The name dropped like a stone into a river.
Mephisto…?
My mind went blank. White noise. Static—
ksshhhh
"Who?"
The word came out flat. Confused. My brain was still trying to catch up, sluggish from the painkillers or the concussion or both.
Kamiki's expression didn't change. She stood there, arms still crossed, pink eyes watching me like I was a specimen under glass. Cold. Analytical. Like she was already calculating how much of a problem I'd become.
"Mephisto Pheles. The Chairman of True Cross Academy."
Click.
Something in my head connected. The eccentric guy. The one who ran this whole place. But—
"What does he have to do with—"
"Everything."
She cut me off. Sharp. Dismissive.
"If you're hunting demons inside True Cross, it falls under his jurisdiction. Without his authorization, you're not just breaking rules—you're a liability."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Her finger against her arm again. That impatient rhythm.
"Mephisto handles… abnormalities. People who don't fit the system. People who could become problems."
People like me.
The words sat heavy in my chest.
Thump-thump.
My heartbeat felt too loud.
"I don't need—"
"Yes, you do."
Her voice was ice. Clinical. Like she was stating a fact, not offering an opinion.
"You have power. Zero training. Zero oversight. Do you understand how reckless that is?"
She took a step closer, and I noticed Mike—her familiar—staying perfectly still at her heel. Even the little fox spirit seemed wary.
Shhh.
Her slippers against the floor.
"You're a walking accident waiting to happen. And when you do explode—and you will—other people get hurt."
She paused, her pink eyes narrowing slightly.
"I won't let that happen."
Gulp.
My throat went dry.
There it was. Not concern for me. Concern for everyone else.
"So here's what's going to happen," she continued, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You're going to meet with Mephisto. You're going to answer his questions honestly. And he's going to decide whether you can stay here or if you need to be… handled."
"Handled?"
"Memory suppression. Ability sealing. Relocation to a normal school far away from here."
She said it like she was reading a checklist. Like erasing someone's entire existence was just administrative procedure.
"Or, if you prove you're not a complete idiot, he might let you stay. Under strict supervision, of course."
Buzzzzz.
The fluorescent lights hummed louder. The sound drilled into my skull.
"I didn't ask for this."
"No one asks for power."
For the first time, something flickered behind her eyes. Not sympathy. More like… bitter understanding.
"But you have it. So stop whining and deal with the consequences."
She adjusted the strap of her bag with practiced efficiency. Mike shifted at her feet.
Rustle.
"He'll visit you tomorrow. Probably in the morning."
"Probably?"
"Mephisto does what he wants, when he wants. Don't expect predictability."
Great. Just what I needed.
Kamiki turned toward the door, her movements precise and economical.
Swish
Her purple hair caught the light for just a moment.
"Wait."
The word came out before I could stop it.
She paused. Didn't turn around. Just stood there, waiting.
"Why are you doing this? Helping me?"
Silence.
Buzzz.
The hum of the lights filled the void.
Beep… beep…
The soft beep of the IV machine.
"I'm not helping you."
Her voice was quiet. Matter-of-fact.
"I'm protecting everyone else. You're dangerous because you don't know what you're doing. And ignorant power is the worst kind."
Click.
The door handle turned.
"Get some rest. You'll need your strength for tomorrow."
A pause.
"And don't do anything stupid. I'll know."
And then she was gone.
Thud.
The door closed.
Silence crashed back in, thick and suffocating.
I stared at the ceiling. White. Sterile. Empty.
My hand twitched.
Crack
A spark of pain shot through my nerves.
Hssss.
I hissed through my teeth.
Kamiki's words echoed in my head.
Ignorant power is the worst kind.
Was that what I was? Dangerous because I didn't know better?
I thought about the Curse. The way it had burned. The way the lightning had felt, wild and uncontrolled, tearing through my body like I was just a conduit. Not the master. Just the weapon.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
My pulse was too fast again.
What if she was right?
What if I hurt someone next time?
The ceiling blurred. My eyes were heavy. Exhaustion pulling at me like weights.
Thump.
My head sank back into the pillow.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, someone would come. This "Mephisto" person. And he'd decide my fate.
Whether I get to keep this power.
Whether I get to keep my memories.
Whether I even got to stay.
Sighhhh.
I exhaled slowly, feeling the pull of sleep dragging me under.
Buzzzzz.
The lights hummed on. Unchanging. Uncaring.
