When Lekas came out, he immediately recognized the circle. It was the same as the day he came to the village, the draig attempted to transfer all the powerful curses they had that day in order to make her matriarch even stronger, but it failed since they didn’t have the materials. That’s how he came to know of their situation as they shamelessly begged for mercy.

When Seraphin entered the circle and the whirlwind came, however, he knew that something was wrong. His instincts were telling him. And that exact same time, a memory came back to him, something he had forgotten even though it was the most important.

***

Inside the emperor castle, in the training ground. A man is hammering magic on another one with an arm missing. The emperor and the miracle of life, right after they came back from the campaign against Dorots, mid-level demons who had destroyed the kingdom of FLUSEL and established their nest there.

“There is indeed a rapid way to remove curse or blessing but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

The miracle of life is speaking while launching three gigantic spears of ice at the emperor. Each of them is big enough to destroy a house, yet, the emperor slices them all like butter with an old-looking sword shining purple.

“Then, how?” The emperor was troubled at the time because a lot of soldiers died during that campaign. They were cursed from the dorots’ blood that spilled as they killed them. Their blood is a naturally cursed one that instantly steals the life of anyone who touches it by draining his magic completely.

“You just have to separate the mana core from the body.”

“WHAT?!!”

The emperor screams in surprise as he slices the air, creating a lightning wave that cut through it, flying towards his opponent.

“Yes.” The lightning wave gets blocked by an earth wall but still manages to enter half of it. “Curses and blessings are aimed at the magic inside a body, remove the magic storage of your body, and you have removed any curses or blessings you could have.”

“It sounds too easy.” The emperor pounces forward, slicing the earth wall and creating another lightning wave.

“Because it isn’t. You need extreme precision into discerning the person’s magic and separate it from his body without damaging it. The worst would be to crippled the person and transform him into a vegetable.” The miracle of life blocks the other wave with his bare hands and attempts to avoid the emperor’s sword, which he can’t. He falls to the ground, butt first.

“Into what?”

***

After a minute or two, the whirlwind finally stops and the black fog dissipates. Seraphin is standing in the middle, her eyes closed.

“WHY?!!”

The old draig has a surprised look on her face, proof that the ritual didn’t work. It doesn’t surprised Lekas but her father is different.

“Seraphin!!” He tries to run to her but an invisible wall is preventing him from that.

“What is this?!!”

“You should stay there for now. There is something wrong.”

The stranger speaks to him calmly, then looks at the old draig.

“Why did it not work?”

“I-I don’t know. I used the strongest ritual. There is no way it wouldn’t work, unless…”

“Unless?” Lekas advances to the old draig and stands right beside her. “There was no unless earlier.”

Lekas didn’t like unprecise people. He always made sure that the people around him were saying everything they had to and considered everything they should do before making a decision.

That is in his very nature. It is also why he felt bad ever since they came to this forest. Because he didn’t take the time to explain everything to his love and her father. But time didn’t allow it so it cannot be helped.

“No. It is not a matter of whether there was or not. There is only one dark god which blessing cannot be removed, and that’s because she is the source of all evil.”

“Who is it?”

“It is prohibited to say her name. That would be cursing your own life.”

“And yet, you have attempted to harm me? should I punish you then?”

From the spot where Seraphin is, a different voice resounds now, a deep, evil, and dark voice. When everybody look, Seraphin’s hair are now white, her eyes are all black like a night without stars, her skin had become pale and thick black veins are running around her body.

“Such ignorant children you all are.”

The voice speaks again and Seraphin disappears, reappearing in front of the old draig and Lekas now. She is so fast that no eyes could have followed her.

“I am hungry.”

Seraphin’s hand delicately pierced the old draig’s heart and pulled it out, in front of all the other draigs’ eyes.