Elie Bladesinger had arrived back at the family estate for the first time in fifteen years expecting a warm reception from her parents and to finally meet her youngest brother, the only sibling she had yet to meet. Instead of this she arrived to the estate in a panic, both her mother and father were gearing up to go out and had both Bladesinger and Silverene elite knights following their leads. Within a few minutes she had gotten geared up as well after hearing how her brother and Duchess Silverene had been abducted in Lastvein just after she had came through the town. As festivals were not something she enjoyed she had travelled around the town and was now kicking herself for it.
“Are you sure it’s was a curse user?” Her fathers voice echoed in a way she hadn’t heard before. She had hunted with the living legend and even seen him wipe bandit camps out entirely, but she had never heard him angry like this.
“Yes, as Digaos and Chae had made it to the roof where I was the curse array appeared below his feet, there is no mistaking it. That was when he pulled that arrow out and threw it towards me.” Sir Jinn Silverene somberly replied.
Normally she would be elated to see the blonde knight, but not today. Even though she knew it wasn’t his fault when it came to curse users, both him and her brother’s guardian had no injuries yet the children were missing and Digaos had at least been stuck with one arrow if not more. This fact overshadowed her childhood crush on the Knight she had grown up with.
Still Elie was shocked that a five year old could pull an arrow out of themself, let alone do it so that way the arrow could be tracked through a blood spell.
Coming around the corner to her mother’s mana room the air pressure shifted. High level magic had just spread through the air past them and down the corridor. Walking in her mother looked up giving them a reassuring smile as best she could manage in the moment.
“I found him, they haven’t left the territory yet and it looks like they have been stationary since the abduction. Look here.”
She pointed at a map with a blood ring around an area, a faint blue glow around the blood.
“Digaos is in relatively okay condition, praise his namesake. Not perfect, but not to bad, we need to move quickly with a curse user that could change instantly.”
A curse user, Elie only knew one in the whole kingdom who wasn’t scum and that was her older sister. She understood her mother's warning as a curse user could burn out a low stat person’s soul to nothingness before most people could draw a blade. Curses weren’t like mana, once the spell starts even if the user dies it lasts as long as the components of the “ritual” making curse users even at low stats extremely deadly.
Picking up the map and walking out to the courtyard to meet the rest of the knights gathered, Elie heard a gasp and turned to see her mother trembling.
“What is it?” Father hissed at not just her, but what felt like the world itself.
Opening up the map the blue glow had faded into a grey dim light. All three of the swordsman knew it wouldn’t mean something good.
“He is going to die at this rate, I will teleport you and follow when I can, but you need to go now.” She said as she dropped to the ground and started using a mana scalpel to gouge a teleport circle in the stone at their feet. Her father whistle and called three of his elites over.
After just a minute the circle had been completed. They had all drawn swords and were ready to be teleported.
“This is the best I can do for now, it won’t be instantaneous, but it should put you there within a few minutes which will be quicker than setting up an instant teleportation array.” She stood up hugged her daughter and kissed her husband. “Good luck and please bring our youngest home. I will set up a reverse spell to bring you all back just step back on when you are all together and ready.”
Elie nodded as she felt mana around her and the colors of the world twist into a deep blackness followed by streaks of white speeding by. She gripped her sword tight as she raced forward.
Zeregos let go of the blackened corpse in his hand with a look of disgust across his face. The young girl they had taken had frozen up not making a sound. She would definitely have a deep trauma after this he thought. Looking down at the bleeding boy lying on the ground in front of them he sighed.
“Kenton, please dispose of Matios and grab a healing potion for the boy, if they sense he dies while tracking him we are all dead.” After speaking the lizardkin moved forwards and grabbed the legs of Matios to drag out.
While looking over the two kids Zeregos felt the atmosphere in his domain change. Someone was teleporting in, not instantaneously but soon.
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“Shit, boys drop everything and get in here, it’s time!” Yelling he steps forwards and picks Digaos' broken body off the ground and puts his back to the wall. Men filter in, Kenton draws two daggers and picks the girl up from behind with his tail holding the weapons to her sides. The rest all draw weapons and get in their planned positions.
Blood drips down the boys head onto the curse users hand, feeling the innate mana healing the boy he can’t help but be impressed. To cast a healing spell before he passed out was a sign of incredible talent, best yet he wouldn’t die while they waited. Drawing the curse from his fingers out a purple energy rests on the boys skin. The curse was active but he wouldn’t let it loose yet, not until he had a hold of the Patriarch Bladesinger instead of a runt. This mission he was hired to do would normally never be worth it, but the payment couldn’t be better. Especially with the tower passes being offered so at least he could disappear beyond the Kingdom of Linett's border freely. So they waited for the inevitable confrontation.
