The orange sky didn't last very long.
At least to me,that's what it felt like...
His hand, with the just right temperature,was holding my hand. To tell you the truth I never felt insecure while hiking on a mountain. I was always able to hike on the mountain easily,but I never wondered why.
Now I know why.
Because it is in my soul,it is in my blood.
Rei was walking ahead in the distance but was always looking back to make sure I didn't fall. After a few minutes some fog-like existence began to appear. A few bodyguards appeared just like when I had trespassed the Burmarsh road station in England.
Back then I had no idea how I got there. But this time I do. They bowed when they saw him. Surprisingly they bowed to me as well. This is what we call the Jade Mountain. To them it's also the same. I never knew this huge mountain was their home.
They live in places where humans don't frequent. That is why people have their own tradition of naming them. I couldn't believe my eyes. The full castle could not be noticed because the full castle was hidden with some charm. When the charm was lifted,the architecture was much like a typical castle but Rei said those were not made with stones. They were made with mud which was like stones but not stone.
It's made of mud so that the grass,vines,and many types of bushes kept growing on the outside,on the castle wall and in its surroundings. What Science should I apply to analyse how stable the castle might be? It seemed like an abandoned castle and felt like it would break if I entered.
Reij read my mind and answered, 'Don't worry,it won't break and those vines act as an illusion to keep people away from here.'
'What if people came here accidentally?' I couldn't let go of my curiosity.
People won't enter acci--den--tally.' Reiji smiled as he was explaining.
People won't invade here because the castle guards will divert them somewhere else and will make them see what they want to see. The human will feel they get lost here. Even after that "by chance",if people step in the Castle's certain range,these veins will pull down the whole castle underneath the earth temporarily. There is a huge dungeon underneath for placing it.
'What happens if they want to live here?' I couldn't help but ask as humans are expanding their territory.
'Aren't there so many obstacles for them? Water,food, electricity. Some places are not meant for living.' Rei answered as he kept walking at a slow pace.
The mandatory elements are easy to access for Jinn so they can easily live here while the humans can.
The moment we stepped into the passage to go inside the castle,the lamps lit by themselves throughout all the way till somewhere in the destination. They definitely had fire inside them. The lamps turned off by themselves after a few seconds we had passed them.
Watching me observing them Rei said, 'They will light themselves with any presence and will go off when there is no use.'
It's more like the smart light but there is fire. He opened the indoor entrance.
What would you feel when you suddenly found yourself on the stage in a gallery theatre? The castle had 4 layers like a gallery theatre and where I was standing was the ground floor. Reiji explained that the ground floor is occupied as the living room, kitchens, and dining are in there. Fews maids and butlers stay there too and some guestrooms. 1st floor on the right is his brother Joshua's and on the left is Reiji's. The 2nd floor is for their parents.The 3rd is for their grandparents.
A man in formal attire appears from the air to greet us, 'Master Ruan,Master Azusa,welcome home. I'm Master Ruan's butler Shen Tian.'
What could I have done other than bowing a bit and saying thanks!
Rei asked at once I was finished saying thanks, 'Is nobody home?'
'Seigneur Lin is now in Italy and Seigneur Xen is in the Oxhead demon tribe. Lords are attending a meeting in the Justice Association.'
Rei clicked his tongue in disappointment, 'I told them I will be here today yet they went to England. These guys are Unbelievable! We will be staying in my room.'
'Yes master!' Tian nodded then went away.
The round gallery theatre was fully lit with golden color. Reiji took me to his floor. The room unlocked without having to open. It felt like I was in a vacation home.
Neat and clean.
Rei smiles,'My grandmother mostly lived her life in England,so you will feel that vibe of an old England home in this House of Lin. Please make yourself at home.'
I nodded to his suggestion.
Nothing felt different than a human world.
The bath was quite spacious like a standard size room. Surprisingly I wasn't tired at all,still I showered. The warm saturation of lights was everywhere and the cold temperature of water made me more relaxed and sleepy. I wanted to sleep in the tub. I noticed I lost my colored contact in the basin sink.
Never mind ! I have extras.
The scar on the middle of my chest makes me think about Mei,everytime I look at it now. She was still thinking about me even after her death. I brushed those thoughts away because I have to find many answers.
For some reason my height has been increasing for the past few months. And it seems my jeans are a bit short now. I have grown a bit again.I was so busy that I couldn't notice this week. Thirty fours years old and still growing. How embarrassing!
