[Labyrinth of Fate; Chapter 6]

A silent night marked the beginning of a series of events that would eventually change things for better or for worse. There was an eerie calm that surrounded the broad skies decorated by the twinkles of the stars.

Swiftly dashing across a vast desert, Shirou approached what appeared to be a fortress made of rock that had once been a cylindrical city for a quarry. It was a circular dome that stretched across quite a distance, and had quite a formidable appeal to it. Certainly, such a structure would gather the attention of some ill-minded individuals.

Learning from his past mistake of traversing a desert at night, Shirou was bundled up in a hefty tan cloak that shielded his face and body from the harsh environment. He was thankful that he had such a fine and warm piece of equipment as he had spent a long while within this region.

It wasn't too long ago that Shirou had come across a large band of travelers and merchants who shared some valuable information with him. Although they were on route to a city further out west, they were taking a long and painful detour.

The reason being, a wide collection of criminals ranging from thieves to slave traders had taken up residence in the structure standing tall in front of Shirou now. They ambushed caravans and had taken everything from assets to captives, and held them here. It goes without saying that such a place could not remain... A safe-haven for those who had forsaken their humanity, and given up their empathy for others was not allowed to exist.

"My name is Shirou Emiya, and as a Knight of the Tsundere Princess, Kougyoku Ren, I give my word to you that these thieves will no longer be able to trouble you as you travel across these deserts."

He recalled the words he had left the group of people he had met. For Shirou, it had become increasingly common to introduce himself as the knight of Kougyoku. Whatever deed he accomplished, or whoever he was trying to make a good impression on, it was his priority to establish a reputation for his princess. Stopping the activities of a band of thieves was one thing, but he would not neglect his duty as a knight.

However, he was currently acting without the acknowledgement and awareness from Kougyoku. Call it trying to relieve some irritation, but it hadn't even been two whole days since he left his princess' side and embarked on a mission towards this place.

The rock fortress was described as an impenetrable defense, and one which no individual had ever entered and lived to tell the story. It had a long history as a den for the worst kinds of scum, and hopefully after tonight, this chapter of thieves would come to an end.

Initially, he had figured he'd just advance headfirst inside, but after some consideration he decided some precautionary actions would be for the best. Slave traders had made this place their hideout as well, which meant their 'slaves' would also be present. The term 'slave' was something he could not acknowledge. He firmly believed that no one could truly be labeled as a slave; they could only be branded as such against their will. They were people that he needed to save.

As he carefully scaled the walls for a vantage point from the top to ready himself for battle, a surprising cry broke through the still night.

"—!" A deafening roar was emitted from what sounded like a human, yet at the same time bordered on the side of a feral and ferocious beast.

Holding on for dear life, Shirou tore his fingers into the solid walls as the very foundation of the structure seemed to vibrate and shake from the sudden reverberation.

Anxiety coursed through his head as he tried rationalizing his thoughts to figure out what the hell was going on. With no way of coming to a definite conclusion, he transitioned from being stealthy to getting on top as fast as possible.

Prana flowed through his magic circuits as he reinforced his body for additional strength. Pushing off the closest ledge with his legs, he sprung up towards the top with inhuman speed. Once reaching the uppermost wall, he hastily scanned the open area below.

It wasn't exactly difficult to pinpoint the individual who appeared to hold the reigns of the thieves within this fortress. The man had long grey hair, wore a long drab with a sash around his torso, and had several armed men posted beside him as bodyguards. What surprised Shirou most was the individual the guards were seemingly protecting the criminal leader from.

She wore a plain white dress, which definitely had seen better days, a necklace, and had a portion of her hair tied with a hairband. Aside from that, she wore nothing else; no shoes, no additional garb despite the capricious and excessive weather, and not to mention, there was a pile of broken chains beneath feet. Her body frame was quite petite, yet at the same time looked to be sturdy and strong. Situated a few feet behind her was a child in far worse condition than she was. The child was drenched in sweat, covered in dirt, and looked to be in pain. It was obvious from the look of things that these two were captured individuals for these scoundrels. The two of them were like cornered animals.

So why were the men acting so wary and afraid?

Piercing red eyes, and fiery red hair that spoke a story without words, the female stood proudly in front of the small child, and even though she was greatly outnumbered, she still emanated the aura of someone who was dominating. For the first time since Shirou had arrived in this world, he had finally found what everyone else had believed him to be, a Fanalis.

