It took 6 years.

Each and every day Yua trained with Kai to see the spirits around them in the mountains. As she got older, she grew more confident and even attempted conversations. Some of the spirits were willing to speak, others, not so much. But there was one that kept a close eye on her to say the least. It was a white fox with red markings on it's ears and face. Each and every day she would try and speak with it, yet the fox refused to say a word. "Maybe it doesn't speak and I'm the one being rude…" she thought one day.

She turned eighteen years old and was getting better at her ability. If anything, if the fox won't speak she would at least befriend it. She left out little snacks and offerings for the spirits, they loved sweet things and took them rather willingly when she left a plate out.

"What the hell are you doing now?!"

She sneered at the tone. One of her uncle's other followers Akar came out to scold her again. "Shouldn't you be researching those mountains?" he asked.

Yua let out a sigh. "I am taking a break," she snapped back. "Besides, we are nowhere near ready to enter, we have time."

"Time we are wasting with your loll gagging!" he muttered. "You won't take this seriously, then leave!"

"What the hell is with you?" she demanded. "Ever since I got here, you have been pushing me to get to the mountains, you know they are dangerous for everyone, even you asshole!" she snapped back.

Akar was believed to be the strongest curse user among the group. He held himself in high regards due to his abilities, but Yua kept most of hers hidden from him. He wasn't there when she came at the age of twelve, she purposely hid her power from the others so no one would seek her out or attempt to sway her from her Uncle's work and family's dream.

Akar was a tall, strongly built man, he could easily hold his own when needed. However, he has always had a sickening aura around him. She didn't care for it, but there was something else about him too. He was kept at arm's length, but close by. Kai didn't even trust him, but knew better than to let someone like him work behind the scenes.

"I'll go and continue to research now." She muttered and left behind the plate of snacks.

Yet as she wondered back into the temple, he crushed the plate of treats under foot. "Stupid girl," he growled and stormed off.

She would replace them later for the spirits.

#

Yua was 24 by the time she felt she was ready.

With the help of Kai and the other sorcerers, they have determined it was time to go within the mines. Luckily for them, the night was that of a red moon, sacred to those whose faith revolves around Sukuna. They abandoned the mines for the time being, which gave Yua and the others the chance to go in.

The activity too had also died down recently, not as many followers were going into the mines, fewer were even making their way out of them.

Kai kept close to her, followed by the strongest curse user Akar. They would go in together, everyone else would watch their backs from the end. "So we're finally doing this huh? About damn time," Akar muttered.

"Will you shut up!" Kai snapped back. "We are about to see what had master so excited to discover."

Akar sneered, he had been working along side Kai for years, however he never appeared to be into the work. "We had to wait because of her," Akar muttered. "She held this whole operation up!"

Yua glared at him. "You really wanted a twelve year old little girl going into dangerous mines with you? You give me too much credit at the time. Now, we are going to flap our gums or are we going in?" she demanded.

The two men nodded.

They made their way in the mines, and the curses were out in full. She looked about and saw the death and decay around her, many of Sukuna's followers as well as missing civilians were dead and the bodies left behind. "I can see how the curse were getting into the mines, but why leave the bodies?" Akar muttered.

"It's a pathway," she said. "Creating a death path, so curses can get into the mines."

"See, someone has been studying," Kai said with a grin. "I was worried when you spent years in those books, I thought you took a vow of silence!" Kai then placed on some glasses. "Special grade," he said proudly. "I can now see what you see… shit this stuff is freaky as hell!" he announced.

She smirked, the books the monks had given her were full of information. This was just part of it. Sukuna's followers have been killing people and their own to make a path for curses to wonder, the thing was, what was the purpose? The deeper they traveled, the more it became clear.

They were slaying curses left and right until the path began to break up into different tunnels. There were bodies down each one, but Yua paused and noticed something off. "There are more curses in the middle tunnel than the others." She said.

"Why is that?" Kai asked. "I mean, a curse will go wherever as long as they were born there in a sense, right?"

She shook her head. "Curses can be brought in as well, they are using them as homing beacons." She announced.

"Which means…" Akar asked curiously.

"We'll see," Yua said without a hint to her notion.

"Maybe we ought to split up." Kai suggested. "We each take a path, but, I wonder though…"

"Let's just get this over with!" Akar demanded. "I'll take the path with the curses, you two split up! I can handle those." He insisted.

She nodded in agreement, Yua took the one on the left, Kai took the right. They went their separate ways. Yua was half way down her tunnel when she paused. The lack of energy here was clear, and yet there was something else happening. The path she took still had salt within the walls. So it does repel them in a sense, yet, why was the pink salt turning black?

