Jujutsu Kaisen: Purple

Chapter 12: Little Brother

The purple-haired woman retained a horrified expression, imprisoned inside the withered woods alongside her teammate — who stood on the opposite end. She glanced at the apparition and shivered.

Domain Expansion... The pinnacle of Jujutsu Sorcery. An Innate Domain is constructed within the user's mind and manifested into reality through the use of cursed energy. It's a technique based on self-understanding that enhances one's cursed techniques, as well as guaranteeing that every attack hits the trapped target.

Kana exhaled nervously.

Once captured, an individual has several options: The first involves using cursed energy to manually neutralise each attack, although this is impractical in the long term. Secondly, in very rare situations, it may be possible to break the barrier and escape. However... the most effective countermeasure is to expand another Domain. This engages both parties in a territorial struggle where the more refined space will dominate its surroundings.

Yukari remained frozen as he stared at the cursed spirit.

Casting a Domain requires the user to exhaust an immense amount of cursed energy. In addition, their technique will become unstable and fail to activate for a short time after the territory is dispelled. There are very few sorcerers capable of Domain Expansion, as it requires incredible talent and prowess. Even so, due to their simpler nature, cursed spirits are able to utilise this ability much more easily than humans.

The woman took a step back, her eyes widening in realisation.

Yukari and I are both trapped, and neither of us has acquired the necessary skill to expand a Domain. In other words... In other words...!

"I'll no longer grant you both a painless passing into the afterlife," declared Utsuro, his tone irate. "Your final breaths will now be agonising." He turned to face the teenager, frowning.

I wasn't planning on trapping the woman inside my Domain, yet she rushed forward without hesitation. That boy must mean a lot to her...

The apparition narrowed his eyes.

Why not bring her to the depths of despair... and start by hanging him before her eyes?

A rope snatched Yukari's scarf — tearing it from his neck. He stumbled backwards and grabbed his throat as a noose ensnared him. The teenager gasped for air; his feet left the ground.

Tears tainted the female sorcerer's vision. She blinked, reaching out with her hand.

No...

"Checkmate!" exclaimed a teenage boy possessing dark purple hair and wisteria-coloured eyes while setting a chess piece down on the board. His outfit consisted of a black jumper paired with dark blue trousers, as well as grey socks. The boy grinned at Kana. "I win again!"

The young woman chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. You only won because I let you."

"Losers love excuses, don't they?" he responded, smiling.

The two sat on a thin futon mattress crammed into the middle of a cramped storage room containing metal shelves filled with wooden boxes.

"Whatever, Kaito! Let's have a rematch."

Kana began to reorganise the chess pieces before noticing a frown developing on Kaito's face. Silence filled the room.

"Do you... think I'll ever get to live a normal life?" asked the boy, his hair falling over his eyes.

The young woman looked away.

"I... don't know."

Kaito did not reply.

A humanoid shadow towered over Kana. She turned around, meeting the gaze of an older woman bearing a resemblance to herself.

"I told you not to interact with that sickening failure!" roared the newcomer, seizing the young woman's hair and dragging her away. "He's a stain on the Sairousoku Clan who couldn't even inherit the family technique!"

The boy flinched as the door slammed shut — shrouding him in darkness. The sound of a turning lock entered Kaito's ears. He hugged his knees, sobbing.

It's not my fault.

The next morning, Kana walked through an empty wooden hallway towards the storage room. A rectangular box wrapped in purple paper rested in her left hand.

My brother is turning sixteen today. It's not much, but I got him a brand-new chessboard since the other one is really old.

The young woman approached the door before retrieving a small key from her right pocket.

It wasn't difficult to find the key... Hopefully, they don't notice that it's missing.

She turned the lock and twisted the door handle.

"Happy Birth-"

Kaito's present struck the ground.

The silhouette of a person stayed suspended in midair — its head tilted downwards at an unnatural angle. A noose strangled the figure's neck beneath an outstretched rope, with the other end wrapped around a ceiling beam. Kana's hands trembled. Her sight shifted to the upturned wooden box on the floor — a handwritten note lying beside it.

"Sorry."

The young woman stood petrified, the blood vessels in her eyes stark against the scleras. Incandescent purple sparks spewed from her aura; their murderous radiance illuminated Kaito's hanging cadaver.

At that moment, the sheer intensity steering my emotions felt as if it could force me to commit atrocities without giving a single damn about the aftermath.

Kana curled her hands into fists.

I'll fucking slaughter them.

The female sorcerer blinked — screaming at the cursed spirit.

"Don't hurt him!"

A torrent of black fluid crashed through the Domain's barrier, producing tempestuous echoes akin to the rushing of a turbulent waterfall. The shadowy stream swallowed the rope above Yukari before dropping him back on the ground. He landed on his hands and feet, consumed by frantic coughing. Utsuro recoiled and pointed his palms at the dark deluge of death.

"Stay back!"

Searing lava-like pain devoured the apparition's legs. He collapsed, screeching in anguish upon witnessing the fiery flood engulf his limbs. The dilapidated forest vanished as the barrier to Utsuro's Domain shattered like glass. A paralysing presence drowned the entire prison; a frightening figure observed the three from afar, its features obscure amidst the desolate darkness.

"Nice to meet you..."

The teenager felt goosebumps crawl all over his skin.

What's this... sense of familiarity?!

A dreadful sensation plagued the boy's lungs. He took a deep breath and turned around — meeting a piercing pair of light grey eyes.

"...Little Brother."