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Archer the Sorcerer Chapter 4
🕑 Added 2024-09-12 17:31:08 +0000 UTCChapter 4: Those In The Hills
Night finally arrived after the day that he had gone through.
The whole ‘play-date’ that had been planned by his obnoxious and annoying big brother had ended and he was back at the Gojo Family Compound.
The day had been a revelation after revelation for him. From meeting Satoru’s former best friend turned serial killer/Rogue Sorcerer, to meeting a child with the same age as his current body.
The former Counter Guardian was now situated at the kitchen of the family compound, trying to make sense of every information he had received while also doing his favorite thing; cooking.
Of course, with his abrasive, condescending, childish, and overall insane ‘big brother’ watching him from behind.
“So, what is it you wanna cook? And how did you learn to cook in the first place? Watching too many Martha Stewart cooking show or something?” Satoru Gojo commented and asked too many questions that it truly was annoying to begin with, and what was more annoying was that he was standing too close behind him.
“It’s just something I like to do from time to time. Now, do you mind? I’m trying to cut chicken meat here,” he answered while holding a kitchen knife, trying to make Satoru not breathing down his neck every once in a while.
“Alright, I’m gonna sit here and wait until it’s done. Haven’t grabbed anything to eat today, so I’m really famished!” Satoru said while walking away from his little brother, grabbing a chair in the process. “Oh, make sure to make enough portions for seconds, alright?”
A tick mark and vein started to appear on his tiny head while also holding his knife more tightly, feeling how abrasive Satoru Gojo truly was.
After that, he let go of his small anger and just focused on what was important; marinating the cut chicken thigh and started to crack some eggs as well.
As the six-year-old Shirou Gojo was cooking with care, Satoru laughed a little because of how cute his little brother looked.
A small stool supporting his small legs, the small apron that he wore and also how his small hands expertly used the kitchen knife and other forms of cooking.
“So, you’re not gonna ask anything about what happened? About who Megumi was, and other things?” Satoru asked, talking behind his brother while he was focused on the task in front of him rather than having small talks.
“I think I have the gist of it. But since you brought it up, can you tell me?” he asked back Satoru while not looking back, starting the stove in front of him in the process.
“Well, Megumi Fushiguro is the son of Toji Fushiguro, formerly known as Toji Zenin,” Satoru started to explain. “He was a total prick of a person, and because of that… I killed him.”
He didn’t stop what he was doing after hearing such a nonchalant way Satoru proclaimed a murder he had committed. He was pretty sure that Satoru almost had said it to Megumi a few hours before this moment.
“And what was it about him selling off Megumi to the Zenin? And why are you in the middle of this in the first place?” he continued his line of questioning as he started to pour the chicken thigh that he had cut and marinated to the cooking pan on the stove.
“Oh, that was just his final words before dying. ‘Hey, I got this kid and I sold him to my former family who are basically a bunch of pricks as well. It’ll happen in a couple of years, so do what you wanna do. Ciao!’ That’s what he said, word for word,” Satoru falsely quoted what Toji’s final words were, but it did come close, a little.
“So, after that. I started to look at what he was saying and found out there is a Megumi Fushiguro living in Saitama, but I didn’t expect step-sister living with him.”
After a while and calling a few of his channels, Satoru had found Megumi and at first, just left him there.
But after a year, after everything that had happened to him, he finally started to act.
“So, what now? What will happen to Megumi and his sister?” his little brother asked him while still focusing on the dinner he was making, not looking back while talking to him.
“Now, we’re gonna take care of them, that’s what! I can see Megumi’s potential from the Cursed Energy level he has… and as for Tsumiki, you heard what he said. As long as his sister has a good life, he’ll go anywhere and do anything,” Satoru answered. “And besides, Tsumiki doesn’t have Cursed Energy so she’ll just live normally.”
“I thought you were gonna take Megumi under your wing, and left his sister all alone or something…” the six-year-old muttered. “Good to know that you’re not that heartless… sometimes.”
“Hey, do I look like a heartless asshole that leaves children all alone? Of course, not!” Satoru defended himself while looking at Shirou in a comical and a bit triggered way.
As minutes had come to pass after they arrived, all he could think of was about Megumi’s lineage. More specifically, the Zenin clan.
“What about the Zenin clan? Are they really just gonna let you, the patriarch of the Gojo Family, take Megumi out of their hands?” he asked while whisking the eggs that he had cracked, intending to add them to the chicken thigh that he was cooking.
“Eh, who gives a fuck about them, anyways? Let them cry and bitch about it. They all know they can’t do anything about it as Toji is dead, already,” Satoru nonchalantly dismissed his brother’s concern, not worrying about it whatsoever.
