November 18th, 2018, Tokyo Jujutsu High

  “Angel, I’m… really sorry,” Prostrating before her partner, Hana desperately apologized for her mistake. Resorting to the most basic words she could think of to convey meaning.

  “It’s fine, Hana. What’s done is done. There’s no use in staying mad at you over it,” Letting out a sigh, she gave Hana the world's most unforgiving ‘I forgive you’.

  The two were currently Discussing her failure against the disgraced one, it had taken Hana days to work up the courage to confront her partner after what had happened. She had fallen for what might be one of the oldest tricks in the book, and because of that Megumi was…

  She felt tears begin to sting her eyes as the thoughts about what he must be going through started to surface. Hana lifted her head up off the floor and turned it side to side to wipe the tears away. Inadvertently looking at the surroundings of Angels sanctuary once more… More so the lack thereof.

  Angel was kneeling under a large wooden arch, Grass spread out from around the arch for hundreds of feet. Beyond that was a white void that went on for as far as she could see. Countless wooden boards were jutting out of the grass all around. Hana had come to learn each board was a grave to someone Angel had ‘purified’ with her technique. Each one had a name on it, so it must have meant Angel remembered everyone she had…

  The purifier herself was a few feet in front of Hana. She had remained there since they had been thrust into their mindscape after the disgraced one had injured them. Overlooking a grave that didn’t have a name on it. Hana wasn’t sure, but it was probably intended for the one inside Megumi.

  “There’s no need for tears; I’m not sure I could have killed him regardless.”

  Hearing her sniffles, Angel offered words of reassurance to the young girl. Turning around to look at her rather tenderly with her own face. It still disturbed Hana somewhat for Angel to appear as her own visage, but by now it was mostly par for the course in this world of sorcery she found herself in.

  “All the other players fell after a tenth of what the disgraced one endured… Due to his massive amount of cursed energy, it seems it’s more difficult to strip him away from his vessel. He also was using reverse cursed technique to repair the damage. If we kept bombarding him at full force, it might have worked. Though the odds are just as likely I’d have run out of cursed energy before he was purged.”

  “Then… Then how are we supposed to save Megumi!”

  Hana took a step towards the ancient sorcerer as she spoke, emotion layered in question. Angel turned towards the grave while on her knees, going quiet for a handful of seconds while she thought.

  “I’m… I’m unsure we can. The disgraced one had yet to reclaim all of his power, and was unlikely in full control of Megumi as well; I doubt the same will be true the next time we face him. My technique will be far from enough on its own to best the disgraced one if he’s at full strength.”

  Angel’s words stabbed into Hana’s heart like daggers. The dire nature of their situation hadn’t escaped her, but she didn’t think things were this far gone.

  “But… All of Megumi’s friends, can’t we work together with them and use your technique to save him?

  “I doubt the disgraced one will fall victim to Jacob's ladder a second time now that he knows the threat it poses to him. My technique's biggest flaw is that once activated, I’m unable to direct where it lands. This weakness hasn’t been an issue thus far against any players we’ve had to battle, but the disgraced one is sure to make use of it. Even if we cooperate with Megumi’s allies, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to keep him within its range for any length of time. They themselves can’t enter it without being struck.”

  “Oh… I see,” Hana’s voice came out detached and distant, defeat filling her voice.

  “I’m sorry, Hana. I too wish there was something we could do to kill the disgraced one, but the—“

  “Kill him?”

  Angel raised her eyebrow at Hana’s interjection, not seeing the problem with her phrasing.

  “Yes, Kill him. I’ve made my intentions clear since the beginning, Hana.”

  She said it slowly, as if Hana had somehow forgotten what their deal was. End the disgraced one’s life, and Angel would leave her body. She still wanted this to happen so her life could return to normal, but now it was more complicated.

  “But killing him will kill Megumi as well, won’t it?”

  “Yes… in all likelihood your savior will meet his end along with the disgraced one’s wretched life.”

  Hana felt herself blush slightly at Megumi being referred to as her savior. She shook her head to calm down and refocussed the point.

  “Then we have to save him somehow.”

  “I doubt such a thing is possible; even if it was, ending the disgraced one’s life is more important to me than preserving your saviors.”

  Angel Remained facing the nameless grave as she spoke, not meeting Hana in the eye. As she finished speaking she began Stroking her hand over where the name would typically be. Hana fell silent at the angel's words, attempting to rein in her emotions and deal with this diplomatically.

  Yelling at her that saving Megumi’s life had to come first wouldn’t get them anywhere. Angel knew what Megumi meant to her; she knew pretty much everything about her. Despite all that, she was still prioritizing ending his life.

  “Angel, why do you even want to kill the disgraced one so badly anyway?”

