13 The Awakening

July 4, 2018

In the bustling heart of the shopping district, an unusual group moved among the crowd. Geto Suguru, tall and powerful, sliced through the crowd with his three cursed companions. His long black hair, bound in a loose topknot, swayed with his measured steps, a stray lock falling across his pale, stitch-marked forehead. Narrow black eyes scanned the crowd, their piercing gaze occasionally obscured by the shadow of his fringe.

Beside him, the cursed spirits were a monstrous entourage. One, with the body of a monstrous, red fish with comically oversized eyes, wriggled its striped tentacles with an almost child-like curiosity. Another, a massive, tan behemoth, black tattoos resembled a labyrinth, its helmet-shaped head baring roots rather than eyes. And the third. Its humanoid form, a single eye, pale skin darkening to a fiery volcanic crown, seemed molded from ash and malice. 

"Must you always push things to the brink, Geto?" The volcano-headed curse, Jogo, was the first to break the silence, its voice a rumble of embers. "A Sukuna finger? Merely to test his depth?"

Geto favored the monster with a smirk that spoke of dark amusement. "An incomplete test would have been pointless," he mused, "And wasn't it a harvest, in its own way?"

Their exchange was unheard by the passersby, who flowed around the group as if an invisible current guided them. Unnoticed, they slipped into a nearby restaurant, the cheerful voice of a hostess breaking the flow of their banter.

"Welcome in! Table for one?" She smiled at Geto, the only one visible to her eyes.

"Yes, just for me," he replied, his calm demeanor offering no hint of the monstrous beings at his side. 

As he took his solitary seat, the fragments of their conversation swirled in his mind. Soon, very soon, his grand design would take shape. Sukuna was but one piece, a powerful one... but games with such unpredictable players had to be planned with exquisite care.

With Kaito:

My world was a void. No sound, no light, no sensation - just the suffocating weight of nothing. Within this endless black, memories flickered, tormenting me.

It started with the curse. A grotesque, inhuman monstrosity, its presence a stain upon the air. I unleashed my threads, a desperate flurry against its overwhelming power. My attacks landed, slicing shallow gashes, yet the wounds healed with sickening speed. My Phantom Threads, my cursed energy...none of it was enough.

And then, Itadori...blood-soaked, one hand a mangled stump, facing an impossible foe. Even as the blast of energy roared towards me, he bought me time with a desperate act. I should have stood beside him, should have died with him... but I fled.

"Find Kugisaki and get her out of here!" Each word was a hammer blow, fueling a guilt that gnawed at the edges of my despair. I had left Itadori to die alone, to face a cursed existence he hadn't chosen.

Then the scene shifted, the image of Sumiko burned into my memory. Her lifeless body, the perfect hole in her chest. A scream ripped out of me, but there was no sound, just the echo of a cry trapped in the void. It was my fault. I was too weak, too slow, unable to save her...unable to save any of them.

Itadori's final moments played out with agonizing clarity. His grin, the desperate plea for a signal, and then the sickening lurch of my stomach as Sukuna took over. His cruel taunts... the severed heart... and finally, Itadori's lifeless form collapsing. Not just dead, but gone... because I didn't kill that curse - because I couldn't stop Sukuna.

The anguish was unbearable. I thrashed against the invisible bonds, desperate to escape this torture. My mind conjured another image - the curse from the Innate Domain, its pale skin rippling with unstoppable strength. If only I were stronger... If only I were faster... If only...

Waves of helplessness crashed over me, each more destructive than the last. The guilt was a poison, the memories a blade. I was drowning, suffocating in my failure. If this was what becoming a sorcerer meant, I didn't want it. I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't bear this burden. 

But then, a cold spark ignited within the despair. A twisted thought slithered to the surface: But why not become stronger?

Strong enough to bring any curse, any person that tried to fuck with me - to control me, to their knees. A vision flashed in my mind: the curse from the Domain, not an unstoppable juggernaut, but a pathetic creature writhing under my heel. Itadori, Sumiko - alive and safe because of me, because of my overwhelming power.

The idea was intoxicating. A power fantasy amidst the wreckage of my grief.  No more failures. No more deaths I could have prevented. If this world demanded sacrifice, then I would reshape it with my own two hands, become a force that crushed, not cowered. Maybe it was madness clawing its way into my battered soul, but the image was seductive. It was...a way out. 

