The Waning (GojoHime) - Part 2

A New Strong(est) Duo, Part VII

The world narrowed to a single point: the unyielding cold stone at Utahime's back, Gojo's lifeless body beside her, and the oppressive black orb that cocooned them off from the rest of the world. As she stared at the shimmering barrier above and around her, Utahime felt like the entire world balanced on a razor's edge—such was the gravity of Gojo Satoru's existence. His death would be more than a loss; it was a catalyst that could tip the world into chaos. His return on the other hand... it would alter the course of their fates forever.

She threaded her fingers through Gojo's long, elegant ones, pointlessly hoping to feel some warmth, some sign that he was still there. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them back. Not dead. He cannot be. He promised he wouldn't leave me. The mantra echoed in her mind, the promise he'd made, a promise she wanted to believe with all her heart.

"You idiot," she whispered tearfully, turning her face to look at him. The white stillness of his serene face was like the biggest lie: Gojo was never this still. And he was never this serene.

There was no doubt in her head that the body-snatcher Kenjaku was already on his way here. Gojo's powerful vessel would be a prize beyond measure for a man like him. But then... what? Sudden panic constricted her throat. What could someone like her do to someone so powerful? She had no idea how to stop him!

Her eyes sought Tengen, but he was too engrossed in studying the barrier to notice her. He had already refused to help anyway. Somehow, absurdly, this was all on her.

For years, Utahime had carried herself as though she were merely a bystander, playing a minor role in the grand scheme of humanity's struggles. But the yearning she once had for a normal life was a facade, a comforting lie she told herself. The truth was inescapable: those born with the sight of cursed energy were bound by it, marked from the start. Now, standing amidst the wreckage of what was and what could be, she finally saw her place in it all. New chains of fate had tightened around her, leaving no room for denial or escape. She was not a bystander: She was an active, important player in the eternal struggle.

Her actions had somehow altered the past, and thereby the future. It had begun last year, when she had come in contact with Michizane no Sugawara for the first time and had called herself 'future wife'. Toji Fushiguro might have broken the chains of fate the day he had killed the Star Plasma Vessel, but she had inadvertently reestablished them when she had tried to use a truth-lie about an unborn child to save herself from shoes several numbers too big for her.

Well, enough of this. She would not waste her time wallowing in self-pity. Selfish, greedy sorcerers had created massive problems for others to solve.

"Was it worth it?" Utahime asked into the heavy silence, her gaze fixed on the spot where the tree's trunk vanished into the black barrier overhead. "Immortality."

Master Tengen chuckled softly, the sound echoing strangely hollow through the darkened space. "Certainly. Who wouldn't want to be immortal?"

"It's greedy," Utahime shot back. She had mulled over this question countless times, searching her heart and mind for the truth she could stand by. "When one person gains so much power, others always pay the price. And it's never worth it."

Tengen's response was calm, almost gentle, as if addressing a child who simply didn't understand. "Without me, there would be no Jujutsu Society today. In fact, without my influence, humanity would have long since fallen to the curses. Don't you think future generations deserve my protection, too?"

Utahime considered his words, but they only deepened the churning unease within her. "Where did it even start?" she murmured, more to herself than to Tengen. "This battle between us and the curses—where did it all begin?"