The Forbidden Curse (34)

The next day after the previous events that took place in the royal capital, Airson was recuperating from the safety of his home.

Various places in Arbok City were completely destroyed, but luckily, there were no casualties resulting from the battles.

Airson's body was completely wrapped up in bandages like a mummy. Most of his body was burned from his fight with Anubis. But he could still manage to walk around.

Wearing a white shirt and white shorts Airson went outside to get some sunlight. He brought a black ultraviolet-proof umbrella to protect his skin.

Not too long later a carriage pulled in front of his house. Nigel opened the door and hopped out, then helped what seemed like a woman in a hooded coat step out of the carriage as well. They walked up to him.

"Hey, Airson, glad to see you doing well!" Nigel said.

Airson nodded his head. "Yeah, you too. Come on inside."

Airson led them to the living room. Miraka and Pachi were sitting down on one of the couches talking. "Hi Nigel! And, um, who's this?"

The woman removed her coat. Everyone was shocked. "T-The Queen?!!" they said.

Nigel laughed nervously. "Yeah she came by my house and asked me to come with her over here. I still don't know what's going on."

"May I sit?" Emilia asked Airson politely.

He nodded. She sat on the couch opposite of Pachi and Miraka.

Nigel and Airson stayed standing. "I'm fully aware that all of you extended a valiant effort in protecting this city yesterday. I know you all have been curious to what has been happening behind the scenes."

The room was silent, all eyes were on Queen Emilia. She went on. "I have born a child without the need of a father. Her name is Athena, she is a full blooded goddess with a Saint's Blessing. This means that she will have the most potent healing ability in the entire world one day. To the far south of the planet, there are three countries that makes up the Seventh Order. The main one is Olympia. This is where Nyx and her army resides. Then there is Hampton and Gon. Travel to these countries is forbidden because we can not guarantee your safety going there."

Nigel held his hand up. "I've heard rumors about a fourth country under the Seventh Order. They say no one's been there."

Athena nodded. "Yes I have also heard of it. There's a landmass to the far west of the world named Arcania. No one has had access to that land other than Nyx herself and maybe some of her higher ranked peoples. They say human experimentation goes on there, but it's just a rumor as we have no proof."

Pachi put her hand to her mouth. "That's horrible..."

Athena continued. "A long time ago, a man by the name of Sirius died in a battle to keep Nyx from attaining her goal of world domination. He fought both Anubis and Nyx together. He was able to destroy Nyx's eyes, which were the source of her power."

Airson frowned in thought. *"There was a man strong enough to take on the strongest goddess and Anubis at the same time? That's gotta be insane."*

Nigel held his hand up once more. "If Nyx's eyes are gone, doesn't that mean she's vulnerable? Why haven't we invaded them yet?"

Athena answered him. "Ah, you see, Nyx is protected by the Three Phantoms."

"Phantoms?" Nigel said.

"Yes. Phantoms. I do not know their names, nor their power, but they are said to be stronger than any god on this planet. They rule the Seventh Order from the shadows while Nyx directs them. So invading would be impossible. We'd all be wiped out by them. But they won't necessarily invade us because they are waiting for a chance to achieve a healing ability strong enough to help Nyx regain her original powers. If they succeed, the world is doomed."

Airson wasn't even aware that Nyx's empire was so amazing. They stood no chance right now. "So what do we do now?" he asked.

"Well for now, you need rest. You're all bandaged up. But more importantly," Emilia pointed at Miraka and Pachi. "Why do I sense such a dark energy from these two? And you as well." She looked at Nigel.

Airson looked at them. He couldn't even tell. *"Her energy sense must be strong..."* he thought.

"We were up against a god named Anuk." Nigel said.

Emilia had a frightened look on her face. "You fought Anuk?!" She looked at Airson. "You did as well?"

Airson shook his head. "I fought Anubis."

Emilia looked even more worried. She stood up. "And you're alive?!!" she exclaimed.

"Well...yeah, but he let me live. I was completely outmatched."

Emilia squinted her eyes some. "A god of the underworld had mercy on a human?" She walked toward Miraka and Pachi. "Nigel come here, quickly."

He obeyed.

"The three of you, hold your hand out for me, right next to each other's. Palms facing up."

They did as they were told.

Airson watched from behind.

Emilia held her hands out over theirs. "Oh holy light, remove the darkness and reveal the truth!" Emilia's hands began glowing with a pure white light.

Nigel, Miraka and Pachi's hands lit up as well.

Then, a dark energy quickly rushed out of their palms, showing a black 'X' symbol inside a black ring with a glowing purple lemniscate (infinity sign) behind it.

Emilia's light faded, and so did the symbol. "Dear me..."

Emilia sat back down with a worried look on her face.

Airson was panicking. "What?! What's going on?! Tell me what's wrong with them?!!"

Nigel and the girls just stared at their hands in awe of what happened. They were all scared.

"Curse of the Dark King." Emilia said.

Everyone looked at her silently.

"But what does it *mean*?!!" Airson yelled.

