“A Natural Curse?” Zac muttered. He’d faced quite a few Hexmasters during the war and had experienced all kinds of attacks. Natural Curses sounded like something different. “Like Natural Formations?”
“Exactly. You could say it’s a rare subset of Natural Formations. Something in the environment has given birth to a hex powerful enough to whisk away townspeople en masse.”
Zac frowned and scanned himself. He didn’t find anything, and [Spiritual Anchor] didn’t indicate anything was amiss. Then again, the utility skill he got from Brazla’s repository was reaching the end of its use. The kind of hidden threats Zac needed to worry about were usually beyond its ability to expose. He had greater faith in [Immutability of Eoz], which was designed to deal with this exact kind of threat.
The Hidden Node had remained silent throughout their visit. It wasn’t enough to allay Zac’s fears. “Are we in danger?”
“I’m not sure,” Esmeralda admitted. “Hexes are generally targeted; they don’t glom onto whoever comes within range. The more powerful they are, the more restrictions they will have.”
“Law of Balance,” Zac said in understanding.
“Exactly. The ones to look out for will need specific actions for their activation, like the steps of a ritual. Understanding the purpose of a curse is the best way to discover these rules. Unfortunately, Natural Curses don’t have any purpose, making them extremely unpredictable. It’s all random,” Esmeralda said helplessly. “The residue should hold some answers. Get ready. The temporal seal is about to fail.”
Zac gave Esmeralda an annoyed look as he took a step back.
“What’s with that stinky face? Even the mortals who’ve been exposed seem fine,” Esmeralda scoffed. “We’ll get marked at most, and we can always leave if that happens. We’re dealing with a mother-daughter configuration. Spatial Displacement requires quite a bit of energy. The missing bigshots would have noticed if they carried around such a powerful hex.”
“Sounds like it’s a two-step process. First, the victim does something that leaves them marked by a hidden tracker. Then, the main curse displaces them when a second criterion is met,” Zac said as the purple goop began dissipating. “Weird. It’s not vaporizing, but I can’t sense any energy from its diss—huh?”
“Did you feel it, too?” Esmeralda said after the last of the residue had disappeared.
“Something tried to form a Karmic Bond with me,” Zac nodded, feeling the heat coming from his Duplicity Core. Thankfully, the Specialty Core had acted without Zac noticing the problem. Seeing how small the drain on his Cosmic Core was, the Karmic attack wasn’t very powerful. Then again, if it was any stronger, it would have been exposed long ago.
“No, that’s not quite it. The curse was looking for something,” Esmeralda said, rolling her eyes at Zac’s surprise. She could tell with such accuracy, and she had obviously blocked the attempt. “What? Avoiding curses and Karmic entanglement is a basic requirement for any enterprising thief. How am I supposed to unburden tombs of their funerary relics otherwise?”
“I get it,” Zac surrendered. “What was it looking for?”
“Beats me. Maybe it’s a secondary trigger?” Esmeralda shrugged, explaining upon seeing Zac’s blank expression. “The residue can’t be the origin of the curse. If it were, how did the first disappearances occur? Besides, there are many victims who haven’t been exposed.”
“You’re saying the curse has two methods of picking targets? Some get it directly from the source, and they transfer the curse onto their neighbors when they’re displaced. It sounds more like a like a virus than a curse.”
“The lines can get blurred,” Esmeralda agreed. “Except, the theory doesn’t match what we know. People would have noticed if the residue was connected to the increase in disappearances. If anything, it seems like the exposed are less likely to be taken as well. If the residue holds a secondary trigger, it’s still dormant. Maybe the curse hasn’t gathered enough power to activate them yet.”
“The curse is about to evolve? Wouldn’t someone have noticed? A dozen of Monarchs are looking for any and all clues. They would have investigated even the smallest change in the environment,” Zac asked with a frown.
Natural Formations were manifestations of their environment. As circumstances changed, so did they. They were also bottomless pits that kept absorbing energy to grow stronger. That was how the ancient formations that even Supremacies feared came to be.
