To clear a few things up:

1 – This is a remake of "Even in another Realm, I am the Strongest" with a similar premise but a different execution. For those who even remember that story, this is pretty much the same thing but done leagues better. You'll see in just a moment.

2 – While this is still a Canon Divergence Story, it doesn't stray too far from The Canon of The Owl House, at least, I think so anyway. I'm trying to stay as faithful to the source material as I can, while also not making it a complete 1-to-1 plot retread. Though there will be key differences, there won't be as many as in my other story "All For Luz", which is a Heavy Canon Divergence Story. The most that will happen is that Character Development will change in certain ways, some characters will meet at different times and under different circumstances, as well as some minor plot threads like one-off side stories happening later than they normally would or not happening at all (i.e. most of season 1 because let's face it, most of that was just demonstrating the differences of the boiling isles to earth. We, as an audience, don't need to see that again, so I'm skipping over most of it plus with what's happening a lot of it is also irrelevant. You'll see why later). But, aside from that, there won't be any drastic plot changes, with a few minor things that are very spoiler-heavy. So, you've been warned.

3 – Gojo is taking a Mentor Role to Luz in this fanfic, though that will not change Eda's placement in the story, nor her significance as doing that would be tantamount to writing her out of the plot entirely. She will, however, be taking more of a supportive role than she does in Canon. I know some people won't like that but it is what it is.

4 – This first chapter, as well as most of the story, takes place a month and a half before Gojo meets Yuji Itadori (June 30th, 2018), and a month and a half before Sukuna is unsealed from his finger at Yuji Itadori's school, where Yuji becomes his vessel. That way, there are no major clashing story differences, and it allows me to do things properly without the worry of disrupting the plots of either show too much.

5 – This fanfic has been planned out in its entirety. So, don't go asking to make requests, because I will not be modifying my story in any way. Unlike most of my fanfics, where I have them loosely planned out, this is entirely different. I have a plot progression document, as well as powers already planned out for later developments in this story. Just getting this out of the way before anyone asks about anything.

6 – Timeline-wise, I'm having Summer break out early for Luz and her school so that things make sense. Say that it has to do with the fact that Luz pulled the whole live snake thing and the school panicked. Hence what happens, happens.

Now, with all of that said, let's get into…

Jujutsu Kaisen 0.5: Gojo's Weird New Student(s)

[Episode 1 – Who's That Weird Cursed Kid?]

[Opening Song: Bling-Bang-Bang-Born – By Creepy Nuts]

[Date: May 8th, 2018, Early Summer, 7:30 AM, Tuesday]

The sound of tires screeching to a halt echoed throughout the sleepy town of Gravesfield Connecticut's eastern border on an early summer morning. The car to which the sound had been made was a pitch-black Honda Civic, specifically its 1998 model. Each window had been tinted except the windshield, and while otherwise it would've been illegal to do so, for the people inside the car it wasn't an issue.

A man in his early 40s sat in the driver's seat, hands firmly clenched onto the steering wheel not out of fear but rather out of professionalism. Messy black hair covered his head along with a pair of thick-framed lightly tinted glasses. His expression was stern, and his chocolate brown eyes narrowed in a business-like manner.

The man was dressed in a two-piece suit, a black tie, and a white shirt underneath adorned with a pair of black tie-up runners, much like what one would see a member of the Secret Service wearing when escorting The President. The only difference was that he didn't have an earpiece in his left ear, nor did he have any weapons on him.

The man was clearly an American, as was obvious seeing as they were in America and that he wore a badge on his left lapel of the American flag. And yet, despite that, when he opened his mouth, English did not come. but rather, fluently spoken Japanese. "Sir, we've reached the destination. I don't think I should have to repeat myself on what it is you're supposed to be doing here."

In the back of the car, a man with white spiked hair wearing a blindfold, a dark blue zip-up jacket adorned with a high and wide collar, matching pants and black dress boots sat leaning into the seat with his hands behind his head, a neutral expression on his face. "I appreciate you speaking in my native tongue, Charles, but I can speak fluent English too, ya know?"

The man, Charles, cleared his throat as a bead of sweat trailed down his cheek. "Apologies, Gojo. I meant no disrespect by it."

Gojo chuckled, sitting up and placing a hand on Charles' shoulder, smiling. "C'mon, Charles. Lighten up a little. Thanks for the ride," Gojo said, before letting go and stepping out of the car through the rear side passenger door. As soon as he exited the car, it drove off into the town, leaving Gojo by his lonesome. When the car left his sight, he frowned.

When was the last time he had been in America? Three, maybe four years ago? It was long before he had met any of his Students, save for his first, and around about the time Megumi had turned 10 years old. Strange as that thought had been, Satoru Gojo had to admit that he did not miss America even one bit. The air was far less healthy, and just being around this place, even if it was more rural than normal, made him want to gag.

Again, not because he disliked America or its people, but the air and its quality. Sure, Japan wasn't known for its air being all that clean either, but it was leagues better than here. Even a rural town such as Gravesfield which wasn't near any major factories had the same problem. Though thankfully it was nothing like China, so at least there it had a pass.

And while that was all well and good, he wasn't here for a Vacation, unlike last time, much to his chagrin. He was here for a reason. An albeit good but annoying reason. Because within this sleepy town, The Elders had said that there lurked an immense amount of Cursed Energy. It wasn't uncommon for such a thing to be the case, but even still for the amount that there was to be here was alarming, hence they sent him.

For the uninitiated, Cursed Energy is the amalgamation of every and all negative emotion, mashed together to create a power source that fuels the existence of Cursed Spirits, which were beings made entirely out of the Cursed Energy produced by Humans, and were a massive threat to humanity as a whole.

