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threadofdestiny · 5 years ago

Text

The opportunities we may take

(The picture was a comission i ordered from a friend. Check her out -> Fantasiamind_art)

Sinbad x OC

Soulmate AU

Part 5

Solomon´s gift

---Temple of Dalmasca, Sanctum of Solomon’s writings---

"He is such an idiot! Did he really have to run into that time-window-thing without thinking about it? Did he ultimately lost his damn mind?", Ja'far fumed, gripping his white hair in panic. He ran angrily up and down the podium, while Yamraiha watched the glowing veil with interest, trying to analyze how it works. Masrur, however, sat on one of the steps, after lighting up the four torches surrounding the platform, while he decided to silently watch his two companions.

"I mean, he can't really be damn serious! Besides, can you actually believe what the Djinn had said? He can't exist twice at the same time. What the hell does that even mean?", the young advisor continued to whine, throwing his arms up in the air.

"What if his younger self is going to vanish? Or his present self? What if Sindria is going to vanish? This damn idiot puts us all at risk. And all of this for a damn girl.", Ja'far went on furiously, already getting a very red face, because he forgot to breath properly in his anger. "You use the word "damn" quite often right now, Ja'far", Yamraiha mumbled absently, while she was trying to touch the shining veil, unfortunately without success. "Hmm, something is stopping us from going in as well. Very interesting.", analyzed the magician, before she decided to walk around the phenomen to inspect it from all angles.

At that moment the veil flickered again before finally their purple haired companion stepped out with deliberate steps. When Ja'far noticed him, he turned angrily to Sinbad, deciding to strangle him for his recklessness. But before he could take action the adviser saw the girl in the arms of his king and stopped abruptly in his tracks.

The generals gasped in surprise at the sight of the couple. A huge amount of rukh fluttered around them as the veil and the flowing lights began to disappear behind them. The glow of the bangle that rested on the girl's wrist went out after a few seconds. The young woman sighed exhausted, but made no move to shift otherwise. Her arms were wrapped tightly around Sinbad's shoulders, while her face was pressed against the bend of his neck. The king's gaze wandered from Salome to his generals as a triumphant grin spread across his lips.

"I'm back! Did you miss me?", announced the king humorously, while he tried to adjust Salome in his arms. His companions raised their eyebrows in disbelief, while waiting for Sinbad to stop joking around, still shocked to find the girl from the magical artifact in their kings presence.

Suddenly the girl began to move in the man's grasp and slowly raised her head. "W-Would you please be so kind to put me down?", she whispered shyly in his ear, as she loosened her arms around his shoulders.

"Ah, yes, of course.", he answered before carefully setting Salome down. However, he didn't let go of her completely, strangely not ready to do so. His hand lingered on her waist as he looked worriedly at her pale face. With a mild smile on her lips, she bashfully looked up at the purple haired man. If he were a different man, the soft expression with which the young woman gazed up at him, would have embarrased him eventually. However, Sinbad was used to the delighted looks most women gave him, so he was pleased that she was doing it too. But if he was honest to himself, he couldn't help but to stare at her in wonderment as well. She was actually here. He had truly carried her through the veil into his time.

Her dainty hand rested on his chest to stabilize her balance, as she turned uncertainly around to face the king's entourage. They all looked at her with wide eyes, hardly believing that Salome really stood in front of them. It was not difficult to guess that she had just come from a battlefield. Her clothes were torn in many places, her skin was covered with scratches and her face was pale from the magoi's deprivation. Still, she looked at the generals with clear, curious eyes.

She watched the three people quietly until Sinbad finally cleared his throat and began to introduce them to each other:"Salome, may I introduce you to three of my closest friends? These are Yamraiha, Ja'far and Masrur. Guys, this pretty lady is Salome.", Sinbad said cheerfully, trying not to show that he too was surprisingly exhausted from the withdrawal of his magoi. She gave each of the three generals a shy smile, while she unconsciously tried to smooth her dress down. Yamraiha gave her an encouraging grin as she winked at the brown-haired young woman. Masrur nodded silently, while Ja'far came up to her and offered his hand for her to shake, greeting her with a friendly smile on his lips:"Glad to meet you, Miss Salome.", spoke the white-haired young man in a kind manner. Salome looked surprised at the hand she was offered, but then beamed at Ja'far and embraced his hand warmly with hers as she replied: "Thank you very much. It's nice to meet you, too."

At the moment she had let go of Sinbad, however, her legs suddenly gave way under her, while black dots appeared briefly in front of her eyes. Before she could fall over, both Sinbad's hands tightened around her waist, while Ja'far grabbed her shoulders hastily. "Uh...I'm sorry ... I'm feeling a little dizzy.", Salome gasped, blinking, while holding onto Ja'far's forearms in hope to stabilize herself.

"It's alright. Sin, we should sit her down so she can rest a bit.", the advisor turned to his king, who nodded in agreement. Together they sank to the floor to sit down for a moment. As Yamraiha came closer to look at the younger girl, Ja'far moved away to make room for them. Sinbad, on the other hand, stayed behind Salome without separating himself from her.

"Hmm, looks like Magoi depletion ... but I'm not surprised. Time and Space magic requires a lot of Magoi, you have to have really high reserves, after all, you're still awake. I have never seen such powerful magic. Where have you been, before Sinbad hd reached you?", asked Yamraiha curiously.

