427 Fragmented Memories
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Compared to Furoh, I’ve had a good life. Despite the battles and the challenges I’ve had, wouldn’t my life be thousand times better than him? If not a millionth times better... While he suffered in the coldness of the world, stomped like a bug, I was sleeping in my warm bed and loved by my parents.
While he ate trash and cried every night, I ate delicious food and laughed with my family. While he suffered and barely survived every day however he could, I continued growing stronger with the help of my parents and my own talents... It is an entire world of difference.
“I think I could...” I sighed. “It is nothing compared to what he had gone through.”
“Sylphy... You’re willing to go so far for him?” She asked.
“Of course... I am willing to do it because he’s my friend.” I said with a smile.
“Sigh... Don’t worry. Because your System is Glitched, the Curse itself wont affect you as much, actually. Do you remember how the venom of that woman didn’t killed you due to the glitched system as well?” She asked.
“Right... Can you modify this curse like I did with the venom?” I asked.
“...I could make a few changes, if we spend the last 100k EXP you have, I think we can do something. But first of all, you must absorb the curse first.” She said.
.....
“Very well then... Furoh, don’t worry. You won’t have to suffer anymore now.”
I slowly walked towards the monstrous curse, and pointed my hand at it, touching it gently.
Immediately, I felt a strong shock hit my entire soul, darkness began pouring into my hand, as if it were a deadly infection.
“Nnngh... T-This hurts a lot...” I muttered, resisting the pain.
The curse’s eye looked at me with surprise, as if it could even speak. Is this thing somehow alive? But it’s a curse... isn’t it?
“How interesting...” It suddenly spoke.
“Huh?!”
“What kind of kindness does bring you to take upon the curse inflicted into somebody else, girl?” It spoke again.
“I want... I want to help my friend. I don’t want to see him suffer because of this curse anymore. I know he’s filled with amazing talent... I just want to make him happy.” I answered firmly.
“I see... Hahah... Some say that the heart of the most gentle of people is actually the most selfish! To think that I would ever be able to witness such an egocentric, selfish, and rotten heart such as yours!” He laughed.
“Eh?”
“You take pleasure into helping others, don’t you?”
“...”
“You find happiness into seeing others happy, don’t you?”
“...?”
“You feel... superior, by helping those that are miserable and below you.”
“I...!”
“And you feel guilty because not everyone has enjoyed life as you’ve done, but at the same time, that guilt is born from your own selfishness, as you admit you’ve had a privileged life you’re so happy and proud of!”
“Stop! T-That’s not... what I am thinking!”
“You do! Hahaha! I can see directly into your rotten heart, little girl!”
“No... That’s not right!”
“It is! It is!!!”
“NO!”
FLAAASH!
“Unghh?!”
Suddenly, the power of Alice enhanced my absorption, as my mind felt clearer. For a moment, I almost fell to the Curse’s effect of lowering my own morale. The light coming from my soul continued to absorb the enormous curse, as I gritted my teeth.
“I don’t give a damn about whatever you think of me, you’re just a curse! I will help Furoh, and that’s the end of it!”
“W-What are you doing to me!? Agh! T-This is...?! You know I am not a mere curse, right?! I am... AKH!”
FLASH!
As the curse completely disappeared from Furoh’s Soul, a sudden darkness gathered within my Soul, and then, the System suppressed it as countless blue lines began growing over its entire body.
Ding!
[You have absorbed [Curse of the Hated and Untalented]
[You have exchanged 100000 EXP]
[You have permanently modified [Curse of the Hated and Untalented] into [Curse of the Devourer of Darkness]
Devourer... of darkness?
“This is the most I could change from it! This thing’s nature is too obscure for me to change it into anything remotely positive, so I had to go this way... Sylphy.” Alice apologized.
“No... it’s fine.” I said.
I felt no different than before, in fact. And the curse itself seemed to be not even inflicting any damage to my soul either now... What is this Curse even? Was this really a curse?
“Nngh... My entire being has changed! Just what did you do to me!?” He roared furiously.
“Who are you? You’re not a curse, are you not?” I asked.
“Tch...”
“If you don’t talk, I’ll just peer at your soul anyways!” I said, as I flew toward his body while he was floating in the middle of my soul scape.
“W-Wait... Stop!” He roared furiously.
FLASH!
Suddenly, several memories of this “Curse” emerged within my mind.
What I saw was... fire.
A village set on flames.
People screaming and running away.
A single mother holding a child in her arms.
These people’s skin was as red as blood.
A sense of despair suddenly tried to take over my heart.
“Everything... everything is lost...”
“We have to run...”
“We have to survive!”
The memories changed once more, flashing through.
Suddenly, I saw a small red child slowly walking through the forest.
Is this the baby from before? He was wearing clothes made of animal pelt, and only held a very rough and rusty knife with himself, while carrying small rabbits with his other hand.
As he slowly walked into the cave where his mother waited him every day, he suddenly found a different sight.
“M-Mother...? MOTHER!”
The child ran as fast as he could, finding his mother lying over the floor of the cave, covered in wounds made by weapons, everything inside the cave was pillaged, and the scent of humans covered the place, and his mother’s body.
Tears flowed through the boy’s eyes, as he gritted his teeth, showing his sharp fangs...
“Humans... DAMN HUMANS!”
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