And seeing as most, if not everyone, have negative emotions, a majority of the population on Earth has Cursed Energy. The more Cursed Energy a person has, the more negative they are as a person. Past a certain point, those who have a decent amount of Cursed Energy can see Cursed Spirits. If they have even more than that, they have the potential to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Satoru Gojo was a Jujutsu Sorcerer. As a matter of fact, he was the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer in this current Era. And that wasn't hyperbole, either. Everyone in Jujutsu society recognized him as such, even The Elders—the old fossils in charge of Jujutsu society.

And it was because of that title that he was sent out here, to investigate the source of the massive amount of Cursed Energy and do one of two things. One: Eliminate the source and return home to report on his success. Or, Two: Should the source of the overwhelming amount of Cursed Energy be a person, to bring them to Tokyo Jujutsu High School and teach them the ways of being a Jujutsu Sorcerer, whoever they may be.

And while that was great, Gojo couldn't begin to understand why it was him of all people who they wanted to go do this job. Were they expecting this to be a dangerous Curse? Because if they had been, then this town would've already been laid to waste. Aside from the sole source of Cursed Energy lurking within the town, everyone else had next to none—not even enough to see a Cursed Spirit.

In other words, had it not been for The Elders having been alerted to its presence, then Gravesfield would've been completely destroyed by now. So, Gojo assumed with certainty that there was no such a Curse here. However, it wasn't like he had a choice in the matter. Even if he despised The Elders, whatever they said, went, and it wasn't as if they were asking him to kill a child. And so, Gojo did the only thing that he could do, and begin to ask around.

Beginning his walk around the town, it didn't take Gojo long to notice that this place, despite its residents having a distinct lack of Cursed Energy, was crawling with Cursed Spirits. He could see them climbing on roofs, hanging off of trees, and even buzzing about in the air. And yet, all of them were superbly weak. Almost to an insulting degree.

While that was enough to confuse him, what confused him even more was that these Cursed Spirits weren't attacking anyone. They were simply minding their own business, existing as normal animals would. It was completely out of their natural behaviour, and a part of Gojo wondered why that had been.

Cursed Spirits were inherently hostile, so it confused him why they weren't causing chaos, but then again, considering all of these Cursed Spirits weren't even strong enough to put onto the grading system, he had to assume that had been the reason why. And while there were a few outliers that didn't hurt people, they were just that, outliers. So few and far between that acknowledging them was a bad idea.

A part of Gojo really wanted to go buck wild, his hand twitching and his Cursed Energy fluctuating, as if to tell himself that it was alright to just go on an exorcising spree. But, in the same vain, he was here on a mission. He didn't want to cause panic in the otherwise calm town. The last thing he needed was to be chased away because he couldn't control himself.

It was safe to say that, as a Jujutsu Sorcerer, Gojo hated Cursed Spirits. They caused an untold amount of damage to humanity every day, and every day people like him risk their lives to protect their innocence without so much as a thank you. But, who said that being a Sorcerer was a job paid in fame? It was paid in cash and lots of it.

Most Sorcerers who exorcised Cursed Spirits did so for the money it entailed, as the job was an extremely dangerous one. Those that could do the job, did so. You'd think that with everyone having Cursed Energy those numbers would be in the tens of thousands, but the truth of the matter was that not even a single percent of Earth's Population had what it took to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Only 0.00001% of the population had what it took to be a Jujutsu Sorcerer. That was just barely 800 people in the whole world who could do the job that Gojo did. To put that into perspective, that was a speck of dust in an ocean level of unseeable. It was why barely anyone knew about Cursed Spirits. It took a special kind of person to see them and took an even more special kind of person who was both talented and crazy enough to take up the mantle of a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

With a sigh, Gojo scanned his immediate area and found a group of teenagers talking to themselves in a circle near an ice cream shop. It wasn't ideal, but he'd have to make do with what he could. Most of the adults he had passed were on missions of their own, not willing to stop and talk to him. And while it would probably make him look weird—weirder than he already did what with him wearing a blindfold in public—it wasn't as if he was going to be in this town for very long.

From what he understood, it was summer break for the Americans, meaning that those who went to school didn't have to go again until either late August or early September, which was around the time school started up again for them. "No wonder they're so dumb…" Gojo remarked internally, approaching the group of teens, who noticed him approaching immediately. They all went silent, watching him like a hawk. He didn't blame them. If a blindfolded man starts approaching you as if he can actually see you, you'd watch them like a hawk too, wouldn't you?

Luckily for him, they didn't start trying to move away, though a few did get uncomfortable. Once he made it over to them, he cleared his throat and spoke. "Hey, I don't mean to bug you guys. I'm sure you're busy with your own thing, but I'm new to this town, and out of curiosity, do you think you guys can tell me if there's been anything… strange going around here lately?"

That seemed to get those who had tensed up at his approach to calm down, which was good. Of course, there was more than just the blindfold that made his appearance uneasy. He was wearing dark-coloured clothing in the middle of the summer heat, and he was six feet tall. A tall, pale, blindfold-wearing man approaching a group of young kids who looked just about high school age was the type of thing you'd see in those really bad horror movies. Coincidentally, those had been his favourite kind of movies.

"Oh, seriously? That's it? Damn, okay. Well, if you're looking for strange and weird, try going to the Noceda Household just by the woods over there," one of the girls, an African American girl with poofy black curly hair said, pointing down the street. Gojo could make out a wooded area in the far distance, and with narrowed eyes, he could feel the presence of the Cursed Energy lurking closest over there.

"If I may, why?" Gojo questioned, as the girl scoffed.

"You really must be new here, then," she said, giggling to herself before continuing. "The kid that lives there, Luz, is a complete and total nutcase. Like, just before school broke out for the summer, get this, she thought it was a good idea to bring live snakes to a science class. Even better, she keeps claiming to see things that aren't there! She's either a Schizo or she doesn't know how to separate reality from fiction."

