Chapitre 20: 20. The Ancient Curse 2: History

Blaze felt the coldness that came directly from Antarctica spreading in his body like a virus. Worst of all, the cold kept getting intense without showing any upper limit or sign of slowing. His eyes started closing slowly.

Instantly, a searing splash of hot lava engulfed Blaze, forcefully expelling the glacier-like coldness from his body with astonishing speed. The intense heat jolted him awake, and he found himself opening his eyes to the contrasting sensation of ice and fire. However, far from being pleasant, the juxtaposition of these extreme elements brought about a disorienting and unsettling experience.

Blaze directed his gaze towards his body and beheld a sight he had never witnessed before. His previously dormant red tattoos now radiated with a vivid crimson hue, akin to the vibrant shade of blood. They seemed to strive to match the brilliance of his blue tattoos, which gleamed with an ethereal luminescence akin to the divine light of an angel. Yet, despite their resplendent appearance, the blue tattoos held no inherent sanctity or holy power, serving the purpose of creating a life-like statue.

Without warning, Blaze's body transformed into a battleground of opposing forces. He experienced a peculiar sensation of his skin crawling and itching, as if caught in a tumultuous conflict. For what felt like an eternity, the two tattoo energies wrestled with each other, engaging in a fierce struggle. However, after an arduous five minutes of relentless combat, both sets of tattoos eventually relented, their luminosity fading away as they returned to a dormant state, once again at rest.

Phew!

Blaze breathes a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness you are fine," Aphrodite appeared and said with a smile.

Blaze nodded and crawled to his feet before walking with unsteady steps to his room. He drank a cup of water before slumping into his chair.

Aphrodite sat on the bed all this while as she fixed her gaze on him.

"So, what do you know about the blue tattoos on my body?" Blaze asked calmly as she peered deeply at her.

"What makes you think I know anything about it? Besides, I thought you would ask about my whereabouts," Aphrodite replied in surprise.

"I heard you whisper the other day – 'the moon curse'." Blaze did not give his opinion about her second sentence.

In a state of shock, Aphrodite couldn't contain her astonishment as she spoke, her voice tinged with disbelief and confusion. "You're not going to inquire about my whereabouts, nor are you offended?"

"The problem stems from me, and you have no obligation to help me in that scenario. Answer my previous question," Blaze said calmly.

Aphrodite stared at him to see and tried to peek into his mind through his eyes, but his expression remained bland as usual.

"I don't know how your philosophy works." Aphrodite surrendered after he kept a poker face under her glare before she continued, "Before I start, I want to point out that all the information I'm about to share is sourced from ancient scrolls, so it's possible that some of it may not be entirely accurate."

Blaze nodded.

"There was once a Moon Goddess, renowned for her formidable mastery over ice, capable of freezing entire planets and halting their rotation. However, her most feared ability was the fabled 'Moon Curse,' later known as the 'Ancient Moon Curse' as countless ages past. According to legends, the Moon Goddess had to sacrifice a portion of her soul to unleash the Ancient Moon Curse.

"The Ancient Moon Curse possessed the power to crystallize every cell within the afflicted individual's body, transforming their internal systems into solid crystals. Most dreadfully, there was no known cure for this curse. Some legends suggest that the ancient curse could be remedied by utilizing the core of the sun, but who truly believes such tales? I doubt anyone has ever dared to attempt it. All I have ever encountered was a partially destroyed depiction of the curse's mark on scrolls. You can imagine the shock I experienced upon witnessing it manifested on your body," Aphrodite explained, while Blaze listened intently, his mind filled with a multitude of thoughts.

'Is that why it's classified as the forbidden bloodline?' Blaze asked inwardly. Although he never believed it since he knew his age.

"Then what about the red ones? Don't tell me it's from the Sun Goddess?" Blaze asked sarcastically, disbelieving the whole story.

With patience, Aphrodite continued her explanation, her voice steady and composed. "I have never come across any depictions of the red tattoos in ancient scrolls. However, through deduction and careful observation, I have concluded that the red tattoos possess the ability to counteract the effects of the Ancient Moon Curse. It seems that they hold a delicate balance with each other. If one of the curses was to overpower the other, the consequences for you would be catastrophic. Thus, it is crucial to improve both of them simultaneously. Neglecting either one would be akin to willingly descending into a perilous path."