“I checked; the basin has been stable for centuries. We’re dealing with an old curse that grows through Sacrifice. The hex gains a little bit of power every time its conditions are successfully fulfilled. Happen enough times, it can relax an existing rule or introduce new ones. That should be why they are disappearing at an accelerating rate,” Esmeralda said, looking troubled. “Though the curse shouldn’t be this good at hiding its tracks. Someone might be hiding its tracks.”
Zac felt a headache coming on. “So we’re dealing with an evolving curse with a possible helper. If it swallows enough people, it might reach critical mass and activate the second trigger. Half the town would disappear if that happened.”
“It sounds about right,” Esmeralda nodded. “Most of the memory domains depict the days leading up to a disaster, by the looks of it.”
“So what are we supposed to do? Avoiding getting cursed and resolving its root cause are very different things. Do you know how?” Zac asked. The embarrassed silence was answer enough. “I’m not any better. Besides, we’ve scoured every inch of the domain already. I can’t think of anything suspicious, even if I’m armed with this new knowledge.”
The Natural Curse’s core should be hidden in an energy-rich region. The lake and volcano were the obvious suspects. The lake was massive, and only a small part was within the memory domain’s border. The same was true for the Spiritual Flame mine. Terren’s Loom was intentionally placed on the least valuable side of the super volcano’s basin, leaving the best land for herbal fields, pill houses, and foundries.
“Something must have changed inside the city for the curse to start wreaking havoc in the first place,” Zac slowly said. “But if we lack affinity or Fate with the cause—”
“Why do you, of all people, limit yourself with such rigid thinking? Some measly curse wants to stop me from getting what I want? Fat chance. If we lack Fate, I’ll simply steal it,” Esmeralda said, looking incredibly pleased with herself. “I said I had two pieces of good news. You never asked me what the second was.”
Zac rolled his eyes. “Just spit it out.”
“A few minutes later, and you’ve already forgotten how to address your betters,” Esmeralda lamented and threw over a Recording Crystal. “Here, take a look yourself.”
Zac looked at the series of scenes recorded throughout the night’s investigation. He didn’t understand what Esmeralda was getting at until a hazy figure appeared in the distance. The important point wasn’t its appearance, but rather that it stood outside the memory domain’s border. Moments later, an odd-looking elemental stepped into the past.
It looked like a floating donut made from swirling mist. The donut was spinning inward with such speed that it generated some form of domain in its hollow center. The recording failed to capture exactly what kind before it morphed into a humanoid shape. Zac guessed it would be difficult to interact with the trial in his original shape.
“Another trialtaker?” Zac muttered. “It’s not a Silzurian, like the possessed elementals we encountered outside the Imperial Graveyard. It should still be a subordinate of the Centigrade Pryer. I’ve never heard of something like this appearing in Zecia or Zurbor.”
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“Exactly,” Esmeralda eagerly agreed. “It’s an enemy, so there’s no need to hold back. And this one is all business. He immediately sensed something was wrong upon entering and began investigating. I only found out about the curse by shadowing that guy for a few hours.”
“He?”
“Gut feeling,” Esmeralda shrugged. “You’ll get a sense for it after encountering enough creatures.”
“I can’t wait,” Zac drily said. “Anyway, he’s that amazing? Even you couldn’t find the source of the spatial anomalies.”
“Don’t underestimate the talents of the world. Elementals are the opposite of you humans. Their Dao is narrow and decided by their race. In return, they’re exceedingly talented and gifted with unique innate abilities. This Elemental is blessed by Flames, Space, and the Peak of Tapestry. It’s like he’s tailormade for Terren’s Loom.”
“How strong is he?” Zac asked.
Like Esmeralda said, an Elemental’s path was partly decided by their birth. This one’s mix of affinities spelled trouble. The few Spatial Cultivators Zac had faced were extremely slippery, and the Peak of Tapestry indicated it practiced the Centigrade Pryer’s Dao of Formations. The Elemental even had the Dao of Fire to add some raw power to his attack. Altogether, it was a well-rounded combination. Zac wasn’t sure he could pin the Elemental down if he was too powerful, at least not without alerting the local Monarchs.
“I’d say he’s slightly below the level of your strongest subordinates, like your undead lass or the orc,” Esmeralda said.