Salome swallowed before answering hesitantly: "Here ... But Dalmasca was under attack. The priests were getting ready to seal the temple." Sinbad stroked gently over Salome's skin of her upper arms, leaving a gentle tingling sensation.

"Wow...That... That's several years ago... That's impossible. I mean it should be impossible.", Yamraiha explained, looking at Sinbad with a worried expression. "The priests said that Alexander is an extremely powerful Djinn ... In addition, the reader of the waves is able to shape fate according to his will.", Salome tried to help clarify as she turned to Sinbad looking up at him admiringly. "I think without you I would have been lost in a time crack until I finally ran out of magoi. But you could see where we have to go. You are so strong.", whispered Salome, looking enchanted into his golden eyes, which resembled the natural color of the rukh that circled around them. Sinbad grinned triumphantly at her, satisfied with the compliments he received from the pretty girl in his arms.

"Incredible!"The magician breathed, leaning back, as she thought about the new information's. "You... you are a blessed one, aren't you?", Salome asked, looking briefly at the staff which rests next to the mage's feet, after she turned her attention back to the other woman.

"Eh? What?", Yamraiha replied, blushing.

"You can manipulate the rukh with your magoi, right? You are blessed with the power of magic. It is an honor to meet you!", Salome explained and bowed her head respectfully as the rukh joyfully flew around them. "Oh my, you're so cute. I've never been called that. Haha, I like it!", Yamraiha shouted, holding her glowing cheeks, while she decided to rub this title under Sharrkan's nose later.

Sinbad, who had listened to the conversation, spoke up:"Yam, let poor Salome take a breath before you bombard her with more questions. I think we'll take a break here before we start to leave this place."

After some rest, Salome had left the group for a moment, to sit a little further away, thinking about her situation. Sinbad sat next to Ja'far and Masrur to discuss how to proceed, while Yamraiha stood a few steps below and eagerly deciphered the characters on the walls.

Salome found it difficult to understand what had happened recently. Just a few hours ago she and her brother had ran away from black Djinns and enemy magicians and now she was in the sanctuary, but no longer in her time. She felt disconnected and dreaded what she would discover if she left this platform. It was a comforting feeling that the rukh tried to console her, that she did everything right, but she couldn't stop wondering if the price hadn't been too high.

"Are you alright?", came Sinbad's velvet voice behind her. Torn out of her thoughts, she turned to the man who had spoken to her and looked into his golden eyes. It was still hard to believe that he was with her. His presence felt incredibly right, and yet it was kind of strange. Surreal.

"Ah... yes. Thank you," she replied, watching him sit down next to her. They looked at each other silently for a few moments, not knowing how to start the conversation, when Salome decided to break the silence.

"Did you make it, Sinbad?", she asked curiously and let her eyes slide over Sinbad's appearance. He was a really handsome man who wore very fine clothes. When she spoke his name, a soft gleam appeared in his eyes. Sinbad cocked his head questioningly as he examined her carefully. "What are you talking about?"

"Did you actually manage to form a kingdom?", she asked, turning completely towards him. A big grin spread across Sinbad's lips as he proudly inflated his chest.

"Yes, the kingdom of Sindria! You will love it. I promise!", he answered with a proud expression on his face, before he began to discribe his kingdom enthusiasticly:"It is an island, like this one. We have nice weather all year round. The markets are filled with products from all over the world and the fish that the fishermen catch is incredibly delicious. Everyone smiles and works hard to make this country bloom.", he said excited as he reached for her hand euphorically, overlooking the sad glimmer in her eyes for a moment.

"I'll show you everything. The market place, the harbor, the beach and of course the palace", he begann to count, when he suddenly catched her sad expression:"I am sorry... Are you alright?", he asked when Salome tilted her face to the side. Immediately she sat up a little straighter again and smiled reassuringly:"My apologies, everything you have said sounds wonderful and I am glad that you want to show it to me. I... I'm just a little afraid of what awaits me out there. For me Dalmasca was attacked a few hours ago.", Salome explained carefully. Sinbad could have slapped himself immediately. Of course, she wasn't feeling well. How could he suppress that this was not necessarily a nice situation for her? She looked completely deranged and he had seen what condition Dalmasca was in. "Tell me ... is it very bad out there? I wonder how the people are.", Salome bit her lower lip nervously, as she glanced at the stairs. Sinbad squeezed her fingers gently before he ran his thumb over them. When he shifted a little closer to her, he ran his free hand over her dust-covered cheeks.

"To be honest ... I have to admit that it's not a pretty sight ... This island is in ruins ... and unfortunately I haven't met a human soul yet.", Sinbad said hesitantly, watching how her lips trembled.

"But I'm sure there are still people living on this island. When we landed at the harbor, we noticed currently used fishing boats. Whatever happens, Salome, I ... uh I mean: we are with you. You don't have to go through this alone.", he tried to cheer her up. Sinbad was surprised to feel his ears get hot when he saw a grateful glint in her pretty turquoise eyes as she put her free hand on their intervened ones.

"Thank you, Sinbad.", she murmured gently.

"Wow, the rukh are totally crazy about them.", Yamraiha stated with interest after she had joined Ja'far and Masrur at the top of the stairs again. The other two also glanced furtively at the couple. Masrur's expression didn't reveal his thoughts, but Ja'far looked a little worried.

