Marcus POV:
"Let's form a triangle, Kidlat, and I will be upfront, Freia you will be behind him," I commanded.
They nodded.
"Then we'll attack at the same time, I'll run behind but try to cover me in case he sees me," Freia let out.
We nodded.
The three of us run in separate directions while simultaneously attacking Omu Magre. Kidlat and I will be launching our attack in front while Freia will get behind Omu.
"Hahaha! Kahit magsama-sama pa kayong tatlo hindi niyo matatalo!" Omu screamed and sinister laughed while trying to block our attacks with his tattoo-made haze barrier.
Lightning magic: Thunderbolt
Ice Magic: Avalanche Ice
Fire Magic: Blaze Cut
"Keep it up! Do it again and again!" I demanded.
"Done!" Freia called.
As soon as Freia was in position I gave a sign to Kidlat.
"Freia, go!" I called and she nodded.
Ice Magic: Ice Crystals & Avalanche Ice
They can use two magics altogether, which is kind of surprising for me because of how such a mage can use two magic at the same time. In our case, we can't able to use it all at once.
"Kidlat!" I called.
Lightning Magic: Thunderbolt & Thunderbird
Lady Fire!
Yes, my Lord! Are you sure about this?
Yes! Just support me with your power.
I guess, I don't have a choice.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and grasped my sword.
I tried the Mana Absorption that I just heard from these two. They used Mana Absorption to absorb and borrow the energy from nature so that it would double their inner mana and able to release two or more magics all at once, by summoning it. But only if, and it requires stable stamina. In my case, I'm in middle-state stamina right now. As I had been battling for the past couple of hours. I asked Lady Fire if I could still do it despite having less stable stamina, she said I could, but I needed to achieve the proper breathing within eight seconds to at least regain my stamina and absorb the natural mana, and used it as an advantage to the enemy. But the aftermath of this was body exhaustion, as it would exhaust me by releasing half of my inner mana in summoning two or more magic all at one strike.
Fire Magic: Invisible Flaming Blade and Blaze Cut
Omu was shocked by it, as multiple magic was cast and coming towards him.
"What? What is this?" He exclaimed. As he couldn't manage to dodge those attacks or even block them with his barrier. The impact created a trembling of ground and dust all over the place.
The place was full of silence, waiting for the dust to pass away and see the outcome of the plan against Omu Magre.
Then, a laughed. We were alarmed by it, we saw a shadowy figure standing firm.
"What the hell is this?" I urge to utter. I already catching up with my breath, I'm going to be exhausted.
This one is tough.
"Anong klaseng demonyo 'toh?!" Kidlat emitted.
"Told you that they are not just a typical demon that you always encounter! They are formidable!" I responded.
"Mga gunggong! Akala niyo ba matatalo ako ng ganyan lang? Pwes! Nagkakamali kayo! Mga hangal! Magpalamon na lang kayo sa lupa sa kahihiyan!" He trash-talked us.
...
An object was seen floating above us. Our gazes were pinned on it.
"What are you?" Omu uttered questioning the object floating above.
"What am I? I will be your Kingdom's threat!"
His tone is commanding. Introducing himself that he's a kind of threat sounds decisive. He's familiar but the presence was different now, -- is this Amir?

Omu Magre was looking up, when a sudden light with a black hue, strike at him — right on his forehead. That Omu Magre couldn't even be reacted on it. He was just slowly turning pieces like paper burned into ashes and faded away. That was anticlimactic! He slowly vanished into thin air. Amir slowly descended to the ground and walked approaching us.
"Are you all okay?" He uttered with a calm tone.
We all nodded. I stepped forward to introduce Freia and Kidlat at Amir.
"Amir, the one that we are looking for is already here --"
"Looking for?" Freia uttered confused.
Kidlat just gave the stare of questioning.
"Ah, yes, This is Freia, the Ice Offspring, and this is Kidlat, the Lightning Offspring. They helped me fight with Omu Magre. This is Prince Amir of Qill Palace, the Light Offspring, and I'm Marcus,"
Amir just arches a smile at them. I gaze at them who appear uneasy.
"Don't be awkward, since then, we are all Offsprings of Mana, we are all gonna be fine," I assured.
"You didn't answer our question, why are you looking for us?" Freia responded.
"Master Ki Bou gave us a mission to find you here and ask for your help as there's an emerging war at the Stone Gate, the Palace ordered that they needed our help, our alliance with them," Amir answered back.
"An emerging war? At the Stone Gate?" Freia responded. Then turned her gaze at Kidlat and both looked at each other.
"If that is so, then, come with us! We have our hiding place here at the Mana Boundary," Freia said.
"Wait, we need to take our friends that we're injured, But, can I have some request?" I asked.
