Into The Future
"Haiyaaa, How long has this temple been abandoned for that long?" Sasaki asked, her voice tinged with disappointment as she took in the sight of the decaying structure.
Her eyes, once hopeful, now dulled slightly as she scanned the temple, expecting to find some remnants of supernatural activity.
Itadori Yuji, trying to navigate the unstable ground, stepped on a piece of rotten floorboard. It creaked ominously under his weight, making him flinch. A sheepish grin spread across his face as he glanced at Sasaki.
"Senior Sasaki, you really have a knack for finding hidden spots like this. If you hadn't led the way, I probably would've gotten lost out here..."
Though Yuji wasn't entirely sure about this whole spiritual research thing, he found himself enjoying the time spent with Sasaki and Iguchi.
Their company made these little adventures feel worthwhile, even if it was just for fun.
Sasaki's gaze wandered over the ancient temple once more. "This place must be at least a few hundred years old"
"But judging by how it's falling apart, it's been abandoned for over a century," she said, her tone a mix of resignation and mild curiosity. "Doesn't look like there's much left to explore here."
With a resigned sigh, she started to walk toward Yuji, signaling it was time to leave. But just as they were about to turn away, a voice called out, cutting through the quiet air.
"Sasaki! Yuji! Come over here! I think there's a basement down here!"
Yuji's ears perked up at the sound, and his curiosity flared. He jogged over to where the voice had come from and found a well-sealed basement door, half-hidden beneath a thick layer of dirt and debris.
"Senior, step back a bit. I'll try to open it and see what's inside," Yuji said, his tone laced with eagerness as he crouched down to inspect the cover.
With a determined look, he gripped the edges and gave it a hard pull. To his surprise, it barely budged. His brow furrowed in confusion.
For someone like him, with physical abilities far beyond the average person, this was unexpected. He could easily break world records if he tried, yet here he was, struggling with a simple cap.
Just as Yuji was about to give it another go, this time with all his strength, Sasaki's voice suddenly broke the silence, shaky and tinged with unease. It was enough to make him pause mid-action.
"Yu-Yuji, maybe we shouldn't mess with this stuff. What if these are cultural relics? It'd be bad if we accidentally broke something," Sasaki said, her voice wavering as she tried to mask her rising anxiety.
She could see the stubborn look on Yuji's face, and her heart pounded in her chest. She knew convincing him wouldn't be easy.
Suddenly, Iguchi glanced at his watch and blurted out, "Hey, it's already five o'clock!"
Yuji's eyes widened, a look of realization washing over him. "Five? Oh no, I'm running late! Sasaki-senpai, Iguchi-senpai, I've gotta head out!"
Without waiting for a reply, Yuji hastily grabbed his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and sprinted off, disappearing down the path in the blink of an eye.
Sasaki and Iguchi stood there for a moment, exchanging glances before letting out simultaneous sighs of relief.
Sasaki placed a hand on her chest, feeling her heartbeat begin to slow down. "Phew, it's probably better we didn't try anything. We'd just end up in trouble," she muttered.
Iguchi, grinning beneath his glasses, gave a little shrug. "See? Sometimes it pays to be cautious. Who would've thought I'd be the smart one for once?"
Sasaki chuckled, lightly punching him in the arm. "Guess I'll give you that one, Iguchi."
With a soft laugh, Iguchi looked around and nodded. "We should head back too. The sun's almost gone."
Sasaki's gaze lingered on the crumbling ruins one last time as the orange-red glow of the setting sun bathed the temple in a golden hue. "Yeah… let's go."
Their exploration had been another bust, but they'd come to expect that by now. As they walked away, their shadows stretched longer and longer, disappearing into the darkening landscape.
Unbeknownst to them, a thick black mist began to creep up from the edge of the basement roof they had uncovered earlier. Just as the final rays of the sun dipped below the horizon, the tightly sealed basement cover shuddered and shifted slightly.
…
"Ugh…"
Majin slowly forced his eyes open, blinking against the dim light that filled the room.
"Where… where am I? Did I die again? Or… did I transmigrated?"
