Hello, I think I'll keep doing this until I run out. I reviewed the last few chapters for little holes, errors, etc. Hopefully the writing flows well. We continue the show.
~One Year before Itadori consumed Sukuna's finger.~
The encounter with the stranger woman still on his mind. Was she an enemy? But she had little cursed energy to do much of anything. Yet, how could he feel so strongly about this escapee? How could she have touched him on full guard? He also had a cold for the first time in ages after his memories were toyed with and felt just a little weaker than usual. Principal Yaga didn't feel like experimenting with his dolls for a bit after she messed with him. It was as though
she could temporarily take their power away.
Gojo thought of doing something so out of character to figure this out.
He was going to report this to the higher-ups. Or well, mention something.
A meeting was conveniently called requiring Gojo Satoru's presence. He was a bit earlier than usual, but that was part of the gig- unpredictable. He sipped on some sweetened tea, feet up at the meeting table.
The "Higher Ups," also known as Old Farts, slowly filled the room, sitting in their respective chairs. Gojo was at the head.
For the most part, the meeting began talking about some stupid project's budget. Then about stocks. Then who-went-where on what vacation. Then complimenting somebody's baked goods (they were quite good).
Mouth full of cookies, Gojo found a moment of silence to ask a simple question:
"Is it possible to exorcise a Jujutsu sorcerer's cursed energy without killing them?"
He then continued chewing.
The Old Farts stared at him blankly.
"Absolutely not." One began, "this is a hard fact. Stupid question."
"Well, What about that one reversed cursed energy user?" Another interjected.
"But they wouldn't be able to eliminate the cursed energy from the body. Just reverse the technique or heal." The first one retorted.
The oldest of the bunch sighed, "there was, Gojo. Was. The Priestdom existed thousands of years ago, and they policed the Jujutsu sorcerers until the sorcerers overpowered them. The disappointed Gods abandoned humanity, and then they ceased to be." The oldest was almost there in historical accuracy. Reina would give that explanation a B.
"Priestdom?" He said with interest. He grabbed onto the story with childlike curiosity.
"Yes, they used magic different from ours. But it's gone now. They were able to purify the soul, keeping the parts that gave the world life."
Gojo grinned, "There's other magic out there other than cursed energy?"
The man sighed, "There was."
Gojo frowned, "Why isn't this discussed more often? Why are we taught otherwise?"
"Because ancient Jujutsu sorcerers dominated the other magic users and wiped them out during the dark times. Like a genocide. It's-"
A reputation thing.
The first geezer interrupted, "Just a minute, there's no point in history where Jujutsu sorcerers banded together to commit genocide. We serve humanity.
Where's the evidence of this Priestdom anyways?"
"These were old wives' tales passed on when I was a child."
"Okay, so you're just making this up to please the young master." He fumed, "I've had enough of your ass-kissing."
And then the bickering began. The civilized part of the meeting lasted about 10 minutes before descending to beautiful chaos from which one could escape from—a new record.
What was he going to do next?
Maybe some video games?
...
What did Gojo's business trips consist of?
Well, think of them like mini-vacations. Think like the beach in Okinawa or relaxing in mountain springs. Or so everyone believed.
They consisted of a fair bit of work. Gojo travelled to see more, to go beyond the knowledge of what the geezers knew. Every other time, they'd give him new leads to explore, such as the Priestdom.
He started at the theological wings of non-user institutions, trying to find even an inkling of text. He could get through books and archives at record speed, being Gojo Satoru, the one the Gods doted upon.
Suppose a modern-day Priest were to exist. In that case, the dangerous cursed objects could be eliminated safely, and the lives of cursed vessels could be spared. The nuclear waste of the human soul could be appropriately disposed of once and for all. Of course, these options over keeping the objects and execution were not going to be acceptable. There was power in controlling the objects and power in killing.
The need to find out about Priestdom also came from a fair bit of laziness. Sure, he could probably deal with Sukuna, the King of Curses, at full power, but he was approaching 30. His back was starting to ache all the more, and sleeping once in a while would be so lovely. Gojo wanted the other sorcerers to stop relying on him so heavily. Why was it only Gojo trying to find other means of dealing with their troubles? It was too much, even for the God-blessed.
He tried to keep his asking around to a minimum for bombshells like the potential existence of Priestdom. But it would be well worth it to ask Master Tengen.
But that would mean he'd have to apologize, sincerely.
Which he did end up doing because Gojo is one damn large onion.
