Chapter 16 Harry Osborn

The next day, Neo was at school, bored as always, with nothing to do.

Out of nowhere, a note landed on his desk, thrown by someone. When he opened it, he saw it was a message from Gwen that read:

"Hey Neo, what's up? Harry is setting up a mini movie night at his place with just MJ, Peter, and me. Want to come?"

Seeing this, Neo looked at her and nodded in agreement. Gwen smiled happily at his response and gestured that they would talk later.

At that moment, the teacher noticed the two passing notes in the middle of class and shouted at them.

"Neo and Gwen! Since you're so focused on exchanging notes, why don't you tell me the answer to this question?"

Gwen, who hadn't been paying attention, glanced at the board and lowered her head, indicating she had no idea.

Neo looked at the board but didn't understand half the question, so he just shrugged, completely unconcerned with the teacher.

Seeing his lack of commitment, the teacher, furious, spoke directly to Neo.

"You have no future, young man. Your parents must be ashamed of you."

The moment those words left his mouth, the entire room fell into silence. The teacher dropped to his knees as a heavy, sinister aura radiated from Neo, thickening the air. Some students even fainted.

Gwen felt the pressure but only shivered slightly, as if the aura was intentionally avoiding her.

Peter, on the other hand, could feel the full weight of it, struggling under the intense oppression of being so close to Neo.

Neo's eyes glowed ominously as he stared down at the teacher. His voice was low but chilling.

"Don't ever mention my parents again, or else—"

Before he could finish, the fire alarm suddenly blared, interrupting both his words and the suffocating aura.

As the oppressive energy vanished, the students wasted no time, scrambling out of the classroom in a panic—except for Gwen and Peter, who remained, still staring at Neo in shock.

Neo had expected them to run away in fear, just like the others. But instead, Peter's reaction took him completely by surprise.

"DUDE, NEO, THAT WAS AWESOME!" Peter shouted excitedly.

Neo froze, confused. How the hell is that awesome?

Then he noticed Peter looking at him with eyes full of admiration. Gwen, still surprised, added,

"That was really cool, Neo! How did you do that?"

Neo, seeing how amazed they were, simply said:

Neo: It's nothing special, just something I can do.

Hearing his response, Peter and Gwen were even more surprised, now looking at Neo with newfound admiration.

But then, Gwen suddenly remembered something and quickly spoke up.

Gwen: Wait, aren't we supposed to evacuate because of the alarm?

Realizing that, the three of them bolted for the exit—though, in reality, it was just Gwen dragging Neo while Peter ran ahead.

Once they reached the outside, the entire school was already gathered. A few minutes later, the principal appeared and began shouting to the students.

Principal: It seems we had a minor gas leak, so the school will be closed for the rest of the day. You're all dismissed.

Hearing that, the trio felt relieved, each for their own reasons—Peter, because he'd get to spend more time with MJ; Gwen, because she wouldn't have to waste time on useless subjects like Art or History and could focus on what she liked; and Neo, simply because he hated school.

But just as they were about to head somewhere to talk, a pair of familiar faces approached them.

It was none other than MJ and Harry. As they got closer, they greeted the trio before MJ asked:

MJ: What happened? I heard some people from your class calling Neo a monster.

Harry, who seemed a little out of it, quickly snapped back to attention and nodded.

Harry: Yeah, I even saw some guys piss themselves. What the hell happened?

Neo, barely paying attention to their conversation, had his focus entirely on Harry. The curse on his back had grown—but not by much.

However, the consequences of this "evolution" were clear. Harry looked noticeably more tired, zoning out randomly.

But more than anything, Neo noticed something strange. He decided to test something.

Interrupting the conversation, he suddenly asked:

Neo: Harry, do you want me to purify you?

Everyone froze at the unexpected question—even Gwen gave Neo a weird look.

Especially because no one in this group believed in that kind of spiritual nonsense. They believed exclusively in science—nothing else.

Gwen even spoke up, shaking her head.

Gwen: Sorry, Neo, but Harry doesn't believe in that stuff.

But, against all expectations, Harry replied:

Harry: Sure, Neo.

Everyone looked at him, confused. Normally, Harry would've refused without hesitation.

Harry then added:

Harry: Do you want to do this purification here, or—

Before he could finish his sentence, Neo suddenly punched him—hard. The impact knocked Harry to the ground, shocking everyone.

Gwen: WHAT THE HELL, NEO?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!

Neo raised his hands, trying to calm everyone down so he could explain. But before he could, Harry stirred.

He sat up, looking around in confusion, as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep. Then, he turned to Peter and asked:

Harry: Peter… how did I get here?

Peter froze. He stared at Harry, waiting for the punchline. But when it didn't come, he hesitantly asked:

Peter: What do you mean, man? You came with me, like always. And don't worry about Neo—he must've had a reason for doing that.

