King of all Kings:
Solomon held his staff outstretched in front of him, his opponent doing the same. He couldn't afford to leave the school. If something was going on here, he'd have to find out first-hand. He couldn't see into the black rukh, he had to do this himself and because of that he couldn't be expelled now.
He had no doubt he could finish Titus off but he should proceed with caution. If he used magic too extraordinary he would fall under suspicion, so he couldn't use his special strength magic or Ancient Alchemy.
Just great.
"Until you receive the signal to stop, you cannot leave the area inside this barrier." Irene announced loudly "Both of you, exert your full power. Do you understand?"
'Yes, but that might create problems.'
They let their powers flare, electricity winding around Titus staff and fire around his own. He had to win.
"Begin!"
Both started running and met at the centre, their magic colliding. Immediately they jumped apart, only to start flying upwards while circling each other.
Solomon swung his staff sideways "Flash!"
"Sharrar!" The attack was blocked by the steam Titus summoned.
He had to try another "Ramz!"
"Asfal!"
Solomon stopped flying and kept in place "Halharl Infigar!"
Despite the magoi he put into his attack, he could feel Titus managed to block it. He must have used ice then, a smart choice.
And indeed, the other had used ice.
"Is that all you can do?" He mocked unharmed.
"Not at all." Solomon replied softly as he landed, placing his staff in front of him and smirked as the ground before Titus was torn apart, releasing a vast amount of water "Halharl Raqi!"
For a few seconds, nothing could be seen due to the explosion and Solomon used Sharrar Magd to disguise himself and flew towards the dust as it cleared, showing that the magician somehow evaded the giant blast.
He went behind him and pointed at Titus, releasing Sharrar Magd and making himself visible again "Ramz Al-Salos!"
Titus stood still for a moment as the lightning broke his borg and coursed through him but then turned around abruptly "Destruction!"
Solomon barely avoided the blast and had to keep moving to avoid the ones following until he was at the side of the barrier. He then sent Titus' attacks back at him with tunnels of strong wind.
"Don't think you can beat me!" Titus shouted when the attacks stopped "I've never lost a magic showdown, not even once!"
'Not like you're the only one.'
Solomon activated Hadika Hadeka and charged at him, destroying Titus borg after only a few tries.
"Why are you relying on material arts if you're a magician?" The blonde complained before gritting his teeth and running in his direction "Damnit! Halharl…"
"I won't let you!" Solomon proclaimed and jumped forward as well, his staff still under the effect of the combo move.
Solomon sliced Titus sleeve apart and changed his spell to avoid injury on his arm "Ramz!"
He was really glad he only used one of the stones Yamraiha gave him. If he did have one bandaged up in his right arm, it would be discovered now.
He could now clearly see the red communication stone in Titus' arm, as expected of the clone of a Magi. He was probably here to find information for Leam but even Magi's couldn't straight up communicate to another persons mind it seems.
They jumped apart again and Solomon gave Titus time to pull his sleeve down. They clashed again with lightning and fire magic, the output much weaker than before. It only took a few seconds for them to separate anew.
They were called to a stop as the tried to attack each other again and the chancellor went up to them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders "This match ends in a draw. I can see what your abilities are. Titus is capable of unleashing brilliant composite magic spells. He's like a magician armed with one hundred or two hundred years of experience… On the other hand, Aladdin is adept at using multiple kinds of magic and combining them and is superior at making quick judgements and counters. Not to mention, he seems used to fight with his magic. I shall recommend you directly to several seminars myself."
He picked up his staff as the audience cheered loudly in amazement. As the head of the academy left, Titus turned to leave, too.
"Wait!" Solomon grabbed his arm "Titus! What is your goal? Why are you here? I'd like to talk with you a bit."
Maybe they could work together, it would make things easier. Titus paused for a moment before turning and offering his hand.
Solomon took it and internally sighed 'He's gonna attack me, isn't he.'
"I'm sorry." Titus muttered as his weapon flared up, the Destruction spell forming "With you around, I can't complete my mission!"
'And I remain correct.' He thought bitterly as he altered the laws of physics to keep the spell away from him.