Three minutes. That’s how long it took before they heard the top room above them explode inwards. All Zeregos' men were sweating, including him. They could feel the Archdukes aura and intent, they were dead. At least if they didn’t have a hostage they would be. The large powerful man stepped down the staircase to the basement and with each step waves of aura let loose cracking the stone beneath him. His aura only drew back when he saw the purple flames touching Digaos’ slumped form. Anger turned to hatred then sadness and finally acceptance as he looked over his broken youngest child. The rest of the nobles group filtered in behind him, realizing the situation they were now in was more complicated than a battle.
“So you were hired huh? Am I the target?” Marcus asked the man obviously in charge.
“It seems you understand it all so let’s make it simple, come over give me your hand. I transfer the curse to you and leave your son here. From that point we leave with the young duchess and once we arrive at our escape route we leave her and this kingdom. Simple, no negotiation. Archduke Marcus Bladesinger knew he would survive the curse, but his son wouldn’t. With his wounds he may not survive anyways, realistically he knew he should kill the lizardkin first save Chae and kill them all, but he couldn’t. He sheathed is large black longsword and walked forwards slowly with his hands extended.
"Father no! It will tear your soul, weaken you beyond recovery, let’s negotiate.” Elie screamed after him.
He shook his head “No, Michael can succeed me, and we will survive together as a family. Look at that man’s eyes, he won’t negotiate. That curse will tear your brother's soul apart before I could take a st-”
“Curses effect the soul?” A whispered voice cut across all others as a single eye opened. Digaos looked his father in the eyes, the man looked broken to him.
“Yes boy, the curse will ravage your soul tearing it apart, children like you don’t have a strong enough soul to resist. After it is destroyed the body gets burnt by the excess curse next, quite a way to go, you saw Matios die right?” Zeregos grinned as he felt the child shudder in his hands a bit waking.
“I did thank you for that by the way. The soul huh? Father step back.”
Both Zeregos and Marcus frowned simultaneously.
“Boy you will die, not a normal death but a true one!”
“He is right Digaos, just relax and I will get you and Chae out of here”
Digaos couldn’t help it, he laughed. A chuckle at first but it grew into a howling laughter as he woke further.
“Heh..Hehah..HA..HAHAHAHAHA”
Everyone on both sides froze, this wasn’t a kids laughter. It had both intent and anger in it, above all realization. Digaos pulled his status up.
[STATUS 3]+==
Name: Digaos Bladesinger
Traits: Divine Soul EX, False Sin ######7 Locked, False Sin of Envy SSS, Prodigy S, Incog AA, Adaptive A, Nobility B, Mana User C
Ether Type: {Mana} 2 circle
Strength: 3
Agility: 4
Vitality: 4
Perception: 3
Intelligence: 2
Luck: 3
Divine Soul Ex, a pinnacle level trait. He was a God, maybe not in body, but his soul still was. No curse would ever injure it.
His laughter died down some and while chuckling he raised his less injured arm to point at the lizardkin.
“Father, that one is mine, I promised to kill him. Make sure no one touches him till I do.” Digaos knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer as he used every bit of mana he could to rapid cast acceleration.
P.O.V Zelegros Shadeweller
I can’t believe what is happening, first this kid manages to wake up then laughs at my explanation of curses? He must have cracked at the realization. Now he is threatening Kenton? I am at a loss, almost to the point of laughing at the absurdity.
Opening my mouth to speak and tell the Archduke to ignore the boy and hurry I can tell something is different.
I can't place it, but everything seems wrong. I cannot hear, nor feel anything. My grasp on the curse is starting to slip.
“Oh”
I say or at least try to as I notice that the world is upside down. Then it’s all darkness for me.-
The archduke’s group as well as Zeregos' men all watched as the broken boy's arms shot up and grabbed the Curse user's head, twisting it with a sharp *CRACK*. The only two in the room who could’ve possibly intervened were the other Bladesingers, but they didn’t. They watched as the youngest in the family twisted the man’s head completely 180 degrees upside down. The doomed man's mouth opened long enough for a rattling gasp to come out as he dropped Digaos and fell down dead.
Digaos landed on his feet only to crumple onto his knees. Looking over to Chae and his father, he nodded once as he felt the wave of purple cursed energy envelop him.
“I will survive, make sure they do not!” he yells as his vision is finally obscured and the pain overtakes him.