Cursed Blessings: Tales of Twisted Fates

Mystic- Part One

Ayan gradually regained his consciousness. He looked at the familiar sight of his hand-drawn paintings and his uncle Samuel sitting beside him, looking a little sullen.

"You're finally awake," Samuel said, his voice soft yet tinged with concern.

Aunt Tsering came in with a glass of tepid water mixed with powdered herbs and mildly laced with honey. Ayan drank the bitter yet slightly sweet medicine without so much as a frown on his face.

Aunt Tsering sternly said with almost a sobbing tone, "You scared us so much. Do you know how dangerous that was? From now on, you should stop trying whatever that was. Your life is more important than gaining some powers."

Ayan nodded silently. Samuel then handed him a small mirror, his expression serious. "I think you need to see this."

Ayan looked into the mirror and became astounded as he saw his reflection—his face was strikingly divided into two parts. The left side had darkened resembling the shadowy hue when Samuel used his powers. The right side, however, was unusually brighter as if his skin was shining.

He touched his face—one side was warm, almost hot to touch while the other side was icy cold. He noticed it wasn't just his face; his whole body felt split between two clashing forces, two energies pulling at each other, causing him internal pain.

Panic surged through him as his mind raced through countless possibilities to heal this anomaly. Without a word, he jumped up, grabbed a cap, scarf, and mask from his closet, and dashed to the door, much to the shock of his uncle and aunt.

"Ayan, stop!" Aunt Tsering cried, rushing after him. "You're not healed yet! Come back, we'll figure something out!"

But Ayan was already out the door, sprinting towards the upper. Samuel quickly followed him, assuring her, "Don't worry, I'll go after him. He's a strong boy, he won't harm himself."

Despite using his powers for speed, Samuel struggled to keep up with Ayan. Even with his enhanced agility, Ayan was faster than he'd ever seen. Soon, he disappeared from Samuel's sight, but Samuel guessed where he was headed and continued the pursuit.

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Three years earlier, a day in the late autumn season.

Ayan, then a curious boy, had spent his holiday afternoon exploring the upper hills on his own. As usual, his backpack was filled with essentials—fruits, snacks, water, rain gear, and some miscellaneous items. Today, he was excited to have found a new, shorter route through the steep climbs to the upper regions.

Suddenly, his ears perked up as he noticed some movement in front of him. He quickly hid behind a tree and peered forward. To his astonishment, a snow fox appeared, moving gracefully through the forest with naked trees. He was overjoyed, looking at the rare snow fox, he'd been desiring to get close to. Without thinking much, he started following this snow fox quietly. The fox went through difficult, unconventional paths, steep and treacherous. Ayan, confident in his abilities followed the fox, hoping to discover its lair.

All of a sudden, it started snowing and the fox darted away. He tried to catch up but soon the fox vanished without any clue. Unable to find the fox, he stopped, wore his rain gear, drank some water before it started freezing, and observed his surroundings.

"Oh no! I'm lost."

He finally realized; he couldn't trace his way back. It wasn't the first time he'd gotten lost in the woods, but he had never ventured this far away from home. Confused and cold, he focused on surveying his surroundings, looking for a way out. He spotted a small opening in a distant cliff.