The Cursed: Legend of Neil

Episode One-Part VI: And The Winner Is….

Delia was even faster now, her movements sharp and unpredictable as she tried to land a clean strike on Neil. But Neil was not the same helpless boy from the past. He had taken lessons ever since he was little, small pieces of training his father had drilled into him over the years. They weren’t flashy, nor the kind of techniques one would see in a grand arena, but they were practical—enough to defend himself when it mattered most. And this was one of those moments.

He steadied himself, feet planted firmly on the broken floor. His father’s voice rang somewhere in the back of his mind, reminding him of the basics—anticipate, don’t flinch, redirect the attack. When Delia’s fist came barreling toward him, he stood his ground, caught her fist in his palm, and with a sharp twist of his body drew her closer. Using the momentum, he rammed his shoulder into her, shoving her off balance.

The impact forced her a step back, but Delia was far from finished. Neil followed through, swinging a counterstrike meant to put her away. She raised both arms swiftly, crossing them over her chest to block the blow. His strike landed with a dull thud, stopped cold by her guard.

Neil exhaled sharply. No time to waste. He scanned the battlefield and spotted the scattered debris around the icy pillar. With a flicker of concentration, he switched positions with a broken piece of rubble near the frozen column. His hand gripped the slick surface of the pillar, and before the thought fully settled in, he switched again, reappearing with the icy structure clutched in his arms.

“I hope this is gonna work,” Neil thought grimly, adjusting his stance.

“Oh no!” Delia’s voice rang out, but it was strange—her yell carried no weight, no urgency. It was spoken with the volume of an ordinary conversation. “Jade, watch out!”

Her warning was too late.

Neil leapt directly into the invisible wave surging across the field, grabbing Sandy in the process. The pillar was left behind in the wave’s path, and the frozen mass shattered instantly with a deafening crack. The collision of energy and ice blasted outward, and the violent impact flung Jade mercilessly against the wall. She slammed hard, the sound echoing through the room, and crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Sandy’s breath came quick, his voice unsteady but full of relief. “That was a brilliant performance, Neil. If you hadn’t thought of it fast, I would have become a mortar to that wall.”

“Thank me later,” Neil panted, sweat dripping freely down his face. His lungs burned from exertion. “We still have company.”

Delia’s eyes flickered toward Jade’s limp form. Her expression did not waver, yet she raised a hand to her face, exhaling a soft sigh as though brushing away a trivial annoyance.

“Why is this becoming a drag?” she thought silently. “I guess I have to end this with my deadly attack.”

Her head lifted slowly, her gaze locking squarely onto Neil. Those blank, unreadable eyes pierced through him.

“But he is my biggest problem,” she admitted to herself. “He thinks faster than anyone I have fought with.”

Her expression remained calm, void of anything human.

Sandy, still catching his breath, glanced uneasily at her and then leaned toward Neil. “Neil, do me a favor—tell me what is she thinking?”

Neil wiped at his nose, his lips tightening. “I wish I could tell what she’s thinking,” he muttered.

“Why’s that so?” Sandy pressed.

“Her expression’s as blank as a slate,” Neil concluded. “I can’t figure out anything that is running through her mind.”

Sandy’s throat bobbed. “So what do we do now?” His voice cracked slightly, betraying the tremor of fear in him.

Neil turned his head, meeting Sandy’s gaze with a faint smile. The smile carried a strange kind of reassurance, though it only sent a chill down Sandy’s spine. He knew Neil had a reputation for figuring out impossible situations, for pulling victory from thin air. His hopes soared in that instant, expecting another brilliant solution.

“We quit,” Neil said simply.

The words hit like stones in the silence that followed. The only sound was the wind sneaking through the fractured walls of the collapsing building.

“What?” Sandy’s voice erupted, louder than he intended. His fists clenched tight.

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Quitting was something he despised more than anything. To him, quitting wasn’t strategy—it was shame.

“Now that will ruin my legacy!” he blurted, almost hysterical.

Neil frowned. “Were you even listening to me?”

“Wait—what was that?” Sandy blinked, confused.

“You’ve got to be kidding me right now.” Neil shook his head in disbelief. His expression left no doubt; Sandy hadn’t been paying attention at all. Neil realized bitterly that he had been talking to himself the entire time.

“NEIL—!”

But Neil’s body betrayed him before Sandy could finish. His hand flew to his neck, and his knees buckled. He dropped heavily to the ground, convulsing. It was happening again—the voices in his head returned, louder and sharper than before. His body spasmed, glitches ripping through his muscles uncontrollably.

“Why now?” Neil thought desperately, his vision swimming.

Warm blood dripped steadily from his nose, the crimson trail marking the price of pushing his power too far. He had already reached his limit. Every nerve screamed at him to stop, to let go, but he was still in the middle of the fight. To retreat now would scar his name forever, branding him weak.