Zac slowly nodded. “Then it’s not Kaltosa Lu, the Flamebearer. It’s worth a shot.”
His previous run-in with trial-takers had taken a surprisingly dangerous turn, but it wasn’t like all the participants could call mysterious imperials to their aid. With a fully recovered bloodline and Esmeralda by his side, they should be safe.”
“I was starting to worry you’d lost your spirit of adventure,” Esmeralda grinned. “But you’ll have to stay here for now. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb as a Draugr. We can’t have you spooking the mark.”
“Can’t you hide my presence?”
“Sure, but how long? We’re dealing with a Spatial Cultivator. They’ll eventually notice something wrong if I bring you along. Just play with your figurines while I figure things out.”
“How do you plan on stealing his Fate? I can cut down the guy, but that won’t solve the curse,” Zac asked.
“Who knows? It’ll depend on what he unearths.”
Esmeralda left soon after to resume her tail. Zac didn’t hear from her for two days. He wasn’t completely shut off from the world. The hostess was only a Peak E-grade cultivator, and Zac could effortlessly listen in on her hushed discussions with her family. The situation was growing more dire by the day.
Zac also started sensing a vague threat, indicating something big was about to happen. Thankfully, Esmeralda returned at that point. “It’s time to go!”
Esmeralda rushed the two to the city’s center, where a huge statue of an alchemy tripod was placed in the middle of a park. It wasn’t anything valuable, simply a landmark crafted from the volcanic rocks that made Terren’s Loom famous. Zac saw nothing out of the ordinary.
“Take another look,” the thief grinned and waved her hand. Space flickered, and Zac saw the Elemental on the tripod’s opposite side. Dozens of runes floated around him, and hundreds more were fastened at various positions around the tripod.
“He’s after the statue?” Zac said with confusion.
“No. He’s after what’s inside a very cleverly hidden folded space,” Esmeralda said. “You could say he’s picking the lock right now.”
The two watched in silence as the Elemental kept working. Finally, he took a step forward and vanished. The runes started fading the next moment, erasing his tracks.
“Shouldn’t we get going before it’s too late?” Zac asked.
“There’s no hurry,” Esmeralda said. “I can come and go as I please now that our friend has so kindly shared the location and combination. We’ll go in after he’s lowered his guard.”
Esmeralda made her move twenty minutes later. Sure enough, the tripod’s arrangement was helpless before Esmeralda after she’d seen the method of entry. Zac didn’t have time to guess what she’d do before they appeared inside a small cave covered in engravings. The Elemental floated in the middle next to a small turquoise flame that gave off an extremely uncomfortable aura.
Runes were still floating around the elemental, who’d returned to his donut shape. He didn’t notice he had company, perhaps because he had his hands full engraving new patterns on the ground.
“I think I get it,” Esmeralda said with disdain. “See the array? Only one corner is our friend’s handiwork.”
“The rest is the helper,” Zac nodded. “The engravings seem old too, a few decades old at least. Something must have happened.”
“The outer arrays contains the flame and hides the folded space from anyone who doesn’t meet its criteria. It’s something related to flames and bloodlines. The Elemental must have fulfilled at least one and used that to pinpoint this location,” Esmeralda said. “The problem is the incomplete array. It’s a nurturing array. This flame is a major node of the Natural Curse, and someone was intentionally growing it.”
“Is it an attack?”
“They’re probably just after the Spiritual Flame. Getting mixed up with a Natural Curse has already turned it into a one-of-a-kind. But it’s only Early D-grade. Each breakthrough will make it exponentially more valuable and useful,” Esmeralda said. “Upgrading a Spiritual Flame in its natural habitat is a hundred times easier than after you’ve taken it away. It might be impossible with such a complex flame.”
“How far would it advance from sacrificing the whole city?”
“It’s already showing signs of breaking through thanks to an incomplete array on the verge of collapse. With the array fixed? I wouldn’t be surprised if it directly stepped into Early C-grade after consuming the whole town,” Esmeralda said. “At the very least, it’ll become a very powerful Peak D-grade Spiritual Flame.”
