2 2. The Occultists

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ARK Bearer Of Curse

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"How old is he?"

"Five or six? I don't know. He and his mother just moved here last year. They always kept to themselves."

"Didn't you ask him yet?"

"I already did! Sick bastard didn't want to talk!"

"Language, sister!"

I could hear the attempted whispering of the nuns. When mother took her own life, I walked out of the house with bloody clothes and feet like nothing happened. It terrified the whole town.

Seeing me in that bloody state made some of the cops assume that I killed my own mother. It didn't help that there were rumors of occultists roaming the town. Being foreigner to this place, mother was even alleged of practicing witchcraft, and I the son of a witch.

Ultimately, after inspecting the wounds and the prints, it was ruled as a suicide. And who in their right mind would still believe in witches and magics this day? We're in 2030's, even kids weren't scared of petty ghosts. The cops managed to conclude that I was simply in shock for the indifferent way I acted.

But they were right. Maybe I did kill my mother. Why would she take her life? She was the most cheerful person I knew. Now that I thought about it, I didn't know many people.

"How old are you, child?"

"Six", I answered the older nun, probably in her 50s, when she asked me.

Answering the older woman seemed to have offended the younger nun. It wasn't that I didn't like talking to her, but there was something off about her.

I couldn't quite put my finger on it but it bothered me. The same way I didn't fully understand mother every time on my birthday.

"What's your name?"

"Lucian", I replied.

"And your last name?"

I was perplexed. Not having the slightest idea what that was, I scratched my head. Probably because father died before I was even born.

If you thought witnessing a suicide would give you trauma, then witnessing the murder of her husband should have given mother a perpetual nightmare. Had she had one haunting her dreams, it only manifested once a year.

"That's all right, child. This is going to be your new family. Come, let's get you something to eat", and my stomach got the better of me.

***

"Come on, boy!" An older boy tried to taunt me but he was already beating the hell out of me. Not only was he older and bigger, he had a stick for a sword. His two friends as cowardly as him were throwing stones from a safe distance.

"Everyone in this orphanage answers to Bruno!" He proudly declared, as if it was an achievement to beat someone weak like me. His foot was pinning the side of my face to the dirt. If it was up to me, I wouldn't stay even in dreams here in this petty dirt box they called orphanage.

"Momkiller my a**! I don't care if you killed your wh**e mother. I own this place", he added.

Calling mother that word was a mistake. My body moved on its own. Whether it was rage or justice to defend mother's honor that fueled me, I didn't know. The next thing I knew, I was on top of Bruno and it's my turn to beat the life out of him.

"Heey!!"

"Stop! You f***ing psycho!!"

His loyal and dumb friends continued to throw rocks at me. When I didn't falter, they tried to hit me with sticks. All the blows they gave me, I slammed it threefold on the face of the almost lifeless Bruno.

Until the younger nun came to stop the ruckus.

"What the hell are you doing, Lucian?" The nun reprimanded as she tackled me away before I got to kill Bruno.

"If you're in prison, you would be in solitary now!" Sister Ann was furious. While she seemed to also hate Bruno, somehow she hated me even more.

Sister Ann brought out the whip-like stick she used to punish children. Without any warning, I felt heat on my back. She just lashed at me. The two boys found it funny until Sister Ann struck them with a "you're next" look and they fled the scene.

Only the unconscious Bruno witnessed the lashing. But he would never see the succeeding punishment of the brutal Sister.

Bruno died the next day.

It had not been a week yet I caused another death. To this day, I didn't understand why Sister Ann continued to whip me. At my age, I knew that once someone died, you couldn't bring her back no matter what you do. Even if you beat me to death.

"You son of a witch! What a special boy you are to have a cell of your own!" Sister Ann said in between her lashing.

The nun was pertaining to the old filthy bathroom where she kept me prison at night to satisfy her brutal cravings. With muzzle on my mouth, even I was deaf to my own screams.

But that wasn't the worst part.

"What a spectacle, Sister Ann! This boy doesn't seem to feel pain. HAHAHA!" A man maniacally laughed as he stabbed me with a dagger.

"Woi, are you serious? You'll have so much fun with this!" Another man commented on another night as he clubbed me to a pulp.

"I wish I could do this to my f***ing cheating husband. Hahaha!" A sinister laugh of a woman echoed as she strangled me with chains.

Sister Ann was convinced I was the son of the devil. She even had others come around to torment me. Had she done it for money or for pleasure, I could only guess.

