Bab 35: A new path
Nathaniel moved through the corridors of the manor with a new, unsettling determination. The shadows that once seemed menacing now felt like companions, allies in his shifting purpose. He no longer sought the clues that might unravel his family's curse; instead, he was hunting for something else—something stronger, darker, and, perhaps, far more dangerous.
The idea of unraveling the mystery had once driven him, had given him purpose in the bleakness of this ancient house. But now, he craved something different. Power. He could feel its allure growing within him, an urge he barely understood, yet one that seemed to promise a path beyond helplessness. But power to what end? Even he wasn't sure, and the ambiguity hung over his journey like a thick fog.
Elias and Helena had noticed the shift. They watched him with a mixture of apprehension and unease, as if sensing he was on the brink of a decision that would lead him far from the man they once knew. As he descended the narrow, winding staircase into the lower levels of the manor, his footfalls echoing against the stone, they followed him, unsure whether to intervene or let him proceed.
"What exactly are you looking for, Nathaniel?" Elias asked, his voice tense as they entered the manor's ancient library, a room that seemed to breathe with its own pulse of secrets. Rows of dusty tomes lined the walls, their spines cracked and worn. Most of the books here had been untouched for centuries, left to gather dust in the silence.
Nathaniel turned, a glint of something unreadable in his eyes. "I'm looking for something our ancestors didn't leave in plain sight. They were afraid of it… but I'm not. I need to understand what they knew—and why they buried it."
Helena, who had been silent until now, spoke up, her voice tinged with fear. "Nathaniel, you're talking about tapping into something even our ancestors dared not touch. Don't you see the risk?"
He met her gaze, unflinching. "Every ancestor before me tried to resist the curse. They fought it, and they failed. I won't repeat their mistakes. If there's a way to control the darkness, to wield it instead of letting it control us… then I'll find it."
They watched as he reached for a large, ominous tome bound in cracked leather, its cover stamped with symbols they hadn't yet deciphered. The book had always drawn his attention, but until now, he'd avoided it, sensing it held something beyond simple knowledge—something ancient, perhaps forbidden.
He flipped through the pages with a sense of urgency, his fingers tracing over words and symbols that felt both familiar and foreign. His heartbeat quickened as he read phrases that hinted at hidden rituals and obscure rites, practices that bordered on arcane. The language was dense, almost cryptic, but there was no mistaking the intent behind the text: power, hidden within
the curse itself, waiting to be claimed by one bold—or desperate—enough to seize it.
Nathaniel's eyes narrowed as he focused on a passage describing a "Convergence Rite," an ancient ritual said to bind the essence of the curse to the will of the one who performed it. The page was adorned with intricate illustrations of runes and circles, their lines sharp and deliberate, as if etched with purpose and intent. A chill ran down his spine, but he refused to look away.
"This is it," he muttered, his voice low but resolute.
Helena stepped closer, her brow furrowed. "What is it? What does it say?"
Nathaniel didn't respond immediately. His eyes moved rapidly over the page, absorbing every detail. Finally, he turned to her, the intensity in his gaze enough to make her take a step back. "It's a ritual—a way to tap directly into the curse's power. Our ancestors knew about it, but they didn't dare use it. That's why they hid it here, buried in the labyrinth of their failed attempts to break free."
Elias crossed his arms, his expression dark. "And you think you can succeed where they didn't? You're talking about binding yourself to the curse, Nathaniel. Have you even considered what that might cost you?"
Nathaniel straightened, holding the book firmly in his hands. "What's the alternative, Elias? Waiting for the curse to claim me, like it claimed my brother? Like it claimed everyone else? No. If I'm going to survive this—if we're going to survive this—I need to stop fearing the darkness and start using it."
Helena stepped forward, desperation in her voice. "But at what cost? The curse destroys everything it touches, Nathaniel. It twists and corrupts. If you let it in, it might give you power, but it'll take everything else in return. Your humanity, your soul—do you really want to risk that?"
Nathaniel looked at her, his jaw clenched. "What's left of my humanity, Helena? The curse has already taken that. Every moment in this house, every nightmare, every whisper in the shadows—it's stripped me of who I was. If this ritual can give me a chance to fight back, even if it means walking a darker path, then I'll take it."
Elias slammed his hand on the desk, his voice sharp. "And what if you're wrong? What if the ritual doesn't give you control but makes you its pawn instead? This isn't strength, Nathaniel—it's surrender. Surrender to the curse, to the very thing you've been fighting against."
Nathaniel turned to face him, his expression cold. "You don't understand, Elias. None of you do. I've seen what this curse does. I've felt its grip tightening around me. If I don't act now, it'll be too late. I won't sit here and let it take me without a fight."
The room fell into a tense silence, the only sound the faint crackle of the fire in the hearth. Helena and Elias exchanged worried glances, their shared fear unspoken but palpable.
Finally, Helena spoke, her voice trembling. "If you go through with this… if you perform that ritual… I don't think we can follow you, Nathaniel. We've been with you through everything, but this? This feels like stepping off the edge of a cliff."
Nathaniel's gaze softened, just for a moment. "I know," he said quietly. "But I can't let fear hold me back anymore. If this is the price for freedom—for answers—then so be it."
He turned away from them, clutching the book as he walked toward the door. The flickering light of the fire cast his shadow long against the walls, a dark silhouette that seemed to twist and writhe unnaturally.
Helena called out after him, her voice breaking. "Nathaniel, please. Don't do this."
He paused, his back to them, but he didn't respond. Instead, he continued forward, disappearing into the darkened corridor. The air seemed to grow heavier in his absence, as if the house itself mourned the path he had chosen.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone