The Meanderer

by xeveningx

"The world is beautiful and pure, it's the weeds in it that ruin it." And to save the world she loves, Noé will do what she must: find her friends to free her master. But as she learns what saving it implies, discourse stirs in her. Is it really worth saving anymore? "It's not the world that's worth saving," a red cub told her. It's hard to understand his words.

23. Penance

Heads-up! This is part 2 of the double update. If you've already read the last chapter, then I hope you enjoy this uber long one too :D

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Chapter Twenty-Three

Penance

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|i.|

Noé startled awake to a throbbing pain that racked her back as none had before. Cries flooded her ears and a burst of speckled torches was all she saw as more of her mind returned to her.

Underground? It had to be underground. It's where she'd been sending others to take refuge from—

A horrid gasp escaped her at recalling what happened before she lost consciousness. She'd been fighting against the rebelling magicians that had come with those strange monsters. She fought and protected those she could reach. Someone had called her attention during her search for other survivors, and a windowpane fell and—

Almost as if responding to her memories, the pain struck her back as her hand clutched over her shoulder in search of her wing. Gauzes laid bunched under bandages wrapped around her left shoulder where the large useless thing used to be. The thought of it gone—of a part of her severed—sent her mind into a frenzy. Noé's shrieks left her before she had a mind to think. Instantly in response, however, a gentle hand rested on her shoulder in their attempt to soothe her panicking mind.

"Noé! Noé, can you hear me?"

It was difficult. Noé could make out a voice but it sounded muffled to her. Undistinguishable in the sea of voices that now registered in her head. Her brain took a moment to differentiate it from the rest of the panicked shouts until it recognized Shuri's voice among them. Focusing her gaze was what it took to finally see her petite form as she crouched before her.

"Shu...ri?"

"Thank goodness." The huge breath of relief that exited her was more than Noé expected but after what happened, she hadn't the mind to comment. "Are you alright? Are you still in pain?"

"I…" Noé had no clue how to answer that question. She felt pain, somewhat dull but present. But something else overrode it. Another kind of pain. One she couldn't quite understand. "I don't think so? W-Why am I—I'm not bleeding—my wing, it got—"

"Y-Yes." Shuri responded, hesitant at first but after clearing her throat regained some of her confidence to explain. "I'm sorry. There was nothing I could have done to salvage it. I had to remove what was left and cauterize the wound."

Although there was much she wanted to say about what had occurred to her wing, it paled in comparison to what she wanted to ask deep down. The last thing she recalled before losing consciousness was others pulling her underground as the sun slipped from her sight.

The sun…

"...Teo…sa…"

"Meistras."

"What?"

Desperate, Noé clutched onto Shuri's arm to anchor her there or perhaps to anchor herself to something knowing now what she feared to ask.

"I-I saw her. Meistras, she—I saw her using magic. She went up into the sky and cast magic that was blinding like the sun. Where is she?" Her grip tightened and Shuri flinched under it. "Where's meistras, Shuri? Is she alright?"

That crimson speckled purple gaze suddenly turned sullen as a frown came to her lips. The sight of it alone brought a chilling sense of dread down her spine that almost robbed her of her voice. But she had to know.

"Shuri... What happened?"

"Teosa...she…"

---

|XIII|

Betrayal.

The great mother of King Solomon had betrayed her son and allied with the magicians that had called themselves Al-Thamen. The chieftains who fought alongside King Solomon and became djinn as a result had all bore witness to it.

They testified to how Teosa, even in her weakened state, somehow found the strength to battle against Queen Sheba alongside Arba. How she had even fought her own son in Arba's stead. And how it had been her own daughter, Ignis, who using magic none knew she could wield, defeated their mother and gave King Solomon the chance to cast the magic that sealed Al-Thamen away.

It had come as a shock to the recorders that their leader, who besides the fact of having been sickly and under constant supervision over the past few months, had somehow rebelled against her son. Even the young Vastagian could hardly think the words of 72 djinn as truth.

But there was no denying once Ignis, battered and bruised and saddened, agreed to their accounts.

Because of it, animosity grew between the tribes and the remaining recorders. Though not all did so outwardly, there certainly existed those who couldn't ignore the fact that Teosa had aided Al-Thamen and projected that rage and distrust towards them.

They still had a leader in Ignis but even that seemed to be a rather tenuous title at best. The last remnant of her meistras was alive in her daughter but even she couldn't unite the hearts of the species like her brother could. Not when she now too was seen as a rogue due to her mother's actions.

As things stood, Noé could do nothing else except safeguard the recorders and their works in the sanctuary that Chief Orias, the only one who had yet to turn his back on them, offered.

So again, the Vastagian returned to a life underground. A life of being abhorred by all who wished her nothing but ill for something out of her control. At least this time she wasn't alone, she supposed.

Yet it wasn't much of a comforting thought. Not when she had failed the one person that had mattered so much to her.

Despite all that happened, time inevitably moved on.

Darkness was their new abode. Some managed to acclimate over time, others didn't. Soon unease seeded itself within them and festered. Without a leader, the species grew wary of one another. Noé could tell how close they were to slipping back into the past they had fought so hard to distance themselves from.

Not all was lost though. Because of Ugo, one last remnant of hope survived.

A tiny little thing named Aladdin.

---

|i.|

Twisting it between her fingers, Noé didn't mind the sharpness of the steeled feather that she toyed with as she went about carving figures on dark granite stone. The darkness of the cavern shrouded her at the tallest turret of the tallest tower of Orias' palace. Funny how even despite being this close to the surface, she felt far more oppressed now than when she walked the streets. Still, being this high up at least gave her some privacy.

That was what she yearned for more than anything now after only a few weeks of what had occurred. Solitude.

"Noé, are you here?"

A heavy sigh escaped her at such a prompt call.

You're just always out there ready to make me eat my words, aren't you? Fucking destiny…

Despite her irritation, Noé couldn't ignore the soft and calm voice of their littlest recorder. Ignis climbed her way up to the turret with a torch in hand to light her way up the snail staircase. Emerald eyes watched the top of the stairs expectantly as the faint glow of the torchlight reached the top and showed her the little girl that had taken the time to climb up all the way there.

"I'm skipping dinner, Ignis," she rapidly responded, sparing her only an apathetic glance before returning to her carvings. Orias hadn't objected to her defacing his walls like this, though she knew how it irked him all the same. "Sorry you had to climb all the way up here to hear that."

"It's not that." The unusual response caught her attention enough to halt the steeled feather in her hand. "Uncle Ugo is searching for us."

"Ugo? What for?"

Ignis shook her head, deep blue tresses bouncing with the movement. "I don't know. He just said that it was something he wanted to discuss with all of us."

A heavy sigh escaped her at having her time disturbed. However, she'd long tired of bothering with being angry or annoyed. So instead of arguing with her any further like she once would have, Noé jumped off from her perch on high to meet Ignis on the ground. With a wave of her hand, she instructed her to lead the way back which Ignis did after a nod. Her being quiet and so reserved had raised some concerns but Noé had waved them off entirely.

The reason for her current state was clear; it wasn't much different from the other recorders either. They all missed their leader, even after all she had done. So if they knew their own pain, then they understood hers. More to the point, they understood how unfathomable and incomparable to hers and Ignis' they were. Because of that their attempts to lift her out of the hole she kept falling into decreased over the past weeks and eventually stopped altogether.

Noé thanked them deep down for it. There wasn't a part of her that wished to face what had occurred and all they had lost because of it yet.

It didn't take long to reach the great chamber that held most if not all of their records together. Organized neatly, shelves upon shelves existed there, either built into the walls or standing in rows across the grand room, and all were full to the brim with original manuscripts and transcribed works. Usually, this was where the other recorders resided when not in their individual chambers. If anything, though, the library was large enough for them all to be present and never once meet if they did not wish for it.

Now, they all gathered upon the dais that laid at the center of the library. There a round table rested behind the pillars and parapets that separated the space from the rest of the vault. Littered with books and the like, it lay centered with nine chairs surrounding it. Most saw some sign of usage. only one sat in place with dust gathering upon it and never again to be moved.

Noé disregarded the chair and instead headed for one of the parapets to sit on and lay her back against a pillar. The rest present greeted her and she somehow managed to force a small smile in return. Not like she meant it, though.

With Ugo there, the others advised him to simply go on and confide in them what he came all the way there to tell them.

The news didn't disappoint.

"This is Aladdin, Solomon and Sheba's child."

A slight scowl formed at the corner of her lips. Unbelievable. Noé was sure that a prick of her fingernails could certainly pop that little magoi ball and kill the thing.

How is that supposed to uphold morale?

"It's representative." The way Ugo assured them with a nervous chuckle did little to assuage her doubts. That much was clear by the way she raised an incredulous eyebrow his way. Clearing his throat, Ugo lifted the little embryo encapsulated in magoi. "Think of Aladdin as a proxy of sorts. A way for people to have someone to thrive for."

"He's quite adorable," Euphemia chuckled behind her sleeve.

"It's funny the way it floats there." Tanvi climbed onto Saffiro who could only stare at the little embryo, speechless, to get a better look from where Ugo held it aloft. "Will it grow in Alma Torran?"

"Not exactly," Ugo offered.

"What a vague answer." Morrigan huffed and crossed his arms.

Shuri kept a distance with Orias by her side, the former carding her fingers through long ebony tresses as the latter rested his head on her lap. "How will you do this, Lord Ugo?" she asked, curious.

"Presenting him to the other species should do fine," he said with a nervous chuckle.

"You should probably study a script or something." Noé didn't care how her bluntness harmed the magician standing at a distance. She needed to be crass in order for him to understand just how important this first impression he wanted to give needed to be. "You tend to stutter when you're unprepared."

Ignis tilted her head before asking, "Would you like some help with preparing a speech, Uncle Ugo?"

"R-Really?" Ugo perked up at her suggestion and breathed a small sigh of relief. "I mean, it's not really necessary, but...I would appreciate it a lot if you would help me with that."

From the back of the room, Orias groaned and turned over, facing away from the crowd and towards Shuri instead. "You should've just started with that, Lord Ugo. This bunch is rowdy enough as is."

