She woke.
Barely that is.
The world around her was a blur, the cavern had nearly caved in, but still offered her a way out. Yua was on trebly legs as she found the strength to stand, her body battered and broken in various places, but she was still alive somehow. "What…" she muttered incoherently. Shaking her head clear, she needed to get out before anyone else came. Her legs felt like jelly, her body pulsed with pain as if it were trying to contain something within her. Yet before she left, she saw it.
On the ground was a strange piece of salt, perfectly carved into a long box of some sort. She blindly picked it up and placed it into her pocket. From there, she stumbled through the mines but found herself alone.
Everyone who had gone with her, were dead.
Their bodies laid at the entranceway, torn apart by curses by the looks of it, that or Akar came back to do the job himself. When she made it outside, the monks had just arrived to see the progress of the mission.
She collapsed before them
#
The months that followed were anything but good. Yua was in constant pain, she could no longer ingest food to eat, and has since fallen upon a liquid diet. She coughed up blood often. Sometimes she even vomited it. The monks tried to tell her not to push herself, but she had to. Something happened to her in the mines and she needed answers.
"You don't understand young miss, you should not look into this farther. You broke a seal that was to kill you!" one stated. "How come it didn't?"
"I kept Akar alive for a reason, well… half alive if you can call it that. He was one of Sukuna's followers, as well as a candidate to become his vessel." She explained.
"He didn't find the finger, did he?"
"I'm still alive, aren't I?" she snapped back. "But there was something else in that tunnel too, what was in there that Sukuna feared that he placed a killing curse spell to prevent its release?" she asked.
She paused as her head pulsed with pain. "GAH! Again!" she moaned and held her forehead.
"Let me see," the monk said gently.
She removed her hand, but the monk went pale white. "What? What is it?" she asked.
He shook his head in disbelief, he couldn't bring himself to speak of it. Yua rushed to find a room with a mirror, she had to see what he saw!
When one was found, she peered into it. Her body froze.
"What on earth…"
"Miss!"
The monk regained his composure; he came in and bowed to her. "We have much to speak about… please, come with me."
#
She was treated far more differently at the temple.
Any time she walked by, they bowed to her. Yua was given new clothing, a black jacket with a massive hood to cover the top of her head, she was told to wear this in public at all times since her appearance had changed, and everyone even those without curse abilities would see it.
She nodded in agreement to it all, but it wasn't sitting well with her.
Yua had overheard the monks speak. "She's not right! She isn't the one needed."
"But we have no option, her family are the guardians, and she is the last of her family!"
"If we don't do something soon, it will be lost."
"I understand, but at the moment there is too much going on, we cannot let anyone know of her!"
This was serious, so much so she went back over her uncle's notes.
Yua had read them time and time again, never finding anything of use to her, but now, it was all making sense. What had happened, and also the final result of it all. "Shit," she muttered.
"If something isn't done soon, it will be lost. That monk wasn't joking. But what can I do? I barely have my strength anymore…" she muttered. Her body has been changing. Some days she feels great, other days, she can't even get out of bed. Not to mention the liquid diet isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Worst still was what she discovered was added to her drinks. Everything she had consumed up to this point was rancid. She learned that the monks had taken cursed blood and mixed it into her drink!
She ordered it out, but found that in a few days, without it. Her body became weak. It was quickly added back much to her dismay, but she understood why it was needed.
It was the only thing sustaining her.
Yua sighed to it all, knowing what was wrong with her was one thing, knowing she is on borrowed time was another. She had researched for years on the notion, by year four her phone went off. This was the one she kept off to the side, it was given to her by Gojo… why would he be contacting her now?
Curiosity got the better of her, she flipped open the phone and saw the text message.
Sukuna has returned, he has a vessel
She became startled to the news and was quick to text back. Who did it? One of his followers?
No, a mere boy! He ate one of the fingers to protect his friends and to fight off a curse when the sorcerer we sent was too injured to keep fighting,
This became very interesting. What became of the boy?
Would you like to meet him? He's a good kid to be honest with you, I want to try and find a way of helping him somehow. They were going to have him killed, you know the elders are cowards right? he texted back.
"Of course they would…" she muttered. Then a picture appeared. There was a happy go lucky teenage boy in the photo with a bright, warm smile that could light up the room.
"Is that the vessel?" she wondered.
Curiosity got the better of her. She stopped texting and decided to make a call…