Mark could barely remember the contents of the conversation he had with Gojo Satoru. In fact, he felt he acted more automatically than anything else.
It was all still very unreal to him.
Execution, Sukuna, curses. He knew the origins of these terms.
Jujutsu Kaisen.
An anime that one of his fellow space station crew members insisted he watch. Eventually, with not much else to do, Mark decided to give it a chance.
He found the plot interesting and committed to watching it in full.
Unfortunately, the phenomenon that dragged him into this world had arrived before he could complete the story.
Sitting on the couch in his home, Mark looked at his hands with interest, his teeth clenching as a bolt of pain shot through his head.
Even knowing that he was now in a fictional world, this was not the main fact that shook him.
But rather, that he had now become a completely different person.
He had become Yuji Itadori, the main protagonist of the story.
He had become Sukuna's vessel, someone destined to suffer from the beginning to the end of the story.
This was the main fact that left him so shaken.
"Damn."
Holding his head, he gritted his teeth as a powerful pain threatened to explode his head.
From the moment he found himself in this world, memories of Yuji's life invaded his head. He was able to detail each of Yuji's birthdays, and this was not pleasant at all. So much information invading his mind caused unbearable internal pain, to the point that he almost fainted countless times during the day.
Fortunately, Mark had a certain tolerance for headaches due to his job, so he was able to endure. But still, it was irritating to receive a load of memories followed by a sharp pain.
This time, the memories of Yuji and Megumi's confrontation with a curse at school, followed by Yuji swallowing one of Sukuna's fingers, invaded his thoughts.
They seemed to be the last memories he would receive.
Receiving Yuji's memories was strange. It seemed to somehow alter his own personality.
From what he had noticed, he didn't share Yuji's thoughts or share the same body. He had completely taken over the boy's body for himself, leaving only his memories behind.
But still, it seemed to affect Mark somehow. The boy's sense of justice was strong, strong enough to merge with Mark's own sense of justice.
Even having taken over Yuji's body, Mark could say that the boy hadn't disappeared completely. He now, in a way, was part of Mark himself.
Relaxing his body when the pain finally disappeared, Mark, now Yuji, looked up at the ceiling with a downcast expression.
At this moment, he didn't know what to do.
Having extensive knowledge about his own future in that world, there were many things to do, but was that really what he wanted? Mark had a peaceful life before being swallowed by that strange light; he didn't have to deal with anything like what this world had to offer.
Even though for many, living in an anime world would be like a dream, Mark still hadn't entirely accepted this fact.
Dealing with Kenjaku and other curses trying to bring Sukuna back, while in the process, tormenting him by killing his allies, was not something Mark desired.
But still, he didn't just want to give up. Having received a chance to live in another world, he wanted to make the most of it and not just be a slave to fate.
He still had hesitation in his heart, but he knew that simply waiting and hoping everything would resolve itself wouldn't happen.
He needed to act, he needed to decide.
And even not knowing if this was really the right decision to make, he decided to take the safe path.
He would follow Gojo Satoru to the Jujutsu school.
.
Sitting on park benches, Itadori and Gojo were side by side as the younger one stared at a strange finger with disgust on his face.
After sharing with Gojo his desire to help people, Gojo promptly gave him one of Sukuna's fingers that he possessed.
The dialogues from the original story were not something Yuji could remember clearly, but based on the personality of the former Itadori, he was able to respond sincerely, which fortunately made Gojo not suspect anything.
Besides, it wasn't like Gojo knew Itadori well enough to suspect his change in personality.
"Damn, this is gross." Yuji, looking at that demonic finger, couldn't help but point out.
Yuji, even with the former Itadori's memories fresh in his mind, still hesitated to swallow that finger. Space food was bad, but nothing compared to swallowing a corpse's finger.
"Damn!"
But, closing his eyes, he simply threw the finger into his mouth, swallowing it whole. The sensation of the finger scraping down his throat made him frown in disgust.
But before he could think about how gross it was, his eyes widened as a powerful energy surged through his body.
Yuji could clearly feel the absurd increase in power his muscles received for a moment, that strange energy coursing through his body wildly.
'So much energy! I can clearly feel this monstrous power!'
But, just as the power had suddenly appeared, it disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving Itadori clenching his fists as he made sure to remember that sensation.
'This power... If I can assimilate it, can I increase the level of my cursed energy? The former Yuji was originally able to use cursed energy, but I don't remember him matching Sukuna's power according to the fingers he consumed.'
Itadori frowned. 'If I can do that, I can change everything. My life will become infinitely more peaceful.'
Gojo smiled as he saw how the boy just returned to normal after swallowing another finger. He realized that Itadori was definitely a talent that only appeared once in a thousand years.
"I imagine everything is fine now, right?"
Gojo asked, Yuji standing up while looking at his fists with a strange interest.
While the former Itadori's memories mingled with his own, he was far from being like the former owner of this body.
He had his own thoughts regarding his execution, and even with the boy's memories affecting his personality, he was not as altruistic as Yuji.
He would not accept his execution. If he had to completely subdue Sukuna to continue living, then he would find a way to make it happen.
If in the future the higher-ups still wanted his death, then he would kill each one of them.
But for now, his main goal was to become strong enough so that one day, he could say those words out loud.
"Yes." Turning to Gojo, Yuji smiled determinedly, his eyes emitting a glow that drew a smile from the strongest sorcerer. "Let's go."
"Very well, then let's go!" Clapping his hands, Gojo stood up.
"It seems you two are finished."
Surprised by a new voice, Itadori turned to see Megumi standing right behind him.
'How stealthy.'
"Oh, Fushiguro. You look better." Yuji smiled upon seeing Toji's son. "At least, much better than the last time I saw you. You looked quite down."
"I'm recovering." Megumi sighed, his eyes resting on Itadori for several seconds. "Itadori... You seem to have changed a bit."
Yuji was taken aback by those words, but quickly hid his reaction, a nervous smile appearing on his lips as he scratched his neck.
"Well, knowing I'm destined to be executed can change someone's perspective on life."
"..."
"I... I can understand that."
"Well, since everything is settled, let's go!" Turning, Gojo signaled for the two to follow him.
The two teenagers exchanged glances for a moment before following the man.