Jujutsu Kaisen: The Sorceress of Control

Makima was about to arrive at the Zenin clan estate. Before doing so, she deliberately tore and dirtied her kimono, making sure her appearance looked convincing. She also inflicted wounds on herself and Rika, deep enough to be visible but not dangerous, to make the scene as realistic as possible. Her plan had to be believable from every angle. Once they entered the clan grounds, both started running, though Makima staggered and moved slowly to maintain the charade.

Rika, on the other hand, screamed for help at the top of her lungs, following Makima's instructions to the letter. After a few seconds of despair, her cries finally caught the attention of the servants. They rushed over and, seeing the two girls wounded and with their clothes torn, reacted quickly. One of the servants, not wasting any time with further questions, ran off to inform Naobito Zenin of what had just happened.

When Naobito received the news, his first instinct was disbelief. How could something like this happen so close to the estate? However, hearing the servant's urgency and seeing the seriousness on his face, he realized that something was very wrong. Immediately, he activated his cursed technique and dashed outside at breakneck speed, thinking only of his family's safety.

When he arrived, he was momentarily paralyzed by the scene before him. Makima was on her knees, huddled up, hands covering her ears, breathing heavily as if suffering from a panic attack. Her kimono was completely shredded, stained with dirt and blood. Beside her, Rika, trembling, had a face covered in tears that wouldn't stop flowing down her cheeks. Her clothes were also in tatters, and the wounds on both of them looked fresh and worrisome.

Alarmed, Naobito demanded immediate answers. "What the hell happened here?!" he asked, a mix of fury and panic in his voice. He looked at Makima first, but when he didn't get any reaction from her, he turned his attention to Rika. The little girl could barely speak, but she knew it was her turn to explain what had happened. With a trembling and shaky voice, Rika recounted everything Makima had told her while they ran toward the estate.

According to Rika, while they were walking through the forest, they had been attacked by a first-grade curse. Kaori, Naobito's wife, had stepped in to protect them, bravely facing the curse. Although Kaori fought with all her strength, the curse was extremely powerful and managed to harm them all. In a critical moment, Kaori had shouted for them to run and seek help, sacrificing herself to buy them time.

Naobito listened intently, processing every word as he looked at the state of his daughter and Rika. The silence that followed the girl's story was so dense it could almost be felt in the air. "Where is she now?" Naobito asked, his heart racing.

Without waiting for further explanations, Naobito gave orders to the servants who were present. "Go to the forest immediately!" he shouted. "Bring the sorcerers, anyone who can fight. Don't let that curse escape." His tone left no room for doubt or delay. The servants nodded and ran off to carry out his orders.

Naobito, wasting no more time, reactivated his technique and dashed into the forest. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, but only one image was clear: finding his wife and ensuring she was safe.

As Naobito ran at full speed, he didn't allow his thoughts to dominate him. The air around him felt heavier, and the silence of the forest only made his anxiety grow. As he advanced, he began to notice signs of a recent fight: broken branches, marks on the ground, and a trail of blood that chilled him to the bone. He felt something inside him collapse when his eyes fell on a motionless figure on the ground.

There, lying on the earth, was Kaori, his wife, the woman who had stood by his side all his life, the mother of his children. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, as if the very life had been drained from her body. She wasn't breathing, and Naobito, with trembling steps, approached her slowly. Each step toward her felt like an eternity, as his mind refused to accept what he was seeing.

When he finally reached her, he knelt beside her, feeling the weight of the world crashing down on his shoulders. His trembling hands touched Kaori's face, and there they were—those eyes that had once been full of life, love, and warmth, now empty, devoid of light. The smile Kaori always wore had faded, but on her face was a slight expression, as if her last thought had been one of peace or resignation.

Naobito held her in his arms, her lifeless body cold to the touch, and in that moment, the tears he had held back all his life began to flow. "Kaori..." he murmured her name with indescribable pain in his voice. A solitary tear slid down his cheek before a heart-wrenching scream tore from his chest, an anguished cry that echoed through the entire forest. It was a scream of pure despair, of absolute loss.

Naobito's cry was so loud that Naoya, who was still running at full speed, stopped dead in his tracks. The servants who accompanied him quickly informed him of what had happened, and with his technique at full power, he dashed toward where his father was. What he found there shattered what little heart he had left.

The scene before him was unbearable. His mother, the only woman he had ever truly cared about, lay lifeless in his father's arms, who was devastated by grief. Naoya didn't know what to say. In that moment, there were no words that could fill the void. He could only lower his head, biting his lip to hold back his own despair, as his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. All the power he had couldn't undo what had happened.

Back at the estate, Makima stood at the edge of the forest, a small smile on her face. She seemed calm, almost as if everything was under control. The servants were behind her, worried, begging her to go inside the house for safety. They knew something terrible had happened, but they dared not do anything more than insist in trembling voices.

Beside her, Rika remained completely silent, with no expression on her face. She no longer knew what to feel; she was caught in an internal storm of confused emotions. She knew she was supposed to feel safe next to her mistress, to whom she had given her loyalty and soul. But at the same time, she felt like she was witnessing the birth of something far darker.

Makima, her master, her everything, was becoming something different. Rika could feel it. The monster she had seen taking shape before her was unlike any curse she had faced before. Curses were terrifying, yes, but the evil that Makima could unleash, if she so desired, was unmatched. In that moment, Rika knew: what stood before her was a complete demon disguised as a person.

That day, Rika swore to herself that she would never again feel emotional attachment to anyone other than Makima. She couldn't afford it anymore. If she did, it would be her end, because it seemed that anyone who awakened that feeling, sooner or later, would end up dead. Rika accepted then that she would live only for Makima, no matter the cost or darkness that might bring.