Chapter 486: The Upper Realm (XII)

Gray raised an eyebrow at her words and then started laughing.

"Kekeke.... pwahahahahaha! Different? Are you sure about that, my dear mother?"

The woman blinked.

Gray leaned back in his chair, his black eyes narrowing coldly.

"Or is it because..."

His smile gradually widened.

"...You can’t see the curse you’ve placed on my soul?"

The woman’s expression froze.

For the first time since their conversation began, the gentle smile on her face disappeared completely.

Her black eyes widened by the slightest amount, and the hand that had been resting on the table stopped moving.

"...What?"

Gray chuckled.

"Ah, so I was right."

The woman remained silent.

He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and placed it down again.

"Come on, my dear Mother. Don’t look so surprised. I was beginning to think you had forgotten about it."

"...How did you know?"

Her voice had changed.

The warmth was still there, but something considerably more serious had appeared beneath it.

Gray tilted his head.

"Was I not supposed to?"

"That curse..."

She stopped.

Her gaze moved over his face, then descended toward his chest, as though she were trying to examine something hidden beneath his physical body.

"How much do you know?"

"Enough..." Gray smiled.

There was a particular reason Gray had struggled to understand his own potential.

The so-called "Curse of Uselessness".

It was not an ordinary restriction placed upon the body, nor was it a conventional seal that prevented someone from accessing their cultivation.

It was a curse embedded directly into the soul.

Its purpose was to interfere with the manifestation of one’s inherent talents, suppressing their true potential and making even extraordinary abilities appear considerably less impressive than they truly were.

It did not erase everything, but instead, made the things he possessed seem useless.

Even when a talent managed to manifest, its full potential remained restricted, and its development was hindered by an invisible limitation.

Gray had spent a considerable amount of time investigating the strange restrictions affecting his existence.

Initially, he had suspected the curse was connected to his unusual circumstances, but the more information he gathered, the more suspicious he became of one particular individual.

Madame Vireux.

His mother.

He had never possessed enough evidence to confirm his suspicions.

Until now... and judging by the woman’s reaction...

He had finally found the answer.

Gray rested his cheek against his knuckles.

"Mother, there’s something I’ve been wondering about."

The woman looked at him.

"Why would you place such a curse on your own son?"

She lowered her gaze.

For several moments, she did not respond.

Gray continued.

"My talent was never ordinary, was it? Even with the curse suppressing my potential, I still managed to manifest several abilities and reach the strength I currently possess. Which means, without it..."

He paused and smiled.

"I wonder how much I would have been capable of accomplishing."

The woman’s fingers tightened around her teacup.

"...You shouldn’t have been able to recognize the curse."

Gray raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"It was placed on your soul long before you were old enough to understand anything about cultivation. Its structure was concealed on purpose, and its effects were designed to appear as though they were natural limitations of your existence."

She looked up.

"Even those who possess exceptional spiritual perception would struggle to identify it."

Gray chuckled.

"Then I suppose you should be proud of me."

"Gray..."

"What? I managed to uncover something even you thought was impossible to identify."

He smiled innocently.

"Isn’t that something worth celebrating?"

The woman stared at him and slowly closed his eyes.

"...You’ve become quite difficult."

"Thank you."

"That wasn’t praise."

"I’ll accept it anyway."

For a brief moment, the room became quiet.

Then the woman finally spoke again.

"How much of the curse have you managed to understand?"

Gray’s expression became slightly more serious.

"I know its name. I know its general purpose, and I know it has been interfering with the manifestation of my talents."

He paused.

"As for its complete structure, I haven’t examined every part of it yet."

The woman looked at him with a complicated expression.

"Then you haven’t removed it?"

"Not yet."

She released a slow breath.

For some reason, that answer seemed to relieve her.

Inside Gray’s body, Jasmine had remained silent throughout the exchange.

She had been observing the woman’s reactions, examining the traces of energy surrounding her, and comparing them against the information she had gathered since entering the ancient structure.

Then she finally spoke.

[Gray...]

’What is it?’

[I’ve examined your soul again.]

Gray’s expression remained unchanged.

’And?’

[There is nothing inherently abnormal about its structure. Your soul is stable, and your connection to your physical body is perfectly natural. The only unusual feature is the Soul Contract connecting your soul to mine.]

