Jujutsu Kaisen: False Dawn

"Red Cursed Circuit" - Chapter 25

It was Monday morning. The café Ren sat in was quiet, filled only with the gentle clatter of cutlery, the hiss of steaming milk, and the occasional tap of someone scrolling through their phone. He sat near the back, beside the window, a cup of warm coffee sitting untouched before him, steam curling into the air. His eyes weren't on the drink. They were fixed on the world outside.

The same world that he no longer belonged to.

Ren's fingers lightly drummed against the ceramic cup as he thought. He didn't smile often—he didn't have much reason to lately—but this time he allowed himself one. Just last night, he had done it. The "Red Cursed Circuit." That's what he was calling it now. Not very creative, but it got the point across. A cursed technique merged with cursed energy control—an internal threading system created with his Red Stitch. A self-made cursed energy circuit.

He leaned back in his seat, letting the realization truly sink in. No one in Jujutsu Kaisen had ever done something like this before. Not even the Kamo clan with their blood manipulation. This was different. It was innovation born of desperation. It was obsession made manifest.

But Ren was also the first to admit—this "circuit" was incomplete. Far from it.

Right now, it is just one thread. A single line starting from his stomach that split into five: one up his spine and into his head, and four others branching down each limb. That was it. There were supposed to be dozens of threads, maybe hundreds—maybe even thousands—intertwining through his nervous system, supporting and enhancing every cursed energy output.

That would be the completed form of the Red Cursed Circuit.

But he was nowhere near that yet.

He took a sip of his now-lukewarm coffee. The bitter taste grounded him. Reminded him of why he couldn't celebrate just yet.

Because despite all this progress, he still lacked two things—two massive bottlenecks.

The first was simple: cursed energy.

Even with the insane boost in efficiency thanks to the Red Cursed Circuit—what he estimated to be a 1900% improvement—his cursed energy pool itself hadn't grown much. Maybe a little, but not enough. He still ran dry every single day after training. He had to sleep to recover. He couldn't scale it. He couldn't push past it. Not with how things were.

If he had to guess, his cursed energy reserves were maybe just a little higher than an average non-sorcerer who had been exposed to cursed energy long enough to develop some sensitivity. That was it.

The second thing holding him back?

Understanding.

Cursed energy wasn't just something you read about and learned. It was spiritual. Emotional. Physical. A living force that you had to train with, fail with, bleed with, and break with. And while Ren had one of the best theoretical understandings of the Jujutsu Kaisen world—thanks to manga knowledge—it didn't mean jack unless he could apply it.

He didn't have Gojo's Six Eyes.

He didn't have Yuta's monstrous pool of cursed energy.

He didn't have Yuji's body or Sukuna's talent.

He had Red Stitch.

And knowledge.

He stared out the window, watching the students walk by in uniform, chatting about their school lives. He was sitting across the street from a familiar high school. The same one Yuta Okkotsu used to attend. That wasn't a coincidence.

Ren clenched his jaw. He thought back to a decision he'd made weeks ago. Back when he was still weak. Still afraid. He had mapped out three paths:

Path One: Keep training. Grow slowly. Eventually maybe reach Grade 2 by the time Sukuna takes over Yuji… and then? Hide. Survive. Somehow make it through the Culling Games. Maybe reach Grade 1. Maybe die.

Path Two: Run away. Flee Japan. Disappear. But… no money, no passport, no plan. And with the way curses and jujutsu society work? There would be no escape. Not really.

Path Three: Take Rika.

Ren exhaled slowly, gripping the cup tighter.

He had made his decision.

There was no point in dragging it out. There's no point in waiting anymore. There was only one realistic way forward if he wanted to have any chance at survival—let alone become strong enough to do something in this world.

He had to take Rika.

From Yuta Okkotsu.

It was insane. It was stupid. But so was everything else in this damned world. And maybe, just maybe, it wasn't impossible. Because Yuta—right now—was still just a normal high school student. Clueless. Untapped. Untouched by jujutsu society. And Rika was still with him, lingering like a ghost, not yet fully unleashed.

Ren looked down at his hand and flexed his fingers. The cursed energy flowing through them was more fluid now. Sharper. Cleaner. But it still wasn't enough. He needed more. He needed a jump. A cheat.

That's what Rika was.

The Queen of Curses.

Even without mastering Red Stitch, even without having his cursed energy control perfected, Ren was willing to gamble. Because the alternative was failure. And in this world, failure meant death.

He set his cup down and stood up. Tossed a few coins on the table and walked out of the café. His hoodie was zipped up, his cap pulled low. The sun had started to climb the sky, washing the street in warm gold.

He took one last look at the school across the street.

"I'm not hiding," he muttered under his breath. "If I'm going to die, it won't be in the dark. I would rather die trying than die in the dark alone..."

It would be here. In the light. In the world of sorcerers and monsters and curses.

He walked away, the gears already turning in his mind.

Now, the plan begins.