SmileRen - Because Yunan had explicitly told her not to meet with her? Indeed, poor May... :p

Guest 1 - I'm excited about the meeting too, and I have a few ideas concerning how May will meet her dear sister. Romance won't happen until later, when May has found Morgiana and Masrur.

Guest 2 - Who said it will be Mu? ;)

Rakuen91 - She can't say no to Lady S. But don't worry, everything will be cleared out in this chapter.

kenegi - You'll see about that. As for the story, I've read it until the last chapter and I have to say-Thank you! I've enjoyed every chapter of it. Really well-written and an awesome concept. And in the last chapter, I was planning on using that scene too to let the two sister meet, the one where Fatima had captured Morgiana, but it seems that I'll have to take another scene. :p As for the manga, I have found it, and I'll give it a go. Maybe I'll like it?

treavellergirl - Indeed-poor May.

voidharpy - I was imagining the same scene too! And I had to laugh when you had written it in your review-clearly, you and I have the same taste of humor. ;) How about I surprise you? Thank you for your offer and I will certainly take you up to it. :D

sweetchill - Because I like to drive you guys crazy. :p

Shambal Ramal's age: 61 years old

Sinbad's age: 27 years old

Mu Alexius' age: 26 years old

Myron Alexius' age: 21 years old

Masrur's age: 18 years old

May's age: 17 years old

Morgianas age: 12 years old

Pride of the Fanalis Clan

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By Angelbloodlover

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~ Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

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Lao Tzu

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Chapter 16: Meeting with Lady Scheherazade

Before I could even see Shambal, I was escorted towards the Palace, where Lady Scheherazade was waiting for the Dungeon Capturer.

I was so not looking for this. Why did trouble always find me? Did I had, unknowingly, some magnetic powers that attracted all the stacks of problems and weirdos towards me?

"You'll love Lady Scheherazade. She has a very kind personality." Mu assured me, but I far from being assured. Hell, I could imagine the many scenes where the clone Magi would find out about my secret. And what if she tried to keep me in Reim, placing an invisible leash on me? What if I couldn't get out of this country? No matter how much I loved this place, my heart belonged with Morgiana, and I would go through hell to reach her. Reim and Magi be damned. Nothing would keep me from my destiny, not even Lady Scheherazade.

Now, while this was beautifully poetic, I was still fucked.

And my nerves were going haywire. "Mu, do I have to meet her?"

"Of course!" He was baffled by that question, "You're her next King Vessel!"

Why that little shithead! I ought to wipe off that happy smile. Fine, maybe I was mentally venting it out on Mu. But can you seriously blame me for that?

Every step felt like Death itself.

If Yunan would be here, he would pull out his hair and cry anime tears, wondering what he did wrong with his fine education. And then I would stand there, shuffling my feet uncomfortably, replying with a, "Well, Yunan-kun, it was inevitable." and he would regard me with a are-you-retarded-or-do-you-think-I-am-stupid-look. I grabbed my metal skirt tightly, trying not to dent it, while keeping my worry at bay.

Let's hope for the best, that was all I could do.

I gulped, staring at the back of Lady Scheherazade.

When she turned around, I almost squeaked, but thankfully, I suppressed it. Observing her better, I saw that she looked quite the same as in the anime. It was actually weird to be animated, everything sparkled and shone much more than in reality. But even with the beautiful colors and glowing landscapes, this world was as vile and treacherous as my old one. Rapists, murderers, hell, even people who were enslaved, or turned into prostitutes.

Like in the anime, she had long, blonde, way hair that reached down to her ankles with a laurel wreath of grapes and vines around the left and right side of her head. Her attire consisted of a long, white robe that looked similar to a stola, with loose short sleeves over shoulders that were secured by a round fibula, and a long red ribbon tied under her bust. Her wand was rather magnificent, similar to a trident, but with a few changes. Obviously, it was longer than her body in height, and in the shape of a crescent moon pointing upwards, a spherical red gem center, and a pointed tip that extended through the gem.

Eyes half closed, she spoke up, "You must be May."

"Yes, Lady Scheherazade. It's an honor meeting you." I bowed curtly, smiling softly while inwardly I was sweating like a horse.

Mu and Myron had bowed deeply, one knee on the ground, "Lady Scheherazade." Their soft, loving voice resonated throughout the spacious throne room from the clone Magi.

"Mu, Myron, I'm glad you both are safe and well." She turned her attention on me, walking towards me, "I heard quite a lot about you from Mu and the rest."

I blinked my eyes, glancing to the siblings, "You did?"

