High in the ski, above the palace, Azhdar spat fire—a torrent of black flames that tore through the air. The djinn met it with a wall of fire of his own, his ancient magic easily deflecting the attack.
Kaiser pressed forward, relentless, striking again and again with shadow and flame and fury.
He was angry. So angry he had lost himself.
The djinn laughed, dodging and blocking with ease. "You can never beat me, black magis! Your magic and mine are the same—but we are not of the same level, you mortal!"
A massive shadow swept down, swatting Kaiser and Azhdar from the sky like flies. They crashed into the palace courtyard, stone shattering beneath them. The djinn slammed them again, and again, each impact shaking the very foundations of the building.
Kaiser rose each time, bloodied and bruised, his red eyes burning with rage. He attacked again.
And again.
And again.
From the broken glass wall of the meeting room, Emperor Visil watched the chaos unfold.
He sighed.
"Those two...could they have not fought without damaging my castle, I just renovated my new office..." he muttered.
Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
That was his concern? There was a full-blown battle happening in the sky, the palace was being reduced to rubble, and he was worried about property damage?
Below, palace guards and servants screamed and ran as debris rained down while the djinn slammed Azhdar and Kaiser into the palace wall, leaving a deep crater in the stone.
Kaiser was injured badly—his robes torn, blood streaming from a gash on his forehead. But he refused to stop.
The battle looked like it would not be ending anytime soon between the black magis and the powerful djinn.
Toeduce further damage, Visil turned to his sister.
"Ayumu."
Ayumu, who had been watching the battle with wide, worried eyes, snapped her attention to him.
"Stop them," Visil said flatly, "before my palace is reduced to rubble."
He knew Ayumu was strong enough to intervene. The reason she hadn't was because it was a battle between two powerful beings—and stepping in would wound their pride. But this was an imperial order, she now has a reason to interfere.
Ayumu nodded and jumped out of the broken glass wall. In the few seconds she was in the air, she called for her spirit.
"Vesta!"
The golden phoenix materialized in a burst of radiant light, its wings spreading wide, its cry echoing across the courtyard. Ayumu leaped onto its back, and Vesta launched into the sky.
Below, the emperor instructed the others. "You lot don't just stand here. Go down and help reduce the damage. Evacuate and aid the people affected by this meaningless battle."
Rhea, Drobar, Levain, and Fifi scattered—herding civilians, pulling the injured to safety, trying to contain the chaos.
In the sky, Kaiser and the djinn were about to clash again.
Dark energy gathered around Kaiser's fist. The djinn raised a wall of shadow to meet it.
Then—
"STOP!"
Ayumu's voice cut through the air like a blade.
Vesta glowed—brighter than the sun. A wave of pure, radiant light burst from the phoenix, washing over both combatants like a tidal wave.
Kaiser froze. His attack dissipated.
The djinn's shadow wall crumbled.
Both of them were blinded, stunned into stillness.
Ayumu hovered between them on Vesta's back, her white robes billowing, her golden eyes blazing with an intensity.
"Enough," she said, her voice firm but gentle. "Please, both of you. Enough."
The djinn stared at her, his white eyes wide with surprise.
Kaiser stared at her, his red eyes softening despite the blood and pain.
Ayumu stands on Vesta's back, her white robes settling around her like falling snow. She approached Kaiser, her expression a mixture of concern and apology.
"Lord Kaiser," she said gently, "it is true that the djinn appeared before me again during my time in confinement." She softened her features, her golden eyes pleading for understanding. "But the djinn meant no harm. He kept me company, appearing from time to time. And the djinn just requires help-"
Kaiser's anger flared anew. His red eyes burned with an intensity that made the air around him crackle.
"Do you not understand, Ayumu?!" His voice was sharp, raw. "This being has seen you in your room—alone, vulnerable! Whatever would it be thinking? What lecherous thoughts might it have harbored?"
The djinn crossed his massive arms, utterly unbothered. "What a foul mouth, as expected—no less from a black magis. To accuse me of such."