The more he heard of Toji’s name being mentioned, the more he remembered why he felt that name was not foreign at all. All of a sudden, he finally remembered why.
“Toji Zenin… father mentioned that name to me, once,” he said while still focusing on the task in front of him and not looking at Satoru’s expression after he heard those words.
“When did he say it to you?” Satoru asked, feeling a bit curious.
“Right after he threw me under the bus and left me to die to fight against the Cursed Spirits in the basement,” Shirou just nonchalantly answered Satoru’s question. Even though most people would be freaking out if they heard about such a traumatic event, he wouldn’t.
“He said that, perhaps, I was just like that Toji Zenin. But it was basically a gamble, and if I hadn’t been, he would’ve been happy…”
His ‘father’ was wrong, of course. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t a former Counter Guardian who had all of his Magic Circuits still intact and had an ability to make Noble Phantasms out of thin air.
“Are you, though? Just like Toji?” Satoru asked Shirou with a serious tone. The atmosphere in the kitchen started to change as he asked his little brother, truly trying to figure out just what had happened in the basement a year ago.
Satoru had been busy after that whole ordeal happened, and he rarely mentioned that whole event every time he had time with his little brother.
Satoru then saw his brother, Shirou, finally looked back at him and not focusing on his cooking any longer.
“I don’t even know what Toji Zenin has that I can be of similar nature as him,” he answered in a serious tone as well, trying to pry on just what it was that his father had meant.
“He has this thing called Heavenly Restriction. It can be called a gift, or perhaps, a curse,” Satoru started to explain what he knew about this specific topic.
“It is a type of cursed restriction that affects someone's Cursed Energy in exchange for limitations or improvements on their body. In Toji’s case, he was born with no cursed energy whatsoever but possessed an extraordinary physical prowess,” he continued. “Toji’s physical prowess made him a dangerous man. He could kill a Special-Grade Cursed Spirits easily, but he mostly used his skills to kill Sorcerers, though.”
“I see…” Shirou commented after listening Satoru’s explanation. “I don’t think I have what he had.”
“Then, what do you have, Shirou?” Satoru instantly asked, playfully removing his sunglasses in the process. “What exactly is your Cursed Technique?”
He still didn’t know what kind of Cursed Technique that Shirou had, making him keep guessing all this time, as the level of destruction that Shirou had caused was rare enough to begin with.
“I have the ability to do this,” he said while grabbing the kitchen knife with his right hand, and in an instant, a similar kitchen knife appeared on his left hand.
Satoru widened his eyes as it had been a shock with just how fast it had occurred, to see something being created out of thin air was not that surprising for him, but what surprised him was that the foreign energy he saw appearing and disappearing in an instant.
‘It might be Cursed Energy, certainly feels like it is… but why do my eyes tell me differently?’ Satoru inwardly thought while standing up from his place of sitting, closing his distance to his little brother and had his eyes set fixed on the kitchen knife replica that he had just created.
“I can create things, mostly weapons, out of thin air. Projection, or Gradation Air, as I’d like to call it,” his brother elaborated further while giving Satoru both of the knives he was holding.
The more Satoru looked at the two knives, the more he noticed how similar they were. No, they were basically and definitely identical.
“Weapons, huh…” Satoru muttered while still holding and looking at the kitchen knives he had been given.
As of this moment, Satoru wondered just what kind of ‘weapons’ his brother had conjured up to exorcise those multitudes of Cursed Spirits in the basement a year prior to this.
“You shouldn’t call your Cursed Technique, Projection though… the Zenin also has one with the same name, but it revolves around… frames? I don’t really remember, but it’s kinda dumb,” Satoru said while letting go of the knives he had held and placed them at the kitchen table. “And Gradation Air? Seriously? It’s like a name of a cheap airline from the boonies or something.”
His little brother looked like he took offence of that, but Satoru just shook it off, not having any care about it whatsoever.
“How about Tracing?”
“Sounds better. Don’t tell me you have a stupid childish mantra like “Tracing, on!” or something…” Satoru just instantly commented and let loose whatever it was he was thinking.
His little brother narrowed his eyes further, and Satoru instantly could tell what he meant by it.
“Oh my god, you do, don’t you?! HAHAHAHHAHA—“ Satoru just burst out laughing after he said those words, making Shirou all the more annoyed.
“Dinner’s done. You want to keep laughing like an idiot and not have any, or sit still and be polite?” his little brother said those words with no joking tone whatsoever. At first, Satoru still wanted to laugh some more and tease Shirou, but after smelling what he had been cooking, he did what he was told… for the first time in his life.
