I Can Copy Curses

Orion thought about leaving Grimshore and vanished from the courtyard, reappearing back in his room.

"I'm back," he thought, checking the time and noticing that night had already fallen over the three domains.

Just as he was about to do something, a thought occurred to him.

"If we can leave Grimshore just by thinking, then why do people die when they could just teleport back? Unless they couldn't."

Orion wasn't sure if there were conditions for leaving Grimshore, but he suspected there must be. Considering those people he had killed, or those who had died many times, could have just left Grimshore before they died—but they didn't, or maybe they couldn't.

"I guess that's a question for next time," Orion thought, heading to take a bath, thinking about how tomorrow would be a big day.

---

The next day, Orion and Erza were heading to the Hunter Association, led by the guild leader, Zemiri, herself.

After what had happened to the party the other day, Zemiri decided to take Orion and Erza to the Hunter Association personally.

They flew in a jet for a few minutes before arriving near the Hunter Association. Orion and Erza disembarked once the jet landed at the parking station.

"Erza, take care of yourself and Ray," Zemiri said to her from the gate of the jet.

"Don't worry, Big Sister. Nothing will happen to either of us," Erza smiled and replied.

Zemiri nodded and then turned her attention to Orion.

"Ray, you too—take care of her," she said.

"Just leave it to me," Orion smiled, patting his chest with his fist.

Zemiri then looked behind them, where other kids from the four guilds stood along with a middle-aged man.

"Billy, I'm leaving them in your hands," Zemiri said, looking at the man.

"You worry too much," Billy said, though there was a hint of worry in his tone. "They don't have the guts to attack the Federation Council."

Zemiri nodded. She understood, but she couldn't shake the unease she had felt since the moment her day began.

"Don't worry too much, Zemiri," Cody, the guild leader of the Lords Guild, said as he approached. "Billy is going with them."

"He is?" Zemiri was surprised.

"Hmph! After what happened last time, he realized it was his responsibility and is just doing what he should," Kelly, the guild leader of the Black Reaper Guild, interjected.

Billy nodded, slightly embarrassed. "After what happened, I realized it would be better if I went with them. That way, if anything happens, I can protect them immediately."

Zemiri smiled. "Then I can leave in peace."

"Ray, Erza, take care of yourselves," she said before heading back into the jet, which soon flew off into the distance.

"Billy, I'm warning you—nothing should happen to them," Kelly said solemnly before flying away.

"Hehe, I'll be off too," Cody said before leaving as well.

As they left, Orion turned his attention to the others who were standing around. There were eight of them, excluding Erza and himself. His eyes were drawn to Mark, who was resting against a wall with his eyes closed.

"Ray, thanks for the last time," Victor said as he approached.

"It's fine," Orion nodded humbly.

Victor nodded as well before turning to Erza. "Erza, what are your chances of getting admitted to the academy? Mine's pretty low," he said, embarrassed.

Erza sighed. "I don't know myself, but I'll do my best," she said, her voice filled with determination.

Orion noticed her seriousness and wondered if she was doing this to become a strong and successful guild master of Starfire Guild, or if she knew she was destined to lead and needed the corresponding strength for that position.

"Kids, before we leave, I have a few things to say," Billy called, gaining everyone's attention.

He looked at them and said, "We're heading to the headquarters of the Federation Council—the strongest power in the Human Federation Realm. They're the ones who make the laws of our domain. The final stage of the assessment will be held there."

"Final stage?" Orion muttered to himself before asking, "President, are you saying there will be only one assessment conducted at the Federation Council, with no other assessments beforehand?"

Billy nodded. "That's correct. In a way, you're all in the finals," he chuckled. "But it won't be easy. In fact, the difficulty will rise to a whole new level, so you should prepare for the worst."

Orion nodded in understanding, though some of the other contestants grew solemn and anxious.

"Alright, let's head straight to Loxus," Billy said joyfully.

As he spoke, wind blew in all directions, causing everyone's hair to sway. Soon, a massive shuttle appeared before them. It was shaped like a narrow parallelogram and had a futuristic design.

"Let's get in. We need to leave early; it's going to be a long journey," Billy laughed as he led the kids into the shuttle.

Orion was curious about the interior of the void shuttle. From the outside, its design was vastly different from any shuttle he had seen.

Upon entering, he was greeted by many people, some wearing distinct uniforms—a red shirt and pants with matching caps. Orion guessed they were shuttle staff, while the others were likely members of the Hunter Association.

"President, everything is ready. We're prepared to depart," one of the uniformed men said to Billy.

"Then let's go," Billy replied, leading Orion and the others further into the shuttle.

"Find a seat you like. It's going to be a long trip," Billy said to the kids before heading to a separate room with the Hunter Association members.

The room where Orion and the other kids were seated was hexagonal in shape, with a large table in the center surrounded by seats. The table was covered with magazines and books, filling nearly every inch of space.

---

Also, I was hoping you could leave some comments or reviews to let me know your thoughts!

*Some gifts would be appreciated as well, but up to you.... *