The next morning, loud knocks banged on the door so hard that Terra thought the police had come to arrest the family… for tax evasion.

“UNCLE ARTES! OPEN UP!” – a voice rang out, sharp and squeaky, like a chicken being strangled.

Rubbing her eyes, Terra dragged herself to the door. But the moment she saw Tobas standing there, she almost fainted.

Her childhood friend was now in the form of… a gentle maiden: hands clasped at the chest, cheeks blushing pink, eyes blinking with shy innocence.

“Terra… the weather’s so nice today, isn’t it…” – Tobas murmured sweetly.

Terra’s jaw dropped. “OH MY GOD! YOU STILL HAVEN’T ESCAPED THE Cursed?!”

In the living room, Artes – Terra’s father – sat sipping tea, calm as if the world had no problems at all. The moment he saw Tobas in his “pure maiden” version walk in, he burst into laughter so hard he almost choked.

“Hahaha! Still cursed, eh? I didn’t expect my power to cling this long!”

“UNCLE!!!” – Tobas pouted, cupping his cheeks, voice dripping with girlish whine – “I can’t live like this anymore! People on the street keep staring at me…”

Terra whipped around to her father. “Dad! Why hasn’t it worn off yet?!”

Artes happily took another sip of tea, clearly enjoying himself. But from the kitchen, Terra’s mother called out, voice casual as ever:

“You forgot again, didn’t you? The Cursed of the Sentalos only fades after an hour if someone with State-Breaking Presence is nearby. Otherwise… it lasts indefinitely.”

For a moment, the air froze. Terra stood dumbstruck. Tobas clutched his chest and shrieked like a maiden being proposed to:

“You mean… I’ll stay like THIS forever?!”

Artes scratched his head, chuckling. “Well, maybe a few days, maybe weeks… or maybe years, who knows? People with State-Breaking Presence are rarer these days than finding a working power outlet in our living room.”

“DAD!!!” – Terra screamed – “This isn’t a joke!”

But Artes only shrugged, smiling as if it were nothing. “Come on, daughter, think positive. It’s not every day you get to be best friends with such a pretty maiden like Tobas, right?”

“PRETTY YOUR HEAD!!!” – Terra and Tobas shouted in unison.

---

The Legend of Sentalos

Now, dear reader, allow me – the narrator – to step in.

The Sentalos bloodline, Terra’s ancestors, had been renowned since ancient times. When the world was swallowed by chaos and bloodshed, one man rose. He had no army, no weapons. The only thing he carried… was the power of the Cursed.

With but a single cold sentence:

> “I curse you to kneel and never rise again.”

The strongest warlord collapsed to the ground.

He did not use his power to destroy, but to stop rivers of blood from flowing. People called him the Bringer of Peace through the Cursed.

But his brilliance ended at the age of 18. The very Cursed turned on him, stilling his heart under a moonless night.

Since then, the Sentalos have carried a strange fate: unmatched power, but also a crushing burden. Each generation lived under the shadow of death at eighteen. Hunted and feared, they were forced to vanish from the sight of other supernatural clans.

And now… the Sentalos bloodline lived on – in Terra – along with a destiny that had never changed.

“Did you hear that, Terra? Did you hear that, Tobas? That’s the legend of our house.” – Artes tapped the teapot smugly. – “So Tobas turning into a maiden for a few days is just… warm-up.”

“WARM-UP FOR WHAT?!” – Terra slammed the table so hard the cups rattled.

Tobas trembled, eyes glittering as if he were about to cry. “Then… if the Cursed kills every Sentalos at 18… Terra… you don’t even have a year left…”

The room went silent. Terra swallowed hard, staring at her father. But Artes only gave a thin smile, as though even this wasn’t much to worry about.

“Why fret? Maybe the Cursed has changed. Just live happily, my girl.”

Terra pressed her lips together. A vague fear rippled inside her, but it was quickly interrupted by Tobas’s reluctant giggle in his “maiden” form.

After all the arguing, the two finally decided… to just deal with it. So Terra and Tobas headed to school together.

Needless to say, Tobas stood out. The moment they stepped into the street, neighbors teased:
“Oh ho, Terra’s got herself a new girlfriend? She’s so cute!”

Terra wanted to dig a hole and hide. Tobas blushed crimson, mumbling softly:
“Um… I’m just… a friend…”

“ENOUGH!!!” – Terra screamed, dragging Tobas away at full speed.

On the road, Tobas sighed sweetly:
“Terra… how long do you think I’ll be stuck like this?”

“Don’t ask. I don’t even know if I’ll survive tomorrow with this Cursed of 18 hanging over me…” – Terra snapped, then suddenly laughed – “But at least you make my life a little less boring.”

The two burst into laughter, a sound both bitter and carefree – the kind of laughter only high schoolers could share.

And just like that, the school gates came into view.