He learned from the sack of skin and curses that "Blessed energy was impossible to detect and exists all around us. Those who wield it ceased to exist hundreds of years ago."
Gojo kept his blindfold off, needing to process this with his sight. He shared the apology tea made by Tengen's assistant with the immortal one.
Tengen continued, his multiple eyes rolling back as though to retrieve memories from his thousand years of living, "It's a little different from life force. In that Blessed energy is solely meant for wielding by the gods. They chose the miracles and the luck. Of course, curses wanted that power for themselves."
Gojo sipped his tea pensively.
"The Priests took the cursed energy made by life force and gave back the energy to the Gods for reprocessing to new life. To keep balance. Priests were middlemen, facilitating humanity's wishes. They staved off droughts and famine by showing the Gods where growth was needed."
Gojo remarked, "A recycling process," for a brief second, Gojo felt like blight to humanity. Though through no fault of his own.
"Precisely," Tengen sighed, "it's only natural to be envious of those touched by Gods, so Jujutsu sorcerers overpowered their political importance. Their nature was to resign stoically, as guided by the Gods. And they peacefully died off as a population."
If she overheard, Reina would give that explanation an 8-out-of-10. Priests have a reserve of their own blessed energy, and it was inherited.
"Are- sorry, were Priests capable of purifying curses in a vessel without killing the vessel? Could they remove a sorcerer of their powers?"
"Only if they had the constitution. Which they never did. I never saw a purification ritual myself, but that ritual wasn't just throwing blessings on a curse."
"No Jujutsu Sorcerer was purified by a priest, ever?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"But it's possible," Gojo stated matter-of-factly.
"I-"
Gojo shook his head, "No, I am certain of it; I just calculated it."
Tengen looked down on the ground, so the eyes say it's possible, "If a priest were to survive in the modern-day, they could be used as a powerful tool among the elite families."
"Regardless of these possibilities, this is all speculation," Gojo set his cup down, "isn't it?"
"They existed. That's all I can be really certain of."
"Thank you, Master Tengen."
"Gojo, you did what you could for the Star vessel. It's rare to see you like this. But I am grateful. I forgave you long ago."
Gojo finished his tea and teleported out of Tengen's quarters.
...
~The day Itadori consumed the finger.~
Reina floated to a long-term care type ward and was tasked to care for an unpleasant old man. Wasuke Itadori.
He refused his meds, his food, company, just about everything. Reina grew frustrated as the shift went on. The frustration stopped when a teenage boy holding a bouquet of flowers walked in, asking to see his grandfather. When the boy said her patient's name, she was surprised.
She sighed defeatedly, "I'm not sure- since he's not in a good mood right now."
"You're new? Just page him, he'll say something like," the kid frowned theatrically, "well alright, he can come in," imitating his grandfather in a hoarse tone.
She chuckled, "Alright."
And it happened exactly as the kid predicted.
Half an hour later, Reina was found by one of the assistants charting in her seat. The kid paged, Wasuke was unresponsive.
The team rushed over to Wasuke. He was dead and wished for no life-preserving measures. There was nothing they could do. The doctor pronounced the man dead, and everyone left soon after.
Reina stayed behind. A cranky old soul likely needed some purification. It was the least she could do for the kid. Reina held Wasuke's hand, still warm and whispered a quiet prayer. She gasped, watching his regrets flash before her, feeling his regrets and living them.
So he could see curses too...
The kid- Yuuji, knocked just as she finished. Reina placed Wasuke's hand back gently. There were a few tears in her eyes, she quickly wiped them away, "You can come in now," the kid seemed as though the life was drained from him, "my condolences, I'll let you have your moment, call if you need me."
He nodded. He noticed the room much more peaceful than before.
She desperately wanted to tell him what she saw.
But it wasn't her story to tell.
She looked back at Yuuji, slumped over Wasuke's body. Her peaceful visage turned to a frown. Guilt crept into her. She was thankful the aftermath of this purification wasn't heavy. But who did she really do it for? Wasuke? Yuuji?
Was it herself? Did it make her a more talented nurse to see the dead all the way through purification?
Yet, the kid wouldn't have to worry about being cursed either.
At least by his grandpa.
...
After her shift, Reina had arrived home safely. Deciding on making a cup of tea, as she reached for her teapot, her body shook violently and uncontrollably. She was conscious, kneeling to the cool kitchen floor and curling into a ball. Her gut dropped, her head heavy feeling the pressure of the atmosphere in the night air change drastically.
