A/N:

If too lazy, look at the bold.

Hello, hello. Welcome! I will be ex~tre~me~ly busy the upcoming weeks, so I can't guarantee an update date. It will come, though. I'm very excited about the next chapter ohoho~

I'll address some concerns in the reviews here!

For plot purposes, Magnoshutatt is already a new, separate country that's currently at war with Musta'sim. This is the main reason that the King of Musta'sim allows her to study in the Academy. Revolt's still a threat, however, due to internal Musta'sim conflict.

This story is not abandoned. :) Thanks to all of you. No, really.

This story will not include any spoilers from SnB raws: any SnB plot points will be from the current English scans. That being said, anything in Magi is fair game.

Three central plot twists ahead in the near future! Plot twist number one is this chapter.

The story will be mostly angst in the upcoming chapters. I make no apologies.

Sera's a sweet sunshine child who deserves the best, and everyone knows it and loves him. I admit I'm biased when it comes to Lynn: he's a dork. Mogamett and Yamuraiha, while not the daughter-father duo from canon, are currently in an amiable mentor-ish friendship. Unfortunately, Raiha's too touchy to establish deeper bonds.

Lastly, thanks to my recent marathon of the entire Magi manga again, I have planned out most of the changes to canon that will be made.

Prepare yourself: while this won't go completely AU, and Magi plot points may be preserved, this story's going to build a lot more on the manga. I don't just want to write a transcript: I want to write a story.

Particularly, the whole "not a special snowflake in reincarnation" theory will be playing a major role. :D Have fun!

Please note that as intelligent as I try to portray myself, I'm a nerd who overlooks points sometimes. Feel free to point out my oversights.

Thank you to TheRandomGirl, najamuzen, lizyeh2000, Evanescentfacade, LovelyPolkaDots, Heitor, Dragondancer81, Water Bear, Miquila, Reincheck, BOSS02109, kalmaegi, Bergholt Stuttley Johnson, and EmeraldAwesome14 for your reviews! I'm glad to see you're still on board. :)

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News in Magnoshutatt spread quickly. Yamuraiha "Raiha" Ajam, resident child genius, was the daughter of "Meira" and "Yasin." Apparently, her parents had been very popular in their youth, for she couldn't go anywhere without somebody calling out her name.

Yamuraiha this, Yamuraiha that. Oh, I knew your parents! You're just like them.

Even the guy who examined her paperwork from way back when came to congratulate her for discovering her heritage, patting her on the back and regaling her of her parents' impressive feats of magic. She knew that she was being selfish; that she should feel relieved and interested in learning about her brilliant parents, but...

She didn't want to be Yamuraiha: here, she was supposed to be Raiha.

She smiled anyways. "Of course you may call me that," she answered, staring at Sera with fond, twinkling eyes. He had avoided her for the past week, stewing over her newly revealed name. This was the first time he had approached her since then, and she'd do anything to have him back.

"Cool," Sera said, relieved. He shoved his hands in his pockets awkwardly, mouth curving upwards. "Yamuraiha...heh, it suits you." He hesitated, then blurted out, "Hey, can you promise me something?"

"Mm?"

"No more secrets."

She didn't hesitate, feeling like a fraud as she grinned sheepishly at him. "No more secrets," she echoed in agreement, eyes shining with false sincerity.

"I wanted to be someone different!"

Her hands were trembling. She forced herself to swallow, hands clawing desperately at her arms in an attempt to stop her shivering. Her words came out as a whisper, hoarse and raw. "I wanted to change."

Yamuraiha was her second chance. Raiha was her chance at a blank slate, her chance at a new life without the baggage of Elliot. And here she was, screwing things up again. She smiled, lips wobbling as she inspected herself. A confession slipped from her lips. "I wanted to be different. Be better than El."

Her reflection smiled patronizingly at her. The smile was a crooked, twisted perversion of the smile she remembered, and somehow this infuriated her more. She gritted her teeth, tasting copper.

"You're a bitch."

Her reflection smirked, but its eyes looked almost watery.

"Fuck," she laughed, stumbling backwards, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her lips twitched upwards. "You're a mess, El. A complete and utter mess."

Her reflection was laughing at her, too.

"I keep running away." Her breath hitched. "I ran away back then, too."

Her reflection watched her, silent as a mime. Like always.

"I can't run away, can I?" Her shoulders trembled in silent laughter. "I keep trying, but everything keeps catching up to me. I can't escape from fate."

