The sky was hazy, streaked with silver clouds and faint stars. The roof of our apartment complex overlooked the city. In front were the many residential buildings and complexes. In the distance, Dalton Academy. Looking to the far left were many towering buildings.
I sat alone at the edge of a stone railing, arms resting on my knees. The bandages around my right wrist were looser now—beneath it, a faint, pulsing heat shimmered like coals. I didn't flinch when I heard footsteps behind me.
Adrien climbed the stairway and opened the door. He had a takeout cup of hot tea in one hand and a book in the other.
"Figured I'd find you up here," Adrien said, handing me the cup.
I took it, eyes still on the stars. "Didn't even know I needed this."
Adrien shrugged and sat behind me. "You've got that look again."
I chuckled weakly. "Which one?"
"The 'I just punched a goddess and might've liked it' look."
Silence settled between us for a few moments. Then, I spoke, voice low;
"During my first session with Regalia... She said something's wrong with my flame."
Adrien turned his head, listening.
"She said it shifted mid-fight. It turned black... like it wasn't mine."
Adrien frowned. "Yeah, I've noticed it before... since that day."
I turned to face him. My face was worried. "Really? It's happened before?"
Adrien nodded. "...Yeah, after you and the girls were... immobilized... after they took Lia... after they killed Cynthia..."
There was a pause.
"You turned. It was like a demon had completely warped you."
My eyes widened. "...I don't remember any of this... why haven't you told me?"
Adrien shrugged while shaking his head. "...I didn't know if I could..." He looked me dead in the eyes. "It was terrifying, Daniel."
The air felt thick with tension. I said the following words carefully.
"...What happened after? After... I changed?"
Adrien's eyes narrowed. "You went crazy."
Adrien explained to me that day again. This time, he left nothing out. After seeing Cynthia pass, I held her tightly. Then, my body warped. I turned into some form of a demon. I ran as fast as I could to the people who took Lia. They sent men after me... but I killed every single one of them...
I don't even recall their faces. Nor what I did. Adrien further explained that my father beat me to a pulp just to get me back to normal. That must've been traumatizing for my father. I remember waking up in a bedroll with bruises and sharp pains in places I didn't even know I had been hit. I thought maybe it was just from the adrenaline that I didn't feel it.
I clenched my fist around my mark. "Whatever it is... It's still there."
Adrien's voice dropped to a whisper. "Yeah. And it's waking up again."
We sat in silence again. Then Adrien exhaled and stood up.
"Okay. So only you and your family know about that mark, right?"
I turn to him and nod.
"Alright, then, we're doing this my way."
I blinked. "Which is...?"
Adrien offered a hand. "The library."
I stared at him. "...really?"
"What?" Adrien said.
"You think we're the first weirdos in this place with a cursed hand and unstable element? Dalton's been training mercenaries, freaks, and prodigies for decades. If there's something buried in history about marks like this... It'll be there."
I took his hand and stood. "You sure we won't get caught?"
Adrien smirked. "Caught? Probably, but we're doing it anyway."
It was late—very late. We snuck into the academic building and made our way to the library. The massive double doors creaked open slowly under Adrien's focused push. The library was vast—more like a cathedral than a study space. Most students never went beyond the main floor.
But Adrien knew better. We moved past the general archives and down a spiral staircase behind a concealed panel—one Adrien had found when he was 'accidentally skipping class.' The Restricted Wing was dimly lit and silent, lined with old tomes, sealed scrolls, and thick grimoires bound in leather or scales.
I ran my fingers across the spines. "You sure we'll find anything?"
Adrien was already at a terminal, typing fast. "Looking now. Keywords: elemental corruption... sigil-based mutations... branded users... ah—here." He pulled a dusty volume from the shelf."
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"Unclassified Marks and Forbidden Bloodlines."
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I took it, flipping through it. The illustrations showed glowing symbols like mines—some on hands, foreheads, or spines. They were tied to events where elemental users lost control... or unlocked something far more dangerous. I paused on a page showing a familiar design.