As Satoru instantly sat down, the six-year-old chef prepared a serving for both him and his brother. Lo and behold, it was just a simple dish that a mundane Japanese person would enjoy; Oyakodon.
‘It looks just like a normal Oyakodon… I guess my little bro can cook, after all,’ Satoru thought while looking at the dish in front of him, seeing that it didn’t look bad and very appetizing.
He thought it would taste just like the numerous Oyakodon he’d had, not expecting it to be different.
Satoru Gojo took one bite… and the rest was history.
“Holy… fucking shit.”
**********
She did not know why.
Why she was in this predicament in the first place. Why she was in a rundown place, being fed with garbage and other things.
Other girls close to her age were with her as well, facing the same predicament.
Their clothes were rundown, their place of living was rundown… everything that she could see was rundown, even their state of living.
It was not too much to say that all hope was lost from her point of view.
She barely even remembered the faces of her parents, as she did not know their fate after coming across that thing.
That thing that they called Mother, ever since they had met it.
They all knew it wasn’t their mother. But anyone who cried or complained would suddenly disappear. So, gradually, they all fell silent.
How long had it been?
She tried to remember and make any sense on how long had it been since she had a warm meal to eat, a warm place to stay.
She looked at another girl beside her, and how lifeless her eyes were.
Even though she was the most beautiful and cute girl she had ever seen in her short life, looking at her lifeless eyes just made her even more hopeless due to their state.
Her train of thought was interrupted as another girl who was standing a bit far away from her screamed, looking like she was having a mental breakdown, all of a sudden.
Mother then appeared.
Its many faces looked enraged, looking like it was disturbed by her scream.
Its many hands started to move, and in the next second, the girl who had screamed was gone.
One thing that replaced her was only traces of blood, and all she could do was watch. She wondered just how long it had been considering she would not be terrified at such a horrible sight.
The other girls could only squirm as well; not wanting to let out a voice in order to let Mother’s ire befell them.
She looked at the girl beside her, and how she didn’t react at all.
Her platinum-blonde hair was so dirty as many traces of dirt and dust littered it, her eyes faced downward as she also took her legs in a sitting position to meet her face.
This was only one of the many days she had gone through. Little did she know that it had been about a year that all of them were in this predicament.
She looked far from the rundown place that they were situated in, hoping to see some change or some kind of hope that she could latch on to.
She thought that she would not get anything with her eyes just searching, looking towards the trees.
All of a sudden, she noticed something.
It was a white fluffy tail— no, a white dog with a fluffy white tail, standing with all four, far away from her position.
It was the cutest thing, but for her eyes, for some reason, it looked like hope.
Without much thinking, she decided to follow the white dog, not knowing what was in store for her.
On this day, where her life had been filled with hopelessness and despair…
Hana Kurusu decided to follow a dog, looking for any semblance of hope and let fate made a decision on her life.
Hana crept away from the rundown shack, her eyes fixed on the white dog. She moved quietly, not wanting to attract the attention of Mother or any of her many faces.
The dog paused, looking back at her with intelligent, almost knowing eyes, as if urging her to hurry. It trotted ahead, leading her away from the place that had been her prison for what felt like an eternity.
As she followed, the sounds of the other girls' soft sobs and the eerie creaking of the dilapidated building faded into the background. The forest ahead seemed almost inviting, a stark contrast to the desolation she was leaving behind.
For the first time in a long while, Hana felt a flicker of hope.
The white dog led her through the dense underbrush, its fluffy tail bouncing with each step. Hana struggled to keep up, her thin legs and bare feet not used to such exertion.
Branches scratched her arms, and she stumbled over roots, but she kept moving, driven by the promise of something better.
After what felt like hours, the dog finally stopped at the edge of a small clearing. In the center stood a large tree with gnarled branches that stretched towards the sky.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The air here was different—clean, fresh, and filled with the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves.
Hana collapsed at the base of the tree, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. The dog sat beside her, its warm presence comforting.
For a moment, she simply sat there, enjoying the simple pleasure of being outside, free from the oppressive gloom of Mother's domain.
"Thank you," she whispered to the dog, reaching out to touch its soft fur. The dog leaned into her touch, its eyes full of understanding.
Hana and the dog then saw a bus stop and made their rest there. They finally escaped the dark forest and finally saw a man-made street.
Hana then thought on why this dog suddenly materialized, now knowing how such a miracle could occur and all of a sudden, her questions were answered…
…As she saw three boys walking and started to appear on her line of sight.
**********
Many months had passed after the Gojo brothers visited the Fushiguro siblings for the first time.
