Cursed and Confused: The Chronicles of a Magical Mess

Chapter I

"Isn't this a fantastic story?" Denise practically jumped out of her chair, clutching tightly to a large, fluffy pillow—decorated with the image of a half-dressed magician lounging seductively on a bed. The pillow was about Denise's size, almost as if it was designed for her to cuddle up next to. Across from her sat Nina, her cousin, and, for better or worse, the unwitting roommate to the owner of this peculiar piece of interior decor.

Nina's eyes lingered for a second on Denise's green eyes, her red hair tied in a bouncy ponytail, and then slid with obvious reluctance to the "Dragon Age" logo on the oversized hoodie her cousin was wearing. Typical Denise.

With a sigh, Nina closed the old, slightly musty-looking book in her hands. "What's so fantastic about it? Some poor woman being taken advantage of by a guy—again." She snorted, tossing the book back to Denise like it had personally offended her. Standing up, Nina headed for the fridge, popping it open to grab the cold soda she had been saving since that morning.

Denise flipped through the book, which, despite not being very thick, looked ancient—though it was actually just a reprint of an old edition. A boring one, at that. Their professor had lent it to Nina for a paper she had approximately zero motivation to write.

"But look!" Denise's eyes sparkled with excitement. "It says here that her great-grandson inherited her powers! And it's not clear if it's just a legend or if it's real!"

Nina raised an eyebrow as she returned to the couch, popping the tab on her soda with a loud hiss. She sat down next to Denise, her expression clearly saying she was not in the mood for a deep dive into magical conspiracy theories.

"Come on, Denise. It's just a legend. You ever seen a wizard? With all the technology we've got today..." Nina trailed off, trying to inject a little reality into her cousin's fantasy-fueled brain. But Denise, ever the dreamer, furrowed her brows and puffed her lips out in a pout, refusing to give up her magical musings so easily.

"You never know! What if a magician like that does exist? I wonder what he'd be like... Probably all dark and brooding, burdened by all those sins... But deep down, maybe his heart's still—"

SNAP!

The sharp sound of Nina cracking open her soda can cut Denise's reverie short, and a few drops of the icy drink splattered on her cheek. She blinked in surprise.

"Stop playing those... what do you call them? Otome games, right?" Nina muttered, taking a long, uninterested sip of her drink. "This poor woman's entire family was cursed with the sins and forced to do the Church's dirty work. I doubt her descendants are thrilled about it, you know?" Nina was nothing if not a realist. She imagined being stuck with some centuries-old curse and thought, Yeah, hard pass on that.

Denise didn't respond, though her thoughts were clearly still spinning in the world of dark magic and handsome wizards with tragic backstories. Nina just sighed, softening slightly as she glanced at her cousin's dreamy expression. Denise had always been a hardcore fan of fantasy and anime, but nothing could get her more excited than wizards or vampires. Anything with pointy hats, capes, or a bit of brooding bloodsucking, and she was in her element.

She knew Denise meant well. After all, Nina had moved to the city to get away from her own mundane problems—her mom's new boyfriend, the one who strutted around the house like he owned the place, acting like some kind of self-appointed lord. That had driven Nina out faster than any curse could. So, she moved in with Denise to pursue her real passion: journalism. Lucky for her, the best program in the country just happened to be in the same city as her cousin.

Now, here they were—living together in a small apartment, with Denise's obsession with magic often competing for space with Nina's reality-driven goals. Sometimes Nina wondered if she'd have been better off staying at home, away from the constant wizardry talk and her cousin's collection of questionable pillows.

But hey, maybe Denise's "fantastic story" was just what she needed to cope with life's nonsense.

"And to think," Nina chuckled, shooting her cousin a playful wink, "I left home to escape Mom's new boyfriend, and now I've gotta deal with you and your imaginary wizards."

Denise didn't seem to mind the joke. She just smiled, lost in thoughts of fantastical adventures and tragic heroes. Maybe that's what made her so likable. She believed in magic—even if the rest of the world had long forgotten it.

"Good, anyway, I have to write a paper on this story," Nina sighed heavily, taking another hefty sip from her can. "And you, enjoy your vacation. Weren't you supposed to go to the movies tonight?" She glanced at Denise, snapping her cousin out of the whirlwind of thoughts that had probably ventured into some very... questionable territory.

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Denise's face lit up. "The girls and I are going to the premiere of the new OVA for our favorite series! Normally, they only show this stuff in Japan, but one cinema here made an exception!" She nodded vigorously, and for a moment, Nina was reminded of two things: that Denise had an unshakable obsession with fictional characters, and that despite her excitable, quirky personality, she worked remotely as the head of an IT department.

*Right, she actually had the money for all her anime decorations and games.* Nina glanced around the apartment, half-wondering how she hadn't fully processed that before.

"Anyway," Nina said, sipping her drink with a resigned sigh, "have fun. Ugh, I really don't have the strength to write this paper..."

Denise grinned, getting up from her chair. "You'll manage. You're smart! Plus, it's just a legend, right? Nothing to worry about." She winked playfully, her mood as light as ever. "Now I've got to go get ready. Can't be late for the most magical event of the year!"

As Denise skipped off to prepare for her night of anime excitement, Nina shook her head with a small smile. She glanced back at the old book on the table, the one about the cursed lineage and forgotten magic. *A legend...* Nina thought, her eyes narrowing at the book's worn cover.

For just a moment, she wondered—*What if?*

With a tired chuckle, she finished her soda, pushing away the fleeting thought.

"Fantasy's really gotten to me..." she muttered, before grabbing her laptop to face her own battle—a blank document and a looming deadline.

Denise may have her magical worlds, but Nina had her own task ahead. And right now, that task was simply surviving a research paper.