Aidan sat cross-legged on the futon, now nine years old, his mother kneeling in front of him. The room was dim, lit only by paper lanterns casting soft shadows—shadows that occasionally shifted with life, the entity watching from the periphery as always.
"I know this is a lot to take in," she began gently, holding his small hands.
She took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully. "You're not like other children, Aidan. You have a special... heritage." She smiled softly, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead. "Your father is not human. He's a Grade 1 Curse."
"What is a curse and what does grade 1 mean?" He said, pretending not to know
"A cursed spirit is created from negative emotions—hatred, fear, despair. A monster born from human suffering," she explained, her eyes flickering to the shifting shadows. "Grade 1 means... extremely powerful. Most sorcerers can't defeat them alone."
She squeezed his hands gently. "But your father is different. He's gentle with us. He chose love over hate."
The entity drifted from the corner, a wispy shadow tendril gently stroking Aidan's cheek. The boy didn't flinch—he was used to it. He'd been raised by a loving mother and a devoted, if monstrous, father figure.
"He has his own reasons," she continued, her voice careful. "He exists outside the human way of understanding love. But he loves you."
"How did you meet him? " He asked genuinely curious, a dark expression came over her face. " Before I tell you about that, you need to know something about our clan"
She hesitated, her hands tightening slightly around his. "The Zenin Clan is... a traditional, powerful family of sorcerers," she began carefully. "But we have old, ugly ways. Our ancestors were cruel." Her voice grew cold. "They believed women were only for breeding and service."
She looked down at her lap, her voice falling. "I was raised to be one of those women."
"Disobedience was punished severely," she continued, her voice hollow. "They controlled every aspect of my life—my marriage, my future, even my body. To the Zenin elders, I was nothing more than a vessel to produce a strong heir." She looked up at Aidan, her eyes dark with old pain. "And if I failed... I was disposable."
"I was promised to a cousin—one of the cruelest boys of my generation. He already tormented weaker students, and he enjoyed causing pain for its own sake." Her hands trembled slightly. "They wanted me married by sixteen. The union would solidify two powerful branches of the clan."
She fell silent, eyes distant as if reliving the horror.
"When I was fifteen, they locked me away in a small room, preparing me for my wedding night," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I was alone, terrified, and completely powerless. Every day, they would bring men to inspect me, to ensure I was pure and untouched."
"One night, I was locked in that room alone—awaiting the transfer that night," she continued, her voice turning deadly cold. "A group of sadistic men came to my room under the guise of a final inspection. But I knew their true intentions."
She looked up, her eyes piercing Aidan.
"They intended to rape me before my wedding night. Cruel, worthless men who thought a young woman was nothing more than their plaything."
The air in the room seemed to drop several degrees. The shadows gathered as the Grade 1 entity leaned forward, watching intently.
"There were three of them—fully trained Zenin sorcerers," she said quietly, but with a simmering fury behind her words. "They laughed as they unlocked my door. They mocked my status as a 'bride-in-waiting,' stripped away my dignity, and held me down."
"One held my arms above my head while another spread my legs," she whispered, her face contorting with remembered humiliation. "The third unbuckled his pants, smiling cruelly as he prepared to take my innocence before my wedding night could even begin." She swallowed hard, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Took it so you can't make it with your husband, little bitch," she mimicked one of their cruel voices. "A proper wife needs experience anyway."
She took a shaky breath, regaining control.
"But something answered my desperation that night." She gestured to the shadows swirling around them.
"Negative emotion feeds curses," she whispered, looking toward the darkness. "And my despair was absolute. I prayed for death, for anything to stop the pain." Her gaze shifted to the swirling shadow. "He heard me. The ceiling tore open like paper."
She looked at Aidan with terrifying intensity. "He didn't just kill them, Aidan. He obliterated them."
"They didn't even have time to scream," she said flatly. "Tendrils emerged from the shadows—black as ink, faster than any sorcerer could react. One took the first man's head clean off. The second was... dismantled. Piece by piece while still conscious. The third—the one who had been undressing—he screamed longest."
"He was ripped apart," she whispered, the memory savage. "His arms were torn from his sockets, his legs shattered, and his genitals removed before he was finally silenced. He wasn't just killed—he was punished."
She brushed Aidan's hair gently. "Your father slaughtered three adult Zenin sorcerers in under ten seconds. Not out of hunger. Out of absolute rage."
"He stood there, a monstrous silhouette in the darkness, breathing heavily as if he'd exerted himself. He turned to me—slowly. His face was... terrifying." She shuddered at the memory. "But his voice... it was gentle. So fucking gentle compared to what he'd just done."
