Cursed Energy was as simple as it got on the surface. It was negative emotion materialized on a metaphysical level. That did not mean that you had to constantly feel negative emotions for it to be accessible. No, negative emotions were training wheels. Cursed Energy flowed through any Sorcerer regardless of if they were feeling bad or not. But until one can control their energy with pure skill and experience, one is reliant on negative emotions to do so.
It wasn't hard for me to dredge up self-hatred, fear and anger at the world and use it to start learning about my own Cursed Energy. And I had come to a stark realization. The physical strength I had been using to cut down trees and collect firewood for Hana didn't come from passive Cursed Energy reinforcement like I suspected. No, that was simply my baseline strength that came with no training, just due to my horrible nature.
But when I finally pulled on my Cursed Energy and used it to throw a punch… Well, it didn't matter that I hit the air a good dozen feet in front of it, the tree I had been looking at still shattered into splinters of wood.
Was this the strength Sukuna had justified his sadism with? I could understand him, if it was. When you were this strong from the moment of your birth and your family discarded you out of blind hatred, then you only saw value in power, not connection. But I'd lived a life before this and, despite my original sin, I would live this one to the fullest.
Now if only I could stop speaking with both my mouths.
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HonoredPower, Meruem Astro, each dollar is something that enables even the small luxuries in my life, which in turn help me write! Like ReplyReport Reactions:Hypereal, Toguro, AppleGrowth and 596 othersMaazenJan 25, 2026Add bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 2: Surely, the Mentor has to die? View contentMaazenWe are predisposed to suffering- isn't that fun?Jan 25, 2026Add bookmark#26Fuck it, we ball. Chapter two in the same day cuz I want to!
"DISMANTLE!" I roared, letting my Cursed Energy go wild. Grandma was asleep, night had long since fallen. But my body, unnatural as it was, needed almost no sleep- two hours once a week was fine. So, I had gone out deep into the forest and did what I had been doing for all my seven new years of toddler life - training Jujutsu.
In a pre-modern world, there really wasn't a lot of entertainment for a brain-rotted fellow like me, so instead of spending my days crying over a crime I accidentally and unknowingly committed or playing around with my four arms and two mouths, I decided to do something productive. That meant either hunting food for dear ol' meemaw or training the thing that kept us both alive; my Cursed Energy and Cursed Technique.
My sheer innate malevolence and my insane amounts of Cursed Energy, granted by my twin, draw in Curses like flies. Already, I'd killed several disfigured beings. One, a dog with six legs and purple fur, another a locust that was entirely too big. So on and so forth. It was good training, already I had developed a pretty decent combat instinct.
But right now, I was trying to see my current upper limit. So, I was experimenting with Chants- how they felt, what exactly they did and what all I could do with them. The tree in front of me was cut in half, then the ones behind it. In a cone, most of the forest in front of me was cut in half cleanly. "Ooof, good thing I went out far. Hopefully nobody was out hunting." I chuckled to myself at the thought of some random guy being cut in half without warning.
My laugh still unnerved me, it was so fucking evil that I doubt I would ever not elicit a shiver from anyone that heard it.
Conclusion; Chants are pretty strong. My secondary mouth will find more uses than looking weird and making me cough when I accidentally open it under a blanket. I get why Sukuna didn't wear upper body clothing, you constantly inhaled cloth or dust when you have a mouth in your abdomen.
Pouring as much Cursed Energy as I can into it before I was forced to launch it, I could do about half this damage with a normal Dismantle. A Chant increased my output dramatically. "The edges are still so rough, though…" I growled to myself in frustration. I had been disregarding control with that attack, but the perfectionist in me still demanded I master my techniques fully.
"Well, let's not let all this timber go to waste." And so, I approached the first fallen log. My hand clapped against the wood and I called for Cleave. My focus remained on the branches and I demanded my Cursed Energy to only flow up to them. I flinched as some of the trunk splintered along with the branches and foliage. "Still too unrefined…" But these logs would literally be fuel for the fire, so it doesn't really matter how they looked.
I reached the end of the cone I'd cut and realized that Cursed Energy dissipated the longer it stayed outside the immediate range of the Sorcerer or Curse, as the last row of trees was only half way cut into by my attack. It was such a simple conclusion but it was still an important piece of lore I stowed away in my brain.
After a good two hours, I was done, my makeshift wagon, crafted out of boredom and my budding carpentry skills, dragging along behind me as I arrived back at the shrine. The trio of tori gates passed by above as I schlepped the firewood into the shed at the back of the property- the firepit in the middle still preparing breakfast. A deer I had caught. I liked deer, it was a simple pleasure, learning how to cook from Hana.
With the world open to me in ways that it had never before been, I had taken the time to learn all the skills I had neglected in my apathy the first time around. Wood carving with my Technique, cooking, cleaning, tanning hide, basic carpeting, hunting and so on. Things you need to know if you want to survive on your own. Hana struggled making the journey to the nearby village and as I turned three, I had offered to start farming crops.
I still remember the laugh she barked out. She responded with something like; 'A boy like you? Farming? Don't make me laugh!' For an old woman, she sure was haughty. But I'd accepted the challenge and now, in the far right corner of the temple grounds, there grew tomatoes and carrots. Granny had bought the seeds upon my request with the little bit of money the ruling body of this country afforded all shrine maidens.
Ever since then, I've only had a few bad harvests due to rough winters and a rabbit plague I swiftly took care of. Otherwise, I had made Hana's life substantially easier. And that was all I could do to repay her kindness. For not throwing me into a fucking river.
I shook my head, dismissing the anger. "Nothing to it now…" I muttered. As I began tending to the garden, I touched upon my Cursed Energy. Ever since I had noticed that it was my aura that drew in the spirits, I'd made controlling and drawing it back the top priority.
Now, I could conceal my Cursed Energy without issue. That 'see where your opponent will strike from their CE enhancement' thing most Sorcerers did in the show was now impossible to apply to me twice over. For one, because, like Yuta would in a thousand fucking years, I had so much Cursed Energy that, if I let it run freely, you literally couldn't see where I would focus my blows past all of it, and because I could now fully hide it inside my body.
It kind of felt like holding a fart though, and that analogy made it seem a lot less serious than I'd been treating it. "Heh." But some levity in life heals away the angst. Even after seven years of living like this, and even with me still only being an admittedly over-sized child, I was still so astounded that I had no problems moving four arms at once. From what I remembered, I would have needed to have insane muscle strength and a huge torso to support that, but it seems like Jujutsu took care of all the biological irregularities.
So no down-sides for me, nuh-uh. "God, I'm such a cheat. Wait, it's 'Kami' now." I remembered. I wasn't one for the Shinto religion that Hana was so devoted to, not that I was religious at all, but being reincarnated really gave credence to the existence of some sort of god. So, can't fault her for believing.
"Hey!" A new voice echoed out from behind me. Who… who the fuck is this? Nobody had visited Hana ever since I'd arrived here, especially not this deep into the night. I glanced at the house both me and Grammy slept and lived in to my right that neighboured the Shrine to my left before turning around and facing the intruder. "You're that demon I've been hearing about, yes?"
It was a man. He wore the overly-silky clothing usual to this time period, with a name that I couldn't remember for the life of me. I had barely learned how to read, write and speak this' ye-ol'e Japanese, so excuse me for forgetting the name of that specific 'Yukata' or whatever it's called. His wooden sandals clacked on the ground as he stepped through the last tori gate. "Answer me!" He demanded and just then did I notice the sheathed katana at his hip.
