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A sickly orange hue illuminated the everpresent dust floating around the old house. The wooded floorboards and stairs seemed to be mourning just the same as the people inside. The once stocked up cupboards were groaning in tune with the empty stomachs of the residents of the modest home. Just as the window panes were stained with dust, all three resident's eyes were stained with thick, black bags underneath them. Things had remained the same for a while since the incident. The small family's lives seemed to be stuck in time, not moving forwards or backwards. Despite the hardships, however, the family of three tried their best to push on.
The clock ticked on as the family sat together, eating a meal of scraps from scratched up bowls with rusty spoons. The mother of the family was the first to sigh, looking over to the empty seat at the table.
"Carla, darling..." The loving voice of a husband gently cooed to the woman, knocking her out of her mourn-filled trance before it could truly begin. The man placed his hand atop hers, trying his best to comfort her. His actions were soon followed by the son of the family, who was next to speak up.
"She isn't here anymore, but, I know we can manage. This won't beat us, we can't let it. She wouldn't want that." Despite the determination inside her son's teal eyes, as the mother looked into them, she saw nothing but the end of the line. The family of three were living off of scraps, unable to earn too much since the only moneymaker of the house was gone. The father, Grisha Jaeger, held a job as a doctor, but since the bills were so high, most of his hard-earned money flooded into those. The mother, Carla Jaeger, couldn't work due to mental health issues and a weak immune system, thus, she usually spent the days cleaning the house. The only child of the couple, Eren Jaeger, would often help his mother with the chores, being there to help her when her mental and physical health issues got worse. The only other role in the house went to the step-child of the family. Mikasa. No one knew the child's true last name, but she adopted the 'Jaeger' mantle when she was adopted by the loving pair. Herself and Eren got on well despite not seeing much of each other, and that was majorly because Mikasa held down a job for herself. Her wages would go towards all the things that Grisha's paycheck couldn't afford, such as food, a few smaller bills, and other essentials. Ever since her death, the house had fallen into a painstaking silence. No one dared even speak the woman's name anymore, but they all thought of her fondly.
The night of the murder took it's toll on everyone differently. Each family member had to look over the younger's remains to confirm her identity. Carla's first reaction was to nod, holding back her tears in front of her son and husband, trying her best to be strong for them all. Grisha's reaction was seen, not heard. He didn't speak anything of the night, but a few tears spilled down his cheeks as he confirmed the body before them was, in fact, his adopted daughter. Eren's reaction, however, was as different as black is to white. He leaped forwards, grabbing the corpse's hand. His tears tumbled down his cheeks for days, his headaches and dehydration kicked him as well as his grief. He hadn't said her name for what felt like a lifetime, but in that moment it was the only thing he could say as he saw her body.
Months had taken their time to roll by for the family, and they all had to adjust to their new life. Though, there were hardly ever any complaints. The family just seemed to cope somehow on their own. They, of course, had help from the community, but the poor village housed even poorer villagers, so there wasn't a lot anyone could really do. One family, in particular, put forward effort (that wasn't unnoticed by the household) constantly though. If the family needed a few extra vegetables or a little extra bread at mealtimes, that other household seemed to always have something to share. If the Jaeger's needed extra blankets on chilly winter nights or a spare dime to buy medicine, that other family always had the perfect amount on hand. The family in question was a family of two that lived not far from the Jeager's humble abode. The old wooden structure belonged to 'Mr. Arlert and his grandson, Armin.' Eren, luckily, had made good friends with the boy very early on and had practically dragged the boy to his parents one day to exclaim his excitement about finally having a genuine friend.
After the Jaeger's finished up their meal and cleaned up after themselves, Eren ran to the door, slinging his coat on messily. He also shoved an over-the-shoulder bag over his shoulder clumsily.
"Would you be careful? You're going to throw up if you don't give your food time to settle." Carla warned with a smile and a giggle, walking over to adjust the boy's coat over his shoulders more securely. Her son only chuckled a reassurance, kissing his mother on the cheek before leaving the house. It was a nightly routine. Eren would eat with his family, and then head out to Armin's house to give the husband and wife some time on their own. It was an arrangement that Eren seemed more than happy about.
The evening air was crisp as the sun set, the market stalls and crammed together houses seemed to hold a special charm to them as Eren passed through the packed streets he knew so well. The scent of freshly baked bread overtook his nose as he carried on further towards his friend's house. As usual, the kind breadmaker of the small town pulled him aside on his way, sneaking him a log of bread for free before letting him go. Eren's face was one that was recognized with pity, though, with his family in such a harsh situation, Eren couldn't complain.
