Horus’ usual calm demeanour has been different today. His heart races, his pulse quickening. His face flushes slightly, a strange warmth and chills spreading across his skin, but it’s not from the temperature in the hospital.
His steps grow hesitant and cautious. His gaze flicks over his shoulder constantly as if he’s expecting something, or someone, to emerge from the shadows. His voice betraying his unease.
“Now that you’re here…I wanted to ask…Is my sister still here?”
Valencia’s gaze lingers briefly, eyes shifting toward the dark corner of the hallway behind Horus.
There, a figure stans half in shadow, towering and unnaturally tall. Its limbs are long and slender, almost skeletal. Its skin has a deep, cracked charcoal, as though it has been burnt or withered by some unseen force.
Hollow, empty eyes fix on Valencia with chilling emptiness, giving off a chilling sense of lifelessness. The figure remains motionless, its presence an eerie void that seems to drain the light around it, hinting at a being not entirely of this world.
Valencia nods subtly, and gazes back at Horus, “Behind you, like always.”
Horus yelps, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as he feels an uncanny chill creep up his spine. He spins around, but there’s nothing there. Only an empty space.
“She left.”
“I hate it when she does that… I swear, I can feel her presence. It’s like she’s always watching me, but I can never see her. Just the constant chill down my back is enough to make anyone lose their mind.”
“You’re able to handle your familiar, ‘, but not spirits?” Valencia smirks, her voice teasing.
Horus sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s better this way. I think she knows that…I won’t communicate with her.”
Valencia raises an eyebrow. “Just admit it that you’re scared of ghosts.”
Horus’ face flushes slightly, but he quickly changes the subject. “Alright, alright let’s move on…”
──────────────────────────────────────────
The two makes their way into Horus’ office. Valencia sits comfortably on the guest sofa, sipping on herbal tea. Though her body has not fully recovered, she feels better with each passing day.
Bounders are naturally fast-healing, especially , whose abilities are inherited through generations. Bounders—the official term for ability users—are classified into three subtypes: Blood-bound, Manifest and Artificial, with the latter two being even rarer.
Under normal circumstances, Horus would have been able to heal her wounds instantly, but the weapon used against her had been deliberately crafted to slow a Bounder’s recovery. Though me managed to stop the bleeding, thanks to Valencia’s Blood-bound lineage, her wounds would still heal within weeks, even without further intervention.
Horus, who is sitting at his desk, looks over at her with a slight frown. “First of all, can’t you identify with your internet-browser ability and find out who exactly is Theodore?” He seems to know about Valencia’s abilities, calling it in a light-hearted manner.
Valencia chuckles softly, setting her tea down. “You mean ?” she said, rolling her eyes. “I can’t exactly search up people like I’m looking up the internet, you know.”
She leans back, thinking of an alternative way to explain further.
“You see… Humans are like open books to me. I can read their personality and thoughts with ease. My ability extends beyond that, though. ‘ allows me to learn everything about them. But Ability users are a bit different…”
“…They’re like mysteries, like unpredictable fairy tales. From a normal person’s perspective, their mental state is impossible to fully understand. They’ve got minds that are stronger—more twisted. That’s why this ability sometimes doesn’t work well on other ability users.”
She then adds with a small smirk, “As for you, though… You’re definitely an open book.”
Horus blinks at her, raising an eyebrow. “Hey! I’m a !” he pauses, “Wait, that means it’s most likely that Theodore is also a bounder since you’re getting nothing from him?”
Valencia nods, her face grim. “I don’t know how he came into possession of this obnoxious artifact…” She places the wooden box that emits dark energy in front of them on the coffee table, her fingers lingering on it for a moment.
“What’s that”
Valencia hesitates before replying, her voice steady but filled with the weight of her words. “It’s .”
Horus blinks, clearly confused. “The metaphor?”
“No.” Valencia shakes her head. “Literally. The actual ‘.’ It’s an ancient mythical object from my homeland that is filled with all types of curses—things that bring calamity to humanity.”
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
Horus stares at her, mouth open wide like an idiot. He looks from her to the box, then back to her, struggling to process what he just heard. Surely, she is joking, but the serious look in her eyes tells him otherwise.
He recalls his family’s archives, particularly the old records of the Galen family. They had once mentioned an artifact as stolen from an ancient family, now long fallen with no heirs left to inherit their ability and protect its secrets.
The realisation hits him like a jolt, and Horus gasps. He snaps his attention back to Valencia.
“Wait, has this been opened?”
“This…” She gestures to the box, her voice lower, “Has been unsealed and even used. Unfortunately. But it’s not too late. I think I can destroy it.”
Before Horus could say anything, Valencia’s expression hardened, and without another word, she focused her energy on the box. Her ability flares up, a faint pulse of power emanating from her hands.
But as she exerts herself, nothing happens. The artifact remains intact, showing no signs of damage.
Horus rushes forward, his voice fills with urgency. “Valencia. You’re still injured!”
He’s right—the effort is clearly too much for her. The wound in her stomach has yet to fully heal, and the strain from using her power is visibly taking its toll.
“Valencia,” Horus says again, trying to reason with her, his tone softer but still firm.
