Miyako moved silently through the hallways of the Gojo clan's secret library. Every corner of the place seemed to carry the weight of history and the secrets it held. Despite the uncertainty that surrounded her, she knew exactly what she was looking for: answers. Upon reaching a hidden section, her eyes lit up as she spotted an ancient scroll stored in a lacquered box. This document contained records of every discovery made by users of Limitless and the Six Eyes throughout the clan's history. Miyako had contributed her findings at the time, though her final discoveries were never recorded due to her premature death.
With a mix of nostalgia and anticipation, Miyako unrolled the scroll. As she read about the evolution of Limitless over the centuries, she couldn't help but marvel at it. It was incredible how the technique had advanced since her time, becoming more refined and powerful with each generation.
However, she noticed a crucial detail about the Six Eyes that had been overlooked. The scroll didn't mention that the Six Eyes not only enhanced perception of cursed energy flow, but also allowed for precise attunement to the natural "balance" of the environment. This meant the user could detect even the slightest fluctuations in the world's energy, developing an extreme sensitivity to cursed energy pressure changes or spatial instability. This knowledge had been vital to Miyako, as it allowed her to foresee the side effects of her techniques before executing them, adjusting her power to make them precise and sustainable during extended combat. This detail had been lost over time, perhaps because later users had focused more on brute strength than on the subtlety of control.
Her eyes settled on a section describing the creation of Purple, a technique that combined the attraction of Blue and the repulsion of Red. Miyako remembered inventing Red in her last battle. She had reversed Blue using the reverse cursed technique, resulting in a repulsive force that pushed everything away instead of attracting it. The technique was dangerous and hard to control but also incredibly powerful.
Miyako vividly recalled the moment when she was forced to grasp the reverse technique to avoid dying during her confrontation with Kaede. The memory was so sharp that she could almost feel the pain again. When Kaede inverted the rift that had pierced through her body, she felt her organs on the verge of being expelled. Her abdomen burst, filling her mind with such overwhelming pain that her thoughts clouded for a moment. She knew she was just seconds away from death. It was at that critical moment, amidst chaos and desperation, that she managed to replicate the reverse technique, saving herself at the last second. Sometimes, thinking about that life-or-death fight with Kaede still gave her chills.
As she read about Purple, Miyako was amazed. The complexity of the technique went far beyond what she had imagined. It didn't just destroy everything in its path; it erased existence itself, wiping away any trace of reality in its trajectory. The precision with which positive and negative energies were combined to generate that absolute void reminded her of the moment when she had faced something similar. She couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride knowing that someone had perfected what she had barely touched in her final moments.
However, as she read more, her mind inevitably returned to the battle with Kaede. His Hollow Technique: Dimensional Rift had been just as devastating. The way he manipulated space, opening dimensional cracks and expanding them with reverse energy before merging them into that black sphere… it was impossible not to compare it to what she was reading about Purple. Both techniques involved the fusion of opposing forces, creating an energy collapse that wiped out everything in its path. Gojo's Red and Blue generated a similar effect, but Kaede, with his dimensional rifts and space manipulation, had taken it to another level.
"It's so similar," she thought, connecting the threads. Kaede's technique, though more chaotic and less refined, achieved the same thing: erasing reality itself. "Both manipulate space, the void... But Kaede did it more dangerously, opening and expanding rifts that seemed to consume everything," she remembered, still feeling the chill of being in the midst of that destruction.
What really left her speechless was the description of Satoru Gojo's Domain Expansion. She remembered her own hasty domain expansion during that fight with Kaede. It had been a desperate move, an attempt to survive within Kaede's domain. While it worked, her expansion had been incomplete, weak compared to what she was now reading. Satoru had achieved a complete, devastating, and precise expansion. She wanted to understand every detail of how he had attained such mastery when, suddenly, she felt a slight itch in her eyes.
Instinctively, she realized she wasn't alone.
Turning around, she found herself face to face with Satoru Gojo, the cousin of the body she now inhabited. He had a playful smile on his face, with a mix of curiosity and mischief.
"What are you doing here, Aiko-chan?" he asked lightly, though his words carried an undertone of authority that she couldn't ignore.
Miyako froze. According to her calculations, Satoru should be on a mission, far from the estate. "What happened? Why did he return so quickly?" she thought, trying not to show her nervousness.