  Angel turned to look at Hana while staying kneeled. A pensive expression on her face.

  “… I told you, Hana, it’s—“

  “Not your concern, the same thing you tell me whenever I ask about the kind of life you’ve lived.”

  A stiff silence started between the pair as Hana’s words hung in the air. When she was satisfied Angel wouldn’t speak, Hana continued on.

  “I was fine not knowing, but it’s different now… I want the disgraced one gone just as much as you do, Angel. Besides, you know everything about me, and I know nothing about you.”

  “What do you think knowing my origin will accomplish? Win or lose, you and I will be parting ways after our next confrontation with the disgraced one. The less you know of me, the better; I’ve already uprooted enough of your life with my unholy resurrection. This form I’ve been forced to take in order to bring an end to the disgraced one is an affront to God's teachings. There’s no need for you to feel any emotion towards me other then scorn. ”

  Angel stood up and closed the distance between them as she spoke, standing face to face with Hana. The two were physically identical. The only way one could distinguish between the two is by differentiating between their facial expressions. Though even that was ruled out as a way of telling as Hana’s determined stare became inseparable from Angel’s stern one.

  “Why would I hate you Angel? You’ve been nothing but considerate towards me since reincarnating in my body. You would have been much better off manifesting within me completely, but you never did. Even when I let myself get drawn in by his damned acting, you didn’t take over control of me even though you probably could have and can at any time,” Angel looked away at the mention of her control of their body. Which was all the answer Hana needed to know she was on the money.

  “You told me that cursed energy is formed from negative emotions. Then tell me what the disgraced one did. I hate him enough as it is, but finding out what he did to make you hate him will only fan the flames. You can turn my hatred into power so we can cast him out.” She began talking faster as she explained her lackluster plan of attack. Anger fueling her speech.

  Hana had been fine with the distance Angel wanted to keep between them before, but things were different now. She wanted to understand Angel's perspective on the disgraced one's life and, more importantly, find out just what kind of evil she had let get away inside of Megumi.

  “Besides you… you don’t have to leave after Megumi’s back…”

  The offer spilled from her lips before she could process what it truly meant. Spending her entire life with Angel inside her head, a perpetual game of co-op. She wasn’t even sure why she offered it; it’s not like she considered Angel her friend. She barely knew about her to begin with, but the prospect of letting her die just didn’t sit right with her.

  The target of her thoughts had stayed silent throughout Hana’s speech. Only moving her head slightly to look away. After Hana was done, she let out a long sigh before responding to the girl's request.

  “Just so we’re clear, that’s not how cursed energy works. No matter how much you hate the disgraced one for what he’s taken from you, it won’t make us stronger,” Angel creased her brow as she explained the flaws in Hana’s plan. Taking a pause as she did so before continuing.

  “But fine. If you want to know so badly, I’ll tell you my tale and why the disgraced one needs to burn.”

  Turning around, Angel began walking past the arch and onto the grass, heading towards the white empty void that surrounded them. Hana took pause as she did so, taking note of how Angel had deliberately avoided mentioning her offer to have her stay after they saved Megumi.

  “Hana, are you coming?”

  Angel turned towards her as she spoke, motioning for Hana to follow with her hand. Hana didn’t say a word as she ran after Angel, quickly catching up to her as the two walked towards the endless white expanse.

  ??????, 857, ??????

  “What in the… How did everything just…”

  Just as Hana had been about to ask where they were going, the scenery changed. It was like she had booted up a level in a video game. The white void instantly and seamlessly became terrain before her. The ground she was walking on 03became dirt trails; to her left and right were old-timey houses she had seen in museums. It seemed they were walking through a small town with Angel leading the way.

  “We’re within my mind, Hana; I can control the appearance of the surroundings as I see fit. In this particular case I’ve conjured a memory from my childhood. Though I don’t recall it quite so well… which is why the details are rather… indisposed.”

  Hana didn’t understand what Angel meant until she took a closer inspection of the scenery. Every house was exactly the same… literally. They were built out of wood and were rather primitive in its construction, they all had identical features: a window on the right wall with a scrap below it and a hole in the straw roof right below the top.

  Taking a look around, Hana was able to see people as well, but they were… deformed? Each one was faceless. Where you would expect to see eyes and other recognizable features, only a swirling white void was found. The people only wore two sets of clothing as well, what Hana realized must be the typical boy and girl dressing of this time period.

  “All right, we’re here.”

  Speaking to Hana, Angel suddenly stopped in front of one house in particular and instructed Hana to do the same. Upon inspection it didn’t look any different from the other houses; there was a faceless child lying on the ground in front of the building. It was the first non-adult she had seen.

  “Where is here exactly, Angel?”

