During the final battle of Shinjuku, after the Escape Path, only two warriors remained standing: Yuji Itadori and Ryomen Sukuna. The streets were devastated, the air thick with curse and smoke made the sky seem to bleed. The cracked ground still vibrated with the residual energy of the spells that had collided moments before.
Yuji's hands trembled, not from fear, but from sheer exhaustion. His body was covered in wounds, blood dripping mixed with sweat, and each breath sounded like a blade cutting his throat. Even so, he kept his fists clenched.
"I... can't..." he murmured, panting, staring at the demon before him. "...while Megumi is still in there."
Sukuna smiled, that cold, arrogant smile that made the world seem smaller. His body still emanated absurd power, as if every muscle pulsed with the pleasure of destruction.
"What a fool..." he said, his voice echoing like thunder. "Do you really believe you can do anything?"
Yuji gritted his teeth. His eyes burned, but not with pain, with rage. He remembered the friends who fought by his side, those who fell believing in him, and the promise he had made.
Even if the world called him a fool, even if all was lost, he wouldn't let Megumi Fushiguro's name be erased in that hell.
The ground beneath his feet began to crack as Yuji gathered all the remaining cursed energy. The air vibrated, and for the first time, Sukuna's smile vanished.
"I'll get you out of there, Megumi..." Yuji murmured, his eyes glowing red. "...even if I have to lose myself along with you."
And then, the two advanced.
The impact of his blows made the world tremble, and in that instant, something that didn't belong to that plane opened in the air, a rift of light among the shadows...
Yuji still felt the weight of the last burst of energy reverberating through the wreckage of Shinjuku. The hot wind carried the metallic smell of blood and the distant sound of the ruins slowly collapsing. He could barely stand, his knees trembled, his body covered in scars and burns, his uniform torn to shreds.
His right eye, filled with blood, burned as if it were on fire. His vision wavered, but he wouldn't allow himself to close his eyes.
Not yet.
"Choso..." the name echoed in his mind, heavy, painful.
Memories pierced his mind like blades: Choso's tired smile, the hoarse voice saying he was his brother, the moment the blood splattered on the ground, all because of him.
Yuji bit his lip until he tasted iron. "You… sacrificed yourself for me…" he murmured, his voice breaking. "And I'm still here… trembling…"
He looked at his own dirty, cracked, trembling hands. Hands that had saved and destroyed in equal measure.
The weight of guilt seemed greater than his own body could bear.
"How many times did someone have to die for me to stay alive?"
The silence around them was deafening. Even Sukuna, motionless in the distance, seemed to observe, waiting for the next move. But Yuji couldn't think about fighting, not yet. He only felt the emptiness.
"I can't… let all this have been in vain…" he whispered, clenching his fists tightly. "Choso believed in me… everyone believed. So… I'll believe too."
He raised his face, even with his blurred vision, staring at Sukuna's figure. There was the enemy who had taken everything from him, but also the symbol of everything he needed to overcome. The pain didn't disappear, but for the first time, Yuji used it as strength.
The blood streaming from his right eye looked like a burning tear, and when he took his first step forward, the ground cracked beneath his feet.
Even shattered, even alone, he wouldn't stop.
The ground cracked beneath Yuji's feet, the cursed energy around him crackling like black lightning. His whole body ached, but he didn't back down. He was ready to strike the first blow, ready to end it all when something strange happened.
Behind him, the air began to distort. A spiral of purple energy, as deep as the void itself, opened amidst the wreckage. It was like a living, pulsating portal, emanating a power Yuji had never felt before.
The wind blew fiercely, pulling in dust, rubble, and even the charred remains of buildings. Yuji planted his feet firmly, trying to resist the force that dragged him along. But then he felt his arms and legs being pulled by invisible currents, his body being swallowed toward that dimensional rift.
"What… what is this?!" he shouted, fighting against the current of energy.
For a moment, he thought it was another trick of Sukuna's, perhaps Megumi's shadow technique. The idea made him grit his teeth.
"You're using his power again, aren't you, Sukuna?!" he roared, trying to break free.
But silence was his answer.
Sukuna said nothing.
When Yuji looked at the demon, he noticed something that made him shudder: Sukuna looked surprised. His eyes, always full of arrogance and pleasure, were now fixed on the purple slit, with a gleam of confusion and discomfort.
That wasn't him.
And not even Megumi.
The severity of the phenomenon increased. The ground began to shatter, being swallowed along with Yuji. He dug his fingers into the earth, but the energy pulled at him with increasing strength, as if something called him from another world.
"Damn it… not now!" he roared, feeling his body being dragged up to his waist. "I'm not done here yet! I promised I would save Megumi!"
The purple light intensified, swallowing his scream.
And, in the blink of an eye, Yuji Itadori disappeared, ripped from the battlefield, from the hell of Shinjuku, and from everything he knew.
Sukuna just observed the empty space where the boy had been moments before.
Not even the King of Curses could explain what had just happened.
Yuji remained kneeling for long seconds, trying to understand if he was still alive. The wind hit his face, softly, carrying the scent of blue flowers that stretched as far as his eyes could see. It was a scene so peaceful it seemed like a lie, a painful contrast to the hell he had left behind in Shinjuku.
Each flower seemed to glow under the golden evening sun, reflecting a serene light that made the air almost ethereal. The distant sound of the petals being touched by the wind sounded like a calm, almost maternal whisper. Yuji took a deep breath. For the first time in a long time, the air didn't taste like blood, smoke, or curses.
"This… can't be the afterlife, can it?" he thought, still dizzy.
