"I'm here, buddy. Don't move. You can rest easy now," Genie said, holding Aladdin in his arms.
"Her soul," Aladdin said, pointing at Nasira's corpse as he turned to look at it with difficulty, then glanced at Genie with a pleading gaze.
"You're pushing my limits, Al. The Council will probably learn about what happened here and come to investigate," Genie sighed tiredly. But that was only for a moment; his expression turned serious. "Promise me you didn't see anything unusual from me. If anyone asks, you only saw me helping you capture her soul. Keep everything else between us, for your protection and mine."
Aladdin quickly nodded, relief evident on his face.
Genie stretched his hand toward Nasira's corpse. Suddenly, a smoky wisp emerged from her body, hovered above it, and flew into a transparent vial that had mysteriously appeared in his hand.
"Done," Genie said, showing the bottle to Aladdin.
Aladdin released the breath he had been holding in his chest with a heavy sigh. Then he fell unconscious.
Due to the death of Nasira, the magic circle that had been placed across Agrabah began to break and fall apart. A mysterious cold wind emerged from the portals in the cracked ground, sucking the undead monsters back to where they had crawled up from.
Within several minutes, the undead monsters vanished into the portals, and the cracked fissures on the ground leading to them slowly sealed.
The magic circle reached complete degradation and self-detonated, scattering into countless specks of purple light that vanished into thin air.
The soldiers saw what had happened and looked around to ensure that the undead monsters were truly gone. After confirming this, they raised their hands and weapons into the air in celebration. However, minutes later, a wave of sorrow and mourning swept across the Kingdom as they began collecting the corpses of those who had been slain in the battle - from comrades to families, friends, neighbours, and strangers.
Grief overtook the entire Kingdom, leaving everyone with a heavy heart.
Aladdin's eyes slowly fluttered open.
He winced, almost blinded by the light pouring in through the windows.
"Ahh!!" Aladdin sat upright as a rush of memories poured into his mind about what had transpired before he lost consciousness. He looked around the room to understand where he currently was and quickly realised that he was in his imperial bedroom in Ababwa.
Suddenly, Aladdin felt the sheets beside him stir slightly.
He shifted his gaze and realised that someone was lying beside him. He lifted the sheets to see who it was.
Jasmine.
Sensing the movement, Jasmine slowly stirred awake from her sleep.
She looked at Aladdin briefly, then shot into him with her arms wrapped around him, pushing him back down onto the bed.
"ALADDIN! Thank goodness you're okay," Jasmine said, weeping profusely against his chest. "I thought that something bad had happened to you."
She had seen the battered condition he was in when Genie brought him back to the Palace. Although Genie had assured them that Aladdin hadn't suffered any life-threatening injuries and would recover within a few days, it was still difficult for her to endure, knowing that the love of her life was in that condition because he had defended her Kingdom.
"I'm okay, Jasmine. You don't need to keep crying," Aladdin said, gently rubbing her back and combing through her hair. He saw the tear stains on her cheeks, her puffed, red eyes, and understood that she had been crying for a long time.
Jasmine nodded and slowly stopped crying. She wiped her eyes and sat upright.
Aladdin sat up as well.
"How long have I been unconscious?" Aladdin asked.
"Two days," Jasmine responded.
"You not only exhausted your magical reserves but also sustained many injuries. It would've taken you longer to recover if you weren't gifted in magic," she added.
Aladdin nodded in understanding. Honestly, he knew that without his princely garment that Genie had gifted him, he stood no chance in a direct confrontation against Nasira.
It was because of it that he had managed to take on numerous blasts and attacks from her head-on. If Nasira had aimed for his head or any other unprotected area, just as he had done to her, all she needed was a single blast, and he would've been long dead.
She thought she was being cautious by sparing his life due to Genie's presence. In the end, her overconfidence had cost her the battle.
Aladdin attributed his victory to Genie.
"Rakim made a fuss about bringing you back to Ababwa to ensure your safety after seeing your condition. Considering the damage that has been done to the Kingdom, we agreed to his decision. The Forty Thieves and their leader are still being held in Agrabah. Due to the crime of supporting a dark sorceress to overthrow the Kingdom, they've been sentenced to be beheaded. However, we've been waiting for you to awaken before we proceed, since you're the one who captured them," Jasmine said.