Her reflection laughed silently.

"I'm mad," she said to it. "I'm deranged. I'm broken, I'm glass but I keep trying to be steel. Why do I do this?"

She received no answer.

"I'm broken and the only people who could've picked up the pieces are gone," she rambled, fingernails digging into her skin. She clutched onto her wrist as if it was a lifeline, refusing to let go. She laughed again, picking up a piece of parchment and contemplating what to write for a moment. "They're gone because I left them."

Then, she giggled hysterically and bundled the blank parchment as it was, making a mental note to send it to Musta'sim later.

"Are you alright, Raiha?" Lynn asked, noting the tealette's unusual silence as he sat down next to her in the mess hall. She was staring at her plate in deep thought, one that she usually only had when contemplating new theories with Sera. There was something wrong about her expression that he couldn't place: Lynn didn't know how or why, but her smile unnerved him.

"Hm?" She blinked, glancing up at him and flashing him that same (fake) smile. "Yeah."

Lynn wasn't fully convinced, but relented under her gaze and began eating. Sera and Alyasa were in the middle of examinations for Group B, so the only sound during their meal was the clinking of silverware.

They had just finished their silent meal when she asked, "Why won't you call me Yamu or Yamuraiha like everyone else?"

There was something heavy behind her words, which made Lynn reconsider his instinctual reply that was definitely not tactful. Instead of answering directly, he settled on a question. "Do you want to be called Yamuraiha?" Lynn asked curiously, tilting his head. She stiffened, then shook her head ever so slightly.

He paused, something heavy settling on his chest before he spoke the truth.

"To me, you're Raiha," he answered, shrugging. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her shoulders slack; from relief or weariness, he wasn't sure. He continued, "Snarky, conceited, arrogant, determined, accepting, brilliant Raiha. That's who you are to me, no matter who your parents are."

Lynn stared off in the distance, shutting his eyes. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet...that had been her favorite quote. The memory of the first person who taught him magic threatened to consume him, but Raiha's presence anchored him and kept him from being swept away by a wave of nostalgia.

It took her several moments to absorb his words, but when she did, a small smile curled on her lips. "Snarky, conceited, and arrogant?" Raiha echoed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you sure you aren't describing yourself? Idiot."

"Touche," Lynn retorted, but he understood anyways. "Moron, Yamu's too girly of a name for you, anyways."

"I can be girly!" Raiha protested, eliciting a laugh from him. "Stupid," she added as an afterthought.

Thank you, she meant.

Lynn understood, nodding his head and closing his eyes wearily. Message received.

"I can't believe he almost drowned you, though, Yamuraiha," Sera fussed, prodding and poking her as if his actions would somehow make her feel better. Granted, his attention certainly warmed something in her chest. "I thought Erik was a good teacher, for goodness' sake."

"He is a good teacher," Yamuraiha answered, rolling her eyes and huffing. "It taught me a good lesson of humility, and technically he was just deflecting my own spell. He just didn't expect me to react so badly."

"Why did you react so badly anyways?" Alyasa scolded. "For pity's sake, you're a Blue Magician."

"I can't swim." The lie slipped easily off her tongue. Although she technically hadn't swum in this life, swimming was like breathing to Elliot, who had grown up near the sea. (The irony of that statement almost made her laugh aloud.)

"Uh-huh," Alyasa said, unconvinced, but she let the matter go. "It doesn't seem as if there's anything wrong with you, but maybe I should check with Shinya to see—"

"I'm fine," Yamuraiha emphasized. "I just panicked. No harm done, and it's been a week. In fact, I should probably check in with Erik right now in case the idiot's blaming himself. Or, you know, I should probably check in with Mogamett and convince him that it was an accident."

"Done."

All three of them turned to the right, spotting an approaching Lynn sporting a smug grin and hands shoved in his pockets. "I already talked with Mogamett, and you have an appointment with Erik at eight. No commenting anything about my hair for the next week, you hear me?

"Deal," Yamuraiha accepted grudgingly. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah," Lynn waved off her comment easily. "Anyways, I heard that your prince's coronation is coming up soon, right?"

An electrifying shiver ran down her spine at the sudden mention of Nick. Yamuraiha kept her expression carefully blank and uninterested.

"You mean Musta'sim's prince," Alyasa corrected, latching onto Yamuraiha's arm idly. Seeing Sera's confused look, she elaborated, "Prince Nicholas III. And it's not really soon: it's in three months."

