At twenty-five years old, Kai was a simple young man, who recently graduated from university, immersing himself in the world of journalism. He worked for a local newspaper in the bustling corridors of London. He lived in a modest apartment on the outskirts of the city, sharing it with his older sister after their parents were killed in a plane crash three years ago.
His sister spent her days lazily, only going out when absolutely necessary, and was skilled only in staying home. Despite the burdens of work and family responsibilities, Kai got up every day to carry the weight of life on his shoulders, being their sole breadwinner and protector in this harsh world.
But amidst this burden, there was a light that illuminated Kai's heart, an unquenchable passion for drawing, especially manga. After reading any manga, he would pick up a pen and paper and start imitating it with astonishing precision. His talent for drawing was incredible, turning him into a skilled artist who brought stories and dreams to life on paper with the brush of a creative artist.
One day, while Kai was enjoying a new episode of the series "One Piece," which he watched every Sunday, his attention was suddenly drawn to an old lantern his mother had brought from one of the city's scrap and second-hand markets. His mother was fond of these old things that carried hidden stories. She used to decorate the house and garden with them, and if you went out there, you'd find such items everywhere.
The lantern was yellow like gold, resembling a teapot but slightly different. Out of curiosity, Kai searched for its origin on the internet and discovered that it belonged to Arab culture. At first, Kai thought it was made of gold, but it turned out not to be.
Kai took the lantern from the shelf where he had placed it since his mother gave it to him before she passed away. When he glanced at it, he noticed a black layer had formed on its outer surface. This angered him greatly, as the lantern was a precious gift from his mother, holding dear memories and emotions.
Kai took some tools from his desk and tried to remove this layer but to no avail. Then an idea struck him: maybe water would solve the problem. He rushed to the bathroom to immerse the lantern in water. He turned on the tap, and water poured over it. He took a cloth and started wiping the layer, but suddenly... "Boom!"
The lantern rose from Kai's hand at lightning speed before settling on the ground. Kai was stunned and muttered to himself, "What the hell is happening here?" The lantern settled away from the sink and made no further movement. Doubt and questions quickly entered Kai's mind: was he imagining it? Or did the lantern just slip from his hand without him noticing?
Part of the black layer was still on the lantern, so Kai decided to forget about it temporarily and clean the remaining part. When he approached again and picked it up, the lantern moved again, but this time it started emitting blue steam from its mouth. Kai fell to the ground, his eyes wide with shock.
He had read online while researching the origin of this lantern about the adventure of Aladdin and the magical lamp. It was a fictional story to him, so he skimmed through it without paying much attention. "But what the hell is happening here?" Kai shouted as the blue steam continued to emanate from the mouth of the lantern.
Was this real? Was what he read true? The blue steam coming from this lantern was exactly like Aladdin's story when the genie emerged.
The steam kept coming out bit by bit, and in a moment, a figure fully covered in blue, standing as tall as the room's ceiling, appeared. He had hands adorned with scars and bruises, and he lacked legs as if his legs remained inside the lantern.
Kai was in unprecedented shock, his eyes wide, and his mouth unable to speak. The genie wore strange clothes: a short-sleeved shirt open at the belly, and a red hat adorning his head.
The genie's head hit the ceiling as he emerged, and he shouted in a booming voice, "Do you live in a mouse house these days?"
He held his head and looked around for the person who released him, turning right and left, but he only saw hanging lamps until he spotted Kai lying on the ground, stunned.
"Hello, boy, it seems you freed me from this tiny hell. I've been trapped there for three hundred years, what a joke."
Kai stared at this smoky blue giant without uttering a word. The genie shouted in Kai's face, "Hello, hey, do you even speak?"
Kai began to stutter, "Ma...genie...giant...smoky giant...!!"
The genie looked at him closely and then said in a less harsh tone, "Boy, the great one summons me, but the terrifying one commands me, are you great or not? Decide now."
Kai gathered his scattered thoughts and finally managed to speak, "Hello, smoky blue giant, my name is Kai."
"What? What kind of foolish name did you give me? Call me 'Arkan,' you rascal..."
Kai hadn't yet grasped the situation, many questions swirled in his mind: was he dreaming? Would he wake up to find himself back in his boring world? What if this was real?
He rubbed his eyes, lost in his thoughts, before Arkan interrupted him, "Boy, it seems you haven't realized it yet. It looks like you were the one who released me from that dark cave. I stayed there for a long time, longer than you can imagine, surrounded by this cursed brass."
"I'll explain it quickly since you wiped the lantern, you are now my master. I'll grant you three wishes, no more. And a piece of advice for you: don't wish for money or power, don't be like those fools. Trust me, all the wealth in this world won't be enough, and you'll keep asking for more every time."
Kai remained silent for a while, then said, "So, if you were in my place, what would you wish for?"
Arkan looked at him in astonishment, "No one has ever asked me that question in my thousand-year life. How strange you are, little one. Well, if I could wish for something, I would wish to be free. I've always wanted to be free, instead of asking others about their wishes all my life."
"And why don't you free yourself?" Kai asked in amazement.
"You fool, I can't do that. It can only happen if someone wishes to free me. Do you understand?"
Kai thought about Arkan's words and found it logical. He always wanted to be free too, away from this world and its hypocrisy, away from the chains of capitalism that bound him.
He thought of a dream he always had, what if he wished to live in another world? Would he be free there? Could he do that?
He turned to Arkan again, who was still adjusting to the room's ceiling and the lamps that obstructed his way whenever he moved.
"Have you decided, boy? Come on, don't be shy, just one wish, and you'll see magic in action."
Kai finally spoke, "What if I wished to live in another world?"
Arkan thought for a moment and put his hand on his head, "Well, it would be difficult, but not impossible. To make your wish, you need to wipe the lantern from which I came out and ask for it. You can't just say it like that. Wait, you haven't told me which world you want to move to."
Kai had always wished to live in the world of "One Piece," like many fans of this masterpiece. He loved this world, with all its details, devouring the "One Piece" manga with passion.
Kai wiped the lantern after picking it up from the ground and repeated, "I wish to move to the world of One Piece."
Arkan, who knew nothing about this world, asked, "Is this a real-world or a fictional world from comic books?"
Kai interrupted him, "It's a fictional world. If it's impossible, it's okay, I can change the wish..."
"You can't change it, you rascal. Once you say it and wipe the lantern, you can't go back. Get ready, it's going to be a long journey."
Before Arkan could finish his words, thick smoke filled the room, much more than the smoke that appeared when Arkan first emerged.
Kai's sister, who had just had her dinner downstairs, heard some noise coming from Kai's room. She called his name repeatedly but got no response, so she decided to go upstairs to check.
As she climbed the stairs, the noise grew louder until she reached the door and turned the key. She opened the door but saw nothing there, whoever was making the noise had disappeared.
She thought for a moment, maybe the noise was from outside, or perhaps she imagined it. She quickly closed the door and went back downstairs.
___
Kai, who didn't understand what was happening, found himself surrounded by complete darkness from all sides. He was in his room moments ago, and now...
.......
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