PH1RE'S P.O.V
The letters hovered in the air, glowing faintly against the dim backdrop of the cathedral. My heart pounded in my chest, echoing the timer counting down at the top of the screen.
SUICIDE SPELL SERIES
Description: The user is incapable of externally gaining any spell or skill. In addition, the spell series shall not grant any spell except for the default spell provided for the series. Finally, the user is required to use the default spell a minimum of ten times a day, or their heart will stop beating.
Timer: —23:59:12—
The seconds ticked away, each one pulling me deeper into the grim reality of my situation. I stared at the words, hoping they might somehow change or that I'd wake up from this nightmare. But they remained the same, cold and unyielding, a cruel joke by the gods.
"What… What is this?" I whispered to myself, though I already knew. It was right there in black and white, a death sentence wrapped in a neat little package.
It wouldn't have even been that bad, if it wasn't for the damn default spell.
'This can't be happening, not again'
My breaths grew shallow, and trying to fill my lungs with air became a futile attempt. The smell of smoke began to creep into my senses, and I realized that I was having a panic attack.
'Not again! Not again! Not again! Not again!'
I repeated in my head as my chest tightened. Everything felt cold, and my vision started to blur.
A sharp voice cut through the fog of my thoughts. "Young man, what spell series did you get?" the Archbishop asked again, his tone tinged with impatience.
"I... I" I stammered as my vision went dark, I felt lightheaded, dizzy. I looked towards Sister Claire, Aiden and Maya but I couldn't see anyone and then I lost consciousness.
"AIDEN! AIDEN! AIDEN!"
—————————————————
What's the opposite of Love, hate or indifference?
Honestly, does it matter; different people will have different opinions. It's something you eventually learn, my opinion on the other hand is neither of the two. To me the opposite of love is fear, at least that's what it feels like to me. But fear is what keeps me safe, it's what kept everyone safe. FROM ME
But it doesn't matter.
When I finally came to, the first thing I noticed was the smell—a sharp, medicinal scent that made my nose wrinkle. The second thing was the softness beneath me, signifying I was lying on a bed.
Bright light flooded my vision, and I squinted against the harshness of it. I was lying on something soft—a bed, I realized—and I could hear muffled voices around me.
"He's awake!" someone exclaimed, relief evident in their tone.
The voice was familiar, though my mind was too foggy to place it.
I blinked several times, trying to focus, and slowly the room came into view. I was in a white room and looking to the wall I saw the familiar cross and swords logo which made me conclude I was probably in Adrian's room
Maya was sitting beside me, her face etched with worry. Sister Claire stood at the foot of the bed, her expression a mix of concern and something else… pity, maybe?
"Hey," I called out weakly, extremely tired for some reason.
"Are you okay?" Maya asked, leaning closer.
"You collapsed after your revelation," Sister Claire added.
"I'm fine," I lied, trying to muster a smile. "Thank you, Sister.
"I didn't do anything, you weren't injured" she responded.
"Thank you either way," I said. She nodded, acknowledging my attempt at politeness.
So, where's Aiden?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"Oh! He's with his brother. He might get accepted into Cross and Swords after all," Maya said.
"Well, the Dragon series is pretty powerful," I commented.
"Depends on the dragon. Apparently, I got the String Spell Series. Unfortunately, it's not good enough to get scouted by a guild,"
"How unfortunate," I replied.
"What about you? What Spell Series did you get?" Maya asked, curiosity piqued.
"Maya, let's let Loid rest. Why don't you go tell everyone that he's awake?" Sister Claire suggested, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"But I'm just trying to keep him company," Maya protested.
"I know, but he needs to rest right now," Sister Claire insisted.
"Whatever you say," Maya muttered. She started to leave but then stopped and turned back around. "I almost forgot—here," she said, handing me a card-like item from her pocket.
"A talisman."
"Mana Sense. Everyone got one, and I'm not evil enough to steal yours," she said leaving the room before I could say thank you.
With Maya gone the room was extremely quiet, I didn't want to say anything but I hated long silences. It was obvious she knew something so it was better to get it over with.
"Do you know what my Spell Series is?" Sister Claire asked, breaking the silence.
"No, I thought it was healing" I replied.
"I have the Restoration spell, but my Spell Series is the Sacrifice Spell Series. For someone raised religiously, I couldn't have asked for a better spell—devoting my life to others, sacrificing myself for their sake. I can take someone else's defects onto my own body and leave them healed, no matter how bad it is. Unfortunately, I can have spells that heal physical wounds. So, anything else—poison, mental harm—ends up taking a terrible toll on me."
Before I could respond, I felt myself wrapped up in her arms. It was warm, especially in contrast to the cold air. "I've never felt fear like that in my life," she whispered, her voice soothing. "No one should have to feel that way, especially not a child. I'm not going to ask you what's wrong or what triggered it. I just want to tell you—it's okay now."
I don't know why, but being held like this, for the first time in so long, it felt like a dam had burst. Tears streamed down my face, and I began to sob uncontrollably, more and more, until I had nothing left to give.
"It's okay," she repeated, caressing my head.
I don't know how long I stayed like that, but when I was done, she left me to myself in the room, giving me time to arrange my thoughts. I willed it open, and my status window appeared in front of me, visible only to me.
The timer was still going, even while I was unconscious. Taking a deep breath, I read through the spell series once more.
SUICIDE SPELL SERIES
Description: The user is incapable of externally gaining any spell or skill. In addition, the spell series shall not grant any spell except for the default spell provided for the series. Finally, the user is required to use the default spell a minimum of ten times a day, or their heart will stop beating.
