Free Web NovelChapter 11: The price to pay
The micro organism was still a creature at the end of the day even though it was called a curse.
The creature was no simple being though. It was a highly complex organism that was programmed to affect the very cell structures of the area it touched.
While it had only scratched the outer part of my body, a wound that didn’t heal even after using high level holy power, the dagger had pierced right through the body of the creature.
’While it might seem impossible in theory, saving the creature was still possible.’
In fact, the curses are a very specific virus.
If a virus is made to hurt the body structure of a human, then it will only work best on the body structure of a human. Some very specific physical curses might also only work on a certain part of the body.
This time, while the dagger pierced right through the body of the mole, if we could just prevent the curse from spreading in time, we would have been able to prevent complete damage to the creature’s body.
’But I had never actually done anything like this myself.’
I have worked with people who have worked with curses in my past life, I have seen people combat curses, and I have dealt with creatures, even organisms like these curses.
I understand them more than they may be able to understand themselves so I knew what to do...
’But I still did not have time to think about what doing something like that would do to me.’
I just went ahead and used the power of my newly strengthened bond and attracted the creature to the bond.
At the end of the day, the virus was also a creature. While very difficult, it was still possible to tame a curse.
’There are beings who tame and use curses in a way that we humans cannot comprehend even with the knowledge of the near decade.’
I was not such a being, but I have established the School of synchronicity.
We can synchronize with the creatures and their very consciousness. We can understand the creatures, and we are able to talk with their minds.
I did the same this time as well.
’I used the power of my bond, tapped into the core of the curse that was present inside the dagger, and asked it to pull back inside the core.’
Kiren used the potions that he had on him as well as the herbs that I asked the other creatures to gather for us, and was able to stop the bleeding and stop it from making the things worse for the mole.
If I was stronger and more experienced with the bond-link, if I had a deeper understanding of the creature, if I only had more time, I could have done a better job... but time.
That was the only thing we did not have.
’So, I was crude while handling the curse.’
I misjudged the inner nature of the curse and the virus invaded my body as well.
It started breaking down the insides of my body, my cells, trying to take control over my body and move its core inside it to breed further.
The greedy curse moved out of the body of the mole, but by the time it did, my body was breaking down from the inside.
I could feel immense pain.
My mind wanted to throw the dagger away, push it back inside the mole and jump away from the curse, even scream and thrust the dagger in my own body... but the power of my bond, the shared emotions of my familiars helped me keep my sanity.
"Young master!"
By the time the mole was safe enough, however, I was in no condition to even move.
"Meow!"
Lexie and Felix rushed back and saw my current state, screaming and shocked.
They wanted to know why something like this happened to me. They were crying. I could feel the endless bloodthirst that oozed out of Lexie, one that suffocated most of the creatures and Kiren.
She was angry at the people that brought a curse like this here and she was angry at herself for not being strong enough to stop me.
She did not know the consequences.
In the first place, I was the one that did this to myself...
"Ha... ha ha. Everyone, it... it is f-fine."
Well, I have died once already.
While I could only save one, I guess it is a good thing that I at least got to save one life this time.
’If only I was strong enough...’
The curse could not move inside me.
By the time we saved the mole, I had already confined the thing back inside the dagger. The damage done to my body wasn’t the same as what the curse could have caused with direct contact, but I don’t think we have any elixirs in this place that can heal these internal injuries.
"Chirp!"
The creatures gathered around my body. The mole was asleep since it only received emergency treatment. It will have to rest for quite some time if it wants to live a normal life.
My little one was back as well.
And he wasn’t very happy with how I looked.
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
You know, this one isn’t actually bad at heart. He is a troublemaker and does what he wants to, but most of my students have been like that.
I don’t resent him for running away when I needed him. He was simply scared... and he is scared right now as well.
{ "Master! You can’t leave me! Masterrrrrrrrrr!" }
Felix was crying on my chest. The little one was on my head. And the other creatures were present all around me.
Lexie was clenching her fist so hard that her blue blood was dripping down on the ground. Felix was just standing there even now... he had been blank ever since that dumb brother of mine brought these people here.
’But then again, he is dumb. And young.’
It’s not his fault that he is like that. Anyways... It’s getting too painful to even think right now.
"Take... care..."