Miss Meiers ran towards them as Chancellor Mogamett used magic to force Titus wand out of his hand. Both were thrown back by the impact of the explosion that Titus spell caused.
Solomon sat up, a bit groggy with a hand to the side of his head, as he heard Sphintus shout his name. He had to admit, the impact on the ground hurt. Why did the Chancellor interfere, he was perfectly fine. Now if only he hadn't been restricting his Strength magic so much he might have been able to catch himself.
He removed his hand and put it in front of his face, luckily he didn't seem injured. But now he had a major headache. He could see Miss Meiers rush to his side and she steadied him as she helped him stand up.
It wasn't that difficult to begin with but it helped. He felt a hand touch his shoulder and met the worried eyes of Sphintus and the two students from the day before. They kept him company as they walked to the infirmary to check his head. In his opinion, he didn't need that.
He'd already healed himself but the teachers insisted so he couldn't exactly argue. He was quickly dismissed but given bed rest. That was the worst of all. He understood the need for caution and rest but he was fine!
Perfectly fine even!
Sighing, he went to his room and into the bed. He curled up in the sheets while lying on his left. He wasn't okay with this. Why were they acting like he was some child? He might be a student but by far not a child.
"That expression doesn't suit you." Sphintus commented after he closed the door and sat on his bed-site "The healers are just looking out for you. There are types of damages that magic can't heal."
"I know that…" The King admitted "But this is ridiculous. I'm perfectly fine, they even said so!"
"Just get some sleep." The other told him as he stood up "Then they won't be able complain anymore and you can get up."
Was someone calling out to him?
He was sure he could hear someone.
The voice sounded familiar… Amon? No, that can't be right.
He could hear cheering, too but who would cheer for him? He wasn't a good King.
Was he even a good person?
"Right now, the world stands poised on the brink of unity."
He swore he knew that voice-
"It is your greatest feat yet!"
"There is no one else who even tried to realize it. Such an extraordinary dream."
He knew that voice as well, but this one he could never mistake.
"Multiple nations, religions and tribes… For them to mutually forgive the past, learn to understand each other and leave their fates in the hands of a single great vessel- you yourself."
That wasn't true, he wasn't great. They made a mistake, placing their fates in his hands.
He was a failure.
What kind of King can't protect his people, brings forth their demise even?
Not the good kind.
He made a mistake, he made many mistakes.
And then, the magicians defied him. Defied him mightily, until the last bitter breath.
He woke up with a jolt, sitting up in a flash and scaring the other person in the room who fell off his chair. He sat down again and looked at the ground disheartened.
What was Titus doing here at this hour. Judging by the faint glow of the moon and darkness it was night and pretty late as well. Wasn't he supposed to be in confinement, too? Wouldn't he get in trouble if he was found out?
"Your injuries…" The blonde started but trailed off "I'm truly sorry about all this."
"No need to worry." Solomon smiled "I'm fine, only needed some rest according to the healers."
"I see." He still had that downtrodden look "You said you wanted to talk about something before?"
"Ah, yes." The King stated surprised "You're a spy of the Leam empire aren't you?"
The other looked at him in caution "Could you… keep that secret?"
"Of course." He replied "I have nothing to gain by ratting you out. Besides, I'm here to search for something, too. Just not on anyone's behalf. So don't tell on me either, okay?"
"I won't." Titus agreed.
"That's good to hear." He stopped smiling briefly "I know what you are, Titus. But you shouldn't worry too much. There might not be someone like you out there but there are people in the same position as you- being something nobody else in this world is. You're not alone." He stood up and offered the younger his hand "If you want, I will be your friend, no matter what."
At first, the blonde only looked at him unmoving then he took his hand "Thanks, Aladdin."
Some minutes after Titus left, he could see a faint light from the bag he packed his belongings in. He took out the eye of the rukh as it connected.
"Sir Solomon." Was the immediate response.
"Drop the sir, please." Solomon demanded.
"Did something happen?" Hakuryuu wondered curious.
The King scratched his neck, thinking deeply "Became a Top Student, got into a conflict, was forced into a battle exam, was attempted to be killed by my opponent afterwards, got a headache and made up with the guy who tried to murder me."
