Chapter 10: The Curse They Fear
868 Words
The room stayed silent long after Zayn spoke.
“It belongs to the Dragon Clans.”
The words seemed to hang in the air longer than they should.
Irene stared at him.
“…Dragon what?”
Zayn did not answer immediately.
His eyes were still fixed on the worn document in his hand, as if trying to confirm it wasn’t a mistake.
Then he spoke quietly.
“An extinct lineage.”
Irene frowned slightly.
“Extinct?”
Zayn placed the paper back down on the desk.
“Long before the current kingdoms were fully formed, there was a race known for their mana capacity. Far beyond human limits.”
He paused.
“They were called dragons.”
Irene’s stomach tightened slightly.
“That doesn’t sound like something from a story.”
“It isn’t,” Zayn replied simply.
Silence followed.
The rain outside grew heavier.
Zayn continued.
“They were eliminated.”
Irene blinked.
“By who?”
Zayn’s gaze darkened slightly.
“Humans.”
That single word made the room feel colder.
Irene looked away.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
Zayn picked up the document again.
“It was a war,” he said. “Fear turned into control. Control turned into extermination.”
He paused.
“Royal knights. Noble families. Entire regions were involved.”
Irene stayed quiet.
Zayn finally looked at her.
“And the reason they were erased…”
His eyes lowered slightly.
“…was because their mana was unstable in human environments.”
Irene’s fingers tightened.
“Unstable?”
Zayn nodded once.
“Power that couldn’t be controlled. It corrupted surroundings. Affected minds. Even reality in some records.”
He paused.
Then added more quietly.
“That’s why anything related to them is forbidden.”
Silence settled again.
Irene felt something twist in her chest.
Unstable mana.
Voices.
Darkness under her skin.
She didn’t say anything.
Zayn watched her carefully.
Then he said something slower.
“When I saw your wrist…”
He hesitated slightly.
“…it matched their residual markings.”
Irene froze.
“Residual?”
Zayn nodded.
“That doesn’t mean you are one of them.”
A pause.
“But it does mean something connected to them is inside you.”
Irene’s voice came out quieter.
“So I’m cursed?”
Zayn did not answer immediately.
That silence was worse than a yes.
Finally, he said:
“That is the most likely explanation.”
Irene looked down at her hands.
A faint tremor ran through her fingers.
“So that voice…” she whispered. “That thing in my head…”
Zayn’s expression sharpened slightly.
“You hear it again?”
Irene hesitated.
“…Sometimes.”
Zayn exhaled slowly.
“That aligns with corruption-based mana residue.”
Irene let out a bitter laugh.
“So I’m just… broken?”
Zayn’s gaze snapped to her immediately.
“No.”
The word was firm.
Too fast.
Irene blinked at him.
Zayn paused slightly, as if recalibrating his tone.
“…That is not what I said.”
A silence followed.
He continued more carefully.
“If it were simple corruption, your body would not stabilize under external mana contact.”
Irene frowned slightly.
“You mean when you touch me?”
Zayn didn’t respond immediately.
That hesitation alone made Irene more uncomfortable.
“…Yes,” he said finally.
The room went quiet again.
Irene looked away.
“That doesn’t make it better.”
Zayn didn’t argue.
Instead, he turned slightly back toward the documents.
“There is a reason this symbol still exists in sealed archives.”
Irene looked up.
Zayn continued.
“It means this is not just history.”
A pause.
“It’s incomplete.”
Irene felt her chest tighten again.
Outside the room, something creaked faintly in the hallway.
Both of them stopped immediately.
Zayn moved first. He opened the door slightly. The corridor was empty. But this time, there was no obvious runner.
Just silence.
Too clean.
Zayn’s expression darkened.
“…We are being observed,” he said quietly.
Irene’s voice dropped.
“By who?”
Zayn closed the door again.
“I don’t know yet.”
He turned back to her. His gaze was sharper now. But there was something else underneath it.
Concern.
“Listen carefully,” he said.
Irene didn’t move.
Zayn continued.
“If this is a curse tied to dragon residue…”
A pause.
“…it will not stay dormant forever.”
Irene swallowed.
“What happens then?”
Zayn’s answer came quieter than before.
“I don’t know.”
That honesty made the room feel worse.
Not better.
Zayn stepped slightly closer again.
Not invading.
Just… steady.
“But until I understand it,” he said, “you are not leaving my sight.”
Irene frowned slightly.
“That sounds like an order.”
Zayn didn’t deny it.
“It is.”
A beat.
Then, softer,
“And a precaution.”
Rain continued outside.
Irene looked at him for a long moment.
Then quietly said, “I don’t like this.”
Zayn nodded once.
“I know.”
But he didn’t step away.
Neither did she.
And for the first time tonight,
The silence between them didn’t feel empty.
It felt… unavoidable.
- Writer