It had been more than a surprise for the latter, as they had been on the brink of not only bankruptcy, but also close to being malnourished.
Indeed, the Fushiguro siblings had only some of the small amount of money that had been left behind by none other than their deadbeat parents.
They did not know where their current whereabouts were, but they simply did not care.
As for their salvation, it lied on none other than one of the weirdest, annoying, abrasive people they had ever met; Satoru Gojo.
Satoru not only saved them from the fate of being malnourished and bankruptcy, but also willing to take care of them in the long run.
He remembered just how he had proclaimed it to his sister.
“Technically, my family and his dad’s family are kinda related, I guess… And Megumi here is so talented that we’re willing to give him not only scholarships but also everything else! You’re also gonna be taken care of, don’t worry…”
The more he remembered it, the more he wanted to forget it. Satoru truly came at such a good timing that him and Tsumiki just accepted it… even though Satoru had come of as someone that was the definition of a ‘stranger-danger’.
But alas, it was all true.
Satoru not only gave them money for living costs, but also everything else. Housekeepers to look after them from time to time, Weekly allowances for them both to have, and even monthly spending for clothes.
All because his deadbeat of a father almost sold him to another family, and basically planned to leave Tsumiki alone.
His train of thought was just that; the fact on how lucky he was with meeting Satoru. Then again, looking back at his life, it could never be called ‘lucky’ to begin with.
“Remind me again why we’re following you…” the other child with him asked Satoru, as they were walking uphill on a pathway surrounded with trees.
That other child was none other that Satoru’s little brother, Shirou. Shirou was of the same age as Megumi, having the same color of hair as Satoru, but his skin was a bit more tanned than the rest who was walking.
“I told you guys, I have a really cool mission and this is where you guys get to watch and also learn on what it’s like to be a Sorcerer,” Satoru answered Shirou’s question while looking backwards. He was positioned in the front, leading the two boys who were keeping up with him.
“That’s why I need a reminder,” Shirou stated while walking with his backpack. “Aren’t your missions too dangerous for two kids to be tagging along?”
“Hey, you got the Strongest Sorcerer here to watch you guys. Don’t worry too much, and just let it flow,” Satoru answered again, this time, a bit more nonchalant.
After knowing what kind of a person Satoru was ever since the first time Megumi had met him, he would just follow along with any kind of stupidity of a direction that Satoru was telling him to go.
Satoru had trained him about twice a month in average; teaching him the basics of what Cursed Energy was and also how to utilize his Cursed Technique.
The trio continued their uphill trek, the forest's canopy casting dappled shadows on the path. Birds chirped and leaves rustled, creating a serene soundtrack to their journey. Despite the beauty surrounding them, a sense of anticipation hung in the air.
"How much longer until we reach the mission site?" Megumi asked, breaking the silence.
"Not too far now," Satoru replied, his tone casual. "Just over this ridge and we'll be there."
Shirou sighed, adjusting his backpack. "I still think this is a bit much for a mission. Couldn't you have picked something closer to the city?"
Satoru chuckled. "Where's the fun in that? Besides, it's good for you two to get out of your comfort zones. This is all part of the training."
As they reached the top of the ridge, the view opened up before them. A vast expanse of forest stretched out below, with a small housing estate nestled in a valley. In the distance, they could see the remains of old, dilapidated houses, their once-grand structure now crumbling and overgrown with ivy.
Megumi squinted at the scene before them. "Is that where we're going?" he asked, pointing towards the dilapidated houses.
The welcoming sign of the dilapidated housing estate bore the name “Furoda Hills”. A sign of a gated community that used to be filled with life, now looked as abandoned as ever.
Satoru nodded. "That’s the place. There's been some strange activity reported there, and it's our job to check it out."
Shirou frowned. "Strange activity? Like what?"
"Disappearances and such…" Satoru explained, his tone turning serious. "We’re gonna meet some guys that’s gonna give us the details. We have people that do those things, but for now, I thought this would be a nice experience for you guys to know."
Megumi and Shirou exchanged a glance, their apprehension palpable. Despite their training, they were still just kids, facing dangers that most adults couldn't even comprehend.
Satoru noticed their unease and gave them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'll be right there with you. Just stick close, and we'll handle this together."
With that, they began their descent into the valley, the path growing narrower and more overgrown. The forest seemed to close in around them, the air becoming cooler and more still.
As they approached the outskirts of the housing estate, the dilapidation became more apparent. Walls were crumbling, windows were shattered, and the entire area seemed to exude an aura of neglect and decay.
“Where is everybody huh? Bingo?”
