Realm of the Jinn

By Vinn Winters

Chris thought his life was going to be normal, but then a devastating phenomenon obliterates his entire town and changes the world as he knows it...

Cut off from the outside world, Chris, his best friend Chelsea, and the other survivors make an amazing discovery: they have become Zelphierns, part-human, part-jinn, with the power to harness and utilize the ambient energy of the universe. But can superpowers keep them safe? Ferocious monsters stalk them in the night, and otherworldly spirits haunt their dreams. Something has awakened in the shadows, something vicious.

Traveling through realms of wonder, beauty, and horror, Chris must learn to harness the full extent of his powers, and learn the secret of the heart of the jinn to save all that he cares about.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vinn Winters
• Release date: Mar 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9798215552834

Vinn Winters

From scaling ancient temples, to swimming through Ocean reefs, Vinn Winters loves to chase adventure.  When he’s not traveling across the world, he has two cats that bully him constantly, reminding him that he probably wouldn’t last five minutes in one of his books.  He enjoys relaxing over a hot cup of coffee, playing cards, video games, or reading a good story.

Book preview

To the friends who helped teach and support me along the way:  Thank you, I could not have brought this novel to life without you.

-V.W.

Chapters

Prologue: Other Worlds

Chapter 1: Back to School

Chapter 2: Power of the Jinn

Chapter 3: Legends

Chapter 4: Ancestors

Chapter 5: Perfection

Chapter 6: A Yuck

Chapter 7: The Sense

Chapter 8: Public Reckoning

Chapter 9: To the Sky

Chapter 10: The Moch-Da Tahrell

Chapter 11: Way of the Champions

Chapter 12: The Festival of Hope

Chapter 13: Maw of the Infernal

Chapter 14: Crossover

Prologue: Other Worlds

Icare not how I shall leave this existence, so long as it is not by them.

There was a flash of light and Ilethia stood upon a charred hillside.  Flickering embers floating through the air were the only remaining sources of light, illuminating a landscape littered with the silhouettes of the fallen.

We’re too late.  She cursed and turned back to the small cluster of warriors behind her.  "Spread out.  If any of our brethren still live I want them found and brought to me.  Alert me through one signal to the sky if you encounter anything else.  Scout but do not engage.  Retreat back to me if you do encounter them – our numbers are far too small to survive if they have infested this world."

"Iz-ero-gulan!" her warriors cried, then darted off with inhuman speed in every direction.  She turned and knelt by the body of one of her own.  Though he had been long dead there was still a faint warmth in his skin.  For a moment she allowed herself to entertain the hope that he was still hanging onto life, though she already knew it was only from the natural heat of the planet.  An expanding oval of light nearby snapped her back to reality.

Ilethia, a large warrior boomed as he emerged from the luminous portal.

Yes, Yitsurugi?  Ilethia did not look up as she spoke.

You know The Sense has already surveyed this world.  There were no survivors, the warrior said sternly.  You are risking the lives of our brethren for no reason.  The punishment for this is great—

Yitsurugi, you of all...

Ilethia, Yitsurugi’s voice softened, "I do not plan to inform The Sense of your insubordination.  But tell me, what are you doing here?  This world is on the outer rim of the empire; our forces here would have required much reinforcement to hold it."

I know, it’s just... Ilethia looked back at her fallen comrade, in the past, we waged lengthy wars on other worlds before losing them.  Yet this one fell so quickly...

Our numbers here were small, Yitsurugi pointed out.  We had only a few garrisons protecting the inhabitants.  No one could have seen this attack coming, Ilethia, not even The Sense.

Your words are comforting, Ilethia said as she rose to her feet, but I know you didn’t come here to give counsel.

You are correct.  Yitsurugi scanned the surrounding landscape.  The Sense has given us a task.  It has become aware of a powerful entity in another realm and wants our forces to investigate.  An entity of...unusual strength.

A force more powerful than whatever did this? she gestured towards the ruins around them.

Enough, Ilethia.  Mourning the fallen will not bring them back.  We’ve been ordered to head there immediately.

I see.  Does The Sense have any further knowledge of—

Wait, Yitsurugi silenced her.  Did you hear that?