All kinds of weapons. Different sadist evey night. The same purpose of torture. Break me with pain and get gratification. Still, I could swear nothing they delivered could compare to mother's gifts.

Until the worst turn to something even worse.

***

"Lucian, wake up", Sister Ann gently tapped me. By this time, I had been in the orphanage for a year. The older kinder nun already passed away, I didn't even get to know her name.

My eyes adjusted and I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating. Sister Ann was on her night dress. Her hair was seductively messy. The strict looking and cruel nun had no trace in her appearance.

"Come with me", she said, grabbing my wrist. It puzzled me that we didn't go to her torture chamber. Instead, we went out of the orphanage.

I shivered to the cold wind. Sister's night dress was barely thicker than mine, I could see her skin underneath. But she didn't seem to mind the cold.

"Where are we going?" I managed to ask. It must have surprised Sister since I never asked questions.

"To heaven", she answered with a smile. Only now did I understand it was of malice.

Forgetting how long we were walking, we finally arrived deep in the forest. In the clearing was a large trunk from a fallen tree. It was big enough for an adult to lay down on.

As if reading my thoughts, Sister Ann spoke.

"Lie down, Lucian, will you", she softly asked. My year of torture knew better, she wasn't asking.

So I did.

I knew what was going to happen. Contrary to what they knew, I wasn't ignorant or stupid. I knew the horrors happening in the orphanage.

"She did it to me again."

"She brought two men with her."

"I think they drugged me."

Those were the tales I chanced upon from the other children. To me, they had it easy. At least they weren't bloody tortured every night. At least they weren't slashed, stabbed, crushed, and lashed.

I would rather have her abuse me like this instead. My dignity wasn't something of value to me.

But I was wrong.

From the darkness of the forest, five hooded silhouette lit by candlelight emerged. My instincts told me to run for my life, but my heart told me to accept my fate and rest in peace.

"Are you certain he bears the curses? No amount of divinity can find it. Without the Eyes of the Witch, we're cat-fishing." I could only guess it was the leader who spoke, given his commanding tone.

"The Curse of Time for sure", Sister Ann replied as he tore my shirt exposing my body supposedly covered with uncountable scars.

Except it wasn't.

I saw the man taken aback. It took him a few seconds to approach me, and still in disbelief, he took off his hood.

I recognized the man. He was once a client of Sister Ann. For the right price, he enjoyed a night of torture with me. His strikes were particularly different. It's as if they tore my very soul.

My scarless body made him swallow nervously. He should be. I never forgot the face of those who hurt me. When given the opportunity, I would inflict it to them tenfold.

"T-This cannot be done by any healing spell!" The man exclaimed as he touched my body, like how a doctor would examine his patient. "It's a complete recovery! Like nothing ever happened!"

"No, not any healing spell of course", Sister Ann said approaching the man. She wrapped her arms to the man's neck and planted a deep long kiss. "I told you, he has the Curse of Time."

After what felt like forever of watching the two kiss each other, the man pushed Sister Ann and gestured for everybody else to crowd me. Together, they held hands after putting their candles down beside me, and uttered a prayer in a language that sounded familiar.

Terror crept on my body. As if it recognized the pain about to happen, my body flailed. Or so I tried to, but an unseen force restricted me.

"NOOOO!! STOOOOP!!" I screamed. I couldn't even cover my ears. Hearing the oration my mother used to utter on my birthday gave me unforgettable nightmares. Only this time it wasn't a nightmare. These strange people were chanting it.

These people are the rumored occultists! My brain screamed.

Then I felt a burning feeling on my gut. The pain it brought prevented me to even scream. Until my gut had spasms and to my surprise, I could swear I saw it glow and a tattoo appeared in a second, which disappeared just as quickly.

"NOOOOO!" My screaming was only in my head

"There it is!!" Sister Ann excitedly exclaimed. Her seductive look was gone. All I could see was a demon in woman's flesh.

"STOOOOOP!!" If I knew how to pray, I would've uttered one.

The leader of the occult wannabe people brought something out. It was a black blade. As the dagger reflected the moonlight, I realized it wasn't truly black. It was deep dark red. The color of dense compacted blood.

"PLEASE!! ANYONE!!"

"By the authority vested to me by the Witch, I am claiming the Curse of Time!!" The leader chanted at the top of his lungs.

"MOTHER!!!!"

Then he stabbed the shaking part of my gut, where I felt the dagger reach my heart.

When I came to my senses, six people were lifeless on the ground. Sister Ann would never hurt me anymore. The occultists were dead. Mother's gifts protected me.