The moment I willed the Bloodline tab open, the air around me shifted. The black window rippled once, then expanded, lines of light tracing across the surface like veins being drawn in real time. A faint hum echoed in my ears, low and rhythmic, almost like breathing.

Then the words appeared.

Bloodline: The Cursed Cardinal

Description: "A bloodline born from paradox, blessed by creation, condemned by existence. Life and Death bow, but the heart refuses."

I stared at it for a long second.

That was it?

That was the description?

"Wow. Cryptic. Love that for me," I muttered under my breath, eyes narrowing. "Guess plain words was too much to ask."

Still, something about those words made my skin crawl. Blessed by creation, condemned by existence. It sounded less like a gift and more like a cosmic joke, and somehow, I had the starring role.

The screen flickered again, expanding to reveal three faint sigils shaped like locks, each one pulsing with dim light.

Lock Progress:

-First Lock: 1% Open

-Second Lock: 0%

-Third Lock: 0%

The first one glowed faintly red alive, just barely. The other two might as well have been carved from stone.

"Great. One percent," I said dryly. "At this rate I'll unlock the next one by the time I'm eighty."

But then the next section appeared, and my smirk faltered.

Unlocking Requirements: To unseal each lock, the bearer must experience emotions strong enough to tear the soul. Despair that breaks reason. Hatred that consumes. Fear that devours. Grief that hollows.

The deeper the emotion, the more the lock opens.

I stared at the words until my throat went dry.

"You've got to be kidding me," I whispered.

So that was it. My power didn't want discipline, training, or enlightenment it wanted pain. Suffering. Emotional self-destruction.

"Fantastic. Truly inspiring." I dragged a hand down my face, muttering under my breath. "So basically, to get stronger, I have to feel like absolute trash. Wonderful system design."

The more I read, the colder the air seemed to grow. Beneath the neat, glowing text, faint symbols shimmered, red lines spiraling outward like wings made of blood and ash. It was beautiful, in a disturbing kind of way.

The first lock pulsed faintly again, the red glow deepening for a heartbeat before fading. I felt it too a small flicker inside my chest, like something sleeping deep within me had twitched in its slumber.

I wasn't sure if that was good or terrifying. Probably both.

I exhaled slowly, closing the window with a thought. The light vanished, leaving nothing but the faint echo of the hum behind.

"Alright then," I said under my breath. "Cursed bloodline that feeds on misery. Perfect. What could possibly go wrong?"

But even as I tried to sound amused, my hands wouldn't stop trembling.

I closed my status window and looked up again, my head still resting in Belle's lap. Her black hair spilled over her shoulders like a curtain of ink, soft and weightless, framing a face that didn't belong in this world. The blindfold still rested perfectly across her eyes, yet even without seeing them, she looked… peaceful. Serene. Like a sleeping goddess lost in her own dream.

And that was the problem.

Because the longer I stared, the harder it was to breathe. My chest felt too tight, my heartbeat too fast, every thud echoing up through my throat until it drowned out everything else. It wasn't just nerves it was something deeper, something that didn't make sense.

I blinked, tore my eyes away, and muttered, "What the hell is happening to me…?"

The sound of my own voice felt strange uneven, low, and a little too honest. I clenched my jaw, trying to push the feeling down. But it didn't go away. If anything, it got worse.

Maybe… maybe it was the bloodline. That damned "Cursed Cardinal" thing. The name alone sounded like trouble. Maybe the first lock opening had done something to me, tampered with my emotions, my instincts, my control. After all, power came with a catch.

But then another thought crept in, quieter, colder.

The golden orb.

I remembered the way it had pulsed in the goddess's domain, brilliant, alive, and full of emotion. I'd reached out without thinking, drawn to it like it was calling to me. Maybe that was the mistake. Maybe that light had burned something into me. Maybe it was her way of binding me, or marking me, or—

I stopped myself mid-thought and scoffed quietly. "No. That's stupid."

The goddess wasn't the kind of being who toyed with mortals for fun. I'd seen her eyes; there was no malice there, just that… incomprehensible love. She didn't need curses or tricks. If she wanted me to suffer, she could've just willed it, and I'd be nothing more than ash scattered in the void.

Still, it didn't make sense. None of it did. Why did my chest feel like this every time I looked at Belle? Why did her face, the sight of her, make my pulse lose all rhythm?

I turned back to her. She looked so still, so untouchably calm, her breath rising and falling in perfect rhythm. The faint morning light caught on her hair, turning its dark strands into threads of gold at the edges. And for a moment, I just… stared.

That strange warmth came back heavy, confusing, relentless. It sat behind my ribs, somewhere between comfort and panic.

I pressed a hand to my chest, muttering to myself, "Yeah, no. Definitely cursed. Has to be."

A pause.

Then, from somewhere deep in my mind, a familiar voice, mocking, half-laughing, dripping with that irritating mix of amusement and pity, slid into my thoughts.

{Do you really not know, Sebastian? Or is that you're too afraid to admit it?}

The sound of it made me flinch, even though I'd grown used to Bastard's interruptions. His tone wasn't cruel, just faintly entertained, like he was watching a slow-motion train wreck he'd seen coming a mile away.

I exhaled slowly through my nose, rubbing at my temple.

"...", I didn't answer, but bastard still got his answer.

Belle shifted faintly in her sleep, and I pushed myself up from her lap, careful not to wake her. The air felt colder now. Heavier.

Great.

As if I needed another problem.

A/N: Hello People.

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