Hear what?

Listen.

The two were quiet for a moment, focusing intently on the world around them.

Click. Click.

They’re here! Yitsurugi shouted.

Suddenly in the distance a projectile of light shot up into the black sky, followed quickly by a second shot from a different direction, and a third not far from that.  A whirring noise, like a tornado of tiny bones, grew in intensity.

Recall your warriors immediately, Ilethia!

Ilethia looked up and raised her arm.  A bright white light emanated from her hand and soared skyward.  It illuminated the darkened hillsides around them and she could make out her warriors racing back to their location.  Behind them in the closing darkness swarmed a horde of shadowy pursuers.

"Into the portal, now!" Yitsurugi ordered.  Ilethia echoed him as her warriors dashed past her and leapt into the oval light, vanishing upon entrance.

"Ilethia, go!"

But what about—

"MOVE!"

In the fading light of her signal they could make out the silhouettes of hundreds of figures closing in around them.

Get in the portal! Yitsurugi shouted.

Their foes were nearly upon them.

Not without—

Yitsurugi shouted something to Ilethia but his words were drowned out by bloodcurdling shrieks, as the shadowy forms leapt at them from all sides.  Yitsurugi threw his hands to the ground and a vivid purple glow erupted from them, causing a shock wave that knocked their attackers backwards.  Before Ilethia could respond Yitsurugi grabbed her and flung them both into the portal, a split second before it closed behind them.

Chapter 1: Back to School

CHRIS SCURRIED THROUGH the maze of hallways, taking every shortcut he knew.  He’d like to get through at least one week without a detention for excessive tardies.  Finally, he thought, turning the last corner, Ha, I’m going to make it!  For once I’m actually going to—"

Late again, Mr. Edsman.

Chris cringed as he turned to face Mrs. Jordan, his science teacher.  Sixty-two years old and a few inches shorter than Chris; yet she still seemed to tower over him, driving his confidence to the ground like an ant caught in a midsummer downpour.  He swore she would go to almost any lengths to make him miserable.  Why did she dislike him so passionately?  Perhaps it was his free-spirited nature that got under her skin.  Or his lack of respect for punctuality.  He had heard somewhere that Mrs. Jordan used to be quite the rebel before she became a living artifact.  Detention won’t cure jealousy, Mrs. Jordan.  Chris began to smile but quickly stifled the expression to avoid any further punishment.

"Detention for you again, and it’s only Tuesday, barked Mrs. Jordan, sounding almost pleased with her verdict.  Perhaps school should be a bigger priority in your life, Mr. Edsman." 

Surprise...surprise.  Chris dragged himself past Mrs. Jordon and took a seat in the back of the classroom.

Late again...how shameful, the girl sitting next to Chris whispered.  Her large hazel eyes widened to accentuate her mocking tone.

Hey, I’m not a follower, Chris tilted his head, tossing back his sandy-brown hair, I walk my own path.

Yeah? Well, your own path seems to have followed everybody else right into this classroom.

Come on, Chelsea, go easy on me.

Chelsea was Chris’s best friend.  Despite her sarcastic nature, years of friendship had proven to him that she had more respect for him than anyone else.  Her delicate, seemingly-timid features were deceptive; she was actually quite confident and clever.

Okay, I’ll lay off.  Today looks like it’s beating you up pretty well without my help.

She gave Chris a quick wink and returned her attention to the paper on her desk.  Before her long chestnut-brown hair fell forward to cover it he caught a glimpse of what she was working on, a detailed sketch of a dove.  She had always been a talented artist, and several of her drawings were currently on exhibit in the school’s fine art display case.

So, you excited about the assembly, Thursday? Chelsea asked.

Huh?

You don’t remember?  The assembly.  Where we cheer the team on for the big game coming up?

Oh, that’s this week? Chris said.

When did you think it was?

You know, I was really hoping it was scheduled about two years from now.

...you’ll have graduated two years from now, Chelsea said flatly.

"Exactly."

Come on Chris, you should show more school spirit.

"Of course, because I’m just such a devout football fan," Chris muttered.

