Seina Kota didn't aspire to be much in life.

He went to school, came back, did his homework, and went to bed. For a High Schooler, this was as basic as it got, really. Living day to day, doing the bare minimum to interact with his peers, and doing his best in school. It was all Kota could do until he finally got a good job and entered the work force.

Maybe then; in a future that seems so close, and yet, so far; maybe he could start living a little.

But for now, until his future was secured, he'd simply have to try his best, and make those supporting him proud.

Though… how was walking into an abandoned building going to help do that?

The air stank with the smell of mold that had long clung to the wall. Inky patches of black and green stained the wallpaper like some kind of paint, as the floorboards creaked with each of his steps. And the further Kota went in, the more it confused him.

Why was he here? What would walking in do to serve his goal? Was he really doing this for the people in his life? Or was he doing this purely out of his own self-interest?

Was it because of that girl? Did he really think that it would make him more of a man by going in with her? Who did Kota think he was, some superhero? There wasn't going to be some damsel in distress. There wasn't going to be some disaster, this would just end up with him looking like more of an idiot that he already was…

Maybe… Maybe it would just be better if he went back. Not like going here mattered in the first pla-

And before he knew it, the boy was off his feet, his heart in his throat. Whisked away to some neverland by a creature of death.

{-}

They had looked down on her.

For her entire life, the Zenin Clan had done nothing but mock and belittle her. And for what? The fact that she came into this world with her twin? The fact that she barely had any cursed energy? Or maybe, just maybe, it was all of those things combined, plus, the expectation they had from being the daughter of one of the strongest members of their clan?

It was those damn bastards' fault! Maki internally ranted, biting down on her nails as she stared at the daunting task ahead of her.

Supposedly, she had been sent to a house that some dumbass middle schoolers were playing around. Eventually, one of them went missing, and the case was passed as a mission for jujutsu sorcerers.

Naturally, the old croaky bastards thought that she wouldn't be able to do it, so here she was now. Dealing with their shit, because she wanted to enter Jujutsu High. The school that was farther away from their crummy wrinkled hands.

With any luck, she would be able to exorcize this curse without any difficulty. And hopefully, within the night. Any more, and those old crones might start getting some ideas.

Tightening the sheathed knife to her hip, Maki made doubly sure the straps were on just right. It would be a shame if her only weapon slipped right out of her grasp upon first contact. Worse yet, it would be a shame if all her training was for nothing.

Her heart thumped in her chest, as her thoughts echoed inside her mind. Nothing, of course. There was no one there to observe her. There was no safety net for her to rely on when things inevitably got tough. It was just her against whatever cursed spirit lived in the rickety old house. A curse with a history of having victims that never came back-

Her breath hitched as she bit down on her tongue. No, she couldn't- she wouldn't- be putting up with any of these thoughts. Not when she was so close to making her grand escape.

Letting out a shaky sigh, Maki took the necessary steps towards the door, her fists clenched. 'Its now or never,' She reminded herself, 'You can't quit out now, just because of some spirit! You've taken down a grade 3 before!'

Her hand, as if having second thoughts, drifted along the door's knob. A hint of deliberating…in something so mundane? She wanted to balk at the act, but really, it only served to make her look more like an idiot.

Thankfully, nobody was there to see it.

Clearing her thoughts, she looked down at herself for the briefest of moments. Her eyes closed, muscles relaxed, and her breath stilled. "It's now or never," She repeated like a mantra, her heart no less eased than the first time she had used it. But really, she didn't need to be calm for what was about to happen.

No, it'd be far better if she wasn't.

The door opened with a loud creak, echoing throughout the decrepit abode like some kind of twisted orchestra. And the smell that came bursting out… it was enough to give her pause.

"Smells like someone died in here," Her teeth grit, as her nose wrinkled in disgust, her right hand hovering over her weapon. "At least, now I know something's up with this place. If it isn't a curse, then has to be whatever the owner cooked before they croaked."

Bearing through it, she enter the two story home. Finding the inside far cleaner than she thought it would be. Sure, there was a layer of dust on just about everything. And dragging her feet left long marks on the floor. But, it was no horror show like she had expected.

