𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑴 𝑶𝑭 𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑫𝑶𝑾𝑺 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈 - 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐃

THE CURSED SPIRIT FELL TO ITS KNEES, hands surging in front of it in what appeared to be a prayer as it held on to the tip of the spear. The blade cut across its hands, but the creature didn't seem to notice, pushing the staff deeper into its chest as its putrid eyes filled with tears. Mikazuki backed off, a confused expression appearing on her face as the Curse crawled towards her, a trail of ichor and sulphur marking each one of its steps.

Mikazuki looked up, her golden eyes scanning the sky as clouds rolled into the air. The early hour had passed quickly and soon the real morning would come, she could feel the warmth of the sun on her head. The sorceress gripped the golden cane tightly. There was less than an hour left until the morning began and the neighbours returned to the area, so she had to deal with the creature quickly, especially considering that there was still a special-grade lurking around.

"What are you?" she asked again.

This time, the question was accompanied by a strong shove, staff pushing deeper into the creature's chest and snapping enough bones to push it back down. However, the Cursed Spirit quickly rose again, grasping at the sorceress' boots with a pleading look. Mikazuki tried to wriggle out of its grasp, but the Spirit's bony hands stiffened, its rotten nails digging furiously into the brittle skin of her ankles.

"You're one of them" the Curse chanted, hands grappling at Mikazuki's ankles as it desperately tried to crawl closer "A Kinzoku – cursed with the blood of the sun, like the goddess whose return was prophesised"

None of its words made any sense, yet there was a desperate tone behind each syllable, a kind of religious chant that sounded like nails on a blackboard. Mikazuki tried to move away once more, but the creature did not let her, this time grabbing the staff and pulling it until they were at the same height. They were so close the Kinzoku could feel the unpleasant smell of sulphur escaping from its mouth as well as count all of its rotten teeth as it spoke.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Mikazuki tried "My family was not cursed, the gold is in our bloodline – it's our legacy"

"Legacy" the Curse mocked, black goo falling from its lips and staining the ground while black blood pooled on the grass as it continued to drive the staff into its own chest "Don't you know the price your family had to pay for this? The countless lives they sacrificed just so they could call themselves gods?"

The Spirit reached out, hand clasping around Mikazuki's arm and pushing its dirty fingers into the cracks on her skin. The sorceress yelped, feeling as the Curses' nails dug into her skin and ripped apart the flesh.

"But don't be confused, child" it called "There is only one god, and she was never on your side"

Mikazuki closed her eyes, calling out to the gold she knew was always waiting. The arms of her technique began to encircle them, entangling the creature until it was completely engulfed. The Curse let out an empty laugh, pushing the woman's arm away from her as the gold settled on its skin like thousands of needles, cutting into the flesh and drawing more ichor.

"I'm done with you and your fucking ramblings" Mikazuki announced as she scrambled to her feet, staff melting into the gold along with the deadly needles "You will die today, Curse"

The curse looked up, and though its eyes were small and empty, the Kinzoku didn't see even a glimmer of fear, as if the spirit knew exactly what awaited it on the other side – or wherever those creatures went, anyway.

Gold began to collect in the air, forming an impenetrable yet flexible blanket that levitated around her like impenetrable armour. It was one of the first techniques she learned to use, spending the night practicing with Keisuke while their grandma watched from the porch, an encouraging smile on her face as she waived. It should have been a nice memory, but the words of the Curse had left a bad taste in her mouth.

What if the Curse was right? The power that had made her family invincible... what if it had been bought?

Mikazuki had never trusted her father, so the probability that it was all a lie would never be zero. Kinzoku Asahi was a vain man, and as such, he would always be able to sell everything for a shred of power to make himself infallible. However, if what the Curse said was true, then he wasn't the only liar. Hide. Keisuke. The clan elders. And what about Himari? Did she know the truth at that moment, sitting on the porch? If so, then maybe her usefulness had ran out.

If Kinzoku Mikazuki had ever doubted her goal, any hesitation she had vanished in that very instant.

"Cursed technique: Kintsugi"

The gold solidified, taking a sharp, watery shape before lunging at the Curse. The Spirit screamed as the technique's sharp edges pierced its skin, slicing through muscle and bone as black blood splattered onto the grass. The curse heaved, trying to catch its breath while Mikazuki gathered another wave of gold, ready for a second hit. It could feel it sharpening against its insides, cutting from the inside and pulling its guts out.

The pain was unimaginable, and Mikazuki revelled in every second of it.

The Curse tried to flee, but every step it took was matched by the wave of gold that followed like a shadow that couldn't be escaped. The spirit fell to the ground, back slamming against the garden fence as it gasped for air. Mikazuki slowly approached, crouching in front of the creature with a satisfied smile as her golden eyes sparkled.

"It seems you have nowhere to go" she taunted.

The Curse shook its head.

"You don't know you own history, and that will be the death of you"

Mikazuki rolled her eyes, a golden knife coming to life in her hand before she drove it into the Curse's heart, twisting the handle to push it further.

"I know plenty" she bit back

Despite the pain and blood oozing from its many wounds, the curse shook its head. Even being trapped, even with nowhere to go and just seconds from the end of its existence, there was something in the Curses' eyes that refused to vanish. A flame, pure conviction that Mikazuki had never witnesses in the eyes of Cursed Spirits. The Curse spat onto the ground, hand wrapping around the hilt of the knife before pushing it in even more, right until the blade grazed the edge of its heart.

"You know nothing" it spat, more blood spilling from its lips before it gripped Mikazuki's wrist "The Goddess that was promised has returned, and she shall purify all that is evil while dooming everyone who dared betray her"

Even though its words were drenched in pain and blood, the Curses' lips never wavered. There was a certainty in its words, something undeniable that even Mikazuki had a hard time denying. As if it had been written in stone, something inevitable – something bigger than her family, than The Magistrate, than Curses or Shamans, than hell or even bigger than the world itself.

"I don't know what kind of religious bullshit you're on, but I am no goddess" Mikazuki tried again, but even her attempt was meek when compared with this undying flame in the spirit's gaze.

"Neither was Kogane when she first faced the armies of hell, yet she rose to the task nonetheless"

Kinzoku Mikazuki was not naive. All her life she had heard stories about Kogane; an infallible woman whose power equalled that of an army, a sorceress who had fallen at the feet of a Curse before turning her back on the world of sorcerers in which she had grown up. It wasn't a new story, and yet it seemed there was an entire chapter she'd missed. The Curse titled its head down, letting go of Mikazuki's hand before pulling the dagger out of its heart.

"It will be an honour to die by your hand"

The Curse didn't hesitate, and with its eyes still locked with Mikazuki's, it drove the dagger straight into its heart, body disintegrating the moment the blade pierced through the muscle.