I Awakened A Divine Curse

Meredith and Auren sat around the ghostly blue flame, shivering under its cold breath.

Jasper lay on the ground, his chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm, more stable now than before.

But the charming prince had not risen since.

The storm still raged outside. Every few moments, tremors rattled through the Spire, causing them to shudder. Beyond the walls, the storm roared like a mighty titan advancing to devour them whole.

But the worry that had gripped them minutes ago had loosened its hold.

Auren gazed into the blue flame, his eyes distant as if seeing beyond the present. Meredith's violet eyes, reflecting the cold fire, seemed almost colorless—indifferent and distracted as always.

He turned to glance at Jasper's resting form before shifting his gaze to her.

"Did you know... that he had a terrible allergy to heat?"

Meredith shook her head.

Silence hung between them before her cold, almost emotionless voice sliced through it.

"We have never been in a situation like this. That heat... it was unnatural. It was like..."

Auren narrowed his eyes as he completed her thought.

"...the desert itself was burning."

She nodded.

Silence settled again before he rose, moving toward the window.

"Have you ever thought about the Black Sand? How unnatural it is?"

Meredith stirred, hugging her legs closer as she stared into the cold flame.

"Yes. But every other thing is also unnatural here."

Auren shrugged, a pale smile crossing his lips as he watched the mighty wall of gray drawing nearer.

His eyes showed no fear despite the colossal storm rolling toward them.

This newfound calm had come after Auren had successfully activated the cold flame. In that moment, he had discovered something—something that allowed them to sit with little worry even as the entire desert surged toward them in a wall of gray fury.

And their staying here was meant to test the theory of that discovery.

Auren believed this Sundered Spire had been built to withstand the strange desert storms. The cold flame was proof.

Of course, even if it wasn't, venturing outside was a fool's death sentence. But knowing they had a chance of surviving lifted their spirits, if only slightly.

The gray storm crept closer with each passing moment. Beads of sweat rolled down Auren's face as he stood away from the flame's chill.

He frowned and slowly withdrew from the window, then leaned against the wall and slumped to the ground.

His gaze turned distant, unfocused.

He glanced at Meredith who continued to stare into the flames, her thoughts a mystery to him. When had he ever truly known what stirred behind those eyes?

A question hovered at the edge of his tongue, demanding release. Auren hesitated for a minute or two before finally parting his lips, his sharp voice carrying a hoarse undertone.

"Aren't you tired?"

She did not look at him, her indifferent gaze locked on the cold flame.

"I am."

Auren raised a brow. Surprise flickered across his face. Considering how Hope believers typically behaved—seeing trials as difficult as this one as favor from the Archon, believing only the toughest crucibles forged the greatest warriors.

Auren wouldn't say he was favored by any Archon though.

Meredith's voice continued, sweet and melodious despite the solemn weight of her words.

"I want to destroy everything."

Auren's eyes widened in shock. Of all responses, this he never expected.

"You want to destroy everything? Why and how?"

Something ghostly settled over Meredith's gaze.

"No trial will exist if everything is razed to the ground."

Auren paled at her words. More than the declaration itself, it was the ice in her eyes as she spoke that chilled him to the bone.

The resolve lacing each syllable carried no hint of jest. It sent shivers down his spine.

He found himself wondering: Who was this young woman? What darkness had shaped her? How many secrets lay buried beneath her composed exterior?

Beyond his questions, he could see Meredith approaching her breaking point.

He himself had crossed that threshold long ago in the realm of night. Still, watching his first companion slowly fracture under the weight of the terrors surrounding them filled him with a profound sadness.

He couldn't begin to fathom what they had endured to reach this place—and yet the path only grew more treacherous.

Auren glanced at her and smiled faintly.

"You're right. There will be no trial if we raze everything to the ground..."

He paused, drawing a long breath that escaped as a weary sigh.

"But we are too weak to do something like that."

Meredith continued to stare into the cold flame. Auren could sense unspoken words building behind her narrowing glare, but she remained silent.

Before he could open his mouth to question her further, a tremendous tremor suddenly rocked the entire Spire. This one felt different—as if something massive had crashed into the floating structure.

In that moment, both of them understood what was happening. The violent shaking didn't continue in waves but persisted like a stubborn force attempting to uproot the Spire from its foundation, crushing it with rolling, invisible fists.

Gray sand poured through the window of the Spire. As Auren watched, he finally saw what the sand truly was.

As the grains spilled onto the floor, they ignited with a white radiance, burning ferociously until they had no means of spreading further. Then they died away, leaving only black sand in their wake.

Auren narrowed his eyes at the sight, but he had no luxury to ponder what he'd just witnessed, despite the certainty forming in his mind.

The rolling fury of the storm grew more terrifying by the moment. The stronger the collision against the Spire became, the more gray sand would spill toward them, threatening to burn them more viciously than any natural fire.

Already, the storm's proximity was causing the heat to rise once more.

Auren moved Jasper closer to the flames. Meredith shifted nearer while he...

He glanced at the window where the invading sands crept closer to their safe space.

Meredith's brow furrowed as she watched Auren move.

"What are you doing?"

Auren positioned himself between them and the window, his back to the threat as he gently carried Jasper's body to the opposite side of the flame, yet still within its protective chill.

He sat down and crossed his legs, his position carefully calculated so the sands would likely spare Meredith and Jasper.

Meredith's frown deepened.

Auren waved dismissively before she could speak.

"Don't worry yourself about it. This is nothing. I'm only doing this because I can survive it while ensuring you both can too. So don't get any wild ideas."

Meredith's frown darkened.

"Still..."

She fell silent and looked away, but not before Auren glimpsed something in her eyes—a flicker of pain and regret she couldn't quite conceal.

A moment later, a torrent of sand poured through the Spire's window, reaching farther into their refuge than before.