She ventured a little deeper, she thought it was her nerves getting the better of her, when a warmth came to her chest. "Huh?" she reached and felt her mother's necklace, was that radiating warmth?

She shook her head of the thought, as she continued to drift down the tunnels. She found other small passageways, but soon found herself lost within. "Oh shit!" she growled at herself.

Everything looked the same to her, there as nothing that appeared familiar or to show the way back. "Damn it, what a fool I was…" she muttered. Yua sat there in defeat for a moment, until she remembered the little bit of energy she had from Kai. She always kept it with her just in case, and she decided to use it. Reaching into her pocket, she kept a small sweet bun. Unwrapping it, she placed it out and then called for help. "Whoever is here, spirits of divine, please, help me. I need to get out of here safely." She said gently.

There was nothing at first, Yua sighed to it all until she saw it appear. The bun was gone, but the fox came before her. Snow white and a red within its face and tips of its ears! "A Kitsune spirit?" she whispered. "Can you help me?" she asked.

The fox stared at her oddly, but then its eyes appear to have bored into her chest. It circled about rather excitedly and began to led her away, it looked back to ensure she followed.

The fox kept a strong pace, but didn't go too far out of sight. Yua made sure to keep up with it until she came to a massive, bright room.

Salt was everywhere! But there was something else here too, something strong and wicked.

"What is this place… what's with this energy…"

THUD

She jumped but hid herself quickly. She peered out from behind the rock but cringed at the sight Akar came into the tunnel… dragging Kai's body behind him. His hands covered in blood as he tossed the large rock he used to bludgeon him to death. She covered her mouth quickly as Akar took in the room, but then a crazed look came over him.

"HAHAHAA! I KNEW IT! IT WAS HERE!" He had the biggest, twisted grin on his face. Then suddenly, their eyes met! When he saw Yua he froze but didn't stop smiling. "I knew you would find it too… it's perfect!" he said.

"Akar…" she said and came out of hiding. Her eyes kept peering down to Kai, his face bashed in. He was nearly unrecognizable! She turned to him who only laughed. "This is PERFECT! My Master will return to the world of the living, I will grant him a body and become his vessel!"

"Should have known…" Yua muttered. "You are one of his believers aren't you, and your body is conditioned to be a demon vessel…"

He snickered to her observation. "Yes, and you are going to be his first when he awakens, be honored!" he laughed aloud. "But, I need to rough you up a bit, then, I will find the finger!"

"Good luck with that…" Yua muttered as she stood at the ready. "I am not a weak little girl, asshole."

Akar, she has seen him fight many times before. The thing with him though was he always went after weaker opponents. He never challenged himself against stronger ones since he feared defeat. He must have seen her as someone weaker than he was, but, Yua has a surprise of her own.

As he came in for the strike, she moved too fast to be seen. He froze in his tracks until he was blind-sided! He stumbled back only to be struck from behind again, then to his left, and then, his legs swept out from under him! When he hit the ground, Yua just relentlessly thrashed him! The walls trembled from her power, until he appeared half dead.

Satisfied with the beat down, she began to look over the cave. It was then she saw the fox again, but it scratched at a large wall of salt oddly, almost out of desperation. She could feel it too, there was power behind it, but nothing she has ever felt before. "Divine energy?" she whispered.

"Don't even think about it" warned Akar.

He crawled on the ground towards her, smiling. "I know what is behind that wall, and if you try to release it, you will die! My master… my master sealed that himself! The one who breaks it will parish," he snickered.

"So Sukuna's doing huh? Which means there is something behind here he may fear…" Yua smirked and smiled. "Okay then,"

She approached the traitor, grabbing him by the scruff of his jacket and dragging him along. "Wait, what are you doing!?" he demanded.

"Well my uncle thought of this too, he knew about the curse on this place and had another plan in mind. So, this may not protect me completely from it, it will at least buffer the effects…"

"Wait, what are you going to do! You will get killed, bitch!"

She smiled. "Maybe, but, it was the reason why I kept you HALF alive."

She took his hand and placed it on the wall. He tried to fight her on it, until she dislocated his arms. Akar screamed aloud as she forced his hand to the wall, there she sent a little of her own energy into him and forced his out of his hand.

Black smoke began to fill the caver, the walls cracked and tremor until…

CRACK!

They were blown back.

Yua felt her life flash before her eyes as she saw the wall tumble away. Akar was thrown right beside her, but was dead long before he hit the ground. Yua didn't feel so good herself. Her body began to break down rabidly, until once more, her mother's necklace warmed her.

She felt a heat come over her body, and the warmth that followed made her feel more alive than ever before.

Then, her heart began to race as she swore something was forcing its way into her body…