Laelai had looked so harmless when I first came across him.
The small winged man in the jar was initially an odd sight. His skin was the color of pitch emphasized by the smallest glimmers of white and gold markings that twinkled like the stars. His long, silvery hair was a bit unkempt in the poor excuse of a braid while his eyes contrasted with a bright, fiery gold that sat in pools of inky blackness. His four wings looked a bit jagged and disheveled but, despite his appearance, he put on a gentle smile and spoke in a cordial manner.
He had promised nothing but companionship if I had let him out.
What was I, a girl with no one, to do?253Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAOaC3CMGN
He seemed nice but why was he in that sealed container?
A straight answer never came so I decided to keep him in the jar.
Laelai had not been against it.
He encouraged me to do what I thought was best, what I felt was safe.
He never pressed to be released; however, he would occasionally chime in about my circumstances when I would come home in tears. Laelai would question me on my day; what had happened, what he would do to make it all better if he were to ever be free.
“It’s alright,” I had replied one day. “I’m used to it.”
That didn’t sit well with him. His usual smile flattened along with the points of his ears. The markings on his body dimmed noticeably before he pressed a small hand along the glass.
“Why?”
He usually just accepted what I said and left it at that.
Laelai never pressed for personal reasons before.
It was reassuring.
It was comforting.
I hadn’t expected such a thing.
My answer could be viewed as selfish, cowardly really, but his ears perked at my response.
“I can grant you that.”
He promised that I would be protected.
All I had to do was break the seal that was on the bottle to let him out.
I eyed the seal momentarily prior to Laelai stating that I did not have to immediately do so.
He had waited this long and did not see the need for me to rush my decision.
Two months had passed before I was in the same predicament again. Laelai’s ears flattened when he questioned what happened as I abruptly picked up his bottle.
“I hate them.” My eyes had stung as I tried to peel off the talismans and black wax. “I hate them!” The seal remained in place as if to laugh at my efforts. “Laelai…please?”
His smile was a bit softer and his words just as much as he walked me through the process of releasing him from his small jail.
I had been sure to follow his instruction and had been rewarded by the seals breaking. Black smoke billowed from the bottle as did the gentle sound of laughter. The sound then took a sinister turn as the haze filled my room.
That was nearly seven months ago.
“Are you comfortable in there?” Laelai questioned as he glanced at the jar fastened to his waist.
I looked up at him through the red-tinted glass before watching him wipe away the splattered blood. Laelai always wanted to be sure I had an unobstructed view of the chaos he was causing.
There was even a time I begged that he would stop and let me out daily.
A gentle smile was all I received for my efforts before he went hunting.
He never spoke to the targets and only hummed in acknowledgment to their inquiries before showcasing a smile of sharpened teeth.
Laelai had assured me each that this was all to my benefit as he stepped over the felled buildings and bodies.
He promised that no harm would come to me and he held true to his word.
He promised that I would never be alone again with him there.
Honestly, I should have been happy that someone would even go to such an extent for me.
However, looking back on that night, I should have never broken that seal on the jar.
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