"Are you… okay?"
"Yes." Solomon replied "What about you? Surely you're not calling at whatever unheavenly hour it is for no reason."
Hakuryuu laughed nervously "It's a bit after midnight, actually, so not that late." He was met by Solomons's unimpressed stare "A-anyway, a lot happened in Kou. I'm sure you heard all about the emperor's death quite a while ago, right?"
"Yes. It's why your cousin left the academy." He paused for a moment "I also heard Arba became the next emperor?"
"That's true… I might have helped…" Hakuryuu admitted and added fast "It was the best option at the time!"
"I understand that. I don't think you'd do something like that without thinking."
Hakuryuu smiled slightly "Thank you. I also looked a bit into what you asked me to. It was a bit though because there aren't many records on the family history but as you suspected, the name of my first known ancestor was illegible. And it dates back to around 1000 years. It's like that in all documents I could find."
"It's a good chance that this is Arba. The line had to start somewhere." Solomon concluded.
Koumei was in the library after he heard that Hakuryuu had gone there after he had inquired about old documents concerning the family history. He was unsure why his younger cousin would want to look into this but his overall behaviour had been strange lately so it should be worth checking out.
Because of this he and his household member Chuu'un were searching the library for him but when they left he truly wondered what he had heard.
Who was Arba? And what did she have to do with Gyokuen?
Solomon and Sphintus stood before the gate to the second level authorization district.
"Hey there!" Titus startled him with his sudden appearance and Sphintus openly gaped "Thanks for waiting, Aladdin. All right, let's go!"
No, he didn't exactly wait for him.
"Why are you tagging along?" Sphintus complained.
"Starting today, Aladdin and I will be carrying out our crucial missions while helping each other out." He explained while opening the gate.
The Heliohapt native looked at Solomon "Crucial missions?"
They were interrupted by magic transporting them outside. As they reached the end of the tunnel, they were greeted by a marvelous city.
"Look, Aladdin!" Sphintus diverted his attention "I see a magic tool!"
"You're right." He commented as he draw closer via flight, the other two following "They're using it to distribute water everywhere."
And he had a good guess where the magoi for that came from.
"Look, Aladdin!" Titus was now the one pointing something out "I see a field!"
"What's that?" Sphintus wondered as he saw it.
The light of purple rukh, life magic then. They're using it to raise crops.
The three went to eat something and Sphintus explained the citizenship level to him since he missed the lecture. As they walked out of the shop he also told Solomon how the people were classified.
It unnerved Solomon, it was not as bad as what happened with the Church but he knew there was more. Definitely, if the vast amount of rukh underground had any meaning. Luckily it wasn't black rukh but it didn't feel good either way.
He had to find out more about the levels "Hey, Titus!" He stopped as he realized the blonde wasn't with them anymore.
"Oh... look at that, Aladdin!" He called out excited, his eyes sparkling as he looked at them "It's a cat! There's a cat over here!"
"But that's not unusual, really." Sphintus said disinterested "Jeez, you're a simple-minded jerk. Don't go around gaping in awe over a stupid cat!"
It wasn't too long after that Solomon wanted to say the exact same to Sphintus. He was a little too excited about the good treatment magicians received from others.
Solomon was sceptical. They were fawning over magicians too much. Like their life depended on it, maybe that was even why. After a small stop they made for Titus to see a child, they only had the fourth and fifth district to see.
Solomon went up to two civilians and asked them about fifth district but he was shocked at their answer. So the people under the earth could be the ones from that district, it only made sense. But there were more than half of the population under there!
This still haunted him in the evening as he went over the authorization information with Sphintus. He asked Miss Irene who passed by to confirm the whereabouts but it seemed he had to take some 'Ideology classes' for that. That only served to bother him further.
He was rudely awaked by Titus shaking him violently.
"What is it?" The King asked as he sat up.
"We're going to the 5th Level Authorization District!" The other said excited.
"What?" Solomon asked incredulously "Now?" Did he know how late it was?
"That's right!" He confirmed "Oh, just one thing- I still don't know where the 5th Level Authorization District is. So... Let's infiltrate the 1st Level Authorization District and try to find out!"
