Cursed Heir System: Revenge Against the Gods

Moriko stood barefoot on the riverbank, her toes squishing in cool mud. Her thin body was held together by her sweaty, worn shirt. The soft curve of her hips and the delicate line of her collarbone where the shirt was torn were all displayed by the evening breeze pressing the cloth against her.

Her golden eyes glowed as they caught the sunlight, and her short, dark hair with auburn streaks blew in the wind, framing her fierce yet tender face. Her cat ears twitched as she slowly swayed her tail behind her.

She caught the hem of her shirt in one smooth motion and pulled it off. The evening light exposed her skin, revealing a strong, slender body formed by surviving.

She was strong and elegant, a warrior's body with a feminine touch.

She glanced at Alan, sitting by the fire, staring at the flames, unaware of her state.

"Hey, gray-hair, don't you dare sneak a peek while I'm bathing!" She crossed her arms over her chest, hiding herself, her cheeks turning pink as her tail flicked nervously.

Alan sighed, turning his head slowly, his blue eyes meeting hers with a mix of amusement and annoyance.

"Relax, kitty-girl," he drawled, his voice dry but teasing.

"I wasn't going to look until you started yelling about it. And trust me, you're not my type. Even if you danced naked in front of me, it wouldn't stir anything." His lips curled into a small smirk, though his eyes lingered on her a moment too long before he looked back at the fire.

Moriko's face flushed deeper, her eyes flashing with anger and mischief.

"Oh, really?" She shot back with a challenge.

She stood completely naked in the river, her arms dropped. Her waist narrowed into graceful hips, her chest soft but proud.

She posed boldly, one hand on her hip, her tail swaying gracefully, her slender, muscular thighs shifting. The evening sun shone on her skin, highlighting her shoulders' sleek lines, her stomach's taut strength, and the subtle scars that amplified her natural beauty.

With a cunning smile on her lips, her eyes narrowed, defiant and seductive. "Alan, are you certain about that? Because you're likely lying through your teeth."

His blue eyes flickered to her and back to the fire, and his breath caught. His heart raced despite his attempts to remain calm. They became like surviving partners after three years in the mines and never considered her side. Yet, it was difficult to ignore Moriko as she stood there without shame. Something he didn't want to acknowledge was stirred by her fierce beauty, which demanded attention.

With a rougher-than-intentional voice, he muttered, "Just... take your damn bath, kitty," while using the sizzling fish as a diversion.

"I've got better things to do than ogle you."

Moriko pouted, her tail flicking with irritation. "Tch. Liar," she teased, her voice lighter but still sharp. She grabbed wet moss from the riverbank and threw it at his head. Alan leaned back, the moss missing and splattering on the ground.

Her eyes narrowed playfully as she huffed. "You're no fun."

She turned and sank into the shallow river, sitting with her knees pulled up and her tail curling around her as the cool water lapped at her skin.

As the girl bathed, her quiet grumblings hardly audible, he turned to the sizzling fish.

He glanced at his hand, willing the blessing seal to appear, the thirteen strange, twisting runes around a black void. He had studied all of the gods' blessings in the Fitzgerald library as a noble boy, but this was different. It wasn't from the Twelve Gods. It didn't feel right.

His thoughts strayed to his first death, it's by falling into the cave, his skull breaking on the floor, the world turning black.

However, there was a brief period of time, an odd buffer between death and reawakening.

A voice. That prisoner in the cell, his face blurry, offering revenge. The memory slipped away, like water through his fingers. His lips moved, whispering one word.

"Vanzoeath."

The moment he said it, the fire crackled sharply. The trees held their breath.

---

The capital of the Midia Kingdom and the hub of the Lavrios continent, Teranese City, was peaceful on this quiet night.

Under the stars, the Concordia headquarters, a massive temple to the Twelve Gods, glowed softly with golden lamps.

The head priest and other priests were kneeling in front of enormous portraits of the gods inside a large, curved chamber. The hallowed space was filled with their low chants.

The head priest, who was almost ninety, halted abruptly as his white robes gathered around him.

The chant came to an end as he opened his hazy eyes.

The other priests froze as he stood shakily, moving like something was pulling him. He shuffled to the chamber's center, where a huge, empty scroll hung on an altar.

The Revelation Scroll, which is believed to contain the gods' commands, has been unused for many years.

He took the scroll and dragged it to a table without saying anything.

Using an ink brush, his shaking hands began writing bold, quick words with an odd accuracy on the parchment. With a pale face and sweat on his brow, the priests watched in disbelief as his hand moved too quickly for his age. As he wrote the last word, he gasped and crumpled to the marble floor.

A priest hurried to the elderly man and kneeled next to him, yelling, "Father!"

He was as lifeless as blood spilling from his ears and mouth.

A young priest, hands shaking, leaned over the scroll, his voice trembling as he read aloud.

"Bring that wicked child to me."

---

Back at Parheller Mines, Duke Danel marched through a narrow tunnel, his boots loud on the blood-streaked stone. His grey eyes burned with disbelief, like he heard something impossible.

Behind him, his elite soldiers gripped powerful mana lamps that shone brightly in the darkness.

They reached a new cave, a rough opening in the tunnel that Dekel had marked for raiders prior to the slaughter incident.

Danel paused, taking a soldier's mana lamp and shining it into the cavern. It revealed a huge structure, half-hidden in shadow, a massive, ancient temple or tomb, its stone walls carved with strange, twisting shapes. They felt heavy, like a weight on the soul. Danel's breath caught, his eyes narrowed, and he tightened his grip on the lamp as he studied it.

Louis trailed behind, his amber eyes wide with discomfort, and he whistled softly.

"What the devil is this thing?"

---

Back in the forest, Alan looked at his wrist, where the grey glyph shimmered, before switching to the two crossed swords glyph, which is a common God of War seal.

Water trickled from Moriko's short dark hair as she stood next to him. Her tail flicked in surprise as her golden eyes narrowed at the sight of his wrist.

With a sharp, shocked voice, she asked, "You have a blessing?"

"Alan, I thought you were unblessed."

Ignoring her question, he handed her a big leaf full of roasted fish. His voice was firm and low as he stated, "I'm still figuring it out."

"Just don't ask about it."

Moriko took the leaf, her claws cutting off a piece of fish and placing it on his leaf, even though he already had some. She sat beside him and started eating, her sharp teeth tearing into the meat.