Evening arrived. The usual beautiful dusk sky was now covered by a layer of ominous clouds. A chilly wind blew softly but bit with cold.
Rudi stepped out of a sleek black car that had stopped in front of an old building, a place that looked like it came straight out of a bygone century. It was made of rotting wood, with parts of the roof caving in. Strange symbols were faintly carved into the walls—perhaps markings... or something darker.
Rudi got out, followed by two hesitant bodyguards. One of them whispered:
"Young Master... are we really going in there?"
Rudi didn't answer. He stared intently at the weathered wooden door. His entire body shivered—not from cold, but from the eerie aura, like being watched by something unseen.
He raised his hand to knock—
"Come in, young man."
A raspy, deep voice came from inside before he could even touch the door.
Rudi froze.
"Huh?" He glanced around to be sure.
No CCTV. No windows. No one outside.
He swallowed hard, opened the door, and stepped in.
The room was dark and smoky. The scent of bitter incense mixed with dried blood and metal hung heavy in the air. A dim yellow lamp dangled from the ceiling, casting light onto the wooden floor covered in strange symbols, ritual circles, and paraphernalia—glass jars with animal organs, wooden dolls pierced with needles, and manuscripts written in unknown languages.
In the center sat a middle-aged man cross-legged. He wore a dark brown hood and a long black ritual robe that covered his entire body. His mustache and beard had begun to grey, not too long but thick enough to obscure his mouth.
His eyes were sharp, black, and devoid of life. He stared straight at Rudi—as if peering into his soul.
"You want someone to suffer, don't you?"
The man's voice was low but echoed in Rudi's head.
Rudi flinched. He hadn't said a word yet.
"My name... is Daraka."
Daraka gave a faint smile and slid his hand over the table.
"Give me the name and... something of theirs."
"What do you mean?"
"Hair. Clothes. Personal items. Or... spilled blood. The more intimate the item, the stronger the curse."
Rudi took a breath.
"His name is Al. I don't have anything of his, just a photo."
Daraka paused.
Then stood slowly, his movements fluid like smoke, yet emanating unnatural strength.
"No problem. We'll start with a small curse."
Rudi nodded.
"How much will it cost?"
Daraka smiled—more a sneer than a smile.
"Cost? When the curse succeeds, you'll know what the price is."
"What do you mean?" Rudi grew wary.
"You'll understand once it's done."
Rudi hesitated, suspicious. But his hatred outweighed his caution.
"Fine. Just do it quickly."
Daraka nodded. He picked up a wooden doll, attached Al's photo, then carved curse symbols around it. Candles lit themselves, and a ritual circle formed.
"The curse... begins." Daraka threw a red incense stick into the center of the doll.
A black flame burst—then extinguished.
Daraka turned to Rudi with a blank stare.
"Be careful. What you've started... may not be stopped."
---
3:20 PM. Al's classroom at HIHS.
Outside, gray skies dimmed the light through the wide windows. It was the perfect setting for napping. Inside, the teacher's voice was calm but authoritative.
At the front stood Mr. Sebastian—history and literature teacher, about 28 years old—discussing "Poetry from the Old Empire Era" with a relaxed tone. He wore a neat yet comfortable suit. His eyes scanned the back rows...
There was Al, slouched in his chair. His eyes half-closed, fingers twirling a pen, mind drifting somewhere far beyond the clouds.
Sebastian gave a faint smile.
"If student Al would like to sleep," he said lightly without looking back, "please go ahead. We understand."
The class erupted.
"Sir! That's unfair!"
"Why does Al get to sleep?!"
"This is academic discrimination!"
Sebastian just shrugged, chuckling.
"Let him be. You all know how he is."
Al gave a lazy smile and nodded.
"Thanks, Mr. Teacher," he said, then laid his head down and started to nap.
But just as his eyes closed...
A cold energy crept in through the window.
Invisible to the naked eye—but sharp. Piercing. Like a presence trying to stab into someone's soul.
Sebastian, still at the front, instinctively grabbed a marker—and threw it at Al.