It was then that he saw her.
Among the flowers, a figure was slowly walking towards him. The color contrast was almost surreal, short hair, blue like the petals around it, a pink clip holding part of the bangs. She was wearing a simple light blue dress that swayed in the wind, and her eyes, the same color as the flowers, had a calm and gentle glow.
She stopped a few steps away from him and smiled. A soft, almost shy smile, but with something welcoming, as if that entire place existed only through her.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" said the girl, her voice sounding like a distant melody.
Yuji looked at her, still not knowing what to say. The contrast between the two was stark: he, covered in wounds, dried blood staining his clothes and arms; She was clean, serene, with a purity that seemed untouchable.
For a moment, he felt ashamed of his own appearance, of the scars, the blood on his face and his torn clothes. Still, when he looked back at that infinite field, he felt that she was right.
"Yeah…" he replied, hesitantly, his voice hoarse. "It's really beautiful."
The wind blew again, ruffling the girl's blue hair. She looked away for a moment, watching the flowers dance in the sunset.
Yuji frowned. "Where… am I?" he asked, trying to understand. "And… who are you?"
The girl turned her gaze to him, and for a second, there was something strange in her eyes as if they carried a deep sadness, hidden behind the light smile.
"Who am I…?" she repeated softly, thoughtfully, as if the question were new to her.
She then tilted her head, the smile returning, but without responding.
Yuji waited, confused, the silence growing between them.
"Hey, aren't you going to tell me your name?" he insisted, trying to appear calm, although a strange feeling of discomfort began to grow inside him.
The girl just shook her head, her lips curving into a gentle smile. "You don't need to know who I am now..." she said, looking again at the blue horizon. "Just appreciate this moment. This place is… rare."
Yuji felt a pang in his chest. The way she spoke, as if she knew him, as if she understood the weight he carried, made him uneasy. "Rare…?" he muttered. "What is this place, anyway?"
She stepped forward and bent down, picking one of the blue flowers. He held it carefully, as if it were something too precious to be touched with force.
The wind blew gently through the blue flowers, and Yuji stood still, trying to understand what was happening. The girl before him with blue hair that swayed in the breeze and a serene, almost ethereal gaze, slowly bent down, picking a flower that seemed to shine in the evening light.
She held it gently between her hands, and took a small step forward, holding it out to Yuji.
"Yuji-kun..." his voice was calm and sweet, almost like a whisper carried by the wind. "Good luck."
Yuji's eyes widened. The way she pronounced his name completely disarmed him, he had never seen that girl before, but something about her seemed… familiar. A feeling of comfort and sadness at the same time.
"Wait… how do you know my name?" he asked, confused, reaching out to take the flower.
But before his fingers touched the blue petals, a dense darkness began to form around him. The orange sunset sky was swallowed by liquid shadows, and the field of flowers vanished before his eyes.
The girl only smiled, a gentle, almost melancholic smile.
"We'll see each other again, Yuji-kun..."
Those were the last words he heard before being swallowed by the darkness. His body plummeted as if the ground had disappeared, and the strong wind enveloped him completely. He tried to scream, but no sound came out.
_____
When he finally fell, the impact was sharp, the air left his lungs, and the world around him spun. Yuji stood up with difficulty, dizzy, his body still covered in blood and dust from the previous battle.
Now, before him, there were no more flowers. There was a dense forest, the ground covered in leaves, and the distant sound of creatures he didn't recognize. The blue light had vanished; only the sound of the wind and the weight of loneliness remained.
Yuji looked at the dense sky and murmured, trying to understand what was happening:
"...Megumi? Girl with the blue hair...?"
No answer. Only the rustling of the trees.
He looked at his palm and noticed a single blue petal shining there, as if it had followed him from that field.
Yuji stared at it in silence.
And then, he took his first step into that new world.
After that pleasant feeling faded, Yuji felt the true weight of reality return. The pain hit him like a cruel wave, each wound, each cut, each scar throbbing as if burning from within. He fell to his knees, gasping, the blood drying on his torn, dust-covered skin.
"Agh... damn it..." he whispered, clutching his chest. His heart pounded erratically, and the memory of Choso's sacrifice, of the chaos in Shinjuku, returned like a blade embedded in his mind.
He took a deep breath, trying to understand. The surrounding trees swayed in the wind, the ground covered in damp leaves, and the scent of fresh earth filled the air. No buildings, no streets, no city sounds.
"This… this isn't Tokyo…" he murmured, his eyes wide.
He looked around, trying to find some clue. "Maybe Megumi did this. A domain? An emergency spell?" he thought. But something inside him told him no—the air was different, the surroundings seemed… strangely alive.
Then he heard it.
A distant sound.
First faint, then clearer.
Screams.
Children's screams.
The sound of despair pierced the silence of the forest, and Yuji stood up immediately, his body still trembling.
"What…?"
Another scream, closer now, followed by a girl's cry.
Yuji turned his face toward the sound, his eyes narrowing, his heart racing.
Without thinking, he began to run through the trees, and it was at that exact moment that—
Yuji burst through the undergrowth without a second thought, the sound of screams growing clearer with each step. Leaves brushed against his face, branches scratched his arms, but he didn't care; his fighting instincts simply took over.
Emerging from the trees, he saw the scene: four children cornered near a large rock. Three boys trembled, shielding a little girl with brown hair and a red ribbon in her hair. Her eyes were wide, gleaming with fear.