Sandy’s chest tightened as he rushed to Neil’s side. He had seen him exhausted before, but never in this much pain. Each time Neil fell like this, Sandy had felt powerless, unable to help. And now, in the face of Delia’s relentless aura, helplessness weighed down on him again.

But Sandy clenched his jaw. Not this time.

He rose to his feet, forcing himself to stand between Neil and Delia. His eyes burned with defiance. “Snow witch,” he spat, his tone mocking in an attempt to provoke her. “It’s just you and me now. I hope you got more skills under your sleeves?”

From his pocket, he withdrew two cards. One bore the image of a silhouette wrapped in a lightning aura, the other a piercing eye resembling the Eye of Horus. With steady movements, he slotted them into his gloves. The air crackled faintly.

“‘Cause I’m not holding back.” A sinister smile tugged at his lips.

Delia didn’t blink. She didn’t flinch. She just watched him with that same blank stare, devoid of fear, anger, or even amusement.

Above them, Professor Hiro observed quietly, a faint smile curling his face. “This is becoming interesting,” he murmured, eyes gleaming. “Both candidates are on each other’s neck.” He cast a glance upward at the ceiling, cracks spiderwebbing through the stone. “And this building cannot hold on for that long. It could collapse any minute.”

He looked down again, intrigued. “These boys were indeed worthy of the class I admitted them in.”

Jade stirred weakly, groaning as consciousness returned. Pain shot through her body, punishment from the backlash of her own attack. She laughed bitterly. “My body is still reacting to that attack of mine.”

She tried to push herself upright, but her limbs trembled under her own weight. Her vision cleared slowly, and she spotted Sandy, standing tall, lightning pulsing faintly around him.

“How is he still standing?” she wondered in disbelief. “That attack was supposed to wear him out already. If he’s fine, then why am I still feeling the vibration of my violin?”

Her body failed her again, forcing her back down.

Across the field, Sandy and Delia locked eyes, neither blinking, neither moving. A standoff.

“Are you going to keep standing there?” Sandy asked coldly. “Or are you going to come at me?”

No reply.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Fine then, here I come.”

With that, he bolted forward, speed crackling in his every step. Delia stood motionless, calm as ever, her eyes narrowing just slightly. She closed them, focusing.

“He won’t be a problem,” she whispered. “Ice clones.”

A cold mist seeped from her body, thick and suffocating. The cloud swirled violently, and from it, another Delia emerged. Then another. Within seconds, three Delias stood across from Sandy.

“Ice clones,” Neil whispered from the ground, barely conscious. “She’s good enough to invoke not one but two of her images. I have to warn Sandy to be careful.”

But Sandy only smirked. “Clones, eh? Now you’re bringing the show I like, eh?”

He spread his arm wide, and lightning burst forth, crackling violently. The sheer pressure of the energy sent gusts of wind tearing through the room, threatening to rip the already weakened structure apart. A monstrous thunderhead built around him.

Two clones charged, sprinting toward him. When they came within striking range, Sandy swung his arm with precision. The lightning rod erupted forward, swirling as it tore through the first clone, shattering it into mist. The rod whipped back into his hand, and with another swing—like cutting with a sword—he sliced clean through the second clone. Both dispersed instantly, nothing left but vapor.

“Clean job done,” Sandy muttered with satisfaction, a grin spreading across his face.

“You are next, girl,” he said darkly, raising his head to Delia.

He pressed his right arm against his left, fingers curling into a fist. Lightning erupted in a sphere around him, the violent streaks carving deep scars into the floor. He launched himself at her with explosive speed.

Neil, despite his pain, scanned the room. His sharp eyes caught the cracks widening in the walls, dust raining down. The building was on the verge of collapse. He clenched his fists weakly. “I have to think of a way to end this fight, or it will be doom for everyone. Sandy doesn’t want to give up… neither does Delia. There has to be a way.”

His vision blurred, but he forced his eyes open wider, activating them, pushing his limits. The mist thickened again. Delia’s form split once more into clones, three silhouettes stretching their arms outward.

“This is bad,” Neil realized. “I have to warn him.”

He tried to shout, but pain racked his body, keeping him paralyzed.

The clones whispered in eerie unison: “Snow Shurikens.”

A storm of crystalline blades tore through the air, hurtling toward Sandy. He didn’t see them. He was too focused on his target.

Neil’s gaze darted around, desperate. His eyes caught a stone on the ground, lying just within reach. With what little strength he had left, he grabbed it, and with a surge of effort, he tossed it near Sandy. His power flared, and in an instant, he switched positions with the stone.

Sandy heard the piercing sound rushing toward him and turned his head sharply—only to find Neil standing there instead, a faint, bloodied smile on his face. A thin stream of red dripped from the corner of his mouth.

“Do I have to cover for your ass all the time?” Neil said calmly, his voice soft but steady.

Then his body gave way, and he collapsed into Sandy’s arms.