Magister Kever was taken aback by Kael’s question.

‘“Can I really trust you?” What does that mean?’, the magister thought.

Magister Kever was puzzled. He couldn’t think of a great response. It was as if Kael was suspicious of him.

“Magister, I couldn’t answer your question if I couldn’t trust you”, Kael said.

“What do you mean? Why is there a need for that? Is your situation really that complicated?”

Kael observed Magister Kever intently, which made the magister uncomfortable. He concluded that the magister’s confusion was genuine, and felt a slight relief.

“My situation.. it became complicated because of this”, Kael said. He showed the curse symbol to the magister.

Kael was conflicted before. He didn’t have a clue who and how many are the demons in town. He knew that a high class demon like Magister Zahe could command multiple demons, and it would be a problem if one of the demons knew about his situation. Because of the curse that he got, he could not use magic, nor could he restore his mana vessel. In his current condition, even a mere demonette could kill him. But he felt that Magister Kever was not one of them.

“I couldn’t use magic as long as I have this”, Kael said, still showing the curse symbol.

“I apologize. Removing that curse is beyond my power”, Magister Kever said. Kael didn’t mind it.

“As for your question, the Tigers want me dead because of their leader”, Kael explained, then he continued. “I killed his brother”

“What? Rodo’s brother? Why would you do that?”, the magister asked. He was shocked that Kael said something like that.

“I have to. His brother was turned into a demon, and became a threat to my hometown”, Kael replied, then he narrated what happened back then.

The magister couldn’t believe Kael’s story. Defeating a demon is a great feat for anyone to do. Not only are they strong, they are also terrifying creatures that could make anyone freeze in place.

“I understand. It’s hard to believe, but that’s the true reason why they’re hunting me down”, Kael said.

Magister Kever was feeling something during his talk with Kael. He felt that his student was older than he looks. He didn’t know why, but talking to Kael one on one made him feel that he should lower himself. It was surreal. There’s definitely something unusual about Kael.

Magister Kever resigned himself to Kael’s claim. It was unbelievable, but it wouldn’t make any sense for Kael to lie to him like that.

“So, what will you do next? You can stay here if you want, but they will eventually realize that you’re here”, Magister Kever said.

“Thank you, magister. Allow me to stay here until my companion returned”, Kael stated.

“You should, but remember, follow the rules of this house”

“I promise, I will”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

----------------------------------------

Some months passed. Kael remained safe, but he was still unable to use magic. He was careful to not reveal his current situation to Magister Zahe, and it seemed to him that the demon magister was oblivious. He went to his house everyday to see whether Elalios is back or not. Finally, that day arrived.

“Kael, I have returned”, Elalios said. Kael greeted him.

Before Kael could greet Elalios’s companions, one of them hugged him. It was Seqina, who was still doting on him as usual.

“You grow so fast”, Cadell said. He greeted Kael, then he talked to Seqina. “Control yourself Seqina. Kael couldn’t breathe”

After greeting each other and celebrating their reunion, Elalios invited them to go inside. After all of them were seated, there was a short silence.

Kael knew Elalios’s intention. He waited for Elalios to initiate the discussion. It was time for them to discuss the reason why they needed Cadell and Seqina with them.

“First of all, I’m glad that you volunteered to come with me”, Elalios started.

“Well, we wanted to see Kael. Right, Seqina?”, Cadell stated. Seqina agreed to his statement.

Elalios smiled. “I appreciate it”

“So, what happened?”, Cadell asked.

Elalios looked at Kael. Kael nodded at him.

“We are against demons”, Elalios said.

Cadell and Seqina were shocked. They remembered the time when Osbert turned into a demon, and almost killed them. Seqina was still terrified, remembering the horror she felt encountering a real demon.

“Continue”, Cadell requested.

Elalios said the important details. His statement made Seqina even more terrified, knowing that they were against two demons that are stronger than Earl Gideon.

“That’s quite a problem you two got, Elalios”, Cadell said.

“I know, but thanks to Kael, we are in a standstill against them”, Elalios stated.

Cadell thought for awhile. He made the room to be silent. He was informed that there are two powerful demons lurking inside the town. However, he couldn’t help but think that there may be others, which is the same concern that Kael has.

“We will not win this, if we go against them by ourselves”, Cadell said. “But don’t worry, I know some people here that could help us”

Hearing Cadell’s assurance, Elalios was filled with hope. Having his fellow servants with him gave him courage to once again face the terrifying demons. He looked at Kael with a smile on his face, but, he saw something strange. Kael was not smiling.

“There’s a problem”, Kael uttered, breaking his silence. “I wouldn’t join the fight”

All three servants looked at Kael, surprised at what they just heard. Knowing Kael’s power, they knew that he is the greatest card they have to win against the demons. Not having Kael would lower their chance to gain victory against their powerful enemies.

“Wait, what are you saying Kael? How could we fight without you?”, Elalios asked.

Kael exposed his stomach, showing the curse symbol to them. He was about to explain what it is, but Cadell intervened.

“Red curse? How did you get that?”, Cadell exclaimed.

“You know about this, Cadell?”, Kael asked.

Cadell explained the power of the curse. “Red Curse” interrupts the mana channels of any person afflicted with it. It was the reason for Kael’s inability to use magic.

“But how did you get that?”, Cadell asked.

“I was stabbed by a red blade, and the next thing I know, this symbol appeared on my skin”, Kael said.

Elalios was silent, while Seqina became worried.

“That’s.. that’s bad”, Cadell said. That’s all he could say, realizing that the situation became worse.