"No need." Solomon yawned "Give me a minute to wake up and I'll find us a way there. I already made out that it's underground."
After the additional minute and waking up Sphintus, courtesy by Titus, they flew across the tunnel to the last district.
Sphintus was dubious "But I still can't believe it. You say it's two third of the population, isolating that huge chunk of the population… And to think that they're all living in this part of the city!"
"I'll know it when I see it..." Titus commented "With these eyes, that is! We're going through!" As they made it through, he couldn't believe it "They really…"
"...went and built a damn city underground…" Sphintus finished.
"Let's head into town." Titus commanded.
Together they went further. Titus suggested to use light magic but Solomon told him not to. There was something in this place that drew magoi to feed it to the magic tools. There was no need to waste magoi.
He didn't like the state of this city either. Everything looked worn down, including the people. The rukh felt sick and weak around him. A few even ignored the admonition the stone he had embedded signalized and clung to him.
He looked up when he heard someone fall over and saw a little girl lying on the ground.
He instantly ran over to her and held her up "Hey, little girl! Are you okay?" Of course she wasn't, he knew that. Why did he even ask?
"Her magoi is nearly depleted." Sphintus warned "She could die!"
And at this rate, she would. The magoi drain only worsened her condition. People were forced into this and lived miserable, then died. It was the same, the exact same!
Only the circumstances differed!
"H-help me..." Her weak voice rasped out.
"I can't increase her magoi levels with a healing spell!" Sphintus worried.
What could they do? Even he can't increase magoi inside a body. The quantity maybe but not the actual levels if they were exhausted.
"Does anyone know who this little girl is?" He called into the crowd but nobody was even trying to help "Somebody!"
If they knew who she was they could find her house and try helping her there.
"I'll do it!" Titus proclaimed, surprising Solomon.
They went to one of the empty houses and laid her onto the bed where Titus began to work.
He explained "I'll protect her body with a web of light. It should stop the magoi from leaking out."
The girl opened her eyes a bit, Solomon guessed it was because she wasn't being drained any longer. She thanked Titus while the citizens were in disbelief. An old man came forward and explained the reason why the magoi was leaking.
The King clenched his fists. A magoi production facility? Those people were humans like them! How could they do that?
Just to power the magic tools… He knew that, he did. But he didn't want to face that reality. Not really.
The man also explained Marga's condition. Solomon supposed he could help her. The magoi drain aside, a medical condition could be healed. This might fall under the category that the academy can't cure but he could. The heart was an organ, if there was something wrong, he'd only need to know what.
He could replace bodies, a heart was no problem. He would have to come back later for that though.
Sphintus was lightly angered at his words and asked Titus to say something but he only asked Marga if she liked books.
She told them a lot and also informed them about how she wanted to see what the outside was like. Solomon smiled sadly, it was understandable.
Still smiling, he stood up "Leave this to me!"
Using gravity magic, he built a town resembling Magnostadt with sand around them. Marga was amazed and clapped happy. He also created a little cat and animated it to go over to her.
She seemed really excited. When he told her they would come over everyday and help her learn to read to become a scholar, she refused, saying that it was already enough if they came over from time to time and told her about the world.
Because she didn't know if she'd live long enough to become one. It was truly sad.
He had to change this, this entire city had to change. Marga was just a child, she was innocent. Yet here she was, trapped and dying. He didn't know if this was his old self speaking, the one who only recently discovered the truth and wanted to fix it.
They left Titus with the girl to talk with the old man outside, only for Titus to come to them, claiming to bring the child outside. A man who argued with them before stood in Titus' way and pointed to a huge hole in the ground that had a water stream falling down.
As Titus suggested bringing them all outside, he could understand him. But first, he'd need a whole lot of magoi, there were 200,000 people here! Second, this was insane. The school would be furious and if they wanted to help, this would be the wrong way to do so.
He could understand him, really. He would have done the same 1000 years earlier but this wasn't Alma Torran. Things were way more complicated these days.
He could feel the rukh of magicians coming through the gate they used earlier so he grabbed Sphintus and Titus who let go of Marga and dragged them to hide. Guards were coming to see if anyone died or had magoi depletion. It seemed to go well and the guards started to move on without discovering them when Marga collapsed.
