The Sentalos living room always carried the smell of hot tea and butter cookies. Terra’s father – Sentalos Artes – sat sprawled on the sofa, legs propped up on the table, holding a teacup like a gentleman… except he was wearing a tank top and shorts.

“You two are back?” His eyes curved in a grin. “Sit down, I’ll tell you something interesting about our family.”

Terra frowned.
“Again…? I thought you told me this last time.”
“Well…” His father shrugged. “That time you were half listening, half doubting, so today I’ll tell it again, and this time your friend will be the witness.”

Tobas immediately perked up like someone about to hear some juicy gossip.
“What’s this about, Uncle?”

Father nodded as if about to impart ancient wisdom.
“The Sentalos family, each generation has its own special ability. Mine is ‘Cursing’—all I have to do is look at someone and say, ‘I curse you to…’, and it comes true. Your friend Terra’s mother, from her side of the family, has ‘Luck’—anyone near her will have good fortune. You see, luck and curses together… instead of getting rich, your mom and I just end up arguing a lot.”

He told it while sipping tea and chuckling, as if discussing a neighborhood rumor rather than supernatural powers.

Tobas folded his arms, smirking.
“Uncle, if that’s real, I… I’ll become a crocodile.”

“A crocodile’s hard,” father replied casually. “But I could make you a cat.”
“No, I mean…” Tobas waved his hands. “Fine, curse me. Make it something… weird.”

Terra jumped in.
“Wait, are you sure? If my dad really—”
“At worst, nothing will happen.” Tobas grinned. “You scared?”

Father leaned on his chin, eyes sparkling as if he’d found a new toy.
“Alright then… I curse you to become a gentle, demure, shy virgin maiden.”

Terra burst out laughing, while Tobas stood with arms crossed, face saying, “Well? Done yet?”

Five seconds… ten seconds… nothing happened. Tobas waved it off.
“See? Totally fake—”

But then Terra blinked. Tobas’s stance had changed. He wasn’t standing with hands on his hips anymore—his hands were lightly clasped in front of his stomach, fingers twisting together.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Terra asked.
“N-nothing…” Tobas’s voice suddenly turned soft and sugary, pitched higher.

Father’s eyebrows lifted in delight, while Terra swallowed hard as he saw his friend’s face flush, eyes lowered.

“Why won’t you look at me?” Terra asked.
“B-because… it’s embarrassing…” Tobas muttered—and dear God, he giggled, covering his mouth like a high school anime girl.

“No way…” Terra stepped back. “Dad, what kind of magic did you just pull?!”
“I told you,” Father shrugged. “‘Cursing.’ Believe me now?”

Tobas stepped toward Terra—but not normally. Each step was light, his head tilted slightly, one hand resting gently on his chest.
“Terra… would you like to have tea with me?” he asked, voice so sweet it sent chills.

“NO! I want you back to normal!” Terra shouted.

Father burst into laughter, nearly spilling his tea.
“Alright, alright… This curse will probably wear off in a few hours. Let’s call it a lesson: don’t challenge the power of the Sentalos family.”

But what was more unsettling… as Father laughed, Terra caught a glimpse of his eyes—deep and sharp, nothing like a joke. And somewhere inside, a question began to rise:
If this was just ‘for fun’… what would a serious curse be like?