From Tora's Inner Sight, Through the Raven's Eye
From a sky heavy with brooding clouds, a solitary raven soared high, slicing through the silent wind that hung over the ruined forest. Its wings beat slowly, almost soundlessly. Behind its sharp, black pupils, Tora's consciousness awoke in the darkness.
It saw him—amidst rubble and blood, the body of Gojo Satoru lay sprawled. A deep gash tore through his combat robes; blood seeped slowly from his temple and chest. The man's aura—once a roaring, invisible storm—now flickered weakly. Yet, there was something… a faint, deep, and steady pulse.
Gojo wasn't dead.
"He will rise…" Tora's inner voice echoed faintly within the raven's awareness. "But not yet. It takes time…"
The raven's wings beat again, carrying it away from the field of carnage. From the air, its eyes caught another figure: Toji Fushiguro. His posture was calm, his steps assured—Gojo's blood still warm on the edge of his blade. Like a hunter who'd finished his task, Toji now moved elsewhere.
Where?
The raven glided low, diving through thick foliage. Its wings made no sound as it flew through the forest's shadowed canopy. From above, its obsidian eyes scanned the earth sharply, absorbing everything.
And down below—a girl was running.
Her breath came in ragged gasps, her steps dragged down by dread. Her black hair streamed behind her, eyes wide as they darted forward and back. Her face was pale, yet she pressed onward.
Kuroi.
Tora furrowed her brows within the shared vision. Her sight and the raven's were one.
What the bird saw, she saw.
Tora (inner murmur)
"Oh god… Isn't that Riko Amanai's guardian? What cursed luck—to cross paths with Toji…"
The raven kept watching from above, trailing Kuroi at a safe distance. But suddenly—
A movement unseen. Less than a second…
Toji Fushiguro vanished from the raven's sight—like mist snatched by the wind.
And in the next fraction of a second—
He appeared behind Kuroi.
A flash of steel cut the air.
Schkkk!
Toji's katana struck without hesitation.
Kuroi didn't even have time to turn.
Her body staggered… then fell.
Blood sprayed onto the earth.
Leaves, still damp from earlier rain, were now wet with warm blood.
The girl moved no more.
From the sky, the raven circled once.
And Tora… froze.
Tora fell silent within
"No hesitation… No warning… How terrifying."
She drew a sharp breath, though her lungs felt tight from what she'd just witnessed.
Toji spoke not a word. No warning. No explanation. Just a slash… and death.
---
Toji crouched briefly, touching the trail with his fingertips.
He glanced sideways. A small branch—broken.
Forced footprints through the underbrush. Fresh scrapes on the bushes.
Toji lifted the twig, noting the clean, unweathered break. Still fresh.
He didn't stop. He walked on, following the open path until he halted before a massive boulder. But… wait.
The boulder moved.
With a mechanical rumble, the "stone" lifted slowly, revealing a hidden elevator beneath—a passage descending into the depths. Where Geto Suguru and Riko Amanai had fled for safety.
The raven landed on a distant tree, unblinking.
"So that's it… You're going down there." A faint, bitter smile tinged Tora's inner voice. "I'll wait. He'll surely fight Suguru Geto."
"Waiting for Toji to emerge…" Tora whispered silently. But beneath her grim humor lay unease.
"If he actually kills Geto… that would be disastrous."
Behind the raven's gaze, Tora smiled thinly—not a smile of joy. It was a smile balanced between resolve and dread, like waiting for ill news beneath a stormy sky.
A long corridor stretched toward Tengen Shrine. Ancient stones formed walls on either side—cold, lifeless, absorbing all sound.
Riko smiled softly, her voice gentle:
"I… want to live, Geto."
She gazed ahead, her steps light. No hesitation left.
"Being with you all… feels like family."
Geto lowered his head slightly, then nodded.
"If that's your choice… we'll protect you. Till the end."
His voice held no doubt. Neither knew how close that end was.
Riko's smile warmed, a flicker of relief.
"Thank you, Suguru."
She stepped forward toward the altar. One small step…
That never reached.
[BANG!]
A gunshot.
Riko's head jerked forward. Blood sprayed.
Geto froze. The world stopped.
Toji emerged from shadow, his smile sharp and cold.
"You let your guard down."
Riko's body crumpled. Her small hand still open—as if reaching for a future now gone.
Tragedy needed no warning: Toji's bullet shattered hope in an instant.
Silence.
Not peaceful silence—shattering silence.
Riko's blood spread slowly across the stone floor—warm, red, real. Her small form lay still. No more laughter. No more voice calling names. Only stillness.
Geto stood paralyzed.
His hand still outstretched—as if he could pull time backward.
'Why…? She just said she wanted to live.
And I… I promised…
Geto's thoughts'
His eyes locked on Toji Fushiguro—the shadow assassin now walking casually, as if discarding a doll. But Geto's mind wasn't on the enemy. Not yet.
He felt no rage.
Only emptiness.
Emptiness swallowing his chest.
Emptiness screaming one truth: I failed.
"Riko…"
"I'm sorry… I wasn't strong enough…"
Tears didn't fall. Geto was too shattered to weep. All that remained was a resolve—slowly solidifying—within that ruin. A voice growing in his heart:
This world is wrong. If those who wish to live must be killed…
Then who deserves to live?
(Geto stared at Riko's fallen body, then at the sound of Toji's approaching footsteps. Toji walked as if nothing had happened.)
Toji's voice was calm, flat, faintly mocking:
"One shot. Not bad, eh?"
He spun his pistol once before tucking it into his jacket.
Geto's tone was icy, rage boiling beneath:
"…You killed a child."
Toji shrugged.
"A job's a job. I was paid to end her. Age doesn't matter."
Geto's eyes narrowed. His body tensed.
"You… Who are you?"
Toji smiled faintly, dripping with scorn:
"Just an ordinary man. But seems like an ordinary man's enough to kill your priest… and your Plasma Vessel."
Geto (voice strained):
"What are you doing here…?"
Toji tilted his head slightly, then bared his teeth—a thin smile that froze the air.
Toji's voice was cold, flat, almost casual:
"Ah… You mean Gojo Satoru?"
He stared directly at Geto, his smile widening like a slowly drawn knife.
"I already killed him."
Geto's world collapsed a second time that day.
Gojo…? Dead…? Impossible…
Geto trembled, his voice deepening to a growl:
"You… BASTARD !!!"
Geto didn't speak again. But his cursed energy surged like a storm. His face no longer showed grief.
Only pure rage. Cold. Sharp.
And thirst for vengeance.