The shrine creaked and groaned with every gust of wind, its timbers warped and brittle with age.
Roy sat cross legged on the floor, staring at the flickering candle before him.
The flame swayed like it was breathing, and the shadows it threw stretched long, reaching out like claws across the walls.
A bowl of rice sat untouched at his side.
His stomach growled, but his throat was tight, and every bite he imagined turned to ash.
Geto wasn't here.
He had left hours ago, robes sweeping behind him like a priest on his rounds, curses trailing him like a congregation.
Roy knew he should try something, run, Threadstep out, throw up Trickster and vanish.
But every time he glanced at the doors, the curses shifted in the shadows, watching him.
Silent, waiting.
They weren't tied down by veils like ordinary sorcerers' shikigami.
They were alive, free.
And loyal.
Whilst he could trick them and perhaps leave, he didn't know how long the illusion would hold, allowing Geto to be notified shortly after.
His hands shook faintly as he rubbed at his chest.
That warmth Geto left him with, it hadn't faded.
It wasn't cursed energy. It was something deeper, sitting in his core like a splinter.
He hated it.
"Gotta… stay calm,"
Roy muttered under his breath.
His voice was hoarse, the words wobbling as though even speaking too loud might summon Geto back.
"Don't panic. He thinks he's in control, fine. Let him. Play along. Like Gojo says… smile, smile, smile."
He forced the grin again, wide and toothy, but the candlelight warped it into something hollow.
The paper door slid open.
Roy jolted, heart hammering, but it wasn't Geto.
It was a small curse, no bigger than a child, its body stitched together with talisman scraps.
It carried a tray in its long, brittle fingers, wobbling as it walked.
The tray clinked down before him, tea, steaming hot, the smell fragrant and clean, so at odds with the rot that hung in the shrine.
The little curse bowed, its talisman head dipping, and then it shuffled back out without a sound.
Roy stared after it.
"…Hospitality. From a curse,"
He muttered, laughing dryly.
"This is insane."
He reached for the tea anyway, more out of spite than trust.
If Geto wanted to poison him, he'd already be dead.
The warmth ran through him as he sipped, soothing his throat in a way that only made him angrier.
When the door slid open again, it was him.
Suguru Geto stepped inside, brushing snow off his shoulders, his expression unreadable.
He glanced at the untouched rice, then at the half-finished tea.
"So you trust me enough to drink, but not enough to eat. Interesting."
Roy bristled, his grin snapping back into place like armor.
"Tea's easier to pretend is coffee. Rice just reminds me how much better it tastes when I'm not… y'know… kidnapped."
Geto chuckled softly, seating himself across from Roy.
He poured himself a cup as though they were equals sharing a quiet evening.
"You're sharp, I'll give you that. And unbroken. That's rare. Most children would be sobbing by now."
Roy didn't answer.
He just stared into the flame again.
Geto leaned forward, voice lowering.
"Tell me, Roy… what do you feel when you look at these curses?"
Roy glanced at the shadows writhing above, eyes glinting faintly in the dark. His stomach turned, but he forced himself to hold the grin.
"…Like I should be killing them."
"No,"
Geto said simply.
"That's Gojo's poison speaking through you. You don't feel disgust. Not truly. Otherwise you wouldn't be drinking tea served by one."
Roy flinched.
He hated how true it was.
Geto's smile was patient, almost teacherly.
"You sense them, don't you? Even faintly. Their souls brushing against yours. It's weak now, but I see it. That's potential, Roy. Untapped. Gojo doesn't even realize it. He never will."
Roy swallowed hard, his pulse racing. He hated that he wanted to hear more.
Geto raised his cup in a mock toast.
"Tomorrow, we begin. I'll show you what those senses of yours can become. And then, perhaps, you'll understand why I chose you."
Roy gripped his knees, his grin faltering for the first time since he woke here.
'Tomorrow.'