Goryu dashed toward the mysterious figure, intent on protecting Megha. The figure reacted instantly, meeting Goryu head-on.
CLANG!
Their attacks collided with enough force to send them both sliding backward.
Goryu steadied himself, a smirk slowly spreading across his face.
Goryu: "So, you're the Cursed being who's been causing trouble around here, huh?"
The figure tilted his head.
??? : "So what if I am?"
He lowered his body into a fighting stance, his eyes fixed on Goryu.
Goryu: "Well, I'm gonna have to do something about that."
??? : "I'm not sure about that."
They dashed toward each other again, their fists colliding in a burst of force.
As they separated, Goryu raised his guard.
Goryu: "The name's Goryu."
The figure grinned.
??? : "Scar. That's what they call me."
Goryu threw a powerful punch, but Scar leaned aside, narrowly avoiding it. Before Goryu could recover, Scar seized his arm and drove a fist into his stomach.
BOOM!
Goryu staggered backward, but Scar immediately pursued him with a kick. Goryu crossed his arms and blocked the strike, using the impact to flip backward and regain his footing.
Scar chuckled.
Scar: "I must admit, you're a pretty good fighter."
Goryu smirked, keeping his guard raised.
Goryu: "Thanks."
Scar's smile gradually faded.
Scar: "But you can't fight all of us at the same time."
Two more figures emerged from the shadows behind him.
Goryu's expression hardened.
Goryu: "So there are three of you? Great. This mission just got a whole lot more dangerous."
Behind him, Megha stood frozen, unable to move. Galena trembled, staring at the three Curses in disbelief. Chance watched carefully, trying to assess their opponents and figure out their next move.
The two newly arrived Curses rushed Goryu from opposite sides.
He blocked the first attack, then twisted to deflect the second. But while his attention was divided, Scar slipped behind him and drove a kick into his stomach.
CRASH!
Goryu slammed into the ground.
Before he could recover, the other two Curses pressed their advantage, attacking relentlessly. Goryu defended himself as best he could, refusing to give them an opening.
Then Scar noticed Megha standing helplessly nearby.
Scar: "Let's see how you handle this!"
He dashed toward Megha, drawing back his fist.
But before the attack could connect, Chance rushed between them.
BOOM!
Scar's strike sent Chance flying into a nearby wall.
Chance: "Gah!"
Goryu saw what happened and immediately sprang into action. He lunged at Scar, forcing him to retreat with a backward flip.
Scar landed lightly and glanced up at the sky.
A full moon hung above them.
His grin widened.
Suddenly, a blood-red aura began to rise from his body.
The ground trembled as his form expanded. His muscles grew, his fingers stretched into sharp claws, and his mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. His eyes burned crimson as his body transformed into a towering beast.
Megha stared in terror.
Chance slowly pushed himself away from the wall, wincing from the impact. He looked at Megha, who still couldn't bring himself to move.
Chance: "MEGHA! YOU IDIOT! WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO BE SCARED! WE NEED TO SURVIVE!"
Megha flinched.
Megha: "B-but I'm…"
Chance: "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! We have to stand our ground if we want to live!"
Galena stepped beside her brother.
Galena: "Chance is right, Megha. We have to fight if we want to survive!"
Megha looked at the Curses, then at his trembling hands.
He took a deep breath and slapped himself across the face.
SMACK!
Megha: "Get it together, Megha!"
He clenched his fists and stepped forward, still frightened but no longer frozen.
Goryu glanced back at the three young Gifted and smiled.
Goryu: "That's it! Don't let your emotions control you. Learn to use them!"
The monstrous Scar roared.
Scar: "HEY! YOUR FOCUS SHOULD BE ON ME!"
Goryu turned back toward him.
Goryu: "My bad."
A yellow aura began to surround Goryu's body.
His expression became serious.
Goryu: "I should be focusing on you."
He charged forward, meeting Scar in a devastating clash. The two exchanged punches and kicks, neither willing to surrender an inch of ground.
Scar swung for Goryu's face.
Goryu blocked the strike, seized his wrist, and shoved him backward.
