In the Patra Kingdom.
At the estate of the Sanctivus family.
Bellatora was in a room, a room made inside a cave. The rocky, cracked walls could be seen everywhere, and the walls had some gruesome marks of blood covering the surrounding of the entire cave. Inside the room was a desk where some types of blueprints were placed, along with a dark purple orb, a map of the entire continent, and some books.
Behind the desk was a bookshelf, where many books were placed. Before the desk, a circle was made; the circle was emitting a curse aura from it. Inside the curse circle was Bellatora. He sat at the center of the circle without wearing any clothes, entirely naked, his entire body covered in blood. Above him, on the ceiling, there was the corpse of a creature suspendedly hanging. The creature had a body like a human, but it was covered with black and light blue scales—scales like some monster. That creature had its neck sliced, and its blood was dropping over Bellatora's body.
Bellatora opened his eyes and raised both of his hands. Then the circle glowed in dark colors, and the curse marks on his body shone so violently that the blood covering them couldn't stop those marks from appearing again.
The curse marks started gathering slowly onto his heart, and his chest started glowing in a dark color. As the curse gathered on Bellatora's chest, his facial expression changed to joy, a cruel, vicious smile on his face.
"Yes, this is it." Bellatora said in horrific smile. "This is what I was waiting for. I can feel mana gathering in my heart. I can feel the creation of a Mana Pool in my body. It saddens me that I had to end it before I planned, but that pain made me wrap up my plans. Well, it doesn't matter now. I have nearly emptied Ines's mana pool. She won't be able to survive after it, but don't worry Ines, I'll make good use of your powers." Bellatora laughed with a creepy, vicious expression on his face.
– – –
On the other hand.
Inside the consciousness of Aeon, he stood before the main body of the Root Devouring Tree Curse. The dark black humongous eye in the sky was looking down on Aeon.
Then, the tentacle that was connected through Ines's mouth cut off its connection from Ines. The tentacle left Ines's body and was going back to the big eye in the sky.
"It cut off the connection, which means Bellatora is performing the ritual to end the curse," Aeon realized the situation.
Aeon took a step back, a fierce look on his face. The eye in the sky started shedding tears, and the teardrops turned into monsters and many gruesome creatures in the sky.
Then—
BAAAAM.
Those creatures and monsters landed on the ground with a big bang.
ROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAR.
They roared and ran towards Aeon. Aeon stood there quietly; he was focused on those monsters and creatures coming to him. Then Aeon took a step forward, and within a split second, Aeon pierced through them with shocking speed.
BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM.
As he ran at this speed, massive amounts of electricity generated from his feet. The traces of electricity could be seen on his shoes. And all those creatures died because of the electrical shock.
Aeon looked at the eye, then he gathered his power and jumped into the sky. He leaped through the sky and moved forward to the curse eye. The curse saw him coming towards it and made a shield to protect itself.
BAAAAM.
A sound of a bang came from the shield that the curse created to protect itself.
BAAAAM BAAAAM BAAAAM BAAAAM.
Aeon continued punching the shield, and then—
CRACK.
The shield cracked down.
Seeing Aeon breaking the shield and coming towards it, the curse got shocked. The curse attacked Aeon with its tentacles. Hundreds of tentacles moved toward Aeon.
Aeon, without a flinch of fear in his eyes, grabbed a tentacle in his hand and twisted it.
BREAK.
He broke the tentacle, and then he did the same thing that he did with the darkness-made hands. With his touch, Aeon turned the tentacle into a whip.
Aeon, fighting the curse in mid-air, threw the whip towards the hundreds of tentacles. However, what was more shocking was that the whip was moving in an irregular way. It was as if it had its own consciousness; the whip was moving like a snake, binding every single tentacle.
As it bound the last tentacle, Aeon tightened his grip on the whip, and he pulled all those tentacles. The curse tencticals got dragged by Aeon so it tried to pull back its tentacles.
"Not strong enough," Aeon said to the curse.
BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK.
He used more force and broke all those tentacles.
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
The curse shouted in agony.