Before them, a grotesque creature growled, a huge black and brown wolf, its body covered in bristly fur and metallic reflections. On its back and snout, plates of something that looked like glass or a mirror reflected the moonlight, distorting the very image of the forest. Its sharp fangs gleamed, and the beast's breath was heavy and dry, like the sound of shattering glass.
Yuji didn't think.
He just moved.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he leaped forward, his body reacting with the same reflex it used against curses. The monster turned its snout, growling, but Yuji was already on top of it.
"Get out of here!" he shouted, his voice firm.
The wolf tried to lunge forward, but Yuji slammed his fist into the creature's face with all his might, the impact echoing through the clearing like thunder. Shards flew from the beast's snout, fragments of glass cutting through the air like blades.
The creature howled, staggering backward, but Yuji gave it no time to react. He grabbed it by the head and threw it to the ground brutally, raising a cloud of dust.
The children watched, speechless. The girl with the red ribbon was crying, but her eyes were fixed on that strange, bloodied boy who fought like a demon.
Yuji breathed heavily, watching the animal struggle on the ground. His fists trembled, not from fear, but from contained rage.
He didn't know where he was. He didn't know what that monster was.
But he knew he wouldn't let anyone die in front of him.
"If you get up again… I'll finish you off," he murmured, his eyes red with the blood that streamed down his face.
The wolf let out one last growl before preparing another attack, and Yuji ducked, ready for the next blow.
The sound of the blows echoed through the forest—dry, violent impacts, followed by cracks and groans of pain. Yuji struck with his fist, his elbow, his knee as if he wanted to unleash everything that was trapped inside him. The creature tried to retreat, but he grabbed its neck and threw it against a tree, making the trunk tremble.
His whole body ached, but it wasn't physical pain that consumed him.
It was another kind. One that grew each time he remembered Choso's face falling to the ground.
"You shouldn't have died for me..."
The beast's blood dripped onto the ground, mixing with the damp earth. Yuji looked at his own hands, now covered in red, and for a moment, the faces of Choso, Nobara, Megumi, Gojo—all came to mind like distorted flashes.
"I should have been stronger."
"Yuta, Maki… I only caused trouble. I only brought pain."
The wolf tried to attack again, but Yuji dodged, his face a cold, weary expression. He grabbed it by the fur on its neck and punched relentlessly, his eyes empty, his heart heavy.
Each blow felt like a release.
Each impact, an attempt to erase the weight of guilt.
"Why am I still here…?" he murmured, not realizing he was speaking aloud.
The creature collapsed, motionless, its body sunk into the earth. Yuji breathed heavily, his fist throbbing. He looked around; the children were silent, their eyes wide, unsure whether to thank him or run away.
He turned, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, his gaze distant.
"…I'm not in Shinjuku."
The wind rustled the blue flowers around the clearing. The same blue he had seen before falling here.
Yuji stood still for a moment, his chest heaving, feeling the weight of loneliness tighten around his heart.
And for the first time since Choso's death… he wondered if it still made sense to keep fighting.
Yuji felt the creature's body tremble under his blows, each punch making the ground shake, and blood splattering on his face and clothes.
He didn't stop.
He didn't want to stop.
The sound was grotesque: flesh tearing, bones breaking, the air being cut with every movement.
But Yuji only saw red.
Rage mixed with pain, and pain became fuel for more violence.
Each blow was a memory: Gojo falling, Megumi disappearing, Nobara bloodied, Choso smiling for the last time.
All of it burned inside him.
"Why… does everyone always have to die at my hands…?" he murmured, punching once more, until the creature's body stopped reacting.
When silence enveloped the forest, Yuji stood motionless. His breath was ragged, his fists trembling, blood trickling down his arms. He looked at what remained of the monster and saw only a shadow of himself reflected there: broken, stained, unrecognizable.
Slowly, he stood up, staggering. Blood dripped onto the ground. The cold wind whipped against his skin, bringing back a fragile sense of reality.
It was then that he heard hurried footsteps.
The children, those he had just saved, ran into the forest, screaming, desperate.
Yuji turned his head and saw them fleeing.
Their eyes showed not gratitude, but fear.
He stood still, without reaction. His heart tightened, not because of the blood, nor the pain, but because of their expressions.
But, as he was about to turn to leave, he noticed something.
The girl with the red ribbon was still there.
She trembled, clutching the hem of her dress, her eyes brimming with tears. But she didn't run.
She said nothing.
She only watched that boy covered in blood, exhausted, lost.
For a moment, the wind blew between them, carrying away the metallic smell of blood and the distant perfume of blue flowers.
Yuji looked away, embarrassed.
His voice came out hoarse, almost a whisper:
"...A-Are you alright?"
The girl didn't answer. She only blinked slowly, seeming to try to understand if he was even human.
Yuji fell to his knees with a dull thud, blood dripping slowly onto the ground covered in dry leaves.
His body trembled, not only from the physical exertion, but from the torrent of memories that came like an uncontrollable flood.
With each heartbeat, a memory crossed his mind, too vivid to be ignored.
First, Kugisaki Nobara.
The insolent smile, the unwavering courage, the way she laughed even in the face of death.
Yuji could hear her voice echoing in his head, firm, stubborn, saying that no matter what happened, she would fight to the end.
But that memory soon distorted.
He saw her body, motionless, fallen on the ground.
He saw the blood on her face.
He felt the helplessness tear at his chest again.
"Tell them it wasn't so bad..."
Then came Nanami.
The calm mentor, the man who always seemed to know what to do, even amidst the chaos.
Yuji saw him standing, surrounded by flames, slowly walking towards the enemy.
He remembered his calm, almost paternal voice saying:
"Itadori-kun... You continue from here."
