Eri, the Monster Sealer

~ Episode Two ~

The Child of Destiny:

An Oath For Terra Sufocus

She awoke to the familiar sound of birdsong.

With a tired groan, Eri pushed up on her arms to find herself somehow back in bed. She squinted into nothingness until her sleep-addled mind sobered. After a while she noticed her Hello Kitty bed sheets had been replaced with a faded denim duvet.

She went to rake fingers through her hair and instead accidentally batted the shade of an adjustable clip lamp hanging off the headboard. Slowly her surroundings started to make sense as the grip of what felt like a century-long coma began to shake free.

“…This isn’t my bedroom.”

The space Eri found herself in was a dark and drafty one, likely the result of out-of-date wood paneled walls that pointed towards a shallow vaulted ceiling. Lungs-cleansing winter air gusted in through an open window to her right. It looked out over the edge of dark shingles where an unfamiliar street greeted her below.

She noticed an over-stuffed bookcase built into the wall opposite the window and pushed out of bed, suddenly fixated on a copy of Pet Semetary that called her attention from a lower shelf. It was one Eri had always wanted to read, but was forbidden to—among anything else deemed even vaguely “corruptive” to Helen Seruma’s youngest and only daughter. Eri wasn’t even allowed to read the current elementary-school craze, because the plot centered around witchcraft.

Eri put the elusive Stephen King novel back in its place and marveled at the sheer amount of titles that dared to rain upon her if given the opportunity. It was like staring at a literary Jenga tower. She’d never seen such an extensive collection of books before. Of course, except for what could be expected in the library—

The library!

She remembered everything then—how the library was attacked by that giant stone snake thing. How Shinji and Evan showed up out of the blue to fight it with those weird-looking weapons. The whole incident was like out of a dream. It had to be a dream…

…And yet…

The murmur of other people in the house caught Eri’s attention. She made her way out of the attic bedroom and wandered around the upper floor of what appeared to be an old farm house until she found herself in a dark and narrow first floor entryway.

“…Shinji, I don’t understand—”

“It’s simple, Thompson. We think that you and Seruma are…” Eri’s ears perked to the sound of her surname. She followed the voices into what appeared to be a parlor just off the foyer. There, she found Mackenzie, Shinji, and Evan immersed in deep conversation around a leather sectional.

It was Mackenzie who noticed Eri first from where she sat with a clear view of the parlor entrance. “Eddi-chan!”

She shot to a stand, nearly knocking her mug of cocoa off the edge of the coffee table. Shinji and Evan craned a gander over the couch’s backrest as Mackenzie scrambled towards her friend.

“…Where are we?” Eri leaned against the door frame, weary. She let out a breathless “Oof!” when Mackenzie launched a crushing bear hug around her.

Shinji poured a fresh mug as Mackenzie led her over to the couch by both hands.

“You’re awake. Care for some cocoa?” he asked. “Sorry about the draft. Thought the fresh air would help. Here, this’ll warm you.”

“Are we at your house?”

He nodded. “You fainted, probably from that headache earlier. Do you remember what happened at the library?”

Eri took a tender sip of cocoa, careful not to burn herself. She hesitated. “I … I remember us working on our projects. I had to get some water for my migraine and you guys went to the bathroom. And then that … snake thing...”

Evan let out an apprehensive breath. Eri hadn’t realized until then that both boys were staring at her with what appeared to be Christmas morning jitters.

It was like they’d been nervous for the answer she’d give.

“So, you do remember what happened,” Shinji confirmed. “You both do.”

“I guess so.” Eri looked at Mackenzie, who offered an assuring nod. “Shinji … what happened? Did anybody at the library…?”

“No,” he said. “The library wasn’t destroyed. Nobody got hurt. Please, don’t worry about that. Nobody will even remember it happened.”

“What?” This news surprised Eri. “What do you mean, won’t remember? It happened, Shinji—we all saw it. I mean—I think I saw…”

“You both remember what happened at the library, because you’re supposed to,” Shinji explained. “It’s your birthright to. But no one else will remember. To them, the library never got destroyed. No giant stone snake ever attacked. This is due to a memory-reversal charm put in place every time a creature like it is defeated.”

“Kinda like Men in Black,” Evan said. “Y’know, the flash sticks they use, or whatever? But the erasing affects literally everything. Not just folks’ memories. Best way to describe it is like—like watching a VHS tape rewind, you know?”

He laughed suddenly—distracted by the thought.

Mackenzie nodded. “It’s the truth, Eddi-chan. It happened, just like that.” She fiddled with the sleeve of her cardigan, uncomfortable by the memory.

“It’s real freaky in the moment, at first I mean, ‘til you get used to it after every encounter, of course,” Evan said.

Shinji added, “We’re unaffected by the memory charm because we’re Star Warriors.”

