You can read early chapters on my [P].[A].[T].[R].[E].[O].[N].
Link: [email protected]/Arson09
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Summer of 2013:
Lucy Chen.
This was a bad idea.
She sat in the backseat of her parents' Toyota as they traversed the countryside. Both of her parents were doctors in the field of psychotherapy, which made their family dynamic particularly exhausting.
Her mother and she had always had their differences; her mother wanted her to become a "doctor" or at least pursue a career within the traditional academic sphere.
Her father was supportive of her actual career choices in private, but he invariably caved to her mother's pressure and never firmly stood his ground for Lucy's sake.
This camping retreat had been their idea—a way to bridge the gap with a daughter who had been estranged.
Despite the years of estrangement, one thing remained clear: they all loved each other. It wasn't the kind of love that needed to be declared or proven; it was simply a constant. That is what parental love is, in most cases: unconditional.
They had camped out at Malibu Creek State Park, though they avoided the usual trails where campers typically parked. Lucy and her father set up a temporary shelter—a blue tent—while her mother organized the equipment for their hike up the hillside to find a prime spot for stargazing.
Later that same day, her father took them to a nearby lake where they enjoyed fishing. Lucy was actually the one who caught the first fish of the evening.
For a brief moment, it was as if the estrangement had never existed, with all of them laughing as they turned catching the most fish into a heated competition.
Then came the night.
After a hearty dinner of fish and homemade chips, they trekked up the trail to stargaze. Her father spotted the Big Dipper, and she found Cassiopeia, all while her mother roasted marshmallows for them.
Maybe, just maybe, this wasn't such a bad idea after all, Lucy thought.
"Lucy, we are just disappointed that you would waste your potential like that," her mother said, instantly ruining the moment. "You used to get such good grades in high school... why waste all that in a field with no scope?"
"You just had to ruin it, didn't you, Mom?"
Her father merely sighed at her outburst, as if it were her fault for questioning her mother's timing.
That was the final nail in the coffin. Lucy stormed off, leaving them behind on the trail.
Later, Lucy lay tucked inside her sleeping bag back in the tent.
"We'll go boating tomorrow, sweetie," her father spoke softly from across the small space. He knew it was her favorite camping activity.
"I love you, Dad... and Mom," she wished she could have said. Instead, still sour from the argument on the hill, she muttered, "Whatever. I'll be free of this hell tomorrow."
Later that night:
I shouldn't have drunk all that cola, Lucy thought as she tossed and turned, trying to suppress the urge to relieve herself. Finally, she sat up. She moved to peek outside the tent, but it was absolute darkness.
She wanted to ask one of them to go with her, but her ego wouldn't allow it. She picked up the manual-crank camping lantern and made her way outside.
She heard a creaking to the left of their tent. Wild animals? she wondered. There shouldn't be any bears or wolves this far up the trail. Maybe coyotes?
Five minutes later:
With the call of nature answered, Lucy was making her way back when she heard a rustling from the side of the tent. Chewing noises? Was a coyote trying to break in? She became immediately alert.
There was a metal stake where her Father had lit the camp fire, She gripped a metal tent stake from the ground and crept forward.
There, she saw it: a trail of blood.
Thud... thud...thud
She could hear her own heartbeat hammering in her ears as she followed the trail to the other side, where the tent flap hung wide open.
Her parents lay inside—her father slumped over her mother, their bodies twisted at impossible angles. There was a hollow cavity where their abdomens should have been, as if something had feasted on them.
Lucy collapsed, the lamp falling beside her.
"Ahh... ahhhh... AHHHHH!" she screamed in a sudden, jagged burst.
This can't be happening... this can't be happening... The thought looped in her mind as images of them fishing and stargazing together flashed behind her eyes.
Soon, the lamp's battery began to fail, the light flickering rhythmically. Lucy lunged for it, rotating the crank with all her strength to keep the darkness at bay.
Then she heard it again—a screech to the left. She swung the lamp toward the source of the noise.
