The journey continued peacefully until the carriage approached the walls of Seras City. Under the starlight, the city pulsed with life, its lights twinkling in the night like earthly stars, while the voices of street vendors mingled with the bustling crowd in familiar harmony. Various food aromas filled the air, from spicy seasonings to fresh bread, and lanterns illuminated the streets with their warm glow.

  Upon entering the main gate, the merchant accompanying them stopped near one of the spacious squares. He smiled as he handed Hikari a small pouch of coins:

  "Thank you for protecting me throughout the journey."

  Hikari accepted the pouch and nodded gratefully:

  "We wish you a safe journey ahead."

  They parted ways with the merchant at the crossroads, and Hikari and Mirai continued their stroll. The city remained bustling despite the late hour, life pulsing in every corner.

  "What shall we do now?" Mirai asked, observing the crowded streets.

  "Since night has fallen, let's find a place to stay. We'll explore the city tomorrow," Hikari replied.

  Mirai nodded in agreement, and they headed to an inn near the gate. The building appeared old from the outside but was tidy and clean inside. They rented two adjacent rooms, shared a simple meal of hot soup and bread, then went upstairs to rest after their long journey.

  The next morning, they woke with the sunrise. Life stirred in the city once again, with the sounds of vendors and passersby filling the streets from the early hours. They left the inn and walked through streets already crowded with merchants and locals.

  They headed to the central market, where craftsmen displayed their wares and people gathered around them curiously. They wandered among the shops, observing various goods from fabrics embroidered with golden and silver threads to ancient and rare tools. In a corner of the market, mages performed simple yet dazzling displays, attracting the attention of passersby, especially children.

  They enjoyed their market tour, visiting multiple shops, tasting local foods, and listening to merchants' stories. As the day quietly retreated, bathing the streets in soft golden light, the noise gradually subsided with the passing time. The district became less crowded, as if the city was catching its breath in preparation for evening.

  While walking down one of the quiet streets, Mirai suddenly stopped. She sensed something strange—a massive, familiar spiritual energy, as if she remembered it from somewhere in her past.

  She turned slowly, searching with her eyes for the source of this energy, while the cold wind gently moved the edges of her kimono.

  Hikari noticed her sudden stop and asked lightly, "What's wrong?"

  Mirai remained silent for long moments, staring into the void, before shaking her head and looking forward again, saying quietly, "Nothing."

  She continued walking, but the heavy feeling didn't leave her. The surrounding atmosphere seemed to suddenly become heavier, the scent in the air more dense. The city's usual sounds gradually faded, replaced by faint whispers and inaudible moans, as if the city itself groaned under the weight of something invisible.

  As they passed near a massive stone building, they noticed a small gathering at one of the doors. It was the local hospital, and the atmosphere around it was charged with subtle tension.

  A poor man in torn, tattered clothes stood holding his small daughter, who appeared extremely frail. His face was filled with tension and despair as he pleaded with the worker standing at the doorstep.

  "Please, my daughter is very sick, and her condition worsens every day. I need a doctor... please," the man said with a trembling voice, each word emerging with difficulty.

  The child looked with dull, tired, exhausted eyes, and it was clear her condition was extremely serious. The man held his daughter's hand tightly, his eyes filled with tears, while the worker responded harshly, devoid of any sympathy:

  "We cannot treat anyone without payment. If you don't have money, look elsewhere."

  The man tried to continue pleading, his voice broken: "I have no money, but my daughter might die if not treated. Please, just a little help...!"

  But the worker showed no compassion, waving his hand rudely toward the street, saying angrily:

  "Get out of here!"

  For a long, painful moment, the man remained standing in place, broken and sad. He pulled his daughter closer to his chest, his eyes searching for any sign of mercy among the gathered faces, but everyone turned their gaze away, avoiding his pleading looks.

  He tried to say something else, to plead once more, but his voice failed him, and only broken, desperate breaths escaped his lips.

  Finally, with a small hunch in his shoulders as if carrying the entire world on his back, he began walking away very slowly.

  His steps were heavy, as if each movement required exhausting effort. He carried his daughter in his arms with extreme care, as if she might break from any sudden movement.

  His face was pale, grayish, his eyes had lost the spark of life, while the child appeared like a wilted flower under a harsh sun, her breaths fading in sad silence.

  Mirai, who had been watching the scene silently, felt a sharp internal pang. There was something unfamiliar, something in the features of the man and his daughter that aroused her suspicion and trained intuition. She contemplated their faces for long moments.

  Hikari, who watched the scene with an aching heart, stepped forward, his face charged with determination. He was ready to help the father and daughter without hesitation. But suddenly, he felt a strong hand grip his arm.