"How do you know that?" Sera asked curiously, looking a bit put out. "And why do you know about that too, Lynn?"

"Rumor mill," Lynn explained at the same time that Alyasa said, "My father."

"I believe that's correct?" Yamuraiha's eyebrows creased in mild thought. Absentmindedly, she shrugged. "I don't really pay attention to what goes on there, now."

She was almost disgusted at herself for how easy it was to lie to her friends. Almost.

"Check."

Silence.

The scraping of wood against wood.

"Be more careful."

Silence.

"Yamuraiha…"

"Understood, sir."

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

They sat in silence, then Erik ventured, "Would you like to talk about it, Elliot?"

"Not really. Not now." Please.

It was silent. Then:

"Alright."

Her shoulders sagged with relief. "Thanks."

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My friend,

I know that Father told us we shouldn't write to you, but I think there's something wrong.

Certain people are growing restless with each passing day. I miss you, my friend. I fear there's something wrong...very wrong. But Father won't listen, and Nick is constantly swamped with work - I can't bear to add to his burden. Isaac's ears only reach as far as mine, since he always accompanies me, and everyone else doesn't know anything either.

They think I'm crazy, but I'm not. I might be young, but you and Nick have rubbed off on me enough to have a good sixth sense. I don't know what I should do.

I'm sorry for selfishly writing to you when you should be concentrating on your studies. I hope you're doing well.

Remember to take care of yourself.

Your flower-weaving friend.

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Dunya's letter alarmed Yamuraiha more than the mint-haired princess probably knew.

It also impressed her.

Apparently, she and Nick had rubbed off on the princess more than either of them realized. The letter was vague, unaddressed, and mentioned no names except "Isaac" and "Nick" — a diminutive nickname that nobody would think to link with the crown prince of Musta'sim. "Isaac," a common name in both Musta'sim and Magnoshutatt, was hardly worth any attention. Dunya's words were vague enough that only Yamuraiha would really discern what she meant, and the letter had been passed through multiple hands before finally being delivered to her by a civilian trader who obviously didn't know of its importance.

"Love letter?" Alyasa asked from her bed, hardly looking up.

Yamuraiha snorted. "As if: it's just a letter from an old friend."

Alyasa peered at her curiously. "I didn't know you had old friends."

"A letter from one of the Musta'sim servants, hoping that I was doing well," Yamuraiha answered, the lie slipping off her tongue smoothly. "They helped me escape, you know. Although it's foolish of them to send it to me; if they were caught, I don't know what kind of consequences they might have invoked."

"You still correspond with them?"

"No, but I guess preparing for the crown prince's coronation made them nostalgic or something." Yamuraiha shrugged, tossing the paper into the fireplace with feigned ease. "They doubt that I made any friends."

Alyasa laughed. "With your attitude? I'd say their worries are justified."

"That hurts," Yamuraiha returned, faking mock-pain, noting out of the corner of her eye that the letter had been completely incinerated. Alyasa rolled her eyes, but grunted and hefted her bed covers over herself, turning around to sleep. Yamuraiha mirrored her motions, turning off the lights.

Inwardly, her mind raced with plans.

Dunya was obviously referring to the royal court. For some reason, Nick's approaching coronation struck a wrong nerve with them. Yamuraiha personally couldn't figure out why: despite his age, Nick had been practically ruling the country (via doing paperwork) for the past few years, anyways. He was the only reason why Musta'sim's economy had not collapsed completely.

The living conditions of the people had improved: Yamuraiha had made sure to stress the importance of general welfare to Nick. The poverty of the people had been the main cause of the revolt in canon, after all. Nick had swiftly installed new education systems, care networks, and shelters to Yamuraiha's immense pride. They were still in their beginning stages, but it was something. Even those in Magnoshutatt grudgingly agreed that the prince had promise.

But, as in all political matters, not all would be satisfied. In giving to the people, Nick had obviously not curried favors with the nobles. Before, most of Musta'sim's wealth and power had been centralized around the nobles. The majority of state taxes had been levied on the poor, allowing the land-owning nobles to grow wealthier and more powerful.

That power had dwindled enormously as Nick levied new taxes on the upper class. She even heard rumors of Nick proposing a more diverse legislature, where not only the nobles but the peasants would have representatives.

Such a notion was unheard of in this world. Bless his heart, Nick had been listening to Yamuraiha's near-treasonous rambles in the darkest depths of the night.

