“I shouldn’t be surprised. You are at a reform academy, after all.” She pinched her brows together with a sigh.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Professor.
“Demonic curses have origins shrouded in darkness,” she continued. “Unlike the hexes cast by witches and warlocks, demonic curses are imbued with a potent malevolence, fueled by the very essence of demonic energy.”
“What kind of demonic curses are there?” Grimshaw asked, bringing his pipe to his lips and inhaling deeply.
She thinned her lips in disapproval. “Several kinds. It depends on your demon classification. Does anyone know?”
Nobody answered, but everyone did seem to be paying attention. That was a feat of its own.
“I need everyone to read up to chapter five by the next class.” She scowled. “Chaos demons can cast a curse by manifesting chaos in a specific way to cause harm or misfortune to a target. It’s usually in the form of an illness, bad luck, or psychological distress. In some cases, death.”
Hemlock leaned forward, his lips twitching into a smirk as he flicked his gaze toward me. "What about cursing someone for fun?"
My blood ran cold, and I broke eye contact to see that my ring was black. I refused to look at him again and brought my attention to Dusk.
Her expression darkened, eyes narrowing as she speared Hemlock with a withering glare. "Cursing is not a game. It is a practice drenched in darkness with consequences far beyond your comprehension. To wield such power recklessly is to invite destruction upon yourself and those around you."
Hemlock scoffed. “Isn’t that just chaos?”
“No, Bram Hemlock, it isn’t,” she snapped.
My heart twisted uncomfortably in my chest.
His name was Bram?Fitting.
“Demonic curses are thought to be a harbinger of dark magic; though there is no solid evidence, there are stories of the possibilities. I willnotallow you to talk so casually about it. Understand?”
He grumbled under his breath.
A strike of magic scorched his desk, right beside his foot, with a loud crack, and I could practically taste Dusk’s magic. “Understand, Hemlock?”
“Yeah, whatever.” He straightened, moving his feet off the desk, glaring at our professor.
“Then let’s continue.” She pursed her lips, meeting his glare with her own. “Dream demons curse by possession. It’s not strictly a curse; it involves a dream demon’s soul taking control of a person’s body or mind while they sleep. It results in erratic behavior, loss of control, and psychological distress.”
“What about drudes?” another student asked, and I was pretty sure she was a drude because I remembered her from being grouped up in Demonic Feeding.
Fates, that was a rough class. I was not looking forward to it again.
“Drudes curse by maleficium,” she explained. “It’s a type of curse inflicted upon a sleeping individual during a nightmare. They can invoke physical or psychological harm with the intent of suffering or death. It all happens within the nightmare and can extend into several different sleep sessions for the target.”
“Fear demons?” Grimshaw purred the question, earning a seething glare.
“Curse of the Fated eyes,” she stated, and heflinched. “Fear demons have the ability to curse others simply by looking at them with malicious intent. It’s known to literally bring their fears to life, and it can and will hurt them. Some instances, death is inevitable.”
Grimshaw took another few hits off the pipe and reached up to run a finger over the scar that covered his eye, and he seemed out of touch with reality again.
Why did I even notice that?
“Incubi and succubi use a demonic pact that is consensual, interestingly enough,” she muttered the last part before brushing her palms together. “This curse involves the incubi or succubi and individuals who knowingly agree to perform certain tasks or sacrifices in return for the incubus or succubus’s assistance. Breaking such pacts on either side can result in a poisonous death for either pact member.”
“Damn,” someone cursed from the back.
“How about shadow demons?” Dex asked, grinning wildly at her. “Let me guess…a dark ritual?”
She blinked at him a couple of times before shaking her head. “It’s called a shadow ritual, Shadowheart. A dark ritual is very similar, but I’ve only heard rumors of that.”