And somewhere in the back of my mind, a thought whispered:
'What have I gotten myself into?'
***
Today was the day I met him.
But today was also the day I settled the fate that interchanged between us.
the wheel of fate.
had started to spin, in a way that one couldn't predict.
***
Morning came too soon.
Creeeak
The door opened before I was even fully awake.
"Good morning~!"
The voice was theatrical. Exaggerated. Like someone performing for an invisible audience.
I cracked my eyes open and immediately regretted it.
Standing in the doorway was a man in a white suit with a purple tie. His hair was dark, slicked back, and he wore a top hat that had no business being in a hospital room. But what caught my attention most were his eyes—sharp, calculating, ancient despite the playful smile on his face.
Tap tap tap
He walked in with a cane that clicked against the linoleum floor, each step deliberate and measured.
"You must be Norikashimo-kun~! What a pleasure to finally meet you!"
His smile was open wide, a big smile, encroached onto his face.
Thump-thump
My heart hammered in my chest.
"Mephisto Pheles, at your service! Though I suppose introductions are unnecessary at this point, yes?"
He pulled up a chair
'Where did that come from?'
and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. The movement was fluid and elegant, like a noble.
"Now then~."
Snap
He snapped his fingers, and suddenly the door was closed. I didn't see anyone close it.
"Let's have a little chat, shall we?"
With a simple wave of his finger, the space around us changed.
Small lumps of purple were scattered around.
This dimension had nothing but a lump of souls?
Bang.
His hand snapped upon the desk as he spoke.
"I'll be blunt, why don't you become my weapon!!"
His eyes stared past me, looking at something I couldn't see.
Intangible swords started to appear near my throat, it was clear.
I was sensing his killing intent.
He was gauging me.
Thump-thump
'This.... man is strong.'
His eyes gleamed behind his glasses. Purple. Like Kamiki's hair.
But instead of her being mad, it was clear.
This man wanted to kill me.
"I've heard some very interesting things about you. A boy who can hunt demons without any formal training. Who survived an encounter that should have killed him?"
He leaned forward slightly.
Creeeak
The chair groaned under the shift of weight.
"Tell me, Norikashimo-kun. Do you know what you are?"
"y-yes..."
I stared at him.
Those purple eyes. Sharp. Predatory. Like a cat that had cornered something small and breakable.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
A pocket watch. He'd pulled it from his vest without me noticing. The sound filled the silence between us.
"You say yes..."
His smile widened. Too wide. Too many teeth.
"But do you really know?"
Snap—
The watch closed.
The invisible pressure around my throat intensified. Not physical. Not something I could see or touch. But it was there. Suffocating. Heavy.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
My pulse hammered against my ribs.
"I'm... I'm a sorcerer."
The words came out weak. Pathetic. Like I was trying to convince myself as much as him.
"A sorcerer~?"
He tilted his head, that Devilish smile never wavering.
"How delightfully vague! But not quite complete, I'm afraid."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
His cane tapped against the floor. in a rhythm.
"Sorcerers are weapons, Norikashimo-kun. Tools shaped by Jujutsu society. Regulated. Monitored and Controlled."
He stood suddenly, the chair scraping back with a harsh—
Screeeech—
"But you? You're not registered with them, are you?"
He circled the Desk slowly, like a shark in shallow water.
"No enrollment records. No clan backing. No supervision from those stuffy higher-ups in the Jujutsu world."
I opened my mouth. Closed it.
Gulp.
My throat was dry.
"I... I'm supposed to enroll in 2015—"
"Ah, yes, 2015!"
He stopped at the foot of the bed, both hands resting on the top of his cane.
"Four whole years away. How... unfortunate."
Buzzzzz.
The lights overhead flickered.
Just for a second.
When they steadied, Mephisto's expression had changed. The smile was still there, but his eyes—
Cold.
Empty.
Like looking into a void.
"You see, Norikashimo-kun, I've been watching the Jujutsu world for quite some time. Fascinating really. Curses, sorcerers, the delicate balance between them."
Crack—
Pain lanced through my hand. I looked down.
Sparks. Tiny. Blue-white. Dancing across my knuckles.
Ssszzzt—
"But there's a problem."
Mephisto's voice dropped lower.
"The Jujutsu world is... closed off. Insular. Protected by certain individuals who make it very difficult for outsiders to... observe."
