Hello everyone,

First of all I would like to apologize for my very late update, but as you were all aware I was (unwillingly) thrown into certain circumstances, but I will not be talking about that. I will try to update more frequently now, but I can't promise anything. I'm willing to give my story a chance and I hope I didn't get rusty after all these times. I don't want to disappoint you guys. So, I hope you will enjoy this chapter.

Much love,

Angelbloodlover

Sinbad's age: 29 years old

Ja'far's age: 25 years old

Masrur's age: 20 years old

May's age: 19 years old

Judar's age: 18 years old

Kassim's age: 18 years old

Alibaba Salujas age: 18 years old

Morgianas age: 14 years old

Aladin's age: 11 years old

Pride of the Fanalis Clan

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By Angelbloodlover

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~ "We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone."

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Orson Welles

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Chapter 23: Surprising Revelations

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POV - MORGIANA

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Morgiana looked at her big sister, like really looked at her. It still brought shivers up her spine to think that she had gotten her sister back. There was a time when she had thought that family wasn't something meant for a Fanalis, that they, including her, were meant to live without the love and support of a family member. Of course, that perception of life died the moment she met Alibaba and Aladin, and now she had been rejoiced with her sister, after all these years.

At night, she had these nightmares where uncertainty and the stench of death made her fear lose everything she loved. The monsters who haunted her during daytime were worse when the sun disappeared from sight. But slowly on, the nightmares were fading into nothingness. Slowly on, she was starting to understand the essence of life. Everything depended on your perseverance; who you were, what you wanted and how you would reach your goals. Life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, you had to fight for it, to overcome the struggles thrown at you.

Morgiana understood that every dark beginning could have a beautiful end, as long as the spirit within you was strong enough to survive the cruelty of the world.

What annoyed her the most was the fact that she couldn't have a proper talk with her sister-there was absolutely no time and place for such things. And the despicable feeling escalated each time another random stranger popped up from nowhere and having a history with her sister, where she knew nothing from. To top it off, this maniac, called Judar, interrupted the meeting and had started attacking Aladin for no good reason at all. As if it couldn't get any worse, her big sister intervened at the last moment to save them.

Right now, the thing that scared her the most was the aggressive look in her sister's eyes-that made her entire body tremble and shake in unknown fear. To think that May could have such a look in her eyes... It made her wonder what she had to go through all her life.

What changed her playful, caring, sociable sister into this serious, dangerous persona? What struggles did she overcome? What monsters did she have to fight? But most of all what was going on in her mind?

That Judar also seemed to know something that even May herself didn't know of. What could that secret be? What more lies inside May? What secrets are about to be revealed? More important, would it damage May if she knew of this unknown mystery? Would it damage her personality? Would it damage her sister?

...she certainly hoped not.

But she couldn't help being curious about it.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about her sister. Morgiana saw May's fingers clench around the handle of her sword. The raw power she was exuding seemed to excite Judar even more, who was licking his lips in anticipation. Before she blinked her eyes May shot towards the narcissistic maniac with impeccable speed. This seemed to create a trail of dust along her way, which made them shield their eyes. When the dust had quieted down, Morgiana lowered her hands and watched her sister fight against Judar.

This was the first time she was able to witness her sister's fighting style and she was in awe. No, she was entranced with the cat-like, graceful manner of her sister. It almost seemed like she was dancing with Judar, but upon closer inspection she noticed Judar's annoyance for not being able to kill her. The fight was making her nervous and worry over her sister's safety, but something in the back of her mind told her that her sister could overcome anything that was thrown towards her.

But why was her heart beating so loudly..?

Almost, almost, deafening her with the loudness of it.

She stiffened when she heard Judar start to talk. Was he about to reveal May's secret? "Tsk. Tsk. May-chan.." Judar emphasized the 'chan' part, to Mays irritation. He fired more Magoi towards her, which she dodged without dropping a sweat. She circled around him like a jaguar, trying to intimidate her prey, but it had not the desired effect. She lurched forward, cutting through more Magoi with her sword.

This made Judar smirk in anticipation, his expression making goosebumps appear on Morgiana's arms. She wasn't the only one, even Aladin and Alibaba were engrossed with the fight. Everyone had been cleared away by Ja'far, which left Sinbad, Masrur and the three of them in the cave. Forcibly averting her eyes from the fight, she noticed Sinbad's serious, calculating gaze. Somehow, she didn't like that look directed to her sister. As if Sinbad felt her eyes on him, he locked eyes with her.

There was something deceiving behind those orbs, but what? For the love of her life, Morgiana couldn't place a name on it. This was frustrating and Morgiana didn't like being frustrated. She liked to know everything, especially when it concerned her sister.

