Grido watched as Akira, torn between curiosity and caution, was thinking what the young star would finally choose perhaps a weapon, maybe a dagger to go with his agile fighting technique, or maybe even some powerful artifact to further enhance his abilities?
However, what Akira did finally choose left him dumbfounded.
Akira's eyes settled on a small, lone box covered in glowing runes.
Inside was no weapon, armor, or typical magical artifact. Instead a artifact, it held a dark and haunting symbol—a tattoo-like design of a black and crimson eye, dripping tears of blood, encircled by flickering, ghostly flames.
The mere sight of it radiated an aura foreboding enough to send shivers through the air.
"I'm interested in this,"
Akira declared
Grido's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.
"That?" he inquired, stepping closer to Akira.
"Are you serious?"
Unfazed, Akira maintained his sharp gaze, fixed unwaveringly on the symbol.
"Why not?" - he replied simply.
Grido sighed, shaking his head.
"You don't understand."
"Even we don't know what that thing is fully capable of."
"We've only managed to uncover its name—Cursed Infernal Weep."
"And the way we got it…" Grido paused, his voice dropping.
"Let's just say it wasn't a victory we're proud of."
Akira's curiosity deepened.
"What happened?"
Grido crossed his arms, his expression grim.
"A man—a stranger—stumbled into the guild one night."
"He was no longer himself."
"His eyes were hollow , his movements carried an unsettling, unnatural rhythm."
"At first, we assumed he was just another desperate hunter seeking shelter, but it quickly became evident... something had taken control of him. He moved like a puppet—unnaturally strong.
"The harder we fought, the more his strength seemed to grow."
"Chaos erupted everywhere."
"Numerous hunters among us sustained severe injuries merely in their attempts to restrain him."
Grido's voice deepened with gravity as he pressed on.
"The guildmaster herself, Sylara, had to step in."
"She succeeded in defeating him, yet the moment he collapsed, his body began to convulse, and he… transformed."
"He became even more formidable, his power surging beyond control."
"However we think that his body couldn't withstand it."
"Ultimately, he… exploded."
"Quite literally."
"And when the chaos subsided, the only remnant left was this artifact mark."
Grido gestured towards the box
"We've kept it sealed ever since."
"We don't know its rank, its full effects, or even what it truly is."
"All we understand is that it's dangerous."
"I can't allow you to take it."
"Sylara wouldn't approve."
Akira didn't respond immediately. His eyes stayed on the symbol, the dark flames reflected in his irises. After a long silence, he finally spoke—not to Grido, but to the system in his mind.
"Identify it."
A moment later, the system's mechanical voice echoed in his thoughts, cold and precise:
[System Processing...]
[Item: Cursed Infernal Weep]
[Type: Curse]
[Rank: Unknown]
[Description: A malevolent artifact imbued with the essence of a lost and vengeful spirit.]
[Effect: Once activated, the symbol will imprint itself as a tattoo on the user's arm. This will grant the user immunity to all curse-based effects. Additionally, each instance of damage sustained will temporarily increase the user's strength by 2.]
[Caution: The spirit residing within this artifact is highly unstable and will attempt to take control of the user's body and mind upon activation. If successful, the user's life will be forfeit, and their body will become a vessel for the spirit.]
Akira's eyes narrowed as he processed the information. His thoughts were a mix of calculation and intrigue.
"Immunity to curses?"
"Temporary strength boosts with every hit?"
"Sounds useful… but a spirit trying to possess me?"
"Dangerous"
He glanced back at Grido, who was still watching him warily.
"Isn't that always how it goes?" - Akira thought.
"Every power has its cost."
"The real question is... is it worth paying?"
Akira clenched his fists, feeling the familiar resolve building within him. He had faced dangers before—monsters, dungeons, even death itself. A cursed artifact and a vengeful spirit?
It was just another challenge.
And he needed power—power to grow stronger, faster than anyone else.
"If this thing can make me stronger—even a little bit—I'll take it."
"I don't care what it costs,"
Akira's mind was cold, unwavering.
"If there's even a chance of fulfilling my vengeance, I'll rip through anything standing in my way. I will never back down when it comes to gain power."
"Not now. Not ever."
The darkness in his eyes reflected a promise. No step back. No hesitation. Just the relentless pursuit of strength.
"No spirit is going to take control of me."
Turning back to Grido, Akira spoke with a calm voice that resonated with unyielding determination.
"I'll take it."
Grido's expression grew tense.
"Akira, don't be reckless."
"This isn't just another artifact."
"It could—"
"I said I'll take it,"
Akira interjected, his tone brooking no dissent.
Grido hesitated, his instincts urging him to object.
