It had been a couple of months since Gojo first dragged Roy out from under that bridge, and the days since had been… busy.
Training, lectures, and more training.
Gojo had "somewhat" taught Roy the basics of cursed energy flow, the importance of binding vows, and even dragged him along to see Shoko Ieri.
She had given Roy a crash course in Reversed Cursed Technique, though it was way above his current level, the concepts had stuck in his head.
Roy figured it was only a matter of time before he could puzzle it out.
If not, he'd just improvise.
But the biggest breakthrough hadn't come from lectures or textbooks.
It had come from his own trial and error.
Roy stood on the rooftop of his house one evening, crouched low with a goofy grin plastered across his face.
"Okay, let's see if this works…"
He focused, cursed energy pouring out from his feet in thin, glowing strands,threads that shimmered faintly in the air like spider silk.
One by one he laid them out, lines of tension humming around him, then stacked two together beneath his foot.
He stomped.
WHOOSH!
The world blurred, and suddenly he was halfway across the rooftop, heart racing from the sheer acceleration.
"YES!"
Roy shouted, throwing his arms up.
"I knew it! I knew it'd work!"
From the edge of the roof, Gojo's voice cut through the night.
"Ohhh? Look at you! Playing around with threads, bouncing all over the place…"
He grinned, lowering his glasses just enough to wink.
"You're like that Spider guy. What was his name? Spooder-Man?"
Roy froze mid step, face twitching.
"…It's Spider-Man."
"Ahhh, right. That one."
Gojo chuckled, clearly enjoying himself.
Roy sighed, but he couldn't hide the excitement buzzing inside him.
This was his second ability, his new trick, Threadstep.
With it, he could plant cursed energy threads in the air, stack them, and slingshot himself in any direction he chose.
The more threads he stacked, the faster the launch, but the more cursed energy it drained.
Gojo watched as Roy tested it again, layering three threads this time.
Roy shot off so fast he almost slammed straight into the wall of the next house before tumbling into a roll.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
He hissed, scrambling to his feet.
Despite the stumble, his grin never faded.
Gojo clapped slowly, mock dramatic.
"Not bad, not bad. You might actually survive long enough to make Yaga proud."
Roy pumped his fist.
"Just wait! I'll master this in no time. Then I'll be the most annoying sorcerer alive!"
"Careful,"
Gojo teased.
"That's my title in spirit. You're more like… Tokyo's friendly neighborhood sorcerer."
Roy laughed, rubbing the back of his head.
Even with scraped elbows, the joy of discovery outweighed the pain.
Threadstep wasn't perfect, controlling high speed was tricky, and his cursed energy drained fast, but it was his.
His new step toward strength.
That night, as he practiced until his legs ached, he realized something important.
His path wasn't just about illusions anymore, but more of trickster fighter.