A cacophonous and harmless argument spurred from the djinn's words. A groan escaped her then. God, Orias was right. It was noisy. Suddenly and without any warning, a small hand rested upon hers which laid idly by on her raised knees, catching her off guard and bristling her feathers to sharp attention.

"It'll be alright." Ignis smiled a smile that reminded her of a little brat that once had told her the same thing. "We'll get through this somehow."

Though dubious, Noé reciprocated the gesture and nodded. But even she could tell that such a thing no longer meant she was happy. It just served to appease them and ease their worries about her.

She couldn't say they were wrong, though.

Noé had no intention to live at first, but Ignis and Shuri convinced her somehow to at least try. For what, she wasn't sure. After having lost Teosa and her home and more than half of everybody she had considered family, things weren't any easier. Unlike last time, they couldn't bring her back either. Not after what she had done. No one would accept that. So with no way to live on the surface, they needed the help of those underground to survive. Getting by on their own was already hard enough as is; the only reason they were even provided supplies was thanks to Lord Ugo and Chief Orias' influence.

They were basically surviving out of scraps and will alone at that point.

And from each other.

She scoffed at the idea that came to mind. Now, after all the fussing she'd done, to say that they weren't a big part of why she could function and return to some semblance of whatever normalcy meant nowadays would be an understatement. They were the tiny reason why she even continued living on. Them and this library. They were the tiny and delicate thread that kept her hanging over the edge.

Noé seriously doubted there would exist anything in this world again that would have her climbing up again and risk being pushed back over.

"Noé?" Emerald eyes lifted at Ugo's sudden call. To her surprise, the lone magi had approached her where she sat on the parapet and stood in place with the rest of the recorders behind him. Smiling, he offered his hands to her and what lay in them. "Would you mind holding Aladdin for a bit?"

She eyed the golden globe that kept the tiny fragile life barely going inside and fidgeted at being approached with it. "I don't think that's a good idea," she grumbled.

"Don't be scared, Noé. He won't bite. He doesn't even have teeth yet." From where she was, she overheard Orias' chortle after Shuri teased her from where they sat.

Her pride a little hurt, Noé did the only thing she knew would prove her wrong and patch up that bruise.

She held the little thing in her hands.

While the others worked, Noé carefully held the tiny globe in her lap and cradled it with her hands, treating it like a soft bubble that had frozen solid in the winter. So fragile that just a single brush of a gentle breeze would destroy it. It didn't feel right to be holding such a precious and delicate thing. Noé more than anyone knew how tainted her hands were. Not just with blood, but with mistakes. She didn't want such things to be passed along somehow to the little twerp by simply touching it.

Absurd, yes, but still...a valid fear.

Everything I care about dies. I don't want that for you.

"That's why you shouldn't get near me, kid."

Lifting a finger, Noé carefully brushed the surface of the globe and watched, eyes wide, as the tiny little embryo within bobbled a bit. Though freaked out by the sudden movement, Noé froze until she was sure nothing was wrong. Then she tilted her head, curious at the sudden exchange they had shared. It was almost like...it was actually conversing with her.

"I guess if you're their son, you're gonna grow up to be a little brat too, aren't ya?" Her finger brushed it again and this time when it moved, it bobbled a few more times. It almost looked like it was agreeing. A faint smile lifted the corners of her lips.

How curious.

"Then again, as far as brats go, Solomon and Sheba weren't half bad," she whispered softly. "So I hope you do, little princas. I hope you do."

---

|XIV|

Five years passed.

With how scarce their resources became, the time soon came to find a new place to call home.

Ugo knew this and so sought out to create what was his intention for their future: a new world. It was a grandiose task, one he couldn't complete alone.

---

|i.|

Build a prosperous world, huh?

What a tall fucking order.

Ugo really hadn't been kidding though. If they wanted to get this done, he would need all the help he could get. Noé didn't know what kind of help they would be to him even as recorders. Aside from Ignis, none of them were magicians who could properly and efficiently use magic. And even if they used this so-called 'sacred palace' that Ugo spoke of, there wasn't any way to ensure that the world he meant to transport them to would be 'prosperous' enough to sustain them.

"Why are we stuck with the absurdly hard task again?" she voiced aloud, her voice ringing in the grand chamber's stone walls.

"Because," Ignis started for the umpteenth time, "Uncle Ugo believes we'll do better if we put more heads to think on the problem."

"I get that but still…" Noé groaned as yet again she found nothing of use in the tome she'd been reading. "To find a way to create a bountiful world is too vague of a problem."

Scowling, the young eleven-year-old Ignis eyed her from across the round table but couldn't help but sigh herself in silent agreement. Noé knew she wasn't in the wrong. Ugo had pretty good schematics; great one's even. Everything was planned for and could theoretically be done. But at the same time, it was quite impossible to create a world from scratch. It was why he found a world in a different place—universe, he called it—for them to inhabit instead. But still, this world needed to be abundant with resources for them to live off of. That's where they came in supposedly. They were researching a way to somehow copy Alma Torran's copious environment.

But how are we supposed to research what only a supposed god could do?

Noé didn't believe there to be such a way. The bountifulness of this world had been given to it by god. And they were just species created by god. Lowly beings, one would say. Even if there was a way to do it, it would require a large amount of magoi and control to even wield such power. It was a godly task given to normal beings.

Wishing to take respite from the endless search, Noé headed off to the shelves and instead of a tome took out a thin book. It had no special knowledge of any kind nor did it pertain to any of the species. This tiny book had been transcribed by herself—one of the first ones she had ever written down—and was nothing more than a measly fairytale. The beloved fairytale her meistras once told to her and that she had loved retelling.

The Blessed Boy.

It was the story of a small human who longed for friends after a life of loneliness. Friends that he found after trials and tribulations. Friends that, when their kingdom was in dire need of saviors, helped the boy fight for glory and justice. Friends who stripped the seemingly omnipotent villain from its powers and gave the boy a chance to save their dying world.

"This isn't a mere fairytale, Noé." She could still hear her meistres' retorts when Noé first called it a nonsensical tale. It'd been rather amusing seeing her so flustered about it. "All tales—be them stories or legends—have a hint of truth in them. I can assure you that this one is no different. Did you perhaps never wonder why our world is teeming with magic that empowers us, magicians? Or where it even comes from? Don't you think it's plausible that their source and the one that vitalizes our world so vibrantly is one and the same and is completely separate from Ill Illah itself?"

A power that vitalizes our world…completely separate from god...?

A small gasp escaped her at the ludicrous idea that struck her. "...no way…"

Returning to the round table and coming to Ignis' side, Noé didn't even warn the young magician before she shoved what transcripts she had before her aside to make space for the fairytale book. Ignis was surely peeved. It would be the only normal reaction to what she'd just done. But with the patience only she had, the young girl took a long breath before glancing down at the book.

Her lips turned a bit upward, hinting vaguely at a melancholic smile. "This tale, I know it. Teosa used to tell it to us when we first came to the Resistance." It was after that brief moment that her scowl returned, this time more perplexed than anything. "Why are you showing me this?"

"When she first told it to me, I mocked her for believing such childish stories." Her confession was blunt and rather hurtful but Noé didn't allow any of those emotions to settle before she went onto her point. "She told me all stories, regardless of what they are, have a hint of truth in them. Even fairytales. And she told me the truth of this one."

The seven blessings.

That was how Teosa had called the sources that gave Alma Torran its magic. Not just it's magic either; they were what gave this world its vitality for Illah's true creations—the species—to inhabit. They weren't a part of Ill Illah or even its creations. They were powers bestowed upon the world that it could control simply by the fact that it was connected to the same world they were anchored to.

"If the sole reason it could control that kind of power was that they were anchored to the same core, then wouldn't it stand to reason that changing where they're anchored to would transfer the blessings and their powers?" Enthused by her own conclusion, she turned to each in turn as she exclaimed, "We could do what Ugo asks of us with this. We could build a new world in Alma Torran's image!"

A long silence stretched across the round table after Noé had taken it upon herself to tell not only Ignis but also the others after having gathered them. A grimace came to her lips at their incredulous expressions. It was obvious they didn't believe her. Perhaps this would be the final drop that finally told them just how out of her mind she had become. Still, Noé didn't care if they thought her crazy after this. So long as they would believe her one last time.

"If—and to be frank, it's a rather huge 'if' that I'm talking about—what you're saying is true and there exist such sources of magic hidden here in Alma Torran, how come nobody has ever discovered them before, much less used them?" Euphemia's sudden question brought a big damper on her enthusiasm. It was a rather expected question but not one she'd thought an answer for. Regardless, the Icaunus continued her inquiry without much of a pause. "Why didn't Solomon or even David when he was alive used these powers to take over other species completely?"

"Because the place where the core resides is guarded."

Ignis' rather rapid response irked Noé for some reason. Almost as if—

"You knew they existed?"

Cerulean eyes averted themselves from her scrutiny only briefly before she mustered the courage to actually meet her judging gaze.

"I had an idea. Like I said, Teosa used to tell us these stories and told us that they were rooted in some truth like she did to you. However, Sol and I never thought it was in our best interest to rip the world off its sources of magic and vitality. Not to mention that when Teosa told us where they were hidden, it rendered the thought impossible for us."

"Impossible for you and Solomon?" Shuri repeated, astounded. "What kind of beast guards it for such formidable people to fear it?"

"They're not beasts as you know them." Ignis fidgeted with her fingers as she thought further about what to say. "They're primordial beings—protogenus. I suppose that the only way to describe them would be beings similar to Ill Illah in its prime."

Silence fell once more in the room as that information sank for them all. When it finally did, it was Morrigan who, after clearing his throat, took a look at the young magician.

"Where could something so powerful be hiding in our world?"

"Not far," Ignis assured him. "A familiar place, to a handful of you." After saying that, those deep cerulean eyes that shone like jewels in the torchlight veered to catch both Noé's and Shuri's gazes. It took them a moment to recognize that and even longer to realize what she was insinuating.

A familiar place guarded by such a fearsome thing—we've been there?

"You mean that tree? The one deep in the rift?" Shuri's sudden outburst caught Noé by surprise. Once she began thinking about the specifics, however, it started to make weird sense.