Those words, spoken before death, always hurt more than any wound.
Yuji clenched his fists, the blood on his hands mingling with the tears that fell from his only remaining eye.
And then came the memory of Junpei.
The friend he couldn't save.
The boy who just wanted to live a normal life.
Yuji saw him smiling, extending his hand, and then, writhing in pain, being transformed into something that shouldn't exist.
The feeling of failing, of losing someone who believed in him, was like a sharp blade being plunged into his chest.
"H-Help me..."
The air grew heavy.
The sound of the forest seemed to disappear, as if the whole world had stopped just to witness Yuji's despair.
Megumi.
His closest friend, the partner who trusted him even when he himself could no longer see himself as human.
Yuji saw him falling into darkness, his eyes consumed by another consciousness.
He reached out to that memory,
but, as always, couldn't reach it.
"Then start by saving me... Itadori!..."
But then, Gojo.
The strongest. The teacher who always seemed invincible.
The one who, even when everyone trembled, smiled as if he controlled destiny.
Yuji remembered his smile before the last battle.
And afterwards, the absolute silence.
No body, no goodbye.
Gojo's simple absence was a wound that never healed.
Gojo spoke:
"Yuji... I entrust my future to you!"
"Everyone..." he murmured, his voice faltering.
The ground in front of him was stained red.
He didn't know if it was the creature's blood, or his own.
Tears began to fall, but only from one side.
The other eye, now empty, looked like a deep, open wound where not even tears could well up.
The sound escaping him wasn't crying, it was a hoarse groan, a mixture of pain and regret.
The forest seemed to hear his suffering, each leaf swaying as if lamenting along with him.
The girl, who until then had remained motionless, took a hesitant step.
Then another.
She was still trembling, but there was something about Yuji that prevented her from running away, perhaps it was the loneliness emanating from him, or the way he wept silently, as if carrying the weight of a thousand lives.
When she got closer, she heard small noises coming from him, stifled sobs, trembling breath.
She observed him with wide eyes and, for the first time, noticed the detail that left her breathless:
that man, who had just faced a monstrous beast and emerged victorious, was crying.
But only from one eye.
The other side of his face was covered by a deep, empty scar, a cruel absence.
She knelt slowly in front of him, not quite understanding what she felt.
Fear? Pity?
Perhaps it was just the desire to help.
"M-Mister..." her voice came out low, childlike. "Is... is everything alright?"
Yuji didn't answer.
His body began to slump forward, the weight of all the memories pushing him to the ground.
He still tried to breathe, but his lungs ached, his heart felt like it would stop at any moment.
The world spun.
The trees became blurs, the sound of birds dissolved into distant echoes.
And then, he fell completely, to his knees.
The girl gasped, moving closer.
She reached out and touched his shoulder, the skin cold and damp with blood.
"Hey... please... wake up..." she whispered, shaking him slightly.
Yuji didn't react.
His body just swayed, inert, his face still turned to the ground.
The girl, her eyes filled with tears, began to call him again, louder:
"Wake up! Please!"
No answer.
The wind blew, carrying the scent of the flowers that grew nearby.
And for a moment, between the branches, the sunlight pierced the treetops and illuminated Yuji's face; the remaining eye still shone, moist, as if even unconscious he were still crying.
The girl remained there, on her knees, holding him by the shoulders, begging for a reaction.
But Yuji Itadori didn't move.
Only the sound of the wind and the distant echo of an ancient pain filled that place.
...
Yuji felt something warm and small envelop his hand.
It was a strange sensation; he hadn't felt such a… human touch in a long time.
But his body felt like it weighed tons.
Each muscle ached as if it had been torn and stitched back together, and the air entered and exited his lungs irregularly, in a drawn-out manner.
Gradually, he began to regain consciousness.
The sound of birds singing softly filled his ears, mixed with the distant crackling of burning wood.
A scent of herbs and dust floated in the air.
Yuji slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the rustic, dark wooden ceiling, with crooked beams that betrayed its age.
There were small cracks through which sunlight passed, illuminating the room with warm, golden tones.
He blinked a few times, still trying to understand where he was.
His body was still heavy, and his head throbbed as if it had been crushed.
Instinctively, he brought his hand to his face, touched the side where there had once been an eye, and felt the cold, painful emptiness.
The wound was still there.
It hadn't all been just a nightmare.
He struggled to support himself, slowly sitting up on the makeshift bed where he lay, a thin straw mattress covered with simple sheets.
The creaking of the wood under his weight echoed through the small room.
He looked around; the walls were of stone and wood, old, perhaps part of a rural cabin.
There was a small window, with an irregular frame, through which the soft morning light entered.
An old chest in the corner, a table with earthenware bowls, and a vase with blue flowers.
For a moment, Yuji was silent, observing everything.
His heart beat slowly, heavily, as if the world were spinning at a different pace.
The little girl was still holding his hand.
He realized it now; the strength was small, but firm, as if she were afraid to let go and watch him disappear.
"Where... where am I...?" Yuji murmured, his voice hoarse and broken.
The girl blinked a few times, then pointed outside, out the window. "In the village of Arlam... you were hurt and... and slept all day... My name is Petra" she said, with a shy smile, trying to hide her nervousness.
Yuji looked outside.
Through the window, he saw a simple village, wooden houses, dirt paths, people carrying baskets and talking in the distance.
Nothing resembled Tokyo, much less the battlefield of Shinjuku.
Everything there seemed calm... almost too peaceful.
He put his hand to his head, trying to remember.