Emilia was pale. "It's... a curse that slowly drains the life force of a person until they are forced into a comatose state where they won't wake up for an eternity unless the curse is broken or the victim is killed."

Miraka and Pachi grew pale as well. They looked down in silence.

Pachi had tears quietly streaming down her face.

Nigel had tears in his eyes as well. "But how do we break the curse?!!" he yelled.

Emilia closed her eyes. "A person with the dark powers of a god must cooperate and release the spell."

Nigel's determination left. He gritted his teeth and stormed out the door.

Airson's heart was racing now. He didn't know how to feel. "I'm gonna go find Anubis!!! He's the only one who can undo the curse right?!" Airson headed for the door.

"Don't do it!!" Emilia exclaimed.

Miraka stopped him at the door. "Don't do it Airson."

Airson had never seen Miraka like this. She was usually cheery or very emotional. But it looked like she lost all hope already. "He might have let you live but there's no way of knowing if he will help you or not. And remember that you can't just storm into the Seventh Order's territory."

Airson had tears in his eyes. "What are you trying to say, huh?!! Reesus and Katie are already dead! You mean to tell me to watch the rest of my friends die right before my eyes?!! Huh?!!!"

Miraka looked down. "No I'm not saying that!! But the world still needs you Airson. If we all die then there's nothing left!! She said we'll be in a comatose state, that means we won't die. There will be a time where you might find the answer. And we don't even know when our life force will be depleted. There's no rush."

Airson was crying now. "No rush?!! You three are all I have right now!! I've never felt more rushed in my life!!!"

Airson stormed into his room and slammed the door.

Miraka stood there, silently crying.

Emilia stood up. She put a hand on Pachi's shoulder, who was also crying silently and shaking from fear.

"I know you're scared. It'll be okay."

Pachi sniffed through her tears. "I'm scared...to die. I'm scared."

Emilia gave her a hug. "You won't die...Airson will surely find a way to help all three of you. I wish it could be me, but frankly I can't use dark energy."

Pachi cried into Emilia's shoulder, letting it all out. She patted Pachi on the back. "There, there. It'll be okay."

Miraka slowly walked to her room and closed the door quietly.

--

Roughly an hour later, Pachi was asleep on the couch.

Emilia walked to Airson's room door and knocked on it softly. "Airson, Pachi will be staying with me from today forth. I assure you her safety."

Airson let out a soft, dry "Yeah."

Emilia picked up Pachi and carried her to the carriage outside where her guard was also asleep awaiting her. She tapped him lightly. "Take us back to the palace, please."

The guard woke up. "Oh! Uh, right away your Highness."

The horses pulled the carriage back to the palace.

Airson was in his room staring at the ceiling. He thought to himself. *"Why can't there just be peace? Every time we overcome one problem, there's a larger one that follows up. Why is the world against me? First my mother, now all of my friends are being taken from me. I won't let it happen. Even if it's the last thing I do. Miraka, Pachi, and Nigel will absolutely not die. I won't give up on that."*

Airson could no longer cry. He was just, sad.

Somewhere else in an undisclosed location, Neo was heading into a cave.

He walked far inside until he came to a large metal door embedded in the side of the cave wall. He pulled on the handle.

The door opened with a loud metallic screeching noise. He walked inside and the door closed itself.

The other side of the door was no longer a cave, it was a stone building.

The stone walls were lit up with soft burning candles.

Neo walked down the corridor and made the second left. He entered a laboratory.

Mastermind was there, invested into his studies, mixing and testing various substances.

"Master. I'm back."

Mastermind looked over at Neo. "Ah. So you are." He turned back to his work.

"What are you doing?"

Mastermind talked while working. "I, am, working, on my most prized possession."

Neo was confused. "What are you on about? I thought you were going to give me a new ability?"

Mastermind chuckled. "Ah yes I was. But, change of plans. He is *breathing* now."

Neo looked over at the tank to the far back of the lab full of green fluid.

A body floated in the transparent liquid. "You mean..."

Mastermind smiled. "Yes...my angel is alive."

Neo frowned at the sight. "We don't need him. He'll get in the way. I'm more than enough."

"Are you now?" Mastermind said, deep in his work, paying no mind to Neo.

Neo stepped up closer to Mastermind. "I've killed a god. I've gained a new level of power now. Can't you see how strong I've become?"

Mastermind chuckled some more. "So you've went and became a God Killer eh? Well. That angel over there actually *is* a god. But I've fused him with cells from an angel that I went and did the labor of harvesting from a far away village in Hampton. He is already stronger than you."

Neo scowled at Mastermind. "*No one* is stronger than me."

Mastermind stopped laughing. He looked at Neo with a bloodlusted serious face. "A little over our head, aren't we?"

Neo backed off and left the lab.

He walked deeper into the hideout, headed for his room. "Just you wait and see. I'm going to become the most powerful man alive."

He went to his room and pulled out a little wooden box.

He opened it up.

There was a soft blue velvet interior that held a small vial of blue liquid. "You never knew I stole this. But you were so invested on your work at the time that you forgot all about this experiment here."

He opened the vial and drank all of the blue fluid.

"I'll show you that I'm the only one that matters here."