Shukumei 宿命 ⋮ Sukuna Ryomen

Chapter 9

The air smelled old. The mustiness seemed to leave a stale taste in your mouth. The hallway was cluttered with debris and objects, so aged that they were no longer decipherable. Who knew the silence could grow this loud? It's almost blood-curdling. Every sound magnifies as you inch closer to the dim lit room. The creaking floorboards beneath your feet begin to screech. The once rattling of the tattered windows now pound vigorously. The quiet groaning inside the walls intensify. It's unnerving.

You sigh and sheath your katana. The sword hides away into the saya. The heels of your hands meet your head and you close your eyes at the feeling of a throbbing headache. They always welcomed you at the worst times. Your hands go back down. You stretch your neck from side-to-side in hopes to shake away this uneasy feeling. But the only thing you'll manage to do, is to tolerate it. Your eyes reopen. And you step forward again.

"Yuta?" Your voice continues to search the second floor of this decaying house, "Itadori?"

Bang! Bang! Bang! The windows clatter harshly as the wind strikes the tarnished glass. With a sense of foreboding, very cautiously, you continue further. Just two doors away, there's a light emitting from a room. The cursed energy is pronounced on this upper floor. You wonder for a second, if there's anything awaiting you just around the corner. Or better yet, what's waiting for you? Your hand reaches behind you. Your fingers touch the tsuka. Any minute now..........

It's empty.

There's nothing in this room but a light that seems to burn a deep orange. This single halogen bulb is attached to an electrical cord that ran up and through the broken ceiling.

Your eyes go up to and through the gaping hole. It's unusually quiet. Much more than you could remember. When did it get so quiet in here? You turn back around and your gaze goes through the door, back into the hallway. The windows were still. The floorboards, firm and intact. The smell of mildew and grime, now, replaced with a woody oak scent. You turn back around to the hanging fixture. There's a sense of Deja vu as you stand in this poorly lit room, staring at nothing but the soft glow. The glimmer seems to capture your attention. And it holds it. It wasn't until a loud squeaking noise breaks you out of your stupor. It's too late. The door slams shuts. It locks. And now you're at the door with a hand jiggling the knob repeatedly.

You mumble some colorful words under your breath. You conjure a good amount of cursed energy into a leg and you kick the damn thing. But it doesn't open. You lick your teeth and your mind runs. A curse. Yes. It's technique? No. It's domain? Maybe. You groan. Where was Okkotsu Yuta when you needed him? The special-grade sorcerer was always much better at deciphering these puzzles.

Tink. Tink. Tink.

The noise makes you spin back around. The light flickers. You make a noise out of curiosity. You step towards it.

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It took one second. One second for the ceiling to cave in. The bulb shatters against the floor. Two seconds for the curse to fall into the enclosed room. The ground crumbles. Three seconds for it to attack. It whips a tentacle. Four seconds to evade. Its appendage goes through the wood. Five seconds for you to counter its next assault.

"BATTO!!!"

Cursed energy coats your blade and it spirals against the high-carbon steel. It's the fastest iai-sword drawing technique of the New Shadow Style. Your hand goes behind you. Your katana comes out. It starts close to the knees. Your sword swings upwards, around and ends above your head. A limb of the curse falls to the side. And you land some feet away.