  As she posed her question, a faceless mother and father—or what Hana thought were—opened the door, giving the faceless child wooden blocks before heading back inside. The child began clacking them together in what she assumed to be her playing. Angel walked over and reached down to pick up one of the blocks herself. As she did, it passed through her hand, a byproduct of being an unwanted guest to this memory.

  “The most important day in my life, Hana”

  Drums cut Angel off as she spoke, coming from a distance far away. Hana turned her head to look, but she couldn’t see their source of anything. Looking back towards Angel, the child dropped her toy blocks and looked towards the sound of the drums herself.

  “It’s the day I met my god.” Her tone became full of affection as she spoke; Hana had never heard Angel sound like that before…

  “Wait, the child is you?”

  “Yes, this is… was my home.”

  “You… you don’t remember what your parents or your own face looked like?”

  “I’m afraid not. I have few memories before I left this place; their faces aren’t included amongst them. From what I recall, we were a simple family of poor folk who knew a little Jujutsu.”

  The sound of the drums once again rang out, and as they did, people from all around the village came out of their homes and stood next to the street. Hana walked behind them and attempted to get a view of where the drums were coming from. Looking down the street, Hana was able to find it.

  The source was a part of a caravan that surrounded an ox-drawn carriage. The drummers were on either side of the carriage and stuck their drums in unison every dozen or so seconds. The carriage itself seemed rather lavish compared to everything else, but Hana wasn’t well versed enough to tell. There were about a dozen people surrounding the carriage as it moved. All as faceless as the rest of this town.

  The caravan stopped once it reached the first house. One of the people who were following along with it put their hands on the members of the first house's heads for a dozen or so seconds. After they were done, they moved on to the next house and so on. Angel by now had walked up to Hana and was standing next to her, watching the display with a smile on her face.

  “What are they doing?

  “The man’s cursed technique allows him to measure one’s aptitude for sorcery; they’re seeing if any of the people in this village are diamonds in the rough so they can be shined to join the new sun, moon, and star squad.”

  “Sun, moon, and star squad?”

  “They’re an order of assassins that brought about the Fujiwara’s rule over Japan after a decade of conflict. They were formed from the Setsu clan after the Fujiwara and Setsu heirs married. I was never told the reason why, but the head of the sun star and moon squad suddenly slaughtered the entirety of his team. He fled along with the person he was training to be the next head of the squad and was never heard from or seen again. The Fujiwara by now had other military squads but were still quick to replace the original that brought about their reign. I’m unsure of the exact reasons why, but it’s likely due to simple tradition.”

  “So was sorcery commonplace back in the Heian era?”

  Hana did her best to follow along with Angel’s explanation; from what she could tell, it seemed sorcery was far, far more commonplace back when she was alive than in the modern day. Angel confirmed it with a few chuckles and a nod of her head.

  As they talked, the man continued to go down the rows of people who stood out on the street. None of them had the talent they were looking for it seemed. The convoy finally reached the home Hana and Angel were at. Things went as they had all the other times; the two adults were checked and determined to be too weak. When the man proceeded to check the young girl, things took a turn.

  The man's body stiffened as he finished; the girl seemed transfixed on the lavish carriage in front of her and didn’t notice the man's tension. Slowly the man walked back to the carriage, opening the door slightly to speak to the person inside of it. Shortly after the carriage door swung open and someone stepped outside.

  Their clothing was a clear symbol of their status; it was the most lavish kimono Hana had ever seen. It was primarily colored in a light blue, with stripes of yellow as pure as gold running across, or the stripes were just made of gold for all Hana knew. Her hair was tied back in a bun, and she carried a small fan in her left hand. Despite her opulent appearance, those weren’t the things that made her stand out to Hana.

  Unlike everyone else she had encountered in Angel's mindscape, the well-dressed woman had a face. One that made Hana feel… a tad insecure. She wore white makeup across her entire face that made her look incredibly pale; her lips stood out as bright red from whatever she must have applied. Her eyes were a light gray and seemed to radiate control.

  She stepped down from the carriage silently, taking short and calculated strides towards the girl. Every step she took carried a certain deliberateness to it, maintaining a form that radiated her status as above others. Hana looked around and noticed that both Angel and the young girl were entranced by the women's walk. Both stared intently as she approached the smaller girl.

  Once she stood before the faceless girl, she bent down so the two could be on eye level. The woman put her hand over the small child's head before she spoke.

  “What’s your name?”

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  The woman's voice was quiet and gentle; a warmth could be felt as she spoke. Though her voice was mixed with something Hana couldn’t place exactly, perhaps it was superiority?

  “I’m ?????? ??????. What’s yours?”

  The child answered her question. As she did so, her voice became muffled and scratchy; whatever her name was, Hana couldn’t make it out. Her voice became hearable again as the girl posed her own question. The taller woman smiled kindly before responding.