For the first time, Scar's expression showed genuine excitement.
Goryu's yellow aura intensified.
Goryu: "Dragon Authority!"
The energy surrounding him surged as he fused with the Water Dragon Spirit, Mistus. A powerful blue aura enveloped his body, and his eyes began glowing an oceanic blue.
The air grew heavy with the presence of his Gift.
Scar rolled his shoulders and settled into his stance.
Scar: "Now we're talking!"
Goryu grinned.
Goryu: "It's about time I got rid of you."
Scar burst into maniacal laughter as a blood-red aura gathered around him.
Scar: "I was about to say the same thing!"
They charged.
Their fists collided, sending a shock wave across the battlefield.
Goryu struck Scar in the jaw, then drove his other fist into his stomach. Scar stumbled, but Goryu refused to let up.
He extended his hand.
Water surged around his arm, gathering into the shape of a trident.
Goryu: "MISTUS STYLE: WATER TRIDENT!"
He thrust the weapon forward.
The trident pierced Scar's side.
For a moment, Goryu believed he had landed a decisive blow.
Then Scar laughed.
Blood flowed from the wound, twisting and hardening into a second trident. Scar seized the weapon and used it to clash with Goryu's.
CLANG!
Goryu's eyes widened.
The blood around Scar's wound began moving backward, returning to his body. The injury closed as though the attack had never happened.
Goryu: "What the—?!"
Scar stepped away and slowly removed his shirt.
His torso and arms were covered in scars, some thin and faded, others thick and jagged. Strange seals marked several of them, each one faintly glowing red.
Scar: "Every scar has a story, Goryu. And every story leaves something behind."
He pressed his palm against the fresh wound.
A seal flared.
The wound closed completely.
Scar then touched one of the seals on his arm and peeled it away.
The mark tore free like a strip of living energy. Blood erupted from the exposed scar, stretching and twisting until it formed a long, vicious whip.
Goryu tightened his grip on his trident.
Scar: "These scars aren't weaknesses. They're my weapons."
Scar snapped his arm forward.
The blood whip coiled around Goryu's leg.
Goryu: "Damn it!"
Scar yanked him into the air and slammed him against a wall before whipping him down into the ground.
BOOM!
Dust rose around Goryu's body.
Scar stood over the impact site, his blood-red aura flickering.
Scar: "Let's see how long that dragon of yours can protect you."
While Goryu fought Scar, the other two Curses turned toward Chance, Megha, and Galena.
They slowly removed their cloaks.
One was a young man with a cold expression. The other was a young woman whose eyes remained fixed on Galena.
Galena's face suddenly went pale.
Galena: "Wait… I know you."
The woman narrowed her eyes.
Galena: "You two… you're the people who disappeared years ago!"
Chance glanced at her.
Chance: "You know them?"
Galena: "I remember seeing their faces on the missing-person board. They vanished years ago, and nobody ever found out what happened to them."
The male Curse smiled bitterly.
Male Curse: "That was a long time ago."
The woman raised her hands, and blood began gathering around her fingers.
Female Curse: "But that doesn't matter anymore."
The two Curses attacked.
Chance moved to intercept the man, while Megha and Galena prepared to face the woman.
The male Curse raised one hand.
Male Curse: "Curse Art: Grave Monarch."
Dark energy spread across the ground beneath his feet.
Male Curse: "DEATH PRESSURE!"
An invisible force crashed down on Chance.
His knees buckled.
It felt as though enormous weights had suddenly been strapped to every part of his body. Even lifting his arms became a struggle.
Chance: "What… is this pressure?!"
The Curse rushed forward and kicked him in the chest, sending him tumbling across the ground.
Before Chance could recover, the man slammed his palm against the earth.
Male Curse: "UNDEAD SUMMONS!"
The ground split open.
Skeletal hands emerged from the soil, followed by rows of undead warriors dragging rusted weapons behind them.
Chance forced himself upright and unleashed a blast of Gift energy toward the approaching army.
Several skeletons shattered.
The male Curse remained unmoved. He pulled a gravestone from the ground and positioned it in front of himself.
BOOM!
