SmileRen - I don't know, determination, I guess...?

treavellergirl - At times, I'm disgusted by how human kind really is, but then again, I'm a human too... And yeah, to sacrifice oneself takes a lot of courage and selflessness.

kenegi - I can't seem to find it? Can you perhaps send me the link? As for your question; No, Amro isn't going to be a part of May's Household Vessel. I'm still thinking who I might use for that? Suggestions (PM me if you do have)? And thanks, I'll correct that typo right away.

voidharpy - You're welcome, I'm glad it was to your satisfaction. She will go to Reim's Colosseum to learn Magoi Manipulation from the Yambala Gladiators, but she will do this secretly, so no one might find anything wrong with her. You'll see what Yunan will do to keep her secret a secret from Scheherazade and the rest. I adore Sinbad, Mu and Masrur too, they're my favorite crew! But I'm still thinking about the pairing, don't wanna ruin the surprise. ;) Ah, by now Masrur joined Sinbad's crew, so no worries there. No, again, May has to keep her secret, so this mean that there will be no further connection with Amro. He was only a character that I needed for the previous chapter. I don't know how many Household Vessel users May will have-I'm still thinking about that. If you have any suggestions about a character that I might be able to use without destroying the story, then please PM me. :)

Shambal Ramal's age: 60 years old

Sinbad's age: 26 years old

Mu Alexius' age: 25 years old

Myron's Alexius' age: 20 years old

Masrur's age: 17 years old

May's age: 16 years old

Morgianas age: 11 years old

For all those who are a bit confused about May's Djiin, she has three Metal Vessels;

- 13th Djiin, Beleth, a water Djiin, weaponry~scythe

- 67th Djiin, Amdusias, a lightning Djiin, weaponry~hammer

- 36th Djiin, Stolas, a life Djiin, weaponry~poisoned chain whip

Pride of the Fanalis Clan

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By Angelbloodlover

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~ Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.

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Oprah Winfrey

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Chapter 13: Struggles of Life

How many years had already passed? How many years had I count the days until I would be able to leave this cottage and reunite with my family?

Five years had passed between training my stamina and Metal Vessels properly. Along with that, I had only seen Sinbad one more time with his crew and there he had tried, unsuccessfully though, to recruit me but I had politely refused the offer, stating that I would remain neutral until the time was right.

Now, Yunan had told me that I should travel further towards the north and fight in the Reim's Colosseum to learn Magoi Manipulation. Alone.

At first, I had been suspicious, but he had assured me that there was nothing to be worried about and that I would be going there to increase my weaponry skills, be it a sword, a scythe, a hammer or a whip. It was easier said than done-to train so many weapons would be a pain in the ass, but he had told me that I should get used to it since my Djiins utilized those weapons. So, I had no choice int hat matter. Although, he had advised me that I should drop training my sword skills since none of my Djiin used it. But how could I drop the one thing that inked me to my past?

I couldn't forsake that memento and promised him that I wouldn't get any problems with it, that I would be able to perfect them all. Although, it would take a lot of time, I would succeed.

Now, I had been worried about Masrur, but by now he had joined Sinbad's crew, so that only left the entire Reim empire, and foremost, Lady Scheherazade. And even for that Yunan found a solution. When he had explained what he would do to keep the flow of the Magoi calm around me and not to fly around me like a love-sick boy, he had presented me the Magoi Reverse Tool. He didn't tell me how he got his hands on it, neither did I want to know. Yunan may look adorable and innocent, but he was all but.

With this magic tool, no one would see my true identity as a semi-Magi. People would become suspicious, and when people became suspicious they would do everything in their powers to satiate their curiosity. Neither Yunan nor I were keen on that. My identity would remain hidden until the time was right.

"Yunan, I..." I shuddered out a breath, not really wanting to leave this place I was starting to call home. I strapped the bag tightly against my shoulder, sending him a weak smile and wrapped my arms around his shoulder. The first time I had met him I didn't even reach his chest, and now, I reached a bit above his shoulders. I was kind of glad I didn't turn out to be a midget, no offense to all smaller-built ones, but I'd rather be able to instill fear and nervousness into my enemies, instead of being ridiculed about my length.

He chuckled warmly and returned the gesture, "I'm sure you'll do great, May. I believe in you." He whispered softly, his arms tightening one more time before he released me.

When I looked up, I sweat dropped when I saw tears stream down his face, "Yunan, you can be such an idiot at times..."

"Hey! I'm your mentor, you should respect me!"

Shaking my head, I placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, smiling brightly as I wiped his tears away, "Thank you for everything. I wouldn't know what would have happened if it weren't for you." I bowed deeply in respect, "Thank you, I'm indebted by your kind dee-" "Don't." I looked up, noting that Yunan was uncomfortable and slightly angry, "Don't bow for me, I'd rather see your pretty face."