Gray raised an eyebrow internally.

’So my mother was mistaken?’

[Not entirely. She’s sensing the interference caused by the curse, but she might also be noticing the connection between our souls.]

Jasmine paused.

[Our contract is considerably more complete than most spiritual bonds. Your soul and mine are connected through a shared contract, although our individual identities and consciousness remain separate.]

’Meaning she’s sensing you.’

[Possibly.]

’Mhm...’

Gray remained silent for a few seconds.

His mother still watched him with a complicated expression, seemingly waiting for him to speak.

Unfortunately for her, Gray had little interest in either subject.

He wanted answers, and more importantly, he wanted the curse gone.

Gray placed his teacup on the table.

"Mother."

"Yes, Gray?"

"How do I remove the curse?"

The woman’s expression changed slightly.

She lowered her teacup, placing it beside her own.

"You’re asking me how to remove it?"

"Did I stutter?"

"..."

Gray leaned back in his chair, his expression remaining pleasant.

"I’m not particularly interested in hearing why you placed it on me. Nor do I care about the people who might be looking for me, my bloodline, or whatever secrets you’re keeping about my birth. Those things are interesting, sure, but they’re not my immediate concern."

His crimson-black eyes settled on her.

"I want to know how to remove the curse. Tell me."

The woman studied him for a moment.

"Gray, removing a curse embedded so deeply into your soul isn’t something you should rush into."

"That wasn’t my question."

"I understand, but you need to understand the danger involved. The curse is connected to the very foundation of your soul. Removing it without first dismantling its structure would risk damaging the very thing you’re trying to protect."

Gray’s smile disappeared.

"And?"

"Even a small mistake could have consequences for your future cultivation. Your talents, your abilities, and the structure of your soul might suffer permanent damage."

"Then tell me how to remove it without making a mistake."

She hesitated.

"...Gray, I know you’re eager to regain your full potential, but there are things you still don’t understand."

He slowly tilted his head.

"Are you deliberately avoiding my question?"

"No. I’m trying to explain why you shouldn’t rush."

"Then explain faster."

"..."

The woman looked at him for a long moment.

Gray’s expression remained calm, but the atmosphere around him had shifted. His previous amusement had vanished, replaced by an increasingly cold gaze.

He had no particular affection for the woman sitting opposite him. He also understood she might possess her own reasons for placing the curse on his soul.

But none of those things created an emotional connection within him.

He had spent his entire life without her.

He had struggled, cultivated, fought, and accumulated his current strength without receiving anything from her.

Now, after appearing out of nowhere, she expected him to sit patiently and listen to a series of vague explanations about his origins?

’How charming...’

Gray slowly stood up.

"Let me make something clear, Mother."

The woman raised her eyes.

"I don’t care whether you had a good reason for placing the curse on me. I don’t care whether you were protecting me, hiding me, or preparing me for some grand destiny. Those are your reasons, not mine."

He walked around the table.

"You’re the one who placed something inside my soul without my permission. You’re also the only person in this room who seems to know how to remove it."

His smile returned, although there was no warmth behind it.

"So stop wasting my time and tell me what I need to do."

"Gray..."

"Now."

The word came out colder than before.

For a brief moment, the woman’s expression became sorrowful.

She seemed to search his face for something, perhaps a trace of the affection a son was supposed to hold for his mother.

She found none.

"...You truly don’t trust me."

At those words, Gray blinked before throwing his head back and laughing almost madly.

"Pwahaha! Is that supposed to surprise you?"

He suddenly reached forward.

His fingers closed around her throat.

BAM!

The chair behind the woman toppled over as Gray forced her backward, pinning her against the wall.

His other hand pressed against her shoulder, preventing her from moving while his grip tightened around her neck.

The teacup fell from the table and shattered against the floor.

"Ah, forgive my manners," he said, his voice carrying a mocking sweetness. "I seem to have forgotten we’re having a family reunion."

The woman’s black hair shifted around her shoulders.

She didn’t struggle.

She didn’t even appear particularly frightened.

Instead, she stared at him with an unreadable expression.

"Gray..."

"Tell me how to remove the curse."

His fingers tightened.

"Or should I keep asking until you decide to stop treating me like a child?"