Reiji sighs,' Let's go.' Rei holds my hand.
'Ginger…stay wherever you like...Juko too. Don't make a mess anywhere here, ok? You know my grandmother, no?!' Juko nodded as Rei warned them.
I asked Rei to go back to the roof so Rei frowned, 'Don't you want to sleep?'
'Let's talk there for a while more.' I asked, which made his comment in surprise, 'Someone is very lively today!'
I wonder why!
I forgot to mention so asked him, 'and let's not teleport. It's…'
'Making you nauseous?' He finished my sentence.
It doesn't but it was making me hear a siren.
He understood and didn't let go of my hand.
Our height before had almost a four inches gap but now it's almost gone perhaps.
I was the first one to grow up the tallest in my class back in school. While all this time it didn't change, why now!? While stepping on the stairs he looked taller as he was ahead of one step.
'How tall are you?' I blurted out.
He was confused, 'Me? Um! Last time I checked I was around 197cm...I don't know now.'
'You are still growing?' I had no idea about it.
'That was many years ago.'He smiles, 'Are you worried that your height is changing?'
Of course, I would. It should have stopped when I was 25 or so.
'It's alright. It's normal for us to have intervals in height growth.' Rei sounded as if it was normal. For them maybe, but for us…
'Uh! It's cold here. Won't you need a blanket?' he asked.
'Huh! I have one here.' I hugged Rei on his back.
That was unexpected so Rei was startled. It felt really good to tease him.
'Why are you being so cute today?' I laughed at his comment, 'My mother was always the cute one, and I'm like her.'
'I see. So you mean you are always cute?' His smile was so charming, I couldn't help but bit lightly on Reiji's earlobe.
'Oy!! Aki !!' He got shy and I went to the edge of the roof and stood in front of the flower.
For some reason, it felt like it had a story.
Watching me standing there silently, Rei asked, 'What is it?'
I asked what was on my mind, 'When did your parents get married'
'In 1945.' Rei answered. I knew when he was born in 1964, but not his sister so I asked.
'She...1962.' I don't know why he hesitated while saying that.
I still can't believe Rei is that much old. Like my father.
'Will you never grow old?' I asked even though I could guess.
Rei shook his head, 'No..regeneration process...but we can be drained out of life force.'
With one's name on a sigil, they can be killed. Demon Jinns used to cause chaos all the time and King Solomon found a way to control them. But after him, there is no human who can control a Jinn. Humans can only exorcise them.
But Jinns listen to humans. A Jinn naturally belongs to its clan head. Without them, they can't exist. They are bound to stay under their leader's commands because their leaders can see their names. And who can see the names can only become a leader. The leader hides his/her subordinates' names to protect them from other leaders.
But a clan-head sometimes commands them to do as the human says, depending on circumstances. Sometimes Jinns would sacrifice their own life so that humans cannot find their clan leaders.
Hearing him sounded like the jinns are demons.
'You are not demons. Still, that would work?' My question made Rei silent for a while before answering, 'Even though we are not them, the name method is quite dangerous for us too, momentarily. If it goes for long and we can't make it stop, it can mess up our regeneration process, will slow it down and mana force which is like breathing to us will decrease. We have separated ourselves from the demons so that we won't be mistaken for them.'
But they are open about your names. They reveal their own name.
Blessed names.
Those are not their blessed names. They don't reveal them. Not even to their parents.
'How do you get your blessed name?' I wanted to know more and he was so sweet to answer all, 'You tell God what your preferred name is and it gets sealed in your soul. Unless you tell it no one will know. That's why we need to be kept safe until we can understand and claim our name.'
'You say you seal your soul with the name. What if your soul had a name already and you reincarnated?' That would create a problem.
Rei breathed out, 'In that case, your new name will get rejected.'
'Will you know what it is?'
'We do. If I can remember it's good. If I can't, it's a privilege. But that's rare. Humans will try every method to know a name but they won't be able to and Jinn won't be dominated and no one can do anything about it.' Rei smiled as it would be an achievement.
'Won't you be killed by humans?' It burdened me.
Without the name, nothing would work on them except the exorcism.
'We cannot be trapped, summoned, or cannot be killed without it.' Rei explained while holding my hand.
Exorcism works because that makes the bad one irritated. That would be able to dominate a jinn If by exorcism humans can make jinn admit their name then that jinn can be dominated. That's why the jinn leaves as early as possible. They will stay away from the holy places.
'You could become a clan leader because you can see the soul name.' I never guessed it was the reason.
'Yes! Everyone gets tested if they can see a soul's name. Who can see, they are eligible to be a clan head if they want.' he was reluctant.
Doesn't this mean there are fights among Jinn too? To my surprise, he answered that there is. If you can see the clan head's name but he can't see your's, you will automatically be the leader if you want to take over.
But if they can see yours too then there will be a match to kill or to overpower an existing clan's leader. There is an option where you may not want to kill the opponent If the opponent is left alive they are a threat. So not many of them are kept alive. If they are not killed then they will either follow the winner as a leader or be a new clan leader and set up a different clan giving up the previous one.