I smirked sultry, tugging on his braid, "My, my, are you trying to seduce an innocent girl like me, Yunan-kun?"

His face became cherry-red and I giggled, enjoying his embarrassed expression. He was so easy to rile up, and a very good source of entertainment. "M-May!"

"Relax, I'm joking." Trying to withhold my laughter, I winked towards him and turned my back towards him, walking away, "I won't say goodbye because that would imply that I'll never see you again. We'll meet again soon." I lifted my hands in the air, whispering softly that he would be able to hear too, "And I forgave you a long time ago, Yunan."

Not turning back, I jumped up and opened my magic turban, flying away from the Valley, waving the Torran people goodbye with a wide smile.

The beginning of my journey- watch out world, because, soon, I would make my entrance.

When I neared the border of the Reim's empire, I stored all my magical items in my shoulder bag and walked further. A smile appeared on my face when I thought about Amro. The day that we departed had been very endearing. He had made me promise to visit him and meet his daughter Sasa. But till now I couldn't, too busy with getting stronger. Once I had finished training my Magoi Manipulation, I would pay him visit, like promised.

Now, when Yunan had explained me the working of Magoi Manipulation, I had told him that I had been fascinated by Sinbad's way of manipulating one's Magoi to disable the opponent's use of Magoi, thus making him vulnerable and without the aid of his Magoi. He had told me to choose a way of manipulating one's Magoi where I had advantages over any magical being, be it a Magi, Magician, witch, ...

Personally, I found Sinbad's way the best and most suited for me. I just had to be careful with my use of Magoi as to not deplete it. The consequences were rather unpleasant.

"Halt! Who are you?!"

I stopped in front of a soldier, smirking, "A wandering traveler who likes to go to Reim's Colosseum and take part in it."

His eyes widened when he noticed my obvious appearances, "Y-You're a Fanalis..!"

"Yeah, got a problem with it?"

He shook his head and glanced to his other friend, "You may enter."

Nodding, I passed them both, through the border and into the Reim empire. Their eyes still followed me and rolling my eyes, I fastened my pace, wanting to get there as fast as possible. I was itching to finish this training and conquer more Dungeons. According to Yunan, I could only get seven Djiins, which was true since I had also read it in the manga. What I really wanted was a fire Djiin and a wind Djiin-that would be absolutely perfect for my huge arsenal.

...maybe I was becoming rather power-obsessed?

Shrugging, I chuckled. The more, the merrier. Besides, to defeat my future enemies, I needed a lot of power, and Yunan had given me his permission to do so. As long as I didn't get caught or anything, it was safe for me to do. I intended to reach five or six Djiins-that would be enough, maybe...

"Buy three water melons for the prize of one!"

Another loud shout, "No, beautiful, buy them here and receive a bunch of bananas for free!"

I shook my head, wondering why they were wasting my time for such useless things. If I was hungry, then I would buy it, no need to be pushy. How I hated pushy people.

When another guy looked at me, as if he was dissecting my limbs, and examining every bone, muscle, I scoffed in irritation. Shuddering in disgust, I passed him, the only thought running through my head was to get away from this creep. As I moved further, I observed the many shopkeeper with their respective trinkets, beautiful vases and many more. Suddenly, I stopped moving, I couldn't take another step, completely frozen in place. Anger bubbled within me and acting rash and impulsively, I stepped in between them. I was seething the moment I saw those slave traders and behind them the forcefully captured people who were robbed from their freedom.

One of the giant men stared down at me and then his eyes widened considerably. "Y-You're a Fanalis!"

"Wow, pretty smart for a brainless giant like you."

He bristled, I smirked, infuriating him even more. "Now, how about you let those slaves go?"

He snarled, looking me up and down as his friend did the same, eyes glinting in interest. "How about I rip off a few limbs?"

I chuckled, shaking my head, "I'll pass," I opened my bag and took three sacks of golden coins, "How much do they cost?" Their eyes shone like greedy bastards the moment they saw what I took out and I snorted at their pitiful behavior. Gone were the giant brutes, instead I was facing two sickening sweet men-it made me want to throw up.

"How many do you want to buy?" Brown-haired idiot number one asked, rubbing his hands like a fly.

Arching my eyebrow, I answered, "How about all of them."

Their reactions were instantaneous, jaws slacked and eyes popping out of their skulls. "What?!"

Alright, that voice almost burst my eardrums. Glaring at him, I repeated, "Are you deaf? I said all of them." Okay, so I had temper issues, who cares. Not everyone could be perfect, and was I glad it wasn't either. Imagine, a world where everyone had the same personality, I would commit suicide. Immediately.

