Malakar's inhuman sprint slowed, his bare feet sliding across the cold desert sand until he stopped. His intense gaze focused on a huge sand dune ahead, towering high with a smooth surface.
A wicked grin crept across his face as he took in the sight.
He grinned with satisfaction. "We're here..."
He carefully laid the unconscious Amina down on the sand.
Then, Malakar stretched out his arm, his fingertips curling as he began to chant in an ancient language.
The very air trembled, and the sand shook.
Then—it began to move.
The grains of sand did not blow or scatter like they would in the wind. Instead, they parted, spiraling outward in an unnatural, circular motion.
Then, from beneath the shifting sand, something dark and sharp emerged.
At first, it was only a sharp, black point.
Then—more.
The sand sank lower and lower, unveiling a massive black pyramid—an ancient, ominous structure. Unlike the golden pyramids of Egypt, this one was made of solid black stone, absorbing light rather than reflecting it.
At its base, a grand entrance slowly appeared, framed by towering black pillars. A huge doorway resembled a massive, open mouth, as if it had been waiting for centuries to consume its next visitors.
It stood there like a shrine, welcoming the return of the evil demon lord—a long-lost ruler, destined to rise once more.
Malakar's eyes gleamed with hunger.
Breathless with excitement and a creepy grin, he whispered. "Finally. I can open the gate inside… HOW THRILLING!"
His voice echoed into the silent desert.
Then, without a second thought, he bent down, placed Amina over his shoulder again, and stepped forward.
As he stepped through the pyramid's entrance, shadows crept along the ground, pulling them both into the darkness.
From the darkness within, his chilling chuckles could still be heard—
—before the desert fell into silence.
In the sky…
The cool morning air surrounded them as Aladdin and Ryo soared through the sky, gliding above the clouds. The sun shone brightly, coloring the sky in shades of gold and blue.
And what are these two heroes doing at such a cinematic moment?
Munching on breakfast.
Aladdin took a big bite of his sandwich, holding it with one hand while skillfully steering the magic carpet with the other. Meanwhile, Ryo chomped on his croissant, savoring the taste while admiring the stunning view.
For a brief moment, it was peaceful.
Until Ryo's brain did a thing.
Ryo, mid-chew, suddenly said. "Hey, Aladdin."
Aladdin, still chewing, glanced back at him. "Yes, sir?"
Ryo swallowed his food, then… "You know that exact scene when your character—I mean, that fictional Aladdin—took Jasmine on a world tour with a magic carpet… and they sang?"
And with a serious look. "You know… in situations like this… we gotta sing too!"
Aladdin blinked twice, looking confused. "…Huh?"
He suddenly had a bad feeling about this.
Ryo nodded wisely, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.
Then he smirked. "Yeah. We're doing that. 'Let's sing 'A Whole New World', just like in the movie.'"
Aladdin choked on his sandwich. "W-WHAT?!" he coughed, staring at Ryo in disbelief.
Ryo adjusted his goggles and sighed dramatically. "Unfortunately… there's no Jasmine here, so I'll sing Jasmine's part."
Aladdin looked at him like he's out of his mind. "Wha—but, sir—I can't sing."
Ryo looking dead serious. "I will not let this opportunity go to waste!"
And then—
He closed his eyes, overwhelmed with emotion, as he played the melody in his head. Taking a deep breath.
His hands over his heart, passionately started (mistakenly singing Aladdin's part), "I can show you the wo—"
Aladdin, panic mode ACTIVATED, shouted. "SIR! LET'S FOCUS ON THE MISSION RIGHT NOW!"
Ryo sighed in disappointment, crossing his arms. "You didn't have to cut me off like that, dude. That was rude."
Aladdin, sweating and awkwardly laughing. "Haha... y-yeah, let's just, um, concentrate on saving Lady Amina and... the world, shall we?"
Then, Ryo and Aladdin finished their food and took a few final gulps of water.
Aladdin wiped his mouth and turned to Ryo. "Alright, sir, I'm gonna start descending. We should get closer to the ground."
Ryo nodded. "Good idea."
As the carpet gently descended, Aladdin closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating using his aura detection ability. "I just sensed something… faint, but definitely there. It's an aura similar to wind magic."
Ryo's let out a small gasp. "Wind magic? Wait… that's Amina!"
Aladdin's eyes widened. "That's right!"
Without hesitation, Ryo grabbed Aladdin's shoulder. "Speed it up! We're close!"