But once a clan head is defeated, no one would want to follow the leader unless a true follower. They will leave the former clan followed by the law.
'Can Joshua see?' I didn't see Joshua yet.
'Luckily, except my grandmother Lisa, everyone can see the names.' I finally understood why his father said,' no one would want to set foot in a lion's den.'
It's really rare to have almost all the members being able to see. In a clan, if an heir is not born with this power then with time it gets dissolved or gets merged after the clan head dies or is defeated.
'Did you set your clan by defeating or killing?' I never thought it would make Reiji have a smile at the serious question, 'None, I had some loyal followers who were able to see my vision. That's how I made my territory. In my clan, no one is forced to follow me.'
'How many years has it been ?' I asked while looking at his proud face.
'Almost 30 years.' his answer gave me a start
He became a leader when I was still a baby. For all this time he was a leader. Even though Lin Ryuji is not a clan-head, yet he gives off the vibe of a clan-head where Rei, who is actually one, doesn't have the slightest vibe. Or does he just not want to show me?
'Finished?' He asked me with a smile.
'You say your grandmother can't, which clan does she belong to?' I was not finished at all.
His grandmother is from the Xen clan.
'Your father can continue the Xen clan too a?' I was confused if his father can but fortunately, his father can.
'He is the heir of Xen too. But Xen was given to Sora. She led the Xen clan.' he said with a sad expression.
Sora is a clan-head? I was really surprised, 'I really want to meet her.'
Rei paused while answering, 'Ya! Me too!'
Whenever Sora is mentioned, his expression changes. I thought to ask but I didn't. What if an unpleasant topic comes up. I don't want to ruin his mood.
'Why didn't your grandparents have another heir? A mother can conceive twice, na?' I knew that law.
'Oh! My grandmother didn't trust grandpa at first. She always liked a generous man which my grandfather was not. But my grandpa still loved her very much. Xen clan was among the powerful pureblood clan, her father wanted to marry her off in the same level clan so that both can exist. The Lin clan always took over their spouse's family and dissolved them.'
That was unexpected, 'So how did they get married?'
'By force, he married her.' I was speechless to hear him.
Rei smiled to see my expression and explained that his grandfather promised not to dissolve the Xen if she married him and also had threatened her that if she didn't marry him, he would take over the Xen.
'That was not love.' I commented in protest.
'That was. He never said he would take over Xen when he sent the marriage proposal. It was only a misunderstanding on her father's part.' Rei pointed out. It was quickly solved. Even though his grandfather was so messed up or scary, he truly loves her a lot.
'She rules over him in a word.' he couldn't stop smiling while saying. To think a scary man is tamed by his wife, it's unbelievable.
'That's also how my father is.' Rei added.
'I saw that. His eyes tell how much he loves her.' I remembered the scene when she came. 'Ya! He had loved her ever since he became conscious.' Rei seemed stunned by the fact as well.
'Your father is younger than your mom.' I had no idea.
His father was thirty-one years younger than her. Though age doesn't matter for them, his mom didn't want to marry for some reason. Nobody knows as she never told anyone.
'Why aren't you tamed by me?' I asked as he was never controllable by me.
Rei was shocked, 'What?'
'Is it because you don't love me fully yet?' I asked to confirm.
'Aki! don't tease me!' He caught up quickly as I was joking. I know he is tamed by me. It felt good to know that.
I lied down to sleep as I was feeling sleepy.
'Aki?' He was calling me but I wanted to sleep.
'Be my blanket.' I hold his hand while asking him.
'You seem very different today. Did you get possessed?' He seriously leaned over me to check. His face was so close that it made my heart beat fast with I don't know what feeling. He kept looking at my lips
'Rei!' as I called him he answered in a soft voice, 'Hmm'
'What are…' I was stopped by him, 'Don't worry! I won't touch you without your permission. I'm just…' He was very closer to me.
He then buried his face on my neck, 'I'm just being your blanket to keep you warm.'
I WAS so out of my mind. I couldn't hold in my laughter and broke out loud. The whole silent mountain could hear my voice now that I recall it. That's why he closed my mouth to mute the sound but that became worse. He started laughing with me too as he couldn't control me, 'Aki..for God's sake stop!'
'Why are you laughing?!' I asked without being able to stop laughing.
'Because you are making me.' He sounded like a child.
'It's a laughing virus…shhh!! People will think there...is a...ghost ..here... hahaha…' I really couldn't stop.
I buried my head into the pillow to cover the sound. After a few moments, I could calm down. He massaged my back as I was exhausted from laughing so much.
'Is your heart ok?' He was worried.
'Ya, I'm..ok…but I'm sleepy.' I couldn't keep my eyes open.
'Sleep then.' He stroked my hair.
'Ya!'
The silence that I had broken a few minutes earlier returned with solemn serenity. I drifted somewhere I never have gone before. I could feel but couldn't move.