Chapter five

Neah leaned against her bedroom's window sill, looking out at the country below. Yamraiha and two other generals, Sharrkan and Masrur, had been sent to an island south of Sindria to help a bunch of teenagers Neah didn't know, or care to know, about. She was well aware that one of the teens was a magi named Aladdin, but she already knew all there was to know about the boy and didn't want to deal with his overly-cheery personality. "Solomon's kid, blah, blah, save the world, blah." The black haired magi rolled her eyes, "And his stupid King's Candidate." She also remembered that the fallen Kou prince was there as well. Although she assumed he wasn't fallen at this point in time. "Why couldn't I have landed in a funner time? Like the middle of the Kou Empire civil war or something..."

She stopped thinking as a sudden rush of energy flowed past her. Neah stopped leaning and stood straight, searching outside for the source of the sensation. What the hell was that? Several citizens of Sindria gasped and screamed as above all of their heads, the magic barrier was 'melted'. Neah wasted no time and grabbed her staff before jumping out the window.

The magi excitedly ran over to where the remaining generals and several Sindrian soldiers had gathered around someone, "It's like my history lessons are coming to life!" Neah exclaimed, "This is great!" She went to confront the intruder, but was abruptly stopped, "Hey, what the hell?"

"King Sinbad doesn't want you seen by him." The Imuchakk man, Hinahoho, stopped her.

"Like I care!" Neah attempted to push past him.

"What's wrong? You all have such scary faces." Neah could hear the intruder speaking, and Ja'far trying to attack him, only to be easily brushed aside.

"I just want to see what's happening, I'm not going to say that I'm related." Neah tried to convince Hinahoho. He didn't look like he believed her. She sighed in frustration, "Fine. I'll go back to my room then." She stomped away.

Once far enough away from the general, Neah took another route and snuck her way back to where everyone was gathered. She walked over and stayed nearby the soldiers, where she thought she was out of sight. Judar stopped speaking and glared at her, "Who are you?"

Neah glanced at Sinbad, who looked at her in shock and anger. She stepped forward so she was only a few feet from Judar, "Neah Andson." Judar looked her over, obviously noticing all the black rukh surrounding her. "I'm a magi, too."

Judar narrowed his eyes at her before turning to Sinbad again, "You'll let her be Sindria's magi, but not me? She's got black rukh too! You're so cold, Sinbad!"

"You're a member of the organization... Did you forget what you did to us in Partevia?!" Sinbad grew angry. All of the soldiers and generals tensed as well.

"Don't look at me like that, Sinbad..." Judar hung his head. "I'm...I'm a victim of Al-Thamen as well!"

Neah narrowed her eyes as Judar began explaining his life. How Al-Thamen murdered his parents and took him when he was an infant, forcing him to do whatever they wanted. "I wanted to live a normal life! Yet you still think I'm at fault?!" The male magi began crying and fell to his knees.

"J-Judar!" Sinbad, and everyone around him were surprised at the magi's sudden change of character. The king began reaching out to the magi before stopping. Judar was laughing.

"I-I can't do this anymore!" He laughed, "Did you really start pitying me? You really are a good person, Sinbad!"

Neah continued to watch Judar as he spoke about how nice Sindria was, and how he didn't hate the other magi -Aladdin-, yet he still wanted to destroy both of them. He then continued to talk excitedly about how fun it would be to kill Sinbad, and how amazing the Kou Empire is. Neah was surprised at how sadistic her relative was, she even questioned how she was even related to him. Her thoughts drifted away from the conversation until Judar exclaimed, "The Kou Empire will destroy Sindria!"

The female magi scoffed, remembering her history lessons. She knew it wasn't Kou who would destroy Sindria. She recalled how the Seven Seas Alliance tore itself apart, none of the countries within the treaty coming out victorious. But no one else around her knew of this information, "What do you mean, Judar-kun...?" A pink haired girl in royal clothing approached the magi. Neah assumed she was Princess Kougyoku, the eighth princess of Kou.

"It's just as you heard!" Judar smiled, "So you don't need to stay here anymore! I know you made a mistake in Balbadd, which made you run away from your home country and come here, but, come back. I'll make you into a general! That's what you wanted, isn't it?" The princess looked at the ground, unsure. Judar turned his attention to Neah, "Hell, you should come to Kou as well! With two magi, we'd be even stronger! Besides, it doesn't look like your very fond of those robes."

Neah contemplated his offer. She looked at Sinbad and silently cursed herself, I still need that idiot's help... "Sorry, I probably would, seeing as though we're related, but I still have a few things to do here. I'll probably see you in the near future, though." She crossed her arms.

Judar raised an eyebrow at her strange response, "Eh, whatever. Well, I'm going back now. Hey, Kougyoku, tell Hakuryuu this: This country is our enemy now. See ya!" He used gravity magic and flew out the hole he'd created in the magic barrier.

Neah looked to see what the princess would do now that she was considered an enemy of Sindria. More importantly, I wonder what Sinbad will do to make her believe that was okay... She watched as the king left the area with Ja'far. He suddenly stopped walking and turned called over his shoulder, "Neah, help Yamraiha with repairing the barrier."

The female turned her attention to the gaping hole above the country, "How the hell do I fix that?!"

"She'll show you." Sinbad spoke, continuing to walk away.

Neah grunted and muttered, "Why don't you fix your own god damn barrier."

"U-Um...excuse me..." A small voice asked.

Neah frowned and looked at Princess Kougyoku, "What do you want?"

"W-What you said to Judar-kun..." The princess shifted uncomfortably, "You said you were related to him?"

"Yeah, I am." Neah confirmed. "Long story short, I'm from the future, like hundreds of years in the future...you probably wouldn't understand, or care to know..." She thought for a moment and changed her mind, "Actually...You're a metal vessel user, right?"

"Yes..." Kougyoku nodded.

"Hm..." Neah looked to where Sinbad had left, "You know, he can handle the barrier himself, I have my own problems." She turned back to the princess, "I need to talk to you."

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