[Congratulations Host, for completing the hidden quest: Find your Purpose]

A tremor shook me. Hidden quest? I'd been struggling to survive, fighting for my own life and the lives of others - and this system was talking about hidden quests? A surge of fury threatened to rise, but a strange sense of curiosity held it back.

Another message flashed:

[The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why]

Something about those words resonated. My birth -  coming to this new world - the start of a journey I never asked for. And now...now was the day I would choose my path.

The System's voice broke into my thoughts, its robotic tone curiously devoid of its usual cheerful lilt.

[Host has received the following rewards:

• Ocular Technique: Divine Reflection

• Title: "The Seeker"

• +50 Attribute Points]

My mind raced. Divine Reflection - what does that do? And that title - it felt both fitting and unsettling. Seeker implied a journey, a never-ending pursuit of what? Knowledge? Power?

The System, as if reading my jumbled thoughts, displayed a final message:

[Host, it is advised to use these newfound resources to discover and develop your full potential. Your choices today will resonate for a lifetime.]

Then, the void shattered and voices pierced the darkness, sharp and fragmented.

"...question. Dispatching first-years to rescue five people who are probably already dead..."

Someone else, a harsh retort: "I tried to tell th-"

"I did the impossible, getting Yuji an indefinite postponement on his execution," the voice snapped, a chilling mix of fury and contempt. "What's fucked up is it feels like you and the higher-ups stealthily disposed of him with the assistance of a special-grade curse. And now Itadori and Sumiko are dead. Is that what you did, Ijichi?"

Ijichi denied it, his voice weak and stammering.  "N-n-no, when the initial dispatch went out, no one knew the curse womb would hatch so quickly-"

The first voice sighed, dripping with disdain. "Trying to pin the blame is such a pain. Maybe I should just kill the higher-ups."

A groan forced its way out of me. My eyes fluttered open, and a wave of information crashed over me - the conversation, the pain in my chest, the stiff bandages. It was too much. A blinding headache flared behind my eyelids. I groaned again, gripping my forehead and squeezing my eyes shut. 

A hand touched my shoulder, the sensation jolting through the fog of pain. A familiar voice reached me, "Hey kid, how you feeling?"

Gojo.

I forced my eyes open a crack, the room swimming in a dizzying blur. Mentally, it was like straining a muscle, but I focused on blocking out the excess visual stimuli. It helped, the intensity of the headache easing slightly.

I blinked a few times, the world slowly sharpening into focus. "I've had better days," I croaked out.

The door creaked open, and a new figure stepped in - a tall woman with long brown hair and a soft, almost maternal presence. Her white lab coat and gentle brown eyes radiated an aura of warmth and competence.

"Ah, you're finally awake," she said, her voice a soothing balm. She approached, placing a hand on my chest. A warm, white glow enveloped my body, and a wave of soothing energy flowed through me. The pain in my chest, the lingering aches...they faded, replaced by an unexpected sense of ease.

"Thank you," I breathed, looking up at her with a flicker of genuine gratitude.

So this is the reverse curse technique, I thought.

"You're welcome," she replied, a small smile on her lips. But then, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Were your eyes always like that?"

My brow furrowed in confusion. Gojo, who had been lurking nearby, echoed the question with a soft "Hm?" and leaned closer, his usual carefree demeanor replaced by curiosity.

"Huh," Gojo muttered, "That's interesting."

"What's wrong with my eyes?" I asked, my voice edged with a hint of unease.

"Ijichi, bring me a mirror," the woman said, her voice now brisk. Ijichi's hands trembled slightly as he fumbled with a nearby cabinet, the sound of glass clinking echoing the tension in the air.I turned, my gaze meeting Ijichi's. His eyes widened in a flash of...was that fear?

"Give me the mirror," I demanded, a thread of suspicion snaking through me. Taking it from his hesitant hands, I stared into my own reflection. The color of my irises was the same, perhaps a shade more vibrant. But the pattern...a delicate tracery like a fully bloomed water lily adorned both eyes, a stark contrast to their usual simplicity. 

My fingers traced the contours of my face, ghosting over my cheekbones. In the mirror, my reflection followed the movement perfectly. "Well, that's new..." I muttered under my breath.

Gojo leaned in, "Anything feel weird?"

"Not really," I said. But even as the words left my lips, an idea struck me. Focusing on my eyes, I willed them to...do something. It was like flexing a mental muscle. The world around me slowed, the steady hum of the hospital's machinery stuttering, the light shifting as if through a murky filter. And then, the headache kicked in, a slow, throbbing ache at the base of my skull.

