Rhine immediately knew that the so-called "Uncle Addin" was a fraud—

  Merely a magician scheming to use Addin to obtain the Magic Lamp!

  But there was a problem.

  He had assumed that the one impersonating Addin’s uncle was Magrito—the magician who had already died at his hands.

  Yet Magrito was dead.

  So now—

  Who was impersonating Addin’s uncle?

  Rhine thanked Addin’s mother, and before leaving, he took an old childhood doll that once belonged to Addin.

  The moment he stepped out of the house, Rhine pulled out his crystal ball and began his divination—

  "Tell me—who is the magician disguised as Addin’s uncle? Who took Addin away?"

  Now that Rhine had become one of the greatest legendary magicians, his divination arts had also reached an unparalleled level—capable of revealing intricate details far beyond ordinary prophecy.

  A blue glow radiated from the crystal ball, and lines of text appeared:

  —The magician is Khalid, the elder brother of Magrito. He, too, is a magician.

  —The two brothers once terrorized their homend together with their dark arts, becoming infamous sorcerers.

  —Khalid learned of the Magic Lamp from his younger brother. The two originally pnned to obtain it together.

  —After divining his brother’s death, Khalid decided to take his pce, disguise himself as Addin’s uncle, and seek the Magic Lamp for himself.

  Rhine narrowed his eyes.

  So that’s it…

  In several versions of Addin and the Magic Lamp, after the protagonist defeats the evil magician, another vilin suddenly aappearshis older brother.

  This older magician, upon discovering his sibling’s death through divination, disguised himself as a kind-hearted monk, infiltrated Addin’s household, and plotted revenge.

  But in the end—

  Evil was vanquished once more.

  The older brother’s scheme failed, and he died just like his sibling.

  This plotline, however, always felt oddly sudden—

  Like an afterthought, hastily inserted at the end to extend the story.

  That’s why many modern retellings simply ended the tale with the first magician’s death, omitting the older brother entirely.

  But now—

  Since Rhine had sin Magrito ahead of time, fate had shifted slightly.

  Instead of arriving ter, Khalid had foreseen his brother’s death early, and now—

  He was pying the very role that Magrito was supposed to.

  A new vilin. The same old scheme.

  Rhine smirked.

  "Doesn’t matter. Whoever comes—it makes no difference."

  Then, he posed his second question to the crystal ball:

  "Tell me—where is Addin right now?"

  A Magician’s Deception

  Deep in the desert, a magician and a boy climbed over a mountain of stone and sand.

  Had Aurora been here, she might have mistaken the magician for Magrito himself—

  Khalid and Magrito were twin brothers, bearing an uncanny resembnce in both appearance and aura.

  "Uncle, this is just an endless desert!"

  Addin’s young voice rang out.

  "There’s nothing here but rocks and sand. Why did you bring me here?"

  Khalid’s eyes darkened.

  "Don’t ask so many questions. Just follow me."

  His tone was suddenly harsher.

  "But Uncle, we’ve been walking for days!"

  Addin pouted, crossing his arms.

  "You said we’d go see amazing things, but I thought we’d be back home soon!"

  Then—he plopped down onto the ground, refusing to move.

  "I’m too tired!"

  Khalid’s patience snapped.

  The kind, caring uncle act he had maintained for weeks vanished in an instant.

  SMACK!

  A sharp sp sent Addin sprawling onto the sand.

  The force of the hit nearly knocked out one of his teeth.

  Addin clutched his cheek, tears welling in his eyes.

  "Uncle… what did I do wrong?"

  He remembered—

  When this man first appeared at his home, he had been so kind.

  "Uncle" had given his family money, taken him on trips, introduced him to wealthy merchants, and showed him exciting things.

  "But now… why does he look so cruel?"

  Khalid gred down at him.

  "I am your uncle. That means you obey me!"

  "I’m about to show you something incredible—something no one else has ever seen!"

