MEET ME: Know My Name, a Human (unfinalized)

Seven years ago, a while after Marina took Ialan home.

“Ialan. Listen to me carefully. Unlike Marina and I, you are a human. You are different from us.” Ialan’s father once told him. Well, to be more exact, he is Marina’s biological father, and Ialan’s adoptive father, Kashi.

“I am listening,” he replied, and Kashi gave him a head pat.

“Good boy. For a human like you, it must be confusing.”

“...it was.”

“I’m sure Marina, or your grandma have taught you, right? About the difference between Humans and Necromen?”

“Teach–... Grandma once lectured me. She said that Necromen are almost the same as humans. One difference is the fatal incurable ‘heart disease’ that is present in each necroman’s heart. The only way to tend it is by the power of a devil contracted to each’s heart. A necroman will exchange its failing heart with a devil’s powers, thus giving them a functioning heart and powers that can inflict curses.”

“Oh-hoh, I see you’re doing well with your studies. But it’s not really a quick way to find out who is necroman and who is human, right?”

“Well… yes.”

Kashi smiles, then sighs. “Listen. Whenever you meet someone new, you should always, always, look in their eyes,” as he explains, he stares into Ialan’s eyes, and the boy stares back. “You see it, right?”

“I do.”

“Yes. I, and every other necroman, has no visible pupil. It’s not that we have no pupils, but it is covered. Not only that, we have our own specific and special “patterns” in these eyes. These are originally patterns from the devil that holds our hearts. This pattern in my eyes? it’s the same as the one from my devil’s.”

“...meanwhile, humans would have normal pupils,” Ialan added.

“That is right. We necromen can easily blend in crowds of humans. We can make eye contact with anyone. But no human can easily notice these patterns, because they are also made to hypnotize humans into thinking that the necroman’s eye is normal. The antidote is the knowledge of these patterns. Once you know, you’ll see them everywhere.”

“I understand. I will abide, no matter what.”

“That’s right. Even when you are in a place that feels 100% humane, you wouldn’t know who is in disguise.”

He once again patted Ialan’s head. “I expect you to become an excellent witch in the future. Maybe you’ll surpass some necromen, or even necrowitches. That’s amazing for a human witch.”

“...paps?”

“Yeah?”

“...let’s say I did become an amazing witch, will I remain as a human?”

Kashi’s smile faltered. “Why don’t you find out yourself? It’s a whole new adventure for you.”

He knelt in front of the boy, “One day, you’ll leave this place. You’ll meet many people, learn more than just spells, and find a life outside the shadows we cast on you. Think of it. What makes you human, Ialan? When you feel you are off of your path, remember your answer to that question. then you can retract your path. I hope you don’t get lost.”

…

Monday, Ialan came to visit Fuego as well. Unlike his sister, Ialan is more friendly, kind, and polite towards Fuego. Ialan is now 14 years old. He’s grown since he last saw Fuego. He noticed it too and commented, “You sure have gained height these past 2 years.”

“Is that so? …I see. That is a good thing then.” Ialan is insecure about his height, so hearing from someone that they notice he grew makes him happy.

“Your bangs are overgrown now, too. You’d need to cut it soon.”

“What? Oh, I guess I have not told you, chief. I purposely let them grow just enough to cover my eyes but not my sight.”

“Why, are you shy? Ah, are you one of those who are insecure about the pattern in your eyes? Don’t be around me, we’re friends!” Fuego said, approaching to take a look at Ialan’s eyes.

Ialan stepped back as chief approach. “N-no, I do not think you understand, i-in the first place, I am not a necrom–”

But before he finished, Fuego lifted his bangs and saw plain old irises with normal pupils. They fell silent for a while.

“...I am a human. Did you not know?”

“——HOW COULD I?! Y-Y-You’re a witch! A-A-A-And you have a necroman Sister! It’s not possible for a necroman and a human to be blood rela–”

“I am adopted…”

“SO THAT’S WHY YOU DON’T LOOK ALIKE AT ALL!! I thought I was being mean and bottled it up........wait, b-but y-y-y-y-you’re also a witch…”

“That is mean but I do not mind because it is true…and humans can learn witchcraft too… chief, you yourself are not a witch, you just depend on your devil’s curse abilities. So does that matter?”

“YOU’RE HUMAN!!!??? HOW DO YOU KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT US—!”

“Chief, I was raised by necromen! Can you calm down and think about it rationally?” He handed Fuego a cup of water.

