I Awakened A Divine Curse

The scream pierced the air like a thousand needles, sending Meredith and Jasper reeling backward. Their senses scattered, minds blank for precious seconds as the sound clawed through their skulls.

Auren, no stranger to horror, had already acted. When their vision cleared, a crimson blade pulsed in his grip, buried deep in the creature's flesh. The unholy wail died in its throat, cut short by Withering Fate's bite.

[You have slain a Major Blighted, Lost Voice]

[You have devoured a curse]

[The Curse in your soul grows stronger]

[You have gained a Shard]

Auren's eyes narrowed as the creature crumbled at his feet. He glanced up to meet the stunned faces of his companions, Jasper's jaw slack with disbelief.

His fingers uncurled from the hilt of Withering Fate. The blade dissolved into crimson mist before it could touch the ground.

He strode toward them, voice steady as still water.

"Since the Cursed creature is dead, we should be able to explore the place now. Look for anything useful you can find and..."

He paused, measuring their expressions—eyes still wide as full moons, breath shallow in their chests.

"...other abominations could still be lurking around. Be careful."

With those words hanging in the air, he turned and ventured deeper into the hall.

The chamber twisted around them like a fever dream—a tilted cube of ancient stone. Every surface whispered with intricate engravings and faded murals, stories etched by long-dead hands.

Ignoring their lingering stares boring into his back, Auren pressed forward until he halted before a yawning alcove in the wall.

Etched into the alcove's inner face, a familiar trinity of symbols caught his eye—the moon, the Night, and the sun, beckoning with ancient significance.

As Auren continued to stare, thinking on all his conversations with Asenya, understanding dawned like the first rays after a storm. These weren't mere decorations but representations of divinities—parts of some forgotten pantheon that had walked these halls.

Aven Noctis was the Night incarnate, that much he knew. Logic dictated the existence of entities embodying the sun and moon as well.

Auren's brow furrowed, thoughts spinning like autumn leaves caught in a whirlwind.

'What if I've misunderstood? Perhaps the shaded part isn't night but darkness itself. And the moon—could it represent dusk instead? Dusk births the moon as darkness gives rise to night. Does light create the sun, or does the sun remain pure in its essence?'

He raked fingers through his hair, the puzzle threatening to splinter his concentration. Yet one certainty remained: this symbol's presence confirmed they stood within one of the three divine Temples.

Tearing his gaze from the emblem, he leaned closer to the alcove, attention drawn downward.

Rune markings adorned the stone seat—script that should have been foreign to his eyes. Yet recognition flickered like a candle flame in his mind. Not only could he decipher it with unsettling ease, but the runes etched into his very soul stirred in response, eager to commune with their ancient kin.

Ghostly symbols materialized before him, shimmering with ethereal light as they projected the stone's message into his consciousness.

[...My only regret, was that I trusted my eldest brother. That vile and evil existence, he only sees us as tools.]

[Congratulations, you have discovered a Relic]

Auren froze, the message burning into his mind.

'A relic?'

The thought hung in the stillness of his mind, unanswered. He cast a glance over his shoulder—Jasper and Meredith had vanished into the depths of the temple, hunting for clues about Aynesa's Dawn-stealing ritual.

Perhaps he had already found what they sought, though their prize was not his aim. Their paths may had converged, but their destinations remained worlds apart.

As the ghostly runes danced before his eyes, a faint azure glow pulsed beneath the stone tablet, calling to him like a heartbeat from another realm.

Without hesitation, he drove his fist into the ancient stone. The platform splintered with a dull crack. He struck again—softer this time, muffling the impact—and the stone gave way, revealing a hidden chamber beneath. The blue luminescence settled like dust disturbed from a long slumber.

Nestled within lay a crimson scarf, vibrant despite the ages it had waited.

Auren hesitated, fingers hovering above the cloth as something primal warned him to pull away. Ignoring the sensation, he reached down and grasped the fabric.

Scarlet veins erupted across his skin—writhing, pulsing, spreading like hungry vipers up his wrist and forearm. His muscles seized as the cloth began to disintegrate, not from decay but devoured by midnight-black teeth that suddenly manifested in his palm.

Horror drained the color from his face as he stared at the aberration consuming both relic and flesh.

'What is this cursed thing?!'

The answer whispered through his veins without needing to be spoken.

Devourer.

The Curse was growing stronger—fed by every death, nourished by each kill, strengthened by everything it consumed. In the light of optimism, it was merely part of his soul. In the shadow of truth, it was a ravenous entity that Auren did not know how much or how big it would one day grow to become. He did not know how massive of a feast it'd begin to demand.

A tremor rippled through Auren's body and he whispered to the empty air.

"How did we come to this?"

The response came swiftly, words flashing behind his eyes:

[Congratulations, Devourer has devoured Relic, Eclipse Veil]

[You have gained a new ability]

[Eclipse Veil]

Type: ???

Description: In order to deceive her brothers, The Betrayed Moon wove a cloth that blinded the fate of its wearer, but there was a little problem—it also blinded the memory of its wearer.

Auren stood motionless like a statue carved from dread and wonder.

Footsteps echoed behind him—soft, measured, approaching.

He shifted his weight almost imperceptibly as Meredith appeared at his side, her gaze drawn to the shattered remnants of the alcove's platform.

Her voice cut through the silence, even and cold as winter steel.

"Did you find anything?"

Auren met her eyes, his face a perfect mask.

"No. There was nothing. I thought there was going to be something here because it seemed hollow, but it was empty."

Meredith leaned closer to the broken stone, eyes narrowing as she studied the fractured surface. Her finger traced the edge of an inscription.

"But it had something written there... were you able to..."

"It says, 'My only regret, was that I trusted my eldest brother. That vile and evil existence, he only sees us as tools.'"

She straightened, her expression a blank canvas that revealed nothing of her thoughts.

"Okay. What do you think it means?"

Auren studied her face, calculating how much truth he could afford to reveal.

Finally, he exhaled—a quiet surrender to the weight pressing against his ribs—and posed a question instead of an answer.

"Have you ever thought about something..."

Meredith's attention sharpened, her stillness absolute.

Auren let the silence stretch for one heartbeat, then two, before finishing his dangerous thought.

"...that maybe, the archons aren't the peak of existence?"