"But I thought the ones guarding the bottom of the rift were the Origin Dragons," Noé said. "That's why David imprisoned you both there, wasn't it? Because no one would go near the great rift or the dragons?"

"The great rift, yes, but I doubt it had anything to do with the Origin Dragons. That old lady dragon said that despite the powers they possess, hers were a rather peaceful people who tended to not fight unless provoked first." Her small slender fingers tapped against the wooden table as her gaze went askance while deep in thought. "No, I don't think the dragons were meant to be our keepers. He imprisoned us there because he thought what primordial being resides within the oak wouldn't discriminate between someone who wished to free those caged within it and those who wished to steal what it protected."

"But nothing happened to Noé and me when we went to rescue you," Shuri pointed out. "Doesn't that mean that David's foresight was erroneous when he decided to imprison you there?"

Ignis nodded solemnly at that before raising her gaze to look at both her and Noé. "You both would have been dead if it were indeed incapable of discerning between threats to itself or what it guards. Whatever primordial being is guarding that tree is sentient enough to tell the difference."

"So what?" Arikos spat out with disdain. "Are you saying it's impossible to get them because of this thing that guards them?"

"For you, yes."

The whole room turned pensive at the cryptic answer. One that Noé understood instantly.

"Why won't it touch you?" she inquired.

"I've been imprisoned within the tree before. If I'm the one to breach it, it won't suspect anything other than I'm yet again returning to that gilded cage." Her explanation was swift with an underlying tone of concern as she continued, "I could go in and disconnect them from Alma Torran. Once free, I'd be able to take them and bring them back to do what Uncle Ugo needs."

"But once it figures out what you're doing, won't it attack you?" Euphemia clearly saw the same flaw they all did once Ignis finished her quaint explanation. The young magician however didn't seem fazed in the least about such an outcome.

"It won't. Which is why only I can breach it."

"In that case, I'll go with you." Cerulean eyes widened in shock at Noé's sudden proclamation. Uncharacteristic astonishment and concern marred her cute face which had Noé grinning. "Don't look so surprised. I don't know about you all but we started this together and I only see it fit that that's how we finish it, too. Besides…" Raising her hand, Noé gently patted Ignis' blue-haired head. "Your mother asked me to take care of you."

"Noé is right," Euphemia said, stepping forward with a smile. "Lady Teosa helped my family and tribe since her time in the Resistance. In spite of what happened, I believe in the good she did and know we can follow in her footsteps and help others as well."

The rest were quick to follow with similar remarks. Arikos. Tanvi. Saffiro. Morrigan. Shuri. The seven of them voiced in a unanimous opinion that they would not allow Ignis to make this journey alone. It moved the young child to the point that all she could do was lower her gaze to hide the warm redness that painted her cheeks and ears as her hands reached up to her head where Noé had patted her.

"Mmm...thank you, you guys."

---

|ii.|

"Miss Noé?"

Noé dismissed Titus' perplexed tone and instead focused on what she held in her grip. Between her fingers laid the rim of the goblet Aladdin used to conjure his spell from. The tips of her index and middle fingers touched the liquid within from how she held it but she paid it little mind. Her whole attention was instead on the liquid inside.

"What are you trying to do?"

Control it.

An absurd notion. Even Chief thought so by the way she stuttered asking how she planned to do that. "You're not a magician in this world anymore. Even when you're still half-human, that part of you disappeared the moment we came to this world."

"I know…"

She was painfully aware of the fact that she had lost all capabilities as a magician from the moment she exited Andromalius' dungeon. But a part of her hoped that maybe it would work. That maybe she would be able to bypass one memory and keep it to herself. But when the scene changed yet again threatening to move on with the tale as planned, she bit down on her lip.

Suddenly, a hand overlapped hers. A figure stood behind her suddenly close enough for her feathers to bristle in response. A gentle touch coaxed her to grasp the rim firmly just as the gentle hue of magic being cast on the goblet shone before her.

"Just this once."

Yunan's whisper reverberated in her ear from how close he was. His clothes brushed against her back and her feathers stiffen from the contact. She didn't despise either though. If anything, the presence of her old friend calmed her.

Emerald eyes lifted to the projection above them as it flickered past that day and into the next, completely skipping that night.

---

|i.|

Noé never thought she'd set foot upon the land of this great oak ever again. Much less to do something as blasphemous as take away what little strength was still left in the world after the defilement of its soil. But here she was.

Her and the last remaining recorders.

"Brace yourselves."

Ignis was quick with her warning and even quicker with casting her magic. Teosa's staff, newly forged by Ugo himself, towered over the young girl as she held it with both hands before her. Its weight immense, Noé took her chance and stepped forward, aiding her by keeping the staff steady for her to use with a strong grip. Thanking her under her breath, Ignis cast it.

A white light blossomed from the staff and engulfed her vision whole. Once gone, emerald eyes opened to find themselves in a completely different place entirely. The whiteness of their surroundings was now replaced by solitary darkness that was only pierced by the faint light of torches hanging upon the nearby walls. Their light was dim, though, and only reached far enough to see what waited for them a few steps in front of them.

It was a man-made place by the looks of it. Noé dared to gamble that it reminded her of the gunuds towers. Granite bricks, mounted torches, spiral staircases—it definitely looked like those damned towers. Except that the stairs headed downward instead of up.

"Where are we?" Everybody flinched at how Euphemia's innocent question boomed so menacingly against the granite walls.

Noé's feathers bristled attentively as the sound continued to travel downward until it was nothing but a cacophonous rebound that lost all sense of words. This thing went down far. Wanting to avoid a repeat of what just occurred, Noé didn't speak above a whisper as she repeated what Euphemia asked.

"An inverted tower named Babel."

All eyes turned to Ignis as her tiny pattering steps took her closer to one of the few mounted torches. After some difficulty, she took it and approached the edge of the hallway where they stood. With the light, Noé could see now that the hall they were in had only three walls with the fourth facing inwardly towards an opening that, with the faint torchlight, showcased the lower levels still to be traversed. Without a hint of hesitation, Ignis dropped the torch over the edge. Everybody came closer and watched as the flame fell further and further down until it died, only the echoing sound of the burnt torch hitting the ground resonating upward a few minutes later.

"It's pretty deep," Tanvi said after gulping down the anxiety the place certainly gave her.

"The blessings must be down there," Ignis proclaimed. She stepped back from the edge of the hall and instead made her way to the top of the stairs, one foot already heading down the first step. "We should get going."

Noé waited until everybody followed behind Ignis first before stepping away from the edge herself. Stopping briefly at the top of the stairs, she tentatively held onto her fisted right hand in her left and stared for a moment.

"Noé, hurry."

Shuri's call snapped her out of her stupor and had her climbing down two steps at a time to reach them as they descended the tower.

—{i}—

The inverted tower Ignis spoke of was eerie in Shuri's eyes. It reminded her too much of those cursed towers the magicians had built to control all those species. But it was different in its own way.

First of all, the staircases seemed endless. Though the distance between the walls kept shrinking, there didn't seem to be an end to the blasted stairs. But just as she was about to comment about them, they reached the end. The staircase brought them to a grand open hall. Mounted torches lit up instantly at their arrival and lent them a better view of their location. Pillars stood in the center with ruined epithets above them and beyond the pillars, scattered across the walls of the room, were sturdy stone doors.

Eight in total, unmoving. No, not all. One was open. Just enough to be able to see inside the room. Shuri felt her heart sink with dread at the sight as they all approached it.

A lone pedestal stood inside with a glistening glass sphere of a warm orange color safely kept on top. Tiny specks of light blinked in and out of existence, giving the unlit room faint light with which to see. Underneath the pedestal, a strange magic circle was inlaid on the granite and shone with the same color as the sphere. From what she could tell it looked like rays bursting outward towards the edges of the circle.

"That has to be one of them...right?" Arikos quietly said as the eight of them huddled closer to the open door.

"Does that mean the others are also behind the other stone doors?" Morrigan inquired aloud.

Tanvi and Saffiro attempted to open different doors, but no matter what they did, none of them appeared to budge.

"M-Maybe it's just one at a time?" Euphemia offered, her nervousness clear in her quivering voice.

Ignis nodded solemnly and with a determined glint in her eyes stepped forward. "It's the most likely answer. I'll retrieve it and come out quickly."

As soon as she took a step Shuri flinched at how Noé stepped out of the group to follow after her. The young magician stopped and glanced back at the Vastagian who could only grin back at her raised brow.

"We're doing this together, remember?" Noé patted Ignis' head before stepping into the chamber with Ignis close behind.

Shuri and the others waited outside, attentive to whatever may happen. Crimson eyes watched as Ignis, with Noé by her side, climbed a couple of steps up the dais that led to the pedestal. Carefully, her small hand reached out towards the shining orb, ready to take it.

Then suddenly another reached out overlapping with hers and touched it first instead.

Cerulean eyes widened, baffled, and snapped towards Noé with disbelief stark in her face. The Vastagian smirked, her emerald eyes glinting as she gaudily turned to Ignis and shoved her out of the room. There was only a faint golden gleam Shuri caught from within before the stone doors moved with a mighty enough force to resonate within the stone walls and cause dust to unsettle from the doors as they closed shut.

Astounded, Ignis could only mutter the Vastagian's name under her breath.

"...Noé?"

---

|ii.|

Amber eyes stared in disbelief at the scene they had just witnessed. Noé—the one he had known all this time—had truly done what they all had just seen.

"What...did you do?"

Glancing back at her didn't reassure him of anything. Not when all she did was veer away from his questioning gaze to instead focus on what still continued to transpire on Aladdin's projection. As the dust of those closed doors settled, a weary grin parted her lips.

"What had to be done."

---

|i.|

Ignis couldn't dwell in her shock for long. As soon as the first door closed, another burst open, it's blue light spilling into the room and calling forth to them.

Much like before it was a pedestal upon a small dais holding up a brilliant blue orb. Strings of water swirled around the pedestal and upon the dais laid ingrained a magic circle with three connected waves surging forward.

All she had time to do was gather its appearance. Quicker than anybody could think, Saffiro sprinted towards the door and up the dais. He stood there, a wicked grin on his face as the water swirled around him at touching the orb, moments before the stone doors slammed shut once more.

What...What is happening?

