Jujutsu Kaisen: False Dawn

One Month and One Week Ago- Chapter 24

It was quiet—eerily so. Ren stepped out of his apartment, the door softly clicking shut behind him. The night was cool, jacket-worthy, and the street lights were too far to light up the edges of the path. He pulled his cap lower, jacket zipped, hands in pockets. The familiar hoodie and jeans—the same ones he'd been wearing for a week—gave him a strange comfort.

One month and one week. That's how long it had been since he woke up in this body. Since he realized he was no longer in his world. Since curses were no longer fictional. Every day, since that moment, had been soaked in struggle, frustration, and training.

He made his way to the shrine.

The trees welcomed him with the rustle of their leaves, the wind hushing like an old friend. The moon was full—silver and high—just like that first night. A memory surfaced: how terrified he'd been to even move that first night when the woman-curse crept in the shadows. How powerless he had felt.

Not anymore.

Ren stood at the foot of the steps. He took off his cap and his jacket, dropping them beside the mossy stone railing. He rolled his shoulders. His body had changed. It felt leaner, tighter. Even now, running cursed energy through his limbs was almost second nature.

He took a deep breath.

A soft hum filled the silence as cursed energy sparked from his core. It traveled through the internal Red Stitch circuit he had crafted over days of insane training. From stomach to spine, to limbs and skull. A fragile net—but his net.

He took a step, then another, then broke into a sprint.

He bolted up the steps, faster than ever before. His speed was definitely different. By the time he reached the top, he hadn't even broken a sweat. There was no one around. Just Ren. Just this moment.

He jumped.

He didn't think about it—just acted. His feet left the ground and his body soared higher than it ever had. The moon seemed closer than ever, bathing his face in soft silver. For a moment, he wasn't afraid. Not of curses. Not of failure. Not of dying in this world.

He landed on a tree, balancing for a heartbeat, then launched himself again.

Down below, he struck the earth with a punch—curse energy reinforcing his knuckles. The bark of the tree cracked loudly. This time, his hand wasn't in pain.

He pulled his arm back and laughed. "I'm superhuman now," he whispered, breath fogging in the cold air. "Grade 3… maybe."

He looked at the damage. It was nothing compared to what real sorcerers could do, but still... it was a mark. His mark.

Red Stitch came next.

He flicked his hand and a web of cursed threads launched forward. They were slightly harder to control now—his internal circuits clashing with external usage—but he could manage. He threw a red thread up at a tree branch. It latched.

And then he swung.

The first attempt failed; he crashed to the ground with a grunt. But the second? The second worked. He swung like a janky Spiderman, feet kicking out in midair, wind rushing through his hair. His laughter echoed off the trees.

Kai2 was still asleep back in the apartment. A floating fish with a dumb face and a knack for sleeping on Ren's pillow. Kai1 was gone. Long gone. But the curse had given Ren the first real step.

"I've changed…" Ren whispered.

He wasn't the same kid who sat on the stairs trembling. The one who didn't know if he could even see cursed spirits without dying.

He could now coat his body in cursed energy for 10 minutes. TEN. That was insane. A 1900% increase. His cursed energy had gotten stronger, purer, more controlled. Even if it was still weaker than any prodigy's, it was his.

His fingers sparked. The red strings curled around them like loyal threads. He flicked them out again—less jagged now, more elegant. He wrapped one around a branch and tugged lightly. It bent under the pressure.

Ren stood tall in the clearing.

Looking up at the moon, he whispered, "All I did… all I have… is because I refused to die weak."

He stood like that for a while. The night wind cooled the sweat that wasn't even there. His muscles didn't ache the same. His core was steady.

For once, he wasn't afraid to look forward.

Not to Yuta.

Not even to Rika.

He smiled. It wasn't arrogance.

It was hope.