Sinbad's eyes averted back to the fight, and so did she, unwillingly though.

But the gnawing feeling that Sinbad may be bad influence on May never left her. Since when did she start to distrust Sinbad, the man who did nothing but good things?

...when did she start being so distrustful of him? Was it the look in his eyes whenever he looked at her sister? Or was it something deeper, something more sinister?

For once, she hoped her gut was wrong, because she wanted to believe that Sinbad wanted the best for everyone.

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POV - JUDAR

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Judar smirked in anticipation as May dashed towards him, avoiding every Magoi spiraling towards her. He wasn't stupid, he knew she wouldn't be killed by these attacks, but he wasn't trying to kill her either. There was something about her that piqued his curiosity. And once he got interested, well, let's just say that he wouldn't stop until he dissected the mysterious woman in front of him.

He was testing her capabilities, trying to see how much she could go, especially with the Djiin equip. How long would she be able to keep it up and functioning at the same time?

Another smirk adorned his face, lips curling up, "Now, May-chan, how will you be able to dodge this?" When he finished his sentence, he created a large electric ball, sparks flying everywhere. A dark chuckle escaped his lips and then he fired the deadly ball towards her. He was curious as to how she would evade this and protect her so-called friends. He grinned widely and shot three more electric balls towards her, "Never said I would make it easy."

He laughed at her slightly wide-eyed expression, enjoying it thoroughly.

Oh, the joy of seeing her like that was just too much, he continued laughing madly, eyes never leaving her form.

POV - MAY

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I cursed, "Shit."

I was starting to loathe Judar and his dirty schemes.

...along with his sadistic humor.

Accumulating more Magoi from within myself, I created a large wall of fire, increasing the Magoi when the first ball collided with my wall. Biting my lips, I embraced myself for the other three. As I had thought, Judar had put lots of Magoi in them. He was such a sneaky, little, wormy bastard. At that moment, I wanted to rip off his limbs, but unfortunately, I was stuck holding down four electric balls.

...

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I froze.

"Not really smart, May-chan. Never let down your guard." Judar's voice was close. Too close for my liking.

I forced more Magoi in my giant fire wall, almost flinching when Judar's wand played with my hair, twirling it around my red locks.

"Now, now, May-chan, you are hurting my feelings."

Suppressing another flinch when he pulled on my hair, I snarled at him. "Let go of me, you despicable being." This anger within me seemed to increase to an unbearable, un-containable feeling. Almost... "Or else I'll have to resort to drastic matters, like stuffing that wand of yours up your ass."

Judar's aura changed instantly; it became dark, menacing, to the point where it was hard to breathe. AndohGod-no air-no air...

His hot breath against my neck made goosebumps appear on my arms. "You are in no position to threaten me, especially when your life is in my hands. Instead you should start kneeling and apologizing to your superior." I closed my eyes, forcing myself not to be affected by his words. No way would I give him that pleasure. "Don't think I haven't figured out your secret, May-chan, because I have." He chuckled darkly, his other hand gripping my left shoulder so hard, I almost let out a yelp.

He leaned even closer, his hot breath tickling my neck, "At first I thought you were a Magi, but when I looked at chibi, I noticed something entirely different. You're no Magi, but a King Vessel."

I stiffened, my control almost slipping from the giant wall, which made him cackle like a madman.

"May!" Masrur shouted, sprinting towards us, but with one flick of his wrist, Judar sent him flying, annoyance clearly written on his face.

"You see, May-chan, I don't like being interrupted. That's very rude, don't you think?"

Growling in anger, I put forth more Magoi to keep the wall stronger, but it was getting harder with each passing second. Sweat dripped down, down, down until it fell on the ground, I shut my eyes, biting on my lip to refrain from yelling in pain as I started to feel an emptiness within me. Forcing myself to remain calm, I glanced behind my shoulder and calculated my next move.

Carefully, I kept my hands against the barrier and with a quick twist, I lashed out at him, only to fail miserably.

I sighed when Judar chuckled in dark glee, "Nice try, but no. Besides, I can see that you're starting to lose consciousness. Pity." Pulling on my ponytail, I saw him smirk in amusement, "Now, now, May-chan, don't be afraid, I'm not going to kill you. You're too interesting to die, but I can't guarantee the same for your precious people."

I yelped in anger when that sick bastard pulled a few red locks from my scalp, "I'll keep this as a memento of you. Now be useful and keep that wall from destroying us completely."

"I'll make you pay, Judar!"

He waved me off and turned his attention on Morgiana and the rest, "Now, let's continue on with the show." He twirled his wand and summoned a huge amount of water, "Balbadd is a fog town. I can order the Rukh to gather as much water as I want...and order it again..."

I watched in shock as water turned into ice, right in front of me. This couldn't go on anymore, I had to do something, but what?

Suddenly an idea popped up in my mind-I could definitely give it a go.

While Judar was busy, I kept my focus on the barrier, and forcing my remaining power into my hands. With one strong push against the fire barrier, I changed the trajectory of the balls and smirked tiredly when they changed their path, moving upwards, soaring towards the starry sky. Gasping in pain, I turned around and watched in horror as Judar started peeling off ice spears from the giant boulder.

"Isn't this amazing, Sinbad?" He shouted in triumph, enjoying the way Sinbad was glaring at him. "Sarg Arsarros!"

And then the spears were shooting towards my precious people, piercing everything on its path. Like hell, I was letting them fend off Judar's fucked-up attack. Ignoring Judar's look of surprise when he saw me, I dodged the piercing ice spears and appeared next to Aladin. "Aladin, summon Ugo-kun, I don't have much Magoi left!"

Said boy nodded and before my eyes I witnessed the appearance of Ugo, who started shattering the ice spears with his inhuman strength. "Aladin, Judar is all for you, I'll take care of the ice spears!"

He nodded and ordered Ugo to start sprinting towards Judar, who started throwing freshly-made ice spears. Annoyed and feeling sluggish form having too less Magoi in my system, I used my Fire Magic to melt off the dangerous-looking spears. I twirled and danced through the icy sticks, fire erupting from every inch of my body. After this, I wouldn't be able to use any more Magoi. Great, just great, my equipment was starting to dissolve slowly on.

"Aladin, I don't have much time! Hurry up!" I pleaded loudly, ignoring the horrendous pain that tried to squeeze the life out of me. Almost, I can't stop now.

With one mighty push, Ugo soared towards a bewildered Judar, who shielded himself with his Borg. One moment, they were floating in the air and the next, Judar was in the giant crater. My eyes widened even more, frozen in place, when Judar was still up and standing. Then, he was laughing, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"He is strong! But don't think that you've won with this! After all, I still have ice lef-What?!" Judar turned his shocked, furious eyes on my persona and I smirked haughtily, chin tilted upwards.

Clicking my tongue in annoyance, I arched my eyebrow, "I don't think so, Judar, I've already melted all the ice that you had created so far." Glaring at him, I let my Djiin equipment dissolve slowly on, sighing in relief when I felt my Magoi return slowly on, more like on snail rate. But meh, that was still better than nothing. "Now, Judar, it's better for all of us if we cease this impudent fighting. We're getting nowhere with this senseless fighting."

He snickered in obvious amusement, but for the love of Salomon, I couldn't see anything funny in this situation, "What's so funny?"

Rudely pointing a finger in my direction, he chuckled softly, "You are! With your obviously stupid idea! Like hell will I stop fighting! I am having too much fun with chibi and you! I want to play more!"

Facepalming, I shook my head, muttering obscenities under my breath.

"Now, let's continue on!" came Judar's mad cackle, followed by the creation of more electric balls, "I'll play with the two of you until I get bored again!" The five balls were sent searing towards us.

"Aladin!" I rushed towards him and picked him up, running away from the balls that were following us. I cursed under my breath, dashing faster and faster. There was no option left but to counter the attack. At times I hated myself for getting into such a big mess.

"Wow, May-chan, you can run amazingly fast!" Judar complimented me out of nowhere, which made my snarl in fury.

Skidding to a stop, I summoned my measly Magoi and brought forth a mass of water to send the balls to another path. Before I could do anything else, Ugo appeared in front of us and shielded us with his body. "Ugo! No! Damn it, I had everything under control!" I screamed when I heard Ugo's body sizzle, burnt flesh invading my nostrils. Disgust and bad memories appeared in the front of my mind and I suppressed them, not wanting to deal with that now. More urgent matters at hand.

"Aladin, summon Ugo back to the flute!" I didn't want the big softie to die on me now-it would crush Aladin's heart and like hell will I stand by and do nothing.

Aladin cried out from the mental stress, "I can't! He doesn't obey me, it's like he has his own will!"

"Shit!" Ugo left the two of us and started attacking Judar with all his might, ignoring our forms of protest. I could see that Judar was starting to regret his previous decisions, sweat matting his forehead. There was no way Ugo would stop with his violent attacks, I could see that. He wanted to protect Aladin. At that moment, I felt my heart reach out to him-this had to end before more bloodshed would decorate the landscape.