Without a doubt, the powerful and intimidating commotion earlier had originated from this small girl below him.

As Shirou observed and analyzed the situation before him, the criminal leader gestured with his hands to his men, and smirked ominously at the young Fanalis girl.

With his signal, large ferocious birds and felines, more monster than animal, were ushered in by the henchmen. They bared their fangs as they glared hungrily at the two girls.

"The Maurenian Sabertooth Tiger, and the Namideian Condor, both imported from the Dark Continent. These carnivores possess deadly poisons," the criminal leader nonchalantly announced as the vicious creatures moved forth towards the lone Fanalis. "Be careful! If their beaks or tusks even graze you, you'll die!"

The bastard laughed sinisterly as he relaxed his pose and watched the Fanalis pleasurably while the beasts surrounded her.

With unbelievable compassion and kindness, the Fanalis beckoned the now sobbing and terrified child to move behind her as she took up her defensive stance. However, she was still practically a child herself, there was no way she could handle such numbers of beasts without even a weapon.

"Looks like I showed up at the right time..." Shirou whispered to himself as he leapt down the edge of the wall onto any available footing. Without even considering the men who stood dumbfounded as they surveyed the battle below, he sped towards the Fanalis.

But something remarkable and unexpected had occurred. Rather than waiting for the beasts to pounce, the Fanalis had taken a preemptive strike at the nearest feline monstrosity. From the distance he was currently at, the sound of the Fanalis' knee cracking the skull of one of the tigers could be heard. It was a sure-kill...

Without even pausing for a second, another beast had taken the full force of the Fanalis' wrath as the back of her foot slammed into the side of its head, crushing its jaw instantly.

Their numbers dropped by the second and by the time Shirou had arrived to the center of the massacre that was happening right before his eyes, there were only two tigers remaining.

One stood in front while the other readied itself from behind. Realizing that approaching the girl one at a time was a mistake, the last two standing were probably thinking of attacking simultaneously.

Even after seeing her impressive strength, Shirou could not see anything other than the potential danger the girl was in.

"—Trace, on."

As the tiger visible to the Fanalis had taken off in an all-out charge, the one from behind had rapidly followed suit.

Dashing at a speed which the tiger could not detect, Shirou wielded both Kanshou and Bakuya, and plunged the twin married swords into the back of the tiger's crown. Blood gushed out and soaked its fur in red.

However, the battle wasn't exactly over yet.

The Fanalis was anticipating both tigers to assault her at once, and as a result, when Shirou turned to face the girl he was suddenly confronted by a foot moving at an imposing velocity. Instinctively, he shielded his face with both his arms as his blades were still embedded in flesh and bone.

A split-second later, the Fanalis' foot which felt like steel struck against Shirou's reinforced arms. He had no intent on countering or evading as he took the full brunt of the attack and a loud audible boom resonated through the air. It took a second to completely register just what happened.

Clouds of dusts rose from the floors. Due to the force of the kick, Shirou's body had slid a few meters across the dirt ground from his original position. Although the bones in his arms were still intact, there still remained a numbing pain as he shook his arms to dissipate the throbbing.

Before he could organize his thoughts on what to do, another impending kick took precedence in his mind. Emerging from behind the veils of dust, the Fanalis assailed him with blinding speeds.

With the additional momentum generated by her initial rush, a sweeping kick descended upon him from his right. Bringing up both his arms, he once again braced himself for the powerful impact.

"W-wai—!" she definitely regarded Shirou as an enemy, and gave him no chance to respond. Of course, it might've been his fault, suddenly appearing behind her while she was in a battle for her life. His fully concealed and suspicious appearance didn't help soothe the state of affairs at all either. He seriously needed to stop sneaking up behind people.

She was fighting for her own survival as well as the child waiting for her. Taking this into consideration, what could he possibly do to mitigate her sudden and reasonable animosity towards him?

Another kick hacked towards his torso as he shielded himself with his knee and arm. Each blow sent a ripple of vibrations through his body, and the ground underneath him quivered from the pressure.

Every kick was promptly followed by another as a flow of hits rained down upon him. Even with his reinforced body, it was nearly impossible to keep such a defense up against such a potent intensity. As he continued to successful parry her every move, the determination and fervor in her eyes continued to increase.