"What's wrong, Ja'far?", Yamraiha asked when she noticed his expression.

"I just wonder how it will go on. Sinbad is not exactly the type of men who keeps a girl. Look at how young she is. Sooner or later he will wrap her around his finger and then what? breaking her heart?", he whispered softly so that only the two generals could hear him. The other two generals thought about what was said when Ja'far continued with his explanation: "I mean look at how she is already gazing at him. It can't go well."

"Well I don't know what you see Ja'far, but I rather have the feeling that Sinbad is staring at her like a puppy in love. Also ... ah, never mind, we should just wait and see what happens. For my part, I like her. She carried an incredibly warm atmosphere around her, if you get what I mean.", Yamraiha replied and received an approving nod from the two men.

"She is a good person.", Masrur agreed before getting up and walking towards Sinbad and Salome.

"We should go back to the ship. The sun will go down in a few hours.", he said loudly enough for everyone to hear. As if on his sign, everyone rose, before lifting the torches out of their holders.

As they descended the stairs, Salome pointed to the walls, where the golden characters were faintly visible. "This place is the sanctuary of the temple of Dalmasca. It is written that the high priest Alexander built this church with his disciples and immortalized the writings of Solomon on these walls.", Salome described, while Ja'far turned to her questioningly: "Alexander? Like your Djinn?"

The girl nodded.

"It seems so, yes. It is said that he descended from Solomons holy kingdom on behalf of the great king himself to guard the flow of the Rukh and to aid it's listener as soon as she is born into the world.", she replied, trying to get closer to the edge of the stairs, hoping to better illuminate the scriptures.

"You are the listener of the rukh, right? Alexander had called you by that name.", Sinbad said, watching the girl like a hawk. Salome paused and pouted at him:"Alexander spoke to you?" He nodded in confusion before answering:"Yes, he brought us here. Whereby I actually wonder how he could manifest himself without a magi, especially when his vessel was not even present."

"Alexander is a Djinn of the light type. During this time he may not have resided in a vessel anymore, but has returned to Solomon's stream. With light magic one is able to create illusions.", Salome conjectured and got an approving nod from Yamraiha.

"I guess it has also something to do with the amount of rukh that are residing here.", Yamraiha interjected thoughtfully. "Dalmasca has always been surrounded by many rukh. Is that abnormal?", asked Salome.

Sinbad and Yamraiha nodded in agreement before the mage spoke again. "Yeah a lot. Sindria also has a lots of rukh, but I guess that's because of Sinbad. I wonder if it's up to you that so many rukh are gathering here."

Salome shrugged as she continued down the stairs. "No idea. But there were also a lot of blessed people living here. The temple trained them to become priests.", Salome replied.

Once at the bottom, the brown-haired girl paused and took a deep breath. Her gaze slid over the skelletons that lay on the floor as her shoulders slumped. Sinbad immediately stood next to her and put a hand on her shoulder blades.

"Are you alright?", he whispered, stroking her back. Swallowing, Salome nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. "I, yes ... But they shouldn't be lying around here so neglected. It's not fair.", she muttered sadly. Sinbad looked at his generals, who looked back expectantly.

"We don't have much time left.", Masrur said. Sinbad turned to Salome apologetically, but she shook her head and spoke in a defensively manner:"I understand. Just give me a short moment, yes? I want to say goodbye."

Reluctantly, her companions nodded and moved away from her. The generals were already moving in the corridor that would lead them up into the hall. Sinbad, however, stopped at the entrance and turned to Salome, who had put her hand on her chest and bowed respectfully to the deceased priests.

With her profile turned to him, he could see that she was saying something, but he was too far away to hear what. Fascinated, Sinbad watched her head tilt to the side, as she seem to listen to something only she could hear. The light of the torch, which was in her hand, illuminated her face, as a gentle smile spread on her lips. Her face turned in his direction as she nodded confidently. When their eyes met, there was a crackle in the air that sent a shiver down both of their spines. As if by itself, Sinbad's legs moved back to her as she looked up at him expectantly. Her attention was completely back to the man who was attracting her like a magnet and she was surprised to find that her heart suddenly began to beat much faster. When he stopped in front of her, he raised his hand to run his fingers gently over her ear. Her breath caught as his golden eyes stared intently into her turquoise ones.

"What did you hear, my dear?", he asked in a velvety voice, while the gold in his eyes got a liquid sheen from the firelight. "I'm not supposed to be sad because the priests are now part of the holy stream again. They say I should follow you and keep going on.", she whispered, caught by his gaze. His fingers left her ear to slowly brush across her jaw.

"You told me in your message that you were waiting for me because you were meant to be with me.", he recited, leaning forward slowly as his fingers slid under her chin, while he received a silent nod from Salome. A wolfish grin spread across his lips as his eyes slid to her plump ones. Giving in to his need, he ran his thumb over her lower lip, completely overwhelmed by how much the connection between them made the air sizzle around them.

"I don't know why your King Solomon gave me such a nice gift, but I'm very happy to accept it!", he purred as his free hand went over her shaking one, holding the torch to stabilize it.

Salome looked at him speechless. The atmosphere between them had changed suddenly and it was difficult for her to keep calm. She had completely underestimated their connection. Of course, she had felt how it was getting stronger after actually facing each other for the first time, but that ... that was intense. Is that what Solomon wanted?