"What is it?" She asked.
"I have two friends that were severely injured, Li and Cleb, can you please heal them?" I requested.
She nodded and accepted my plea.
...
A day later.
"So? There's an emerging war at the Stone Gate?" Freia uttered, her cold and calm voice is enchanting, especially to a woman like her.
"Yes! You didn't know that? Your team was the nearest here from the Stone Gate, how come that news didn't reach your radar?" Amir responded.
"So, totoo pala," Kidlat muttered at Freia who just agreed with him.
"Totoo ang alin?" Li heard them and asked.
"That there's a conflict between the two realms," Freia answered.
"So, what's your source? Or who?" I asked.
"Kayo! Also, someone from the other side!" Freia replied.
"What do you mean from the other side?" I asked.
Kidlat walks towards Freia and taps her shoulder gently.
"Sabihin mo na!"
Freia gazed at him and nodded right after.
"It all started from a Book that originated from the Elviasque and was owned by Lord Landus Secliast from Elven Society, it was a gift offered to the Kingdom of Raiyan, and then here comes the plot! When Queen Diana Leneira had been the mistress of King Aros Qill; the fifth King of the Haiyan. She desires to be impregnated by King Aros in exchange for that Book of Secliast, she wants to bear a child with the blood of a Qill. That's why it got in there. Now that the oldest society in Alvenrass called the Elvians Society wanted to take back the Book of Secliast in exchange for unlimited resources that Raiyan had lacked in the past years, but that Book that they were looking for was inside that Stone Gate --"
"See? Tama ako! Tama ang hinala ko! They just wanted to take what's them! That book was supposed to be pagmamay-ari nila!" Li exclaimed trying to prove that his intuitions were right.
"Wait!" Amir deeply uttered.
"You mentioned earlier Queen Diana and King Aros? My grandfather?! Is it true?" He added.
Freia shrugged off.
"I don't know, but one thing is for sure...it was history. They became part of the history of that Book of Secliast, and that book will be the root cause of the emerging war..." Freia responded.
"...I'm hooked by it, If ever Queen Diana got pregnant and bore that child and King Aros was the father of it, then there's a probability that you would become the heir of the throne of both realms, if — "
"No, history can be rewritten and manipulated by someone, so there's no probability with that, It's impossible," I disagreed with Freia's words.
"That's possible!" She insisted.
"Who cares?" Amir uttered coldly.
We both looked at him, staring in absence.
"Are you okay, Amir?" I asked.
He seems unlikely since yesterday after he saved us from Omu Magre. Li stood up and approached him.
"Okay ka lang? May iniinda ka ba? Do you have something to tell us? Li sent out with concern in his tone.
"Someone killed my parents..."
Uttered all of a sudden. We were shocked by it, I don't know how to respond to that. The death of his parents was infamous for being a tragic one, the news spread all over the realm, his mother died the moment she was born and his father died because he took his own life. But, then this guy, out of nowhere told us that someone killed his parents.
"Where'd you get that? Isn't your parents died because of you?" Freia utterly said with no hesitance and second thoughts.
We were caught off guard hearing those from Freia and the chamber was silenced. Everyone's gazes were at Freia.
"What? I'm just telling the truth! Amir wouldn't find it offensive, right?" Freia said with her cold calming tone.
I took a glance at Amir and just smiled at us.
"Yeah, she's right! I might be the reason my parents died, but someone told me that they were killed and that's what I wanted to know..."
He stood up and I can see on his face that he was serious about this.
"I want to know the truth about my parents' death! I will find that person who killed them and I'll make sure that he or she will be punished!"
"But how can you say that they were killed?" I asked.
"That demon told me about my parents' death, they watched my parents die right in front of me when I was born!"
"How can you trust a demon?! Are you out of your mind Amir?" Li exclaimed.
"No, I don't trust her either but she mentioned my sister and the midwife who was there when the crime happened, I want to find them, they might know the truth about my parents, ..."
"Don't worry! I will not involve you in this! I'll do it alone — for myself! I'll do it once our mission in the Stone Gate is done," He added.
He was determined.
...
Freia gave us a cup of brown coffee with a block of ice in it.
"It was Cika Salea who told us about the Book and the rest is history, well, we found her near the riverbank, weak and hungry, so we took her to our shelter, fed and took care of her, at first, we didn't believe her because she was a kid and unknown to us, but then you came and told us about the emerging war in the stone gate, that's when we believe that it's true," Freia explained.
"She is a kid?" Amir asked.
"Yes, pinakabatang miyembro ng Back Society," Kidlat answered back.
"Back Society?" I said.
What kind of society it is? Back Society?
"They are known as the Back Society, We don't know their background yet, but yes, they are probably the one that causes conflict in the Stone Gate," Freia added.