He leaned closer, and I could smell something sharp and acrid. Sulfur? Ozone?
"Gojo Satoru. Bearer of the Six Eyes. Master of the Limitless. A Special Grade sorcerer—no, something beyond that. A living barrier between his world and mine.."
Thump-thump-thump—
"What does that have to do with—"
"Everything."
His voice cut through mine like a blade.
Shhhhk—
The invisible swords pressed closer. I could feel them now. Not real. But real enough.
"Because of him, I can't touch their world. Can't study it. Can't... access it."
He straightened up, twirling his cane once.
Whoosh—
"But then you appear. A sorcerer with no thorns attached."
His smile returned, wider than before.
"A gift. Dropped right into my lap."
Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
My heart was too loud. Too fast.
"What... what do you want from me?"
"Want?"
He laughed. A rich, theatrical sound that echoed off the walls.
"Ahahaha!"
"My dear boy, I don't want to take anything from you. No, no, no."
He tapped the end of his cane against the floor.
THUNK.
"I want to offer you something."
Rustle—
From nowhere, a document appeared in his hand. Thick parchment, tied with a purple ribbon.
"Training. Real training. Not the watered-down curriculum you'd get at Jujutsu High. I'm talking about pushing those techniques of yours to their absolute limits."
He set the document on the edge of my bed.
Thump.
"Equipment. Resources. Access to knowledge that even the Jujutsu higher-ups don't possess."
Tap. Tap.
His fingers drummed against his cane.
"And protection. From them. From the Zenin clan, who might come looking. From anyone who might want to... claim someone with your potential."
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The pocket watch was out again, dangling from his fingers.
"All I ask in return..."
His purple eyes locked onto mine.
"...is that you work for me. When I need you. How I need you."
The room felt smaller.
Drip... drip...
Was that water? Or sweat running down my temple?
"Work for you... How?"
"Oh, nothing too strenuous~!"
The cheerful tone was back, but it felt wrong. Like a mask.
"Hunt some demons here and there. Deal with problems that require a... sorcerer's touch. Attend True Cross Academy as a student while occasionally handling special assignments."
He leaned in close.
Shhhhh—
His breath against my ear.
"Think of yourself as a weapon. My weapon. Like a sharpened sword—kept sheathed, honed to perfection. Sharp. Dangerous. Hidden until the moment I choose to draw you.!"
Thump-thump-thump-thump—
"And if I refuse?"
Silence.
The smile disappeared.
Bzzzzt—
The lights flickered again. Longer this time.
When they came back, Mephisto was no longer smiling.
"Then I report you to the Zenin Clan, a Zenin clan member running around, with the ten shadows, operating without supervision. Do you know what they would do?"
Shhhhk—
The invisible pressure returned. Heavier than before.
"Memory suppression. Technique sealing. Or worse—i can hand you over to the Zenin clan. After all, you are technically their property, aren't you?"
Crack—
My hand spasmed. Lightning arced across my fingers involuntarily.
Ssszzzt—
"Or..."
The pressure vanished instantly.
Whoosh—
Like someone had opened a window.
Mephisto straightened up, his smile returning.
"You could accept my generous offer. Live freely. Grow stronger. And occasionally do a little job for your very understanding benefactor."
He pulled the pocket watch up, checking the time.
Click.
"I'll give you twenty-four hours to decide."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He walked toward the door, cane clicking rhythmically.
"Oh, and Norikashimo-kun?"
He paused at the doorway, glancing back over his shoulder.
"Don't try to run. I have eyes everywhere in this academy. And your little curse technique leaves quite the... distinctive signature."
Shhhhk—
He tipped his hat.
Creak—
The door opened.
"Sleep well~!"
SLAM!
The door shut.
Silence crashed back in, thick and suffocating.
I stared at the document on my bed. Purple ribbon. Elegant script.
My hand twitched.
Ssszzzt—
Tiny sparks danced across my knuckles.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
My pulse wouldn't slow down.
A weapon.
That's what he wanted me to be.
Buzzzzz.
The lights hummed on. Unchanging. Uncaring.
I picked up the document with trembling fingers.
Rustle—
The parchment felt expensive. Heavy.
Twenty-four hours.
To decide whether I'd be a weapon...
Or a target.
Sighhhh.
I exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of the choice pressing down on me like those invisible swords.
'What the hell am I supposed to do?'
A/N: Is this A Gojo Up Scale????