“This is ingenious!” the Enchanter said as they carefully drew the runes on the ground, “Inspired by the gods, even! How did you come up with this?”
“High-level Abilities and lateral thinking,” Brian grunted as he moved the small crystal obelisk into place, the item thrumming with mana, “Thanks for helping, I don’t think I would have been able to draw out the circle as fast as you can, though.”
“It is my pleasure,” the Enchanter nodded, “I specialize in such things, after all!”
“So, what exactly is this?” the Arch Mage of Astera asked, watching from the side as he stood alongside the principal of the Academy, “It appears to be a reverse curse sealing array. How is that supposed to help?”
“That’s exactly what it is,” Brian explained, pointing to the still unconscious Demon girl lying in the centre of the circle, “And it’s to protect her.”
“Protect her?” the two older Mages asked, “Why?”
“Yes, protect her, because I’m going to use her as bait for the living Curse that was controlling her before,” Brian huffed as he moved the last obelisk into place, turning back to the Enchanter, “Right, that’s done. You completed the other circle to my specifications, right?”
“Of course!” the man said, “And this one is complete as well!”
“Then you need to leave, all of you,” Brian said, startling the other three Mages, “Look, I don’t exactly know what’s going to happen here, but it could get very dangerous. I don’t want to risk you getting killed.”
“While we appreciate the sentiment,” the principal nodded, “I believe the Arch Mage and myself are powerful enough to survive most anything that could happen. And I very much wish to see this “living Curse” with my own eyes.”
“Suit yourselves,” Brian sighed, “But I will kill you if it tries to take you over.”
“T-then I shall take my leave,” the Enchanter swallowed as they hurried from the room, “Thank you for allowing me to work on such a project!”
“You’re welcome,” Brian muttered as he stepped into the middle of the circles, standing beside the cot with the Demon girl in it, “Right, now we just have to wake her up.”
“But how? She has been asleep this entire time,” the Arch Mage asked, “And it took you three days of sleep to recover, Sir Brian.”
“Oh, she woke up earlier,” Brian hummed as he released his Ability’s hold on the girl, “So I put her back to sleep so she wouldn’t freak out or try to escape.”
“You did?” the two older Mages asked, looking at each other as the girl blinked her eyes open.
“Hi,” Brian said softly as she hurriedly sat up and looked around in confusion, “My name is Brian, and I want to help you. Things are going to get really scary in a moment, but I promise you that you’ll be safe.”
“S-safe?” the child asked, looking at him in fear, “N-no! The Soul Stealer will return! It will take me again! You all have to run!”
“Soul Stealer?” Brian muttered, “Is that what you call the living Curse?”
“I don’t know what a living Curse is,” the girl said, “But the creature that invaded my mind is the Soul Stealer! You have to leave!”
“Not happening,” Brian grunted as he stood back up, looking around, “It’s about to show up, anyway.”
The girl screamed as the shadowy form suddenly coalesced at the edge of the room, shooting towards them as she tried to scramble away, Brian grabbing her shoulder to hold her in place.
“Remain calm, you’ll be safe inside the magic circle,” he said quickly as the dark sludge slammed into the barrier, watching as the six obelisks powering the array suddenly dimmed, “At least for a few minutes.”
“It’s back for me!” the girl wailed, “I don’t want to become that thing again! I don’t!”
“You have no choice, child!” the voice reverberated through the room as the Curse suddenly pulled back, shifting until it took the form of a humanoid, stalking around the circle as it beat its fists against it, the obelisks thrumming as their magical power was sapped, “You are my vessel! And so shall you always be until your eventual death!”
“Not today,” Brian hummed as he stepped towards the edge of the circle, the Curse pausing as it watched him in interest, “Today it’s your turn to die.”
“Ah, the Dark Mage that so rudely expelled me from my vessel,” the Curse chuckled, the sound sending shivers down everyone’s spines, its milky white eyes staring straight at him, “And how do you plan to accomplish that, Dark Mage? You walk to the edge of your pitiful shield, so you offer yourself as my new vessel?”
“Nope,” Brian shook his head as he took another step forwards, now standing right on the edge of the circle, making sure not to smudge any of the carefully drawn lines, “I’m going to kill you.”
“Kill me?” the Curse laughed, “And how do you plan to do that?”
“Simple,” Brian grinned at the thing in front of him, “Like this.”
He stepped out of the circle, the Curse wasting no time as it immediately plunged its hand into his chest, making the Dark Mage gasp in pain.
“You are mine,” the Curse hissed, the darkness already starting to spread over Brian’s body, the man almost sure he could see a cruel grin on the Curse’s otherwise featureless face.
“No,” Brian coughed, as he shot his own hands forward, grabbing the Curse by the shoulders, “I have you. Curse Break!”