That had piqued Gojo's interest. "Can see things that "don't exist", huh? Well then, I think I know where that Cursed Energy is coming from. But, just to be sure, I should still approach with caution," Gojo thought, humming. "I see… anything else I should know?"

The girl sighed, shaking her head. "That said… She means well. I've talked to her a few times, but no one wants to be her friend because she's weird. You know how it is, better to be seen with the jerk than the nutcase, yeah?"

"You're giving her too much credit," another one of the girls, a ginger with pastier skin than even Gojo's, spoke up. "She's a complete loony-bin. I wouldn't be surprised if one day she decides that enough's enough and does something stupid. I heard her Mom's the same way, too. Bunch of border-hopping disease-riddled fucks should've just—"

"Shut yer mouth ya dumbass," another one of the girls, this time one who, while still white, wasn't nearly as white as the ginger, said while smacking her up the back of the head. She turned to Gojo and frowned. "Sorry, but you get the point. She's weird, and if you're looking for weird, that's where you should go."

And with that, the group of girls walked off, with Gojo being able to hear the ginger kid curse out the one who slapped her. Gojo frowned, watching as the group walked away. That was another reason why he didn't like America, the absolute amount of racists. Japan had a xenophobia problem, but it never got as bad as it did here. Though, he guessed that an argument could be made in the reverse, not that he cared.

Still, now he had a direction on where he was to go. Toward the forest. And while he could've figured that out on his own, having a better idea as to where the Cursed Energy could be made things a hell of a lot easier. Even with his Six Eyes trait, it wasn't as if he could see everything. Well, he could, but that didn't mean he knew where everything was. And besides, his Six Eyes only made it so that he could see in a 360-degree radius around him for as far as a regular person could see. He wasn't omnipotent, though he could count a few times where that would've been helpful.

And so, Gojo went in the direction where those kids had pointed him in. As he walked, he took in the scenery, or as much of it as he could without losing focus. Family-owned businesses lined the streets, mixed in with popular brands like Mcdonald's, Burger King, and even Papa John's. He caught sight of a school, but he also caught sight of something else that made him stop and pause for a brief second.

In the center of the town stood a large bronze statue. It was of two men, both looking to be around the same age as one another. One had a ponytail and the other had messy hair. They wore what appeared to be Victorian-Era clothing, and on the statue, there was a label that was engraved into it. Founders Of Gravesfield, Connecticut: Philip & Caleb Wittebane, 1613 – 1618. They looked older than seven years old, so that must've meant that it was when they had founded the town, to when they had died and or disappeared.

The name Wittebane, though. He hadn't heard of that name being used since he saw it briefly mentioned in a textbook describing the Heien Era world of Jujutsu Sorcery. They were one of the major families who helped in the sealing of Sukuna Ryomen 1,000 Years ago, having disappeared 400 years ago, presumably having gone extinct. To find that the final two of their descendants, neither of which had Cursed Energy when their birth had been recorded, had founded a town in America went to show just how far-reaching their bloodline had been.

From what he remembered, The Wittebane family was a Germanic family, born and raised in what was now Worstach Germany. Gojo wasn't surprised that the Wittebane's had travelled this far out, but that still didn't answer the question of how they were completely wiped out. Maybe it was the same as what had nearly happened to the Zen'in Clan over 100 years ago. It was possible, though Gojo doubted it.

"Still, The Elders will probably want to know of this. Maybe some of their Blood got mixed up within the populous? It's definitely a possibility. They were high ranking in Jujutsu society, having one of the more sought-after Techniques..." Gojo thought, sighing to himself. "I shouldn't be wasting time. Gotta get to that Cursed Energy signature…"

Gojo left the statue and continued his walk throughout the sleepy town of Gravesfield. There wasn't much else to comment on regarding the town. It was your average small town, with a small population and a community where everyone knew everyone. If it wasn't for it being in America with its dirty, polluted air, he would've considered moving to this place when he retired—if he didn't die before then, of course.

It didn't take him long to get to where the Cursed Energy signature had been, and, just like he had thought to be the case, none other than the girl that he had heard about was the source. Luz Noceda. An average-looking kid in a small town, and ripe with Cursed Energy. As a matter of fact, she had a fountain of the stuff that seemed near-unending.

"Kind of reminds me of Yuta, actually…" he shivered at the thought. The last thing he wanted to deal with was another Yuta Okkotsu. The kid was a good person, but the last thing he wanted was a repeat of what happened with him being around. A Cursed Spirit attached to someone was a fate that no one wanted. Especially a very powerful one like Rika had been.

All of that aside, Luz looked like what a normal teenage girl would appear to be. Short, scrawny, and entirely unimpressive. Ear-length purplish-brown hair sat atop her head with golden-brown eyes. Her skin was a light shade of brown, bordering on tan. She had a pair of ebony black, circle-shaped earrings, and she was dressed in a half-lavender-blue and half-white hooded shirt. Along with that, she had a pair of high-waisted grayish-turquoise jean shorts over a set of dark navy-gray capri leggings, as well as a pair of white loafer sneakers.

Gojo found her appearance completely unassuming, and he couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. What was obvious, was that the kid was clueless about her Cursed Energy. If she hadn't been clueless, she would've used it to spot him. That was both good and bad. Good, because that meant that she was a newbie and could be trained in the way of Jujutsu Sorcery from the ground up, and bad because if she ever ran into a Curse that was above a Grade 4, she would end up dead; even then that was being too generous.

For whatever reason, the Cursed Spirits here were docile. But if she had ventured anywhere else, she would wind up killed by one that wasn't so docile. A fate that most potential Sorcerers tend to meet without intervention. It was a depressing reality, so the kid was lucky that she lived in this strange, backwater town.