Finally, he reached his destination. Raising a fist, he knocked three times with confidence on the blue, paint-chipped door. It was a short wait, but soon, a friendly old man opened the door and stepped aside, ushering the boy in.
"Eren Jaeger, it's so nice to see you," The old man's eyes wrinkled as he smiled, giving the boy a firm handshake as a greeting.
"It's nice to see you too, Sir! Thank you for the extra food last week, we really needed it." Eren's thankfulness was waved away with modesty by a shaking hand.
"Oh, no, it's never a bother. Armin's upstairs in his room, why don't you go surprise him?" The old man chuckled, leaving Eren with a respectful bow after a playful wink.
The walls of Armin's house seemed to ooze a lot more happiness despite the small family. Rather than being killed, Armin's parents had just decided to travel. They dumped their child onto the old man and took off with the wind in their sails. Eren was surprised to find that both the old man and the younger boy both agreed that was for the best. Armin grew up to crave adventure, crave knowledge, and he more than likely wouldn't have developed a thirst for such things with his parents.
Giving a powerful knock on another wooden door, Eren found himself cackling as he heard a yelp from the other side. With frightened eyes, Armin opened the door, recovering when he noticed it was a familiar face. The two best friends gave each other a hug before any words were said, both enjoying the comfort of each other.
"So, what'cha' been up to this time? What books have you eaten since yesterday?" Eren asked, taking off his shoes by the door and sitting down on the rug that housed a whole range of different books. From old looking ones to new ones, from fiction to non-fiction, Armin would read just about anything he could get his hands on and it showed.
"Oh," Armin started with a timid smile, sitting down opposite his friend before reaching his hands under his bed. He pulled out a large book with a rugged appearance. The book was thicker than any other that Eren had seen. There was dust on the cover, along with rips and tears all around the edges. Eren knew his friend and guessed that Armin had gotten the book in front of him when it was already in that condition. The title of the book seemed to be written in a language that Eren didn't understand, but he couldn't deny the beauty of the cursive. He raised a brow, confused.
"And this is...?" Eren prompted, watching as his friend twitched and jittered. He knew Armin wasn't usually like this around him...
"It's a book about black magic." The words were spat from Armin's mouth so quickly that Eren almost didn't process them at first. He had to take a moment to replay what his friend had said, breaking down the sentence into one that finally made sense to him: Danger.
"Armin-!" Eren lunged forwards, grabbing his friend's wrists.
"What are you doing with this book? You know this kind of thing is dangerous! Have you tried anything? Have you attempted -anything- this book has said?" Eren's emeralds were filled with concern, searching in his friend's blue rivers to find anything that hinted Armin was in trouble.
"What-?" Armin blinked slowly.
"No- No! No, of course I haven't! Eren- My grandpa told me I could read it as long as I didn't try anything! You know how taboo this subject is, I just...I just wanted to learn more, that's all." Armin explained himself, relaxing Eren with his words. After all of his anxieties were settled, Eren couldn't help but sneak curious glances to the closed pages of the book.
"Well...Then...Let's..." Eren was hesitant. His mother's voice screaming in his ears to not ask. His mother and father had always warned him about black magic. It was a taboo within the whole town. Everyone knew everyone and everyone knew if someone else was a witch. They were never burned at the stake, however, they were looked down upon. Some were even shoved away and forced to move out of the town and into a life of secrecy. Eren's views on magic were surprisingly neutral for a kid who got told constantly that magic of any kind (but especially black magic) was bad. The worst Eren had done was craft a dream catcher one day. He never forgot how his mother raged at him and tore it apart in front of him.
"Do you want to..." Armin didn't finish his question as they both looked at the book.
"Mh...A few pages couldn't hurt, right? You've read some of this on your own, haven't you?" Eren leaned back, putting up a wall of fake confidence to help his timid friend feel safer. Armin nodded, his blonde, long hair swaying with his head movements.
"Y-Yeah- You're right- Let's uhm...Oh! Let's pick up from where I left off." Armin stammered, opening up the book carefully.
The crinkling of the pages, as well as their old look, made it appear as if the pages would rip if they were so much as breathed on too harshly. Armin's careful, delicate fingers moved through the book's contents until he came to a bookmarked page.