  He turned to see Mirai slowly shaking her head, her eyes filled with seriousness and warning.

  "Don't approach them," she said in a somewhat sharp tone.

  Hikari remained hesitant for moments, looking between Mirai and the poor man with his daughter. Then he sighed slowly and deeply. They continued walking, leaving behind the man and his daughter sinking into the sad shadows of twilight.

  The Next Morning

  Mirai woke feeling extremely uneasy. The image of the man and his weak daughter still occupied her thoughts. Something was different, a strange feeling she couldn't precisely explain.

  She left her room and met Hikari in the inn's corridor.

  As they walked through the city streets, they noticed subtle but worrying changes in the place. Some shops were completely empty, and there was a strange quiet enveloping the atmosphere like heavy fog. Some people appeared unnaturally tired, pale-faced, walking slowly as if dragging their feet behind them. This wasn't just ordinary exhaustion; it seemed as if life had gradually withdrawn from them.

  During their walk, they heard whispers from people speaking with growing concern about similar cases.

  "In the poor districts, the disease has spread rapidly there."

  Mirai felt something was completely unnatural. The symptoms weren't like ordinary illnesses: a strange wax-like pallor, deep dark circles around the eyes, and severe fatigue that drained the soul before the body.

  They passed by a man sitting on the roadside, his head bowed and eyes lost in nothingness. His face was frighteningly pale, and his hands trembled slightly. They continued walking and sat in a small café on the edge of the district.

  Then they noticed two men talking nearby. One said in a low voice filled with fear: "The doctors can do nothing. They couldn't heal them with neither magic nor medicine."

  The other added in an even lower voice: "I heard one of the doctors fell into a coma when he tried to heal someone."

  Mirai felt a sharp pang in her heart again. She remembered the man and his daughter once more, and how the child seemed to be losing her vitality in painful slowness. There was something strange in her eyes... perhaps not just an illness. The men's words confirmed her growing suspicions.

  "You seem worried, Mirai," Hikari interrupted her thoughts with a calm voice.

  Mirai looked at him saying, "Nothing... I was just thinking about something."

  Hikari asked her, "Is it about the disease they're talking about? The symptoms certainly aren't natural. If magic and medicine couldn't heal the patients... though I find this almost impossible. If medicines don't work, magic would surely heal them."

  Mirai asked him curiously, "Can you heal diseases? Does it take much magical energy from you?"

  Hikari answered with calm confidence: "I can heal diseases, and no, it doesn't take much energy from me. A few years ago, I was riding in a carriage heading to Silvarin City. The carriage driver was sick and coughing heavily, so I used magic on him without his knowledge. I did this just as an experiment, and I succeeded easily."

  Mirai said with clear admiration: "That's quite amazing, as healing diseases requires at least a ninth-level spell."

  She whispered to herself very quietly: "Well, he managed to heal me from fatal injuries. So something like diseases would be considered trivial for him."

  Suddenly, a sharp, high scream cut through her thoughts.

  A woman wearing old, tattered clothes had collapsed unconscious on the ground in the middle of the square.

  At that moment, Hikari jumped from his place with lightning speed toward the woman, and Mirai followed with quick steps. When they arrived, the woman was barely breathing, her breaths broken and extremely slow, and she was frighteningly pale. Her slight trembling had completely vanished, her chest barely moving with each breath, as if she might die at any moment.

  Hikari knelt beside her, examining her condition with an expert eye. He said firmly: "She's in very critical condition. I must act immediately."

  "No!" Mirai shouted in a voice sharp as a sword. She continued: "Don't do anything! You'll be harmed, perhaps die!"

  But Hikari didn't listen to her warning. He closed his eyes and began muttering a powerful magical incantation, his healing energy concentrating between his hands with a golden glow. However, there was no effect. Hikari opened his eyes in clear shock. Then he focused carefully on the woman's face, his eyes studying every detail.

  "So that's how it is," Hikari whispered to himself with sudden understanding.

  Then he placed his hands on her again, focusing his magic with completely different precision. Suddenly, pure white light flowed from his hands toward the woman's body, slowly but steadily restoring life to her.

  The woman gradually began to regain her natural color, and her breathing returned to normal. She opened her eyes slowly, as if waking from a long, painful dream, and looked around in extreme confusion. Her face reflected a mixture of shock, relief, and fear.

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  She looked around with wide eyes, as if trying to comprehend what had happened. In a faint, trembling voice, she said while placing her hand on her chest:

  "I... I'm alright? How... how did this happen?"