Instead, it simply looked ordinary. Far too ordinary, for what was the lair of a curse. And if it weren't for her glasses, then maybe, she would have thought it was just abandoned. Probably the same thoughts those kids were thinking before they were devoured by the curse…

Which meant that the curse was likely something of an assassin, picking easy prey because they had their guard lowered.

Fixing her glasses and turning on her flash light, Maki focused her search on any residuals that could be found. Going through each and every surface she could on the ground floor.

There was nothing in the living room, so that ruled out a Sadako situation. Checking the kitchen and dining room was also just as useless, so at least there wasn't anything about rotting food. That just left the upstairs rooms unchecked, leading Maki to believe the curse was born on something more personal if it kept itself up there.

Her eyes looked up to the long shadow of the second floor, a thick lump forming in her throat, as the hairs at the back of her neck stood at attention. "It's now, or never."

Blowing out a sigh, she pressed her fingers together and cracked her knuckles. The act shooting spikes of adrenaline up her spine as she took one step forward.

The floor creaked louder than the door, seemingly shaking the entire house each step she took. And as if to accompany it, it was like the shadows around her became darker, consuming everything to her left and right until there was nothing left in sight.

All Maki could see was what was in front of her.

Her fingers bore a slight tremble as they unsheathed her cursed tool. Her breaths came out just a little bit shallower, as her knees bent lower, already anticipating for something to come out of the shadows.

She knew things wouldn't end here. Of course not. It was far too early for that. But, there was a gnawing feeling at the back of her head. An aching thought that kept her on edge. What if those bastards were right? If she really was as worthless as anyone else. A Zenin that didn't even deserve to breath the same air everyone else did.

She clenched her hands for what felt like the umpteenth time. The comforting grip of Slaughter Demon's handle soothing her worries, even if it was only a little bit. She wasn't defenseless. And if she were to die, she'd at least go down swinging.

"It's now, or never."

So she went even deeper, urged forward at the behest of an invisible hand. One that clutched directly at her heart.

Coming upon the second floor hallway, her gaze turned distant, as her paths once more split. In front of her, were a set of two doors. In the first, and nearest one to her, was the master bedroom. And at the opposite corner, was what she presumed to be the spare.

"Neither look good. Though, if I were a curse," Maki nervously grumbled, her eyes darting to and from both doors. "Maybe I'd set up in the master-"

She was cut off when another creaking sound echoed from the front of the house. The girl only able to turn half way before a scream cut her eye off. Someone else had wandered into the house. And thankfully, it had made her job way easier.

Leaping from the top of the staircase, Maki found her brows furrowing to an unnatural degree as she was met with nothing but an open door. The person who was supposed to be there was nowhere to be seen, and for what it was worth, it was like they weren't even there in the first place.

With no small amount of confusion, she looked closer at what could only assume was the scene of the crime, watching as faint imprints of cursed energy revealed itself on the ceiling- directly above the master bedroom.

A movement type technique? A wormhole, of some kind? It was hard to say. And with the lack of markings, it only made her job harder.

Though, when her ears picked up another loud thud from upstairs, things finally became clear of what she needed to do.

Leaping from the first floor, she kicked off the walls of the hallway, and burst down the door. Finding herself dangerously close from puking out her dinner, as a grotesque display patiently greeted her.

Half-eaten rotting corpses laid strewn about, their bodies positioned so haphazardly that it seemed like the curse had lost interest in them before moving on. Each of them only had half of their face still intact, though, they still managed to remain shocked, as if frozen in time at the moment of their deaths.

And worst of all, laying on the massive bed, were both the random, and the curse at the center of everything.

"Dodge!"

"Hu-"

Whatever response the person had was cut short as Maki struck in the blink of an eye.

Changing to a reverse grip, she swung the blade in a right-hook. And using the momentum, followed up with a spin kick that send the curse hurling into a wall.

Glancing down at the person right next to her, Maki barely gave him a moment of thought before yelling, "Get out of here, and don't turn back-"

Her words were once more cut off as a sudden force pulled her along for a ride. It dragged her through damn near impossible turns, and stomach churning twists. And when she was finally dropped, her head almost fell of her shoulders as bile flowed freely from her lips.

