In Your Eyes

Chapter 3

Kiseru - a traditional Japanese smoking pipe

Kenin - third of the five lower caste of Japanese ritsuryō system. They were privately owned servant. They could be inherited but not sold.

Kuge - a family of court nobles. 

another note: Uraume pronouns is they/them

-xxx-

Humans were taught that everything in their world was connected with spirits. The beauty and the horror of reality affected life in any form including natural disasters. The more curses there were, the worse it could be and jujutsu sorcerers existed solely to prevent it. But as life continuously progresses, there would be an endless struggle, and just like how humans were born, they would ceaselessly leak cursed energy.

It was life as it was and always has been. A cycle.

Many thoughts were running in his mind lately; one of which was when the Emperor ordered a group exclusively to deal with the unification of the Three Clans. Their objective being to end the constant struggle between the sorcerer clans and to ultimately destroy the King of Curses, their biggest threat and the cause why there were endless curses in the land. The order called themselves the Higher-ups.

Somewhere in his mind, Gojo recalled Utahime's story. She said the reason she was in Kyoto was because of a massive storm that hit her hometown which resulted in a chain of unfortunate events that affected her family greatly. Calamities were typically a result of a strong curse that stayed in one place for a very long time. She also said her mother's health was getting worse despite the medication that they were providing.

"You're being uncharacteristically quiet."

He watched the horizon staring down at the stillness of the city. Purple-headed mountains on the far western side of the manor where he was facing.

Ieri Shoko was one of his closest comrades and one of the few people he considered a friend. She was a medic whose job was to tend the dying and the wounded with the use of her cursed technique. "I heard the Three Clans' treaty is progressing well." she brought up.

"The Three Clans who were antagonizing each other for years will finally work together alongside the other sorcerers." he said but his lighthearted air changed fleetingly. "For now."

Shoko faced the view, pressing the kiseru at the end of her lips and exhaled a white smoke. The burnt orange rays of sunset lightening her dark-colored kosode .

It was their dream to unite the sorcerers and now that it's about to be made, Gojo was supposed to feel relieved. They knew each other for a long time and Shoko could tell that something was bothering him.

"Do you trust them?" she asked, beating around the bush. "the Higher-ups."

For a woman, Shoko was not an emotional person but he appreciated that she always sided with the people close to her so he knew he could trust her.

"They have egos bigger than all their heights combined," he blurted out. "damned elitists had us comply to any of their wishes using the Emperor's name."

As absolute as his words may be, the Emperor was nothing but decoration in his throne. The influential Fujiwara family dominated the imperial government throughout the years through the use of their children to ensure their position in the imperial line.

The Gojo family was powerless against them. Even though they have the strongest sorcerer, there were limits to Gojo's authority. He was a lord only within his administration and people.