Many things had changed over the last 6 months and I had faced things that I never imagined. I would say good,bad, worse every type of thing. But the best thing among them was that I found Reiji. Though I'm not sure how many things I will be finding out more here.
I thought he was a human who trusts me with all I am. Never imagined all these he believed because he was a non-human. What a silly thought I had!
When I was done with showering,Rei was sleeping peacefully. A maid was standing at the door with a food trolley. She bows after seeing me. She didn't dare to enter. Don't know how long she has been standing there
'Come on in.' She nodded as I gave her permission and entered.
She placed those dishes one by one on the small table. Her ears seem different. It felt like she was cosplaying but those ears were moving. She made sure there was no noise. I sat on the large bed beside Reiji. He was not moving at all. After setting everything she stood far away and requested to start eating, 'Please.'
I thought about waking him up then changed my mind. Everything on the table was the usual things I prefer to eat and he doesn't.
'Did he tell you to make all these?' I asked her and she nodded, 'Yes,Master.'
'What is your name?' She seemed afraid for some reason.
'Zhu Sara.' She answered,
'My mother's name is Sara as well.' I tried to ease her fear,
'I'm honoured!' her answer was too polite.
The food tasted so good, 'Did you make all these?'
'I only helped. The chef is another one.' She said,
The maid left after taking the trolley.
'Ah! Won't he eat?' I forgot about Reiji.
'Master will call us when he wants to. He is sleeping now.' She explained.
The door closed by itself. The room was very big and open. There was a window seat. Beside that there was a small single bookshelf. Ryuji-san was right. He likes to read. The night was dark blue and the stars were in many colors.
The city lights down there were covered with a cloud of mist. The silence was peaceful and I don't know for how long I sat there. The night was dark blue and lit with clear colorful stars,white cloud cloak covering the city lights made my heart calm.
'What are you looking at?' He touched my hair lightly.
Sometimes I really can't hear his movements and that catches me off guard.
'Your world.'
'Are you liking it?' he mumbled and I could hear
'Ya! Did you sleep well?' I wanted to know as he seemed tired. He nodded.
'Aren't you cold?' He asked while touching my cheek.
I wasn't so I assured him I was ok.
He hesitated but asked, 'Are you ready...to know all these?'
I wanted to listen first and the reaction will come later.
Reiji was not surprised at my answer.
'Why did you lose weight?' It has been bothering me ever since I noticed it.
'It's troubling me how you will cope up with all these. I, myself,don't even know many of those secrets. So I'm nervous about how much I can cope with.' He tried to smile to avoid looking nervous.
I knew he was troubled. But to think he is also the one to not know everything was hard to believe. He could hear me and said, ''I'm the very unstable one among my siblings...so they hide many things from me.'
I think I can feel them.
His eyes were sad. I had hidden many things from him too. Just a bit more I thought. I promised to tell him all.
Reiji's pet came and rolled around on the floor.
'Is it your bond?' I asked as it was so cute.
'Reso? Ya, he is my beast bond.' Reiji answered.
He also told me that Reso is connected to his soul so he can understand them.
'You say beast bond. There are other types of bonds?' It was a really big confusion.
One can bond with any beast,Jinn,their siblings,human,demon Jinn,devils. But the more one shares the bond,the more one's soul will be affected by the bond. As they not only just share their powers but their emotions too are shared.
The conversation made me ask him, 'What are your thoughts about a soul?' As I heard him telling me those I wondered.
Reij was confused, 'What about it?'
'Do you think they reincarnate?' I cleared the question.
'Aren't you the one who communicates with souls!' He asked me with a smile.
True but I never asked them. But I searched for a few in them but couldn't find them.
Rei said, 'When I was in India,there was a belief among them that a soul changes their body after death. Their soul won't be free until it has no desire left.'
'What happens when they are free?' I really needed to know.
'Their soul will be purified and reincarnated as a new.' Rei said while staring at my eyes.
'But aren't they changing their body already?' It was getting tangled, all the answers.
'Why do you think Some souls can remember their past experiences, their past feelings and feel unsettled?' Rei brushed his finger through my hair.
In my opinion, it's because they are not used to the new body.
'That's what they believe. That's why everyone seeks different things to settle down their soul in them.' His explanation was vague.
Then, what's with those who can't remember their memories?
Some souls are given second chances,they know it but they don't want to dwell in the past. Sometimes, time makes some souls forget who they were or where they were.