He had no Cursed Energy, or at least, he wasn't a Sorcerer. Or maybe he was, and my perception of how much Cursed Energy one had to have to be recognized as a Curse User was skewered by my own power and isolation. "I'm just a kid, dude."
"Such a lax way of speaking, have you no respect!?" He scoffed, but his lazy frown turned into a scowl of fear and disgust as I stepped into the fresh moonlight, out of the shadow of the blooming sakura tree behind me. "You are the demon. Lord Iguchi made it clear that you are to be killed. For the crime of your existence and the murder of shrine maiden Hana, I hereby sentence you to death." He drew his blade and assumed a stance, fury strictly imposed onto his face.
He rushed forwards.
I almost balked at how slow he was. "I don't want to kill you." I answered lazily as I side-stepped the first strike. He was good at wielding his sword, no wobbling in his step nor in his strike. I could learn a thing or two. I always wanted to learn how to sword-fight. "So I won't, not unless I have to."
"Silence, demon!" He roared and went for a horizontal strike. It was almost comical- he went through every single attack and stance he had, but the only thing he ever cut was an innocent falling leaf. I barely grunted as I dodged, my body simply too fast, too strong, too perceptive. I observed him, all the while, all four of my ruby red eyes obviously unnerving him with the way they focused on his every move.
It was no sharingan, but I was learning nonetheless. Each move committed to memory. "What's all this ruckus?" I heard Hana's voice. She was rubbing at her blind eyes, obviously tired, as the paper door at the end of the L-Shaped building that was our home slid open. "I hope you're not in any danger, Sukuna?" She'd caught me fighting a Curse or two before and, strangely, she knew what they were. She had a past I was obviously not privy to, but I wouldn't pry. She'd already given me enough.
"Nope. Not at all, granny." I smirked.
The man saw Hana and his eyes widened. Immediately, he jumped backwards, away from us both, and shouted. "Shrine maiden! I will do as my honor demands and inform you that this creature you are housing is a demon! I am here to free you of it!" My heart skipped a beat.
"A demon, you say?" Her expression turned thoughtful, the deep lines in her face furrowing with concentration and contemplation.
"Yes! Four arms, two faces and eyes only gleaming with evil! There is no mistaking it!" My sharp teeth bared themselves- he was ruining my peace! If she found out what I really looked like, she'd obviously throw me away. People were pretty bigoted during these times, so I knew that. I intellectually couldn't blame my mother for her reaction, nor would I Hana. They grew up this way, in a world filled with actual Curses and Demons, waiting around every corner to eat you alive.
But instead of fear, of hatred or disgust, Hana laughed. "'Course I know he has four arms! I was washing his ass before you had hair on your chest, samurai! If I hadn't felt them grasping at me, I'd be more than just blind!"
"Y-You knew?!" Surprise, shock and pure elation were clearly evident in my voice. The usual intimidation and inborn malevolence in my posture and tone was gone. Vanished, replaced with gratitude.
"So you housed a demon willingly..? No, there is no pardoning you. A demon lover, yes. Just like this creature's mother." He roared in fury, still content in his own world-views, and rushed back at me. I just continued dodging. It was clear by now that he really wasn't a Sorcerer.
"I'll… put off the questions for now, granny. But I've got a more immediate problem here. I don't know what to do." I gestured at the dogged man as he whiffed his attacks, much to his frustration, with my other arms.
"Ah, I'm sorry Sukuna. It's not your fault you were born this way." It kind of was, even if I had long since accepted that fact. Guilt no longer subsumed me when I saw my disfigured body. "Is the samurai not willing to surrender?" Her question was aimed at us both.
"Doesn't seem like it." I lazily responded.
"NEVER!" He was a little more resolved, I think.
"Then you will have to kill him." I blinked and stopped in surprise. I flinched in slight pain as the samurai's sword slid into my left pectoral muscle. It didn't cut deep, despite his efforts. I hummed in consternation and grabbed his blade. An exertion of strength heralded the shattering of metal, his katana snapping in half.
I flinched at the pain and pulled out the embedded piece of sharpened metal. I made sure that the samurai was busy looking down at his broken blade with despair and shock before turning around to look at Hana with surprise. "Granny? Are you… are you sure?"
She barked out another laugh. "It's a dog-eat-dog world, Sukuna. I was a Sorcerer once, much like you were. I'll save you the story, I know you don't like long-winded explanations. But point is, I've learned that you need to do what you think is right, nothing else. This man is attacking you, trying to kill you and your poor grandmother-" The sarcasm was evident. Now that I knew she was a Sorcerer, it made more sense. I was already berating myself for not noticing it sooner. "-so won't you defend me?"
I sighed. In reality, I felt little to no apprehension at the thought of killing this guy. Only granny's approval or disapproval stood in my way. Now that barrier has shattered. I turned back around to see the samurai on his knees, still staring at his broken weapon. "Well, you heard the lady. I guess you did something important with your life. You helped me develop emotionally. Ain't that an achievement worth dying proud for?" I laughed with both my mouths at my exaggerated self-importance.
I still somewhat saw this world through the lens of a manga, so I couldn't help but reflect upon situations like this through such a perspective. "Dismantle." I muttered and swiped my lower right hand.
His head slid clean off, his eyes now frozen. It fell to the ground, his body slumping down a moment after. Blood sprayed like a fountain for a second before it slowed down to a stream. Thankfully, my baggy white pants remained untainted, but the ground sure didn't. "You're cleaning that." Hana said before I heard the door slide closed once more.
"Hehehe… hahah!" Failing to contain my laughter at the sheer absurdity of the last five minutes, I let myself fall backwards onto the ground. My four eyes, the world so much more clear through them than it had been in my last life, locked onto the starry night sky.
Even after I thought the biggest surprises of my new existence were behind me, this world never failed to spring a new one on me.
After a while, I calmed back down. I threw the body over the wall and hoped a Curse would eat it quickly so I wouldn't have to deal with the corpse smell. The broken Katana was stashed in the shed and the puddle of blood would dry soon enough.
I decided that I would go to sleep too, since Hana liked to sleep in late now that she had very little to do thanks to me. She wouldn't be up to explain some things anyways. I slid open the door and walked inside, the single lamp hanging coldly above- no light currently blazing to let me see the entryway. I walked through the hallway and past four rooms, one occupied by granny.
The one at the end of the hall was mine, so I slid the door open and walked inside with my heavy ass footsteps. I was one muscly seven year old, and one tall one as well. Already, I stood at about five feet in height and had a build to match the most stern of fantasy dwarves. It was surreal to see a child like this but, with no baby fat to speak of, I felt more at home in a body that looked like this than in the baby version I had been stuck in for the first few years of my life here.
My body dysmorphia had been a big problem early on. It was especially bad since I was unnerved by both being an infant and a toddler again, and because I… well, the samurai was somewhat right, I did look the part of the hellish demon. But I'd gotten over it quick enough.
My futon beckoned and I took off my clothes and sandals lazily. My desk was filled with examples of my newest hobby, drawing, but they went ignored for now.
I felt tired, even if only emotionally. My head hit the hay and with a speed to envy, I was out cold.
"It was years ago now, Sukuna, my boy." Hana began. Our morning meals stood finished on the table between us. One of the few positives about the culture shock I was still experiencing were the low-set tables that you could sit down on the comfy ground to use. I'd simply asked her to explain and so she did.