Aladdin nodded sharply and fly the carpet at a faster pace. The two soared over endless dunes, passing sand hill after sand hill—until something huge appeared on the horizon.
Both Ryo and Aladdin instantly froze.
Their eyes widened. Their breath caught in their throats.
Right before them stood a massive black pyramid.
It was unnatural. Sinister. Wrong.
It looked like a structure that had been forgotten by time… and for good reason.
Aladdin's voice came out in a whisper. "No way… This wasn't here before."
His hands shook slightly as he pointed at it. "I patrolled this area last year. There was nothing here. Just a massive sand dune."
Ryo narrowed his eyes, putting the pieces together. "Then Malakar must've been the one who uncovered it."
His mind raced. "If this place was buried… it means someone went through the trouble of hiding it. And that only means one thing."
He glanced at Aladdin, eyes sharp. "The gate is inside."
Aladdin gasped. "Seriously?! Then that means… Malakar and Lady Amina are in there right now!"
Ryo clenched his fists. "Exactly. This is it."
He thought to himself, "So my dream was right... The compass pointed here for a reason... but why?"
The two locked eyes, their expressions now dead serious.
Aladdin said firmly "Then let's get inside."
Ryo looked at the ominous entrance ahead of them, its darkness almost swallowing the light around it. He took a deep breath. "Alright, Aladdin. Fly us inside—but slow. We don't know what's waiting for us in there."
Aladdin gripped the carpet tightly and nodded.
Ryo drew his gun with a swift motion, the sharp click signaling it was ready for what's to come in the unknown darkness.
Aladdin, feeling the weight of the moment, tightened his grip on his sword.
With weapons in hand, they flew cautiously toward the entrance, their shadows disappearing into the pitch-black abyss of the pyramid.
Malakar walked deeper into the black pyramid, his footsteps echoing through the eerie silence. The darkness inside felt alive, shifting, breathing—as if the very walls of the pyramid were watching him.
Then, he arrived.
A vast chamber stretched before him, bathed in the dim glow of faint rays of light seeping through the black rock crevices above. But even the light couldn't reach the abyss below…
A massive pit yawned beneath him, an endless void that swallowed all light and sound. A long, narrow stone bridge stretched across it—no railings, no support. One misstep, one slip, and you would fall into the nothingness below.
But Malakar didn't hesitate.
His grin widened, exposing his teeth as his eyes fixed upon the structure that awaited him on the other side.
The Gate.
A tall black monolith, carved with grotesque, ever-shifting patterns, stood at the end of the bridge. The sinister markings seemed to twist and pulse, as if alive, breathing, and waiting. Its massive double doors stood sealed, yet the presence behind it was overwhelming—an unspeakable malevolence, the spirits, imprisoned for millennia.
Malakar inhaled deeply, savoring the ancient, cursed air, and grinned as he whispered. "At last..."
His voice echoed in the chamber.
His gaze remained fixed on the Black Gate as Malakar softly whispered, almost lovingly. "Do you miss me?"
A faint, eerie whisper echoed through the air. It wasn't from Malakar or the wind—it came from the Gate itself. The patterns on its surface twisted and pulsed, seeming to recognize him.
Malakar closed his eyes for a moment.
For the first time in 1620 years… he was home.
A deep, almost nostalgic satisfaction filled him.
The world had moved on, forgotten his existence, buried his legacy. But now?
Now, he would remind them.
With slow, deliberate steps, he walked across the bridge, carrying the unconscious Amina towards destiny.
Toward the end of all things.
Aladdin and Ryo hovered cautiously through the pitch-black halls of the black pyramid, the eerie silence pressing down on them like an invisible weight.
Aladdin scratched his head, his voice uncertain. "Uhhh… Sir? I can't see anything. What if we fly straight into a wall?"
Ryo casually pulled out his smartphone from his coat pocket. "Don't worry, got my phone with me."
He turned on the phone's flashlight.
A bright beam of light cut through the darkness—and immediately, both men froze.
The first thing they saw was not a regular stone wall.
It was a wall of skulls.
Old, decayed skeleton heads, stacked upon one another, covering the entire surface. Empty eye sockets stared back at them, grinning eternally. It looked like something out of the catacombs of hell.
Aladdin's face turned pale. His lips trembled, and his throat tightened as a scream nearly burst out.
But before he could make a sound—
Ryo slapped a hand over Aladdin's mouth.
He whispered harshly. "Shhh! Do you want Malakar to hear us?!"
Aladdin's eyes darted around in panic, his muffled voice trying to argue. But he eventually nodded.