Another door opened. This one let spill forth a dark gray light from within. Upon the pedestal was an ebony-colored orb, matching the magic circle with a smaller dark circle at its center. What could only be described as black fog littered the floor of the room which was only being repelled by the light of the seal upon the floor.

Ignis attempted to pick herself up and run towards it, but the one that sped by her was much too quick for her to beat. Tanvi sprinted up to the dais without hesitation and jumped upwards to catch the orb in her hands. Immediately, the dark fog swirled as the seal flickered beneath her, but before anything else could happen, the doors once again shut closed.

"W-What are you doing!?" she shouted, the painful echo of her voice reaching deaf ears as the next door opened letting an orange light flicker through.

A golden orb sat on the pedestal matching the seal beneath it, twin lightning striking each other depicted at its center. The flickering she'd seen came from the lightning that struck at the floor surrounding the dais.

There was no chance for her to beat Arikos who flew past her, the gust of air he created in his wake pushing her back as he rushed into the room to take the orb. The lighting grew in ferocity but was only a brief sight before the doors closed.

Tears spilled down her face as her heart pained her at each and every turn. Being unable to control her emotions cost her as yet another was stolen away.

This one shed a soft white light that came with a breeze swirling within. An orb of a white sheen sat on the pedestal with an ingrained magic circle on the dais that depicted a swirl of wind.

White feathers stormed past her without her being unable to stop it as Morrigan hurried past her to claim the blessing. He didn't glance back nor react and simply clawed at the sphere before the doors closed on him.

"Why...why are you doing this?"

The next door opening was her answer.

Noise accompanied the soothing green light that escaped through. The orb and seal beneath it matched in color with a diamond depicted at the center of the latter. This time Shuri attempted to go but was pushed aside instead by Euphemia's hand. Joyful tears touched the corners of her eyes as she turned around to face them, the noise becoming louder the moment she touched the orb only to be silenced by the door closing shut.

A resounding silence battered her eardrums as the second-to-last door finally opened and let a bright scarlet light seep through. Warmth emanated from the inside as both Shuri and her stood within feet of the door. The scarlet orb flickered as if beckoning them. The flames depicted within the crimson seal on the dais beat to their manic hearts as a quiet second passed between them.

Hoping against hope, Ignis stepped forward only to have Shuri take larger steps towards the door and enter first. Cerulean eyes widened in disbelief as the ifrit loftily smiled back at her as she took into hands the scarlet orb seconds before the door shut.

Gone. They were all...gone.

Tears finally spilled as she couldn't start to understand what had just transpired. Her friends—the ones that she had cherished so much—had betrayed her so easily in the face of greater power. Was this why they had been eager to accompany her? Not to save those who berated them as recorders after Teosa's betrayal but to seal their fate and attain such insurmountable power?

Was this...the only reason they had befriended her?

The lofty opening of the last door startled her. Soft light spilled through, lighting the entirety of the room and beckoning her forth one last time. With no one left to interfere or stop her, Ignis bit back her sobs and rose to her feet. The cold metal of her staff was held tightly in her grasp, the only thing anchoring her down to the cruel reality she now faced alone.

A couple of tentative steps led her to the threshold of the door. Nothing could be seen past the white light that came from inside. Determined to see this to its end, Ignis glanced behind her one last time before taking a deep breath and stepping through the door.

---

|ii.|

Emerald eyes widened at the flickering images that suddenly broke apart in the white light. That none were coming after it let Noé exhale the long breath she had been holding for the entirety of that scene. With a heavy heart, she lowered her head and forced out a disdainful scoff.

"What's the matter, Noé?"

Dismissing Chief's concern, Noé couldn't help but finally release the cackle that had been building up within her. No one dared ask what the matter was. It was anybody's guess, truly. But above their fearful mutterings and questioning whispers Aladdin's voice rose.

"Onee-san?" His beautiful blue gaze—cerulean like hers—fell on her. There was a hint of confusion in them, but unlike those around her, there was no judgment in his eyes.

Only a dire need to understand.

Noé, wanting to answer the inquiry in his eyes, leaned down to look at the goblet beneath her. With how still the contents had become it was easy to see her reflection. Within it, however, she could see no answer to what she wanted to ask. So instead she asked it out loud.

"Why did it stop?"

Aladdin took a moment to collect his thoughts, the grip on his staff tightening. "It's because Solomon's Wisdom doesn't have a record of what happened beyond that door. And since neither do you in the archives you keep within you, I can't project a past whose source I don't possess."

A scoff left her at his response and her own hands clutched the sides of the pedestal the goblet stood on even tighter.

It had to be this one.

The one thing I never understood.

Suddenly the projection flickered yet again, bringing their attention back to it as the whiteness from before turned completely black instead.

Ah…

Noé recalled this vividly—the beginning of her penance.

"What is that place?"

Alibaba's question reached her ears and had her looking back at him as he stared dumbfounded at the scene before him. He wasn't the only one either. Everybody's entire attention was rapt on what they saw. Noé however wished the least to see that place again.

She'd had enough with Belial's illusion.

"It's not so much a place as it is a state of mind." All their gazes fell on her at her words, struggling to pay attention to both her and the images they were being shown. She, on the other hand, had no need or wish to witness that place. Her hand reached up to her face, her nails digging at her cheek and eyelid where the seal marked its presence.

"Our little piece of hell for stealing what belonged to the world."

"Hell?" Titus asked, his voice but a curious whisper.

"There was a reason why the Gifts were anchored to the world and not to a living being. For all the power it gives, it devours that which it inhabits in exchange." Falling back, Noé turned on her heels to give the projection her back and instead faced the three magis. "The reason we never saw a change in Alma Torran was because the world takes eons to die. We human beings? We're fragile and weak. We last much less when such immense power burdens the body and mind."

Her hand lowered from her face then, a grim grin forming on her lips as her fingers grasped at her throat.

"They were all different. The loss of one's senses, an everlasting fire that burns the body from within, the sensation of never being able to grasp enough air, senseless noise that drives one insane, electricity forever rushing through the body and mind, the sensation of drowning forevermore…"

Noises from behind her tempted her to turn and look. She refused to oblige. It wasn't hard to imagine what they were seeing anyway.

How it began with gasps for air, turned into groaning from the discomfort, and then to bone-chilling screams. Screams that would only worsen the pain and turn it all into a vicious cycle. Her tongue clicked as another shriek pierced the air. Seeing herself go insane from how fast the Gift took its toll was the last thing she wanted. Much less watch how pathetic she had looked groveling at the water that tempted and mocked her.

"An unquenchable thirst that desiccates the body from within."

"Release it, child."

It took her a moment to realize what Chief meant. Noé's hand slid down to her chest then, releasing her neck and exposing the angry red marks left by her nails digging dangerously deep into her flesh.

"It was our punishment for having dared to take the gifts that belonged to the world in the first place."

Suddenly there was a deafening silence. The torturous scenes gone, Noé spun back to face the projections as the scenes once again changed. This time to finish the long tale at last.

And far from the only one it gave.

---

|i.|

"Thank you for all your hard work. With this, we've finished the new world and can finally start the reallocation efforts." Ugo congratulated them as he held his staff aloft, the last of the magical formulas having finished embedding not a second ago.

The recorders present simultaneously released a sigh of relief at the good news. It had been over a month since their return from the Great Oak and the tower of Babel. It was thanks to their efforts in bringing the blessings to the surface and learning to use them that they were able to do such a feat as help Ugo create the new world. Though limited in what they could do, there was no mistaking that their powers were similar if not surpassing the kind the magicians had before Ill Illah was sealed away.

Noé stepped away from the celebratory glee that spread between them. Although she was proud of what they accomplished, it was far from the ideal scenario she had imagined. Surely it was drastically different from what any of them had in mind and it showed. It was easy to see at a simple glance that despite their joy at their accomplishment, there was a lingering sentiment of melancholy and sorrow for what they had lost to attain it.

A long drawn-out exhale escaped her and her shoulders stiffened as she exited Lord Ugo's research chambers. It was weird to use her gift, but after a few weeks, she had gotten the grasp of what it entailed to use Light magic. Though she learned easily how to conjure tiny orbs of floating lights for illumination, most of the tougher spells were still an enigma to her.

All but one that Ugo taught her.

Flashing was a hassle, especially when it was still problematic to calculate the coordinates so rapidly in her mind, but memorizing a few wasn't that much of a problem.

The first one she knew by heart was the one that brought her the most pain, however. Flashing into the vast whiteness of the Great Oak's territory, emerald eyes glanced around searching her surroundings. Searching for someone.

It was in the midst of that whiteness and at the base of the Great Oak that Noé found Shuri kneeling at the feet of a stone statue. As she approached her, her eyes wandered once more to the leaves that now fell from the canopy of the tree. Like before, they fell without the need of a breeze to carry them and unlike normal leaves, they swayed in the air until they became nothing but small white specks that now collect upon the floor like freshly fallen snow.

It's almost like it's weeping.

Finally, she reached Shuri. The ifrit's body stiffened at noticing her presence and wiped away at her eyes before glancing over her shoulder. There was no hiding the redness of her eyes or the streaks of tears that had been falling for far too long now. Noé couldn't even muster a pitiful smile to offer her. Coming to stand beside her, she knelt there and stared upward at the statue that now stood seemingly guarding the entrance of the Great Oak and its gilded cage.

A stone statue of the young Ignis who held aloft with her small hands her crescent moon staff and gazed skyward as if praying. It was all that was left of the young girl. What they had encountered after awakening here, outside the tower, and in possession of the blessings within them.

Shuri hung her head and stared forlornly at her lap where, in her hands, was a white bloom Noé had never seen before.

"What is it called?" Shuri's body jumped, startled at her sudden question, barely spared her a glance from beneath her tresses. Noé tilted her head down towards her wanting to be clearly heard despite only speaking above a whisper. "The flower. I've never seen it before. Does it have a name?"

There wasn't a response at first. Expected. Much like she had become catatonic after Teosa's death, Shuri became silent after they awoke to find Shuri a statue. She had aided them in creating the new world—the essence of Fire magic was needed as much as the others, after all—but she had done it all in silence, only responding to anything concerning her task with a meager nod.