To make matter worse, her thoughts felt way more sluggish than they should have been. With half a brain, she somehow was able to stand up for herself. If only at the cost of making herself more dizzy.

Slapping herself awake, consciousness slowly drifted into her thoughts, as a chorus of laughter entered her ears. And look for the source, she found a hole where there shouldn't have been one. Through it, she saw the comically large face of a horrifically scared staring down at her from the ceiling. And next to him, were a pair of think, almost sickly hands.

The first, was pointing at her, unable to even control itself with how much it shook. While the other… That wasn't supposed to be there.

Glancing at her hand, she found nothing but the cutting edge of her weapon against her skin.

Maki's blood ran cold as she scrambled away from the curse. Her feet moved with supernatural grace, as she moved opposite to the attack into an uppercut.

Momentum rapidly shifted. As Maki did her best to place her weight into her back foot, only getting so far before she was grabbed by the arms and thrown into a hole in the ceiling.

Her back slammed against a solid wall, as spots appeared in her vision. Frankly, she hadn't felt this awful since she started training. And most of it could be blamed on the meteoric headache she was feeling. Honestly, she was just five seconds away from letting the rest of her content out. However, something told her that wasn't a very good idea at the moment.

Disorientated, and in a new environment, the girl used what little strength she could muster to lift her head. The failure of the Zenin quickly discovering why the curse had thrown her here.

"For a spare bedroom, I'd expect it to be bigger than a shoebox!" She ranted to no one, teeth grit as she tried to get a hold of herself. Taking a knee, blood suddenly rushed to her head, as a sinking feeling weighed at the back of her mind.

She didn't have much longer. And this room wasn't the best for fighting either. She needed to make a break for it, or else that thing would smack her silly.

Blinking away the dark spots from her vision, she glanced toward at the room one last time, before turning to leave. Stopping just a step, as a glint caught the corner of her eye.

A dim light shone from the other end of the room. A closet, she had to guess. But, why would a signature be there of all places? Was it waiting for her to pass by?

Clenching her fists, she stopped herself with a breath. Taking a step back, she twisted her hips, and aimed for the signature.

Two screams simultaneously tore through the night sky. One sounding far more guttural than the other, but both were still loud enough that without the veil, it would have been heard from the next city over.

"The civie!"

{-}

He should have listened to her, but look at him now.

Kota didn't know if he was just stupid or completely braindead.

He knew something was here. The girl had saved him from that… But why was he still here? His legs refused to move, even when every part of his body was yelling at him to run. To do as the girl said, because it was the best thing to do.

Why can't I do it? The answer eluded him. He found himself stuck to the bed, surrounded by God knows what in a house that was clearly haunted, and smelled worse than rotting meat!

Why the fuck did he go inside in the first place?

Deep in his heart, Kota already knew the answer. And yet, he didn't want to admit it. Because, at the end of the day, it went against everything he had worked towards. It would mean he didn't want to take the necessary steps in order to live his carefree life.

It would mean that it was only inevitable before he went back on his word in the fut-

A loud thump crashed somewhere else in the house, as the boy's jump started to life. In an instant, he was on his feet, ready to run away. However, when a hole opened up right under his feet, he knew that the world had other plans.

His arms flailed wildly, trying to catch onto something, anything to keep his balance, but to no avail. The boy's legs slipped through the hole, followed by the rest of his body as he once more returned to the ground floor.

And where he expected to break his ass on the hardwood floor, he instead found himself falling directly into an abyss that seemed impossible to escape.

It consumed him, taking him whole without so much as a gag to pause in his descent. And for a moment, Kota wanted to laugh. To laugh at the world, and the absurdity of what he found himself in.

Inside a pit he couldn't escape from. In a situation he wasn't supposed to be in the first place. Chasing some far away dream he had no right to chase in the first place.

It truly was foolish of him to come here. He should have never stepped foot inside this shit hole.

Whatever light Kota could see, dimmed, as the monster's jaw shut. Inch by excruciating inch, he felt the space around him stretch and tighten. Fitting him like some sort of glove, as asphyxiation quickly started to settle.

