Chapter 4
Elara Valerius watched Jinn, her expression a mix of gentle concern and unspoken understanding. "My husband, Lord Caspian Valerius, is the leader of the Bloodline Academy," she began, her voice gaining a quiet gravitas. "It's an institution where individuals with… awakened abilities are trained. Abilities that manifest typically around the age of eighteen." She paused, her eyes fixed on his. "What you experienced, Jinn, what you saw in that alley… it was not ordinary. And what happened to you afterward, your recovery… it was not ordinary either."
She gestured vaguely around the opulent room. "Our world, Jinn, is far more complex than the history books teach. Those 'vampires' your teacher spoke of? They are real. And there are others. And there are those like us, who stand against them, often with unique gifts of our own."
Elara leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "My husband believes you possess an extraordinary awakening. Something very ancient, perhaps even related to the origins of our world. He is eager to speak with you when you are stronger. For now, know that you are safe here, among allies."
Just as Elara finished, the door to the medical suite swung open. A girl, about Jinn's age, with striking emerald eyes and hair the color of midnight, strode in with purpose. She was dressed in comfortable, dark training clothes, her movements fluid and confident.
"Mother, are you ready? Kael's already waiting in the training grounds," she said, her voice clear and strong. She stopped short as her gaze fell upon Jinn, still pale and recovering in the bed. Her emerald eyes narrowed, assessing him with an almost predatory intensity. "Who is this?" she demanded, a hint of suspicion in her tone.
Elara turned, her expression firm yet gentle. "Ah, Lyra. I was just about to tell you." She looked at Jinn, then back at her daughter. "Jinn, this is my daughter, Lyra. Lyra, this is Jinn."
Lyra's gaze flickered between her mother and the stranger in the bed. "Who is he, Mother? Why is he in our private suite?"
Elara stepped closer to Jinn's bed, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. "Jinn was involved in the major incident downtown. The building collapse. We… rescued him from the wreckage." She then summarized the chaos of the accident, the miraculous survival, and how they had brought him to their estate. "He has no other family, Lyra. So, we've decided to take him in. He will be living with us now."
Lyra's emerald eyes widened, then flashed with incredulity, quickly followed by anger. "You adopted a stranger?! Mother, how could you?! We don't just bring random people into our home! Especially not after—"
"Lyra!" Elara's voice, usually so calm, cut through the air with a sharpness that made Lyra flinch. "I understand how this situation seems. But you must understand: we didn't just 'decide' on taking him in. His father was one of our relatives. My brother. Unfortunately, due to certain circumstances, he was forced to live far from our realms, in a world called Earth."
Jinn's mind reeled. His father, a relative of these people? Forced to live on Earth? A world far from their realms? It was too much. The ancient pages, the whispers in the void, the impossible recovery—it all began to click into a terrifying, fantastical puzzle. He remembered his father, his stern yet loving face, always a hint of something hidden behind his eyes.
Lyra's anger visibly wavered, replaced by shock and a dawning comprehension. "Your… your brother? Uncle Alaric?" Her voice dropped to a stunned whisper. She looked at Jinn with new eyes, her fierce expression melting into something akin to disbelief and a deep, unexpected sorrow.
The revelation, combined with the lingering effects of his injuries and the overwhelming information, proved too much for Jinn. His vision blurred, the room spinning. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his breathing hitched, becoming heavy and ragged. He clutched his chest, a sharp, searing pain flaring where the amulet rested.
"Jinn!" Elara exclaimed, seeing his distress.
But before she could reach him, Jinn's eyes rolled back, and he slumped back against the pillows, unconscious once more.
Elara immediately turned her attention back to her daughter, who stood frozen, tears welling in her own emerald eyes. "Lyra, please. I never thought I would ever see a part of my brother again. This is… this is important."
Lyra, however, couldn't process it. The weight of the news, the sudden presence of a long-lost cousin, the proof of a life her uncle had lived in secret—it was all too overwhelming. With a choked sob, she turned and bolted from the room, leaving her mother alone.
Elara stared at the closed door, then slowly turned back to Jinn. He lay pale and unconscious, sweat beading on his forehead, his breath shallow and strained. His hand was still clutched tightly over his chest, right where the amulet pulsed with a faint, almost imperceptible warmth against his skin.
A wave of profound sadness washed over Elara. Tears welled in her eyes, silent and uncontrollable, as they tracked paths down her cheeks. She sank into the chair beside his bed, clutching her hands to her chest, feeling a crushing weight of grief and responsibility. How was she to navigate this? Her brother's lost son, suddenly thrust into their world, bearing a powerful, ancient secret, while her own daughter struggled with the revelation. This was far more complicated than she had anticipated.
Time flowed like thick syrup, though Jinn had no way of telling how long he was out. When he finally stirred again, the room was bathed in the soft, warm glow of evening light filtering through the large windows. He blinked slowly, the ceiling now clearer. The memory of his father's death, Elara's words about his relatives, Lyra's raw reaction—it all rushed back, a torrent of grief and bewildered understanding.
Relatives. His father, from another realm. This powerful family, the Valerius.
A new memory surfaced, a conversation with his dad just before the fateful day.
"Hey Jinn," his father's voice, gruff yet warm, echoed in his mind. "I know your birthday is in a few months from now, but I'd like to give you something for your birthday as I might not be there to celebrate it with you."
Jinn remembered looking at him, confused and a little annoyed. "Why are you giving it to me now? What's gonna happen to you?"
His dad had just smiled, a rare, gentle smile that carried a hint of sadness. "Don't worry about it, kid. I'll always be there for you when you need me the most." He'd then placed the clock amulet around Jinn's neck, the cool metal a stark contrast to the warmth of his father's hand.
Jinn instinctively reached for his chest, his fingers brushing against his hospital gown. Panic flared. The amulet wasn't there. His eyes darted around the room, frantic. Then, he spotted it. Lying on the polished bedside table, gleaming faintly in the evening light. A wave of profound relief washed over him as he carefully reached out and grasped it.
The moment his fingers closed around the silver amulet, a soft, pulsating blue light erupted from it. The ancient inscriptions etched into the metal began to glow, brighter and brighter, until they pulsed with an ethereal intensity. The hands of the tiny clock embedded within the amulet began to spin, faster and faster, a blur of motion.
Suddenly, a perfect circle, shimmering with blue energy and covered in intricate, glowing inscriptions, formed on the floor around his bed, centering him within its intricate pattern. A weird sensation spread through him, a feeling of being disconnected from the normal flow of existence. He looked towards the large grandfather clock across the room, its pendulum frozen mid-swing. Its hands were barely moving, so slow he had to strain to perceive any motion at all.
Time… it's almost stopped.
"What's going on?" Jinn whispered, his voice hoarse. "Why is time frozen?" Was this connected to what Elara had said? To his "awakening"?
The blue light from the amulet intensified, humming with a low thrum that vibrated through his very bones. The air crackled with an unseen energy. He felt a powerful surge deep within him, a stirring of something vast and ancient. He tried to move, to understand, but as he pushed himself forward from the bed, the effect abruptly ceased.
The blue glow vanished. The circle on the floor faded. The grandfather clock's pendulum swung back into its normal rhythm with a soft tick-tock. Jinn, caught mid-movement, tumbled off the bed with a soft thud onto the plush rug.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Jinn? Are you alright in there?" a voice called from the other side of the door, followed by the sound of the doorknob turning.
Jinn's eyes widened in alarm. Someone was coming!