[The next day]
Ray would visit the town again and would go Check on Gianni's shop, as he would smile and talk to him before Ray was called by Murania, as she would grab his arm and pull him towards the Magic house. Ray was confused by this act
Ray: "Aunty Murania ? are you okay?"
Murania: "I'm fine, Ray Jason said he wanted to meet you."
Ray would nod as he would feel a strange presence in the Magic house as he knocked on the door
Ray: "Uncle Jason, are you there ?"
as the door swung open, Matthew would fall down with Aisha on his back as she giggled
Aisha: "Hahaha Matthew you've got to train your strength more than your magic!"
She would keep laughing before noticing the strange person In front of her, it was Ray, as she would gasp and get up immediately and check him out as she lifted his arms and checked everywhere as she would pinch his cheeks and gasp again
Aisha: "NEO HAD A KID!?! SINCE WHEN AND WITH WHO AND JASON WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT IT !!!"
Jason would just groan, chuckle and roll his eyes as Ray would just stand there awkwardly and confused on what's going on as Matthew would get up and dust off himself
Matthew: "Goddammit Aisha what did I tell you about jumping on my back without a warning ! Anyway, Nice to meet you in person, Ray I'm Matthew This is Aisha and, well, you already know Jason as your uncle. No less."
Aisha would be even more shocked as she looked at Jason before leaving Ray, as she would walk up to Jason with a smile on her face as she would drag Jason of into another room before a loud scream could be heard as they both returned back with Jason having a large bulge on his head with a bandage on it as he would rub his head and groan in pain
Jason: "Anyways, Ray, would you please follow us in and Just follow me?"
Ray would just shrug and nod as he would follow them inside as they went through the halls Jason would be surprised by Ray's reaction too the insides of the house of magic but then again, it's called the House of magic He should've expected things to break the laws of physics As Jason would arrive at the empty space, he would take one step up as he would grab an invisible door handle and push the door open. He would disappear as Ray would just sigh and follow him in as the other 2 did as well
Aisha leans over to Ray and squints her eyes at him, as if she were inspecting him for something
Aisha: "Hey, Ray, I want to ask you something."
Ray: "That is?"
Aisha continues to peer at him closely for a few seconds, as if trying to decipher some arcane knowledge just by looking at him
Aisha: "I'm just curious... Are you seeing anyone right now?"
Ray: "No? why ?"
Aisha continues to scrutinize him with that ever-intensifying stare, as if she thought that his answer was missing a crucial detail
Aisha: "Oh, So you're not currently in a relationship?"
Ray: "No, why are you asking?"
Aisha leans closer to Ray, as if she wanted to make sure no one could hear her voice
Aisha: "Are you sure there's no special someone you're interested in right now? Even if she's not your official girlfriend yet?"
Ray: "No, I do not like any girls"
Aisha squints her eyes even further, as if she were trying to puzzle out some hidden meaning behind his words She continues to inch closer until her face is only a few inches away from his
Aisha: "Is it because... you haven't MET the right girl yet? Or because you simply aren't interested in women?"
Ray: "Why does it matter what do you want ?"
Aisha's tone becomes noticeably more accusatory as she continues to lean even closer towards him
Aisha: "Answer my question! Do you even like women?!"
Ray: "I don't know"!
Aisha narrows her eyes and moves even closer towards him her face only a few inches from his
Aisha: "You don't KNOW?!Are you telling me that you're unsure of which gender you're attracted to?!..."
Ray: "Yes! It's weird I met a guy yesterday. He was a peasant but he made my heart skip a beat When I laid eyes on him, it felt nothing like the princess that was sent to me for marriage."
Aisha's expression visibly softens at the mention of the peasant guy he met
Aisha: "You... you met a boy yesterday? And just laying eyes on him made your heart beat faster?"
Ray would slowly turn red as he would cover his face and nod in agreement
Ray: "Yes, it's weird; I never felt this way before."
Aisha smiles as if she had finally discovered the hidden mystery behind his words and she moves even closer
Aisha: "Did you get this peasant boy's name?"
Ray: "No, he left as soon as he bumped into me and left his cart behind and then I had dinner with him but he just threatened me."
Aisha's smile grows even wider, as if she had reached a conclusion
Aisha: "I see. So you got a glimpse of some random handsome peasant boy and that gave you butterflies in your stomach. Am I right?"