Nick was changing Musta'sim and the world for the better. If this was a result of her abnormality, a consequence of her existence, she'd take it. Yamuraiha thought that her presence was actually doing some good.

But God, it couldn't just be that simple, could it?

Al Tharmen. They weren't the sole cause of this unrest, but she was sure they still played a crucial role in it. The main problem with Musta'sim's army was that they worked similar to feudal Japan: each lord had his own soldiers which rallied under them, and those lords would herald to the "emperor," or "king" in this case. Nick couldn't do much in regards to the military: his father was still in charge, technically, and ruled those matters with an iron fist. Once Nick took over the throne, however, he'd undoubtedly abolish such a system and work to negotiate treaties with Musta'sim. She knew he would.

If the nobles managed to gather enough supporters before that, they would undoubtedly be able to take over the throne. And unfortunately enough, even though plenty loved their king for his new changes, many still were wary of having such a young ruler creating so many changes. And they hated Magnoshutatt with a fury.

She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let all of these radical changes go to waste, just like the works of so many other enlightened rulers.

They would make their move on his coronation. She knew it, she felt it.

The only thing Yamuraiha could do in her position was end the war. If she ended the war in time, before Nick's coronation, it would sway some to believe in Musta'sim (and therefore, Nick's) strength. It'd also rob the nobles of their excuse for disapproving of Nick: they insisted that putting a new monarch on the throne during wartime was unwise, and were "unsure" about the young prince's strength. If the war ended, it would be harder to overthrow him. Throwing a coup during wartime was one thing...throwing a coup during peacetime would cause a revolt, especially considering Nick's newfound popularity among the working class.

They couldn't negotiate a peaceful treaty with Magnoshutatt, either. It'd paint Nick as a weak leader and would be the perfect justification for the nobles to overthrow him.

They had to crush Magnoshutatt as soon as possible using whatever forces necessary: blackmail or brute strength. It would solidify Nick's power and pacify the majority of the nobles.

Yamuraiha wasn't going to let tens of thousands of deaths, the happiness of a country, and the lives of her Musta'sim friends lie on her shoulders.

If ending the war took betraying her friends, new country, and new home, then so be it.

.

"We're naturally stupid and have an inclination to doing heroic stuff. Unfortunately, those with hero complexes usually fail epically unless they have plot armor. And considering I'm not very plot worthy, I think it'd be best if I did something logical."

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Yamuraiha was perched on top of one of the buildings, gaze firmly on the ground. She had been observing the guard rotation patterns for the past two weeks, and after lengthy internal debates, figured out a plan of action.

Hidden inside the heavily guarded building was all of Magnoshutatt's research about Dark Rukh. If Yamuraiha released such research to the world, she knew that other countries would have to react; the research was, essentially, the ideal blackmail material.

One of the guards glanced upwards, but took no notice of her. A grim, somewhat triumphant smile slid on her face. Her invisibility spell worked; it had taken a week to perfect the spell despite Yamuraiha's explanation and analysis of the spell in canon. That woman was a true magic genius, unlike "Raiha." She just bullshitted well.

She had waited two months for some kind of response from Nick. Anything. She even tried sending a message to Dunya, using all methods possible: Wind Magic, Space-Time Magic (and wasn't that a pain), and even a normal courier system (using several messengers, of course: she wasn't going to let that note be traced back to her).

But she hadn't gotten any response.

Either something was dreadfully wrong in Musta'sim or someone was intercepting her messages. Both of those possibilities sent a shiver down her spine.

This is just for insurance, she reassured herself. If I make a copy and leave the original documents in there, it's not really stealing.

Hah, she could lie well even to herself.

But if blackmailing Mogamett meant saving the lives of her Musta'sim friends and thousands of civilians, then so be it. As selfish as it sounded, Yamuraiha didn't care for countries: she cared for individuals. She had faith that the few she cared about in Magnoshutatt would prevail: they were strong. (They had to be, right? They were. She had to believe it, or they'd be another weight on her shoulders. Another sin she had committed; more blood on her hands.)

Her body tensed as the four guards nodded at each other, waving in the distance to the approaching guards that would take over their shift.

Now was the time to strike.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

One of the guards shouted loudly, and Yamuraiha cursed, thinking she was caught. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure dart out of the building's window, shattering the glass and hopping on the rooftops. Behind them, the glass repaired itself, each shard molding together until the window looked as if it had never been broken.