  “I’m Kaiya Fujiwara. ?????? ??????. Would you be willing to become my guardian?”

  “What’s a Guardian?”

  “They're protectors of a kind. Defending a certain thing to their final breath, I’ve been looking for one since my husband left. I would be most honored if you were to take up his role.”

  The girl went silent as if pondering the decision. Hana looked towards the girl's parents to see how they were taking this. Their expressionless faces made figuring out what they thought of this transaction impossible.

  “What about my parents?” After some deliberation, the girl raised a question in a quiet voice.

  “They will rise to a lifestyle and social class well beyond this current one as thanks for your service. I’m afraid you two would never see one another again. As my guardian, a connection with them would only hold you back from your proper duties.”

  “Alright then, I’ll be your guardian Miss Fujiwara.” The girl accepted the role she had been offered quickly—perhaps too quickly. Kaiya smiled at the girl's acceptance and stood up from her position. Taking hold of the child's hand as she did so.

  “You may call me Kaiya if you so desire, or whatever name suits your fancy. I don’t mind. One more thing, ?????? ??????. Your name is rather unbecoming of your new status. From henceforth you will be known as Angel.”

  Her tone maintained the gentleness it had before as she spoke, switching to become rather firm as she instructed the girl on her new name.

  “Angel?”

  “Yes, angels are servants and warriors of God. Rather befitting for you, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “So then… You’re god?”

  Kaiya stared blankly for a moment, bursting out in a hearty laugh a few seconds later. Her regal facade was broken for that time; the gentle yet firm expression she had to have spent days practicing fell away. A face filled with joy overtook her as a result of the child's remark. As quickly as her mask slipped away, it was nestled over her face once more. Regaining control over her emotions, Kaiya corrected the child on her assessment.

  “While I’m flattered by your praise. I don’t believe myself to be comparable to the almighty. Though if you wish to continue to address me as such, it is your choice, Angel.”

  The two began to walk forward. Hand in hand as they approached the carriage. Hana looked back to see the parents staring… quite literally blankly at them as they left. As they stepped into the carriage, the door shut behind the pair. The ox began to move a movement later as those who surrounded the caravan started to follow.

  The scenery slowly melted away as the carriage departed. Returning to the white landscape it had originally been. All that remained was Hana and Angel, who stood in the white, endless void.

  “If you have questions, Hana, feel free to ask. It was your desire to know more of me after all.”

  “Your name, why couldn’t we hear it?”

  Angel rubbed the back of her head and let out a sigh before answering. Looking away as if she were embarrassed by the reason.

  “I don’t… I can’t recall what it was.”

  “...You what?”

  “I’m unable to remember my name of origin. While I recall being known as something else before the title of “Angel” was bestowed upon me. The exact nature of my name of origin eludes me.”

  “I see… So you were really never able to see your family again?”

  “No, nor do I know what became of them later on. Not that I had any desire to see my birth parents; I was more than content with God’s companionship. So long as I had her, I required nothing else.”

  Angel spoke with ironclad resolve; due to her conviction, it became clear to Hana that Angel meant every word she had spoken. It was not a lie nor something she believed in halfheartedly. With every fiber of her being, Angel believed in those words.

  How utterly sad.

  Those three words Hana thought were just that. Words she had thought, she neither voiced them nor had any intention to at the time they were born in her mind. They

  merely served as a reminder that despite her angelic appearance, so too could her partner bear a curse.

  “So what happened after this, Angel?”

  “I was educated on Jujutsu by people God had handpicked, all the while she informed me of her own personal philosophy on the world, which I happily followed.”

  “... And what might that be?” Hana couldn’t help a thin level of frustration from seeping into her tone. Angel picked up on her emotions as she looked at her with a raised eyebrow but didn’t comment on it.

  Turning around, a door materialized before Angel as she did so. Creaking open before Angel even touched it.

  “Allow me to show you Hana.”

  October 18th, 863, Fujiwara Palace

  Stepping through the door behind Angel, Hana took note of the scenery. They were in a massive hallway constructed out of fine wood. It was probably bigger than the entirety of her home on its own. Looking around, Hana took note of the countless paintings that decorated the walls. Wherever this was, it was clear the place was of high quality.

  Looking from where she had entered, the door had vanished, leaving no trace of its presence behind. In its stead, a child was walking through the hall. She was dressed in a blue kimono and had a face, unlike most occupants of the previous memory. As she walked forward, she passed through Hana; it surprised her somewhat to be treated as a ghost. If everything in the memory passed through her, didn’t that mean she should fall to the center of the earth?

  Ghost logic is stupid.

  Letting out a sigh at her idle thoughts, she followed Angel’s suit as they proceeded to give chase to the young girl. Their pace was slow, and it took them minutes to span the length of the hall.