That was why Noé hadn't expected her to reply to her question.

"A lunar tear." Startled, her feathers flinched at hearing her voice out of the blue. Noé didn't raise her gaze in case that apprehended her and kept her from speaking her mind. "That's what...Ignis said they were. She said that when Illah created the world, the moon wept from the happiness of having a friend, and from where its tears touched the earth these flowers bloomed. They were supposed to be extinct...but this place...is teeming with them."

Never heard that tale before.

But if she heard it from Ignis, it must've been true. A small smile lifted the corners of her lips at the sound of her voice. It was nice to hear it again. Even if it was all but void of emotion, much like it had been back when they first met.

"They're beautiful."

"I used to hate their color."

Noé let her pensive gaze fall upon Shuri then. Over the years together, the ifrit had become more emotive. It had become somewhat easier over time to tell what she felt by what expression she wore. But she had never known her to verbally express herself that way.

Sitting back, Noé bent one of her legs in order to lean her cheek upon it and watch Shuri from where she sat.

"What changed your mind?"

"She said...that the way I remained unwavering in the face of anything that crossed my path reminded her of it. Of how pure...and just I was." The stem in her fingers bent from how hard she held it. Emerald eyes watched without giving away any reaction. "But...I'm not. After what happened—what we allowed to happen—how can we be the just ones. How is it that we couldn't save the most innocent of us all from such a cruel fate?"

There wasn't any stopping her tears. Droplets fell harmlessly on the pure white petals and all Noé did was sit there and watch. Anger festered quietly within her—not for Shuri but for herself. She was furious at the fact that, despite understanding exactly how Shuri felt, there was nothing she could do to appease her heart or conscience.

Much like when her meistras passed, this wasn't something some pretty words of encouragement could heal. And if it was as deep as her own, she doubted it was even capable of healing.

All she could do now was be there for her in her time of mourning much like she had been there for her. Reaching over behind Shuri's shoulders, Noé held onto her head and brought it closer to her so that it would rest close to the crook of her neck and chest. Dainty hands held onto her tunic as tears fell onto her shoulder.

Forlorn, Noé held her close and let her weep as she gazed skyward to watch the specks of light fall in tandem.

---

|XV|

And so came the day to leave Alma Torran.

---

|i.|

From her perch on high over Andromalius' palace, Noé could see that the transportation of the Vastago was sailing smoothly as could be as they all soared through the air to reach the dimensional tunnels placed by Ugo.

At the rate they were going, the entire transportation of all species would end within the allotted seven days. It was a miracle given that the only ones helping Ugo were the seven recorders. Although not all chieftains took well to them after all that happened, the grand majority accepted them and even lauded them as grand champions that had saved them by aiding in creating the new world. Noé cared little about the praise but it certainly made things easier with them taking care of a major part of the species while Ugo took care of those who didn't favor the recorders.

This time around when she was appointed to oversee the Vastago, Noé found herself caring little about entering their territory. Now that everything laid decimated after such a tragedy, very few voiced their disdain against her while none showed outright disrespect either.

Climbing down to the city, Noé dodged and ducked underneath passerbys as she made her way towards the treasure room where Andromalius now resided. Now a djinn, it shocked Noé to hear that she along with all the other djinn would remain behind in Alma Torran within their respective cities and await the future kings and magis that would arise from Ugo's magi system.

With a one-handed salute, Noé caught the chief's attention as she entered the treasure room. "Chief Romali."

"Noé, welcome." Andromalius smiled down upon her and took a small bow with her hand upon her heart. "Thank you again for ensuring their journey to be a safe one."

A quick ascent was all the response she got at first. Emerald eyes focused on the pillars near Andromalius and swiftly flashed up there, missing a step on the way and tripping a bit but climbing up all the same to sit beside her. Andromalius chuckled at her mishap but cleared her throat and simply accompanied her in watching over their people.

"Are they the last to leave?"

"Yeah, you guys along with a handful of other tribes are all that's left," Noé responded.

"I see…" Her gaze went askance as a tranquil silence settled between them. "Will you and the other recorders cross as well?"

Noé nodded. "Once the last batch of evacuation is said and done, we will leave with them to the new world."

"It gladdens this old heart to hear you will have a second chance at life in a brand new world."

"That would make one of us."

Andromalius' brow furrowed at Noé's strange reply. "Are you not?"

Her gaze fell onto the city below them. Her keen eye fell over the countless of Vastago that had lived through this hellish world and who were now happily taking that same second chance Andromalius spoke of.

A chance to leave this place full of sorrow and regret behind. A chance to forget and make their lives anew.

But that was just it. Noé didn't want to forget.

Despite how it teemed with pain and sorrow from the day she was born, Noé could say with all her heart that she did not regret the life she had lived. She abhorred the pain of her childhood, yes, but nothing would ever replace the times she cherished or the joy and the pain that came with them.

"I'm happy everybody will get a chance to live on in this new world together as a single entity to be guided and achieve great things. But...that's not for me." Her fingers gently touched the feathers behind her ear, preening them mindlessly. "Leaving behind what I have held dear after it took me so long to find it is something I don't wish to do."

Andromalius' arms crossed in front of her chest, her head tilting as those gorgeous golden feathers bristled in confusion. "But after all you've done, don't you wish to take the recompense and repose?"

"I didn't do this for any sort of reward or just to laze away my days," she rectified. "I simply did it because I wished for a better life for my friends and loved ones. Now that that's done, there's nothing much else for me to do. Not in the new world anyways."

"What could you possibly have left to do here?"

A few things came to mind. Caring for the Great Oak and Ignis' statue. Learning to use her gift. Cultivating flowers. Y'know, important things. Might not sound like much to others but they were things that Noé felt had to be done.

"Stuff," she simply surmised with a cheeky smile. "None of which I would be able to do if I leave for the new world."

"So what are your intentions then? To stay?" The way she said it made her sound insane. Like she was throwing away the greatest opportunity of her life on a whim. Noé couldn't have disagreed more. To show that, all she needed to do was lift her leg to rest her cheek on it and face Andromalius to offer a wide, toothy grin.

Sharp eyes widened in disbelief. "That's mad. There's no reason for you—does Lord Ugo know?"

"Yeah, he knows." Noé chuckled at recalling his reaction to the news. Quite similar to Andromalius' in fact. "He went utterly ballistic when I told him, stuttering without pause. But he understood after I took the time to explain. And he agreed to let me do as I pleased."

"That's...well, I suppose that is a blessing in itself. The freedom to choose."

"Glad you agree, too, because I plan on staying here with you." The way the chieftain appeared flustered at her sudden confession had Noé breaking out in a fit of laughter. Tears brimmed in her eyes which she quickly wiped away as a toothy grin came to her. "I'm not kidding. I actually accepted to oversee the Vastago's leave to speak about it with you."

Standing up, Noé dusted herself off before standing before the giant djinn. "Sorry I just threw it at you like that, but after much thought, I figured this would be the best place for me."

"Here?" Andromalius asked, incredulous. "After all that happened to you because of the people—because of my negligence—you still wish to remain here?"

"That's a thing of the past," Noé began, "and though I will never forget what transpired, I'm choosing not to let it control and limit my life. So yeah, here will be just fine."

Those grand sharp eyes of hers blinked once, then again, unable to compose herself for a long moment. Once done, though, a smile came onto Andromalius' face.

"If that is what you wish for, then I have no reason to deny you, child. I'll be glad to have you as company in this long wait of ours."

Tentatively, Andromalius reached out one of her claws and pointed a single one out to Noé. She chortled at the amusing gesture and followed suit by grasping it in her hand and shaking it.

"Likewise, Chief Andromalius."

---

|XVI|

And so the young Vastagian remained behind in Alma Torran alongside Andromalius in the necropolis left behind by her people.

Over the centuries that followed, Noé became not only a companion but the fiercest challenge that awaited all who dared dive the djinn's dungeon. Many adventurers who wandered into the dungeon would meet one of two fates: death at the hands of the dungeon itself or against steel feathers and silver arrows of the seasoned Vastagian warrior.

Fifty-seven so far had attempted her trial and all fifty-seven of them had failed with more than half being dealt with by Noé herself. None proved to be the kind of warrior who was deserving of the Metal Vessel that Andromalius wielded. Not to Noé. If this would be the power of a king that could shape the fate of the world, then it needed to belong to one worthy of such strength.

And at last, a worthy candidate in Andromalius' eyes presented themselves.

---

|i.|

How weak.

Noé spat back at the mangled body lying behind her. Thankfully, not a drop of their blood fell on her during this fight which would save her the bath at least. Dungeon creatures peeked out from their small holes and blinked curiously her way. A wave of her arm and encouragement from her was all they needed to come out in droves from their homes.

"It's alright now. You guys can come get your dinner now."

Adorable peeps from the carnivorous chicks echoed through the walls as they all stampeded out of their homes to feast on the food she'd left intact for them. Mostly, anyway. Not her fault that this one had been dumb enough to leave his neck wide open.

Oh well. They'll make a ball out of it or something once they find it.

Her fingers intertwined with one another as she stretched her arms outward and up to relieve the tension of having anticipated a good fight only to be sorely disappointed. As she approached the treasure room, the tall stone doors opened by themselves and stayed ajar just wide enough for her and a few of the dungeon creatures to follow behind her like ducks in a row.

"And here I thought that one would make it."

A scoff escaped Noé at Andromalius' words. She stopped before the grand djinn abruptly, chicks stumbling into her and causing a wreck of the line formation, and pointed her thumb over her shoulder where they could still see the carcass being devoured.

"I find it offensive that you thought something like that would get past me." Shaking her head from the sheer disbelief, Noé walked the few steps to the luscious pillow where she usually slept and plopped down to a seat. Peeping enveloped her as the chicks swarmed her, earning an airy chuckle from her as they did so.

"It was more of a hope than anything."

"I don't know, Romali," Noé said with a chuckle as a few chicks climbed to rest on top of her head. "All of them have been chumps so far. I've lost count of how many even made it in as far as me."

"Thirty-nine," Andromalius offered. "And none have so much as laid a scratch on you."

"My point exactly." She leaned back to better chat with the djinn who perched herself over the parapets of the treasure room.