"Sinbad.", she breathed, while she slowly put her hand on his chest, not sure if she wanted to dig into the fabric or push him away.

Suddenly there was a loud bang from the upper floor which made them detach from each other in alarm. Sinbad hurriedly snatched the torch from her hand and reached for Salome's wrist with his other one.

"Come!", he ordered before pulling her behind him to run up the stairs to the front hall.

#sinbad magi #sinbadxoc #adventuresofsinbad #sinbad #ocxsinbad #sinbad no bouken #magi #magilabyrinthofmagic #magithekingdomofmagic #magi the labyrinth of magic #magi the kingdom of magic

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threadofdestiny · 5 years ago

Text

The opportunities we may take

(The Picture was a comission I ordered from a friend. Check her out -> Fantasiamind_art on instagram)

Sinbad x OC

Soulmate AU

Part 4

Ruins

---At the shore of Dalmasca---

The island of Dalmasca was surrounded by sand-colored, steep cliffs, that could only be reached by boat from one point, the former haven. The dark clouds hung deep over the sky, while the waves of the restless sea hit relentlessly against the bare stones. After examining the ruins of the harbor, Sinbad gave the signal to anchor the ship further away from the shore. From his position, he could see that much of it had been destroyed and were now sunken into the depths of the sea. Some old shipwrecks half jutted out of the water, making it too dangerous to sail closer to the island with the sindrian vessel. There was no human soul to be seen at the destroyed port, everything looked deserted at first glance and overgrown with plants.

"Oh my...Are you sure you want to go there, Sin?", muttered Yamraiha, who looked over the railing not standing far away from her king. With his jaw clenched tightly, he nodded before turning to Ja'far, who stood to his right:"Make sure they let a boat into the water. You, Yam and Masrur come with me. Sharrkan stays on the ship to guard it with the crew."

"Oh man. I want to go, too, why do I have to stay?", the heliohaptian protested. When Ja'far dutifully turned away to do his job, Sinbad turned to his sword master and put a hand on his shoulder. "I count on you, Sharrkan. We don't know if and who lives on this island. We have to be prepared for everything." "Man, that sucks!"

The heliohaptian sulkily crossed his arms behind his head, as he turned away from Sinbad. "I could finally have some fun and now I have to play babysitter for those dimwits.", Sharrkan complained as he moved away from the others, pouting. Amused, Sinbad looked after his white-haired general before turning his gaze back to the ruins. His smile crumbled and a serious expression spread across his face as he mentally prepared himself for the coming adventure. Lost in his thoughts, a few moments passed before Masrur came up to him and cleared his throat for a moment:"The boat is ready.", announced the Fanalis, after Sinbad turned attentively to him. Nodding, the king detached himself from the railing and followed Yamraiha and Masrur to the main deck, where the boat was lowered into the water.

As they had already observed from the ship, the harbor looked pretty deserted. Rubble lay on the paths, parts of the jetties had completely broken away and the former warehouses had collapsed and were no longer accessible. "How horrible... This place is a mess! If the harbor looks like this, what does the rest look like?", murmured the only woman in the group, nervously pressing her staff against her chest. The others left her statement uncommented as they looked around. Now that they were ashore and the shipwrecks and other ruins were no longer obstructing their view, they could see some small fishing boats that were fenced on lower piers.

"They don't look like they've been unused for years. Be vigilant.", Sinbad remarked, pointing to the boat that was closest to them. Now, even more careful, they made their way around the rubble. From the harbor, a wide paved path led up a hill, which seemed to be the only way into the interior of the island. This path was overgrown with weeds and debris as well, but it seemed as if the greatest debris had been cleared aside.

When the group had almost reached the top of the hill, Masrur suddenly turned to the side and stared intently into the distance. "Do you see something?", Sinbad asked, when he noticed, that his companion had stopped in his tracks. "Someone's watching us.", Masrur replied monotonously, his gaze fixated on the high cliffs in the distance.

When his companions followed his gaze, something shiny flashed in the sunlight, but it disappeared from one moment to the next. "Did you see what it was?", asked Ja'far, who was trying to shield the light from his eyes with one of his hands, hoping to see better. The Fanalis shrugged his shoulders in response and then looked inquiringly at his leader, who pointed to the path ahead of them. "Let's go ahead for now. As long as we don't know if they are just surviving residents, we should try not to look like we are hostile."

Once at the top of the hill, the destroyed city of Dalmasca that stretched in the valley of the island, came into view. "Oh my...", Yamraiha breathed, as she looked around. Much of the city was devastated as if various natural disasters had raged at the same time. The part closest to the now cooled vulcan was buried under a layer of cooled lava. In other areas it looked as if the earth had broken away beneath the city, while debris from destroyed houses lay scattered across the place, as if a mighty storm had once raged there. Sinbad's breath caught as he scanned the ruins. Cold sweat spread across his forehead as a crumbling Sindria appeared before his inner eye. Feeling like he was thrown back into the past, he heard the helpless cries of the citizens ring in his ears. Men and women who tried to defend their homes, children who cried out for their missing parents, friends who gave their lives ...

"Sin... Sin...Sinbad!"