Before Chelsea could formulate a suitably insolent response, Mrs. Jordan snapped at them for not paying attention.  The two remained silent for a few minutes.

Why do we even have to study astronomy anyways? whispered Chelsea.

Mrs. Jordan is still upset about the asteroid that wiped out all the dinosaurs she used to play with when she was a kid, Chris explained knowingly.

Chelsea snickered.  Teachers can be so vicious sometimes.

They’re probably just taking their childhood anger out on us.

The way she treats you Chris, she must’ve been spanked at least three times a day.

With Orion’s Belt.

Their giggles were cut short by another glare from Mrs. Jordan and they remained quiet for the rest of the class period.

JUNIOR YEAR AT GOLDEN Leaf High School had been pretty uneventful for Chris.  His popularity status left room for improvement, probably because he was not involved in any school organizations and was comfortably devoid of school spirit.  He didn’t participate in any sports; in fact, his only serious exercise was biking to and from school. 

His parents were away working most of the day, so after school he was usually home alone for a couple of hours.  He was looking forward to tonight because his mom was going to make his favorite:  meatloaf with cheesy broccoli.  His dad would entertain them over dinner with goofy stories about the bumbling incompetence of his coworkers, and Chris and his mom would laugh and suggest things his dad should say to them.  Afterwards they’d begin to watch a movie together, but Chris would probably be the only one still awake by the end.  Even Captain, his golden retriever, would be snoozing against the living room couch. 

Chris preferred the quiet though.  He spent a lot of time in his room lying on his bed staring at the ceiling.  This was his hub for pondering deep thoughts.  Last week he had spent hours questioning the meaning of authority and order.  Why was it so important to always follow directions? – even the teachers did it.  Couldn’t they see it wasn’t even in their own interests half the time?  Who even makes these rules?  And the few students who made a point of not doing what they were supposed to – why do they do it in such dumb ways?  Like Shawn starting that fight with Dylan last week in the cafeteria just because he thought Dylan looked at him funny.  What did that accomplish?  What did it even get him?

Captain’s barking reached Chris’s ears.  He looked out the window to see a squirrel running up one of the big oak trees in the backyard.  Chris shook his head.  Our high-tech security system at work.

Last summer when he’d had more time he’d spent weeks mentally dissecting the meaning of love.  Not whether or not he’d fall in love; everyone did sooner or later, he was sure.  But what defines it.  Is love slaying a dragon to rescue a princess from an ancient tower?  If so, what would he do with her after he rescued her?  The happily-ever-after conclusions never quite explained that.  Is that true love, or just some glamorized version and the real thing is more like what he felt when he had that crush on Heather Grinnings freshman year?  Does love make you weaker, or does it make you stronger?  How far would one go to help and protect those they loved?  These were questions he never found the answers to. 

Today, however, he was thinking about the upcoming assembly.  Why did everybody think it was such a big deal?  Every year it was the same thing:  first the cheerleaders hopped around and then the football players came out.  The whole school worshipped them like they were Greek gods descending from Mt. Olympus.  This had never made any sense to him.  Chris didn’t have anything against the team, the entire event just felt like a waste of time.

Whatever, he sighed, concluding that further contemplation was not going to make the assembly vanish from his life, unfortunately.  He rolled over, sat up, and gazed around his bedroom.

How have I never realized my room is so old-fashioned?  His computer sat in one corner, almost disappearing under stacks of science-fiction and fantasy books.  A small radio sat triumphant atop another mound of books on the other side of the room.  Other than a few renegade odds and ends from his mother’s failed decorating experiments it was pretty plain.

Well it’s a good thing my excessive charm covers up my natural geekiness.  He flinched ruefully; he’d never really been very successful at lying to himself.  His gaze shifted out the window again.  The sun was setting peacefully over the small sapphire-blue pond under the trees at the far edge of the backyard.

His mind drifted back to the assembly.

I wonder what it feels like to have as much attention as the football players do.  To be worshipped like a hero.

Chris did not have a chance to answer his own question, as he felt drowsiness overtake him.

HEY CHRIS, WHAT’S UP?