ZRAK!
The marker hit Al's head sharply. Other students thought it was a playful wake-up trick—when in truth, it was Sebastian's way of intercepting the dark energy targeting Al.
"Al, looks like your classmates don't want you to nap. Wake up."
Al opened one eye lazily. Then a voice echoed in his mind.
"Master, did you feel it?"
"Of course," Al replied telepathically. "But I figured you'd handle it, so I didn't move. But... why did you have to interrupt my sleeep Sebastiannn…"
Sebastian responded with mental laughter.
"Apologies, Master... I needed a reason. Can't have the students getting suspicious. Hehe."
Al sighed.
Then stood up and addressed the class.
"Sorry, everyone. Sorry too, Mr. Teacher. I haven't been able to control my sleep lately."
The class groaned.
"Lately?! You nap every day."
"Finally he got scolded."
Sebastian nodded calmly.
"Alright, kids, moving on. Today's assignment is..."
Al sat back down, eyes now fully open—but behind them, a flicker of suspicion glinted.
Who tried sending that negative energy here... and why now?
---
Back at Daraka's place.
Daraka, the dark magician and master of curse magic, suddenly convulsed. Sitting in the ritual circle, his body jerked violently.
"Ghh—ARGH!"
The blue incense flared wildly. One of the curse symbols on the floor cracked.
"WHAT!? Someone broke the curse!?"
His roar echoed through the smoke-filled room.
Rudi, seated nearby, flinched.
"What happened, Master Daraka?"
Daraka rose slowly, eyes clouded.
"That boy... Al... seems to have protection. Either a talisman or someone with great power."
"What? You sure? He's just an orphan kid—how could he—"
"Are you doubting me?" Daraka snapped.
"If I force it now, I could die. If you want a stronger, more accurate ritual... I need a piece of him. Hair, blood, nail... even saliva will do. Find it, and we continue."
Rudi gritted his teeth and nodded.
"Alright. I'll find it."
---
After the final school bell had rung and classes were over for the day, the school slowly grew quieter. The corridors emptied, footsteps faded, and only the distant chatter of students heading home lingered in the air.
High above, on the rooftop of one of the school buildings, two figures could be seen standing against the soft breeze of the late afternoon. The sky was dim and overcast, clouds stretching lazily as if refusing to give way to the night.
Al stood near the railing with his usual calm demeanor, his eyes wandering toward the muted orange tint that struggled to break through the heavy grey clouds. Beside him was Sebastian, ever composed yet alert, a loyal shadow to his master.
"What do you think, Sebastian?" Al asked in a casual tone, his voice carrying easily in the still air. His gaze remained on the cloudy sky, enjoying the refreshing chill that came with the weather.
Sebastian shifted his posture, leaning slightly against the guardrail, his chin supported by one hand as if he were lost in thought. "I am not entirely certain, Master. But one thing is clear—it was a curse. Judging by the direction and intent, the one who cast it was specifically aiming at you. Have you had any recent encounters with dark magicians?"
Al stepped forward until he was closer to the edge, his hands resting lightly on the railing. From above, he could see the stream of students making their way out of the school gates, their laughter and carefree movements contrasting with the weight of the conversation taking place.
"You already know how many dark magicians hold grudges against me," Al said evenly. "But none of them should have any knowledge of who I am in this so-called normal life. Which means the one who carried this out must be someone who knows me here, in this identity."
He turned his head slightly toward Sebastian, his eyes sharpening as his analysis continued. "From what I observed, the curse was of a relatively low level, but its formula was crafted with impressive precision. That suggests it was laid down by a professional. Which also means that stronger, more dangerous follow-up curses are very likely on the way."
Sebastian nodded, his agreement silent yet firm, acknowledging the logic in Al's deduction.
"In that case," Sebastian said after a moment, "it may mean someone with a personal grudge against you has hired a higher-ranking sorcerer. Do you already have someone in mind, Master?"
Al slowly shook his head. "I'm not sure. Could it be David? …Hmm, I don't know. Either way, it would be best if you looked into it further. Since your energy overlapped faintly with the traces of the curse, you should be able to track its source, right?"