As the old man from before pleaded for her life, the Head Guard Doron grabbed her by the arm and threw her. He couldn't help it, he ran out of hiding and past the guards, Titus only a few feet before him.
They jumped after her, Titus managed to catch her just in time before she hit the ground. Solomon stopped all three of them from colliding with the ground thanks to his gravity magic. Titus held her close as they flew upwards.
They landed on the side of the hole opposite of the guards. However, it seemed Titus wasn't done yet as he tried destroying the ceiling to carve a path but it only resulted in the guard attacking them with life magic.
Solomon guessed that this was his strong point. Unluckily for Doron, both he and Titus knew fire magic.
Titus used Halharl but Solomon had to drag him out of the way before he was torn into by the giant plant. To make them pay for their actions, Doron made the plants pick up the people from around them and threw them to their deaths.
Solomon pushed Titus to Sphintus and flew down, using Asfal Riih to keep the people afloat and return them to stable ground.
Doron chuckled as he addressed him and Titus "I know who you two are! You're the second year scholarship students rumoured to be quite the hotshots this year, right? So what the hell do you think you're gonna do against opponents like us?"
"Needless to say, we're going to defeat you all and open up a path that leads outside…" Titus countered "I know I'm capable of that. As long as I release my power till the end..."
But that would kill him. No, that wasn't an option.
"Aladdin." He spoke to him "You came here to sweep away the darkness of this country, too, didn't you? Don't you think the time is right now?" No, not at all "If we don't fight now, then when are we ever going to?"
"You idiot, just calm down a second!" Sphintus said to him in a strained voice "I know you didn't come to the academy to get caught in a place like this! Try to remember why it was that you came here!"
The reason… Magicians and those who can't use magic hate each other. If the same thing happens today, the world will end... The black rukh, a medium...
He looked at his feet and grasped the bandage on his left arm when a bolt of lightning struck Doron's plants and Miss Meier's retracted her whip.
It was decided that the three of them were to appear before the Chancellor. It was a bit pressuring under the gaze of all these magicians and the head of the academy but not the worst situation he was in.
In the end, Solomon was asked by the Chancellor to talk with him. He didn't understand why Titus and Sphintus weren't invited but this wasn't the time for questions, no matter how much he wanted answers.
So it came that the two sat at a table, facing each other. Both had a cup of tea in front of them and Solomon blew on his to cool it down.
"By the way, Aladdin." Mogamett started the conversation "Is Yamraiha well?"
Normally he would have been surprised but he was aware that the two knew each other. The Chancellor started to tell him about her a bit before he asked how she was. He supposed it was normal to ask that about someone you held dear.
"Aladdin..." He spoke shortly after his answer "I believe you came to this country because you had some sort of mission. But it doesn't matter what that mission is. These diverse magicians who have come here… I hope for mutual understanding… I hope to co-exist with them all..." He all that with a peaceful smile on his face and confidence "This what I wish."
He did believe this man was kind-hearted but only when it came down to magicians.
"Aladdin... If you want to learn more about this country… Then come to the Great Lecture Hall tomorrow. I'm sure you'll find your time well-spent."
What the Chancellor was doing was continuing a devils circle.
But the oppressed became the oppressors, whether he wants to see that or not. He might say that the people in the fifth level have everything they could want but then why would the rukh down there be glowing as dim as they were?
There was so much Solomon wanted to say but he couldn't. Even if he told this man all about Alma Torran, he doubted it would have any effect.
What an ugly situation.
He was starting to get the students support, too. There was truth in his words even Solomon couldn't possibly deny but it was still wrong. He knew from experience. He couldn't let Il Illah come here! This wasn't the 'Father's' world!
He created it! And Ugo transported everyone here!
It wasn't Il Illah's!
He stood with Titus while other students were going to the fifth distric as Matal Mogamett came to talk with the blonde. Somewhere the conversation shifted to the Magi and Scheherazade.
If it wasn't clear before that he cared about all magicians, it was now. But the evidence of his other side became clear underground as well.
He can't see people who aren't magicians as fellow human beings. But Solomon knew one thing, that if you thought that way, the world would come to an end as a result of the aftermath.
