The boy awakened… still his body was paralyzed.

“Urgh…” he held his head, as he felt pain, but the same pain was filtering out his thoughts making his mind more clearer.

The dreams he had been seeing seemed to be the only comfort he had… those happy days but he needed to go on… he tried moving but he felt his limbs were too weak.

“Oh you had a short nap, are you feeling better?” it was the white-haired man, he was smiling.

Simon shook his head in an answer of “No”.

“Try enforcing your whole body with magic…-” he said while pointing his own body from head to toe. “-if you know how to use magic edge, do it like your body is the weapon… it's different for enhancing though! Try it!” Jubaic instructed.

“You can use magic edge on body parts?” Simon asked, it was the first time he heard this.

“Of course! Totally different from body enhancement and such… I’d say body enhancements are for babies while the magic edge is for the big boys… watch me!!!” a dim glow covered Jubaic’s body and he sliced a rock for reference into 2 using his hands.

“I’m not good with magic,” Simon said it like an excuse and Jubaic smiled at him.

“Give me your hand… I mean-” Jubaic noticed his wording to be wrong “-I’ll take your hand…” he came closer to the boy and sat beside him, he then took his hands.

“Feel it… that warm tingly feeling… feel it… can you feel it?” Jubaic said as he slowly transferred magic from his hand into Simon’s.

“Your hands… are really dirty,” Simon said noticing the ragged hands of Jubaic.

“Really boy? Oh… Oh!!-” the mad man felt his magic getting sucked “-Oh!!! It's sucking my magic!!!!” Jubaic quickly withdrew his hands from Simon’s.

It was the curse, it seemed that thing… it even fed on magic. “That tingly feeling you say… it seems it's getting sucked by the snake,”

“The snake? Aren’t you the snake?-” Jubaic asked for clarification but Simon just stared at him wondering. “-What boy?” it had a sarcastic tone.

“... So I won’t be able to move…” Simon muttered… there was no sadness or hint of anger as he was just staring at the far end of the abyss… looking from below the ceiling seemed to be endless.

“No! There is a way… watch this!!!” Jubaic smiled and he seat comfortably as he began to meditate…

Simon knew something was happening but he couldn’t tell and he was not in the mood to think about it.

Jubaic then touched Simon’s hands.

“It's… it can’t take your magic...?” Simon could tell through feeling it.

The old man who took care of him taught him a lot but when it came to magic the old man didn’t teach him that much, rather he didn’t have the ability to. Since the old man used magic only through instincts… Simon even failed to learn about the magic edge from the old man which was also considered as one of the simplest magic.

“You can tell right?… okay now you try… since your body is in a constant state of magic depletion I will give you some… oh…-” Jubaic noticed some blood was dripping on the ground “-your skin is bleeding?” as he began transferring his own magic through Simon’s hand, the boy’s skin from his hands into his arms and probably into his shoulders began bleeding… Simon was clearly in pain.

A smile slowly spread across Jubaic's face. “Okay... you can't even contain it... what a curse!” His voice carried an intricate blend of disappointment and joy, as if he were savoring the bittersweet irony.

The curse contained constant magic depletion and disallowed the body to hold magic… added to that the constantly weakened state… he was barely alive and was immortal. Jubaic’s analysis made him sigh…

“What a great subject!!” he said with sparkling eyes.

<--->

After 2 and a half days of rest… actually, the 2 didn’t even know what time it was, so it was morning when they were awake and evening when the 2 slept. Jubaic would lecture Simon on magic while Simon tried to understand it… he actually couldn’t… but the pleasure of talking to somebody wouldn’t stop Jubaic’s mouth from speaking.

“Just try to make a container of magic so that you can use magic edge on your body!” this was the final theory of Jubaic after 2 days of spluttering theories and ideas to overcome the curse.

“I… don’t understand…” Simon muttered faintly as he was starting to get sleepy through the lectures of Jubaic.

“Ah… wait… I have something you can use as a container!!!” Jubaic started looking around, trying to remember something.

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<--->

Three days immediately passed...

Simon was on edge. The denizens of the immortal abyss were closing in while Jubaic was away. Though the sensations were faint, Simon could feel their eyes upon him—piercing, searching. He shivered, sensing the malice behind some of those gazes. Most were driven by a morbid curiosity, but the bad intentions were unmistakable. Every passing hour heightened his unease, and Simon couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

Finally, before the day ended, or rather before he fell asleep, the madman arrived trotting. He felt the presence dispersed upon his arrival.

“Here you go!!!” it was a metal tumbler… actually it looked familiar.

“I created 9 of this and gave it to my students!!” he happily handed it to Simon. “This will be your container… although it is limited at least we have to start with something! Now fill it with magic!!!”

Upon touching it Simon knew that it was made of a material that could contain magic rather, it was really familiar but looked different. Jubaic held the same hand that was holding the metal tumbler. He had that same mad smile he had when they first met, it made Simon’s eyebrows curve in doubt.

“Follow my guide… as I pass my magic into you try to get a hold of it-” he then moved and was already behind Simon’s back ready for the transfer “-make it yours… exert your will” Jubaic instructed.