Torn from his traumatic memories, Sinbad opened his eyes and looked up at Ja'far, who leaned over him with a worried expression on his freckled face. Only then did the king realize that he had dropped to his knees, while holding his aching head in his hands. "Are you okay?", asked Sinbad's adviser, gently placing a hand on his king's shoulder. "Yes. Thank you.", he replied. When he started to get up, the air around them began to flicker. Behind the two men, who crouched on the ground, Yamraiha gasped in surprise and pointed to the vulcan, which was directly in their line of sight. "Look, an incredible number of rukh currently gathering there.", she cried. When the men followed her gaze, they were surprised to find that even they were able to recognize the amount of golden birds that were now moving directly towards them. Like a small flock of dancing fairies, they flew around them excitedly when a male voice suddenly sounded: "Reader of the waves, why did you come?"

"Who is speaking? Show yourself!", Sinbad demanded to know as he looked around for the person who had spoken to him while his companions positioned around him in case they have to defend their king against an opponent. Directly in front of the group a tall, luminous figure manifested itself, hovering over the ground, dressed in wide priestly robes and golden armor. The top half of his face was covered by a golden helmet, which, however, had no slits for his eyes. Like rays of the sun, thin pointed bars framed the decorated helmet. Both his chest and forearms, which are flashing out from under his wide sleeves, were armored. The long golden staff that the figure held in his right hand was also shaped like a sun at the tip. The rukh excitedly circled the radiant figure who seemed to be looking down on them. "My name is Alexander. I am the keeper of the flow.", the man answered in an elevated tone, before repeating his question calmly:"So tell me reader of the waves, what is it you are looking for on the sacred grounds of Dalmasca?"

The appraised men looked disparagingly at the radiant figure who calls himself Alexander. Reluctantly, he put his hand in his pocket and took out the small turquoise crystal that had reached him a few weeks ago. "I'm looking for the girl who sent me this artifact.", he said truthfully. Silence spread between the two parties, while Alexander turned his attention to the magical object that rested in the hands of the king. "Then you're probably a few years too late. Fate has brought her back to the Rukh," the priest replied, watching Sinbad's posture become rigid. Struggling for words, Sinbad took a step towards the figure, who continued to float undeterred above the ground. Before the purple-haired man could open his mouth, however, Alexander began to speak again. "I have to say that I am surprised that you traveled to this island. After all, this path was closed to you several years ago, wasn't it? And yet here you are, trying to find something that vanished ages ago.", spoke Alexander completely unfazed, despite his testimony. "Nonetheless, I wonder what you'd give to reach her?"

The generals escaped a surprised murmur as Sinbad inhaled sharply. Thousands of thoughts shot through his head as he tried to process Alexander's question. "What do you mean by that?", asked the king suspiciously. A mild smile spread across the figure's lips. "Well, there may be one last way to bring the reader of waves and the listener of the flow together. But it will cost you a lot. Are you ready to pay that price?"

"Tell me what I have to pay?"

The grin that was on Alexander's lips continued to spread. "Well, on the one hand a fairly large amount of your magoi, but this will fill up again if you are able to fulfill this task.", he began to explain, but was interrupted by Ja'far: "Wait, what does it mean "if he fulfills this task"?"

"If he can get to her, before he run out of magoi. In that case he would loose his life.", Alexander answered as a matter of fact. At that, the companions of the king began to stiff, while Sinbad remained unfazed. "What else will it cost me?", asked the leader, who thoughtfully crossed his arms over his chest in a stubborn manner. He tried to appear calm, hoping that they wouldn't notice that his heart was pounding in his chest.

"What it would have cost you all the time. You know what it is! You saw it, didn't you?"

Sinbad immediately realized what Alexander was alluding to. He thought of the many times he had looked in her direction and the many times that he had hesitated because of what was always behind her: Disappearing paths that no longer wanted to open up to him.

Was he really ready to give up his clear view of his future paths? He concentrated on himself and considered what to do. He could go back and do what he had done before, but hadn't he decided to finally find answers? Salome had told him that he could overcome any hurdle and turn fate as he wanted it to be. Now, here he was standing and according to this figure had one last chance to reach out to her.

"I'm ready to give it up!", Sinbad answered firmly and looked up at Alexander with a challenging twinkle in his eyes. His generals, who could not quite follow, gasped and looked at their king in horror.

"Sinbad, are you sure? This is madness! You could die trying to reach someone, you didn't know. It doesn't seem like a good idea to me!", protested Ja'far, as he put a shaking hand on his kings upper arm. Sinbad, on the other hand, just threw a mischievous grin over his shoulder and raised his fist in the air. "I know what I'm doing, don't panic!"

While his generals were far from convinced, the hovering figure nodded contentedly and slowly raised his staff. "Very well.", he said before a glowing circle formed around the travelers. Before they could react, the surroundings flickered again, when the scenery suddenly changed.

They were shocked to find out that they had changed locations within a few seconds and were now on a ledge directly on the cliffs of the vulcan. Alexander hovered past them and pointed his Staff at the lava-covered wall. The tip lit up again when suddenly part of the wall melted away and revealed the entrance of a temple. The gates, on which an eight-pointed star surrounded by a circle was engraved in the stone, were closed. Slowly the priestly figure turned to the travelers and raised his free hand, palm facing up, in their direction. "I'll show you what happened, while we follow this way", he said monotonously, when suddenly many small lights began to float around the group. The surroundings flickered again when suddenly the sounds of footsteps running in their direction could be heard. Alerted, the four companions turned around and looked surprised at the translucent figures that were approaching them.