At first, there was nothing but trees and rocks. Then, something peaked from behind the nearest trunk and stayed there, watching her.
The first thing Lucy noticed was the creature's massive, hollow-eyed face, which seemed to fill the entirety of its frame. Its eyes were huge, perfect circles with pitch-black pupils, locking Lucy in a fixed, unblinking stareIt moved horizontally, a long, spindly leg extending outward as the rest of the body followed. Now she could see the entirety of it. Its head was disproportionately large, with multiple smaller, skull-like faces embedded into the sides of the main cranium.
Lucy slowly stood up, clutching the lamp as her gaze drifted to its torso.
The creature featured an exposed ribcage and a sunken chest. Its skin appeared leathery, stretched tightly over a skeletal frame. It looked just human enough to be recognizable, but its warped features made it look like a manifestation of pure, unbridled anxiety.
She didn't know what took over her, but she stood up, still gripping that metal stake, and pointed it directly at the creature.
"You will... You will die for that," she proclaimed, her own eyes unblinking as they locked onto the monstrosity.
With a scream of defiance, she lunged toward the creature, bringing the metal stake down with all her strength.
The last thing she saw before the world went black was the creature's bloodied, sickening smile as she closed the distance.
That was all she remembered. She told this truth to everyone who would listen, but the police dismissed it as a tragic wild animal attack, a byproduct of trauma-induced hallucinations.
Nobody believed her. Not until the day a man named Wong arrived at her parents' home specifically to meet her.
It was there she learned the true nature of the thing that had slaughtered her family: a "Cursed Spirit." She had been skeptical at first, naturally, but her doubts vanished the moment she saw Wong spark an orange portal into existence right in the middle of her living room.
That was her introduction to Kamar-Taj.
Present Day.
FAIRVIEW, CONNECTICUT.
Ethan Park.
The atmosphere in the city had shifted; a red moon hung low, and the streets were enveloped in a thick layer of snow. High above the skyline, Ethan stood at the edge of a railing, hands tucked into his pockets, observing the urban sprawl below.
On, he thought, and his Cursed Energy Trait instantly turned electrical. In this electrified state, his already sharp sensory perceptions took a monumental leap. Ethan focused with his eyes closed, spreading his senses throughout the city like a net.
There you are, he realized, feeling the distinct presence of Wong and the other Masters of Kamar-Taj.
Ethan took a step forward and began free-falling from the tower. His hair flowed upward as he plummeted toward the ground, but mid-fall, he flickered and vanished.
This wasn't teleportation; in his electrical CET state, he was able to feel minute changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure. His senses became so sharp that he could perceive differences in air density across various points, effectively treating the air not as empty space, but as a map of solid, leverage-producing particles he could step on, kick against, or grab. This ability allowed him to perform feats such as a "double jump" or "air walk."
Currently heading towards Wong, Ethan's senses picked up unusual cursed energy signatures in different houses miles away.
Though it's still too early to say, this doesn't feel like a planned attack; there is no coordination here. What the hell is happening in Fairview?, Ethan thought with a furrowed brow.
Lucy Chen.
She stood with Wong in front of the street where a family of four had been attacked. Justin sat on the back of an ambulance, muttering about how Emily couldn't ignore the woman, and she had died because of it.
The sound of sirens grew louder with each passing second. Lucy wanted to move closer to the boy—to comfort him, perhaps? But she knew she was kidding herself; nothing she did could change the hollowed look Justin wore. He would have to live with that trauma for the rest of his life.
"Just ignore it, just ignore it," Justin repeated loudly enough for her to hear from across the street, she could see the boy was trembling in terror.
Suddenly, the blaring sirens faded into silence. Lucy looked around to see what had happened, only to find the EMT attending to Justin frozen in place. She glanced back; other civilians and police officers were in a similar state, frozen mid-movement.
However, Justin was not. She watched him jump from the back of the ambulance and navigate through the frozen crowd. The scene was eerily silent, reminding her of the last trip she took with her parents. Without realizing it, she brought a hand to her chest; her heart was pounding.