"You do make for an immovable obstacle."

Noé shrugged her shoulders. "More reason to think that it'll be a truly unstoppable force that beats me. Only then can we be sure you'll have a worthy candidate, don't you think so?"

"Certainly. If such a person exists, I do trust they would be a great king candidate."

"See? Just you wait. It'll be worth the wait when they finally do appear." Satisfied with the validation, Noé lazily laid back against her cushion as the chicks gathered closer to nestle around her. "I'm going to nap now. Let me know if there's another one, okay?"

"I will also admit that I've become aware of another possibility as well."

Peeking through one eye, Noè frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Do you truly believe there will be someone strong enough to oppose you, let alone defeat you?" Emerald eyes chased after Andromlius' claw as she offered the thought with an accentuated wave of it.

"There has to be someone," Noé mumbled. "There has to be if you're to accomplish the role Ugo set for you as a djinn."

"But what if there isn't," she postulated again. "What if there truly is no one in the new world who, despite traversing the dungeon, can pass you, the last test of my dungeon?"

"Someone is bound to be strong enough."

"You believe so?" She genuinely asked. "Because I don't."

"Then what do you propose?" Noé finally erupted, jumping to her feet as bundles of chicks rolled down her body while letting out surprised peeps. "Do you want me to just stand back and let the next schmuck that comes through take you?"

"Of course not," Andromalius retorted.

"Then what?" she blurted out. Not wanting to face her, Noé turned to face the stone door instead as her arms wrapped around herself for warmth. "I know you want to get out but you shouldn't just settle for the first asshole that happens to messily make their way in here. And since you can't very well interfere with what happens in the dungeon, I'm the only one who can make sure it'll be someone worth your time."

"What if there was someone worthy?" she said. "Someone who wouldn't need to defeat you in order to prove anything to me?"

The comment had her chortling. "If you're talking about the fifty or so chumps who've entered this dungeon, you can go check 'em out outside. I'm sure the chickies would love to have their feeding bowls cleaned up once in a while."

"Someone alive."

"Well, tough luck because you aren't going to find anybody like that here, Chief Romali," she said with finality and an exasperated throw of her arms in the air.

"You're here."

Her heart stopped and her muscles tensed immediately. Her mind practically ceased all activity at the absurdity. All because of those two insignificant words.

"Be serious, chief."

"I am." Deadpanned as could be, Andromalius lowered from her perch above and the wind that swept due to her wings spreading had Noé covering her face as she turned to meet the chieftain of her people. "There is no other option for me."

"Don't be like that. There's bound to be someone."

"You've demonstrated quite the opposite, child." A condescending smirk came across her face and Noé could do nothing more than roll her eyes. "Not only that either. You've shown me the kind of tenacity and strength you possess. Not just in the last few years but during the whole of your life."

Emerald eyes lifted to meet a sharp golden gaze that appeared much more dogged than she was giving her credit for. "I'm nothing special."

"You became part of a Resistance to save all the species. Became someone who recorded their pasts for them to always have and remember. And you aided in their survival by attaining something no one would have believed attainable." Andromalius lowered herself until their gazes locked with one another, the golden feathers on her wings and arms tickling Noé a little as a clawed finger gently lifted Noé's downcast face. "If you are not someone special, then no one will ever be good enough."

"But I can't be your king," Noé finally admitted, her features bleak at the reality she knew to be true as she reached behind her to graze her limp wing with her fingertips. Pursing her lips, she finally said, "I'm nothing but a stain in the lineage, remember?"

A grimace formed on the djinn at the choice of words. A cruel reminder of words she'd spoken that had scarred what had been at the time but a fledgling.

"I was wrong, Noé." Hearing her admit such a thing had her heart fluttering with emotions she couldn't quite describe and sent a shiver up her spine. "You are not a stain in the lineage. Even with that deformity of yours, you have endured, you have survived, and you surpassed all. It didn't take away from you. It empowered you."

Her hand clasped at her chest from how utterly overbearing those words were. All her childhood she'd imagined how different her life would have been had there been someone that said such words to her. The joy and relief they would have brought to a destitute child like herself who'd been used and abandoned by so many before. But now, there wasn't even that. It was already too late to appease that weeping child who'd grown a battle-hardened stone heart...or at least that's how she'd once thought.

As if sensing she was getting somewhere, Andromalius smiled and ended her thought. "And I could not imagine a worthier candidate for king."

A weight lifted off her shoulders then as tears brimmed in her eyes. Something that had lingered in her heart for so long had suddenly vanished. Wiping them away frantically, Noé took a shaky inhale and glared at Andromalius despite her cheeks growing red from her words.

"You better not regret it."

Andromalius chuckled and toyed with the small silver arrowhead that dangled from around her neck with the end of her claw. At her touch, a small eight-pointed circle appeared on its surface, shining brightly.

"I can assure you. This will be the one choice in my life that I will never regret...my king."

---

|ii.|

A bright cerulean sky. That was her first memory of this bright new world...and where her story in Alma Torran ended.

With a heavy heart, Noé exhaled and allowed the unease from before to leave her.

It was finally over.

Drawing back from the crowd allowed her some space to herself even more so as all those in the room were instead absorbed in their own deep conversations. Carefully, she leaned her back against a nearby pillar and hid away from the sunlight in the shadows.

"How are you faring after all that?"

I'm...

Her hands crossed as she hugged her arms closer to her body needing something to bring her back to the present. The alcohol had long run through her system and had left her more than sober to experience the whole of that tale. One that she never thought she'd be forced to relieve so vividly ever again.

"Noé onee-san."

That sweet voice rang in her ears and had her feathers preening as she met the kind eyes of one lone magi, a little king, and a young Fanalis cub. Alibaba and Morgiana both stood beside Aladdin with kind smiles on their faces as the young magician of creation reached out his hand. Noé stared at the offering, her expression turning tender as she took the small hand in hers without much hesitation. Following suit, Morgiana and Alibaba reached out to join their hands with theirs.

None said anything. But by the gentle hold Aladdin kept of her hand and the solace Alibaba's and Morgiana's hold offered her, there wasn't a need to. The warmth of their joined hands was enough.

These damn brats.

All were taken aback suddenly when Noé took them in to embrace them. The trio staggered at first from the surprise but eased into her arms as she held them close to her. Savoring their warm presence, Noé took a deep breath before releasing them with a smile.

"You still have something to say, right?" Gesturing towards the crowd, her smile grew to a half-grin as she ruffled Aladdin's hair. "Go get 'em, Aladdin."

Reciprocating the gesture, the three turned to return to the center of the room. The sunlight peeked beyond the clouds and lighted their way towards the others, remaining as if beckoning her forth.

Asking her to come out of the shadows and return to the light.

I'm alright, Chief, she reassured her. So long as I have people like them in my life, I think I'll be alright.

Noé could practically imagine the pleased smile that came to the chieftain of her people and her djinn.

"That is the greatest solace this old heart could have, my king."

Letting the heaviness of the past be swept away by the warmth of her present, Noé took a step forth and out of the shade to stand behind Aladdin, Titus, and Yunan as he gave his final declaration. The same one he had given her.

The whole purpose of showing them Alma Torran's past was to avoid repeating it. It was something that was bound to happen if the Metal Vessel Users of the world continued their fighting. It was just as Aladdin phrased it: would they save the world or destroy it?

It really is as simple as that.

Noé abhorred the idea of leaving the choice up to them, but for this one instant chose to leave it all up to Aladdin.

"A ceasefire, huh." Andromalius remained silent for a moment. Odd, but not unprecedented. Though she guessed that from how long this particular moment was lasting, her djinn had expected more of a reaction to what Aladdin proposed than what she got. "Do you believe that would suffice?"

Not in the least.

"Then why haven't you voiced your dissent?"

I will not interfere with his earnest attempt.

The whole purpose of this Summit for Aladdin was to use the archives within her and Solomon's Wisdom as a precautionary tale for the people of this world. That much was obvious to her. And though she held a great number of doubts that could certainly derail what had begun as a fervid attempt to teach them, Noé chose to let this particular outcome unravel on its own.

What Aladdin requested was quite the tall order, but not impossible. At least not if the people they were trying to persuade were in any way, shape, or form flexible to the idea of a ceasefire between themselves.

But as much as she would have liked to hope for the impossible, something about the fervent looks on those three kings didn't sit well with her. Nothing appeared to change them either, not even the dreadful explanation that Aladdin and Yunan gave them about the sort of issue the hole still open in the middle of Magnostadt posed and what it could bring if Al-Thamen achieved yet another Medium and Dark Spot.

Like always, the first to step up to the plate was the Sailor Boy. Sugar-coated words however rubbed Noé the wrong way. Especially after he so glaringly declined to work together with the Kou Empire to stop this threat.

"Why is that, Sinbad?" Alibaba asked.

"Because the Kou Empire...is Al-Thamen itself."

That inflammatory remark was the ember that ignited a rather nasty discussion. And what was even more chilling to watch was how the man that had fanned the instigation alight was now nonchalantly offering an out after having cornered them. Noé clicked her tongue, understanding the boy's underhanded logic.

He set fire to a house to chase out a mouse and now expects it to jump into a mousetrap to save itself.

"What a shameless man."

Agreed.

Thankfully, the fireboy was as forthright as the sailor boy was conniving and readily set the pieces right where they had begun: one side pitted against the other. Both sides argued ardently for their cause and neither could turn the other to their side. From every side that she saw, this was a lost cost between these people.

So much for diplomacy.

This was truly no different than children vying for power.

"And what right do these children have to play in our garden?"

None. But just as she stepped forth intent on putting an end to this once and for all, another beat her to the punch. A rather courageous young man that laid a hand on the fireboy of Kou to end their quarreling.

"Stop this please!"

Emerald eyes widened at Alibaba's sincere declaration. He was willing to fight alongside the Kou Empire who had taken so much from him if it meant saving the world from Alma Torran's fate. It was a gamble. There was no telling who would take seriously the words of a relatively young man in such a serious issue.

But it apparently worked. More or less. At least he stopped the incessant bickering. What's more, his interference earned them some good information.