Satoru nonchalantly commented while waiting for reactions coming from the kids. They only deadpanned when they heard it, not really wanting to comment on Satoru’s line of reference. “I always wanted to say that…”
Four people were then sighted by the three boys, wearing some mundane clothes. They were four not so middle-aged men that looked to be waiting for an arrival.
“Ahh, there they are,” Satoru said while pointing at the four men who were waiting for him to arrive, clearly looking a bit apprehensive as well.
The two younglings decided to follow Satoru, who was walking towards them in a relaxed manner.
“So, you guys are the ones who called us here, huh?” Satoru said in a nonchalant manner. “Can you give us the details?”
“Uhh, sure…” one of the four spoke, looking more apprehensive as he looked at the two children behind Satoru. “Why are there children with you?”
“It’s ‘bring your kids to work day’,” Satoru explained his situation, with Megumi and Shirou just looking at him and narrowing their eyes a bit. “Don’t worry, it’s all good.”
“Okay… So, let me explain from the start,” one of the not so middle-aged men spoke while swallowing his non-existent spit. “Furoda Hills. It used to be a gated community filled with middle-to-upper class families; some were even foreign expatriates as well.”
“You see, we’re actually just some guys that live in a village close to here. A few years ago, a developer looked at this land and thought; “Hey, this is some prime real estate here. You got a nice view of the hills, it’s close to the city as well, basically perfect for a suburban life.””
The two boys tried to listen to the details carefully, unlike Satoru, who was just looking around the vicinity.
“So, how come no one lives here anymore?” Satoru asked while still looking around instead of looking at the person who gave him the details.
“That’s the thing. We, from the village close to here, tried to explain that this land was not… habitable,” the person continued to explain, a sweat started to drop from his forehead. “The elders from our village said that a horrible curse is placed upon this land; something about mothers that lived in this land losing their children when World War II happened and was forced to only raised daughters or something…”
“The developers didn’t really care about it, and we just hoped that everything would go well, you know?”
Satoru immediately understood the situation, but for Megumi and Shirou to understand further, he had a line of questioning ready on his head.
“Everything didn’t go well, huh?” Satoru asked the mundane man in front of him.
“At first, it was all well; ‘Furoda Hills’ got finished, many houses got filled instantly, some were foreigners as well,” the man who was giving the details started to sweat even more. “But in a matter of months, people started to die in a gruesome manner! Like, seriously! I’m talking like, the bodies had no spleen when they were discovered, and their limbs gone as well!”
Megumi had his eyes slightly widened after hearing such a gruesome and horror detail, but Shirou, on the other hand, kept his cool and tried to listen more intently.
“And what’s worse was that the female children started to go missing as well, whereas the adults and the boys… they were the ones that got discovered like that,” the more he explained, the more fearful he looked. “They beg for our assistance, so we set up search parties and the likes… but the girls are still missing to this day, and some that volunteered to search… they ended up missing or died, in the same gruesome manner.”
“How long has it been going on?” Satoru asked, looking a bit more serious. “And where’s the rest of the occupants of this gated community?”
“Well, after that, people started to move away and basically abandoned Furoda Hills. This happened about a year ago. We tried to go to the police, and they sent the likes of you… but we never heard of the ones that got sent here. I think they got the same fate as the rest of the corpses we found.”
Satoru knew the details of this mission even before he got sent here. They had sent some Grade 2 Sorcerers to this mission, but they never returned.
From behind him, the kid with the same white hair as Satoru started to have a train of thought after hearing all of the details of this mission.
‘This mission needs a Grade 1 Sorcerer or perhaps even higher. Judging by the size of this gated community, and the amount of bodies and missing persons, we’re probably dealing with more than just one Cursed Spirit…’ he thought.
“Any recent details that got unearthed that you can share with us?” Satoru asked again. “Or is that all?”
“Ahh, yes. That’s why we’re here in the first place,” the guy answered and started to look behind him. “Oi, Kenji! Show them your footage!”
The man that was designated as ‘Kenji’ wore a mundane checkered shirt and jeans. He then brought out a camcorder and moved towards Satoru’s position of standing.
“Me and my friends from college wanted to go hiking a week ago, to explore the scenery of the hills around here. It all started fine, but in the middle of the forest, we started to hear… voices,” Kenji explained while opening up his camcorder to show Satoru a footage
“Brats, come take a look as well,” Satoru called out Megumi and Shirou behind him to move towards to his position, gesturing them to view the footage as well.
“Uhmm, aren’t they a little too young to be here in the first place?” Kenji asked.
Satoru opened his mouth to disagree, but then he took a look at the kids behind him, the ones that were still in the age of grade-schoolers.
