Eternal Malediction의 모든 챕터: 챕터 41 - 챕터 50

“Are you ready to dance, brochacho?” Ringo called, with a Wild West stance.Tanaka lowered his stance, breathing in deep. “Si, partner.”The bell rang and their battle began.Ringo moved first. His feet barely touched the dirt before he was in front of Tanaka, arm snapping out, Ringo slightly hitting his jaw. The air buckled where his punch passed, a warped shimmer like heat rising off stone.Tanaka sidestepped. Or tried to.The shimmer followed him.The impact came a split second later, invisible and delayed, like the bunch had been stored and then released within him.

The curtains parted.Sunlight spilt into the corridor, and the noise hit like a wave. The previous fight was apparently amazing, and the crowd had the same hype carrying on. Chants, cheers and stomping feet shook the stone beneath him. The air was thick with dust and anticipation, the smell of sweat and steel riding on it.Lucian Draeve stepped out first, shoulders squared, waving to the crowd like he was already the victor. His dark jacket fluttered in the breeze, and the gold trim along its edges caught the light just enough to draw attention. The man knew how to make an entrance.Roy followed a few steps behind, hands in his pockets, expression flat. He scanned the arena with the slow disinterest of someone checking the weather.Above them, the announcer’s voice boomed. “Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for the next match in the Tournament of Richt! On one side, heir to the prestigious Draeve Foundation, undefeated in his last twelve official duels: Lucian Draeve!”The crowd

The four of them had spent the last couple of hours just loitering around at Kieran’s, drifting between pointless conversations and distracted silences. Brock was leaning against the rail, scrolling endlessly through his phone like he was searching for the meaning of life hidden between memes. Tanaka sat with his hood up, pretending he wasn’t people-watching every soul that passed by. Kieran stood off to the side, mind clearly elsewhere, probably running mental simulations of tomorrow’s match.Roy… Well, Roy was just existing, hands in his pockets, eyes half-lidded and staring at the ceiling above, drifting through the moments without any particular urgency.Eventually, the orange glow of the sunset started to fade into that deep blue that marked the beginning of night. Street lamps began to hum to life, and the air picked up a bite of

Dreams only go so far.That night, Roy drifted without much thought, just a blur of tired muscles and the faint ache in his knuckles. He could have just healed himself, but that would have just ruined the sense of accomplishment of working out in a while.When he opened his eyes. He was home. Or at least what looked like home.Everything was… right. People sat around a long table, plates steaming with food, voices humming like distant radio chatter. Everyone seemed to be happy. The air was warm and soft, like being tucked into bed by your parent.But their faces… They had nothing. Smooth, pale blurs where eyes and mouth should be. Roy somehow knew each of them. Their names sat on the tip of his tongue, yet if he tried to speak, they’d dissolve into static in his mind. It was one of those hazy dreams where you know you’re there and you know these people matter to you but understanding why… It feels like it was like water slipping through his fingers.Roy stood up slowly, his chair sc

Kieran was already bored by the second period. His leg bouncing up and down. Classes dragged on. The clock felt like it moved in reverse. Every teacher sounded like they were mumbling through a fog, and all he could think about was the fact that, somewhere out there, a fight was waiting for him. One that he will remember forever, and it may be today.Tanaka had gotten a fun match; Roy had… well, he had a match. But Kiearn? Kieran was worried his opponent would end up being some random nobody who thought having a soul art automatically made them strong.By lunch, he was pressing his cheek against his hand while staring out the window, watching the clouds move faster than the hour hand on the classroom clock.When the final bell finally rang, it felt more like mercy than anything else.They regrouped at the station, all four of them, slumping down onto the benches as they waited for the train. “Are you nervous?” Tnaka asked with his mouth half full with a croissant he bought from the