"Cursed Child? Who'd dare call my grandson a Cursed Child?!" Jenny's spectral form flared with incandescent rage.
"Don't worry, Aaron. The truth will reveal itself when the time is right. All you need to know is, don't let that stop you; your future and life are in your hands," Lucian said, his voice imbued with a gentle, yet firm, reassurance.
"Yes, Son. Your father is right," Mingus added, his tone echoing Lucian's resolve.
"Okay." Aaron nodded, his gaze sweeping across the assembled spirits. "If I absorb all your powers and knowledge, how strong will I get?"
"Both your great-grandparents were once Supreme Realms, and I was once a Sky Realm. Not to mention all of us... I'm guessing you know how strong you'll get after this," Lucian answered, a faint smile gracing his lips.
"Okay then, what are we waiting for? What do I have to do?" Aaron asked, his impatience barely concealed.
"Just sit down, Son," Jenny instructed, her voice softening.
Aaron sat on the ground, his posture relaxed yet alert. All the Demons floated towards him, forming a massive circle around him, their spectral forms glowing with an otherworldly light.
"This is going to be a little painful, Son. But you must prevail," Lucian announced, his tone grave. He added, "Or else, you'll be lost forever, and we'll remain trapped in here."
"I understand," Aaron replied, his voice steady.
He closed his eyes, and Lucian and the other Demons extended their fingers towards him. Dark energy, thick and potent, shot out from each finger, converging on Aaron like a storm.
"Hmm..." Aaron gritted his teeth, his body tensing against the onslaught. 'He called this a "little painful"?' he thought, his mental fortitude tested.
Aaron sat in the center of the spectral graveyard, absorbing the powers and knowledge of his ancestors, oblivious to the distortion of time. While he perceived the process as lasting mere minutes, in the real world, five months had already elapsed. Everyone was consumed by worry, especially his mother, Aurora.
"I know I shouldn't have let him absorb it," Aurora murmured, her voice laced with regret. She sat on the edge of the bed, her gaze fixed on Aaron, who remained in the same meditative pose. Remarkably, he was growing, his body maturing with each passing month.
"Don't start crying again, Mom. My baby brother's Sid energy is still active, which means he's very much alive," Lilly said, her voice attempting to soothe her mother's distress.
"But it's been five months," Aurora said, turning to Lilly, tears threatening to spill.
"Stop it, Mom!" Protean walked into the room, his form shifting to resemble the Griffin King. "Stop crying. Nothing will happen to Master. He'll wake up and set things right in the forest, and this half-destroyed village," he said, before shrinking back to his normal size and landing on Aaron's bed.
"You're right. Nothing will happen to him, but do you know how I feel each day, thinking I'll wake up and see his ash on his bed?" Aurora asked, her voice trembling. Protean remained silent, unable to offer comfort.
"For the last four months, you haven't left his room," Lilly said, then turned to Protean. "How are the territories?"
"Master didn't show up at the meeting, which happened five months ago. So those monsters took it as an insult. Although none of them invited him, they all expected him to be there. Not seeing him for this long, they grew bolder and started attacking our territories. We can repel them because of Talon and Alter," Protean said, his tone dark.
"We are under attack!!" Chief Egon rushed into the room, his face etched with worry.
"Again?! I'll deal with them," Protean said, transforming into the Alpha Undead and striding out.
"My Queen, we can use your help," Egon said, his voice hesitant.
"No, I'm staying with my son," Aurora replied, her voice firm.
He sighed helplessly and nodded, then left the room. 'I wish Emily hadn't gone to the academy. I hope she's okay,' he thought.
"Mum?--"
"--You can go and help, Lilly," Aurora interrupted.
Lilly heaved a sigh and left the room, leaving Aurora alone with Aaron.
"I'll wait for you, Son," she whispered, her voice filled with unwavering hope.
[Seven months later.]
"Come on, Mom! We need to leave! The goblins are too many!!" Lilly rushed into the room, her body stained with monster blood.
"This time around, they came with a Cursed Demon. And the Chief is injured. The Archer is also injured. Half of the villagers are dead..."
Aurora sat lifelessly on the bed, her gaze fixed on Aaron. She was oblivious to the chaos outside, her world narrowed to her son. For a year, he hadn't awakened, and the weight of that silence had broken her.