"Well, I suppose I should go introduce myself to her," Gojo thought, but just before he could, Luz stood up, and exclaimed something that he couldn't quite make out, and that was when he saw it. A small Owl-looking thing, holding a sac filled with trinkets and doodads. However, what was most noticeable was a book. A book that Gojo was pretty clearly able to make out as reading as The Good Witch Azura, and from how Luz was reacting, it was clear that had meant a lot to her. So for the owl thing to run off with it meant that there was going to be trouble.

Which was exactly what the owl thing was doing.

But, that wasn't what Gojo was concerned about. No. He was concerned about the fact that the creature that he was looking at had been emanating an energy very similar to Cursed Energy, but wholly different at the same time. It had put him on edge, and before he had the chance to tell the girl to wait, she was already chasing after it.

"Does she not have a single shred of self-preservation?" Gojo thought, making up his mind on a dime to chase after the girl and the strange owl that showed up out of nowhere. At first, he thought it was one of those docile Cursed Spirits, but the different energy it was emitting proved him wrong. Meaning that, to Gojo, it was an unknown variable, and that was something he just couldn't have.

Gojo was not one for control over a situation. He was more of the type of person to play things fast and loose—see where things end up going and find what would be most enjoyable. But, when kids came into the question, it was an entirely different answer altogether. He much rather valued the safety of a child more than his amusement.

While most Jujutsu Sorcerers were, for lack of a better word, morally absent, Gojo was one of the very rare few who had a somewhat normal moral compass. Sure, he was fine with murder because what Sorcerer wasn't, but if a child got hurt, and it was on purpose and the person at fault was a Sorcerer themselves… Gojo could never, nor would he ever forgive them.

Corny as it was, the saying: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility rang true as far as Gojo was concerned. It was a quote from Spiderman, and it was one of the only things in Western media that he resonated with. Of course, most Jujutsu Sorcerers cared less about that kind of thing, and sometimes even Gojo believed that, but nine times out of ten, he believed in that statement.

As he followed after the girl, Gojo had been more than a little surprised that both the owl and Luz were extremely fast. He assumed it had to do with the fact that Luz really wanted her book back. As for the owl, despite its waddling, it too was fast. For what reason, Gojo had no idea. "This feels like a trap…" Gojo thought, eyes narrowed.

He tried to feel out for any more Cursed Energy in the area, but he could feel none aside from the stuff that was pouring off of Luz. He couldn't get a read on the energy that the owl was giving off, and it was unnerving him. Just what was that owl? Why did it steal Luz's book? Why was it so damned fast?! All of those questions, and there were no answers. It was starting to annoy Gojo, and annoying him was not exactly a good thing.

Finally, after a few minutes of chasing after Luz and the strange owl, Gojo saw what appeared to be a hut in the distance. It was an old wooden shack that looked as if it hadn't seen a carpenter in little over thirty years. Boarded up windows, a door that was seemingly rusted open, and a hole in the roof. Clearly, this place was abandoned. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. The question was, why had the owl lured them here?

Against his better judgement, he continued to follow after Luz, who was stupid enough to follow the owl into the cabin, calling out to the thing, telling it to "wait" and "come back here" or "give me my book back!" Gojo would've found it amusing if it weren't for the fact that it was leading her into the most obvious trap imaginable.

Unfortunately for Gojo, he felt as if he had no choice but to follow in after her so that she didn't get hurt. After all, for all he knew this thing was a strange, possibly dangerous Cursed Spirit that didn't feed off of Cursed Energy but rather something else. Nanami would most certainly never let him live this down. He knew that for a fact.

Entering into the cabin after Luz, Gojo stopped dead in his tracks when the door slammed shut on its own, a blinding golden light shining from the doorway. "Damnit! I was right!" Gojo thought as he spun on his heels to stare at the door. It no longer appeared to be a regular door, but rather a door with an eye in the center of it. A pane glass eye, and an unmoving one at that. Then, suddenly, the door folded into a suitcase and fell onto the floor, with a key attached to it.

Then came the surrounding area. It had changed entirely. It was no longer a cabin, but rather a tent of some kind. The walls were purple, and there was a large quantity of random junk like a fridge, a box of random knickknacks, and bags of garbage. If this was a Domain, which he highly doubted to be the case due to the abnormal appearance and lack of Cursed Energy, then it was a strange one.

Turning around, Gojo saw Luz, who stood there staring out at the vast array of garbage with wide eyes and confusion adorning her expression. "Whoa…" She muttered, before shaking her head. "Right, book! Gotta get my—" That was when Gojo intervened, putting a hand on her shoulder, catching the teen off guard and for her to nearly shout, which had only been stopped when Gojo turned her around and covered her mouth with his other hand.

"Quiet kid," Gojo said, voice hushed to that of a whisper, and letting go of her mouth. She was about to say something, only for Gojo to get down to her level and grab onto her other shoulder, staring directly into her eyes through his blindfold, which seemed to make her stop talking if only because she got a little uneasy. Honestly, Gojo didn't care. If it worked, then it worked. "I'll explain later, but right now, we could be in some serious danger. Listen to me if you want to stay alive, okay?" Gojo said, his tone not leaving any room for argument.

A conflicted look appeared in her eyes, though it didn't seem to matter, as she nodded. "Great, now get behind me," Gojo instructed, as Luz did just that. Slowly, Gojo approached the curtains, feeling out for any kind of Cursed Energy. His eyes narrowed. There was Cursed Energy, and it wasn't Luz's. Though, it felt… different.

The Cursed Energy that was coming from just behind the thin veil of curtain wasn't what he was used to. It didn't belong to a person, but rather to a Technique, and not the person's Technique either, but someone else's who had been far removed from the process. It felt more like a Cursed Spirit had been implanted into the person rather than it belonging to the person behind the curtain. Almost like a bastardized version of Getou's Cursed Technique, but non-consentual on both ends.

