Chapter 8 - The Curse Weaved in the Truth

Leo was scared out of his mind. Interacting with Leo's family could be easy or hard but the problem is that they are mages. They can almost figure out everything about him leaving him in danger. He still sat at the couch waiting for Shira to call them in. 

He scratched his chin trying to remember things from the memory fragments. He remembered that his parents were caring, helping Leo no matter what. They had white hair and wrinkled skin walking around with a cane. Leo from the memories had always stayed cold to his parents unless they asked him to stop being so formal.

Leo sighed with that piece of information. Leo decided to remain calm and tackle the situation with wit. Someone opened the door and entered. Leo calmed down his breathing. There they were walking towards him. Leo gulped a mouthful of saliva. They both sat down on the chairs opposite of Leo. Staring him down. 

"Leo, are you..alright?" His mother spoke up.

Leo had a puzzled expression and tried to understand what it was. 

"Your hair" His father replied. Leo, still confused, looked at the mirror on the side. The white stripes on his hair had thickened making almost his whole hair almost turn silver. Leo scratched the back of his hair with a fake smile.

"Nothing really, just working"

"Well, if you need help just ask. We have enough money so don't worry about it" His father said.

Leo could see the lie through like clear glass. Even his parents from Korea had the same attitude, lying that they had enough money for everything just for the happiness of their child. Now his resolve to go back deepened even more. 

"Yes, father, no need to worry. I have everything under control but I would like a carriage driven to the Academy of Lewania"

"Alright also for now we are going to be staying here and govern the place for a while"

"Leo, why not take a break?" His mother said.

"Sorry mom but I can't the Academy of Lewania requested me to go to their Student Future Event"

"Leo, please—" His mom begged.

"Look at yourself, you just fought someone strong a week ago. I was so worried"

"Leo, listen to your mom. I understand work is important unless it hinders your health"

Leo persisted with his point.

"But I have to everyone's counting on me"

"Leo you have too much stress! You have to relax"

Leo clenched his fist.

"SO WHAT!" Leo bellowed. He closed his eyes. His parents' shocked expression made him feel sad. His mother bit his lip. Leo had enough stress and work already. Now his parents are hindering his progress. He had his own greed himself which engulfed him. 

"We are still your parents, Leo. We don't want to lose another person precious to us" His mother said, starting to cry tears down. His father patted his mom's back comforting her. 

"How can't I. WHY can't you make me live my own life. Why don't I get to choose?" Leo said he remembered more memory fragments. The memories of Leo and his personality influenced his actions right now. It seemed that Leo's resentment was deep in his mind and still stuck with Seul-Gi. Now making his questionable actions.

"Cause we don't want to lose you. We are cowards. Who are we mages to go against divine beings like dragons" 

"Your little brother, our son!" His father said. "Remember!"

Then he launched a magic circle putting Leo into a spell, a memory transfer spell. Leo's eyes rolled back and all the strength in his muscles had softened. The energy had left. He was unconscious. 

Leo's eyes started to clear up for now all he saw was gray fog. Then he heard the sound of a childish giggle. Leo walked toward this sound trying to find it. Then he saw a child with brown hair and strands of grey hair.

The child's smile was so bright his teeth were gleaming with light. His eyes had an innocent sparkle. Leo smiled at the kid. But the kid did not see him.

'Illusion spell probably but what's the purpose?'

Leo struggled to find an answer as two people came. Everything in their faces above their mouths were blank but he could see their expression was happy. The little boy had just made a magic circle on his hand. Though it was a simple fireball spell it was impressive for his age. 

"Good job, we can put you in an academy in a few years!" the woman said. Then slowly he could see that he was in a place with a training ground. A mage training ground from Leo's memory fragments!

'This must be the Vlaniz mansion'

He looked around then looked up at the sky. It looked as if many days and nights had passed. He could see the little child practicing magic against dummies. He grew taller continuously. He grew inches in a few seconds. He practiced all his spells again and again. Leo had also gained some inspiration but a few minutes later he couldn't see him. Leo, confused, walked through the mansion.

Trying to find out what happened and stumbled upon the office of his father. Leo because of his spirit-like state had just walked through the door. There he saw his father massaging his forehead and tapping his glabella. 

"Damn it, Ben"

His father looked malnourished and needed food. The door opened and it was the child now around 1.5 meters. His face looked much more defined. 

"Father…."

Leo fell back in shock.

'Wait this body had a brother but the memory fragments didn't even hint a thing'

"Ben please stay no need to wage war against a dragon!" 

"Please think about it, your brother, Leo, your wife and child"

"Father, that dragon has served injustice to the city! All the people who died" 

"Ben, you know it's dangerous!"

"But what if I leave it alone what will it do? Kill everybody I cared about?"

"Fine, you can go but on one condition"

Ben nodded.

"I will erase everybody's memory of you. Leo will become the mage tower"

"Why father?"

"Leo is just a child five years old how can he handle such a truth"

"Your child as well"

"But….."

"If you're ready with that then proceed according to your wishes."

Ben gritted his teeth.

