Looking at the schedule routine of his on the tablet. Lean's asked: "Is this even accurate?"
"Kinda…" a voice answered behind him. Turning around he found a person he did not want to interact with.
Her height was around 5'9", her long black hair reached her waist, and she wore black clothes paired with fishnet tights and goth-like makeup. The woman stood behind Lean, looking at the tablet in his hand.
"Gonna say, whoever made this really captured your lifestyle. It even got your hunting routine right." The goth woman said, sitting right beside Lean.
Looking at the random lady, Mia asked Lean; "Kuya. Who's this lady?" Lean seeing he cannot escape from this moment, answered.
"She's… she's a friend of mine when I was your age. Don't be bothered by her and keep eating for now," he said, wiping off the food stain in her mouth and Princess's.
"Rude. Didn't you say back then you would marry me!"
"I was a kid back then. Also, I wanted to marry that version of you. Not this version of you right now. Also, get out of here, I don't want to talk to you." He snapped at her, pushing her down from her seat.
"Owe. That hurt so bad." She said standing up and sitting down again near him. "How can you be so rude to me? We used to be so close back then."
Annoyed by her, he looked at Mia and Princess and told them, "You two. I don't know what kind of situation you'll be in the future, but please don't become like this one." His voice was full of pity and mournful.
"Look at her, in her 30s, jobless, living alone, and not in a relationship with anyone. Please you two, become anything but like her." Tears formed in his eyes as he reminded the two. The girls nodded to his words, taking them to their hearts.
Slapping the back of his head, the woman said to defend herself; "You asshole, how can you say that when you're unemployed too. Also, I'm not single—"
"Not like that relationship of yours will last long." Lean cut her words. "You've been together for what? Two weeks? Next week he'll break up with you."
"..."
"I hate you so bad." The woman said, taking his drink from him. "Also, call me by my name, will you? What. Don't tell me you forgot about it?"
"... What was your name again?"
"This motherfuc—. It's Jena. Remember it, dig into it deeply in your mind, will you? We have known each other since you were six. How come you still cannot bother to remember my name?" Jena nagged at him, poking his forehead.
"...., Right… Jena." Lean muttered, shifting his gaze away from her.
"What's wrong with you? I know your family is kinda special because of your ancestor. Like you act like you died and came back alive. Now that side effects are taking on you."
"Died!?" He whispered, as if it had unlocked a memory he had forgotten. Recalling through his memory the day before, he found nothing about it. As if he did not do anything on this day at all.
If he were asleep, he would have a memory of going to. But he doesn't have one at all. The last memories he had were him grabbing a knife in his kitchen, then leaving to go to the rabbit forest… then.
Nothing. His memory has been cut off since then. Jena, looking at him not talking, was suddenly asked by Mia.
"Ate Jena. Is Kuya Lean not supernatural?"
"No? Why do you think he is?" Jena replied.
"Then, how come his eyes had those cracks when we played with him? Is that not an ability?" Princess then asked.
"That. It's not an ability but a curse. This brother of yours here, had a supernatural ancestor hundreds of years ago. I don't know the actual context but this ancestor of his offended someone. Who then gave them this curse that is essentially passed down in their bloodline." Jena turned to Lean and saw his eyes completely black.
….!
"Lean. Are you alright!?" Jena asked, worried in her voice. She held his body, balancing him to make sure he wouldn't fall off his position.
The curse has two parts. Black and Red.
Red signifies his physical state. When a crack appears, it means he's been hurt, and the pain he'll receive will be doubled.
And if one of his eyes is completely covered in this color, it means that the pain he'll feel would be multiplied by over 10.000.
Black signifies his mental state. Like the one above, the more his mind and emotions get altered, the more his mind forces negative thoughts into his mind.
These thoughts can vary in version; kill, stabbed, strangle, punch, kick, and maybe more. This type essentially makes it so that he will harm anyone around him.
This negative emotion he received will continue to increase along with the physical. The moment his eyes are filled with both, it will control his body and cause self-harm, which is what had happened to him before.
Opening his eyes, he found that time had passed for a long time. Jena was still sitting beside him, while the kids were on the side sleeping.
"Did I fall asleep?" He asked, glancing at Jena.
"You did. Lean be honest with me; did you hunt a rabbit this week already?" Jena demanded.
"...Yes. I think I did. Why do you ask?" He answered, though his mind didn't agree with him.
"Then, how come your curse was its strongest then? Not only that, but instead of the physical, it's the mental one." She glared at him, as she asked.
Lean couldn't answer her anymore. His mind was in a mess for him to say anything. Even if he wanted to, he just couldn't, so he stayed silent.
"Sigh. We'll deal with this in your home. For now, call these kids their guardians to take them home. We can't have you around them, especially with your curse acting up."
Lean immediately called the kids' guardian on his watch. A good minute later, multiple men and women in maids' and suits appeared before them and took the children, then disappeared again.
"Teleportation?" He whispered, watching a trace of light dying out before him.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go." Jena said, nearing the escalator. Lean jumped out from his seat then hurried to get to her.
— — —
An hour later. The two were already at his home. He settled on the floor, as he received a lap pillow from Jena in the living room.
"Hey. Did the curse get stronger or something?" He asked.
"I don't know. But we're here to find it out." She whispered, drinking from a vial bottle tied to her necklace. "You ready?"
"Yep."
He answered. "Then, go to sleep for now. And let me do my best for now." Jena whimpered, chanting a spell at him, making him fall asleep once again.
"Good."
Lean was now deep asleep. Slowly, she rubbed his temple on both sides, leaned over to his mouth, fixed hers to his, a fist away from their lips making sure they won't touch each other, and finally, she opened his mouth wide open.
Slowly, a saliva dropped from her lips and entered Lean. The moment her saliva was taken by Lean, she passed out. There, the two lay unconscious in the living room.
This was the reason why her relationship did not last long. Her ability needed for her to give saliva to others for it to activate. Speaking of which, this is her identity.
—))) Name: Jena V. Barbalos. Ability: Spirit. Type: Exorcist.
Unlike the normal Exorcist, who needs an artifact to activate their ability, Jena doesn't need such a thing. Her main ability is to enter someone's spiritual or Soul space, by feeding them with her saliva.
The moment she enters someone's space, she can then fight against the demon, curse, or whatever was inside them. Bringing this person back to their former self. Most of the time, she only needed to purify someone's space, and the job would be done.
Jena and Lean's relationship can be called a doctor-patient one. With Lean having a curse, Jena would help him get better by doing this kind of act every now and then.
Each time Jena performs this act, Lean wouldn't need to worry about his curse going wide for a month at best.
Ten minutes later, after she passed out, they woke up.
"So… is there something wrong with me or my curse?" Lean asked. Jena looked at him for a moment, thinking through what she should say.
"Nothing."
"What? Nothing?"
"Nothing, there's nothing wrong with you or your curse. It still looks the same as before. And there's nothing else residing within you." She answered, confused too.
"What I saw inside of you is still that giant ball of Black and Red energy, clinging to your soul."
"But for now, stay in here and don't leave till school starts again." She said, lying on the floor and opening the TV to watch movies.