"I was something called a Jujutsu Sorcerer. I'm sure you've already noticed, but you are able to control an energy deep inside you. You have been using it to exorcize the Cursed Spirits that have been besotting our shrine, right?" She asked, her wrinkly hands laying folded on the table.
I nodded. "Yes." My answer came when I remembered that she couldn't see my motions.
"That power is called Cursed Energy and you use it to perform Jujutsu. Normal people can neither see Jujutsu nor Cursed Spirits, so it falls to people like us to protect them from the spirits that aim to slaughter us all." She continued explaining. The lantern above us flickered once, casting her in shadow. "Both you and I were born with the ability to control the energies that make up the spirits, while normal people cannot. If they do not die as nameless Curse Users, those with this talent are employed by one of the Clans or by the Emperor himself."
She took a breath, drank a sip of her tea, and then continued. "There is much to talk about, but I am old and doubt I could teach you as effectively as I did others back then. I wrote down the basics of Jujutsu in one of my journals… I don't quite remember which one, I'm sure you'll find it though. You want to ask me something else, though, right?" The knowing expression on her face was actually made worse by her unseeing eyes.
"Why…" I tried to find the words. "Why…"
She answered before I could fully formulate the question that nagged at my mind since yesterday. "I was part of the Emperor's personal Sorcerers, trained outside the purview of the Clans. The great Clans control most of the Sorcerers that roam our lands and teach them their prejudices. But still, I saw you for what you were, not what you looked like. Maybe my blindness is a blessing, in that regard. I know that you are unnatural in appearance, but you are also a baby. A child. A grandson." Her voice cracked at the end, emotion seeping in fully.
Tears stabbed at my eyes. I blinked in shock, looking down as they trailed onto my palms. "T-Thank you, granny."
"No need. You've helped me more than enough. No more back-breaking mornings for lil' ol' me!" Hana exclaimed boisterously. I couldn't help but laugh with her, even through the tears. Honestly, I still felt kind of removed from this world, from this body, from this life. Maybe that was because I was still a child, or maybe because I was in a different country, a thousand years in the past. Or maybe it was because I was in a fucking manga, with monsters and entirely-too anime-like powers around every corner.
Most likely, it was a combination of all of those.
But I was still human, and craved connections, unlike the original Sukuna. And having my birth mother throw me into a river really crushed my hopes for this new life. Even when Hana took me in, I feared for the day she would discard me as well. But now that I found out that she never planned to, that she had truly accepted me despite what I looked like…
Well, the tears fell freely, even through my laugh.
I only took a cursory look through her notebook and confirmed that it mostly talked about all the stuff that I already knew about Jujutsu. The interesting parts came with the detailed explanation of the relatively up-to-date political climate of JJK's Heian Era Japan.
Three big clans presided over the lands, sending out their Sorcerers to collect more Curse Users to indoctrinate and to slay the occasional Curse- the Fujiwara Clan, the Zenin Clan and the Sugawara Clan. Each has their leaders and each their own unique quirks, but it's been about two decades since Hana last interacted with any of them, so it's probably out of date.
Nonetheless, I looked deep into the Fujiwara and Sugawara clan notes, since I knew little about them. The Sugawara clan is apparently the predecessor to the Gojo clan, which I concluded because the description of their clan head, MIchizane Sugawara, describes him as having 'eyes like the pale blue sky'. Though nothing on his technique. He's apparently the strongest Sorcerer currently alive.
There's the Fujiwara, who're the clan that picks up most of the unaffiliated or young Sorcerers to bolster their own numbers, with Goro Fujiwara as their head. The Zenin have the current Ten Shadows user as their head.
There's also a few minor clans, either because they're relatively new or have weak techniques. The only notable one is the Kamo clan, purely because I know they'll be big in the future. "Fuck this. I wanna cut shit." I pouted and laid down the notebook. I've been reading for hours now and, while I had nothing urgent to do today, I still wanted to train my Cursed Energy some more.
Refining my control was something I did in my downtime. It mostly involved cutting smaller and smaller things while using as little Cursed Energy as possible, or letting it flow through my body and enhancing it with tighter, more controlled streams. But Dismantle and Cleave also had their own unique ways of being trained. Using them large-scale, in combat.
For that, I'll need to go deep into the forest and release my energy. "Well, let's have ourselves some fun."
Thanks to my Patrons; You guys keep me going!
HonoredPower, Meruem Astro, each dollar is something that enables even the small luxuries in my life, which in turn help me write! Like ReplyReport Reactions:Toguro, AppleGrowth, Gabriel021 and 594 othersMaazenJan 25, 2026Add bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 3: Ew, Ants View contentMaazenWe are predisposed to suffering- isn't that fun?Jan 26, 2026Add bookmark#52"Weak." I giggled internally as I perfectly imitated the apathetic and down-right evil tone the original Sukuna would use for his opponents as I slashed a pretty ambiguous shaped Cursed Spirit in half. It was fun messing around. "Heh, this is so goofy." I flipped into the air in a cork-screw as two leaf-cutter ant Curses with big, shield-like heads butted against each other below me.
I frowned, I've been encountering quite a few ant-themed Curses the past couple of days. Maybe there's something to it? I swung all four of my arms out, sending a hail of slashes down at them. Despite their considerable Cursed Energy and durability, they were flayed by my attacks. Shrill, insectoid cries of pain echoed throughout the forest, but they didn't die yet.
"I need to be better." I admonished myself. The original Sukuna would have diced them to pieces instantly, I only gave them flesh wounds. As I fell back to the ground, I swung my arms thrice more and my attacks, invisible to all but me, finally cut through the horse-sized ants. Their bodies bled all over, purple liquid staining the green forest, before they dissolved into embers and smoke, as if they'd been tricks of the light all along.
I really shouldn't be too harsh on myself, I've only been alive for twelve years and despite my prodigious talent, mastering the basics of Cursed Energy and my Technique was tedious work. Very repetitive, mostly focused on ingraining the minute flexes of will and emotion I had to make to cause the slightest of changes in my Cursed Energy or cuts into my muscle memory through doing them over and over and over again.
It wasn't something I could just blaze through with what Hana calls my 'monsterious talent', only those bullshit Six Eyes could speed that up. I tried to perform some of the more esoteric pieces of Jujuts I knew about- Veils, anti-domain techniques, Binding Vows and such- but I either didn't even have an example to work off of and as such had no fucking idea where to even start, or in the case of Binding Vows, got a feeling of immense dread when I earnestly thought about trying a major one.
Binding Vows are weird. They didn't magically allow one to do things they normally couldn't, but they pathed the way for one to do so themselves. For example, I had made a Binding Vow with myself a week ago that sacrificed the cutting power of a Dismantle in exchange for massively increasing its knock back.
Problem was, the only thing that really happened was the semi-sentient system Jujutsu works on telling me 'go right ahead, that's a good exchange'. My next Dismantle didn't automatically have those properties, no. I needed to manipulate my own Cursed Energy to create that effect myself. It would have been impossible to do so without the Binding Vow, but the Vow itself sure didn't do all the work itself.
So, Binding Vows that you make with yourself really only sacrifice one thing to give you the opportunity to gain something else. Well, most do, I performed Nanami's Over Time Binding Vow right after and that worked without any real effort, I only had to consciously suppress and store away my Cursed Energy in a newly-created storage space within my body.
All in all, Binding Vows are weird and only really worth it if you're good enough at manipulating your own Cursed Energy to make the best use of them. It's all about Risk vs Reward. Sacrificing the possible utility of one thing for the possible utility of another.