  The girl reached the end of the hall finally. Opening a surprisingly small door in comparison to the hall's size, she stepped through it. Hana and Angel followed after the girl. Walking into what looked like a bedroom. The back wall was a massive window that overlooked a forest.

  The room itself was barebones in its furniture, but that wasn’t to say what little was there wasn’t worthy of a queen. The bed had crimson red silk blankets coupled with its massive length that went well beyond what any person would need. Opposite the beds side in the room was a desk; it was far nicer than any desk Hana had seen. Bookshelves rested on either side of it, filled with literature that was well above what Hana would read.

  One of those very books rested on the desk, turned open to a page. Reading through it was the empress herself; she put a piece of wood in the book to save her page and turned towards Angel. She was far less put together than when Hana had last seen her. The white mask of makeup on her face was no longer present, and her hair wasn’t tied into a bun, instead it cascaded down her back. Though the lack of such royal accessories only served to accentuate her beauty in Hana’s eyes. Both past and present versions of Angel seemed to agree if the way they stared intently and blushed were any indication.

  “Welcome back, Angel. Your studies have been progressing well, I hear.”

  “Yes, Yukina says I've mastered everything she has left to teach me. I haven’t been able to perform reverse cursed technique or a domain expansion yet, though. I apologize for my inadequacy; I hear the Sugawara heiress is a prodigy at reverse cursed techniques with your permission. I was wondering if—

  “There’s no need to apologize, Angel.”

  Standing up from her chair, Kaiya silenced Angel's plea with a tender voice. She grabbed the book from her desk and placed it back where it belonged on one of the shelves. Moving towards Angel and rubbing her on the head.

  “You’ve gone farther than most sorcerers have ever been in six short years. In time I’m certain you’ll be able to perform reverse cursed technique’” Affection seeped from her voice as she spoke; it made the young girl who was the target of such feelings blush even further.

  “As for your request to meet with the one who's next in line to take over the Sugawara. I’d prefer it if you acted as if you never heard about her abilities. While I’m certain that she will turn out to be one of, if not the strongest sorcerer under my command. Her fascination with using her reverse curse energy output in combination with her technique is quite troublesome. She is to be the flames of hell that burn down any and all who oppose us. Being seen as anything but degrades her value. She’s still but a child, so it will be easy to correct her. Regardless, I’m certain you’ll be able to perform the technique before long, Angel,” she smiled caringly as she reassured the girl she would one day reach her goals.

  “As for your domain, I don’t think pursuing it would be in your best interests as my guardian. After it dissipates, your technique would be stripped away for some time; an enemy could make use of this gap to do you or me harm.”

  “I see… forgive my lack of forethought.”

  “It’s alright, Angel. With experience and time, your thought process will grow and evolve.”

  Kaiya moved away from Angel as she finished speaking, walking towards the window and motioning for Angel to follow her.

  “Come, there are some things I have to tell you and others I wish to show.”

  Angel followed Kaiya as she was asked to. Hana and the angel, who currently looked like her, followed suit. Angel had told Hana this would explain the philosophy of God she constantly preached. That which dictated she wipe out all incarnated players because it was wrong. The four of them reached the window at once, looking out into the world below them through paned glass.

  There wasn’t anything overly interesting to be seen; this was Hana’s opinion on the subject at least. She couldn’t see anything but a massive, expansive forest, nothing but trees and more trees to the horizon. The appeal of such a redundant view was something she was unable to grasp.

  “Do you enjoy the scenery, Angel?”

  Asking the question that had been on the tip of Hana’s tongue, Kaiya voiced it to the child Angel. Not breaking her gaze with the vast expanse of the woods.

  “...Not really,” The girl hesitated at first but gave her honest thoughts.

  “Why is that?”

  “It just seems kind of bland to me. What’s the point of a view if it’s just to see more of the same thing?”

  “Hmmm,” Kaiya let out a slight hum at Angel's words. Taking care to phrase her next words delicately.

  “Angel, do you know how far Fujiwara rule extends?”

  “...very far?” Her answer came out as a question. Seeking confirmation in her answer.

  “Very far indeed. Over 100 provinces are under my command; this entire nation could be said to bend to my whim. It took ten years worth of blood to gain this rule, blood spilt solely for the sake of my family's name and to further our territory.”

  Kaiya reached out and placed her hands on the window. Outstretching her grasp towards the scenery.

  “One could say I was born the luckiest in the world. The sole heiress to the clan that held supreme control over its region. A clan that planned to make that region the world itself, and that plan has long since been completed. It’s why I had this window installed. Everything you can see is mine; every last tree, every last branch, every last lead, and every last fleeting blade of grass belongs to me.”