Thud... thud... thud.
Was this the work of a cursed spirit? Lucy wondered. She looked back and saw that Wong and the other masters were also unfrozen. Something is off; why aren't they reacting to this. It is as if they are used to it.
" Total Battlefield incapacitation, " Wong spoke giving her a side look as he walked beside her, his hand crossed and behind his back. " It heralds his arrival,"
From across the street, Justin noticed the group of odd-looking people in robes of red and yellow. From the group, one member emerged—a woman—and began walking toward him. He gulped.
"They are not bad people... you can trust them," Justin heard his sister's voice whisper in his mind. "They are going to keep you safe."
He felt the tension drain from his body; his hands and legs finally stopped shaking. He could trust that voice, he told himself, as he walked toward the woman.
Lucy dropped to one knee to level herself with Justin. "Come here," she said, pulling the boy into a much-needed hug.
Then, she heard it—footsteps, slow and deliberate.
Ethan had arrived. Lucy and Justin looked up as Park passed by. His eyes were fixed ahead, his hair falling naturally over a grimacing face.
His presence left her paralyzed for a moment.
He is so different from Christmas morning, Lucy thought. When Ethan had handed her that bag on Christmas, he wasn't chatty, but he had worn a smile. The air around him hadn't felt this oppressive.
"Who is that?" Justin asked as Ethan approached the company of Masters: Kevas, Wong, Mordo, and Kachellis.
Lucy turned to him with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. He's on our side. You may have seen him on the news, he is Ethan Park."
Ethan Park
Kitsune's illusions have improved by a distinguishable margin after the eighth tail emerged, Ethan analyzed. Beside him, the Reversal of the Divine Dogs—his Eight-Tailed Kitsune—made herself known, nuzzling his hand for attention.
Ethan complied, scratching her under the chin.
His Kitsune was a majestic fox Shikigami, a master of cerebral manipulation capable of ensnaring the minds of seasoned sorcerers and Special Grade curses alike.
In this scenario, Ethan had used her power to "flash-freeze" the crowd, allowing the sorcerers to work uninterrupted. The Kitsune had also influenced Justin, calming his mind and stilled his trembling.
Wong approached from the side while the other Masters began constructing a massive barrier around Fairview.
"So, she's the one you were talking about?" Ethan questioned, side-eyeing Wong as he petted the fox.
He had heard about the incident that took Lucy's parents, but on that Christmas morning when he'd given her the dumplings for Wong, he hadn't realized she was the same girl.
Wong didn't answer immediately, watching as Lucy talk with Justin before turning back.
"Yes. I personally exorcised that Grade 1 spirit before it could harm anyone else."
"It's unfortunate," Wong added, looking back at Park.
"What is?" Ethan asked as the Kitsune began dissolving into his shadow.
"She has the guts to be a sorcerer, but no talent for the Mystic Arts," Wong clarified.
"Is that so?" Ethan asked and received a nod of affirmation from Wong. "Well, we can't have them all."
As if remembering a detail, he questioned, "Speaking of guts—is it true she went in for the kill with a metal stake?"
Wong's lips curved upward andHe nodded.
"Damn," Ethan whistled.
"Damn indeed," Wong agreed.
"Back to the Job, Kitsune can keep the population immobilized for half an hour without lasting effects," Ethan stated, his eyes narrowing as he added "But a lot of civilians are already dead inside their homes."
"How are we going to deal with them?" Wong asked, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists, referring to the hordes of spirits attacking the people of Fairview.
Ethan looked around, observing the scenery. A red moon hung in the sky, and a white blanket of snow covered the city. The sirens had stopped, but the police lights still flickered: Blue, Red, Blue, Red. People stood frozen in mid-motion while the sorcerers erected a massive dome around Fairview.
"It's not a 'them', Wong. It's one Curse," Ethan finally spoke.
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A/N: So how was the chapter?
Guess the cursed technique of the curse, hehe...