The little girl — Mana kept hopping down the stairs. She sure was full of energy.

Eon Aika. That’s my name. I do feel an attachment with it, but I don’t find it to be very strong.

I reached the floor soon enough and took in the surroundings.

A hallway stretched out from the stairs, with multiple doors on either side. A double door lay on the end of the hallway, with a small lowered space just before it. With the shoes kept there, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that that was a space separated for taking off footwear. All before one stepped into the house. The stair that I descended from covered only half the width of the hallway. On the other, there lay a few more doors. The immediately adjacent one remained open, giving me the view to the living room. The one behind it, also remained open. It was the kitchen.

Where did Mana go?

”Brothaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” The shout from the kitchen gave me my answer. So I took my steps in.

The kitchen floor had some kind of parquet laid in the entire room. A kitchen to the left, and a dining table to the right. The dining table was enough for 4 people. Mother, father, Mana, and me probably. It was currently empty however.

The kitchen had a counter separating it from the room, and a lady in her late 40s seemed to be rummaging through the closet in that counter.

”Ah brothar!” Mana said while closing the fridge near the counter.

”Hmm? Ah Eon, you woke up?” A melodious voice echoed from the older woman's lips.

”Uh-um, Yeah. I did.” I replied awkwardly.

”Mama, it happened again.” Mana informed her mother.

”Again? Sigh. Right. Eon, for the umpteenth time, I am your mother, Erena Aika. Your dad, Leon Aika, is probably busy watering the plants outside. Go meet him too. And don’t worry about your memory problems; at this point it’s just a weekly chore. “ Frowning for the first two sentences, and then slowly going back to a soft and calm expression, my mom said her words.

Still, a weekly chore. So it happens weekly? And it has been happening for a long enough time for my own mother to call it a chore? I have no idea what I should make of that information.

Right. Gotta go meet this dad of mine.

I made my way into the living room under the watch of my sister. Yes, the kitchen and the living room were connected by a door. The living room was spacious, with a couch, some charms, and a reflective black box. A television. Right, we call this thing a television.

”Ah, we call that a television. You can watch videos and stuff on it.” I know Mana, I know. Besides if I didn’t know, you speaking about things like videos wouldn’t make sense to me either.

The living room had an extra door, a sliding one to be precise. It lay on the wall facing the outside. A man could be seen watering the plants, slowly and methodically fulfilling his objective. He was also in the late 40s, maybe somewhat older, and had a muscular build. He was probably my dad.

Mana stared at him for a bit, before running off to him.

“Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!” She said as she trotted to him.

The man turned around, putting the watering can on the ground. “What do we have here my little princess?” He said as he hugged and lifted Mana off the ground.

”Brothar lost his memory again. He seems to be ok this time tho. You know, not shouting like the other times.”

Just what did I do the last time I lost my memories? And why is it different now? Well-

Stolen story; please report.

Multiple images passed through my mind. I couldn’t discern most of them, but I knew one thing.

Fear.

Absolute, bone-chilling fear emanated from these images.

I felt as if I would lose my mind. My head hurt, and the world continuously spun around me.

What are these? Why? Why? Why?

”EON!!” My “dad” shouted. It helped me calm down.

”Breathe in, hold your breath for a bit, then breathe out.” I followed his instructions. Slowly, gradually. I found my footing.

”You were saying something princess?” My dad asked with a raised eyebrow. I looked at my sister.

She was pouting. “ He was fine when he woke up! That is still betta than what happened before!” And so she said.

With a lisp. Why does it only affect specific words though?

My dad helped me to the couch; and asked Mana to bring a glass of water. She went and came, and brought a glass of water along. The cold water cooled me down.

What was that? What did I see? It was sinister. And horrifying. It felt as if it was an amalgamation of all the evil in the world.

My sister looked up at me, worry evident in her eyes. She wasn’t smiling anymore.

”Son, you okay? You look more out of it than the previous times.”

Dad asked, visibly concerned. It seemed as though this was an anomaly. Mother came from the kitchen, probably here due to the shout from Dad. Her gaze alternated between us.

”I’m okay now. I just felt scared for a second.” It was true. And in a world where I knew nothing, it was better to tell my problems to the people I could trust.

”I saw some scenes, the-they were the cause.” I answered the unspoken question, albeit stuttering in between. My parents seemed calm, heaving a sigh of relief. My sister had a blank expression on her face, her head tilting to the side.

”What scenes?” My mom asked as she came behind me to pat my hair.

”I don’t know. I—”

A cathedral. A school. A grassland. A table with Bread and a glass of milk.

”…I saw a cathedral. A school canteen, a grassland, and a dining table. There was a loaf of bread and glass of milk on that table.”

I slowly ruminated over what I had just said. Why these words came to mind, I did not know.

”…A cathedral, a school playground. Maybe the memories are coming back?” My dad pondered as he looked at mom.

I couldn’t accept that explanation.

”If it were his memories coming back, then why would he be scared?” Mom spoke out my thoughts.

”True.” Dad agreed. Mana just watched this exchange with a blank, curious look on her face.

Heh. She can show a lot of expressions.

”Guess we gotta go visit the places then.” Said dad, as he went back to watering the plants.

”I suppose we will do that in the afternoon.” Said mom, and then she went back to cooking.

Oi oi oi. Isn’t that counter intuitive? Who goes to the places they find fear in?

”It is a rule brotha.” Mana took my attention. Rule?

”Rule is not too precise, don’t you think princess?” Dad interjected.

”Ok ok! A custom, tradition, whatever.” She said while flailing her hands.

"Sigh..."

”Never stay awake past 11pm.” She continued.

”Never leave food remaining on your plate.”

”Never leave your home in the morning, or in the evening.” She spoke with unnatural eloquence.

”Afternoon for visits and work, the nights for sleep. Mornings for the family, evenings for the meet.”

”Demons are the most truthful creatures, and they are also the most deceitful. Trust in a demon, and it won’t be betrayed. Trust in a demon, and you won’t know how your promise will be fulfilled.”

”Whatever you dream of, you must see. Whatever you hear, you must listen. Whatever you speak of, you must fulfill. And whatever you feel, you must remember.”

Dad continued, completing the commandments.

”Fear and Greed, give in to them to bleed.”

Chills went down my spine.

”Desire and Lust, give into them to extinguish your seed.”

Wrath and Gluttony, follow them to feel pain.

”Wrath and Gluttony, follow them to feel pain.”

Sloth and Envy, follow them to feel shame.

”Sloth and Envy, follow them to feel shame.”

””Pride is one’s mistake, a downfall:””

”” These words, follow them to keep from Misfortune’s Call.””

”See? You lost your memory, yet just speaking a few verses from this was enough to make you remember them. This is why we follow these words son. They are the basis of our existence.”

It felt as if a hammer was hitting my head. Again, and again.

The 12 Commandments To Survive a Demonic World.

This is what we just recited. The 3 nevers, the 4 times. The Demon’s promise, and the 4 cries. The 9 sins, and their names.

Always remember them, for they are your saving games.

Every child from birth was forced to learn these words, by heart. To never forget them. I learnt them too. When, I don’t remember.

Where, that too I don’t remember.

I had forgotten myself, and I still don’t remember much. The 12 Commandments are just a piece of the puzzle that I need to fill.

They are a step. Step to knowing this world again, step to understand my family again.

A step to knowing who Eon Aika is.

A step to knowing who "I" am.