Arabian Nights (Discontinued)

Simple Oil Lamp

Eren groans from where he sits on the ground, looking around to find himself in the rubble. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the lamp he had taken from Levi. He hadn't even noticed. Eren had always been rather dexterous. "That jerk," he mumbles. He feels movement from beneath him and realizes he's on the carpet, so he hurries to his feet and removes a few rocks that landed on it. "Sorry about that, carpet," he apologizes. He looks down and notices a large gash through the fabric. "Oh no," he mutters, gingerly touching the tear. "I'll sew you up when we get out of here, carpet," he promises, looking up to where the exit used to be. "If we get out of here."

He turns the lamp over in his hand, observing the markings carved into its surface. "I can't read what it says," he mumbles to himself. "It's too dusty."

He rubs the surface with his palm to wipe away the dust and the lamp suddenly shakes, a whirl of blue smoke pouring from its spout. Bolts of lightning strike the ground around them and Eren feels the carpet wrap around him in fear as the smoke begins to shift into a rough form. It expands and fills the empty space around them, twisting and churning until it becomes a man. He crosses his arms across his bare chest, a grin plastered on his equestrian face. "Master," he says in a booming voice, bowing his head in respect and Eren gapes at him in shock. He looks up at Eren and suddenly his brow furrows. "You . . . you were the one who rubbed the lamp?"

Eren finds his tongue has tied in his throat and can only nod open-mouthed. He realizes he must look rather foolish, but doesn't think he can do much else right now. "I was, uh . . . I was expecting someone maybe a bit . . . taller? More . . . intimidating?"

"Uh, who are you?" he manages to croak and clears his throat.

"Oh, where are my manners?" he mumbles to himself, shrinking to Eren's size. "My name is Jean. I'm a genie."

"Of course you are," Eren says under his breath because a few hours ago, he never would've believed a thing like this could exist. "So, uh, I . . . summoned you?"

"Yep."

"By rubbing this lamp?"

"That's how it works, kid. Say, what's your name again?"

"Eren," he replies and Jean floats around him like a blue god, giving him a look over.

"So I guess you're my new master then, Eren."

"Master?"

"Sure, kid. That's how this works. Here, allow me to educate you."

Jean flicks his wrist and Eren flies backwards, falling into a chair that appears out of nowhere. "You see, we genies spend our entire lives fulfilling the wishes of our masters. We live in that little tiny lamp until someone like you comes along and picks it up. You rub the side and, presto, out we pop to grant your every wish."

"My every wish?" Eren asks and can't help thinking how frustrated Levi might be with him if he were here.

"Well, not exactly every wish, but you get what I mean."

"So . . . what does this . . . mean?"

"It means you're my new master and now I serve you. Anything you wish is my command."

"Anything . . . ," Eren mumbles to himself, but Jean wags his finger at him.

"Actually, scratch that. There are a few things — exceptions if you will. I won't make anyone fall in love," he says with a grin, turning pink as little smoke hearts form in the air around him. "With anybody else. I won't raise anyone from the dead."

He acts out a corpse being resurrected and Eren suppresses a laugh at the dramaticness of it. "And you can't ask for more wishes. Believe me, three is enough."