The caption read:
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"Flame-corruption markings, often dismissed as birth abnormalities, are occasionally recorded among Elemental wielders who experience sudden affinity changes or cursed resonance. These cases have been historically linked to ancient 'Sealing Brands'---runes left behind by entities long banished from Gaia's domain."
I swallowed hard.
Adrien looked over my shoulder. "Sealing brands... like someone put something inside you."
I closed the book slowly.
"Or like... something's trying to get out."
We stood there, the silence thick with realization. Whatever I was... I wasn't alone. Not in the school. Not in the world. And maybe not even in my own body.
The dim light from the overhead sconces cast long shadows across the marble floor. Dust hung in the air, catching in the shafts of light between aisles of ancient texts. The old book between Adrien and me lay open, revealing sigils disturbingly similar to the one etched in my palm.
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"The Four-Seal Curse: Theoretical bindings placed upon avatars of chaos. Referred to in obscure dialects as 'Gatekeepers.' Four at a time. Always four."
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I could feel my blood run cold. "Gatekeepers..." I muttered under my breath.
Adrien flipped the page, scanning more feverishly. "Look—there's a diagram. Four marks, each located on a different part of the body. Hand, chest, heart, legs. It's a containment system, like a living lock."
My brow furrowed. "But what are we locking in?"
Before Adrien could answer, a soft voice cut through the silence behind them.
"Well, well... Late-night study session?"
The book slammed shut. Both of us spun around.
A girl stood a few paces away, her long white coat draped over her pajama set, hair tied up in a messy bun, and a sleek datapad in one hand. Her eyes gleamed beneath the lenses of her glasses.
Adrien coughed. "Vivian—hey. Didn't hear you come in."
She gave a knowing smile. "Clearly."
I stepped slightly in front of the book. "We were just doing some independent research."
Vivian raises a brow. "In a restricted wing. After hours?" she retorts.
Adrien grinned awkwardly. "Curiosity doesn't sleep."
"So it doesn't..." she says as her gaze flicks to the book's title, still partially visible on the desk.
"You do realize students aren't allowed down here without faculty clearance?" she asked, stepping closer. "Let alone flipping through blocked texts on curse theory."
I kept my tone casual. "It's just... interesting. I've always wondered how elemental corruption worked."
Her eyes narrowed at me. "You're Daniel Reyes, right?"
I blinked. "Yeah."
"I've heard of you," she paused. "You're the guy who fought off that creature during the simulation. The one Malik called 'efficient.'"
Seriously, how are people finding out about this stuff?
I shrugged. "I just did what I had to."
Vivian's gaze returned to the textbook. "Anyways, that's a restricted book. Not many know where to find it."
Adrien offered a thin smile. "Guess you're not the only one who knows how to sneak around the faculty system."
She smirked while placing her datapad on the table and tapping a few keys. "Not sneaking. I have clearance to access some of the sealed records, courtesy of my father's... overbearing generosity."
She raised her datapad and let it scan the room. The walls briefly shimmered, recognizing her permission. A soft chime confirmed access.
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ACCESS GRANTED: USER DALTON, VIVIAN.
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I stayed quiet, watching her with cautious curiosity. She was Vivian Dalton, one of the Dalton twins and the daughter of Alexander Dalton, one of the old families whose last name the city is named after.
"By the way, if I hadn't gotten here a minute sooner, an alarm would've sounded off in the entire library."
My eyes widened. "W-wait, really?"
She doesn't say anything as she smirks at me.
Vivian studies me for a second longer, then nods. "Well, you're lucky I'm not the type to report things, but I am curious."
Adrien raised an eyebrow. "Curious enough to stay?"
She smiles faintly and pulls up a chair.
"If you're going to dig through classified bloodline curses, you might as well have someone with access."
She turned her datapad towards us. "This is my first time hearing about these 'Gatekeepers,' but my family has records even though the school forgot them. Let's see what we can find together."