"Fine, I will"

He walked away with a painful expression. His dad with soft and sad eyes looked at Ben's back. The scenery changed Leo tried to find balance of his new information. It was a barren land faced with drought. Blood flowed through the lands underneath the cracks. A man had been launching spells consecutively against a huge beast. It was a dragon with red scales which looked like huge chunks of metal. Its eyes glared at the human in front of it.

"Amusing human dares to challenge me, a dragon"

The dragon swung its arm blocking the attacks with its thick scales. Though the dragon did have injuries such as sword strikes, and a hole on its leg. The blood-spattered battlefield made Leo want to puke but couldn't. 

'This…'

An aura of pure terror stemmed from the dragon. 

"Well, you are worthy so I can give you my name. It's "

Leo couldn't hear it. He tried getting closer but then suddenly Ben laughed. Leo, frightened by this development, ceased his motions just observing what was happening. 

'The name felt as if it was censored like how it is from some manhwa' 

"I am going to leave everything," Ben suddenly said.

The dragon went into human form and had a twisted smile on its face.

"I'd be proud of you, if you accept being my disciple"

Leo then was shocked, his heart beating wildly, his mind throbbing. Leo's influence is so strong it made his body feel the pain he felt.

'Damn it'

Then the rocks behind Leo crumbled; it was his father watching what was unfolding his eyes in terror. 

"Here a drop of dragon blood should turn you into a half-dragon and after you embrace it you will turn into a dragon!"

Ben smirked. And grabbed the vial and gulped it down at an astonishing speed. He then let out a deep breath. Leo saw the man's skin turning to the scales of a white dragon. His eyes turned sharper every second. It felt as if Leo had found a hidden truth. Then suddenly the dragon looked directly at Leo.

'Wait, how can they see me?'

His thoughts felt dismembered. He was scared to death and started running. The dragon with red scales caught up to him. Ben behind him screamed in pain but the dragon had a weird smile. A twisted dark smile. The dragon had dark black hair and his eyes had a red iris and black hair.

Leo fell down. His face was full of sweat. He was scared and because noir was not here he was even more scared. The man had a bloodthirsty aura but then something weird happened as he touched me his figure shattered like glass and went back to Ben. 

"Come on embrace, the power of the dragons"

Leo tried to stand up from the shock which struck him. He saw Ben, his alleged brother screaming in pain. His veins popped out. Then slowly his screaming got less loud and slowly he grew horns. Once he opened his eyelids, Leo could feel a dragon aura coming from him. It seemed like he had bathed in the fearsome aura of the dragons. 

"Now, disciple are you ready"

"Yes, Master I can do it. I await your orders"

"Join Eclipse, and embrace you dragonic instincts, and indulge yourself with whatever you want"

"Prepare for my return"

"Yes, Master" 

Suddenly then time stopped, the color from the scenery was drained every second. Leo looked confused. His vision slowly turned black, and white. Then the red dragon came in front of Leo. Leo shivered in fear. The dragon put its pointer finger on his lip.

"Shush. Successor of the tenth lotus, pain is filled on your journey" The dragon whispered in his ear.

It then placed its hand on his shoulder disintegrating Leo's figure. Leo then woke up on his couch drenched in sweat, breathing deep breaths. He placed his right hand on his heart. His heartbeat beating wildly.

"It seems you now know the truth" His father replied opposite of where Leo was sitting. His mother was gone but his father was still there. 

"It pains me to reveal this…"

Leo then started to cry tears streaming down his cheek. These tears were Seul-Gi's. The amount of pain he and Leo almost lived the same life. They had the same type of parents and the same type of blood relatives. Seul-Gi remembered his grandfather, someone who did everything for him. Things like money, friends, and more he helped but in the end he was killed by a robber. 

Almost the same as Leo's brother and had fallen in despair because of his pride being damaged. The tears still rolled as a stream of his memories about his grandfather flowed. He saw almost the entire life of a person in an hour or so. He remembered when Ben trained, brought friends and had a wife and a child. A person's life is fully documented like a movie. He struggled a lot striving to be better but in the end his dreams had come to an end because of an opponent.

But that wasn't his life up until now in this world was nothing but pain. Working, working and working like in his old world. Fighting and having near death experiences which shook the lights out of him. He felt scared he wanted to survive but in such a world how could he. He let out his emotions.

His father wiped away his tears with a finger.

"Don't worry. I will let you go but promise me you won't fight" 

Leo calmed down. He had a reason to still live. He will fight all the challenges in his way. But would he escape this madness or become insane?

__________________________________________________________________________

There he was a man laughing while watching a glowing orb. The top of his teeth was white while the bottom was an azure blue. He had white hair with blood on his body and purple goo on his hands. He acted like a child giggling. Rolling around and around. He licked his lips and watched the orb. There he saw a man. His eyes suddenly became bloodshot. 

He clawed his face digging through his flesh. Blood scattered and skin was ripped. He had one thought, 'Fun'. He repeated it in his head several times and banged his head on the endless space filled with stars. He licked the blood on the floor and chuckled. His teeth were so sharp he bit his arm, his teeth seeping in the flesh.

This was insanity.