"Err...o-okay..?"

I examined the people who were captured, all looking lost and pained, some of them were even crying silently. My heart twisted in pain, seeing them like that. These people all reminded me of Morgiana and my family. How could I ignore them and sleep without a conscience? Besides, I had collected all these treasures to free the slaves. I growled in annoyance when I found a teenage girl in between, clothes ripped and bruises visible on her arms and her expression; anger, disgust, hatred... No questions were needed, I had proof enough. Dark Rukh was leaking off them in an alarming rate...

Ferocious fury swirled within me and I clenched my knuckles, walking in front of the two. "Did you touch any of them in an inappropriate way." I wasn't asking, I was stating the truth.

"So what if I did? If you want it that badly, I'll gladly fuck you, girly. You don't look bad either." He leered at me, licking his lips in anticipation.

I held in my anger and handed them three sacks of gold and held my hand out, "Keys. Now." Remember, don't get yourself in the spotlight too much. When people become suspicious, and once they're suspicious, they will get curious. Hands shaking, I narrowed my eyes when the two men laughed loudly, and one of them even had the nerves to snake his arms around my waist, pulling me closer.

I was about to snap their necks and erase their pitiful existence when out of the blue a handsome man appeared, more precisely, a very familiar man. Yunan would kill me if he saw in what kind of mess I got myself into. "How about you let go of her."

Two swords poised on their throat, he had made it clear that he wouldn't tolerate a 'no' for an answer.

Rolling my eyes, I ignored the man and decided to teach them a lesson myself. "Don't intervene. They are mine." I was no damsel in distress, in contrary to people's belief most girls hated being treated as one. Swift and precise, I took their hands and flipped them both forward, enjoying their grunts of pain. "I'm not done yet, assholes." With an evil, sultry smirk, I pushed their arms forward and listened to the cracking of their bones. Such a sweet melody it was.

These two had asked for it, and before the man would say something, I searched the two men for the keys, until I found it on the largest one of the duo. Both were crying, blood gushing out of their arms and head. "Tch. If you ever dare to lay your despicable hands on me, I'll kill the both of you." Leaning closer to the one who made the fuck comment, I whispered melodiously, "I'll take this sack of coins as a compensation for your repulsive harassment."

Laughter escaped my lips and I stood up, dusting my hands off as the aforementioned item was placed back in my shoulder bag.

I walked towards the soon-to-be-freed slaves and smiled warmly, reassuring them that I wouldn't hurt them, "Now, people, let's go to a nice-" "Excuse me, miss?"

Annoyed, "Yes?"

"May I know your name, beautiful maiden?"

Snorting, I replied, "No. Leave me alone." Better to get him off my back, I didn't want his interest to increase even more. "As I was saying, follow me and I'll explain everything." I walked towards a nice-looking hotel and glanced behind my back, seeing the horde of unsure slaves following them. With a gentle smile, I continued my path and held the door open for them, which shocked them even more.

Once inside, I stared at the owner, throwing the fat sack filled with golden coins up and down, "I want to rent an entire floor for a week."

His eyes widened, "S-Sure, ma'am. This way." He led me and my crew to a corridor and then one stair up, until he pointed at the first floor, "Will t-this be all?"

Satisfied, I nodded, "Yes, thank you for your assistance." Throwing the money towards him, I waited until he disappeared before turning to the slaves. "Now, I will split this group up into two: one group will consist of the females and another one of males." As I said this, I freed them from their shackles, "Pair with two and get in one room. I'll be back with fresh clothes." When they didn't budge, I sighed tiredly, "Please?" This made them look up in shock for a minute but finally, they moved and obeyed my orders. All of them disappeared and soon I heard the sound of water rushing down.

Father, mother, Morgiana, can you see this? I'm doing my best to help these people out. I will do my best to make them smile.

Humming, I moved from shop to shop, my bag of clothes increasing by the minute. The amount of slaves I had bought today were a total of twenty-one. And I had even used less money thanks to their idiotic behavior. Fresh undergarments, dresses, tunics, everything that they might like. I even bought a few pieces of jewellery for the mistreated girl. Thinking about her made my stomach churn unpleasantly. And I couldn't help but think of Morgiana, hoping that Jamil or another man would hurt her like that.

If, however they had hurt my little sister or mother, then there would be Hell to pay. I would torture them beyond their imagination, I would make them beg for death and never allow them that small ounce of relief. I would make their life a living hell.

I groaned when the same man from before appeared in front of me, blocking my way. Disgruntled, I made a detour, but that stubborn man stepped aside, blocking my way again. "Can I help you?" I gritted through my teeth, glaring at him. To my shock, he chuckled, an amused smile on his face.

"As a matter of fact, you can. How about I invite you for dinner?"

