412 Curse

Hera and Alex were staring at the giant face of this dragon that came from the cloud ceiling. The mouth of the dragon changed into something that could be called a smile.

"That is correct. I am Kirouhebi. That is both my name and my title. It's been a long time since I heard anyone else saying my name," Kirouhebi's expression changed as he turned to Alex. Their eyes became sharper, and their mouth twisted, showing something very similar to disgust, "It is just a shame that we have met in such circumstances."

"What happened?" Hera looked at Alex, still unable to understand what was going on.

"I don't know… I saw a…" Alex started speaking but was quickly interrupted again.

"Do not speak of it! If you attempt to speak a single word about what you saw, I shall destroy you where you stand," small whirlwinds started to pull the cloud from the ceiling as lightning crackled around the dragon.

Kirouhebi's presence was too much for Alex, who just froze when she was threatened. They had yet to even try to see the status of that dragon, but just by looking at it, anyone could tell that they were in the presence of an extremely powerful being.

Seeing that Alex wasn't doing anything, Hera stepped in, "We are sorry for anything we did wrong in your temple. It wasn't our intention. We came here for a reason and got overwhelmed with everything that is on display."

"You have done nothing wrong. It's not your fault that that one saw the painting. Alas, the damage is done," Kirouhebi came out of the cloud showing now their full form. They had green scales, and the claws in their legs were completely red, just like their eyes. As they came closer to the ground, their size shifted. Now, instead of being large enough to cover the entrance with their head, Kirouhebi was about the same size as a horse.

"What damage? What painting?" Hera turned to Alex.

"That is not something she should say. Among these hallowed halls lies a record of something that should be forgotten," Kirouhebi got closer to Alex, reducing some of the pressure he was exerting, "What you saw is a curse. A curse that once devastated this room. It is infectious, and just by describing what you saw, the curse will spread. The more you are exposed to those images and descriptions of what happened, the more this curse will affect you."

"What is going to happen to me?" Alex's voice was trembling.

"It depends on your mental fortitude. If you are able to ignore the urge to know more about the curse, nothing will come to it. If not, you might start a new epidemic. Or be consumed by it."

"What do you mean consumed? The curse will kill her?" Hera asked.

"It will not. However, the curse will force your mind to think about it, to yearn for its knowledge and power. You will stop paying attention to other things and search only for the curse. Eventually, even food and water will seem like a waste of time, time that could be used to find the curse. It creates an uncontrollable addiction in your mind," Kirouhebi explained.

"Why would anyone want to find the curse?" Alex gasped, feeling more and more scared.

"For power, for knowledge, maybe even out of the hubris of believing that they will be different from the million others. The reasons will vary from person to person, and the early stages are the hardest part. I hope you take my warning to heart and do not share anything about what you saw with anyone."

"What… what would happen if I told anyone?" Alex looked up towards the dragon.

"As I already explained, the curse will spread. If it gets out of control, the only way to solve that issue is to trap all those who were affected in a room where they can perish along with the curse," Kirouhebi had a sad expression on their face.

"Is… is that what you did here? Is that why the…" Alex stopped herself before saying too much.

"Yes," Kirouhebi replied in a way that it was hard to ask any follow-up questions. Yet, Hera couldn't help herself.

"Forgive me, but if the curse spreads just by knowing of it, wouldn't I be infected too since you told me about it?"

Kirouhebi shook their head, "No. It is not the curse's existence that spreads but the contents of the curse itself. Telling you about those details and issues that followed won't be a problem. But by knowing what the curse looked like, reading records, or hearing someone else describe it, this curse will spread."

"Couldn't you remove the painting then? Isn't it something dangerous?" Alex asked.

"I cannot. My role is to watch and assist those who live in the Waperath Jungle and maintain this temple. I am not allowed to change anything here, even if it is something that could pose a danger again."

Hearing that, Hera got confused. The way Kirouhebi was speaking was much similar to that of a guide. Could he be one of them? To make sure, she activated her [Observe].

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Kirouhebi - the one who watches from beyond

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Just as she activated the skill, the dragon turned to her, "It seems that manners have changed during the last few hundreds of years. The people who used to live here would ask permission before observing someone."

Hera felt her cheeks burning up instantly, and even her ears got red, "I'm sorry. I just never met anyone like you, and I wasn't sure if you were considered a monster or something else."

"And what would you do if the system considered me a monster? Would you try to kill me?" Kirouhebi asked without changing his demeanor.

"No, not at all. It was more along the lines of what I could do if you decided to attack me. If I should just run or try to fight back," Hera quickly replied.

Kirouhebi nodded, "I suppose self-preservation is something that all living creatures possess."

"Since we are on the subject, what are you?" Alex asked.

"I am the overseer of this room. Someone who watches the room as it flourishes, maintains the records in this temple, and helps those who find this place," Kirouhebi looked back at the temple. For a moment, shadows of several connected buildings appeared behind the clouds, but they vanished just as quickly as they appeared. The dragon turned back to the humans, "And you? Who are you, and why are you here?"