With rounded eyes, Yamuraiha cursed and strengthened her invisibility spell, darting after them and calling forth the winds to help her keep up.

They definitely knew what they were doing: the wind propelled them forward as they nimbly dashed past the rooftops and slipped into a tavern. Yamuraiha followed them, lunging past the patrons of the bar and exiting through the back door just in time to see the figure turn the corner. She darted forward, only to have a hand grab her throat.

"Who are you and how have you been tracking me?" they demanded, shocking her as she felt her invisibility spell fade away.

Yamuraiha would've given some kind of sarcastic retort if she hadn't recognized the voice. Unfortunately, she did and that was what made her freeze completely. "Lynn?" She choked uncomprehendingly at the hooded person.

The figure dropped her to the ground as if she was burning coal, recognizing her. His hands trembled. "Raiha."

"Lynn, what the hell?" Yamuraiha demanded, rubbing her sore neck and jumping to her feet. "Why were you stealing from Magnoshutatt?"

"Why the hell were you following me?" he retorted. Then, Lynn froze, and with the true intelligence of a genius, pieced the puzzle together. "You were there already."

There was a beat of silence as the implications of his observation sunk into his mind.

He stared at her, stupefied. Then, he repeated disbelievingly, "You were there already. You..."

Yamuraiha, using the last remnants of her rationality, came to a similar conclusion. Realization dawned on her features. "You..."

"You're one too." Lynn stared at her, horrified. They didn't dare speak the word aloud, as if saying it would solidify the severity of the situation. He stumbled over his words, choking, "Did you...who...Musta'sim?"

Her temper flared immediately in defense.

"Of course. And you're what, working for the Reim Empire?" Yamuraiha snapped, mind racing at a hundred miles per hour. He was blonde, oh god, why didn't she even make the connection between her sparring partner and Titus? She even knew he was born in the Reim Empire, for pity's sake.

She was closer to the plot than she thought. And undoubtedly, Lynn had reported to Scheherazade or whoever was in charge about his sparring partner's prowess, her rather notable talents, and her potential.

"No," Lynn shook his head, hesitating before admitting, "Parthevia. I grew up there."

Parthevia. That wasn't much better.

"So you decide to help those bastards?" Yamuraiha snapped.

"Don't you dare criticize me, you hypocrite," Lynn retorted, his glare venomous. "I came here to learn: stealing those documents were never my primary intention. You're the one cozying up with Mogamett."

"He was friends with my parents," Yamuraiha snarled. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"Your parents, right. The very people that Musta'sim killed." Lynn's subtle accusation had her bristling with anger.

"And what of the purges that Parthevia's done? Don't tell me that you're blind to the experimenting they do on their own people," Yamuraiha returned, fists clenching tightly as she unintentionally used some of her past life's knowledge.

"Of course I know!" Lynn bellowed, beyond furious, but before either of them could say another snide comment, footsteps approached.

"He must have gone this way!"

"Fuck," Yamuraiha cursed, tugging insistently on his cloak. "Off with the cloak."

"What?"

"Trust me," she demanded, because even though Lynn had been lying to her this entire time, she had been lying too. And beyond their lies, Lynn was her friend.

Her partner.

He was the one person who really understood her without words: he was the first one to do so in this world.

Lynn stared at her, scrutinizing her expression for a mere second before acquiescing to her demands.

Technically, Yamuraiha never tried performing such a trick before, but now wasn't the time to hesitate. Besides, the concept behind disguising oneself was the same as Yamuraiha's invisibility spell: she just had to change the way the light around them was percepted. Invisibility was too complicated a spell to use on two people, but simple illusions weren't. Murmuring a spell under her breath, their clothes and appearance flickered until Yamuraiha was a nondescript blonde bimbo in skimpy clothing and Lynn appeared to be a dark haired, towering man with a bottle of alcohol in hand.

Heh, she always knew she worked better under pressure.

"Ah, Silas," she moaned, slinking her hands around his neck and latching onto him. Breathily, she said loudly, "We shouldn't, not here."

Lynn caught on quickly. "Come on," he slurred, his body language changing completely. His hands slid from her hair to her neck, sending a wonderful thrill down Yamuraiha's spine. "We've been babysitting those brats all day; it's about time we treated ourselves."

The Magnoshutatt guards, who turned the corner and spotted their blatant PDA, paused. One brave guard stepped forward. "Have you seen a suspicious figure around this area?" he demanded.

