Then, he turned to face the hundreds of special forces personnel standing behind him.
"Move out!" he ordered.
"HAAA!!" they responded with a thunderous voice before scattering across the royal garden courtyard and spreading out.
"You stay here as well, Abu. It's too dangerous for you to come along," Aladdin turned to Abu and Carpet and said.
Abu was currently wearing a jewelled gold necklace he had snatched from one of the thieves, probably belonging to one of the guests. He shook his head in response and pointed at Aladdin and himself with an index finger before bringing it back together.
"We go together," Abu responded.
He was still getting used to his own voice and felt more comfortable conveying his intentions through gestures, just as he had done all throughout his life.
"No. I'm not making a suggestion. Stay here with Genie and keep Jasmine and the others safe. That's the only way I can guarantee everyone's safety," Aladdin responded.
Then he turned to Carpet and said, "Watch him. Don't let him do anything too crazy."
Carpet nodded, his edges fluttering slightly, a solemn aura emanating from him.
Aladdin looked at Abu once more, with a glare as though warning him not to do anything foolish, before he teleported out of the royal garden courtyard. He reappeared on the roof.
Aladdin transmuted his white wedding coat, forming an almost invisible white net armour that melded with his overall princely attire.
Then, he floated high into the air.
And teleported from one region of the palace to another, scanning it intently and trying to pick up any signs of an intruder, or any unknown or unfamiliar magical signature.
Within the city of Agrabah, an elderly woman slowly walked through the crowds with a walking stick.
Suddenly, she stopped a young man in front of her and asked, "Excuse me, sir, do you know the directions to the Palace of Agrabah? I came from far away to observe the marriage between Princess Jasmine and Prince Aladdin. However, I can't seem to find my way there."
The man attempted to shake the woman's hand off him, but upon realising that he couldn't, he recomposed himself and responded, "You came all the way here to watch Princess Jasmine and Prince Aladdin's wedding? That's really surprising for an old woman like you. Regardless, if you want to head to the palace, take this street, then turn left, and after the fifth corner on the right, turn right. You should be able to see the palace gate from there."
"However, only nobles and other foreign dignitaries are currently invited to attend the wedding in the palace. So rather than wasting your time heading there now and being turned away, you should wait until it's time for the Princess and her groom to visit the public and welcome everyone to share in the celebrations."
He spoke until he felt her grip on his arm loosen.
"Thank you for your help, sir. You can have this as a token of my sincerity for your kind gesture," the old woman said, pulling out a gold coin with mysterious inscriptions from her worn-out sack and forcefully placing it in the young man's hand.
The young man was shocked and quickly tried to hand the gold coin back to her. "No, you don't have to do this."
"Don't worry, it's nothing. Besides, I'm already an old woman. I don't have much need for this thing. It's best to give away this wealth to the younger generation so they can utilise it well," the old woman said, waving her hand as she walked away.
The young man was briefly astounded before he accepted the gold coin and bowed toward the direction of the old woman.
"Thank you!! Thank you, kind ma'am!"
After that, he turned away and left with a spring in his step, all while looking around cautiously to ensure that no one had seen what had just happened.
Seeing that no one had taken notice of the gold coin in his hand, he hurried his steps back home.
Meanwhile, the old woman walked away until she found an alley and slowly stepped into it.
In an instant, her appearance shockingly transformed into a tall, middle-aged, light brown-skinned woman with an almost gaunt build, dressed in a form-fitting, open-back, floor-length burgundy dress with black accents.
She had long black hair styled like a cobra's hood. Wrapped around her right arm was a golden four-ringed snake armband, with a pair of golden earrings and a necklace around her neck.
If Aladdin were here, he would quickly recognise this woman.
It was none other than the infamous Sorceress of the dark arts - Sorceress Nasira!
Suddenly, a crow flew overhead into the alley and landed on her outstretched left arm.
Instantly, visions of everything that had transpired in the palace flowed into her mind. She had avoided sharing her senses with her familiar to prevent being detected by that terrifying being hiding there. She could only gather information safely in this manner.
"A genie!" Nasira muttered, her expression a mixture of shock and realisation.
"I see… it makes sense now." She had pondered what kind of powerful being could have hidden her brother's soul from her; however, none of them had been a genie.
Genies were meant to be sealed within a lamp or bottle and grant the wishes of the master they served. However, the one she had just witnessed appeared to be free to act as it desired. This could only mean that the Genie had been set free by its former master.
As for who that master had been…?
Nasira replayed the vision once more and instantly deduced the identity of the former Genie's master.
Prince Aladdin Ababwa!
Everything was finally coming together!
Nasira remembered that her brother had been obsessed with finding a Genie after learning of their existence from their former master's archives, and that was one of his main motivations for choosing to join the palace.
He wanted to use the resources of the palace to obtain the Genie and increase his magical potential to surpass hers, as well as control the entirety of Agrabah.
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