Chance's attack struck the stone, sending cracks across its surface but failing to reach his opponent.
Male Curse: "You'll need more than that to defeat the Grave Monarch."
Meanwhile, the female Curse raised her fingers.
Dozens of blood-red needles formed in the air.
Female Curse: "Let's see how you handle these!"
The needles shot toward Megha and Galena.
Galena stepped forward.
Galena: "Gift Art: LIGHT RESONANCE — LIGHT SHIELD!"
A radiant barrier appeared before them.
The blood needles struck the shield, scattering across its surface.
Megha seized the opening.
Megha: "Gift Art: BLAST MANIPULATION — BLAST BEAM!"
A concentrated beam of explosive energy erupted from his hands, destroying the remaining needles and forcing the woman to retreat.
But she wasn't finished.
The scattered blood began moving again, flowing together into one enormous needle.
Female Curse: "You little brats are starting to annoy me!"
She hurled the giant needle toward them.
Galena summoned a blade of condensed light.
Galena: "LIGHT BLADE!"
She met the blood weapon head-on.
CLANG!
The impact sent sparks of light and droplets of blood scattering through the air. Galena twisted her wrist, redirected the needle, and followed through with a glowing fist.
Galena: "POWER FIST!"
Her strike smashed into the woman's face and sent her crashing into the ground.
The female Curse lay motionless for a moment.
Her partner turned toward her.
His expression changed.
Male Curse: "AVERY!"
He stared at the woman he had loved for most of his life.
Then his face twisted with rage.
Male Curse: "YOU… YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"
The energy around him erupted, and the battlefield seemed to darken.
As he looked at Avery, memories flooded his mind.
Eden and Avery Years ago
Before the Curses, before the bloodshed, there were two ordinary children.
A young boy was playing alone at a playground when a girl approached him.
Girl: "Hey! What are you playing?"
The boy looked up, surprised.
Boy: "Nothing much…"
Girl: "Can I play with you?"
He hesitated, then nodded.
From that day forward, they were rarely apart.
They grew up together, shared their dreams, and supported each other through every hardship. Their childhood friendship slowly blossomed into love.
Years passed.
Eventually, they married, promising to remain together no matter what happened.
But their happiness wasn't shared by everyone.
One day, they went into the woods with a group of friends. What began as a peaceful outing turned into a nightmare.
Their friends led them toward a cliff.
Before the couple understood what was happening, the others shoved them over the edge.
Boy: "WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Girl: "HELP US!"
Their screams disappeared into the depths below.
As they fell, their fear and desperation reached a breaking point. Near death, they were offered a way to survive.
Demons approached them with a promise of power.
All they had to do was accept a Curse.
Desperate to live, the couple accepted the contracts.
They survived the fall, but their lives were changed forever.
The power they gained came with Consequences, and their hearts filled with anger toward the people who had betrayed them.
They hunted down their former friends and exacted their revenge.
But revenge didn't bring them peace.
Their hatred expanded beyond the people who had pushed them off the cliff. They began targeting anyone they believed had envied them, despised them, or wished them harm.
Eventually, they encountered Scar.
He offered them a place at his side.
They refused.
Scar responded by beating them into submission, making it clear that refusing him was not an option.
Scar: "You two have useful abilities. You can either join me, or I can keep breaking you until you do."
With no way to escape his overwhelming power, they were forced into his group.
The couple who had once dreamed of a peaceful life became Curses consumed by revenge and fear.
The boy who had loved the girl at the playground was now known as Eden.
His wife was Avery.
And neither of them could remember what happiness felt like without the shadow of their Curses.
Back in the present,
Chance watched as Eden's undead army continued to multiply.
He could barely move under the crushing force of Death Pressure.
Chance: "He's controlling an entire army… and that pressure is getting worse!"
Eden's gaze remained fixed on Avery.
Seeing her lying on the ground filled him with a rage he could barely contain.
Eden: "You took everything from us!"
Chance looked at him.
For a moment, he didn't see a monster.
He saw a man who had once been a child, a husband, and a victim of betrayal.
But there was no time to think.
Eden raised both arms.
