Glen was immediately drawn to it. He had nothing to lose anymore. Glen wrapped his hand around the blade and attempted to pull out the sword. It wouldn"t budge, but soon after Glen touched it he heard a strange voice in his head. He could not understand the language, but he felt its meaning in his very soul.

"Who so ever holds this blade… If he be worthy… Shall possess the Flames of Destiny."

"The Flames of Destiny grant the power to forge your future."

"Do you believe you are worthy of the Flames of Destiny mortal?"

"Yes," said Glen.

"What do you desire?"

"I seek revenge on the Stonemaul and Deepforge tribes!" said Glen.

"What would you give up for your revenge?"

"I would give anything," said Glen.

"Would you forsake your body?"

"Yes!" said Glen.

"Would you forsake your soul?"

"Yes!" said Glen.

"Would you deny yourself the right to control your very thoughts? All to fulfill this one act of revenge?"

"Yes!" said Glen.

"Then take this blade within your hand!"

Glen placed the now moving blade within his hands. He felt a powerful force flowing through him.

"There! I think he went into that cave!" said a loud voice outside.

Glen heard the pursuers closing in.

"Pierce this blade through your heart. In return for your revenge vow to give your mind, body, and soul to the Flames of Destiny."

Glen had no choice. He would commit this insane act. The pursuers would kill him anyway once they found him! He might as well forge his destiny.

"I give my mind, body, and soul to the Flames of Destiny in return for my revenge!" said Glen as he pierced his heart with the demonic blade.

"Ha ha ha, you have chosen wisely mortal."

Billowing powerful flames soon encircled Glen. As something gripped his soul and ripped it from his body.

For the first time, Glen felt powerful. It was a sinking feeling. As the flames circled him, he began to look down on the world.

Glen removed the blade from his now heartless body, and the wound cauterized. His body was now lifeless, it was only a corpse. His soul safely tucked away within the blade. His heart no longer beat. But he could still move his lifeless corpse.

Glen felt a tight connection with the sword. He was the sword, and the sword was him. Flames entwined his entire body. When he breathed in and out small wisps would be created. Flames flowed through his entire lifeless body.

Glen held up the blade, staring at it deeply. The terms of the devil deal he just made were etched into his cursed soul.

"Good, good, my new Curse Bound. Embrace the power of my Dao and use it to slaughter those pitiful mortals!"

Today the Earthen World had experienced a new dawn. The land and seas would be dyed red from the events that unfolded today. For today was the birth of the very first Curse Bound!

Speaking was now difficult for Glen. The flames had charred his lungs.

"I... Will... Serve..." said Glen with his now deep raspy voice.

"Your... Will..."

"Eternally..."

Talking had become labor-some. He could get out only a single word at a time. Glen quickly understood his condition. His soul was bound inside the blade.

His mortal body was but a sheath to hold the blade. He was now a puppeteer moving his former body.

"We... Are... Destiny..." said Destiny as he looked toward the entrance of the cave.

Ten dwarfs surrounded the cave.

"Theirs no escape Glen!"

"You"ve reached the end of the mountain."

"Come... Mortals..." said Destiny as he yelled outside the cave.

"Meet... Your... Deaths!!!"

Destiny destroyed the entrance to the cave and jumped out.

"Die... Die... Die..."

Mid-air Destiny swung his flaming sword.

One swing, a head flew off.

"Run!"

Another swing incinerated a body.

"Save yourselves!"

"That"s not Glen!"

"We awoke a monster!"

"Too... Late..."

"To... Run..."

Destiny landed on the ground.

A third swing, it scorched the very land. The flames consumed the pursuers.

"This... Power..."

"My... Revenge..."

"Soon..."

After killing his pursuers, Destiny did not immediately rush to fight the two clans who had him at wit"s end. He needed to learn to use his new power. The ones chasing him were weak dogs compared to the heads of the clans.

Even with his increase in strength, heading there with such poor control was only seeking his death.

Destiny brought the flames exuded from his corpse under control. His body was scorched, scorched black. Lava flowed through his veins.

"Embrace... The... Fire..."

Destiny dived into the magma gus.h.i.+ng from the mountain. Fully embracing the chaotic fel fire that flowed through his corpse.

"They... Will... Pay..."

Destiny said as he sank into the magma. He entombed himself to fully attune his cursed soul to the Fire Dao. When he exited his entombment, it would be curtain calls for the two clans.

Years slowly pa.s.sed in the Earthen World. The clans had long forgotten about Glen and his inheritance. They a.s.sumed that he died in some kind of volcanic accident with the ones chasing him after they saw the scene.

The corpses of his enemies were burnt far beyond recognition. They couldn"t identify if one belonged to him or what happened.

As years pa.s.sed similar incidents continued to happen every time Destiny awoke from his slumber… Destiny had to feed… And it needed fresh souls…

Rumors spread of a flaming corpse wielding a beautiful weapon. Whenever he appeared everything would be burnt to dust.

Most thought of the rumors as fairy tales meant to scare children.

James instructed Destiny to live in the shadows. Most of the time Destiny was dormant. For Destiny, to attune to the Fire Dao would take time.

~~~

"My plans in the Earthen World are going well. I have planted Destiny. When the time is ripe, I will harvest this World," I said.

I could feel a connection with Destiny, just as I did when I first forged it. A freely offered mortal soul was the last step in the forging process. Creating a true living cursed weapon. Destiny will be my sharpest blade.

As my understanding of Dao deepened, so would its power increase. As my cursed weapon spirit, the Curse Bound was borrowing my Dao. It could use all the Dao insights engraved in the blade. However, filling a teacup with an ocean was impossible.

Destiny had no choice but to hibernate as he connected to my Fire Dao. He had little understanding of how to wield such power. If gifting a mortal, the power of a Baron was so simple everyone would do it!

I could not forge weapon spirits with tempered souls because my understanding of Soul Dao was not deep enough. The Soul Dao is mysterious, but with the combination of Curse, Soul, and Fire. I had made my first Curse Bound.

Poor Glen had forsaken his mortality to become my cursed weapon spirit Destiny!