I awoke in darkness to the soft glow of a single candle and my ragged breathing.
I lay still for a moment, staring at the wooden rafters barely visible in the candlelight. My cheek throbbed where Elfriede had struck me, and a dull pain pulsed at my temples. Gingerly, I touched my face and felt a bandage taped across my left brow—likely covering a cut where a rock had hit me earlier.
With a wince, I sat up on the narrow cot. The infirmary ward was mainly quiet now, save for the occasional groan or cough from other patients behind their curtains. Through a small window high on the wall, I could see the inky black of night.
I rubbed my eyes, trying to collect my thoughts. My memory after Elfriede's slap was hazy. No doubt, the healers had sedated me or simply let me rest after that outburst. How long had I been out? It must be late.
My fingertips brushed the heavy bandage encircling my head. Beneath it, my skull ached fiercely. A tension headache pounded just behind my eyes, perhaps from stress, injury, or both.
Instinctively, I began to recall one of the obscure techniques Father taught me. There were pressure points on the body that could relieve pain—if you could find them. I remembered him lecturing me while prodding a wooden model of a hand: "For headaches, press the third joint of the middle finger… It promotes blood flow to the head…"
Worth a try. I brought my left hand closer to the candlelight and turned it palm-up. There was a slight indentation at the base of my middle finger, where it met my palm. In the dim light, it almost looked red, as if a tiny coal glowed under the skin. Had that always been there?
I swallowed and placed the thumb of my right hand against that spot. Then I pressed down firmly.
A sharp crack sounded from my knuckle, and suddenly a warm trickle began running from my nose. I jerked my hand away in surprise as blood dripped onto my gown.
Almost immediately, the vise-grip on my head loosened. The pounding in my skull receded, replaced by a cool relief washing through my temples, as if a fresh breeze had blown through my mind.
I let out a long breath. The headache was gone. The nosebleed was a small price—I snatched a bit of cloth from the bedside table and pinched it under my nose to stanch the bleeding.
As I did, a soft chime resonated in my ears. Startled, I looked up to see ghostly letters materializing in the dark air:
Status: The ❰Medusa's Curse❱ has been lifted.Essence +50
I blinked, hardly daring to believe what I read. The curse… lifted? Had I done it? The pressure point, the nosebleed, must have somehow purged the curse's venom from my system.
My heart racing, I clenched my hands. The faint phantom weight of the slave imprint was truly gone—I could feel freedom coursing in my veins. A wide grin slowly spread across my face. No more compulsion. No more leash!
I needed to be sure. Closing my eyes, I whispered, "Long live Chaos."