The room was silent except for the slow drip of water.
It was vast as a ceremonial hall but suffocating in its isolation.
Sealing papers covered every wall from ceiling to floor, thousands of talismans layered one over another, each inked with ancient script. Candles burned in perfect circles, their flames steady despite the faint damp wind moving across the chamber.
The floor was flooded, it was five feet deep.
Still water, dark and reflective like a mirror to another world.
At the center of this submerged hall stood a raised stone platform.
And upon it Damon Corvinus lay unconscious.
His long white hair spilled across the stone like threads of moonlight, his horns curved sharply from his temples, his pale skin almost glowed against the dim candlelight, dark markings pulsed faintly along his arms.
For a long moment, nothing moved.
Then his fingers twitched, and his eyes opened.
Cold and crimson irises stared upward at the ceiling of seals.
The water below rippled gently as his breathing returned.
"…My friends…Rodolfo…the curse object…"he murmured weakly.
"Good morning, Damon Corvinus." A cheerful voice rang out
That voice echoed calmly from ahead.
Damon lifted himself up slowly.
Across the flooded chamber, seated on a wooden chair placed impossibly above the water's surface, was a man with his legs crossed elegantly.
That man is arkanis heavenius, he wore a dark multi robe, a blindfold covered his eyes.
His presence was calm, too calm for this strange execution-like hall.
"Leave the others aside for now, think about yourself" he said lightly.
Damon immediately sat upright, alert.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"I am Arkanis Heavenius, freshers' Incharge of Udine Tech High School." he replied.
"Udine… High School?" Damon repeated cautiously.
His mind raced.
Rodolfo had mentioned a school.
Arkanis smiled faintly.
"You don't need to doubt me, or fear me." said arkanis with a laugh.
"Then why bring me here?, this place looks like a prison, or an execution chamber." Damon shot back.
Arkanis tilted his head slightly.
"You're right, I have used it for execution and interrogation." arkanis said.
The candle flames flickered.
"But today, I brought you here to clarify truths" Arkanis continued.
Damon's jaw tightened.
"What truths?" asked Damon sharply.
"Before that, look at yourself." Arkanis said, pointing slowly downwards.
Damon leaned forward slowly and looked into the water beneath the platform.
His reflection stared back.
Not human, cold white skin, curved black horns, long white hair flowing past his shoulders, sharp black nails, crimson irises surrounded by faint red veins, and the spiderweb mark on his forehead shimmered faintly.
Damon recoiled.
"That's... that's not me" his voice faltered.
The memory hit him like thunder.
He remembered the finger, the rooftop, the explosion of power one by one.
He swallowed hard.
"I ate it…" Damon said shakily.
"Yes, you swallowed the legendary sorcerer's finger" Arkanis confirmed softly.
Damon clenched his fists.
A wave of emotion struck him harder than the transformation itself.
"I can't go back now," he whispered.
He wasn't thinking about curses, or sorcery.
He was thinking about normal mornings, school uniforms, laughing with Harry and Julie, visiting his grandfather.
"That life...is gone" he said quietly.
The water trembled faintly as his aura shifted.
Arkanis watched calmly.
"What should I do now?" Damon asked in deep anguish.
Arkanis uncrossed his legs and stood.
His feet touched the water but it did not ripple.
"Come with me to Udine Tech High School." Arkanis invited.
Damon stared at him.
"You can learn to control your power there, you can live, you can even be happy." Arkanis said confidently.
Damon let out a bitter breath.
"Wherever I go, I won't be normal." Damon said hopelessly.
He looked down at his reflection again.
"Does that look normal to you?" Damon asked.
He shook his head.
"I don't want to go anywhere." Damon firmly refused.
Arkanis' tone sharpened slightly.
"You don't have a choice." Arkanis ordered.
Damon's eyes flashed.
"You are not normal by birth." Arkanis told the truth.
Then there was silence for a few seconds.
"Your parents,were sorcerers." Arkanis continued carefully
The words fell like a stone into deep water.
Damon's mind went blank.
"My… parents?" Damon asked urgently.
"Yes." Arkanis confirmed.
Damon felt something twist inside his chest.
"My grandfather… he tried to tell me" he whispered.
Arkanis nodded.
"He wanted to speak about them before he died, you refused." said arkanis.
Damon looked away.
"I didn't want him to talk about heavy things when he was dying, I wanted him to be quiet" he said softly.
Arkanis' expression softened behind the blindfold.
"In that, we are the same. Our loved ones want peace in their final moments. We want answers later" he said gently.
Damon slowly raised his gaze.