Rushed, a young couple ran up the stairs to the temple. A brown-haired boy pulled an equally brown-haired girl after him, while grabbing his sword with his free hand, which was attached to his belt. Sinbad and the others were shocked to find out that it was the same pair of siblings, which they saw in the turquoise crystal a few weeks ago. As they got closer they could see that they were being chased by a large dark figure.

"A black Djinn!", gasped Ja'far and reached in a reflex for his daggers, when the boy suddenly took a swing and pulled his sister in front of him with full force, before he let go of her. Stumbling forward, the girl landed panting on the floor in front of the group. Her translucent body turned as fast as she could to her brother, who stood protectively in front of her and pointed his sword towards the image of the dark Djinn.

"Sacra Ilumini," he shouted at the monster when suddenly a huge beam of light broke out of the tip of his sword and hit the Djinn in the middle of its chest.

"Malik! Salome!", came a familiar voice from behind those who were present when suddenly the blonde-haired priest, Kunar, hurried out of the temple. Other priests followed him and positioned themselves protectively around the siblings. Holding their staffs defensively in front of them, various spells sounded, which manifested the elements around them and successfully hitting the dark Djinn.

After they defeated it, Malik ran to his sister and hurriedly helped her up. "Hurry up, we have to get you inside the temple!", her brother urged, making a move to drag her after him. Salome resisted, however, and looked panicked towards the city.

"Malik, we can't just run away. We have to help them!", the girl pleaded and helplessly tore at her brother's arm, who roughly grabbed her by the shoulders. "You go to the temple now and follow those damn rukh. We have to get you to safety!", he snapped, trying to shake her mind awake."They're here because of you and I will not allow them to get their filthy hands on you. You can't do anything here, Salome!" He added desperately. "Then you have to go. Help Isaac to protect the residents. Please, Malik!", she pleaded and reached desperately onto her brother's collar. "No, I will stay with you and protect you! I am your household vessel I swore to protect you, sister"

The priests in the background became restless and indicated that they had to hurry. More dark Djinns made their way to the temple and destroyed everything that stood in their way. Salome's hands encircled her brother's face, who shook his head desperately.

"Listen to me! Malik, you have to listen to me. I want you to go to Isaac now and protect the people and I'll go with Kunar who accompanies me to the Sanctum. Do you understand me? You best protect me now doing what I'm asking you to do!", Salome whispered emphatically. Her watery eyes were fixated on her brother's. Malik shook his head slightly, his lips trembling in despair. "Malik... brother... please! I am going to be alright. I promise!", the young woman cried, grabbing her brothers cheeks more desperatly. Sobbing, he hugged his sister briefly before nodding reluctantly.

"All right!", he breathed as he pulled away from her. Kunar came up to her and grabbed Salome's arm to take her to the temple. Salome reached for her brother's hand one last time, while tears ran down her cheeks as their fingers finally separated and the two of them turned away from each other. While Malik, followed by some magicians, hurried down the stairs, Salome ran with Kunar, past Sinbad and his generals, and disappeared inside the temple.

Before Sinbad could register what he was doing, he hurriedly pushed open the gates to the church, not registering how the octagonal circle lightned up briefly, before he rushed to the front hall. Small lights hovered there in the air as well, illuminating the half-decayed hall. The furniture, dusty and destroyed, lay scattered around the room with a stone layer covering the top of it. Some of the corridors had been collapsed and were no longer accessible, but the scariest were the equally petrified figures, who looks like fighting magicians. Some wore the temple's priestly robes, while others looked more ragged. In the middle of the room even a dark Djinn knelt, petrified, which seemed to have reached for a priest, before it got cought in a spell which seemed to have turned everyone into stone. "What a sight!", gasped Yamraiha, who followed her king inside. "There are so many rukh flying around here.", she remarked as she carefully stepped closer to one of the stone-figures. "Are they real people? What powerful spell has turned them all into stone and who would have used this?", she asked aloud as she went through various formulas in her head. Ja'far and Masrur followed their king deeper inside the hall and looked around tensly when suddenly the surroundings flickered again and translucent figures began to fight around them. Kunar and Salome hurried across the hall when a blast suddenly took them off their feet. Two magicians wrapped in dark robes came hurrying towards them while they chanted another spell to fire them in Kunar's direction. However, he skillfully fended them of with wind magic while grinning mischievously at his opponents.

"That was cute. You can't do more?", the young priest provoked and stood protectively in front of Salome and held out a hand to push her further in the direction of a corridor. Salome hesitated briefly, but was led by an unknown priest to continue walking.

"Go, my dear. I'll be right behind you!", he said reassuringly to the girl, who was slowly starting to walk on. When she reached the corridor, Kunar nodded to his fellow priest, who nodded back resolutely, before he brought the entrance to collapse with a chanted spell. The last thing they could see from Salome was how she reached horrified towards the entrance, before the debris blocked the view of her.

Sinbad and his companions turned to the collapsed corridor in which Salome had disappeared. Infront of the rubble they discovered a person that they had seen just a few seconds ago. With wild curly hair and in his priestly robes, he knelt on the floor, one hand down in front of him while the other firmly held the staff over his head. Five opponents opposed him, their staffs dangerously aiming at him. Masrur leaned forward and brushed the dust around the holy magician aside, revealing how the structure of the rock around him had changed. Behind him the floor seemed to have its original sand-colored structure, while everything from Kunar's body was layered in a darker colored stone, pervading the whole room.