This… is how I die, isn't it?

With each passing second, his thoughts only became more and more real. The reality of the situation smashing into the boy like a semi-truck with no breaks.

"I'm going to die," His heart roared in his chest. Almost begging to be let out. "I'm going to-"

His teeth grit into powder, as he squirmed for what little space he could manage. The vacuum tight seal doing little for him other than making him struggle more. There was little that could be done. He could only wait for when the second ticked, and he suffocated.

In all his years of life, Kota had never expected to be faced with mortality so soon. Especially not when all he did was keep his head down. Though, he supposed it was some sort of divine punishment that he just wanted to live a quiet life. Away from all the trouble that came with sticking his neck out.

But, he couldn't help but think on what would have been had he allowed himself to live as he pleaded. Taking life's challenges head on, and with a smirk on his face. He really wondered what it would look like. Dreaming of all the hijinks that came along with it.

A forlorn smile spread across his face as he prayed to the heavens, hoping to be reborn. For even the slightest chance of living a fantasy rather than the nightmare he found himself in.

Slowly, he lost feeling throughout his entire body, as Kota's heart began beating just a little bit faster. The last of his body's natural responses firing all at once, when things were already at the finish line. He knew there was no point in fighting back. Not when things were already too late.

Though, a small, niggling part of him, at the very back of his mind, thought otherwise. The part of him that held out hope that the girl would rescue him. That things would play out just right despite having already accepted everything.

Why couldn't I just die? Why does it have to be so drawn out? Why can't I just pass away in pea-

The answer struck him like lightning.

Of course, he wasn't meant to live in peace. This encounter just highlighted it.

A monster appeared second after he wandered into a place he wasn't meant to be in. Then, the girl he was following just suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and he was supposed to believe that everything was just coincidence?

There was a reason for why he was here. And he'd be damned if he wasn't getting to the bottom of it soon.

Energy suddenly flooded his body, as determination filled him in full. Grabbing whatever he could, Kota pulled himself up from the slump he'd been in, and took his keys to freedom. Inch by inch, he climbed from the depths of the monster's insides, tearing out holds where he couldn't find anywhere to hold onto.

He made progress. Even as his hands and feet began to slip
, as the tightening began to take its hold on his body once more, he did what he could in order to escape.

Light peeked through the gaps, as a guttural wail pierced his ears. He could see it. A faint glimpse of the other side. He was so close. Just another inch. He could feel it. If he could just reach out for it. If he could escape the monster eating him up, then he'd be one step closer.

A fire spread through his entire body as it bubbled up his chest. Grasping at the beast's teeth, the boy felt the thing's resistance wane with each passing second. Each grunt of effort bringing him closer and closer to the outside.

Muscles tore, as the gap widened more and more. A heady feeling clouded the boy's mind as freedom touched his grasp. So close, and to think he'd only get closer.
The boy swallowed a hard lump in his throat, maniacal laughter bursting from his lips as he got closer to the outside. Just a little more. A tiny bit more and this nightmare would be over.

"Hahaha, suck it, bitch! You thought I'd be some easy meal!" He gloated, poking his head out. "You think you could just swallow me, and leave it at that, huh? Well, guess this will be a reminder for you to chew your food next time."

Pivoting his body, Kota used his arms to swing out of the monster's maw, standing face to uglier face, as he finally got a damn good look at the disgusting bastard.

It looked like a massive head with regular-sized limbs at seemingly random points at the sides of its body. Arms stuck out, wildly spinning at random as they decided their orientation, while its legs did the same. As for its face, it had exaggerated male features, and yet, a clear identity of what- or who- it was in the past.

"Let's make this short. I'm getting quite tired of this entire mess."

It huffed in agreement, its knees bending in anticipation.

Shifting his footing, Kota took a rough stance of his own. Though, the boy did lean on his back foot, already knowing his chances of winning were slim to none. It wouldn't be good to delude himself in lies.

Taking a step to his right, the boy took note of the door's location on the opposite side of the room. His eyes not missing the way the monster did the same to the right.

