Void Core: The Last Awakener

2. The Cursed Child

The rain continued falling over the Veyr Territory for three entire days.

Dark clouds still covered the sky while the smell of blood lingered heavily across the ruined streets. Burned buildings released smoke into the cold air, and broken walls surrounded parts of the city where monsters had forced their way inside during the attack.

Although the battle had finally ended—

Fear remained.

Workers silently carried corpses through the muddy streets while knights guarded the damaged gates day and night. The once proud Veyr Territory no longer looked like the domain of a powerful noble clan.

It looked like a battlefield.

And everywhere people gathered—

Whispers spread quietly.

“The child born beneath the black storm…”

“They say monsters came because of him.”

“A cursed child…”

Rumors traveled faster than truth.

Servants whispered nervously whenever Kael’s name was mentioned. Some even made signs of protection whenever passing near the western wing of the castle where Lady Evelyne stayed with the newborn.

Nobody dared speak openly in front of the Veyr family.

But fear had already rooted itself deeply inside everyone’s hearts.

Inside the grand hall of the castle, the clan elders gathered around a massive stone table. The atmosphere felt heavier than usual as reports continued arriving one after another.

“The northern barrier lost over seventy percent of its power.”

“Twenty-seven knights died during the attack.”

“Several mana veins surrounding the territory have completely dried up.”

Each report darkened the elders’ expressions further.

The damage caused by the monster attack was far worse than anyone expected.

One elder finally broke the silence.

“This disaster began the moment that child was born.”

Several others immediately nodded.

Another elder leaned forward while gripping the table tightly.

“The mana collapse, the shattered crystals, the monsters… such things cannot be coincidence.”

“Then what are you suggesting?” someone asked quietly.

The old man’s eyes turned cold.

“That child should not remain within the clan.”

Silence instantly filled the hall.

Although everyone already understood where the discussion was heading—

Nobody wanted to say the words first.

Finally, another elder spoke with a grim expression.

“A child born without mana is already a disgrace. But bringing calamity alongside his birth? That is something entirely different.”

“He’s cursed,” another muttered quietly.

The atmosphere immediately became colder.

At the head of the table, Magnus Veyr sat silently upon the clan throne while listening to the discussion. His sharp golden eyes remained unreadable despite the tension filling the hall.

Some elders demanded the child be exiled immediately.

Others believed he should be sealed away forever.

A few even suggested killing the infant before another disaster could occur.

“If another monster wave appears, who will take responsibility?”

“What if the child becomes something dangerous later?”

“We cannot gamble with the future of the clan!”

The debate quickly became chaotic as mana pressure unconsciously leaked from several elders.

Then suddenly—

The massive doors opened.

Lady Evelyne entered the hall while carrying the newborn child in her arms.

The entire room immediately fell silent.

Her face remained pale from exhaustion, but her silver eyes showed no fear despite the hostility surrounding her. Slowly, she walked toward the center of the hall while holding Kael protectively against her chest.

The moment the elders saw the baby—

Several expressions visibly changed.

Kael quietly stared around the room with dark violet eyes.

Calm.

Silent.

Unnaturally calm for a newborn child.

One elder instinctively stepped backward.

Evelyne stopped in front of the throne.

“He is still a member of this family,” she said firmly. “No matter what happened during his birth.”

An elder immediately slammed his hand against the table.

“That thing nearly destroyed the territory!”

“He is my son!” Evelyne snapped back instantly.

“He is a curse!”

The hall exploded into arguments once more.

Several elders stood angrily while spiritual pressure spread heavily across the chamber. The candles flickered violently beneath the tension.

Yet amidst all the shouting—

Kael remained completely silent.

The newborn simply stared quietly at the adults around him as though none of the chaos concerned him at all.

Magnus finally raised his hand.

“Enough.”

His cold voice silenced the hall immediately.

The pressure filling the room disappeared almost instantly as every elder lowered their heads slightly.

Magnus slowly stood from his throne before walking toward Evelyne and the child.

Heavy footsteps echoed across the silent chamber.

When he finally stopped before Kael—

The atmosphere changed.

Magnus looked directly into the infant’s dark violet eyes.

For a brief moment, the shadows beneath the hall pillars twisted unnaturally toward the child.

Only a few people noticed it.

But those who did immediately felt cold sweat running down their backs.

Magnus narrowed his eyes slightly before finally speaking.

“This child will remain alive.”

The room froze instantly.

Evelyne quietly released the breath she had been holding.

But before anyone could relax—

Magnus continued speaking.

“However, from this day onward, Kael Veyr will possess no right to inherit the clan.”

The words echoed heavily throughout the hall.

“He will receive no noble privileges. No elder shall train him. No resources of the clan will be wasted on a child without mana.”

Each sentence felt colder than the last.

“He may live within the clan…”

Magnus paused briefly.

“But only as a useless member of the bloodline.”

Silence followed immediately after.

The elders slowly calmed after hearing the decision.

To them, a child without mana could never become important anyway. Even if allowed to live, Kael would eventually fade into irrelevance.

A powerless child posed no threat.

Only one person inside the hall remained uneasy.

Grand Elder Seraph.

The old man silently observed Kael from the corner of the chamber while gripping his staff tightly. Unlike the others, Seraph did not fear the child because he lacked mana.

He feared him because of what he sensed during the birth.

Emptiness.

Not weakness.

Not absence.

Something deeper.

Something that felt like an endless abyss capable of swallowing everything around it.

And somehow—

That terrified him far more than the monsters outside the walls.

Meanwhile, rumors throughout the territory continued spreading rapidly.

Servants avoided the western wing where Evelyne stayed with Kael. Some refused entering entirely after sunset.

Others claimed strange things happened whenever the child was nearby.

Candles flickering by themselves.

Rooms suddenly turning cold.

Shadows moving unnaturally along the walls.

Nobody knew whether the stories were true.

But fear made people believe them anyway.

Late that night, the castle finally became quiet.

Rain still fell softly outside while distant thunder echoed beyond the mountains. Inside her chamber, Evelyne sat beside the window while gently holding Kael in her arms.

Moonlight illuminated the room faintly.

Her exhausted eyes lowered toward the sleeping child.

“You didn’t ask for any of this,” she whispered softly.

The newborn slept peacefully against her chest, completely unaware that the world had already begun rejecting him from the moment he was born.

Then suddenly—

The candles inside the room flickered violently.

Evelyne frowned immediately.

A cold breeze passed through the chamber despite every window being closed.

The shadows near the corner of the room slowly twisted unnaturally.

And then—

A faint whisper echoed softly through the darkness.

“…Void…”

Evelyne instantly stood up in alarm.

“Who’s there?!”

No answer came.

The room returned silent moments later.

But Kael slowly opened his eyes.

Dark violet.

For a brief second, thin strands of black energy curled around the baby’s fingers before vanishing completely into the air.

Far beyond the northern mountains—

Deep inside the endless Abyss—

Massive chains trembled violently once more.

The enormous crimson eyes hidden beneath the darkness slowly narrowed.

An ancient voice echoed throughout the void.

“…Interesting.”

And somewhere within the endless abyss—

Something ancient smiled.