  The woman couldn't believe what she was feeling. Just moments ago, she felt she was drowning in endless darkness, and now she was gradually regaining her strength. She stared at Hikari with eyes filled with wonder and gratitude, as if she couldn't believe what had happened.

  "You... saved me. I was... going to die. I can't believe I'm still alive!" the woman said in a broken voice, tears of gratitude beginning to fill her eyes.

  Hikari smiled gently and tried to calm her, saying: "Everything will be fine now. Take your time and rest. You've been through difficult moments, but you're fine now."

  The woman looked at him deeply, as if searching for words to thank him, but couldn't find enough to express her overflowing feelings. All she could do was whisper in a trembling voice: "I don't know how to thank you... I was... I was about to die."

  Hikari smiled gently again: "I'm glad you're well."

  Mirai, who had been standing frozen watching everything unfold, felt a wave of shock and confusion sweep over her. She knew Hikari was a powerful healer, but what happened before her eyes exceeded all her expectations. She remained silent, her eyes wide.

  The woman thanked Hikari again and again before starting to walk away with hesitant steps. At this moment, Hikari noticed many people gathering around them, surprised by what they had seen, especially since there were rumors spreading that the disease had no cure.

  He moved with Mirai away from the crowd and headed to the guild building.

  After they had distanced themselves from the crowd, a short but heavy silence prevailed between them, as if each was drowning in their deep thoughts. Hikari's mind was occupied with recent events, while Mirai examined him with her sharp gaze.

  Mirai suddenly said, breaking the silence: "Hikari... you know that's not a disease, don't you?"

  Hikari looked at her with serious eyes and answered frankly: "Yes, the magic I used on the woman was curse removal, not ordinary healing."

  Then he asked her: "Did you realize this from the beginning?"

  Mirai answered calmly: "Yes. The curse used is the Deadly Shadow curse."

  Hikari was surprised by the curse's name and asked with clear curiosity: "I haven't heard of such a curse before. What do you know about it?"

  Mirai paused for a moment, looking at the horizon as if trying to remember everything precisely. Then she turned to Hikari with a serious look and said:

  "The Deadly Shadow curse... is one of the most dangerous and destructive curses. This curse derives its power from the shadows themselves and relies on slowly and extremely painfully draining the victim's life. The afflicted person feels as if their soul is being absorbed drop by drop, and any attempt at traditional treatment or ordinary healing magic will be futile. In fact, it might make things worse. The curse affects whoever tries to remove it... and you managed to remove it with amazing ease."

  She fell silent for a moment before continuing in a quieter, more serious tone:

  "The curse doesn't just affect the body, but penetrates to the soul itself. It targets the balance of life within, leaving the victim in a constant state of pain and slow collapse. Every breath becomes heavier than mountains, every movement requires double effort. In the end, the person becomes merely an empty shell, completely enveloped in darkness until they lose their last breath of life."

  Hikari looked at Mirai with growing concern and said seriously:

  "Mirai... a dangerous curse like this doesn't appear by accident. Someone deliberately placed it on the woman."

  Then Hikari remembered the father and his daughter at the hospital, and recalled people's talk about the disease spreading in the poor districts.

  He said to Mirai: "This can't be just an isolated case. Someone is committing mass murder."

  Mirai asked him in a neutral tone: "Will you remove the curse from all the afflicted?"

  Hikari answered with determination: "I can do that. But whoever placed the curse on them will do it again."

  Mirai said with her usual frankness: "I'm not interested in people I don't know. But if you want to help them, I'll help you."

  Hikari replied: "This is something we can't solve alone. We need to inform the guild about this dangerous matter."

  They then walked in tense silence. When they reached the guild, Hikari and Mirai went directly to the reception desk.

  Hikari said seriously to the receptionist: "We need to see the guild master immediately. There's an extremely dangerous matter concerning the city's security."

  The employee looked at them with a scrutinizing gaze, then nodded quickly, saying: "Wait here a moment."

  The employee disappeared behind a side door briefly, then returned saying: "You may enter to see Renos-sama, but it will be a short meeting."

  They walked toward Renos's office with quick, steady steps. When they arrived, heavy silence hung over the atmosphere. Hikari knocked lightly on the door, and after a short moment, they were allowed to enter.

  Renos, a man with stern features and a face full of wrinkles reflecting his long experience dealing with crises, sat behind his large desk made of luxurious oak. His gaze was sharp and scrutinizing, as if trying to read their minds before they spoke a word.

  He initiated, saying in a calm but serious tone: "What calls for such urgency?"

  Hikari and Mirai sat before him, and Hikari began speaking immediately: "Renos-san, there's an extremely dangerous matter threatening the city. Someone has placed a dangerous curse on people in the city."