  Kaiya looked down at Angel as she finished speaking. Angel looked up, transfixed by the words that were spilling from her god's lips.

  “Angel, do you know what the most cruel thing in this world is?”

  “No.”

  “I see. Allow me to explain. Take care to listen to my words and heed them well then. They will do you more good than any of Yukina’s teachings.”

  Kaiya bent down slightly so the two could look at each other eye to eye. Folding her hands in front of one another before speaking

  “The cruelest thing one person can do to another is deprive them of choices. Do you know why that is, Angel?” Angel shook her head side to side as she expressed her cluelessness.

  “It’s an incredibly old proverb, but ‘actions speak louder than words’ is quite the accurate one. People will act in accordance with their desires, to fulfill whatever they want. Whether that be their own goals or to further another's agenda, the principle remains the same. When people act on their own accord, they’re utilizing their agency to create their future. If people are the sum of their experiences and choices, then whenever someone makes a decision, they shape who they are.”

  “Now then, let's say someone were to make a decision for someone else. Just what would happen then? That person would still be shaped by the decision; only they would have had no part in making such a choice. It leads to quite the vexing conundrum. Even if it’s something minor, like a choice in food. If another decides for you which you’re going to try, and it ends up becoming one of your favorites. Then you’ve let yourself be shaped by another inadvertently. A decision, no matter how big or small, when taken from someone and allowed to be decided upon by another, changes that person ever so slightly. If it happens once or twice, it’s no big deal, but if it happens repeatedly, then a person's future would be determined by another. If someone were to live their life without ever making a decision on their own accord… Did that person ever truly live?”

  “... I u-um… maybe not…,” Angel stuttered out a response to Kaiya’s question. Having become somewhat lost in the intricacies of her explanation.

  Kaiya let out a slight chuckle at Angel’s response before she spoke again.

  “Sorry, I may have spoken too long; those in power do love the sound of their own voice. What I’m trying to say is that no matter what, never let anyone strip your choice away, Angel. Chart your own path in life to your own accord, and in turn allow those around you the freedom of choice as well. When the day comes when you and I must part, I hope that will be a choice we both agreed upon.”

  As Kaiya walked away to exit the room, Hana couldn’t help but notice the look of sadness she held.

  “So that’s why you want to kill all incarnated players, because their vessels had no say in becoming vessels?”

  “Yes. You’re correct in your assumption, Hana.”

  The two had returned to the white void and now stood facing one another. Hana had taken this as an opportunity to ask Angel questions that had surfaced while she had been watching the memory.

  “God believed everyone should choose their own future; all incarnated players make a mockery of God's beliefs. They strip away every choice of their vessels and relegate them to nothing more than a container that’s disposable. I’m unable to return their lives back to them, so purging the sinners is the least I can do.”

  “Is that why you live in symbiosis with me? To preserve my choice.”

  “Yes, that was my… intention. It was the most I was able to do while still pursuing the disgraced one.”

  Hana felt the urge to point out her hypocrisy, but Angel had already told her she knew what she was doing was wrong. So there wasn’t much point in beating that dead horse further. Besides, she was far more curious about a certain thing.

  “Angel, do you really believe what Kaiya told you were her true feelings?”

  “...You don’t, I take it?” Angel was quick to pick up on Hana’s insinuation and wanted to know the reason why.

  “If she truly believed in giving people choice, she wouldn’t have strong-armed you into serving her, or have that one sorcerer restrict her technique to better suit her.”

  “No one is infallible, Hana. God's beliefs are her ideal on how humanity is better off. An ideal can never be upheld to its fullest; that’s precisely why they’re called ideals. An ideal is something that is strived for to be upheld but never can be in its fullest. Just because it’s impossible to perfectly maintain them doesn't mean attempting to is in vain. I will strive to uphold God's ideal to the fullest till the day comes when we meet once again.”

  Angel's voice was layered in conviction. Hana was a tad jealous of her conviction to what she believed in.

  “So what memory are we going to watch next?”

  “The day that history changed and the disgraced one took everything from me.”

  A door formed before Angel as she spoke, her voice filling with aggression for the first time Hana could recall.

  “You want to know why I hate him? Then follow me.”

  April 19th, 872, Fujiwara Palace

  Stepping through the door, Hana was greeted by quite the sight. What looked like an army stood before her; countless warriors stood in arms wielding all manner of weaponry. They were facing an empty road with trees on either end. Behind them stood a large castle that Hana presumed to be the place where Angel’s last memory took place.

  “Angel, what exactly is happening?”