The purple gate.
The field of blue flowers.
The mysterious woman who called him Yuji-kun.
And then… the darkness.
Nothing made sense.
But, for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel the suffocating weight of Sukuna's presence inside him.
It was as if the emptiness was... silent.
Yuji took a deep breath and looked at the girl again.
She smiled, albeit shyly, her face still stained with dust.
"You... saved me?" he asked, in a light, almost insecure tone.
The girl shook her head quickly. "No! Grandpa brought you! I just... made sure you weren't alone."
Yuji stared at her for a few seconds, surprised by the simplicity of the answer.
A small, tired smile formed on his lips.
"I see..." he said, closing his eyes for a moment. "Thank you..."
She blushed, looking away.
Yuji then leaned on his knees and tried to stand up, his body protesting, his legs trembling, but he managed.
He looked out the window again, observing that world that seemed so distant from everything he knew.
A world where he didn't feel the cursed energy…
where no one seemed to carry the weight of a curse.
A world that, somehow, welcomed him even though he didn't understand why.
And there, faced with that impossible calm, Yuji Itadori realized something simple, yet unsettling:
he was no longer home.
Yuji looked at the girl again, still trying to understand what was happening.
She seemed so normal… so ordinary… that for a moment he thought that perhaps she was still in some forgotten corner of Japan, an isolated village that hadn't seen the war and chaos.
But something didn't add up.
He took a deep breath and asked:
"So… Petra, right?" he repeated the name carefully, and she nodded, smiling with a certain childlike pride.
"Okay, Petra…" he scratched the back of his neck, trying to sound calm, "what part of Japan is this? This village… Arlam, right? Which province is it in?"
The girl blinked, confused. "Japan?" she repeated, as if it were a strange word. "I… I've never heard of this place."
Yuji was silent for a few seconds, his gaze lost.
The sound of birds outside seemed to echo louder, filling the void between the words.
"What do you mean… you've never heard of it?" he asked, frowning. "It's… the country, you know? Japan. Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka…"
Petra just shook her head slowly, her eyes wide. "I… I don't know these places, Mister… This is the Kingdom of Lugunica."
Yuji's heart leaped.
Those words made no sense at all.
"Kingdom"? "Lugunica"?
He got up with some difficulty and went to the window, pushing aside the worn fabric curtain.
The morning sun blinded him for a moment, but soon his eyes adjusted and what he saw left him even more disconcerted.
The village seemed to have come from another century.
Wooden and stone houses, with thatched roofs.
People walking in simple clothes, carrying baskets, speaking with accents he had never heard.
No electric wires. No lampposts. No cars.
Not even the distant sound of a nearby city.
Everything there seemed… frozen in time.
He turned his gaze to Petra, still near the bed.
She watched him attentively, somewhat frightened by the serious expression that had taken over his face.
"Petra…" he began, his voice lower. "Aren't there any big cities nearby? Not Tokyo, not Sendai, nothing like that?"
The girl thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I only know other capitals… but the closest one is Lugunica. But it's quite a long walk."
Yuji took a step back from the window.
The air seemed heavier now.
He brought his hand to his face, trying to process what he was hearing.
"So it's not Japan…"
The memories came rushing back: the field of blue flowers, the mysterious woman, the purple portal pulling his body.
The way Sukuna had also been surprised.
Everything fit into a puzzle that didn't make sense.
And yet, the air there was different; he felt it in his body, in his skin.
There was no trace of cursed energy.
It was as if that world was… clean.
Petra approached slowly, tugging at his sleeve. "Are you alright, Mister?" He took a deep breath and forced a small smile. "...I think so. Just... trying to understand where I am."
She tilted her head, confused. "You speak in a strange way..."
Yuji gave a weak laugh. "Yeah, I noticed."
He looked again at the village, the people living their simple routines, the distant fields illuminated by the sun.
That tranquility was almost unreal, especially for someone who came from a world destroyed by curses and endless battles.
But, deep down, Yuji knew.
As beautiful as that place seemed...
he wasn't there by chance.
Something or someone brought him to that world.
And, somehow, he had the feeling that his fight wasn't over yet.
Yuji looked at himself more closely, curious.
Until that moment, the weight of the pain prevented him from noticing, but now, examining his own body, he noticed something strange.
The scars that once covered his arms and chest… had disappeared.
The skin, once burned and torn, now looked almost new.
Even the deep cut on his abdomen, the one he received from Sukuna, had vanished, leaving only a faint, almost imperceptible mark.
He brought his hand to his face, touching where the blood had dried, and blinked in confusion. "...What...?" he murmured, looking at himself again. "I... was destroyed. How... did this..."
Petra, who was arranging a pitcher of water beside the bed, looked at him naturally. "Ah! It was Miss Rem!" she replied enthusiastically, turning to him with a smile. "Grandpa and the others went to Roswaal's mansion to ask for help, and she helped take care of your wounds!"
Yuji frowned. "Rem...?"
"Uh-huh!" Petra nodded, nodding excitedly. "She works at Lord Roswaal's mansion, you know? She's one of his maids!"
Yuji fell silent, trying to process the words.
"Mansion"? "Maid"? "Lord Roswaal"?
It all sounded like something out of a fairy tale, not a modern world.
He lowered his gaze to his own hands, still perplexed.
"Healed... completely."
Even Shoko, in her world, would need time and advanced techniques to recover from injuries like that.
His first thought was logical, or at least the closest thing to it: "Could this be a village of sorcerers?"
But, looking at Petra, a little girl who spoke with such innocence, without the slightest trace of cursed energy around her, he gave up the idea of asking.
