𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖 || 𝐉𝐔𝐉𝐔𝐓𝐒𝐔 𝐊𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐍

Chapter 19: The Awakening

"You are a strange one, and that's saying something, coming from a cursed spirit I mean." He didn't hide the mirth in his laugh as he dodged a swipe towards his head.

"Shut up." Her eyes were cold as her next strike narrowly missed cutting the arm off the patchwork curse who identified itself as Mahito.

Her body was moving automatically in a steady rhythm. Attack. Deflect. Attack. Deflect. It was one of the rare times she was grateful for her training, brutal as it had been under the Magister's tutelage.

"People have souls, but because souls aren't seen by the human eye, they are not like hearts," Mahito continued.

"I'm the only person in this world who understands the composition of souls. After all, I change the shape of other creatures by making contact with them. All emotions are the result of the soul's metabolism. They're far too mechanical to call hearts." Mahito's arm morphed into a barbed whip which lashed towards her. Dodging the blow, she hacked at it with her katana, imbuing more and more cursed energy into her moves until she glowed. Her eyes flashed like mercury as both she and Yuuji synchronised their attacks. She noticed as a result Mahito's regenerative abilities had slowed somewhat, but he was still able to fight back.

Disgusting.

Mahito seemed amused by the whole situation as if this was all just one big game to him.

"People place too much value on things they can't see. I can see them, and souls are no more special than physical bodies. They're just there."

He smirked.

"Do you get it? There's no value or importance to life. Life just continues its cycle."

She levelled a burst of energy, leaving a crater in Mahito's stomach which slowly began to stitch itself up, becoming whole once more.

"But people choose to give it value, so doesn't that count for anything?" Mina spat back, infuriated by Mahito's logic.

She ducked away from the shot Mahito swung at her, yet it still managed to hit her side, causing her to be sent crashing into the side of the school building.

Blood trickled from a cut at the side of her head, trickling into her eye. She tried to stand up but found herself being dragged into the air, Mahito standing before her, his hand tightening around her neck, frowning as if he had been expecting something.

He cocked his head to the side, looking at her quizzically.

"Why can't I see your soul?"

Mina blinked at his unexpected words, unnerved.

"Maybe I don't have one?"

The sarcasm wasn't lost on Mahito, who cocked his head, his gaze having turned uncharacteristically serious.

"No. You have one. But it's...strange." Mahito frowned, failing to elaborate further.

"Why are you fighting on the side of the jujutsu sorcerers? you and I are better off as allies."

"We stopped being allies the moment you killed someone I was fond of."

Taking advantage of Mahito's distraction, Yuuji, who had been circling behind him released a powerful cursed energy-imbued punch, followed up by a volley of punches in quick succession. Mina's knees wobbled slightly as she straightened up, her arms aching slightly from overexertion. Mahito glanced towards her, smirking as he sent dozens of transfigured souls her way.

He's keeping me away from Yuuji, she realised as Mahito turned to focus his full attention on him, Mina now seemingly forgotten. She would have mustered some energy to feel insulted, but she had more pressing issues at hand.