Ryo slowly released his hand.
Aladdin immediately took a deep breath, then exhaled. His hands clenched into fists, trying to calm his nerves.
After a few seconds, he finally turned to Ryo, still shaken. "H-How… are you not freaking out right now?!"
Ryo shrugged. "Back in my police days, I saw a lot of dead bodies—murders, accidents, all kinds of nasty cases. So, this?" He gestured at the skull wall. "Eh, I've seen worse."
Aladdin swallowed hard, still uncomfortable. "I've had to use force as a royal guard before… but dealing with this many dead things? Yeah, no thanks."
They both turned their attention back to their surroundings. The deeper they went, the more twisted and unnatural the inside of the pyramid felt. The walls weren't just dark—they absorbed light, making the shadows feel alive.
Ryo groaned, rolling his eyes. "Seriously… if I see something straight out of 'The Mummy', I swear I'm gonna lose it."
Aladdin gave him a confused look. "What's The Mummy?"
Ryo looking straight ahead. "You're lucky you don't know."
Then, Aladdin pointed ahead. "Sir, look—the path is straight from here. I think the Gate is just up ahead."
Ryo's face hardened, his grip tightening around his gun. "Alright, let's go."
With that, the carpet moved forward, gliding deeper into the darkness.
Malakar's footsteps echoed through the chamber as he crossed the stone bridge, his expression twisted in pure ecstasy, his intense gaze locked onto the huge black gate in front of him.
He was finally here.
Finally, at the edge of Armageddon.
Caught up in his excitement, Malakar completely forgot about Amina and carelessly threw her aside.
Her body rolled violently across the rough stone floor before slamming into a large rock.
A sharp pain shot up her back.
Amina groaned. "Ouch…"
She slowly blinked, her vision blurry from the impact.
And then she saw him.
Malakar, standing tall with a grotesquely wide smile on his face, his eyes fixed ahead with a look of twisted admiration.
Confused, Amina followed his gaze—
And then she gasped.
The Gate.
Even without knowing its appearance beforehand, she could feel it. The malevolence radiating from it was enough to make her entire body tremble.
She tried to move, but—
Her wrists and ankles were still bound by Malakar's dark magic.
Amina's heart pounded in her chest as she desperately struggled against her restraints.
Malakar finally turned to her, his grin widening. "Ahhh, looks like someone's finally awake… Sleepyhead."
Amina's breath hitched.
She swallowed her fear and pleaded. "Please… please don't open it."
Malakar placed a hand on his chest and gasped dramatically, his voice taking on a mockingly sweet tone, like a mother consoling a child.
"Oh, sweetheart… I can't do that."
Then, with a twisted chuckle, he turned back to the gate.
"The kids behind the gate… they're so hungry, you see."
His fingers stroked the ancient carvings.
"And every hungry child needs an appetizer."
He suddenly turned around, crouching low, his face mere inches from Amina's.
His voice dropped to a whisper, filled with cruel amusement.
"…and that is YOU!"
Amina's blood ran cold.
Her entire body went rigid, trembling uncontrollably.
Malakar rose back to his full height, stretching his arms dramatically.
"And after their little snack… comes the main course."
A wicked grin spread across his lips.
"…This kingdom and...THE WORLD…"
Amina's eyes widened in sheer terror.
She screamed. "PLEASE, NO!"
Ryo and Aladdin heard the scream.
Amina's voice echoed through the dark halls of the pyramid, reaching them like a desperate cry for help.
Aladdin's eyes sharpened. "That voice—it's Lady Amina!"
Ryo's jaw clenched. "We're close! Let's move!"
Aladdin maneuvered the carpet at full speed, zipping through the hall with urgent precision. Up ahead, the eerie darkness finally parted, revealing an opening.
And then—
They burst into the chamber.
But as soon as they saw what lay before them—
They froze.
The Chamber of the Gate
A narrow stone bridge stretched across a bottomless abyss, leading to a wide circular platform. Dim rays of light shone weakly from cracks in the black rocky ceiling above, casting an ominous glow.
And at the end of the bridge—
The Gate stood.
Tall. Sinister. Malevolent.
Aladdin and Ryo felt their chests tighten just by looking at it.
And then their eyes locked onto Amina.
She was on the ground, bound, terrified.
Aladdin whispered in horror. "Lady Amina…"
And in front of the gate, Malakar stood, his back to them.
In his hand—
The Celestial Compass.
Ryo's fingers tightened around his gun. "Shit! This is bad."