“Seems like the original owner became the first sacrifice. That’s Karma for you,” Zac scoffed. “Now, this guy’s about to resume the project. Should we stop him?”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea,” Esmeralda hesitated. “The flame is in a very delicate state, and the nurturing array is actually keeping the curse in check. It’s hard to say what’ll happen if we start breaking things. We might bring forth the real thing if we act without a plan.”
Zac looked at Esmeralda with a raised brow. “And you’re not saying this because you want to snatch the upgraded flame? Remember, we’re here to create Fate with the Mercurial Court, not line our pockets.”
“Who says we can’t do both?” Esmeralda countered.
“Something about Terren’s Loom is important to the Fifth Pillar, and we don’t know what. The sooner we stop the curse, the—” Zac stopped upon seeing Alea emerge from his Heart Protector. “What are you doing out?”
Alea’s spiritual form gazed at the fire for a second before turning to Zac. ‘That flame… I think I can use it to reforge myself.’
“You’re ready to step into Middle D-grade?” Zac exclaimed, initially excited.
It was undeniable that his weapons had fallen behind his cultivation. [Verun’s Bite] and [Love’s Bond] had become Early D-grade Spirit Tools shortly after his breakthrough into Hegemony. Four years later, he was making his way through Late D-grade while his weapons remained mostly the same.
Using Lower-grade weapons wouldn’t stop him from activating his skills, but they weren’t able to bring out the true might of his skills, either. In the same vein, Zac rarely used their abilities since they were weaker than his skills. It was also becoming harder to rely on his infighting and Techniques to create openings. His chains and vines couldn’t keep up, which created dangerous openings.
The situation created a weak link in his combat style that forced Zac to deal with tricky opponents by spewing out a salvo of skills using [Force of the Void]. Doing so was no different than betting it all on red. If his target survived the ambush, Zac had little else to fall back on. He’d experienced it with Ivar Serpico, and some of these outsiders would have powerful protective measures like Sendor’s protective seal.
The methodical approach of breaking down the enemy with his stances before delivering a finishing blow was much more stable, and it kept his aces in case of emergency. With the extremely high quality of [Love’s Bond], Zac was confident he could shift back to his preferred style after Alea broke through.
Suspicion appeared in his eyes. Zac’s reckless, record-breaking blitz through Hegemony was to blame for the power gap, not Alea and Verun’s slower growth. Such pace wasn’t natural, and there would be time for his weapons to catch up while he settled his foundations and prepared for Monarchy.
“You don’t have to take such risks just to keep up,” Zac said.
‘Of course I do. You’re taking risks all the time to advance. How could I expect to stay by your side while playing it safe?’ Alea countered. ‘And don’t forget, I’m not the same as the mutt. My foundations were already stable when I entered D-grade thanks to the [Divine Investiture Array]. My spirit has grown stronger through our constant battles, and I’ve gained my share of opportunities. I’m ready, provided I get some help.’
Zac slowly nodded, feeling it might be possible. Like Alea said, her foundations were rock-solid. And while Zac’s reserves of Late D-grade materials were pretty pathetic, he had ample stockpiles of Middle D-grade resources. “What can I do?”
‘I need you to refine a few materials. But I also need a blacksmith to assist, or the transformation will take years.’
“I’ll see what I can do,” Zac said as he turned to a curious Esmeralda.
“Those are the eyes of someone up to no good,” Esmeralda said with a knowing grin, and Zac quickly explained the situation. “Ha! This is the benefit of stealing Fate. And to think you were ready to leave. Engrave this in your heart, my bumbling protégé. Keep listening to the Great Esmeralda, and your pockets will never be empty.”
“When have I ever doubted you?” Zac said with a smile. “How are we looking for time?”
“At least two days, no more than four,” Esmeralda estimated. “This little flameling won’t be able to deal with a Late D-grade Spiritual Flame. Seeing how it’s connected to such a powerful curse, even Middle D-grade is pushing it.”
“That’s perfect. Now, I just need to figure out how to hire a Blacksmith and bring him here. The good ones are kept under the protection of Monarchs.”
Esmeralda’s grin widened. “Actually, not all of them. I know just the guy.”