Majin groaned as he sat up, realizing he was inside a coffin. He glanced around the shadowy space, his senses on high alert. His gaze quickly landed on a terrifying figure—a Cursed Spirit with a twisted, monstrous face.
Despite the grotesque form of the Cursed Spirit, Majin instantly recognized her. "Li Zi…"
Hearing her name, the creature's terrifying expression softened, and she reached out, gently brushing her hand against Majin's cheek.
Her eyes, though monstrous, were filled with a deep love that Majin could still recognize.
Majin's head swam with confusion as he touched his chest, sensing an odd connection within himself.
It felt as if his very soul was linked to ten different beings, each pulsing with strange energy. What had happened? What had he become?
Among all the connections, the one Majin felt most clearly was with Li Zi, who stood beside him. The other nine presences were distant yet familiar, like a bloodline he shared, waiting silently for his command.
Li Zi, now a ferocious Cursed Spirit, hissed in a voice that was rough and guttural, unintelligible to anyone else. But somehow, Majin understood her perfectly.
"My child, you've finally awakened," Li Zi rasped, her monstrous face softening with an expression of tenderness. "Your nine younger brothers have become one with you..."
Majin blinked, trying to process what she was saying. His eyes drifted to the nine broken petri dishes surrounding him. Realization hit him like a cold wave, and the pieces started to fall into place.
— Does Li Zi think of me as her child because of the blood of that bastard kenjaku?
— And what does she mean by the nine-phase diagram of the cursed fetuses becoming one with me? Is that how I managed to survive?
— Are those nine other beings I sensed actually the nine cursed fetuses? Did Li Zi and her nine cursed children all form a contract with me?
Majin felt a whirl of confusion clouding his mind. His sense of identity wavered, unsure of what exactly had happened to him.
But the surge of cursed energy within Li Zi was undeniable. She had somehow transformed into a Cursed Spirit and forged a bond with him.
— So, am I like Okkotsu Yūta? Is that my fate, to become a cheap copy of yuta in the Meiji period?
— But… Riko's feelings for me are different from those between Yūta and Rika. Their bond was love, but what Li Zi feels for me seems more like familial affection.
Majin let out a soft sigh, a mix of acceptance and determination settling in his chest.
"Since I'm alive because of you, and you see me as your child, then I'll accept that role. I'll treat the nine cursed fetuses you left behind as my brothers."
His voice grew firmer as he continued, "You've become my guardian Cursed Spirit, so it's only right that I protect your children too."
A strange warmth filled Majin's heart. Despite the failure of his genetic modifications, he now had a powerful guardian in Li Zi, and the potential to summon the Nine-Phase Diagram of the Cursed Fetus.
— This is more than I could've hoped for! Having Li Zi as my guardian is like having a special-grade Cursed Spirit like rika protecting me.
— And being able to manipulate the Nine-Phase Diagram of the Cursed Fetus… it's like possessing the Cursed Spirit manipulation technique of suguru geto.
Majin's thoughts raced, calculating the implications. Three of the nine Cursed Spirits in the Nine-Phase Diagram were special-grade. That level of power was rare, unique even.
— With this, I've got the strength of two special-grade Jujutsu sorcerers. This could be a blessing in disguise. Even if I can't master the Zenin family's technique, with the Cursed Spirit technique and Li Zi's protection, I might still dominate the Meiji era!
Slowly, Majin dragged his aching, hungry body out of the coffin, feeling the stiffness in his limbs.
Li Zi floated behind him, her presence a comforting shadow, mirroring the bond between Okkotsu Yūta and Rika when Yūta first entered Jujutsu High School.
Majin wrinkled his nose as a foul smell hit him. "Why does everything reek of rot?" he muttered, waving a hand to clear the air. He noticed a sliver of moonlight filtering through, and moved toward it, searching for a mirror.
"I wonder if I'm just skin and bones now… I feel like I'll had slept for at least a month or two"
Majin had no sense of how much time had passed. In his mind, he was still in the Meiji era, and his thoughts were already turning to how he would survive in this new reality.