There was no sight of rain in the sky.
Her phone rang and rang, but Reina couldn't move. She tried to breathe through the turmoil. Eventually, she felt and felt her muscles loosen to her control.
She checked her phone to find several missed calls from her sister and mother.
The balance shifted again, and not in our favour.
...
~A Few Weeks After Itadori Consumed Sukuna's Finger~
Mieko- Stage name Copa! nursed her blisters from her gogo boots backstage. Nearing 30 herself, she was a washed-up idol. Her fans dwindled, steering their attention towards the younger generation of girls.
Maybe she'd do idol management?
She wasn't like her sister, who went the safe route. She wanted attention. She wanted to be exceptional. But her bouncy youth was running out. Many of her cohorts were getting brand deals and acting roles. She was singing the same damn songs to the same damn men.
What was it about her that wasn't able to grow in fame?
The recent shift in the atmosphere (due to the consumption of Sukuna's finger) had her wanting to clear her rut.
She was gonna sing a song of her own. Passed down from generations of Priestesses. A-cappella.
"Welcome to Copa!'s Cabana. My friends, fans, you beautiful people, I love you all so much," there was scattered clapping and cheering. She died a little on the inside, "tonight, I want to start with a folk song from a forgotten group that I am proud to belong. I want to share this song. They valued very important things that we no longer value..."
The crowd mumbled to one another. They seemed confused.
Don't forget, you belong to the sun,
If you do, I'll make sure you carry on,
Your broken cold heart I will join together
With streams of gold.
You'll be anew and loved forever,
Collecting the warm streams of gold.
Let me take your burdens and blues,
They will be in my safekeeping,
As you go on forgiven.
You belong with us in this circle,
We'll lead you back home and feed you.
So please, let me cry for you,
Let me break for you,
So you can carry on.
Surprisingly, it was a hit.
She began using the song at the start of every show. At the expense of accidental purification and some unpleasant memories, the audience members filled the seats once more.
Reina was livid when she found out.
Mieko, a little more estranged from her family due to her brash choices and having developed some sociopathic traits, was surprised to see her kid sister sitting backstage where Mieko did her makeup. Mieko had her own way of survival, though not exactly the kindest.
"Mieko, you know you can't do this," this- purification.
Mieko rolled her eyes, sitting on a nearby couch, the vinyl of her boots and the fake leather rubbing together made an obnoxious squeal, "You do it all the time at your workplace, and your little Girls Night Outs," she countered.
"I don't do it for my benefit."
"Oh please, doesn't it make you a better nurse? Don't the crowds cheer louder because they feel a little lighter?"
"I don't do it for that. That's just one of the consequences. You use your blessings for your outer world, not your inner. You could become a curse otherwise."
"Oh please, that rhetoric is what brought the Priests to their demise anyway. Always being martyrs. Plus, we carry our own cursed energy. We're closer to sorcerers than you think. I won't become a curse," Mieko fumed, "you think you're so perfect, purifying a powerful curse so young, following society's rules, getting a degree, wiping ass. Yet here you are, panic attack after panic attack, eye bags deeper than the Marianas Trench because you can't seem to care about yourself."
"Mieko-"
"No, I'm not done," Mieko interrupted, "little miss perfect. You're annoying, trying to predict what everyone wants from you. Stop it. Live for yourself. You've purified enough. Humanity's ending itself, and we'll be dead by the time we'd truly feel any effect. We can't save them from themselves."
Reina countered meekly, "we can't exploit them for our own gain either."
Mieko let out a bratty whine, "Oh-my-god, just get fucked already."
Reina's weary eyes widened, "Did you just curse me?"
"No, I told you to get laid. Very brashly."
"Okay," Reina sighed, "Mieko-"
"Oh, quit the whining-"
"It was a while ago, but some powerful curses know what Priests are, and they tried to attack me. And there was a human travelling with them. I haven't seen them again."
"Oh," Mieko backed down, chills shot through her spine, "how long ago?"
"A year ago. I'm worried your growing fame will attract more than you've bargained for."
"Why didn't you tell me? I still meant what I said."
"I... didn't want you to worry. However, I didn't think you'd pull something like this. Otherwise, I would've told you sooner." Reina then rolled her eyes, "and I know, I'll work on it."
"There you go again! And yes, please tell me these things."
More characters from JJK will come up, not sure whether I'll tag them just yet.