The awakening energy did not fade.
It flooded.
Auro stood on the platform as the purple light sank into his skin, not like warmth, not like strength—but like ink bleeding into water. It crept along his veins, wrapped around his bones, pressed against his organs with a slow, suffocating intimacy.
This wasn't power exploding outward.
It was something settling in.
Claiming space.
His vision blurred for a moment.
Then—
The world snapped into stillness.
Sound dulled. The murmurs of the crowd stretched into distant echoes. Even the wind seemed to pause, suspended in the space between heartbeats.
In that silence, the translucent screen expanded.
It wasn't flashy.
No golden borders. No triumphant chime.
Just a cold, rectangular interface, hovering inches from his eyes.
White text appeared, one line at a time.
—
Curse Balance System — Initial Synchronization Complete
—
Auro didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Years of farm discipline kept his breathing steady even as something impossibly vast brushed against his awareness. This wasn't an illusion. It wasn't stress.
It felt… precise.
Like a ledger opening.
Another line formed.
—
Host Detected: Auro Cain
Status: Compatible (Soul)Status: Incompatible (Body)
—
His fingers twitched.
Compatible soul. Incompatible body.
The meaning hovered just out of reach, like a word on the tip of his tongue.
The system did not explain.
It simply continued.
—
Awakened Skill Registration in Progress…
—
The pressure in his chest intensified. Not pain—yet—but resistance. Like pushing against deep water.
Text scrolled.
—
Skill Acquired: Sleep Curse (Basic)Type: Curse — Mental InterferenceEffect: Induces unnatural sleep state in target
—
Auro felt something peel away from him as the line finalized. Not physically. Something thinner. Something that had weight only because it was finite.
Another line.
—
Skill Acquired: Paralysis Curse (Basic)Type: Curse — Neural DisruptionEffect: Temporarily inhibits voluntary movement
—
The pressure worsened.
His heartbeat stuttered.
He tasted iron.
—
Skill Acquired: Weak Poison Curse (Basic)Type: Curse — Biological DegradationEffect: Gradual toxin accumulation in target
—
The final line locked into place.
The screen stopped scrolling.
No bonus.
No enhancement.
No strength increase, no mana amplification, no defensive adaptation.
Just three curses.
Only curses.
Auro swallowed.
The silence shattered.
Sound rushed back into the world like a broken dam.
The crowd erupted—not into cheers, but into noise. Chaotic. Uneven. Uncertain.
"What… is that?"
"All curse-types?"
"Three of them?"
"That's illegal, right?"
"No, it's just—rare."
"Rare? That's a death sentence."
The awakening officials had not moved him off the platform yet.
They were frozen.
One of the monitoring crystals flickered red before stabilizing. Data streamed rapidly, too fast for the untrained eye.
An older official stepped closer, his expression carefully neutral, but the muscles in his jaw were tight.
"Subject Cain," he said. "Do you feel… stable?"
Auro inhaled slowly.
The pressure inside him hadn't disappeared. It had settled into a dull, persistent drag, like carrying a sack of grain that never left his shoulders.
"I'm conscious," Auro replied.
His voice was calm. Even. The same voice he used when animals panicked during storms.
The official nodded once, though that didn't answer the real question.
Another crystal chimed—a softer, more ominous sound.
A red line flashed briefly across the diagnostic display.
Lifespan Degradation Detected
It appeared.
Then vanished.
But not before several faculty members saw it.
Auro saw it too.
The system reacted instantly.
—
Warning: Host Vitality Under Strain
Note: Curse Cost Accumulation Active
—
Cost.
So that was the word.
The official cleared his throat. "Step down from the platform."
Auro complied.
As his boots touched the stone, the purple glow receded. The runes dimmed, as if relieved.
He walked forward.
The crowd parted instinctively.
Not dramatically. Not consciously.
But no one wanted to be too close.
He could feel it—the subtle shift in posture, the way conversations died as he passed, the way eyes followed him with a mixture of curiosity and something sharper.
Fear.
At the edge of the crowd, a boy laughed.
It was loud. Confident.
"Guess the system hates you," he said.
Auro looked up.
The boy was tall, broad, with short blond hair and an easy grin. His uniform jacket was already open, sleeves rolled back like he belonged somewhere better.
Mana crackled faintly around him, barely restrained.
Someone whispered his name.
"Leo Grant."
Auro recognized it. The lightning awakening. Rank B potential. Military lineage.
Leo's eyes met Auro's, assessing.
Not mocking.
Measuring.
"Tough luck," Leo said, tone almost friendly. "Curses, remember? Military won't touch you."
Auro held his gaze.
"No," he said quietly. "They'll watch me."
Leo blinked, surprised.
Then he laughed again. "Sure. From a distance."
He turned away, already losing interest.
The contrast was stark.
Lightning drew attention like a banner.
Curses drew space.
Auro continued walking.
At the medical station, Iris Vale stood beside a healer supervisor, hands folded neatly. Her gaze sharpened when she saw him approach.
Not fear.
Concern.
"Sit," the supervisor ordered.
Auro did.
A thin crystal probe hovered near his chest, scanning.
The supervisor frowned. "Your vitals are… fluctuating."
Iris leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Do you feel pain?"
"No," Auro said. After a pause, he added, "Not yet."
Her fingers tightened slightly.
The supervisor stepped back. "His awakening will be flagged. Evaluation pending. He is not to use his abilities without authorization."
"That kind always burns out," another official muttered nearby, not as quietly as he thought.
Iris heard it.
Auro heard it.
Neither reacted.
The system screen flickered again.
—
Observation: Host Under Social Threat Classification
Note: External Risk Does Not Reduce Curse Cost
—
Of course it didn't.
Auro closed his eyes for a brief second.
Inside, the pressure pulsed in rhythm with his heart. Each beat felt… taxed. As if something took a fraction and moved on.
He opened his eyes.
The academy courtyard looked the same as it had that morning.
But the world had shifted.
Students with elemental gifts stood taller. Faculty leaned toward them, voices low and promising. Recruiters lingered at the edges like vultures circling strength.
And him?
He was already categorized.
Problematic.
Unstable.
Temporary.
As he was escorted away for further evaluation, whispers followed like shadows.
"That kind never lives long."
Auro heard every word.
He kept walking anyway.