I Awakened A Divine Curse

Auren's dry chuckle cut through the air.

"Ha ha. Your jokes stopped being funny years ago, old hag."

Asenya's face remained stone-cold, her expression unreadable. Auren's laughter died in his throat.

"Wait. You're serious?"

A single nod from Asenya confirmed it.

"You're telling me these flames have been feeding on our souls? How does that even work?"

His voice cracked on the last word.

Asenya tilted her head back in exasperation before fixing them both with a weary look.

"Let me guess — you two were too busy marveling at the sorcery here? Glyph sorcery may be ancient and beautiful, but that beauty comes at a price. The most dangerous sorcery always does."

She paused and exhaled sharply.

"Look. This girl's life is hanging by a thread. Do you want to stand here while I explain why you both are dying, or do you want to save your wife?"

Auren frowned.

"She's not—"

"Boy, just follow me."

Asenya strode past them, pausing at the doorway to study it with sharp eyes before glancing back at Auren.

'I swear, if she's thinking something twisted again…'

The ageless woman shook her head and stepped through the doorway. Instead of heading toward the main hall as usual, she descended deeper into the Spire.

Auren and Jasper followed in silence. Jasper occasionally shot Auren questioning looks about the beautiful stranger, only to recoil when Auren muttered.

"Don't let her looks fool you. She's centuries old."

Finally, Asenya reached the lowest floor and slipped into an empty chamber.

Auren's gaze swept the room—no glyphs marked the walls or floor, unlike every other room they'd seen.

Gently, Asenya laid Meredith down and gave a satisfied nod.

"Much better."

Auren's eyes darted between the frozen girl and Asenya.

"What? What do you mean 'much better'? That's all?"

Asenya studied Meredith before standing.

"Yes, brat. That's all. She burned herself touching sealed power. Now she's paying the price. But her power's strange - given time away from soul-feasting sorcery, she'll recover."

Auren blinked.

"It's that simple?"

"Simple as breathing, if you hadn't parked her beside a soul-devouring fire."

Jasper gave a nervous laugh.

"Ah, well, we couldn't have known! We just... used its warmth. Cooked our meals..."

His voice faded as Asenya's glare intensified with each word. He swallowed hard and looked away.

Asenya turned her glare to Auren.

"Who's this whimpering pup?"

Auren's jaw tightened.

"Don't call him that."

He hesitated, then added:

"And she's not my woman!"

Asenya rolled her eyes and turned back to Meredith. After a brief examination, she folded her arms — the movement causing a slight bounce — and turned to study the wall.

Auren stayed quiet for a long moment, his gaze shifting between Meredith and Asenya. He studied the ancient woman carefully before speaking.

"What is this place, really?"

Asenya remained silent just a beat too long. When she finally answered, her eyes never left the wall.

"The Black Desert was once a land overflowing with life and lush greenery. When I first walked here, it was beautiful beyond words."

Auren tried to imagine the cursed black sands as lush greenery. The image wouldn't form—it was complete nonsense.

Unaware of his disbelief, Asenya continued.

"Even my knowledge is fragmented. By my time, I only saw the ruins of what fell millennia before me. But I remember this much - that beauty was slowly corrupted by something that should never have existed.

"The Temples were Sanctuaries built dedicated to honoring each World Shaper."

Asenya continued.

"The Night Temple worshipped the Lord of Night, while this Sundered Spire… once far more magnificent in its prime—was built for the Betrayed Moon."

Auren lowered his gaze, turning her words over in his mind. The ancient civilization must have possessed incredible knowledge of sorcery to construct such wonders.

Yet that wasn't what troubled him most. What gnawed at him was the image of these endless black dunes as lush, vibrant land. What terrible force could corrupt living forests into this wasteland of ash and flame.

'No...'

His pattern of thoughts was wrong from the start.

The black sand wasn't sand at all — just cooled soot, if such a thing existed.

Auren had watched the burning ash gradually darken as flames lost their fuel. The night's chill must be what kept the Black Desert restrained, preventing its true nature from awakening.

'When day comes...what then?'

Heat would return. The soot would reignite. He struggled to picture it - an endless ocean of burning ash, or perhaps a roiling sea of flame? Neither image quite fit.

He scratched his head in frustration.

'Argh...it makes no sense.'

Such a phenomenon defied everything he'd ever known or seen.

Asenya watched him struggle and let out a light chuckle.

"Don't strain that tiny brain of yours trying to understand. It might just pop like an overripe fruit."

She tapped her temple.

"History isn't meant to be solved like a puzzle. It walks with you, breathes with you. What seems like dead past is always rewriting itself."

Her grin widened as she flashed him a wink — one that landed with all the charm of a dying fish.

Auren stared blankly. Once again, her words danced on that fine line between profound wisdom and complete nonsense.

Auren slumped against the wall, lost in thought for a moment before his eyes snapped to hers.

"Wait. How did you even find me?"

Asenya's lips curled into a knowing smile.

"The storm guided me."

His expression darkened like gathering thunderclouds.

"What do you mean, 'the storm guided me'?"

Asenya said, waving a hand.

"Simple. I was walking through the black dunes trying to find my way to those warring kingdoms—since you decided to betray me and run away just because we were fighting a big, fat worm. Then suddenly, a storm appeared. It's been nearly four centuries since I rode one. Riding reminded me of Aven, so I thought, why not try to relive my old moments of joy? I ended up in this region of the dunes. Then I heard a haunting cry. I felt... hmm, let me investigate. Voila! My muse was here."

Auren's expression darkened.

"I am not your muse."