Day 21: Melty Kiss [ Denial / Melt ]

This is a Monster Girl Encyclopedia fiction.

"Take your time, dear." The old merchant woman smiled, "After all, a woman's eighteenth birthday comes only once in her life."
Erica's eyes glanced between the rings and necklaces on display on the case in the merchant's cart. If she could, she'd buy each one of them, but she had only the money for one.
"I want... that one." Erica finally said, settlin on a heart shaped pendant of gold.
"Ahhhh," The merchant picked it up from the shelf, and held it by the pendant and the necklace between her hands, "Interesting choice. Interesting indeed."
"It reminds me of the one my mother used to have, when she was still with me." Erica explained, "I... really couldn't pick anything else."
"That most certainly is interesting," the merchant gave her an enigmatic smile, "For you see, this is no ordinary pendant, but one that holds magic inside of it."
"Magic? That must be a mistake, maam. I can't afford a magical pendant."
"Rest assured, young lady, all of the jewelry on this shelf goes for the same price." The merchant handed her the necklace in exchange for the gold that Erica got as a birthday gift from her mother-in-law.
Erica held the pendant above her as she beheld it, dancing in the sunlight, "I wonder if my mom used magic such as the one in this pendant. Unlike me she was a magic user, a potent one at that."
"I doubt it. This type of magic was not intended for mankind. This is the spell of Melty Kiss. A spell common among demonkind."
"Demonic magic?" Erica pondered, "I don't know... I've been told that using demonic magic only brings bad luck in the end..."
"Those kinds of rumours are not without merit I'm afraid." The merchant said, "However, it is far from the entire truth. In all magic, what the magic is, and where it is from matters less than how you use it, and why. This is true for human magic, and doubly so for demonic magic, for demonic magic works, and only works, by reading your desires. Keep your fond memories before you, and your dreams ahead of you, and do not lose your way. That is how you avoid poor fortune."
"I will remember that. And I will keep it in that case."

Erica hurried up to the Institute of Salnitro, for her mother-in-law, her caretaker in her mother's absence, was expecting her to do chores.

On the way she passed by Edward, the most highly regarded student. Ericawas friends with Edward once, before her mother left, and before he joined the Institute. That all changed that one night, when he stole a kiss from her. Flustered to the point of speechlessness, she ran away, leaving Edward confused and dejected. Erica didn't see Edward anymore. She didn't want to, not before it was too late. By then she had been accepted into the care of the headmistress of the Institute, and since she was without a magic gift, she was effectively rendered a maid of the Institute, in charge of doing manual chores. Now if she could, she would like to tell him she didn't mind the kiss, but now it was him who was avoiding her. Why wouldn't he? The most highly esteemed student simply could not be seen in the presence of a lowly giftless maid.
Besides, he now has another woman in his life. A rival though, someone who seeks to outdo him and would rejoice in seeing him damned. This was Melody, who was considered the most talented magic student before Edward arrived. Erica saw Edward and Melody meet in the hallway of the Institute. She lifted her want, and spoke an accursed word of power; "Lenthratineé!"

She knew this pronunciation; it was the spell of suffering, directed towards Edward. He screamed out in pain as he was hit by a flash of green light, and old wounds that had long since healed opened up on his body.
"Stop it!" Erica screamed.
"Know your place, giftless one!" Melody snapped at her, "Lenthratineé!"
Once again Edward screamed out in pain, and blood poured from his hands and eyes.
"Lenthra..." Before Melody could finish her chant, Erica had thrown some of the various things that decorated the hallway. A glass bottle. A book from a shelf. A candlestick. But with a simple wave of her wand, a wind caught the objects and smashed them into a wall before they could strike her, "Lenthratineé!"
Erica grabbed a broom and struck at Melody before she could utter that terrible enchantment one more time. Another flick of the Melody's wand, however, and the broom was engulfed by a searing hot flame of amber, that hungrily devoured the broom and turned it into ashes. "Lenthratineé!"
The man Erica admired was now sprawled out on the floor, coughing blood. If she didn't do something now, Edward would leave this world before her eyes. But what could a woman without the gift of magic do against one of the most adept mages of this generation?
But what the magic is, and where it comes from, matters less than how it is used, and why.
Is that really so, thought Erica. Then she would trust herself to the magic, even if it was demonic. Trust that the feelings she had for Edward was pure.
She wrapped the heart pendant around her neck, and focused on a memory... the memory when Edward stole the kiss, and how it made her stomach flutter, her chest tingle and her mind melt.
She walked right up to Melody, grabbed her by her cheeks... and pulled her into a kiss.

"Lenthra... mmmmmm~!" The same feeling as Erica had when Edward kissed him was now felt by Melody. It was not that Melody hadn't been touched before, not even by another woman, but the magic induced the feeling of the first kiss of someone you admire and love. The feeling from Erica's memory completely dominated Melody's mind, liberating it from the focus and comprehension of the spell, as well as the hatred that motivated and drove it."
Her legs no longer able to support herself, she fell to her knees... "Le... le... le..."
The magic of the spell of suffering now denied, Edward's wounds now withdrew, and he picked himself up along with his wand, which he pointed towards Melody.
"Chihiprisso!" A bubble of light encircled Melody, trapping her in that place with no recourse to magic until the authorities could come and take her away.
Erica lunged towards Edward and embraced him in a hug, "Edward... that kiss... from way back, I'm... I... I..."
Edward smiled as he looked towards her, "You don't need to tell me."

And after so long a time, after so much that had come between the two, their lips once again joined together in a kiss...
... and no one ran.