chapter 24 : Incident

Mehhhh bye !

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Some random mountain hill

A report of unnatural phenomenon of fire in nearby villages

....Aki Kamo was dispatched...

The moon hung low over the darkened hill, casting a silvery glow on the winding road. It was a desolate place, the kind of road where the silence pressed against your ears and the shadows seemed to dance just out of sight. Aki adjusted his glasses, his eyes scanning the treeline as he walked beside Quanxi, who dragged two swords along the gravel, the metallic sound grating yet oddly rhythmic.

"They say a lot of people lost their houses in the fire," Aki said, his voice steady but carrying an edge of concern. "Every time it happens, it's the same story. Homes reduced to ashes, people barely escaping with their lives. If it's really Jogo, this could get out of hand quickly."

Walking beside him, shamelessly unconcerned, Quanxi said, "Womp womp."

Aki glanced at her, his surprise evident. "Did you just say 'womp womp'?"

Quanxi smirked slightly, though her eyes remained fixed on the road ahead. "I thought it would lighten the mood." She is lying.

"Right," Aki replied, shaking his head with a bemused smile. "Terror and devastation. Very light."

Quanxi shrugged, her swords scraping the ground with each step. "Sometimes humor is the best way to deal with dark times." Clearly yapping.

Aki's expression turned serious again as he continued, "Jogo thrives on fear. The more terror he spreads, the stronger his ego is fuelled. But why target these villages? There's nothing strategic about them."

"Terror isn't always strategic," Quanxi responded, her tone pragmatic. "Sometimes it's just about sending a message."

They walked in silence for a few moments, the only sound the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze and the rhythmic dragging of Quanxi's swords. The village lay ahead, a cluster of dim lights barely visible in the distance. Smoke still lingered in the air, a grim reminder of the recent fires.

"Any clue how close we are to finding Jogo?" Quanxi asked, her eyes scanning the horizon.

"Not exactly," Aki admitted. "But these attacks have a pattern. If we keep moving, we might intercept him."

The road curved ahead, leading them deeper into the hills. The air grew cooler, and the shadows longer, as if the night itself was thickening around them. Aki's senses were on high alert, every rustle and whisper amplified in the quiet night.

Suddenly, a faint glow appeared on the road ahead, flickering like the light of a distant fire. Aki and Quanxi halted, their eyes narrowing as they tried to discern its source.

"Looks like we might have found him," Aki muttered, his grip tightening on his weapon.

As they approached the light, it grew brighter, more intense, until the silhouette of a figure emerged from the darkness, crossing their path with deliberate slowness. Jogo had a humanoid shape, but his physical appearance was distinctly that of a cursed spirit. He carried himself like an elderly man, relatively short with a hunchback posture, and he leaned on a cane. His head was shaped like a mountain, specifically a volcano.

"Welcome, Aki Kamo !," Jogo's voice rumbled, echoing through the night. "And you brought a friend. How considerate."

Quanxi's grip on her swords tightened, her eyes fixed on Jogo with cold determination. "You've been busy," she remarked, her voice steady.

Jogo laughed, a sound like crackling flames. "Busy spreading fear, yes. These villages are but the beginning. Soon, the flames will consume everything."

Aki stepped forward, his stance ready for battle. "Nuh uh, not if we kill you first. "

Jogo's eyes flared with anger. "You think you can kill me? You are mere insects before me, what do you think yourself, you're not Satoru Gojo."

"Let's find out," Quanxi said, as she lifted her swords.

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Reze's pov

Aki really must have gotten me on this wild goose chase... " Convince Choso to become a part of us" Like it was that simple. Because of course a grieving, rage-filled cursed womb would just comply to a few words of encouragement. As the cave became further, I cursed silently, my footsteps loud in the pale silence.

Dank air, laden with the musty odor of the cool dirt, filled the cavern. Shadows flickered over the walls, and it was difficult to see anything. I looked over each of the corners, each of the cracks and crevices, but I could not find a trace of Choso. I, who had been trying to hard, I who was just about to give up and go, felt a presence.

"What are you doing here?" The voice was low and brimful of wrath and doubt.

Still fearing for my life, I slowly turned around with my hands up. Choso, full of anger and despair with his eyes opened there I don't want to fight you, I reminded myself quickly. "I just want to talk."

Choso narrowed his eyes and immediately launched his offensive. His first hit just missed me, and my heart was beating. "Wait! Just listen to me!" I begged, ducking his next swing.

"You're one of them!" He screamed, his treble voice bursting with ire. "A killer of my brothers!" he said.

He was clearly in a great deal of pain, and was lashing out because of the loss he was feeling. "No! I have come to speak the truth to you! I insisted, rolling out, dodging to one side of a next strike. "Yuji is your brother!"

