body, and after a year or less, you're able to achieve full Djinn Equip,"

Her chest started to shine with yellow aura and she spread it throughout her whole body.

"You can also use Magoi Manipulation to make it easier for the Djinn's power to transfer into your body," she clenched her spear with both hands and soon, water started to form on her spear. The Magoi glow then converted into water then grew into a large water bubble. The bubble grew for one second, then finally merged with Mira.

The sight of her Djinn Equip was marvelous. She now wore revealing armor dyed teal. Her blonde hair has become bright cyan and her eyes have become blue. She still retained her lunar staff and two other Mira copies by her side. Her feet were now encased in teal ice, forming some sort of beast paw.

"Whoa..." was the only word I could say.

"So tell me, Franklin, how long have you stayed in this world?"

I'm very bad at keeping a track of time.

"When did Goap appear?" I asked.

"It only appeared a month ago,"

So 1 month, trained in Reim for a few months, around 2? I wasn't so sure.

"I think like 2-4 months?" I said.

"Hmm... well, I guess you should try what I did. Do you know how to manipulate your Magoi?"

"Yeah, though I don't know how to fully entrust it to my whole weapon,"

I transformed my scissors into my blades and put both hands on each other.

"You should try to control your Magoi and make it flow through your whole body," Mira suggested.

Electricity started to flow on my blade, and I used my Magoi as if they were wires for electricity to travel into. My arms and torso started to fill with Orobas's electricity. My eyes were still closed. I was too scared to open my eyes to see my progress, otherwise, my focus would be destroyed.

"Franklin, why do you fear your own transformation?" Mira asked. I don't fear it, I just need to focus.

"What, do you want me to open my eyes? I need to focus,"

"I really don't think closing your eyes is necessary..." Mira groaned.

"Alright fine... but I hate being too forceful,"

I opened my eyes transferred my Magoi into my swords. The Metal Vessels exchanged my Magoi with Orobas's electricity and the flow of my Magoi was now being filled with black lightning. I clenched my teeth from the shock of the electricity.

"With a Magoi capacity that high and some good training in Magoi Manipulation..." Mira said as my whole body was consumed by dark lightning,"Full Djinn Equip is as easy as 1,2..."

Kou Empire

Judar, the skimpy yet mischievous and capricious Magi sat down on a Magic Carpet and looked at the sun. He was alone today. Hakuryuu is training, Hakuei was busy escorting her little troupe of kids with Metal Vessels, and Kouen, Koumei, and Kouha were busy with international affairs.

"Man... it's so boring to be alone..." Judar said to the air in a rough tone.

"Mind if I accompany you?" a female voice giggled.

"Can it, old hag," he said.

"Oh... don't remind me of my age, hotshot,"

He sat up and searched for the source of the noise. There was no one around.

"Hey Jude~" the voice called out in a playful manner.

Judar looked to his left and saw a lady appearing in front of him through a tear in the sky. Judar was wide eyed from this surreal trick.

"Who the hell are you?" he said in a bit of fear.

The young lady's white hair flowed freely with cute curls and she wore a black dress with grey feathers around her neck. By the way she looked, she seemed to look like she's around Judar's age.

"I am called Leila, I am a Magi like you too," she said in a friendly voice.

Judar twitched from her entrance. Judging by her different looks, alien to the current fashion sense of today, he already assumed she was an alien.

"Don't tell me you're one of those alien Magi," he shot an ice bolt at her, which she countered with a brief murky liquid of black that absorbed the ice bolt.

"Okay, I won't," she laughed at her own joke, much to Judar's chagrin.

"Well, what do you want, old hag? Are you working for the old hag?"

She flourished her hair with one hand and shook her head.

"You mean Gyokuen? Why would I work for her?"

She disappeared and appeared on Judar's carpet, sitting down in front of him with a gentle smile. Despite this friendly face, the Black Sun sensed a very grim power underneath that shell. Judar was not only surprised, but very scared of what dark thoughts or motives she's hiding.

"Teleportation?! B..but how?"

She completely ignored her question and giggled. He tried to throw a punch to her face, only to be simply dodged with a head tilt. Her face was now concerned for his rage and she raised both hands up as he was about to throw another fist. Judar was just sick of this lady. Also if he used magic, then it would cause a scene. Even as a chaotic spirit, he still needed to abide by the Kou's laws. But even punching this strange lady would be offensive, but it won't cause as much of a scene as pelting her with ice spears.

"Wait! Wait! Stop!" she pleaded,"Let's make a deal!"

She held his left hand, causing the oracle to blush. Thoughts of naughty actions and date requests swarmed over his head.

"As long as I get that Black Rukh you got from the Medium, or else..."

"Eh? Or what?"

Suddenly, Judar was fading into ashes slowly. He looked at his feet and realized that his lower body is slowly dissolving. He looked at Leila, who now had a friendly smile.

