"Why are you doing this? Why did you decide to suddenly stand against Daniel?"
"Daniel is no longer my friend " Richard glared heatedly at his inquisitor. "Do you have a problem with us being enemies?" He asked.
"No....It's..just that h—"
"That what? He used to be my friend?!" Richard interrupted and scoffed. "Or perhaps you still have doubt about going on with this team. I can't blame you though, I know you like Daniel" Richard ratted, his tone full of derision.
"What? That's not true at all!" Anna was quick to deny the accusations. Her words said she didn't like Daniel, but her eyes and cheeks spoke differently. "I don't like Daniel, not anymore"
"Keep lying to yourself and you might just believe it. I've known you long enough to figure out you're lying. You're good at keeping your businesses a secret, but you're not very good at hiding your emotions. Your face is beet red"
"Enough Richard!" Stephen said with a sense of finality in his tone. "It's not proper to expose another's personal affair to the public "
"Don't tell me you're jealous!" Richard gasped at his own words. "Could it be you like Anna?" He questioned. Although he could see the serious look on Stephen's face, Richard still furthered his jokes. Neither of the two people beside him could harm him, but that wasn't the reason he continued to joke around. He had spent the past month living a life filled with only work and training, it wouldn't hurt to have a little bit of fun every once in a while.
"Are you certain your plan will work? Can you really convince them to assist us?" Stephen swayed away from the current topic.
"Isn't it bad to involve humans in the matters of sorcerers? We could be sentenced to death" Anna reminded.
"These people aren't ordinary humans. I've told you they're cursed people. Don't worry, I have the permission of the Elders to make use of them" Richard assured.
The three paused in front of an empty space. Neither of them could see what was beyond this empty field, but they could all feel the dark energy pulsating from it.
Richard stepped forward and thrusted his arm into the air. The entirety of his palm was engulfed by the rippling space between them and their destination.
"Reap and destroy, Abaddon" He chanted. A deafening explosion sound followed soon after, but there were no signs of damages visible around the entire arena. Forcefully, Richard pulled away his palm which was nothing but bones now. He then took his time to heal himself before gesturing for the others to follow him.
"What just happened? What did you just do?" Stephen asked on behalf of Anna who was seconds away from repeating the same question.
"I told you didn't I? These people are cursed" Richard answered as he eyed his surroundings carefully. "Without this seal, their curse will spread out to those of the outside world. The Elders contained them in this space, and had implanted the key in my right hand. Only the destruction powers of Abaddon can bring it down"
"Won't the curse spread to us then? Why exactly are we here if you know that?" Anna questioned. She was ridden with fear, and it was obvious.
"About that, you might want to wait outside Anna. The curse doesn't affect people of the Infernal judgement. If you get touched by one of them, there's no telling what might happen" Richard answered with a maniacal smile. A part of him wished he hadn't disclosed that information. He still hated Anna Jones, and a little part of him still wanted her dead.
"You should have said that from the start. Don't go leading people into their death!" Anna yelled at Richard who merely smiled. She took quick successive backward steps until she was sure she had gone beyond where the barrier started. Something had changed about Richard, was he always this maniacal before? What exactly went down between him and the other two? Anna was curious, but Richard would never answer her.
She just hoped that this would work, she wasn't planning on risking her life for nothing.
"What type of curse are we talking about here?" Stephen asked as they ventured into a tunnel engulfed in darkness. He had seen a few huts up ahead. But the only way to get to the civilization on the other side was through this tunnel.
"Nobody knows, and that's exactly why they're so dangerous" For someone who was older than him, Stephen was completely clueless about their clans origin and flaws. "All we know is that they're cursed, and it can be transferred to another person through blood ingestion" Richard educated. "A cursed person has brought death, sickness and even wealth to some people, that's why it's unsure of what they can actually do. Sealing them away was the best decision"
"How exactly did these curse people come to be? I mean who cursed them?" Stephen felt ashamed of himself for asking his junior this much questions. He should know better than they youngsters, but here be was dying of curiosity.
"Nobody knows, they're just anomalies that sprung out of nowhere. They can't reproduce, and they bore marks on their body. They used to be a part of the Infernal judgement centuries ago. However their powers was a threat to humanity, and risked the exposure of the sorcery world."
"Centuries ago, what on earth are you talking about? Aren't they all meant to be dead by now?" He was beginning to lose faith in what Richard sprouted from his lips. If they couldn't reproduce, then how on earth were they still alive till this very day?
"Didn't you hear me? When I said they bore marks on them you should at least have an idea of what I'm saying. These people aren't ordinary men and women! They're immortals, and we believe they are descendants of one man. Cain, they're all children of Cain"