M.I Hausk

Chapter 1 - Part 6

Dead End

Cammron and Chasen entered Valen's room, the tension was already palpable. Valen, sitting upright, watched them warily as they began explaining their latest theory.

Chasen spoke first, "We think you might be afflicted with Carmine Lethargia, a blood curse that could explain your symptoms."

Valen's brow furrowed, skepticism clear on her face. "A forbidden curse? I haven't touched any of those grimoires, I swear."

Cammron stepped forward, her tone calm but firm. "You might not have, but someone could've inflicted it on you by proxy. It's rare, but possible. Fortunately, the solution is simple-cursebreaking. We should be able to remove it with ease."

Chasen nodded. "You'll feel better as soon as it's done."

Reluctantly, Valen leaned back, her breath shaky as she nodded her permission.

Wasting no time, Chasen began the incantations. His hand glowed faintly as a circular divine sigil appeared, soft light pulsing from it and washing over Valen's body. The room filled with an almost soothing hum as the spell worked. After half a minute, the light dimmed, the curse-breaking supposedly complete.

But Valen's face was unchanged. She looked at Chasen, her expression puzzled. "I don't feel any different."

Chasen's brow knitted. "That's... odd." He paused, then decided to push further.

Against procedure, but certain it was necessary, he initiated a stronger curse-breaking incantation. This time, the sigil on his hand expanded into a more intricate design, emitting an intense beam of light that spread across Valen's body.

The room was bathed in a blinding glow as the seconds stretched into minutes. Chasen's concentration deepened, the complexity of the spell evident in his tightened features. Nearly five minutes passed, the air growing tense with anticipation.

Then, Valen let out a strangled gasp.

Her body lurched forward as she began to cough violently, spewing blood onto the floor. The color drained from her face, and dark patches of discoloration bloomed across her skin. The coughing worsened, blood splattering her hands as she gripped the edge of the bed, her breathing shallow and ragged.

"Valen!" Cammron shouted, rushing to her side. She swiftly began casting spells to stabilize her, her hands trembling as she tried to stop the rapid deterioration.

Chasen stood frozen, his face a mask of disbelief. "This wasn't supposed to happen. This-this isn't right," he stammered. "Cursebreaking isn't supposed to cause this kind of reaction."

Cammron's voice was sharp as she worked to stabilize Valen, her tone cutting through the panic. "Then why is she coughing up blood? Why is her body breaking down?"

Chasen swallowed hard, his confusion giving way to a sinking feeling in his gut. "I don't know," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

-

"New symptoms. What causes magic misfires, seizures, coughing blood, and body discoloration all at once? Go!" Hausk barked, scrawling the latest symptoms onto the board in the briefing room, the chalk squealing against the surface.

"Could be irrelevant since it reacted to the cursebreaking," Foremain noted, arms crossed.

Hausk spun around. "Then which curse causes blood coughing and discoloration during cursebreaking while still tying into magic misfires and seizures?" His eyes narrowed as the symptoms began to form an incoherent mess in his mind.

"Crimson Wane Affliction?" Foremain suggested.

"Doesn't explain the seizures." Hausk dismissed it with a quick wave.