The Pillar of Enera

[Chapter 34 part 1] Dawn - Kain's Curse

"So you're fine?" Light asked.

"Yes, look." Silver showed off his hands. "It was nothing really."

Last night they'd rushed Silver to John Lavinda, leaving the aftermath to Lily. On the way, Wise had calmed their fears by explaining the affliction. Burn injuries would begin burst aflame, spreading rapidly. Half the body was the point of no return where the transformation sped up and soul corruption began. Before then, recovery was possible.

"I can't believe you snuck off without me." Hope brooded.

"We couldn't take you." Soul reasoned. "We don't know how the assassins are tracking you. What if it's proximity based?"

"Then you shouldn't have gone at all." Hope snapped. This is why we kept quiet.

"Fayla, where's Lily?" Free asked.

The fire sprite had gathered them east wing at day break. It was generous to let us sleep that long.

"With the press." Fayla responded. "She wanted you here when she got back."

"While we wait, Wise, tell us more about Kain's curse." Rose requested.

She wants the extra details. When they'd returned yesterday, Wise had immediately retired. This left them relying on their wrystals for the basics.

Kain was Kongal's avatar during the dark age, the one trapped in Tartarus. What they'd fought was his plague on humanity. It's a scary thing. While most ailments were reversible to some degree, Kain's Curse was one of the 'abominable scourges' for which there was no cure. Once a carrier, you're lost.

Besides physical contact, Kain propagated his curse through his link to Kongal. Outside the wards protecting civilization, burn wounds on those despairing would catch fire, leading to outbreaks. This meant the blight could never be completely eradicated. On the plus side, fire-based torture techniques have fallen out of favor.

Kain created partial doppelgangers of himself by grafting his appearance, pyrotechnic skill, and battle expertise onto his victims. Their souls became irreversibly tainted, compelling them to burn others.

Their weakness is their homogeneousness. Since every werewolf received the same combat knowhow, detailed information had been compiled about their abilities and tactics. Even their propensity to self-destruct was well-known. That would've been nice to know yesterday.

Wise smiled, "Fortunately I don't have to tell you Kain's story because Emelia here already knows."

Emelia was back in new yellow gear, lying face down on the table, half-asleep. She'd been up late reporting to the Barsal Empire. I hope she isn't recalled. Sparring with her had been extremely satisfying.

"Did someone call?" Emelia yawned.

"Yes, could you please explain about the Sirk and Kain?" Wise asked politely.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you recently took a quest to hunt down werewolves in Angrim Dungeon. At the time, you read all about their history."

This comment snapped Emelia awake, and she eyed Wise suspiciously. He takes getting used to.

"Using my ability for long tales is draining." Wise pleaded. "I'm worn out too."

This won Emelia over, and she nodded, "Fine, I suppose it's fresh enough in my mind."

"Back when Sola was reviving the deceased, a certain king visited Earth's End. His kingdom, Jabor, was a feudal society which had just quelled a bloody uprising. Unnerved by the violence, he desired a solution to prevent a repeat. To everyone's surprise, Sola answered the request and crafted the Sirks."