Seeing the growing confusion, Neo decided to explain.

Neo: I hit Harry with a cursed energy-infused punch to make him regain control of his own body. A curse had taken hold of him.

The group stared at him, bewildered. None of them understood a single word of what Neo had just said.

Seeing their blank faces, Neo clarified.

Neo: I'm a Jujutsu Sorcerer—someone who can manipulate cursed energy. Cursed energy is formed when negative emotions accumulate, creating a special kind of energy that can be used in different ways, making people stronger or even saving lives. But the downside is that if too much cursed energy builds up in one place, it turns into what we call a curse.

Neo kept explaining, making their heads spin with this strange and nonsensical information. But before they could say anything, Neo turned to Harry and asked:

Neo: Harry, what's the last thing you remember before ending up here?

Harry was about to answer confidently, as if it were an easy question, but then he hesitated. He struggled to recall before finally responding.

Harry: I-I think… I was on the school bus with Peter before… before what, exactly?

Still visibly confused, Harry fell silent, trying to piece things together. Neo then turned to the rest of the group and said:

Neo: See? This is what happens when someone is manipulated by a curse or something connected to cursed energy.

Everyone looked at him, incredulous, refusing to believe what he was saying. Seeing their skepticism, Neo spoke again.

Neo: Look, just take me somewhere less public, and I'll show you what cursed energy is and how I can use it.

Hearing that, the group thought for a moment before nodding, curiosity winning over their doubts.

The only one who didn't agree was Harry—who was still utterly confused.

At Harry's house, Neo had become the group's entertainment for the moment. A few hours ago, he had demonstrated the power of "Dismantle," and now they wouldn't stop asking him to cut anything and everything.

With nothing better to do, Neo went along with their requests. Now, standing in front of a pile of water bottles, he heard the entire group erupt in cheers.

Gwen: GO, NEO!!!

Peter: JUST SLICE THEM ALREADY!!

MJ: YOU GOT THIS, NEO!!!

Harry: OF COURSE HE CAN!!!

Hearing all the shouting, Neo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The first couple of hours had been fun, but at this point, it was getting a little humiliating. There was nothing impressive about cutting up bottles, yet they were acting like he was performing some kind of miracle.

Finally, Neo slashed through the bottles, sending his "audience" into a frenzy. Their excitement only made him more embarrassed, but when he noticed that his Cursed Energy reserves were running a little low, he spoke up.

Neo: I should stop here. I'm running low on energy. Let's just start the movie.

Hearing that, they looked a little disappointed, but Peter quickly ran off to grab a movie for them to watch. Meanwhile, Neo's gaze remained locked onto the curse, which—now fully aware of his powers—clung even more tightly to Harry.

From the very beginning of his "performance," Neo had been searching for an opening to sever the curse, but so far, he hadn't found one.

Peter soon returned with some random drama film and put it on. A romantic drama started playing, completely going against everyone's expectations—even MJ gave Peter a weird look.

Noticing the strange looks, Peter quickly tried to explain himself.

Peter: I heard this movie is amazing! And it's got a bunch of really cool scenes, too.

Hearing that, only two people in the room immediately understood what Peter was trying to do—Neo and Gwen. A mischievous smile appeared on both their faces, and Neo was the first to act.

Neo: Oh yeah, I think I heard about this movie, too...

Thinking Neo was about to back him up, Peter relaxed for a second—until he heard the rest.

Neo: I think the protagonist's name is something like… Parker.

Hearing that, Gwen jumped in with a grin.

Gwen: Oh, right! And I think the girl he's trying to win over is named… Mary.

Realizing their game, Peter panicked and shouted.

Peter: THAT'S NOT IT! THAT'S A DIFFERENT MOVIE!

Hearing that, Neo and Gwen burst into laughter.

Dropping the jokes, Neo and the group returned their focus to the movie—only to realize it was incredibly boring. It didn't take long for them to switch to another one.

But then, Neo noticed something.

The curse was gone.

It had disappeared from Harry's back, and it was nowhere to be seen.

Realizing this, Neo shot up from his seat at full speed, instantly shifting into a combat stance as he pulled Kamutoke from his backpack.

The sudden movement startled the group, especially since Neo had just drawn what appeared to be a dagger. But before panic could set in, he quickly explained.

Neo: There's a curse here—stay sharp! I have a pair of glasses in my backpack that can let one of you see it. Hurry and deci—

Before he could finish, a pale, clawed hand pierced straight through his stomach.

Neo: S-Shit.

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ey everyone! If you're enjoying the fic, don't forget to send some power stones!

Hey guys, I couldn't post yesterday because I was drowning in work, but now I'm on a break, so I'll try to get a few more chapters out today. That said, if there's anything you didn't like, or if you have any feedback or suggestions, feel free to let me know—I always read your comments!