With just a thought, Lola effortlessly condensed the two massive pools of negative emotions in her heart into curse cores—simultaneously. There was no strain on her body or mind, no struggle. It was as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her.
And then, it happened.
As the curse cores formed, a wave of enlightenment washed over Lola, a sudden, overwhelming flood of understanding that sent shockwaves through the world of curses.
Unbeknownst to her, every curse user and curseling within a hundred-mile radius felt it. A tremor in the air. A call. A presence so powerful it sent a ripple of instinctual fear—and hunger—through them all.
The McSuile siblings, standing mere feet away, felt it most intensely.
"What the hell is happening?" Janice gasped, staggering back as a suffocating force pressed down on her. It wasn't just powerful—it was divine. A presence so overwhelming it nearly forced her to her knees in reverence.
Before she could collapse, Jason stepped in, shielding her from the oppressive aura. His presence steadied her, but his expression was unreadable, his crimson eyes glowing ominously as he locked his gaze on Lola.
"You're witnessing the birth of a curse prodigy," Jason murmured, his voice tinged with something between awe and urgency.
Then his gaze flicked past Lola, out through the balcony.
In the distance, emerging from the shadows of the city, figures began to stir. Dark, grotesque shapes slithered from alleyways and rooftops. Powerful curselings, drawn by the irresistible energy, abandoned their usual cunning and stealth. They didn't care about remaining hidden anymore. Right now, Lola was the most tempting meal they could possibly imagine.
Jason's expression hardened.
"Set up a barrier and stay by her side," he instructed sharply. "I'll handle the pests."
And with that, he vanished from the living room.
"Be careful!" Janice shouted after him, but Jason was already gone, leaving only the faintest ripple in the air where he had stood.
Janice hurriedly pulled out various curse tools and cores from her earrings, working quickly to set up a defensive line around the living room. If she had known Lola's initiation ceremony would stir up such a storm, she would never have used her brother's apartment—she would have found a secure location far outside the city.
But there was no time for regrets now.
Just as she got busy, a figure materialized out of thin air, appearing right in front of the curse core initiation array.
The man standing there was no ordinary intruder. He was a middle-aged giant of a man, his physique putting even the most dedicated bodybuilders to shame. His tailored, high-collared coat barely concealed the raw strength in his frame. Yet despite his intimidating presence, he simply stood there, arms crossed, observing Lola in silence. He showed no intention of interfering with her ceremony—nor of helping Janice secure the location.
Janice's breath hitched.
Her voice was a mix of shock and suspicion as she snapped her gaze toward him. He was none other than him—her infamous uncle, the man who held the most authority in the McSuile family ever since her grandfather went missing and Jason joined the C.I.B.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded, her fingers tightening around a curse tool hidden in her sleeve.
The man finally spoke, his voice deep and oddly soothing. "I heard my nephew had found an innate curse master," he said, still watching Lola. "Since I was in the city, I figured I'd come take a look. But it seems I'm late."
He didn't even bother to glance at Janice his gaze was fixed on Lola as she underwent enlightenment. That only made her more wary. Causing her sweating paw to tighten their grip on the stele-shaped curse tool hidden on her sleeve, her stance firm. "She belongs to the C.I.B."
It wasn't technically true—Lola wasn't officially part of the bureau yet—but Janice didn't care. She knew her uncle well enough to understand that if he wanted something, he would take it, blood ties be damned. So she felt the need to make damn sure he understood that Lola wasn't his for the taking.
"That's not what I heard—" Before the muscular man could finish, Janice activated the stele-shaped curse tool in a heartbeat, muttering, "Expel!"
The space around him twisted violently, swirling into a vertical vortex as if reality itself was trying to eject him.
But instead of panicking, the man merely smirked.
'Cute,' He thought as the space warped and coiled around him, threatening to drag him into an unknown abyss, he clenched his jaw and flexed his muscles. Instantly, the vortex hesitated—as if stuck. Then, with a sudden, sharp jolt of his body, the entire swirling mass shattered like brittle glass.
Janice's breath caught as cracks spread through the air like fractures in a mirror. A moment later, the space completely collapsed, exposing the void beyond.
And that was when she realized the real danger.
Her uncle's smile widened as he turned his head, peering deep into the void—where monstrous figures were beginning to stir. Lola's presence had leaked beyond their reality, awakening the entities that lurked deep in the void.
Janice's stomach dropped. Her knees buckled, and she fell onto them, her Aurelian eyes catching a glimpse of the horrors rushing toward the opening. If even one of those creatures made it through, the entire state would be plunged into chaos.
He didn't even spare her a glance.
Instead, he joined his hands together, cracking his knuckles with an eerie sense of calm. Then, taking a deep breath, he dug his fingers into the edges of the fractured space—right where the void had begun to spill in—and pulled.
A low, guttural growl built in his chest before exploding into a thunderous "ROAR!!!"
The sound shouldn't have traveled in the vacuum of the void. But somehow, it did.
Shockwaves rippled outward, visible to the naked eye, crashing into the abyss like tidal waves. The very fabric of space trembled in response.
With a final, bone-crunching pull, he forced the two fractured spaces back together, sealing the rift before the void's horrors could fully spill into their reality.
Exhaling through his nose, he turned to his niece, who was still on the floor, her face pale from what she had just witnessed.
His lips curled into a smirk. "Those little toys of yours can only do so much."
Janice clenched her fists, gritting her teeth, but she said nothing. She knew he was right.
Meanwhile, the man shifted his focus back to Lola, his gaze settling on her with a mix of intrigue and expectation. She was still deep in enlightenment, her presence radiating something entirely unnatural.
He did not wonder if she would awaken an innate curse art. He had no doubt. It wasn't a matter of if—only what.