Eden: "GRAVE MONARCH: UNDEAD LEGION!"
The earth shook.
Skeletons poured from the ground, surrounding Chance, Megha, and Galena.
Megha: "There are too many of them!"
Galena tightened her grip on her light blade.
Galena: "Then we'll fight our way through!"
Chance forced himself to stand.
Chance: "Stay together! Don't let them surround us!"
The three Gifted charged into the army.
Megha blasted through the front line, while Galena cut down the skeletons approaching from the sides. Chance fought through the pressure, using his Gift to destroy the undead before they could overwhelm his friends.
But every time they brought down a group, more rose from the ground.
Across the battlefield, Goryu and Scar continued their brutal duel.
Goryu rose from the crater, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
Scar's blood whip curled around his arm.
Scar: "Still standing? I'm impressed."
Goryu's blue aura flared.
Goryu: "You talk too much."
He thrust his hand forward.
Goryu: "FIRE DRAGON SPIRIT!"
Flames surged around him, taking the shape of a roaring dragon. The fiery creature lunged toward Scar and exploded against his body, sending him flying backward.
Scar crashed to the ground.
Before Goryu could follow up, Scar reached toward one of the seals on his body.
He tore it away.
Blood gathered in his hand, hardening into a long staff.
Scar spun it above his head and launched it toward Goryu like a spear.
Goryu crossed his arms.
Goryu: "DRAGON CLAWS!"
Blue energy formed around his hands, sharpening into dragon-like claws.
He slashed through the incoming staff, splitting it into two pieces.
Then he thrust both hands forward.
Goryu: "FIRE STORM!"
A cyclone of flames erupted across the battlefield, engulfing Scar and blasting him into the ground.
For several seconds, everything went quiet.
Goryu approached cautiously, his blue aura still surrounding him.
Scar struggled to rise, his body battered and his blood aura fading.
Goryu: "It's over, Scar. Your Curse ends here."
He prepared to neutralize Scar's Curse.
But Scar began laughing.
Scar: "You really think I'd come here without a backup plan?"
His eyes shifted toward Eden and Avery.
Before Goryu could react, red energy shot from Scar's body and wrapped around the two Curses.
Goryu: "What are you doing?!"
Scar clenched his fist.
The red energy tightened, forcibly drawing power from Eden and Avery.
Scar: "You two have served your purpose. Now give me everything you've got!"
Eden struggled against the bindings.
Eden: "SCAR! YOU SAID WE WOULD BE FREE!"
Avery reached toward her husband.
Avery: "EDEN!"
Scar's aura intensified as their power flowed into him.
The undead army began to falter, but Eden refused to surrender.
He looked toward Chance, who was fighting desperately to protect Megha and Galena.
Their eyes met.
And suddenly, Chance understood.
These two hadn't always been monsters.
They had once been people who wanted to live, love, and be happy.
Chance lowered his fists.
Chance: "Stop…"
Eden looked at him.
Chance: "You don't have to let him use you anymore!"
Scar's expression twisted with fury.
Scar: "Shut your mouth, brat!"
The red energy surged.
Eden and Avery were pulled toward Scar, their remaining strength being consumed by his power.
Chance watched helplessly.
Chance: "There has to be another way…"
Eden gave a faint, exhausted smile.
Eden: "Kid…"
Chance looked up.
Eden: "I'm glad I got to fight you."
His voice was weak, but there was something peaceful in it.
Eden: "And I hope… we can meet in another life."
Tears gathered in Chance's eyes.
Despite everything Eden had done, Chance couldn't bring himself to hate him completely.
Chance: "I'd like that…"
He paused, struggling to speak through his tears.
Chance: "Oh… by the way. What were your names?"
Eden smiled.
Eden: "Eden."
He glanced toward Avery.
Eden: "And she's Avery."
Avery managed a faint smile of her own.
Avery: "Thank you… for remembering us."
Scar's blood-red aura erupted.
The two Curses were pulled into the mass of dark energy surrounding him, and their bodies disappeared within it.
Their voices faded.
The battlefield fell silent.
Chance stood frozen, tears running down his face.
