[1] The Depth of Darkness

Lonely; desolate, a man walks through the night. The only company were his thoughts, and the darkness that encroached him.

Eyes gazing toward a path beyond the horizon, the longed for something new. The touch of another, or perhaps someone he could call a friend.

Alas, all he had were his dreams. Ambition, as well as a heart that was stricken with strife.

Still, he continued to trudge on. A road destined to be full of bloodshed and cruelty. He could not stop now.

His feet ached. His arms swung. Knees buckled; but yet his head was still held high. Confidently, even if it was false.

His body, carried him nowhere - as he desperately sought for a glimmer of hope.

A light to chase away the despair that haunted him.

However, all he could do was find solitude within a world where they treated him as a tool. The bodies that lay underneath him, serving as a reminder of the path he had chosen.

But yet, he still continues to trudge on. A man with no equal, with a back so wide yet lonely. Shouldering the hope of the world, at an age so young.

He was a boy without a prayer, but still he holds onto his dreams. The aspiration that one day he will find the emotions he craves.

A fool, that continues to search despite knowing very well that he would never find the salvation he so desperately longs for.

For the road to the summit is lonely.

* * *

Cold. Hot.

Dark. Bright.

Loud. Quiet.

My body - overloaded from the contrasting sensations that dismantled everything.

My ears - rang incessantly, constantly. Pitches that were high, akin to a screaming banshee, and low, like the depths of tartarus, assaulted me.

My eyes - aching, shouting for help. Forcing to be closed by the plethora of forbidden information. Things that were not supposed to be seen.

My nose - picked up the putrid aroma of melted flesh. Whether it was from someone else, or my own was unknown.

Arduously, I clenched my jaw. My lips, zipped. Eyes, shut. Trying to take control of the pain and abnormal situation I have found myself in.

'...Have I been kidnapped..?'

Within the depths of darkness, my first thought arose. A signal that I was somehow still sane; despite the avalanche of phenomenon that would've drove an ordinary man to the brink of death.

My brain raced. Thinking of possible scenarios, as the pain slowly intensified. Seconds swiftly passed, turning into minutes, which morphed into hours.

'I have indeed been kidnapped, and whoever did it must be extremely skilled. Manipulating a barrier around me, that interferes with my senses.'

I have steadily gotten accustomed to the heavy pressure. Albeit the pain was still there, I was able to think properly and consciously. The repetitive ringing in my ear slowly vanishing.

Unwanted thoughts began to creep within me. Nostalgia slithering, as I unwillingly recollected memories of the past.

Feelings of desolation, clouding my heart ever so strongly. Isolated, due to my strength and heritage. Ostracised.

I forced myself to come together; to think about the current situation. Causing my rampant thought to arrive at a halt.

'Wait...this is a... time-space technique?'

Focusing intently on the problem at hand, I concluded that it couldn't be a barrier technique. The use of cursed energy and laws in this place were much more intricate and complex. To the point I could physically feel it.

My features twisted to form a frown. Brows furrowed, as I noticed the implications behind it.

'So they are transporting me somewhere far away from the other sorcerers, eh?'

My instincs flared. The sense of any agony being replaced by violent adrenaline. Power.

Getting ready for anything; since the amount of people that yearned to kill me were not few.

'Whoever they are, they are definitely stronger than anyone I've met.'

Perhaps, this could be considered as a blessing. A chance for me to finally have a peek at the apex, that I always wished for.

Any feeling of melancholy or despondency I initially may have had, have been discarded long ago.

I focused my senses within my body. Awakening my instincts, sharpening them for a battle soon to come.

Although my face held a frown, and my body itched in irritation. I could not help but slowly smile as I felt the laws weaken - signalling that I have nearly arrived.

'I wonder if I finally found someone that could beat me..?'

I began to jest. My expectations that were initially soaring to an inexplicable height, beginning to lower. Heart, steady and rhythmic.

This was the pride of someone destined to become the strongest. Who changed the balance of the world the moment they were born.

Despite knowing very well that the opponent was strong, perhaps stronger than those rats at the cursed society, I could not help but laugh.

Chuckle, at the fact someone stronger than me existed.

