In the blood (Sukufushi)

12

When Megumi became conscious again he was hit by the smell of death and decay. His eyes flew open and he quickly scramble to his feet and realized that he was lying in some kind of blood pool.

The moment he stood up the view did not improve the slightest. The blood on the ground seemed to stretch out into eternity and everywhere around him were skeletons and skulls shattered all over the ground or piled up to mountains of bones. Instead of a sky there was only a black void and a gigantic rib cage that was closing everything in.

When Megumi suddenly heard a laughter his attention was brought to a man sitting on such a pile of bones, looking like it was actually a throne he was seated on.

At first glance it could have been Sukuna, but then again the person's appearance was different. Sitting cross-legged and with his head resting lazily on the back of his hand was someone wearing a black and white kimono, with four eyes and markings all over his body, but the face and hair was different from the person that had stepped out of the coffin before.

The man looked a lot older, while at the same time not old at all. His long, black hair was tied into a ponytail that hung low and was draped over one of his shoulders.

The expression on his face was sending shivers down Megumi's spine, especially when all four eyes fell on Megumi and fang like teeth were revealed that were a lot sharper than the ones Sukuna had had while living inside Yuji.

"Welcome inside my Innate Domain!" The person greeted Megumi, with mock hospitality.

"So, it seems someone managed to play a certain spell into your hands. Was it Uraume?"

There was no time for Megumi to reply and he wasn't even sure if he was actually supposed to say anything right now.

"Of course it was! Should have gotten rid of him years ago! But he was a good leverage to keep someone tame."

The man chuckled and tilted his head, looking at Megumi as if he was an insect that needed to be crushed into pieces.

"And then you showed up! This was so perfect! I could hardly believe it!"

With just one jump the person had left his sitting position and was now approaching Megumi.

"You looked so much like him! Nearly identical! He would have given everything for you!"

Megumi's confusion could not grow any further and since he was still trying to piece the words of the stranger together, he did not see it coming when he was grabbed by his chin and pulled forwards as if the stranger was presenting him to an invisible crowd.

"Am I not right, Sukuna?" The man called over and suddenly Megumi realized that there was actually another person inside the Innate Domain, only he was chained and could not move around freely. Still, when the person looked up from his position his face was full of rage.

Megumi's eyes became large and he finally understood.

The man with the chains looked completely human, just like Megumi did. He actually looked a little like Sukuna's form that had stepped out of the coffin only without the tattoos and the additional arms and eyes. Although Megumi had never met this person before, he knew without a doubt, that this was the real Sukuna. The one that supposedly had made a deal with a demon, who obviously was just in this moment standing next to Megumi.

"Ah, ah, Sukuna so defiant! You should behave if you don't want me to cut this little one into several pieces."

One of the demon's claws tore into Megumi's cheeks until a faint line of blood appeared. Megumi wanted to back off, but he did not dare to move.