Chris recognized Chelsea’s voice.  He looked up from his locker and tried to pinpoint her location.  Golden Leaf was a large school, an architectural labyrinth of huge hallways, smaller passages, and locked doors to unknown spaces.  Chris was sure a small whale could fit through some of the main halls, yet despite their size they still seemed too crowded.  During classes or after school the occasional voices echoing off high ceilings and tile floors made them feel empty even when they weren’t.

At the moment everyone had just been released from fifth period, so picking Chelsea out from the crowd was a bit of a challenge.  Finally he saw her.  She was smiling at him, and he returned the smile.  She ducked nimbly around several other students and approached his locker. 

Unfortunately someone else made it there first.  Chris felt a yank on his backpack.  "Well look who we got here.  I think I caught me a little ‘wittle Chrissy.  Probably should throw it back though; it’s not a good catch, just insignificant fishbait."

Oh, ‘insignificant,’ a five syllable word, I see you’ve been learning.

Maybe I’ll teach Fishbait here a thing or two about talking back before I let it go.

This is not my day, Chris thought.

What do you say, Fishbait?  Bet you could learn a thing or two from my fist.

Get out of my face, Shawn.

He turned around and met Shawn Price’s aggressively dark blue eyes.  Chris had no problem with most of the football players, but he’d rather sit for three hours in Mrs. Jordan’s detention than spend even a minute around Shawn.  Over six feet tall and at least twice as wide as Chris, Shawn had always enjoyed squashing bugs on the playground as a child, though his hobby had evolved somewhat since those days.  He particularly disliked bugs that talked back.

"Wanna start something, boy?"

Chelsea had come up behind him.  Shawn, just leave him alone!

Aww, Chris still has to have little girls save him.  How cute!  Can’t have your sidekick around all the time.  See you soon, Fishbait.  He pushed Chris into a locker and turned to leave.  As Chris watched him swagger off he was suddenly reminded of how a gorilla might walk if it had somehow made it to the Wild West and become a gunslinger.

Forgot your banana, he muttered.

Shawn paused and looked over his shoulder.  "What was that, boy?"

Chris glared at him and turned back to his locker.  Nothing...

"I didn’t quite catch that, boy.  What was that?"

"Nothing."

Yeah, that’s what I thought, Shawn laughed and walked away.

God, he’s such a jerk! Chelsea said.

Yeah, newsflash.  Come on we should get to class.

He was right.  They only had a minute to get there and he really did not feel like getting another detention from Mrs. Jordan.

SCHOOL SEEMED TO DRAG on even more than usual that day.  Chris might almost have found English tolerable, had it not been buried in the dead zone of last hour.  Mr. Klanzk was droning on about the homework assignment he hadn’t read.  Not that he was actually worried about being called on to participate; Klanzk only called on the girls.  Most of the teachers had the sense to face the student desks away from the clock on the wall, but Klansk didn’t seem to care.  Chris experimented half-heartedly with his pencil, creating counter-rhythms with the second hand.  What if...the clock really had slowed down, trapping the world inside the classroom in a slow motion dimension, while everything outside it continued on as before?  The idea perked him up slightly. 

Finally it was over and Chris was on his way home.

Chris!

He stopped his bike and looked over his shoulder to see a familiar freshman standing next to a tree a few feet from the sidewalk. 

Hey uh...looking forward to the assembly tomorrow?

Chris knew Dustin from the neighborhood, but mostly because he was his friend Jessica’s kid-brother.  It was only recently that Dustin had become old enough to really engage with. 

Come on Dustin, you know I don’t like sports.

Dustin looked apologetic.  Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot.

His short, dark-brown hair and skinny arms gave him a somewhat awkward appearance to Chris’s eye, but Dustin was a nice kid so he never said anything about it.  If anything he felt motivated to look out for the younger boy, although he wasn’t quite sure why. 

Forget about it, it’s all good.

The two stood looking at each other for a moment, saying nothing.  Then Dustin blurted out a comment as Chris turned to leave.  If it makes you feel any better though, I hate Shawn just as much as you do.

Oh yeah, you heard about that?  Chris grimaced, remembering the altercation earlier that morning.  Thanks.

