[▶] 𝝖S𝝦𝝞Ɍ𝝞𝝢Ᏽ 𝝡𝝤Ɍ𝝩𝝖Ⳑ & ƔƖƝƊƖƇƬƖƔЄ ƖMMƠƦƬƛԼ | R. Sukuna | 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟷&𝟸

‧₊˚ ☾ ⋅ TWENTY ‧ TWO ‧ ☽ ˚₊⋅

WARNING: GRUESOME, GORY SCENES WILL BE DESCRIBED AHEAD!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!! You have been warned.

also, sad chapt. the time has come.

· · ── ·⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆· ── · ·

The village lay in chaos, rooftops crackling with flames that tore through homes, casting a hellish light across the landscape. Homes that were flammable and made of wood were burnt to ashes, homes that were made of brick or stones were destroyed to rubble. Every building was shown no mercy. The catapults and canons used to cause this destruction shook the earth with its loud explosions and impacts.

The villagers were caught amidst the crossfire, being struck by the flying stones hitting every structure. The debris that fell from the impact crushed the fleeing women and children, something that Sukuna couldn't bare to see. It scarred him deep inside, even though he's watched women and children die several times before, this . . . this was different. And Sukuna knew it was because he bonded with the land and its people.

People ran in every direction, faces twisted in terror, stumbling over one another as they searched for any way to escape the nightmare, only to stumble upon the enemies who sliced anyone in their line of sight. So much blood was spilt that a red haze filled the area, and so much dirt was kicked up that it was hard to see or breathe. It didn't help that the smoke rose thick into the night, its oily tendrils clawing up toward the stars, blotting them out one by one. The air that was once pure and fresh to breath in, was now thick and suffocating with the blood, sweat, and tears of the innocent.

Sukuna was struck with fear at the amount of destruction and bloodshed and quickly gazed into the direction you left. But you were already far gone, desperate to get your blades and save who you can. Sukuna was overwhelmed with unease knowing all this obliteration is happening while you're out of his sight. He knew you were capable of protecting yourself and others, but all of this despair didn't cease his worry for you.

Amid the chaos, Sukuna scanned the writhing mass of villagers, desperately trying to distinguish friend from foe, but it was impossible. The destruction was so thorough that he couldn't tell if people fled the fire or the blades of unseen assailants. Sukuna shed a tear, feeling the despair of Aokigahara through the soil touching his feet.

Instinct demanded he climb for a better view, so he bolted toward the tallest house, only for a boulder to smash into it with a deafening crash, sending shards of wood and stone flying like shrapnel. He cursed under his breath and leapt to another rooftop, clutching the edge and hauling himself up. At last, he saw it all: the devastation sprawling before him in a nightmarish panorama.

Beyond the crumbling village lay the shattered remnants of the barrier that once protected Aokigahara. Armies--swarms of them--poured through the breach like locusts, their war cries blending with the crackling fire and the animalistic screams of panicked wildlife. The Mother Tree's ancient boughs were cloaked in flames, its sacred limbs twisted and blackened. The history and stories carved into Her bark and roots were smeared in ashes, making it undecipherable for any future generations. At this rate, Sukuna wondered if there even would be future generations.

The beautiful Mother Tree that would tower over  all She loved, the same one that Sukuna would feel reassured every time he'd find Her in the distance, was now covered in flames and wounds by the flying debris. The branches falling from Her height fell on the unfortunate ones below, the same ones that you and Sukuna would admire the stars upon. Aokigahara Herself was experiencing every pain and sorrow as She loomed above it all, forced to witness the agony of Her people and Her home.

Sukuna's heart twisted as he watched arrows skewer fleeing animals, their yelps and hollers of pain shook the forest's standing trees. Sukuna clenches his fists tight, watching their lifeless bodies being gathered up by soldiers as if they were nothing more than trophies or sacks of gold. He feels the grief in him converts to rage. Sukuna recognized some of the men he made a bargain with before he went inside Aokigahara, and felt disgusted. With both himself and the crooks he was once allied with.