She nodded and turned her attention on the siblings, "Can you leave us?" While it seemed like an answer, it was far from it. The Alexius siblings shared a glance and then stood up, bowing in respect for their priestess. Before they left, they glanced one more time towards me, both lifting up their thumb as a sign of goodwill.

Fuck their goodwill, I'm fucked!

Tense and on the verge of running for my life, I chewed on the inside of my cheek, trying to remain calm. Lady Scheherazade narrowed her eyes, walking towards me, her height not even reaching my shoulders. "Who are you?" Her voice was dripping with venom and I stiffened, readying my muscles for any attack that she might throw towards me. "Even with that magic tool hiding your identity, I can clearly see the flow of the Rukh fluttering around you. You are no ordinary girl. So, let me rephrase my question, who are you and what are you planning on doing with the Djiin?"

"Lady Scheherazade, I have absolutely no ill will towards your nation nor your people. I came towards Reim with the intention of learning Magoi Manipulation." Staring into her eyes, I spoke again, "You can see the flow of my Magi, isn't that prove to you enough?"

Her tense shoulders didn't relax, in fact, she became even more feral and I feared that she might snap and attack me. If that would be the case then I was doomed, my plan would be fucked and I would have to learn Magoi Manipulation from someone else. But who?! "Lady Scheherazade, what can I do to prove myself?"

"Join the Reim empire," was her flat reply, her fingers clutched tightly around her staff that I feared it would break under the pressure of her digits.

"Excuse me..what?"

Her eyes fluttered ope and I suppressed shivering in fear. The only time she would open her eyes was when she was angry or when something was going wrong, in this case, it was clear that she didn't appreciate what I said. "I-" Before I could even explain her my reasoning, she appeared in front of me, her staff glowing brightly and oh-so deadly, "I don't like people who disobey my rules." Her words were dripping with venom, "And I absolutely refuse to let someone like you waltz around the world with a power that clearly belongs to Reim."

Frowning, I felt the anger boil underneath my skin. What did this woman think she was?

It seemed as if she wasn't finished, "Pledge your loyalty towards Reim and you're free to live your life further as a citizen of Reim. If you don't, then.." She trailed off, her eyes narrowed into thin splits.

I clenched my fists, shaking my head, "I-I apologize but I can't so such a thing. I have other plans, other dreams that would clash with this so-called pledge." My body shook and I stared at the ground, thinking about Morgiana. My sweet little sister who hoped she could find one of her relatives, or any Fanalis. A sudden rush of power surged throughout my veins and I looked up, stubborn. "You can't cage me like some sort of animal!" I shouted, feet shifting apart and preparing myself for anything bad coming my way.

"You chose a bad thing, May, a very bad thing." Her eyes glowed eerily and I swallowed quietly, cursing myself that I hadn't brought my other Metal Vessels with me. For fuck's sake, I haven't even trained with my newly acquired Djiin equip! How the hell was I supposed to defeat her, a Magi!

Before hell would burst, a familiar person appeared and I cried out in relief, but the look he sent me immediately shut me up. Great, now I was screwed all over again.

"Lady Scheherazade, cease the fighting. Now." He wasn't asking, no, he was stating a demand, calm and dangerous. I had never seen this side of him and it made me even more scared. I may be strong, but I was far from being stupid. I knew where my limits where and clearly, Yunan and Lady Scheherazade were way out of my league. They had the experiences of many centuries while I had the experience of two lifetimes. And even then, I hadn't been able to completely enjoy life since I had died at a young age.

The priestess' eyes widened and she stared towards the intruder-there was Yunan, arms crossed and a serious expression etched on his face. Somehow, that look didn't suit him at all. But then again, thanks to his intervention, I was saved from being killed and chopped into Rukh dust.

The tension between the two was tangible and the silence that accompanied it was enough to drive me crazy. Choosing between Yunan or Lady Scheherazade, I chose Yunan. So, I shuffled towards him, trying to avoid eye-contact, I didn't want to see his disappointment, but this was not my fault.

...oh wait, it was my fucking fault.

"..Yunan, I'm so-" "Don't." I shut my eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. If there was one thing I didn't appreciate at all, one thing that made my heart clench painfully, it was disappointing my precious people. It left a foul taste in my mouth. Sweat cloaked the entirety of my body and I could hear the rapidly beating of my heart. The aura that Yunan was giving me off had a bad influence on my body-my hands were trembling, my eyes shifting back and forth and I felt jumpy, as if I would be attacked at any moment.

