The shadows melted away as the flames spread wildly about. The Dark Djinn had been no match for Kouen and I.

"Alibaba, Aladdin. Finish combing through the town for any civilians that have been left behind. See to it that they escape safely," Kouen instructed. He gaze then shifted to Judar, eyeing him over skeptically. "Magi, who is in charge of these attacks?" He asked in an authoritative tone.

"I get the feeling you already know who gave the orders," Judar scoffed. "As far as leading the troops here, I couldn't say for sure. I do know who I should be looking out for though," he said, his mouth twisting into a bitter smile. He clutched his bloodied arm and I noticed the cut had dwindled down into a a thick scar.

(Healing magic, maybe?)

I was abruptly pulled from my thoughts by Kouen's stern command. "Find whoever it is then. I'm not familiar with the priests. Take the girl with you," He said, nodding in my direction.

(I have a name...)

I scowled lightly but followed his orders, placing myself next to Judar.

It was decided that Kouen and Kouha would remain and ward off any remaining soldiers in the area while Kougyoku met up with Jafar and Hakuryuu. Alibaba and Aladdin were to transport any remaining townspeople while Judar and I tracked down whoever had led the attack force here from Kou. The group split and I followed Judar through the town.

We searched the area, stumbling upon our man in question all too easily. Just as before, I found myself with Judar, encircled by hordes enemy soldiers.

(We don't have time for more of this nonsense.)

I gripped my sword, reciting the magic I'd used many times before in my past. I focused on the amount of water held in the human body before switching my gaze onto the troops around us. I was almost overwhelmed with excitement as I summoned Aleia's power.

The entire mob of soldiers dropped their weapons immediately, clutching at their bodies as if they were being ripped apart. One by one, each man fell, water bursting through their flesh and out onto the ground. Within seconds, the first layer of soldiers lie dead in the puddles of liquid that once inhabited their bodies. The remaining waves of soldiers watched in terror, their gazes all fearfully landing on me.

"What the hell just happened," Judar asked, staring at the fresh corpses that surrounded us.

"Aleia's special attack. I mastered it long ago. It extracts the water from the human body, leaving a withered corpse looking like a popped balloon," I informed him.

"How gruesome," he muttered. "I recall you doing the same to a giant beetle back in a dungeon," he smirked.

(That's right! I nearly killed myself in the process too. And when I awoke, we were hiding out from Kenna's familiars... Which reminds me...)

I suddenly remembered that Kenna wielded Life Magic as well. With curiosity getting the better of me, I held out my hand. The soldiers all shrunk back in fear, watching cautiously. "Kenna, Hades Cane," I said quietly. In an instant, chains extended from the ring on my finger, burning furiously through the air. At the ends of the chains, huge dog-like creatures howled and jutted about, flames flickering from their bodies as they rustled against one another.

(I count three large hell hounds. Kenna's familiars.)

I mock struggled to keep the hounds tame and the soldiers readied themselves to run.

"Stay where you are and fight!" a voice boomed through the air. "They're merely dogs," the man continued. I directed my gaze towards the voice and saw the man standing a top a small platform behind his soldiers. Behind him were two Dark Djinn, looming menacingly over us.

At his command, the soldiers gritted their teeth and faced me again. I simply shrugged and dropped the chains, letting the hell-hounds run rampant. I watched in amusement as the hounds tore through the soldiers like rabid animals. Soon, the entire street was covered in flames.

"Just the man we've been searching for," Judar said, his lip pulling up at one corner.

"Judar," the man said, his black robes rustling in the wind. "Call off your little princess. There's no need to be fighting us! We strived so hard for this, don't you remember?" the man said in a pleading tone.

Before even giving us the chance to respond, the man cast his cane out and the Dark Djinn behind followed suit. Their heavy bodies moved in our direction and I readied myself to counter them. I focused my energy on merging the hounds together. The ring on my finger burned and pulsated as the Hounds banded together, the flames from their bodies growing as tall as the Dark Djinn.

"Mei," Judar said, his voice low. I turned towards him, meeting his gaze directly. My brow furrowed at his troubled expression as I waited for him to speak. "You're using too much Magoi," he said, tapping me lightly on the forehead.

"I'll hold out a little longer. I'll be fine," I said, grinning up at him. Just as the giant Hell-Hound began to attack the Dark Djinn, I pushed forwards, clearing out any remaining soldiers. The entire area was burning up and so was my body.

(Just a bit more!)

I pushed myself further and further, rushing into fight after fight until not a single soldier was left standing.

(I can't believe I'm still so powerful! I-)

A sharp pain in my side cut my thoughts off and I glanced down to see a gaping wound on my hip. Blood slowly stained my garments and I glanced around, looking for whatever may have caused it. My eyes landed on the man from before. His staff was pointed towards me and black rukh swarmed the air around him.

(He... shot me?)

My vision blurred slightly and I dropped my sword. I could hear Judar's voice from nearby. Only a moment later, I felt his arms around me.

"I told you! You used too much magoi," he hissed angrily.

"But it's such a small wound, I can keep going!" I argued, pushing his hands away. Just as I did so, my body sunk to the ground. "I can," I muttered, trying to force the words out of my throat.

(No... I messed up. I-)

"Mei!" Judar screamed my name. I felt his hands warm against my cheeks. My eyes met his, and for the moment, he was all I could see.

(I was always too reckless during battle. Is this my punishment for that? Will I die here like this?)

"I'm gonna fix it! Mei, just- just," I could hear Judar panic as the Rukh around him swarmed wildly.

His hands were moving frantically over me and I reached up, catching his fingers between my own. He stopped, his worried gaze met mine. I smiled up at him as brightly as I could manage, allowing the warmth from the sight of him flood through me.

(He's so worried. Just look at the face he's making.)

I tried to blink back the tears in my eyes but they rolled down my face in heavy droplets. I couldn't stop smiling as I recorded every detail of Judar's face hovering over mine.

"Judar," I called out to him, my voice a hoarse whisper. His panicked eyes met mine as he listened. "Thank you for giving me a second chance here. And I'm so, so sorry that I wasted it."

"No, you shut up! I'm healing you! Just, shut up and let me-" he said, choking back his own tears. His hands pulled away from mine as he pushed the rukh through my body. I could feel them buzzing through me rapidly but I knew he wouldn't be able to save me.

With what little strength I had left, I placed my palm against Judar's face and he stopped instantly. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that it was too late so I simply smiled up at him. He seemed to realize it anyway, however, and he gritted his teeth before leaning down and pressing his forehead to mine.

"Don't go," he whispered.

I opened my eyes but I couldn't see anything. Darkness stretched out as far as I could see no matter how wide my eyes were open. I could practically feel myself slipping out of this body and I didn't bother fighting it. Judar was probably doing everything he could to hold my soul down and I was busy letting go. Despite my blindness, I still had the image of him burned into my mind. His crimson red eyes and long, black, braided hair. I felt the warmth of a single tear spilling from my eyes as they snapped shut. I breathed in deeply and the scent of black pepper and cinnamon filled my lungs.

(Such a short time here and yet, you've become so important to me. How could I have not seen it?)

I felt his arms around me, squeezing whatever life I had left out of my body.

(I'm so sorry, Judar.)

Light shimmered through my vision and for an instant, all I could see was a stream of Rukh.