Chapter 2

Yuki sat down before me and began to explain the basics of cursed energy, "First, we'll go through the basics. Cursed energy, the power with which we sorcerers fight, comes from negative emotions like grief, anger, and regret. However, these negative emotions don't only give sorcerers power, but they also cause cursed spirits to manifest in the world,"

I nodded along with her words and asked a question, pretending to be more ignorant than I actually am, "Are there different levels of cursed spirits, or are they all the same?"

Yuki began to trace her finger in the dirt after I asked my question, "There are a few ranks to both sorcerers and cursed spirits. They go: Grade 4, Grade 3, Grade 2, Grade 1, then Special Grade. However, there is also a Semi-Grade 1 for those who aren't quite skilled enough to get the full Grade 1 status,"

"What is the difference between sorcerers and cursed spirits if they are the same rank?" I asked, despite knowing the answer since it will always be better to get information firsthand rather than secondhand.

"Sorcerers at the same rank as a curse will almost always be stronger. For example, a Grade 1 sorcerer should be able to take on your average Special Grade curse, but there is an extremely large gap in power between both the strongest and weakest Grade 1 and Special Grade," She cautioned me as she stood and beckoned me to stand as well. "Where do you think cursed energy comes from?"

I thought I remembered the answer, but I felt the flow of energy inside myself just to be sure, "It comes from the gut,"

"Good," She said, indicating the area around her stomach, "Cursed energy comes from the gut, but the energy I used to heal you, positive energy, comes from the brain. It is the same with cursed techniques, they are more or less etched onto the brain of the user,"

"What's a Cursed Technique?" I asked, still pretending to be an ignorant child.

"The Cursed Technique is the most important thing a sorcerer has access to since it determines about 80% of their talent. There are two main types, Inherited and Non-Inherited. However, only the big clans have Inherited techniques, so we won't focus on those. Cursed Techniques, especially Non-Inherited ones, can be pretty much anything from cursed spirit manipulation to being able to control blackbirds and everything in between," She said seriously, "Any questions?"

"How do people usually realize what their technique is, especially if it is abnormal?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Most people get a general idea of what it is when they awaken it, or they just gradually grasp it over time," She said with a shrug.

(A/N: This ISN'T CANON, but I have always imagined that you sort of just get the basic idea of your cursed technique either over time or right off the bat. Otherwise, how the hell could Yuta figure out his Copy technique which requires him to consume a piece of the target's body?)

I nodded in understanding as she asked, "Got any idea what your technique is yet?"

"Yes, but I have the feeling it is a lot stronger than the average technique and should be kept secret," I said, gauging her reaction.

I felt like Yuki could be trusted with the details of my technique because she may actively help me kill cursed spirits and curse users with techniques s that she can study my technique and see what it is capable of. I couldn't be too careful, so I decided to ease into it gently to see her reactions to my words before deciding to tell her. As she paused to consider my words, I could see that her interest peaked as she considered my words. Finally, she asked the question I was waiting for.

"What do you mean?" She asked me, clearly wondering if I was just a dumbass kid or serious.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone," I said seriously.

She paused before saying, "Before you tell me, why don't I teach you what binding vows are?"

I immediately understood where she was going with this, so I just nodded and said, "Okay,"

"Binding vows can be made with oneself to take something away in exchange for more power. An example would be not being able to use cursed energy during the day in exchange for more cursed energy at night. These are relatively harmless to break. However, there are binding vows with another person that you must absolutely never break. The consequences of breaking these vows are worse than death," Yuki said as she crouched in front of me and looked me in the eyes.

"I understand," I said, meeting her gaze and not flinching.

"Okay then, I vow never to reveal your cursed technique," She said, reaching out her hand for me to shake.

"I vow to tell you the whole truth about my technique," I said as I reached out and shook her much larger hand with my small one.

For a moment, I felt a buildup of power inside me before it faded to the back of my mind. It was like the feeling of clothes on your body, it was easily ignored, but I could feel it all the time. Once the vow was in place, I took a breath and began to explain the details of my cursed technique to Yuki without withholding any information. I even told her about my plan to create a new, more powerful body since I figured she could help me quite a bit with that project. By the end of the explanation, she was clearly shocked, she began muttering to herself about my insane potential.

The next time she looked at me, it was no longer like she was looking at a child with determination but a blank canvas where the sky was the limit. She knew I was just unshaped clay for now, but with time and care, I could become a masterpiece. Her grin grew wide as she stroked her chin in thought.

"This changes everything. I was going to give some fundamental lessons about cursed energy before jumping into the basics of cursed energy control and reinforcement, but not anymore," She said excitedly, "Cursed energy manipulation is easier to learn with less cursed energy, so we'll do that now. Then, once I gather enough materials for you to create that new body, we will talk more about the fundamentals. Before that, though, there is one thing I want to warn you about,"

"What is it?" I asked, somewhat expecting what she would say next.

"Never hold more than three or four cursed techniques in your body at once, or the information will overload your brain, and you'll die," she said cheerfully, her attitude not matching the somber message.

"Okay," I said with a nod before beginning to try and control my cursed energy.

Yuki watched me for a while, but she eventually just said, "Get up and try to attack me, battle is always the best way to improve your abilities. Don't worry, I won't kill you, after all, I can just heal you up after beating you,"

I barely had time to feel alarmed at her words before she rushed forward and swung at me. I managed to duck before I tried to cover my arms with cursed energy, but it was too late as her foot impacted hard, tossing me back into an uncontrolled roll. By the time I was able to tell which way was up, I felt a blow land and break multiple ribs. I gagged and cried out as pain exploded throughout my chest. Everything became a wash of agony as it felt like was chest was covered with lava. Luckily, the agony didn't last too long as cooling energy came in and fixed my wounds.

I looked up at Yuki through tear-filled and bloodshot eyes to see her looking at me unsympathetically, "Get up, this can't be all you can do,"

I immediately shot to my feet and tried to hit her on the side of the knee, my cursed energy responding noticeably faster than before this time. Yuki nodded as she pulled her foot away from my reach as I chased after her. I became too focused on her leg and didn't see as her fist blasted me in the face, driving me to the ground. I expected her to heal me, but she just launched forward to stomp on me, causing me to roll out of the way at the last minute. I could clearly see that this was serious training and that I was expected to learn to deal with the pain.

After about an hour of this, the only thing on my mind was getting a hit. I let my growing frustration fuel me as raged forward, only hitting the after images of Yuki's speeding form. This continued until I was nearly drained of cursed energy, pulling on the last of my reserves, I launched forward faster than usual and swung. This time I managed to catch her with a glancing blow. Before I passed out from exhaustion, I was snapped from my extremely focused state by the site of black sparks exploding from my fists once I hit Yuki.