"Where's the kid?" I asked.
Freia and Kidlat looked at each other and chuckled. I arch my eyebrows at them and they immediately saw me.
"What's funny?" uttered in sync with Amir.
"Ay, ba't natawa? Li said.
"Well, she's with our friend!" Freia answered.
"Where?" I asked.
"Hiding in the shadows," Kidlat replied.
"What do you mean hiding in the shadows?" I asked.
Both of them pointed at Amir's shadow. We gazed at it and we were stunned when a sudden movement was seen in Amir's shadow, she gradually arose out of the shadows, and an emo lass appeared embracing the girl in a pink flowery dress, with an "X" scar right on its cheeks.
"Hi," uttered in a gloomy tone by the emo lass who was in all black.
I was weirded out by her, she noticed me staring at her and turned her gaze at me, and then I immediately diverted my gaze to Freia.
"W-who...Your...Who is she?" I stuttered and pointed a finger at the emo lass without looking at her.
"Ah! She is Shaowi Shadowman, the Offspring of Shadow Magic! Isn't it cool?!" Freia uttered delighted.
"Well, although she's a 2nd Class Mage; C-Rank, kaunti lang ang alam niyang majika at...yeah...she's kinda weak for a C-Rank...she admits it naman and we're okay with it since she's useful —"
"Useful in what?" I said as I intervened Kidlat from speaking.
Freia and Kidlat both looked at each other and then turned their gazes at me.
"She's passive and the only thing she does that makes her useful is letting us hide in her shadow when we are outnumbered or low in stamina," Freia explained.
"Then why is she the same rank as yours?" Amir asked.
"I stole shadows from someone and they become useless, unseen, and lifeless," Shaowi answered with a monotonous tone.
"Ohhhh, nakakatakot naman pala!" Cleb said. This is the first time I heard him utter as he was busy cleaning and scraping his axes.
"Yeah, she only used two kinds of magic but then she managed to achieve what Kidlat and I had achieved," Freia added.
"Ang bata..." Shaowi monotonously uttered.
We almost forgot the kid because of that emo girl.
Amir tried to approach her but she was too shy and hid behind Shadow.
"Don't be scared!" Amir uttered calmly and nicely.
"We are not bad guys, we are good guys!" Li added.
Still hiding behind Shaowi's back.
"Shaowi..." Freia called her.
She nodded sideways.
"She doesn't want to talk..." Shaowi answered.
"What?" Amir replied.
Shaowi didn't reply but instead, she gave him a look.
"So, what now?" I said.
"Let's just give her some time, maybe she was scared of the newcomers. We should let her rest for a moment before we question her." Amir announced.
...
I took a sip of the iced coffee that Freia offered us. While sipping, I stared at Shaowi in the distant side of the chamber, brushing Cika's hair, then suddenly, she diverted her eyes at me — she caught me looking at her. I was startled and choked on my drink. My life flashed for a moment, that was embarrassing! She might overthink something. Cleb and Li noticed and approached me.
"Okay ka lang, Marcus?" Li said caressing my back as I kept on coughing.
"Titig na titig ha! Hahaha!" Cleb teased and laughed at me holding his stomach. He might have seen it.
"What?" Li was confused.
I booted Cleb's knee while sitting on the chair. He was laughing when he accidentally fell on the chair and stumbled.
"Cleb!!!" Li shouted in shock.
...
Sitting around the round table. The seven of us were discussing Cika Salea's situation.
"We have the girl, so what should we do with her?" I asked.
"Let's ask her about their plans or their intentions. We all know that they wanted that Book of Secliast, but what if they have some other intentions to do?!" Amir said.
"She's not in the mood right now! Let's give her some time to speak," Freia responded.
"She might know more about the Back Society," Li added.
"We'll talk to her once she wants to," Freia said.
"Bakit kaya invested sila sa Book na 'yun? Ano bang meron sa libro na 'yun?" Kidlat responded.
"Hindi na natin problema 'yon! Kung ano man ang sa loob ng libro na 'yon, labas na tayo 'dun! Ang atin lang ay si Cika Salea ay miyembro ng Back Society na gustong kunin ang libro na 'yon sa loob ng Stone Gate na dahilan sa namumuong digmaan, at ang misyon natin ay awatin at patigilin ang paghahanda para sa digmaan ng Raiyan at Haiyan," Cleb pointed out.
"Cleb's right! That's why we need that young girl to speak as soon as possible before the war occurs," I added.
"Can I speak?"
We all turned our gazes at her. She just gave us a look with her lazy eyes.
"Yes, you can!" Amir uttered nicely.