If he started talking about jujutsu, energy, curses... he would probably only confuse or frighten her.
"I understand…" he replied, disguising his surprise. "This Rem… seems to be a kind person."
"I don't know much about her…" Petra said proudly. "But she only helped thanks to Roswaal."
Yuji nodded thoughtfully.
That information would be kept in mind. If this "Rem" was capable of healing him, perhaps she knew what was happening there.
He took a deep breath, sat back down, and closed his good eye for a moment.
Even in a world without cursed energy, he still felt something inside him, a familiar spark, something only a jujutsu sorcerer would recognize.
The cursed energy was still there, quiet, dormant… but present.
"So it still exists here… even if it's minimal."
Yuji brought his hand to his face again, touching the deep scar where his eye should be.
He still remembered the pain of losing it and Sukuna's smiling face at that moment. But now, there was something different.
A desire to move forward, even in an unknown place.
He clenched his fist, concentrating.
The flow began to react within him, the cursed energy flowing slowly, converting into reverse energy.
Heat began to spread through his head, pulsing.
Subtle bluish sparks emanated from the palm of his hand.
Petra took a step back, startled, but without screaming, just watching, fascinated.
The scar began to glow, and Yuji felt the pain return, as if the wound were reopening, but he held firm, his whole body trembling.
The air grew thick, the sound of the wind disappeared.
Reverse energy enveloped his face, and gradually, the emptiness of his eye began to fill with bluish light.
After a few seconds, Yuji gasped and let go of his hand, sweat trickling down his forehead.
The pain subsided.
He blinked once... then again.
And, to his astonishment, he realized he could see again with both eyes.
Petra brought her hands to her mouth, horrified. "Y-you... your eye... it's back!"
Yuji took a deep breath, feeling his heart race.
The cursed reverse energy was still working, even there.
That proved he hadn't lost everything.
"Yeah..." he replied with a tired smile. "Let's just say I have my tricks."
He looked out the window again, his gaze more focused.
The sun illuminated the village, and in the background, the field stretched as far as the eye could see.
Now, with both eyes open, Yuji saw that world clearly.
Yuji got out of bed, now feeling more stable. His body still ached, but nothing compared to what he had felt before.
He tested the movements of his arms, turned his neck, flexed his hands. Everything seemed to work perfectly, which made him even more intrigued about what had happened while he was unconscious.
He adjusted his torn shirt, took a deep breath, and looked at Petra, who was watching him attentively with the same curious and innocent look.
"Petra… I thank you for everything you've done for me, truly," he said, with a half-smile, his voice serene but firm. "But I need to go."
The girl's eyes widened in surprise. "Go? Now?" she asked, in an almost desperate tone.
Yuji nodded, walking to the door. "Yes. There are things I need to understand… I need to find out where I really am."
Petra ran and stood in front of the door, opening her arms with childlike determination. "Wait! You can't go yet!"
Yuji blinked, confused. "Huh? Why?"
"Because..." she paused, trying to catch her breath. "My friends and Grandpa still want to thank you!"
He frowned, a little confused. "Thank you...?"
Petra nodded sharply. "You saved us, remember? That horrible Majuu was going to attack us, and you appeared out of nowhere and fought until you finished her off!" "Grandpa said that no hunter in the village would dare to face a beast like that alone!"
Yuji looked away for a moment, his expression becoming more serious.
In his memory, he still saw the creature's blood and his own hands trembling, not from fear, but from anger.
He hadn't fought to be a hero.
He had fought because he needed to unload something.
Something that had been consuming him inside since Shibuya.
"...I only did what anyone would do," he replied, his voice low. "You were in danger."
Petra shook her head firmly. "No!" she exclaimed. "Here, nobody does that." Most people run when they see a mabeast."
Yuji raised an eyebrow. "Mabeast...?"
"That's what we call those creatures," he explained matter-of-factly. "Monsters that live in the forests."
Yuji sighed. "Monsters," "Kingdom," "Maids"... All of that seemed to confirm what he already suspected: this wasn't the world he knew.
But, seeing the sincere gleam in Petra's eyes, he didn't have the heart to refuse her request.
He scratched the back of his neck and gave a tired half-smile. "Okay... I'll wait a bit, then."
Petra smiled brightly, as if she had won a battle. "I'll call them!" "Grandpa and the boys are near the well!"
"Okay, go ahead," Yuji replied, leaning against the wall near the window.
The girl ran off, her red ribbon swaying in her hair, calling out to someone outside.
Yuji watched her disappear among the wooden houses and let out a long sigh.
He looked at the blue sky outside.
"Monsters… people who don't know what Japan is."
It all seemed like a dream.
But the smell of the air, the feel of the wood, the sound of the birds, everything was too real to be an illusion.
Yuji closed his eyes for a moment.
The voice of the mysterious woman in the blue field echoed in his mind:
"Good luck, Yuji-kun."
He opened his eyes again, gazing at the horizon. "What did I come here to do?..." he murmured to himself.
Outside, the sound of Petra's hurried footsteps and the echo of the other children's voices began to draw closer.
And, for the first time since leaving Shinjuku, Yuji perceived something different within himself:
not fear, nor pain... but a spark of peace, however momentary.
As he opened the door of the cabin, Yuji was immediately struck by a light, cool breeze, mingled with the scent of burning wood and wildflowers. The sound of voices mingled with the rustling of leaves, and when his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, he saw something that left him completely still.