Why?

Because I was Gojo Satoru -

The strongest sorcerer alive.

* * *

The sensation of grass was the first indication that I had arrived. The gentleness; the breeze caressing my back as it touched my face.

The constant pricking of agony withered; being replaced by a soft ache. The overwhelming sensations coming to a halt.

For the first time, I began to feel grateful. Thankful, at the sense of normality I felt after what I assumed to be days.

The idiom: 'you can only appreciate something when it's gone' being veracious than ever.

However, although I wanted to enjoy these sensations for a moments longer - a second more, I could not.

"Oh? A visitor after so many millenia."

An entrancing voice, assaulted my ears that finally began to hear suitably. Smooth, alluring, yet sharp. Holding an edge that had been presumably honed for centuries.

My body immediately reacted. Being prepared long ago.

I jolted backwards. Hands scraping gently against the surface of the earth. Gradually, gracing the world with the presence of my eyes.

An ache greeted my mind. Causing me to grunt, as I tried to adjust to the unfamiliar sensation. Perhaps a result of not having been opened within a long time.

However, I endured. Not willing to waste a fraction of a second, that could result in my death.

'...Is that her?'

The first thing I noticed was her. The figure of a woman, leaning leisurely against a spear that was above her height.

She was stunning, perhaps even flawless. Flowing, violet hair that captivated, even me - alongside ethereal crimson eyes that demanded respect.

Causing even me to feel somewhat intimidated. Affirming the fact she was stronger than anything I've ever faced.

However, that does not mean I'm afraid.

I analysed her figure calmly, steadily. Alas, unexpectedly - at the sudden contact of our eyes aggravated my headache. The pressure, multiplying as if I have witnessed something forbidden. Taboo.

'What the hell is going on?!'

Feeling perplexed by the sudden assault, I readied myself. Forcefully ignoring the roaring pain, as I continued to meet the eyes of something... not human.

'She's not a sorceress.'

That was the only logical and reasonable conclusion I could come up with. The situation causing me to come up with swift answers.

'Nor is she a curse.'

At the same time she could not be considered a curse. She lacked the malicious, berserk energy that all curses possessed. Having something, juxtaposing... an energy I was not familiar with.

'Wait... she doesn't possess cursed energy.'

It was then I perceived mulitiple irregular problems.

Firstly, during this entire confrontation, she had not made a single move. Standing there, silently as a smirk graced her lips.

Something which bemused me even further.

Secondly, her demeanor. The aura she expressed... caused me to doubt myself for the very first time. Question - my abilities as her pressure enveloped me.

As well as accept the ugly truth -

'...She's stronger than me.'

I grit my teeth. Unwilling to acknowledge something as incredulous at this. Despite being no fool, my pride wouldn't allow it.

Still, despite her seemingly more power, it didn't not mean my loss was definite. As long as I had more skill, then that woman was bound to lose. Especially with my cursed techniques.

My heart raced, loud thumps signalling the awakening of the rumbling hunger. The thirst for battle.

The composure I held began to collapse. Crumble, as I faced my first obstacle in my fifteen years of living.

Still, that did not mean I wasn't thinking rationally.

The final, and most crucial irregularity was the absence of cursed energy. A different, and almost abstract type of energy enveloped her. Something, that caused my [Six Eyes] to react.

My feet remained planted. My fingers slowly stretching, ready to form a cursed technique at any moment at the slightest movement.

Alas, at the sight of all this her posture remained firm. Leaving no openings whatsoever as she tilted her head. Eyes, glowing ominously; icily.

Her spear, that was lodged harshly onto the ground, began to shift for the first time. Causing a gnawing pain to overwhelm my eyes. Distress.

All while I started to chant within my mind.

However, I was suddenly forced to shift my presence of focus from the pain to her voice. Filled with a chill so cold, that it made my instincts take over.

"You have entered the Land of Shadows, young one. Tell me your purpose, before I decide to end your life."

---

[A/N: This is teen Gojo, so he's bound to be arrogant and hot-headed. After some character development and maturity he will be back to being the badass he is, don't worry.

P.S: Comments would be appreciated and keep me motivated.]