That got his attention, if only for a moment. As a result, his punches continued, but slightly less intensely than when we began. "Don't lie to me!" he roared. "Yuji killed my brothers! He can't be my brother!"

I sidestepped another swipe, racking my brain for a way to appeal to him. "Yuji and you have the same father, who is Kenjaku. He created both of you!"

Choso hesitated, confusion flitting through his gaze. "Why should I believe you?" he quizzed his tone questioning.

I drew in a deep breath, preparing myself for what I had to do next. "Uh-huh, that when I can prove," and with false confidence I said, "I can. " I already stabbed Yuiji with cursed nail three times" showing off the nail.

Well, he kept staring at me like a dummy so I head to explain " with a snap of my finger, Yuji will get crushed to death" obviously a lie, he will just faint stimulating death so choso can feel his whatsoever brotherly bond.

[Cursed technique: piercing blood]

I bend down just in time to avoid that attack, though I got slightly I Jared in the process. "You're making this hard for me, Choso" he just huffed while I, the very elegant hybrid, took a bottle and drank a little bit of blood, healing my wound and stamina completely.

"*burb* Excuseeeee mmeeee" the boy looked shocked, not gonna blame him, after all I'm like a vampire to them.

*snap*

Choso yearns for the opportunity to take revenge on Yuji but could feel his impending death right before dealing attacking me. It's a side effect of his composition as a Death Painting Womb and of his cursed technique. Choso can feel the death of his brothers and felt the same intense sensation from Yuji's impending death as he did from Eso and Kechizu's. Or at lest that's what Aki said.

"In the same way that Choso views the other Cursed Womb Death Paintings as siblings, he and Yuji Itadori could also be classified as brothers. The same sorcerer who created Choso with his own blood while experimenting on a human played a similar role in the birth and life of Itadori, making the pair related. Kenjaku's blood courses through both their veins, making the link between the pair the first insight into Itadori's family line." Aki said as we headed toward jjk High.

"For Choso's entire life, he has tried to prove himself to be the best older brother to his siblings, protecting them from harm and encouraging them like a father figure. Because of this, he would never let anyone lay a finger on one of his brothers, let alone hurt or kill them himself. " a quick flashback to what red-haired said on his way to stab Yuji with the cursed nail, Now I'm only seeing a guy genuinely tweaking.

The idea that Choso had been about to kill his own brother sent him into a mental breakdown, causing the curse hybrid to question everything he knows about his own life.

3rd pov cause its easy to write.

Choso stared at the ground, his mind racing with the revelation that had just struck him. Yuji, the one he had loathed, the one he had tried to kill, was his brother.

The initial shock gave way to a torrent of emotions. Anger surged first—anger at himself for being so blind, at the world for being so cruel. He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms until they drew blood. His breaths came in ragged gasps as he fought to contain the rage bubbling up inside him. "How could I have been so stupid?!" he yelled, the sound echoing off the walls.

The anger quickly dissolved into panic. Choso's vision blurred with unshed tears as he staggered backward, his legs giving way beneath him. He crumpled to the ground, his body curling in on itself as if trying to make himself disappear. His hands clutched at his hair, pulling hard as if he could rip out the pain and confusion along with the strands. He rocked back and forth, a keening wail escaping his lips, the sound raw and broken.

Short, choppy breaths wracked his frame as he tried to make sense of the chaos in his mind. Tears streamed down his face unchecked, mingling with the blood on his hands. He was dimly aware of the wetness on his cheeks, the taste of salt on his lips, but his mind was too fragmented to process it fully. Every thought, every memory of Yuji, now tinged with the knowledge of their bond, was a fresh stab of pain.

The breakdown reached its peak as Choso's body trembled violently. He felt like he was being torn apart from the inside, the weight of his realization crushing him. In his mind's eye, he saw Yuji's face, not as an enemy but as a brother—a brother he had wronged so deeply. The guilt was suffocating, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.

Amidst the chaos, Choso barely registered the presence of someone else. It was Reze, standing a few feet away, her expression a mix of concern and awkwardness. She hesitated, clearly unsure of how to approach him. After a moment, she knelt beside him, her movements tentative.

"Choso..." Reze's voice was soft. She reached out a hand but stopped short of touching him, as if afraid she might do more harm than good. "I... I don't know what to say, but... it's going to be okay. Somehow."

Choso's sobs grew louder, more uncontrollable. Reze shifted uncomfortably, then awkwardly patted his back, her touch light and hesitant. "Hey, just... breathe, okay? Just... breathe."

Her words were clumsy, her attempts at comfort fumbling, but the sincerity in her voice reached Choso. He didn't feel a sudden relief, but the sheer presence of someone trying to help, no matter how awkwardly, was a lifeline. Slowly, his sobs began to subside, his breathing evening out.

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And yeah that's all for today's chapter

I was on a vacation thus didn't upload.

Bye !