After blocking a side kick on course to the temple of his head, the Fanalis twisted her body and attempted to ram her knee into his chest.

Leaping back with all the strength he could muster in such a short time, Shirou narrowly eluded having his ribcage caving into his thoracic cavity.

"Stop! I'm trying to—!"

Immediately after, with an explosive dash, the Fanalis' left foot swept across the top of Shirou's head and nicked the hood of his cloak as he scarcely avoided the incapacitating blow.

The cloak was torn off his body and was tossed across the area. Assuming the need to defend himself from a follow-up attack, he jumped a few paces back. However, it was not needed. Looking at the faces of the young Fanalis' girl and those around him, they were unexpectedly frozen in spot.

When in doubt, show everyone your red hair. Shirou should've realized this fact earlier. After all, it was the color of his hair that got him his many job opportunities as well as saving him a lot of trouble with criminals during his mercenary missions.

"I'm trying to help…" Shirou sighed as he said to the Fanalis, taking advantage of the momentary confusion.

Staring at Shirou with widened eyes and a blank expression, the Fanalis was absolutely stunned. Never in her mind did she imagine to see someone she suspected to be of her race, especially now of all times. As she stood there motionless with a shocked face that said 'what the hell?', Shirou could not help but think it was a little comical considering how she was fully intent on pummeling him with her kicks just seconds ago.

"Trying to help…?" the Fanalis spoke as if she were trying to understand Shirou's words.

Feet began to shuffle from behind, as the thieves nervously began to pace backwards.

"A lighter shade of red hair, and golden eyes… A half-Fanalis…" the criminal leader spoke in despair as he saw his chances of winning come crashing down.

That was actually the closest anyone had ever gotten to describing Shirou's blood. It was commendable that this bastard had come to the apprehension that there was something other than the Fanalis ancestry within Shirou's genetics. Definitely unfortunate that it was a criminal that said this, as Shirou felt no pleasure from it at all.

"W-Why are you wearing the clothing of the Kou Empire…?" the criminal leader questioned once again in dismay. "It can't be…"

After acknowledging that his previous leather battle suit as well as its belts for adornments was easy prey for gossip by just about any female, Shirou had requested Kougyoku for some more traditional clothing. Much to the style of the other royal family members, he was now donning an appropriate dark crimson Kou robe with its edges outlined in a lustrous black.

"I'm here to bring an end to this place," turning towards the criminals, Shirou spoke in a stable, yet hostile tone.

"You're the Fanalis that brought down the slave market in the eastern regions… You annihilated all the upper echelons of slave traders there…" the criminal's voice trembled as he faltered under Shirou's gaze. "Why the hell are you way out here…?"

"You have prisoners here, don't you?" Shirou ignored his remark. Keeping his steel glare glued on the criminal leader, Shirou took a few steps forward towards him. "Give me the keys to the chambers where you're keeping them."

"W-what?" by this time, all his guards had fled the scene, leaving only the one criminal. "You can't mean to free them, this is a business!"

"In addition, I want you to order all your men to exit this fortress and remain there until I say so," Shirou looked down upon the criminal as they now stood face to face.

"You can't expect me to—"

"I'll give you until the brink of dawn. Not following what I tell you will result in the same thing happening to the other slave traders which I have dealt with previously," Shirou gave his orders to the man.

"You god damn slave of the Kou Empire…" the criminal growled and bit down on his lips as he reached to the side of his waist to grab a bag. "Because you're a slave yourself, you're taking pity on those like you!?"

"That's incorrect," Shirou slightly smirked as he snatched the bag. "I am the knight of the Tsundere Princess, Kougyoku Ren. Now I'd hurry up if I were you, dawn is approaching."

With that, Shirou had nothing left to say to the bastard whose knees nearly gave out, and instead, walked back towards the Fanalis and the little girl.

The Fanalis was still cautious as she kept a vigilant outlook for any actions Shirou may have taken. She positioned herself in front of the child as Shirou approached.

"This is the first time I've met a Fanalis," Shirou said with a gentle smile. He still kept his distance in order for the Fanalis to relax herself.

"Yes… same goes for me," it was the first time Shirou heard her speak. She had a soft spoken voice, one which matched her attractive and charming physical features.

"You sure pack quite the kick… My arms are practically dead at this point," Shirou wryly smiled.

"I'm sorry… I thought you were with them," she replied apologetically and bowed her head.