"Here. I was reading about curses and such. I find it so -interesting-! The idea that someone can give you bad luck just by lighting a candle and saying a few words." Armin mused, looking to Eren for his opinion.
Eren was far too busy looking at the pages. sketches of black candles, words scrawled across the paper in an odd-looking ink. The pages were so beautifully written out, it was difficult for Eren to take anything in. When he finally snapped out of his trance, Eren nodded.
"Uh- Yeah! It's pretty, uh, pretty cool." Eren nodded along with this friend, his eyes eager to have another go at trying to process the information before him. Orange and red hues faded to pitch black as the pair carried on reading, musing and gasping at what the pages had in store.
"You know," said Armin, as he led Eren out of his room.
"They say there's a witch..." He started, keeping his voice down, pulling Eren by the arm to draw him away from the stairs for a moment.
"They do?" Eren asked, prompting Armin to carry on talking.
"Yeah, over by the caves in the east. Apparently they have a shop of sorts where you can ask them to do any type of black magic. Revenge spells, hexes, love potions, they can do it all." As Armind expanded, Eren's eyes widened.
Armin's words echoed to Eren even after a month. As Eren stood in front of those famous caves, he took a deep breath. In doing more research, he found that he needed to have a picture of his victim, and something to give the witch as payment for their services. In his opinion, it was a very smart business move. A self-employed boss can't go bankrupt if there was never any money handled in the first place- Not to mention, the constant stream of supplies meant that stocks were practically infinite. While no one was too happy about magic, there were an awful lot of strange happening in the town Eren grew up in. Strange murders, random disappearances, no one took them seriously at first, but that soon changed when too many people were made targets. The murder of Mikasa was one of those strange happenings, Eren was convinced, since the criminals who did it never got charged. Their faces were in the town's newspaper and they were suspected of being the culprits, but they were never caught despite all the evidence against them. Eren had mulled over his actions for ages in advance, but decided that he had, had enough. The rage and painful anger swelling up in his chest at the thought of those criminals getting away with what they'd done kept him awake at night. If anyone could tell him what happened or help him get revenge, it was a witch.
The caves were lonely, filled with nothing but the echo of Eren's feet against the ground. Gravel and rocks clogged up the gaps in Eren's shoes as he carried on. Walking evermore until he came to a crossroads. Two tunnels before him gave him two options:
' Go left, into more darkness and possibly a few more bats above his head, or go right, where a small glimmer of gold was almost hidden by shadows. '
Eren's feet took him to the right before he could even consider where he was going, his body seeming to move on autopilot as he was dragged forwards. The darkness continued, until suddenly it didn't.
Eren's surroundings changed from dark cave walls and shadows looming around each corner, to yellow hues and candlelit walls, the nooks and crannies of the cave became packed with crystals and other items Eren had never seen before. He was mesmerized as he walked onwards, his interest splitting constantly between the lights and the strange-looking objects he passed. He moved in silence, only stopping once he noticed he wasn't alone anymore.
Before him, was a table, covered by a gorgeous silk table cloth. Candlesticks burned bright around the table, highlighting the large bookcase behind it. Though, rather than being home to a thousand books, more strange items and more candles made themselves seen on the wooden shelves. In the middle, another figure sat, seeming to be shuffling a deck of tarot cards. Eren's heart began to pound as the candles lit up the stranger's face. Slim steel eyes, high cheekbones and jet black hair were the first things Eren noticed as he stared in awe. The figure was pale, paler than most in the small town. His boney fingers displayed rings and charms on each finger, their fingernails painted the same shade of black of their hair. The more Eren focused on the stranger's eyes, he noted that the figure seemed to be wearing makeup. Cold eyes were framed by thick, black eyeliner, a few tear stains running down their cheeks.
"I can see you there, you know." The voice that hit Eren's ears made him feel weak at the knees. The low rumble of a voice made of velvet had Eren lost for words. He opened his mouth, only to close it again as it ran bone dry. The figure scoffed, eventually putting down the deck of cards.
"Sit." They ordered. Eren couldn't defy the stranger if he wanted to, his feet were already dragging him to the seat on the other side of the table. Eren sat down slowly, shrinking under the stranger's frosty gaze.
"Let me guess, a curse to get back at someone for stealing a chicken? Or maybe you want a love potion to help you get laid?" The figure was sarcastic in his tone, his head tilting, eyes narrowing with malice. Eren simply flushed as he took in the sight of dark strands of hair falling into metallic silver eyes.
