Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

Outside, screams echoed ominously.
Though they were indistinct.
Jiu could still determine that it was the sound of many people screaming together.
She listened for a while before losing interest.
Right now, the most important thing was to practice the Saint-making Technique.
Yet just as she’d begun her practice, there was a knock at the door of the Solitary Confinement Room.
"Come in."
Jiu spoke out.
The door to the Solitary Confinement Room slowly opened.
A humanoid figure, completely black and with a single horn on its head, walked in.
"Mother."
The humanoid figure said respectfully.
Mother?
Jiu was caught off guard.
But being accustomed to challenges, she quickly formed a hypothesis.
"Are you the curse?"
Jiu asked.
The horned, black figure spoke:
"You separated me from the endless combination of Techniques, thanks to this act, I was able to develop a separate consciousness—"
"I truly existed."
Jiu fell into silence.
She saw the two guards outside the Solitary Confinement Room door standing motionless, seemingly unaware.
The hands of the clock on the wall were frozen still.
A speck of dust remained suspended in the dim light.
The warning Runes on the wall were unresponsive.
The Laws were silent.
Like a flock of docile sheep—
In this moment of utter stillness, they dared not act.
A chill crept up her spine.
Damn.
Why did an unexplainable coldness linger in her heart, refusing to fade?
Jiu steadied herself.
It was obvious; this being was the curse she had drawn from the "King".
—A curse that could develop consciousness and become a being akin to a "person"?
Too bizarre.
"Mother, please nourish me."
The curse spoke.
Nourish...
Jiu instinctively glanced at her own chest,
No.
That shouldn’t be the meaning here.
"Mother, I’m dying, please... save me..."
The humanoid curse continued.
Let it die.
Or.
—Help it survive?
In an instant.
Countless thoughts flashed through Jiu’s mind.
She wanted to consult with a few Creations, but found they were all "blocked".
Yes.
At this moment.
Even the Truth Creations couldn’t intervene!
Jiu suddenly realized something.
—The curse was something even the "King" couldn’t handle.
It came from that monster.
And that monster had awakened from deep within the Truth World.
Ultimately—
This curse was a Technique from the Other Shore.
It was about to die.
"I’m very weak," Jiu said, "Is there any way to save you?"
The curse took a step forward, knelt before her, and sobbed:
"I need something to eat, or else, once my Strength is depleted, I’ll vanish immediately."
Yes.
It is a Technique.
A Cursing Technique.
Its original Fate was to exhaust its Strength, attack the enemy, and then vanish forever.
Jiu tried her best to smile, softening her voice:
"What do you want to eat?"
"A Spell, I need to eat a Spell, Mother," the curse immediately responded.
Technique life requires consuming other Spells to survive.
Energy conservation.
—Very reasonable.
But—
"This building is filled with various Spell Runes, if you attack them, they will be activated, why don’t you eat those?" Jiu asked.
"Not enough, they’re too weak, the Aether I consume in eating them exceeds the Aether they provide, Mother, I will starve," the curse replied.
There was no way then.
"What can I give you?" Jiu asked.
"Entries or Techniques related to entries, the Mana within them could barely allow me to survive here, Mother," the curse said.
Jiu pondered for a moment, finally making her decision.
To save it.
Yes, to her, it was undoubtedly immensely dangerous, but it was also a power that could break the stalemate.
She couldn’t fend off the Saints’ siege on her own.
But with this Technique from the Other Shore, there was hope.
There were many benefits.
—She had to take a risk!
Jiu’s mind flickered, and she released a Technique.
"Fate’s Puppet Strings."
"A divine skill, Control Skill, Double-edged Whip of Divination and Evolution."
This Technique could cause Negative entries to occur, which could be considered skills related to entries.
"Mother, may I eat?"
The curse asked in a tone filled with longing.
"Eat," Jiu said softly.
The cursed silhouette immediately turned into a shadow, flying to her hand, like a serpent coiling around a pillar, consuming the Spell in one bite.
Tiny glowing letters appeared:
"Your divine skill ’Fate’s Puppet Strings’ was consumed."
"You have eternally lost this Technique."
"Your curse is feeding."
In an instant.
The clock on the wall resumed tick-tocking.
The door to the Solitary Confinement Room closed shut.
Everything returned to normal.
Only the voice of the curse lingered in Jiu’s mind:
"Thank you, Mother, I finally survived..."
The voice gradually faded.
Jiu watched the shadow completely disappear into her palm, only then did she realize she had broken into a cold sweat.
The voice of the curse was tinged with innocence, yet filled with sincerity.
—It was just born!
What direction would this matter develop in the future?
Unknown.
But she had already made her choice.
As Jiu was contemplating, lines of tiny glowing letters quietly appeared:
"The curse has agreed to share all its information with you."
"Recorded its remaining battle records, total: one record."
"The current ’curse’ has devoured all Runes and Spells in the Myriad Realms Survival Conference building, all attacks cast upon it, all defensive Spells cast on the spot."
"Hunger led it to find the being that allowed its birth—you."
Jiu steadied herself.
—It still wasn’t satiated?
Damn.
She shook her head, deciding not to waste time on matters beyond her control.