I looked around and my eyes caught traces of Cursed Energy on the ground, traces that reminded me heavily of the Cursed Energy of the ants I just killed. I hummed in contemplation. This feels like a problem. There's probably a whole lotta ant curses in some nest just waiting to turn into a major headache. "Let's root this out before it becomes a problem. I'll just have to miss dinner." Hana really wouldn't be happy about that but when I explained that I probably saved us and the nearby village from an ant-curse invasion, I'm sure she'll forgive me.
So, I began to follow the purple flames that flickered on the ground, each having a unique texture, shape and hue that I had become adept in finding the differences in. Each one of those properties change depending on what type, grade and technique a Curse is and has. Even my own Cursed Energy was unique. Uniquely evil and malevolent, that is, but unique nonetheless.
My tracking eventually led me to an open cave, one with a lot of bones peeking out of the shadows. My sandals crunched the leaves of fall under them as I settled in, observing the cave thoughtfully. A bloody paw-mark stained the left wall, barely recognizable from the way it was cast in shadows by the evening sun. This is, or rather was, a bear's cave.
Now, judging from the faint chittering I heard once I bothered enhancing my already pretty good senses with Cursed Energy, a process I'd learned meticulously without blowing my sensory organs up, it belonged to the ant curses. I told myself that I was taking care of this problem for myself and Hana, not for the ungrateful villagers before walking forwards.
My eyes adjusted to the darkness and revealed that the cave was pretty small, though that didn't matter to the ants. Four car-sized holes decorated the back wall, a whole lot of tiny ones surrounding them. "Ugh." I scowled in disgust as my foot squashed something. Looking down, it turns out that the thing I squashed to death was an ant. "Ewww. I'm killing all of you, if only because I hate ants." I promised myself, recognizing that dozens, if not hundreds of ants were crawling through the floors, ceilings and walls of the cave, traveling from one tunnel to another.
They all carried the scraps of meat that hung on the skeletons that laid strewn all about the cave- bear kills, I'm guessing. None looked human. Not that I cared, my apathy towards human suffering and death didn't bother me that much and I was too lackadaisical with my own desires and goals to care that I didn't care.
"Well then…" I took a breath and composed myself, ignoring the creepy crawlies. These small ants had basically no Cursed Energy, so they were just normal ants. But I felt that deep within those tunnels, there were definitely more Curses. Ones stronger than any I had killed as of yet. Twelve years old and already fighting monster ants- really, what more would a child want?
I laughed as I reinforced my body in preparation. The ants became the ceiling and the ceiling became the ants, each of my steps being announced by the crushing of chitin the deeper I went into the tunnels. They forked and curved, I only avoided running into a wall because Sorcerers could somewhat see in the dark through sensory enhancement.
"Chchchchch-" I spun around, already firing a dozen Dismantles. There was an ant, the size of a dog, with two human arms jutting out of its back behind me. It was lunging, but my slices caught it mid-jump. It wasn't as durable as the leaf-cutter ants, and so it was bisected thrice over, falling lifelessly to the ground. The chattering that emanated from all around me increased, almost mad in its viciousness.
The ground briefly rumbled and I stepped back on instinct. Another ant burst through the ground, its insectoid maw far larger than it should be, lined with mandibles and teeth a plenty. It looked more like a worm or a caterpillar than an ant, if not for the shining carapace. It was thick and had small legs, ones I instantly sliced at.
It was about to tunnel back into the wall, but my slices were faster, each Dismantle cutting through its abdomen and legs. It screamed and I flinched at the shrill noise. I swiped my hand vertically upwards and the thing died. "This level of coordination… a designated digger, a fighter, those defensive leaf-cutter ones…" These Curses were smart, if only in groups.
I'll need to find the queen, there's probably too many of these special Cursed Spirit ants to make it worth scouring these tunnels for each of them. If I can kill the queen, I can probably stop them from spawning new ones altogether. I turned around and continued walking. I eventually made it to a chamber of sorts. It was round, but the most important thing was that there were eggs strewn all about.
The walls had small openings, almost like beds, where a larva laid. Either already hatched or still writhing and wriggling in its egg. I scowled in disgust, the urge to vomit rising as I looked upon the mass of gigantic eggs. Each housed small, white and soft-armored versions of the curses I'd already slain. Each was being tended to by normal ants. I couldn't step into the chamber itself without crushing into one of the eggs, not that I wanted to go anywhere near this horror movie scene.
"Dismantle." I spat with disgust, all four of my hands stretched outwards with pointed fingers. I didn't stop slashing until only purple mist and painted walls remained. No inch was left smooth, the ceiling collapsed from the way I cut through everything. Rocks fell inwards and soon, the entrance to the once brood-chamber was closed. "Fuck this and fuck you." I spat on the ground, finding the deep and malevolent tone of my voice fitting for my emotional state for the first time in this life.
Fucking bugs.
I crept deeper through the tunnels and eventually, finally I reached a new chamber. It only took killing a dozen more fighter and digger ants to reach it. It was large, bigger than any double-decker bus I could think of. In the middle was one, gigantic writhing and gestating mass. It was the Queen and it was terrible.
It had a whole lot of Cursed Energy. I'd only fought two Curses with Cursed Techniques, both boring, and I guessed they were at least Grade One. But this one… this was definitely a Special Grade. It's back was turned towards me, its fucking ass or whatever facing the entracne I had come in through. It writhed, the anus thingy opening with a disgusting squelch and another larva slipping out. Ants crawled below it and it started being carried towards me.
I wretched once, then cut the larva in half. The green and purple innards spewed out and the unborn fetus of the ant squealed briefly before dying. Suddenly, the sounds of chattering stilled. I looked upwards and saw that the Queen had tilted its head to look at me- the beady, hexagonal eyes focusing on my position. It had six pairs of eyes, its head elongated, almost looking like a horse's. "You are the intruder."
It can speak.
That is not good.
"Dismantle." I was already running along the walls before my attacks had even traveled an inch. I saw them slice into the fat body of the Queen, the Curse roaring in pain. "NO!" It's Cursed Energy moved and writhed, and I felt it do something.
Its entire body shifted and started shrinking. I frowned and threw a few more Dismantles. They connected with the twisting flesh but the wounds drowned in the coagulation of chitin and flesh. Eventually, the beast that was once the size of a house had become humanoid. Smaller, compact.
It was an ant, a female ant, if you squinted at it. I ran down the wall and landed in front of it. The thing was twice as tall as I was and its ant head elongated upwards to form a crown. "You will die for slaying my children, demon!"
"Seriously, even curses?!" I groaned in frustration and dashed forwards. It raised one of its six hands, it had me trumped in the limb department, and it finally activated what I guessed was its technique. The regular ants collected beneath her and then… they swept up, like a tide. Mass scale ant-controll, I'm guessing.
"Dismantle!" I shouted and my attack cut through the wave cleanly, but the path it had wrought closed itself up quickly after, filling the ranks of the dead with more ants. I scowled and dodged the pillar of ants, hearing the stone crack on the spot I had stood one as it crushed the ground.
I swiped at the Queen. I heard her scowl and raise another arm. A wall of ants rose upwards and barely dampened the slash, some of it still making it through and cutting into her abdomen. I kicked the ground and dashed into her space.
