""Magical Calamity"? Never heard of it, but from your words, it relates to my situation?" Gu Daiyu's eyes sparked with interest.
"Hm, how to explain. Let me give examples for clarity. I know three cases: two natural like yours, one artificial from a very talented Curse mage with innate Heavenly Seed," After my words, Gu Daiyu's eyes widened.
"A Curse mage turned himself into a walking bomb to kill masses? One of those evil org members? Why no news of such big attacks?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Don't interrupt—hear me out. Magical Calamity isn't illness; it's a sign of huge talent in an element. But like medicine turning poison in excess, talent does too. Ice Magical Calamity involuntarily freezes surroundings; at High level, it could unintentionally blizzard a whole city. Spirit one, even Initial level, could illusion-trap a magic school to death. See the pattern?" I smiled at Gu Daiyu.
"So, too-strong talent and element closeness means they lack power to control the gift?" Her eyes lit with understanding.
"Exactly," I nodded to my brilliant, quick master.
"So your two examples were natural Magical Calamities. What about the Curse mage?" Genuine interest filled Gu Daiyu.
"Ooo, that artificial one's origin deserves an epic, but I'll hit key factors. By the way, surprised you don't ask about Curse mages. You obviously know them well," I squinted slightly. Master's background is no simple thing.
"Heh, I'm surprised you know. Must have a complicated past. But since it's revelation day, I can tell you: I'm the Emperor's niece! Now bow before me! I accept gifts in my honor strictly Thursdays, low-calorie only—watching my figure," She haughtily eyed me, spouting nonsense; I just silently raised a brow.
"Even if true, you're obviously not favored at court," I glanced around, implying such figures don't hole up on tiny islands teaching convicts.
"Well, obviously not the favorite niece. You know, poison element's utility and wielders aside, prejudice lingers, plus my illness... So they left some status perks, but to Imperial Family, I'm basically a stranger. Don't want details. Continue on artificial Magical Calamity," Gu Daiyu smiled sadly. Clearly not a pleasant topic.
"As you wish. For the artificial one, in the successful case I know, factors converged: First—experiment subject awakened natural Heavenly Seed talent, growing gradually with level, even causing early self-awakened magic," I ticked off the first finger on my outstretched hand.
"Second—in that early age, Curse-level artifact fragments transplanted to feed it energy. Third—the artifact matched the research subject's element. For context, it was ice," I ticked off two more fingers.
The Fourth factor—gradually, as he raised his own Cultivation, the research subject absorbed the other fragments of the artifact, which those who had kept them before him had infused with their own development, allowing him to integrate them into himself without losing his Cultivation. The Fifth—he lived under the same roof as a true Magical Calamity of his element for some time. I don't know exactly if it affected him, but I don't think it played any significant role." I fully extended the fingers of one hand.
"And the last, Sixth factor. It consists in the fact that after fully integrating the artifact and breaking through to the Curse Level, the research subject himself enhanced the artifact with the rarest special resources from the Far North region, which significantly increased its power. Possibly, the breakthrough to the Curse Level happened during the enhancement of the artifact, but that doesn't play a special role. The most important thing is that while at the Curse Level, the research subject was able to fully tame the power of the Magical Calamity, which he matched after the last enhancement of his artifact. Get it, what that means?" I snapped my fingers and pointed one at Gu Daiyu.
"That a breakthrough to the Curse Level will be enough to tame a magical power similar to a Magical Calamity." The girl's eyes lit up with hope, but they immediately dimmed, and she showed a very conflicted expression.
"What happened?" I grew concerned.
"If I continue suppressing the poisonous power, locking it in my body, I can live at most another year. That's definitely not enough time to break through." The conflicted expression hadn't left her face; on the contrary, she was showing ever greater signs of inner struggle.
"That's what puzzled me about you at first. Being a Magical Calamity is a sign of enormous talent. Despite it being uncontrollable until the breakthrough to the Curse Level, it doesn't harm its bearer. Yet you're clearly dying, and at a fairly rapid pace. Will you explain to me how that happened?" I already had plausible guesses, but frank talks bring people closer, so I wasn't against stretching this one a bit. She hesitated a little, bit her lip, but after a short deliberation, she finally spoke.
"When I awakened my magic... my 'poisonous flash' accidentally killed someone very dear to me, and they gave me a harsh condition: if it happens again, they'll execute me. So I did everything to prevent a repeat incident. I studied, often skipping sleep hours. I experimented—thankfully, the palace had plenty of resources, including for making poisons. And I managed to direct my 'poisonous flashes' not outward, but inward. That's how I started dying from what is now clearly my 'talent.'" The girl smiled self-deprecatingly.
"Then I see no problem. Stop holding the poison in and let it out. In addition, undergo healing from a Healing mage in the Parthenon, or you can even heal yourself gradually." I suggested the obvious option to her.
"That's an option, of course, but unlike a simple blizzard from Ice Calamity bearers, I'll make the entire land around uninhabitable, including killing everyone living on it. And if I go into seclusion far from civilization, I definitely won't get the resources needed for a breakthrough to the Curse Level. No matter what anyone says about talent's superiority over hard work, without the right resources, I'll crawl to the peak of the High Level for decades, and it's not certain monsters whose habitats I'll constantly poison won't kill me by then. And that's forgetting the need for a suitable Land Fruit for me to break through to the Curse Level." Now her inner struggle made sense to me—not everyone would decide so quickly to embark on such a long journey with little chance of success. Fortunately for my teacher, she has me.
"I can offer you two ways out of your situation. Depending on which you choose, your life could change greatly. But I'm almost a hundred percent sure both are feasible, so choose boldly, but wisely." I looked at the girl, who had almost decided to abandon everything and go into seclusion.
Depending on what she chooses, I'll treat her differently. Will she be my friend, or just a simple partner? It all depends only on her choice.