Seijuro sat alone in his bedroom, finally able to unwind after the day's chaos. He sighed deeply, his body sinking into the soft futon beneath him as he stared up at the ceiling.
"Finally..." he muttered, the word trailing off in exhaustion.
After dinner, Kaori, Jin, and Wasuke were shown to their respective rooms. Thankfully, the Gojo compound was massive—more than enough space to accommodate everyone without issue.
"There's also the fact that I have to train three people now," he said to himself, his voice tinged with resignation and determination. "Satoru, Kaori, and Jin. At least I've worked out a schedule."
He mentally recited his plan. Satoru would train under him on Mondays and Fridays, Kaori on Tuesdays, and Jin on Fridays. Sundays, however, were his day of rest—or so he hoped.
"Jin only has Fridays with me because I asked Toji to handle his physical training on Sundays," Seijuro smirked slightly at the memory.
He had approached Toji with the request after realizing Jin would need proper hand-to-hand combat skills, especially after the encounter with Kenjaku. To his surprise, Toji had agreed without much resistance, even seeming intrigued by the idea.
"If Yuuji can break world records, Jin might not be far behind," Seijuro mused. "That raw potential... it just needs to be refined."
But Seijuro wasn't planning to neglect Satoru or Kaori's physical training either. While Toji focused on Jin, he'd ensure both Satoru and Kaori had the basics of hand-to-hand combat under their belts.
"Speaking of recent events..." Seijuro's thoughts shifted, and his expression turned more serious.
Kaori had described what happened while he's unconscious—the white flower field, the towering castle, and the mysterious blonde woman with crimson eyes. The fact that this woman had scared off Kenjaku and Mahito was astonishing.
"Who was she?" Seijuro muttered, rubbing his temples. "I don't recall anyone like her from the manga..."
The idea of a powerful, unknown figure intervening in such a dire situation was unsettling, but what unnerved him, even more, was that the entire environment had shifted—from a battle-scarred city street to an ethereal white flower field with a massive castle looming in the distance.
"Was that... a Domain Expansion?" he wondered aloud. "Was it... mine?"
The thought made him pause. If it was his Domain, it raised even more questions. He remembered Mahito touching him right before everything went black. Could that have triggered the Domain?
"If it was mine," he muttered, "then who was that woman? And why do I feel like she wasn't... an enemy?"
The mystery gnawed at him, but what concerned him even more was the old man he had met while unconscious—the one who sat on a throne in the void.
"Zelretch... Zelreuss? No... Zel... Zelussy?" Seijuro muttered, his face scrunching up as he tried to recall the name.
Whatever it was, it sounded ridiculous, but the old man's words were impossible to ignore: "Earth is your domain. Manipulate it. Command it. Understand it. That power will be your greatest weapon... and perhaps, your greatest curse."
"Type: Earth," Seijuro whispered, the term echoing in his mind. "What am I, some kind of Pokémon?"
He chuckled dryly at his joke, but the confusion remained. What did the old man mean by "Earth is your domain"? Was it a reference to the element of Earth—or something far grander, like the entire planet?
His thoughts spiraled as he tried to make sense of it all. If he truly held some connection to the Earth itself, what would that even mean? How would such a power manifest? And why did the old man warn him about it being a curse and weapon?
Curiosity began to outweigh his confusion. He stood up and walked over to the window, pushing it open. The cool night breeze brushed against his face as he looked at the moonlit sky.
The moon hung low and full, its pale light illuminating the compound and casting a serene glow over the gardens below. It was breathtakingly beautiful—but as Seijuro gazed up at it, a strange feeling washed over him.
A deep, inexplicable nostalgia tugged at his chest as if the moon wasn't just a celestial object but something... familiar. Something he had been deeply connected to in another time, another life.
"Why..." he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Why do I feel this way? Why does the moon feel like... home?"
The question lingered in the air, unanswered, as Seijuro continued to stare at the glowing orb in the sky, its light reflecting in his crimson eyes.