Kaiser shot a glare at the djinn, his voice rising. "I shall accuse you as I deem fair! It has been known in the history of djinns that they wed mortals—especially magis people. You also intended to marry Ayumu once, and you think I would stand by that?!"
His anger intensified, his power crackling at his fingertips. He was about to attack once more—
But Ayumu and Vesta flew between them.
"I understand your concern, Lord Kaiser." Ayumu's voice was calm, steady. "But I am fine. And you are now injured." Her face softened with worry, her gaze falling on the wounds that marred his perfect form. "Please let me care for you… Kaiser."
The anger boiling inside Kaiser suddenly dissipated.
It was like a flame extinguished by a gentle rain. He looked at Ayumu's face—the solemn worry in her golden eyes, the way her brow furrowed with concern. He felt his rage crumble.
He said nothing. He simply looked away, his jaw tight.
The djinn observed the absurd situation with great amusement.
Upon attaining his freedom, he had seen much—but nothing compared to the spectacle that surrounded Ayumu. Her life was endlessly entertaining. The sudden escapades. Her solving any crisis unfold. The tears shed over her parents' graves. The rejection of a love confession on the pretext that she did not understand what love truly was.
How exciting.
But the djinn knew his time was limited. With his freedom and his link to this world, his strength was fading. If he did not return to where he came from, he would soon disappear entirely as he does not have a reason to be in this realm.
He needed the forbidden book.
The djinn's voice rumbled through the quiet garden. "I have had my fun for today. Let me leave you two be."
He turned his white eyes toward Ayumu.
"And Ayumu."
Ayumu looked back at him.
"I hope you are able to help me… again."
Ayumu stared at him for a long moment. Then, slowly, she nodded.
The djinn smiled.
Then he dissolved into shadow—his massive form collapsing, shrinking, flowing toward Ayumu's feet. He settled into her shadow, merging with it, becoming one with the dark shape that followed her everywhere.
This is the djinns way of conserving his energy.
Kaiser's eyes widened. His red gaze trembled—with anger, with helplessness, with something deeper he could not name.
He hated it.
He hated that thing attached to her. Following her. Seeing her skin, her movements, her private moments.
I hate it.
Ayumu looked at Kaiser with sad, knowing eyes.
And Kaiser—despite everything—gave in.
He lowered Azhdar to the ground. The wyvern disappeared into shadow, and Kaiser sat heavily on the garden floor, too weary to stand.
Ayumu knelt before him.
She took off her shoes, pressing her bare feet against the cool earth. She drew energy from the ground—the ancient, life-giving power of the soil—and her body began to glow with a soft, warm light.
She placed her hands on Kaiser's arms.
His wounds began to close. The gashes on his forehead knitted together. The bruises faded.
Ayumu was glad. He was not injured as badly as she had feared.
Kaiser muttered under his breath, barely audible. "I do not like it…"
Ayumu leaned closer, her ear near his lips.
"I do not like that thing following you around," he said, his voice trembling with barely contained fury. "Attaching itself to you. Seeing your skin, your actions…" His hand gripped hers tightly, shaking. "I hate it!"
Ayumu grasped his hand in return. She smiled—warm, gentle, reassuring.
"Then, Kaiser," she said softly, "would you help me send the djinn back to where it came from?"
Kaiser's red eyes met hers.
He understood now. Ayumu did not bother with the djinn because to her, he was not human anyway. All she wanted was to help him return. It was simple. Clean. Kind. The way white magis just are.
He was still displeased, but he nodded.
"Yes."
Soon, Visil approached them, his arms crossed over his chest. He surveyed the damage to his palace—the shattered walls, the broken windows, the craters in the courtyard.
"You have caused such damage to my palace, Lord Kaiser." His voice was flat, but his eyes gleamed with something close to satisfaction. "The damages will be covered by your expense, should it not? It is caused by your sudden outburst."
Kaiser sighed, not even bothering to look at the emperor. "All costs shall be covered by the Wrath family funds, your majesty."
"Good." Visil smiled thinly. "It will be expensive."
And the garden fell quiet once more.