It sounded contradicting, 'So, a soul won't be reincarnated unless it has fulfilled its purpose?! It will keep wandering with or without a body?!'
'That's what it is believed.' Rei sounded like he doesn't have any thought over the topic.
I never thought about death deeply. Never had thought if my soul ever had any purposes or not.
'It's scary isn't it? To wander around without knowing what your soul actually is waiting for?' I asked him but his eyes were not focused and answers, 'Maybe. Everything serves a purpose after all. Soul is not any different.'
He was sitting beside me but for a while it felt like he was not there with me. He was looking at the stars.
Suddenly I noticed there was something on the ceiling. Round white with a middle black dot, 'What is that?'
Reiji was surprised, 'What?'
'That.' I pointed to that thing on the ceiling.
'That's an "All Eye". It's like a cc camera.' He smiles.
That looked like an eye to me.
Rei understood and said, 'Because that's an eye.'
It made me shiver, 'How disgusting! Can't you remove it?'
'Hide yourself.' Rei commended with a smirk while looking at me.
The eye vanished.
'It's still there isn't it.' I was sure.
Rei nodded, 'Yes.'
I asked Why was it in his room and he answered easily, 'I have something here. My treasures.' He finally smiled with an open heart. When he does, his face brightens up.
'You want to go to the roof?' He suddenly asked me. I was ok with it and he, I never thought he would teleport me to the roof right away.
The vast roof was filled with many flowers. Each line had different flowers.
Rei seemed surprised, 'Granma changed them again?'
They are white Lily. The petals were so smooth. On the next there was a line of roses,then another line had Daisy. Three types of flowers but they had the same colour. I didn't know why I was feeling something different from them, 'Does your grandma like white coloured flowers?'
'Oh! Not really! She changes the colour of them when they die.' Rei touched the flower lightly.
'Come on here.' he asked me.
There was a floor bed on the roof.
'It's mine but Mom stays here sometime too. I watch the stars from here,sometimes I sleep here too.' He said.
Suddenly, a roar broke through the silence. We went to the edge of the roof to see what it was. A huge size four legged beast with its large wings was fighting with the guards.
'A divine beast? What is a divine beast doing here?' Reiji was surprised.
'Is it not yours?' It surprised me as well and it wasn't Reiji's.
The guards were unable to control the beast. Reiji brought me down without saying anything. My heart was feeling unsettled to see it struggling. As I got close to it, my heart stopped. It was Ginger. It was looking at me as I approached. I can never forget those eyes.
It's my Ginger. I couldn't not think anything and started running towards him.
Reiji was shocked to see me running, 'Aki!!'
The guard who tried to stop me, Ginger had moved him away with his wings and the guard flew away. One of the guards flew on the top to target Ginger.
"Remora!" I couldn't help but use the spell. Thank God the guard's movements went slow. The guard was surprised that he couldn't fly fast.
'Don't hurt him! He is mine.' I warned them.
As Ginger calmed down and reverted to his leopard form and his third glowing eye in the middle of his forehead closed. Ginger came directly to me and stood behind. He was angry and upset. I didn't have to feel it to know. His behaviour showed that.
'Master Ruan…isn't it yours? We never knew it was a divine beast.' The guards asked in confusion.
'It's not mine. Reso is here.' Reiji showed Reso next to him.
Reso comes forward and bows to the divine beast,that is my Ginger.
I don't know what more surprises Ginger would give me. The guards seemed to have a hard time believing it.
'Master Aki! How did you slow us down?' One of them asked without hesitation.
'Ah! Sorry you were about that. You were about to hurt him.' I didn't want to answer them.
'That's not the issue. A human blocking a High rank Jinn…' They were stopped by Reiji, 'Don't worry. You are not lacking. He just has skills that can overpower you. Go back to your work.'
'Yes! Master.' They followed Reiji's instructions.
Reiji looked at me with questions.
'I really had no idea.' I tried to explain what was true.
'That he is a divine beast?' Reiji wanted to be sure.
'Yes! I only thought he was a Jinn.'
Reiji counted, 'You have a divine beast and one…' Juko appears in his demon form after Ginger has cleared the way.
'...demon beast...bonded to you? Normally you can bond with only one type of beast as they are opposite. Either a demon or a divine. You sure,you are feeling well?'
I really didn't know how to answer Reiji but I don't understand Ginger's action nor can I feel his thoughts. So my feelings regarding them were nothing but what a person has towards their pets.