Inwardly, I cursed him to the depths of Hell while outwardly, I snorted, "How about you leave me alone?"

His eyes glinted cunningly, "What if I said no?"

"Then you should know what would happen to you, no?" I smirked in amusement-this man may be an idiot, but he was rather entertaining to talk to.

"How could I have missed that?" He shook his head, a crooked grin plastered on his face, "Now, about dinner?"

I suppressed giggling like an idiotic fangirl and smiled sultry, "I apologize but I have other issues-" "One hour, that's all I'm asking for."

Narrowing my eyes, I glared at him, "I don't like pushy people. Now," I passed him by, "If you excuse me I got better things to do."

"Ouch. You sure are cold-hearted."

Was he really going on about that? And what the hell?! "Why are you stalking me?"

"I happen to go this way." He replied smugly, trying to rile me up.

No way would I give him the satisfaction of angering me. So, I decided that ignoring him to the point where he didn't exist was a better choice.

My eyebrow twitched and I fastened my pace, praying that I wouldn't explode and kill him on the spot. He was an important person for later on.

"Damn it! Leave me alone!" I started to run but to my mortified irritation, that pest did the same. Oh god, he wouldn't disappear. "Fine, I'll give you one hour, but leave me alone!" Stomping inside of the hotel, I scowled at him and walked upstairs, cursing him. He knew where I was and he would keep appearing out of the blue. What an annoying guy!

I groaned in annoyance and appeared upstairs on the first floor. One by one, I knocked on the doors and handed them fresh clothes. Waiting until they were dressed properly, I went down to the owner and asked food for approximately twenty-five people, which shocked him even more. With a shaky nod, he called loudly for one of his employees and demanded to bring food for his important guest.

Money could really change people and make them like you.

Such an hypocrisy.

Plates of food was brought by twelve people and I paid the manager, much to his happiness. As I directed the people, I ordered them to bring two portions of food to each door. I didn't see the reactions of the people I had "bought", but I knew that many questions were running in their head, wondering why such a person like me would do such a thing to a total stranger. Hell, I would question that person's mental department too, but I also would be indebted. Finished, I called them all into one room-it was a good thing, it was a luxurious hotel, otherwise it wouldn't have been big enough to space so many people.

"Many of you may wonder why I would be doing such a thing. The answer is simple," I held eye-contact with all of them, but they all looked down. "I wanted to free you guys, I wanted all of you to lead a normal life. Which is why from now on, you're all free. You're no longer slaves, you can do whatever you want."

I walked to my bag and took out another handful of money, "I'll divide the money between all of you. Make sure you return from where you came and stay safe." My attention moved to the silent girl and I smiled warmly, "Don't let the past haunt you, start a clean slate." In my pocket there was a golden necklace with the symbol of hope, the white dove, which I took out and walked in front of her, "This is my gift to you. I hope you may find a better life," As I placed the necklace around the girl's throat, I stroked her cheeks, wiping the tears away, "Crying doesn't suit you. Smile."

She sent me a forced smile and I chuckled, "Better, but you might need to practice a bit more."

"Thank you. Thank you." She repeated as she clung to me, crying her heart out. The rest watched in silence, all wearing confused, happy smiles on their face.

"You came!"

I scoffed at him, "I couldn't walk away even if I wanted to."

The annoying man from before chuckled in bemusement, holding his arms out. I stared at him, wondering if he had lost a few screws up his head. "What are you doing?"

"I'm being a gentlemen. Jeez, you are grumpy." He commented, keeping a hold on his sword. "Never mind, soon, you'll warm up to me."

Disgusted, I rolled my eyes, "You wish."

"I just did." He replied smartly, grating me even further. How could such a man like him annoy me to the point where I wanted to lash out and snap his pretty neck. And yes, he may be annoying, but he was far from being ugly. Unfortunately. Here I was, following one of the men who I was supposed to avoid at all cost. Sighing, I decided to use this as my chance to get in the Colosseum sooner. Through him I could get in much easier.

"I don't want to be rude, but why are you staring at me like that with a creepy look?" He smirked when I glared sourly at him, "Kidding, you look beautiful, even when you look creepy."

Rolling my eyes at his antics, I spoke up, "Can you get to business?"

"Impatient, are we? Fine. Follow me."

This man would be the death of me, I was sure about it. How come he wasn't depicted like that in the manga? Dear god, I just hope I had enough patience to deal with him. "Before I forget, my name is Mu Alexius. May I know yours?"

"May."

Before he could grab my hand, I pulled them back, smiling sugary at him. "No thanks, I might get some unknown skin diseases. Now, how about you increase your pace, I'm hungry."

He chuckled and didn't say anything on that matter, only, "Nice to meet you, May from the Fanalis clan."