Lady Scheherazade wasn't happy with the change of events, in fact, she was even more dangerous and wary of the two of us.

"Yunan, the wandering Magi." The end of her staff bumped against the ground, making it quiver, "What brings you here?"

Said Magi narrowed his eyes, "As you can see, May can't stay in Reim. Her Fate isn't intertwined with your Kingdom, Lady Scheherazade." He averted his attention towards me and I froze, "May, what you're about to hear is something that must stay within these walls."

I shuddered out a breath, seeing the stiff priestess and the equal stiff Yunan. The way he worded his sentence, brought a bad feeling within me. And no matter how bad I wanted to run away from this suffocating feeling, II could walk away. My feet felt as if they were glued to the ground and my eyes were focused on Yunan's deadly serious face, something I was still not used to. But then again, when would I? This was Yunan-the crying, oversensitive friend of mine, not this serious, focused intelligentsia. It was as if someone was using his visage and waltzing around the place. This felt like a stranger to me, not the friend I was used to.

"May, take of your Magoi Reverse tool and all will be cleared out."

I gasped, "But Yun-" "Do as I say May, you brought yourself into this mess."

Flinching, I bit my lip and fumbled with the magic tool, both on my arms and legs, trying to keep my tears away, but it was proving to be a tedious task. One by one, the tools dropped on the ground, carelessly. As they fell on the ground, I could hear the priestess gasp from shock and surprise, "Y-You-?"

Yunan nodded, "Now, you know who she is and why she can't stay in Reim. You, of all people, know that you can't stop her Fate. That would be against all that we stand for. Besides, the consequences would be dire..."

"How old is she?" The blonde priestess asked with wide eyes as her eyes hovered up and down.

I shuffled with my feet, wondering what the hell was going on, but too afraid to voice them. Obviously, Yunan was blaming me for all of this. But one question remained in my head, how did he know of this?

Yunan glanced at me and then back towards the blonde-haired clone, "Seventeen. You know what this might entail, right?"

She nodded absentminded, her wide eyes flickering constantly towards me. I felt like an insect about to be dissected into thousandth of pieces. And those looks were ordinary ones-it was clear that they knew something I didn't. Mustering my courage, I asked with plain interest, "What is going on?"

"I'll explain it later."

I blinked twice-did he just cast me aside? Yunan had never cast me aside, he always explained everything to me...

The two continued talking in hushed whispers, and the more Yunan spoke, the more Lady Scheherazade became less wary, until she was smiling towards me. All ounce of hostility was gone, replaced by the friendly side her, the one I had read in the manga when she was talking with Aladin and Alibaba. "Fear not, May, I understand everything. Your Destiny is clearly not within the walls of Reim, but next to your sister, am I right?"

At the mention of Morgiana, I smiled weakly, "Y-yeah.." Peeking a glance towards Yunan, I saw a tiny smile on his face. Maybe he wasn't that mad at me?

Hopefully.

"Then everything is cleared out, May. But," I stiffened, how I loathed the word but. That dreadful word was always accompanied with a condition, sometimes a good one, sometimes not. "Promise me that you will never use that Djiin against the Reim empire."

"Huh?" I certainly wasn't accepting that, "..of course, Lady Scheherazade. I promise on my honor as a Fanalis."

"Good. But even with this, you'll stay my King Vessel, May. It doesn't change anything."

I nodded, happy with the change of event. For a moment, I had thought that hell would burst loose and all my thinking would lead to zero. Running away from her had also been my first thoughts, because fighting her would lead to nothing but death. I wasn't prepared, I had nothing useful on me, I was tired and cranky, I had zero chance of winning. While she was refreshed and brimming with energy, all the advantages were on her side. She could even call Mu and Myron, and even if it hurt them, they would fight to protect their priestess.

Yunan clasped his hands, a satisfied smile on his face, "Everything has been solved. We'll take our leave then."

She nodded, a kind smile on her face, "Good luck with your journey, May, this may be the last time we see each other until then..."

I frowned, wondering what she was talking about and bowed curtly, following Yunan outside. There was no sign of the Alexius siblings and for that I was glad. I didn't feel like explaining them who Yunan was. I wanted to lay down in bed and sleep this day off. Tiredness and itchy tension was wearing my muscles off. But before sleeping, I had to question Yunan. I had to know what they were talking about.

My eyes widened, no, they fucking popped out of my sockets, "Y-you mean everyone felt my birth?!"

Yunan nodded seriously, "Pretty much the same as Sinbad."

I rubbed my arms, "Then w-what am I?"