And this time, the curse cried out of agony and pain. The tears came down from the eye. Aeon, standing in mid-air, smiled.
Looking at Aeon smiling at it, the curse's tears that just dropped turned into cursed creatures and ran towards Ines, who was lying on the rooftop.
The Cursed Eye looked down with arrogance, believing it could easily leave Ines's body because Aeon could not touch it physically.
However, Aeon stood in mid-air, unmoving. The monsters and creatures below ran toward Ines, baring their fangs and claws. They got closer and closer to her helpless form.
THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD.
Suddenly, a tentacle erupted from Ines's shadow. From within that single tentacle, many more emerged like twisting tree branches, piercing through every single monster and creature in an instant.
The Cursed Eye above was shocked by the scene—a tentacle similar to its own had come out of Ines's shadow and slaughtered all its minions.
Watching the surprised look of the Curse, Aeon spoke. "Surprised to see your own creation turned against you?"
"Your curse energy belongs to darkness," Aeon declared coldly. "And I am invincible in the darkness."
Then, he pulled the whip toward himself. All those tentacles that were bound by the whip flew toward Aeon. As they reached him, Aeon touched one of them.
Then.
One by one, all those tentacles merged into one colossal tendril. The structure of the mass changed; the giant tentacle started shrinking, compressing smaller and smaller. Within a second, it became the same size as Aeon. Aeon grabbed it, and it shifted its shape once more. Slowly, that wide mass turned into an Axe—a massive Axe the same size as Aeon himself.
The Curse realized instantly that this was not something a normal human was capable of. The Curse, which had made everyone fear it in the previous era, now felt fear itself. It wasn't sorcery, nor an illusion, but a pure elemental attribute that could not be copied or handled by anyone else.
What Aeon just showed was far more than simply having an elemental affinity.
"Let me make you feel the pain that you make your victims feel," Aeon said.
Instinctively, the Curse launched a barrage of attacks at Aeon. Hundreds of thousands of cursed spears launched through the air, aiming to destroy him.
Aeon tightly gripped the Axe and swung it. As he swung, a sharp and destructive dark aura was released from the blade.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
A powerful explosion occurred in the sky. The light was so bright that the dark sky vanished, and every single place lit up in blinding
brilliance.
CRACK.
The explosion was so destructive that it
cracked down the space itself.
BROKE.
The entire space broke apart.
The dimension was shattering like a broken mirror. The Curse tried to flee into the cracks of the fractured space.
BOOOOOOOOM.
Aeon threw his Axe, and it pierced straight through the Curse. The Curse turned to look at Aeon, a massive hole blown through the center of the eye.
Aeon flew directly toward it. In less than a second, he reached the eye. He grabbed the shattered remnants with both hands.
Then, he tore the eye apart.
As he ripped it open, inside the Cursed Eye sat a bright core, shining with a pure white color. Aeon approached the core and stood before it.
"It is the core of this damn curse," Aeon said, a sense of relief washing over his eyes. "It has stored Ines's mana pool's power. Even though it's not her entire power, it will help her regain her health, and in time, she will be able to use her mana pool again."
"This is a good thing. The mana pool can recover itself with the slightest drop left," Aeon thought with a cheerful expression.
BOOOOM.
Suddenly, a bang occurred right where the core was. The explosion's light cleared, but the core wasn't hit. In place of the core was Aeon's hand. He had taken the damage on his hand instead of letting it hit the core.
"Until the end, you're trying your best to ruin everything, right?" Aeon said to the fading curse.
Aeon turned.
BAM.
He punched the air and shattered the whole space. The dimension cracked down completely, and everywhere turned to void darkness. Ines, who was on the rooftop, fell into the dark.
But Aeon reached her and caught her in his arm. In his right hand was the core, and in his left was Ines.
Then, without wasting a second, Aeon placed the core on Ines's chest. The core slowly merged inside her body.
After fully merging it with Ines, Aeon moved to the right side, where the shattered remains of the curse that Aeon had ripped apart were floating. Aeon went to it.
The curse still had traces left; it wasn't fully dead. Aeon took the curse into his palm. Then, the remaining curse and all the cursed energy entered into his body.