"What-? Wh- N-No! No, I- Uh- No, that's not- I mean- Yeah, a curse, but, not because of that-" He tripped and fell over his words, struggling to get back up from the weight of judgment pinning him down. The stranger raised a thin brow, sitting back. He seemed interested, or maybe that was the look of a man impressed?
"Oh, really? A curse for what then? And what have you bought me in exchange?" Eren figured that the stranger must have been doing this for quite some time now. They were calm, blunt, and seemed bored until that moment.
"I uhm-" Eren swallowed, trying not to choke on his own tongue as it stuck to the roof of his mouth. He figured it'd be best if he just show the witch, rather than making himself look more of a fool, but before he could dig into his bag, the stranger stopped him.
"You don't have to be anxious, you know. I'm not going to hurt you. You scared I'm going to try and kill you after this? Frightened I might try and poison you or something?" Eren shook his head, eyes still wide.
"You found me out because you wanted something, and based on what you've given me in exchange, I'll do your dirty work for you. But first of all, you need to relax. Take a breath." The stranger was oddly calming the more Eren heard his voice, the promise of not harming him was also comforting. Eren nodded again, closing his eyes to take a breath and calm down.
Eventually digging into his bag, Eren clutched at the rare flowers he'd managed to get ahold of. He quickly took them out, planting them on the table.
"My firend found a book about witchcraft, and apparently you need rare flowers for some spells and stuff, so I uh...I tried my best. I'm sorry if it's not good enough- My family isn't in the best place, this was the most I could do." Eren prepared himself for scorn, but found himself rendered speechless yet again as the stranger's eyes lit up ever so slightly. Thin fingers coiled around the green stem of the flowers, lifting them off of the table. They held a few under candlelight, nodding.
"My, my...No, these will do nicely. I've been looking for a few of these," The stranger inspected the flowers closer, taking a few petals between the tiny pads of his fingers. They finally placed the flowers in a small cup behind them. Eren didn't think much of it until the clear water in the glass started to turn red. The stranger turned their attention back to Eren seeming more gentle.
"So, you mentioned a curse?" The witch questioned, pointing to the bag Eren had with him.
"Oh- Yeah- Uhm..." Eren had to take another deep breath. Knowing the witch would help him settled his nerves a little more.
"My step sister was murdered," Eren opened up with a heavy starter- Even the witch seemed taken back. They moved closer, resting their arms on the table as they listened.
"My mom is sick, my dad can only pay the bills, and I usually look after my mom when my dad's at work. My step sister was the only other person who could work and put food on the table. Whoever killed her knew what they were doing. They didn't seem interested in us, and I know my step-sister didn't make any enemies- The town loves her-" Eren had to stop himself, knotting his fingers together in his lap.
"Loved her..." He corrected himself. In understanding, the witch nodded.
"And you want to curse the people who did it right?" Eren gave a hum of agreement, watching as the witch stood up, their hands drifting along the bookcase behind their chair. The witch was quiet for a moment, grabbing a few items. One by one, ingredients for Eren's revenge were laid out on the table in front of him.
A black candle, a box of matches, a sheet of paper, a quill and a jar of ink, and a small bowl of water.
Eren had seen the items before him in the book Armin read with him, he knew what the witch was going to do, but watching the process filled him with a strange sense of excitement.
"You got your victim's faces or any possessions?" The witch asked, watching as Eren nodded and reached into his bag once again. Eren handed the witch a clipping of a newspaper, the flimsy sheet held portraits of both culprits. As the witch set up everything, straightening objects out on the table and double-checking he included everything, a question was shot out that took Eren off guard.
"What's your name?"
Eren's heart jumped into his throat, his palms becoming sweaty. Confusion overtook his tongue and laced his words with a hesitance that drew the witch's attention away from his work.
"Uh- E-Eren- Eren Jaeger-" He eventually stuttered out his name, noticing the witch trying to commit the name to memory.
"Well, Eren Jaeger, you can call me Levi. There's no point working together without knowing each other's names, is there?" The witch offered kindness in a mocking tone, but Eren could see what he meant. Working together on a first-name-basis was at least a touch more comfortable than working with a nameless face. As Levi sat back in his chair, he shuffled before taking the sheet of paper in his hands, handing it to Eren.