Timer: —19:47:23—
Default Spell:
Fireball: User can turn mana into fire in the shape of a sphere.
Level: 1
Spell Class: Beginner
Spell Type: Conversion
Now that I had calmed down, I could read without freaking out, although my heart was still pounding. I took out the talisman Maya had given me. These were magical items that allowed the user to learn a new skill instantly. It looked different from the game, but it probably functioned the same.
Following what we were taught, I tried to channel my mana into the talisman to learn the skill, just like the game explained—mix my mana with the talisman's and extract the skill. Unfortunately…
[ERROR!] [ERROR!] [ERROR!]
A sharp pain shot through my head, a migraine so intense I had to grip the sides of the bed to keep myself steady. The error message flashing before my eyes mocked me.
The conditions for the series were far too strict to be justified. This was definitely a curse. But by who? And why?
It doesn't really matter, I refuse to be scared again.
—————————————————
The door opened and multiple people walked in, although at their forefront was a boy with dark hair and brown eyes.
"Loid, you won't believe what happened. I got scouted by cross and swords, I'm going to be joining my brother can you believe it?" he said walking towards me with a smile on his face before registering my current situation and doing a complete 180.
"Loid, are you okay?" He looked at me with concern, his earlier excitement now overshadowed by worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine"
"Are you sure? I'm sorry for being inconsiderate" he apologized.
"It's fine, you were just excited" I responded consoling him.
"How are you feeling?" asked Adrian from beside his brother.
"I'm good now"
"Thank the gods. I've never seen anything like that happen before during Revelation, but as long as you're okay..."
"It's really okay. You're all worrying too much."
"Well, good to see you doing well. Let's leave him to get some rest," Adrian suggested.
"Huh? What are you talking about? Today is Aiden's last day with us. He won't be returning to the orphanage. Do you really expect me to spend all day here when we could be celebrating with a festival?" I said with a smile.
We all watched the festival as fireworks were released in the distance all the kids had their faces brightened in awe. All the kids had their faces brightened in awe, their eyes wide with amazement as they gazed up into the night sky.
"We really should be heading home, the roads and inns will be crowded tomorrow" said Sister Claire to Adrian.
"It'll be fine, I'll personally make sure you're all home tomorrow. Just relax Sister, stop being so tense" he said pulling her to sit down on the grass.
She resisted at first, but when Princess Edith ordered her to sit, she finally gave in, I'm still surprised it took that much.
"Look at that one!" Aiden exclaimed, pointing at a particularly large firework that exploded.
"It's beautiful," Maya said softly from beside me, her eyes reflecting the colors of the fireworks. "I can't remember the last time I saw something like this."
"Yeah," I agreed, though my voice lacked the same enthusiasm. I could feel her glance at me, but I kept my eyes on the sky, unwilling to meet her gaze.
She didn't say anything, but I could sense her concern. Maya wasn't one to pry, but she wasn't blind either. She knew something was bothering me, even if she didn't know what.
"Here, try this!" Aiden said, shoving a turkey leg into my hand. It was massive, practically the size of my head, and dripping with juice.
I took a bite, and despite everything, I couldn't help but appreciate the taste. It was rich and savory, the perfect distraction from my spiraling thoughts.
"Good, right?" Aiden grinned, tearing into his own turkey leg with gusto.
"Yeah, it's great," I admitted, taking another bite.
We stayed silent for a while before Maya spoke;
"So, this is it. You're going to live your dream, I'm going off to make a ton of money in a year and Loid is going to become a farmer"
"How did you know I was going to be a farmer?"
"Lucky guess" she answered shrugging.
"This might be one of the last days we see each together"
"Hey, calm down Maya. No one's dying"
"....."
"I know, but I still don't like it"
"That's weird, you usually don't care about anything that doesn't involve money"
"Hey, don't say that about me" she complained pouting.
"Besides, family is the most valuable thing there is" said Maya completely shocking the both of us.
"Who are you, and what have you done with Maya?" I joked, but she punched my arm in response.
"Ouch!"
"Anyway, you should calm down. It doesn't matter what happens, we're family" I said to myself but then felt a sense of déjà vu.
"Something wrong?" Maya asked, noticing my hesitation.
"No, I'm fine" I lied.
The festival went on for hours and eventually the exciting atmosphere started to wane.
"We should get going soon," Sister Claire eventually said, though her tone was much softer than before. "It's getting late, and we have a long journey ahead of us."
Although Adrian offered to accommodate us but Sister Claire said declined, and this time she ran as fast as she could before she could get ordered into accepting the offer.
And so, we all spent our night in the inn except this time I was one of those able to get the bed. Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep properly despite that.
"Loid, are you awake?" asked Maya on the floor.
"No" I answered.
"Sure doesn't sound like it," Maya replied with a chuckle.
I sighed, shifting slightly under the covers. The bed was comfortable enough, but as usual sleep was difficult for me.
"What's on your mind?" she asked.
"I should be the one asking you that, you're suspiciously trying to get involved with other people more than necessary"
Maya wasn't someone who was cold or aloof per se, but she tended to mind her own business unless it had to do with money.
"I'm just..." she started but trailed off.
"You didn't seem like you after you woke up, I know how to take a hint. Something's wrong with your spell series isn't it" she said hitting the nail on the head.
She always was extremely direct.
"Yeah!" I responded after a pause.
"I know it's not something you want to share, but I guess trying to figure it out today opened up a curiosity I normally don't have and made me realize I know next to nothing about you. Maybe even less than you know about me, I never asked you before but, what's your dream....."
"...."
"Loid"
"I don't know. I really don't know"
—14:53:12—