“Yes… yes, they are,” Satoru said in a monotone voice. “Just show us the footage.”
Kenji then started to play the footage on his camcorder, with Satoru, Megumi, and Shirou watching intently. Their attention fixed on the grainy footage playing on the camcorder. The old device hummed softly, its worn-out tape whirring as the video began to play.
The footage was shaky, the camera operator clearly nervous. The timestamp in the corner indicated that the video had been recorded a few days earlier. The scene showed a dense, overgrown forest, the camera panning slowly across the trees as the person holding it trudged through the underbrush.
"Are you sure this is the place?" a man's voice asked from behind the camera. His tone was laced with apprehension.
"Yeah," another voice replied, a woman this time. "This is where they said the girls were last seen."
The camera focused on a narrow path, barely visible beneath the tangled vines and fallen leaves. The camera operator hesitated before stepping forward, following the path deeper into the woods. The sound of crunching leaves and snapping twigs filled the room, adding to the growing sense of unease.
Satoru leaned forward, his expression serious as he watched the footage with Megumi feeling a knot of tension forming in his stomach. They knew this wasn't going to end well.
The camera continued to follow the path until the forest suddenly opened up into a small clearing. In the center of the clearing was an old, decrepit building that looked like it had been abandoned for years. The walls were covered in moss and vines, and the roof had partially caved in.
"Is this it?" the man's voice asked again, quieter this time.
The camera zoomed in on the building, focusing on a broken window that revealed the dark interior. The woman responded, her voice trembling slightly. "It has to be. Let's go inside."
The screen flickered as the camera moved closer to the building. The operator hesitated again before stepping through the broken doorway, the camera's lens adjusting to the dim light inside. The room they entered was in ruins, with debris scattered across the floor and cobwebs hanging from the ceiling.
"Look over there," the woman whispered, and the camera turned to follow her gaze.
In the corner of the room, barely visible in the shadows, were several small figures huddled together. The camera zoomed in, revealing a group of young girls, their clothes dirty and torn. They were pale and thin, their eyes wide with fear as they huddled together for warmth. Their lifeless expressions were haunting.
"Oh my god," the man breathed, his voice shaking. "We found them."
Megumi clenched his fists, his heart pounding as he watched the scene unfold. Satoru's eyes were covered with his trademark sunglasses, while Shirou's expression remained unreadable.
"Get them out of here," the woman said urgently, her voice rising in panic. "We need to—"
The footage suddenly shook violently as the camera operator turned towards the entrance of the room. The screen blurred as the camera swung around, capturing the sight of a dark figure standing in the doorway.
“GeT aWay fRoM mY cHildReN!!!”
Before the footage could reveal more, the screen suddenly cut to static. The camcorder's tape sputtered for a moment before going completely black.
Silence filled the area as the three watched the screen, the tension thick in the air. Kenji was the first to speak, his voice low and serious.
“The camcorder just stopped working after that… voice appeared. We then just ran like crazy, and thank god, we escaped with our lives,” Kenji explained with a terrified voice, looking to sweat more in the process. “We didn’t see anyone, or anything, that made that voice. The camcorder didn’t capture anything as well…”
Megumi looked a bit confuse, as it was clear on the footage just who, or what, it was that made that terrifying voice.
The figure was tall and grotesque, its form barely human, with multiple faces and arms that twisted unnaturally. It was a monster that could only be described as something that came out of a nightmare.
Megumi then remembered that only people like him were able to see these things, and those that didn’t have Cursed Energy, those like Kenji, for instance, would only see a dark figure looming instead of the figure he had just seen in the footage.
“Okay, I think I know what we’re dealing with here!” Satoru inexplicably interrupted the silence, abruptly interrupting Megumi’s thoughts in the process.
“You do?” Kenji asked Satoru, who looked a bit dumbfounded and confused.
“Yes. Now, this is the time where all four of you leave this place,” Satoru said while looking at the other guys as well. “Go towards the outskirts of the gated community or something and wait there. We’ll handle it from here.”
The four guys did what they were told and left the premises, leaving Satoru, Megumi and Shirou with their own company inside the abandoned housing estate.
“Okay, now it’s time to do the work,” Satoru commanded Megumi and Shirou, who were waiting to see what Satoru had in store for them. “Shirou, open your bag and let it rip!”
Megumi didn’t know what was inside of Shirou’s bag, making his question just what it was that was in store and also making him a bit curious.
Shirou opened his huge bag, comically a bit bigger than his small body, and in a matter of seconds, he laid out camp.
A camping mat was laid out by him, also bringing out two huge thermoses and of course, a camping basket.
