RAGNA POV...
’The system suggested the cursed Ritual... so it must also have a solution.’
Until then, all I could do was wait.
After treating Oge, I decided it was better to be safe than sorry, so I lied— through my teeth calmly, carefully, with a straight face—about her treatment schedule, telling everyone it would require a minimum of two to three sessions per week, each lasting no less than two hours, a statement crafted not only to sound convincing but to bury the truth beneath routine and boredom.
Because the first reason was to keep Gustav from growing cautious and alert, ensuring that even if he knew Oge was receiving treatment, he wouldn’t feel the need to pry too deeply, and the second reason was far more important to me: I needed time, uninterrupted time, to observe what changes being a halfling had truly brought to her, along with any hidden side effects that might only surface under close scrutiny.
Despite becoming a halfling, Oge hadn’t done anything unusual, nothing beyond what a normal girl would do, and no matter how deeply I watched her, I couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary, and so during those two hours I would have her lie down quietly while I stood by her side, activating my perception to its fullest as I observed even the most minimal changes from the crown of her head all the way down to her feet, tracing her breathing, her pulse, the subtle flow of life within her body.
After countless inspections, I became confident—almost painfully so—that she hadn’t undergone any abnormal transformation, especially not on her face, which stood in sharp contrast to my own, and while all of this was still new and confusing to her.
Oge had no choice but to follow every instruction I gave, trusting me completely, and once each treatment session ended she would look brighter than before, delighted as she realized that the discomfort she had lived with for so long was fading, and that she was slowly able to do things she had never been able to do before.
When I finally finished one session, Oge stood up and stared at me with a warm, grateful smile, but just as she was about to thank me, her gaze lingered on my six eyes, and in that moment I felt it too—something faint, something fragile, yet undeniably real—a connection forming between us, thin as a thread yet strong enough that I knew it couldn’t be ignored, and though I couldn’t explain it, I was certain it had something to do with her now being half of what I was.
"Oge, what’s with that look?"
I asked, a trace of worry slipping into my voice before I could stop it.
"Oh, nothing,"
She replied suddenly, a playful smirk tugging at her lips, "I just wanted to say thank you, little brother."
Before I could react, she walked over and pulled me into a tight hug, her arms wrapping around me as she whispered softly, her voice trembling,
"Thank you... you really don’t know how happy I am. You just made my biggest wish come true," and as she spoke, her shoulders shook while she quietly sobbed against me, leaving me frozen in surprise at her sudden emotion.
"Are you okay, Oge? Do you feel any different?" I asked hurriedly, my mind racing as concern flooded in, because even though my perception told me nothing was wrong, I couldn’t ignore the possibility that she was feeling something my senses couldn’t reach, something hidden beyond my ability to pry into her body.
"I feel better than I ever have," she said with a light giggle as she pulled away, clearly amused by how worked up I was, though the guilt flickered briefly across her face when she realized she had scared me.
"That’s great," I replied, letting out a long sigh of relief, thinking to myself that at least she didn’t seem to be in pain.
One of the reasons I chose two hours per session was to test other uncertainties, while the remaining time was necessary for me to bathe and recover my vigor, and after discovering the faint connection between us.
I realized I could sense the slow changes her body was undergoing, especially the Mana flowing within her, perfectly in sync with my own, which allowed me to manipulate it carefully, examine her inner body at the cellular level, speed up her recovery, and prevent anything abnormal from taking root.
I also noticed that my blood served as an exceptional nutrient to her body, and after every examination I would fill a washtub with water mixed with my blood for her to bathe in, an act that took a heavy toll on me each time, though with constant repetition the pain dulled, and my regeneration always active, I became accustomed to cutting myself, learning precisely how fast each wound would heal.
I kept watching for signs of abnormal regeneration in her, but aside from her body recovering rapidly, being a halfling showed no other changes, which made me sigh in relief—at least for now, it seemed that becoming a halfling only healed her injuries—and after confirming she didn’t possess a system, I realized I might truly be the only Cursed Child with one.
With each passing treatment, things became easier, her health improving rapidly, and after only a few days of relearning how to walk, she could move on her own, even helping with house chores, taking long walks outside under the warm sun, while John—and I grew closer, spending more time together and forming a solid bond that quietly pushed Gustav to the sidelines.
Gustav, however, couldn’t understand what was happening at all, yet he continued adding his mother’s special food potions to Oge’s meals, only to watch in frustration as her health improved instead of deteriorating, a result that left him seething so badly that if he hadn’t still needed to pretend, he would have revealed his true self long ago.