  “... A week previous to this day. The Sugawara clan was destroyed by a single person. There were only two known survivors, one of whom he let go to inform the world he would storm the palace with the intention of killing the empress. Typically such a threat would never have warranted this kind of response, but given the Sugwara clan's annihilation. The Fujiwara’s elite forces all gathered to defend the palace against this invader. I’m currently inside the building at God's side along with a few others.”

  The temptation to ask who this person was rose within Hana, but the answer came to her a second after the question formed. Looking towards the empty trail, she was able to see someone. They were quite far away, so it was hard to discern details, but Hana was able to see that the person had four arms. It seemed preposterous and counterintuitive to common sense, but most things she had been experiencing lately fit this category.

  As the person approached, Hana was able to get a better look at them. Not only did they have four arms, they had additional eyes and mouths. An additional pair of eyes sat above his normal set. On his sternum a massive mouth was seen.

  “Angel, why is he… like that?”

  “I don’t know Hana.”

  Once the man was no more than one hundred feet away from the army, they began to charge towards him. Projectiles were fired at him from the rear end of the forces. Most were some form of sorcery, but some conventional weaponry, like arrows, were used. As the countless adversaries approached him, the man merely stopped and put two of his four arms together. Forming what looked like some kind of hand sign.

  After he did so, the world itself seemed to shake. All before Hana, everything in sight began to wither away. People, buildings, the ground itself—it did not matter. Countless cuts in straight lines began to appear on everything. Some people were more resilient than others, lasting a handful of seconds longer before they too were turned into a bloody mist. Some others were somehow immune to the slicing, standing still as the world around them was put through a blender. Those who stood immune didn’t last long, as the one who had conjured this carnage walked through the mist of blood to strike them. After he did so, they too fell victim to his carnage.

  “Angel, what… just what is happening.”

  “Do you recall what I told you about domains?”

  “Yes.”

  “Domains require a barrier to be performed inside of, in all manner of domains they all have this rule in common. The one exception I told you about is his domain. Without placing it within a barrier, he’s able to manifest his technique upon the world itself. It’s comparable to painting a picture on air or holding water without a bottle. An impossible technique with little to no counter measures. ”

  Hana couldn’t help but look on in horror as countless people were slaughtered. The slashes did not stop after they passed on, unsatisfied until no trace of their existence remained in this world. As the slashes rained down, suddenly an inferno spawned. It burned everything in its path down, leaving nothing but ash and cinders in its wake.

  After the flames had subsided, Hana looked around at the crater she was standing in. Everything around her for hundreds of feet was gone; the trees on the outskirts of the crater were burning somewhat. There was a lone platform in the center of the crater that somehow had endured everything without a single scratch. It was circular in shape and was made out of wood. On the platform stood two individuals Hana couldn’t identify.

  Upon seeing their survival, the four-armed man had begun to approach them. His massi Angel did the same, and Hana followed suit.

  “I had used my technique to shield both me and God from the disgraced one’s attacks. Since god was not a sorcerer, it was the only reason I was able to protect her from his carnage.”

  “Maximum output, JACOB'S LADDER!”

  As Angel told Hana how her past self had been able to survive the onslaught. Said pass self proceeded to strike the disgraced one with her technique. As she did so, he made no move to dodge it, not as his flesh was seared away. Steam rose from his body as he walked through it, a sign of his reversed cursed technique repairing the damage.

  As he finished walking through Jacobs ladder without so much as flinching, Angel’s passive self fell to her knees. The person behind her, who Hana thought to be Kaiya, only much older, seemed to be trying to get Angel to leave. Grabbing her shoulder with one hand and pointing in the opposite direction with the other. Exchanging words that Hana could not hear.

  The disgraced one paid no mind to their discussion. Striking Angel with one of his arms and sending her flying away. As she did so, Kaiya turned her head in the direction Angel was and opened her mouth to say something. Words that never came as a fist ran through her chest.

  “NO!”

  Yelling from where she was, Angel shouted in denial at the scene that had occurred before her eyes. Tears running down her face as her god's blood soaked into the stones. Glancing to her side, Hana saw that her angel wasn’t faring much better. She looked away from the brutal display, clenching her fists by her side in rage. While she did so, the disgraced one walked over to where Angel’s memory lay on the floor.

  Eventually he stood over her. After a moment Angel looked up at him, face soaked with tears and eyes filled with fury.

  “My name is Ryomen Sukuna, the king of curses.” Giving both his name and title, the man began to walk away from the massacre he had just conducted.

  “... Kill me,” Standing up, Angel looked towards Ryomen Sukuna, her voice quiet and conceded.

  “There’s… no point left in living.”

  “I refuse,” turning around to face the broken girl, the king denied her request with two short words.

  “I require you alive to spread my name and title across the lands as the one who did this. If you wish for me to kill you, I will do so after the name of the king of curses is spread across the country.”

