The Curse

There was something called the Tower within which resided Gods. Next, there was something called Arcana Cards and they were the cause of everything. 

This was what the woman told me in the span of a minute. 

I didn't understand much, but I continued to listen.

"…there's levels to the Arcana Cards and long story short, there's cards that only the Gods can wield or experiment with." 

Okay, this was easy to understand.

The lady yawned and continued, "The Gods managed to create a card that would give someone immense fortune and luck, but as everything in the Tower is balanced, it came with a card of immense misfortune. During the creation of these two, there was high instability in the Tower, and for reasons unknown, these slipped out of it."

If I had a heart right now, it would be palpating as severe anxiety was slowly creeping up on me.

The lady stopped yawning and laid her gaze on me, seriously this time.

"Nobody knows where the cards went, but I believe you were the one that got hit with the misfortune card."

"…"

…shit. 

I did not have a physical body, otherwise I would've definitely fainted from knowing this fact. Whatever worst outcome I was thinking of, the end result came out even worse than that.

The lady smiled at me, seemingly amused by my thoughts and emotions. 

"You'll be suffering so much in the Tower if you go on your own, huhuhu. You won't die, but oh my… the Tower is the last place a Jinx like you should go. But do you even have a choice? To cure your curse, you need to climb the Tower."

Did she just call me a Jinx?

Somehow, I felt more offended at that than actually feeling bad about myself due to my misfortune.

"You are a Jinx, there's no denying that." The lady smiled and shook her head. "In any case, I'll make your life a bit easier and help you somewhat as I do want to see you conquer the Tower."

The lady surely seemed nice, but I don't understand… Why was she being like that to someone she just met?

"I have been watching you since you were a child. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be as nice. Do you get it?"

"Really?"

"Yes."

This makes me wonder… how did she even find me? No, a better question would be, if she could find me, did she also find the other guy with the good luck card?

The lady got up and shook her head. "The other person is blessed with immense fortune. They would get whatever they want and if I try to go close, they would simply vanish as my intentions don't seem good."

"Your intentions aren't good?"

What? Was I getting scammed here?

"Don't sweat the small things. Focus on conquering the Tower and everything should slowly fall into place. I will be there in your journey, so don't be afraid and live a little."

"Wait. These words are good and everything. But what do you mean by bad intentions?"

The lady checked her wrist and had a look at her non-existent watch. 

"Oh. It seems like the time is up. We'll talk about everything else later. For now, enjoy your reincarnation and take some time to heal yourself."

"Wait…"

I had so many questions to ask her, but I felt a strong pull towards the unknown and found my vision go blurry. 

I felt like I was a piece of iron getting pulled towards the world's strongest magnet. If it was a physical body, it definitely would've turned into meat paste the moment it felt the pull.

I don't exactly know how much time has passed, but in my dark vision, I could see some faint light. 

Then, I could feel something…

And then another thing…

And another…

Ooooh the sensations. I could feel some bodily sensations again!

So this was what reincarnation was!

It felt like waking up from a very deep sleep on a cold morning. 

I felt warm, comfortable, and slowly… I could see a tinge of red as sensations of my eyes returned. 

As I opened my eyes, I found myself in a dimly lit room. 

The ceiling was not the same. Instead of cracked paint smudged with leakages, it was pristine white and adorned with multiple chandeliers that I had only seen in the movies. 

Those chandeliers were reflecting the soft warm light from oil lamps burning in the corners of the room. 

As I soaked into my new reality, I found myself under a thick quilt, on a bed large enough for five people to sleep in.

I got out of bed and walked towards the mirror in the corner of the room. As I took a few steps, my head suddenly felt heavy and the world around me seemed to be revolving. 

Bam!

Crassshhhh!

"Oww…"

I hit my head on something and fell down on something else entirely. 

A stinging pain assaulted my arms and legs while I lay in a weird position on the floor.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!

I heard a rhythmic clatter of footsteps shortly after falling down. 

Click!

Slam!

"Master!"

I heard a feminine voice, and was then flashed with a blindingly bright light, making my eyes shut on their own. 

"Master!" The voice sounded panicked this time. 

The footsteps got louder and in the next second, I felt someone holding my body. 

"Master, are you alright!?" 

The owner of the voice sounded genuinely concerned with that hurried question they asked. 

I was lifted up and made to sit on something soft, probably my bed. 

I opened my eyes again and now, I could see the person before me. 

It was a young lady, probably in her early twenties. Her brows were knitted and she seemed really concerned with the way she was intensely staring at me.

"Master. Master, are you alright?" She patted on my face and asked, seemingly trying to make me conscious. 

Wanting to say something, I opened my mouth. 

"I— pucchii—"

"Master!!"

Blood spewed out of my mouth. The sense of vertigo returned and my vision darkened, before I finally couldn't see or feel anything anymore.