No problem, Dustin smiled weakly.  But hey, I’ll see you later.  I have to get my chores out of the way.

Okay, later.

The two parted ways and Chris headed for home.

ON THE DAY OF THE ASSEMBLY red and yellow posters and matching streamers lined the walls of the school.  Golden Leaf’s colors irritated Chris; they reminded him more of the ketchup and mustard in the cafeteria than school pride.  Who would choose such garish colors? he thought.  And the mascot, a ram?  I guess that’s fitting...there are a lot of thick-skulled people here.

Everyone seemed to be excited about the assembly except Chris.  So he decided to skip it.  While the other students were packing in through the small doors that led into the gym it should be easy to sneak away from the noisy chaos of the crowd without any of the teachers noticing him.

There was only one obstacle to his plan: Chelsea.  How was he going to convince his school-spirited friend not to kill him when she found out he was skipping the assembly?  Chelsea might not have been a very social individual, but she had a soft spot for school events that Chris had never quite understood. To her, skipping an assembly would be about as evil as taking candy from a handicapped baby on Christmas morning and then chucking it at a puppy.  He needed a good excuse.

Hey Chelsea, I’ll meet you in the gym but I gotta go to the bathroom first, I’m feeling kind of nauseous.

Her initial look of concern was quickly replaced by skepticism.  Um, okay but you need to hurry or you’ll miss the beginning!

As soon as I feel better I’ll join you.

"Okay, but feel better quickly."

Ma’am, yes ma’am!

Before she could do anything more than glare at him, he walked quickly towards the gymnasium exit.

OUT OF RESPECT FOR Chelsea Chris decided to skip only the first half of the assembly.  He was able to sneak away from the crowd unseen and into an empty hallway.  The solitude cheered him up considerably.  He sat down on the floor in a patch of sunlight, feeling more relaxed as he began to collect his thoughts.  Slowly he got up and walked over to the window.

It was a beautiful day outside.  Large pines and oak trees dotted the school grounds, their branches swaying slightly in the tranquil breeze.  The thick walls of the gym muffled the noise from the assembly and it was almost completely quiet, except for the chirping of a few birds resting in the trees.  Chris was grateful for the stillness.  For a moment he pretended that none of this existed, that he was in a place far away from this reality. 

His attention shifted to the birds.  Without warning they fell silent, and then, as if on command, flew away so swiftly that they were out of sight in seconds.  It occurred to him that he hadn’t seen any other animals that day besides those birds, which now seemed to have disappeared too.  The beautiful day took on an eerie calm.  Chris felt a sudden urge to fly away with the birds.  He shivered and looked around, trying to distract himself.  Above him the sky was an azure sea with several small cloud isles surfacing from the water.  He could see the sun on the left, the moon on the far right, and the bright blue star near the middle...

Bright blue star? 

He did a double-take and stared at this new source of light.  Where did that come from? he thought.  Then with a jolt he realized the star was getting larger.  And larger.  A shiver went down his spine.  He had taken two steps backward before the bright blue star reached the size of the moon.  On his third step it screeched to his left and collided with the school.

For a split-second the walls seemed to bend inward toward the impact.  Then a violent explosion pushed them back outward, shattering windows and throwing glass shards in all directions.  Chris didn’t even have time to yell before the shock wave hit him.  There was a flare of blinding white light, followed by a powerful surge of wind stronger than any storm he had ever experienced.  He felt himself being thrown up and pinned against the wall behind him.  A piece of glass pierced his leg and an overwhelming wave of pain shot through his body.  He tried to cry out but the force of the explosion had sucked the air from his lungs.  He gasped for breath but none came.  Seconds stretched by as he remained pinned to the cement wall by the howling wind.  Then the bright white light turned to black.

CHRIS OPENED HIS EYES.  He was in a brightly-lit room.  He was sitting upright in a chair, but when he tried to move he realized his arms and legs were bound.  Where am I? ...in the hospital? a...psych ward?

Ah, you’re awake.

He turned his head to face a tall, dark-haired man wearing a white lab coat.  Light reflected momentarily off the bright gold nametag on the man’s lapel and Chris blinked. 

"Are