27 Taru's Curse

"Argh!" tore through the arena. Corson crashed to his knees as a burning agony tore down his right arm. His own aura shredding its way through his body. And into Taru.

The coppery smell of blood flooded the arena stage as Taru became coated in a greedy crimson light.

Kyrie grimaced as he rushed to Corson's side. Then slid his left palm against Taru's upper blade. The cut was so fine Kyrie didn't even feel the blade sliding into his palm. He wrapped his now bloody-stinging left hand around Taru's warm wooden shaft. Please let this work in time. Please.

Kyrie forced his own aura to flood down his left arm, and into Taru.

At first, Taru drank greedily from both boys. But soon she became engorged on Kyrie's aura. The more she drank the more the smell of blood faded and the crimson light she admitted dimmed.

Corson yanked his right hand free as soon as Taru's pull weakened enough. His jaw was clenched in agony as he held his arm protectively to his chest.

Professor Olson crouched next to Corson. "Ssh, let me look at your arm. Corson? Corson," Professor Olson said. But his words fell on pain deafened ears.

Kyrie grimaced and opened his eyes to see Corson huddled on the ground. This was not how he'd meant for things to go. He'd just wanted to help Corson improve. But he'd messed up once again. It was hard. So hard to go from always fighting life and death battles to fighting duals with those younger than him. It was hard fighting a battle that shouldn't end in the death of a combatant.

Kyrie had tried to fight like his father had when he'd taught him. But that was a long time ago, and he was not his father. Next time this wouldn't happen. Next time he'd make sure Taru wouldn't feed on some innocent soul that tried to take her from him. As Long as they met in the arena.

Kyrie tightened his grip on Taru before releasing her and removing the ribbon from his right wrist. "Here it'll help."

Corson growled as he smacked Kyrie's proffered right hand. "I don't want anything to do with you, you monster!"

The ribbon had slipped from Kyrie's grasp and he watched the teal ribbon with bloody smears laying on the stone floor of the arena. He picked the ribbon up. When he looked back at Corson's silent pain wrecked form he said, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry," Fel sneered from behind Kyrie, "You're sorry. For what? Wielding a cursed weapon like that one." Fel pointed at Taru and continued, "Or are you sorry for the lives it cost to add such a disgusting feature."

Kyrie closed his eyes. "Both. And that Corson got hurt." Now wasn't the time to wallow on mistakes. Kyrie opened his eyes and stood up. "His injuries shouldn't be life-threatening, but he should still go to the infirmary."

Professor Olson nodded in agreement. "Corson, do you think you can stand?"

Corson grimaced placed his left hand on the cold stone floor and pushed himself up onto shaky legs. His legs steadied, and he looked down on the shorter monster before him. "I will kill you. You're a goddamn monster."

Kyrie looked up at Corson and said, "Good to know someone'll do the right thing." Kyrie smiled sadly. "But first you might want to let me help you with your arm. I know more than most about these kinds of injuries."

Corson's eyes narrowed and he growled, "You aren't getting anywhere near me. Unless, I'm revealing you of your head."

Professor Olson rested a hand on Corson's back. "Let's get you checked out Corson. Kyrie we'll discuss your weapon with the Guild master and the Headmaster."

Fel grinned. "I'll make sure this monster goes straight to the Headmaster."

Professor Olson stopped walking and glared at Fel. "I trust that Kyrie will clean up and go directly to the Headmaster's quarters himself. You will stay and keep our other students safe."

Fel glared at Olson and ground his teeth. He hated this job.

"You don't want to know what I'll do to you if any of other kids are injured today, Professor Fel." Professor Olson slowly walked Corson out of the arena.

♢ ♢ ♢

Kyrie grabbed Taru, who was now no different than she had been before the fight… well, almost no different. And turned to go to the locker room.

"And where do think you're going?" Professor Fel sneered.

Kyrie sighed and watched Fel warily. "To the locker room, then to the Headmaster. Is there something else? Or can I go?"

Fel opened his mouth to speak but closed it as he changed his mind. He'd pushed far enough, for now. "You can leave."

When Kyrie got to the locker room he washed and tended to his left hand.

After taking care of his hand he pulled an extra shirt from his locker. He discarded his bloody things in a pile. And slammed his arms against the frame of his locker. So stupid. He was so stupid. He should have realized someone could take Taru from him during a dual. He should have prepared. It was a simple thing to keep her from feeding on a thief. He just had to pass on his intent that it was okay for another to hold her and feed her a little bit of his aura. Such a simple, easy thing and he hadn't done it. Now Corson would be scarred for life. No magic or operation could heal wounds from having your aura torn out of you like that.

