Cursed Odyssey

And then he turned the hilt. The edge was now towards him, and the handle towards her.

"If you're scared of me, if you don't trust me, then weaken me too!" His eyes squeezed shut, voice cracking. "If I made you angry, take it out on me! I can bear it!"

This… lobotomite…

For some reason, she couldn't help but smile. From the instant he rose, she knew he wouldn't hit her, but this was unforeseen.

Quite the opportunity…

She took the sword from his hands; it was heavy in her sickly grasp.

Her teeth began showing as she slashed down.

"Sit down, you idiot,"

Wind whizzed past his visage, and the sword clattered to the ground.

The look of confusion on his face was priceless; her smile grew even more.

"You've done well so far—that's a fact. Right now, you seem to have both our interests at heart. You've shown results, and none of my feelings can overpower that." She paused, then continued. "But that doesn't mean you get my friendship or trust! Or that I'd ever let my guard down against you! Not in a million years!"

"You know what… I'll take that. Mutual benefit until it no longer suits us, huh?" Joseph's shoulders relaxed slightly. "Seems I'll just have to prove myself even more."

"Even after all you changed, in the end, you're still a child!"

"I'm literally older than you!"

"And I'm taller than you!"

"I'm still growing—"

"Shut up, midget!" She coughed.

Cooked, Joseph had no comeback.

Then her stomach began growling again.

"I'll make some food," It was he who had the last laugh.

—-

Joseph opened both their sacks and began sorting the contents. Rare ores gleamed beside meat and veggies. Maps and papers—stolen from the village library and secret storage organized in neat stacks. And finally, wrapped in cloth, three arcane spirits.

Each time he held one, a sharp headache pierced his skull. Pure information flooded his mind like water through a broken dam.

It seemed dangerous; perhaps if these spirits were Act 2 or above, it could have done some serious mental damage, or even lost his mind.

__

Spirit 1 - Umbral Wraith:

A living shadow—black, ethereal, flickering between solid and weightless.

Act 1 Power: Conceals presence, making the user nearly undetectable.

Arcana: Death.

Spirit 2 - Verdant Mender:

A small green worm, translucent and pulsing with inner light. Tiny filaments waved from its head.

Act 1 Power: Heals minor injuries at high arcane cost by drawing life source from healthy parts of the body to the injured area. May lead to extreme exhaust.

Arcana: The Star.

Spirit 3 - Thorn Bull: A black and red blob with small horns protruding from its surface.

Act 1 Power: Absorbs a percentage of incoming damage and reflects it back.

Arcana: Justice.

__

Umbral Wraith… Death… Baro's spirit… Why did I think it would be something like the moon or Hermit associated with concealment? The complete opposite side of the spectrum.

Joseph had his guesses, but he'd have to wait and see to confirm them.

He looked to the side, at a paper he had organized.

(click to see)

The fundamentals of each Arcana that related to the 22 tarot cards were oddly similar to earth, identical in almost all aspects. Thus, he was able to rely on his previous life's knowledge and formulated his own reasoning. This was no coincidence, but he had already known that Sanctum and Earth were somehow related.

In the village's secret storage, there was a compatibility diagram for each arcana, corresponding to one's core spirit. Joseph's Temporal Echo belonged to the tower:

__

The Tower Compatibility:

Perfect: Death (transformation), Judgement (awakening through destruction), Fool (new beginning after collapse)

Good: Devil (bonded through downfall), Sun (revelation after ruin), World (completion through collapse), Star (hope after the fall)

Medium: Lovers (collapse of false love), Emperor (fall of authority), Magician (hubris leading to downfall), Hierophant (institutions crumbling)

Bad: High Priestess (mystery destroyed), Empress (nurture disrupted), Temperance (balance shattered), Justice (order overthrown)

None: Chariot, Strength, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Hanged Man, Moon

__

Chariot and Moon were not compatible at all, but death had perfect compatibility with The Tower!

For once, he had lucked out. Maybe if he upgraded the spirit later, he could counteract the negative aspect of his arcane energy. If his presence was eliminated, what danger would even come to him? Act 1 could probably mitigate the effect to some degree, but not nullify it, after all, even a bum like him managed to see through it with Baro.

For an act 1 Arcanist, a maximum of 2 spirits (including the core spirit), can be held at once, and each spirit foreign to the body was expected to be fed or satisfied in a certain way. A way that is unknown unless having prior knowledge of the spirit, or absorbed it into the body and the further knowledge was imbued within.

If the spirit was not properly fed, it would weaken, then die. A dead spirit would congeal into a stone, until reawakened through certain methods, or after a long time, it would dissolve back into the world's natural aether and be formed anew.

Joseph would absorb the Umbral Wraith spirit right now, but he was not entirely sure on how, nor the risk factors and risk prevention involved. It was best to wait for Rayah's assistance before he attempted anything rash.

As for the other two spirits.

He recalled the compatibility of The High Priestess, the arcana that Rayah's Frost Bird Spirit belonged to.

