Location: Rain's House – Iraq/Baghdad
Time: 9:28 PM
Date: January 30, 2023
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Rain was sitting at his study desk, the room bathed in a soft light from a small lamp to his right… He was writing his homework with a steady hand, though his fingers trembled from time to time.
The clock showed 9:28 PM… The house was strangely quiet, as if everything around him was waiting for a moment yet to come.
The sound of the pen on paper… His heavy breathing… Those were the only sounds filling the room.
Rain (thinking): "Why did that person call me 'King of Curses, foolish child'... and why did he appear while I was talking to Mia?"
He gripped the pen unconsciously, almost snapping it.
That cursed place kept returning to his mind again and again… the same fire, the same smoke, the same emptiness.
He closed his eyes for a moment… exhaling slowly.
"Is this just an illusion? Or is there something more?"
His phone rang suddenly…
It vibrated slightly, showing a message from Mia:
"Are you okay? I've been worried since what happened this morning... Please don't make me worry!"
He hesitated… then replied:
"I'm fine… just a little tired."
But in truth… he wasn't fine at all.
He set the phone aside and returned to writing…
But his thoughts weighed heavier on his mind than ever before.
He didn't know when he began to hear a faint whisper… as if coming from behind his ear.
??? (whispering): "King of Curses… heh… weak child."
Rain's eyes widened… he turned quickly, but no one was there.
He bit his lip hard… placed his hand on his head.
"Enough… enough… I'm not hearing anything! I'm not hearing anything!!"
But the voice returned, this time closer, as if something was crouching behind him.
??? (whispering): "You know… you will return to that place… whether you want to or not."
Rain shivered… feeling cold in his limbs.
He tried to get up from the chair, but his legs felt as heavy as lead.
His eyes darted to the corner of the room… fog began to fill the space!
"No… nooo… not again!!"
He raised his hand to wipe his eyes, but found himself once again standing in the same scene…
Fire, ash, distant screams… the same old hell.
This time… the shadow appeared more clearly.
A tall figure wearing a black cloak, its face unclear… crimson eyes glowing.
??? (cold voice): "Here you are again… foolish child."
Rain (trembling): "Who are you? Why am I here? What do you want from me?!"
Shadow (approaching): "I am you… a part of you… a part you refuse to acknowledge."
Rain (shouting): "Liar! That's impossible!!"
Shadow (laughing ominously): "Days will pass… and you will understand… that I am you… and you are me… and your blood is not human blood… remember this well, King of Curses."
Suddenly… Rain felt a sharp pain in his chest… he fell to the ground writhing…
Then darkness took over…
...
He woke up suddenly in his room… on the floor.
The same situation as the previous morning.
His breathing was ragged… his body soaked in sweat.
"This… isn't an ordinary dream… there's something… something inside me!"
The phone rang again… another message from Mia:
"Please, reply… If you feel there's something, tell me!"
He looked at the message, taking a deep breath.
"I can't drag her into this… I must understand first… I must know… who I really am."
He sat silently, gazing at his reflection in a small mirror before him…
His eyes full of questions… and fear.
"King of Curses…? Me? Why? How?"
3 hours later!
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Location: Public Park – Iraq/Baghdad
Time: 10:27 AM
Date: January 31, 2023
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Rain was sitting next to Mia in the park, where a gentle calm helped him gradually shake off his tension and anxiety.
Rain (recalling softly): "Ah... we used to sit here and play hide and seek!"
Mia (smiling): "Yes... we used to come here and talk all the time before we drifted apart in middle school!"
Rain (chuckling lightly): "Heh... and we're still doing it... school starts in two hours!"
Mia pulled out a carefully wrapped chocolate from her bag. The wrapper was light pink with tiny hearts. She gently extended her hand toward Rain, smiling:
"Here, try it… I bought it just for you!"
Rain looked at her hesitantly… then smirked slightly and said:
"No need… I'm not in the mood for anything right now."
Mia (with wide eyes and a sad tone): "Then… then I'll cry if you refuse again! You know me… I'll cry right here in front of everyone!"
Rain sighed… smiling reluctantly, his expression giving in:
"Alright… alright… no need for the drama! Give it here before you burst into tears."
He took the chocolate from her, slowly unwrapped it, and took a small bite…
"Mmm… it actually tastes good."
Mia (happy): "Told you! Oh, by the way… I remembered a strange story I read yesterday…"
Then Mia looked up at the sky, hugging her knees to her chest. She glanced at Rain excitedly and began telling the story:
"They say… there was a person with an ancient curse in their blood. They didn't know it until they started having nightmares… and creatures whispered to them out of nowhere. One day… a mysterious shadow told them they weren't fully human, but an heir to an ancient blood curse…"
Rain (smiling faintly, looking at the sky): "Heh… a strangely familiar story."
Mia didn't notice his tone and continued:
"And the strangest thing is… the more the person ignored the nightmares, the weaker they became. The more they faced them without fear… they shrank."
Rain suddenly stopped chewing…
His hands trembled slightly… the sounds of the park around him slowly faded away.
His heartbeat quickened… then — everything stopped.
The sound, the breeze, the world.
He opened his eyes to find himself once again standing amidst the smoke… the fire… and the same shadow before him.
Shadow (with a sly smile): "Here you are again… did you think you could escape me with a bite of chocolate? Heh…"
But this time… Rain didn't look shocked.
He narrowed his eyes… clenched his fist and said steadily:
"You are just an illusion. A voice from the remnants of a curse… I won't feed you with the fear you crave."
Shadow (with a muffled laugh): "Good… you're starting to understand. But remember… when the time comes… when the gate opens… ignoring me won't help you… because I am not an illusion!"
Rain turned his back to it…
Rain (calmly): "I'm tired of this act… I don't want to sit with you any longer, you—"
In an instant… before he could finish speaking, everything returned.
He was back on the park bench… Mia still speaking excitedly:
"…and in the end, they overcame the shadows because they no longer feared them!"
Rain breathed slowly… sweat covering his forehead… but he smiled softly.
"That's a really nice story…"
He lifted his eyes to the sky again… his gaze carrying a new spark.
Rain (thinking): "When the gate opens?… what do those words mean?"
Mia (in a gentle tone): "Shall I tell you a story about a brave knight and a princess?"
Rain (laughing quietly): "No, I don't need that story."
At the same time…
A mysterious man was walking through a forest in Kirkuk…
Mysterious Man (madly): "Heh heh… we'll see who's stronger…"