.
𝐉𝐮𝐣𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐮 𝐊𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐧: 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬
By: AnonWriterzzzz
Chapter 5: Plans Set In Motion
Orlando, Florida, USA
September 4th, 2024
11:45 PM
Shin and the cop walk into the police station, with Principal Shaw now watching them from the front desk. The fluorescent lights make a loud buzzing sound, filling the silent lobby with an eerie sense of dread. As the cop and Shin make their way to the back of the police station, Principal Shaw begins to follow. They continue walking, passing through a corridor and by the police station armory, as well as a few holding cells. They turn left in the corridor and enter an interview room. It's a basic gray room with two chairs, a table, and a one-way mirror. The analog clock on the wall ticks, making a sound identical to the one in Principal Shaw's office. Shin takes a seat on the cold metallic chair, his arms resting on the cold metallic table. The cop leaves the room, closing the door behind him, leaving Shin alone with his thoughts. All he can think about are the screams of the citizens, the blood on the streets, and the all-consuming fire that engulfed his home. Shin taps his foot on the floor, agitated.
On the other side of the mirror, Cameron Shaw stands in the observation room with a senior officer, his hand covering his mouth and his arm crossed over his stomach. Sweat begins to trickle down his face. After a few minutes of silence, an investigator enters the room, holding orange files with papers sticking out from the edges. He's dressed in a dark blue police uniform with the OPD badge on his chest, no hat, and a thick mustache. He takes a seat at the table and starts organizing the files. The lights buzz overhead, casting an uncomfortable white light that makes Shin's world feel blank. Shin's foot taps against the cold floor, the rhythm syncing with the harsh ticking of the clock. Every sound—every shuffle of paper, every muttered conversation—feels too loud, digging into his already full skull.
Investigator: "Shin Collins, you were missing for 11 hours, last seen at the Genesis Children's Home lobby at 6:15 AM, headed for school. Care to tell me why you didn't show up?"
Shin doesn't respond, letting the buzzing lights speak for him. The investigator tries again.
Investigator: "Okay then, let's try an easier question. Who gave you those bruises on your neck?"
Shin looks up at the investigator and finally speaks.
Shin, softly: "I don't know."
Investigator: "Bruises like those don't just appear on their own. If you won't tell me who did this, I'll start drawing my own conclusions. Eleven hours missing, the bruises—something happened. Until you talk, we'll assume the worst."
Shin: "I want to speak to my benefactor."
Investigator: "I can't let you do that until you give me what I'm looking for."
Shin: "I have nothing to give you, officer. Does that help?"
Investigator, growing frustrated: "I want to help you, Mr. Collins, but you can't get what you want by being difficult."
Shin: "What I want, you can't give me."
Investigator: "Then tell me what you—!"
Before the officer can finish, the senior officer enters the room. The door squeaks uncomfortably as it swings open. He's wearing the same uniform as the investigator, but with a rank patch that has two more lines. He approaches the now-silent investigator and whispers something in his ear, covering his mouth as he does so. The investigator looks at the senior officer, then at the one-way mirror, then back at Shin. He locks eyes with Shin for a moment, then stands up, grabs his orange files, and leaves the room. The senior officer signals Shin to get up. Shin does so and exits the room, where Principal Shaw is waiting outside, leaning against the wall. Principal Shaw and the senior officer mutter something to each other, too quietly for Shin to hear. Once they finish, the senior officer and the investigator leave, leaving Shin and Principal Shaw alone. Shaw speaks up.
Principal Shaw: "Let's go, Shin. I'm taking you to my house tonight for security reasons."
Shin remains quiet, still plagued by the vision Rogin made him experience. He silently follows as Principal Shaw begins walking down the corridor. They turn right and enter the main lobby of the police station. The fluorescent lights continue buzzing in their ears. They exit the police station, and the cool night breeze strikes Shin like a cold shower, goosebumps forming on his arms. They walk toward Principal Shaw's BMW, its broken window now replaced with yellow police tape. When they arrive, Principal Shaw opens the passenger door for Shin, and he gets in. Shaw walks around to the driver's seat, inserts his spare key, and turns it, bringing the car to life. As they drive out of the station, the wind blows through the broken window, causing the yellow police tape to bulge inward. The wind howls throughout the car as they pick up speed.
As they drive through downtown, Shin can hear the bustling streets of Orlando from the broken window—the honking of horns in traffic, the police and firetruck sirens echoing through the city, and the chatter from people in restaurants and bars. Principal Shaw stops at a red light and looks at Shin, his nervousness masked by his stoic demeanor. He breaks the silence.
Principal Shaw, speaking slowly: "I want to let you know, Shin—that wasn't me who picked you up. I saw the footage, and I have an idea of what's going on. I didn't expect it to come this early, but it's starting, and we need to make preparations to accelerate your training."
Shin immediately turns his head, meeting Shaw's stoic gaze with confusion and anger.
Shin, confused and upset: "What has started, Cameron?"
Principal Shaw: "Do you remember what I said to you before I dropped you off at Genesis yesterday? About things beginning to change? Well, those changes have begun, and we need to discuss them."
Shin doesn't respond, dread creeping into his thoughts. Is this where my destiny begins? What about my friends? Shin wonders. Principal Shaw presses the accelerator as the light turns green.
Eventually, they turn onto the street where Shaw's house is and pull into the driveway. It's a decently sized, two-story house, around 2,500 square feet. Shaw parks the car in the garage and turns it off. They both exit. Approaching the front door, Shaw pulls out his gold-painted keychain, filled with various keys, mostly for the school. The keys jingle as he inserts one into the lock, twists it, and opens the door smoothly without a sound. As they close the door behind them, the faint sound of barking echoes from another room. A beefy pit bull terrier slides across the tiled floor, galloping toward Principal Shaw and Shin, tongue out and little tail wagging. Shin and Shaw kneel to take off their shoes and pet the dog. The red metallic dog tag on his collar reads Rollo. The two smile at Rollo, and Rollo smiles back.