For the first time, he did not feel hostility towards Arkanis, only shared understanding.
The candles flickered brighter.
"Now, I'll ask you clearly." Arkanis said calmly.
Then he stepped closer.
"Will you spend your life hiding this form, running from society, disappearing among ordinary humans?" Arkanis questioned sharply.
Damon remained silent.
"Or will you face the truth about yourself? The system awakened within you? And use it to help others?" Arkanis continued.
Then Tom's last words echoed in Damon's mind, save as many as you can, even if it's only one.
Damon closed his eyes.
Minutes passed in silence, the water remained still.
Then he opened them again.
"My decision is myself"he said firmly.
Arkanis waited.
"I'll come with you." Damon made his decision.
A faint smile appeared on Arkanis' lips.
"That's my boy." Arkanis said with something proud
The oppressive tension in the hall lifted slightly.
"You'll join Udine Tech High,but first, we'll need supplies,uniform, essentials." Arkanis continued casually.
Damon nodded but then paused.
"My grandfather's funeral." Damon asked.
Arkanis inclined his head respectfully.
"Of course,he raised you with love, he fulfilled his duty, this farewell… is yours alone." he said gently.
Damon lowered his head slightly.
"Thank you." he said.
Arkanis snapped his fingers.
The world shattered like glass, the sealing papers vanished, the water evaporated into mist, candles dissolved into ash.
In an instant they stood atop a building rooftop under the morning sun.
Damon squinted slightly as sunlight struck his crimson irises.
The city stretched before him.
He felt different, not just physically.
But as if the world had shifted beneath his feet.
One Hour Later:
A new grave stood in the Forbes family cemetery.
Fresh soil, a simple stone marker, Tom Forbes's.
Candles burned softly around it, white flowers lay carefully arranged.
Damon stood before the grave in silence.
Arkanis stood several steps behind him.
There were no interruptions, no words.
Damon closed his eyes.
Thank you… for everything, I won't forget what you told me, It's time for me to go,Goodbye, Grandpa," Damon thought in his mind, very emotionally.
The wind passed gently through the cemetery.
Arkanis stepped forward and placed a hand on Damon's shoulder.
A quiet gesture of solidarity.
Then Damon turned away from the grave.
His past remained there and his future waited elsewhere.
As they walked away, Arkanis began explaining calmly"Curses are born from negative human emotions hatred , sorrow, jealousy, fear."
Damon listened.
"They feed on humans, that is why they grow stronger." Arkanis continued to explain.
"And sorcerers?" Damon asked.
"We eliminate them." He answered.
Arkanis' voice lowered.
"But sometimes, curses are not born naturally, they are ancient objects,relics sealed because they cannot be destroyed." He explained clearly.
Damon thought about the finger.
"Are there many like the one I ate?" Damon asked with a skeptical look.
Arkanis shook his head.
"No, that is the only one." Arkanis replied slowly.
Damon looked surprised.
"No one else has eaten it and survived." Arkanis said the truth.
"Then why did I?" Damon asked in surprise.
"Because,it chose you."Arkanis said quietly.
They reached the cemetery gates.
Outside stood a massive figure, nearly seven feet tall, broad and heavy, wild hair and beard.
A giant hammer rested over his shoulder.
At first glance, he looked terrifying.
But when Damon looked into his eyes, they were gentle and innocent.
"By the way, this is Goliath. My loyal companion." Arkanis said lightly.
The giant smiled awkwardly.
"Nice to see you again," Goliath said warmly.
Damon blinked.
"Again?" He asked incredulously.
Goliath scratched his head sheepishly.
"You don't remember." he asked.
Arkanis waved dismissively.
"Long story." Arkanis said enigmatically.
Damon didn't fully understand but he sensed something.
This world, these people.
They knew more about him than he knew about himself, and that frightened him slightly.
But it also gave him direction.
Arkanis turned forward.
"Let's go." said arkanis.
Damon took one last glance at the cemetery behind him.
Then he stepped forward, Arkanis walked beside him and Goliath followed behind.
The road ahead was uncertain.
The legendary system inside him was still dormant but awake.
The Corvinus heir had made his decision, but he still knew nothing about his inheritance, about his destiny.
MAGICAL MARKET:
The market was louder now.
Witches argued over potion ingredients. Children tested glowing rings, a broomstick zoomed overhead and crashed into a stack of floating pumpkins.
Damon walked between Arkanis and Goliath, holding his six-foot serpent staff. The crimson serpent inside the glass cage coiled lazily, its slit eyes fixed only on him.
For the first time since waking in that hidden chamber, Damon did not feel lost.