"First I need you to write down everything they've done to you. Your family problems because of them, your hurt because of them, write it all down." Levi ordered, pushing over the quill with the jar of ink. Eren gave a small nod and gingerly took the quill, dipping it in the ink jar before bullet pointing everything that he wanted to erase. Getting rid of Mikasa was getting rid of the family's life in a way, and Eren wasn't going to stop writing until he was sure he listed off -everything-. Meanwhile, Levi took the box of matches and lit the thick, black candle. He then reached behind him and took a stick of sage, using the candlelight to set it alight before blowing the flame out and waving the stick lazily in the air around them. Sage was one of the most powerful properties in Levi's possession. Sage protects, cleanses, and aids the user, it stomps out negative energy and protects the user against curses and other harmful forces. The smell it let off was one of an 'acquired taste', but Levi had obviously grown very accustomed to it. Eren finally finished writing, the sheet full to the brim with ink.
"Good," the witch observed, noticing the lack of space as the words filled the page.
"Now, focus on that pain. Every damn word on that page, focus on it, then tear the paper up into small pieces. For every piece you rip, set it on fire using the candle, then hand it to me."
"Right," Eren began almost instantly, ripping off smaller pieces with his eyes hard and focused. He brought a shaky hand to the flame, only to jump as Levi gripped his wrist with a scoff.
"Don't be scared, you're not going to get burned. Just carefully...Catch the edge on fire, there you go." He led Eren's hand closer to the flame, lighting the edge of the paper alight with a small flame. Eren's heart hammered in his ears, his cheeks picking up heat. Eren wasn't aware he had a type, but the witch in front of him was the most attractive thing in the room. Among all the pretty candles, the intricate details on never seen before objects and beautiful crystals of infinite colour, Eren's eyes kept locking with Levi's silver ones. Though, Eren couldn't tell what was more painful: The fact he knew he was being obvious, or the fact that Levi didn't seem to mind.
As soon as the small piece was almost all the way incinerated, Levi guided the paper into the bowl of water, putting the flame out. Eren knew this was symbolism. Symbolism for the pain the criminals caused him finally coming to an end. The cycle repeated. With the pair stealing glances and sending small smiles at each other, Eren almost didn't realize when the paper was gone. Levi delicately took the newspaper clippings from the table, holding them as he spoke.
"Now, are you -sure- you want to do this? Anything you do will get back to you three times the amount, and if these aren't the right people, you'll get it a whole lot worse than you have it now. I need you to be sure you want to finish this. The choice is all yours but don't you dare regret it." The witch warned, pointing to Eren as he spoke. determination and hope-filled Eren's aura as he gave Levi a solid look of confidence in reply.
"Do it." Was his short answer.
Levi nodded, hovering the newspaper clippings above the water.
"In soaking these two men's faces, we soak them in all the pain they've caused. May bad karma catch up to them as they drown in all their mistakes. Once this curse is cast, it can't be undone." Levi spoke slowly before letting the paper fall into the bowl. The pair watched as the two faces were eaten up by the water, not peeling their eyes away until the ink from the print smudged away the image. A moment of silence fell afterward, shattered when Levi dipped a finger and thumb into the liquid, pinching the flame out from the candle.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Eren. I hope you get the results you're looking for."
The night of the ritual played over and over in Eren's head. He hadn't told a soul, not even Armin. The ritual was his secret alone to keep- He was certain even Levi forgot about it. Though, that thought was proven wrong not too long after it was first thought. Eren's parents had taken a short trip away for a few days, leaving Eren to tend to the house in their absence. Of course, Eren wasn't one to complain. After sweeping the floors and washing the dishes, Eren was about to turn in for the night when he was alerted by a strange knocking sound against his window. Padding down into the kitchen, his feet were frozen as he looked over to the kitchen window. A large, black crow, with feathers as black as the night, squawked and tapped it's beak against the glass. Squinting, Eren noticed the bird had a letter in it's mouth. Hesitantly, Eren opened the window, stepping back as the bird hopped inside. Eren instantly thought it was suspicious, how the bird dropped the letter on the window sill and then flew off, but even more suspicious was the old paper that called his name in a foreign cursive. Nimble fingers made quick work of the envelope, his eyes hastily reading the words from the page.
' Eren,
I was thinking about our session a few weeks in the past. I could sense something as soon as you arrived, but I didn't pay attention to it until after you left. The nature of your step sister's murder was a curse put on you by someone else, I'm sure of it. Certainly not one of my customers, but I recognize the energy that I'm sensing. Come back to the cave and I can cast a protection spell over you. The ones who struck last will undoubtedly strike again if this goes ignored.
- Signed, Levi. '