Ja'far

More whistles ring through air. "Drakon has been attacked by Al Thamen's troops and a few magicians. His troops and his wife are keeping them at bay. However, Sharrkan, Spartos and Hinahoho are facing a strange type of enemy, an army of people that can reassemble themselves after being cut or smashed into pieces. I've sent my animals to help them."

This doesn't sound good, but I have to stay in the palace for now. I make my way around the dark, quiet halls in the deeper parts of the building, away from the dozens of troops guarding the palace. If they make it past the soldiers, I'll finish them off before they can even get close to Sin.

I slide my blades out of my sleeves. Finally, I can let out the fierceness I've been holding in for a week, and, surprisingly, it feels good. I shake my head. What am I thinking?

As I continue walking further, I sense someone ahead. "Oh, if it isn't Ja'far?" The familiar voice grates on my nerves. Judal. He stands there nonchalantly, smirking at me like a cat that's found a new plaything. I attack him immediately, not stopping even when he defends himself with a Borg. My Household Vessel attacks him like a pair of twin serpents. Judal's smile remains unperturbed as he just put up stronger defenses.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" he says.

What?

"I can see the bloodlust in your attacks. You're really a monster you know that? Did you like my little gift, the one that I gave you during Kouha's visit?" My mind drifts back to the pain I felt in my ankle after the Kou prince left. The chills I've been feeling lately.

"What did you do to me, you ba-" All of a sudden, he is in front of me, a hand over my mouth. "Tut-tut. Language, Ja'far," he says as I feel something sliding into my mouth and down my throat before I can stop it.

I kick Judal away before falling to my knees, gagging. I feel sick, but whatever spell he put into me isn't coming out.

"Looks like you can't protect your king anymore. Did you really think I'd fall for that fake news you tried to spread?"

Glaring at him, I get up. "I won't let you kill Sinbad." Judal laughs.

"I won't kill him. You will.

"That spell draws out the bloodlust inside you and amplifies it. You won't be able to hold back from doing what you enjoy so much. Oh, and remember that the spell just draws out your inner killer, so please don't blame me."

"Have fun killing the king, Ja'far!" he exclaims before vanishing.

No! I can't! I won't!

The chill seems to spread through my skin, into every single vein in my body, into my bones. The pain stabs so deep into me that after a while I stop feeling it altogether. It's as if the pain's burrowed itself so deeply that it's become a part of me.

I laugh. I throw my head back and laugh as a familiar sensation that I haven't felt in years surges back to me, except this time it feels a hundred times stronger. I reach for my blades, relishing the uncontrollable rush through my veins, anticipating the blood that is about to be spilled.