Yamuraiha pried herself away from Lynn's minstriations sultrily, sending the guard a death-glare. "Does it look like we have?" she demanded, propping a hand on her hip and drawing attention to her state of half-undress.

The guard flushed. "Sorry, ma'am, just doing our job."

"Well, you're not doing your job very well, are you?" Lynn sneered, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Yamuraiha's waist.

"We'll be on our way now," another guard said, bowing his head and grabbing his partner, hissing something at him. Turning to them, he nodded once more. "Sorry 'bout this."

Yamuraiha sniffed haughtily, tossing her hair and shooing them away dismissively with her hand. "Carry on."

As soon as the guards left, Lynn's hands dropped from her sides.

"Raiha, you..."

"Don't thank me," she said shortly. "Not when we're both..."

"...traitors? Backstabbers?" Lynn offered helpfully. His cheerful demeanor dropped and he groaned, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Sera's going to murder us. I thought that if he had you..."

"I thought he would have you," Yamuraiha replied, shaking her head and biting her lip. "He's going to hate us. Alyasa's going to hate us. Heck, Erik too, and he's the closest thing I have to a brother in this world. And the sad thing is that I wouldn't even blame them."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Do you really think this is a conversation we should be having here?" Yamuraiha evaded his question, tugging on his sleeve. "Come on, we can talk in a more secure location."

Weaving through the various alleyways with relative ease, Yamuraiha took the fastest route to Erik's lab. She knew that the magician was off mingling with other instructors at a tavern anyways; he'd informed her that he wouldn't be able to make it to their weekly meeting. If she wasn't holding onto Lynn's sleeve, she would've thought herself unaccompanied: the blonde moved silently, gliding through the labyrinth of alleyways without making a single sound.

"Wind Magic," Lynn explained when he saw her glance at his feet. "It was one of the first tricks I learned."

"Well, we're here," she announced, slipping in the lab. "Let's talk."

"You're working for Musta'sim," he stated. At her nod, he rose an eyebrow. "Why? I had the impression that you were assimilating well into this culture."

"Friends being held hostage, trying to prevent a revolt that'll kill hundreds of thousands, the usual," Yamuraiha explained dismissively, practically collapsing on the plush couch located at the back of the lab for her convenience. "It's nothing personal, mind you."

"So if you had the choice," Lynn proposed hesitantly, "you'd stay here?"

"Magnoshutatt's not my home."

"But is Musta'sim?"

He really did know her too well. She paused, then admitted, "No."

Lynn studied her, eyes too knowing. Then, he tilted his head. "Musta'sim, eh?"

Yamuraiha's lips tugged upwards at the almost...light note in his voice. "There are some nice people over there that can't defend themselves. Between Magnoshutatt and Musta'sim, I'd put my money on you guys surviving."

Lynn shrugged. "Can't fault that logic."

Something about his easy acceptance lifted a weight off her chest. She shifted so that she could face him, head tilted inquisitively. "You're Parthevia's agent? Why?"

Lynn paused. For a moment, it looked as if he'd refuse to speak, but his will ultimately wavered under Yamuraiha's gaze. "You...you knew about Parthevia's experiments. They keep that under wraps: how did you find out? How much do you know?"

"I hear things," Yamuraiha explained vaguely, slouching. "And I know enough."

Lynn stared at her, conflict clearly written on his face. Then, he resigned himself and mirrored her posture, leaning back in his chair as well. "Parthevia's current government is quite elitist. If you're different from their ideal type of citizen, you're the bottom of the pyramid."

Alright, just like many other fascist regimes in history. She could follow.

"I am a citizen of Parthevia, but was born in the Reim Empire as you know. The fact that I discovered an affinity for magic...well, I was ostracized enough for my heritage. This characteristic made me stand out more."

"So you did this to prove yourself?" Her incredulity must've come through in her voice.

"No," Lynn replied emphatically, glaring at her. "I wasn't going to let them take my family."

"What?"

"The experiments, dumbass." He scowled. "They needed more magicians. I don't know what for, but I get the feeling that Sinbad's growing collection of metal vessels are making them a bit uneasy. "

"Why'd they send you?"

"Why indeed?" His lips tugged upwards. "I had a teacher, Myers, who taught me the basics. The Thunder Whip magician, they called her: considering my affinity for Lightning magic, she was the ideal tutor. Myers was originally going to come here to hone her magic, but she offered for me to go instead..."

