Cursed to Infinity Chapter 10 (Patreon)

There was a long silence after Mei Mei spoke as I digested her words and after a bit... I shook my head with a wry smile as I said frankly. "No, the thing is. You are looking for personal power the ability to groom a key into being made to give you more power. Why can't I just give you more power instead? What would you offer for that?" I asked simply.

Mei Mei's expression went through a number of changes. First was confusion as she processed that information, second was contemplation as she considered said option... And lastly was denial as I could see something in her head didn't like the idea so I said frankly.

"There is also the fact that I refuse to have a child of my own running around that I will not be part of. So if your thought is based on having unfettered access to one of my kids to groom them over the course of a decade plus into making you more powerful, that is simply not happening." 

Mei Mei's expression fell into her more casual demeanor before she hummed and said. "Oh so you instead want me to focus my attention on you?"

My lips twitched at the hint of teasing in her voice as her sister gave me a knowing smile making me roll my eyes as I replied evenly. "Sure, if you want to put it that way. But it's more of the fact that should you prove yourself trustworthy to me, I can even now make you more powerful by heavily expanding your cursed energy stores and even giving you an extra cursed energy technique basically."

I couldn't just give people the Thu-Um in its entirety to others even if I wanted to. But cursed energy and spiritual energy was one in the same at their core despite having different attributes due to Cursed energy being a negative typing.

So just as the Greybeards in normal humans could learn the Thu-Um and even share their knowledge of the draconic words of power. I could do the same but more, in how I could feel it in my bones how I could enlay a word of the Thu-Um into someone to give them power of that single word or maybe even more than a single word depending on how powerful their soul was.

Ui Ui spoke quietly. "My beloved sister is beyond perfect, whatever power you give her will be used to help countless others and allow my sister to continue making money." 

As though telling me I should give Mei Mei more power out of the goodness out of my heart and Mei Mei hearing her adorable sister's words chuckled and patted her head saying indulgently. "Ah ah ah Ui Ui. Jake naturally has the right to demand something for such a boon. I for one wouldn't share my power at all for no reason beyond saving my own life."

Mei Mei looked at me with those cunning purple eyes and asked plainly. "Well Jake, what is your cost and what will you provide?" 

I hummed at the blunt question as I imagined what would be a power that Mei Mei could use to better herself. Because just being able to throw a huge fireball although good wouldn't make her more powerful or synch up with her cursed technique.

After a moment of thought, I said. "Beyond the doubling of your stores of Cursed Energy, I did do some research on you and learned you have the Cursed Technique that conjures up birds you can control and do battle with. What if I gave you the ability to make you and your birds intangible to all attacks that don't attack the very soul? Or give you and the bird super speed that will allow you to match the likes of the Zenin Clan Master with his Projection technique."

Mei Mei closed her eyes at the thoughts I painted for her and then with she opened them and asked with her voice soft and husky. "And what would such a thing cost? Not money I assume?"

For a moment I considered that... What was power worth to her, and the offering of the power from myself as I didn't lose anything from engraving the word upon her soul. 

Was this act of giving someone else power going to bite me in the ass when the Jujutsu Clans figured out I could give out lesser cursed techniques basically to say nothing of words that could synch up to their own techniques and make them even more powerful? 

To say nothing of the Hunter's guild and government-controlled organizations that will also demand me to do the same to others.

And so after a long minute of thought, I leaned in and with confidence, I said plainly. "I want you both. You will swear a Heavenly Vow to this effect and Mei Mei I will make you as strong as I can." 

Smiling I threw out the final noose that I had as I said. "Mei Mei... I think that more than anything, more than power, money, or anything else you want to live and I can curse you to remain at your age, time locked in your current body for the rest of my life." 

That was it and as Mei Mei spoke I already knew her answer. "Well Jake you have given me much to think about, would you give me time-"

I held up a hand and I looked her dead in her purple eyes as I said in no uncertain terms. "Yes or no Mei Mei. I already know you are going to say yes. Just trying to have one last moment of control and to make me wait isn't going to do anything but waste our time." 

There was silence as Mei Mei broke eye contact and looked down at her hands that were together elegantly on her lap after she got bored of patting her sister's head. And I could all but see into her head as she examined her hands, looked at the scars of training, of battle, and other things that had clearly worn upon her hands over the years of her life.

And she knew that as she was hitting her thirties... It was all downhill from here, she would lose her vaunted beauty, and she would become even weaker as her technique didn't have any method of de-aging her or restoring her body at all.

Finally, Mei Mei met my eyes again and she gave a wane smile as she said. "I suppose that my answer will be a yes then. I will come up with a suitable vow we can both be happy with." She looked at her sister Ui Ui and said. "Ui Ui, take Jake home to his apartment and keep him company. I have much to think about." 

And before I could properly say anything Ui Ui teleported from the couch she was sharing with her sister, I felt her hand landing upon my own and then with my vision blurred as we abruptly teleported onto my front fucking doorstep with my eye twitching at the realization that she knew exactly down to my very apartment door on where I lived.