"The Book of Secliast will be the root of the Alvenrass greatest war. We, the Realm of Haiyan could prevent that war. Listen, two scenarios; If we don't give that Book back to them, then a war between Raiyan and Haiyan at the Stone Gate will happen, and then, when Raiyan can't give what the Elves wanted, another war would occur between Raiyan and the Elves, a chain-like reaction. Every other realm will seek assistance or alliances with other realms...then boom! The greatest war will rise in the Alvenrass. Another scenario is if we used our brains and not be stupid enough to act like we're capable of having a win in a war because of them relying on us, then we could stop a war! We needed to give that book back to Raiyan so that they could barter with the Elves with unlimited resources, lucky enough, Raiyan would give us a share of their resources. Then, the book will go back to where it was created and begin — the Elves. Then...ta-da!!! No emergence of war. No greatest war in Alvenrass," She speeches in a monotonous way.
We were speechless. We couldn't even react right away.
"The King —" Amir uttered,
"Is stupid," Shaowi replied monotonously, preventing Amir from speaking.
Amir faltered.
"Y-You're right! I'll talk to the King, B-But, j-just so you know that I didn't mean to agree with the King's order, okay!" Amir said, then just smiled.
"Master Ki Bou, the disciple of that King was also stupid! He keeps lying to us, keeps hiding the truth, that's why he left the ministry and discreetly honored the King. He's trying to change the unchangeable,"
Then suddenly, Shaowi stood up and tossed the book at the table. It looks untouched and gold and feels like no one has opened and read this thick book for centuries.
"That's the Book of Secliast," She said.
Another speechless moment. We all turned our gazes at her.
"Cika Salea gave it to me, she said that I'm the only one she trusted. That she was not a member of Back Society and knows nothing about them, she was just used by them, manipulated by the Raiyan Ministry because she is the key," She added.
"Key for what?" Amir said.
"She is the Key of the Stone Gate, rather, the real Key of that Gate." She concluded then left us all speechless around the scene.
I hemmed to alter the silence.
"Guys! We've got the book now!" I said.
"So what should we do?" Freia asked for a reaction.
"We need to create a plan!" Amir answered with gravity in his tone.
We all nodded. Agreed and created a plan in this round table.
...
After the two teams create a plan to stop the emerging war and return the Book of Secliast from the realm of Raiyan, Amir goes outside and contemplates near the riverbank. He was lying on the ground stargazing while playing with his thinking; the murder of his parents, the history of his royal blood, and the mission that he is the one who leads. Thoughts were all over him when he heard footsteps coming through, he stood up from the ground, raised his right arm, and pointed a finger preparing for an attack. He puts it down when he sees familiar faces appearing at the scene; Niala, Mill, Lusaka, and the others. He was delighted by it and approached them, but they took it backward which made Amir lose his smile and confused at the moment. He asked them why but the answer is...
"Amir!" Niala uttered tearing up.
"W-Why...are you crying?" Amir asked.
The others were showing the same emotions, saddened.
Then someone walked forward coming from behind the saddened faces. Master Ki Bou approaches him.
"Master Ki Bou? What's happening?" Amir asked in confusion.
Master Ki Bou smiled at him.
"Amir, I know this is shocking...but you need to brace yourself." Ki Bou told him.
"I discovered something and I already told them! I am here to tell you about this." He added.
Amir was still confused.
"What is it?" Amir asked.
...
Master Ki Bou took a deep breath before he uttered.
"You..."
"...are cursed," He said.
Amir was flabbergasted. He walked back away from them, turned back around, and gazed at the streams of the river.
"No!"
"Yes, it is! This being inside this stone, his name is Amodeus. I communicated with him and talked about the Dark Curse. He revealed to me that the Kingdom of Haiyan was not cursed, yet, the people living inside there were cursed. The people are you, Amir. You are the Dark Curse, and the evil things occurring inside and outside the realm were the effect of the curse. The immorality started to emerge breaking the law and order of Alvenrass. It already arose the moment you were born, but it became invisible because you are chosen by the Sorcerers Mana, chosen by the light. The awakening of your mana triggered the Dark Curse inside you, ..."
"... Everything has become complicated right now, Amir!"
"You are a cursed child," Master Ki Bou concluded.
"No, this can't be," Amir said.
He was hushed for a moment. Then, they heard him chuckle. The others were alarmed and baffled. How can he laugh like that knowing that he's a threat to the entire world? They were uneasy right at the moment regarding Amir's situation.
"Amir?" Ki Bou called him.
He gradually turned around to fronted them. The moment he does is the moment of revelation. Everyone was terrified...
"I know..." He said in a deep devilish tone.
...when they saw Amir with a menacing smile. His glaring eyes were pitch-black and nerves from his face were showing up.
"I know that I am...the Dark Curse!"
- END of BOOK I: Part 1