"Your request is denied."
Luca Watson clenched his jaw silently. It was a pity how dark the room was; he had no qualms about letting these dimwits see his displeasure. The twelve shadows remained motionless, although he could practically feel their scornful stare from the long table a few metres above him.
"That wasn't a request," Luca clarified behind gritted teeth. "I am informing you that the House of Watson will be taking a short leave of absence. With the amount of families holding House-ships nowadays, surely we can afford to take a break?"
"This is not a matter of manpower, but that of your responsibilities," a faceless voice said. "Your House has not earned your respite. In fact, you are at risk of losing your House-ship, given recent events. If we grant you your leave, what kind of message would we be sending to the other Houses?"
Luca could feel his wife shifting uncomfortably beside him. If it were his past self, he would've gestured for her to keep her tone down and avoid any confrontation with their superiors. But now? He couldn't give less of a damn.
"Please be reasonable," Ava argued. "We have worked tirelessly for years without complaint. Isn't it about time—"
"Might I remind you that you have lost all your magic, woman?" a different female voice snapped this time, although it was still impossible to tell which shadow it belonged to. "Be grateful we still grant you an audience in front of the Union of Magus. You are no longer worthy to speak in our presence."
Anger shot up Luca's spine.
"With all due respect, you pricks are snobs," he sneered. "Magic or not, she is a lady of the House of Watson. And more importantly, she is my wife. She gave up all her magic to save our son, and I will not see her disrespected like that!"
"And in doing so, your imprudent wife also threatened your House status. We are aware of the trouble that befell your family for the past week. But know that we offer no sympathy for such foolish mistakes, you brought that upon yourselves. We also want to remind you that House-ship is only granted to couples who can both use magic. Ava Watson is as good as a powerless human now. If I were you, Mister Watson, I'd start looking for another Magus to marry."
"You piece of—"
Luca felt a gentle hand hold him back. He glanced at Ava with furrowed eyebrows, who shook her head slightly.
"Fine. If that's how it will be, consider the House of Watson dissolved." He plunged a glowing hand into his chest and gouged out a purple ball of light. "Take your stupid gift back. We quit."
"Fool!" There was a loud thud as someone slammed on the table. "You throw away our royal endowment over a mere magic-less woman?"
"A Magus lives to serve. To sacrifice. To protect those in need," Luca said defiantly. "The Union has done nothing of that sort for us. We're perfectly happy living without your so-called 'precious' gifts."
Ava stepped forward as well. "As long as we're free to live together as a family, we're content. That's all we need. So thanks, but no thanks."
"You will live to regret this decision."
Luca turned away, his wife in hand. "We make do with what we've got. That's how we always roll."
He snapped his fingers and teleported out of the headquarters building, leaving the twelve shadows to simmer in the darkness.
~ ~ ~
Hazel stood by the escalator, kicking her feet idly as she enjoyed the cooling respite from the summer heat.
Shopping malls were always a marvel to her; they seemed to remain the same temperature regardless of what season it was. And so did its atmosphere. The cheery lighting, the generic scent of air fresheners, the polished floors... Only the broadcasted music and fashion displays changed from time to time. Nothing else needed to, anyway. Everything that shoppers wanted was already there.
"Wow, Tomoko! You look great!"
She pushed herself off the wall, walking towards the girl dressed in a frilly blouse and long track pants. It wasn't exactly the best combination of clothes, but it served as insurance just in case the Kitsune slipped up and revealed her fox tail.
Tomoko hopped over, accompanied by two boys carrying shopping bags.
"Oh, come on," Chester groaned. "Is that really a need to buy so many clothes when you can literally create them?"
"Hey, no complaining," Hazel snapped. "This outing is for Tomoko, alright? It's not about the clothes; it's about having fun. Besides, the mall is a great place to go for summer vacation! There are benches everywhere!"
"You were right, Hazel. This 'hanging out' business is so much more fun than playing pranks!" Tomoko grinned.
"Of course. You're with friends, after all." Liam put the paper bags down and sat on a bench along with everyone else. "Besides, we haven't met up in two weeks. So Hazel, have you thought about our offer?"