He felt… claimed.
And Damon bought all the school supplies at that time.
"THE SILVER CAULDRON TAVERN :
A cozy tavern filled with enchanted lanterns and floating cutlery. A sign on the wall read: Established 1432.
They sat at a corner table.
A witch waitress placed three plates before them,steaming meat pies, enchanted tea that shimmered faint blue, and glowing fruit slices.
Goliath folded his massive hands politely before eating.
Damon glanced around. No one stared at him, not at his pale skin, not at his crimson eyes, not even at the faint spider-web mark on his forehead.
"They don't look surprised," Damon muttered.
Arkanis sipped his tea calmly and said, "They've seen far worse."
Damon looked at his staff leaning beside the table.
"Why did every staff react to me?" Damon asked.
Arkanis placed his cup down gently.
"Because power recognizes power." Arkanis replied puzzlingly.
"That's not an answer." Damon said immediately.
"It's the only one you can handle for now."Arkanis said something covertly.
Damon frowned but didn't press further.
Goliath suddenly spoke softly"You look like him."
Damon blinked and asked "Like who?"
Goliath froze.
Arkanis shot him a sharp glance.
Goliath lowered his head and said "Like… someone important."
Damon noticed the silence that followed.
There were layers of truth here, and he was only scratching the surface.
NOON TIME, HIDDEN TRAIN PLATFORM :
Arkanis led them to what looked like an abandoned subway entrance. A faded sign read: Line Closed Since 1954.
They descended.
As soon as Arkanis touched the rusted rail, the illusion dissolved.
The underground transformed into a magnificent stone platform illuminated by floating crystals.
A train waited there.
It was not made of metal.
It was made of black enchanted stone with silver engravings crawling along its surface like living veins.
On its front was engraved: Udine tech high school
Damon stopped walking.
"This is… real?" asked Damon.
"Very," Arkanis replied.
Students were boarding some with relatives perched on shoulders, others dragging trunks that floated behind them.
Damon saw a girl with silver hair laughing as sparks danced between her fingers.
A boy argued with his mother while his falcon circled above.
No one seemed ordinary.
And yet this was their normal.
Just as they approached the train, a gust of wind blew through the platform.
The lights flickered.
Damon's serpent inside the cage hissed sharply.
The staff in his hand vibrated.
Arkanis stopped walking instantly.
Goliath stepped in front of Damon protectively.
A shadow stretched unnaturally across the stone floor.
Students began whispering.
From the far end of the platform, a ripple in the air formed.
Like ink spreading in water.
A curse.
It wasn't fully formed yet just a distortion feeding off fear.
Arkanis muttered under his breath"So soon?"
Damon's chest tightened.
The shadow pulsed stronger, the temperature dropped.
Some younger students panicked.
The distortion began shaping into something with limbs.
Arkanis stepped forward calmly.
"Stay behind me." said arkanis defensively.
But Damon didn't move.
Instead, something inside him stirred.
The spider-web mark on his forehead began to glow faintly.
The distortion twitched.
It sensed him.
The half-formed curse screeched an incomplete sound, like broken glass scraping stone.
Damon tightened his grip on the staff.
Without thinking he raised it.
The seven serpent heads at the top opened their mouths.
Green venomous energy flickered between their fangs.
Arkanis' eyes widened.
"Damon, don't" said arkanis to stop.
But too late.
The serpent heads hissed in unison.
A thin beam of toxic emerald light shot forward.
It sliced through the distortion.
The curse shrieked once, then dissolved like smoke under sunlight.
Silence filled the platform, the lights stabilized.
Students stared.
Goliath slowly lowered his guard.
Arkanis turned toward Damon.
Damon stood frozen, breathing hard.
"I… didn't mean to…" Damon swore.
Arkanis' expression was unreadable.
Then he smiled.
"You didn't lose control." Arkanis said happily.
Damon looked down at his hand.
The glow faded.
The serpent staff became still.
Arkanis leaned closer and whispered so only he could hear:
"It reacted to protect you." Arkanis whispered.
Then high above the platform, unseen by anyone, a pair of golden eyes observed from the darkness between ceiling arches.
A cloaked figure stood silently.
"So it awakens…" the figure murmured.
The spider-web mark reflected faintly in those golden eyes.
"And far earlier than predicted." That finger smiled said to himself.
Then the figure vanished into shadow.
Students began boarding again, though whispers followed Damon now.
"Did you see that?" asked a student
"He erased it in one strike." Another student said in surprise.
"Was that venom magic?" asked a third student.
"Who is he?" asked a fourth student curiously.