Aladdin nodded. "Where is Genie? I need to see him," he asked.
He wanted to destroy Nasira's soul to prevent her from reincarnating or coming back to life. Only then could his heart rest easy.
"You still need to rest," Jasmine hurriedly grabbed Aladdin and held him down on the bed. She stared at him with a fierce, narrowed gaze. "You're not going anywhere until the doctor says you're fine. Don't give me that magic jumbo nonsense. I mean mentally well too."
Aladdin wanted to speak, but he held back his words when he saw the tired, pleading look in Jasmine's eyes. He sighed inwardly and sat back on the bed.
Jasmine exhaled softly. "Now—" Just before she could finish her words, the entrance door burst open.
"COMINNGG THROUGHH!!" Genie entered the room riding Carpet, with another carpet flying behind them, carrying Abu.
Rakim rushed into the room seconds later.
They halted before his bed.
"Okayyy, stand back, people… licensed professional at work," Genie said, now a doctor wearing a white coat and gloves, with a comical nametag that read, Dr Genie, M.D., PhD, ABC, 123. He opened a briefcase that had mysteriously appeared in his hand and brought out a clipboard and a stethoscope, which stretched like rubber as he checked Aladdin's condition by placing it on his chest and other areas.
"Let's see what we've got here… Patient: one stubborn hero with a chronic case of 'doesn't know when to quit.' Huh. Brain's still in there. That's a relief. Heartbeat?... Still groovin'. Good rhythm too. Temperature's fine. Always a plus when you've been throwing magic like you've got fire in your lungs." He scribbled his words on the clipboard.
A tiny version of Doctor Genie appeared on Aladdin's shoulder with a torchlight and shone it into Aladdin's eyes one by one before putting it aside. "Follow the light… follow the light… and yep! All clear!"
"Diagnosis?" Genie crossed his arms, raising a brow. "You need rest. Not that 'I've something to do' kind of rest."
Genie transformed back into his normal form and placed his hands on Aladdin.
"I heard what the doctor said. Take it easy, Al. Even heroes gotta recharge."
Aladdin nodded with a smile at Genie's shenanigans. He knew that he must have been outside all this time, listening to their conversation.
Aladdin opened his arms, and Abu jumped into them, snuggling against his chest.
He shook Carpet tassels with a secret handshake before shaking the tassel of the other carpet normally.
Seeing that Genie was done with his shenanigans, Rakim stepped forward and bowed toward the bed.
"Welcome Back, Your Highness. It's good to see that you're alive and well," Rakim said. "I hope the Prince forgives me for forcefully bringing you to Ababwa from Agrabah. It was the only way to ensure your safety."
"I've heard everything from Jasmine, so I won't blame you," Aladdin responded, making a dismissive gesture with his hand in Rakim's direction.
"Thank you, Your Highness," Rakim said with a sigh.
"May I ask the identity of the attacker, Your Highness? Genie informed us of everything that happened, but not the attacker's identity, stating that you would answer that question yourself when you awaken," Rakim asked, looking at Aladdin seriously. He would find the brethren of whoever had done this and wage war against them until they were completely wiped out from the earth.
"The identity of the attacker is Nasira, Jafar's twin sister. She's a skilled sorceress in the dark arts of necromancy, unlike Jafar. She came here seeking revenge for Jafar's death and searching for his remains to revive him. Unfortunately for her, Jafar was dead, and there was nothing left that could revive him," Aladdin responded.
Rakim's expression changed, becoming serious. He had heard of Jafar, who was the first individual Aladdin had fought, according to the stories told by Genie and the others after he recognised his imperial bloodline. However, he hadn't expected such a figure to have deep ties to someone so powerful.
Jasmine immediately clasped her mouth with her hands upon hearing the full identity of the person who had wreaked overwhelming destruction on her Kingdom.
Tears began to brim in her eyes, realising that this was all her family's fault.
//////
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