For a moment, he could only stare at the place where they had vanished.
Goryu lowered his head.
He had seen death before, but that didn't make it easier to witness.
Scar's new power surged around him, his eyes burning brighter than ever.
Scar: "Now… let's finish this."
Goryu stepped forward, his blue aura reigniting.
Goryu: "You just made the biggest mistake of your life."
The two prepared to clash once more.
But before either could move, a distant rotor sound cut through the battlefield.
A Gifted H.Q. helicopter descended from the sky, its searchlights illuminating the ruined ground.
The mission's extraction team had arrived.
With the surviving Curses dealt with and the immediate threat contained, Goryu gave the signal to withdraw.
Scar disappeared into the darkness amid the confusion, leaving behind the promise of another encounter.
Goryu watched the shadows for a moment before turning toward the others.
Goryu: "Everyone, get on the helicopter. We're leaving."
Chance took one last look at the battlefield.
He didn't want to forget Eden and Avery.
He didn't want their story to disappear like so many others.
A Memorial for the Fallen at the center of village In the helicopter, the group sat in exhausted silence.
Megha stared at his hands, ashamed of how fear had frozen him earlier. Galena sat beside him, offering quiet reassurance.
Chance looked out the window at the fading battlefield.
After a while, he turned toward Goryu.
Chance: "I have a favor to ask."
Goryu glanced at him.
Goryu: "What is it?"
Chance: "Can we give Eden and Avery a memorial?"
Goryu was quiet for a moment.
Then he nodded.
Goryu: "Yeah. Of course."
Chance turned back toward the window.
The world outside grew smaller as the helicopter carried them away.
He knew Eden and Avery had committed terrible acts. He wasn't pretending otherwise.
But he also knew that somewhere along the way, two people who once loved each other had lost everything they had been.
He hoped that, at the very least, their names would be remembered.
The Gifted Academy
Several days later,
The group returned to Gifted H.Q.
After completing their mission, Chance, Megha, and Galena were officially rewarded with their Gifted identification cards.
Their acceptance into the Gifted Academy was now complete.
Megha held his ID card, looking at it in disbelief.
Megha: "So… we're actually in?"
Galena smiled.
Galena: "Looks like it."
Chance examined his own card.
It was a small object, but to him, it represented everything he had endured to reach this point.
He had survived betrayal, faced dangerous Curses, and discovered that the world was far more complicated than he had imagined.
But this was only the beginning.
He soon found Maes and Aim and showed them his new ID.
Maes smiled proudly.
Maes: "You did it, Chance."
Aim nodded in approval.
Aim: "You've come a long way. But don't get comfortable. The academy will test you in ways you can't imagine."
Chance smiled.
Chance: "I'm ready."
He wasn't entirely sure that was true.
But he was determined to become strong enough to protect the people around him.
A New Beginning
The sun slowly rose over the horizon.
Chance, Megha, and Galena stood together in their new academy uniforms, ready to begin the next chapter of their lives.
The morning light spread across the city, illuminating the road ahead.
Megha adjusted his uniform.
Megha: "Well… here we go."
Galena smiled.
Galena: "Try not to get scared on the first day."
Megha shot her an annoyed look.
Megha: "That happened ONE time!"
Chance chuckled.
For the first time since the mission, the three of them felt a little lighter.
They turned toward the academy and began walking.
Their journey as Gifted students had officially begun.
But far beyond their sight, other forces were already moving.
Meanwhile…
The Council's Chamber Deep within a dark chamber, torches flickered against ancient stone walls.
Several shadowy figures sat gathered around a long table.
One of them leaned forward.
Council Member 1: "So, what now? We can't allow such a threat to remain alive, can we?"
Another figure remained silent for a moment before responding.
Council Member 2: "Perhaps we should observe him first. Then we can decide what must be done."
A third voice emerged from the darkness.
Council Member 3: "And if he becomes more dangerous than we anticipated?"
The second figure slowly rose from their seat.
Council Member 2: "Then we'll deal with him."
The torches began to extinguish one by one.
The figures disappeared into the shadows, leaving the chamber in complete darkness.
END OF CHAPTER 4