Chapter 6. The Origins of Change

The first couple years of my journey as a sorcerer were so rough that there wasn't a single day that I didn't wake up in a cold sweat due to constant nightmares. I've already mentioned the time my grandfather and I cast out a curse in an orphanage. It was certainly one of the most horrific missions I had ever been on. By then I was used to the horrific sight of mangled bodies and the ruined fates of ordinary people, but the moment I encountered the horrors that unfolded in the orphanage, the breathless corpses of children surrounded by blood, I redefined such concepts as curses and Jujutsu.

My face was illuminated by the light bulb of an open refrigerator. The sound of glass bottles banging against each other. Thinking about it, the phrase, "We're avengers, not preventers, right?" comes to my mind, and it perfectly describes the whole point of Jujutsu. What the hell are heroes? Sorcerers are people who can't deal with their problems, what to speak of the troubles of others.

"We're more like janitors of the supernatural," he walked out onto the porch of the house and sat down in one of the two chairs.

Sisyphean labor, here it is, the perfect juxtaposition of everything that sorcerers do with the cruel reality. And how not to become crazy in such conditions, which are all sorcerers. But why, in that case, everyone fights the symptoms, but no one tries to deal with the root of the problem? Why haven't they? At the moment, at least two sorcerers are going that way, but first, we need to grasp two things.

First, as the general theory of Jujutsu teaches us, Cursed energy that comes from people, collected in sufficient quantities, is capable of generating a Curse. Secondly, at the same time, sorcerers themselves do not create Cursed Spirits, unless, of course, they leave behind a vengeful spirit. Even so, compared to ordinary people, sorcerers do not emit Cursed energy. Of course, there is such a thing as residual Cursed energy after the application of the Cursed technique, which depends on the amount of energy of the sorcerer and the consumption of this energy by his technique. But what is most important - sorcerers control their Cursed energy by creating its flow inside their bodies.

To put it simply, if all of humanity became Sorcerers, no more Curses would be born!

Of course, this is only one way, and the most difficult. Let's assume - this would be the first option to solve the problem with the contagion called curses, then the other two sorcerers, who are now trying to realize the idea of a world without curses, chose two other options, namely: The second option, is to make all of humanity lose the ability to generate curse energy, through general liposuction, and the third, is to kill all non-sorcerers.

Which option did I choose?

"I wonder how crazy I am?" sipping on the hoppy drink of the gods, I rant aloud.

It's been a surprisingly cold February for Japan. It was already the end of the month and it was still a couple degrees below zero at night. Of course, for me with my physique, minus thirty wouldn't have been uncomfortable, but it was still unaccustomed.

"I can't get used to it," my grandfather's face flashed in my mind as I looked at the second bottle. " Usually, at times like this, we'd sit here and you'd talk about your adventures. "

It was after I burned his corpse with my own hands that the thought never left my head that I didn't want to live my entire second life at this pace… Of course, that's not to say I was disgusted with the Sorcerer's life, not at all, on the contrary, after a while I grew to love what I was doing. The power I have now and the professional deformation caused by my grandfather and more than a decade of living as a Sorcerer had something to do with it.

"But it's going to be damn hard," I looked up at the star-studded sky and noticed a shooting star. " What can I say about my aspirations when, for the foreseeable future, ordinary survival will be a hellish task with a star in the form of Shibuya."

However, if I wish to live a happy life the way I want to, then I must take the most difficult path.... Otherwise, I shouldn't even start....

Satoru Gojo showed up at my doorstep in the early morning a couple of days before spring began, saying that something important was waiting for us, and took me out of the den that was my home, which the old man had left behind. Eh, in this icy world, without a blanket, I'll freeze to death…

"You have incredible physical strength," the strongest was surprised when he realized that I was keeping up with him.

What can I say about that? Ten years of living with a tyrant, two and a half completed Sequences, and anyone can tear down small buildings and boulders with their bare hands.

After a "small" sprint through all of Tokyo at sonic speed, we found ourselves not far from the metropolis. At this point, the sun was affectionately illuminating a winding path leading somewhere upward. Steps carved in rough stone. The air soaked with the scent of wild foliage and flowers. On both sides of the path was an amazing landscape: majestic trees, their branches intertwined, formed a vault above us, playing in the rays of light. The sound of water came from far away.

As we climbed, I could feel the wind becoming cooler and the sounds of nature more intense. At a certain point, I saw in the distance a small compound built around a large building in the style of Japanese temples. On one side was a small stream, on the other a modern-looking stadium, and a little further away was a road…

"Could we have gotten to the Tokyo Jujutsu High by car?" I stared suspiciously at the guy in the stupid mask.

