Serina's body shuddered violently in my arms.
The air around her was freezing—sharp enough to sting my skin. Silver motes floated like dust suspended in water, flickering before fading into black threads that crawled under her skin.
"What happened to her?!" I shouted.
A servant stuttered, "S–She suddenly collapsed while cleaning the artifact room—"
Artifact room.
Why the hell was a maid inside a room full of dangerous objects?
"Move!" I barked.
I kept Serina close and rushed into the manor's guest hall. Beads of black sweat rolled down her forehead, sizzling when they touched the floor.
A middle-aged man wearing a scholar's robe approached. His hands glowed faintly with healing light.
"I'm the manor's physician. Let me examine her."
He placed his hand over Serina's chest—
—and instantly recoiled as if burned.
His palm was frostbitten.
"A curse," he whispered, horrified. "Not one I've ever seen… this is—this is a soul-gnawing curse."
Gasps filled the hall.
"That kind of curse went extinct in the First Era!"
"Even nobles don't dare approach such artifacts!"
"It eats the victim's memories first, then their soul—"
My blood turned cold.
Memories…
Michael's memories.
Serina's memories.
The missing pieces.
The blank moments.
The flashes of someone whispering Don't remember.
It all connected like jagged shards of glass.
"How long does she have?" I asked, voice shaking.
The physician swallowed.
"A few weeks… maybe days if the curse advances quickly."
My vision darkened at the edges.
A girl who lived two lives—
working, caring, laughing—
now had days.
No.
I wouldn't accept it.
"Is there any cure?" I demanded.
The physician shook his head. "Common magic can't touch this. You need an artifact… a legendary one."
"What kind?"
"A Null Sigil," he whispered. "One that can erase or rewrite divine influence. But even if you find one, touching it without permission is—"
He stopped.
Because everyone saw my face.
I wasn't afraid.
I was furious.
Serina's fingers twitched weakly. Her eyelids fluttered. "Mi… chael…"
"I'm here," I whispered.
She tried to lift her hand, but black veins shot through her arm, and she whimpered in pain.
That sound broke something inside me.
---
Rowan—the young noble who liked her—burst into the hall, dressed in luxurious silk.
"What's going on? Why is Serina—"
His eyes fell on her, then widened in shock. But beneath the shock was something else.
Guilt?
Fear?
Or—
I narrowed my eyes.
"Where were you?" I asked coldly.
He flinched. "I… I was out. Visiting my friend. Why are you asking—"
Because Serina collapsed in your house.
Because she shouldn't be inside the artifact room.
Because you confessed to her yesterday.
The dots lined up in a terrible pattern.
"Yesterday," Rowan said sharply, "she rejected me because of you. Everyone knows it. I don't need to hurt her to prove a point."
But his voice trembled.
People lie.
Curses don't.
And the curse on Serina felt too… deliberate.
Before I could accuse him further, the physician gently spoke:
"You may talk later. Right now, she needs to be taken to the University Hospital. Their scholars may delay the curse."
"Delay?" I snapped.
"Not cure. Delay."
Serina was dying.
And the doctors could only delay.
---
As the manor servants carried her on a stretcher, I walked alongside her, gripping her cold hand.
The black patterns on her skin pulsed softly, like something breathing beneath.
Every pulse made her wince.
"Michael…" she whispered again.
My throat tightened.
"You'll be okay," I lied. "I'm going to fix this. I promise."
She smiled weakly.
"You always… worry…"
Then her eyes closed as exhaustion pulled her under.
---
We reached the University Hospital—one of the largest magical research buildings in Lumeris.
The doctors rushed her inside, and I waited outside the glass window.
Allen arrived minutes later, running so fast he nearly fell.
"What happened?!"
"An artifact cursed her," I said quietly.
Allen's glasses slipped down his nose. "Impossible… commoners aren't allowed near those."
"Exactly."
He swallowed.
"So now what?"
I looked at Serina through the glass.
Her breathing was shallow. Her body trembling. Her memories dissolving.
"I need to find the one thing that can cure her," I said.
"And what's that?"
I clenched my fists.
"A Null Sigil."
Allen's face drained of color. "Those are legendary… sealed, lost, or guarded by high-ranking clans. You can't just walk up and ask for one."
"I don't care."
"Michael… you're a commoner. You have nothing. How will you—"
I didn't let him finish.
"Then I'll stop being nothing."
The glass reflected a version of me I didn't recognize—
hard eyes, clenched jaw, a will forged from desperation.
Serina needed me.
And I would burn the world before letting her die.
Even if I had to confront nobles, ancient artifacts…
…or the truth behind Michael's missing memories.