As the curse entered Aeon's body, his facial veins started filling with dark curse energy, and his black eyes turned into a violent violet-black.
"You cannot take over my body," Aeon stated.
His black eyes turned back into their original color, and the curse energy diminished drastically, suppressed by his will.
"Time to leave," Aeon said.
He closed his eyes. A ray of light came from above his head. Aeon flew toward the light.
– – –
Inside the ritual chamber, Itzayana was reaching her limit. Her facial expression was hard and rough, her teeth gritted against the strain.
"It's becoming impossible to maintain," Itzayana thought, sweat rolling down her face in thick droplets. "Connecting their consciousness was one thing, but keeping it stable is another. At this rate, I'm going to snap. Kayle, please... hurry up!"
Then, both Kayle's and Ines's bodies started shaking violently. Looking at them, Elizabeth, Zennid, and Itzayana were all shocked. Elizabeth and Zennid grew afraid of the situation.
"Itzayana, what's going on?" Elizabeth asked.
"What's happening to my daughter?" Zennid asked with a deep frown.
Itzayana, who was already having difficulty maintaining the connection, felt a heavier burden in her heart. With a fearful expression, she cried, "I don't know! I am just maintaining their consciousness; something is happening within their minds."
Both Ines's and Kayle's bodies levitated into the air. Itzayana, who was maintaining their connection, couldn't do anything as the bond suddenly broke between them. Itzayana tried to grab Kayle's hand, however, as she touched his skin, a powerful surge of mana released from his body. The shock was so impactful that Itzayana flew backward out of the magic circle.
BAM.
Itzayana slammed hard against the wall.
Seeing her fall, Elizabeth and Zennid realized the situation had turned dire. From the corner of the room, Cato Xoppica finally spoke, his voice slick with opportunism. "The situation is looking grim, Zennid. We must intervene now, or we'll lose them both."
"No!" Elizabeth tried to stop. "Zennid, you must believe in Kayle! Don't let Cato sway you!"
"Believe Kayle? Elizabeth, can't you see the situation?" Cato shouted. "Your professor just got slammed, and both kids are suspended in mid-air! We don't know what's happening to them, and now you want Zennid not to stop it? Elizabeth, are you so sure that nothing will happen to Ines?"
He continued, his tone sharp. "If by any chance anything happens to her, will you be able to take responsibility?"
Hearing Cato, Elizabeth couldn't answer him.
"See, I told you. Zennid, we need to interfere if you want to save your only daughter," Cato pushed.
"Zennid, please believe in him," Elizabeth pleaded, a desperate belief shining in her eyes.
Hearing both Cato and Elizabeth, Zennid was stuck in a painful dilemma. On one side was his old academy friend who came to save his daughter, and on the other side was someone more vicious than anyone else.
Finally, Zennid spoke, his voice heavy with grief. "Elizabeth, I know you want to save her. I know you've put your faith in this boy... and I am thankful. But as a father, I cannot watch my daughter die. The situation is right in front of us. I... I'm sorry, Elizabeth."
"We can't waste our time anymore," Cato said decisively.
He raised his hand toward Kayle, and a poisonous aura erupted, manifesting into the shape of a lunging snake.
"Don't you dare touch my student!" Elizabeth screamed.
She conjured a thick wall of ice between Cato's venom and Kayle's suspended body.
BOOOOM!
A loud bang occurred as Elizabeth's ice wall completely stopped Cato's attack.
"Don't you dare harm my student," Elizabeth warned, her eyes glowing red as freezing mana discharged aggressively from her body.
"Until the very end, you just want to satisfy your own ego. You haven't changed at all, Elizabeth," Cato mocked with a cruel smile.
"Both of you, shut up!" Zennid shouted.
He slammed his foot on the ground, and his piercing aura instantly stopped both of them in their tracks.
Just then, a powerful surge of mana discharged from Ines's and Kayle's bodies. A light so bright emerged from them that it covered the entire room. Cato, Elizabeth, and Zennid all had to cover their eyes.
In a few seconds, the bright light quieted down, and everyone moved their hands away from their eyes. But what they saw next was utterly terrifying.
