He isolated images from the Book of Destiny, reconstructed the princesses' memories from his former world, and shared them with her mind.
This was one of the many tricks he had learned from Genie.
Jasmine sat upright, stunned as she processed the vast information Aladdin had just transferred into her mind: the astonishing power of the Book of Destiny and the tragic fates of the women and princesses.
"This…" Jasmine attempted to speak, gesticulating, but she couldn't complete her words, hoping he would understand what she was trying to convey.
Understanding how she was feeling at the moment, Aladdin nodded. "They are all real… Every single one of them."
"So you have to save them before they experience those fates?" Jasmine asked.
"Yes."
"And somehow they are just like me?"
"As a Princess, your decisions affect the lives of thousands or millions of others. The same applies to those whom the Book of Destiny has shown me. Each destiny possesses the weight to affect the world around it. So I think… yeah… they are somewhat like you," Aladdin responded. "
"And you?"
"Yes. Especially since I'm the catalyst that had caused all of this," Aladdin smiled wrily.
Jasmine nodded, understanding that it was a little too much for Aladdin to know why his actions had sent ripples across the world, changing others' destinies.
"So what do you plan to do?" Jasmine asked.
"I plan on helping those whose fates have been changed return to their normal course of events," Aladdin replied.
"I might not know much about fate and destiny, but as someone who was once bound by the fate of being a princess, I know what it feels like. But I'm uncertain about one thing: Wouldn't it be difficult to return things to the way they were before? Besides, some of those women's fates involve…" Jasmine frowned.
She did not finish her sentence, but Aladdin naturally understood what she meant.
"I don't know how. It's too complicated for me to give an answer," Aladdin responded with a distant gaze.
Although he had made up his mind to learn the strongest blessing and curse spells and research them, as that would prove helpful in his future endeavours, in a world where fate and destiny dictated all that was and all that would be, he couldn't help but wonder if that was enough.
What if Sleeping Beauty's fate was fixed, and there was nothing that could awaken her except true love's kiss?
Would he have to drag the fated Prince from his kingdom, force him to battle against a powerful king with morality lower than a dog, to rescue her, possibly inciting his ire and his forces for abducting foreign royalty and placing his life in danger? How would that advance their relationship?
And who even kisses a woman they find unconscious in the middle of a forest?
Would he be able to replicate the same effect as true love's kiss?
One thing Aladdin had come to learn was that this world didn't function on the rigid rules of the animated movies he had watched.
People were subject to change. Change was subject to their emotions. Their emotions were subject to how the world treated them. If that were not the case, those who had been beaten down by fate and destiny to achieve a perfect ending that suited everyone except themselves wouldn't have fought back once they found the opportunity to do so.
Even Abu, who had spent most of his life in this new world with him, was still exhibiting several new behaviours that Aladdin had to navigate to understand him.
Although he had been entranced by Jasmine and fallen in love with her in this world, it wasn't until they had grown close enough to experience each other's comforts and discomforts that he began learning more about her, deepening his love for her.
Yes, she had her flaws, but in his view, she was flawless.
You don't only find value in the beauty of an island, but in the vastness of the sea around it. Beauty and flaw walked hand in hand; if one were perfect, their only flaw would be being born in an imperfect world.
But a perfect being cannot be born in an imperfect world unless they allow it… and are conscious of that fact, accepting the imperfection in exchange for their perfection.
Aladdin knew that he wasn't a saviour, nor was he like the former Aladdin, who went about doing good for the sake of it and with only that thought in mind. After discovering that other animated movies existed in this world, his first thought was centred around meeting them and confirming how similar they were to what he knew about them.
To say that he was confident that his attraction to them wouldn't deepen was a lie. Who could resist the temptation of a happily ever after?
The best decision would naturally be to stay far away, focusing only on the stabilisation and expansion of his Empire and on Jasmine.
But that single escape route was ruled out.
He had no other choice but to face it head-on.
Seeing the expression on Aladdin's face, Jasmine leaned back against the bed, her fingers interlocked and resting on her stomach.
"I never expected that we would have this conversation again… so soon," Jasmine sighed tiredly. "Will you be able to tell when their fates return to normal?"
"Yes. I can sense it through the Book of Destiny. By reading through its pages, I can learn if their fates have been rearranged back to normal," Aladdin nodded.
"Can I see it?" Jasmine stretched her hand across the bed towards Aladdin.
Aladdin summoned the Book of Destiny from his storage ring and placed it into her grasp.
Jasmine took the book, sat upright, and trailed her hand across the thick tome's cover. She slid her hand to the corner and turned to look at Aladdin.
"Go ahead," Aladdin nodded. He was ready to protect Jasmine if need be.
Jasmine pulled the book open.
A brilliant light shot out from the opened book, enveloping her face and the space around her. Then its pages flickered to life, rapidly turning on their own.
Aladdin sighed in relief. If the Book of Destiny possessed any sense, it would undoubtedly do its best to aid with the situation by revealing its secrets to Jasmine as well.
Jasmine's expression slowly shifted through various emotions: shock, pain, understanding, pity, then hope. Her brows slowly tightened as the light radiating from the pages of the book dimmed.
Jasmine slowly closed the book. She let out a drawn-out sigh. She turned to Aladdin and asked, "Can I have the Oracle Sceptre?"
Aladdin was confused about why she wanted the Oracle Sceptre. Did she think he was lying, or perhaps want to find out the current state of one of the women she had seen?
Nonetheless, he summoned the treasure from his storage ring and handed it to her.
Jasmine accepted the sceptre and instantly summoned the Oracle within.
Smoke-like magical energy shot upwards from the staff in spirals, and a familiar figure gradually materialised from the light and mist.
As the Oracle appeared, an invisible territory isolated them, causing the sounds outside to almost cease to exist.
She met Jasmine's gaze.
"I am bound by the Rule of One: one question, one answer."
"Ask, and I shall answer."
Jasmine didn't shy away from the Oracle's gaze.
"Does Aladdin truly love me?" She asked.
Her question stunned Aladdin. His eyes widened, and his mouth slowly parted in disbelief.
"Jas…" Aladdin wanted to speak, but Jasmine raised her hand, forcing him to remain silent.
The Oracle turned to look at Aladdin, then refocused on Jasmine. This was the third time in a day she had been summoned, and it was either by the young man before her or related to him.
Yet, she responded, "I have been asked questions about riches and glory, envy and greed, war and spite, but never have I been asked about love. But I know all, and I have seen all. Emperor... Sultan Aladdin loves you. If he were to give up a part of his Empire for your safety, he would not hesitate. If he were to sacrifice his life for you, it would not be a bargain, but an act of righteous sacrifice."
"But fate and destiny have become a tangled mess, and something is pulling him in that direction. It is left for you to decide which is the best course to sail your ship," the Oracle explained.
"And what do you think is the best course?" Jasmine asked the Oracle with a narrowed gaze.
"I am bound by the Rule of One: one question, one answer," the Oracle responded.
"Tch!!" Jasmine clicked her tongue in annoyance. Still, she had received an answer to the question she was searching for.
She waved her hand at the Oracle, dismissing her.
The Oracle bowed her head slightly and vanished into magical smoke that dissipated back into the gem.
Aladdin was surprised that the Oracle also knew about the changes in fate. If she knew about that, then did that mean that his wishes hadn't affected her knowledge of the world?
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