“Don’t you feel a little guilty for making your kid brother to prepare all of this?” Shirou asked Satoru monotonously. He had prepared all of these food and beverages for camping because Satoru had commanded him since last night.
“Oh, come on, Shirou. You’re the only person I entrust to do all this!” Satoru answered in an excited manner, making his brother deadpanned even more. “Besides, with your cooking and all, Megumi should have the honor of trying it as well.”
Megumi could only sigh after hearing that Satoru basically had ordered his little brother to prepare for camping, instead of focusing on the mission.
“Now then, Megumi, it’s your turn!” Satoru looked at Megumi in his usual expression of being obnoxious.
“What do I need to do? I didn’t prepare anything for camping,” Megumi said.
“I’m not saying anything about camping, jeez…” Satoru explained to Megumi while kneeling down to match Megumi’s eye level. “Now that you’ve tamed one, it’s time to practice; summon it.”
Megumi understood what Satoru was commanding him to do, and so, he made a hand sign that looked like the head of a dog.
“Divine Dog,” Megumi chanted and brought forth his summon from his own shadow. In a matter of seconds, a white wolf-like dog with a fluffy tail appeared.
This was the Innate Technique of Megumi Fushiguro; to be able to summon a wide array of Shikigami.
“Good job. Now then, command it to search the premises and find one of those missing children or a clue of the Cursed Spirit lingering around here,” Satoru said to Megumi, who was patting the white dog’s head.
“You heard him. Go and find what we’re looking for,” Megumi said to the Shikigami dog and it nodded to him.
In an instant, the white dog barked and started to sniff around the place. After sniffing the scent of the area, it ran and disappeared toward the dark forest that was surrounding Furoda Hills.
“Okay, we’re gonna wait while Megumi’s Shikigami look around the premises and search for clues,” Satoru said to the kids while clapped his hands. “This is why the camping is needed!”
Satoru, Megumi, and Shirou started to sit down at the camping mat, intending to wait for the dog to come back after searching the perimeter and find the whereabouts of either the missing children or the Cursed Spirit that was holding them hostage.
“So, what have you prepared for us, my genius chef of a little brother?” Satoru excitedly sat down and asked Shirou what in his mind was the most important question that he could think of.
“We only have sandwiches here…” Shirou answered without any excitement whatsoever.
He then opened the camping basket and, lo and behold, was sandwiches that were filled with bacon, eggs, lettuce, and tomato along with a special sauce that he made from scratch.
“It’s nothing much, but it should be enough,” the six-year-old chef stated while also started to prepare what he had cooked on the thermos. “This thermos is filled with clam chowder, and the other is filled with hot green tea.”
Shirou had prepared the hot dishes for the rather cold weather that they were experiencing this instance, with all of them wearing long coats and all, and the fact that the sandwiches could be served in an atmosphere that was not warm as well, made this a well-prepared occasion.
Even with how mundane everything that Shirou had said, Megumi could smell the clam chowder to be very mouth-watering and the sandwiches looked more exquisite than with how Shirou presented it to be.
Shirou then served the clam chowder with the cups he had stored in his bag for this occasion, along with the green tea as well.
Satoru only smiled rather largely while looking at the dishes that were presented, and Megumi, even though he never really showed it, eagerly waited to dig in himself.
Megumi took a bite of the sandwich and felt a burst of flavor he hadn’t anticipated. The combination of the crispy bacon, creamy egg, and fresh vegetables blended perfectly with the tangy sauce that seemed too sophisticated for a six-year-old to whip up.
He glanced over at Shirou, who sat across from him with a calm, unbothered expression, as if making such a meal was an everyday affair.
“This is really good,” Megumi murmured after swallowing his first bite, his tone sincere. “Thanks.”
Shirou’s gaze flickered to him, and a small, almost imperceptible smile formed at the corner of his lips. “I just made it the way I like it,” he replied casually, pouring some hot green tea into a small cup and handing it to Megumi.
Satoru, meanwhile, was practically inhaling his food. “Delicious as always, Shirou!” he chimed, his mouth half-full. “You’re a prodigy! Not just in cooking, but in life! Gonna make someone a very happy partner one day, just you wait!”
Shirou shot his older brother a flat look. “You’re embarrassing,” he muttered before turning back to the food, avoiding eye contact.
“True,” Megumi agreed softly. He wasn’t particularly interested in praising Satoru—most of the time, Satoru didn’t deserve it—but Shirou’s efforts were noteworthy.
Living alone for so long had made Megumi aware of how difficult it was to provide for others, and Shirou did it almost effortlessly. He realized, in a way, how fortunate it was to have someone like Shirou around.