The Curse blinked, then screamed as the white cracks suddenly expanded from where Brian was touching it, inching their way through its body. The Curse writhed as it pulled back, slipping out of Brian’s grasp by liquifying its body and darting away. It reformed a short distance away, glaring at the man as it tried to close the wounds on its body, the glowing marks barely shifting as it snarled.
“You…” it hissed, “You think this is enough? I shall take your mind long before you are able to defeat me!”
“Come over here and say that, then,” Brian chuckled back, “Or are you scared?”
“Scared?” the Curse spat, “SCARED?! I am a child of the Darkness itself! A creation of a force far beyond your worthless gods! I do not know fear!”
“Then why are you running away from me?” Brian asked as he took another step forward, the Curse having been backing away from him the whole time.
“What?” the creature blinked, looking down at its feet, “No…NO! This is impossible! You will not have me!”
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
The Curse immediately leapt to the edge of the room, its body splashing as it slammed into another barrier. It staggered back, its form returning as it stared at the empty air, a barely visible shimmer visible.
“What? But there was no barrier before! I entered with no issue!” it howled.
“One-way Curse sealing array,” Brian grinned as he walked casually up behind the Curse, “It lets Curses in, but not out. It’s not perfect, yet, but it does its job.”
“Job?” the Curse spat.
“Keep you here long enough for me to kill you,” Brian smiled cruelly at the form, “I’m not stuck in here with you. You’re stuck in here with me!”
The Curse screamed in anger as it darted away, liquifying its body again as it shot to the other side of the circle, pounding against the barrier in rage.
“Curse Break,” Brian hummed as the Curse screamed again, writhing in apparent pain as the cracks on its body grew a little more, turning to stare at Brian in fear, “What? Did you think that Ability only works if I touch you? No, it’s just more effective.”
“You…you…” the Curse hissed, “DIE!”
Brian stood still as the Curse surged towards him, its liquid body solidifying as its arms turned into massive dark blades, which plunged towards his chest.
“Curse Break,” Brian said as the creature froze, the cracks spreading more as it howled in agony, before the man stepped towards the Curse and grabbed it again, “Curse Break.”
The Curse screamed and writhed, trying to liquify itself to get away again, but its body wasn’t responding properly, the solid blades suddenly softening as the cracks spread down its arms. The Curse snarled and spat as it struggled against the man, Brian simply chanting the name of his Ability again and again as the cracks spread further and further down the Curse, until it was almost entirely covered in white lines.
“This will not be forgiven, mortal,” the Curse whimpered, “The Darkness will come for you! It shall know that you killed its child, and it will come for you!”
“Then let it,” Brian growled as he released his right hand, driving it into the centre of the Curse’s chest, making it gasp. Deep inside the Curse, Brian could feel the source of its power, closing his hand slowly around the more solid core, “As for you…CURSE BREAK!”
The Curse screamed again, the wail sending blasts of air buffeting around the room as Brian squeezed his hand tighter around the core before it finally shattered. Dark tendrils shot out of the curse, the shadowy energy swirling around the magic circle, before rushing back into his fist. Brian gasped as the pain erupted in his hand, falling to his knees as it surged into and under his skin.
“Sir Brian!” the Arch Mage and principal shouted as he let out a pained scream, before slumping over and panting.
“I…I’m okay,” he muttered, staggering unsteadily to his feet, “The Curse is dead. Now onto part two.”
“Part two?” the two elder Mages asked, watching as he walked back towards the Demon girl, a look of wonder on her face as she stared at him.
“Is…is it really gone?” She whispered as Brian kneeled in front of her.
“Yes,” he smiled, holding out his left hand, “Now, it’s time to make sure you can never be controlled again. Do you know what a Soul Contract is?”
“A Soul Contract?” the girl said slowly, “Yes? It is a binding of one’s Soul to the will of another through a contract. Why?”
“I want to form a Soul Contract between us,” Brian explained, the three in the room staring at him in shock, “I can do it, but I need you to agree to it. It’ll take a lot less mana that way.”
“B-but…” the girl blushed, her tanned skin darkening, “To allow ones Soul to be touched like that…it is an act more intimate than even lovers…”
“Please don’t say things like that,” Brian groaned quietly, “I’m just trying to help you right now. Do you accept?”
“You swear that this will protect me?” the girl asked, Brian just shrugging.
“My Soul Contract Ability is at level ten, so probably? Do you want to see the contract I’m going to use? I wrote it down, just in case,” he said, pulling a piece of paper from his bracer and handing it to her.
The girl read over the paper quickly, her eyes going wide after a moment.
“This is written in the Demon script,” she gasped, “How do you know this?”
“Level ten Literacy Ability,” Brian grinned, “So, do you accept?”
“This is truly the contract you wish to use?” she asked, Brian just nodding, “It shall grant me a great deal of freedom. Perhaps even enough to kill you and escape.”
“It’s meant to protect you, not enslave you or anything,” Brian explained, “Now, do you accept?”
