I Awakened A Divine Curse

Both of them sat in silence after their brief exchange.

Jasper fidgeted with his sleeve, words clearly dancing on the tip of his tongue yet refusing to leap out.

Finally, noticing his unease, Auren turned to face him and spoke in a gentle voice.

"You know... you really don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

Jasper looked at him, a flush creeping up his neck.

"You caught on?"

He chuckled timidly.

"Well, the thing is... I do want to say something. I'm just... hesitant."

"Because you don't know how I might take it?"

Jasper's lips quirked into another nervous laugh.

Auren studied the boy evenly for a few seconds. Jasper was a strikingly handsome teenager, the charming prince type, with an aura of playfulness surrounding him that hinted at a spoiled brat who knew nothing but mischief.

Yet, to Auren's surprise, he had shown none of that lately. He seemed somewhat naive at first, but the young lad had clearly been forced to grow up fast, robbing Auren of seeing that carefree side of him.

Or perhaps Jasper was simply too cautious to let down his guard around Auren, just as he had admitted.

That didn't erase the fact that he and Meredith had walked through their own personal hell, though.

The boy clasped his hands together, eyes dropping to the floor like anchors.

"I know... you are a strangely built person..."

Auren's eyebrows shot up. Immediately, Jasper threw his hands back, flustered as a cat in water.

"No! No! I don't mean—"

Auren's face cracked into a delighted smile.

"Go on, Jasper."

"Oh..."

Confusion flickered across his face—had Auren just teased him on purpose? He couldn't tell, but continued anyway.

"What I was trying to say is, I know you're a very different person. Your ingenuity makes it hard for you to fit into a society like this one. But I also think that you don't have to be alone or ostracized just because you have different views... even though those views might be considered... blasphemy."

He chuckled wryly.

"But I think the most important thing is... you don't let that stop you."

Jasper exhaled slowly, as if forcing the words through a lifetime of hesitation.

"I mean... people might fear what they don't understand. Or worse—they'll try to fix it, change it, until it's something they can tolerate. But I don't think you need fixing, Auren. I think you need someone who sees you for what you are... and stays."

His eyes, brave for just a moment, flicked upward to meet Auren's.

"Even if you scare them sometimes."

His fingers twisted together like gnarled roots.

"...especially then."

A silence thick as winter fog settled between them. Then Auren's mouth curled at one corner, a half-smile that revealed nothing.

"So... do you see me for what I am?"

Jasper nodded, the motion gentle as a leaf settling on water.

"Of course, I do. I've been like you once. I thought the Archons were a fraudulent existence, their justification too flimsy and fragile, and that people were overlooking many things."

With each word Jasper spoke, Auren's eyelids grew heavy, his gaze dulling like metal left too long in rain. He already knew how this story ended.

"But as I continued to delve deeper, and thanks to my brother's guidance—he never gave up on me—I discovered the Archons truly are gracious and benevolent, especially Passion. Passion is such a mighty man of valor. He's a stalwart pillar, an indestructible foundation on which our dreams can be built. He's powerful, strong—I think he's the strongest of all six Archons, in my opinion..."

Auren watched him, boredom etched across his face as the boy droned on with his Archon worship.

Everyone thinks their Archon is the best. People from Hope Province swear Hope is the greatest, the most graceful.

People from Secret Province insist Secret is the greatest and most graceful, though those people always carry something... sinister about them.

People from Spirit Province, though somewhat tribalistic and stubbornly clinging to strange customs—Auren realized he knew precious little about those folk.

So far, Hope's people—though equally demented in their own way—seemed quite tolerable compared to the over-vigorous, valor-obsessed denizens of Passion or the shadowy, cryptic inhabitants of Secret.

'Everyone has an equal portion of their own madness, I guess.'

"...Anyway, what I'm saying is!"

Jasper's voice snapped him back to attention.

"There's no need for you to be alone! We're friends no matter how different your views are. And I'm sure Meredith feels the same."

Auren's lips curved into a small smile—resplendent, charming, and surprisingly sincere.

"I understand, Jasper. Thank you."

Jasper nodded, his face brightening like sunrise.

"Alright. I'm glad you took that well."

Auren's smile twisted into something crooked.

"Did I look like I did?"

Jasper let out a dry chuckle, his expression caught between amusement and uncertainty. Before he could decide which emotion to settle on, Auren's voice cut through the air.

"What did you find out about this place, though?"

Jasper fell silent, his shoulders sagging as if under sudden weight. Then he sighed.

"Quite a lot, actually. There are numerous disjointed histories of this place, but one thing seems clear—it wasn't built by human hands."

Auren's brow furrowed, creasing like parchment.

"Why do you say this?"

"Well, the structure is far too different, too sophisticated compared to anything in Lost Aviscles. For example, the mechanism keeping the spire afloat defies understanding no matter how hard I try. It's like sorcery and engineering far beyond our primitive minds"

Auren's thoughts spiraled inward, diving deep like a hawk into shadow.

"Do you think that points to a much larger existence?"

Jasper's posture stiffened, his voice hardening with sudden conviction.

"Yes, of course. This magnificent structure—it had to have been the Archons. The sorcery that keeps this Sanctuary afloat is beyond our comprehension because it originated from the Archons themselves. Although the mechanism in Lost Aviscles that allows the Sanctuary to sink into the ground is similar, it's merely a pale shadow compared to this one. I think these are remnants from the original world of the Archons."

Auren's eyes widened, shock rippling across his features like stones disturbing still water.

"So... you think... this world is the original world of the Archons?"

Jasper shrugged, the gesture casual yet loaded with certainty.

"Isn't that obvious? We're in the Archons' memory. The Archons had to have lived somewhere before they came to save our dying civilization. It's only logical they had a world before ours. However, from the selflessness of their hearts, they abandoned their home to save ours."

His voice dropped, threading with somber notes like a minor chord.

"Now, all that's left of their world is memories."

A heartbeat passed before Jasper sighed, a sound heavy with purpose.

"This is why we as Blessed must strive to pass the sixth trial—so we can bring more of the Archons' world into ours and make it feel like home for them too."

Auren stared, his eyes glazed and mouth hanging open.

'Ah shit... These people are foolish through and through.'