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The Asogi clan was cursed long ago.
Holding his father's relics in his hands, Asogi Kazuma thought so. And perhaps he wasn't the only one; ever since his mother fell ill, all eyes in the village had been on his family.
The Asogi clan had once been prosperous. When his father received his acceptance letter to study abroad, both servants and villagers came to offer their blessings, hoping he would bring prosperity and a wealth of knowledge from England to the Eastern Island. To the people here, Asogi Genshin was both a symbol of samurai spirit and a beacon of knowledge. They respected him and the Asogi clan, who had contributed to the land's justice system from a very distant past.
But in the end, for those who returned from the British Empire that year, Asogi Genshin was left with only his will, his clothes, and his ancestral sword, Karuma.
It's unclear when the story began, perhaps when Kazuma's mother started to fall ill, but a rumor lingered in the village. They said the Kazuma clan had long been cursed.
Karuma was "curse," a monster resided in the clan's land, perhaps something unclean was possessing Kazuma's mother, perhaps that unclean thing was him.
At fourteen, clutching a newspaper clipping and a fateful letter, Kazuma gripped his Karuma sword tightly. Perhaps all those rumors were true.
The Asogi clan was cursed. It was ◾️◾️ who did it.
***
At twenty-three, Kazuma became even more convinced that the Asogi clan was cursed.
A sharp pain shot down his spine, the image of the girl known as the ballet princess fading away. The girl kept apologizing, a few drops of water trickling down the corner of his mouth. She was crying, her hands trembling as she tried to rouse Kazuma. He was breathless, he was so cold. This girl, living in luxury, knew nothing of first aid. At this rate, Kazuma would soon truly die.
He would die. But what about the mission? What about the revenge? What about the truth?!
Kazuma was unwilling to accept this. The gods were cruel; they had taken everything from Kazuma, tormented the descendants of this family. They had even personally buried the truth, denying Asogi Genshin honor until the very end.
Kazuma didn't know if the tears were the girl's or his own.
He was unwilling to accept it.
***
Waking up in a cold bed, the young man was bewildered.
In his dream, a very familiar voice kept echoing in his ears. "That thing" was wailing, screaming in pain, "that thing" was begging him to wake up. It wasn't just a "voice"; the young man felt it had a "soul."
Who are you?
"Go to England, there's a mission you need to complete there."
Who am I?
"You are◾️◾️◾️you are the cursed one, you must go there."
"You must ◾️◾️◾️"
Since gaining consciousness, the young man had been bound to a curse and a mission no one could stop.
Picking up his protective clothing, the young man staggered out of the morgue.
***
That person was also cursed like himself.
The young man gripped the sword at his side, staring blankly at the bloodless face before him. He didn't know how many times this month this person had been attacked. The young man only knew that those people called this man The Reaper, they cursed him, insulted him, blamed him. The people feared The Reaper's existence, criminals hated The Reaper's existence. The man named Barok van Zieks was a cursed one.
A gunshot to the shoulder and a gunshot to the right leg, Barok van Zieks shielded the young man. Although he was immediately taken to the hospital, due to prolonged anemia, Barok van Zieks remained in critical condition.
Why do you have to protect me? I'm just an illegal immigrant, a nameless nobody, not even knowing who I am.
Is it because I'm a cursed one?
Taking the large, somewhat colder hand, the young man leaned his head against it. Ah, this was the first time he felt the warmth of the curse. Perhaps this curse wasn't as terrifying as he thought.
As long as my master is by my side, even if the whole world curses us both, it doesn't matter.
As long as my master is by my side...
The young man closed his eyes, feeling the faint breath from the man's nostrils. Like a dragon guarding a treasure, no one was allowed to touch his "treasure."
I◾️you.
***
I◾️you.
I◾️you.
I will◾️◾️you.
Barok van Zieks. I
***
I am the cursed one.
He is also the cursed one.
I am the one who cast the curse on him. He hasn't left me alone for the past ten years either.
It's all because of ◾️.
Perhaps the rumors are true. No, they are true. Seeing the horrified faces of Naruhodo and his assistant Mikotoba, Kazuma knew the curse had come true. For a fleeting moment, he twisted his smile into one of satisfied contentment. Look, isn't everything going according to your wishes? "That thing" has taken over me, and wielding this sword is also my will. I am no longer the cursed one; I have become the "curse" itself.
Look, Barok van Zieks, we are alike now.
Do you see? Tomorrow I will kill you with my own hands.
Barok van Zieks, let's dance one last dance. The dance of the curse.
Let The Reaper and the Beast be together, the whole world falls silent, only the two of us.
***
The Asogi clan has been cursed for a very, very long time.
The son thought dead has returned from the underworld. They say. The day he returned to the family's barren manor, the sky coiled, dark and ominous like a giant snake devouring everything.
He returned, bringing with him a foreigner. The man was tall, with a pale face and deep blue eyes as cold as a western lake. The son helped the foreigner down from the carriage, each step accompanied by the clanging of iron chains..
But soon, they won’t saw the man again.
The Asogi clan is cursed, they say. The monster has possessed the body of the only remaining son of the family.
No one knew the truth, but they did know that the young man wore a sharp ring on his ring finger. It was the ring of the previous head of the clan.
"From now on, it will be my wedding ring," he said.
But no one had ever seen his "wife."
Some said he had gone mad.
***
The Reaper had vanished from London, and another puppet had fallen.
Mael Stronghart looked at the spilled teacup.
Something that perhaps even the gods couldn't see, perhaps, was the inner world of a man, especially a madman.
Asogi Kazuma personally lured the condemned prisoner Barok van Zieks to escape and return to Japan. In his madness, he murdered anyone who dared touch Barok van Zieks with unimaginable force.
Asogi Kazuma wanted Barok van Zieks, that's all. He personally tormented and stripped everything of Barok, yet he was also the one who brought Barok back to freedom.
Freedom? Stronghart sneered. He merely moved Barok van Zieks from one prison to another. In the end, he was just a pathetic wretch who couldn't live without Barok van Zieks.
Asogi Kazuma's entire life had been cursed by Barok van Zieks.
***
"Hey, The Reaper." The young man spoke softly, stroking the pale face like fragile porcelain.
"I l̵o̵v̵e̵ hate you”
The man looked at the young man. "Why is there pity in your eyes? Because I'm cursed?"
"It doesn't matter."
"As long as you're here, I..."
***
"The Asogi clan has been cursed. The Reaper did it."
-End-