Rosie's Games

"This cursed weapon was found in the North," Mr. Pratt explained as he opened a black box. Inside was a dagger that looked used and old. She immediately noticed the dried blood on its jagged and rough blade. "Just touching the dagger could give the holder a curse. Because of that, we do not allow anyone to touch it unless they take proper measures to do so. We also asked someone to change its hilt to make it appear more ordinary. We wrapped it with silk from a demonic spider monster so that the holder would not cut their hands."

Rosalind just stared at the dagger. She could not deny the feeling of darkness as she felt it trying to suffocate her. The others took a step back while she took a step forward. Something inside the dagger seemed to call to her, enticing her to touch it, to hold it and make it hers.

"Miss Lin?"

She could hear Mr. Pratt's voice, but for some reason, a part of her consciousness chose to ignore him. She stood in front of the box, staring at the dagger as if it was the most beautiful weapon that she had ever seen. Despite the lack of jewels on its imperfect blade, something about the weapon made her want to possess it.

"Miss Lin?"

This time, Mr. Pratt grabbed her shoulder.

"I suggest you take a step back. Getting too close will probably endanger your health." It was Mathies who spoke first. He stood far away from the dagger as if it was something that would kill him without a second thought.

"He is right. Please do not carelessly touch the dagger."

"What would happen if I touched it?" Roselind asked Mr. Pratt.

"All of the previous individuals who touched it had a cut on the palm of their hand and were affected with a dark curse." Mr. Pratt uttered.

"Even I would not dare to touch a weapon like that," Mr. Montgomery chimed in.

However, something about the weapon is simply too enticing for her to listen to reason.

"Why do you think they wanted a weapon like this?" she asked.

"Just as I said, they must be one of those people who wanted to harm a blessed individual." Mr. Pratt said. "But they will not succeed. No one could directly hold this dagger because of the potency of the darkness inside it. Even staring at it for a long time can hurt one's eyes."

He paused deliberately.

"Now, you understand why I thought it would be a bad idea to own this dagger."

"I want it," Rosalind said.

"What?"

"A dark curse… does not work on me."

"Miss Lin, have you had a cursed weapon before?" Mr. Pratt said.

"No."

"Having a cursed weapon is different from healing a dark curse made by that curse weapon." Mr. Pratt had a look of worry on his face. "Even if you can absorb a dark curse— ah!"

Mr. Pratt was not able to finish his words when she suddenly grabbed the hilt of the dagger, holding it in her bare hands.

Everyone inside the room gasped, even Mr. Pratt who was standing near her could not help but take a step back.

"You— You put it back in the box! This instant!"

Instead of responding to Mr. Pratt's words, Rosalind just stared at the dagger as she felt its cold darkness flow into her hand and up her arms. She could feel it.

The coldness of death.

The frightening screams of the people who had lost their lives to this dagger.

She could hear the screams inside her head.

But just as the coldness was about to reach her heart, it bumped into something warm and comforting. It was as if the coldness of death met the warmth of life.

"Miss Lin?" Mr. Pratt called out.

"Miss Lin, are you alright?"

Rosalind wanted to assure him that everything is fine, but she could not move nor speak. Her limbs felt strangely powerless and strong at the same time.

The coldness from the dagger had now subsided, subdued by the warmth in her chest. Yet, she could not help but shiver from its chilly killing intent.

"Hah!"

Rosalind staggered as she let out a gasp. The dagger in her hands fell on the floor with a loud thud. There was silence.

But just as Mr. Pratt was about to say a word, the dagger flew back into Rosalind's hand and then it disappeared.

Rosalind stared at her empty palm, her eyes wide, her mouth agape. What just happened?

"You— did you just absorb the dagger?" Mathies was the first to recover. He immediately approached her, held her right hand up and down as if he was still hoping to find the dagger attached in her skin. "What just— ah— " Mathies let her hand go, her eyes wide. "There is something— "

"What is it?" Rosalind said as she examined her hand. Then she saw it. A dagger… tattoo. It was tattooed on the spot in between her ring and middle finger.

"The dagger is inside you!" Mathies said just before he beamed. "The dagger is inside you."

"Uh—" Unable to explain what just happened, Rosalind looked at her hands again. She thought of the dagger and before she knew it, the dagger was once again back in her hand.

There was another suffocating silence. She looked at Mathies and the other two men inside the room.

Again, she thought of hiding the dagger, and once again, it disappeared as if it was never there in the first place.

"That is—"

"Beautiful," Mathies said. "It's magnificent!"

"Mathies, calm down." Mr. Montgomery must have noticed Mathies' crazed eyes. So, he pulled the man away from Rosalind. "This is something that we should take to our graves. Do you understand me, young man?"

"I— But she— she is the one who was blessed with the darkness!" Mathies uttered. "The blessing of the darkness exists! I have read about this. The one who could swallow the dark. The one who could absorb it and make it theirs. It is her! The one who was blessed to own the darkness!"

....

I FOUND AN EDITOR!

She's currently working on the previous chapters. I am going to write a lot so she could also edit in advance! Yey! I am so excited! I felt like crying!