  Renos raised his eyebrows slightly, then straightened in his seat and said cautiously: "A curse? That's a very serious accusation. Are you certain of what you're saying?"

  Hikari nodded firmly and said seriously: "Yes, I've seen the curse's effect myself. A woman was on the verge of death before our eyes. Ordinary healing magic was completely ineffective, and I had to use special magic to remove the curse. This isn't an isolated case; there are many others afflicted."

  Deep concern appeared on Renos's face, then he said heavily: "I've indeed heard about a mysterious disease spreading that doctors couldn't cure. If it's truly a curse, it could ignite chaos throughout the entire city."

  Hikari said confidently: "I can remove the curse from the afflicted, but the problem is that the perpetrator might spread it again."

  Renos thought for some time, his hand under his chin, then said: "Alright, for now, we need to contain the situation as quickly as possible. I'll send a team to gather the afflicted so you can remove the curse from them more quickly and efficiently. After that, I'll search for the curse's source and deal with the perpetrator before the matter worsens further."

  Hikari nodded in agreement and said: "I'll do everything I can."

  Renos rose from his chair with a decisive movement and said: "I'll handle this matter personally. Be ready to begin treatment as soon as you're notified that the afflicted have been gathered."

  ***

  All the afflicted in the city were gathered with amazing speed and placed in a large abandoned house on the city's outskirts. Hikari, accompanied by Mirai, headed to that frightening place.

  They approached the front door, which was broken and nearly torn from its hinges.

  Upon entering, they met Renos in the dark hallway. They headed to one of the side rooms, where Renos opened the heavy door and said: "They'll come in to you one by one."

  "I'm ready," Hikari said with determination.

  Renos left the room, and Hikari sat on an old wooden chair with Mirai standing nearby like a vigilant guard.

  After moments, a man entered with a small girl. They were the same ones Hikari had seen at the hospital. The man approached carrying his small daughter in his trembling arms. The girl was extremely pale, barely breathing. The man looked at Hikari with eyes filled with absolute despair, as if his daughter was his last hope in this world.

  "Please... save her..." the man said in a broken, fragmented voice, fearing to lose his last hope.

  Hikari nodded quietly, realizing the gravity of the situation. He knelt beside the small girl, gently placed his hands on her fragile body, and began muttering his incantation again. Deep, more intense magical energy concentrated between his hands. Suddenly, pure white light flowed again from his hands toward the small girl's body.

  The girl responded with painful slowness, her features gradually regaining their natural color, just as had happened with the woman before. Her broken breaths became more regular and deep, until she slowly opened her small eyes and looked at her father in confusion and wonder.

  "Father..." she whispered in a weak but alive voice, while the man's eyes filled with tears, and he embraced his daughter tightly and tenderly.

  However, the man suddenly began losing his balance, sitting on the ground beside his daughter, breaking out in cold sweat. Hikari looked at him quickly and said worriedly: "You're afflicted too. Let me help you."

  The man wasn't speaking, but he nodded slowly, as if he could barely respond. Hikari knelt beside him and placed his hands on his chest, beginning to recite the incantation once more. The light moved from Hikari's hands slowly toward the man's body, and the healing this time was slightly slower and more difficult, but the power flowed steadily.

  After long moments, signs of life gradually returned to the man's face. His body straightened slightly, and his breathing began returning to normal. He opened his eyes slowly and stared at Hikari in boundless wonder and gratitude.

  "I've... I've been healed?" the man asked in a voice filled with astonishment.

  Hikari smiled gently and said: "Yes, you and your daughter are fine now."

  The man, holding his daughter's hand tightly, tears flowing, said in a voice choked with emotion: "I cannot thank you enough. I thought we would lose everything... you saved our lives."

  "Take care of yourself and your daughter. You'll need some rest, but you're fine now," Hikari answered in a calm but clearly exhausted voice.

  As the man and his daughter left the room, the other afflicted came in one after another. Hikari worked tirelessly for long hours, moving from one patient to another. Each time he placed his hands on an afflicted person, the sacred light flowed, and life gradually returned to the exhausted bodies. Elderly, children, men, and women—all looked at him with eyes filled with gratitude and wonder.

  However, each time Hikari used curse removal, Mirai felt a strange discomfort inside her. The feeling was lighter than previous times but persistent and annoying. So she endured the feeling and remained calm, watching from a close distance.

  Hikari continued healing the afflicted one after another without stopping until sunset approached. It was clear that Hikari was extremely tired from consuming so much magical energy in healing.

  After removing the curse from the last person, Renos entered the room and said in a voice filled with gratitude: "That was the last person. Thank you very much, Hikari-san. What you did today is priceless."