Satoru continued to observe her, waiting for an answer. Miyako, aware she needed to maintain her facade, lowered her gaze, as Aiko would, and responded with the respect she knew was expected of her.
"Satoru-sama…" she began, searching for the right words. "I was… researching the recent failures in your Six Eyes and Limitless. I thought I might find some clues in the clan's records. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."
Satoru maintained his smile, but his expression softened slightly upon hearing her explanation. "Oh, really? Well, it's not common for someone to enter here without a reason, but if that's the case…" he said, then, with a calmness only he could project, added, "Did you find anything interesting?"
Miyako nodded slowly, her mind still racing to keep her composure. "Yes, though there's much I don't understand… but I think it could be useful in solving the problems."
Satoru looked at her with a mix of amusement and affection, clearly relaxed in her presence. "Well, if you're that interested, maybe we can discuss it at home. You don't need to be here alone."
Miyako nodded again, feeling a strange sense of relief that Satoru wasn't angry. Yet, deep down, she couldn't shake a feeling of unease. She knew she had to be careful; any mistake could ruin her cover, and Satoru, though kind, was a formidable opponent.
As they walked toward the exit together, Satoru stayed close by her side, always watchful, always protective. Miyako, meanwhile, continued to reflect on what she had read. Although she had discovered so much, she also realized how far she was from truly understanding the power that now resided in Satoru. But more than that, she began to feel the weight of the memories and emotions that Satoru's presence brought with him.
--------
Kaede watched Mai with an expression of obvious boredom, as if her effort was nothing more than a tedious routine for him. Mai lay on the ground, gasping heavily after an exhausting training session, trying to catch her breath through the pain and fatigue. Sweat dripped down her face, soaking her clothes, and her hands trembled from exhaustion. Without a trace of sympathy, Kaede tilted his head slightly to the side and spoke in a disinterested tone:
"Come on, get up. That exchange event is right around the corner, isn't it? If you keep this up, you won't last a minute. Don't waste my time."
Mai gritted her teeth, struggling to grasp the air that seemed to slip away from her. With difficulty, she muttered in a broken voice, "I... I can't breathe..."
Kaede let out a dismissive snort, as if her complaint was absurd. "Breathe? Force yourself to. If you have to, use your cursed energy to make your lungs work. Don't give me excuses."
Frustrated by her own exhaustion and Kaede's indifference, Mai let out a growl. "How do you expect me to do that... when I can barely control the little I have?" Despite her fatigue, there was a hint of defiance in her voice, a spark of resistance that refused to die out.
Without warning, Kaede delivered a sharp but controlled blow to her stomach. Mai let out a pained gasp as she collapsed back to the ground, the air once again knocked out of her with a groan. "See? You can still breathe if you have the strength to complain," Kaede remarked coldly, his tone harsh and unforgiving.
Mai, her eyes clenched shut from the pain, struggled once more to regain her breath. Her body felt heavy, as if every muscle was on the verge of giving out. But Kaede's words, cruel as they were, ignited something in her—a latent fury that wasn't ready to be extinguished.
"Listen closely, Mai," Kaede continued, his voice now firm, echoing in the silence of the training field. "A sorcerer's technique alone isn't enough. You could have the best technique in the world, but if you don't know how to control it, what good is it? The first thing you must master is controlling your cursed energy—how to use it, how to manage it. If you can't even do that, you have no chance of surviving out there."
With a near-casual motion, Kaede lifted one hand and conjured a small orb of cursed energy, letting it hover over his fingertips, glowing faintly in the dim light. "When you reach the point where a single drop of this can change the course of a battle... then maybe, just maybe, you'll be better than those useless fools in the clan," he added, his eyes narrowing slightly, daring her to understand the true weight of his words.
Mai, still panting, couldn't take her eyes off the orb of energy. Despite how small it was, she could feel the density and absolute control Kaede had over it. His words echoed in her mind. She knew he was right, but the frustration of not measuring up gnawed at her from within.
Kaede, having said what he needed to, turned away indifferently, beginning to walk off. But before he left, he paused for a moment and threw one last warning over his shoulder without even glancing back. "Go rest. Tomorrow, same time. And if you're not there... I'll drag you out by the hair. Don't forget."
Mai, still lying on the ground, watched as Kaede walked away, his figure slowly disappearing into the distance. Exhaustion weighed her down, but she couldn't stop thinking about the words he had thrown at her like venom. She knew the path ahead would be grueling, but she also knew she had no choice but to keep moving forward.