𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑺𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑺𝑶𝑹𝑹𝑶𝑾⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐋𝐕𝐈𝐈 - 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

GOJO SATORU SWALLOWED PAST THE LUMP ON HIS THROAT, hands fisted by his sides while he watched The Beldam's twisted smile. There was some familiarity in this moment between the two, but the sorcerer would rather not think back to that time while he could avoid it. Here was here now, hands clammy with sweat while the creature circling him taunted him with silly words. The Beldam pretended to know him, but its words rang hollow in his ears. This thing was nothing more than a nightmare that had run its course, and it was time to wake up.

The curse's steps slowed down, its hollow beady eyes looking at him with something akin to curiosity. It was wickedly evil, but its dead stare was nothing compared to the strange pallor of its skin and the strange shapes of its bones. It was ugly yet somehow unnervingly intriguing and Satoru found himself unable to look away from the day. It was almost beautiful, in that strange way that most broken things tend to be. Somehow, part of the Gojo heir saw himself reflected in its twisted frame, like some deep piece of his soul was just as deformed as the creature standing in front of him.

Still, Satoru steeled his resolve, ignoring the pang of guilt in his chest as he levelled the Curse with a glare.

"This has nothing to do with her." He called, the lie nearly twisting his own tongue.

He was lying, and the monster didn't have the decency to pretend it couldn't see it. Instead, it rolled its eyes, letting out a heavy exhale before cracking its bony knuckles. The sound echoed across the forest and made a shiver run down his spine, the coldness of it settling into his own bones like a blanket of ice. It wasn't hard to figure out he was lying – for one, he was a liar, and then there was the fact his body betrayed him each time her name left the creature's foul lips.

Kinzoku Mikazuki. It was always about her with him, wasn't it? Would he always feel like this, even after he married his new bride, or would a part of the Queen of Nightmares perpetually invade his mind until the day he died?

"Oh, but it does." The Beldam tapped the side of its head, a nervous tick while its wicked smile turned putrid. "You see; right now I am swimming in your memories."

A sickly feeling washed over him, either because of the confession or because he could clearly feel the creature roaming in his mind, an unwelcome guest that pranced through his psyche with little to no care in the world. He'd felt the presence long before he ran into the Curse for the first time, but never had he experienced such a revulsion towards a cursed spirit prodding into his subconscious. It felt vile, a violation of everything that he held dear. And yet... it also felt somewhat liberating, like he was finally sharing his thoughts without having to worry about offending or hurting the family name.

The Beldam inhaled, taking a whiff of his thoughts which turned to fine smoke in its hands.

"There's so much rage, so much anger and resentment trapped inside of that little head of yours." Its tone was condescending, even if its expression remained petrified. "It's a delicious little treat."

Satoru tightened his fists, reminding himself of the plan one more time as he did his best to keep his cool. Fighting The Beldam now would be useless, especially when he was at the creature's mercy inside of its domain. There was nothing else to do but wait for Mikazuki to take the shot. Until then, he could play this game.

"Get out of my head." He commanded as calmly as he could through gritted teeth.

The Beldam's smile grew wider, tilting its head to the side without breaking eye contact as it spoke next.

"Now, why would I do that when you've let me in so kindly?" The Curse taunted him merrily, amused by the sudden stillness of its prey. "So many secrets, so much chit chat and boring conversations." It closed its eyes, inhaling deeply once again, the darkness around the curse rippling like an ocean of nothingness. "I can see all of it, wound up into that tight nice little head of yours."