__

High Priestess compatibility:

Perfect: Hermit (shared introspection), Moon (hidden truths), Justice (wisdom & balance)

Good: Magician (knowledge + willpower), Empress (intuition + nurturing), Temperance (inner harmony), Star (spiritual insight)

Medium: Lovers (choice vs. secrecy), Hierophant (clash of personal vs. institutional wisdom), Sun (clarity vs. mystery)

Bad: Devil (illusion, temptation), Tower (her mystery often shatters when destruction comes), Wheel of Fortune (she prefers constancy over chaos)

None: Chariot, Strength, Death, Hanged Man, Judgement, Emperor.

__

As an Act 2 arcanist, Rayah could utilize up to six arcane spirits simultaneously—far beyond an Act 1's limit of two.

Thorn bull belonged to Justice, perfect compatibility with the high priestess, and Verdant Mender belonged to The Star, which isn't perfect but still good for her as well.

Ideally, he'd prefer to have her absorb them now, but seeing how exhausted she looked, he chose restraint.

Tomorrow morning for sure

Refocusing on their supplies, he pulled out meat and vegetables and began cooking by the fire, seasoning lightly, but enough to make a difference.

Before serving, he ground herbs with mortar and pestle, sprinkling them only on Rayah's portion, then handed it to her.

They both ate quietly, but he could tell from her expression that she was pleasantly surprised at how good random slop could taste when cooked to perfection.

"4 hours of sleep, then we continue. If you're still too tired by then, I'll carry you on my back," Joseph whispered.

"That's obvious, now go to sleep…"

She said go to sleep, yet there she was tossing and turning.

Clearly, something bothered her, but Joseph left her to her own devices.

"Mother…"

He could almost hear her whisper.

Sometimes I forget that she really is just a child…

…

"Hey, Zephyr. Are you there?" He tried to communicate with the original Zephyr once more, but silence was the only response.

Sighing, he finally lay down his head.

His mind drifted—it was another moment of reflection. The prison escape, the village— it all happened so fast… But there was no time to dwell on it.

Nina… I wonder what you're doing now…

Finally, he closed his eyes…

…

…

…

But his mind refused rest.

Light pierced the empty black void of his mind, like a single lantern in infinite darkness.

From that radiance emerged a figure that seemed to defy description.

A woman? Tall, with pale skin that seemed to glow from within and long obsidian hair that moved as if underwater. Her six eyes held depths like black holes. Gossamer fabric draped her form—translucent material that revealed more than it concealed, cut in flowing panels that seemed to shift between solid and ethereal. Dark wings spread behind her, not quite feathered, not quite shadow.

Was this beauty? His breath caught in his throat… She was almost difficult to look at, yet he could not look away—

What is this? A dream? No…

It felt akin to how he felt when in that world of towers, but somehow slightly different.

Before Joseph could formulate a thought. The figure spoke.

"Greetings Zephyr… Or should I say… Joseph…"

…

"How do you know my name? Who are you?" His response was calm considering the circumstances.

"I have my ways…" She giggled. "You've caught my attention for a while now. The way you escaped that prison, the way you fled that village. Oh what a true genius!"

"I did what I had to… I am nothing special,"

"Oh, but you are special!! Oh so so special! I've been looking for a successor to my powers! I've searched for hundreds of years, yet I've found no one worthy! You, however my dear… Ooo, you make me tingle…" She pursed her lips and rubbed her shoulders.

"Who are you?" Joseph asked once again. "Me succeed you?"

"Oh how rude of me! I am Yuria… A demi god of the death arcana… I was weakened a long time ago by my enemies, and I've been reduced to my current state... "

Death…

"And how would I succeed you?"

Joseph had many questions, but that was the first thing he had in mind.

"Oh! Oh oh! Here's the fun and easy part! I will offer you a system!"

System!? Is that—

"Upon its activation, you will be able to see statistics regarding all your attributes from physical strength to arcane energy reserves, and as you progress, you'll be able to allocate points into any attribute you please! Once everything is maxxed out, you'd have inherited my full power!"

Her voice sped up.

"Of course, I'd be here to guide you every step of the way! In order to progress, you would need to complete certain tasks and quests corresponding to both my past, and the death arcana itself. These quests will also serve as a great benefit to you, such as locations of hidden ancient artifacts, as well as powerful spirits buried and long forgotten! We would be partners!"

"I can see the history written on your face! You were yet a small flower, now you have finally grown, and the potential I see inside you, I want to help you bloom!! You are truly worthy! A once in a generation talent! We would be partners! What do you say!?"

This… this can't be real… Why does this sound like one of those fantasy slop novels so popular on Earth?

A system, word for word, the same offered to me right now! Another coincidence linking Sanctum to Earth, no! This was no coincidence at all! Joseph smiled, unable to contain himself any longer.

Finally my turn to be given a boost! The true protagonist of this era!

"So, what will it be…" She put out her hands.

Joseph took a moment to himself, before grinning from ear to ear and reaching out his hands…

"Well…"

"I refuse…"