As Charles passed through one gate after another, the closer he got to the Empress's chambers, the more anxious he became.
After crossing the final gate, an extremely strange scene unfolded before his eyes.
Aria lay with her eyes tightly shut, a look of intense pain etched on her face. Surrounding her body was a massive cloud of black mist.
The black mist seemed to extend from the curse upon her, as though it had risen from underground and gathered around her. The entire palace was shrouded in a powerful curse.
Even standing at the door, Charles could feel the threat of the curse's power.
"This is definitely not normal! Someone else must have interfered!" Charles quickly made his judgment.
Aria's current state couldn't simply be explained by a curse running out of control. Even without the suppression of the Tears of an Angel, a curse couldn't possibly spiral to this extent.