“I…” the girl paused, looking back down at the paper, before standing up from the cot she’d been huddled on the entire time, “I, Grishavalsa von Astralion, do accept this Soul Contract.”
“Good,” Brian sighed in relief, “Now, I have very little idea of what’s going to happen when I use this Ability, but it should all be fine.”
“Do it,” the Demon girl nodded, blushing slightly more as Brian laid his hand against her chest, right over her heart.
“Soul Contract,” he said, light pouring out of his hand as both of them gasped, before it faded a moment later, “Well, I think that worked.”
“What conditions did you give for the Contract, Sir Brian?” the Arch Mage suddenly asked, “The amount of power in that Spell…it was immense.”
“Yeah, it took the entire stock of mana I had stored in my staff to complete, plus a little extra,” the man chuckled, rubbing his temple as the headache from excessive mana use started to form, “But I have really good regeneration, so I had enough to spare. Anyway, the terms were pretty simple.”
“Do tell,” the principal nodded.
“First, she is never to be controlled by another entity apart from herself and me,” Brian explained, “Second, she cannot use her Abilities unless I give her express permission or to defend herself. Third, she is to answer any question I ask her truthfully. And that’s it.”
“Only three conditions?” the two older Mages blinked, the principal continuing, “But the amount of power in it…it would suggest a much more complex contract.”
“Yeah, I think it was because I’m trying to protect her from any and all forms of mind control,” Brian sighed, leaning against his staff as his head pounded, “But damn, I am exhausted. Think I can get a nap and some food? Oh, and some new clothes for Grisha, those rags are pretty, uhm…revealing on her.”
“Grisha?” the girl asked.
“A nickname,” Brian shrugged, “Your full name is a little long. I hope you don’t mind?”
“Not at all,” the girl shook her head, her cheeks darkening further, “You are my saviour, after all. You may call me anything you wish, Master.”
“Please don’t call me Master,” Brian groaned as he pulled a mana potion from his bracer, drinking it quickly as it forced the headache to fade slightly, “Seriously, I have no plans of becoming an anime harem protagonist.”
“Of course, I shall organise you both a room and a change of clothes for the young lady,” the Arch Mage nodded, stepping back and opening the door to the room, blinking at the nervous looking Mage standing on the other side, “What is it?”
“A message from the king,” the Mage replied, “The Demon Lord and her spy are to be executed this evening. And…and the former Heroes have betrayed the kingdom and must be hunted down and killed.”
“What?” the Arch Mage blinked, looking back at Brian in shock, “Thank you for telling me, you may leave now.”
“O-of course, Arch Mage,” the Mage nodded, rushing off as the older man turned back to Brian and Grisha.
“It would seem we are at an impasse,” the Arch Mage sighed, shaking his head, “I must follow the orders of my king, but after what I have seen here…It is a true pity you both died in the subjugation of the living Curse. I shall have to report such to the king, and hope it satisfies him.”
“What?” Grisha gasped, immediately hiding behind Brian as she stared fearfully at the older man.
“Thank you,” Brian sighed, smiling at the principal and Arch Mage, “But how are we going to get out of the city?”
“Well, we could do with another pair of hands on a research party,” the principal hummed, “Mages who go out after a battle to research the bodies of our enemies. It will be a gruesome sight, but if some low-level Mages go missing…well, that is a risk we have to take to better understand our enemy.”
“Right,” Brian nodded, “Well then, I suppose we should go?”
“Of course,” the Arch Mage said, waving his hand as he chanted, sending a small ball of energy into the middle of the room, “We should leave before that explodes.”
“Right,” Brian nodded as he grabbed Grisha by the hand and pulled her out the open door, closely followed by the two other Mages, the door closing just before the entire corridor shook with the blast, “Well, that’s the evidence of what actually happened taken care of.”
“It is,” the principal hummed, “Now then, you two will need appropriate robes for your next job. Let’s get moving, chop chop!”
------
“Take this passage,” the instructor said as he waved the group of students into the dark corridor, “It shall take you outside the western walls. From there, continue to the coast, and get a boat to the Elven lands. While they are not allies of our kingdom, they have always been loyal to those with the Hero Title. They should protect you for a time.”
“Thank you,” Dylan nodded as he waited from the rest of his class to enter the secret tunnel.
“Why are you helping us like this?” Samantha suddenly asked, making Dylan glance at her.
“Don’t ask him that,” the Paladin muttered, “Just be grateful he is.”
“While I trained you knowing full well that I was possibly sending you all to your deaths,” the man suddenly said, startling the group, “Still, I cannot abide by the wilful execution of children. Now, stop dawdling and go!”
“Right, thank you again,” Dylan said as the last of the students entered the darkness, before he quickly followed, the older man shutting the entrance behind them, “Right, everyone, keep moving as fast as you can! We don’t have much time!”