“Cuts, scrapes, all that fun stuff—it all stays with us.” Evan thoughtlessly itched at the scar across his cheek, grinning. “But everything else? Whoosh! Like nothin’ never happened. Make sense?”

“No.” Eri squeezed her eyelids closed until stars appeared. “None of this makes any sense. I feel like I’m in a really, really, bad dream…”

Shinji sighed. “Then let me confirm that everything today was not a dream. It’s completely understandable if it’s easier to think so, but the fact remains that you and Thompson have entered a new kind of reality. There’s no going back.”

“Stop—Shinji.” Eri waved an irritable hand at him, eyes still clenched shut. “Stop with the Spock-speak for just like, two seconds, and talk to me like a teenager. I just wanna know what’s going on.”

Mackenzie’s lips pursed. Evidently, she agreed. “What was that thing in the library and why did it attack us?”

“That was Nagamani, the Monster of Bastion. A Kenah’dai of the Earth element,” Shinji said. “It attacked you both because it was looking for someone very important.”

“Monster of the … Canadian? What does that even mean?” Eri asked. “Someone very important? What are you talking about? That th-thing was coming right at us!”

Evan shifted with discomfort. Shinji cleared his throat and continued. “What I mean is, the Child of Destiny. She was sent to the future from the year 1286 AD. You’re responsible for finding and protecting her. We all are. That’s why the Monster was after you.”

Eri stared at him behind her mug of cocoa.

And then burst out laughing.

Shinji glowered at her. Evan preened at his hair, feeling awkward.

Mackenzie cringed. “Eddi-chan…”

“Okay, guys. That’s real funny. Good talk.” Eri set down her mug and rose to a stand. “Welp, gotta go and do more research for our project! Ha, ha, ha! I didn’t know you were so funny, Shinji! Buh-bye, boys! See you in class!”

“Sit down,” Shinji said. “You need to hear this. We all belong to sacred bloodlines that have been tasked with—”

“Okay, seriously though! My parents are probably wondering where I am right now, and, oh! Would you look at that? My cocoa’s all gone! Time to go!” Eri squeezed by Mackenzie, bumping the coffee table with her knees and spilling her friends’ drinks in the process. “Oops! Pardon me. Sorry! Macks, are you coming? We aren’t going to earn that A-Plus if we don’t—”

“Seruma, sit down!”

Eri froze to the spot. She blinked, surprised when Mackenzie gently tugged her hand back to the couch.

“Listen to me,” Shinji said to her, both his gaze and tone hard-set. “You saw the Monster yourself—how could I lie to you about something like that? I’m telling you the truth here, we belong to a line of holy knights that has prepared hundreds of years for the arrival of the Child of Destiny.”

“…Knights?” An icy rush went through Eri. Her thoughts went back to that recurring dream of the seven warriors and the faceless hooded man all fighting in a decrepit chapel.

“That Monster who attacked us at the library? One of thousands more. A minion of the Child of Destiny’s father, the Black King of Leola, in search of her,” Shinji continued, faster. “If Viktor Sufocus or his Monsters finds the Child of Destiny, it means the end of the world as we know it.”

“Shinji, slow down—wait—”

“Our ancestors banished King Sufocus and his Monsters to an alternate dimension centuries ago, but he’s found a way free, and that’s why—”

“Shinji! Enough!” Eri yanked her hand free from Mackenzie’s grip and wriggled free from the confines of the couch. “You guys are crazy. I don’t believe any of this.”

“Well, you’re going to have to!” Shinji snapped. He rose to a stand and followed Eri out into the foyer. “Evan and I didn’t want to believe it either, but it’s just something we have to deal with now!”

Evan turned his gaze over the backrest at Eri. “Listen, man. We get it. But you gotta believe us. We’re friends, right? Why would we lie about something this heavy?”

“Macks, what is this? Did you blab about my dream?”

“Eddi-chan, I think they’re telling the truth,” Mackenzie admitted. “Here, look…”

She brushed her hair away to reveal a strange-looking pendant around her throat. Eri furrowed her brow as she considered its golden wing-shaped design, not remembering if Mackenzie had been wearing it the whole time they’d been together that day.

“Seruma.” Shinji gestured at her. “Come back.”

Eri glared at him. Glared at Evan.

“You guys are the worst. Just because I like medieval fantasy stuff doesn’t mean you can try to trick me like this. Obviously stuff like monsters and magic don’t really exist.” She found Mackenzie gazing at her with a pleading expression. That hurt the most. Eri sniffled, wiping away fresh tears. “Macks, I can’t believe you’re in on this, too. Just because you like anime and all that stuff … I thought you were my best friend…”

Surprise flashed across Mackenzie’s face and quickly wilted into a look of hurt. “Eri, I—”

“I’m going home!” Eri found her winter gear and school project near the front door and tugged on her converse sneakers without taking the time to pull on her coat.

Shinji inched towards her. “Seruma, wait—”

“No. Goodbye, Shinji.”

She slammed the door behind her and was gone.