Jujutsu Kaisen: False Dawn

 Questions, Paradoxes, and Annoying Worms – Chapter 135

I sat on the bed with my back propped against the wall, legs stretched out, and scrolls scattered around me like the aftermath of a mad scholar's obsession.

"Sealing Curses: A Primer."

"Cursed Experiments."

"Cursed Tool Creation"

"Forbidden Binding Vows."

The titles alone sounded heavy, but the contents? They weren't just heavy—they were mind-numbingly complicated. It had already been three full days since I started digging into them, and I still didn't fully grasp everything they were saying. The ancient ink was faded, the writing style dense and archaic, and every scroll seemed to hint at secrets far bigger than anything I'd learned so far in this messed-up world.

Sealing curses.

I thought it would be simple—just lock up a curse and call it a day. Nope. It turned out sealing wasn't just about throwing talismans around or wrapping something in paper. It was about manipulating the very structure of cursed energy—forcing a curse's existence into a "state of stillness" so absolute that even its energy couldn't leak. Some of the techniques involved were terrifyingly complex. One mistake and I'd probably end up sealing my own arm—or worse, my soul.

Forbidden binding vows.

Now, this was some real horror movie material. The scroll detailed how far binding vows could go if one was desperate—or crazy—enough. Most of what I read was suicide in pretty packaging.

'Sacrifice your sight for enhanced cursed perception.'

'Give up your sense of touch for unlimited cursed detection.'

And the worst ones weren't even written fully, just scratched-out notes about people who vanished after making "deals" with curses, which was funny since in a way I have done this... with Kai2 and Worm... In a way I have made deals with curses...

Cursed experiments.

This one was like reading the lab notes of the most deranged scientists in history. People had experimented on curses, humans, and cursed objects—splicing, mutating, merging. A few ideas stood out—ways to amplify cursed energy output by distorting the soul—but most of it sounded like the result of a curse-user high on something far worse than cursed energy. I couldn't tell if half of it was genius or just plain lunacy.

Cursed tool creation.

This was the only one that didn't feel completely new to me. I already knew the basics: you pump cursed energy into a tool until it naturally adapts and becomes a conduit. Keep forcing energy into the object until it can hold and circulate cursed energy without breaking. Easy in theory, a nightmare in practice if you don't have a lot of cursed energy—which, thanks to my recent vow, I don't.

But then I stumbled onto something… odd.

The scroll mentioned that some cursed tools existed before humans ever understood cursed energy. Tools dating back to eras when cursed energy wasn't even "recorded" or recognized.

I froze as I read it.

"Wait… how the hell does that make sense? Who made those cursed tools? And how? If humans didn't even understand cursed energy, where did these tools come from?"

That line dug into my brain like a thorn.

'Cursed tools that predate human cursed energy.'

I couldn't help but think of Kenjaku. That freak has been around longer than anyone, and I still don't know the full extent of what he knows or how old he is. He's like this… unanswered question in the story of Jujutsu Kaisen. Just like this paradox with the cursed tools.

"Could Kenjaku have made them? Or maybe someone even older? Angels? Demons? The manga kept throwing around terms like that, but we never really got answers."

The thought made me grit my teeth.

"And then there's Sukuna… 'Ryomen Sukuna.' Even his name isn't his real name. It's just a title. Gege never revealed his true identity or origin. All this lore, all these mysteries… And now I'm neck-deep in it, asking the same damn questions I used to yell at my screen when reading the manga."

I groaned and rubbed my face.

"I didn't come here for this. I just wanted to figure out how to expand my cursed energy pool and maybe craft a cursed weapon. I didn't sign up for a history lesson full of unsolved mysteries and paradoxes! Damn it!"

I grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it across the room. It nailed Kai2 right in the side.

The fish-like curse let out a wet "pop!" sound, flipped upside down, and crashed to the floor like a stunned goldfish. The worm immediately seized the opportunity.

"Mommy!" it squealed in that weird voice it had, slithering across the floor and wrapping itself around Kai2 like it was reenacting a bad wrestling match.

Kai2 flailed in helpless protest, but it's a fish with fins, not hands. All it could do was wriggle pathetically while Worm squeezed tighter.

I sighed. "Idiots. Both of you are freaks."

Time blurred after that. Days melted into each other as I kept reading, studying, and sketching rough plans in my head.

How do I increase my cursed energy reserves?

How do I forge my own cursed tool?

I had ideas—none good enough yet—but that wasn't stopping me from trying to figure something out.

Meanwhile, Mei Mei was… well, "around." Sort of.

Even though she lived in the same house as me, we barely crossed paths. I'd hole up in my room reading, and she'd appear just long enough to drop off meals. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner—like clockwork. Sometimes I'd catch her sighing as she walked out, as if annoyed that I wasn't doing anything flashy.

I overheard her once while she was folding my clothes—yes, folding my clothes even though I never told her to do that; she just started to do that...

"Ugh, why am I folding his shirts? I'm not a maid, damn it. But… at least he's not out there fighting again. It's peaceful… for now."

She was conflicted. Annoyed, but… I think she liked the quiet life. I smirked when I overheard her mutter under her breath about how "lazy geniuses" are the most dangerous type. She wasn't entirely wrong.

Still, I knew what she was really worried about.

She probably thought that if I stayed like this, hiding away, I'd quit jujutsu altogether.

Not gonna lie… Some days, I felt like it. I mean, there is no reason for me to keep growing stronger, honestly… I should just hide here and wait out 6 months until I get Rika back, and then I would still be strong… and strong enough to not be here, strong enough to just leave… Japan and never go back there…

But I have fucked up the plot, right? Yuta is not there… So the stuff he would do in the plot would be missing... there is no one else to do that stuff instead of him... I took Yuta's place in the plot for now to somewhat keep the plot normal… But if I really just give up… this world might fall in the face of Sukuna…

Ahhh… How has this happened?? Even though I am much stronger now, I still feel like there is a ticking time bomb on my back…

But no.

I'm not done yet. Not even close.

Because now there is not only the depiction, which is fueling me, but also the thrill… I never ever admitted this or accepted this, but the thrill of using jujutsu… outsmarting people…

Manipulating people…

Even fighting… It's actually weirdly enjoyable… Am I changing? no… It's just that I am accepting more of this world… and how twisted it is…