"I don't mind, it was my fault to begin with," shrugging his shoulders, Shirou let out a sigh. Being attacked by individuals and later becoming acquainted and potentially friends with them was a common occurrence for him. "Aside from that, are the two of you okay?"

"Yes."

"Yes, thank you, Mister!" the young girl behind the Fanalis answered perkily.

"I'm glad to hear that," Shirou responded.

"Thanks to you," the Fanalis lowered her head again.

"No, by the looks of it, you had it all under control," Shirou replied as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "How did the two of you end up in here in the first place? I can't imagine them being able to subdue you."

"These thieves were obstructing the way for a caravan I was on, so we were unable to pass. The destination of the caravan is a place I have to reach no matter what. Therefore, I had no other choice but to get rid of them," the Fanalis coolly replied. "I was poisoned after infiltrating this place, and was held captive alongside this child here. The caravan that this child was on was ambushed and she was captured. After being detained, I made a new goal to free everyone here… and myself…"

It was as Shirou thought and feared; she was another foolish individual like himself who risked their life to attain their objective. But even so, he couldn't help but respect that vehemence that drove people to their limits. She may have initially looked like someone who was forced to become a slave, but it was evident that she was anything but.

Although she coyly stared at the ground after she explained her reason, the burning passion behind her limpid scarlet eyes was awfully apparent. That inner vigor and resolve was mesmerizing. Shirou hadn't the slightest clue what meaning her actions tonight had symbolized for her, but it was clear to him that she had accomplished something worth praising.

So before Shirou had even been consciously aware of it, he had already closed the distance between the two of them and outstretched his hand. The Fanalis had stared at it with indecision, but this hesitation was enough time for Shirou to settle what his inner-mind was impelling him to do.

"What are you doing?" the Fanalis asked him.

"I'm patting your head it seems," Shirou answered with an equally perplexed countenance.

"Why?"

"Because you did a good job."

The red-haired girl went silent as Shirou continued patting her head. He was half-expecting some sort of physical retaliation, but fortunately for him, he was spared the hassle from his spontaneous act.

"Thank you…" the Fanalis said in a voice not much louder than a whisper.

It felt downright natural for Shirou to be doing such a thing, it was quite peculiar.

A small blush surfaced on her cheeks as she snuck a quick glance upwards towards Shirou, and averted her gaze the moment her eyes caught his. The young girl's demure reactions were endearing to the point where he wouldn't have minded continue observing it, but time was up.

"Here, take the keys, and free all the people here in this fortress," Shirou exclaimed as he presented the bag of clanging keys to the Fanalis. "In the meantime, I will personally escort the thieves outside."

Shirou understood that some of the thieves have already made their escape after hearing the news of his presence, but he would at least rally up all the individuals he could manage. Prior to arriving at this thief den, he had come across what appeared to be an army on a direct path towards this very location. The only thing he had to do then was lead as many of them outside as possible.

"Yes," she simply responded as she accepted the keys.

"Thank you," Shirou thanked her as he began walking away. "I hope you will be able to grasp your dreams."

With his back turned towards the girls, he marched towards the inner corridors of the structure, all while thinking of the smiling faces those two had presented to him.

As he continued to immerse himself in that wonderful feeling, a painful thought and reminder ran across his mind.

If only Kougyoku could show me a smile like that…

With things standing as they were now, such an image was nothing more than an illusion. After all, the Kou Empire had turned its back on Kougyoku. Despite her obsessive faith towards the country and possessing willpower which had outshone anyone else… in the end, she was still tossed aside and treated as a tool.

"Dammit!" with his pent up frustration rising beyond what he had thought possible; he struck the solid rock wall to his right with his fist. The sound of crumbling rocks echoed down the passage he had taken as his fist had formed a deep crater in the wall with cracks stemming from all sides.

Taking a deep breath, Shirou strained to contain his chest from heaving up and down.

"I'll find a solution… if it means removing Balbadd's royal family, then so be it."

Taking the first step out of the woeful fortress, Morgiana could finally feel her muscles loosen up as she was unshackled from her metaphorical chains. The warm embrace of the desert sun welcomed her, while the endless skies above seemed to represent how vast her world had suddenly become.

In all honesty, she should've realized that she was no longer a slave the moment her past companion, Goltas, had cut off the chains which had bound and tied her to a life of slavery. She should just continue to follow the advice of the mysterious individual, Alibaba, and walk wherever she desired.