"It was because of me. I was looking for someone that people called Blademaster. They were supposed to be a group of people who fought together, but I can't say for sure if they were really just a single person. I'm Hera, an explorer, by the way, and she's Alex, an assassin," Hera explained, but the whole thing about this curse was still on her mind.

"Despite our rough initial impression, it is a pleasure to meet you. I haven't talked with anyone in a few decades," Kirouhebi bowed their head.

"The pleasure is ours," Alex bowed repeatedly.

"Can you tell me where the Blademaster went? I found information about him coming to this room but then… nothing," Hera asked.

"He is in the mausoleum."

"There is a mausoleum here? Is he still alive?" Hera got excited about this idea. The Blademaster was here!

"No, he is no longer alive. He was suffering from a disease and came to me in hopes that I could help him with his issue. Sadly, my knowledge was lacking, and after trying to help him figure out a cure, he ultimately died because of his condition," Kirouhebi looked back to the temple, "Despite my eons of existence, I am not someone omniscient. Even to this day, having seen all that your current technology can accomplish, I'm still unable to find a solution to the Blademaster condition."

"What was his disease?" Alex asked.

"Back then, we used a different name, but now it is something you call a brain aneurysm. Healing spells can only do so much, and the Blademaster was already someone with weak health. Now I can make an educated guess that the reason why he died was due to a rupture of one, or maybe several, aneurysms. Alas, it could also be a tumor or a number of other conditions that affect the brain. With the tools we had at the time, there was nothing me or his companions could do to find the cause of his condition, much less save his life."

"He wasn't alone? He came here with other people?" Hera asked, thinking that maybe those others could also help her find more about the Blademaster.

"That… is a complicated question. In a way, no, he wasn't alone, but at the same time, he was," Kirouhebi replied.

"Did that one make sense to you?" Alex turned to Hera.

"Not in the slightest," Hera looked back to the temple, "Can you explain what you meant by that?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"OK… Can you take us to the mausoleum?"

"Are you asking about the mausoleum where people are laid to rest or to the one where the mortal remains of the Blademaster are present?" Kirouhebi asked.

"The one where the Blademaster is."

"I cannot assist you with that. You must find it yourself."

"And you can't tell me why, right?" Hera probed, trying to see if she could find a hint of the reason why the dragon was being so cryptic.

"Correct. This is not something I can help you with. If you wish to search for it, you are free to roam the temple halls. There will be no place that is locked for you. This temple is open to all," Kirouhebi glanced at Alex before continuing, "However, I ask you not to come to the map room. What you seek is not to that side, and I have to speak with you, Alex. To explain what you should expect in your current situation."

"Is it a good idea to have her go back there?" Hera asked.

"I shall block the cursed picture with my own body. This will also serve to prove to me if she is able to handle this curse."

"Quick question. Are you affected by the curse too?" Alex realized that the dragon knew too much for it not to have been infected.

"I am. I have the infection, and I can spread it. But thanks to the protection from the system, I'm not affected by the affliction that accompanies the curse. But the obsession is still present. I have to maintain a modicum of self-control. That's why I took so long to notice you were in the map room, Alex," Kirouhebi turned to the assassin, "I trained myself to forget the existence of that room as a way to remove the temptation."

"Even you had to do that much?" Alex asked, receiving a solemn nod in response.

"That is why I ask you to come with me. We have much to discuss, and I hope it helps you understand why you should never discuss this with anyone else," Kirouhebi explained.

"I'm OK with that," Alex nodded and started walking towards the temple, but Hera grabbed her hand.

"Are you sure? I mean, Kirouhebi seems like a cool dragon, but we don't know if this isn't a trap."

"If it helps. I am unable to harm anyone. At most, I can kick people out of the temple. Still, even beyond that, I cannot do anything against anyone who came to the temple from the Waperath Jungle," Kirouhebi turned around and started walking inside the temple.

"What about the whole 'destroy us where we stand,' thing?" Hera asked.

"It was just a way to give me time to explain the situation. Not to say I am unable to affect you with some spells if needed."

"I think he really wants to help. If he wanted to attack us somehow, he could do that before taking us out of the map room. Besides, he already gave you quite a big hint. You just have to look to the right-wing of the temple," Alex said as she started to follow the dragon.

"We have no idea how big this place is. It might be stupidly big," Hera sighed.

"Well, it's better than nothing," Alex shrugged.

They walked together until the map room when they split off. Hera went to the right while Alex and Kirouhebi went to the left, inside the map room. Hera was trying to keep her cool, but the way the dragon spoke about the Blademasters and how they couldn't say anything about it felt like how the guides would talk about legacies. They never gave a straight answer. Everything was either so cryptic that it didn't even make sense or just an answer along the lines of 'I can't tell you that.' She had this nagging feeling that this would end up being a legacy, and if that was the case, Hera wanted to find it herself.