I forced my legs to move to be in par with Ugo.

Judar kept throwing more ice spears, which I tried my best to melt them before it reached Ugo, using my impeccable speed to appear in time. I panted when I was crossing my limit, but I couldn't fail Aladin, I couldn't fail that little insecure boy-Damn it, I wouldn't fail him! As if Ugo was sensing my tiredness, he appeared in front of Judar and started crushing Judar's Borg like the pest he was.

Before my eyes, I witness Ugo's terrifying strength as the Borg shattered and perished, leaving an unconscious Judar behind. My eyes widened even more when I felt the presence of tainted, evil Magoi. "Enough!" I screamed and I ran towards Ugo, whose hands started glowing a red hue. I knew what he was about to do, he wanted to eliminate the threat, but I couldn't let him do that. Not now.

Fortunately, I knew Ugo's weakness, "Ugo-kun, I'm sorry for what I am about to do." I appeared in front of him and embraced his naked torso, ignoring my flushed cheeks as I kissed his muscled flesh. Right in front of my eyes, Ugo lost concentration and became a puddle of goo, "Aladin, summon him back! Now!"

Obeying my command, Ugo was summoned back and right on time. Because the bad presence was creeping closer, like a shadow waiting for its prey. My knees were shaking and I was so damn tired. All I wanted right now was a nice, hot bath and then some sleep. Sleep sounded so sweet. "Hey Aladin?"

He walked up to me, the rest slowly on joining me, "Yeah, May...?"

"Ugo is one hell of a badass." I chuckled, remembering how he had become nervous, a mash of goo, but a cute one nonetheless. Moving my attention on Sinbad, I pointed upwards where a group of people arrived, "Sinbad, incoming."

His eyes widened when he looked at the strangers, "Who?"

"I don't know, but keep an eye out. They feel evil." I whispered closely in his ear, leaning on his shoulder, my eyes drooping, "Use your charms on that princess... Sinbad...keep Morgiana and Masrur safe..." I was fighting very hard to keep my eyes open, but in the end I had used too much Magoi and my body needed to replenish.

Blackness embraced me and I fell in a deep slumber.

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SINBAD - POV

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Sinbad placed May gently on the ground, brushing her silky, red locks away. "You've done enough, May. Now leave the rest to us."

He heard the murmuring of a feminine voice, "My, my, it seems that they have bullied our cute Judar, don't you think?" A rhetorical question, "He seems to sport a lot of injuries, fetch him." The same feminine voice ordered coldly as she eyed the people distastefully.

Sinbad watched with narrowed eyes as Judar's body disappeared and reappeared above them, with the newcomers. Deciding to step up before chaos would once again descend upon them, "Greetings, princess from the Kou Empire. I apologize on behalf of everyone that your precious oracle had been injured badly, but we had no choice in this matter. As you-"

"Who are you?" The princess interrupted, annoyance written on her face as her eyes flickered towards Judar who was being healed.

The purple-haired King chuckled, Ah, yes, introductions- "I'm Sinbad, the King of Sindria, King Sinbad." Like May had said, he used his charm and stared right at the princess, who didn't dare leaving her eyes away from him. Damn, she was right... He glanced at her unconscious form, cuts and wounds marring her pale, smooth face. "I'm currently staying in this country as a King of another country for a reason." Placing his hand on his chest, he stared at the blushing girl and inwardly smirked, "If the princess is the same, then I would like to meet with you somewhere more appropriate."

The princess hid her face with her sleeves, "...I understand. Everyone, we're returning. Now."

Sinbad blinked his eyes in shock and wondered what just happened. Chuckling in relief, he knelt down and picked May's fragile body, "You were right, May." Turning his attention on the rest, he ordered, "Ja'far, get the people back in the building, let's regroup for now and tend the injured ones."

Ja'far nodded and left to retrieve the mass of people who went into hiding after Judar went mad with blood thirst.

"Morgiana, bring me water and towels to treat May's wounds." Averting his eyes to Masrur, "Masrur, go check our surrounding, in case more unwanted people barge in here. Alibaba and Aladin will go distribute water to these people." When they all left, Sinbad remained alone with May, looking at her troubled face. "Don't worry May, I'll keep everyone safe, that's the least I can do for you." He looked at the shining moon, illuminating the dark building. "If only, I hadn't lost my equipment..." He tightened his hold on May, "..."

"Sinbad, everyone's returning! And there are not so many injured people, four or five if I counted right!" Ja'far yelled, a small smile on his face.

Afterwards, Masrur and Morgiana returned with the needed equipment, "We returned as quickly as we could." Morgiana spoke softly, eyeing her sister with worry, "How is she..?"

