Curse Slave

Noticing his wife and son had dozed off, Alwin lowered the radio volume and gazed at his wife's exquisite and serene sleeping face with a subtle smile on his lips. Despite their occasional disagreements, she remained the blessing in his life.

Believing himself to be the luckiest guy alive for marrying the love of his life, he continued driving to his brother's ranch at the suggested speed limit.

Through Dame Wasp's senses, Ace observed his father's subtle gestures. Knowing that his parents' love continues to grow to this day filled him with joy and hope that he could experience the same with his significant other. As that thought crossed his mind, Ace shook his head, thinking it was still too early for him to be tied down by love, and asked Dame Wasp, 'Rose, did you mention that a human was controlling the Gremlin Cursling we defeated?'

Dame Wasp confirmed, saying, 'Yes, master.'

With a worried tone, Ace asked, 'Rose, was it truly a curse master? Since curse masters don't leave behind curse cores when they pass away because their curse core resides within their innate curse tool. Could it that you have mistaken?' Even as he spoke, Ace trusted that Dame Wasp had a valid reason for her assertion.

'Master, she wasn't a curse master but a curse slave,' Dame Wasp corrected him, her voice firm yet respectful.

'A curse slave?' Ace inquired, his curiosity piqued. 'How do they differ from curse masters?' It was the first time he had encountered the concept of curse slaves.

Before Dame Wasp could respond, Ace interjected, instructing her, 'Hold on a moment. Let's start from the top. Provide me with a detailed account of the events in the trailer. Also, explain how you came to learn all this information.'

'Yes, master,' Dame Wasp agreed and began to narrate, 'After I located the trailer oozing faint curse energy and entered it while searching the area for clues, I spotted the curse core lying on the ground. When I went to pick it up, I found two books wedged behind the cabinet. One was a plain old diary, and the other was a grotesque human skin book. Going through their contents, I learned about curse slaves and that the trailer belonged to the mechanic's estranged mother, the Curse slave controlling the gremlin curseling. Understanding that the information in the diary and the human skin book could be used to harm others in the wrong hands I destroyed them after copying their contents.'

After a small pause, Dame Wasp continued, 'According to the books, in a twist of fate, the mechanic's mother was dragged into the world of curses by a curse master who took a fancy to her beauty. He not only repeatedly raped her but threatened and forced her to leave her family and follow him as his slave. 

But the mechanic's mother was clever. She knew the curse master would keep her alive until he got bored of her or she lost her charm with age. So, she slowly gained his trust and convinced him she could be an asset to him. As such, the curse master helped her become a curse slave. 

Curse slaves are those who practice the Curse Slave Art—a lifeline for those lacking aptitude for curse energy. This art enables them to perceive the world of curses while helping them ensure their survival. However, it comes with a heavy price.

To master this cruel discipline, one must embed a curse core deep within one's heart, fueling it with raw negative emotions. This process allows the curseling of the curse core to regenerate as a whole in their heart. It is a tormenting process and those with a weak will die in mid-process. When the curseling regenerates it turns the curse slave's heart into its vessel, forging an unbreakable life bond between them. If one perishes, so does the other, safeguarding the Curse slaves against their Curslings. 

The curse slave can use the life bond to communicate with their curseling and command it to fight on their behalf. The drawback is that they only establish a life bond with one curseling unless they find a way for humans to have multiple hearts.

Once completely tamed, the curseling aids in refining the curse slave's negative emotions into a curse core. With their curse core, the curse slaves can wield the curse energy, arts, and tools akin to traditional curse masters. They can even allow their tamed curseling to possess them, granting them superhuman and curse abilities of their curseling.

However, a curse slave's strength and growth are ultimately tied to the tier of the curseling they have a life bond with. But a single human's negative emotions can only help regenerate a mortal-tier curseling after a long period of accumulation at best. 

So, despite all the pain they suffer trying to form a life bond with curseling, they can only grow to the mortal tier. Because of this limitation, curse slaves are a cannon-fodder-like existence in the world of curses. But they gain partial immortality, allowing them to live past their natural lifespan thanks to their life bond with the curseling. Yet they age at a regular rate. So, their body gives up before they turn 150 years old. 

This was why the curse master did not think twice before helping the mechanic's mother become a curse slave. He was not worried about her backstabbing him but happy about gaining a capable bottom bitch. However, last year, the curse master was killed by his enemy. 

Finally free, the mechanic's mother returned to her family to learn that her husband, until his last breath, never believed she left them and searched for her. But her son resented her for everything their family had been through, yet he grew a respectable family man. 

Unable to find the courage to tell the truth to her son, she watched over him and his family from the trailer behind the diner. Learning that his son's garage was barely making any profit with new cars that could only be serviced and maintained in the dealerships, she decided to use her identity as a curse slave to help him. 

She commanded her Gremlin Curseling to cause minor issues in passing cars, such as sticky gas pedals or faulty brakes, to attract business to her son's garage. 

Today, she was out of luck as she messed with the wrong car. Once her gremlin was killed, she died in her trailer. Her corpse dissipated leaving behind her curse core.'