PHASE 98 - A CURSED LOVE

“There’s already a crack in it, huh…”

I whispered to myself as soon as I woke up on my bed. I stared at the sealing wristbands that Jecchan put to me. It’s just been two days, and it already had a crack. I was almost sure that Jecchan gave me this sealing equipment of superior quality than those of the broken handcuffs, that is why I’m wondering why there’s already a dent in it.

Our early morning started the same. Rikkun prepared for breakfast for us to enjoy. Our meal is fried bacon and eggs, and Rikkun is bragging about the supplies that he has stocked up. He said that we can last up to a month with the food we stored, and he even ordered a large fridge when he had the chance to venture into one of the cities. That’s so brave of him since we’re being wanted by the Gate Guardians and even the police.

We also had some of our belongings delivered here. His best friend John Casterdyne took care of it and made a very good job of sending us more clothes and even gadgets. Rikkun even bought solar panels from an online store so that our appliances would work. Now he can do online games like ever before.

However, everything is not yet perfect in this place. We almost forgot to buy some school supplies for the classrooms. Heffy the nursery teacher has been renting our place as her teaching center, so we have to provide those things.

And so, Rikkun and I made a small adventure towards the nearest civilized town here in Brightmore, which is Linder City. There is a small mall in that city that provides some of the needs of the Brightmore folk even though it’s about an hour of walk away.

Visiting the mall there made me a little bit nostalgic. I remember having a concert with the Idol Club here two years ago. I miss my Idol Club. I miss Miss Awane and our insane members. Oh, I wish I could turn back time and be with them again.

“Tiara, are you okay?” Rikkun asked. “Why are you crying?”

“E-Eh!?” I was briefly astounded. I wiped my eyes and I never realized that I’ve been unleashing tears the entire time. Rikkun made a passionate gaze at me. “N-Nothing. I-I just remembered our mall tour here.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that. I was dragged along with your club’s crazy mall tour because I won a date with you. I cheated though.”

“Ahahaha… Fun times.” I forced a laugh. Then I returned to my gloomy self. Rikkun realized my sorrow, so he immediately comforted me with a head pat.

“Don’t worry, Tiara. Everything will go back to normal.” Rikkun said with a charming smile. “Remember the time when we watched the fireworks beside the riverbank of this city? Let’s watch it again in New Years'.”

“Y-Yeah!” I pumped my fists joyfully. “That’s a promise!”

<>

Mall shopping went well. We managed to buy some supplies such as crayons, chalks, papers, and other children’s books. Rikkun even bought the whole Game of Thrones series when he found it on a bookshelf, saying that the TV series version’s ending is not good.

We ate some meals in the city, and I sure chomped down a lot of barbecue-flavored burgers, cheesy quiches, tasty taiyakis, and even overloaded crab ramen. We both filled ourselves upon this date so that we can have a lot of energy while walking home.

It was already afternoon when we finished our fun date. The sunlight is coloring everything in the grassy plains orange. The gentle breeze of the air embraced our faces. My long black hair is swaying in a crazy manner, so I tucked it with my right hand.

And then I finally saw it. My eyes opened wide in disbelief.

The small crack that was on my wristband is now a huge gap. I looked at my other hand, and the same thing was there.

The wristband, which is used to seal my curse and powers, is now on the verge of shattering itself. I can feel evil energy oozing from the wristband.

“T-Tiara!”

Rikkun immediately dropped our groceries as he immediately pulled out a new set of wristbands. He put it on my arm, but in an instant, it cracked.

"The heck!?"

He pulled a new special handcuff that was once used to seal my powers and tried it on me. However, it broke.

“R-Rikkun…” I cried.

“Hang in there!” Rikkun shouted. “!!!”

A bolt of lightning surged towards Rikkun’s body and he is now a platinum-clad robotic knight. He pointed his right hand at me, and golden astral chains started to bind and restrain my movements.

“!!!”

However…

The slipped through me as if the spell could not touch me anymore. At this moment, the cracks on my wristbands and handcuffs are branching out as the curse that has been sealed within me exploded inside my mind.

KILL KILL KILL

I HAVE TO KILL EVERYONE

“R-Rikkun… Run!” I shouted.

But it was too late. Dark aura exploded around me, spawning all ten blacktails on my back. Rikkun has pushed a few meters away from his original position due to the shockwave I made.

“Khh! Tiara!” Rikkun shouted out loud.

I made a step forward, giving a chillingly malicious smile to my lover. At this point, my heart, mind, and soul have been corrupted by the mixture of curses I had in my body.

With the handcuffs destroyed, the Evil God Cores, the Curse of Aeternos and the Curse of Necross perfectly assimilated themselves to take control of my body.

“Rikkun… Let’s go to hell~” I said. And then I surged forward, readying a punch to his nose.

In the nick of time, Rikkun swiped his finger in the thin air, creating a Gate. The dimensional portal made a white flash, transporting us to a different dimension.

<>

Here in Yami, the plains are very much the same. The only difference is that instead of a peaceful sunset, a grim crimson moon is on the rise. The grasses reflected the light of the moon, making it colored red.

In front of me, is my lover who is emitting a little bit of panic on his aura. There’s no hint of fear in his existence, and his will is quite determined to save me.

“Tiara! You can fight it!” Rikkun shouted. “Don’t give up!”

“I’m sorry, Rikkun. This is me now. You will love me even if I become the Ultimate Evil, right?”

“No! This is not you! Tiara, come back to your old self, please!” Rikkun begged.

I made a smile as I closed my eyes and shook my head. Hearing him say “No” to my proposal breaks my heart. I know that this is my ideal form, but he should still love me, right? He should accept all my flaws.

Suddenly, an evil idea went to my mind. I clasped my hands and made a praying position, channeling all prana around me. Sparkling dark dust danced around my body as I tried to hum the most beautiful song of all.

I may be cursed, but I still know what all people desire.

A happy ending.

I want to use an omnipotent spell to grant everybody’s wishes.

“Oh, unrequited love… Oh, love unsung…”

“Tiara, what are you doing!?” Rikkun cried once more. This time, he deployed his ice katana.

“I’m going to sing the , Rikkun. With this power, I shall make a happy ending where everyone is happy. This is for the better, right?”

“No! I will not let you!” Rikkun cried as he slashed his sword in the air. “You don’t have sufficient God Cores to sing it! If you force yourself to do it… Just like Amy… You’re going to disappear!”

“But this… this is the only way for me to atone my sins, Rikkun… I have killed a lot of people. I have mangled destiny and fate. I have selfishly reset the timelines without care. Surely, it would be the best ending for all of us!”

“Not if you’re like that!” Rikkun cried. “You should not spend your life just for this dumb vision, you idiotic pup!”

“But Rikkun…”

“I told you before, didn’t I!? I will never let go of your hand again!” Rikkun shouted with full force, stressing his vocal cords.

There were about a few seconds of silence in the place. The wind blew gentle breeze towards our faces for the last time, making us reconsider each other’s ideals.

There’s no way Rikkun will agree to my plan, and there’s also no way Rikkun would convince me to stop. In order to sing the , I should remain focused. Rikkun will stop me if I just let him be.

So our only way… is to fight each other.