A mother's wrath

"When your mother exorcised the curse and it attacked her as it was designed to do, she returned it back.."

Analka said. Nolamine already knew this after his talk with Mi-sun but continued listening as they ran. They were carrying large bags full of the harvested parts of the Crobats, Black Crobal, and ticks.

Nolamine noticed that the bags were somehow more spacious inside and were light no matter how heavy something you put in them was.

"At the time, some said she had increased its power 10 fold, but that was not the case. It seems that even the Grand Witch does not know how her power worked and with the only one knowing being the Guardian. The masters estimated that she had made it 100 times more powerful or even more. It seemed she was angry that it dared to attack her when she was pregnant with you."

She pursed a bit as they passed a beast at a distance but then continued.

"The curse killed the business partner and all his family members, even the ones that were in South Korea, such was the potency of what she had thrown back at them."

"Killing someone that is on another continent is something no one had ever done and still can't do by using curses. No curse can cross the sea but can only travel by land, which makes your mother's ability even more impressive and terrifying as it was not even cursed based. I hear it was her wand that made this possible. "

Langa said, again trying to make his presence known to her. Analka looked at him and nodded, making him smile. She continued thereafter.

"The Elder's power could not be underestimated. She lasted three nights fighting something horrific and unstoppable in its path to annihilate her and her bloodline. On the second day, 23 of the most powerful clan members gathered and tried to exorcise it, but doing what it was designed to do, it attacked everyone who tried to exorcise it."

The story was getting dark and Nolamine was even feeling sorry for them as it seemed there were innocent casualties.

"By the third night, all 23 of them were dead, the Elder, all in her bloodline together with all those in the 23 who tried to help bloodlines. They say that the curse is still present even to this day. It resides in their dead bodies and their burial grounds are cursed forever."

"Impressive."

Langa said.

"All in all, about 98 people died. They tried to burn the bodies but even fire could not lift the curse's hold on their souls."

He said proudly. Nolamine did not know whether to be impressed or scared. That meant that he could hold such power too and at the time it scared him a little.

"So, that is why you are at war with them?"

He asked.

"Well, we have been at war even before that incident. You see, we are called the Cursed Clan. We have been called that ever since the start of the village, as Mamlambo had taught us long ago how to use curses."

"Momlambo?"

He asked.

"It is another name for the Guardian."

She said and Nolamine nodded. Aapep had said that he was called many names.

"We exorcise curses and use them to further our power, while the Serongunis birth curses and use that ability as their power. That is why they are also called Dark Witches. They commit taboos, one of them being sacrificing human beings as they such for power."

"They seemed weak though."

Nolamine said.

"That is because those were only scouts. After that incident, they had to bring new people into their clan to train and replenish their numbers. Those who cannot birth curses are used as scouts. They can suppress their presence and move unnoticed like ghosts, making them perfect for scouting missions. That is why we did not notice them at first."

Analka said. Nolamine had sensed something that made him keep his guard up even before taking on the Black Crobal. He was proud of himself but did not tell them. He did not want to sound like he was bragging when they had just killed all of them without even struggling one bit.

"We know that they have been looking for you so as to avenge their clan members and the Elder. That might be the reason they were here when it is even more dangerous for them to be in the Dark Forest. I am sure war is imminent and in that war, one shall perish while the other survives. More importantly, we seem to have a traitor in our midst."

She said, and Nolamine could not help but think of how things were turning out to be as he stepped into the dark side of the hidden world he had just started to walk in and understand.

"It is not someone who is high up as they would have known that we were with you. It must be someone who has been collecting information here and there and putting it together. So, it must be one of the hunters as they would need to travel out of the village to give them the information.

Analka said while in deep thought. Nolamine was impressed by her deductive reasoning. The woman had indicated to him that she knew something about him being in the village somehow.

They reached the village and he let Langa take the materials to Stunga. He had lots to think about and did not want him on his back for damaging one of the Black Crobal's eyes.

Analka reported to the masters and he went to his house, tired and in need of food and rest. He looked outside as he ate, thinking that he only had a few days to leave this world and journey into another.

The thought of leaving them while they were on the brink of war left him wanting to obtain power so as to help them, as his mother had a hand in how things were now.

He could not wait to talk to Aapep and maybe find out why he was stronger as a baby than even now when he had a foothold into what he could do.

Mi-sun who had heard what happened came in to check on how he was doing. You could not blame her for being surprised to see him calm and eating as if nothing had happened. A far cry from what he was when he saw a dead body for the first time.