"Yeah, what century do you think we live in," the strongest only shrugged his shoulders, pretending not to notice my irritated look. "However, if we'd called a cab, not only would we have paid a lot of money, but we wouldn't have seen such a beautiful landscape!"

"Just shut up," I was getting sick of his behavior…

Half an hour later we reached the main entrance, which was a majestic gate made in ancient style. Upon entering the territory we were greeted by a small but extremely beautiful settlement, with buildings made of wood and stone tiles. At the end of the main street, on a small hill, stood a multi-story temple, creating an atmosphere of tranquility and spirituality.

"Let's go," Satoru patted my shoulder and continued. "They are already waiting for us."

As soon as we entered the temple, we were immediately greeted by a couple of low, about knee-high, roundish dolls with dog faces.

"You're late again, Gojo," a brutal male voice echoed from across the hall. "Eight minutes late."

A tall man with short black hair shaved temples and mustache, and a neat, short black beard sat on the steps at the far end of the room, stitching together a familiar dog-faced doll. He wore dark glasses, a black zippered jacket with a low-standing collar, and black pants. I'm still amazed at how such an extravagant uniform can look so cool.

"I don't think you should be so adamant about it, Headmaster," Satoru added with a glance around the room. "Besides, you were going to make dolls anyway, so it's okay, right?"

"He's making toys… Look, he's sewing a new one right now," I whispered, addressing Satoru.

The white-haired mage smirked at me. 

"And you're that guy?"

"My name is Yami Sukehiro," I continued, bowing slightly, which was already a habit. "I guess I'm that guy"

"Why are you here?" The doll maker asked, not showing much emotion or paying attention to my behavior.

"I think it's some kind of interview," I answered.

"You don't get it, kid, this is a magic school, not a place to work."

"Is it?" Remembering who brought me here, I looked at Satoru. "Though I don't deny that I'll learn something here."

"The strongest mage of our time will be able to teach me something new."

"That's not what I mean," Yaga began to show some irritation, apparently beginning to realize who he was dealing with. "To learn more about Curses and to understand the world of magic are secondary reasons for entering Tokyo Jujutsu High. The first is why are you here?"

"Simple, I'm strong enough to be here," he added with a nod towards Satoru. "Perhaps there have been similar cases in your history before..."

"It doesn't matter to me," a powerful voice interrupted me. "I have already met strong and talented young sorcerers who entered a Tokyo Jujutsu High. And where did it lead them? Some have already met their agonizing end, and some have become incredibly dangerous criminals. So I'll ask again: why are you here?"

This scene was no surprise to me, for I already suspected where and to whom Satoru and I were headed. So I prepared myself in advance for the crossfire of questions. So, I couldn't say that I knew the future of this world and wanted to change it, which I could only do by getting something from this place. I also couldn't say something that wasn't convincing enough...

Which leaves me with only one option!

"I want to prove that I'm the strongest. That's it. Any other reason would be a lie," I replied, looking at the strongest mage of our time.

"Prove that you're the strongest?" Director Yaga was slightly taken aback. "So you're saying that you're going to fight Curses just to prove something to someone?"

"After living side by side with death for so many years, I can no longer calmly realize that it's safe to turn around and not meet an enemy. You can think of it as a classic symptom that all soldiers face when they leave the battlefield. And even knowing that you still think to ask me something so stupid?" No one liked to have outsiders digging into his heart, especially me, so I said what I thought about the situation to Director Yaga's face.

"He's got you, Director," Satoru said with a chuckle, standing nearby and enjoying the action.

"If you think my heart isn't ruthless enough, or maybe I'm not crazy enough for this job, then you're not likely to find other students," he said, letting off a little steam and speaking more calmly. "I, of all people, know it's an unpleasant job. The first time in my life I saw a man die was when I was six… A job that makes you quickly lose motivation and energy. But for the last ten years, I've been casting Curses every single day… So, did I pass the test?"

My answer put Director Yaga in a stupor. I guess he didn't expect such a harsh and rude answer.

"Another madman?" Yaga sighed tiredly, rubbing his shaved temples. "I think any mage is crazy. Isn't he?" said the strongest of them all.

"Satoru, show him the dormitory," the headmaster turned to the white-haired mage.

"And you, Sukehiro, welcome to the Tokyo College of Magic," the principal extended his hand to me. "My name is Yaga Masamichi, and I hope you find what you came for here."

"I will," at this moment I felt a strange insidiousness inside…"Okay, stop! I'm on the side of the good guys!"