My eyes stayed on the bird that stood right before them. The colorful eyes of the creature had a single tear present on their edge.
The teardrop was blue.
So blue it reminded me of the ocean that we fell into after being thrown out of that abyss tunnel.
"Ha..."
I remembered the first time I died.
It was painful.
But not as painful as this one.
’This death... is less painful.’
My eyes began closing for good.
However, before they closed completely, I saw the teardrop that was building up on my little one’s eyes fall down on me... inside my mouth.
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!
And as soon as that happened, I felt as if my entire body was set on fire.
{ "MASTER...?!" }
Actually, my body actually was set on fire.
"Hey! What’s happening! Guide!"
"I-I-I... I don’t know!"
They did not understand what was happening. They could not understand what was happening. And they would not understand what was happening either...
’Right.’
I remembered something at that moment.
’The tears of phoenix heals wounds.’
An elixir that one cannot compare with any manmade medicine.
The effects of this elixir in particular, were incomprehensible.
"GASP!"
My airway cleared up instantly the moment I felt that sudden burning pain.
I felt my heart healing.
My internal organs burnt. But instead of being damaged, the parts that were damaged were burning, reverting back to their original... even healthier state.
Even my muscles seemed to have been enhanced in that instant.
"Haaa! Haaaa!"
A new strength surged throughout my body and it jerked up and I set back up.
"...!"
Felix and the little one fell down at that moment, but thankfully the flames did not hurt them either.
The flames were still present all around my body.
But they did not hurt me... they burnt away any residual curse that was present inside of me.
"SKAAAA!"
"Kreeeee...!"
"Luuuuuuu!"
All the creatures that had an affinity with flame instinctively bowed down, showing respect to something they inherently felt superior.
"Young... master...?"
Lexie was smart enough to understand what had just happened. It was obvious from those eyes that she had already figured out the identity of this little chick.
"Stop."
She had already pointed her blade at the guide, Kiren, the one she considered to be the cause of the ordeal and an outsider.
"But master!"
Thankfully, the moment I ordered her to stop, her blade stopped right at the neck of the innocent young guide.
"He’s fine."
"But how...!"
"Lexie!"
She was trying to kill an innocent person just to silence him about the happenings of what had just transpired here.
But if she does that, the whole of my effort of saving a simple creature of this cradle would be for nothing.
"..."
She saw my serious eyes.
Waited until the flames all around my body had calmed down.
And then, she took a step back. Looking down at the ground with a bitter expression.
{ "Master?" }
Felix was confused about what had just happened. But I could explain those things to her later.
"I still can’t pronounce your name so I will call you Nix until I can, is that ok?" Looking at my first partner, the little chick that was still upset and emotional, I picked it up with both my hands and touched my nose with its little beak.
I couldn’t help but smile at the little creature.
"Thank you."
He saved me.
He may not have been there before, but he saved me. He did what he could. And thanks to that, I was here.
"I get to live once again thanks to you."
The tears of a phoenix are their life essence. They do not share it with just anyone.
It takes a tremendous amount of trust and connection for even a normal phoenix to share their tears. And, this one wasn’t even normal like the rest of those legendary creatures.
"Thanks."
He was still a kid at the end of the day.
He did nothing wrong.
"Chirp!"
Now if only he had hugged me back instead of poking my nose with his beak and running back to the tree branch, he would have seemed cuter.
"Haha, adorable."
We will need to work a lot more on our relationship, but at least we have taken a few steps forward in this relationship since coming to this cradle.
"Now then..."
But now it is time to get out of this place.
The commotion we caused was already too much, and more people were already approaching us so, instead of being in the center of a familial controversy, it was better to deal with this drama discreetly.
"Lexie, clean this up before they get here. Also, take in all of Abel’s guards. I have some questions they have to answer first."
"Yes, young master."
I didn’t have to tell her anything else.
Vines cleared the area. The ground where my blood had splattered was covered with a special kind of moist soil, and the bodies of the guards vanished.
Abel’s body vanished with the rest of them. But Lexie will make sure he gets back to the mansion.
Only the three of us were left here so I looked at the rest of the creatures and they understood what I wanted from them.
So...
-Booooooooooooooooom!
They started fighting.
And the commotion in the area grew further.