  "Now—GET UP and WALK!"

  He raised his hand again.

  Terrified, Addin scrambled to his feet.

  "Y-yes, Uncle! I’ll listen!"

  And so—

  The boy, clutching his bruised cheek, dragged his exhausted feet across the scorching desert for hours more.

  His blistered feet throbbed with pain.

  His body ached with exhaustion.

  Several times, he wanted to ask—

  "Where are we going? What happened to the kind uncle I knew?"

  But every time, the memory of the sp silenced him.

  Finally—

  Khalid led him to a cluster of jagged rocks deep in the desert.

  To any ordinary traveler, this pce looked no different from the rest of the wastend.

  But Khalid knew better.

  "This is it!"

  A twisted grin stretched across the magician’s face.

  For years, he had searched for the entrance to the Magic Lamp’s Vault.

  The ancient records had only described its general location.

  It had taken years of searching and divination to pinpoint its exact whereabouts.

  And now—

  He stood before it.

  "We’re here, Addin. This is our destination."

  "You may rest now."

  The moment the words left his lips, Addin colpsed onto the sand, panting.

  But Khalid ignored him.

  Instead—

  He turned to a massive rock nearby and spoke in a reverent voice:

  "Your Majesty…"

  "I have brought you Addin."

  "Who is Uncle calling out to?"

  Addin, filled with curiosity, turned to look in the direction Khalid was shouting.

  From behind the massive boulder, a regal procession emerged.

  At the head of the group—

  A man in full armor mounted atop a majestic warhorse. His cape billowed in the desert wind.

  Beside him—

  A dozen burly warriors, cd in battle-worn armor, each armed to the teeth.

  Veterans of countless wars.

  At the sight of so many armed men, Addin’s heart pounded with fear.

  "Uncle… w-who are they?"

  But—

  "Uncle" ignored him.

  Instead, Khalid hurried forward and knelt on one knee, his voice dripping with fttery.

  "Your Majesty!"

  "I have brought you Addin, just as promised!"

  "The treasure vault will soon be ours!"

  Addin’s eyes widened in shock.

  "The Emperor of Endernd?!"

  "Why does my uncle know a foreign emperor?"

  "He never mentioned this before!"

  Then—a terrible suspicion crept into his mind.

  "Something is wrong."

  His "Uncle" had changed completely during their journey—

  At first, he had been warm and generous. But out of nowhere, he became harsh and violent.

  "Is he my uncle?"

  "Or is this… some kind of scheme?"

  A Magician’s Deception

  Khalid and Magrito had always shared a strange bond—

  Bound by blood and magic, they could sense each other's fate.

  Through divination and their blood connection, Khalid had foreseen his younger brother’s death.

  Furious, he rushed to Endernd, seeking out the Emperor himself.

  Throwing himself at the monarch’s feet, he wept bitterly:

  "My poor brother Magrito! Murdered in cold blood!"

  "Your Majesty, you must avenge him!"

  "And as fate would have it…"

  "I, too, know the secret of the Magic Lamp."

  "Since my brother has fallen, allow me to take his pce—"

  "I will deceive Addin, open the vault, and deliver the Magic Lamp to you!"

  The Emperor, upon seeing Khalid’s power, immediately took him in.

  Thus, Khalid was granted Magrito’s role—

  To lure Addin into opening the legendary treasure vault.

  The Vault Awakens

  The Emperor of Endernd spoke, his voice calm but commanding.

  "Hurry."

  "Once this is done, you shall be rewarded."

  Khalid bowed deeply.

  "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

  At once, he lit a bundle of incense, tossing fragments of sandalwood into the fire.

  With a voice full of mystical authority, he began chanting an ancient spell.

  As he did so—

  Neither the Emperor, nor Khalid, nor the trembling Addin noticed—

  High above them, two birds were watching in silence.

  From the clouds, two pairs of sharp eyes observed the scene below.

  "So, the Emperor of Endernd is here too."