A dark, black energy was coming out of Ines's mouth and flowing directly into Kayle's mouth. The dark energy materialized in the air, turning into a humongous creature with multiple tentacles, grasping hands, and a giant eye. It covered the entire room. Elizabeth, Zennid, and Cato were shocked to finally see the true, horrific form of the curse.
"What the hell is this thing?" Zennid asked in pure horror.
"The real body of the curse," Itzayana groaned from behind, still lying weakly on the ground.
Zennid, Elizabeth, and Cato were even more stunned to witness the physical form of the curse.
"So, this damn thing was killing my daughter," Zennid growled in deep vexation. "I'll destroy it!"
"No, you can't!" Itzayana warned, struggling to get up. "The curse is currently bridging both of their bodies. If you interfere right now, both Ines and Kayle will lose their lives! We need to wait until it completely comes out of Ines's body."
– – –
On Bellatora's side.
Bellatora was greedily absorbing the curse into his heart. Most of the cursed veins had already been absorbed by him.
"I can feel the sensation of becoming stronger... this is the power I was waiting for! Soon, I'll absorb it completely and take my rightful seat among the successors. I won't let my sister have what is mine," Bellatora declared triumphantly.
But suddenly, the process stopped. The cursed veins stopped flowing into his heart. Then, Bellatora felt a bone-cracking pain directly inside his chest.
AAAAHHHH!
He shouted out in blinding pain.
"What... what's happening to me again?" Bellatora gasped in sheer agony.
The cursed veins that he had just absorbed into his heart started violently coming back out of it.
"Why is all this energy being released?!" Bellatora panicked.
Then, he realized something dreadful.
"No, it can't be! Someone is trying to remove the curse from Ines's body!" Bellatora realized through his pain. "But how did they find out it was a curse, when its very existence isn't even known to the world?"
The power that he had painstakingly absorbed into his heart started being released rapidly. Bellatora grew utterly frustrated, seeing his hard effort going in vain right before his eyes.
"No! My power! My whole year of effort!" he screamed.
He became more and more frustrated as the power he took from Ines's body vanished before his eyes. The pain was so intense that Bellatora collapsed to the cold ground.
"I don't want to do this, but I have no other choice left," he thought desperately.
"I need to forcefully break the connection. I don't want to do it because I'll lose half of the power I currently have, but if I don't, I'll lose my life!" Bellatora cried out.
Bellatora placed a shaking hand on his chest. He viciously buried his two fingers directly into his own flesh near his heart, and blood immediately started pouring out from his chest. He opened his mouth, trying to forcefully remove the curse. He pulled his fingers out from his chest; they came out entirely covered in blood, and on his fingertips was a thick, black substance. The black substance rapidly dropped away from his heart.
His eyes were completely bloodshot red. Pain, agony, frustration, and vexation were written all over his face. But suddenly, it all stopped. The curse that was coming out of his heart halted.
"What... what's happening to it? Why is it not moving out of my heart?" Bellatora said in absolute horror.
Then, the power that he had absorbed started being forcefully released once again.
AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
He screamed at the top of his lungs as all the power inside his heart released at once.
BOOOOOOOM.
A massive explosion occurred inside the room, and the cave got blasted from the inside out. The explosion was so massive that all the maids, servants, and members of the Sanctivus family heard it echoing through the estate.
Hearing the explosion sound.
A man came running out from inside the mansion. He was a middle-aged man with a white beard, white hair, and sharp grey eyes.
"What was that sound?" he demanded.
"My lord, it came from behind the estate!" a maid answered in a panic.
Then, a woman came running out from within the mansion. She was around the same age as Olivia and Lucy—a woman over thirty—and she had black hair and grey eyes.
"What happened, Father? I heard the sound of a big explosion!" she said anxiously.
"That is exactly what I want to know, Delfia," the man replied grimly.
The woman was Delfia Sanctivus, and the man she called father was Nafis Sanctivus—the current Head of the Sanctivus family, and Bellatora's father.
"We need to go and check it ourselves," Nafis ordered firmly.