Hazel blinked. "Oh, the offer to teach me magic? I don't know... what if I suck at it? I don't want to waste your time."
"Don't be like that, Hazel. It's going to be lots of fun!" Tomoko squeaked enthusiastically. "Look. If it helps, I can teach you magic during our play sessions too! Now that I have my full power, I can create a safe space out of the boundaries of time for you to practise."
"I'll..." Hazel mumbled. "Alright, I'll give it a try."
"Sure feels good to be blessed by a fox spirit..." Chester commented, leaning back with his palms supporting himself. "Speaking of which, I hope the ecosystem we built for you is homely enough, Tomoko. Not all monsters belong in a cage, but it's the only way you can remain in our world without draining our land of natural energy too quickly."
"I do. And it's a brilliant idea too, opening a permanent hole to the celestial realm to sustain my existence instead," Tomoko nodded. "Plus, I get to hide from the celestial authorities, so I'm really grateful. You humans are awesome!"
"Heh, the other Yokai would disagree, but who cares?" Chester said cheerily. "Dad and Mom have already contacted the Japanese branch and shipped them back to their homeland. Hopefully, we don't get another incident like that."
Hazel opened her mouth to speak, but Tomoko pointed at a couple excitedly.
"What's that they're eating?" she exclaimed. "It looks delicious!"
"Ice cream." Chester stood up. "I'm in the mood for some too. Who's with me?"
The group of friends bounded from the seats, chattering away happily as they walked into the distance.
~ ~ ~
Hubert Chekov sat alone in a straight-backed chair, trying his best to flip through the channels on the television. The remote control felt unfamiliar in his hand, and he had practically forgotten how televisions work. After all, it was his first time watching the TV after spending so many years sleeping the days away.
The old man glanced at the clock. It was already two in the afternoon, and he was still full of energy. Ever since he lifted his granddaughter's memory spell, he no longer felt the need to rest for about eighteen hours every day. He could even feel his magic slowly returning to his body.
Not like he intended to use them much, though. Even if he eventually returned to his full power, he'd rather have nothing to do with any Magus activity. Less trouble for his family, especially with Hazel's extreme lack of control over what was frankly a game-breaking power. She still needed time, but he had time to spare.
The man switched off the television after fruitlessly trying to unmute it. So he walked to the altar still sitting in the middle of the living room and hung a fragrant incense beside the photo of his son instead. Beside it, the quaint-looking windchimes remained motionless.
A small ember sparked from his fingertips, lighting up the candle. Grandfather smiled to himself as the magic retreated from his veins, and he clasped his hands.
"These past few weeks have been... life-changing," he muttered. "They say everything happens for a reason, and well—"
He chuckled to himself.
"— Sometimes we are that reason ourselves." Grandfather put his hands down. "I'm a stubborn old man, like you've always said. I held on to our misfortunes, too afraid to move forward in fear of having history repeat itself. And our precious Hazel suffered for my folly. Some hell of a role model I'm supposed to be, eh?"
The man took a moment to exhale slowly.
"But a friend convinced me to move on; he convinced me that it wasn't the end. It was... It was invigorating. If only you could see your daughter right now; I've never seen her so carefree in her whole life. Fate cannot be fought, but we make mistakes. After all, we're still human."
A small shadow seeped in from under the house door, accompanied by the familiar jingling of keys.
"Truth be told, I still worry for her. She's the last heir to our family's unbridled power, and others still covet it for themselves. I no longer have the power to see the future, nor will I try to. But if there's something that comforts this old man, it's that I know you'll always be watching over our family. So bless her, my son. Bless her and protect her for the rest of her life."
The old man turned back towards the door to greet his granddaughter. A stray breeze blew at the altar, jingling the wind chimes softly.
END
~ ~ ~
Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I had a blast writing this novella, and I hope you enjoyed reading my story too.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfYSyg1MSA
'Keepers Of The Occult' is also available for reading on Wattpad, Inkitt, Royal Road, Inkspired, and Amazon. Do support me there as well if you enjoyed the story!8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yIyIHJ00x
