CHAPTER 18: THE BLESSING STEALER

RAY

I sat there in silence, my mind clouded with doubt. The weight of everything—my choices, my failures, the people relying on me—felt like an unbearable burden pressing down on my chest. I wanted to run, to escape the responsibility looming over me like a storm, but Leiyla wasn’t going to let that happen.

She stood in front of me, arms crossed, her golden eyes burning with intensity. “Get your shit together, Ray.” Her voice was firm, cutting through my hesitation like a blade. “We don’t have time for you to wallow in self-pity. The entire Ravencrust Kingdom is waiting for us. We need to leave before the Elthias family finds us. You’re coming with me. All of you.”

I clenched my jaw, my fingers digging into my palms. “And what if I refuse to go?” The words left my lips before I could stop them. I didn’t even know if I meant them or if I was just testing her patience.

Leiyla didn’t flinch. "Then you’re dooming everyone who’s put their faith in you. You want to let your people die because of the same arrogance that nearly got them killed before?"

I opened my mouth to argue, but then—

Flashes of the past hit me like a dagger to the chest. The screams. The blood. My friends, suffering because of me. My pride, my arrogance, my ego—it had led to all of it. The same ego that made me challenge the Elthias family, the same one that almost got us all killed. And Benjiro… he had died because of the universal curse.

I exhaled sharply, my hands relaxing. “No,” I muttered. “Not again.”

Leiyla gave me a nod of approval, then turned to the others. “Listen to me,” she said, addressing everyone in the room. “The universal curse follows two conditions: first, someone must say that a blessing is unfair; second, they must believe in it. That’s all it takes. This is what happened to Benjiro, and I hope any of you fall into the same trap.”

She paused, then glanced at Enzo, who immediately stiffened as if knowing what she was about to say. “This isn’t public knowledge yet, but it will be soon.”

“Leiyla, don’t—” Enzo started, but she shook her head.

“It’s fine,” she reassured him before looking back at us. “The kingdoms are gathering for a meeting to decide on a new universal curse. One that will change everything.”

A heavy silence followed before Akira spoke. “A new universal curse?”

Leiyla nodded. “Yes. The agreement is simple—only one person in this world can have the same blessing.”

A chill ran down my spine. The weight of her words settled over the room like a storm about to break.

Maki frowned. “What does that mean exactly?”

Leiyla took a deep breath. “According to their last meeting, people who share the same blessing will be able to feel each other—where they are, how many there are. And after a set period, if more than one is alive, they will all die. If only one remains, they live.”

Silence. Then Akira spoke, his voice low. “That’s why Elthias wants to keep the Ravencrust with them. And why the Ravencrust are searching for a blessing stealer.”

Leiyla nodded. "Exactly. The Ravencrust Kingdom can help all of you survive. They have resources, knowledge, and power—things we need if we're going to make it through this. Ray, you need to understand that going with us isn't just about proving yourself; it's about securing your future."

I inhaled deeply, processing everything. “Alright,” I said. “Let’s do this.”

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“Good. Now get ready.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

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LEIYLA

I splashed cold water onto my face, watching as the droplets slid down my pale skin. My reflection stared back at me, exhaustion evident in every line of my face.

“So much responsibility,” I whispered. “I should’ve been an innocent princess, living a peaceful life. Marrying a handsome prince, safe in a castle. Not... this.”

My fingers curled into fists against the sink. But that life was never an option for me, was it? I was born into a world where survival came before desires. I took a deep breath, straightening my posture. Now wasn’t the time for weakness.

“Leiyla.”

I turned to see Enzo leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, eyes watching me closely. “You okay?” he asked.

I hesitated, then forced a small smile. “I’m fine.”

He didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push. As I brushed past him, I could feel his gaze lingering on me.

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RAY

While Leiyla was gone, Theodore motioned for me to follow him. We moved through the dimly lit hall until he suddenly stopped and turned to face me.

“I saw something,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Maki..."

My breath hitched. “What?”

He didn’t elaborate, but whatever it was, it hit me hard. A new thought sparked in my mind, something that changed everything. A slow grin spread across my face, the first real smile I’d had in a long time.

Leiyla returned moments later, expecting to find us preparing to leave. Instead, she found me standing tall, confidence back in my stance. “Change of plans,” I said. “My friends are staying here with Theodore.”

Selia immediately stiffened. “No. I’m going with you.”

The argument that followed was heated, filled with frustration, protests, and reluctant compromises. Taki and Lucky didn’t say much. They just exchanged glances before heading upstairs, as if already resigned to whatever we decided.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a decision was made. Only Selia and I would go.

Leiyla let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

We called for Taki and Lucky to say our goodbyes. As they made their way downstairs, Leiyla began chanting, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air. A glowing rune circle formed beneath her feet. “Ray, Selia, step onto the rune.” She and Enzo moved into position beside us.

Then—

A loud thud echoed through the hall.

I turned just in time to see Taki slip on the last step, her momentum sending her crashing into Lucky. He stumbled forward, arms flailing—

And then, in the blink of an eye, he was on the rune.

A bright flash engulfed us.

The moment the light faded, we weren’t in the hideout anymore.

Lucky groaned from the floor, rubbing his head. When he looked up, his eyes widened with shock.

He had been teleported with us.

I ran a hand down my face. "Shit."

This wasn’t part of the plan.

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THEODORE

Silence filled the room after the teleportation. Taki, still on the floor from her fall, stared at the spot where the others had disappeared. Akira let out a breath. “Well... that happened.”

Taki sat up. “I—I didn’t mean to push him.”

For a moment, we all stood there, expecting—hoping—that they would send Lucky back. But nothing happened.

“They should’ve realized by now,” Taki murmured. “They’ll send him back soon… right?”

No one answered.

I cleared my throat, deciding it was time to shift the conversation. “There’s something I need to tell you all,” I said, glancing at Maki.

Her eyes widened slightly. “Theodore…”

I pressed on. "You might think that Ray left you here because he doesn't trust the Ravencrust yet. That might be the case. But there's another reason." I took a breath before dropping the truth. "The real blessing stealer isn’t Ray. It’s Maki."

Taki and Akira turned to Maki, their faces full of shock. “What?” Taki whispered.

“She can copy blessings,” I explained. “When she was with Ray, she copied his body and senses enhancement blessing that he stole before. Later, when the Elthias capital was attacked by the meteors, I saw her use something eerily similar to my gravity blessing to shield herself—just like I did. That means she can copy mine too.”

Maki’s face paled. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

I continued, “Ray doesn’t trust the Ravencrust Kingdom. He left you here because he doesn’t know if they’ll betray him or maybe trade the ‘blessing stealer’ to get their bastard prince back. He’s planning to convince them that he isn’t a power stealer, that he can only take blessings from the dead through a complicated ceremony and use them once. If they find him useless and let him leave, he’ll come back.”

Silence stretched between us as Maki was surrounded by everyone’s stares.

Finally, she spoke. “It doesn’t work like that,” she admitted. “I can’t just copy anything. There’s a condition… a condition I haven’t figured out yet.”

Her voice wavered. "That’s my curse… I think."

The room felt colder as her words sank in. And suddenly, we realized—this was just the beginning of the truth.