Chapter 27 - The Curse By Hollow Promises

“I thought I forbade you from continuing this project. The consequences will be unbearable if not properly managed and contained, Vorn! Why don’t you ever heed my warnings?” his mentor protested angrily.

Speechless in defeat, Vorn reached out, touching the glass encasing the relay core. It pulsed rhythmically, like a beating heart. A long silence followed before he turned to face his mentor. “There is more to magic than meets the eye, sir. I know it’s dangerous, but it has the potential to change our lives for the better. As its creator, it’s my responsibility to safeguard it with my life.”

His mentor’s stern gaze didn’t waver. “If anyone catches wind of your success—this thing...” he gestured at the living core, crossing his arms as if to shield himself from its presence.

“No one will know. I’ll have it secretly transported to River Island. It’s secluded, far from the mainland, and holds no global interest. I trust Erlin to keep it safe there,” Vorn insisted, his voice trembling with conviction.

“I have a better idea, child: destroy it. Better safe than sorry,” his mentor said sharply, his tone unyielding.

“Imagine a world without labor,” Vorn pleaded. “A world with artificial intelligence to take on our mundane everyday tasks, a magic system that evolves to advance our technology. Please, sir, just give me a chance to show you.”

His mentor’s expression softened into pity, though his resolve remained firm. “I want it destroyed by the time I return tomorrow. Am I understood?”

Vorn’s shoulders slumped, his silence speaking volumes.

“Am I understood?” the mentor repeated, his voice rising.

“Yes, sir,” Vorn whispered, his reply barely audible.

Present Day…

“Back up!” a seer shouted, his voice strained as he gestured to a woman standing with two children and her husband. Chaos erupted in the background, the air thick with fear and desperation.

“I’m not infected,” the woman pleaded. “You can check if you want, but please, we need to leave this island. I don’t fear for my life, but for my children’s. Please, let us through.”

The seer’s stance didn’t falter. “Under Hound’s orders, everyone stays on the island. No exceptions. I’m sorry, ma’am.”

Her husband stepped forward, shielding his wife and children. “If not my wife and I, then please, let our children go. I can pay you, whatever you want. I beg of you.”

The seer’s eyes darted to the side. An infected figure sprinted toward them, its guttural wails echoing. “Back up!” he repeated, shoving the man. The force sent the woman stumbling, toppling over her children.

The infected was unsightly. Its decayed flesh was hardened, cracked like tree bark, with dead branches protruding unnaturally from its body. Hollow, glowing red eyes burned in its sockets, and jagged, overgrown teeth jutted from its twisted jaw. Though mindless, it moved with a predator’s cunning, an unnatural intelligence born of its corruption.

The creature’s speed was terrifying. In seconds, it closed the distance, and before the seer could react, he was in its grasp. The branches sprouting from its body released a cloud of toxic gas, choking the seer instantly. His lifeless body crumpled as the infected tore into him, its claws digging deep into his chest.

The family scrambled toward an empty boat, their desperation palpable as the creature feasted. The infected tore through the seer’s flesh with sharp, eerie teeth, breaking bones as if they were twigs. A black aura surrounded the creature, the seer’s soul being devoured by its corruption.

It paused momentarily, savoring the moment, before ripping out the man’s large intestines and stuffing them into its bloodied mouth. The scene was a monstrous display of both hunger and calculated malice—a monster not just driven by instinct, but by something far darker.