The three sat in comfortable silence for a while, listening to the faint rustling of the forest around them. Even in the middle of what was supposed to be a dangerous mission, Satoru had turned it into something that felt almost like a normal day out—a day free from anxiety, at least for a little while.
But that calm was shattered abruptly when Megumi’s white dog reappeared from the dense underbrush, its ghostly figure materializing silently in the shadows. The Shikigami barked softly, its tail wagging as it approached Megumi with purpose.
Megumi immediately stiffened. “It found something.”
Satoru straightened up, his demeanor shifting from casual to serious in an instant. He turned to Shirou and Megumi, his tone soft but commanding. “Stay close to me. Whatever it is, we’re going in together.”
They rose to their feet, leaving the warmth of their small picnic behind as they followed the Shikigami deeper into the abandoned estate. The dog led them through winding paths and ruined structures, the oppressive atmosphere thickening with each step.
Shadows seemed to stretch and twist unnaturally as they moved deeper, as if the entire place was alive and watching their every move.
Finally, the Shikigami stopped in front of a small, crumbling cottage at the end of the estate—a hut that looked old.
The white dog went inside and the boys followed, anticipating something that could lead them to getting closer to finishing the mission.
Inside the cottage, they instead found her.
A young female child looking malnourished, dirty and abandoned. She had light blonde hair and dirty rags for clothing. The dog sat down close to her, looking bigger than her frail body.
The boys could tell that she was around the same age as Megumi and Shirou, realizing that this was one of the children that had gone missing, and Megumi’s Shikigimi had found her.
“Hey, that was quick! What did you guys find?” Satoru and his students heard one of the four guys that called them for this mission shouting from afar, noticing that they were on the outskirts of the estate and the guys were waiting around there.
“Yo, guys! Come here, you might wanna see this!” Satoru shouted towards the non-sorcerers from his position, going outside the cottage that was placed beside a small station. “Megumi, go retrieve your puppy.”
Megumi did what he was told and went toward the white Shikigami’s position, whereas Shirou followed Satoru, who was moving towards the non-sorcerers’ position.
“Alright, what do you want us to see?” one of them said to Satoru after reaching his position, and Satoru just gestured them to go towards the small cottage.
They immediately went to it, looking curious on what it was that had been found.
“There’s a girl! I think she’s older!!” one of the guys who had entered the cottage found the small girl, looking very untreated and horrid.
The rest of the guys immediately rushed towards her position, looking like they were in a hurry. “She’s had it rough! Give her to the cops!!”
Meanwhile, Satoru just stared at the situation with a small grin, whereas his little brother was beside him, also staring at the newfound situation they had brought in.
Megumi was retrieving his Shikigami. The dog with a fluffy white tail was trotting toward his position and he also took a small walk to retrieve it.
Satoru looked at Megumi with a bit of a sense of pride and also a small wonderment. His train of thought was going towards how Megumi had a lot of talent in him.
He thought about the Ten Shadows Technique and how at such a small age, Megumi was able to tame one of the summons that came with said technique.
He then looked at his younger brother as well, thinking about Shirou Gojo’s potential and talent as well, even though it was still a mystery at him,
Megumi patted his dog’s fluffy head and fur, and Satoru noticed that the small girl came out of the cottage with the rest of the non-sorcerers with her, looking to give her care and such.
This situation made Satoru smirk. “She might fall for you, y’know?” Satoru commented while teasing Megumi, who had arrived at their position with his Shikigami dog.
Megumi just ignored him, making Satoru smirked even more. He then ruffled Megumi’s hair, saying that he shouldn’t ignore him as well.
Meanwhile, the younger Gojo was only standing in silence, having his own train of thought.
“Now what?” he asked his ‘big brother’ who was still playing with Megumi’s scalp, making the one who got the short end of it even more annoyed.
After Satoru annoyed the shit out of Megumi, he then took a look at the abandoned estate and the vast forest that was around it.
“Now, the real fun begins.”
Comments
O'neil Mc
I would like point out that the divine dogs are automatically given to any new ten shadows user, you don't need to tame them. But I find it funny in the bumguni agenda sorta way that he's the only that has to tame something that just given lol l.
laserot 21
me hice tier 3 por primera ves en un patreon solo para leer estos 2 capítulos extra me dolió pero los disfrute como no tienen idea
Dave Adrian
Hey guys, just updating the ending of the chapter
Bookworm bibliophile
Can shirou create all the nobal phantom he have seen in his 1000+ years or he need to copy the weapons of this world and mix with his own curse energy? Is there limitation to his power?