Her head was turning backwards but my hand already slapped against her carapaced back. "Cleave." I intoned and felt my Cursed Energy leave me with vigorous excitement. Immediately, a checkerboard of cuts appeared all over her back, purple blood spraying onto my exposed chest and face.
I darted backwards too late, the wave of bugs she swept at me impacting my right side. I felt sharp pains all over my two left arms, the feeling of a thousand knives stabbing into them making me stagger. With a roar of fury and pain, I made use of my precision training and Cleaved all the ants that had jumped ship onto my body into tiny pieces. Dead ant parts fell to the floor, relieving my left side. One would think I had a bad rash but upon a closer look, you could see that it was actually a hundred tiny holes dotted my body, drenching myself and the ground below me in blood.
"My first real injury… be proud, you fucking bug." I spat a mix of phlegm and blood onto the ground, then dashed out of the way of another pillar of flying ants. I don't care if this Cursed Spirit just evolved into another stage, I would still kill it.
My best guess is that its gigantic shape was either one of two forms she could assume, that large one existing specifically to- ugh- birth her brood, and that she had this combat shape, or that her first form was a Cursed Womb and this was her evolved self.
I was leaning towards the latter, since her Cursed Energy output skyrocketed after she changed forms. "Dismantle!" The Queen couldn't perceive my attacks and as such, tanked the slice, directly cutting open a line from her collar to her hip.
"Perish, you miserable wretch!" It roared back in the macabre imitation of a woman's voice and sent the wave back at me, this time it was far larger. I refused, jumping upwards and then slashing down, clearing a roughly circular opening into the storm of ants. "Doman Expansion!"
"Hah- No." With all my strength, I kicked off the wall and slammed my hand into her face. The Queen aborted the hand sign she was making as I cratered the ground with her head. "Dismante." I intoned with both my mouths. Her head dissolved into fine mist under my attack. Immediately, the fountain of ants dissolved, the chittering growing louder again as this entire operation dissolved into chaos.
The Queen was already dissolving into mist and I scoffed. "Fuck you."
Despite the disgust I felt towards that entire chain of events, I was proud of myself. I probably killed a Special Grade Cursed Spirit just now, and I only really knew the basics of my Technique and of Cursed Energy enhancement. If that didn't speak to what I would become and what I had already achieved, then I don't know what would.
I was drenched in Curse and ant blood when I groggily stomped back into the Shrine. "I'm home."
"You reek." Hana greeted me as I made my way towards the showers, already scowling at the primitiveness of this world. Really, showing with a bucket… I fucking hated this era for a whole slew of reasons.
"I know." I answered, my senses already having been assaulted by my awful smell. Pungent in a way I likely wouldn't forget in a while. "Ant Curses."
"Ew."
"That's what I said." I chuckled back. Granny Hana chuckled roughly and returned to her crocheting. This era sucked from a tech standpoint and from the Jujutsu standpoint, I decided as I washed my body while sitting in a big tub of boiling water. I was thankful we had a hot spring only a couple hundred meters away.
But the manga ain't lyin', the Heian Era is brutal as fuck. If Curses like those are just running around, the Sorcerers have to be ridiculous. I was done showering quickly and because of my proclivity to forgo topwear, reinforced by the fact that my only roommate and caretaker was blind, made it quick to change into something clean.
I washed my dirtied and soaked clothes with the water I used to bathe in, conserving resources and all, before walking into the yard completely butt-ass naked and hanging them up on the drying strings that hang between the shed and the sakura tree that guarded my small farm. Walking back inside, I put on my usual lazy pants and socks before relaxing onto my wooden chair. I slid it forwards and leaned onto the desk.
I began writing into the one thing I asked Hana to still buy from the village before the samurai had attacked- a notebook for myself. I was writing down everything I remembered from the original JJK in here, because I sure as shit was doing what Sukuna did and incarnating in the modern age. Just without Kenjaku involved. "In fact…" I would seek that bastard out and force him to make a Binding Vow to leave me, my allies and my FIngers alone and out of his plans under threat of death, for I know his devious intentions.
Yeah, if I can leave behind a cult or something that would pass down my legacy and instructions to wait a thousand years or so, I could incarnate without all the Yuji hassle. I yawned, that was far off into the future though. For now, I had an era to define.
Thanks to my Patrons; You guys keep me going!
HonoredPower, Meruem Astro, each dollar is something that enables even the small luxuries in my life, which in turn help me write!Last edited: Jan 26, 2026 Like ReplyReport Reactions:Toguro, Gabriel021, demonichero9 and 559 othersMaazenJan 26, 2026Add bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 4: Flaming Melody, Frozen Tune View contentMaazenWe are predisposed to suffering- isn't that fun?Jan 26, 2026Add bookmark#78"You should never be ashamed of what you look like, Sukuna." Hana advised me out of the blue while she 'watched' me attend to my garden from the porch.
"O…kay?" I wasn't planning to. Even if people tried to kill me for being a 'demon' or hired Sorcerers to do that, I would brush off the civilians and kill the Sorcerers until people got the idea and stopped fucking with me. Simple as that.
"If you understand." Granny nodded and was content watching me tend to the garden further. It's been… seventeen years, I think, since I was reborn. Time flies when you have a routine that you enjoy and lack a calendar to track the time with. I only knew that it should be roughly seventeen years because my body was ridiculously muscular and tall now, about seven feet (Jesus), and because the seasons had passed seventeen times since I could remember.
I had made progress with Shrine, my technique, not my home- although my farm had grown to include cabbage too, so I have made progress with Shrine, my home too. It came to me while I was fighting a Shark Curse in the lake to the south. My mind supplied the words- Fuga- and I had summoned the flames.
They were small, and the prerequisite of using both Dismantle and Cleave on the opponent was set steadfast in my mind, but I had launched them like a fireball at the two-headed shark and it caught fire. Underwater. It was burning underwater. Since then, I had been using the Divine Flames as much as I could- from heating up the water to cooking my meals.
The scale at which I was allowed to use the flames depended on the scale I used both Cleave and Dismantle beforehand. It was another balancing act, another risk versus reward situation. "Jujusu is seeming more and more like FMA's alchemy every day…" I muttered to myself.
"What was that?" Granny inquired.
"Nothing, love you grandma." A smile settled upon her wrinkled face at that and I returned to harvesting the carrots.
"Fuga." The word was comforting these days. A herald of warmth and assured victory. Today, I would try shaping the fire. It was somewhat malleable and adhered to my will to some extent. The boulder I had almost completely annihilated with my slashes stood broken before me, but not fully erased. The fire that burns all but me blazed to life in my palm.
It was different from the flames that flickered in the fireplace or below the cooking pot. It was smoother, had more detail. Hues of blue, yellow and orange flickered all over it. This fire was of a different kind. An insurmountable exertion of my power that simply stated 'I win'. I delved my other hand into the candlelight that had flared above my upper right hand's palm, then pulled.
The fire came with the hand and now I held a slightly slack web of fire that roared between the two palms. It extended and retracted as my hands did. "So it's not telepathic control, at least not really." I murmured and imagined the middle of the fiery bridge between my palms becoming a cube.
It did so. I frowned, so it is telepathic?
I imagined a sword of fire summoning itself in my palms. It did not. Okay, so it is controlled by my mind, but to a limited degree. That one image flashed through my mind, the one I'd been seeing ever since I first opened the gate to my Divine Flames. The one where Sukuna and Jogo faced off on top of the latter's meteor- that bow of fire.
