Kingdom of Scot, Capital City: Eldergrove.
The sound of multiple carts, filled with goods and pushed by merchants, surrounded the market.
Morning sunlight poured down onto the city's streets, where people and merchants were dressed in the attire of commoners.
The women wore long dresses in shades of deep blue and red, adorned with simple lace and floral patterns, while the men sported waistcoats in muted greens and browns, paired with crisp white shirts and trousers.
They animatedly discussed prices and wares.
The smell of freshly baked bread and spices wafted through the air.
Merchants called out to customers as they passed, with sounds echoing from various intersections and corners.
Meanwhile, a group of people stood at the centre of the market, looking up at a young man on his knees, chained at his hands and legs.
His face was battered and bloodied, and the dark cloth he wore was tattered.
He had dirty, unkempt white hair that fell around his face, partially obscuring his eyes. His head was bowed towards the ground, while the crowd shared gossip about him.
A murmur rippled through the gathered townsfolk, voices filled with contempt and curiosity.
"I can't believe he sold us out like that," one woman exclaimed, her voice trembling with disbelief as she shook her head.
"He deserves whatever comes to him," a man grumbled, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his brow furrowed.
"What a fool! Did he really think he could get away with it?" another voice chimed in, disdain dripping from every word.
A small boy clutched his mother's skirt, peering out with wide eyes.
"What a poor soul, may God bless him," a church follower whispered, her eyes reflected a glimmer of pity.
'Why do they think I would actually be executed?' He feigned regret, but deep down, a twisted smile crept onto his face.
'Moreover, I didn't even commit... well, I didn't commit much. I can't say I didn't commit when I "mistakenly" sold the city's economic information to the Lian Kingdom in Southern England.
'Hehehe. That made me a nice sum, but it also landed me here.' The young man thought.
Recently, he had sold the most valuable information to the rival kingdom of his own land for a sum of money, as he wanted to treat himself to a "holiday."
But the moment he exchanged the information and collected the money just outside the kingdom walls, a few brisk walks away from the already vanished buyers, he was suddenly surrounded by firearms and spears pointed at him by the soldiers from the Kingdom of Scot—the land he was born in.
And that was how he ended up in this predicament; it had been four days since the initial incident.
'I didn't actually sell anything or anyone out; I gave them a fake document. It's not like I could get my hands on the real one, and even if I did, why would I be so foolish as to sell it for such a price when I could negotiate for a larger sum from both governments, collect the money, and still scam them!'
Suddenly, two figures appeared out of nowhere. They had used a teleportation spell, standing behind Caelum.
Everyone fell silent after their arrival.
One held a shotgun, directing it at his head; this man was the current local captain. The captain was in his mid-forties, with a rugged face marked by a few scars.
His dark hair was cropped short, and he had piercing blue eyes. He wore a weathered leather coat over a simple tunic and sturdy trousers.
The priest, around sixty, had a gaunt face with deep-set, sorrowful eyes. His thinning white hair framed his face, and he wore a long, dark robe adorned with silver embroidery.
Their demeanour towards Caelum was cold and unforgiving.
The captain's grip on the shotgun was steady, while the priest's expression was a mixture of anger and pity.
"Caelum, you stand accused of treason," the captain stated, his voice was resolute.
"You have sold your kingdom's secrets to the enemy. The punishment for such a crime is instant execution."
The priest nodded solemnly, adding, "You've brought shame upon us all. There is no mercy for betrayers, even in the hands of God."
Caelum remained silent on the outside.
Inwardly, he mused, 'What can I say? I'm already meant to die, even if I had never gotten into this; I have been cursed by the Graceless End anyway…'
...
The Graceless End is the most feared and mysterious phenomenon in all four kingdoms.
This curse transforms its bearers into killing machines against their enemies, drawing those foes to them with a relentless compulsion to either kill or be killed.
Those afflicted are known as the Graceless, and this curse emerged two hundred years ago, on the night of the first Golden Moon ever seen, its origins are shrouded in mystery.
The kingdoms have deemed Graceless individuals as threats to world peace, fearing that dangerous beings, distinct from the human race, might come for them.
Once cursed, the Graceless are bound to a life of flight, violence, and despair. Their powers stem from their emotions, with the intensity of their feelings determining their strength.
Unfortunately, two weeks ago, Caelum received a dream in which he was cursed.
He saw himself in a cracked mirror, his eyes burning red, as a mark of two serpents wove itself onto his chest, accompanied by a searing pain in his back as another mark began to form.
This was the rumoured way the curse manifested: the bearer would begin to turn pale and cold, as if death were imminent.
Waking from the dream in fear, Caelum was confused and frightened, ultimately resigning himself to his fate.
Having always loathed enduring hardship, he decided to go on one last peaceful holiday.
Stricken by poverty throughout his life, and now at the age of 18, he turned to "betray" his kingdom, feeling he had nothing left to lose.
...
As the local captain prepared his gun, loading the shotgun with double-barrel cartridges, he locked it and steadily rested the muzzle against Caelum's head.
At that moment, Caelum smiled.
The townsfolk below began to look away, some covering their children's eyes.
Suddenly, a sound echoed in Caelum's head, akin to a loud drum, sending a jarring pain through his skull.
His eyes reddened as he shook his head in agony.
The two figures stared at him, confused.
A burning sensation coursed through Caelum's back, radiating to his neck like molten lava. His limbs began to numb.
The priest noticed a red mark spreading across Caelum's neck, two serpents intertwining and opening their mouths wide as if to bite.
Panic surged through him as he recalled that the manifestation of the Graceless End curse was very similar to this.
He ordered the local captain to execute Caelum immediately, but the middle-aged man was too bewildered to act.
"I said kill him! He has been cursed by the Graceless End!" the priest shouted again, snatching the gun from the captain's hand.
His hands trembled as he hastily aimed it at Caelum's head.
The pain in Caelum's head became unbearable until, suddenly, strength surged through him, compelling him to break free from his chains.
Crack... crrr... crack... crack.
The chains began to splinter as Caelum pulled against them, his eyes glowing red; that same light escaped his gaze, turning everything he saw to crimson.
'What is this pain? It's killing me, I can't—'
"Ahhh!!!" he cried out in agony.
A faint flicker of light appeared before Caelum, a burning inferno taking the shape of an incomplete square.
A mechanical sound tore through his mind.
[Welcome, Fledgling.] You're now a Graceless!
[Prepare to kill or be killed!]
His eyes widened in shock, but soon after, his end came...
Bam!
The priest fired the bullet, the force of the gun causing him to fall to the ground as the weapon flew from his hands.
The bullet pierced through Caelum's skull, sending blood splattering.
A red hole appeared at the back of his head, the blood spreading through his white hair as his body thudded to the ground, lifeless.
…
[Thraxs]: Undead - useless.
[Class]: Cursed One - locked.
[Entering your Subconsciousness.]
[Location]: Fallen Land.