The sun was just beginning to rise as Dera and Adaora made their way deeper into the Azure Sky Sect's sacred grounds. The air smelled of pine and fresh earth, but Dera could not shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at him. The trial had been difficult, but something far more troubling had been brewing in the back of his mind ever since his encounter with the Ebube Spirit Stone. The visions he'd seen—the shadowy figure, the whispers of destiny—had left him with more questions than answers.
As they walked, Adaora spoke. "There's something you should know about your lineage, Dera," she said, her voice unusually somber. "It's important if you're to fully understand the path ahead."
Dera stopped in his tracks. "My lineage?" he asked, his heart pounding. He had always known little of his family's past—his parents had kept their history a closely guarded secret.
Adaora paused, turning to face him. "Your family carries a curse, Dera. A curse that has plagued the Okafor Clan for generations. It is tied to the power of the Ebube Spirit Stone."
A cold chill washed over Dera. "A curse? What do you mean?"
Adaora hesitated before continuing. "The Okafor Clan was once a proud family of great cultivators, but long ago, your ancestors made a pact with an ancient, dark force in exchange for power. The price of that power was steep. The curse was placed upon them, and it has passed down through the generations, waiting for someone with the bloodline to awaken the stone's power."
Dera's mind raced. "But why me? Why has it chosen me?"
"You are the key," Adaora said, her voice grave. "The stone has always chosen a blood descendant to carry its power, but the curse will follow you. With the stone's awakening, it will seek to consume you, to drag you into darkness, just as it did with your ancestors. Your destiny is tied to the stone, but so is the curse."
Dera clenched his fists. "I won't let it control me," he vowed, though uncertainty lingered in his heart.
Adaora's eyes softened. "You will need strength—more than you can imagine—to break the curse and prevent the stone from consuming your soul. But for now, you must focus on training and mastering the stone's power. The path will not be easy, Dera, but it is your only choice."
With that, the weight of his family's dark past pressed down on Dera's shoulders. The battle ahead would be more than physical—it would be a battl
e for his very soul.