Hisui jolted awake, gasping for air as her heart hammered against her chest. Her mind swam in the remnants of a dream—no, a nightmare. She had been running through a dense forest, her body drenched in sweat, the sharp branches of trees whipping past her. In her arms, she clutched a small child—barely two years old—who squirmed in her grip, but Hisui couldn't stop. The air was thick with the scent of pine, but something else lingered beneath it—a rancid, monstrous presence just behind her. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, each thud a reminder of the danger chasing her.
Don't get caught, she whispered in her mind, the words more of a prayer than a command. But it didn't seem to matter. Something cracked in the distance—like a branch breaking under a heavy footstep—and her heart skipped.
She sat up in bed, disoriented, her hands trembling. For a moment, she just stared at the ceiling, trying to shake off the dream. It was always the same—chasing, running, a child she didn't know but had to protect. And then she woke up. It was all she had: fragments of a past she couldn't remember.
The steady beep of the alarm clock cut through the silence, pulling her further into the present. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, realizing that today was her first day at Jujutsu High.
"First day," she muttered to herself. The weight of those words hung in the air, heavy and unfamiliar. She wasn't sure if she was ready. She wasn't sure she even belonged. But she didn't have a choice. The elders had made it clear. Her adoptive father had made it clear. She was going, and that was that.
Hisui stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at her reflection as she tried to adjust her uniform. A white shirt, a black skirt, the Jujutsu High insignia stitched carefully onto the chest. She tugged at the collar, trying to make herself look presentable, but she felt out of place in it—like a stranger wearing someone else's skin. She didn't know anything about the world she was entering. She didn't know the rules, the customs, or even what exactly her curse ability was. All she had were vague memories of a man she called her father and the deal he had made with the Jujutsu Society.
Hisui had no memory of her parents. One day, she had just woken up in her adoptive father's house. He was a friend of her parents—or so he claimed—but that was it. He never spoke much about her origins, and she had learned not to ask. Her past was a mystery that would likely remain unsolved.
Her father had raised her in a quiet home, far away from the jujutsu world. But when the elders of the Jujutsu Society learned of her curse, they'd made an offer. She could attend Jujutsu High and learn to control her abilities. They would pay for her living expenses and accommodation. It was a tempting offer—too good to pass up.
And so, here she was.
The bus ride to Jujutsu High felt like it was happening in slow motion. The morning sun peeked through the windows as the bus hummed along the streets, its tires eating up the miles. Hisui sat by the window, arms crossed tightly, staring blankly at the passing scenery. She had heard vague things about Jujutsu High, but nothing concrete. A school for sorcerers, they called it. But what did that even mean? She wasn't sure, but it felt like she was heading into unknown territory.
A voice nearby broke through her thoughts. Two boys, sitting across the aisle from her, were talking loudly enough for her to overhear. She tried to ignore them, but their conversation kept drifting into her ears, too interesting to completely tune out.
"I'm telling you, Suguru, the kid has potential. He's gonna be something big," one of the boys said, his voice laced with excitement. Hisui glanced over at him—he had messy white hair and a cocky, confident grin. He was the kind of person who didn't seem to have a care in the world.
The boy sitting beside him was the opposite. He had dark hair tied neatly in a ponytail, and his expression was calm, serious. He rolled his eyes in response to his friend's words. "You say that about every first-year, Satoru. Not every kid who can use cursed energy is destined for greatness. Some of them wash out by the end of the year."
