𝑬𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑮𝑶𝑳𝑫 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐋𝐕 - 𝐀 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐕𝐄

WHEN KINZOKU MIKAZUKI REAPPEARED, she did it on the other side of Japan, on a deserted rooftop overlooking Tokyo's skyline. The sorceress dropped her bag of supplies, appreciating the view momentarily before the air shifted again, her senses keenly aware of the new soul which had arrived only second after she had.

"You're late." She tutted, basking in the familiar feeling of Gojo Satoru's power which radiating from him in waves like heat from the sun.

This time, the special-grade sorcerer wasn't alone. The Magistrate didn't trust her, and despite his undying loyalty, they didn't seem to trust Satoru either, which is why they sent a third party to accompany them on their mission.

Yaga Masamichi adjusted his glasses, gaze travelling from one sorcerer to the other, brow furrowed at the sight. Of course The Magistrate would assign him his two most troublesome students. He imagined Léa back in her office, laughing at the irony of it all and probably enjoying a glass of her favourite wine.

"I'm just in time, you're the one who arrived early." Satoru refuted, he too admiring the beautiful view even through the thick fabric of his blindfold.

They were currently standing in the Keiyō Industrial Zone, a view of the whole docks from the rooftop as the large expanse of the belt lay at their feet. Mikazuki could see ships coming in the distance, the largo cargo holds opening and loading the trucks off with multiple containers despite the fact that the night was still pitch black, at least five hours left until sunrise.

The Magistrate certainly chose their missions well, ensuring they were either covered by the endless night or by a veil. Either way, it was safer this way, both for the sorcerers and the mortals they protected.

Yaga sighed, he couldn't believe he'd once been patient enough to teach those two. The two most powerful Jujutsu sorcerers; two idiots with little to no self-control and grandiose ideas to reform the Jujutsu society, one sorcerer at time. Part of him hoped they would. If anyone could, it'd be them. Either that or they would ensure its destruction, both options just as likely considering the nature of their abilities along with their explosive personalities.

"Both of you, quit it." Yaga commanded, a satisfied grin appearing on his face as the two sorcerers complied. "The Magistrate has been hunting for this curse for the past couple of weeks, it appears to be quite elusive, but we finally managed to pinpoint its location to this area."

High-ranking Cursed Spirits tended to develop the ability to mask their Energy signature, meaning that most sorcerers along with The Magistrate's devices were not powerful enough to locate them. Locating Curses was usually the hard part of the job, exorcising them was just one of the perks. Still, Mikazuki raised a brow, turning around and taking in the large expanse in front of her. They were currently standing on the rooftop of an abandoned factory, the entire city laid out at their feet. Sensing the Kinzoku's train of thought, Yaga continued.

"Of course, the area is still far too large." He gestured towards the space around them, the blinking lights of Tokyo's nightlife coming to life as Mikazuki gazed at them. "We were hoping you could use your abilities to sense the curse and exorcise it."

Mikazuki rolled her eyes but nodded, straightening her position as she turned towards her ex-teacher, her gold eyes shimmering under the lights. She didn't call out Yaga's lies – they both knew Gojo was more than capable of tracking the curse with his Six Eyes – opting to play along instead. This was a test, one of the many that would follow. The Magistrate was testing the waters, and Mikazuki was willing to pretend they were safe long enough to trap them under.

The sorceress crouched to the ground, pressing her palm against the floor and reaching out with the tendrils of her Eternity, engulfing everything within sight and beyond. The Cursed Energy came to her like the air into her lungs, naturally and effortlessly.

"I need more information." She demanded, sensing as the tendrils of her Eternity scoured the place like snakes unravelling in the night. "There are many spirits in the city, most of them harmless. I need something that will allow me to narrow it down."

Satoru watched the woman, teeth digging into his bottom lip as he found himself unable to take his eyes off of her. The sorceress could feel his stare borrowing into her back, but she was far too preoccupied checking every street, every corner of the city, looking for any traces of cursed energy.

Satoru cleared his throat. It had been a very long since he'd last seen Mikazuki use the Cursed technique of her clan, especially to this extent. Before, she would have never been able to scan all of Tokyo with a single sweep, now she did it like it was as easy as breathing. She almost looked divine, with flecks of gold levitating around her into a mix if an amour and a shield, protecting her from any possible intrusion.

Of course, the cursed technique of Eternity had some drawbacks – as did any technique born of magic and power – but it was still one of the stronger abilities the Kinzoku clan possessed. Satoru had seen it many times, both used by Mikazuki and Keisuke. He used to be good at it, too, although whatever skill the now dead heir displayed, it paled in comparison to what Gojo was currently witnessing.

It wasn't dissimilar to the way the Six Eyes worked, with the overwhelming nature of Eternity often taking over the senses of the user. Opening yourself up to every stimuli in a mile radius was like bombarding your brain with information that had to be properly processed and archived, the fact that Mikazuki was able to bear it so easily was a testament to both her training and her inner strength.

"The entity we've been tracking appears to be a vengeful cursed spirit, it spawned after a fire in a computer factory downtown. It's a special-grade, but its abilities are still unregistered. The Window that made the report was severely injured and is still in a coma." Yaga explained, hoping his words would be enough for the woman in front of him.

He could still remember to smell of burnt flesh when Ieiri Shoko stepped out of the hospital room, discarding her stained gloves inside of the trash as she simply shook her head. This Curse, whatever it was, was strong enough to take down a skilled Window, and although their training was far less dedicated than that of a sorcerer, Windows were still strong enough to defend themselves from most attacks.

The sorceress nodded, focusing on the tendrils of gold that were still sweeping over the city. She made sure to conceal her gold, making it invisible to those without the Sight as it cleared every street corner, looked under every rock. Mikazuki closed her eyes, focusing on her senses as she continued to track the Cursed Spirit. If the Curse had spawned following a fire, then its heat signature would surely surpass that of any mortal, meaning it would be distinct enough she could pinpoint it easily.

Something in Mikazuki's expression changed as she shifted her weight to her good leg. Satoru sensed it a second later, reinforcing the walls of his Infinity almost immediately at the strange tingling at the back of his head, whatever his Six Eyes had caught up strong enough to make the reaction instinctive. The sorceress turned around, pulling out the dagger she kept in her boot, but by then it was already too late.

Turns out, while she'd been tracking the curse, said curse was tracking her in return.

The Cursed Spirit smiled, placing its misshapen hands in front of its chest before releasing a wave of unbearable heat and fire in their general direction, the attack too wide and unprecise to dodge out of the way. Mikazuki Cursed under her breath before closing her eyes, her legs already pushing her to the side as she did the only think she could think of to escape the flames.

She jumped.