Following that devastating yet quick bolt of nature's deadly electricity was a blinding flash of light. For a split second, everything vanished into an abyss of white. My senses dulled, my ears rang, and my body felt weightless, as though suspended in the void between reality and nothingness.
I am unaware of what happened within that timeframe, however. All I know is that afterward, the Jinn I had been conversing with became corporeal.
He no longer looked like fading smoke. No longer a being of half-existence. The pressure surrounding him doubled, thickening the air like an unseen force pressing down on everything.
See, I was right. He was even more powerful like this.
Not a bad gamble.
The Jinn inhaled deeply, his chest expanding with satisfaction before exhaling in a slow, drawn-out sigh. Then, his face split into a grin of sheer delight.
"Ah, how invigorating," he exclaimed, stretching his arms as if savoring the sensation of movement. "It has been eons since I last felt this light. Being imprisoned in that minuscule lamp was suffocating."
His words confirmed my suspicions.
"So, you truly were imprisoned." I reiterated, my mind racing with the implications.
The Jinn turned to me with a languid grace, his sharp features scrutinizing my expression. His gaze lingered long enough to unnerve me.
"Thankfully, my assumption is true." I added, if only to fill the silence.
That was when he floated toward me, his otherworldly presence making the very air hum with energy. His piercing purple eyes bore into mine, unwavering, unblinking.
"I've decided," he mumbled at last, his tone carrying an air of finality.
Decided what? That stalker-like expression is anything but reassuring. In fact, it was borderline creepy and gave me serious goosebumps.
"May I ask what it is you have decided?" I inquired, an ominous premonition slowly creeping in.
"As a celebration of my newfound freedom, I shall take you, who have given it to me, as my sworn brother."
He announced proudly and without further ado pointing his index finger into my forehead. I was frozen in place.
Wait.
What?
Before I could react, he extended his hand and pressed a single finger against my forehead.
I was frozen in place.
Wait! Don't I get a say in this?
Take your nefarious finger back!
Internal protests were useless. My brain struggled to process what was happening, but my body refused to obey. I felt an incomprehensible force surge through my spirit, bypassing my internal defenses as if they were nothing more than paper walls.
My aura field, as powerful as it was by standards, was useless against something that directly targeted the soul.
It was as if something was being written into my very being.
No, not something.
A vow.
A vow of the soul.
I felt even worse, indignant as it registered to me the gravity of my current situation.
Why did you make a vow of the soul? Damn it! Are you shitting me right now?
As the brief discomfiting occurrence passed, I felt an undeniable connection, a tether to something. That something being the Jinn in front of me.
And the more I looked at him, the more annoying he became.
"Hmm. You don't look happy," the Jinn remarked, tilting his irritating mug in mild confusion.
Happy?
I wanted to scream. I wanted to grab him by his stupid ethereal collar and shake him senseless. Instead, I took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing my frustration.
I pictured my mother's smiling face, and just like that, the impulse to curse him out vanished.
I could only sigh helplessly.
You see, there are different kinds of pledges and contracts in this world. Yet there are three that are not to be treated lightly.
An oath to mana, a vow of the soul, and a blood covenant.
The oath to mana is the ultimate promise a magician could make. No magician would ever dare break an oath to mana unless they wished to lose their connection to magic altogether.
A blood covenant is mostly utilized by aura wielders. Breaking this pledge would forever sever their path to enlightenment, an irreversible loss that no amount of training could mend.
And then there's the vow of the soul.
Souls are the core of any living creature be they strong or weak.
To use it in a promise is to brand it into one's existence. This is a kind of bond that remains for as long as the soul itself exists.
It was not something to be done lightly nor was it something to be decided on a whim.
It is understandable if I couldn't muster any joy at what had happened.
Yes, it is an advantage for me. But it is also something I did not need. It felt a little undeserving and hasty.
"It's not that I'm unhappy," I said through clenched teeth. "I'm just... concerned. Are you sure it's wise to make a vow of the soul so hastily?"
The Jinn threw his head back and laughed. The deep, resonant sound made my irritation flare even further.
"Instead of rejoicing at having a powerful ally on your side, you are concerned about something that was thrust onto you without your outright approval? You are one of a kind Skandar Aleksandr Konstantin." He said in a hearty tone.
Oh, so he was aware that I didn't get a say in the matter?
And he's proud of that?
I have the impulse to punch him in the face.
Unfortunately, he's too powerful for me to do so.
He must have noticed the displeasure in my expression because he patted my back in what I assumed was an attempt to be comforting. It wasn't.
"You do not have to worry so much. It is merely a vow of taking you as my family and bestowing you a Jinn name. It won't do me any harm. Of course, in reciprocation. The sentience of this realm now considers me as your brother. A bearer of the Konstantin name."
I was speechless.
I was exasperated.
I was doomed.
Dearest mother and father, I beg for your forgiveness with all my heart. I seem to have taken in another son for you two without your knowledge. A son that is thousands of years older than both of you.
I massaged my throbbing forehead.
Even if I wanted him to take it back, it was no longer possible.
The vow of the soul is unbreakable.
Hopefully, this Jinn would choose to relish his newfound freedom after this and leave to explore the world.
In truth, it felt a little absurd. He was now my brother yet I am still clueless as to what his name is. I abhor the lack of fairness towards my side in this situation.
"You said you bestowed me a Jinn name. What is it? Now that I think about it, you also never told me your name." I asked to divert the topic into a less stressful territory.
"I am previously known as Abinatha. With the vow in place, I am now Abinatha Konstantin. And I gave you the name Aashadhar, the fulfiller of wishes." He answered with a pleased smile.
Oh? That's unexpected. It seems Jinns' names are from the Ancient Paravel root.
Alright. I'll give it to him. It sounded nice. Like it had a lot of thought put into it. Even though we both know he came up with it in just a matter of seconds. Who am I to judge?
Since I am now resigned to my fate, as a generally positive person, I thought it is also a new experience having a brother, albeit one that is of a different race and technically a transcendent being.
I can let loose a little. And he has no choice but to bear with me for I am his brother.
"Can I call you Abi? Abinatha is a bit mouthful, don't you think?" I asked in a carefree tone.
His purple eyes lit up in delight.
"Ooh. A nickname. Brothers do give each other a nickname. Sure then, I allow you to call me that. Then I shall call you Ash in return."
...I take back what I said.
It might have been just a stroke of luck that he gave me a good Jinn name.
And why does he look so abnormally happy about this?
Am I missing something?
"What are your plans now, Abi? You're already free to do what you want." I temporarily set aside my weird feeling and asked about the most important thing at the moment.
Please say you'll leave. Please say you'll leave. Please say you'll leave.
Important things need to be said thrice.
"Of course, I'll be accompanying you from now on," he stated matter-of-factly. "You're the most interesting person in this entire realm. I believe I'll get to experience fun things if I stay with you."
...Oh, great.
Fantastic.
Not.
Abi beamed. "Do take care of me from now on, bro."
His smug face broke into a delighted smile. His amethyst eyes glinting. It was a bit of a glaring sight.
No! I don't want to take care of you! Please leave!
I felt my blood pressure tap dancing in my veins. My eye twitched in frustration but I can't slap a smiling face. It's a breach of etiquette.
What's going to happen to me now?