Kyrie took a deep breath and stepped back from his locker. The light from the embedded petalite stones glinted off Kyrie's bare chest. His chest was marred with scars. The thickest of them wrapped from over his shoulders and diagonally across his chest. The scars crossed his back, leading to the shoulder they started at. Kyrie had a light blue tattoo of the glyph of purity inscribed inside the alchemic glyph for water. The simple glyph was marred with interlocking runes.

Kyrie straightened out the crumpled shirt and pulled it on. He put Taru back in her case and slung her over his shoulder. He hesitated to place his disgusting bloody things in his looker. If he put them in side they'd smear the inside of his looker. It'd be another mess for Kyrie to clean up. But this one was preventable.

Kyrie closed the locker door, picked up his bloody things, and headed for the Headmaster's quarters.

♢ ♢ ♢

"Kyrie. We can wait in the living room," Raven Clof said as he opened the door for Kyrie.

Kyrie sheepishly followed Headmaster Raven Clof. They entered a room furnished with a simple-elegant window-seat. A couch was across from the window-seat. A short table sat between the couch and the bench. The table was closer to the window-seat. A pile of papers and a mug of tea sat on the table.

Raven Clof reclaimed the window-seat as he said, "Feel free to take a seat Kyrie. There are some things I'd like to discuss before the others arrive."

Kyrie glanced around the clean room awkwardly. Should he put his bloody things on the ground or keep holding them? Maybe he should have visited the dorms first?

Raven Clof glanced at Kyrie after he claimed his seat. "Are… you holding clothes?"

Kyrie awkwardly cleared his throat and said, "Yeah. I was wearing them during the fight so…" He stared at the clothes in hand mournfully.

Raven Clof got up and walked over to Kyrie. "Follow me you can put them through the wash while we talk."

"How did the mission in Sentry, go?"

Kyrie put his clothes in the washer as Raven Clof got the soap. "Hmm, I guess it went alright. I'm not sure how the Jubokko showed up. But it seemed like a girl got turned and was luring people in for them. Not really anything unusual."

Raven Clof sighed in disappointment. This child knew how to fight but could use some work on differentiating the usual and the unusual. At least this was something he could teach Kyrie. "Are sure about that? What do you know about Jubokko?"

With Kyrie's things in the wash, Raven Clof led Kyrie back to the living room. Raven Clof reclaimed the window seat.

Kyrie leaned Taru against one end of the couch and sat across from Raven Clof.

"The Jubokko feed on blood and aura." Raven Clof nodded and Kyrie continued, "They appear in places where there are trees and the ground has been drenched in blood. Like from battles with a lot of legends. Or it could have been from a large battle between humans or legends. The trees have to be burnt to ash and the ground purified before normal trees can regrow."

Raven Clof smiled, "And what do you know of the history of that area?"

"Nothing."

"Ah," Raven Clof nodded. "Sentry is a small outpost for warning Laserath of large troop movements. It is a relatively peaceful place. And they'd purified that spot almost two weeks ago. Even with all the lives lost and the legends killed in the area the day before. The trees around Sentry should not have turned to Jubokko that quickly. Not only that, the analysts say the spread was too quick. And, Kyrie, what do you get when something is spreading too quickly along with a single girl being turned into a legend?"

Kyrie watched Raven Clof for a moment as he thought. His eyes widened in surprise then narrowed as he said, "Something bigger making a move. A legend that can turn someone, no, can turn women and has some kind of resonance with trees." Kyrie closed his eyes as a wave of guilt washed over him. "I left too soon. I should go back." Kyrie opened his eyes and moved to stand as he reached for Taru.

"No. It turned out alright this time. I suspect this legend is playing a longer game or was simply fooling around and has moved on. Either way, no tracks have been found so there's nothing you can do about it now." Raven Clof paused as he watched Kyrie reclaim his seat. Kyrie was staring at Taru his left hand resting on her case. "What I, and the people you are trying to help, need you to do is ask more questions after the fight. And figure out whether the events make sense. If they don't, hang around and keep looking. Do you think you can manage that?"

Kyrie dropped his hand from Taru's case and turned to face Headmaster Raven Clof. "Yeah. I can do that."

Raven Clof smiled, "Good. If you think there's anything strange come tell me, or try and get a message to me."

