The sky was heavy with storm clouds, and an eerie silence loomed over the abandoned battlefield. The wind howled, mourning the remnants of the fallen—those crushed beneath the weight of their fates. The scars of past battles remained etched into the stone—dried blood, shattered armor—time itself seemingly frozen at the moment of collapse.
Xiao stood at the heart of the ruin, his glowing eyes fixed on the distant horizon. His hands trembled—not from fear, but from the surging power within him, the force awakened by the *Blood Curse.*
_"I've reached the limit..."_ he murmured under his breath, memories clawing their way out from deep within—his father, gone without a trace; his brother, who had sacrificed himself; his mentor, hiding the ultimate truth.
But before he could complete his thought, the silence shattered. Slow, deliberate footsteps echoed through the ruins. From the shadows emerged *Garamir* —the outcast leader of a fallen faction, an old enemy, and a former friend.
_"I didn't expect to find you here, Xiao."_ His deep voice carried through the air as he removed his mask, revealing a weary face marred by scars.
Xiao did not respond. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
_"Are you here seeking an end? Or seeking a redemption you'll never earn?"_
Garamir chuckled—a broken laugh.
_"Maybe both... But before that, let me show you something."_
He lifted his hand, revealing a pendant slick with clotted blood. Xiao recognized it instantly. His mother's pendant—lost for over a decade.
_"Where did you get this?!"_ Xiao's voice roared with fury.
_"Your mother..."_ Garamir spoke slowly. _"She didn't die as they told you. She was taken—to the *Bloody Tempest Realm* —imprisoned because of the prophecy... because of you."_
The lightning that struck the ground near them was nothing compared to the shock that tore through Xiao's mind. The prophecy... It was more than legend, more than a curse.
His eyes flickered with *black and red light*, and the sword on his back began to hum—like a living thing.
_"So you knew the truth all this time..."_ Xiao whispered, _"And you betrayed me? You betrayed her?"_
For a moment, regret flashed across Garamir's face. But it was too late.
_"If you want answers, you'll have to defeat me first."_ His voice hardened as he raised his *black spear*, its surface lined with faded seals.
The battle ignited instantly.
Xiao vanished in a blink—reappearing behind Garamir with *speed beyond sound*. His first strike aimed for the heart, but Garamir deflected it—the *sparks splitting the earth beneath them.*
_"Don't think your newfound power is enough!"_ Garamir shouted, leaping into the air, his spear ascending toward the heavens. *A ring of black fire* erupted around him.
_"By the blood of a hundred thousand, I summon the *Curse of Eternal Chains!* "_
A violent *storm of frozen wind* ripped through the battlefield, and beneath Xiao's feet, a colossal *arcane seal* unfolded.
But instead of being crushed, Xiao's energy *exploded outward*, fused with his own blood. He muttered under his breath:
_"You're not the only one who learned to suffer just to survive..."_
His sword rose, and behind him, another *face* emerged—a twisted version of himself, *horned, with a single crimson eye.*
_"This... is not Xiao..."_ Garamir whispered, retreating a step.
_"It's the entity... born from the blood itself."_
The monstrous fusion of human and curse *advanced slowly*, its footsteps splintering the ground, the shriek of time twisting around its every movement.
_"The game is over, Garamir..."_ said Xiao—or the being that had become Xiao—his voice now *layered, distorted*.
...
The final light that bathed the battlefield was not the glow of sunset. It was *the crimson fire of blood, spilled as an offering to the end of yet another chapter in the curse.*
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