Pain.
That was all Aiden knew.
Not the stub-your-toe-and-scream kind. This was molten glass in his veins, fire chewing his bones, nerves screaming like faulty wiring.
He hit the marble floor, convulsing. His fingers curled into claws that weren't entirely his choice. His reflection stared back at him—pale face, hollow eyes, and sparks crackling inside them like storms trying to get out.
"What… the hell… is this?" His voice came out shredded.
No reply. Just the library looming, endless shelves breathing in silence. Except—
something else throbbed inside him.
A rhythm that wasn't his.
A second heartbeat.
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
And then he realized—
it wasn't a sound.
It was a word.
Engraved.
Violet lines blazed across his chest, curling into runes that burned and glowed like molten tattoos. He clawed at them, panicked, but his hand passed right through. Not scars. Not ink. Something deeper.
Written onto his soul.
The whisper slid back into his skull, smug and sharp:
"The Curse of the Reader is yours. Read, and take. Read, and live."
Aiden shook his head violently.
"Get out of me! I didn't sign up for this DLC!"
The library answered with laughter—shelves rattling, chains clinking, books quivering like they were in on the joke.
The marble cracked under his feet. Black smoke surged upward, weaving into a vast door.
Trial time. His gut knew it. He wasn't just cursed—he had to survive it.
The door groaned open, sounding way too much like torn flesh, and beyond it stretched a void. Floating shelves. Fractured stone. Lightning storms made of words, phrases spinning endlessly like galaxies of ink.
"Yeah, totally normal," Aiden muttered, swallowing panic. "Just a casual stroll into word-hell."
But the curse didn't care. The runes flared, chains dug into his bones, and dragged him step by step inside.
The library vanished.
The void howled.
Platforms drifted in endless dark, sparks of violet lightning snapping across the emptiness. And in the center—
a pedestal.
On it lay a page. Torn. Bleeding shadow. Waiting.
Every instinct screamed: Nope. Nopenopenope.
The whisper hissed:
"Read it… and live."
"I'm not your puppet!" he shouted, fists trembling.
The storm didn't care.
A spear of violet lightning ripped down from the sky, slamming into his chest. His body arched, runes flaring, nerves short-circuiting. He screamed until his throat gave out.
His veins lit like neon conduits, carrying raw power no human frame should survive. Blood boiled. Flesh split.
"Accept, or perish."
Another bolt ripped through him, and his vision blurred. His body was tearing itself apart.
And then—
the page pulsed.
Glowing. Calling.
Instinct beat fear.
Half-blind, he staggered forward, hand outstretched. Lightning threw him onto the pedestal, and his fingers brushed the page.
Silence.
The storm froze. The void went still.
The page melted into his hand like liquid ink, crawling up his arm. The runes rearranged themselves, fusing into him.
A voice thundered inside his head:
[Curse Skill Acquired: ⚡ Chain Lightning Lv. 1]
He collapsed, twitching, sparks dancing beneath his skin. Couldn't move. Barely breathing. But alive.
"Good, little Reader," the whisper purred. "One page, countless more to go."
Aiden's chest heaved. His fingertips spat violet sparks. He let out a broken laugh.
"...I survived. Somehow."
The void shuddered like it found that funny. Platforms cracked. And above the storm, eyes opened—dozens, hundreds, glowing red.
Watching.
The second trial was already waiting.
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Author's Note:
🔥 First curse skill unlocked! ⚡ But you know Webnovel rules—no free power. Every skill comes with a price 👀 If you enjoyed watching Aiden nearly get BBQ'd, drop some comments, power stones, and collections to keep the trials coming. Your support = my caffeine budget 🙌
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