Yet, something in Akira's eyes—a serene, resolute defiance—caused him to reconsider.
"Very well,"
Grido finally conceded, though a note of unease laced his voice.
"Just remember, I warned you."
With a deliberate motion, Grido deactivated the containment runes, allowing Akira to step forward, his hand extending toward the cursed mark.
Instantly, the air thickened, and the flames encircling the symbol flared as if they recognized their new target.
"Let's see what you're capable of,"
Akira murmured, a faint, fearless smile playing upon his lips.
As Akira's fingers brushed against the cursed mark, a surge of energy crackled in the air. A dark wave pulsed outward, swallowing the light from the room. Grido instinctively stepped back, his heart pounding as he watched the mark glow ominously.
The dark symbol leapt from where it was held, twisting like it was alive, and struck Akira's right wrist. It seared into his skin with a loud hiss as the red flames moved and settled in. The tattoo looked like what Akira had seen: a scary, dark eye crying blood and surrounded by fire designs.
But now it throbbed, alive, as if it was taking energy from Akira himself.
Pain shot through him like jagged glass.
Akira grimaced, his knees buckling slightly as he clutched his wrist with his left hand.
A scream tore from his throat—raw, primal, and so loud it reverberated through the vault.
Grido's blood turned ice.
"Damn it!"
Grido said sweat running down his face.
He tightened his fists scolding himself.
"I should never have let this happen!"
"What was I thinking?"
"He's strong, but he's still just a kid and that artifact eat's the mind and not the body!"
"I trusted him to much from the last perfomance"
"This… this was a mistake!"
At the same time, Akira's world fell apart. He could see less and less as darkness took over the sides of his vision. His body stopped following his commands his legs felt very heavy, and his arms felt strange. The pain grew worse, moving from his wrist up his arm like burning fire, taking over him.
He could hardly feel his heartbeat as everything went away.
"Shit did i rush it"
Then, there was silence.
When Akira opened his eyes—or what he thought were his eyes—he was not in the vault anymore. He floated in a never-ending, heavy emptiness, the air thick with evil and fear.
There was only darkness extending forever in all directions. A voice echoed—a deep, seductive laugh, cold and spooky.
"Finally,"
The voice purred, and from the void emerged a pair of lips, perfect and alluring, curled into a twisted smile.
They didn't belong to a body, just floating in the abyss, yet their presence radiated power.
"You arrogant brat."
"Because of your foolishness, I am free."
"Now… sleep,your body is mine."
Akira got angry right away, his teeth gritted in resistance.
"Shut up"
He shouted, his voice echoing in the emptiness.
"This is my body."
"Do you think you can take it from me?!"
The lips curled into a nasty smile.
"Oh, how funny."
"Such boldness… for a kid who doesn't even understand what's going on."
Suddenly, a shadowy figure appeared behind Akira—a ghostly presence that felt very evil.
The figure looked like a woman covered in complete darkness, her face unclear except for her bright, threatening eyes.
She leaned closer, her cold, ghostly hands touching Akira's head, and he felt a strong force press down on his thoughts like a tight grip.
"You are nothing," - The curse hissed.
"A mere mortal."
"Sleep now… and become my vessel."
Akira gritted his teeth, his fury a roaring inferno.
"Never," he growled, but the strength was draining from him.
He felt her grip tighten, suffocating his resistance. His body slackened, and his vision dimmed.
The last thing he heard was her triumphant laugh echoing as he sank into unconsciousness.
But then, the unthinkable unfolded.
The curse was now free and laughed wildly as it took control of Akira's body.
"Finally free!" - she said, her voice echoing in the air.
"This power… this body…"
"I'll—"
Her words stopped suddenly. A shaking went through Akira's body, followed by a strong pressure—an energy so powerful it made her quiet.
"What is this…?" - Her confidence weakening.
She tried to move, but she couldn't. The space around her changed and twisted, the dark emptiness becoming something different. The air felt thicker and heavier. A strong force pressed down on her from all sides.
"What… what is this place?"
She asked, her voice shaking.
"Where am I?!"
From the depths of Akira's subconscious, a new presence emerged.
It wasn't Akira—it was something far far more terrifying.
The void seemed to bow before it, the very fabric of reality bending to its will.
A shape started to appear in the darkness—a light figure with eyes that shone like two white suns. Its presence was so strong, a powerful force that made the curse seem tiny like an insect next to a god.
Something utterly unfathomable loomed before her, shattering the very limits of her understanding. She had no idea where she had wandered, no grasp of whose territory she had intruded upon, and no way to comprehend the immense power manifesting before her.
It was the entity that resided deep inside the boy's body.
"You thought you could control this body?"
"Who decided that?"