Into Infinity | Satoru Gojo x Female Reader

Chapter 30

"He was a man of light. To this day, I can't even say who exactly he was..."

You're sitting next to Dawa around a small fire, the young man looks nothing like the gentle monk you first met—the tragedy of the mountain already embeds itself in the determined edges of his face, and his heart glows a proud orange, as he studies the ancient sword in his hand.

Gojo lounges a few meters away, uncharacteristically giving you and the heart-energy-wielding monk a bit of privacy. He wears his blindfold, so you can't tell if he's sleeping or resting silently, but you assume the latter is the case. Samara, seeming to have reached some sort of agreement with him, rests by his side for now. You look at the orange-gold of the tiger's fur glowing so brilliantly you would've never guessed she was once one with the darkness, then turn your gaze to the similar blaze of the fire as Dawa begins his tale of how he came to know of heart energy.

"He wandered through our village one day looking for shelter," Dawa says, "He had this air about him, a man who didn't exist, but at the same time had been existing for eternity."

The night is quiet, filled only with the silent rustlings and coughs of the survivors resting close by. Dawa's voice carries out strong under the peaceful sky.

"I was six at the time," he says. "There was an incident... my memory is foggy about the details, but I remember this man came in wielding this strange energy. If it wasn't for him and this energy I wouldn't have survived. After that, he ended up staying with us for a while. He was clearly not from here, but he somehow spoke our language. He said he'd spent some time in the mountains before and had picked up on some things, but I had always found it strange..."

Anyways, he helped out a lot around the village, but I was the only one who knew of his strange energy. My child mind couldn't let it go. I kept bothering him about it. It took me four years of pestering before he finally caved." Dawa smiles as he recalls the memory. " 'Source' or 'Heart-energy' is what he called it. He said it was the basic creative force flowing through us all, originating from the heart center. It could be used to achieve many great things, but it was also dangerous. He seemed to be stuck on the dangers of it, that's why it took him so long to tell me. He taught me only the basics at first, how to see the essence of others. Then eventually he showed me how it could be used to heal oneself, heal others, and add to the creation of things. Things I'm sure you already know."

You nod.

Dawa continues. "As I said, he became more of a father to me than my own. I studied under his care for about 10 years. He taught me way more than this heart energy, he told me things about the world, told me stories of sorcery, and great beasts, things that seemed to come out of a fairy tale. I think, this man had been holding a lot to himself for a long time, and he was happy he finally had someone to talk to. It was from him that I first heard about Japan. He said he was from there, and he always talked about it with this light in his eyes, that I guess it embedded a love for it in me... Remember when you asked how I was able to speak such good Japanese? Well, it was him who taught me. I always dreamed of going to this land this man talked of with such passion." Dawa looks into the distance, a sadness growing in his eyes.

"But then one day he just vanished, without a word. After the bond we shared, I've never felt so betrayed. I guess that's why..." he clenches his hands, his heart flickers like the fire. "It's childish, I know, but I couldn't forgive him for abandoning us like that. I searched the mountain, hoping maybe he'd gotten lost or something, but that's when I found the note, written in his heart energy 'Don't look for me,' it said. After that, I vowed to never use that man's stupid powers again."

"I'm sorry," you say. "You deserved an explanation."

Dawa nods. "Maybe so, but you've made me realize how foolish it was. I learned this power for a reason. To protect my people. It would be a waste not to use it. To hold onto such a childish grudge."