"Strange… so maybe this wasn't a trap after all…" Gojo thought, humming to himself. Disappointing. He had gotten his blood pumping for nothing. However, that still didn't explain the differences in the air. This clearly wasn't Gravesfield, nor was it Japan. It was someplace else. The air felt clean. Too clean. Wherever they were it sure as hell wasn't anywhere on Earth. Even the cleanest smelling air on Earth still had some ounce of pollution in it.

Not to mention, that energy that the owl had on it? It was everywhere now, and it was bothering him immensely, namely because he had no idea what the hell it had been. Was it an offshoot of Cursed Energy? Was it something else entirely? Was it pure, raw, Positive Energy? Furrowing his eyebrows, he decided that it would've been a better use of his time to check what was beyond the veil.

There were two ways he could go about this. Aggressive, or passive. He wasn't Getou, nor would he ever be him—especially after what he did a year ago—so he chose the latter. Approaching the veil, he carefully drew back the curtain to see what was on the other side. Instead of being greeted with a monstrosity like he had expected, he was greeted with what appeared to be an old woman.

Long greying hair was the first thing he saw, along with a do-rag over her head and covering her ears. She had ivory-pale skin, and she was dressed in a two-tone sleeveless dress with a ripped hem, accompanied by gray tights. She also wore a pair of orange spherical earrings, and a golden ring on her left index finger, completing the look with maroon high-heeled boots.

"Finally, took ya long enough," the old lady bemoaned, as the small owl hopped up onto the desk with the bag in its beak. "Well, let's see whatcha got for me this time," she continued as the owl hooted (was that the right word?) in acknowledgement. The old lady began to sift through the bag and pull out several different types of objects. A phone, a tablet, a few odd trinkets and eventually what appeared to be a literal bar of gold, all of which she called different words for "garbage."

The only thing of value she seemed to care about was the odd trinkets, like the pop-out glasses and novelty toys. Eventually, she got to Luz's book, which she groaned at, finally turning around to face the owl, allowing Gojo to catch a glimpse of her face. She had yellow eyes, and a golden fang in her mouth that looked to be false. She also had an oval jewel on the sternum of her dress that shimmered a bright amber-golden hue.

"Really Owlbert? This? I thought I told you to stop grabbing these things. Whatever… I guess I can just burn it," the old lady said to the owl, Owlbert, apparently, who hooted back in response. Sighing, the old lady made a strange finger gesture as a red fingernail-sized ring appeared above her pointer finger. A burst of flames sprouted, and it was then that Luz gasped, and Gojo took that as a sign that he ought to do something.

Stepping out from the veil, spooking the old lady, Gojo swooped in and snagged the book from her grasp. "Stealing a child's book and then proceeding to burn it without reading it? Whoa, you sure are heartless, old hag," Gojo commented, dangling the book in front of her before tossing it over to Luz, who caught it with the expertise of a clumsy cartoon character.

"Who're you two, and how'd you get into my store?" The old lady demanded eyes narrowed as Gojo shrugged. Luz, however, didn't know what tact was and instead spoke up.

"I'm really sorry about that, but your owl pet, thing, whatever stole my book. I just wanted to get it back! I didn't mean anything by it, I promise!" Luz said as Gojo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was going to be fun, now wasn't it? A blabbermouth kid who didn't know how to not talk. Honestly? It reminded him of what he was like when he was young—insufferable. Not that he had changed much from back then, but still.

"She's not wrong," Gojo spoke up, crossing his arms. "As for myself, well… I'd hoped to talk to the kid in private about that, but she had decided to run ahead and go do something stupid that could have potentially gotten herself killed." As Gojo said that, he noticed that Luz winced at his words. He sort of felt bad, but seriously, had the kid not been lucky that this old lady was nice, that could've very well been the case.

"That being said," Gojo continued, uncrossing his arms and letting them hang by his sides, "neither of us wants to be here, so we were wondering if you could use that strange door of yours to take us back. I have important things I need to do, and I'm sure that kid has things she needs to do, too. I'm sure you understand, yeah?" Gojo said as the old lady groaned, a gleam of disbelief in her eyes.

"So, not only do you wander through someone else's door, but you also break into another person's shop and then ask if you're free to leave after being caught. What do you think I am, a saint? Forget it. You want to leave? You gotta earn that right. That, and… well, the door works just fine, but there's something about you" the old lady jabbed her thumb at Gojo, eyes narrowed "that I don't like. So as far as I'm concerned, I want to keep my eyes on you. Deal?"

Yeah, he should've seen that coming. Let it be known that playing nice with others ended up with the same result of getting burned. Not that Gojo minded. He wasn't in a rush to get back home. The less he had to deal with The Elders, the better. His only issue was leaving Megumi by himself, but then again he trusted that Nanami would step up if he was gone for too long.

In all reality, Gojo wasn't too pressed about his situation. It was Luz's he had been concerned about. Oh, sure, he planned to, without all the flowery language, abduct Luz to take her to Tokyo Jujutsu High, but if being stuck wherever here was meant that he got to mentor her far away from The Elders and their influence… "I see this as an absolute win!" "Deal, old lady!" Gojo said, outstretching a hand in greeting. "Names Gojo Satoru, and you are?"

"Eda Clawthorne, but don't go telling anyone that," Eda said, accepting the handshake before looking over at Luz. "And whose the pipsqueak?"

"Oh!" Luz spoke up, standing up with a goofy smile on her face. "Luz Noceda! Nice to meet you!" To that, Eda smirked, before clearing her throat, letting go of Gojo's hand and turning her attention back to the counter.

"Whelp, let's get this over with. Don't just stand there, promote stuff, get people's attention and all that jazz," Eda said before grabbing onto Owlbert like he was a toy and placing him on a wooden stick that Gojo was just noticing. Confused, Gojo watched as she twisted Owlbert around 360 degrees, as he turned into a wooden statue version of himself. He'd assume it was a Cursed Technique, but the lack of Cursed Energy made that impossible.

