Work Text:
She’s had these markings since she was born. They were easy enough to hide from the world. Bracelets worked, thick golden ones. Then gloves, when they rose to her elbows.
Nobody questions the pinkish-purple lines curling around her wrists. They don’t see them. They don’t see how they glow a sickly pink every performance of hers.
The Shame of knowing that her voice might only be this powerful because of her unnatural heritage.
It isn’t Shame, she reasons to herself. It’s all her. Her voice is strong. It will never be taken from her. No matter what the king whispers into her ear, her Pride shakes it off.
She feels strong. Maybe it’s her. Maybe the Gems don’t like sharing property. But she’s never felt her patterns grow since the Park.
Melodie remembers her childhood. Strange, jagged “birthmarks” coloured purple around her wrists, her ankles. She loved to show them off, becaude who wouldn’t? Pretty purple patterns that looked like jewellery. Every young girl loves those.
She remembers being ten, her uncle hugging her as he quietly whisked her away from home. From the view of her parents on the ground, bodies bleeding from wounds inflicted by glowing weapons.
The blood gently floats up from their bodies, little embers that disintegrate. She sees a Hunter, a mournful look in her eyes, before two twin buns disappear from her sight.
Her patterns burned up her ankles to her knees. She’s going to need to hide them better. Her parents stopped running and settled down for her. And this managed to get them caught for their patterns. She can’t get discovered for hers too.
Her uncle got a job. A decent one. Accounting, he says. It’s for some park. America? He says they pay for their accommodations. It’s one less worry for an overworked man and his freak-of-nature goddaughter at least.
Melodie grew up around Starr Park. It was an interesting experience. She saw crowds change from excited to panicked. As the gems came and changed people. As more “Brawlers” came and went.
She fell in love with music, and the performance. Yes, the Hunters used it to power the Honmoon. Yes, the Hunters always dominated the charts. She doesn’t care though.
She started off on karaoke. It grew on her. She started getting more ambitious. A small channel dedicated to covers. A fourteen year old with a voice that good? That easily drew in viewers. Even then the Sunlight Sisters, despite their second life, did have great songs after all. Riding off their fame helped boost her popularity.
Then she took the leap. She found an idol academy that accepted her. Melodie’s voice was enchanting, their words. She wondered how much of it was actually her.
She returned to South Korea. Sure, that was where the Hunters were based. However, her dream was there. Every step, swing, or song, she would see the blue strings of the Honmoon pulse. It wasn’t getting stronger, but it at least didn’t break under her feet to condemn her.
She was a Demon. A Mistake that cost two innocent lives.
They let her debut solo. She was lucky. Debuting just a few months before HUNTR/X, Melodie managed to get her name out there before it was completely hidden by the wave of Hunters songs.
She didn’t know if it were the Honmoon or not, but she practically disappeared off the charts after that. She still put out songs, have concerts, but in South Korea she struggled.
With every concert failure, the King’s voice pulsed louder. He kept promising her the fame and glory of performance. It’s not worth the fame if she didn’t earn it. She may be willing to push down anyone else (not the Hunters. They’re still needed.) for her popularity, but it has to be done by her.
Every generation had its Hunters, and they always grew stronger. Her godfather reached out to her. Said he needed Melodie’s help with something to do with karaoke.
She accepted. Nothing she can do in Korea anymore. The Park laid out a new contract for her. She helps them with their new karaoke bar, and she still gets to perform on her own, whenever she wants. They got her another manager, one under a company which has been working with the Park for quite a while now.
Her popularity never peaked that high again, but she at least had listeners. With the world against her, this is what she has a base off. And she’s going to shoot higher.
Her company accepted another girl, Janet. She managed to convert those “Bad Randoms” into the “Good Randoms”. More competition, Melodie supposed.
Something burns around her chest. Jealousy? Anger? Was she not enough for them to focus on? How had this 16 year old managed to make such an impactful debut with little training?
…she has to be careful, or crop tops will not be an option for her wardrobe anymore.
Another year, and Melodie is given an option to join the ranks of being a Brawler. She accepts with no hesitation.
Look at you. So ready to leap at the chance of violence. Like a monster. A demon. You know what you are already~ You just keep proving their points.
Maybe she can market her marks as a cool tattoo. Have a feline-ish look. Doesn’t matter. She has a two months to figure it all out. Maybe write a song. The Honmoon thrums. Any song it always got excited over.
“Can’t keep it up? Time turn it up! Amplify this melody!”
She dropped her microphone. She didn’t mean to do that. But the fans are loving it anyways. She feels her blood boiling, literally. Something just happened to the demon world. Or maybe even…
“Goodbye Melodians~ Thank you all for coming!”
The crowds roars, and Melodie all but flees backstage. She squints her eyes, watching the threads of the Honmoon manifest in front of her. It seems alright to Melodie, until she reaches out to strum them.
Her hand burns even more, Melodie pulling back immediately to watch flecks of gold in the original blues.
They’re close to golden. Which means… no more demons. Ever. Her heart tightens, wondering her fate. She just managed to get everything back together. She could have been free. But it’s obvious that none of the Hunters will stop until there’s none left.
She wonders if the Hunters have ever considered the collateral effect of their actions. Those aware enough to know, but not enough to do anything about it.
You know I could always help you~ It would be so easy to go and take those Hunters down… If you’d listen to me…
She scowls. Imagine the scandals after that.
It doesn’t matter. As long as she has her fans, and HUNTR/X keeps theirs, she will stay out of this.
It’s her best chance to survive.