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"That's how Haru and I see it. We've been doing some research on our own and found a story about a woman in a similar predicament," he explained.
"She had borrowed an ancient fan from a cave during her mountain adventure. Her intentions were to return the fan after learning more about it, but its powers flowed inside her. She didn't feel it at first, but as the days went on, her own magic began to try and dominate the magic of the fan inside the woman. It was like she had a bipolar disorder, one minute being happy and kind as she normally had been, and the next wanting to exact revenge against men of the village who had black hair and blue eyes."
"Wow...that's polar opposite," I commented.
"Yup, thus the disorder’s name. It wasn't until she went on a killing spree and murdered ten men that she was captured and taken in for medical attention. They soon discovered the fan belonged to a woman from years ago who'd been raped by a man with black hair and blue eyes. He'd kept her in the cave and raped her continuously until she'd been too weak to move. Once he was finished, he'd closed off the cave so no one else could enter, only to come back the next day to continue the cycle all over again," Itsuki revealed.
I turned my head to gawk at him, and he nodded in under- standing. "It was in a time where women weren’t considered as strong and weren’t allowed to fight back. She had power, but it was within her fan which he kept on him or left too far away from the woman to reach in her weakened state."
"She was barely eating and was dehydrated, until one day she died from malnutrition. You'd think her suffering was finally over, but it wasn't."
"What? But she died!" I exclaimed, intrigued by the story.
"Correct, SHE died, but her magic essence still lingered in the fan. So the man used his magic to input half of her lingering magic essence into her body. He'd arrived not too long after she'd died, so the body hadn't lost all function yet."
"Wait, he basically POSSESSED her with her OWN essence?!" I snapped, horrified by the story.
"Yes. That's what the book stated. It's based off a true story, so it definitely happened. He was successful and she woke up, he raped her again and again."
I had no words, unsure of what I could possibly say.
Itsuki gave me a sad smile and nodded, tightening his hold around me as he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.
"It happened for years before her magic finally had enough of the abuse. She sealed her body in the cave and used her remaining magic to seal the rest of her in the fan. She vowed that whoever picked up the fan would exact revenge on the man who raped her for years and didn't allow her to rest in peace. The curse was placed on the fan, and that was what took over the woman and sent her on that murder spree," Itsuki concluded.
"That's...so sad," I whispered.
"I know, Crim." He rubbed his hand up and down my arm comfortingly as I rested against him.
"So you think Storm's essence is threatened by my magic and is essentially trying to manipulate me to get to you guys? Since that wasn't working too well, now she's trying to make me frail enough so she can take over?" I clarified.
"That's what we believe. It would make perfect sense. I know you've been through a lot, but you're very strong. You shouldn't feel like you’re going backward in strength, especially as a shifter. I figure you're not sensing your full potential because it's being blocked by Storm's powers."
"How do we fix that, though?" I questioned, unsure how I'd be able to conqueror Storm's essence.
Even if it wasn't necessarily her, I felt awful about the idea.
"Do I need to be exorcised?"
Itsuki coughed and gave me a look. "You're not an evil spirit, Crim. I think once the remaining two crystals are claimed, her essence will have no choice but to leave your body. Your power at that point will be too much for her magic, and it will either be overcome by you or pushed out to be one with the earth. The pocket watch will become yours once the remaining crystals are inserted, just as you claimed three familiars so far."
"Urufu, Mizuko, and Chiryoshi," I whispered their names as I looked down to where I knew the pocket watch rested on my chest.
"Hai. When you have all five claimed, the pocket watch will have a new owner, and all previous essence from the past owner should be eliminated. I don't think we should worry about it, but that doesn't mean I want us ignoring how you feel or the reoccurrence of Storm taking over."
"So...I'm not weak and pathetic. I'm just dealing with my powers conflicting with Storm's essence," I concluded.
"Yes. That's what we believe is happening. Either way, I need you to do us a favor,” he revealed.
"Nani?" I asked. He smirked at my usage of Japanese but continued. "I need you to not hesitate in telling us how you feel. I understand you don't like relying on others, but that's the only way we can help you efficiently. We're your guards, but we're also your lovers and want the best for you. We love and cherish you and don't ever want you thinking you're a burden," Itsuki lectured.
"But-"
"No," Itsuki countered with his stern voice, which made me pout. He grinned before his lips pressed against mine in a quick peck.
I blinked a few times and blushed, totally taken aback by it.
"Mean," I mumbled.