Yamuraiha recognized that name. Wasn't that the woman who taught Aladdin? She didn't know that Myers originally belonged to Parthevia...presumedly, in canon she had taken the offer to attend Magnoshutatt, although Yamuraiha doubted that the iron-willed woman from her memories was a spy. What would cause her to refuse?

"Myers?" she pressed. "How did she develop her magic if she never came here?"

"She was self taught, I think," Lynn replied, scowling. "But she told me she'd protect my village if I took over the 'troublesome' duty of coming here. And even though she's an ass, I trust her. She was my teacher, after all."

That...didn't sound at all like the magic instructor Yamuraiha remembered. A shiver ran down her spine. Could it be…?

Lynn's voice broke through her ruminating. "And you?"

Yamuraiha paused, aquamarine eyes flickering with worries and hope at the same time. She licked her lips, playing idly with the hem of her robe. "Well...what do you want to know?"

"Why?"

It was only one word, yet it encompassed a plethora of questions. Why would she betray Magnoshutatt? Why did she care so much about Musta'sim? Why did she choose to come on that night? There was a beat of silence as she wondered how to explain.

"I…I just..."

He waited.

"...wanted to…" Prove my existence. "...help them. I wanted to help the people who first showed me kindness in the world...I wanted to be a force of good."

Lynn's eyes seemed too perceptive: it felt as if he was staring straight into her soul, tearing apart her masks and leaving her exposed and raw. It was terrifying, electrifying, and…

...liberating.

"Is that really your answer?"

"Partially," she answered truthfully, ducking behind her bangs.

Silence permeated the room once more.

They both jolted at the sound of footsteps. "Oi, Elliot, you there?" Erik called, his voice lilting in a way that obviously belied his drunken state. He stumbled into the room. "Eh? Why did'ja bring Lynn here?"

"It's time for you to go to bed," Yamuraiha sighed, shoving the scientist past the lab tables. "And I was talking with him about a few important matters. His Lightning Magic would probably be helpful with all the electronics we're working on."

"Don't wanna go to bed," the older man whined petulantly, but he promptly stumbled and fell flat on his face.

Yamuraiha resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Help me tuck him in?"

"You two are closer than I thought," Lynn commented curiously, grabbing the man's sleeve and tugging him to the couch. Together, they heaved Erik onto the couch. "Why does he call you Elliot?"

"I like that name better. It sounds cooler," Yamuraiha deadpanned. Seeing Lynn's unamused stare, she rolled her eyes. "Does it really matter?" she asked rhetorically.

Lynn shugged. "Does it?" he returned.

"How'd you detect me?" Yamuraiha asked curiously, changing the subject. "I was sure my invisibility spell worked."
"You forgot to disguise your footsteps. Messy execution," he sniffed. "It's no use being invisible if you step as noisily as an elephant."

"Jerk." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Even though they both acted the same as before, both of them knew some dynamic of their friendship had changed irrevocably. Yamuraiha...Yamuraiha trusted Lynn with her life, but not with the lives of others. She couldn't afford to.

"I need the documents you have, you know," she commented idly.

"Musta'sim's interested in their Dark Rukh research?"

"Something like that."

"Ahh, I see. The war."

"...you're too perceptive for your own good."

"They'll hate you."

"...I know."

"We'll talk about this later."

"So we will."

Yamuraiha was sitting in the mess hall when the news broke.

A messenger slammed open the doors and ran into the hall, hair tousled and face flushed bright red from exertion. Immediately, everyone silenced, watching the messenger approach Mogamett. "Sir!"

"Whatever is the matter, Keisha?"

"Musta'sim...Musta'sim…"

Mogamett drew to his feet, face grim. "Has there been an attack?"

"...no, sir. Musta'sim…" The messenger took a shaky breath, sending Yamuraiha's heart plummeting. "Sir, there's a rebellion going on in Musta'sim."

"The nobles...the nobles are revolting."

Yamuraiha's fork clattered to the ground.

.

.

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Bam. Plot twist one. The chapter was purposefully choppy.

I repeat again: this story will expand the Magi universe, and the "you're not a special snowflake: there are others" will play into the plot. Ish.

I love you all, btw. I apologize in advance for the angst.

Feel free to discuss plot changes, who you think may be special snowflakes, Raiha's stupidity, etc. with me! I'd love to hear your thoughts.