Kyrie node his head in agreement.

♢ ♢ ♢

A little while later professor Olson entered with Gerard Null. Null was the Guild Master of the LegendSlayers Laserath branch.

Null claimed an armchair and repressed a sigh as he watched Kyrie. This thing with Taru wouldn't help. Nor would the rumors that Kyrie'd gotten twenty people killed earlier in the week.

Professor Olson claimed a spot on the couch next to Kyrie.

And Kyrie asked him, "How's Corson?"

Olson watched Kyrie for a moment before he said, "He's alive but seriously injured. The medical staff are doing what they can, but it looks like Corson's injury may be permanent."

Kyrie grimaced as watched the scars on his wrist. He had hoped medical knowledge had improved enough for Corson to avoid having those scars. It was a vain hope born of guilt and the want for Corson to have a different fate than him. But then, how much of Kyrie's fate could a boy who decided to kill him avoid?

"Corson was the one injured by Taru?" Null asked.

"Yeah." Olson watched Guild Master Null as he asked, "Did the guild know Kyrie was wielding an illegal weapon?"

Null relaxed and leaned back in his chair. "We knew Kyrie was wielding her. And that she had certain features. Taru herself isn't necessarily illegal. It's more the process that gave her those features."

Null leaned forward and watched Olson as he spoke, "You see Taru was made with a vampirism feature. A feature created at the cost of several lives." Null ran a hand down his face. "Unfortunately, only two of the seventeen creators of Taru have been identified. And they were only identified because they refused to follow their punishment of banishment from Avalon. As such, they were killed. Before anyone outside of Avalon could interview them."

Null glanced at Kyrie and sighed, "The original decision was that Kyrie, as a young child, was innocent in his involvement and that Taru would be taken and locked up."

Raven Clof glanced at Taru's case. "But Kyrie still has Taru."

"Yes, it was discovered that another of Taru's features is returning to Kyrie's side after 48 hours." Null paused and glanced at Kyrie.

Kyrie nodded. He thought Null was seeking confirmation that what he was saying was true. But Null wasn't.

"After some research, it was decided that Kyrie was also a victim in the creation of Taru. One that we couldn't find a way to help."

Kyrie looked at Null with confusion. "What do you mean I'm a victim?"

Null grimaced, this conversation would have gone better if Kyrie hadn't been pulled into it. "It's believed… you were used in both the ritual to bind you as Taru's point of return and…as part of the ritual for creating Taru's vampirism." That had to be specific enough for the others and vague enough for Kyrie. He couldn't bear the thought of what would happen if it wasn't.

And for a moment it was.

Until Kyrie glanced at Taru. His heart beat faster and his hands trembled in his lap. He could hear the screams. His own and others. His strange relief when a group of people declared they were taking her from him. And his terror when she showed returned.

Kyrie remembered the agony of the ritual. And waking up in the basement next to her. He'd scrambled across the cold-stone floor, to get as far away from her as he could. She stayed there, on the other side of the room, for 47 hours and 59 minutes. The next instant she was there, a heavy weight across his lap. He'd grabbed her and tried to throw her away from him. But she stayed stuck to his hands, drinking his aura. He'd begged his father to take her away. And his father would wrap him his arms and silently cry for the son he was incapable of helping.

Kyrie whimpered and pressed closer to Olson. Olson carefully placed his hands on Kyrie's shoulders and Kyrie pressed into them. "Ssh, it's okay Kyrie, it's okay."

But Kyrie wasn't listening. He was watching the wretched weapon that wouldn't leave his side.

Raven Clof stood up and walked towards Kyrie. "Kyrie? Kyrie can you look at me for a moment?"

Kyrie glanced at Raven Clof and Raven Clof smiled. "Hi. You okay?"

"Uh." Kyrie blinked and shook his head to try and clear it. He brought his right hand to his temple and blinked a few more times. His head was pounding. He pulled away from Olson, and Raven Clof backed up to give Kyrie more room. Kyrie gave another small shake of his head and asked, "What are we talking about?"

Null watched Kyrie with a very sad expression. And Raven Clof glanced at Professor Olson before he reclaimed his seat by the window and said, "We were talking about your dual with Corson."

Kyrie's eyes widened for a moment. How could he have spaced on that? Kyrie reached to fiddle with a ribbon the wasn't there. His fingers lightly brushing his scared wrist before he winced and dropped his right hand into his lap.

"I believe we can let you continue to wield Taru with a few conditions-" Raven Clof said.

