Curiosity II
You take a moment to look past Akam, toward the direction you came from. You haven’t heard any gunshots, nor any screams or anything that would give you alarm. That, you feel, and the lack of reaction from Akam makes you think that there’s no reason to worry. Plus, Shira is there, and Akam himself said Shira would prevent any harm from happening to Ali.
With that in mind…
‘When you say he isn’t trapped in a vase or lamp…’ you start to ask.
Akam gives you a knowing look and nods. “He is not imprisoned anywhere. Rather, he is free, and very likely continues to roam the world to this day.”
You gawk at him. ‘He’s… he’s free?’
“Yes, Master,” Akam says. “But, remember what we’ve mentioned before about the notion of freedom. With his powers weakened due to the punishment laid upon our entire species, and with no physical attachment to siphon a portion of his power to, he is essentially forced to wander around aimlessly in a perennially weakened state of being. More than that, though, he is a special case… he cannot ‘die’ as it were. Ever.”
‘I didn’t think djinn could die,’ you remark.
Akam rubs the back of his neck. “Well, in layman’s terms, yes, we can. When a djinn dies, however, it is more along the lines of ceasing to exist, rather than passing away due to some kind of failing or loss internally. We don’t die from old age, or sickness, or from grave injuries; instead, a djinn will only die when they have lost their ability to retain a connection to the world around them.”
‘Like, through magic?’ you ask.
“Yes, in a way.”
You mull this over, since the thought of djinn death wasn’t one you expected to come into this conversation. Granted, this whole information spill is a lot for you to wrap your head around, but you feel you’re doing a relatively good job.
“It’s difficult for me to explain, as I am not ‘dead,’” Akam says. He snickers. “As I am able to comprehend it, it happens usually only to those who refuse to form connections with mortals. They grow steadily weaker and weaker as time passes on, until they essentially are unable to keep existing any longer. Then… poof.” He wiggles the fingers of both hands. “They fade into nothing.”
‘Just like that?’
“Just like that.”
You look to the vase, confused. ‘Does that mean the djinn there will…?’
“So long as he willingly stays in his container, he will exist,” Akam says.
You feel confused again. ‘Willingly?’
Akam rubs the back of his neck again, a sheepish expression forming. “I… admit that I may have been not entirely honest with you on one thing, Master. You see, we djinn, technically, CAN break free from our imposed little abodes. It’s just that doing so takes an immense amount of power, and, it would also destroy a fraction of our power. Yes, a djinn could gain freedom, yet they would end up weaker for the rest of their lifetime.”
‘Oh.’
All this information swirls around inside your head, and you breathe in quietly while you process it. The more you learn about djinn, the more it seems like there is so much going on that no normal person is aware of - you suppose it’s a good thing, too, because people would likely try to abuse this if they could.
You end up shrugging this off.
‘Basically, this djinn is alive, but might as well not be, is what I’m getting,’ you say. ‘He has little to no power he can use, and even if he could use it, no one would acknowledge he existed. I’m guessing normal people wouldn’t even see him, so only you and other genies could… you just wouldn’t.’
Akam beams. “That is likely the best way you could describe it in understandable human terms, Master. And yes! That is precisely it.” He gestures around. “It’s entirely possible that you have crossed paths with him at some point in your life, or that you may end up doing so in the future. You won’t know it, but, since he is forced to exist forever in a weak state… well, it’s inevitable such a thing will happen.”
You finally pick yourself up off the ground and shake your head. All this new, exciting information is still sinking in, but it’s fascinating for you to hear - you can’t help but be overwhelmed by how cool it all is. You were a fan of fantasy stuff before, and now, it’s only become an even bigger fondness thanks to your interactions with Akam and Shira, and the whole transformation thing, too.
‘I take it you weren’t fond of this genie,’ you say. ‘At least, that’s how it looks, since you don’t seem like you’re bothered by his fate. Then again, I guess since what he did sort of screwed all djinn over… I can’t blame you.’
Akam gives a shrug. “I did not have a strong connection with this particular djinn, but given his actions, I frankly feel no sympathy for him, nor much of anything to be blunt. We djinn are not the bastions of moral goodness, nor would you ever find us to be wholly ‘good’ the way humans tend to think. Yet even some of the trickiest, snarkiest, or most deceptive among us felt his actions were overtly cruel and needless. Most of us have standards.”
You nod.
Your gaze flicks to the vase with the genie inside of it, the one that is apparently a remnant of a long-gone society. You wonder for a moment what would happen if someone found the vase and decided to bring it to a museum, since, to your knowledge, the vase needs to be rubbed a certain way in order for the djinn inside to be set free. Then again, you recall that you aren’t entirely aware of that part of the process. It may be different for a vase.
Before you can ask Akam about this, a noise in the distance catches your attention - because it’s a loud, booming noise, like a gun being shot.
A few birds scatter into the air, and you leap forward out from the bushes.
‘Oh no,’ you think.
“Don’t assume the worst,” Akam remarks, calmly as ever. “It may not be what you think, Master.” He offers you a smile. “But, do you want to investigate?”
You pause. Do you?
Written by Hollowpages on 23 December 2020