Jubaic began the transfer but got too excited he poured too much. “Aaaarghh!!!” Simon screamed out of pain before he lost his senses.

DROP

It seemed that Simon passed out because of pain… there was blood coming out of his nails… his hands had ruptured skin.

“Well, magic absorption is hard and he has to do it together for my idea to be implemented… training! Training!!” Jubaic clapped his blood-soaked hands.

<--->

Simon was choking on his own blood, the pain of his throat stirred as he fought for his consciousness. It was another failed attempt.

“Why would you make the magic flow into your body!!! Put it on the container!!!” Jubaic was clearly pissed off.

“I… I don’t… I can’t control it!!” Simon almost fainted as he tried to speak up.

“Imagine that the container is the box that you can use to store magic… where the curse can’t touch it! Imagine me pouring my magic into you and you filling inside of it!!” Jubaic instructed and explained… but to Simon, it was just a blur of voices.

“Try to put it on your limbs or other parts! Not the body or else we will lose time!! Now I have to wait for half a day for you to recover!!” Jubaic continued to lecture Simon… to Simon, it was like a lullaby as he started to fall asleep.

<--->

“Before we start… can you explain to me what you don’t understand?” Jubaic and Simon on another day lying side by side on the ground under the immortal’s abyss. It was another day of practice.

“How can I contain your magic in this small thing… why do I have to do it… why do I feel so weak…” Simon started speaking and it was like a complaint.

“Really? Hmm…” Jubaic couldn’t tell if Simon was not right in the head rather… the boy couldn’t theorize, totally not a scholar’s mind.

“There is a village that lies in the mountain… spring, summer and fall… when the bounty of the mountain keeps them prosperous but before winter, they have to save food to survive it…” Jubaic began telling a story.

“They have to fend off bandits… the men of the village have to work hard to ensure that their food storage is in good condition against the cold and stray animals…” Jubaic continued

“It's normal to save food before winter or you will starve?” Simon answered like it was the norm.

“Imagine that your body is the village… but in a constant attack of bandits which is the curse and all the people in the village are just children that can’t defend themselves… that is the state of your body,” Jubaic said this on a tone that questions himself if he said the right thing.

“That’s… really bad” Simon’s eyes widened…

“You understand it? You understand my analogy?” Jubaic was quite surprised too but what surprised him the most was the metal tumbler was starting to glow faintly.

“Where are you getting that magic?” Jubaic asked in wonder as he sat up.

“The kids just need to hide things in the other parts of the storage house… and the bandit won’t find it… that’s what this container is for right?” Simon smiled.

“You get it? I’m a genius!!!” Jubaic sprang up suddenly then jumped with joy.

<--->

“Continuously apply the magic edge on your body… refinement is just the first step… try to change the nature of the magic I’m transferring to you… make it yours…” Jubaic continuously instructed Simon who are now sitting with his back behind Jubaic.

Jubaic’s hand was on Simon’s back transferring magic.

Simon fell into a trance… like he was in battle when he was concentrating.

“If the kids cook the food first although it's not that much it would be much more delicious and nutritious especially if it's meat…” Simon muttered… it seemed that he was still using the analogy 3 days ago.

Jubaic can tell the rapid change of magic that he was transferring… it was starting to get more purer… it was actually the first time he saw a refined magic that getting purified.

“Stop transferring food… its getting filled too much…” Simon said and Jubaic followed. Simon’s body started to glow dimly… his body was all in magic edge. The light dimmed more and it started to disappear but Jubaic was sure it was still there.

Jubaic smiled… he took note of how Simon breathed… every time he took a deep breath, magic was refined and every time he exhaled the magic was slowly purified.

“I see… of course… quality vs. quantity,” Jubaic nodded… the boy was an instinctual learner… he knew what he had to do.

“Crap… he found some…” Simon suddenly said as he vomited blood a little as the magic he had not yet refined was taken away by the curse.

“Transforming magic for your use… that’s the first time I’ve thought of it…” Jubaic said as he watched Simon writhe in pain.

Simon clutched his chest, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “Take the container! It found it!” he cried, his voice strained with urgency. In his trembling hands, he held the tumbler, its surface pulsing with a sinister, magical energy.

Jubaic lunged forward, but as he grasped the tumbler, he recoiled slightly. The container seemed to resist, its grip unyielding, the magic edge searing through his fingers. It was as if the tumbler had a life of its own, throbbing with dark power that sent chills down Jubaic's spine.

“The hell is this!!!” Jubaic cursed.

Jubaic checked Simon's face and the veins that were bursting were starting to crawl from his shoulders and into his hands.

“Oh!!! Sorry, I have to cut it out! Don’t worry it will be put back again!!” Jubaic using his hands with a magic edge chopped Simon’s hand that was holding the tumbler.

“Aargh!!!” Simon finally passed out again.

“Oh crap his gone and sleep again!!” Jubaic muttered but then an idea sprouted in his mind as he looked at the tumbler that was filled to the brim with refined magic. “How about I analyze this? It would keep me well occupied!!!” he said laughing to himself.