Reiki, is a paradox of bloodlines. Half curse, half human, her existence was a forbidden secret, a living anomaly in a world of sorcery. She had spent her life mastering the art of concealment, learning to shroud her curse energy. Upon receiving ano...
The dorm building stood eerily quiet, void of its usual chaos. With an hour left until lunch, most students were immersed in practice or seeking refuge in the warmth of cheap coffee shops. Reiki navigated the cold, dimly lit hallway. The sound of her footsteps resonated through the stillness of the surroundings, each step seeming to reverberate in the quiet corridor. The rooms, neatly aligned along the walls, stood vacant, their occupants absent for the time being. The air was heavy with a sense of quiet expectancy, as if the very atmosphere held its breath in anticipation. The solitude wrapped around her, offering a stark contrast to the ever-present threat outside. Here, there were no predatory hunters lurking in the shadows, hungry for her cursed blood. She could retreat to her room, secure the door, and finally find some reprieve. The mere thought of rest made her mouth water in anticipation.
In that fleeting moment, as Reiki was poised to round the corner leading to her dormitory corridor, an unexpected surge of energy latched onto her wrist. It was a swift, unrelenting force that caught her off guard, sending a jolt through her body. The grip was firm, insistent, demanding her attention. The abruptness of it all disrupted the calm rhythm of her steps, causing her to stumble, her body momentarily out of balance. Her heart raced in response to the sudden intrusion, the pulse pounding in her ears. The corridor seemed to stretch on endlessly. As her captor pulled her back, she thought she could see their tall shadows loom across the ceiling in the corners of her vision. "Was she seriously getting attacked right now?" she wondered, her mind a whirlwind of doubt and confusion. The unexpected force continued to pull her, leading her further into the unknown.
Before she could fully process the situation, she found herself abruptly yanked into a room. The room was a stark contrast to her own, its size nearly triple that of her quarters. The room enveloped Reiki in a shroud of darkness, concealing the identity of her captors and shrouding her surroundings in an impenetrable veil of uncertainty. Despite her initial shock, Reiki had managed to regain her composure. Her muscles coiled like a spring, poised for action. If escape wasn't an option, she was prepared to go down without fight. Her wrist had been let go by this point. But she was lost, without a chain in the sea of complete darkness. She wondered if she could somehow figure out where the door was. Then, there it was again. Reiki's heart raced, an inexplicable sensation paralysed her, rendering her immobile once more. It was him, unmistakably. In the pitch-black room, devoid of any visible cues, she felt his presence. Satoru Gojo. Her skin burned under his gaze.
"It's just us." Geto's voice caught her by surprise.
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The lights came on abruptly, causing Reiki to instinctively shield her eyes. Slowly, as her vision adjusted to the sudden brightness, she could make out Gojo standing at a distance beside the desk lamp. Her heart sank as she realized she was standing in their room. It was impeccably clean, like an unused toy house, the warm golden light reflecting off the brown stone walls, giving the room an unexpectedly cozy ambiance.
"What the fuck! Suguru!" Rage consumed Reiki. She felt betrayed, confused, and utterly out of control. Before she knew it, her palms were clenched into fists.
"They're here as well..." Gojo's voice held a distant note.
"I can see," Geto replied, his expression grave.
"What in the world are you guys talking about?" There was a look in Reiki's eyes that was anything but human. It startled the two men. It was as if she'd been possessed by a spectre. Her red eyes seemed like they might bulge out of their sockets. Gojo's gaze fell on her trembling fists.
"Did you give her a concussion or something? Why is she acting like a feral cat?" Gojo accused Geto, his voice tinged with irritation.
"Am I allowed to leave? Or do you fine men have something planned out for my afternoon?" Reiki scoffed, her tone laced with sarcasm.
"They are increasing in number..." Gojo's voice was more serious now, directed at Geto.
"I can see them, Satoru!" Geto responded, equally grave.
Turning towards Reiki, Geto spoke apologetically. "Reiki, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to scare you like that. We should've just asked you to come here."
"You think so?" Reiki scoffed, her disbelief palpable.
"Apologize to your crush later, Suguru. We need to get down to business!" Gojo declared, turning towards Reiki and striding closer. She noticed he wasn't wearing his glasses anymore.
"Do you have any idea how cursed you are?" Gojo asked, his tone cutting through the tension.
Reiki felt her heart stop for a moment out of sheer dread. Did he know? Did they know? Did they know? Did they know?
"Reiki!" Gojo's sharp voice jolted her back to the present. "How are you zoning out right now?"
"Satoru, please. She just arrived at this school. Dial it back!" Geto interjected, trying to moderate the situation. He looked at Reiki, attempting to soften his tone. "Reiki, would you please take a seat? There's something important you need to know." Geto refrained from touching her again. He understood he had lost that privilege.
"So now we have manners?" Reiki said, her voice laced with a mix of defiance and fear, too afraid not to cooperate. Sorcerers weren't typically known for their warm reception to resistance, as far as she knew.
"Reiki, please," Gojo's voice softened, carrying a genuine concern. Reiki was tempted to retort, but words eluded her. She looked at Gojo, and for the first time, his gaze didn't feel like a constraining force. There was an odd pity in his eyes, as if he regarded her as a fragile creature squirming after being ensnared. Reiki had never felt more bewildered in her life.
"Reiki, we know we shouldn't have brought you in here without asking. But we needed to know. We needed to know if it was the school that was plagued by these new curses, ones apparently invisible to everyone. Or if it was you," Gojo explained.
Reiki's heart seemed to freeze. What did he mean by that?
Gojo's voice was intense as he questioned, "Kurai, can you see them? Can you feel them? They're all around you, all the time!"
"This morning, when you woke up, when you walked to class, when you did your classes, right at this moment – you've been surrounded by small cursed spirits." Geto said with a sigh.
"Have you been spying on me, Suguru?" Reiki asked in disbelief.
"Just answer the question, Kurai." Gojo's voice was firm.
Reiki's response was a mix of disbelief and confusion. "No... No, I can't. I mean, I can detect spirits. But you're telling me there are spirits around me I can't see? Hell, don't you think any of the teachers would've noticed?" Her words stumbled out.
"That's the problem. It's either that Suguru and I have been experiencing some shared delusion, or that you're attracting some new variant of cursed spirits no one has ever seen before!" Gojo's tone was urgent and filled with concern.
Reiki felt a sense of relief wash over her as she realized that they hadn't suspected her yet. However, she concealed her emotions and kept her expression neutral. She shouldn't have expected them to identify her as a half-curse so quickly. After all, half-curses were virtually unheard of. Back when she was a child, the sorcerers who pursued her had only sensed her as a curse due to the uncontrolled energy she emitted. Even if her control were to falter now, any regular sorcerer who had met her before would likely hesitate to acknowledge her as a Reiki snapped out of her thoughts as Gojo suddenly dropped to the floor, his head buried in between his palms.
