Space twisted around them. In the blink of an eye, all three vanished from the ruined forest.
Over a mile away, Jogo clawed his remaining hand into the dirt and dragged himself out of the trench, coughing up thick purple blood. He didn't waste a second looking back. The Disaster Curse disappeared into the shadows before the Six Eyes could find him again.
...
Outside Shinjuku Station, the morning commute moved with its usual rhythm. Umbrellas and briefcases drifted through the crowded streets beneath the gray sky while thousands of overlapping conversations blurred into background noise.
Far above the scramble crossing, a giant digital billboard shifted from a cosmetics advertisement to a breaking news report.
A news anchor appeared beside footage of roaring orange flames.
"Authorities are continuing efforts to contain a massive wildfire in the forested hills outside Kamakura," the anchor reported. "Officials say the blaze began suddenly late yesterday afternoon."
Aerial footage rolled across the screen, revealing a gigantic smoking crater carved through the woodland.
"Meteorological data shows no lightning activity in the area, and investigators remain unable to explain the extreme temperatures involved. Several acres of protected forest have been reduced entirely to ash."
A few pedestrians glanced up at the screen before continuing on.
"Probably arson," one businessman muttered while adjusting his tie.
"Global warming," a teenager replied, already scrolling past the story on his phone.
...
Two Weeks Later
"Hm. Looks like both of you are finally cleared for discharge," Shoko Ieiri said casually. "Try not to run into another Special Grade anytime soon."
She tossed their discharge papers straight into the trash before walking back into the morgue, leaving Ren and Maki staring after her.
The past two weeks had blurred together into painkillers, restless sleep, and recovery sessions.
Surviving Jogo's attack had only been possible because of Shoko's Reverse Cursed Technique. Even then, some damage couldn't be erased completely.
Jagged burn scars remained across both of their bodies.
The true details of the fight had been buried by the higher-ups to prevent panic. Officially, it was nothing more than a severe curse incident.
Now they finally had to return and face the other students again.
Maki sat silently on the edge of the examination cot, thumb brushing against the high collar of her uniform. Beneath the fabric, twisted burn scars stretched across her shoulder and neck.
Beside her, Ren rolled his stiff shoulder carefully. The broken ribs and burned flesh had healed, but the scars stayed behind.
The clinic door slammed open.
Satoru Gojo walked in carrying a colorful bakery bag, completely ignoring the fact that he had nearly ripped the door off its hinges.
No blindfold covered his eyes today just casual sunglasses.
"Look who's finally off the bench," Gojo announced as he dropped the pastries onto a nearby medical cart. "I was starting to think you two moved into the morgue permanently just to dodge training."
Maki answered with a flat stare.
Gojo dropped into a chair and stretched his legs out.
"I tore through every crater, volcano, and hot spring within fifty miles," He slouched in the clinic chair, crossing his long legs. "Nothing. Turns out Mount Fuji is exceptionally good at playing dead."
Maki looked down again without answering.
Gojo watched her fingers catch against the collar of her uniform.
Then he clapped once.
The sharp sound cracked through the room.
"Alright," he said, standing up. "Back to the dorms. If anyone asks, you got burned during a curse mission. Keep the details simple."
...
Ren pushed open the dorm room door and stepped into the quiet.
The duffel bag slid from his shoulder and hit the floor with a dull thud.
"Finally."
"You took long enough."
Ren looked up.
Gojo was already sitting on the desk with his blindfold back on, legs stretched lazily in front of him.
"Thought I'd never catch you alone," Gojo said. "Maki practically refused to let you out of her sight downstairs."
Ren rubbed a tired hand across his face.
"She's just—"
"Spooked."
The word stopped him cold.
"Talk to her," Gojo said more quietly. "Whatever's going on in her head right now, she's not telling me or Shoko."
He was right.
Since waking up, Maki had barely spoken beyond short replies. Between recovery and Gojo constantly checking in, neither of them had gotten a real chance to talk.
"I will," Ren muttered while kicking off his shoes. "Was that your whole reason for breaking into my room? Playing therapist?"
"I'm a very versatile teacher," Gojo replied. "But no. I actually wanted to ask you something."
Ren narrowed his eyes slightly.
"About Megumi."
At the mention of Megumi Fushiguro, Ren stayed quiet.
"He's got the Ten Shadows Technique," Gojo continued. "Ridiculous potential. But there's still one wall nobody in Zen'in history ever managed to cross."
Ren already knew where this was going.
Mahoraga.
"Okay," he said carefully. "And?"
Gojo leaned forward slightly.
"Your Heavenly Restriction is incomplete."
Ren's expression stayed neutral.
"Right now your cursed energy is almost nonexistent," Gojo explained. "Basically identical to Maki's. But almost isn't the same as zero."
He held two fingers a millimeter apart.
"If it ever dropped completely to zero, the restriction would fully stabilize. At that point, you wouldn't just be strong."
A grin spread across Gojo's face.
"You'd become something even barriers and domains can't properly recognize."