"What the hell?! What's happening?" he shouted as half of his body has disappeared.

"Will you promise me that power, Judar?" she said with in a friendly tone,"If you don't, I'll cease your existence and absorb your Rukh."

What kind of crazy lady is this? Her powers are even scarier than that old hag!

"Kouen! Kouha! Hakuryuu! Old Lady!" Judar shouted for help with an ear piercing shout via Sound Magic, though the lady wasn't fazed at all.

"They can't hear you~. I negated your sound/clairvoyance magic with an illusion barrier. Not so powerful now, eh, Judar," she had a mischievous smile.

"If you're so powerful, why do you need that much Black Rukh?"

She giggled at Judar's concern.

"I never knew that this sweet depraved Magi still has a heart," she winked at him and snapped her fingers. His existence erasing ceased, and his body was whole again.

When Judar was recovered, he grabbed his wand and charged electricity.

"Ramz!"

The lightning bolt was simply absorbed by the aether, causing a scared Judar to dilate his pupils in both confusion and fear.

"What are you?!" Judar said.

She sighed with a sad expression and shook her head.

"Fine, I'll leave, but not without dissolving your-"

"Okay! Okay!"

He reached for the sky and pointed upward with his palm. Leila held his outstretched hand and put it back to his lap.

"Well not yet, I'll tell you when," she now smiled maliciously,"Of course if you don't obey, I'll wipe out your existence. But, in exchange for the Black Rukh from the Medium, I'll offer you your life (or two), and a bit of a bonus in the future."

She winked when she said bonus, causing Judar to be discomforted.

"Why would such a powerful person like you need that much power?" Judar spat at the lady.

A piece of reality was torn like paper and behind her showed the silhouettes of her King Vessels. So far, only two have been revealed, Serket and Kristina. There were two more hidden in the shadows of the tears. A fusion of White Rukh and Black Rukh surged out of the tear in the fabric of reality. Judar looked at everyone and discovered that their Magoi Capacities exceeds Hakuryuu's capacity. He gritted his teeth from the sight of such powerful monsters.

"Who knows?" she entered the tear and mended it back, leaving a surprised Judar and a repaired "image" of the sky,"Don't bother telling anyone, no one knew I existed."

Judar squinted his eyes in anger and caution. This Leila character was dangerous, and he knew that this character was much more malicious than the old hag known as Gyokuen Ren.

A/N: So Amihiha and Frank are still training. What do you think is happening with Ramses and Emiline? How powerful is Leila?

So yeah, I guess I'll put ApoTheosis on a hiatus and work on the main storyline for now. Also for all of you anime watchers, the season is nearing the end and I have a feeling that when Kingdom of Magic ends, people will start to get this story now. But that will probably be in a few months, but I digress. Next chapter will have 0 involvement with Amihiha or Frank, so get ready for some Ramses and Emiline love (not as in shipping).

Before you read my rant, I'm just going to tell you that I'm not saying my fanfic is completely flawless.

Yes, I understand that most of the reason why I don't get much reviews and views is because of large cons such as too much OCs and being post-Magnostadt, but it's still my story, and I still choose to continue it and fix some mistakes or rewrite certain parts that seem absurd or unnecessary. Also, I kinda think that most people don't read this because people are all like "Oh, it isn't Alimor, SinJa, JuBad, HakuDar..." or whatever ship. I like AliMor and I think it may be canon in the future, but romance isn't really the focus, and neither is it for this fic. It may or may not be because of people wanting to see ships, but I digress.

And so what the community is full of fangirls that gawk over Judar's abs or Sinbad's pectoral muscles. I don't care if it was made by a woman, she actually did a great job in making a good shounen manga(but that doesn't mean females can enjoy it too). Magi isn't about female fanservice (there's actually a good amount of guy fanservice with the female characters, but there's just too much fangirls), it connects more with real world ideals and sociopolitical issues. Take Alibaba's struggle with Balbadd and its government. Take the Kou Empire, Magnostadt, Reim Empire, and even the Parthevia Empire as good examples of sociopolitical struggles. The slavery system, the Kou Empire forcing their ideals upon colonized nations for the sake of unification, the citizenship level system, even the people of the Parthevia Empire scorning expatriates, the main character's loved ones and even themselves are facing sociopolitical struggle. Magi puts social challenges that can be related with sociopolitical problems of the past and present and mixes it with comedy, action, as well as a unique storyline that doesn't focus too much on growing to be the strongest like generic shounen mangas. This is what makes Magi a unique and great manga/anime.

I deeply apologize to anyone offended by my rant, but I just had to exude it due to the fact that I'm basically a minority in the Magi Fanfiction Community. I feel like fanfics like this made from a guy and not a girl are completely overlooked, but hey, it's the internet, no one knows you're a guy, girl, dog, cat, alien-breed, or whatever.

Also, Magi belongs to Shinobu Ohtaka, but my OCs belong to me.