  "A power-hungry ruler like him would want the Magic Lamp."

  The first bird spoke—

  It was the Rhine.

  The second bird, however, fluffed its feathers angrily.

  Aurora, still furious at Endernd’s past crimes, spat out a string of curses.

  "Tch! Not this bastard again!"

  She gritted her beak.

  "First, they invaded the Rose Kingdom."

  "Then, they nearly ruined Ariel and Prince Eric’s lives."

  "And now, they want the Magic Lamp?!"

  Her wings fluttered aggressively.

  "Teacher, do we intervene now?"

  Aurora was no longer the same princess who had first left the Rose Kingdom—

  After defeating Maleficent, her strength had grown beyond human limits.

  Even the most legendary warriors could not stand against her.

  And as for Rhine—

  His magic had already surpassed reason.

  At the banquet in the Rose Kingdom, he had dispyed just a fraction of his true power—and shocked the entire kingdom.

  Aurora even suspected that if Rhine wished, Endernd would sink into the sea by dawn.

  But Rhine shook his head.

  "Not yet."

  "Look at Addin."

  "He's already starting to doubt his uncle."

  "If we act now, he may not believe that we are the good guys."

  Aurora huffed but remained silent.

  The Vault Opens

  As Khalid finished his chant, the desert trembled.

  The sky darkened, choked by raging winds and swirling sandstorms.

  Rumble!

  The earth split open, revealing a deep fissure.

  A massive, square stone sb rose from the ground.

  At the terrifying sight, Addin whimpered and turned to run.

  "STOP!"

  Khalid grabbed him by the colr—

  And spped him across the face again.

  SMACK!

  Tears welled in Addin’s eyes.

  But Khalid’s voice was cold and commanding.

  "Listen well, boy!"

  "I am your uncle—and you will obey me!"

  "You do as I say, and you will be rewarded with endless riches!"

  He pointed at the massive stone sb.

  "Underneath this rock lies a treasure vault—"

  "Inside, you will find wealth fit for a king."

  "But you must follow my instructions exactly."

  Addin sniffled, nodding fearfully.

  "Y-yes, Uncle. I’ll do whatever you say."

  "Now—pull the iron ring on that stone. And as you do, say your full name, along with the names of your parents."

  Addin hesitated.

  "Uncle… this stone is huge. How am I supposed to move it alone?"

  Khalid’s eyes fshed.

  "You must open it yourself. That is the rule!"

  "Now, SAY YOUR NAME!"

  Addin gulped.

  Pcing his hands on the iron ring, he began to pull—

  As he did, he spoke hesitantly:

  "My name is Addin, my father is Mustafa, my mother is—"

  Rumble…!

  The stone sb moved effortlessly as if it weighed nothing at all.

  Beneath it—

  A staircase, lleadsinto a dark, underground chamber.

  Khalid’s face lit up with excitement.

  "Yes… YES!"

  Turning to Addin, he quickly issued instructions.

  "Listen to me—carefully."

  "The vault is full of dangerous magic."

  "Do not touch the urns or the walls—or you will turn to stone!"

  "Beyond the vault lies a garden. Past that, you’ll find a grand hall—"

  "At the center of the hall, hanging from the ceiling is an oil mp."

  "You must climb the dder, take down the mp—"

  "Pour out its oil—"

  "And bring the mp directly to me!"

  Addin’s face was pale.

  But under the watchful eyes of Khalid, the Emperor, and a dozen warriors, he had no choice.

  Swallowing hard, he stepped down into the darkness.

  As his figure disappeared into the tunnel, Khalid let out a triumphant ugh.

  "He’s inside!"

  He turned to the silent Emperor.

  "Your Majesty—"

  "The Magic Lamp will soon be yours!"

  Little did they know—

  Far above, two birds had just vanished into a silver whirlwind.

  Rhine and Aurora had just teleported into the vault—

  Ahead of everyone else.