Kael woke to the sound of birds.
His head throbbed. His body felt heavy—like he'd been buried in stone.
For a moment, he didn't know where he was.
How long… was I out?
An hour? Maybe more.
The last thing he remembered was the spear—the explosion of cursed energy—and darkness swallowing everything.
He blinked, squinting at the sunlight filtering through the window.
A quiet room. Wooden walls. The faint smell of miso and burnt toast.
Then—
"Morning, sunshine!"
Kael froze.
Standing by a stove, wearing a pink apron with a cartoon lion in the center, was none other than Gojo Satoru.
The world's strongest sorcerer.
Cooking breakfast.
Kael rubbed his eyes. "...What the hell."
Gojo turned, flipping a pancake like it was a cursed talisman.
"Want something to eat? Or—" he paused dramatically, grin widening—
"do you want to eat me?"
Goosebumps crawled down Kael's neck. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Gojo laughed. "Relax, relax. You passed out after doing something crazy, so I brought you here. Consider it a hospitality service."
He reached into a bag sitting on the table and tossed something white toward Kael.
It landed in his lap.
A uniform—crisp, spotless, and instantly familiar.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
He'd seen this before.
That snow-white fabric. The subtle crest on the chest.
"Yuta Okkotsu's uniform…" he muttered.
"Yup!" Gojo said cheerfully. "The white ones are for special cases—problem children, prodigies, or people the higher-ups don't know how to classify. You, my bony friend, are all three."
A faint chime echoed in Kael's mind.
[Quest Complete]
Reward: Accepted as a Student of Tokyo Jujutsu High
Kael blinked at the glowing text, then looked back at Gojo.
"Really?" he asked flatly.
Gojo grinned, flipping another pancake. "Welcome to Tokyo Jujutsu High, Kael Eidric."
The strongest sorcerer winked.
"Try not to break the school before orientation, okay?" Gojo said, spinning a pancake in the air like it was a cursed tool.
Kael didn't answer immediately.
He sat on the edge of the futon, staring at the morning light seeping through the curtains. His body still ached, but his mind was elsewhere—turning, calculating, connecting threads.
What time is it?
If this was the Tokyo Jujutsu High era…
then when did Yuji Itadori appear?
Had Sukuna's finger been found yet—or was it still waiting for fate to play its hand?
He turned toward Gojo, who was humming cheerfully behind the stove, still wearing that ridiculous pink apron.
"When does school start?" Kael asked.
Gojo tilted his head, tapping his chin. "Hmm… in about a month. But since you've already been recognized as a sorcerer, you don't have to wait. You can exorcise minor curses in the meantime. Think of it as… extra credit."
He grinned over his shoulder.
"With that level of cursed energy, I'd say you're around First Grade already. Not bad for a 'transfer student' who blew up half a district."
Kael ignored the jab, his mind still spiraling.
A month…
That meant Yuji's recruitment hadn't happened yet.
The timeline was still intact.
But should he leave it that way?
Could he afford to?
If I stop Yuji from eating Sukuna's finger… what happens to this world?
Would it save countless lives—or destroy the flow of destiny itself?
…
He exhaled and rubbed his temples.
For the first time since awakening, something else gnawed at him—a presence in the back of his mind.
"System," he muttered.
A soft chime responded.
[System Active]
[Awaiting Command]
"What exactly are you?"
[I am the—]
The sound warped—static hissed in his ears, breaking the voice apart.
Kael flinched. "What the hell…?"
[Signal Distorted… Source Unknown]
The air seemed to pulse faintly, like something—or someone—was blocking the transmission.
Then a new line appeared.
[Host may now choose: Support the Plot — or Deny the Plot.]
[This is a Point of Divergence.]
Kael stared at the glowing words in silence.
"Support the plot… or deny it?" he whispered.
If he followed the story, the world would move as it should.
Yuji, Sukuna, Shibuya… all of it.
If he denied it—
then everything could change.
The System waited.
The light of the interface flickered softly across his crimson eyes.
He clenched his fists, heart pounding.
"What… do I really want to become in this world?"
The question lingered in Kael's head long after the System's glow faded.
…
Two weeks passed.
For once, he tried to live like a normal human.
No cursed hunts.
No battles.
No blood.
Just… breathing.
He'd spent fifteen years of this new life lost between memories and nightmares, not knowing who he was.
Now, even with his memories restored, the weight of both lives pressed on him like chains.
So for these few days, he let it go.
He explored Tokyo—the neon lights, the crowded streets, the smell of ramen shops and rain-soaked concrete.
He exorcised minor curses when they appeared, nothing serious.
He laughed once or twice, though he didn't quite remember how to mean it.
And all the while, the question stayed with him.
Should I follow the plot?
Or deny it completely?
…
"What are you thinking?"
The voice pulled him back.
Kael blinked, turning his head.
Across from him sat a boy in a black Jujutsu High uniform—serious expression, dark blue eyes, spiky black hair that barely moved even under the café lights.
Megumi Fushiguro.
"No big deal," Kael said, leaning back and slurping from the cola in his hand. "Just… something that's been stuck in my head."
Megumi raised an eyebrow. "You've been zoning out for five minutes. I thought you were having some sort of cursed-induced stroke."
Kael smirked faintly. "Not yet."
The two sat in a small fast-food café near Shinjuku, the faint hum of pop music mixing with chatter and the smell of fries. Outside, the city pulsed with life.
Kael swirled the straw in his drink, gaze distant.
He'd met Megumi during one of his exorcisms a few days ago—an unplanned encounter that ended with Gojo laughing and calling it "fate's little prank."
Now, here they were, sharing a meal that felt almost normal.
"Must be nice," Kael muttered.
Megumi glanced up. "What?"
"To live in a world where you know what comes next," Kael said quietly. "Where the path's already written."
Megumi frowned slightly. "You talk weird sometimes, you know that?"
Kael chuckled under his breath, sipping his cola again. "Yeah. I get that a lot."