I assumed the archer's stance and pulled back my hand. Immediately, the flames elongated to form a bow, the upper and lower ends trailing off into auroras of playful inferno. The grass below me singed and died, now only charcoal remained.
It would be stupid to fire it. It would alert the village to the fact that something was off here. I would literally be giving a smoke signal to anybody within a ten kilometer radius to haul ass towards the nearest Clan to kill whatever caused the assured catastrophe. It would put Hana in danger.
I sighed and let the flames die out, that last argument pulling me back into reality more than any other. I really wanted to fire that flame arrow, but it wasn't worth it, not now. "Besides, the first time I fire it should be against a worthy opponent, right?" The platitude rang empty, but the sentiment was nice.
I trudged through the forest, playing with my cursed ene-
Smelling smoke, my head turned upwards, looking past the tree's crowns. Something was burning, and that something was eerily close to where the shrine was. Immediately, my body was reinforced and the forest buckled beneath me as I began to sprint. Each step tremored the earth and each was only milliseconds after the other.
The ground felt my urgency and gave away to my power, I literally blasted apart a tree that stood in my way. I halted my momentum on a slide as I arrived at my home. My now burning home. Thankfully, past the gates that I sprinted through not moments after, I saw that the fire was located purely within the shed for now.
But three people, one holding a torch, were already walking towards the house.
My world stilled, my breath hitched, my vision tunneled onto them. Invaders, my mind whispered. They want to take everything from you, it supplied. "Dismantle." There was no internal debate, nor hesitation, my attack flew and decapitated the torch-bearer. The two that were left turned with wide eyes.
"There he is, the demon!" One was a brunette, bun-wearing woman with dual sai in her hands, each having gilded tips, and the other a muscular bald man with no weapon to speak of. They looked eccentric, if only in weapon choice or lack thereof, and their Cursed Energy output was the highest I'd seen in humans besides granny's.
Grandma!
I ignored the two as they whispered with each other and I slammed open the door. My combat senses alerted me before my eyes did and I ducked low and gripped the knife-wielding hand of whoever was waiting beside the doorway. "Ah, granny!" I sighed in relief and let go of her wrist.
"Oh thank god you're okay, Sukuna. But we have no time! My body is too old, my technique would kill me, please take care of them for me- for us." The earnest plea resulted in a resolute nod from me.
"Stay safe." I let her wriggle out of my four-armed hug, a prized occurrence for her with how physically reluctant I was to touch anyone out of habit, then I turned around and with one, single, enhanced step, I was outside again.
I saw the fire and focused on it. How would I..?
Ah. My muscles flexed and my arms readied. Then, I slammed both sets of hands together. The sound was like a gunshot twice over, the resulting explosion of wind whipping up all the dust and dirt. But most importantly, the gust I created through sheer physical strength crashed into the burning shed and blew away most of the fire. Now, only a charred, embered and sad little shack remained.
The two perpetrators had dashed out of the way of my Hulk impression but the woman had still fallen on her ass. The man, however, looked absolutely furious. "Demon! I am Mitarashi Kuroshiki and I am your demise!"
"Another challenger?" I asked more in boredom than confidence. "Please, would you kindly fuck off?"
"Kuro!" The woman admonished, getting up with a groan. I could almost feel the tickmark of annoyance appear on my forehead as the shack collapsed into a heap of burned wood. "This thing… you saw its power, we cannot hold back. No games!" She bared her sai.
Normally, I use fights with new, interesting Cursed Techniques as learning opportunities, though I've only ever had the chance to do so with Curses. That actually meant this was perfect for me to learn how to fight with Sorcerers.
On the other hand, they burned my home and threatened my family, indirectly as it was.
"Dismantle." My arms shot out wide and open, almost invitingly, each hand pointing double-layered finger guns. The Sorcerers instinctively felt that something was heading their way and dodged, though the woman yelped in pain as it clipped her shins.
Despite my Chant, I'd kept that Dismantle low-power enough so that it wouldn't damage the shrine. Actually…
I vow, Dismantle shall no longer damage non-living things, in exchange for greater cutting power.
The vow settled into place and, simple as it was, I required almost no extra Cursed Energy for each Dismantle to create that increased sharpness. The hard part was 'neutering' my attacks towards physical objects, but that was a matter of intent more than control.
Jujutsu is weird like that, still but I reveled in it.
"Come at me."
The monster stood in front of her, almost eight feet tall it towered over even Kuroshiki. Its four arms stayed outstretched from its last attack, its second face's eyes focusing on her. Himiko breathed, for that was all she dared to do. She had a mission, given to her by Lord Fujiwara himself, to kill the nuisance they'd been getting reports by scouting windows from.
But…
But…
This was no mere Grade One Cursed Spirit- no, not even that Vulcano Special Grade she had fought side-by-side with Sugawara-dono was as purely evil as this being was. The fountain of crimson Cursed Energy that towered into the sky was visible even to the blindest of Sorcerers, a pillar of pure power that made her feel weak and hopeless.
Kuroshiki did not care, his technique, 'Inverse' allowing for any strong attack to impact his body as weak and any weak attack as strong, giving him misplaced pride and courage. He rushed forwa-
The four-armed demon was behind him and before her fiance could even turn around, it had laid a palm on his back and spoke a single word. "Cleave."
Her husband turned into a red mist with nary a sound.
She fell to her knees, her sai dropping to the floor. She should have never come here. Nothing stood a chance against this… this..!
The girl's head was cut into two pieces at the eyes, the little balls of vision staying coherent for only a second after the upper half slid off before flaying into layers of goop and gore. "Ew." I flinched. I broke off the Binding Vow with myself, hearing a faint sound of chains breaking from somewhere I can't quite place, before sighing.
Only the sound of crackling embers filled the shrine. I walked back into the house and saw Hana, slumped onto the floor, breathing heavily. Instantly, I rushed over to her, fretting for her health. "Are you okay, granny?"
"I'm… fine. Just a stressful… day." I fell onto my behind next to her, chuckling.
My lower arms rested against the floor as I leaned backwards. "You can say that twice." After a minute of heavy breathing, Hana was sitting back up straight.
There was a contemplative stare on her face, one that spoke of hard decisions. One she'd been making all her life. "Sukuna… I don't want you to take this the wrong way, I love you, but…"
My mind immediately caught up. Today's events, possible solutions and context flitted through my mind. I held out one of my arms to forestall her. "I need to leave." Her lips tightened but she didn't deny it. It stung, somewhat, but I knew it would be for the best. "They'll come back, and you can't deal with the Curses on your own." I reasoned hollowly.
Hana nodded and with herculean effort, stood up and walked over to the drawer on the far side of the hallway. Pulling it open, she picked out a scroll. Walking back, she sat on the opposite side of the table than me, where I usually sat for dinner, and rolled it out open onto the table. What I saw were four seals, ink traced onto parchment.
My heart eased at her words. "Seals. It will keep Curses and non-Sorcerers away. And with your farm and the traps you laid out through the forest… I'll be fine." The arguments for me to leave pained her to say. But we weren't in 2020, danger lurked around every corner. "But with you here… your Cursed Energy would break the barrier through sheer proximity."
"What about the Sorcerers, won't they investigate their missing friends?" I was leaning forwards now, pleading but resigned to my ultimate fate. At least I lasted seventeen years, and at least she'll always be within my heart. Today could've ended much worse. But it was the straw that broke the camel's back.
"I am somewhat renowned, my name has weight. Without you here, they won't bother me. They do not know of our connection and without any survivors, they never will." I sighed. "I love you, you're the grandson I could never have, Sukuna."
