The courtyard was bathed in moonlight, the towering spires of the academy casting long, twisted shadows across the cobblestones. The wind howled through the open space, carrying with it the distant whispers of the magic that clung to the ancient walls. Cendikia stood facing Aiden Drystan, his heart pounding in his chest, the weight of the Bloodline Curse pressing down on him like an iron chain.
Aiden's expression was cold, his eyes glinting with barely contained fury. He stood tall, his hand raised, and the air around him shimmered with a strange, otherworldly energy. It wasn't the familiar magic of the academy—it was something far older, darker, and far more dangerous.
"You think you've won," Aiden said, his voice sharp and cutting through the silence. "But I've found something far greater than what you could ever hope to understand."
Cendikia's fingers tightened around the ancient tome in his hand, the runes of the Bloodline Curse glowing faintly in the moonlight. He had been preparing for this moment, but the raw power radiating from Aiden made his heart race with fear. Whatever Aiden had discovered, it had given him strength far beyond what Cendikia had anticipated.
But Cendikia couldn't afford to hesitate. The system's warnings rang in his mind like a bell:
[Warning: Aiden Drystan has accessed forbidden magic. Immediate action required.]
Aiden took a step forward, the ground beneath him cracking under the weight of the dark energy swirling around him. His smile was cold, predatory.
"You see, Cendikia," Aiden continued, his voice laced with malice. "You've been so focused on weakening me, on breaking my connection to my bloodline, that you didn't even realize I was moving beyond it."
Cendikia's mind raced. Aiden had lost his bloodline magic when Cendikia had taken his ring, but now he had found something new—something far more dangerous.
"What have you done, Aiden?" Cendikia asked, his voice steady despite the panic rising within him.
Aiden chuckled softly, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement. "I've tapped into something the academy tried to bury centuries ago. An ancient magic they deemed too dangerous to use. But I've unlocked it."
Cendikia's pulse quickened. Ancient magic? He had read about such things—powers buried deep beneath the academy, sealed away by the scholars of old. Magic that could bend the very fabric of reality, but at a terrible cost.
The system's voice chimed again, urgent:
[Warning: Aiden Drystan's new magic is unstable. Proceed with caution.]
Cendikia's breath caught. He had come here to cast the Bloodline Curse, to cripple Aiden's connection to his family's magic once and for all. But now, with Aiden wielding a new, volatile power, the situation had changed. If Aiden's magic was as unstable as the system warned, this confrontation could end in disaster for them both.
But there was no turning back now.
Cendikia began the incantation, his voice low and steady as he spoke the ancient words of the curse. The runes on the tome glowed brighter, and the air around him crackled with dark energy. The Bloodline Curse was a powerful spell—one that would sever Aiden's connection to his very soul, leaving him powerless. But it was also a dangerous one, and if Cendikia faltered, the consequences would be dire.
Aiden's eyes narrowed as he sensed the magic building around Cendikia. "You really think you can stop me with that?" he sneered, raising his hand. The air around him shimmered, and the ground beneath his feet began to fracture, dark tendrils of energy snaking out from the cracks.
"Let's see if your cursed magic can handle this."
With a flick of his wrist, Aiden unleashed a torrent of dark energy, the force of it rushing toward Cendikia like a tidal wave. The ground trembled, the cobblestones shattering under the weight of the attack.
Cendikia's heart pounded in his chest, but he didn't stop. He couldn't. He had to finish the incantation. The Bloodline Curse was his only chance.
The wave of dark magic crashed into him, but as it did, the Ritual of Protection he had cast earlier flared to life. A shimmering barrier of dark energy sprang up around him, absorbing the brunt of the attack. The force of it sent him stumbling back, but the shield held.
Cendikia gritted his teeth, pushing forward. His voice rose, the final words of the incantation ringing out into the night.
"Let your bloodline be severed! Let your magic be undone!"
The runes on the tome flared brightly, and dark energy surged from Cendikia's hands, rushing toward Aiden like a snake coiling around its prey. The Bloodline Curse latched onto Aiden, sinking into his very essence, binding him to the spell.
Aiden's eyes widened in shock as the curse took hold, his body jerking as the magic coursed through him. The dark energy surrounding him faltered for a moment, the shimmering tendrils of ancient magic flickering.
But then, something went wrong.
Aiden's lips twisted into a smile—an unnerving, twisted grin. "You've made a mistake, Cendikia."
Cendikia's heart sank. He could feel it—the curse wasn't working as it should. Aiden's new magic was resisting the spell, warping it, twisting it into something far more dangerous.
The system's voice rang out, a sharp, piercing warning:
[Warning: The Bloodline Curse is unstable. Catastrophic failure imminent.]
Cendikia's breath caught as the curse began to unravel, the dark magic spiraling out of control. The tendrils of energy that had latched onto Aiden recoiled violently, snapping back toward Cendikia with terrifying force. He barely had time to react as the magic surged toward him, crashing into him like a tidal wave.
Pain lanced through his body, the force of the backlash sending him crashing to the ground. His vision blurred, and for a moment, everything went dark.
When Cendikia opened his eyes, he was lying on the cold stone floor of the courtyard, his body trembling from the aftershocks of the failed spell. The pain was excruciating, his health and mana depleted almost entirely.
Name: Cendikia Paramarta
Role: Scholar (Side Character)
Level: 3
Health: 5/100
Mana: 0/70
Stamina: 10/100
Active Debuffs:
Critical Mana Depletion: Unable to cast spells until mana is restored.Health Depletion: Severe damage from magical backlash. Recovery slow.Stamina Exhaustion: Reduced physical capabilities.
Cendikia gasped for breath, his vision still swimming. He had failed. The Bloodline Curse had backfired, and now he was left vulnerable, drained of all his power.
Aiden stood above him, his smile twisted with dark satisfaction. "Did you really think you could beat me?" he sneered. "You've only made me stronger."
The dark energy around Aiden flared, and Cendikia could feel the weight of the ancient magic pressing down on him. This was it. Aiden was going to finish him.
"Goodbye, Cendikia."
Aiden raised his hand, dark energy crackling at his fingertips, ready to deliver the final blow.
But before he could strike, a new voice cut through the tension.
"That's enough, Aiden."
Cendikia's eyes flickered upward, and he saw a figure stepping out from the shadows at the edge of the courtyard. Lira Calwyn. Her eyes gleamed with cold intensity as she moved closer, her presence radiating a quiet power.
Aiden hesitated, his eyes narrowing. "Lira? This has nothing to do with you."
Lira's smile was faint, but her voice was firm. "I disagree. You see, I've been watching you both for a long time. And it seems to me that this fight is far from over."
She raised her hand, and the air around her shimmered with magic. Not the dark, unstable energy Aiden wielded, but something else—something more refined, more controlled.
"Cendikia is still useful to me," Lira continued, her gaze flicking toward Cendikia briefly before returning to Aiden. "And I'm not about to let you destroy him."
Aiden's jaw tightened, but he didn't lower his hand. The dark energy still crackled around him, but now, with Lira standing between him and Cendikia, the balance of power had shifted once again.
Cendikia's mind raced, his body too weak to move, too drained to fight. He had failed to cast the Bloodline Curse, and now his life was in Lira's hands.