"I would say we found the magician who knew such a spell.", murmured Sinbad, who had approached Masrur to see what he had discovered. However, the king quickly averted his gaze upon the man and turned to the collapsed corridor again, thinking about how they could get the stones aside without causing more to collapse.

As if on cue, Alexander floated past them, pointed his staff at the rubble, which all of a sudden started to move slowly until the stones started to put themselves together. The entrance to the corridor was rebuilt on its own like a puzzle that solves itself, revealing a well-preserved passage. Impressed and speechless, the travelers watched the priestly spirit completing his spell, before he turned his body to them: "Follow this corridor and go down the stairs to the sanctum.", the spirit said to Sinbad, before he disposed himself into small, fading lights.

"I still don't have a good feeling about it.", Ja'far murmured while peering into the dark hallway. Masrur and Yamraiha were silent, but seemed to quietly agree with him. "What motivates you to follow the path, Sin? Is this about what the girl had said to you? She could have lied, Sin. There can be no such thing as couples that are destined to be together.", said Ja'far, looking for betraying emotions in Sinbad's features.

His expression, however, remained largely unaffected as he started to enter the hall. Concentrated, he took one step after another, taking his time to respond to his advisor's statement: "You have to admit that what she had said was in any way very accurate. You really believe that she could have lied?", Sinbad asked rhetorically, already knowing that everything Salome had said to him was absolutely correct.

'You saw it, didn't you? Those lines? But you decided not to follow them.', her voice echoed in his ears. How many times had he listened to her words the last few weeks, wondering if he could have gone his way with her by his side.

"No, I don't really think she lied. How could she have? She talked about things that happened in the future, but you've been behaving abnormally since you first saw this message. Since when have you been chasing a girl? I mean seriously chasing? What do you do when you find her?", Ja'far asked curiously as he followed his king into the corridor like the rest of the group.

Sinbad stopped abruptly in his tracks, registering his adivisor's question. Ja'far was right, what would he do if he found her? What did he want from her? If he was honest, he didn't really know what to do. All he was doing was following a feeling that had troubled him for ages. His heart always had been racing faster when he saw her, even if he only saw an image of her. But what should he do with this information? Shaking off his thoughts, he put a hand on the back of his neck and turned to grin at his friends.

"I guess I'll find out when I find her!" He laughed and received a collective sigh from his generals.

It had taken an eternity to reach the end of the corridor. The deeper they descended, the more sultry the air became, but there were no obstacles in their way until they reached a closed door at the end of their path. Like the entrance to the temple, it was engraved with an eight-pointed star.

"This is the same sign that also rests on the Djinn vessels!", Ja'far commented thoughtfully. Sinbad's hand passed unconsciously over the sword, in which Baal resided, before he pressed his hands firmly against the door. The rukh gathered around Sinbad as he slowly opened the room and revealed another darkened hall.

It also showed slight traces of the devastation, but not nearly as much as the rest of Dalmasca. A faint light shone far above the room, but it was impossible to see the ceiling from where they stood. When Sinbad and his companions entered the room, white lights began to light up again and hover around them. On the floor were some skeletons dressed in rotted robes, all of them were facing the stone stairs, which led up in the middle of the room. Without thinking further ahead, Sinbad climbed up the stairs, followed by the lights. These were floating in the room and gently illuminating the walls, which were provided with golden letters.

"Incredible! T-That is Torran!" Yamraiha gasped, trying to get as close to the walls as possible without falling off the steps. The others also came closer and were overwhelmed by what was revealed before them.

Sinbad quickly turned away again. Attracted by the dim light that seemed to glow at the bottom of the stairs. The others had not noticed how their king ventured further up until his steps got more briskly the higher he climbed the steps.

Once at the top, Sinbad exhaled deeply and let himself process what he saw in front of him. The glow that he had perceived seemed to have come from some sort of floating crack that flickered softly. As Sinbad took a step to take a closer look at the phenomenon, the air vibrated around him. The rukh that had followed him, danced around him before rising to move around a manifesting figure. The shining spirit that had introduced himself as Alexander appeared once more before Sinbad. But this time he looked much bigger and his skin, which had previously looked pale, had now taken on a blue shade.

"I am Alexander, Djinn of preservation and alteration. The power of light rests in my staff, with which I can shape time and space itself.", echoed Alexander's powerful voice through the hall. "Tell me, Reader of the waves, are you ready to cross the veil to bring my royal candidate to you? Are you ready to pay the price?" Not particularly surprised at this turn of events, Sinbad looked up at the Djnn and replied: "Yes. I am ready." Nodding contentedly, Alexander pointed his staff at the crack in the atmosphere and indicated that he should go through.

"Go, King Sinbad. But keep in mind that there is already a version of you wherever you go. You must not linger. Get the girl and take her to your time!", the Djinn explained before he vanished again.

Sinbad resolutely turned back to the veil and crossed it without hesitation. Before the world darkened around him, he felt how his magoi was brutally withdrawn. Behind him he heard the hurried steps of his companions, who called out to him in panic.

"Sin!"

---In the sanctuary of the temple - 7 years prior---

Panting, Salome sank down in front of the steps of the platform. Her whole body trembled like aspen leaves, so much that she had the feeling that she could not go one step further without buckling again. The remaining priests hurried about, drawing chalk marks on the floor while others barricaded the gate. As she crouched there, looking up the stairs, exhausted, an infinite number of thoughts went through her head.