Shin's favorite part of going to Principal Shaw's house was seeing Rollo. Cameron rescued Rollo when Shin was five, and they have been best friends ever since. Rollo loves tennis balls and belly rubs—especially belly rubs. In fact, every time Principal Shaw comes home from work, Rollo doesn't stop barking until he gets five minutes of belly rubs. Only then does he calm down.
Shin and Shaw make their way through the house and into Shaw's home office, with Rollo following. Shaw's office looks nearly identical to his office at school—awards everywhere, books neatly arranged, everything perfectly in place, and not a speck of dust in the entire room, not even on the ceiling fan. Shaw takes a seat at his desk, and Shin sits cross-legged on the red couch near the door. Rollo jumps onto the couch, resting his head on Shin's leg.
Principal Shaw: "Listen to me, Shin. You were attacked by evil incarnate himself. My threads can sense it because his residual cursed energy still lingers in the alleyway, and his residuals are very unique."
Shin's eyes widen at the mention of Rogin. He's terrified, even though they had only met for 20 minutes. Rogin's overwhelming cursed energy still clouds Shin's mind.
Principal Shaw: "Are you familiar with a terrorist named Kenjaku, Shin?"
Shin nods.
Shin: "He's the guy who incited the Shibuya Incident back in 2018, right?"
Principal Shaw: "Yes, exactly. But the Shibuya Incident was just a prerequisite for the Culling Games. Are you familiar with that?"
Shin shakes his head no.
Principal Shaw: "The Culling Games were an act of Jujutsu terrorism orchestrated by Kenjaku to merge humanity with Tengen. Fortunately, Yuta Okkotsu was able to kill Kenjaku before he could activate the merger. However, Kenjaku lived for hundreds of years and had several contingency plans. That brings us to Rogin, or as people in the Heian era called him, the Incarnation of Malice. During the Heian era, Rogin established dominance alongside Sukuna. After Sukuna was sealed into 20 fingers by Kenjaku, he offered to seal Rogin into 10 fingers, but Rogin refused, wanting to remain king of the Heian era. That was until your ancestor, the Six Eyes user of that time, challenged Rogin and sealed him in the same prison realm that Kenjaku used on your—excuse me—on Satoru Gojo. Your ancestor didn't survive the battle because he formed a binding vow with the prison realm, offering his life in exchange for sealing Rogin. That's where Rogin stayed for the next several hundred years until he was unsealed in 2017 by Kenjaku. Rogin didn't appear on our radar until now—likely hibernating to regain strength. His cursed technique is unknown, and no records exist of him exhibiting it to anyone. What we do know is that he can conjure shape-shifting shikigami to deceive others. That 'fake' version of me you saw this morning? That was a shikigami. Rogin manipulated you into going into that alley to try to turn you, because he wanted to avoid the trouble of having to kill you."
The pressure mounts on Shin. He stares at Shaw, his mind reeling from the flood of information. His jaw tightens, frustration bubbling beneath the surface.
Shin: "And you didn't think to tell me any of this earlier? You knew this was coming, didn't you? Do you want to know what happened? Rogin made me see a future where Orlando was in ruins—bodies everywhere, skyscrapers toppled like they were sticks blown down by the wind. The worst was the fire... it was everywhere..."
His voice is cold and hard. Silence stretches between them, heavy with unspoken truths. Shaw holds his gaze but says nothing. Shin recollects himself and shifts the conversation back on track.
Shin, worried: "How was Kenjaku able to unseal him?"
Principal Shaw: "Through a binding vow between him and Rogin."
Shin: "And what were the conditions?"
Principal Shaw: "In exchange for freedom from the prison realm, Rogin agreed to either recruit or kill the bearer of the Six Eyes."
Shin: "Satoru?"
Principal Shaw: "No, Shin. It was you. When Kenjaku obtained Geto's memories, he discovered that the 'mysterious' child with the Six Eyes lived here. So he unsealed Rogin as a precaution in case the Culling Games didn't work. Rogin was meant to take care of you before you became too powerful. Now, what concerns me is what Rogin will do next. The binding vow was broken when Kenjaku died, freeing Rogin from that obligation."
Shin's chest feels tight, his lungs unable to expand fully. His fists clench, fingernails digging into his palms as Principal Shaw speaks. Every word feels like a brick laid on his back, the weight of the world's expectations pressing down on him. These feelings escape Shin's body as words. Words he desperately needed answers for from his mentor.
Shin: "Cameron, what is my destiny? What has fate decided for me?"
A tense pause fills the room as Principal Shaw considers his answer.
Principal Shaw: "The people you protect—that is your destiny, Shin. Satoru Gojo died protecting his students. That was his destiny. Your ancestor died protecting his clan. That was his."
Shin, emotions rising: "Does this mean I'm going to die, Cameron?"
Principal Shaw: "...I... I don't know."
Shaw places his hands over his face, and Shin looks down at the carpet. Rollo whimpers, trying to comfort Shin. A cold silence sweeps the room, broken only by the gusts of wind from the AC.
Shin: "So...? What now?"
Principal Shaw: "We'll get to the nitty gritty later. Right now, what matters is this: Rogin will come after you again, and we need to be ready."
Shin: "What do you mean by that?"
Principal Shaw: "How good is your Japanese, Shin?"
End of Chapter 5
Next Chapter Soon!
Update Log:
9/15/24: Removed vulgar language