Circling around each other, it didn't take long for the huge face to take a step forward when he got too close to the door. Only to take it back as he reversed his actions.

Huh; he thought, his fists clenching; seems like we both had the same plan, more or less. If my clear condition is to leave the house, then its would be to keep me inside, where it's naturally better agility and movement would be enough to eat me, again.

The situation seemed bleak. it was tough to say if he could even out run the thing if push came to shove. Which meant he either needed a distraction, or quite frankly, the impossible.

The urge to sigh had never hit him harder, but the boy bit down on it in order to focus.

However, it seemed that the monster found that he'd taken enough time, and took a step of its own accord. Second by second, it would take another, and another after that, by the time he'd processed the first. His safety net was no longer there. If he didn't think soon, then what was the point!?

Closing his eyes, a hard lump formed in his throat, as his teeth grit. If this was the best he had to offer, then he really didn't have a chance. Doing nothing was worse than making a shitty plan!

And yet, no pain came. He wasn't swallowed up by the head, he knew that much. But how the hell was he still standin-

Adrenaline surged in his veins as his legs moved on their own. The boy's flight response saving him from certain doom.

Laughter burst from his chest, as he turned his head. "Hahahaha! Eat shit and die asshole!" The boy took another moment to gloat, so unsure of how he was even alive, that he couldn't help it.

Besides, what point was there in a victory if he didn't enjoy them.

With what little victories he won, Kota ran towards the kitchen, and skidded to a stop. His eyes glanced over the entire room for a moment, before coming to a swift realization.

He didn't have a plan. He never even thought of making one because he didn't think he would get this far.

The idea was always for him to jump head first into the monster's jaw… But now? It seemed like there was going to be a massive change in his plans.

Frantically, the boy moved with panic dripping down his every action. The emotion practically rolling off him in waves as his eyes darted to the various corners of the room. He needed to find something. Anything to slow the thing down long enough for him to escape.

"And if escape isn't the option?"

"You want to fucking die!?" He retorted himself, the hairs on his back raising on end. There was nothing in view. Nothing but overturned, partially broken chairs, and what was left of a table. Really, there was nothing left of this place left!

However, he just had to make the best out of a bad situation.

Crouching down, Kota picked up what he could, as the monster rolled off to the far corner of the room, missing him by a hair's breath. Again, he was saved by sheer luck and his own survival instincts. And again, he was going to pray to whichever god was out there still keeping him alive.

Picking the scraps off the ground, he stood with a bravado in his chest, and doubt in his mind. Kota lowered his stances as he took a back foot. Then, he pointed his "weapons" at the beast, shining a glint of the moon's light at the monster as they stared each other down.

"You won't be making it out of this shit hole without my life, dick wee-" The monster didn't take that too kindly.

Shutting his eyes, the boy's teeth turned to dust as he took a step forward, and raised both of his improvised weapons up.

One.

He paused.

Two.

He brought his weapons down.

Three.

His heart stood still. Neither confirming, nor denying that he was still alive. And for the life of him, Kota wouldn't open his eyes. Not because he was scared of the beast. But because he feared he would never close them afterwards.

Though, he supposed the same could be said about keeping them closed. After all, it was the coward's way to do things. If Kota really wanted to live his own life to the fullest, then this was the first big step to doing so.

Letting go of a breathless sigh, the nervous wreck of a boy allowed himself a peek. A slight crack, as color flushed from his face.

His clothes were soaked.

Beyond the sweat he had been pouring out in buckets, the long sleeves of his school's uniform felt way heavier than they were a few seconds ago. Though, it was a good sign to see he still had his arms. (And his entire body for that matter.)

Relief spread throughout his entire body in waves as his shoulders sagged. He'd survived. Through some miracle he made it out of the ordeal not in a casket.

For a few moments, sparks of joy could be seen on the boy's features as he let all of his muscles relax for the briefest of moments. Only to tense up once more, as a guttural roar cut him from his musings.

"What the fuck is it no-!?" Kota's heart leapt into his throat, as the monster's massive maw grazed the left side of his body.

Blood leaked from various points along his back. His left arm flopping lazily off on his side.