So Arba's in Kou. Well, that explained why she never liked the atmosphere. It'd been too saturated with black rukh. Her first guess would've been the magi they boasted about but whatever power that kid could harness, Noé was sure it would not have come close to the unease that power like Arba's gave off.

Good to know.

"'Impure army'? That sucks. Don't put me together with that lot."

What the—

All eyes turned skyward, including hers, to meet the floating figure of said magi as he appeared amidst the sky. As he lowered himself down, Noé didn't dare move from Aladdin's side. Though she couldn't see it, there was no denying the heaviness that the rukh that appeared with him carried. It was more suffocating than she could imagine and that just warned of the sheer amount he controlled. Not to mention that there was something about it that seemed...familiar about it. But that couldn't possibly be right.

Right, Chief?

"I would've certainly remembered such a character."

Exactly. And yet a part of her couldn't shake the eerie sense of familiarity she got off of him.

Aside from all those issues, though, there was a bigger one that greatly concerned her as well as all those present.

How the hell did this little punk get here without anybody noticing?

As the magi approached them, his goal was clear from how his ruby gaze focused on one person and one person only. Alibaba and Morgiana stepped up, the former placing Aladdin back with his hand and the latter readying her stance in the very likelihood a fight broke out. Noé didn't move. All she did was remain vigilant as she stood behind Aladdin.

The boy was a clear instigator. That much bravado couldn't stem from anything other than deep-seated arrogance. But for as annoying as it was, it didn't appear to be unjustified. That much was obvious and she didn't seem to be the only one who knew this. Aladdin spoke to him with caution. Yunan appeared to fear him. Even Sailor Boy appeared wary of him despite having been so blatantly ignored. Any way she looked at him, this boy was nothing but trouble incarnate.

Surprisingly, those ruby eyes looked beyond Aladdin to where she stood and locked eyes with her as he showed off a haughty smirk.

"You're that old craven, huh?"

"Craven?"

Old?

"And you're the cocky little brat of Kou, huh?" she shot back with a grin despite how a small vein popped at her neck from the insult.

"You've got a big mouth for an old hag," Judar said with a grin.

"Oh, do forgive. This old hag tends to get pissy when a damn fetus like yourself starts blabbering so nonsensically."

He scoffed and held up his black staff to point it towards Aladdin. Noé didn't hesitate nor await his attack. The triple-layered barrier that surrounded Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana gleamed in the sunlight as it appeared without a single word or movement. A wicked grin came to Judar's face seconds before he let out a jaunty cackle.

"Old but not stupid." Carefreely, he lowered his staff and raised an eyebrow at her. "You look like you'd put up a good fight, hag. How about it?"

"I don't discipline brats that aren't mine," she outright said.

With another scoff, he decidedly ignored her once again to address all those present instead. This little chaos gremlin was just as Noé had imagined from the awful impression he gave off. He truly wanted nothing else except chaos for chaos's sake.

And that same chaos erupted the instant he mentioned that Arba was indeed in Kou as the current Empress Dowager, Ren Gyoukuen, who had coincidentally already perished as well. No one believed the brat, of course. Noé obviously didn't. But it soon became a hard fact to dispute when the soldiers from the three nations entered uninvited and in a desperate hurry to relay the same exact message.

Only with an added name for spice.

"Her majesty has been murdered...by the fourth prince, Hakuryuu!"

Huh.

It's calculated chaos.

"What do you mean?"

Causing chaos wasn't difficult. It was basically throwing a pebble to disturb a quiet lake. If one threw the rock, they could easily step back and watch without having to lift another finger. This, however, was the kind of chaos she detested the most. It was caused by a diligent hand that not only could strategize plans upon plans but also had the power to execute them.

And if Hakuryuu is the thinking half of that hand, Judar can only be—

The sky split without warning as Judar activated some sort of power, emanating a force so strong that it was pushing all those present back. Noé held her ground, grounding Aladdin alongside her by the shoulders as her eyes remained on the dark magi.

The moment that his third eye opened was when her emerald eyes widened with shock.

He's doing the same thing Arba did.

He was taking the black rukh he controlled to empower himself to that level. One that enabled him to summon the grand magic that now loomed over them.

"Take it. This is just a way for me to greet you all," he boasted with a manic grin as he hovered in the sky with a myriad of black lighting spears at the ready. "Putting an end to everything by just talking? That sounds so boring. You should decide who will inherit the world by having everyone on this earth fight each other! This is my answer as a magi!"

His thumb cut across his neck and the lightning fell.

Noé reacted instantly. Pushing Aladdin behind her and summoning Grace of Sunlight, her face burned as she upheld a three-layered shield around the entirety of the island. The lightning, despite not targeting the center, came dangerously close and skidded across the light shield's surface only to slide off and strike the outside of the island.

"Well then! See you in our home country."

Raging waves struck the island and mist sprayed around them as the ocean settled after the ravaging attack. Noé kept a watchful eye on Judar and only let her barrier fall until after she ascertained herself that the brat had left for good. Shortly after, the borgs the three magi had placed were taken back as well, leaving them all with a suffocating sense of emergency.

Kou was eager to leave for obvious reasons. But even after Kouen gave his order to his men and Alibaba to return to Balbadd, something felt amiss when they stopped short.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Her emerald gaze shifted away from the panic to where the younger Kou prince stood. The eight-pointed star she could see from where she was shone brightly but despite that nothing seemed to be happening. Not only that but some people reaching for the exits were stopping short as well. Brow furrowing, Noé looked around to notice the same thing was happening all around.

Those who tried to head for the exits couldn't leave. Something was blocking them. And with a closer look, it was clear to see what was the cause.

A barrier. One made of water.

Once more people began to notice it, the panic that rose filled the air quickly. Compared to how they already were though it amazed her they hadn't already gone into a full frenzy in their hurry to leave.

"What is that?" Morgiana asked, eyes locked on the dome of water that surrounded the area they inhabited in the island.

"Is that some kind of borg?" Alibaba exclaimed with a hand at the ready where Amon would be but having forgotten it'd been left behind.

"No, it's not." Aladdin's deadpanned tone had them more on edge as the grip on his staff tightened. "But it is powerful magic."

"What a compliment coming from you, kid."

It was then that all eyes turned upward where a figure sat at the edge of the structure surrounding them. A figure that Noé hated being able to recognize.

"What are you doing here, Rakah?"

The blonde magician chuckled as he lowered himself to the ground. Better groomed after the trim she gave him last they met, Noé watched the lithe man walk towards them with an arrogant smile on his lips.

"I'm here because I was invited of course."

Invited?

"You got here late, mister. It's already over." Emerald eyes widened at hearing Aladdin beside her say such words to someone like Rakah. Instead of asking, however, she calmed herself and allowed the conversation to unfold further.

"No worries," Rakah assured him while retaining that smug grin she wished she could slap off his face. "I caught the tail end and got the gist of it. Great tale—" Cold amethyst eyes wandered and found themselves staring blatantly at Noé. "Especially the added bonus scenes."

"You know this man, Aladdin?" Alibaba asked, curious like her and more able to inquire than she was.

Aladdin nodded solemnly. "I met him during my time in Magnostadt."

"Regrettably brief as it was." His amethyst gaze left her then and instead garnered something behind her that, before she had the time to turn, was addressed by him. "And here I thought I wouldn't see you again after you so brazenly ignored my warning, Young Titus."

Noé's blood ran cold at the way his tone shifted when speaking Titus' name. Her feathers bristled at the sound of it and sensed when said magi stood behind her on her other side, cautious of Rakah.

"Yes, fortunately, we were both wrong about that," he simply responded. It was then that both Titus and Aladdin spared each other a glance before the former addressed Rakah once more. "May I ask what the purpose of the water barrier is, Professor Azeri?"

"Oh, this?" He gestured languidly at the air and the dome surrounding them rippled in response. "Quite simple. It's so that none of you get any ideas of escaping."

Almost instantly, chaos erupted from those trapped that had just heard his intentions. The most vocal and threatening violence was the Kou faction who had the desperate need to return home. The Sindrian and Reimian factions weren't far behind, however. They were all visibly cautious of a man who could so easily entrap them in such an enclosed space while also limiting the djinns of Metal Vessel Users. Something that Noé disliked greatly as well.

Noé bared her teeth and growled, "I'm not asking again, Rakah. Why are you here?"

"Well, first and foremost, I came to hear an interesting tale from Aladdin here. It's always quite entertaining, I must say. But aside from that..." Amethyst eyes turned cold despite his grin never disappearing and had Noé visibly on edge. "I came to end my deal with you."

The voices of the children resonated in her ears at their inquiries but she brushed them aside to instead listen to Chief as she spoke.

"Why now?"

My thoughts exactly. Voicing the question and demanding an answer only appeared to amuse him even further.

"That's an easy one to answer. It's because you broke your end of the deal."

Thunder roared above them making her feathers steel in response. The sunny day they had taken advantage of for the summit had darkened as the Cumulonimbus reached the island and covered the sunlight now.

That didn't make any sense. How did she break her end of the deal? That couldn't possibly be the real reason why. Keeping her composure, Noé straightened her back and eased her hand on Aladdin as she slowly pushed him and Titus back all the while taking a few tentative steps towards Rakah.

"I have done no such thing," she announced confidently, bringing as much attention to herself as possible while prowling towards Rakah. "Our bargain was to mutually help each other in our goal and I've done exactly that."

"Have you though?" Rakah quipped cheekily with that same eerie positivity oozing out of him. "Because if I recall correctly, your exact words were 'you help me, I help you'. In whatever we may need in this goal of ours. But you lied to me, Noé." With broad steps, it didn't take much from him to stand head to head with her as those amethyst eyes bore into hers with a wicked gleam. "You said you didn't know where she was."

Noé clicked her tongue. No way is that enough to—

A sudden burning came from her right forearm and had her grasping at it almost instantly and groaning from the pain. Though plenty of people rushed to her aid, Noé glared back over her shoulder and shouted for them to stay put. Rolling back the sleeve of her cloak, emerald eyes narrowed at the way the incomplete mark of the snakes on her forearm and hand appeared with a searing sensation as if threatening to cut off her arm with that fire.

"The penalty for breaking the contract isn't cheap, Noé," he coyly told her. "You should know. You specified the terms, after all."