"No worries, she'll live, give her a few hours to sleep this out and she'll be alright." Sinbad replied softly, putting May on the make-shift bed, "Now, for the injuries..." He took the flask of water, but before he could even touch May, Morgiana beat him to it.

Raising his eyebrow questioningly, she answered softly, "Let me treat my sister, that's the least I can do for her.."

He nodded, standing up and leaving her to do her work. "Ja'far, Masrur, follow me." He walked away from the sisters and turned his attention on the duo, "Ja'far have you contacted our country?"

His adviser nodded, hands hidden in his sleeves, "I have contacted them. If they work quickly, support will arrive in a week."

"One week... Alright, let's immediately plan our battle strategy. I'm also worried about the movements of the Kou Empire." He sighed tiredly, envying May's peaceful sleep. From the corners of his eyes, he saw Aladin and Alibaba returning with barrels of water. As they started distributing it to the members of the Fog Troupe one spoke up, "Chief Alibaba! What should we do from now on? What will happened to the Fog Troupe?!"

The third prince of Balbadd stiffened, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted, "I-I..-" Fortunately for him, Sinbad butted in, frowning when Alibaba looked down in shame. He'd have to talk to him. "It will be alright! Calm down!" And just like that, the worried people listened to him, calming down, "I have said it before! No matter what happens, I will think of a way to help all of you! Support is currently rushing over from Sindria!" He smiled brightly, his charisma brightening the badly lit building even more, "So, you guys have to keep up your spirits so that you can act at that critical moment."

Sinbad could see how their eyes lit up, strength seeping in their orbs. "Yes! Let's do our best everyone!" Like that they all started helping out each other, tending to the wounded people. One less problem solved and now for the other one, "Now, Ja'far, have you found any clues as to where my Metal Vessels could be?"

Ja'far shook his head and Sinbad sulked, a dark cloud appearing above his head, "This is all your fault, if you-" "Can you stop that! I already know that it was my damned fault! Stop repeating it!" Sinbad shouted in clear annoyance, clenching his fists. "Che." He looked away and crossed his arms over his clothed chest. It couldn't be that they had suddenly perished from this world, it had to be somewhere.

"Trouble!" Echoed a masculine voice throughout the building. "We've got trouble Chief! Right now outside, the imperial has started their attack!"

Sinbad cursed under his breath, wondering why they attracted so many problems. He followed the rest to the balcony and observed the people downstairs, "It doesn't seem as if they're planning an attack." His eyes narrowed suspiciously when he saw Barkak, Balbadd's Imperial Army Right General, and to add more suspicion, a carriage stopped, revealing none other than...

"What is he doing here?"

There was Sabhmad Saluja, Balbadd's Deputy King.

Sinbad's eyes widened in shock and he walked downstairs, ignoring the many murmurs. There had to be a reason as to why he had come here. Especially knowing his fear for strangers. Although he had to admit that Sabhmad was strong for coming here, risking his lives. For what? He didn't know but he was about to find out. Finally, when he arrived there, he found Alibaba with the duo, "Ah, if it isn't Sabhmad!" He greeted him with a smile, noticing the way he had relaxed for a bit.

"U-uncle..."

He continued and stopped in front of them, nodding to Barkak in acknowledgement, "For someone who is so afraid to appear in front of others, why are you here? It's rather plausible that this is just another one of Ahbmad's orders, right?" When he saw Sahbmad tremble even more, he spoke again, "Be at ease. I will prepare a place for our discussion and I will ensure your safety as well."

"O-okay..," came his quiet stutter. "B-but I have to apologize...to have you face such dangers..."

He already had an inkling as to who was leaking information to the Fog Troupe, but he didn't think it would be Sahbmad. Although now he had learnt a new lesson- always expect the unexpected. And this had been very unexpected. "I understand now. Although I have already figured that for someone to hold such important information, it has to be someone who holds a key role." Sinbad explained to the shamed Deputy King, "If it's you, I can understand. In other words, the information leaks regarding the empire's army, as well as how Fog Troupe found my location." His eyes narrowed in clear displeasure, "It's all your doings, weren't they?"

"L-let me explain everything.." Sahbmad started, terrified eyes taking anyone in as he started telling Sinbad about his big brother's change in behavior and how it had affected the country to such a degree that he was fearing for what was to come. He explained how Balbadd was on the verge of collapsing and the treacherous plan Ahbmad would be doing in five more days. Balbadd would be turned into a slave country-how disgusting for a King to toss his citizens away like that.

...and Sinbad couldn't agree more with that small, slithery voice.