But… No. It was stupid of me to think it would die from a fucking broken table leg. But, it was effective, right? It was enough to knock it off course enough for me not to die. So maybe. Just maybe, he had the chance to-

Gritting his teeth, the boy bit down on his tongue, his mouth filling with a metallic taste as pain burned throughout his entire body like a raging wildfire. Dark blotches filled his vision, as he glanced down towards his limp arm. "I can still win this, right?"

His question was left unanswered, as his feet fought to even stay upright. The silence becoming answer enough to the dying boy, as laughter erupted from his gut, his eyes turning just a little bit more manic. A pit forming in his stomach as he stared at the beast.

If Kota could knock the thing down with his lanky ass…

What was stopping him from just killing it right then and there?

He raised his right arm once more, grinning at the monster as the entire right side of its face hung loosely by the loosest string of its skin. He had a fighting chance. He could make it out of here. With his own strength and will.

His mind was soon clouded with delusions of what he would do when he escaped. Of the antics he'd be up to. Of the people he would find, of the situations he'd find himself falling into, and of how much he'd enjoy desecrating its body.

He licked his lips.

"I'll enjoy tasting you."

Taking a step forward, the monster seemed to have imitated his previous performance by taking a step back, putting it right up against one of the kitchen's walls. A wall which he had an endless number of angles to attack from.

He needed to take back the advantage. And unfortunately, standing around wasn't going to help him.

Moving in for a straight attack would only leave him open for a counter. However, not moving at all left the first strike in the hands of whatever it was. Which meant he just had to keep his distance and provoke it some other way.

"Here I thought you were going to make it a bit easier for yourself…" Kota muttered under his breath, before shaking his head. "Now then, how will I ever deal with you?"

Bending his knees, he watched as the creature tense as a reaction, a small smirk touching the corner of his lips. It had absolutely no idea what was coming to it.

And neither did he!

Taking the first step, the boy made a mad dash towards the monster. And just as predicted, it quickly exited using a hole behind itself, another one appearing to Kota's left.

Fortunately, he didn't intend to stay there for long.

Kicking his one foot against the wall, he gained as much traction as he could. And using his momentum to kick the wall one more time, he effectively flipped just out of range, and in just the nick of time.

Pumping his legs with what was left of his energy, Kota bounced off the floor, and entered right back into the fight, his table leg perfectly lined up for the kill.

His table leg struck true. Only that, it didn't end there. Flesh tore, and tar-like ichor flowed freely from the wound. Now, he saw it. He saw what truly happened early.

The boy laughed, finding the situations beyond hilarity, and into the absurd.

Changing his grip, he raised the oversized knife into the air and struck down.

Bones cracked, and his clothes grew more and more soaked by the second. The creature thrashed under his ministrations. But it was to no avail. He'd gotten the upper hand. After so long on the back foot, he'd gotten the advantage he needed and struck when the fire was hot.

Now, he reaped the fruits of his labor.

Soon, the black substance coated the entire room. The monster's struggles grew weaker, and the roaring turned into mere whimpers that sounded little more than the distorted cries of a weak and broken man.

He'd done it… He'd won?

The boy looked down at his hands, and took a seat on his slain foe, as if lording his survival like some sort of god. However, despite this, he still felt the pit inside of him. And instead of being sated, it only grew to depths that felt far deeper than his trek through the monster's own maw.

Glancing towards the knife in his hands, Kota's thoughts drifted back to the battle. Of how his luck had saved him more times that he thought was even possible. Out of everything he'd picked up, it'd been the weapon the girl used to help him earlier.

But, perhaps he needed to apologize to her. After all, it was positively caked in the inky ichor of the monster. There wasn't an inch left unturned when it came to the blood. Especially not with how he wielded it.

Though, he supposed being an amateur didn't do him any favors.

His stomach growled as he continued to stare at it. His eyes drawn to the chunks of the viscera still left on the blade's surface. How much they looked like the cheap noodles he'd scarf down after a long night. How it'd taste if he just got a quick nibble.

"What the fuck!?"

Huh, so the girl wasn't dead after all.