The Knights of Grimm - Act 5 - The Oncoming Shadow

Chapter 33 - The Cursemark

Nora

I don't know if I'm ready...

Nora stood in the bathroom, her skin still damp from the shower she just had, and her fresh clothes folded in the corner. But she was just staring at her own reflection, thinking about what she was risking. She closed her cyan eyes, shakily exhaling, closing her hands into fists as she stood there. She opened her eyes and stared at the Cursemark burned into her sternum. It was always a mark she hated to show; it took her so long to finally show Ren the thing... and now would be the day she'd finally face it head on.

Yet... she was still terrified.

What if we fail?

Am I still just gonna stay cursed until it kills me? Or will I just... burst into roots and become a totem?

In front of everyone...

... in front of Ren?

I... I don't want him to see me like that.

She rubbed her eyes and shook her head, forcing those thoughts down, before turning to her clothes, putting them on.

It doesn't matter... either way I'll die if I do nothing... I'd rather die trying to beat this curse than just giving up.

I'm Nora Valkyrie.

I never give up.

She zipped up her jacket and stared at herself in the mirror, narrowing her eyes at the Lord of the Wood she saw standing behind her. She knew it wasn't real, just another hallucination... and even though deep down it sent shivers up her spine, she just stared back at the Higher Demon.

She turned and walked to the door, not even questioning if it was there or not.

She opened the door and saw everyone was here. The only people missing were Weiss, Coco and Fox, who were still on their way. She wanted to wait but... considering how dire things are? They didn't have time to wait. "Crazy to see so many of you here." Nora chuckled.

"You're kidding me, right?" Sun asked with a chuckle, smiling at her. "We're with ya to the end." He promised. Glynda approached her and held her hand.

"We're gonna be here every step of the way." Glynda promised. Then she looked at Ren, who was sitting by the bed with a loving smile. She exhaled shakily and nodded her head, feeling a lump in her throat... but not of fear, just... happiness.

Even should she fail... she knew she was surrounded by the people she loved the most.

"Thanks... but... if we fail... and I start to... if it turns me into a totem... please look away. I don't want any of you to see me like that." She begged them. Ruby smiled and walked over to her, wrapping her arms around her dear friend. She didn't say a word, she just hugged her, which Nora melted into, tears streaming from her eyes.

Ozpin held both his hands atop his cane. "Are you ready, Miss Valkyrie?" He asked her. The two broke their hug, and she sighed, nodding her head.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She agreed, walking towards the bed, where Kassius was sitting on, ready to lie down beside her. Nora approached the bed and sat down. Then Kassius jolted, his eyes glowing fiery orange. She looked at him, and immediately could tell that Hyde was in control now.

"I know you already know the risks... but I still feel the need to warn you. This will not be as easy or even as simple as it was for me to free Cardin from the Hym. That was just a Lesser Demon. All I had to do was kill it. The Lord of the Wood is a higher demon, and I expect this is going to be an even greater ordeal than we might expect. All I will be capable of is keeping the Lord of the Wood's fragment off you, buying you time. You need to find a way to break the curse, figure out what the trick is. Find the nightmare that you've been suffering, and fight back." Hyde explained.