Corpse Flowers [Jujutsu Kaisen]

🥀 Chapter Seven 🥀

Everything was completely dark in the heavy water scented by the dying blossoms of sweet crimson roses and tart red spider lilies – Manjushage Seiran curled around herself, suspended in the thickness of the liquid as she held her breath, all her senses completely reduced to being one with the water. Her eyes were closed away and her long, black hair floated around her like snakes.

Manjushage Anemone had passed away within weeks of the failure of the merge between the Star Plasma Vessel and Tengen-Sama, coupled with Seiran passing out at a critical turn of events – and most importantly, pouring all of her remaining Cursed Energy into healing Satoru and not her or her grandmother. Seiran had not mentioned it to anyone but she was sure that her grandmother knew.

Anemone had died with that knowledge and now left everything up to Seiran to deal with. It felt like a punishment, Seiran felt, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Seiran knew that there was nothing more that she could do anymore but to accept her position as the next High Priestess. She had been shoved into the position at once but it wasn't until December that her ceremony was held formally.

Seiran was only barely sixteen years of age – even in the long line of Priesthood that her family had enjoyed, she was the very first to be taking up the mantel at such a young age. They had not expected her to survive the intensity of her duty before her ceremony was held. But Seiran had, somehow, managed to live through the onslaught of duties and was now finally legible to become the High Priestess.

The intensity of her position was only to get worse as soon as she formally termed as the High Priestess and for the very first time, Seiran felt scared. She had supplied her grandmother with her Cursed Energy all her life but she had never known that she would be placed in such a position so young. The dwindling numbers of the Manjushage family had thrust this position onto her.

"You are a virgin, is that correct, Seiran-Sama?" inquired Lady Naoki, an elderly woman who had once been Anemone's lady-in-waiting. Her words were straight-forward and very cutting.

"Yes," Seiran replied quietly as she sat still amongst the ladies who were tending to her. "I have never been in a relationship with any man or woman,"

"Good," Lady Naoki said. "However, it was your Oba-Sama's wish for you to seek a husband as soon as possible. You are only sixteen so it would be better for you to wait until you are eighteen. But I hope you understand the importance of this duty – you must find someone in the next two years and get married as soon as you turn eighteen. I'm sure you will not have trouble with how beautiful and healthy you are. Anemone-Sama wished for you to have many children,"

Upon these words, Seiran had remained completely still and silent. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of getting married solely for the result of producing children. Seiran did not share her thoughts to the ladies-in-waiting, even as they inspected her health in regards to her fertility and purity.

It was crucial for Seiran to be purified from the filth of the world that surrounded her. That was what Seiran was currently swept into as she laid in the water for a complete purification before her ceremony was to begin. She wished that she never had to leave that pool of warm water. But just as it would was vital to leave the womb, it was vital for her to leave that water and face the world.

On the days leading up to the ceremony, Seiran had been made to undergo several of her family's longstanding rituals – whether it be the Shinto Harae purification or the Hanabira scarification on her sacred body. Seiran was completely numb to everything. She felt like she was a guest in her own body.

This body did not feel as if it belonged to her at all – its beauty, its strength – everything was made entirely to serve others. She had earned by birth this body to serve, she was set to produce the Cursed Energy to serve, and she was to give birth to those who were meant to serve.