Start Of Daily Life 💞

I wake up to the sunlight seeping through my eyelids.

‘Mmmm…’ I yawn. ‘I just had a nightmare…’

Why is there so much light even if my eyes are closed. Why is it so hot? Is it the daylight that is roasting me?

I toss around the bed, finding the angle with less light.

Wait… Light.

‘LIGHT!?’

I rolled off the bed so fast I hit my head on bedside table.

‘OUCH!’

‘The sun’s already… oh no, no, NO!’

There was no time. No face cleansing, no personal prayers, no proper brushing. I sprint barefoot down the hall in my unkempt ritual attire with a handful of pins trying to hold up my hair.

I can already feel the judgment of every ancestor looking down on me! HUHU... But that’s nothing on my mother. Or even worst, Euffie’s bullying.

As I turn the garden to get to the ritual hall, I see the doors are already open. And everyone, and I mean everyone is inside.

Fuck.

All the countryside relatives, the city ones, the temple elders. Everyone.

Goodbye allowance… goodbye new Charlotte Tilbury skin care set…

And there, at the center of the glowing mess, sat him.

Oh!… Oh yes… Of course…

The helper. Or just for me, “Cutie”?

He is kneeling quietly inside a circle of silver chalk and crimson salt, surrounded by layers of seals, floating paper charms, little bowls of water, and protection wards. The air shimmers and pulsates faintly around him.

Oh no! Did the bad energy take over him after all?

Before I can open my mouth, he lifts his head. He looks at me and smiles.

‘Melodette’s wake-up face is very cutie,’ he says.

I froze halfway through the doorway.

Well, that is definitely my “Cutie” then.

Silence. Not even a cough or snort.

Is this where he reveals that I had been feeding him?

Then my mother, graceful as ever, walks straight over and hugs me.

‘Thank the spirits you’re awake,’ she murmurs, before her voice turns firm. ‘We were discussing what to do with him.’

‘With him?’ My face scrunches.

”With him” as if he was an item?

She nods. ‘While we are grateful he saved your life, Melodette, the corruption still lives inside him. The family believes the safest path is to seal the energy within him completely’

My stomach dropped. ‘Seal within him… as in forever?’

CAUSE WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?

Her silence told me everything.

‘Mother, no. That’s not fair!’ I took a step closer to the circle. ‘I was supposed to take it! The energy was meant for me! He jumped in to protect me. He shouldn’t be punished for that!’

I look around. No one is meeting my eyes.

‘He should be rewarded for saving me. Not punished. Not banished.’

Unbelievable.

Behind me, Euffie sighs dramatically. ‘See? I told you she’d be difficult.’

I turn around, ready to shout her into next week, but then she added, ‘But she’s right.’

‘What?’ Who are you? You’re not Euffie…

Euffie crosses her arms, lifts her chin toward the elders. ‘If we seal him just because it’s easier, what does that say about us? The spirits won’t bless anyone who traps an innocent person.’

Someone near the back mutters, ‘The host isn’t innocent. The energy chose him for a reason.’

I whirl to the direction, ‘Then you be the host, you idiot!’

‘Mellie!’ Mother hissed.

HA HA HA HA HA HA

The air inside the ritual hall swirls like typhoon. All the talismans gets blown away, all candles flicker violently, but the windows and doors remain unmoved. Everyone seated falls from their seats. Those standing up, staggers back.

The menacing voice and power of the dark energy is back… But not fully.

‘Cu… Cutie?’ I reach out to the boy. My mother and Euffie immediately grabs me.

Everybody chants to keep the barriers in place.

‘Whose rural helper’s son was this? How come he can control the malicious energy and Aurelian couldn’t?’ Mother shouts through the hurricane forming just inside the confines of the hall.

‘What do you mean? He’s right there!’ An auntie points to a random boy on the back. ‘He doesn’t know how to travel via train so we couldn’t send him alone.’

HA HA HA HA HA HA

The chaos stops just a quickly as it started. Cutie (boy version, not the cute creature) is sat on the center. Smug and nonchalant. Content that he rattled us all.

‘Then who is that?’ Eula and Arisa say in tandem.

The air is so heavy that I feel suffocated. Nobody dared speak for a long moment. The only thing we can hear is the flickering of the remaining seals around the circle.

I am the guardian spirit of ║▌║▌║█│▌

I am here because of Melodette

The silence is palpable. I can hear my grandmother’s heavy breathing from across the hall.

‘Why her?’ My mother dare ask. ‘Do you want to cause her harm?’

‘Mother! He saved me!’ I remind her. ‘And us all!’ I added, for extra effect.

HA HA HA HA HA HA

You mortals are ungrateful, quick to forget

Unlike us deities who repays in multitude

‘I remember you!’ The elder priest cuts in. ‘Your kind protected my grandparents from the war!’

Cutie (or whatever that is) nods.

So he is not cutie? He is oldie?… Ew!

‘It is not safe. We still need to seal him.’ The same pest of a cousin says.

HA HA HA HA HA HA

You are so terrified of a small black energy

You fail to see reason

No it wasn’t small… It was horrific.

As Cutie speaks, some relatives puts their hands up in the position of sealing prayer.

HA HA HA HA HA HA

So this is how you repay your saviour?

Can’t you see…

Every single person in the room has their hands up to cast prayers and help seal Cutie in the barrier. Everyone except mother and Euffie who are both holding me.

… that I am more powerful?

With that, Cutie snorts and we all get blasted off the hall. I mean not all. Everyone else gets pushed out by a strong wind and energy. Either through windows or doors. Except me, for some reason.

‘Mellie!!!’ My mother screams, while Euffie tries to reenter the building by kicking on an invisible force.

Grandmother comes forward, assisted by Arisa. ‘Can I have your word that you would not harm Melodette?’

You have my word

Well that was fast… Should’ve said so earlier.

‘We will leave you and let you settle your score with Melodette, for as long as you don’t harm her.’ Grandma say. ‘But we will still find a way to remove the negative energy within you.’

It was just a snack for me

Everyone is taken aback.

Wait… So Cutie is more powerful than the greedy black entity energy thing?

‘So did you like, just absorb it all or something?’

Cutie ignores me. 

Wow. I had thought you liked me.

Grandma tells everyone to get back to the main building. Mother, Arisa, Euffie, even Eula, didn’t want to follow.

‘The guardian spirit won’t speak to Melodette until they are alone.’ Grandma urges them to get a move on. ‘He gave us his word.’

The gathering slowly dispersed. Murmurs, rustles, the faint hum of dissipating spells slowly fades into the background.

‘For now,’ Grandma said, ‘you’ll make sure the main talisman stays on him at all times. Understand?’

(Enter anime opening song 😂)

Author message: 

Hiiiiii everyone🥰!! When I read the prompt, a slice of life story where Melodette has to keep the talisman on everyday (forever?) came to mind. We have reached the point where it becomes proper slice of life and everyday would be a different way of making sure the talisman stays on :3 Thank you for reading thus far!! I will mark as “finished” but actually, this is just the beginning 🥰 thank you and please continue on dropping by for updates!