1 Curse//1

The man's breathing intensified as he felt the flame crawl from his finger tips of the rest of his body. The living flames had inched their way around him and encased him, unaffected by the high pitched screams of the dying man.

"Wh-what?"

The man gasped in a breath of air and his eyes flashed open. He took in his surroundings but couldn't make sense of it. He was in a dark room but it wasn't where had just- died?

"What the fuck just happened..."

He slowly sat up and turned looking around the room dumbfounded. He had just been fighting with his party in the D rank dungeon. He remembered fighting the dungeon boss and then the boss had disappeared...

It all came back to him then, every single thing.

The D rank team consisting of; a D rank healer: the mans girlfriend, a C rank mage: the mans friend, and himself: a magic swordsman. The dungeon was supposed to be quick and easy, with the three person party and a C rank mage the weakest level dungeon should have only resulted in scratched and shallow injuries that would have been easily cured by the healer. It was because of the anomaly...

He remember watching the horned man of black step through the portal. Wait, no. Not a man of black. A archdemon. An S rank monster that could cause severe mayhem if exposed to the outside world. A calamity.

When the horned man entered the room it was as though the room itself had been teleported miles into the sky. The air had become thing and... the pressure. It was nearly enough to drive him to his knees. Before any of the party was able to say a word the archdemon disappeared. There was a sickening sound of cloths tearing and twigs breaking. But it wasn't twigs. When he turned the man saw that his friend Zeal had been sliced in half at his abdomen. The sounds of twigs snapping was the sound of the mans vertebrae being cleaved.

The arcgdemon was standing with his arm outstretched as if he has simply chopped the man in half with his bare hand, wait, isn't that way he had done? Impossible...

He watched as the demon turned and smiled at him. The words the demon had said resonated in his mind, "Ask, and you may receive" the voice was deep and gravely. It sounded as though the demon had not spoken in many years, which was likely exactly the case.

"Wait what-"

The man couldn't finish his sentence before the demon was once again gone. The main whipped around to look at the place where his girlfriend had been. What he saw is what drove him to his knees. The demons arm was through Violet's chest and in his hand was her heart. Before falling a single word left her mouth.

"Court.."

The demons arm had been the only thing supporting her weight and after crushing her heart and removing his arm from the body, she fell as a bag of sand would.

Court then remembered that the demon had appeared feet before him with his arm bent as if preparing to chop with it. Court didn't want to die, he wanted to fight. But his trembling body, frozen with fear wouldn't allow it.

"Stop"

Court's voice was trembling and was more of a frightened plea than a command but nevertheless the words came. The demon froze in place and it's grin broadened.

"Why should I young one?"

Court knew he was going to die but he couldn't let it be like this. He wasn't supposed to be easily cleaved at the hands of some monster. Court had believed all of his life that he was made to be a hero. Even though he had been appraised to be an E rank adventurer he had fought and worked every day to get stronger. Court had believed that if- no, when he did die he would die protecting innocents from the clutches of evil.

A valiant sentiment to be sure but, being face to face with death he knew that he didn't want to die. That was complete bullshit. Why would he want to die, he wanted to survive and live his life. Court had known the demon would not accept that as an answer and so that's not what he had said. Court could sense that if he said the wrong thing, he would become as Zeal and Violet had.

"I need to die a hero's death. I can't die here."

His voice was once again trembling but there was sureness in his voice. The demon seemed to stand even taller and puff out his chest. A booming laugh reverberated from the walls and shook Court to his core.

"Brave words young one. Allow me to introduce myself, you may call me Erebus. I have come to fulfill a promise I made a long time ago. Thank's to you I will be able to fulfill my promise. I shall grant you what you desire and more but it will not be... enjoyable."

The demon had paused before saying the last word, attempting to add dramatic effect.

"I will rebirth you with the power to become all that you desire and in return I shall take your body and soul. You will be granted a new body and soul of course once the deal is done. Do you wish to accept?"

The demon extended his hand and Court remained motionless. Court glanced at the bodies of his friend and fallen lover and tears began to sting his eyes. If he became stronger as the demon promised then he would avenge them, but he couldn't die there with them.

"I accept."

Court reached out and shook the demons hand. When their hands made contact he felt a frigid air slide up his arm and down his spine.

That was when the flames started. He remembered the pain as they had burned his skin as they slowly spun around his arm and creeped further onto his body. Court had screamed in pain and tried to fling off the flames and even rolled all over the ground but the flames hadn't yielded a single inch. And so over the period of 10 brutal minutes Court had suffered and screamed until the blood of his torn vocal chords had dripped from his lips. When the flames had covered his eyes and his vision had gone dark, Court lost consciousness.

All of this Court has remembered as he remained motionless, tears sliding down his cheeks as the images flashed through his mind. His love Violet and his lifelong friend Zeal...

Court remained this way for what felt like an eternity before sliding off of his position on the elevated table and onto his feet. He turned slowly scanning the room once again, this time taking in his surroundings. A wooden door in the middle of a wall that seemed to be made of the same material as the inside of the dungeon. The room consisted of nothing other than the table he had been laying on.

Court then realized that he had not felt any of the burning sensation he had felt before he had died. Court quickly brought his arm up to the light being cast by the two torches near the wooden door and saw that not only was his skin fine, but his arm was not his own. He remembered what the demon had said, a new body. Court inspected himself and saw that he was taller, and broader a man. He looked as though he had spent the past three years doing nothing but working out.

"Do you wish to increase status points?"

The voice seemed to be heard directly through Court's head and when he spun quickly to search the room there had been no one.

"Who are you?"

Court said the words but they were not directed at any real person. After a short delay he received the same message.

"Do you wish to increase status points?"

".... Yes."

A glowing blue panel appeared in front of Court and the suddenness caused him to tense.

"What the hell is this?"

The screen before Court appeared as;

———————————————————

Name- Court Serrin Tempest

Rank- Unknown

Level- 1

Class- Magic Swordsman

Species- Demon

Title- ********

Stats (Available- 40);

HP- 100

MP- 100

DEX- 60

STR- 30

RES- 10

INT- 40

Skills (Available- 4);

Unknown- Max

(???)

Hero's Death- Max

(When ******** loses all HP, flame engulfs body and ******** is reborn at home location)

Stealth- 1

(Become invisible, effect increases with level)

Bloodlust- 1

(All damage increases by 50% if enemy is affected, level of enemy affected increases with level)

Imbue- 1

(Imbue any weapons or armor with magical power, amount of power imbued increases with level)

Sage- 1

(When an enemy is defeated gain extra EXP, effect increases with level)

Demon's flame- 1

(A flame granted by Eredos, strength and effectiveness of flame increases with level)

Reach of the Elder God- 1

(???)

Abilities (Available- 4);

Swordsman- 1

(Sword damage, speed, and efficiency increase)

Mage- 1

(Mana usage decrease & magic damage increase)

Dodge- 1

(Ability to subconsciously dodge any threat)

Haste- 1

(Movement speed boost)

Brute- 1

(Strength boost)

———————————————————

It took longer than it should have been Court soon realized three things. The first was that his rank was unknown and his level was 1. The second was that his species was displaying that he was a demon. The third was the presence of an unknown skill, a demonic skill, and an unknown demonic skill.

Court looked at himself with stunned realization and a slack jaw.

"Wha- what the hell happened to me?"