After answering Rowen's question, Fern slowly shifted his gaze toward the grotesque creature standing in the darkness.
His calm expression remained completely unchanged, as though the terrifying curse before him was nothing more than an insignificant nuisance.
The hideous creature instinctively stepped backward.
For the first time in countless years...
It felt fear.
"You..."
"What exactly are you?"
Fern paid no attention to its question.
Instead, he slowly raised his tiny hand as a gentle golden light began gathering around his body.
"The bond between our souls has finally awakened."
"You no longer belong here."
The curse's countless mouths suddenly let out deafening screams.
"You think you can destroy me?"
"I've devoured this child's mana for years!"
"This body belongs to me!"
Its dark aura exploded outward as countless streams of black mist surged toward Fern.
The entire mind space trembled violently.
Fern merely sighed.
"A stubborn creature."
With another gentle wave of his hand, the golden light instantly expanded throughout the entire mind space.
Every strand of black mist that touched the golden light immediately dissolved into nothingness.
The curse's expression finally changed.
"No..."
"Impossible!"
At that very moment, the Blood Red Mana Stone outside continued releasing an endless stream of pure mana into Rowen's body.
With the bond between their souls fully awakened, that immense stream of mana finally reached Fern.
The pure mana continuously flowed into his tiny body, causing the golden light surrounding him to shine brighter and brighter.
The curse finally realized what was happening.
"You..."
"You're using that mana against me!"
Its countless mouths opened as it desperately tried to devour the incoming mana once again.
Unfortunately...
It was already too late.
Fern slowly extended his tiny hand toward the curse.
"Return to nothing."
A brilliant pillar of golden light erupted from his palm.
The curse let out an ear-piercing scream as its body rapidly began disintegrating.
"No!"
"I waited for so many years!"
"I was so close!"
"I refuse to disappear!"
It struggled with everything it had.
Its countless mouths desperately tried to devour the golden light, yet every mouth that touched it immediately crumbled into dust.
Within only a few breaths, cracks spread across the curse's twisted body.
The black aura surrounding it rapidly weakened.
Finally...
The curse let out one last unwilling scream before its twisted body exploded into countless fragments of black light, disappearing completely from Rowen's mind space.
Silence gradually returned as the chaotic mana slowly settled, leaving the entire mind space unusually peaceful once again.
At that very moment, the Blood Red Mana Stone resting within Rowen's hands released its final trace of pure mana. The brilliant crimson glow surrounding the crystal gradually faded before countless fine cracks spread across its smooth surface, causing the legendary treasure to quietly shatter into countless small fragments.
Fern slowly lowered his tiny hand before letting out a quiet sigh. The golden light surrounding his tiny body noticeably dimmed, and even his delicate wings became faintly transparent, making it obvious that destroying the curse had consumed a tremendous amount of his strength.
Rowen immediately noticed the change, and a worried expression appeared on his face.
"Fern..."
Fern simply smiled before gently shaking his head.
"Don't worry."
"I only used more of my strength than I expected."
"It will take some time to recover."
Seeing the concern in Rowen's eyes, Fern continued,
"This is only a soul projection of my true self."
"I've merely exhausted the power contained within this projection."
"My true body is elsewhere."
"So, you don't have to worry."
Rowen stood there in stunned silence as Fern's words echoed throughout his mind.
A soul projection...
If a mere projection possessed such terrifying strength, then just how powerful was Fern's true body?
The thought alone left Rowen completely speechless.
Fern's tiny figure gradually became more transparent as the golden light surrounding him slowly faded.
Just before disappearing, he looked at Rowen with a faint smile.
"Your grandfather did well."
"He kept the mana flowing long enough."
"Now that the curse is gone..."
"We'll have plenty of time to talk after you wake up."
As his voice faded, Fern's tiny body dissolved into countless specks of golden light before quietly returning to the depths of Rowen's soul.
...
Outside the mind space, Rowen's body remained seated cross-legged inside his room while countless shattered fragments of the Blood Red Mana Stone quietly slipped from his hands onto the wooden floor.
The physical and mental exhaustion from everything that had happened finally caught up with him, leaving every muscle in his body completely drained of strength. His eyelids gradually became heavier as an overwhelming wave of fatigue spread throughout his exhausted body, making it impossible for him to remain conscious any longer.
Before Rowen could even realize what was happening, darkness completely swallowed his vision. His body swayed slightly before collapsing onto the wooden floor with a dull thud, leaving the quiet room completely silent once again.