-Fwoosh!
The wind blew gently past Seijuro, carrying with it the soft rustling of leaves and the subtle creaking of branches.
The trees outside swayed in unison, their foliage illuminated by the pale moonlight. The tranquil sounds of nature seemed to whisper to him, urging him forward and to explore the power that now stirred within him.
"If Earth is my domain... then..."
Seijuro closed his eyes and extended his arms through the open window, letting the cool breeze caress his skin. He tried to replicate the feeling he'd experienced during the chaos earlier, drawing on an instinct he didn't fully understand.
Unbeknownst to him, the now-familiar light blue glyph appeared beneath his feet, glowing softly. But this time, something was different.
The glyph began to disintegrate into shimmering particles of blue dust, each speck sparkling like a star fragment.
The dust swirled and converged in front of his outstretched hand, forming a radiant, translucent blue cube that hovered silently in the air.
Seijuro's eyes snapped open, and he froze in astonishment. The glowing cube floated effortlessly, pulsing with an ancient and boundless energy. His crimson eyes, now unknowingly transformed to an eerie golden hue with black pupils, reflected the cube's glow.
His gaze drifted toward the distant silhouette of Mount Fuji, standing majestic under the night sky.
"Earth... is my domain," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
A vivid image bloomed in his mind—Mount Fuji adorned with a colossal daisy flower sprouting from its side. The thought was absurd, yet the moment it took root in his imagination, the cube responded, glowing brighter with each passing second.
-Rumble!
Unfazed by the quaking earth, Seijuro remained rooted in place—except he wasn't rooted. He had begun to levitate without realizing it, his feet hovering three centimeters above the floor. His focus was entirely on the cube and the vision he had conjured.
Far in the distance, Mount Fuji began to split as a massive plant burst forth. The gargantuan flower stretched toward the heavens, its stem towering and twisting, the petals beginning to unfurl in slow, mesmerizing motion.
"Woah..." Seijuro whispered in awe, watching as the flower neared its full bloom.
But then it hit him.
-Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, slamming against his ribcage like a wild beast trying to escape. A sharp pain exploded in his chest, making him stagger mid-air.
"Guh!" he groaned, clutching his chest as the glowing cube in front of him flickered and disappeared.
The earthquake ceased, and the massive plant on Mount Fuji stopped growing, its blooming flower frozen in time.
'Shit... what is this?' Seijuro thought, panic flashing through his mind as an intense burning sensation crawled up his throat.
He gasped, gripping the window ledge for support as a primal hunger he didn't understand began to consume him. His mind raced, desperate to make sense of what was happening.
Then he remembered.
"You'll learn. For now, resist your impulses. The ones that call for destruction. Resist them, especially when blood is spilled, or you'll lose yourself."
The man's cryptic warning rang in his ears, clear as day, and the meaning became terrifyingly apparent.
"So... this is what he meant..." Seijuro muttered through gritted teeth.
His hands trembled, his nails digging into the wood of the window ledge. Unbeknownst to him, his K9 teeth had elongated, sharpening into fangs that gleamed faintly in the moonlight. His throat burned, the sensation growing unbearable, as if he hadn't drunk water in days, and the very air he breathed only made it worse.
"Ngh!" Seijuro groaned, clutching his head as an unfamiliar, predatory instinct clawed to the surface. His body felt like it was being torn in two—his will battling against something ancient and primal within him.
This feeling—this hunger—it terrified him. It wasn't just for destruction; it was something deeper, darker, and far more dangerous. He wanted to stop it, to push it down, but the burning in his throat, the pounding in his chest, and the pressure in his mind were relentless.
Seijuro clenched his fists, forcing himself to focus. His mind was screaming, "Resist! Resist! Don't give in!"
The wind outside seemed to howl as if the earth was reacting to his internal struggle. His golden eyes glowed faintly, flickering between his normal crimson and this new, unsettling hue.