Damon felt their stares.
Then he saw not fear, not hatred, something else, recognition.
Arkanis guided him into a private compartment.
Goliath placed the serpent cage carefully on the seat.
The train doors closed.
With a deep rumbling hum, the black stone train began to move, not along rails, but slightly above them, it gliding.
Outside the windows, the underground tunnel shimmered into a tunnel of stars.
Damon stared.
"Where are we?" Damon asked, confused.
"Between spaces," Arkanis replied.
The serpent inside the cage uncoiled and pressed against the glass, staring at Damon affectionately.
He reached out.
The serpent's crimson eyes glowed faintly.
Goliath spoke quietly"It likes you."
Damon smiled faintly.
"I like it too." he replied.
Arkanis folded his arms.
"You destroyed a forming curse with instinct, that is not first-year behavior." Arkanis said warily.
Damon looked uneasy.
"I didn't think. It just happened." Damon said nervously.
"That's what worries me." Arkanis said with concern.
Damon looked up.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because instinct comes from memory." Arkanis replied.
There was a few seconds of silence.
"Memory of what?" Damon asked.
Arkanis did not answer.
Instead, he shifted topics.
"When we arrive, you will be tested." Arkanis said.
"Tested?" Damon questioned confusedly.
"To determine your rank." Arkanis replied casually.
"I thought I was first year." Damon said.
"You are but power doesn't care about school years." Arkanis explained.
The train slowed down.
Light poured through the windows.
The doors opened.
They stepped out into breathtaking scenery.
UDINE TECH HIGH SCHOOL
The campus stood on a floating landmass surrounded by clouds.
Waterfalls poured off the edges into the sky below.
Tall gothic towers spiraled upward, etched with glowing runes.
Bridges of light connected different sections.
Students walked calmly as if floating islands were ordinary.
Damon stood speechless.
"This is… my school?" Damon asked in surprise.
"For the next seven years," Arkanis replied.
Goliath grinned proudly.
"You will like it here." Goliath said happily.
As they approached the massive gates, two stone statues of winged beasts flanked the entrance.
Their eyes glowed as Damon stepped forward.
The gates reacted.
Ancient runes lit up.
The spider-web mark on Damon's forehead shimmered faintly again.
The statues bowed slightly.
Arkanis noticed.
So did the guards nearby.
Whispers again.
"He's marked…" the first guard said.
"Corvinus bloodline?" the second guard asked in surprise.
"Impossible…" the third guard said incredulously.
Damon swallowed.
He didn't understand the weight of that name yet.
But everyone else seemed to.
Before entering fully, Damon stopped walking.
He turned to Arkanis.
"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" Damon asked.
"Knew what?" Arkanis countered, knowing he knew.
"That curse." Damon said.
Arkanis paused.
"I suspected." Arkanis said as a guess.
"Am I a magnet for them?" Damon asked his suspicions.
"No." Arkanis denied.
Arkanis looked directly into his crimson eyes.
"You are something far more dangerous." Arkanis whispered.
Damon felt a chill.
Goliath gently placed a large hand on Damon's shoulder.
"No matter what, I stay." Goliath said loyally.
Damon looked up at him.
That boundless affection again.
And suddenly for a split second, a memory flashed in his mind.
A younger version of himself, a massive figure standing protectively in front of him, flames everywhere, golden eyes in the darkness.
After that the memory vanished instantly.
Damon staggered slightly.
Arkanis caught him.
"What did you see?" Arkanis asked urgently.
"…Nothing." Damon lied.
But he knew that was a lie.
At the same time headmaster's observation tower.
A circular room high above the school.
The cloaked figure from earlier stood before a floating mirror displaying Damon at the gates.
Golden eyes narrowed.
"The system has chosen." The figure said.
Another voice echoed from the shadows.
"Is he ready?" The figure said.
"No," the golden-eyed figure replied calmly.
"But the world won't wait." The figure finished speaking.
The mirror flickered.
The image zoomed in on Damon's forehead.
The spider-web mark glowed faintly.
Far away in some unseen place something ancient stirred.
Chains rattled in darkness.
A monstrous silhouette opened its eyes.
And whispered one word:
"Corvinus." It was a single word whispered.
Now at the gate Damon took a slow breath.
He stepped forward.
Crossing the threshold.
The gates closed behind him with a deep echo.
Arkanis smiled slightly.
"Welcome to Udine Tech High, Damon Corvinus." Arkanis greeted happily.
Damon looked ahead at towers, students, and a destiny he did not choose but accepted.
The road ahead was uncertain.
But for the first time he was walking it willingly.