"How the heck are you using curse energy? It was supposed to be sealed the moment you entered here!" Lola exclaimed, panic creeping into her voice. She didn't spare a second glance at Ace's red-hot, very exposed situation.
Sonia, on the other hand, arched a brow, both impressed and entertained. Watching Ace writhe in pain and struggling not to scream, brought her way more joy than it should have.
Ace barely heard them over the roaring heat inside him. He focused, checking on his curse energy—and sure enough, Lola was right. His curse energy was active, but it wasn't just active—it was burning through him like fuel, heating his body from the inside out. If this kept up, he'd be cooked alive long before he ran out of curse energy.
'Shit,' Realizing the danger, he immediately cut off all curse activity, but as he did, he found out why he was able to use curse energy after it was sealed away in the first place?
Inside the cursed toybox, Dame Wasp and Emi were hard at work. Using the status screen, they had been guiding the toybox on how to undo the seal that blocked their Master from accessing his curse energy—and them.
Ace clenched his jaw, cussing in his mind, 'These adorable idiots.' If not for the pain of being bbq'ed inside out, he would have been able to appreciate their effort better. Without hesitation, he immediately ordered them to stop using the status screen, [Cease all curse activities outside the toybox—now!]
Once they obeyed, he activated his curse concealment arts, hoping it would be enough to fool Lola's curse tools and finally put an end to his suffering. Slowly, his body cooled. His skin returned to its usual Caucasian complexion, and the unbearable heat subsided.
Noticing this, Lola let out a relieved sigh. "Ace, you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with guilt as she continued to apologize, "I'm really sorry. I still can't completely control the cross—it's too strong. I didn't mean for this to happen."
Sonia, meanwhile, scowled. Not only had Ace recovered, but he was now pulling out fresh clothes to change into. Damn it.
Despite the pain he had just endured, Ace endured being burned briefly to take out a set of clothes to change into. He had stashed extra clothes with Emi, expecting his outfit to be ruined in a fight—not .
Ignoring Lola's guilt and Sonia's disappointment, he quickly dressed, making a mental note to thank his cursed toys later. They had shown him that he could count on them even when he was expecting it.
"You got another set of clothes?" Sonia asked, setting aside her pride and their ongoing grudges—at least for now. She knew she'd have to do that in the C.I.B. training camp anyway, so she might as well start practicing. Then, when the moment was right, when he started trusting her or when he was most vulnerable, she'd stab him in the back. After all, no matter how powerful a curse master was, their heart was still human at its core.
"No," Ace said flatly, not even pretending to consider it. He did have extra clothes with Emi, but there was no way in hell he was sharing. Especially with Sonia.
Sonia eyed the red checkered flannel shirt he was about to throw on over his black t-shirt. "That flannel will do," she said, reaching for it.
Before her fingers could even graze the fabric, Ace yanked it away and swiftly slipped it on, buttoning it up without missing a beat. He knew her too well—Sonia would rather strut around naked than owe him anything. The fact that she was going against her own nature meant she was up to something. And even if she wasn't, he still wouldn't help her. Not even at gunpoint.
Lola and Sonia both stared at him, looking a mix of surprised and vaguely offended.
"What?" Ace deadpanned, completely unfazed. "I'm chilly."
Lola shook her head and sighed, deciding she had better things to do. "I'll go check if we're there yet," she muttered, walking away.
Sonia, however, kept her eyes on Ace, her expression hardening, thinking, 'He might be a pervert through and through, but he had resisted my charm way too easily.'
If Ace knew what she was thinking, he'd laugh in her face saying, 'You're delusional.'
But she wasn't. She knew her body was the kind that made men go wild, bending to her every whim. It had worked on countless others. The problem? Ace wasn't like them.
After tasting the unrealistically perfect Emi, his standards had skyrocketed. Even a supermodel wouldn't be enough for him now—unless, of course, they threw something extra into the mix. Something forbidden. Something taboo. For the thrill of it. Otherwise, he would not be interested.
Before things could escalate further between them, a sudden suction force yanked them away. The next moment, they found themselves standing in the middle of a dark forest.
As their eyes adjusted to the dim surroundings, they spotted Matthews, Delores, and Evil Eyes huddled around Janice. She was using a scope-shaped curse tool to surveil the highway resort, which was a few miles away.
Just as Sonia opened her mouth to ask what they had learned so far, Evil Eyes turned toward them. Without a word, he lifted his tiny index finger to his lips and hushed them with a sharp, "Shhh."
Ace and Sonia had to stifle their laughter—there was something undeniably funny about being shushed by someone trapped in the body of a nine-year-old. Meanwhile, Lola whispered under her breath, "So cute."
Sonia side-eyed her and corrected her, "Cute? I think the word you're looking for is creepy." She shuddered slightly. Despite his childlike appearance, Evil Eyes was over a hundred years old.
Hearing this, Evil Eyes exhaled in exasperation, shaking his head. "Is it just me, or are the new recruits getting more ignorant and more disrespectful by the day?" he muttered under his breath before turning back, waiting for Janice's update.