Ray: "Yes, you are correct But why do you ask?"
Aisha's smile turns into a grin as she closes the gap between them to only a few inches
Aisha: "You know what? I think I have the perfect way to help you solve this dilemma."
Ray would do as she said, as he would close his eyes
Aisha leans in even closer towards Ray, until their faces are literally mere centimeters apart. The air is filled with tension as she holds her breath and waits to see if he will react in any way However, after another few seconds, she finally opens her eyes and lets go of him
Aisha: "Open your eyes now."
He would open his eyes and look at her, who was extremely close to him, as he would be confused
Ray: "Uh, is this supposed to be some teleportation magic ritual?"
Aisha bursts out a giggle and she steps back to create a bit more distance between them
Aisha: "No dummy I just wanted to see what your reaction would be to having a woman get this close to you."
Ray: "Ohhh But I barely know you."
Aisha rolls her eyes.
Aisha: "Okay, whatever, let's assume that. So, how did it feel? To have a woman this close to you? Was your heart beating faster? Did you feel nervous? Did you have any of those so-called butterflies in your stomach that everyone is always talking about?"
Ray: "None"
Aisha's eyebrows are raised in disbelief
Aisha: "Seriously? But you said that just a glance of that peasant boy made your heart race So why not me?"
Ray would just shrug and look at her
Ray: "I don't know."
Aisha crosses her arms and pouts.
Aisha: "How... How can you feel something for someone else and not for me? Is that guy really cuter than me?"
Jason: "Aisha that's enough. Ray is gay; it's called being gay; he likes his own gender."
Aisha glances over to Jason
Aisha: "Wait... Wait, he's what? Gay? He's into dudes?"
Jason: "Yes, he's like me But he didn't know what to call it."
Aisha's eyebrows are raised even higher and she looks back to Ray
Aisha: "So... You actually like boys?..."
Ray: "I i I guess"
Aisha squeals with happiness
Aisha: "Oh, I can't believe this... My nephew is gay! I never thought I'd hear those words in a million years, but they're real, and they are true!"
Jason: "He's not your nephew
Aisha: "Hush Jason Let me enjoy this. So you really like guys, Ray!"
Ray would be overwhelmed with the questions as he would cover his face as Jason would get annoyed and yell
Jason: "Aisha, behave He's still nervous."
Aisha's smile diminishes slightly and suddenly she becomes serious
Aisha: "He... He's nervous? About being gay?"
Jason: "Yes, his father Is straight and has a wife; his father is like a brother to me so Ray thinks His father will be disappointed in him."
Aisha's expression becomes more empathetic
Aisha: "So... He thinks his dad won't accept him if he finds out he's gay? Am I right.."
Jason: "Yes, that's why I said to behave."
Aisha looks back over to Ray.
Aisha: "Is... Is that true? Is that why you're afraid to tell your dad? Because you're scared he won't accept you if he finds out?"
Ray would just nod nervously, as Jason would just sigh
Jason: "It's fine, Ray We accept you As who you are But I'm sure Neo would just try to kill the boy for stealing his kid's heart without permission."
Aisha's tone becomes much more soothing.
Aisha: "So... You have us, right? Your Big sister and your uncle, yes? We both promise to accept you no matter what your dad thinks, okay?"
Ray: "Big sis, huh? I've never had a big sis."
Aisha's heart would explode as she patted his head
Aisha: "You'll have me as your Big sister!"
Ray would smile and hug Aisha tightly as he would giggle
Ray: "Thanks a lot, Sis I appreciate it."
Aisha returns the hug, tightly pressing her body against her little brother She giggles as well, her expression showing great relief
Aisha: "But of course! You're my baby brother I will ALWAYS support you, no matter who you are or who you love."
Jason would smile and look at them as he would sigh and put his hands on his hips
Jason: "Now enough of that Ray you need Too learn the History of your Kingdom Neo Knows about it but I'm guessing he has never told you because of certain accidents."
Ray: "Yeah So what do I have to read ?"
Jason: "Read? no no, no, you will See it firsthand since my Rank as An Angel increased to principalities."
Ray would just nod as Jason grabbed ahold of Aisha's and Rays hand while Matthew put his hand on Jason's back as the Scene started shifting as Everything went dark
[NEXT CHAPTER: Rewind]