I am Jinn

Brothers

     Humans are fascinating. Their mortality is evident as soon as they take their first breath. You see, each molecule of air has been inhaled before, has been used as sustenance by another. Each breath is a gaseous reminder of all that was. One child's first breath may have been someone's last. The breath each infant takes holds the weight of thousands, if not millions of souls who have left the world to their descendants. To some of the children with weaker constitutions, they succumb to this weight. Others fight, accept that burden, and leave their own legacy behind for the next generation to embrace.

     You see, humans live. They do, they truly LIVE. They are born with the knowledge that all of this, this entire existence is limited and will eventually end. In turn, humans put their all in living for their allotted amount of time. Each human's existence is important, greatly so. They may not know it at the time, but each second they are on this planet, they make an impact. Every single human being matters. I can't stress this enough. Be it a passing glance of reassurance to a stranger or the change of heart caused by the loss of a loved one, humans make a difference. You may be wondering how I know this.

     I have been alive long enough to see generations of humans fight over a sliver of land. I have been alive long enough to see humans segregate themselves based on the levels of melanin present in their skin. I have been alive long enough to see humans rise from their infancy and then soar through the air on their mighty contraptions of metal. I have been alive long enough to see humans band together to eradicate diseases under the most unfavorable conditions. Humans are amazing. I have seen that first-hand. Their mortality is something I envy. My people are different. We live unimaginably long lives, yet all we've achieved is hatred and strife amongst us.

     I'm sure any human that was informed of my nature, my true nature, would find it fascinating and enviable. The grass always does seem greener on the other side, doesn't it? I am near the end of my long life and soon, I will burn out. I'm not too saddened by this since I have seen my fair share of good and evil in this world. I have yet to introduce myself. How rude of me. My name is Zrous and I am of the jinn. You probably have heard of the jinn on your fancy televisions and in your books made of paper. We have inhabited this world as long as the humans have, but have maintained a very low-key existence, thanks to our elders. There are rules that govern our existence, rules placed by the one who created us.  

     Humans call him God and some of my people call him The Creator. Our worlds, both human and jinn, are very similar. I make this point to show that there are many religions amongst my people just as there are many religions amongst the beings of clay. Some, such as myself, believe in a divine creator, while others go so far as to claim themselves gods. Many jinn believe that is blasphemous, yet there were some jinn who created empires, to have themselves worshipped by the humans. There was a running belief in these arrogant specimen. They wished to show our kind that humans were not only physically, but also mentally inferior to the jinn.

     You see, we jinn are made of a smokeless fire. It is a fire that The Creator breathed life into by simply uttering, "Be." One would think that would make us humble, however that fact alone further pumped already overinflated egos. Our physical beings are different than those of the humans and that allows us to be blessed with different abilities. No two jinn are the same, much like how no two humans are the same. We each have our own personalities, abilities, and our own free will. Some of us can shape-shift. Others can fly to the heavens above. Some have one ability, while their siblings could have many. I was gifted the ability to shape-shift while my siblings had many more abilities, including miraculous strength. 

     You may be wondering why I am telling you all this. What is my reason for disclosing this precious information? I wish to share a story with you about one particular jinni who rose from a humble home and became a tyrant. He was gifted with several abilities, but held a particular disdain for humans. He existed in a time where the rules that limited our human interaction were next to nonexistent. He's very well known already in your human books, yet you were never given his true nature. You may have heard of him. His name was Zeus and he was my brother.