She paused briefly before continuing, her tone growing more hopeful. "Yet, if you manage to enhance both the curses, they could potentially work in your favor. Notice how the Ancient Moon Curse relies on mana to activate, drawing copious amounts from its surroundings. On the other hand, the red tattoo, to some extent, prevents it from accessing the mana that you can absorb."

Aphrodite's words sank deeply into Blaze's consciousness, prompting him to enter a contemplative state. The tales he had heard held a partial truth, and the significance of his predicament began to unfold before him.

'Maybe the history of this body could have the answer,' Blaze thought, realizing that he knows nothing about the body he possesses, apart from the last five years that he spent with Helen. He never inherited the memories, and the sentences he spoke with Helen can be counted.

"How do I improve them?" Blaze asked after thinking for a while.

"Using the bloodstones," Aphrodite said calmly, but suddenly spoke after realizing something. "Wait…didn't you feel any attraction to them when you saw the bloodstones?"

"Nope. I felt nothing when I was close to them." Blaze said calmly, making Aphrodite's eyes contract with confusion, her expression reflecting surprise and bewilderment at Blaze's response.

Suddenly, her eyes jolted open as she thought of something. Aphrodite palmed her face weakly. "Yours is not a Bloodline but a curse, so there's no way it will react to a bloodstone."

"Does that mean I have no way to improve it?" Blaze asked with his face turning green. Blaze planned to improve it to raise his mana absorption level.

"There must be a way, but we haven't figured it out. We just have to do some research," Aphrodite assured Blaze.

A knock made both of them halt their conversation.

"I thought you said you could see anybody around my house?" Blaze asked, not happy with the sudden interruption.

"That's if I'm concentrating. Your curses distracted me," Aphrodite retorted.

Blaze acknowledged the situation with a nod, not particularly fond of engaging in meaningless, lengthy conversations like the garrulous Robin. As he opened the door, he was taken aback to find Cherry standing there. However, his heart skipped a beat when he noticed Princess Evelyn standing beside her, casting a piercing gaze in his direction. Despite the surprise, Blaze managed to restrain himself from displaying any sudden reactions, as he had done with Caroline.

"What are you doing in front of my house?" Blaze turned to Cherry.

"Hey! What's with that tone? I came to offer you a deal that can save your life in the academy," Cherry said with a sly smile.

"Save my life?" Blaze raised his eyebrow nonchalantly, but his heart was pounding against his chest as he started surveying the surroundings with his side eyes.

"I brought a C-rank mana stone. It can help you fill and liquefy your mana core," Cherry said with a smirk, but the surprise and expectant look she wanted to see on Blaze's face didn't appear. His face remained stoic.

Unbeknownst to her, Blaze felt like spitting blood. He risked his life for a D-rank mana stone, while Cherry is using a C-rank mana stone for a transaction.

"Hey, it's a good deal. On the premise that you practice with me, the mana stone is yours. So, what's your answer?" Cherry said with a mischievous grin, her voice oozing with temptation. She waved the translucent core in front of Blaze's face.

However, Blaze watched Princess Evelyn with his side eyes and noticed that she's been focusing on him since her arrival.

"Do you know why I never want to practice with you?" Blaze suddenly questioned Cherry.

"Because of Liam?" Cherry replied.

"That's one aspect, but the main reason is that you're a princess. Training with royalty can be difficult. They often expect you to engage in dangerous and full-power battles, and if a trainer accidentally harms a royal child, some hot-headed king might even execute them. Now you understand why I intentionally avoided training with you," Blaze calmly explained, providing his rationale.

Cherry thought for a while before forcefully placing the mana stone in Blaze's hand and said, "My father is different. Besides, if you don't take the deal, you will be expelled tomorrow."

Blaze held the stone and stared at her for a moment. "Fine. I accept the deal."

"Great. After the test, our practice will—"

"I will fix the time." Blaze cut Cherry coldly.

"Okay, let's go." Cherry pulled Evelyn to leave, her expression returning to its rigid form.

"Wait a second." Evelyn retracted her hand from Cherry and walked up to Blaze.

"Cherry, call the soldiers!"