𝑬𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑮𝑶𝑳𝑫 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐋𝐈𝐕 - 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐅𝐄

MIKAZUKI SIGHED, PULLING OUT ONE OF HER DAGGERS AND HOLDING THE BLADE BETWEEN HER FINGERS, testing both its strength and its sharpness. It was a double-edged blade, with the middle of it hollowed out while the hilt was made of a mixture of gold and red stones. It was certainly more ornate than anything the sorceress had used before, and although the stones did make the hilt heavier than the blade, it was still better than solely relying on her Cursed techniques.

Even after her abilities had grown significantly since Keisuke's funeral, Mikazuki had spent an entire decade fighting with those same knifes and she was unwilling to let go of them, especially considering just how unreliable Cursed Energy could be. Besides, she'd rather have a back-up plan instead of showing up empty-handed.

Mikazuki looked down at the blade once again. The original set had been made of steel, forged by her own hand, but these ones were made of gold, her own blood serving as the blueprint. They were perfectly balanced, sharp and infused with her abilities, the knifes an extension of herself. She could manipulate them just as easily as her gold, yet they were not bound by the same limits as her powers.

"This is madness." Hide pleaded, her voice firm while her emerald eyes followed Mikazuki across the room.

The woman was standing at the edge of the door, knowing fully well she was unwelcome. The fact she had been allowed into the Kogane Manor at all was a miracle, one Mikazuki would make sure never repeated itself. The sorceress scoffed, putting the knives back into her bag along with the rest of the supplies.

They were mostly weapons, some of them infused with cursed energy while others were mere ordinary knives she could use in case of an emergency. Mikazuki had also packed a bunch of first aid supplies, knowing things could get tricky in the field, especially knowing who her partner was going to be. The woman groaned at the memory, quickly shaking her head as she closed the zipper of the bag.

"I'm a sorceress." Mikazuki said, refusing to meet her mother's gaze. "It's my duty." She added, glancing at her reflection in the mirror.

The oath she had sworn blinked in the back of her mind, the memory of the words she had carefully chosen slipping into the forefront of her brain momentarily. She knew there would be consequences for that little stunt she had managed to pull, but part of her knew it was worth it. She'd rather die than pledge her loyalty to The Magistrate. At least, this way, Mikazuki had carved herself a nice little loophole to slip through once her plans were complete.

The sorceress' gaze fell on the mirror once again, her reflection staring back at her like the remnants of a ghost. Mikazuki's usual curly hair had been pulled up in a tight ponytail, not a single hair out of place. She was wearing all black, a pair of cargo pants and a sleeveless dark shirt with a pair of military boots. It wasn't the standard attire of a shaman, but then again, there was nothing standard about Kinzoku Mikazuki in the first place.

Hide sighed before attempting to step into the room, however, as soon as her foot grazed the carpet, she was pushed out by a blast of Mikazuki's Eternity.

"Do not tempt me, mother." The Kinzoku heiress spoke, her tone hoarse as she slung the bag over her shoulder, the clinging of the weapons echoing in the otherwise silent room.

She said it like a warning, daring Hide to take another step and promising to tear her apart if she did.

"You might be a sorceress, but as the Kinzoku heiress, other responsibilities are expected of you." Hide tried again, still pressed to the door with a scornful expression on her face. "You should be looking for a husband and to sire an heir, not playing The Magistrate's games."

The sorceress knew this, she'd known it since that Window showed up at the door of her dilapidated cabin in Argentina. As the heiress, she was expected to find a suitable husband (preferably someone powerful and influential) and to bring into the world a male heir to secure the clan's bloodline. Mikazuki was not a fool, and although she was planning on delaying those duties for as long as she could, the woman knew it would happen sooner or later.

Mikazuki scoffed, walking out of the room only to stop right next to the woman whom she'd once called 'mother'. Now she was nothing but a stranger who couldn't even look her in the eye.

"I'm a sorceress first, heiress second." The Kinzoku spoke with conviction. "You might be my handler, but don't think for a second you own me, because I won't hesitate to rip out your throat the moment you stop being useful to me."

Her eyes turned dark as she faced Hide, and for a moment, the woman remined speechless. Mikazuki smiled, a certain amount of satisfaction before moving to the door, however, right as she was passing through, Hide gripped her arm, her perfectly manicured nails digging into her skin.

"Was that a threat?" Hide seethed, the green in her eyes glinting with something terribly dangerous. "Because, need I remind you, Asahi might be a monster, but I am his wife, and if anything is more dangerous than a monster, that is the woman willing to marry him"

Hide let go, a satisfied smile playing on her lips as she spied the red marks she left on her daughter's arms. Mikazuki stared at her, the gold in her gaze glowing like an untameable storm of power. Unfortunately for her, Hide was right – Asahi was not the only threat she was going to have to face in order to complete her plans, and underestimating her mother had been her first mistake. And just like that, Kinzoku Mikazuki was gone, a loud crack and a cloud of smoke being the only thing to prove she'd been there in the first place.