The Arcadia System

Chapter 201 – The Curse Of Nimiel

Lord Gawyne looked straight at the altar, "I have had my suspicions. This isn't surprising."

"Yes, it makes sense that would try to cure herself. However, the outcome was not like what she expected," muttered Kimon. 

He was heard by Lord Gawyne, who became unnerved the instant he heard it. 

The lord bellowed with total seriousness, "Kimon, now that we are here, can you tell me what this cure entails?"

"Patience is the key, Lord Gawyne. I need to 'feel' out this place, or else, I wouldn't know how to fully utilize the wonders built here," calmly responded Kimon. 

He moved about, touching all sorts of things to satisfy his curiosity.

Lyra observed him scrutinously,  "Kimon, I didn't take you for a mage."

Kimon paused in his tracks. An alarm went up in his mind, 'Damn, I almost broke the Kimon persona.'

Knowing he had to respond in time, Kimon lightly coughed before speaking, "I am no mage, but I can't deny my love for magical arts. In fact, I am confident in calling myself a scholar of all things magical"

"Then what are you if not a mage? You are also not a ki-warrior. What path do you follow?" asked Lyra. 

She had dug a hole for Kimon and he went right into it ignorantly… or so she thought. 

Beneath his mask, Kimon seemed to have donned a coy smile, "That is a secret."

Inwardly, he thought, 'Whew, I managed to dodge that bullet.'

There was a reason he specifically built the person of Kimon and even went the further mile to hide his mystic path. 

It was all about the element of surprise. Once he lost it, his foes would know how to deal with him. 

'I mean…if I were to fight myself and I knew I could only spam force barriers, then I would know how to counter it,' reasoned Kimon. 

This was a dangerous realization that urged him to find out more skills in this mystic path. Although, that would take longer.

Kimon was done with his inspection, "I'm ready."

He finally turned to the eager Lord Gawyne, "So, 'Milord', what do you desire to know about this curing process?"

"Everything, even the irrelevant bits. Don't think I would allow you to use a foreign cure without my approval," warned Lord Gawyne. 

Kimon postured while walking in circles, "Hmmm…..I suppose that is alright. After all, only a foolish man would blindly trust the other party. Very well, then."

Out of nowhere, a potion manifested in his hand. 

Kimon threw it at Knight Villaime and gave an introduction, "A special green reagent that was concocted by me. My curative process is soft. It would take a lot of time, which the twins don't have. So, I plan on using this reagent to buy us time."

"What does it do?"

"The nature of the twin's curse is parasitic. The curse would keep on feeding on the twin's innate energy until there is nothing left. Fascinating enough, it would also die with the host. The curse is fully active after the maturity of its bearer, which I'm guessing is in the coming future for the twins. Once the curse is active, it would be absolutely unstoppable"

Kimon went on, "So, we have to curb it now and delay its awakening. That is where the green reagent comes in. You see, the means of activation of the curse is not the absorption of energy. Instead, it's the host state. When the dormant effects start to become too visible to even attempt to hide, the curse would activate, attempting to claim the life of the host…."

Kimon divulged for a while. 

The Curse of Nimiel was horrible. It was akin to a maze. There was almost no way of escaping its trickiness. Most that try to ward it off accidentally end up empowering it.

However, Kimon's plan was not to ward it off…at least, not yet. 

It was to fatten it up!

He would distract the curse with the reagent while lighting a flame beneath it. This was an assassination!

After explaining this, Kimon said to the twins, "Lyra, Ciaran, stand in front of me."

The twins were hesitant. Nevertheless, they obeyed Kimon. 

When they stood tall ahead of him, Kimon went into deep thoughts, 'I should follow Circe's advice and check up on it myself.'

Kimon attempted to do something he had never thought of before. 

'[Third Eye]. Activate.'

[Third Eye] was a passive skill, but when he used it actively, it became something else entirely. 

As a shudder went deep into his bones, Kimon's vicinity changed. The once-colorful world became a mix of black, white, and grey. 

Even the surrounding humans lost all their colors. All that existed before him. Grey lines connected every living being together. Sometimes, they tingled vibrantly.

When Kimon attempted touching one of them, a massive surge of information rushed into his head. Instantly, his mind was set aflame. He quickly brought his hand away and the mind attack stopped. 

Unfortunately, the pieces of information seeped out of his mind. He felt they were immensely valuable, but somehow, he couldn't remember them.

If he managed to touch the lines connecting the twins, he might be able to get what he wanted, but that would risk burning his mind.

'This is not enough. [Seventh Sense]. Activate.'

Kimon went through another round of shuddering. After the intense shudders left, he opened his eyes once again. 

This time, there was nothing different. It was the same as last time, but when he looked at the twins, he could hear a disgusting squeaking sound coming from inside them. 

'What is it?'

Sadly, he could only hear, not see. Whatever it was, it sounded like it was munching on something fervently, like how a house rat would sneak into kitchens to eat.

'One more. One more…'

Even while he assured himself, Kimon's mind couldn't bear it. His head felt like it was supporting the weight of a mountain. 

Yet, he couldn't stop here…

'[Nexus Eye]. Activate.'

His two eyes brightened, revealing to him a new world. Here, 

Nothing veiled could hide from him. When he looked down, he could see the green leyline that the cave's enchantment was illegally tapping from. 

But that was not his concern. 

Kimon hastily spied on the two twins. At first, he could only see past their clothes, but when he concentrated, he saw their inner anatomy. 

It was beautiful. Yet, Kimon had no time to waste. 

He glanced at something hidden in them, 'Xoris' bottom!'