"Morgiana! Look at all the people out there!" beside her, a relatively short young boy with long blue hair tied in a braid called out to her as she contemplated what had just occurred. She had met him in a Dungeon, his name was Aladdin. It just so happen that he was also captured by some thieves, and coincidently ended up in the prison within the fortress. "Wow, did they come here to rescue us?"

As a member of the Fanalis race, Morgiana's physical ability was much greater than the average person. Looking at the numerous individuals a little ways from the entrance where they were situated with her enhanced visual acuity, Morgiana had recognized some of the individuals as members belonging to the caravan she was previously accompanying. There were also a large number of thieves from the fortress which were now kneeling down with completely demoralized faces. In fact, everyone had some sort of distorted or petrified expressions.

Suddenly, a burst of noise rose from the large and quiet group of people, and two individuals had begun sprinting towards Morgiana and Aladdin.

"Morgiana, you're safe!" the two of them happily cried out with tears in synchrony.

Strangely enough, they were also acquaintances with Aladdin. It was weird how the world worked sometimes.

"What happened out here?" Morgiana asked after they had concluded the reunion party.

They told Morgiana and Aladdin about a red-haired man that had led the now groveling thieves outside. Most of the thieves were in tears as directly behind them was a wall of swords which had seemingly materialized out of thin air. Of course, Morgiana could not envision such a scene without seeing it for herself, but it was still a horrifying thought. She realized that man was strong after he had deflected all her attacks. Fortunately for her, he was not aiming for her life. After the red-haired man had ensured that the thieves were unable to rebel against their new care keepers, he somehow made the artillery of floating swords vanish, and took off into the distance.

"Morgiana, was he the one who helped you earlier?" Aladdin had asked curiously.

"Yes," Morgiana replied.

"Wow, he seems like a really strong and nice guy," Aladdin said with a sunny and cheerful smile. "I'm sure we could become friends with each other!"

"Yes, he's a very nice person," Morgiana complimented the man. She had held him in high regards considering he had tried to help, and even told her she did a good job. Not to mention, he was the first Fanalis she had any recollection of ever meeting. "He said he was a Knight serving the 'Thunder' Princess."

"Thunder Princess!?" Aladdin exclaimed in bewilderment and excitement. "She must be super powerful and beautiful! Hopefully she has wonderful breasts as well!"

"I concur, she must be a good person if that man is her knight," Morgiana nodded her head in agreement, although she forced herself not to hear the last part. "I wonder if we'll ever meet him again and his princess."

"I'm sure we will," Aladdin said confidently. "After all, just as that 'person' said. In the world, there is a thread that binds us together. People are bonded together by a strong guiding force which we call 'chance meetings'. Though we may be separated, surely… those people's spirits are by our sides."

Morgiana looked towards the endless horizon as her hair swayed in the gentle breeze that drifted past her. That's right, as long as she kept moving forward, nothing was impossible. Perhaps by continuing to keep her head held high, and her legs free to walk, one day… she will be reunited with everyone important to her.

[Chapter 6 End]

Author Notes:

After reading chapter 203 of Magi, I felt compelled to write this chapter. Finally, the manga is going back to the themes which got me hooked in the first place. Aside from that, this chapter was completed in a rush/hurry as I had other things to do, but hopefully it doesn't detract too much from what I was trying to accomplish.

Thanks for the suggestions on what type of NPs to use, as well as all your well thought out opinions on the topic of Shirou tracing Metal Vessels. Everyone is pretty much saying the same thing (short version: trace weapon form/abilities, but not the associated Djinn power), and I generally agree with everyone too, so thanks for your opinions!

As I mentioned before way back whenever, and as a couple reviewers had commented on, I'm leaning towards a more brother-sister kind of relationship with Morgiana and Shirou. Similar to the one she has with Masrur, but on a more personal level. Feel free to comment more on this relationship and what you'd like to see though.

And yes, for those of you who watch the anime or read the manga, the reason for Shirou's irritation and for why he's headed to Balbaad is pretty obvious.

Now the next chapter is what you've all been waiting for. Finally, the main cast of Magi meets the main cast of my fic.

Thank you for reading my story, and I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review about anything I need to work on, what you liked/disliked etc.
I read each and every review, and take a lot out of each one.

Till next time,

Cheers!