People like that shouldn't have any power to begin with.
At least Marga would be happy for now.
"There are still things that I want to know." Solomon admitted as he and Titus walked to their respective Zemi's that they chose before "I can't just stand by and do nothing about the Fifth Level Authorization District and I haven't finished what I wanted to do in this country. It's the same for you, too- right, Titus?"
"Uh, yeah…" The other replied slightly startled "I guess so."
"..." He looked at his friend for a while before he stopped in front of the gate "I can help Marga, you know." This caused the blonde to look at him in shock "If I know what exactly her condition is and where the problem lies, I can cure it. It's possible."
"You can!?" He asked shocked.
"I can but I would have to ask you to gather that information and not tell the Chancellor. I don't want just anyone to know what I can do but Marga is under your care, so I suppose I have to tell you."
"If you really can help her, I'll do it." He promised "I won't tell anyone either!"
"Then tell me once you're done, alright?"
"Definitely!"
He smiled as Titus rushed to his Zemi, more aware of his surroundings than before. Well, he had his own lesson to pay attention to. 'The Rukh's Properties and Conversations' by Professor Irene.
As suspected, this country would bring its own downfall.
The black rukh were dangerous for a reason. On top of that, controlling black Djinn was difficult, even more so without some sort of vessel and even then it was a nightmare.
To be so careless, it was a recipe for disaster. Somehow he hoped Morgiana could be here and smash their heads together.
Sighing, he exited the building to see Titus waiting, a scroll in his hand. How he had time for that when the lessons just ended was beyond him. Together they walked to his house where Marga was taking a nap and woke her up.
"You sure this will work?" Titus asked uncertain as Solomon finished reading the report on her condition.
"Very sure." This was nothing. He looked at Marga "Could you come over here?"
The little girl obeyed and he gently took her hands. A faint glow illuminated the area above her heart as the Alchemic spell took effect.
It might be a little more complicated to reconstruct something than to replace it with exactly the same thing but it wasn't the most difficult spell he'd used so far.
"She's going to be okay." Solomon assured as he stopped "So don't worry anymore."
The announcement of war was a great shock to everyone. Chancellor Mogamett asked for his help. If it means stopping the creation of a dark spot, he'll do it. As inconspicuous as he could, he sent the rukh to Leam with a message.
It wouldn't do anything if his guess was right but maybe it could make their Magi think. The true enemy wasn't Leam, it was the 'Power' sleeping in this country. He would stop it before it could bring any harm to these people, no matter if they were from Magnostadt or Leam.
...
He was alone, wasn't he?
True, Sphintus, Titus, the teachers and the other students are with him but in the end... he was still alone.
Nobody that he could share this empty feeling with or seek comfort in. He was scared. If a medium was created and Il Illah descended, everyone would die. What could he even do alone?
Without his friends- his household- he wouldn't be able to win.
How would he even be able to fight that? Even now, the images burned in his eyes. A world devoid of life, sound and light. A place where nothing exists.
Fading laughter echoed in his ears as it was slowly replaced. Voices turned to horrified screams, laughter to fear and pleading, whispers to crying as loud as waterfalls.
Smiles faded into the grimaces of the dead, grey and cold, their rukh gone forever. Their bodies stiff and unmoving, illuminated only by the darkness.
Surely, if hell existed, that was what it was.
His eyes stung with hot burning tears and his throat closed tight as he wasn't able to take a single breath. His vision was blurry and he couldn't see anything any longer. His limps started to grow cold and icy. The skin on his body turned pale and could be seen glistering in a thin cover of sweat.
His world was going to end once again.
Guest: Thanks^^
He seems so doesn't he? As for the Civil war, who knows~ For your questions:
Solomon doesn't know that Sinbad is possessed by David, first of all because that only happens once the medium comes and second because of David's black rukh. He does know Sinbad is half-fallen though.
As for the other question, she is being controlled by Zepar. Events that weren't seen by the character in narrative still happen unless it would be completely impossible to do so for them. This also includes Kougyoku being controlled.
If there are any further questions or things you wish to say, you and everyone else can feel free to tell me! ^^