I snapped my eyes shut, then opened them. The headache faded, along with the strange visual effect.  "When I focus on my eyes, I feel time slow down, and the information I can see widen. But it gives me a headache, it seems..."

"Well, just let me know if there are any other negative side effects that form," the woman instructed. She turned to Gojo, a calculating look in her eyes. "So, about Sukuna's vessel..."

Gojo replied sharply. "Make use of him."

The woman nodded. "Of course I will."

"Thank you again, uh-" 

She chuckled. "Shoko Ieri. Try to remember it."

"Thank you again, Ieri-sensei," I managed.

Nodding, she walked to the door, then paused and glanced back over her shoulder. "Also, be nicer to Ijichi, alright? It's hard having to stand between us and the higher-ups."

Gojo scoffed. "I don't give a damn about his hardships."

Ieri shrugged. "Fair enough," she said, then left.

The moment her footsteps faded, I turned to Gojo. "Can we talk? In private."

My mind raced. How this conversation went would shape my future. He could be an ally, a mentor, or an obstacle I might have to overcome someday.

"Sure," he said, already moving towards the door. "There's a change of clothes for you over there."

I quickly changed, following Gojo as he strolled out of the building. The sun's warmth felt strange against my skin after the sterile chill of the hospital room. The air hummed with the familiar drone of cicadas, birdsong punctuated the rhythmic sound.

We walked in silence, and with each step, my determination grew.  As we reached a remote edge of the campus, surrounded by lush greenery, I broke the silence.

"Do you believe the higher-ups orchestrated that mission to kill Itadori?" My voice was steady, masking the turmoil churning within me. I needed answers, needed to know where Gojo stood, what kind of world I was truly about to enter.

Gojo remained infuriatingly composed, not even slowing his pace. A breeze rustled through the leaves, the only sound for a long moment.  Then, he spoke.

"If I had to guess, I'm 85% certain they had something to do with it," he said casually, as if discussing the weather.

A chill ran down my spine. His certainty, the way he tossed out that number like it was meaningless... it confirmed my worst suspicions. My mind raced. Was this a test? A warning? Or did Gojo simply not care?

I tried to read his expression, but his blindfold hid his eyes. Was he watching me, gauging my reaction?

"Why do you think so?"  I blurted out, unable to contain my curiosity.

Gojo paused, turning to face me. For a fleeting moment, the usual carefree energy seemed to vanish, replaced by something else... disdain, perhaps?

"Because the higher-ups are conservative, idiotic fools," he said, his voice sharp. "Scared of power they don't understand, willing to sacrifice anything to maintain their pathetic status quo."

"Then why not..." The question burned on the tip of my tongue. Why not fight back? Why not change things? 

Gojo seemed to read my thoughts. "Kill them?" he finished for me. "It would be easy, but they'd just be replaced with the same brain-dead idiots, and nothing would fundamentally change."

The blunt truth of his words hit me hard. It was a naive thought, borne of frustration and grief. The rot ran too deep. I needed more than brute force; I needed to be smarter, to understand the game I was playing if I wanted to change the rules. 

My shoulders slumped, "At the end of the day, it's still my fault they died. If I had killed that curse, they...they'd still be alive."

My voice trailed off, thick with sorrow and self-recrimination. A flicker of something...pity, maybe? - crossed Gojo's face, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"Sensei, you're the strongest, right?" I looked up at him, a desperate hope burning in my chest. "Please train me. Train me to become the strongest."

Gojo turned, a smirk playing on his lips.  "Training to become the strongest sorcerer is impossible with me here," he mused, "but I can help you become the second strongest. If you promise me one thing."

I waited, my heart pounding. What could he possibly want from me?

"It's lonely at the top," he continued. "And the stronger you get, the more alienated from humanity you become. So, promise me you'll continue to enjoy life as well. If you can agree to that, I'll train you."

The fire in my gut ignited, fueled by Gojo's words. Lonely at the top? Maybe. But the alternative -  powerlessness, the endless cycle of senseless sacrifice...that was unacceptable.

My fingers curled into tight fists, and the water lilies in my eyes seemed to blaze for a moment. "I promise," I said, my voice echoing with newfound determination. "And one day, I won't just be second strongest. I'll be the one at the top."

A flicker of surprise crossed Gojo's face, then a grin formed. "My guy! That's what I love to hear!"