"Hana, I-"
"No, please." I was about to tell her that I was a reincarnator, if only to finally tell myself that I fully trusted somebody in this life. "I know you have a secret but… the less I know, the better. Besides, I know who you are, deep down. Self-centered, yes, a bit shy despite your rough exterior-" She chuckled, though it sounded hollow. "-but you're as good of a person as you could be, Sukuna."
Hearing 'good person' and 'Sukuna' in the same sentence was odd, to say for certain. Tears stabbed at my eyes once more. "I… I'll miss you, grandma."
"Make sure to stay safe. I don't have long left but… I'll be thinking of you when I pass. My only grandson." I don't know if the original Sukuna ever met Hana but if he did, how could he ever turn out the way he did with a loving grandmother like her?
Travelling a landscape devoid of post-industrialization influences was tranquil in its own right. Fresh air and pure forests, clean rivers and gentle stags trodding through the forest. Cool nights with owls and fireflies to make constellations that did not hang in the tapestry of the sky, but right down here with us mortals.
It was nature distilled into one, smooth experience. I suspected that any normal human from my world or this one would be a lot less gentle and grandiose in describing a traveller's lifestyle, for they had to deal with all the bullshit that came with living in the wild.
For me, who could defend himself easily, who could cut wood as one would take a breath to make himself a full log cabin that would last a week in under an hour, who could make fire with a snap of his fingers, it was what I felt like I was born to do.
I'd been in the wild for a month now and my heart ached, not only for human interaction, but for Hana. My caring grandmother, who was there for me when I grieved, when I hated myself for my sins, when I needed to learn the ways of a world that was history to me, that was pure fiction to me. Most importantly, she was there for me emotionally, for I was an adult in mind and never needed her to foster me more than a year at most, when I still shat my fucking pants.
That was the worst period in my life. I chuckled at the thought.
But I loved seeing nature. A waterfall or a sakura forest to dazzle me and I was in love with this way of life. I doubted I could settle down somewhere until I've seen all the land of the rising sun had to offer. It was a freeing way of life, though I hadn't broken my usual routines. Cleave, Dismantle and the usual Cursed Energy reinforcement/enhancement had become second nature, both so precise and so cost-effective that I could keep the latter up all day.
I could keep my body enhanced and still produce more Cursed Energy than I expended now, not that I did so. I was still pushing my physical, unenhanced body to its limit every morning, with every weight nature could provide for me. A strong template would yield greater results once enhanced, after all.
I had already found a few small villages that I, of course, avoided like the plague. I really don't think that would end well. It was kind of disheartening, knowing that I might never be able to show myself in public again… actually, fuck that. I've been wanting to taste some sake for ages since I arrived in this world. Granny said I shouldn't fear showing myself, and so I will.
My footsteps felt heavier than usual as I breached the forest, the cloak made out of tanned bear hide hiding as much as it could so that I could at least enter the village before taking it off. I approached the gate that surrounded the stone walls that I could almost just look over. "Name and… um."
The guard, armored in obviously cheap armor, staggered and his grip on his halberd thing faltered. "I'm just here for some alcohol." I answered, the guard jumping at my voice.
"U-U-Uh, s-sure… g-go right in." He motioned for me to walk into the wide and mostly open main street and so I did. I had to duck slightly to make it through the gate though. The street was accompanied by stalls and shops a plenty, sometimes pathing off to the side with forks in the road that led deeper into the suburbia of this small village but mostly staying within this central river of trading and bartering people.
At the end of the road wasn't some grand palace, this place was far too unimportant for that, but just a slightly larger house. Mayor, or something? I shook my head and began walking. People pointed and staggered as they saw my height, towering over the usual 5 foot-something man or woman of this time. Most made way as I strode through.
Eventually, my eyes found a stall that had ceramic sake bottles on display. The coins Hana had entrusted me before I took my leaves clacked heavily at my side, though she assured me that it was fine to spend them on frivolities, since I hunt my own food and make my own shelter and all.
The shopkeep stuttered nothings as I approached, leaning down to take a look at his wares. "What's the alcohol content in t-" My world slowed briefly as I felt a small hand grabbing hold of the low-end of my coat and before I could react, it pulled.
"Kai, n-!" A female voice screamed out but it was too late. All eyes focused on me and the world held its breath. My breath evened as I straightened again. Turning around, my eyes met innocent ones, the eyes of a child. A boy that could be no older than eight held my cloak.
"It's not nice to steal." I motioned for him to return the cloak, trying out my best and gentlest smile.
"You've got cool arm-" His mother had run up to her son faster than I'd seen anybody but myself run, ever.
"STAY AWAY FROM MY SON YOU DEMON!" She shouted and with that, pandemonium exploded.
"Guards!"
"Monster!"
"Kill it, now!"
"It's a Curse!"
"It wants to eat our children!"
"Die!"
"GUARDS!"
My instincts saved me from hails of rotten fruit. I dodged, ducked and weaved everything from broken utensils to an entire chair. I sighed, this was exhausting to listen to. My ears hurt, my god. With barely any focus inwards, I released the constraints on my Cursed Energy, letting it flow freely.
Immediately, the world went still once more, all peoples that had been mobbing me not daring to take another step as my malevolence descended upon the village. "Shopkeep, what's the price of that sake?" I asked, pointing to one of the larger bottles.
"P-P-P-P-P-" The old man didn't get far.
Hana taught me the rough price estimates for the coins I'd been given, so I plopped down more than enough on his counter, took the bottle and made my way back to the gates.
The guards that had been shouted for stood stock still at my approach, not daring to move a muscle, especially now that my Cursed Energy has been unleashed. I simply walked out, a sour taste lingering in my mouths at today's events.
Sugawara no Michizane, or just Michizane to most, sat in his opulent chamber lazily. Two women, both after his wealth and fame, coddled around his extremely large bed, trying their best to claw at him, to gain his favor. He did not care, for he had other things on his mind. The report sat in his hands, a scroll filled with a detailed description of the latest excursion into the Akihiba region in an attempt to identify the humongously huge Cursed Energy signature detected near there.
The first two never returned.
This third, a full team of sixteen Grade Two Sorcerers led by Moichido Zenin, returned with dire news. The signature had moved on and the suspected domicile of Ryomen Hana's shrine had suspiciously little Cursed Energy traces. Upon questioning the former Sorceress, she told them that she had felt the signature too, one would have to be incompetent to the highest degree not to, but that she was too old to risk interacting with it. She was 'glad it moved on'.
"Lord Mic-" The blonde began.
HIs eyes settled upon her and they told him all he needed to know- weak, no technique, below average Cursed Energy stores. Useless. "Did I permit you to speak?"
"N-No, Lord Michi-"
"Lord Sugawara." He interrupted her stuttering tirade. He'd allowed her to address him by his first name yesterday but, evidently, she was never worthy of that honor. If she dares interrupt his thoughts, then she has no use. These lower lifeforms are here to look pretty, nothing more. "It is Lord Sugawara to you, pet."
"O-Of course, Lord Sugawara." She looked heartbroken and Michizane didn't bother hiding his gleeful smirk at her dejection.
Then, there was an incident at a nearby village a fortnight ago. A demon was supposedly sighted- heh- buying sake of all things. Four arms, two faces, tattooed all over and with a mouth on its stomach. The villagers his third squad had questioned all said the same thing; 'Please kill it!' Michizane didn't care for the wants of the peasants, nor did he care if this 'demon' was a Curse or Curse User. The only thing he cared about was if it could challenge him and his rule.
