Everyone went quiet. The tears of Olivia started out stream a lot and Aleric appeared sad and sorrowful.
Aleric looked at the healer, went to him and grabbed him by the collar. He said in an angry voice, "How come you didn't know my daughter is cursed? Aren't you the best healer?"
"Your majesty..."
"He is the best."
The healer was about to say something but Zain cut him off. Everyone looked at him, especially the healer.
"A normal healer wouldn't be able to identify how much time left to the princes." Zain said.
"How come he didn't know it was a curse and not a poison? Aleric said in anger.
"Because it is a poison and a curse. The poison can be identified easily because it affects the victim's health." Zain said as he kept looking at the sleeping princess.
"Explain in detail." Aleric said as he looked at Zain.
"Well, if the healer identified it as a curse, then he would have been the one who put it or he's not human. There are few people who can identify it as a curse.
The first one is the one who cast it which is obviously. The second are Gods, Dragons, Demons, Elves and Giants as well as Holy Saints. The third is the ones who use different energy to appraise the victim.
This type of curse is designed to make it look like poison." Zain explained to everyone but didn't tell all the information.
Everyone was shocked to hear the explanation.
"Gods? Demons? Dragons? Why would anyone put a curse like that on my daughter?" Aleric said is anger as he looked at Zain.
"I don't know why but there's two reasons this type of curse is used?
The first is to stall or start a war or rebellion and The second is to drain the resources of the opponent." Zain said to the king.
"What do you mean war?" Aleric said.
"This curse kills the victim within or after 5 years the curse has been inflicted. Since she's left with 3..."
"What do you mean 5 years? She been in bed since last year" Zain was about to explain when Aleric cut him in.
"How old is your daughter?"
"She's 12 years old. Why do you ask?"
"Since she's left with 3 years to live that means the curse was inflicted when she was 10 but someone delayed its progression till last year." Zain explained to them.
"The curse was inflicted when she was 10 years old? Who would do that to even delay it?" Aleric said in confusion and anger.
"HEY BRAT! Who do you think put a curse on you?" Zain said as he looked at the princes. Everyone in the looked at him like he's crazy to talk to someone who can't even communicate but mostly they looked at him in shock by the way he talked to the princess.
-I don't know
The princess conscious said. Since Zain can hear anything or anyone that has wills, he can hear the princess thoughts
"What do you mean you don't know?"
-Wait... You can hear me mister.
Everyone looked at Zain in shock. Olivia looked to Zain with pleading eyes and said with desperation, "YOU CAN HEAR HER? YOU CAN HEAR MY DAUGHTER!"
"Tell me brat. This type of curse require physical con..."Zain stopped himself and realise that she's royalty, that means maids bath her and she's still a child, she can't remember something random that happened to her years ago.
"Who was the weird people you met when you were 9 or 10?"
-I don't know. We celebrated my 10th birthday and a lot of people came to celebrate my birthday.
"Okay brat. Did you enjoy it?"
-Stop calling me brat, I'm a princess. I didn't enjoy it because of weird people I didn't know at my birthday.
"Okay brat. You heard that the curse can't be cured right?" Olivia looked at Zain when he talked with her daughter.
-Yes. I'm going to die right. Can you tell mama I'm sorry? It was my mistake, I should've listened to her. I shouldn't have hid. She should stop worrying about me at eat a lot of food like she told me.
"Olivia. The brat said she's sorry, she shouldn't have hid. I don't understand what she's talking about. She also said you should eat a lot of food and stop worrying about her." Zain said as he looked at Olivia.
Olivia began to cry when she heard that. She looked at her daughter with worry and looked at Zain to say, "Don't call my daughter Brat. Her name is Rowena Laeta Ravenscar."
"Alright. So, you got two choices kid? It's either you die or you curse another in order to live?" Zain said to Rowena.
Everyone looked at Zain. Iso said as she looked at Zain, "Didn't you say it can't be cured?"
"Yes I did because in the book I read, it said there's no cure." Zain said as he looked at Iso.
Olivia looked at Aleric first and Zain to say, "You're saying my daughter can live?"
Zain looked at everyone and said, "I never said your daughter is going to die. I said the curse can't be cured."
Aleric said "You said the victim dies within 5 years the curse has been inflicted, where you lying?"
Zain's eyes were about to change but he managed to control it because he expected his own reaction. Everyone looked on edge when the king said that but stopped when they realised nothing happened.
"I wasn't lying when I said the victim dies within 5 years. I was explaining the curse but you daughter might... MIGHT live." Zain said as he emphasises the word might.
Everyone kept quite after Zain said to them. Olivia was in conflict with herself. Aleric looked at Zain for a few seconds while everyone was quite.
"What did you mean when you said my daughter can die or can curse another in order to live?" The king said and everyone looked at Zain expecting answers.
"The book I read also said [All curses can be transferred if the one who transferred it is equal in strength or more powerful than the caster.]" Zain said as he remembered that disgusting, ugly and old book he read we caution in the island.
Everyone understood what Zain meant and no one wanted to question him if he's more powerful than the caster especially Olivia and Aleric because in their eyes, Zain is the only hope for they're daughter.
"How about we use Maribel..."
"NO!"Aleric was about to suggest someone but Zain cut him off in a tone that likely meant ~Don't You Dare~
Aleric kept quite when he heard Zain's tone. Olivia looked up and said, "How about we use..."
"NO!" Zain cut her off with the same tone and everyone didn't get agery at Zain because they all understood what Olivia was going to say.
"How about we use me?" Malrac said to Zain as he looked at Zain. Everyone was shocked when Malrac said that.
Zain looked at him and realise he already made his decision. Aleric tried to say something but no words came out. He was in conflict between his daughter and his best friend.
Zain looked at Rowena.
"So Brat, what's your choice?" Zain said to Rowena
-I.... I.... I don't.... I don't want to die but I also don't want to curse another.
"You can't have it both ways. Pick one."
-I'd rather die than curse another
"So, you've chosen to die".
Everyone was shocked and scared when they heard Zain. Olivia kept screaming "No!No!No!" while holding her head. Aleric looked at Zain in anger and fury. Iso looked at Zain in surprise but without judging. Malrac and the healer had the same reaction of stillness.
"Any last words?"
-Now... Tell mama I love her, the father I don't hate him, tell the idiot that I'm smarter that him even when I'm dead, tell miss Maribel I'm sorry I got her in danger and tell Uncle Thank You. Thank you mister for helping me say that.
"She said I love you mama, I don't hate you father, I'm smarter than the idiot even when I'm dead, I'ms sorry miss Maribel for putting you in danger and thank you Uncle. That's all she said. It's time to proceed."
Zain said to everyone in the room as he began to put his right hand in the chest of Rowena.
A dark-red magic circle appeared between than hand and the chest. A purple magic circle appeared on the floor of the room.
Zain covered himself with mana, looked at Rowena and said the magic spell in forbidden language.
"*KATÁRA METÁTHESI*"
The magic circle activated, a black core came out of Rowena and went inside of Zain. Zain fell to the ground and fell asleep.
Everyone was shocked by what just happened.
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Magic Spell: Katára Metáthesi
A forbidden incantation that transfers a curse from one host to another. The spell severs the bond of affliction in the original victim, binding it to the new target while leaving the caster's intent as the guiding force.
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Everyone didn't know what to do. Rowena opened her eyes but that's all she managed to do.