Sebastian lowered his head, closing his eyes in concentration. A faint shimmer of subtle energy began to coil around his arm, flowing steadily before he extended his hand into the air. His palm brushed the invisible currents, seeking out what remained of the curse's residue. But after several long moments, he let out a quiet breath and shook his head.
"It's the same as before when I tried to trace it earlier. The curse is of a low tier, which means its lingering residue is faint and dissipates far too quickly. I'm sorry, Master, but I wasn't able to find anything substantial."
Al exhaled slowly, lifting his eyes back toward the shrouded heavens. "So someone is trying to play a game with me. I wonder who. Well…" his lips curved into a faint smirk, "whoever it is, fine. Let's play. I suppose it might actually turn out to be entertaining."
Turning to Sebastian again, his tone shifted to a more commanding register. "Just focus on your own duties," Al said with a calm but firm voice. "There's no need for you to get too deeply involved in this. Simply investigate whoever shows themselves and report the findings back to me. I'll take care of everything else. And… don't tell Michaelis about this. I don't want him making a fuss over something so trivial."
Sebastian's brows furrowed slightly, discomfort flickering across his usually stoic expression. For him, standing idle while his master moved directly was unthinkable. Yet he knew his master's words were not to be contested.
"…Understood, Master," he said, bowing his head slightly.
Al smiled faintly, his gaze drifting once more to the sky where clouds rolled endlessly above. After a pause, he spoke again.
"By the way, Sebastian… with your current stable energy level, do you think you could take on someone at the early stage of the Grandmaster level?"
The question caught Sebastian off guard, his eyes widening slightly as he processed it. "Do you mean… against you, Master? If that's what you mean, then even if I were at the Origin Level,, facing you would still be nearly impossible."
Al chuckled warmly at the remark. "Haha, don't exaggerate. I wasn't talking about me."
With that, he began recounting in detail what had happened during his time at the Virellano estate earlier.
Sebastian's reaction was one of genuine surprise. "Was the figure you encountered a normal human, or an entity like us?"
Al let out a low sigh of annoyance. "You speak as if we aren't normal humans ourselves. Well… though, I admit, calling ourselves normal humans is still rather difficult." He shook his head slightly and went on. "As for that being… I can't say for sure. It may have been like us, or perhaps something far worse. I couldn't get an accurate reading of its energy; something was deliberately obscuring it from me. But what I do know is certain—it was at the Grandmaster level."
Sebastian lowered his gaze, looking at his hands as if weighing their strength. "Right now, my stable energy has reached the middle stage of the Master rank in both martial arts and magician classes, though I remain only at the early stage for weapon-user class. With that stability alone, even Michaelis and I together struggled when facing Fahruk, who was in the upper stage of Master rank within the magician path. But if I were to go all-out… then yes, confronting a Grandmaster level wouldn't be impossible, Master. Only…"
"You don't need to finish that thought, Sebastian," Al interrupted firmly, his tone leaving no room for debate. "You and I both know the price people like us would pay if we were forced to go all-out."
Sebastian fell silent, his lips pressing into a thin line before he nodded solemnly in acknowledgment.
And just like that, with the weight of those unspoken words lingering in the air, another day came to its quiet end for Al.
---
Three days later.
Rudi slumped in exhaustion.
"Three days. And I still haven't gotten anything..."
A quick flashback showed Al and Rudi never crossing paths due to different schedules, Al's reclusive habits, and how he never left his personal items lying around.
Suddenly, Rudi remembered.
"David... yeah. He also had issues with that orphan. Maybe he can help me find him."
He immediately called David.
Scene shifts to David's room.
David was on a call, speaking with someone.
David smiled slyly as he listened to Rudi's plan.
"Nice, Rudi. I hadn't even thought that far. You really are my best friend."
"So, can you get something of Al's?"
David turned to glance at Nayala, who was getting ready for the evening.
"Just come to my house tomorrow. I'll take care of everything."
---