  Hikari stood up with difficulty and said with a tired smile: "No need for thanks. What I did was my duty as a human being."

  Renos presented a heavy bag to Hikari and said: "This is a reward for your exceptional effort here."

  Hikari politely refused the gift, saying: "Thank you, Renos-san, but what I did wasn't an official mission. So I cannot accept it from you."

  Renos said with a tone filled with respect: "I understand you see what you did as duty, but for us, it wasn't just duty. You saved hundreds of lives. If you insist on refusing, that's fine. But if you ever need anything, whether from the guild or from me personally, never hesitate."

  He then began moving away from them with steady steps.

  When Hikari started walking, he suddenly felt extreme weakness and almost fell to the ground. Mirai caught him strongly before that happened and said to him: "It seems you won't be able to move on your own. Lean on me, I'll help you."

  Hikari said in an extremely tired tone: "I'm sorry for burdening you."

  Mirai said with a slight warm smile: "It's alright. Let's go."

  They left the abandoned house and headed to the inn through the dark streets. When they arrived, the atmosphere was quiet with complete evening descent, wrapped in heavy silence that evoked stillness. Mirai and Hikari entered quietly, both without words, but Hikari's steps were heavy and stumbling as he relied on Mirai to guide him to his room. They passed through the inn's narrow corridor and finally reached their rooms.

  Mirai helped Hikari sit briefly on the edge of his bed and looked at him with eyes filled with deep thought, saying quietly: "I'll be in my room if you need anything."

  Hikari nodded gratefully, saying: "Thank you, Mirai."

  Mirai entered her room and closed the door quietly behind her. She sat on the edge of the bed, and the surrounding quiet couldn't cover that annoying feeling that had been bothering her all day whenever Hikari used the spell.

  She whispered to herself: "It's just an instinctive feeling. Hikari's energy cannot harm me. But it will be difficult to get used to."

  Then she took a deep breath and lay down on the bed slowly, closing her eyes, trying to find a moment of peace amid all this confusion inside her.

  ---

  Inside the palace of one of the nobles located in the heart of the city, in a luxurious hall decorated with gold and silk...

  "What are you saying!?" a man named Darian shouted with overwhelming anger, his face congested like embers.

  His servant answered with a trembling voice: "This is the news that has spread everywhere, Darian-sama. Yesterday, a young man managed to remove the curse from all the afflicted."

  A man named Sanri moved in his seat. A sorcerer with dark features and eyes glowing with black mystery. He sat coldly in the chair, his eyes narrowing in deep thought while stroking his twisted staff bearing precisely carved snake heads. He appeared surprised and confused, but quickly hid his facial expressions behind a mask of artificial calm.

  "Impossible," Sanri said in a frustrated tone, but tried to maintain his composure. "The Deadly Shadow curse isn't something that can be removed so easily... even a complete group of high-level mages would be unable to remove something like this."

  Darian's brow furrowed with intense anger as he struck his fist on the luxurious table surface, creating a resounding sound that echoed throughout the room: "Then how did this happen? A young boy?! Just one young man?!"

  Sanri cast a thoughtful glance at the ornate ceiling as if retrieving information in his mind. Then his eyes narrowed suspiciously and he added: "I don't know. But whatever the source of this power, it far exceeds what I had imagined."

  Darian fell silent briefly, trying to suppress his anger, then said in a calmer voice that still carried threat: "Can you recast the curse again?"

  Sanri smiled maliciously, manifesting in the twisted corners of his mouth, and said: "Yes, I can easily recast the curse. But..." he paused briefly, making his words carry a tone of hidden threat, "you'll have to pay me again."

  Darian sighed with deep annoyance, but found no other choice. He knew he was in this matter up to his ears: "How much do you want this time?"

  Sanri smiled confidently and answered with provocative calm, as if blackmailing a desperate merchant: "We'll agree on the price later, after I do what's necessary."

  Darian looked at Sanri with eyes filled with suppressed hatred, but he was forced to accept. Then he turned to his servant who was standing nearby and said firmly: "Before Sanri places the curse again, I have another order."

  Sanri raised his eyebrows questioningly, while the servant turned in complete obedience: "What do you command, Darian-sama?"

  Darian said with deadly coldness while looking out the window toward the city: "I want to get rid of that young man. Bring the strongest assassin from the assassination guild. I don't care how much it will cost."

  The servant nodded quickly and left with hurried steps to carry out his master's orders. Darian sat in the shadows, his eyes staring at the dancing flames in the fireplace, while Sanri watched him with a cunning smile, as if enjoying seeing the noble sink deeper into conspiracy.

  (To be continued in Chapter 11)