But when Hannah noticed Sokram’s expression shift into something more serious, her smirk faltered as she began to reconsider her previous assumption.

“I didn’t mean to read it. I was just curious about why those history books were so big. Mom didn’t know I could read so well back then,” Sokram began to explain sheepishly.

“I only read half of them before Mom caught me. I stopped at the Age of Progress,” he admitted.

Hannah sighed in relief, happy he hadn’t reached the books about the Age of Calamity or the Age of Destruction, which recorded the worst atrocities in their galaxy's history.

The knowledge contained in those volumes could be very traumatic for children.

Even if Sokram showed so much maturity for his age, it wasn’t ideal for someone so young to be exposed to such things; it could lead him down a perilous path.

Concerned, she pressed further.

“Then tell me what you understood about the Six Curses of Creation.”

Sokram nodded and began, “The Six Curses of Creation are…”

The curses were cast upon creation during the Age of Stagnation.

At the beginning of creation, all beings within the Multidimensional Plane were immortal, and the worlds were brimming with resources to nurture life.

It was a true utopia.

But this perfection came at a cost.

Without struggle, there was no will or need for existence to evolve.

No one had the drive to seek the growth and evolution of life.

To correct this imbalance, the personification of Evolution, Eva, and the Multidimensional Plane cast the first curse on its inhabitants: the Curse of Mortality.

Mortality forced living beings to seek evolution as a means of prolonging their lives.

This was followed by another curse: the Curse of Scarcity.

This made resources finite, introducing competition and conflict. However, the weaker races struggled the most to survive, some even teetering on the brink of extinction.

To prevent such an outcome, the third curse was unleashed: the Curse of Lust.

This curse instilled a bloodline hierarchy among the primordial races, compelling them to reproduce and ensure the continuity of life.

In Sokram’s galaxy, the Nymphic races: Dryads, Fairies, Fox-kin, Succubus, Mermaids, Mystics, and Medusae, became subject to a strong attraction to the stronger members of their racial groups, yet, because of the events that happened during the Age of Creation, also to the draconic race.

Since the inception of the curse, the Nymphic Race can only reproduce with those of other bloodlines.

Birthing either a male or a female of the other race, while only females of their own race.

So it became a common fact that members of Nymphic Races were all female, except for a few rare mutations caused by the dilution of the Primordial bloodlines.

Over time, the balance of power shifted.

Many males, drawn to the unparalleled beauty and natural allure of the Nymphs, neglected their own races.

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As their bloodlines diluted, the foundation of their strength began to erode.

To prevent this, the Curse of the Blood was cast, ensuring that those with powerful lineages felt an undeniable pull toward their own kin to preserve the purity of their bloodline.

The stronger the bloodline, the more intense the attraction.

Yet another problem arose.

With reproduction rates spiking, limited resources became the cause of further strain on every planet.

In those days, civilizations had yet to expand beyond their homeworlds. With resources dwindling and populations growing unchecked, something had to change.

Thus, the Curse of Fertility

was cast.

The stronger a being became, the less fertile they grew.

Meanwhile, the weaker races retained high reproductive rates, ensuring their survival despite their shorter lifespans.

This curse wasn’t tied to race but became a multidimensional principle.

As living beings adapted, yet another curse was unleashed: the Curse of Calamity.

This curse introduced monsters into the world and granted all creatures, sapient or not, the ability to evolve.

Monsters, driven by compulsion, sought to kill and devour to grow stronger, creating an ever-present danger for all life.

Finally, the sixth and most devastating curse was cast: the Curse of Stagnation.

If a being remained at the same Level of Existence for too long, they would begin to age and eventually die.

This curse gave the Age of Stagnation its name, as civilization was forced to face continuous struggles enforced by the personification of Evolution, Eva, and the Multidimensional Plane of Existence as existence strove to avoid a slow and inevitable demise.

Sokram explained all of this in detail, elaborating on his understanding of the curses.

Hannah listened carefully, her expression unreadable as she absorbed his words.

For a long moment, she said nothing, lost in thought.

Then, as if shaking herself free of her reverie, she asked, “Show me your hand.” She pointed to Sokram’s right hand, where the artifact mark rested.

Sokram complied, holding his hand out to her.

“Instead of using external mana, draw the mana stored in your heart and channel it into the mark,” she instructed. “You only need a small amount to activate it.”

“That simple, huh? I feel dumb now,” Sokram said with a sheepish laugh.

He quickly focused and followed her instructions.

As soon as his mana touched the mark, a black, leathery mitten-like glove appeared, covering his hand.

Each finger was encircled by a platinum-colored ring connected to the glove, and the palm bore intricate platinum-colored lines etched with mystical inscriptions. These lines extended to a golden bracelet around his wrist.

“This is a high-quality void glove, used to store spatial rings,” Hannah explained, inspecting the glove with interest. “Inject a little more mana in it and see if you can sense any rings stored within.”

Sokram’s eyes widened, pretending to be surprised, as his senses swept through the artifact. “There are at least forty rings in here, Nana!” His voice carried an unmistakable excitement. “And the best part? They’re packed with books, tomes, and scrolls. It’s like having an entire library at my fingertips!”

Seeing Sokram’s enthusiasm for acquiring knowledge brought a smile to her face.

Still, her concern lingered.

Some of the information in those books could be too dangerous for a child.

“Before you read any of them, let one of us check them first, alright?” she said firmly.

Sokram understood her worries, but he had no intention of letting their caution hinder his progress. But instead of arguing, he nodded, maintaining his excited demeanor.

This time, however, his excitement was genuine.

With the artifact activated, the first step of his plan was complete.

Later that day, Moira arrived to teach Sokram another cultivation technique.

She chose one she used herself: The Breath of Life.

Moira explained that this technique would ensure harmony between mana, spirit essence, and vital energy, preventing conflicts during cultivation.

The technique bore similarities to the Ascending Dragon Method, so Sokram learned it easily.

The primary difference was that instead of drawing vital energy to the lungs, he needed to direct it to his heart, where it would be absorbed into his bloodstream.

From there, he guided it to his whole body and back to his heart, where he would refine it to form a Vitality Core.

Learning aura from Alain also proceeded smoothly.

Though the technique Margiory had selected wasn’t the best match for Sokram, Alain’s wise guidance, the effects of the Breath of Life technique, and Sokram’s geniality helped them skillfully avoid conflicts between the two Energy Cores that started forming inside his heart.

Alain was quite impressed by his talent but chose to remain stoic, offering only concise guidance.

This became his daily routine from then on. Sokram spent his days learning from his mentors and his nights studying the books and scrolls hidden in his void glove while the others slept.

Although Sokram felt his progress was slower than he’d like, his rapid development alarmed those around him.

His cultivation speed suggested he would become awakened before his twelfth birthday. A feat so extraordinary it would undoubtedly draw unwanted attention.

Despite their concerns, Sokram remained steadfast.

His diligence never wavered as he pressed forward, step by step, toward his ultimate goal.