Was her brother okay? Had he reached Isaac and was now protecting the helpless residents together with the others? Why had Kunar lied to her? He had promised to come with her and now he was fighting in the entrance hall. As if to underline this thought, the walls rumbled above them as if there had been a major explosion. "Malik... Kunar ... Isaac." Salome sobbed softly as she wiped the tears away with dusty fingers. An incredible number of minor injurys adorned her body and her dress was mostly tattered, while her entire body seems to be covered with a layer of dust.

"Lady Salome, everything is ready. We will now start the ritual to cause the volcano to erupt, thereby sealing the temple." said the priest, who had led her to the sanctuary. "This may be your death sentence. You should all have left when you had the chance. Why are you ready to give up your life in such a cruel way?", Salome breathed blankly. "It is our duty to protect King Solomon's legacy.", the priest said resolutely, leaning forward to carefully help her standing back on her feet. The thought of being locked up in the stuffy sanctuary send a cold feeling down her spine, but at that moment she didn't want to think of herself, but of all those who sacrificed their lifes just to protect this place and her legacy. They all just did that for her, but what is it that she should do now? Waiting for death to get her? No! She had to do something. Anything. If she were to give up here in this hall, wouldn't everything have been in vain?

After the priest made sure that she was no longer going to collapse to the ground, he patted her gently on the shoulder, before setting out to take up his position. Salome scanned the people one last time as her fingers unconsciously brushed the bracelet on her wrist. The rukh comfortingly circled around her, while chirping softly in her ear before they flew up the stairs, suggesting her to follow them.

"Alright. You brought me here, so I just keep going with the flow!", she breathed a little more confident. Slowly she climbed one level at a time, leaving the priests on the lowest ground. Halfway up to the podium, the eight-pointed star on her jewelry that was adorned to her wrist suddenly flashed.

"A-Alexander?" She whispered, standing still.

"The time has come, go forth, my king's vessel!", spoke a deep voice in her head, as white lights suddenly flashed like fireflies around her. The Rukh delighted with the light magic, danced around the golden specks, while whispering softly Alexander's name.

Nodding awestruck, Salome climbed the last steps until she reached the platform, waiting for his instructions. "Now, search for the words in the depths of your soul and summon my power, Salome!", ordered the Djinn. Taking a deep breath, Salome turned to the steps and humbly knelt on the floor as she wrapped her fingers in a prayer. From up there, the priests' incantations sounded far away and surreal. It was surprisingly easy for her to fading them out of her mind, to concentrate on her innermost.

For a brief moment she thought again of her loved ones, who were fighting a war out there. She thought of the sacrifices they took upon them, in hope of protecting her. Then her mind wandered to the man she had sent a message to a few days ago. She imagined herself to actually meet him. Even if it would be only once just to see what kind of person he would be.

No, she wouldn't give up now. Too many people were fighting for her. Furthermore she still wanted to experience so much. Today she would not give her life just so that the rulers of the black rukh would not get her. Salome closed her eyes resolutely before summoning Alexander's powers:"Djinn of preservation and alteration. You who represents the beginning and the end of time. Hear my prayer and bless me with your strength. Show me the way into the light, to escape the dark! Aid me, Alexander!"

A glowing veil enveloped the kneeling girl as she kept her eyes shut tight. The atmosphere around her flickered loudly as the rukh cheered her on. They chirped so loudly that she could no longer hear the magicians on the lower level. It was like the time had stood still, but at the same time it felt like she had been kneeling there for an eternity. Her tears had dried on her cheeks, leaving traces on her dusty skin. Even the occasional rumble of fighting above her head sounded far away and slowed down, when suddenly warm long fingers closed over hers.

Surprised, Salome opened her eyes and stared straight into golden ones. She looked speechlessly at the man who was kneeling in front her. A big smile was gracing over his full lips. His long purple hair was tied at the back of his neck and flailed in long strands over his silken garments. Tons of jewelry adorned his body, making low-pitched noises when they bumped into each other. The little golden birds that flutter wildly around them whispered his names in love: "Reader of the waves" "King of the seven seas" "Sinbad"

Perplexed, she examined every detail of his face as her trembling lips opened slightly. His grin turned soft as he watched with how many emotions she was staring up at him. His thumbs ran gently over her intertwined hands, elicting tingling sensations. "Are you real?", she whimpered as new tears rose in her tired eyes. Nodding, he pulled her hands to his lips and pressed them briefly against him, causing goosebumps on their forearms.

"I'm sorry that I'm so late. But there was this girl who had to send me a message first to show what a fool I was.", he explained playfully as he lowered her hands again. Sobbing, she had loosened her hands from his grip to put them on his cheeks, while she trembled.

"You came.", she stated astonished, while running her fingers over his tense jaw as if to confirm herself that he was truly real. "Yes.", he replied, roaming his hands over her arms, hardly believing that she was actually kneeling in front of him. Trusting, she wrapped her arms around Sinbad's neck and sobbed, pressing her face into his clothes as she breathed in shakily. His arms wrapped around her back and under her legs, ready to lift her into his arms.

"I'm going to take you with me now!", announced the King of Sindria as he slowly got up with her in his grip. Nodding, she pressed herself closer to his chest, knowing that she was finally safe now.

"Yes, please!"

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