"The Catalyst Curse. One born and bred from an explosion of unprecedented emotion, thousands of years ago. Several Jujutsu Sorcerers tried exorcising or harnessing that pure negativity, but none suceeded. Then, one day, that indefinite amount of ene...
Late at night, the moon was still high in the sky. You stood on top of a radio tower, waiting for Kuragari to come back. You extended her out time from ten minutes to 12 hours. If she tried anything, you'd know, and you'd immediately rescind your decision. I wonder how the Exchange Event went. You looked down on the bright city. There was a whoosh behind you, and the jangle of a chain.
"Well?" You asked. "What'd you find out?" Kuragari just grinned widely behind you.
~ You chewed on the tip of your thumb for a minute, thinking.
"That so, huh?" You asked. "Then I guess I have no choice." Kuragari hummed, hanging in the air, upside down.
"You gonna kill her?"
"Not her. She's being used unwillingly by some... vengeful spirit from over two-hundred and fifty years ago."
"You've gotten soft in your old age," she teased, resting her chin on your shoulder.
"I've gotten smarter."
"Same difference."
"Then let's go to her and get this over with."
~ The apartment complex was lit up, all 24 storeys. You crouched on one of the balcony railings, looking in through the sliding glass door. You could see a shadow pass by in the adjecent hallway. Pulling your glove tighter on your hand, you snapped your fingers. The lights in the apartment blew out, and you could hear Hana's panicked yelp from inside. You appeared in her apartment and took a seat on her couch. Is this how Satoru felt? You waited for her to walk out into the living room.
"Of course this happens late at night..." You heard her mutter as she walked out from the hallway. You noticed a limp to her step.
"Hana Adébáyọ̀."
"JESUS--" She stumbled into the wall. It took her a phat moment to actually process what she was seeing. "Shit--Hitom--!!" When she turned, Kuragari was staring right at her. She was utterly silenced.
"You're not as big of a problem to me as you think you are," you said. "But your... cursed spirit friend, or whatever, is a slightly bigger problem." You sighed.
"What do you want?" Hana asked.
"You were coerced into your Binding Vow, correct?" You asked. "You were taken away from your family, because Hitomi didn't want to directly fight Kuragari."
"I can't pull out," Hana replied. "If I do, she'll kill my family. Both of them."
"And none of them are jujutsu users?" Kuragari asked. Hana shook her head.
"No. I'm wasn't either, Hitomi somehow made me able to use cursed energy."
"Yeah, I realized." You stood up. "I guess the root of the problem is Hitomi after all." Kuragari grinned.
"How do you want to handle this?"
"Like I always do," you replied. "Quickly."
~ You brought Hana to an empty highway. A little further from any cities or towns.
"Summon her," you ordered. Hana was standing a few meters across from you. You could feel her spike her cursed energy. Close to no fine control. She truly isn't a seasoned cursed energy user. Those years were probably hell for her. The black snaked appeared under leg and wrapped around her body. It hissed up at her before flopping onto the ground. The snake slowly transformed back into Hitomi's form.
"Y/n L/n." She scowled immediately. "Your fight isn't with me."
"Ah, yeah it is." You tightened your glove. "Hitomi L/n." Her eyes lit up in anger.
"Break the Binding Vow," you ordered. "Or Kuragari will exorcise you after you say no." Hitomi glanced at Kuragari, shrinking back slightly.
"... very well." You looked at Kuragari and jerked your head over towards Hana. Bring her back to her home. Pouting at the lack of action, she walked past Hitomi who looked away. Hana took a step back from her.
"Calm down, I'm going to bring you home." When Kuragari placed her hand on Hana's shoulder, the two disappeared from the highway. You looked at Hitomi who was glaring at you.
"Alright, tell your story now." You said, sitting on the guard rail. "You're a vengeful spirit for a reason."
"The L/n Clan Genocide," she said instantly. You nodded.
"Yeah, I know about that. I was there."
"You started it."
"I started it?"
"If it wasn't for you being Kuragari's vessel, the clan wouldn't have gotten slaughtered."
"And? If Kuragari picked anyone else from the clan, or any other clan, the same fate would be suffered."
"If the Head of the clan had killed you when he wanted to, none of them would be dead!" You closed your mouth.
"Touma-san wanted to exorcise you the moment everyone realized you were the vessel--he knew how other sorcerers would treat us!"
"I wasn't just going to roll over and die, Hitomi."
"You wouldn't have had a choice!" Her anger caused her cursed energy to lose control, sending the highway sign to fall onto the road. Metal hitting blacktop screeched into the air. "When the genocide started--guess who got killed first? The branch family! The sorcerers didn't even bother to use cursed energy!"
"And that's somehow my fault?" You asked calmly, brows furrowing the more you listen to her.
"If it wasn't for that stupid woman Asuka, then maybe some of us would be alive!" When her eyes focused, your hand, free from its glove, was centimeters from grabbing her face. She saw the mark on your hand, with the closed eye in the center of your palm.
"I didn't quite care about your sob story until you said her name," you said. "Asuka had nothing to do with it. She wasn't the one who killed us, so don't talk as if she did."
"She... she knew exactly what she was doing!" A drop of sweat dripped down Hitomi's head. "She wanted you to live and us to die!" The eye on your palm opened.
"Ryōiki Tenkai." Hitomi's eyes widened as she was pulled into your complete domain.
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"You can feel it, can't you?" You asked, floating in front of her. "The feeling of your body being crushed and pulled in ways and directions you don't even know. It doesn't hurt, but it's extremely unpleasant." Hitomi didn't respond--couldn't respond. You raised your hand.
"Soul Crush." Your fingers snapped. There was a bone-crushing crunch. Purple blood spurted from Hitomi's mouth. Slowly, her body crushed under a force. Blood, bones, flesh, and organs being forced into a small cubic box. She couldn't even scream.
You reached out and grabbed the cube, seeing the inside saturated in purple blood. Your Domain cracked apart, exposing you back into the real world. You pulled your glove out from your pocket and slipped it back onto your hand. Tossing the cube up and down, you walked down the rest of the highway.
