Chapter 7: Accursed
As Zaara exited the gates of Red Arena Academy, her thoughts swirled in confusion. The agitation from earlier hadn't entirely faded—her head throbbed, and her body felt like it was cooling from the inside out. Dizzy, she kept walking.
"How are you feeling?" came a soft voice.
It was her teacher—the man with short, gleaming black hair, his nose and mouth obscured by the high collar of his white cloak. His calm voice pulled Zaara out of her daze.
She looked up at him and asked, "Teacher, what's my Essence Aspect?"
He placed a gentle hand over her head and replied in a warm, soothing tone, "We'll find out tomorrow. For now, let's go home. You must be feeling dizzy."
Zaara nodded, barely able to keep her eyes open. She grasped his finger with her small hand and covered a yawn with the other. Together, they walked toward the commoners' district of Antiarena City, passing a closed restaurant. A faded wooden sign above the door creaked in the breeze: Few Spices Restaurant.
They entered the third house to the left of the restaurant. Their home was modest—just a compact living room, a small kitchen, a narrow washroom, and two ten-square-meter bedrooms.
"I'm home ... " but no one responded. "I'm going to sleep."
The man in white cloak nodded and watched the little figure retreat into her room before gently sighing. Then, he entered the small living room and sat down beside the dinner table. He tapped the dinner table while sitting in a thinking position for a while as he said, "You can come out now."
From the shadows emerged a boy clad in a grey robe. His black hair was parted down the middle, framing his pale face and cold, onyx eyes. He stepped forward and gave a solemn salute—fist to chest, and greeted his teacher, "Assalamu alaikum. Teacher Zirak."
Zirak regarded him carefully. "Walaikum Assalam. What brings you here, Ravi? Is it just to see your little sister?"
Ravi didn't say anything at all. He remained silent for a long moment and just stared at the table, letting the silence stretch uncomfortably. Zirak shifted uneasily in his seat. Finally, Ravi spoke, his voice composed yet distant.
"The Ghost Monarch of Azure Village ... and the Emperor of the Turks ... has passed from this world."
Zirak was momentarily shocked by what Ravi had said. His eyes were wide open, and the taping sound stopped completely. He asked as he sharply stood up from the blue wooden chair. "What happened, Ravi? Tell me everything ... "
Ravi's gaze remained cold and unflinching as he recounted the events, "The Dark Monarch launched a midnight assault on Azure Village. He infiltrated our home—undetected by any of the seals or alarms. My father had anticipated something like this. The Elite Blur Task Force immediately began evacuating civilians to underground shelters while the remaining village forces engaged the enemy. His army ... it wasn't ordinary. Devourers, undead, accursed beasts, phantoms—and even people and plants. It was a legion of nightmares."
He paused, then continued.
"I obeyed my father's orders and cleared the North quadrant. Meanwhile, he fought the Dark Monarch—heavily weakened by something ... unnatural. I joined the fight before the end. It was I who delivered the final blow. I was able to kill him because he was greatly weakened and injured. But Father ... he died while standing due to Essence Exhaustion."
Zirak tried to absorb the information. He couldn't believe that all of this had just happened. But something didn't add up. First of all, how can the Dark Monarch enter inside the house of the Emperor and one of the most feared villages so easily. Second, the Emperor was drastically weakened, which shows that someone has orchestrated all of this. Someone who knows the secrets of the village has worked with the enemy. Soon, Ravi proved his thoughts correct, but what followed wasn't something he expected,
"It was Corral Fukasaku—the third leader of the Great Fukasaku clan, commander of the Intelligence Force. He collaborated with the Scorpio Order, helping the Dark Monarch bypass our defences. After the battle, he accused me of treason, declaring me the murderer of the Emperor and a traitor. By providing false clues and information, he gained the trust of other leaders of the great clan ... He was the one who used the superstition of the Essence Aspect related to the shadows as a bad omen to rise the hatred of the people of Azure Village against me. He put this on me to worsen my situation. "
Ravi pulled down the collar of his robe, revealing the sigil on his neck—a red, burst-eye mark.
Zirak's face darkened. That mark ... it belonged only to the followers of the Dark Lord. An accursed symbol of a horrible disease. And one that is not easily removable. He looked at Ravi with pity and guilt as he had to suffer so much at such a young age, and he couldn't think of any solutions to help him right now.
Plus, he, too, started to get suspicious of Ravi, his own student whom he taught to read, write, and fight personally.