Just after Fuego calmed down. “Sigh… to think I registered a human to my Batch…”

“I should be the one sighing. I thought I made a little ruckus myself during the night my sis first called for you. Some of your members found I was human among the crowd. I at least expected the words “a green-haired human is among us” to have reached you that night.”

They sat down at a table .“Let us drop the topic and proceed to the reason why I came here. I am in a hurry, so I will be quick.”

“Sigh. Yeah, go ahead.”

Ialan: I assume you have connections to the mayors of Caotica. I came to ask about if you can look up a certain person I am looking for.

Fuego took a pen and a notebook: Alright. First, is this person human or necroman?

Ialan: T-Trust issues already? She’s human…

Fuego: Name, age, sex, and other profile stuff?

Ialan: I only know her name: Lena. I do not know if that is a first name or nickname. I also don’t know her surname. She’s older than me, but we are not more than a year apart. She’s female. She has light brown hair that curls for just a bit. She has vibrant purple irises. The last time I saw her was 3 years ago by chance, during the yearly city festival. That was before we moved in here. Our last contact was when we were seven. She was homeless, but a rich-looking man in a suit who she recognized as her father came to “fetch” her, and never came back. These past years since I came back, I have been trying to search for her. I snuck into Caotica Sur’s and Caotica Occidental’s city halls and searched their list of citizens. But I had no luck.

Fuego: You do know that the majority of Caotica Sur’s people are unregistered citizens, right?

Ialan: Of course I do. But that is because the majority of us are poor. A man who came in a suit and in a luxurious car seven years ago couldn’t be poor enough to not know about registration. I’m sure his family would be registered too. That is why I checked the West’s lists too. But there was not a trace of her. Like her records were purposely removed. And I mean not just in the hall’s lists– I gather information about brown-haired girls of my age that transfer out of schools.

Fuego: Pal, that’s kinda creepy of you.

Ialan: These past 2 years, I observed one that is frequent to transfer from one school to another. It was suspicious, but I got no information about that girl. I visited every school she left that I recorded, but she was never on the list. I was able to easily find the names and see the faces of all the other girls. None of them were Lena. Which leads to the mysterious girl who doesn’t have records. If that girl was indeed Lena, then she is wrapped into something more complicated—

Fuego: holdup, holdup, holdup… I’m not following any of these–... uh, so basically, you are looking for this girl… and to fulfill that, you broke into multiple, supposedly highly secured buildings, just to find out that girl’s proof of existence is being erased?

Ialan:...Why did you put it like that? You make no sense.

Fuego: I give up. I’ll go find girls of this description all around Caotica and bring you their photos. Let’s hope we find her.

Ialan: Thank you. …she is unlucky, isn’t she? Like me.

Fuego: Huh? whaddya mean?

Ialan: I think there is the possibility that she is a cursed child like I am. We are meant to be unfortunate.

Fuego: Wait– YOU? A cursed child?!

Ialan:....you… didn’t know, did you. sigh.

Fuego: WHAT. But you being a cursed child, I was supposed to…resent you, right?! I should be affected by your curse—

Ialan: I think the reason why you don’t resent me like you dislike David is because Sis introduced me to you. Lena is the first to break my curse, while Sis is the second. As a person who broke my curse while not being a cursed child herself, she can continue breaking it for others too. If I instead introduced myself to you, I bet the curse would work on you, you would dislike me, and we wouldn’t be friends at the moment. Or at least, that’s what I observed.

Fuego: …forgive me. I can’t call myself your friend when I am comparable to a stranger–

Ialan: Mind it not. please.

Fuego: um… I’d have to ask. Why do you go to these lengths just to find ‘Lena’?

Ialan: Lena is my first ever friend. She was the first to treat me kindly. I want to pay her back. and more importantly, I want to meet her. Let her know I have not yet forgotten about my first friend, nor will I ever forget.

Fuego: I see.

Ialan hands Fuego a card: Please update me when you find something.

The card has Ialan’s number written. And just below it says “Ialan Lantass”

Lantass?

Fuego: Huh? But males can’t have this name…

Ialan: As I said, I am adopted. In fact, I have not a drop of necromancer’s blood, so adapting the name wouldn’t affect the Lantass lineage in any way. Sis hasn’t told you that we are Lantass?

Fuego’s mind stopped working: She didn’t.

Ialan said his goodbye and left, yet Fuego was still processing all that he heard. The siblings really are a handful, and too much for him.