Before him, a large part of the village was gathered. Men in simple clothes with calloused hands, women holding small children, and even some elderly people leaning on wooden canes. They all looked in his direction. And then, one by one, they began to smile.
Yuji blinked, confused. The warmth emanating from those gazes was something he hadn't felt in a long time. No looks of fear, distrust, or hatred. Just… gratitude.
"Is he the young man who saved the children?" asked a woman with a blue headscarf.
"Yes, it's him!" replied Petra, excitedly, raising her arm and pointing at Yuji with an innocent smile. "It's him! He defeated that horrible creature that was going to hurt us!"
Suddenly, the villagers began to approach. Some with baskets of fruit, others just to shake his hand or bow.
"Thank you, boy. You saved what is most precious in this village," said a man with a gray beard, bowing deeply.
Yuji was completely speechless. "A-ah, I only did what anyone would do…" he replied, scratching the back of his neck and looking away.
But no one seemed to believe him. To them, he was a hero, a stranger who came from nowhere and faced something that no one in the village would dare to confront.
Petra ran to his side and, with the same innocent gleam in her eyes, said, "You still haven't told everyone your name, have you?"
Yuji blinked a few times, trying to organize his thoughts. That feeling of being "seen" in a positive way was so far from reality for him.
He took a deep breath, looked around, and with a slight smile, replied, "My name is Yuji… Itadori Yuji."
A murmur spread among the people, repeating his name. "Yuji… Yuji-san…" some children tried to pronounce it correctly, and one of them, the little boy who had run away earlier, even raised his arm and shouted, "Thank you, Yuji-nii!"
Yuji's heart tightened. That shout hit him hard, like a distant memory of simpler times. His eyes burned for a moment, but he disguised it with a crooked smile.
"When was the last time someone thanked me for this?..."
"N-No need to thank me so much… I just couldn't let anyone get hurt."
Even so, the old man who seemed to be Petra's grandfather approached and placed a firm hand on Yuji's shoulder. "Young man, in this world, no one is obligated to risk their life for others. Even less so for people they don't even know. What you did… deserves more than mere words."
Yuji remained silent. Inside, something ached. He thought of everyone he had lost, of how many times he had tried to save someone and failed, but now, for the first time in a long time, someone looked at him not as a weapon, not as a monster, but as a person.
"Itadori Yuji…" the old man repeated, smiling. "Welcome to Arlam Village."
Petra took his hand and pulled him along excitedly. "Come on, Yuji-kun! Grandpa said he's going to make something delicious for you to eat!"
Yuji chuckled softly. "It's been a long time since I've heard someone call me that..."
And, for the first time since Shinjuku, he felt a glimmer of peace in his chest, even without knowing exactly where he was, or why he had been brought there.
"My chest hurts..."
Yuji picked up the spoon with trembling hands. In front of him, Petra and the old man were conversing serenely, laughing softly about something he could barely hear. The sound of their voices seemed distant, muffled, as if the whole world were covered by a silent fog.
"My chest hurts so much..."
He tried to focus on the food, chewing slowly, but the lump in his throat prevented him from swallowing. The simple smell of the homemade dinner hit him hard; memories, pain, and a strange sense of peace mingled within him. It was all so familiar and, at the same time, so cruel.
"I-I... Why do I feel like this?..."
The man looked at him kindly.
"Is the food good, young man?"
"I want to... cry..."
Yuji looked up, his teary eyes trembling under the dim lamplight.
"Y-yes... it's great..." he replied, his voice faltering.
"It's great!"
Tears streamed down his face before he could stop them. He didn't know if he was crying from relief, for being alive, for having a moment of calm after so much chaos, or from defeat, for realizing how much he had lost along the way.
Petra stopped talking, noticing his wet face. Yuji quickly wiped his eyes, trying to smile, but the smile broke before it could form.
It was a silent cry... the kind that comes when the heart simply can no longer hold back what it feels.
After finishing his meal, Yuji wiped his mouth with the handkerchief Petra offered him. The taste of the soup still lingered in his mouth, warm, smooth, with the simple flavor that only someone who cooks with their heart can give. He stood up, bowing slightly before the two of them.
"Thank you for the food… and for helping me," he said, in a calm but sincere voice. "I think I really needed this."
The man smiled, his eyes tired but full of kindness. "Well, young man, you saved our children. It's the least we could do."
Yuji nodded and looked at Petra, who was still watching him curiously. "I… heard you talking about a mansion. Roswaal's, right?" he asked. "I'd like to go there and thank them personally for taking care of my injuries… and for letting you help me."
Petra perked up, but then seemed surprised. "You want to go to Lord Roswaal's mansion? It's a bit far from here, Yuji-kun… but it's easy to find."
Her grandfather, adjusting his hat, pointed with his staff towards the hills to the north. "Follow that path through the hills and you'll see a stone road. It leads straight to the mansion. It will take a good few minutes on foot, but you can't miss it."
Yuji followed his gaze and saw, in the distance, a white glow reflecting the sunlight—perhaps it was the roof of the mansion. The cold morning wind swept through the fields, swaying the flowers and his hair.
"I understand," Yuji replied with a slight nod. "I want to thank you personally."
Petra then approached, crossing her arms. "But, Yuji-kun… if you want to go to the capital of Lugnica, it's the opposite way." She pointed south, where the road wound through verdant hills.
Yuji blinked, confused. "Lugnica, huh…" he repeated the name, trying to fit it somewhere in his mind.
He had never heard of that name before. It wasn't a city in Japan. It didn't even sound like something from his world.
Petra noticed the lost expression on his face and laughed lightly. "You're kind of strange, you know? Everyone knows Lugnica."
