I Can Copy Curses

"Yeah, absolutely," Orion replied, delighted. He immediately agreed, having missed the training sessions they had done together years ago. He thought he wouldn't get the chance to train with her again after seeing how much she had changed.

Emily smiled and asked Orion to follow her. "Let's go to the training ground."

***

The Darkwood Family's training ground spanned a wide field area where descendants of various ages were trained by a middle-aged man.

These kids stood in four or five rows, diligently following the training regimens demonstrated by the instructor. They were practicing basic fist moves; the middle-aged man would first perform the techniques, and the kids would imitate him immediately after.

Numerous other groups of children and instructors were scattered across the vast field. Some taught fist forms, others demonstrated the basics of sword wielding, while still others focused on spear techniques.

Due to the constant activity and numerous training sessions, the expansive training field of the Darkwood Family was always bustling with kids and instructors. As a result, it never appeared as spacious as it truly was.

At that moment, Orion and Emily entered the training field.

"Young Master Orion, long time no see."

Orion was immediately greeted by the middle-aged man teaching the kids fist techniques. He had a bulky body, was bald, and sported a bushy beard.

Orion turned to see who had called him. At first, he couldn't remember being taught by a bald man, but when he saw his face clearly, recognition dawned.

"Ah, Instructor Darwin, it's you! I almost didn't recognize you."

Instructor Darwin smiled wryly at Orion's comment.

"It seems my hair was indeed the source of my handsomeness. Now that it's gone, even you can't recognize me."

Orion nodded and immediately agreed.

"Yeah, right. You look very ugly without that. Hahaha."

Instructor Darwin raised his eyebrows at Orion's response.

"Kid, it seems you know how to joke now! Last time I saw you, you were so focused on training that nothing else ever got into your head."

Orion nodded and laughed, thinking about the past.

Truthfully, he didn't like training even a little bit, so he didn't train at least until he was seven, and nobody ever asked him to do that either. But everything changed when it was discovered that he lacked talent.

His world crumbled in that moment. He was at his lowest point, with very few people to support him. Such was the cruelty of the seven magi families—without talent, one wouldn't even have the status of a servant.

But Orion was lucky, or was he? As the youngest son of the Magi King of Blitz Haven, life was at least livable for him, despite his lack of talent.

'Those days were the worst,' Orion thought, recalling how devastated he was when he discovered he didn't possess any talent. At seven years old, as a child from one of the seven magi families, he understood many things. It wasn't difficult for him to grasp that life would become incredibly challenging from that moment on.

However, it was his Big Sister Emily who pulled him from that never-ending darkness. She dragged him to the training field every day. He would train with her for hours until his body couldn't take any more. This hellish training continued for days, which turned into months, and then years, till he was finally disowned—or so he thought.

After he left the family, the training his sister had given him over the past three years finally showed its results. He was able to survive in a world full of talents and power with just her training.

'But I can't seem to remember what happened from the time I left the family to when I found myself on the pirate ship.'

That was the only mystery he couldn't solve until now.

Instructor Darwin was happy for Orion, for only he and the instructors here had seen how hardworking he had been before he left the family.

"So, the usual?" he asked.

"I guess," Orion replied, smiling as he turned to see his sister.

"The usual," Emily nodded.

Instructor Darwin smiled and took out two wooden swords from the collection hanging on a tree.

"Take them."

He handed one to Orion and the other to Emily.

Orion smiled, holding the sword and looking at his sister.

"So, what will it be? A frontal attack? Parry? Guardian's defense?"

Emily shook her head and said, "None of them. Just show me how strong you've become in these five years."

Orion nodded and circled her, looking for an opening, then asked, "No talent?"

She agreed. "No talent."

Orion smiled and didn't attack immediately. He wanted to gain acknowledgment from his sister, and to do that, he would need to show her that he had improved since the last time they trained together.

A few minutes passed, then Orion swiftly closed the distance and swung his sword vertically at her. Emily blocked his sword effortlessly.

Orion immediately changed direction and attacked again, but the result was the same.

He continued to attack from every direction, but each time, Emily blocked his moves.

Despite this, Orion didn't feel discouraged. Instead, a smile remained on his face.

With a confident smile, he launched his assault, using every technique she had meticulously taught him over the years. He initiated with a straightforward frontal attack, his sword slicing through the air with precision. Following up, he executed a wide, sweeping swing, aiming to catch her off guard.

She dodged effortlessly, but he didn't fret. Switching tactics, he transitioned into a slow, deceptive attack designed to lure her into a false sense of security. Though she countered that smoothly.

Not giving her a moment's respite, he shifted to a surprise back attack, twisting his body and bringing his weapon around in a swift arc. She parried with ease, her eyes never leaving his. Determined, he pressed on with a thrust swing, a powerful forward motion meant to break through her defenses. She sidestepped, her expression calm and focused.

Minutes stretched on as he continued his relentless barrage. Each attack flowed into the next with a rhythm they had both honed through countless hours of practice. He pushed himself to the limit, combining speed, strength, and strategy. Despite her superior skill and experience, he refused to relent.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he saw a fleeting opening. With a burst of speed, he capitalized on it, his weapon connecting with her side. It was a light touch, more of a graze than a hit, but it was enough.

He had finally landed a blow on her. Though it had been incredibly difficult, he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and relief. He had done it.

For all the time he had spent training with her, he had never succeeded in hitting her before. It had seemed almost impossible three years ago, and now too, but he did it regardless.

"You've done well," Emily nodded, smiling.

Her expression then turned serious.

"I heard what happened. Don't worry, nothing will happen to you. Erick was with you the whole time, right? So, he must have seen everything. I'll talk to him later today about this."

Orion nodded, secretly relieved that his sister would handle the situation with Erick. He really didn't want to say those words Erick wanted him to say to her. So, this was good for him.

Her expression then turned curious as she looked at him.

"Orion, have you heard of the story of 'Doom'?"

"No, is it interesting?" he asked curiously. It was the first time he had heard of something called 'Doom'.

Emily shook her head. "I don't know, but I fought with him once and I lost."