𝑫𝒀𝑵𝑨𝑺𝑻𝒀 𝑶𝑭 𝑺𝑶𝑼𝑳𝑺 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈 - 𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃

TEN YEARS AGO, 2007 –

KINZOKU MIKAZUKI STOOD IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR; her expression wrought with worry as the young sorceress stared at her reflection. The woman fiddled with her dress, tugging at the midnight fabric and arranging the bodice over her partially flat chest. At the young age of seventeen, the girl hadn't yet come into her adult body, her figure still that of a child with lanky arms and legs while her chest remained flat, her face porcelain white while her dark hair helped cover the soft roundness of her baby face.

Mikazuki held her breath in her chest, the rigid lines of the corset digging at her front while she tried to reign in the panic currently settling over her worried soul. The young sorceress didn't feel like herself; the gown was far too ostentatious for her taste while the weight of the dark jewels of her crown lay heavy on her head.

It wasn't only the clothes, though, for what lay weary on her soul had more to do with the gold running through her veins than the one painted on her dress. Mikazuki pressed her cold hand against her chest, breaths coming out short as a feeling of anxiety began to set in.

Nothing about her reflection was familiar to the girl. This person, this young woman with honey-coloured eyes and a hollow soul staring back at her was not who she was nor who she wanted to be. Instead, the image in the mirror was a mere vessel, an empty cup to be filled with gold at her father's request. There was very little of Mikazuki in that girl, very little of her gentleness and the serene thunderstorm that permanently resided in her gaze.

Mikazuki didn't blink, continuing to stare at her reflexion in wonder, unable to recognise herself in it.

Part of the first-grade sorceress wanted to up and leave, but with half a dozen maids tending to her and about twice the number of Windows and Doors standing guard throughout the estate, her plans were nothing but a faraway fantasy. Besides, even if she did manage to make it past the gates, where would she go? This family was all Mikazuki knew, and she and her brother were linked by an otherworldly link; she would never be able to leave without him. Or to live without him. Either way, there wasn't a single universe in which Kinzoku Mikazuki existed without her other half, Keisuke.

The almost eighteen-year-old tracing her figure in the mirror as she took in her extravagant robes. Mikazuki hated every aspect of it; she hated the way the fabric clung to her skin, the way the bodice dug into the space under her breasts, she hated the way the cape was draped over her shoulders. Even then, she couldn't deny the beauty of it.

Hide had been the one to choose the outfit for her daughter shortly after doing the same for her brother, although the real credit lay on Asahi's stiff shoulders. He was the one with enough foresight to procure a high-end designer, the kind of genius whose creations paraded across the world's runaway.

Mikazuki was currently wearing one of his latest designs, one which had been handcrafted to her measurements and which bore the Kinzoku crest elaborated with gold and jewels at the front of the bodice. The dress was a true delight, and, in true Kinzoku fashion, Keisuke had been outfitted with a matching set for his suit. Usually, neither Hide nor Asahi would go to such lengths for a simple piece of clothing, but tonight was no ordinary night, for the Kinzoku twins were set to reach majority of age.

Tonight, Keisuke and Mikazuki would become adults under the eyes of the Jujutsu society.

The celebration had been coming for months and it had been a while since the clan last indulged in such matters. Niko's birthdays had all been tainted by her brother's death and Setsuki was far too ill most of the time to get to enjoy hers. This party had been building for a long time; the last ball hosted by the Kinzoku was almost four years ago, and that had also been in honour of the twins. These days, everything revolved around the pair.

No. That's a lie. Mikazuki reminded herself, hands turning to fists at her sides. Everything revolved around Keisuke – he was the heir, the one who would inherit her father's seat at The Magistrate as well as his position and influence. Meanwhile, she would marry and bear children, as that was her duty according to the elders. The thought should have scared her, it should have made her blood boil. Instead, Mikazuki found herself simmering, not with fury like she should have, but with a strange brand of calmness that spread across her whole body.

It's okay. I was never built for this. The sorceress steeled her resolve, tilting her head so she could gaze at the beautiful diadem threaded through her braided hair. I don't mind fading into the background if it allows my brother to shine. There was no bitterness to her thoughts, no anger and no resentment. It didn't matter that she was stronger than Keisuke – something which had become clear the moment she first summoned Everlasting, its golden tendrils spreading further than his ever would –. He was born first, and so, the golden legacy was his.

It's okay. She repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. I never wanted it anyway.

Kinzoku Asahi had made very clear early on what he expected from each of his children. Keisuke was the heir, and Mikazuki was the spare. It had always been this way, long before either of them was born, long before Asahi himself was born. Seventeen minutes – that was the difference between the two, a handful of minutes that held an entire chasm of divergence. Seventeen minutes during which Keisuke wasn't doomed. Then, she came into the world, and their fate was sealed.

Mikazuki smoothed the fabric of the gown with her hands. She could hear the chatter coming from the ballroom, the first guests arriving and making their way to the main house so the night could begin. The house was nearly unrecognizable, every single piece of furniture; the walls and even the windows had been gilded by Asahi's touch – another power move, no doubt.

The trees that lined the path that led inside were bent forwards, golden lights dangling from their branches like tears that illuminated the way. Every plant, every piece of green that had once been vibrant and alive was now lifeless and metallic, the familiar golden gleam encapsulating every single surface as it spread like the never-ending tendrils of her own Everlasting. Even the floor of this room had been gilded, the bed and the columns that held up the frame, the curtains that grazed the floor and the drapes the hung from the ceiling.

Everything was gold. Gold. Gold. So much fucking gold.

It used to be her favourite colour, once. Now she could do nothing but loathe the sight of it. She hated it in her skin, in the cracks that ran along her arms, in the irises of her eyes, in the make-up that had been so carefully painted on her face.

There was so much gold everywhere, so much opulence.

So much hatred inside of it, too. Not that Mikazuki could have known it at the time. Would have she been able to hear the screams lingering inside of the gold, if she so tried? Or would the silence of her ignorance swallow everything up to keep her inside of this gilded jail she refused to abandon?

Mikazuki shook her head, ridding herself of these thoughts while the maid continued to brain her hair around the delicate crown. This is my party; I don't have time to think of these things. The girl tried to convince herself, even when the lie tasted bitter. But the sorceress knew the truth; this party wasn't about her. Hell, it wasn't even about Keisuke, either. That would have been too easy, wouldn't it? Too kind. The dark-haired sorceress was not naïve enough to believe any of this was about her and her brother.

Instead, it was all about him. Instead, here she was, all dolled up in a gown that made her skin crawl and wearing far more make-up than she desired, just so her father could play chess. Here she was, a queen disguised as a pawn. To Asahi, everything was a game of strategy and there was no other choice but to win at every round. He was willing to sacrifice everything and everyone just so he could hold on to his power for another day.

Sometimes, Mikazuki wondered how far he was willing to go. Most days, though, she was too afraid to ask. The girl was not as naïve as everyone believed and she, like her brother, had seen what lived inside of her father, a beast which she would rather stay asleep. For all of their sakes. Nobody wanted a repeat of the incident four years ago, no one wanted to share the fate of the late clan of the Edamura.

An entire clan,massacred in a single night. It must run in the family.