The air in the training room was thick, heavy with the scent of aged wood and dust swirling in the afternoon sunlight. Tora sat cross-legged on the floor, his face etched with determination.
I am Steven. Memories of a normal life—school, family, even watching Jujutsu Kaisen as an anime—flashed vividly in his mind, superimposed over the child’s own recollections.
Tora, a boy of six or seven, had been abandoned by his parents in a remote village deep in Japan’s countryside. They left him behind, and Grandma Ogami took him in. But Steven’s memories clashed with Tora’s—Steven knew Grandma Ogami kidnapped children, molding them into her "grandchildren." Tora—his name meant "tiger," a gift from his father.
But am I Steven? Or Tora? The boy’s memories of neglect haunted him. Had his parents truly abandoned him? Or had Grandma Ogami killed them?
His older brother, Toshiro, was only ten but aged prematurely by hardship. A year had passed since Grandma Ogami "adopted" them, training them to survive in the brutal world of jujutsu.
In Jujutsu Kaisen, strength wasn’t just raw power—it was understanding. The power system, tactics, an enemy’s weaknesses. A single miscalculation meant death.
Survival without Cursed Energy knowledge? Impossible.
Ordinary humans couldn’t even see curses, leaving them defenseless against slaughter. Only by grasping Cursed Energy could one fight back.
Cursed Energy & Techniques: A Lethal Science
Cursed Energy was a precious resource. Its use demanded precision (like Gojo’s Infinity) or brutal efficiency (like Sukuna’s Dismantle). Waste it, and you’d burn out mid-battle.
Understanding an opponent’s Cursed Technique was the key to victory. Without knowing how Domain Expansions worked, you couldn’t escape Sukuna’s Malevolent Shrine. Without grasping Mahito’s Idle Transfiguration, his touch meant instant death.
In this world, "Knowledge > Strength."
Fail to study the power system, and you’d die. Master it, and you could defeat even stronger foes.
"Here, power without knowledge is a curse."
Yet doubt flickered in Tora’s eyes as he recalled a conversation between Gojo and Yuji from the manga.
---
Memory: The Lesson of Cursed Energy
Tora closed his eyes, and the memory surged like disturbed water.
The blue glow of the TV reflected on the walls, shadows dancing to the horror scene. Yuji sat cross-legged, clutching a cursed doll.
"Ready, Yuji?"
Gojo’s voice echoed in Tora’s mind—cheerful yet layered with the depth of a true sorcerer. Tora remembered watching Jujutsu Kaisen, absorbing every word.
"Negative emotions flow easiest when you’re tense."
The words stabbed. For Tora, negative emotions weren’t just training tools—they were old companions, lurking in every battle, every silent night. But Gojo taught something different: They’re not enemies. They’re fuel.
"Wah—!!"
Yuji’s laughter after failing to block the doll’s attack was fresh in Tora’s mind. Failure was funny, but instructive. Tora had felt the same when first trying to control his shadow technique—how easily it consumed him, how painful the backlash.
"Cursed Energy is like water..."
Gojo’s metaphor stuck. Tora had felt his fear overflow, his rage flooding his thoughts. Yet Yuji, with his raw resolve, had calmed the storm.
And then Tora understood: Control isn’t suppression.
"I remember when the TV screen flashed another tense scene, but this time, Yuji didn’t react."
That small victory felt monumental. Gojo’s smile—proud but unsurprised—lingered in Tora’s mind.
But beneath it all lurked another shadow.
Sukuna.
His presence was a stain on the memory, a reminder that beyond every lesson, greater dangers waited.
"Good! Now you’re getting it."
Gojo’s words weren’t just for Yuji. Unconsciously, Tora had internalized them, saving them for when his own emotions threatened to overwhelm.
Feel it. Channel it. Control it.
Like water. Like shadows. Like breath.
_________________________
Awakening
Tora clenched his fists, feeling a strange heat surge from his bones. Gojo said this is Cursed Energy—a dark electricity I must direct. But how?!
"Focus..."
Gojo’s voice whispered in his mind.
"Feel its flow, like blood moving into your hands."
Tora shut his eyes briefly, grasping for the sensation—like hot sand shifting beneath his skin.
"This?"
His hand trembled. Thin black smoke curled between his fingers.
"Now, strike!"
He unleashed his fist at the training dummy, pushing not just muscle but something deeper.
"CRACK!"
A small explosion. His knuckles throbbed, but purple-black Cursed Energy still hissed from his fist. The wooden dummy lay in splinters.
"I... did it?" His green eyes sparkled with pride.
Then—
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Slow clapping echoed from the doorway.
"Wow~ Someone’s training in secret without me."
Tora jerked his head up. Toshiro, his ten-year-old brother, leaned against the doorframe, his grin sharp. His training gi was dusty, and his usually lazy eyes burned with interest.
"Since when was he watching?!"
Toshiro lunged, his low kick slicing the air—blue Cursed Energy crackling like lightning.
"Tch—!"
Tora barely reacted, but his instincts flared. He leaped back just as the kick grazed where he’d stood.
The impact cracked the wooden floor, dust exploding upward.
"Whoa! You’re serious?!" Tora yelped.
"You obliterated a dummy in one hit. Of course I am," Toshiro shot back, smiling but eyes razor-focused.
Tora didn’t wait. Drawing on Steven’s boxing experience, he closed the distance, his right fist blazing with blue energy.
"Cursed Punch!"
Toshiro blocked instinctively, Cursed Energy pooling in his palm—but the force still sent him crashing into the wall.
"Ouch...!"
Tora blinked. "Hah! So you’ve been secretly training too?"
Toshiro wiped his nose, smug but shaky. "Since when did you get this strong?!"
He pushed off the wall, his right hand clawing the air as Cursed Energy concentrated into his fist.
"Cursed Strike!"
He retaliated, aiming for Tora’s gut!
"Since I got tired of being laughed at!" Tora dodged, appearing behind Toshiro in a flash. His arm hooked gently around his brother’s neck.
"Game over. But..." His voice was low, proud. "You’re really promising."
Toshiro gasped but grinned. "So... gonna let go now?"
Tora released him, ruffling his hair.
"Sure. But when we spar those three, I’m going first."
"You sure about this?"
"Absolutely."
I flashed a confident grin.
"I could weaken Yuno first, drain his stamina to make it easier for you."
"Don’t bother."
Taking down kids who can use Cursed Energy isn’t scary—not as long as I can use it too.