  “King of curses…”The girl repeated the man's title with a hollow voice, sounding it out aloud.

  “Yes, it’s the title that’s been bestowed upon me. I don’t care much for it, but there’s no merit in denying it.”

  “You’re no king…” she said it quietly, barely a whisper.

  “... What?”’

  “YOU’RE NO KING,” Shouting at the false king before her, Angel rejected his title. The four-armed man merely crossed his limbs in front of him and raised an eyebrow.

  “Monarchs are those who slay devils and bring peace. You’re nothing but a monster who’s a disgrace to every ruler before. You can claim to be a king, but you’re merely a disgraced one.” Words teeming with hatred, the person the demon king had granted his own form of mercy to denounced his title with vitriol.

  “Disgraced one, huh…”

  Ryomen Sukuna said the title the girl had given him aloud. Letting it hang in the air as he thought for a moment on it. Smiling slightly a second later.

  “I like it; it suits me well. Take care.”

  Waving with his two right hands, the disgraced king began to walk away. Angel took a step towards him, seemingly being intent on battle. But her body went loose as she looked towards the bloody corpse of her goddess. The only remains on the barren battlefield. Angel went towards her corpse and wrapped it in a hug. She began sobbing a moment later, muttering countless words Hana couldn’t hear.

  Hana looked towards the angel beside her; she looked on the verge of an outburst. Her hands gripped the sides of her shirt, and she chewed her bottom lip between her teeth. It hadn’t occurred to Hana that in asking Angel to tell her everything, she would be digging up things she wanted to keep buried. As the side effect her curiosity would be having on her partner dawned on Hana, guilt ran through her. Not knowing what else to do, she wrapped her arms around Angel’s upper body and pulled her in for a pseudo hug.

  “I’m… sorry I made you relive this; turn the memory off now--”

  “No, it’s not done yet, Hana. Besides, it does me good to see this again. I want to keep my hate ablaze.”

  Hana didn’t know what to tell her in response, having just witnessed the massacre herself. She couldn’t feel anything but justification for wanting to see Ryomen Sukuna dead. Even still, Hana didn’t think you could run on hate forever; eventually that flame would burn out or burn you to the ground. Instead of telling her these vacant thoughts, Hana kept herself pressed to Angel. Giving her partner the only support she was able to.

  A few minutes passed as they watched Angel’s past self continue to sob into the arms of her dead mistress. All the while Angel’s eyes didn’t stray from the sight, Hana wanted to tell her to look away, but she knew Angel wouldn’t listen. Instead she watched with her partner at the turmoil of her past self.

  Hana didn’t notice the man who was approaching Angel till he was a few dozen feet from her. His clothing and appearance were both unremarkable. His only noticeable feature was a series of scars on his forehead. The man stood there watching the girl as she cried for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually Angel’s tears stopped flowing as she turned to look at the man.

  “Hi, you’re Angel, correct?”

  The man smiled slightly as he talked, looking down on the girl who stared back in silence with a disheveled face.

  “If you’d like to kill the person who did this, I have a proposition I think you’d be interested in hearing.”

  “... Speak it then.”

  “That's the gist of how the culling game will operate. Sukuna’s power is far too great to seal inside a single object, so I’m going to have to split it into 20 fragments.

  If you’re able to find him before he obtains enough of his fingers. You should be able to kill him.”

  “...Just who are you, and what’s your relationship with the disgraced one?”

  “My name's Kenjaku, and if by disgraced one. You mean Sukuna; then I suppose the most accurate way to describe our dynamic would be student and teacher. Though he’s far more powerful than I’ll ever be.”

  “If he’s your student. Why are you giving me a chance to kill him?”

  “Apologies, but I would prefer not telling you my reasons; it would spoil the surprise. I intend to gather more skilled sorcerers like yourself to assist you in doing him in. I’ve only recently started gathering players to participate. You would be the fourth one who’s accepted my deal if you're curious, excluding Sukuna.”

  “Fine, just make me a cursed object.”

  As Angel answered in the affirmative. The scene faded away, instead of returning to the blank white void. Hana found herself in the grassy graveyard she had become accustomed to in Angel’s mind. The two had become separated from their embrace as

  the scenery changed. Angel standing over the grave that had no name, and Hana watching her from a few feet away.

  “Angel did… time pass for you while you were a cursed object.”

  “No, I accepted his deal, and then I woke within your mind.”

  “So then… From your perspective…”

  “The event we just watched was seventeen days, four hours, and forty-three minutes ago, yes.”

  “Angel, I’m--”

  “Still your voice, Hana. I’ve told you already you and I don’t need to develop our relationship more than what it is. You wanted to know my past, and now you do; it changes nothing of what will happen.”

  “We’ll face the disgraced one, and after we do, you and I will part ways.”