“You can’t just go around trying to destroy powerful artifacts without thinking about the consequences. What if there’s a side-effect? Can’t you do it after you’ve recovered?”
Valencia falls into a deep silence, lost in thought.
Her mind drifts to the vivid memories that have been haunting her since she first touched the artifact. Her thoughts flicker to the unsettling images she saw—pure destruction.
A sea of unrecognisable bodies surrounds her, the further she looks, the more she sees. Some are still contorted in agony, their faces frozen in their final moments of pain. Others are barely discernible, their forms twisted and mangled beyond recognition.
The air is thick with the absence of sound, the lifeless bodies lying in a suffocating silence, their suffering rendered mute by death. It is as if the entire world has gone quiet, leaving only her behind.
The searing sensation of blue flames scorches her skin, the heat is unthinkable. Then, a crushing darkness falls over the scene, swallowing everything—her future, her hope—all extinguished in an instant.
It’s been more than a dream—it’s a vision, that’s what she believes.
Is it because she possesses the ability “The Truth” and it reacts to the artifact, showing her a glimpse of the future? She doesn’t know. She’s not sure if what she’s seen will come pass, but her gut tells her with unwavering certainty that it will.
That’s why she has to act now, before it’s too late.
Horus reasons once more in a soothing tone, “You need rest, Valencia. Please. If you think getting rid of this will end all curses and abnormalities in this world… do you really believe it will work that way?”
“For once, you’ve seen through me.” Valencia takes a shaky breath, her long blue hair falling over her face as she keeps her gaze locks on the artifact. “Courses will always exist as long as humanity lives. But if I destroy this…it will lessen their severity, at least for a time being.”
Horus sighs deeply, his expression torn between concern and disbelief. He’s starting to piece together what she’s afraid of.
“You’re going to need a hand with this. I suggest getting Yei involved. Her ability is pure destructive power, she might be able to break it.”
“This is not all about destruction…” She stands up slowly with a determination ignites in her eyes. “Let me try again. You should step back, Horus.”
Horus opens his mouth, about to protest, but the words die on his lips. There is no point stopping her now. With a sharp exhale, he scratches the back of his neck in slight irritation, feeling the tight bandages pulling against his skin.
Valencia closes her eyes, her breath steadying as she visualises a force so powerful, it could annihilate everything in its path. As she concentrates, the very air around them shifts, vibrating with the capabilities of her energy.
A surge of raw power surge through her, almost overwhelming in its intensity, but she controls it. She extends her hands towards the box, and something snaps.
A blinding flash of energy erupts from her hands, and in an instant, the box is completely obliterated. There is no dent, no trace left behind—just a space where the artifact had once been. The air crackles with the residual energy of her ability, yet there is no sign of the Pandora’s box or any particles remaining.
She wipes her forehead, sweat trickling down her face as she’s breathing shallowly but her focus remains sharp. She inspects the area once more, checking for any remanence. After a long moment, she nods, her expression satisfied.
“It’s completely gone. No particles, no traces.”
Horus stands frozen in the corner of the room, his mouth agape in stuns silence. After a pause, her can’t help himself but let out a sarcastic comment.
“That’s it? Humanity has been saved, just like that? Wow.”
Valencia shoots him an irritated glare, her exhaustion barely contained. “It’s harder than it looks. Did you expect a flashy explosion or for me to bring down the whole hospital in the process? I was considerate enough to put up a barrier.”
She points upward, where a shimmering, crystalline barrier, as radiant as diamond, crackles and fractures in the air.
With a low groan, Valencia collapses onto the floor and the barrier falls apart, shards of light splintering in every direction before vanishing completely.
“I’m going to need a LOT of time to fully recover my energy,” she mutters, half to herself.
──────────────────────────────────────────
Later, as Valencia rests in the hospital room, she leans back against the bed, the weight of the past few days pressing down on her. A faint ache lingers around the stitches on her stomach, the nearly healed wound, a reminder of the life-and-death struggle she barely escaped, and the absence of Pandora’s box feels like a hollow echo, as if its destructive presence was only a fleeting nightmare.
Her injured left arm, though already healed, remains wrapped in bandages to avoid drawing suspicion from those who had seen her during her stay. The regeneration of Bounders worked faster than ordinary humans, yet she knew better than to be reckless.
She couldn’t use her phone or one of her abilities “”, moreover,
“” is currently unavailable. There is no other choice, and she needs to contact Yei urgently.
Her thoughts trace back as she recalls the old payphone on the ground floor of the hospital. It is the only option she has left.
Valencia quietly slips out of her room and makes her way down the sterile hallway. The dim light flickers overhead as she approaches the payphone, its old, batter exterior contrasting significantly with the modern hospital surroundings. She inserts some coins in and dials Yei’s number, hoping to get through.
Yei finally picks up, relief washes over her. She quickly reassures her friend that she is safe—for the moment.
Just as Valencia hangs up, the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps echoes down the hall. Her instincts scream danger.
“” one of the armed man barks, their boots thundering against the tiled floor.
“” another shouted in urgency.
The sharp clink of gear and the rapid pace of their footsteps fill the corridor, pushing people and hospital staff aside, each sound growing louder as they close in.
.