"Not what, May, but who. You're a special person, with the powers of a Magi, well, half of it." He scrunched his nose upwards, "But one who will definitely bring forth happiness to the world. And I'm sure in time you will unleash your full powers."

"Thank you for believing in me, Yunan." I embraced him tightly, his familiar scent reassured me that everything would turn out well. His effect on me was rather relaxing and I saw him as a protective barrier, keeping all the evilness out. "I really missed you."

He chuckled, his chest vibrating, "It's only a year that you've continued your journey alone."

"But your presence had always been around me..." I tightened my arms around him, "It's been too long..."

Quietness followed and we stayed like that. And then, finally, "I'm sorry..."

"You're forgiven." He stated coolly, stroking the top of my head softly, "But learn from your mistakes."

I nodded in agreement. After we left the priestess room, I had placed the magic tools back to their rightful places to prevent secrets from leaking. Enough surprises for one day. Suddenly Mu appeared and he froze, his body not moving an inch, eyes wide and mouth parted. Blushing madly, I released Yunan, staring at Mu, "Ever heard of knocking?"

He glared, "Excuse me for interrupting your moment. I'll be going!" then, he stormed off.

"You do know he has feelings for you and he probably thinks we're lovers."

I stared at Yunan, "The way you said was completely wrong. Besides, I see you as a dear friend of mine."

"You better explain that to him," he pointed towards the door, where Mu had left off, anger rolling of him, "He might have misunderstood everything."

I groaned, "But I really don't feel like having that talk with him. We can't be together, after one year, I'll leave this place to find Morgiana." Clenching my fists, I closed my eyes, "No matter what, I won't change my mind. Morgiana goes before anything else."

Yunan placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, "Then go tell him that reason. At least, he deserves to hear the truth, no matter how cold and harsh it sounds."

Wincing, I sighed in annoyance, "You're right..." I took a deep breath, "When will you leave?"

"Now."

I froze, "What?!" Shaking my head, I placed a hand on his shoulder, "But you just got here. Can't you stay a bit longer?"

He shook his head, "I shouldn't even be here. This will be our goodbye for now."

"F-fine.." Sadness was evident on my face, but I couldn't keep it away. "But you better appear again!"

"You mean when you're stuck and you need me to get you out?" He joked, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Hey! That's mean!"

He kissed the top of my head and smiled softly, "Stay safe, May."

I nodded, a smile on my face, "You too."

"Always."

A lone figure was standing on top of the Colosseum, the wind playing with his long, smooth, red hair. And although the sun was shining warmly on us, the atmosphere was icily cold, a freezing touch, and fists clenched, fury cloaking him entirely.

I stopped, staring at this scene and wondering if it was the right moment to talk. But then again, when would the right time be? In the end I would postpone it until I tried to forget it. From delaying it, you will deny it. Completely. "Mu?" I knew that he had sensed my presence way before I came.

"Tell me, May, how do you feel about me?"

Walking towards him, I stopped next to him, "You don't beat around the bush, do you?"

He chuckled weakly, "It' better to hear the harsh truth, than the sugared version."

"Ahh," I clicked my tongue, standing next to him, "Well, then I'm going to be completely honest with you." Taking a deep breath, I was about to open my mouth when he interrupted me, fists clenched, "Who was that man?"

Jealousy could be such an ugly thing, "He is my best friend, the one who helped me when I was about to die."

His eyes widened, "What?"

I nodded, "My entire family had been enslaved, but through some luck, I wasn't there when it happened. When I had returned to my camp, I found nothing but rotting corpses and feasting animals, the ground covered with nothing but blood." Clenching my fist, I gritted my teeth, "I was about to go on a suicide mission, but Yunan had stopped me and helped me through it. Now, I'm training to become strong and rescue my family from this enslavement."

Realization dawned in, "And then you'll go Dungeon Capturing."

Nodding, I crossed my arms, "Yeah, with the money I can buy them free... That's why I came here to Reim. I wanted to learn Magoi Manipulation to become stronger. But once I'm done, I'll search for my sister. She is somewhere near Balbadd."

"So you have no intention of staying in Reim?"

I shook my head, "No, I'm not looking for any romance. I want to save my family, Mu, which is why I can't answer your love."

He sighed longingly, turning to stare at me, "I understand, May, and I find that an honorable goal."

Finally, the tension that seemed to choke me dissipated and I could breath properly. "Thank you, Mu, thank you."

His red, glowing eyes was locked with mine, "But know that you'll be a dear person to me."

"So are you, Mu, so are you."