This fearsome warrior was broken because she believed her son was dead. Lilly grabbed her shoulders, her grip firm. "We need to go. There is news that Zukor, that bastard king, is behind all this. We don't know how he got news of Aaron. Mom! He sent them to kill Aaron. We need to take him somewhere safe."
A flicker of resolve ignited in Aurora's eyes. She turned to Lilly. "Where can we run to? Your brother isn't waking up anytime soon," she said, her voice hollow.
"But..." Lilly began.
Graaaa!!!!
"They are getting closer! They are already in the village!!" Lilly turned towards the door, her hand gripping her sword tightly.
"Check this room! We must kill that kid called Aaron," a deep voice echoed from outside, followed by the sound of rough footsteps.
BAM!
The door burst open, and five hobgoblins stormed into the room, their hatchets raised.
"Here he is!" the first one yelled, spotting Aaron sitting on the bed, his eyes closed.
"Kill!" Two of them lunged towards Aaron.
Whoosh!!!
Their heads fell to the ground, followed by their bodies.
"I dare you to touch my son," Aurora said, her eyes turning pitch black.
"Mom?" Lilly was stunned, seeing Aurora's eyes. 'Oh no! She lost control again.'
"Hehehe! You can't stop us!"
"Kill!"
Whoosh!!!
In a matter of seconds, the remaining three hobgoblins fell to the ground, their heads rolling to the side.
Lilly took a step back, positioning herself in front of her brother. 'I wonder how Snow, Protean, and Diamond are doing outside,' she thought.
"So powerful. I thought there was no good opponent in this small village," a deep voice said.
Aurora and Lilly turned to see a dark elf with red eyes and white hair, who calmly walked into the room.
"This... this is the Cursed Demon, the leader of the army!" Lilly said, taking a step back.
"I'm impressed, girl," the dark elf nodded at her. "I might keep you after this, but first... I need to kill that young man."
"You aren't getting to him," Aurora said, gripping her sword tightly.
"Hmm... You might have licked the blood of a demon. There is no other way you can have this amount of power. But even with your boost in strength, you aren't a match for me."
[Meanwhile, in the spectral graveyard.]
Ninety-seven ghosts had vanished, leaving only three.
"Should we continue?" Mingus asked, his voice filled with concern.
"He can do it. He has absorbed ninety-seven powers and knowledge. He can also absorb ours," Jenny said, her voice filled with pride.
Seeing the two nod, she infused her powers into Aaron. "I'm giving you the ability to heal, regenerate, and you'll be the next blood absorber," she said, her eyes glowing red as her powers and knowledge flowed into Aaron.
Aaron only frowned for a second, then smirked.
"He likes it," Mingus smiled, and pointed his finger at Aaron. "I'll give you the wisdom of a king, the power to always make the right decision and know the heart of your enemies. I'm also giving you my Hydra and powers. You have made me proud."
Aaron's smirk widened.
Lucian smiled and pointed his finger at Aaron. "My son, as your father... I'm giving you the ability of space and death. I'm giving you all the powers to manipulate space. You'll gain all my combat skills and knowledge in life. I'm also giving you my enchanted ring. Use it well."
After a few seconds, the three turned into smoke and flowed into Aaron.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!
A massive explosion erupted, shattering the surrounding tombstones. A hurricane of energy formed, growing in size until it almost reached the night sky.
[Back in the room.]
BANG!
Aurora was thrown against the wall, coughing up blood.
"How many times do you want me to say this? You can't win against me," the dark elf said.
"I'm not fighting for myself, but for my son," Aurora said, standing up with difficulty.
"Fine then, I'll just have to kill you."
The dark elf shook his head and charged towards her, his speed catching Aurora off guard.
"I'll see how you'll protect your son if you're dead!"
"Mum!!!" Lilly, who was on the ground, yelled in horror.
BAM!!!!
The dark elf froze, his eyes widening as he saw a young man, looking around twelve years old, holding his hand. The shocking thing was, he couldn't feel this kid's strength.
"Let me go!!" he yelled.
"Aaron?" Aurora was stunned.
"Baby brother!" Lilly sighed in relief, then fainted. The blow she received from the dark elf was not a joke.
"You... dare.... attack... my... family..." Aaron's eyes turned completely red.
"I hope you are ready for the consequences!"
His tone sent a shiver down the dark elf's spine.