"A question for a later time, then," Gojo thought, before shifting through the bag in front of him. He plucked out a pair of rubber chickens, tilting his head. How was he supposed to promote these things? He looked over to what Luz was doing, and that was sitting patiently next to what seemed to be a dysfunctional old-fashioned TV, messing around with the dials.

For a moment, he was confused as to what she was doing, and that was when he caught on. "Loud noise. Brings people's attention and makes them look over to what's making it. I see! Well, she's at least pretty smart when it comes to making a distraction. Initiative as well. Good traits for someone in my trade. Let's see where this goes."

It wasn't long before Luz was able to get the TV working, and as soon as it did it played a very convenient noise. A loud, booming one that made heads turn. That was when he was able to get a look at all the manner of creatures in this strange new place. Just as he had to do back in the town he had just been in, he had to repress his urge to start blasting at these guys and for the same reasons.

They looked way too much like Cursed Spirits. Sure, they weren't the same, and maybe it was a little rude of him to assume, but could you blame him? Seriously, there was a dude with three eyes and claws for hands with the body of a gorilla! If that didn't scream Curse then he didn't know what did.

"Darn kid, you're pretty smart," Eda commented, before looking over to Gojo. "Why didn't you think of that? You're a human too, aren't ya?" She asked to which Gojo frowned.

"Yeah, but not all humans catch onto small stuff like that," Gojo said as Eda shrugged, taking paper bills and coins as if they were nothing whilst handing out products hand over fist. Gojo did a large part in handing out the merchandise and handed the money to Eda, which she seemed to appreciate. It was the very least he could do.

"OI! What is with the racket?!" A loud, booming voice echoed out in the street, as Eda frowned. Gojo didn't know why, but he got a bad feeling about whatever was about to happen. Luz also seemed to feel the same way with how her shoulders rose to the base of her neck. Underneath his blindfold, Gojo narrowed his eyes, finding the source of the voice.

It was a large man covered in white and black garb. It looked like something a member of a cult would wear, with a mask that completely obscured the face. The clothing was that of a white cloak with a hood kept in place by a golden triangle pin, along with a black body suit with a lighter black shirt, and brown pointed-toe boots, accompanied by what appeared to be a sword at his hip. Seering blue eyes glared daggers at Eda, the colour of which made Gojo frown.

Was this some kind of cult town he wandered into? Or, perhaps, this guy was supposed to be a guard. The large, rotund individual seemed to look the part. Despite his size, Gojo could already tell he would be a hassle for others, him excluded, of course.

"You again!" The large man snarled, glaring at Eda. "What have I said?! I swear to Titan you're just about as good at listening as a rampaging Slitherbeast! Take your human garbage, and sell it somewhere else!" The large man spat, his eyes narrowing further. "Come to think of it… you're starting to look familiar…"

Eda tensed, but not out of worry. It was more as if she was about ready to book it. "Oh?" Gojo thought, his frown disappearing as a smirk slowly took up his visage. The large man fiddled around for his belt, before pulling out a sheet of rolled-up paper. Unfurling it, his eyes widened. "A-HAH! Now I know why! You're Eda Clawthorne! Wanted for crimes against The Emperor as well as practicing illegal Wild Magic!"

Drawing his blade from his hip, he chuckled. "Now I can finally get that promotion to Guard Captain! And you two!" The man snarled, getting into a defensive stance. "You two are under arrest for fraternizing with a criminal!"

Luz panicked, leaping behind Eda as Gojo scoffed, taking a step forward in front of the two. "Is that so, Mr. Plump n' round? Well, we'll see about that," Gojo said, as Eda reached for her staff. Tapping it on the ground, she did one of two things. One, she ripped off her do-rag, revealing the rest of her head. As Gojo wasn't expecting, she had pointed ears like that of an elf. The second thing was just how fast she had wrapped up shop—literally. All it took was one tap of the staff and it was all bundled up on the edge of her staff.

"Magic, huh? Neat…" Gojo thought, before raising his index finger. "Well, we'd love to stick and chat, but we have places to be, people to meet, and a home to get back to. So… Sayonara~!" As Gojo said that, a small ball of red energy began to converge at the tip of his finger, shocking just about everyone including Eda.

With the flick of a wrist, Gojo unleashed Reversal: Red toward the large Guard, hitting him directly in the stomach and sending him flying through several stands. With their opening, Gojo motioned for them to follow. "C'mon, guys! We got some time before he gets up!" He called out, earning a smirk from Eda. Grabbing onto Luz, Eda followed after Gojo, with Eda being surprisingly fast enough to catch up to him.

"Gotta admit, Blindfold, I'm starting to like you," Eda commented as Gojo laughed, smiling.

"Awe~, you flatter me," Gojo said as the group of three dodged, ducked and weaved around people of all shapes and sizes as the sound of footsteps followed them close behind, vague mentions of "get them" and "for the Emperor" echoed behind them. Gojo had to admit it was just like those movies he watched when he was younger.

"They're still tailing us!" Luz called out as Gojo frowned. He had an idea, but it would only work if Eda trusted him. It was a long shot, he knew, but it would get them out of immediate danger. He glanced over at Eda, who was looking behind them with a frown on her face.

"Kids right, we gotta lose them somehow…" Eda muttered looking at her staff. The flash of an idea appeared in her eyes, but before she could suggest it, Gojo spoke up.

"I got an idea, but you have to trust me. Once we get to an alleyway out of sight, I'll tell you," Gojo said as Eda shrugged.

"Alright, Human. But you gotta explain what you did earlier because that looked like Magic," Gojo said as Luz spoke up, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Yeah! How'd you do that!"

