One head lunged forward and stopped right in front of Raaden’s face, hissing softly.

The second head moved behind him, while the third hovered near his chest.

Raaden’s breathing became fast and uneven.

"W–what are you doing?" he asked, his voice shaking.

Arkaal did not answer. He simply raised his hand again and made a slow pulling motion.

The three-headed serpent reacted at once. Its body tightened around Raaden, not crushing him, but locking him in place. Then, from the mouths of the three heads, thin streams of dark red mist began to flow out. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The mist moved like threads.

It slowly entered Raaden’s body through his nose, mouth, and even his pores. The moment it touched him, Raaden let out a sharp cry.

"Ahh—!"

His body jerked as if something had stabbed him from the inside. His veins became visible under his skin, turning dark for a brief moment before fading again.

Aksai watched closely as the process of the Poison Beast Curse started right in front of him. The blood mist continued to enter Raaden’s body, spreading through him. It did not destroy him. Instead, it settled inside, moving toward a single point.

His heart.

Raaden’s struggles slowly weakened. His screams turned into heavy breaths, and then into low groans. His body trembled as if he was trying to resist something deep within him.

Arkaal’s expression remained calm. After a few more moments, he closed his hand.

The three-headed serpent stopped. The flow of mist ended.

Raaden’s body froze for a second before going limp. He almost collapsed, but the serpent held him up until Arkaal lowered his hand again. The blood serpent slowly faded away, returning to mist before disappearing completely.

Raaden dropped to his knees.

He breathed heavily, sweat covering his face. His eyes were wide, filled with shock and fear. A faint dark mark appeared on his chest, just above his heart. It looked like a small serpent coiled into itself, barely visible unless one looked closely.

Aksai narrowed his eyes slightly.

’Hmm. So that’s how the curse works,’ he thought.

Arkaal spoke at last.

"It’s done," he said calmly.

Raaden tried to move, but his body felt weak. He touched his chest, his fingers trembling.

"W–what... what did you do to me?" he asked.

Arkaal looked down at him without any emotion.

"Don’t spout the obvious, you fuc*king clueless idiot," he replied. "From now on, you belong to the royal faction."

His voice remained flat.

"You can think what you want. You can feel what you want. But the moment you even think about betraying us..." he paused slightly, "the curse will awaken."

Raaden’s face turned pale.

"You will be poisoned from within," Arkaal continued. "It will spread through your body faster than you can react. And don’t even think about visiting some apothecary in Haan Di in advance. There is no cure."

Raaden’s heavy breathing slowly filled the hall as he knelt on the ground, still trying to recover from what had just happened. The faint serpent mark on his chest pulsed once before settling down, as if it had gone to sleep. After another second, it disappeared completely as if all of it was nothing but a dream.

Arkaal did not look at him again. His gaze shifted toward Aksai.

For a brief moment, there was a hint of surprise in his eyes. Aksai had not resisted.

He had not tried to break free from the smaller blood serpents that held him in place. He had simply stood there, tense but still, as if he had already accepted what was about to happen.

"Hmph," Arkaal let out a faint sound. To him, it was not something worth thinking about for long. After all, what could a mere Expert do in front of someone like him?

Fear could make people act in strange ways. Some struggled. Some begged. And some simply froze.

Aksai, in Arkaal’s eyes, had chosen the last option.

’Good,’ Arkaal said calmly. ’At least you are not wasting my time.’

He raised his hand again.

The faint blood mist began to gather once more behind him, slowly forming into shape. This time, it was not as large as before, but it exuded the same intimidating aura.

The three smaller serpents around Aksai tightened slightly. Their grip became firmer, as if preparing him for what was to come.

Aksai lowered his gaze for a brief second. From the outside, it looked like he was nervous. Like he was bracing himself. Inside, however, his thoughts were sharp and clear.

’I guess this is it for Naran,’ he thought.

He had already seen enough.

The curse was real. It was not something he could ignore or take lightly. Once placed, it would sit inside him like a hidden blade, ready to strike the moment he stepped out of line.

There would be no second chances after that. It would be difficult to get rid of such a curse even if he were to use his Core Formation powers to combat it. Aksai slowly let out a soft breath.

’I can’t let this happen,’ he decided.

His mind quickly weighed the risks.

If he stayed, he would be bound by the royal faction. Every step he took in the future would be controlled by them. Even his guild could be dragged into their plans without him being able to stop it.

His earlier plan was to infiltrate the faction in order to keep an eye on it. He was even willing to sign a binding Spirit Contract to keep his cover intact. After all, a binding Spirit contract would become invalid because Naran was an Expert but Aksai’s true self was that of a Lord.

Obviously, there were consequences to his choices. If he resisted, his cover would be blown.

Everything he had done as "Naran" would be exposed. The royal faction would know that he was not just a wandering cultivator. And once they connected the dots, it could bring trouble to Emerald Cove Guild.

But even then...

’That is still better than having a curse inside me,’ he thought.

Aksai’s eyes slowly lifted. For a split second, something changed in them. The fear was gone. In its place was calm resolve.

The Spirit energy inside his body stirred quietly. It did not explode outward. Not yet. It moved in a controlled way, gathering at a single point as he prepared himself.

’Just one chance,’ he thought.

Arkaal’s hand was already moving. The blood mist behind him thickened.

The moment before the curse was placed, Aksai made his decision. He was ready to drop the act and run, even if it meant revealing who he truly was.

Aksai was just about to move.

The Spirit energy inside his body had already started to gather. His muscles tensed, ready to break free from the blood serpents in an instant. His mind had already mapped out a rough path through the hall, even though he knew it would not be easy.

At that exact moment, a faint voice echoed in his mind.

"...My... My liege..."

His body froze for a brief second.

The voice was soft. Very soft. It felt distant, like it was coming from far away. There was a slight drag in it, as if the speaker was struggling to stay awake.

Aksai’s focus shifted inward.

’Seralyth?’ he thought.

There was no mistake. It was her.

His second Aether Beast had gone to slumber because of her weakened condition. And right now, her presence felt as feeble as a small feather floating by the wind, like she was half-asleep.

’...don’t... don’t run...’ her voice came again, slow and faint.

Aksai’s brows furrowed slightly.

’I’m about to get cursed,’ he replied inwardly, keeping his thoughts steady. ’Why are you awake now? Don’t you know there’d be a backlash for both of us if you try to retain your consciousness for long?’

There was a brief pause. Then her voice came again, softer than before.

’...not a curse...’

Aksai stilled.

’...a blessing...’

The words were slow, almost slurred, as if she was speaking under heavy sedation. Each word took effort.

Aksai listened carefully.

’...your body...’ she continued, ’...different...’

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Seralyth’s thoughts were not clear, but her intent was.

’...special druidic constitution... poison... fits...’

Aksai understood.

She was telling him that his constitution was not normal. His druidic poison affinity, something he had cultivated recently because of Seralyth, made him different from others. What was poison to others could become nourishment to him.

’...won’t harm you...’ she murmured, her voice fading in and out.

’...take it...’

Aksai’s heart steadied.

He could feel it now. Not through logic, but through instinct. Seralyth would not speak at such a moment unless she was certain.

’...trust... trust me...’ she added weakly.

Her presence grew faint after that, as if she had used up what little strength she had to send the message. Silence returned to his mind.

Aksai remained still. The Spirit energy he had gathered paused, held back at the edge of release. For a brief moment, he stood between two choices.

Run... and expose everything. Or stay... and take the risk.