Purification

In a village of broken, collapsed houses near the edge of the Hoia Baciu Forest, it looked as if a catastrophe had struck, leaving behind nothing. Not a single soul lived there anymore.

Years ago, the entire village was cursed by the God of Curse himself.

Since then, those people who once lived there either died under mysterious way or vanished without a trace. No one could explain how or why. The village became infamous, feared as a place where curses thrived. They say anyone who sets foot inside… never returns. Even those who dare to step on the forest are shallowed whole, never to be seen again.

Whispers tell of how it all began with a librarian. A man obsessed with forbidden knowledge. In his desperate pursuit of knowledge beyond human limits, he sacrificed the entire village for his ambition. That was the origin of the unbroken curse... a curse that still lingers to this day.

At the heart of the ruins stands a towering, wooden structure: a library unlike any other. Built of blackened oak and ancient timber, it exudes a terrifying presence. Some say the books within are enchanted, powerful enough to grant immortality to those brave, or foolish, enough to read them.

But today… a mysterious figure stepped into the cursed village.

His face was blank, expressionless, like he had no fear, no emotion. The fog clung to his body, the air thick with malice. Evil spirits stirred from the ruins, drawn to him like moths to a flame. They tried to possess him, to twist his mind like they had with countless others. But he remained unscathed. He walked slowly, calmly, his eyes scanning the shattered remains of homes, bones of a forgotten place and people. Not once did he flinch. Not once did he look back.Eventually, he finally reached it.

The infamous library !

Towering and silent, the wooden structure loomed like a beast waiting to swallow him whole. He stared at it for a moment. Then, for the first time… he spoke.

"They say this place gives you immortality," he muttered with a faint smirk.

"Haha… what a trap. It does but only in spirit form; it's a curse even the death refuse to take you after life."

Without hesitation, he stepped inside. The dust was thick, undisturbed for years. Shelves towered to the ceiling, every book was untouched for years. Except for one. A lone book rested on the counter ,as if waiting for someone to open it. It hadn't been touched over months. He picked it up. Blew away the dust.

He began to read the title :

"Yeos: The Cursed Myth."

The figure stared at it in silence. And just like that, the scene shifted,

- back to the present.

The mysterious man closes the torn book, then speaks calmly:

"Who's there, hiding?"

"I've noticed your presence for a while now."

A shadow shifts in the corner. A strange voice responds, amused and smooth:

"How amusing...

How can someone notice my presence if I'm not even human?"

The strange figure steps into the light , revealing a body that looked long dead. His flesh was rotting, patches missing, and bone showed clearly beneath the skin. A walking corpse... but still alive. Still aware.

He glanced at the torn book.His voice held a trace of shock.

"How are you unaffected by the curse?"

He stared at the mysterious man for a short moment. Then, his tone shifted calm, but edged with threat.

"You're dangerous for everyone."

"No hard feelings... but I'm going to end you."

The strange man raised his decayed hand and whispered something in an ancient tongue. A dark energy surged from his fingertips, swirling into the air like smoke. Evil spirits rose twisted, howling and circled the mysterious figure.

"Corrupt his soul," he commanded.

"Break him from within."

But nothing happened. The spirits screeched... then stopped. They hovered, confused. Then slowly, they backed away afraid. Within moments, they vanished from fear. The strange man's smile faltered.

The mysterious figure hadn't even flinched.

With a sudden snarl, the strange man charge forward, impossibly fast , a blur of motion , a wicked blade flashing in his hand.

"If curses and spirits won't work on you…"

"…then I'll just kill you physically,

HAHAHA!"

The knife slammed into the man's chest perfectly inside the heart. A clean strike

Shhk—!

The moment , the blade struck on his heart,

the mysterious figure's body began to crumble into ashes. The strange man's eyes widened and realized it was too late. In a blink, the real figure appeared behind him.

With a swift motion, he grabbed the man's head and dislocated it, snapping the neck instantly.

The body dropped.

The mysterious figure spoke quietly:

"It's a pity... you were tricked and manipulated by the God of Curse."

"He drove your mind to insanity , made you kill your own family and the rest of the villagers without even realizing it."

He paused, looking down at the fallen man.

"Liberian, pal… you knew you were becoming a monster. That's why you opened the book. You chose to be cursed, to be trapped here with the spirits as punishment."

"Your body began to rot… so you could suffer even more."

He knelt beside him.

"Rest well now."

Liberian was still barely alive.

But his eyes… were slowly beginning to close. With his final fading vision,

Liberian saw the mysterious figure vanish without a trace. Then the sound of

fire, crackling and rising, echoing from all around the village. The cursed town, once silent and cold, was now burning.

As the mysterious figure walked away from the ruins, the flames behind him grew larger,

not destructive, but purifying. One by one, the trapped spirits were released,

rising gently into the sky like smoke carried by wind.

Among them was Liberian's soul.

Freed at last.

He paused, turned back, and bowed his head in gratitude toward the man who saved him.

Then, with a soft smile, his spirit drifted upward toward the warm light where his family waited. He had been forgiven.

The mysterious figure watched for a moment, then spoke quietly:

"Rest in peace."

With that, he turned and stepped into the shadows looking for his next stop.His next destination was to find the myth itself.

The Myth / The devil

-Yeso