"Well, that's both good and bad," Gojo thought with a lopsided smile on his face. On the one hand, Luz being curious about what it was that he did was great! It meant that teaching her would be easier than most others. But, it was also bad because she was too eager. Don't get him wrong, being eager to learn was great, but too much of it and obsession started to form. Becoming obsessed with Cursed Energy is what could turn your average Sorcerer into a Cursed Spirit—see Ryomen Sukuna as a great example of that. "Whatever, we'll get there when we get there."

Breaking left, the others followed after Gojo into an alleyway. He waited with bated breath as the guards charged past, allowing them to breathe. He hadn't expected that to work, but it did, and he was grateful for it. "Alright," Gojo said, looking over to Eda and Luz, "Where do you live, Old lady."

"Why would I tell you that?" Eda asked, hands on her hips as Gojo sighed.

"You want to escape before they notice we've lost them?" Gojo questioned as Eda frowned, crossing her arms.

"As if I couldn't just fly there and leave you two behind. I don't have to let you use the Portal Door, now do I?" Eda said as Gojo frowned. The instant he did that, Eda faltered. Why? Because it was clear that Gojo was not fucking around. His Cursed Energy spiked, and when it did, it seemed to affect Eda. "What the hell…"

"You either let us use that door, or I kill you and take it from you. And trust me, lady, I could do so very easily," Gojo threatened. Again, he didn't need to get home immediately, but he wasn't about to let this old fart think she had anything up on them. He had been cheated out of a lot of things in his life, and he'd be damned if he'd allow that to happen again.

"You think your threats scare me?" Eda remarked, though with noticeably less confidence than she would normally have. From what he knew of her, despite only meeting her briefly, she was a very boastful individual. Confidence was kind of her thing. However, she didn't have the power to match it. Or, if she did, it was being suppressed. Most likely by that Cursed Energy within her body.

In fact, he was fairly certain that she could pick up on his Cursed Energy, though clearly, it did more than just notify her how strong he was. It also did something else. What that something else was, Gojo didn't know. What he did know was that what Eda had said was a bluff. That being said, he wasn't taking any chances.

Narrowing his eyes underneath his blindfold, he smirked. "Who said anything about threats, Old lady?" Gojo said as Eda tensed. Before things could get any more messy, Luz stepped in between them.

"Hey! Can we not?! We're kinda being chased right now, so maybe, just maybe, bicker about this later?" Luz said as Gojo and Eda looked down at her. She nervously chuckled, rubbing at the back of her neck. "Look, I know you don't trust us, Eda, but you know better than I do what'll happen if those guys catch us. I don't know much about Gojo over here, but he's helped us this far, so maybe antagonizing him isn't exactly a good thing, yeah?"

Luz then turned to Gojo. "And you… maybe don't threaten people, okay? I don't know who you are or what you do aside from that cool red ball thingy—which I really want to know how you did that—but I'm sure Eda was just saying that to get on your nerves. So, can we please not fight? Pretty please?" Luz said, throwing in the whole puppy dog eyes trick. Usually, that didn't work with Gojo, but he knew she was right.

Maybe Getou had rubbed off on him a little before he died…. He had noticed he had become a little more uptight than normal. But then again, being a Jujutsu Sorcerer got to even the best of people, and he was no exception it seemed. Sighing, Gojo relented, letting his Cursed Energy relax, which made Eda relax.

"Yeah, fair enough," Gojo said, scratching at his chin.

"Whatever," Eda remarked, glaring at Gojo. "But if this backfires, It's on you, Blindfold," Eda said, crossing her arms. "West from here, I live in a house deep in the woods. It's about a mile away from town. There, you got all you need?"

Gojo smirked, before suddenly grabbing both Eda and Luz, shocking them. "More than enough! Hang on tight!" As he said that, he used his Limitless technique, paired with his Six Eyes to teleport to the exact location that Eda had mentioned. Usually, he would have needed a Cursed Energy signature to teleport somewhere, but because he was teleporting to a remote location, he didn't need one. And sure enough, just as Eda had said she would if her coordinates had been correct, they appeared not even five feet away from a strange-looking house.

The house in question was a white brick cottage-sized home with a blue sloping roof. There was a stained glass window above the door that made it almost look as if the house had a large, orange, demonic-looking eye and was actively watching them. Just behind the house was a crumbling stone tower with orange moss growing on it. Whether it was attached to the house or whether it was separate was for a later time.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Luz said, breaking away from Gojo as Eda did the same, dusting herself off before turning around and looking back at her house.

"Huh, well, let it be known that was actually pretty cool," Eda said, turning to look at Gojo. "Sorry about earlier. I'm not a very trusting person, especially with private information like, you know, my house's location?"

"Nah, don't sweat it. I was bluffing anyway," Gojo said, waving her off. It was a half-truth. If he really had to, he would have, if for no other reason than to make sure that he didn't have anyone tailing after him while he remained here. She seemed to buy it, so that's all that mattered. "Now, we have another problem." As Gojo said that, Eda seemed to deflate.

"And what would that be?" Eda asked as Gojo wrapped an arm around Luz, shocking the teen.

"We still need to go home!" Gojo said as Luz jumped away.

"No!" Luz exclaimed, making Gojo turn his head in her direction. She shrunk, chuckling nervously to herself as she spoke. "Ah, well, I mean… I kinda don't want to…. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's probably a good idea, but…" Luz's expression turned to one of upset, her eyes downcast as Gojo frowned. He didn't know this kid, so for all he knew her home life could suck royally. He first saw her sitting next to a trash can, for Kami's sake, so there was probably a reason why she was so hesitant.

She looked over to Eda, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "I was kind of hoping if I could learn that Magic stuff you were doing! And if not, then… maybe you can teach me what you were doing earlier, Gojo!" Luz said, turning to Gojo as he jabbed a thumb over to Eda.

