Opening the door to his room, Klein let out a soft breath before closing the door behind him.

He ran a hand through his black hair and sighed.

’This academy life is turning out to be far more complicated than I expected.’

He quickly went to freshen up in the private bathroom.

The warm water from the shower helped wash away the sweat and fatigue from the intense training and sparring sessions.

As he stood under the stream, his mind wandered back to the events of the day.

The Mother of Spirits’ sudden appearance in the Spirit Realm, his new spirit, and Evelyne’s marriage proposal.

After drying off, he changed into a simple pair of comfortable black pants and a plain t-shirt.

The casual clothes felt good against his skin after a full day in the formal Elite Class uniform.

He tossed the uniform into the laundry basket and placed the spear Erica gave on the weapon rack beside his bed.

He sat on the bed, ’Now, let’s go and see her.’

Klein closed his eyes for a moment and touched his chest, gently feeling the seed the Mother of Spirits had placed inside him.

*swoosh*

In the next instant, the world around him blurred. A gentle vortex of green light enveloped him, and he felt a soft pull, as if being drawn through wind.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on the edge of a large bed inside a wooden house.

The walls were made of wood with glowing veins of green light running through them and the ceiling was woven from vines and flowers.

He turned his head and saw her.

The Mother of Spirits was sleeping peacefully on the bed beside him.

Her long green hair spread across the pillow, framing her beautiful face and her full lips were slightly parted.

She was wearing a green robe that clung softly to her body and the fabric shifted with each breath, revealing the elegant curves of her figure.

Klein’s gaze drifted downward, staying on her generous cleavage for a moment.

Her breasts were indeed pretty big, rising and falling gently with her breathing as the neckline of her robe dipped low enough to show a generous amount of smooth skin.

He felt a faint heat rise in his chest but quickly pushed the thought aside.

The Mother of Spirits woke up slightly and her lashes fluttered.

For a moment, she looked at him with a sleepy, confused expression, then a warm smile bloomed on her face.

"...You used the seed," she murmured and her voice was husky with sleep. "I didn’t expect you to come so soon."

She stretched languidly on the bed, which accentuated her curves.

Propping herself up on one elbow, she looked at him "I forgot to properly introduce myself earlier. My name is Orpheus."

"Anyway, to the main topic, why do you possess that cursed energy inside you, Klein."

Klein stayed silent for a moment before replying "...What do you think about curses?"

Hm? Orpheus frowned slightly "Asking questions for a question, that’s not how conversation works, you know."

Klein smiled dryly in his heart ’Well my answer depends on what your opinion on curses is.’

With a soft sigh, Orpheus sat up fully on the bed and looked out the window of her wooden house toward the distant horizon of the Spirit Realm.

"I don’t know why... but whenever I feel that energy, I feel uncomfortable."

She paused, then muttered with a hint of disdain in her voice "Also, I hate that their Cursed Realm is trying to break into our Spirit Realm."

Huh?

Klein glanced up at her in surprise "What do you mean?"

Orpheus stood up from the bed and extended her hand toward him.

"Exactly what I meant. Well, you will understand better when you see it yourself."

*swoosh*

In the next instant, the world around them blurred and they were teleported instantly.

When the light faded, Klein found himself standing in front of a massive, translucent barrier.

To his back, there is the beautiful spirit realm, but in front of him...

[The Cursed Realm.]

It was a dark landscape filled with blackened trees that looked like they were made of charred bone.

Dark mists swirled between the trunks, and faint whispers could be heard on the wind.

The ground was cracked and oozing with black, tar-like liquid.

The sky above it was a deep red, with no stars or light to be seen.

Both realms were separated by a massive, glass-like barrier.

But the barrier was damaged and several large cracks ran across its surface as cursed energy was slowly oozing through the fissures, staining the beautiful grass and flowers of the Spirit Realm.

Orpheus stood beside him as she looked at the barrier "This is what I meant..."

"The Cursed Realm has been trying to invade our domain for a while now. If they fully break through... the balance of the Spirit Realm will be destroyed."

Klein stepped forward ’What is happening? In my previous world spirits and curses hated each other... that was their nature.’

’But something like this never happened.’

As he reached out to touch the glass barrier, Orpheus grabbed his wrist "No, don’t touch it."

Turning to her, he uttered "Don’t worry, i will be alright."

"No, it is dangerous."

"This amount of cursed energy can’t harm me."

With a soft breath, Orpheus reluctantly let go of his hand, looking at him with concern.

Klein reached out and gently placed his palm against the barrier.

The moment his skin made contact, a surge of familiar, dark energy flooded into him.

The cursed energy was filled with malice... yet to him, it felt like coming home.

A faint grin appeared on his lips ’How long has it been since I felt this energy...’

The black heart in his chest throbbed in excitement, pulsing warmly as it absorbed the cursed energy pouring through the cracks.

For a brief moment, Klein felt a surge of power.

But in the next moment, he heard a familiar voice amidst the darkness...

"MASTER!"

What...

Klein’s eyes shrank in shock as he saw a familiar face appear on the other side of the barrier, within the Cursed Realm.

It was a black distorting shadow, but he could clearly make out who it was.

"H-Hela? How come you are here?"

The shadowy figure reached out desperately toward him but her form distorted as she tried to push through the barrier.

"MAS-"

In the next instant, the shadow disappeared, pulled back into the darkness of the Cursed Realm.

Klein quickly pulled his hand back from the barrier, breathing heavily.

"Huff... Huff..."

Hela.

She was one of the strongest curses he owned and commanded in his past life.

’But what in the hell is her ’shadow’ doing here?’

---

In the depths of another world’s Cursed Realm, where the sky was blood-red and the ground was a cracked wasteland of blackened earth, there was a massive castle.

Inside one of the grand chambers on the upper floors, a woman was lying on the grand bed.

She had long, flowing black hair spreading across the pillow.

For decades, she was lying there in a state of deep slumber.

But in the next instant, her eyes snapped open.

A big, manic smile spread across her beautiful yet terrifying face.

"Ha... Ha... HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Her laughter echoed through the chamber, growing louder and more unhinged with every second.

She sat up abruptly, her long black hair whipping around her as she clutched her neck tightly.

"MASTER IS ALIVE!"

"OUR LORD IS STILL ALIVE IN ANOTHER WORLD!"

Her red eyes gleamed with pure, fanatical joy.

Tears of blood-red energy leaked from the corners of her eyes as she laughed wildly, her body trembling with overwhelming emotion.

"AHHHHH! MASTER! MY DEAR MASTER!"

She leaped out of the bed, her bare feet touching the cold stone floor.

The cursed energy in the room responded to her excitement, swirling around her like black flames.

The walls of the chamber cracked slightly as her power leaked out uncontrollably.

She hugged herself tightly, spinning around in manic delight.

"I felt it... I felt his presence! That familiar cursed energy...! It’s him! It’s really him! My beloved Master, Irakiel... he’s alive! In another world!"

Her laughter echoed louder, shaking the entire castle.

Several curses outside the chamber fled in terror, sensing the unstable, overwhelming energy radiating from her.

She stopped spinning and her red eyes burned with obsession and loyalty.

"I will find a way... I will cross over. I will serve you again, Master. No matter what it takes. I will tear apart this world if I have to."

"Just wait for me... my dear, dear Master."

The woman, Hela, one of the Mythic-grade Curses who had once faithfully served Irakiel in his previous life, smiled widely, her sharp fangs glinting in the dim light.

The Lord has returned.

And his most loyal servant was ready to answer the call.