"He asked me if I was hurt," she whispered, tears finally slipping down her cheeks. "Here was a Grade 1 Curse—an entity born of hatred—that had just massacred three powerful men to save me. He didn't touch me with violence. He reached out with a shadowy tendril and wiped the blood from my cheek."
She looked deeply into Aidan's eyes.
"He held me," she said softly. "Just held me while I cried. He didn't try to comfort me with words or touches—he simply enveloped me in his shadows, keeping me warm and safe." She paused, her voice breaking slightly. "That night changed everything."
"I realized that the monster the clan feared was the only man who had ever shown me true kindness," she whispered, stroking Aidan's cheek. "He stayed by my side all night. When the Zenin elders burst in the next morning, expecting to find a raped, ruined bride..." She smiled darkly. "They found me sleeping peacefully, guarded by a nightmare."
"The elders froze in absolute terror," she whispered. "They saw three of their strongest men dismantled—blood, limbs, and viscera everywhere—and found a Grade 1 Curse sitting over me, literally shielding me with his body."
She squeezed Aidan's hands. "Your father didn't attack them. He just looked at them. And they understood immediately: I belonged to HIM."
"What happened after?"
"They were afraid, but more afraid of shame," she explained, her eyes glowing with remembered defiance. "The Zenin clan values strength above all. Admitting they lost three sorcerers to a 'mere curse' would ruin their reputation. So they kept it secret—buried it."
She tilted her head, watching Aidan carefully. "But I bore the consequences."
"The elders declared me 'tainted'—unfit for marriage with their precious heir. They beat me, shamed me, and threw me into the deepest, darkest hole they could find. A prison cell beneath the mansion." She smiled coldly, "But every night, he came for me."
"He brought me food, water, even blankets," she said, glancing at the shadows dancing affectionately around Aidan. "But he never touched me without permission. He was... patient. Never demanded sexual favors. Never took advantage of my captivity like the men I'd described." She swallowed hard. "For six months, he was my only source of kindness."
"I started looking forward to his nightly visits," she admitted quietly. "Talked to him about anything and everything. He listened, Aidan. Actually listened." She laughed softly. "I went from fearing him to... trusting him. And then one night..."
"...I asked him to free me," she whispered, eyes locked onto Aidan's. "Not just from the cell—from the Zenin clan entirely. I begged him to take me away. To end their control over my life."
The shadows around them grew still, waiting for her next words.
"He refused."
"He told me I wasn't ready," she explained, her expression bittersweet. "He knew if I left then—unprepared, alone—they would eventually hunt me down. They'd kill me to erase their shame."
She took Aidan's small hands in hers, squeezing gently. "He wanted me to be strong enough to defy them properly. To face them without fear. So he made me wait another six months."
"I grew angry at first," she confessed. "Demanded he free me. Screamed at him, cursed him, even threw things. But he stayed calm. Just... watched me with those bottomless eyes." She chuckled. "I think I was a terrible match for him."
"But slowly, something shifted," she continued. "I stopped fighting him. Started asking his advice instead. He taught me cursed energy manipulation—not Zenin techniques, but something... different. Something raw. Primal." She glanced at Aidan. "He was preparing me for something."
She paused, her expression darkening. "Then came the day the elders lost patience."
"They came for me," she said flatly. "A whole group of them. Their strongest sons, sent to 'break' me. To 'make a real woman' out of their 'frigid, useless bride'." She snorted derisively. "I was fifteen. And I was terrified."
"They dragged me out of my cell, beat me, stripped me," her voice remained emotionless, detached. "Brought me to one of the ceremonial rooms where they thought they could do whatever they wanted, away from prying eyes. Six of them. All older, all stronger, all believing they had a right to my body." She looked at Aidan.
"They pinned me down on the altar. Laughing, mocking, calling me a worthless, spoiled bride who needed discipline." She swallowed hard. "One started undoing his pants. Two held my legs. Another slapped me. They intended to rape me systematically—to break my spirit completely."
She squeezed Aidan's hands. "That was their fatal mistake."
"Suddenly, the room plunged into darkness. Shadows coiled around like snakes. The laughter turned to screams as limbs were torn from bodies. Blood splattered everywhere." She smiled coldly, remembering. "He killed them all within seconds. Six powerful Zenin sorcerers reduced to pulp."
"He lifted me up," she whispered. "Gently. Carried me through the blood and carnage like I was made of glass. I was bleeding, bruised, terrified... but he didn't offer revenge. He offered escape."
She looked at Aidan solemnly. "That was the night we fled the Zenin clan together. He got me out under cover of shadows."
"Is that why we live in this forest?"
"Yes," she confirmed softly. "The forest was the safest place he could think of—far from Zenin influence, filled with natural barriers. He built this cabin himself while I recovered. The shadows here are... friendly." She smiled faintly. "They obey him completely."
"What's Cursed energy and what techniques were you talking about?"