Kyrie turned to face Raven Clof properly. "You mean more than the condition that I'm capable of controlling her?"

Raven Clof watched Kyrie as Olson asked, "How is Taru permanently injuring Corson keeping her under control?"

Null leaned forward and said, "It'd be easier to show you." He glanced at Raven Clof. "Does this table have a display feature?"

Raven Clof gathered his papers as he said, "Yes. Give me a sec." Raven Clof put his papers on the bench and moved his tea to the far corner of the table. He taped the power button on the underside of the table.

When the table booted up it auto connected to Raven Clof's holo-watch. Raven Clof quickly unsynchronized the table and it switched to selection mode. In selection mode, the table displayed the four watches it had found to connect with.

Null leaned forward and selected the icon for his watch. It was the image of a set of twin boys. After tapping the icon, he opened his holo-display to confirm his selection. Null quickly navigated to the file containing the case involving Taru.

Null pulled up the image of a person's body. The victim's skin was wrinkled, their face screwed up in agony. They looked as if all the fluid in their body had been removed in a quick and excruciating manner. "This young man tried to take Taru from Kyrie after the guild had learned about the actions of Say clan. Before Kyrie learned how to control Taru's vampirism everyone who touched Taru would end up in this condition." Null looked away from the photo and at Raven Clof. "So as long this young man is alive Kyrie has still shown sufficient control of Taru."

Raven Clof narrowed his eyes at Null. "He may have shown sufficient control for you but not for me. I will keep my students safe. Even the ones being sent into combat Guild Master Null." For a moment, the two remained still, studying each other. Eventually Null conceded. After all, he was a father and needed to encourage students to stay within Laserath's branch of the guild.

Null nodded in agreement and said, "So what are your conditions?"

Raven Clof turned to Kyrie. "You must keep Taru in a condition where she can be held by others during all school-related duals."

Kyrie nodded. He could – and already planned – to do that.

"If you're going to fight someone you think can and will take her from you make sure you're using a different weapon or fighting unarmed. I don't want to increase the risk of someone else getting hurt."

Kyrie hesitated for a moment but nodded in agreement. He'd have to practice with other weapons.

"And Kyrie." Raven Clof leaned forward with a sad expression. "If you want, we can research breaking or altering Taru's return feature."

Kyrie looked at Raven Clof with confusion. Why would he offer to change that particular feature? Either way, "Nah I'm good," was what Kyrie said.

Raven Clof frowned for a moment but nodded and sat up. He'd start preparing to figure out ways of altering that aspect of Taru's cures. He wouldn't leave this child to suffer in silence, even if Kyrie didn't always remember his dislike for the weapon he was stuck with.

The group sat in silence for a bit. The adults were contemplating the events they had discussed.

And Kyrie was awkwardly waiting to find out if he should leave for class or not.

Guild master Null looked at Raven Clof and asked, "While I'm here shall we call Miss Perdita and discuss the tournament?"

"Sure, I ca-"

Beeeep! Beep!

Kyrie glanced deeper into the house as he asked, "Was that the wash?"

Raven Clof nodded then glanced at Professor Olsen. "Olson, could you contact Miss Perdita while Kyrie changes the laundry?"

Olson and Null gave Raven Clof a strange look. Why was he using a student to change his laundry?

Kyrie stood up and said, "I'll be right back." He reached for Taru. But his hand shook as it neared her case. Kyrie shook his head, as if he could shake the lingering fears from his mind, and left the room – left Taru, behind. He was still shaken by the awakening and the forgetting of his memories, whether he realized it or not.

Olson sent a quick message to Ren saying, *Can you come to the Headmaster's quarters?*

*K* was the fast response Ren sent. From her lonely spot in the stands.

But Olsen failed to notice. He had more important questions on his mind. "Why did the Guild return an abused child to their abusers?"

Null sighed and gave Olson a sad and weary look. "We weren't equipped to handle his nightmares or panic attacks." Null shifted in his seat so he could watch for Kyrie's return. "We couldn't leave him alone or he'd panic. And we couldn't leave someone with him 24-7."

"Why not?" Olson growled. If leaving the child alone was the fastest way to make the kid panic, then why do it? What reason could the guild possibly have to justify such a horrific treatment of a child? Unless, they were trying to help him heal.

"When he had panic attacks, he'd lose control of his ability. And we lost two of our gentlest LegendSlayers. They…" Null swallowed, his throat choked with grief.