Rain still fell in heavy sheets, drumming against the roof of the academy's training hall. Akira Kurose stood in the middle of the room, staring at the black marks swirling around his hands. His heartbeat hadn't slowed since the encounter in the subway, and the memory of the twisted creature's grin gnawed at him.
"Focus," a calm voice echoed.
Megumi Fushiguro stepped forward, hands tucked into his sleeves, his expression unreadable. "You can see them," he stated, as if it was obvious, "but can you fight them?"
Akira swallowed, nodding, but the doubt lingered. "I… I don't know. I've never done this before."
Nobara Kugisaki tapped her hammer lightly on the floor. "Then today's your test. Consider it… initiation by fear." Her grin wasn't friendly, but it wasn't cruel either. It was the kind of grin that promised you'd survive only if you were sharp enough.
Gojo stood behind them, leaning casually against a pillar, blindfold in place but eyes somehow aware of everything. "Akira Kurose," he said smoothly, "you're not like other humans. That's obvious. The question is… can you control what's inside you, or will it control you?"
Akira's stomach twisted. The "inside" he felt wasn't just fear—it was something else. A strange energy that seemed to respond to his thoughts.
"Let's begin," Gojo said, snapping his fingers.
Suddenly, the room darkened. Shadows stretched across the walls, twisting into forms too sharp, too irregular to be natural. Akira's pulse jumped. Echo energy surged unintentionally in his hands, reacting to the danger he didn't fully understand.
From the darkness, a small curse appeared. Its body was tiny, almost childlike, but the aura it radiated was enough to make Akira's skin crawl. "Test curse," Nobara said softly. "Nothing too strong. Just enough to see what you've got."
Megumi raised a hand, summoning his divine dogs. Two black wolves materialized beside him, snarling, their eyes glowing faintly. "Watch him," Megumi muttered.
Akira clenched his fists. The curse screeched, lunging toward him. Instinctively, he focused, and a flicker of power leapt from him. The Echo energy mirrored the curse's movements for a brief instant, letting him dodge with uncanny precision.
"That's it…" Gojo murmured, tilting his head. "Interesting."
But controlling it wasn't easy. Every second he maintained the mirroring drained him. His muscles burned, and sweat ran down his face despite the cold, rainy air outside.
The curse struck again, faster this time. Akira extended his hands, and the Echo energy erupted outward. The curse froze, its form briefly duplicated in Akira's own aura. Then, with a burst of force, he threw it across the room. It disintegrated into black smoke, hissing as it vanished.
Breathing heavily, Akira stumbled backward. "I… did it?"
"Barely," Nobara said, rolling her eyes. "You're fast, but you need control. You can't just react; you have to decide before it moves."
Megumi nodded. "Echo is powerful, but it's unstable. If you overuse it, it'll burn you from the inside."
Gojo's grin widened. "Exactly why I wanted to see you in action. You're… not just any human, Akira. And that… that makes all the difference. You have potential. But potential is nothing if you can't survive what's coming."
Akira's gaze dropped. The words rang like a warning. What was coming? The subway shadow, the strange curse—it all felt like the beginning of something far larger, far more dangerous than anything he could imagine.
Then, a new sound echoed in the hall. A low, rattling whisper, almost like fingernails scraping stone. Akira stiffened. He didn't recognize this… yet he felt it. The energy was familiar, cold, and malevolent.
"What is that?" he whispered.
Gojo's blindfolded eyes glinted faintly. "Patience. It's not ready to meet you yet. But soon…"
The hall seemed to constrict, shadows stretching toward him like hands. Akira's chest tightened. Fear… excitement… power—everything mixed together. He had survived a subway curse. He had controlled Echo for the first time. But something told him this was just the beginning.
Megumi stepped forward. "Rest for now. You've done enough for today. But remember—every curse you face will be stronger than the last. And some… some won't be as forgiving."
Akira nodded, though his legs still trembled. Echo had awakened inside him, but controlling it was only the first step. He glanced at Nobara and Megumi. They were strong, confident—but he could sense the battles ahead would push them all to limits they hadn't faced yet.
Gojo's voice cut through the tension one last time: "Akira… don't die before you even get started."
As the rain hammered the roof, Akira felt the weight of what he had stepped into. The normal world he had known was gone. And the dark, twisted reality of curses and Echo energy was only beginning to unfold.
He had survived his first test—but the real trials were waiting.
A shadow flickers outside the hall's window—a hint of something larger, something ancient, moving in the city. Akira doesn't know it yet, but Sukuna's presence is approaching.