Gojo raised two fingers, intertwining them delicately, like an artist preparing to craft his masterpiece.
In a battle between domains, the superior one always dominates.And here, of course, Gojo Satoru was the superior one.
"Domain Expansion—Infinite Void."
His voice was calm, yet it resonated with absolute authority.His crystalline blue eyes gleamed, exuding an immense and untouchable power.
A black veil swept across the blood-stained sky, devouring the crimson light.Then, in an instant—
Everything turned white.
—And the world ceased to exist.
Izaya felt himself suspended in an endless, surreal expanse.
Gravity no longer bound him. The concept of "ground" had vanished.
Gojo's hand rested lightly against his back, steadying him. Then, with a simple push, he set Izaya in motion, sending him into a slow, weightless rotation.
As he spun, Izaya's wide eyes took in the vast, dreamlike abyss around him.
The void was not truly empty. It resembled a cosmic ocean—swathes of shifting light and shadow, distant galaxies stretching infinitely in all directions. Stars flickered like dying embers, and at the very center of it all lay a gaping black hole, pulsating like a living, breathing entity.
It was terrifying.It was beautiful.
Then, his slow rotation brought him back around—and Gojo steadied him once more.
But Izaya barely noticed.
Because now, his gaze was drawn to her.
She floated just ahead—the beautiful curse, frozen in mid-motion.
Her body was rigid, her movements completely ceased. Crimson eyes, once gleaming with madness and desire, now stared blankly ahead, trapped in an inescapable trance.
Izaya swallowed hard. What… is this place?
Then, Gojo's voice sliced through the silence—calm, authoritative, utterly composed.
"This is a good learning experience for you."
Izaya tensed.Gojo's tone was calm, but the weight behind his words was undeniable.
"This technique you're witnessing is a Domain Expansion—the pinnacle of Jujutsu Sorcery. The very power that you, too, wield."
He spoke as if instructing a novice.
"A highly advanced barrier. A self-contained space infused with my cursed technique." His voice took on a casual, almost conversational air. "You could call it a custom-made reality."
A faint smirk curled at the corner of his lips.
"Though, it takes a helluva lot of cursed energy to pull off…"
Then, with a lazy flick of his hand, he gestured toward the frozen curse.
"The perks, though? Unmatched. The best one? Inside a domain—"
The smirk deepened.
"—your technique is guaranteed to hit. Every time. No exceptions."
He leaned in slightly, voice dropping to a mocking whisper.
"Even as we're talking now…"
Izaya's stomach twisted at the casual way he said "we."
"…My technique is already acting on her."
Izaya turned his gaze back to the curse.
She had not moved. Not blinked. Not even breathed.
Her body remained perfectly still. A statue of flesh and blood, locked in an invisible cage.
Gojo continued, his voice smooth, unhurried—completely in control.
"Her mind is being flooded with infinite information. Every concept, every detail, every piece of knowledge imaginable—crashing into her at once. An endless, ceaseless torrent."
His tone shifted—lighter now, almost cheerful.
"As a result, she's paralyzed. Immobile. A prisoner of her own mind."
Izaya felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Gojo's gaze softened slightly—but his words carried a wicked irony.
"Tell me, my dear student—"
Izaya froze.
"Isn't it ironic? Even when granted everything… some are left with nothing."
Then—
Gojo's right hand shot out, gripping the curse's head with an almost gentle force.
His touch was light. Casual.
And yet, completely unyielding.
"Now then," he mused, his tone unnervingly nonchalant, "it's time to kill you."
For a brief moment, his expression softened—almost kind.
Then—
A devilish smirk slashed across his face.
His grip tightened.
And he began to pull.
The sound of tearing flesh echoed through the void.
And then—
Everything went white.
Izaya gasped.
Air rushed back into his lungs.
The world snapped back into place.
The abandoned factory loomed overhead, its eerie ruins all that remained of the curse's shattered domain.
He felt the cold, solid ground beneath his feet once more.Gojo's hand left his back as Izaya steadied himself, his breathing ragged.
Then, his eyes landed on her.
Or rather—what was left of her.
Her severed head and lifeless body lay crumpled on the ground.
Her cursed energy—once overwhelming, intoxicating—was gone.
Slowly, her form began to disintegrate.
Bit by bit.
Her essence dissolving into nothingness.
Izaya stared down at her fading figure, his expression cold.
Then, she moved.
Not her body. Just her lips.
"Aargh…"
A weak, trembling whisper.
"Don't… leave me all alone…"
Her crimson eyes brimmed with tears.
Even as she faded, even as her very existence unraveled—
Her outstretched hands still reached for him.
A final, pitiful plea.
But it was too late.
Her form flickered one last time—
—And then she was gone.
Izaya exhaled slowly, his entire body relaxing. A quiet, weary relief settled over him.
Then—
"So," a familiar voice cut through the night, "got a name?"
Izaya turned, his breath hitching slightly.
There stood Gojo Satoru, watching him with his usual easy confidence.
For the first time, Izaya truly registered the man standing before him.
"It's really him… Gojo Satoru."
It was almost surreal.
Izaya swallowed before answering. "Izaya Otagawa."
Gojo's smirk widened.
"Mine's Gojo Satoru. First time meeting someone else like yourself?"
Izaya hesitated. "Yes."
Gojo chuckled, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Is that so? Well then—starting now, you're under my tutelage."
Izaya's mind screeched to a halt.
"Just like that?!"
And so, on that fateful night—
My journey as a Jujutsu Sorcerer began.