cursed by the chaos

iii

The next morning there was a note. Shavo saw it first, since Daron was still sleeping (and also still blind, because it was raining quite heavily). He frowned, knowing that Daron had probably not been the one to write it (hence, you know, the fact that he couldn't see) and picked it up tentatively to read it.

Greetings Mr. Shavarsh Odadjian and Mr. Daron Malakian,

As I'm sure you're aware, you left my graveyard before I could finish telling you about your curses. I let you go, since it was certainly wise for you, Shavo, to take Daron out of the mausoleum before I could unleash some, er, stronger reinforcements. I amend you for that, as my self-control has never been the most stable.

"Great," Shavo muttered cynically to himself. "At least I saved us from getting our souls taken."

But alas, there is more I must tell you, so listen (or read, I suppose) closely.

Daron, you certainly must recall that I asked you about your greatest fears before bestowing a curse upon you. I hesitated when you mentioned your first fear, which was rather existential; I don't have as great of a power over something like that, and whatever I could do would have likely resulted in your death, whether that was at your own hands or mine. I applied the same sentiment when you mentioned going deaf, since music is your lifeblood, and I left that alone as well. I did not want this situation to end in demise, only a lesson learned. I figured you'd be able to learn to play an instrument without looking at it well enough, since there are plenty of blind musicians in this world, and you're very talented. Plus, the blindness is only temporary, and it doesn't rain that much in this state anyway, so you should be fine.

Shavo decided to ignore the bit about death. He didn't like how casually the lady talked about it.

However, the overcast weather is a lot more common, and therefore your rampant emotions will be as well. To lift this curse you must face your fears and overcome them, but it has to be personal. You may not employ the help of anyone else in this excursion, it must be you and you alone.

That was going to go over well with Daron, surely.

Now, you, Shavo–you're obviously a little different. You must come back to my graveyard–you'll know when–and face down the spirit that's been haunting all of us ever since I created this safe haven of sorts. It is not as safe as I say it is, due to this spirit that seems to take pleasure in torturing other souls. It occasionally takes the physical form of a large serpent, but I have tried and failed to fight it. It is your duty to fight and extinguish said spirit so it will never torture my spirits again. His defeat means your freedom from the curse.

I predict that you will both grow discouraged at some point, but fear not– I have faith in you both. It is a difficult mission yet not an impossible one.

Best of luck to you both.

Sincerely,

Joana

Shavo set the note back down on the counter and sighed, looking out the window at the heavy rain coming down. He wanted to go home, more than anything, but he didn't want to leave Daron home by himself while he was still blind. He considered writing a note for a brief second before realizing that there was indeed a problem with that.

Luckily for him, he heard Daron stumbling around down the hallway, which meant he was awake. He was about to go find the younger man and help him out when Daron walked out of his bedroom, feeling his way along the wall to get into the kitchen. When it came time for him to let go of the wall in order to get to the refrigerator, his expression became considerably more troubled, and he began taking small, careful steps toward the counter. His eyes were wide and unseeing, which Shavo found a little creepy, but he was more fascinated by Daron attempting to organize breakfast without his sight. As soon as he opened the fridge door he groaned, evidently realizing the issue with not being able to see anything in it. After a moment's hesitation he reached forward carefully, his hand landing in a bowl of hard-boiled eggs. He felt them to make sure they were indeed eggs, grabbing one and turning around.