If this thing was as strong as the reports of its Cursed Energy state, then it might just be. And that cannot stand.
The squad he'd sent came back only yesterday, so the demon had probably long since moved on. And Moichido had returned to his clan, released from his penal duty to him. So either he'd start sending his own, less expendable clan mates or he'll go find that creature himself…
Michizane shook his head. That sounded like a bother. He didn't even know if that creature really was strong at all, so better to not waste his time. "Kiara." He addressed the brunette to his left, the one still in his good graces.
With all the deference in the world, she responded. "Yes, my Lord?"
"Bring me Kyojuro." The only other Special Grade Sorcerer in his clan, though only for the lack of a rank above Special Grade to put himself into.
"Yes, my Lord." Almost like a doll, she got up and paced out of the chamber with measured steps.
I had found myself a cloak. It was a light purple in color and pretty large, which I was obviously thankful for. I had heroically rescued it from a trader's caravan as the Curse that had attacked it finished eating the traders. So now, I was just an unusually tall man hidden in shadow, walking through another town. This one was even smaller than the one I'd been in before.
"Demon!" For a second, my heart stilled. Had they somehow seen something they shouldn't have? Has my disguise slipped? I really just want some proper clothing…
I turned my head and instead of seeing a terrified villager or two staring at me, I was looking down a dusty alley. "Huh…" I kept my footfalls light as I descended down it. If whoever had called out 'demon' had meant me and had run down this alley in fear pointed the guards in my direction, I would be forced into a confrontation that won't end well for either party.
So, I followed. It didn't take long until I found a group of people. But instead of being focused on me, they were all standing around in a circle, sometimes kicking at the thing in their midst. "Hey." I announced myself.
"Fuck you wa- oh, you're a big guy!" A bald man wielding a serrated knife turned around while his four other friends kept kicking at… oh. I could see a small, humanoid form huddled into itself on the ground- a child. "Wanna help us beat the demon brat? I'm sure your kicks would pack a punch, y'know what I'm sa-" His head was sliding down his neck before he could finish his sentence.
My sandals crushed his torso with ease granted to me by my sheer muscle weight as I stepped towards the group of clearly drunken child abusers. The small gasps of pain and the chill feeling in the air made my rage bubble up all the more quickly. "Who're y-" One finally noticed me, but my fist had already swung out.
With a loud crash, his body cratered into the building behind him, his face now a brutalized visage of flesh and gore. "RAAAAA!" Without another word, the knife-wielding guy was upon me, weapon raised high and aiming to be rammed into my skull.
I slapped it away, hearing a sickening snap as his wrists snapped at the force of my parry. My lower right arm swiped out simultaneously, wide enough to encompass my newest attacker and the man who was still kicking the child. Both's torsos slid off their bodies, splattering onto the dirt ground with heavy squelches of crimson liquid.
My eyes turned to look at the source of the above-average Cursed Energy signature- the child. They had white hair with a red spot framing the side, the bob cut marred by dirt and grime from a long time gone uncared for. Wait, I know this kid… Uraume. Oh.
"Hey." I crouched down. The small body that I only now recognized to not be so small after all, shivered as I glowered over them. "I'm not here to hurt you." I felt kinship with them, so I hoped my evil-ass voice didn't ruin this minute chance at a human connection.
"I'm not here to hurt you." The voice was deep, almost reassuringly so. But she'd lived seventeen years of doubt, suspicion and self-preservation, so Uraume only pill-bugged tighter into herself. She'd long since found out that taking the beating was easier than unleashing… her terrible curse, otherwise she'll attract them, and they'd burn her family down again.
She knew it didn't make any sense, she had no family to burn down anymore, but she still feared the wrath of the Sorcerers that had come the first time she'd shown off her power to the people outside her family's estate. "Please…" She whispered, not to the men that had gone suspiciously quiet and not to the newcomer either, but to any of the Kami that would listen.
Please, take her curse away, make her normal.
"People call me a demon too, kid." She hadn't noticed when she'd stopped crying, or when she'd been placed deeper into the alley and up against a wall. Her head turned towards the source of mid-day sunlight, seeing a scene of bloody massacre at the entrance to the alley.
Instead of apprehension, terror or even disgust… Uraume felt glad. They got what they deserved. She thought. Then, her head turned to the right and… her heart stilled. Next to her sat a towering figure out of myth- a stature built like a god, four arms, two faces, two mouths and muscles she focused on a bit too long. "D-Did you…?"
"Yes, I killed them." He responded.
"T-Thank you." She understood what he meant. While she gained her reputation as the village's 'Curse' for attracting those spirits, or at least that's what her ever-changing tormentors told her, this man obviously never needed to do anything to gain that reputation. They were alike.
"Why'd they call you a demon?" He was blunt.
Uraume flinched back, her torn and stained yukata dragging against the ground as she shifted uncomfortably. But this was the first person in years to talk to her earnestly. "I-I'm cursed…"
"You can see monsters and do unusual things, right?" Uraume blinked in surprise.
"You can too?" She asked, apprehension forgotten.
The man nodded and only then did she really take a look at his face. Most would call it disgusting, horrible and terrifying for the fact that he had four eyes and a sort of secondary plate of flesh decking the right side of his face and holding that set of eyes but… she liked it. It was unusual, it was something others would call him the same thing they called her for. And she knew she didn't wish her fate upon anybody else but… seeing this visible signifier of the fact that there are other people out there like her…
And it was also hot.
Uraume blushed and turned away.
"Mhm. People like us are special, we can use powers that normal people cannot fathom, can't even see. Most would say our only purpose is to protect the innocent from those monsters, but I say something different." Uraume looked at him again as she heard the conviction in her saviour's voice. "Our powers, our Jujutsu, enables us to shape the world around us to our will. It lets us live by our own rules. We are free from the responsibilities others want to impose upon us, if only we muster up the strength to break our chains."
Something deep inside her resonated with that. Break my chains…
Her heart fluttered. "W-What is your name, my lord…" She heard a snort, but didn't let herself be taken off-course, this man… he'd saved her. In these few short moments, he'd been more understanding and kinder than her family or this village had ever been.
"Sukuna." That name etched itself deep into her subconscious.
"Please, Lord Sukuna, l-let me come with you. I-I can be useful!" She wanted to repay him with what little she had to offer. The strength he exuded without trying made it clear that her curs- power wouldn't be needed but… she could be useful in other ways. She wanted to be by his side.
"Alright, calm down there, kid." He laughed, the sound so ironically evil that she liked it all the more.
Uraume shook her head and pouted- when had she last felt this happy? "I'm seventeen…"
"Y-You are? Jesus, I must've gotten tall then." She had no idea who 'Jesus' was, but she would commit the name to memory, for Lord Sukuna spoke it. And indeed he was, he stood at a bit less than double her height. "Well, if you're gonna follow me around, then I'll have to take care of you." Sukuna stood up and stretched his four limbs- Uraume avoided staring at his rippling muscles the best she could. She couldn't ogle her new master!
A warm feeling surged in her stomach at the thought of Lord Sukuna taking care of her.
Heh…
"First things first, let's get the fuck out of this village." A sneer of disgust made its way upon his face and Uraume felt vindicated. The thought that maybe she deserved the torture had wormed its way inside her head each passing day they berated her for their suffering but seeing him condemn them even in a small way like this…
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