And then, just as it felt like he might lose himself entirely, the burning began to subside—slowly, painfully. His breaths came in ragged gasps, but the thirst, though still present, dulled enough for him to think clearly.
He collapsed back onto the futon, his body trembling. His fangs receded, and his eyes returned to their original crimson, though a faint golden ring lingered around his pupils.
"What... the hell... is happening to me?" he whispered, his voice barely audible as he stared up at the ceiling, his chest still rising and falling rapidly.
"What the hell is going on?"
The gruff voice cut through the tense air, and Seijuro turned weakly to see Toji standing at the doorway, his piercing gaze scanning the room.
"Toji..." Seijuro's voice was hoarse, his chest heaving with every breath. "Knock me out..."
Toji raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical of the strange request. "Knock you out? Seriously?"
"Just... do it..." Seijuro muttered, clutching his head as he fought against the primal urge clawing at his sanity.
Toji sighed, stepping into the room. "You better have a damn good explanation for this when you wake up." Without further hesitation, he delivered a precise chop to Seijuro's nape. Seijuro's body went limp, and he collapsed onto the futon, finally unconscious.
Toji exhaled deeply, running a hand through his hair. He sensed something was wrong when he felt the strange energy pulsing from Seijuro's room. It wasn't like any cursed energy he'd ever encountered—it was heavier, more primal. And seeing Seijuro like this only confirmed that something was deeply off.
-Shloop!
The sliding door creaked open, and Toji turned to see Satoru standing in the doorway, holding Satoru Junior in his arms. The boy's wide blue eyes immediately locked onto his father's unconscious form sprawled on the futon.
"Dad! What—" Satoru froze mid-sentence, his gaze shifting to Toji, who stood over Seijuro like an assailant caught in the act. His expression darkened, his small fists tightening around the kitten.
"You!" Satoru's voice was sharp, his eyes narrowing with unmasked anger. A faint ripple of cursed energy flared around him, the air around the room growing tense.
Toji raised his hands defensively. "Whoa, hold it, kid. This isn't what it looks like," he said, keeping his tone calm but firm. "It was your father's request, not mine."
Satoru's eyes widened in confusion, his anger momentarily replaced by worry as he returned to Seijuro. "His... request?" he echoed, his voice quieter now.
"Yeah," Toji replied, crossing his arms. "He was struggling—looked like he was fighting something inside him. Told me to knock him out. So I did."
Satoru's gaze lingered on his father's still form, and for the first time, he noticed the faint remnants of an unfamiliar energy lingering in the air. It was overwhelming, suffocating even, as if it was far too powerful to belong to a single person. He clutched Satoru Junior closer to his chest, his small fingers trembling.
"I... felt it," Satoru admitted quietly. "That energy... it was so strong it shook the whole compound. I came here because I was worried."
Toji nodded, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "Yeah, well, your old man's not hot right now. Whatever that was, it's way beyond anything I've seen before."
Satoru took a hesitant step forward, his eyes filled with concern as he knelt beside his father. "Dad..." he whispered, gently touching Seijuro's arm. "What's happening to you?"
Toji leaned against the wall, watching the boy closely. "Look, kid, I don't know what's happening with him, but your dad's tough. He'll pull through," he said, his tone gruff but not unkind.
Satoru nodded slowly, though the worry in his eyes didn't fade. He glanced back at Toji, his earlier anger now replaced with determination. "You'll stay with him, right? Just in case?"
Toji smirked faintly. "Yeah, yeah, I'll stick around. Don't worry, kid. Your dad's not getting rid of me that easily."
Satoru hesitated for a moment before nodding again. "Okay... Thanks."
As the room fell into an uneasy silence, Satoru sat quietly beside his father, his small hand resting on Seijuro's arm. He refused to leave his father's side despite the uncertainty and fear gnawing at him. Whatever was happening, they would face it together.
=================
Author's Note:
Hey...at least Seijuro didn't destroy his compound this time. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