Darkness.Deep darkness was the only ruler of this place. And into this darkness seeped a deafening silence, which was soon shattered.
Plop!
Plop!
Plop!
These were the only sounds to be heard in this dismal room. The sound of water droplets falling periodically onto the ground.
The floor and walls were made of stone slabs—worn stone slabs, to be precise. There were holes and crevices everywhere. They were also covered in moss and mold, surely due to the absurd humidity of the place.
If there were anyone capable of seeing in the dark in this room, what they would see would shock them profoundly. This room was entirely filled with rusted torture instruments.
But of course, there was no one capable of seeing it in this room.
In fact, there shouldn't have been anyone in this room at all, right?
Zoro.
"I'll never be like you, I'll never be like you."
One week.
I have been here for one week.
"I'm risin' up, and I'm ready to fight you, ready to fight you."
Every day, I had to endure the beatings inflicted by Haruto's men because, of course, he didn't have the decency to deal with it himself.
"I'm all in, I've seen you before, you all are the same. You're just another going up in the flames. And if I'm dying in the fight, it'll be while I'm bringing you down to the grave."
The pain was unbearable. In fact, anyone in my situation—if they were a normal person, of course—would have been either dead or insane long ago.
"I see who you are, you are my enemy. My enemy, you are my enemy."
Truth be told, anyone who saw me now—face down on the ground, hands bound by chains, my body in tatters and singing—would surely think I had gone mad too.
"I see who you are, you are my enemy. My enemy, you are my enemy."
If only it had been that easy. My Haki training had allowed me to forge my mind, so madness was nowhere near.
"I see who you are, you are my enemy. My enemy, you are my enemy."
Thus, having nothing to distract my attention from the pain, I found myself singing the playlist from my old life.
"I see who you are, you are my enemy. My enemy, you are my enemy."
The fact that I had nothing to eat but moss, insects, and the rodents that managed to sneak in here, and nothing to drink but the fine droplets of waste water I managed to collect...
"This ends now. Wohohoho, wohohoho, wohohoho."
Given what I've just said, everything suggests my situation was desperate—but not at all. I could tank another month of such punishment. But I seriously had other fish to fry. I had a brother to go get.
"This ends now. Wohohoho, wohohoho, wohohoho."
In their great stupidity, they didn't think to confine my swords to an inaccessible place. They must have thought that since there was no cursed energy emanating from them, they were just junk.
"This ends now. Ready to fight you, ready to fight you."
My swords were kept just behind the door that restricted my freedom, and thanks to my torturers' negligence, I knew Haruto had left for a mission.
"This ends now. I'm ready to fight you, ready to fight you."
I stood up with great difficulty. My body wasn't exactly in good shape. But my Haki? It had only evolved.
The black substance then enveloped both my hands, and I pulled on the chains with a sharp jerk.
CRACK!
They shattered without difficulty. Only the door remained.
"This ends now."
Yes, this ends now.
BOOM!
The old door didn't hold; it was knocked off its hinges and slammed into the wall.
I started walking and stepped out calmly. However, once outside, I had to turn my head to the side. There stood a guard (torturer), too shocked to act. And it's not like I gave him the time to. As he was getting up, I threw a wave of Haki at him.
'Go on! Eat my Conqueror's Haki.'
Fwish!
Thud!
He fell to the ground, eyes rolled back and foam coming out of his mouth. I stepped over his body and retrieved my belongings, which were leaning to his left.
Wado Ichimonji.
Shusui.
Enma.
That's the order in which I retrieved them, and that's the order in which I returned them to my hip. Having them with me again gave me an incredible sense of well-being. A whole weight I hadn't even been aware of evaporated. And only my goal remained.
"I'm coming, Toji."
. . .
Discretion has never been my strong suit. I must say, I never trained for it, so it was somewhat normal. But one of the (many) reasons I thank my body every day is its total absence of cursed energy.
In this world, cursed energy is everything. Even from a non-sorcerer's point of view, detecting a person without cursed energy—especially when they are actually trying to be discreet—is extremely difficult.
So, sorcerers who rely primarily on their ability to perceive cursed energy to find their way? It's simply impossible, with the exception of Satoru Gojo. But taking him into account is somewhat unfair; after all, he has the Six Eyes. His sensory abilities are undoubtedly the greatest in history, if we don't count other Six Eyes users.
So as long as I approached from behind without making a noise, I couldn't be spotted. Every time I crossed someone's path, I knocked them out with Conqueror's Haki. It was exhausting, but doing it with my body alone wasn't an option; my physical endurance was at its lowest, and I had no time to waste.
During my "stroll," I saw more of the estate than I ever would have thought. It was really far from the Kukuru headquarters.
I saw the dungeons.
I saw the houses.
I saw the ponds.
I even saw the training centers of the other two units.
In other words, I crossed the Estate from one side to the other. Until I finally arrived at my destination.
The infirmary. A place that had become familiar. In fact, so familiar I'd dare say it had become our second bedroom besides the dormitory.
From what I was told (with the intent to break my spirit, of course), Toji was here being treated (let's be honest, I don't believe it) for serious injuries sustained during the mission (obviously).
"Well, here goes nothing."
I opened the door.
"Toji?"
"..."
. . .
"You are my special."
I had retrieved Toji. And I truly didn't have the words to describe his current state.
Eighty percent of his body was covered in bandages—bloody ones, at that. He suffered from numerous deep cuts, broken bones, and damaged organs. When I saw him in this state, I felt only one thing.
Anger? No.
Resentment? No.
Guilt? No.
It was disgust. Pure and simple disgust for myself. How many times had I promised to protect him? To always be there for him? And now, what state was he in?
A state where he would be dead without the Heavenly Restriction. A state where I had to lift him, put him on my back, and move him with great care so as not to finish him off myself.
And now here I am, wandering the streets of Tokyo, singing what I considered a lullaby but which was more a way to soothe my own torments. Fleeing the Zen'in clan.
I honestly didn't have a plan; I only had a hope—the hope that there were still good people in this world.
Knock knock knock.
"I'm coming," a female voice replied.
The door opened, and Tsukumo Hyo appeared before me.
"I need your help."
"..."
"I'm begging you."
"..."
(...)
"Sigh. Very well, come in."
Author's note
This will be the penultimate chapter before a 5-day break; I have mock exams to take (again).
Don't forget to spam the power