"How about this, try and learn from the old lady first, then come to me. If I do teach you, it's going to be challenging. That magic stuff seems easier than what I do anyway," Gojo said, smirking. "It also gives me a chance to fully scope this place out without you breathing down my neck asking questions, because you totally seem like the type to do that," he thought, as Eda guffawed.

"Now hold your horses, I—" Eda was about to continue, but Gojo stared at her with a tilted head and a faux smile, which gave off a rather creepy aura that unnerved even Luz.

"Don't tell me you're about to break this poor kid's heart, are you? That would really make you a heartless old hag, you know?" Gojo remarked as Eda sighed, shoulders slumping as she looked over to Luz, whose eyes were sparkling with anticipation. Ruffling Luz's hair, Eda smirked.

"Alright, fine. I'll see what I can do," Eda said, before lifting her hand and looking at the two of them. "But, if you want a place to stay, I'll let you two stay with me. That doesn't mean you'll be doing it for free. After all, you already know my reputation precedes me. That, and I could use the extra pair of hands around the shop when need be. If you're willing to work for me, I'll provide shelter and food."

Gojo didn't even hesitate. Some manual labour for a roof and food? That was easy as pie! So, with a thumbs up and a smile, Gojo accepted. Luz did very much the same, which earned the pair a chuckle from Eda. "Well then, that didn't take too much convincing, but—"

"Eda! You're home!" A very young-sounding voice echoed from the door as a small bipedal dog-like thing walked out of the house. It was about the same size as Gojo's boot and had a canine skull for a face, along with a pair of horns atop its head, though Its right horn was missing. It had glowing yellow eyes with black sclera, and equally black fur with small but sharp-looking claws. It was strange, and much like most of the non-humanoid-looking creatures, it looked like a Curse. But that didn't matter to Gojo. Not this time.

Why? Because it was cute! It reminded Gojo of Megumi's Demon Dogs, and those were the two bestest boys in the whole wide world. Not to mention it was quite literally a bipedal dog thing! And it talked! How amazing was that?!

It looked over to Gojo and Luz, before crossing its arms and huffing. "And who are these peasants?" The creature said as Eda scoffed.

"These guys are Gojo Satoru and Luz Noceda. They're going to be living here for a little while. You good with that, Pipsqueak?" Eda said as the creature stomped its right foot on the ground and straightened out its arms, holding its head up high like a child having a temper tantrum.

"I am not a pipsqueak! I am King! King Of Demons! How many times do I have to say that!" King complained as Eda smirked, crouching to his level and patting him on the head, which only served to annoy him further.

"I'm just messing with you, King. Seriously though, you don't mind them being here, do you?" Eda asked as King shrugged, giving Gojo and Luz a once over before running over to Luz, looking up at her, and nodding. He ran up to Gojo, crossed his arms, then shrugged, before walking back over to Eda, sticking a claw up in what Gojo assumed was a thumbs up.

"It's cool. They seem like worthy servants," King said as Gojo held back the urge to laugh. King sure was an interesting person. Yet again, he reminded him of a younger version of himself. What was it with people reminding him of himself lately? That was starting to become a trend he was noticing, and it was kind of funny, all things considered.

"HOOT HOOT WHO'S THERE?! IS SOMEONE NEW HERE!?" A very loud, very high-pitched voice caused Gojo to flinch. It was ear-grating, and it was very sudden. Luz seemed to feel the same way with how she quite literally fell backwards after trying to rebalance herself. It was then when a giant long outstretched owl face came rushing out from the front door at full speed, and it was only because Gojo side-stepped the face that it didn't splatter against his Infinity.

"What is that?!" Luz exclaimed as it came back around and floated above her.

"That is Hooty, and Hooty is me! Nice to meet you, Luz! Same with you Gojo! I overheard Eda say your names!" Hooty said, looking between both Luz and Gojo. Luz seemed seconds away from bursting a gasket, and Gojo couldn't find it any more hilarious, openly laughing at the scene before him like a madman, much to Luz's chagrin.

"Okay, Owl Boy, calm yourself," Eda said, looking at Hooty with a lopsided smirk. "Let's get inside. I'm sure everyone wants to rest after today. It's been a pretty hectic morning so far," Eda said, standing up and patting Hooty on his tube-like body. He slithered his way back into the house, followed by everyone else.

In the back of Gojo's mind, he knew that things were going to be far more interesting than he had initially thought they'd be. Sure, he had his worries, but he knew full well that everything would be fine. After all, he was The Strongest. And while things certainly weren't normal, what was so fun about normal anyway?

He looked at Luz and frowned. Her life would change drastically here. He knew that both because it would be mostly his fault, and also because this world was far different from Earth, wherever here was anyway. Even still, he was slightly worried for the girl. She most likely had a family that cared about her, so for her to suddenly disappear would probably cause panic in her circle of individuals she knew.

Whatever the case was, Gojo didn't really care all that much. It wasn't as if that wouldn't have happened either way. Be it because of him or because of this, her family was most likely never going to see her again. That was just how being a Jujutsu Sorcerer worked. Once you became one, unless one's family was in the know, then they were excluded. It was like a cult in that way, though, unlike a cult, this was for the family's safety.

Regardless, as far as Gojo was concerned, this was a breath of fresh air. A new dimension free from The Elders and their annoying requests and orders? No responsibility aside from looking over Luz and possibly training her in the ways of Jujutsu Sorcery? What was there to dislike? All Gojo wanted to know was where was this place ten years ago?!

Smirking, Gojo entered the home of Eda Clawthorne with only one thought on his mind. "This is just the beginning of something very interesting. Very interesting indeed."

[-To Be Continued-]

[Ending Song: 怪物/Kaibatsu/Monster – By YOASOBI]