"I—ugh!" This time when Aladdin and Titus rushed forward to reach her, she didn't stop them. The scorching hot mark on her arm was hurting her too much to argue against them anymore. But even through the scorching pain, his arrogant voice reverberated in her ears along with an irritating ringing.

"Should I refresh your memory?" He chuckled to himself and didn't wait for a reply before doing so, "'I won't agree with your methods if they clash against mine. If this happens, I won't let you have any more of Grace of Sunlight. And if need be, I will take yours as well,' was it?"

What? Her own terms against him applied to herself as well?

"That wasn't the deal!"

No. It wasn't. But it didn't matter because they had never stipulated for it to be told to them as it would be. It had been a verbatim contract without clear delineations and that had given her a false sense of security that she should've been more careful than to trust.

He played me.

"Fine. I lied to you," she admitted through the pain and gritted teeth. "But this is between us. Release the water barrier and let those here leave. They have nothing to do with this."

"Au contraire," he said with that lilt in his voice that she hated to her core. "They are now my biggest bargaining chip now. My collateral if you will. So if you would be so kind as to give me Grace of Sunlight now, I'll—"

The hand he reached out to Noé with was suddenly slapped away by Alibaba's calloused hand as he stood in front of her now. "Don't get any closer to Miss Noé."

The change was fast and quite noticeable when it happened. That imperious smirk and pretentious way of carrying himself suddenly vanished, replaced by a nasty scowl that turned his gaze dark.

"Turn tail and run, Saluja. That's all you've ever been good for."

Though the insult certainly hurt him with how his shoulders visibly tensed, it was clear to see that those sorts of words no longer affected him like they would have in the past.

"You will not touch her." As if to accentuate her words, Aladdin, Titus, and Morgiana stepped forward to protect her as well. "We won't allow it."

With a lofty scoff, Rakah reached into his sleeve to retrieve his wand and waved it precariously around as he shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourselves. Whether you live or not isn't my prerogative. All I need is her."

His arm raised and the dark cloud above him roared and flashed to life with the thunder and lightning within. Aladdin and Titus stepped forward ready to protect them. Fearing for those without their Metal Vessels, Noé turned back to Yunan, shouting at him to protect them. Their safety in his hands, she held onto Titus' shoulder in an attempt to pull him back.

"Go to Muu!"

With how loud the thunder that roared above them got, it was almost impossible to hear him without him shouting at the top of his lungs. "I'm not leaving you!"

"Good riddance to you both then!" Hovering away from them, Rakah let his arm fall down like a guillotine for execution. Purple lightning flashed and converged at the center of a magic circle embedded with Rumble of Thunder's insignia before striking downward.

Two borgs lifted in unison to enforce one another. They wouldn't be enough though. Noé could sense it. Even as magi, if Rakah could focus all his prowess on a single point, he would break them in an instant much like Barbatos' Javelin once had. If that happened, the first ones it would strike down would be the four children. A chill ran down her spine at the frightening thought.

No, she thought with dread clouding her mind. Not them.

It was then, at the last possible moment when the lightning would strike, that Noé forwent the pain immobilizing her arm and pushed all of them behind her to conjure Grace of Sunlight and summon a solid spear of crystallized light.

Catching the lightning midway, the crystal exploded on impact sending bits and pieces into the air that vanished into blinding lights. Noé took advantage of that opening and sent smaller spears his way. With ease, Rakah evaded them by simply flying and weaving through their trajectory, a haughty grin on his face all the while doing so. Emerald eyes focused on his movement and sent new spears relentlessly his way, keeping a close eye on the pattern of movements each time he dodged.

"What piss poor aim you have, Noé!" he cackled as he destroyed the last couple of them with a few whips of his lightning. Noé kept her hand raised as if to shoot yet another spear his way. Meanwhile, hiding it by her side, her supposedly immobilized hand dealt with a different matter. "Puny crystals like those aren't going to cut it."

No, but this will.

Her seal brightened in response to closing her hidden hand into a tight fist. Amethyst's eyes widened as he came to realize a second too late what trap he'd fallen into. Unbeknownst to him, he'd landed himself in one of the few pillars of sunlight that still pierced through his dark clouds. The attack happened in a split second. Light fractured and solidified into thick crystals that were quickly converging towards him with the intent to cage and impale him.

Just as they were about to pierce him, something unexpected happened. A dark sphere in the palm of his hand crackled with dark gray energy before expanding into a larger sphere and enveloping him in a protective cocoon. That wasn't what shocked her, however. What did was the dread of being right. Of that sphere doing exactly what she thought it was doing aside from just protecting him within its space.

That can't be it. It can't be.

But it was.

All the proof she needed was in what was left behind the moment it retracted back into his hand to disappear in a flutter of black light. What it had touched after expanding had literally been devoured upon contact. The pillars, floors, her light spears, even the few foot soldiers that had been unfortunate enough to get caught in it—all of them were cleanly cut through at the precise place where the dark sphere had swallowed them.

And completely eaten.

No… It...just can't be.

"But it is. Look."

The voice resonated in her mind, coaxing her to lift her gaze and watch in despair and alarm as behind him an all too familiar seal flickered to life. A dark gray and black seal a single colored dot in the center.

"That's—"

Tanvi's Gift.

"...Peaceful Darkness."

"Whew." Rakah smirked as he shook his hand from the dark energy left behind by the Devouring Maw. Around him, the light spears that had pierced the still intact pillars around him stood in place while a hollowed interior was all that was left after having been devoured. "So hard to control sometimes. I apologize for the harm done. Truly, I don't wish to harm the collateral, but sometimes it's just a job hazard."

"How…"

"What was that?" Rakah asked giddily.

Her voice hadn't been anything above a hoarse whisper—her throat dry after all that usage—but not even that hid her voice drenched in her disdain.

"How do you have Peaceful Darkness!"

"Oh, you mean this?" With a wave of his hand, the small insignia representing the source of all Strength Magic appeared like a shimmering orb over his shoulder. A scoff escaped him as, with a haughty smirk and a hand on his hip, he declared, "Well, if that's surprising, then you're going to love this."

Rakah waved both his hands then. Instantly, Noé felt her stomach sink and her heart bleed at the two other insignias that appeared behind him. A blue ocean wave and a white swirl of wind; Blooming Waves and Rondo of Whirlwind.

"I told you collecting the others was settled, didn't I?"

Why...does he have four?

"How…?" she repeated, unable to focus on the one question she feared to be answered.

Cheeky laughter filled the air as Rakah hovered over them. Crossing one arm to lean the other on, he rested his chin on that hand as his cold gaze fell upon her and a mischievous smile pulled at his lips.

"You know how."

She did. She just didn't want to think it to be true.

"Onee-san!" "Miss Noé!"

Their voices were barely audible. They were more muffled than anything against the fog that now settled in her mind.

Only gifted seals appeared on the body. They were the ones that were properly anchored to a new host because they were passed down willingly from person to person. But when they were taken, they could only be weakly linked to the new host because…

When they're being ripped from their old host, that life force being taken becomes the anchor instead.

The sun flickered.

All eyes turned skyward as the darkness from the cloud blocking the sun only grew darker with each flicker until the light of the sun completely vanished, leaving them in a monochromatic version of their world. Alibaba, Morgiana, and Titus remained in place but Aladdin felt fear clutching at his heart almost instantly. Without thinking, he stepped forward and grabbed tightly onto Noé's fisted hand.

"Noé onee-san, you can't!" Beyond the lightless world, he had to scream above the raging thunder that crackled overhead. "Fighting him won't do anything!"

"I don't care."

Her monotonous voice struck Aladdin like a slap in the face. Bright blue eyes stared wide at Noé's back as from her scar, yellow crystalized light began protruding with lines of blood tainting the beautiful quartz. Her hand, which he held onto between his smaller ones with all the strength he had, begun to change as well. From that olive color, her skin darkened into a dark umber starting from her fingertips and rising quickly to her shoulders as cracks formed along the way filled with crystallized light within.

Fearing she would truly give in, Aladdin threw himself at her, wrapping his arms around her waist to weigh her down and stop her. Just as he was about to try and shout some sense into her again however the expression on her face stopped him in his tracks.

Nothing but pure fury marred her features as the same dark umber began to spread from the outer corner of her eyes with the same cracks outlining them like beautifully monstrous paint. Cracks that, as they formed, etched the path for her bitter tears to reach her snarling lips. Aladdin didn't have a moment to think about how to stop her anymore after that. Not when he was suddenly flung back without warning the moment she fully transformed into her djinn equip and returned the sunlight in the bright flash of her transformation.

Much like before, the shawl that became her makeshift wings behind her were differently colored; the empty one being taken by onyx black crystal while the right one remained its pure golden hue. Both however were now lined in blood from the crystal that had protruded from within her and out through her back. And while the black crystalized wing only glimmered in the scarlet hue, the golden one remained drenched and dripping as the crystal painfully pierced through her wing and gave it the structure it had been sorely missing from the day she was born.

"He killed my friends."

---

A/N:

HOLY CRAP! I WENT FREAKING HAM WRITING THESE LAST TWO CHAPTERS!

Like you guys have no idea. I literally went for almost 7 hours straight for 3 days writing these past two chapters just so that I would at the very least conclude the Alma Torran arc. And holy crap did I just blow through it. I'm super happy with how it ended, especially because I had to be careful with the details I put in since I'll be using it as a template for the future story that will also look fully into the Alma Torran arc. Because in case you guys didn't notice, there's a lot of blank spots that Noé didn't witness that were left out because of it. So there's that to look forward to whenever that one story comes out :D

Anyway, this was fun. Aside from the horror of getting only a few hours of sleep for the past 3 days with school starting literally this monday, I can say that I had a super productive last few weeks of vacation.

I won't be coming back to TM for a bit after this though which is the sad part. This upcoming fight and the arc coming up is the last stretch of this story (not counting the few chapters that will be left for the epilogue and stuff). For now, the time i have free will be dedicated to my BnHA stories which have been sorely neglected for long enough TwT

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this double update as much as I enjoyed writing it (not editing it tho. Took me all day to edit 80+ pages xD). Stay tuned for the next update and I hope that ya'll have a wonderful rest of your day/night!

*evie*