Yuji looked away, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah… I guess I come from quite far away."
The old man gave a low, quiet laugh. "Then wherever you came from, young man, may Od Laguna guide your steps."
Yuji bowed respectfully and began walking down the dirt road. The wind blew through the blue flowers, and the sun began to slowly descend on the horizon.
As he walked, Yuji looked at his own hands, now clean, without blood, without wounds, and thought: "Is this place... really Japan? Or is it... that I'm not even in my world anymore?"
Yuji walked along the dirt road, his worn boots sinking slightly into the dry mud. The sky above was clear, an intense blue that reminded him of the flowery field where he had seen that mysterious woman. The wind blew gently through the trees, making the sound of the leaves mingle with the rhythm of his steps.
For a few minutes, he tried not to think about anything, just to keep going, one step at a time. But it was impossible.
The image of Shinjuku came to mind like a wound that never healed.
What is it like now...?
Yuji clenched his fists. The silence around him was almost unbearable, so different from the chaos he came from.
Had Yuta managed to face Sukuna alone?
Was Maki still alive?
And Megumi…?
The thought hit him like a cold blade.
Megumi… is still in there.
Yuji stopped walking for a moment, taking a deep breath. The cold wind hit his face, and for an instant he felt like screaming.
But there was no one there to hear.
Not the sound of cars, not the echo of sirens… nothing.
He instinctively touched his pocket.
Nothing. No cell phone. No signal. No way to contact the world he knew.
"Damn it…" he murmured softly. "I don't even have my phone here…"
He looked around. The village he had left behind was now just a distant dot, and ahead were only hills and the path leading to the mansion.
No electrical wires, no signs, no lampposts.
Nothing that resembled technology.
This… isn't just the Japanese countryside.
The thought sent shivers down his spine.
It was as if he were in another time, or worse, another world.
Even so, Yuji took a deep breath and kept walking.
"Thinking too much about it now won't help me," he told himself.
All he could do was keep going and, perhaps, find answers in that Roswaal mansion.
Yuji walked for a few more minutes until the dirt road turned into a path of white stones, lined with perfectly aligned trees. The wind grew colder as he advanced, and gradually the simple village scenery gave way to a silent grandeur.
When he looked up, Yuji finally saw it.
Roswaal Mansion.
It was immense, an elegant building with light-colored walls and bluish roofs, with tall windows and columns reminiscent of castles from ancient tales. The stained-glass windows reflected the sunlight like fragments of rainbows, and the garden in front stretched out in lines so symmetrical they seemed drawn with a ruler. The scent of flowers mingled with the damp smell of freshly watered earth.
Yuji stood still for a moment, observing everything.
He had never seen anything like it.
Not even the homes of wealthy families in Japan had that air… almost unreal.
But what intrigued him most was the silence.
There were no guards, no servants in the courtyard, no sound of footsteps or voices.
Everything was in perfect order, the flowers well cared for, the gates open, the path clean, but there was no one there.
He looked around suspiciously.
Could it be a trap?
No… Petra wouldn't lie.
Even so, something about that calm made him uneasy.
Carefully, Yuji crossed the wrought-iron gate. It creaked slightly, and the sound echoed throughout the empty courtyard.
Each step on the gravel seemed too loud.
The long path to the mansion seemed endless. The wind ruffled his tattered uniform, and the scars still visible on his body burned slightly under the sun.
When he finally reached the end of the path, Yuji stopped before the main staircase.
He looked up at the top, at the tall carved wooden doors, adorned with carvings of flowers and symbols he didn't recognize.
He took a deep breath.
Even without understanding why, his heart raced, a mixture of nervousness and curiosity.
He climbed the steps slowly, each one creaking under his weight.
Finally, he stopped in front of the door and closed his eyes for a moment.
Well… whoever this Roswaal is, I hope he's a reasonable person.
And then, Yuji raised his hand… and knocked on the mansion door.
Yuji waited in silence. The sound of the wind blowing through the trees was the only thing that filled that empty courtyard. He knocked once more, with a little more force, and took a step back, trying to maintain his posture.
Time seemed to stretch out.
Nothing.
No sound of footsteps, no voice.
Yuji took a deep breath and was already thinking of trying to call out loudly when he heard a soft click coming from the other side of the door.
The latch turned.
And, slowly, the enormous wooden door opened, creaking softly.
Yuji looked up.
For a moment, he even forgot what he was going to say.
Standing before him in the doorway was a young woman with short, blue hair, so light it seemed to reflect the sky itself. Her eyes, also blue but a deeper shade, gazed at him calmly, almost emotionlessly. She wore an impeccable maid's uniform, with white details and a black ribbon at the neck, contrasting with the delicacy of her expression.
The light streaming through the door made her hair shine like water.
Yuji opened his mouth, ready to ask about Roswaal, but the words simply wouldn't come out.
For a moment, he froze.
It wasn't just because of her appearance… but because of something in her presence. A kind of cold serenity, an invisible firmness that made him swallow hard.
She observed him silently for a few seconds, tilting her head slightly.
"...Can I help you?" she asked in a calm, soft, and polite voice, but firm enough to make it clear that this was no casual reception.
Yuji blinked, trying to regain focus.
"I…" he began, but his voice faltered for a moment. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I came… to thank you."
She blinked slowly, seeming to ponder. "Thank you?"
It wasn't clear if Yuji was thanking the girl who calmed his soul in that blue flowery field or for healing him in the village, but even so he…
"Thank you for saving me."
He thanked her.
End of Prologue.