I gave Adrien a look.
"She's safe. She's just... intense," he whispers.
I nodded slowly, then turned back to Vivian. "Alright. Let's see what your database knows that this book doesn't."
Vivian's eyes gleamed with intrigue behind her lenses as she scrolled. "Let's crack a few myths wide open, then."
Vivian's fingers tapped rapidly across her datapad screen, unlocking a series of encrypted archives. Ancient academy records flickered to life, projected as translucent panes above the desk: texts, sketches, incident logs—All there.
"Most of these files were sealed after the Reconstruction War," she murmured. "A lot of old-world elemental theory, mixed with early Gaia worship and containment rituals."
Adrien leaned in. "Containment? As in... sealing?"
Vivian nodded. "Some of the earliest users weren't exactly 'chosen'—they were hosts. Containers for what the old world called 'Elemental Wounds.' Places where power pooled unnaturally."
She scrolled to a page labeled: 'The Gate of Ash and Sin.'
My eyes narrowed instinctively. The sketch showed four silhouettes—each marked with a different symbol. Below them, a crude depiction of a tower-like seal with flame and shadow pouring from its cracks.
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"When Gaia's order faltered, four mortal vessels were forged—not to fight chaos, but to anchor it. They carry the brand not by choice but by necessity. And in time... by sacrifice."
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Vivian read the text aloud, then looked up, intrigued. "Weird phrasing. 'In time, by sacrifice.' Sounds like a death sentence."
I kept my expression neutral. "Maybe it's metaphorical."
Vivian chuckled. "You'd be surprised how often metaphors in these books end up being literal."
Adrien nodded, "I think they were treated more like pressure valves. Four people bearing the weight of something too powerful to exist unchecked."
Vivian tapped the projected silhouette—one marked at the hands, the same as mine. I quickly looked away, sipping my tea.
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FILE: GATEKEEPER PROFILES (INCOMPLETE RECORD)
— [REDACTED] of Wrath — Marked on both hands.
— [REDACTED] of Pride — Marked across the chest.
— [REDACTED] of Envy — Marked on the legs.
— [REDACTED] of Despair — Marked at the heart.
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Vivian's voice dropped slightly. "Huh. They were categorized by emotion. And these aren't normal users. Not even legacy bloodlines have these marks."
"It's a cool story, but you think this is real?" I say, trying to play it cool.
Vivian turned to me, expression unreadable. "I think people hide things for a reason. And I think the truth tends to burn through eventually."
I raised an eyebrow. "Sounds dramatic."
She smirked. "You're the one reading forbidden bloodline theory at midnight."
Adrien snorted. "Okay, she's got us there."
Vivian looked back at the hologram, eyes narrowing on the page again. "Still... this Wrath figure. Marked on the hands. Flame-based. Prone to emotional destabilization. That narrows things down."
I raised my hands slowly. "Hey. Just to be clear—I'm not cursed. I just like fire."
Vivian eyes me, amused but unconvinced.
"Well, if you ever are cursed, I'd like to be the first to catalog it."
I blinked. "That's... either really flattering or really creepy."
Vivian shrugged while smirking. "Why not both?"
Then, the datapad beeped—search limit reached. The holograms dimmed. Vivian sighs.
"Well, that's all the system will give me without a faculty override. But I could try digging deeper later. You know if you two are still curious."
I met her eyes. "Sure. Just... for fun."
Vivian smiled faintly. I don't think she's buying it, but she's not trying to push it.
"Well then," she said, standing. "Fun it is."
She looked at me one last time. "Oh, Daniel? If you ever want help understanding what's really going on with you, curiosity or not—ask."
She winks and walks off, her datapad tucked under one arm. Adrien waits until she is gone, then looks at me.
"She totally suspects you."
I exhaled. "Yeah..."
Adrien clapped me on the shoulder. "We hit it big this time, so what now?"
I looked back down at my palms. My gloves kept the sigil secret. "We keep digging, quietly, before the truth stops giving us a choice.