JJK: Red Priest Pathway

The quiet evening of suburban Kyoto was shattered by the deafening roar of a motorcycle engine.

"I never thought I'd return here," he muttered, gazing at the dome of strange inky substance known as a "curtain" in the world of sorcerers.

Looking around, he couldn't help but admit that he had missed these places. There were only a few memories left, but they were all sweet and soothing. This was where the tastiest Sekupan was sold. This was where he first realized the world he was born into. And here, he had to run from a gang of little bastards. Everything looked so familiar, and only the snow changed the atmosphere of this place, making it more emotional.

He muted the engine and stood up, comfortably holding a cigarette in his mouth. Upon seeing the curtain raised above the orphanage, he couldn't help but say, "Well, you guys brought it upon yourselves to be isolated from the outside world."

At that moment, a woman approached him from a distance, as familiar as she was changed after years of separation.

"Highway Fighter," she said, and her voice was filled with a mature rasp that seemed to beckon teenagers to get to work.

However, for him, this woman appeared in a different light: silver streaks shone through her once-blond hair, and wrinkles had formed at the corners of her eyes. It was only now that he fully realized that he hadn't been here for over ten years.

"Sorcerer," he nodded in greeting.

"You've grown into quite the handsome man," she said, coming closer to him, tousling his hair. "Although, for me, you're still the same little brat."

"I could say the same about you, Eda," he replied, using her name for the first time, shifting his gaze to the crowd of little brats who were boarding buses in an orderly fashion. "Though, for me, you're still the same old iron- fisted woman."

In the past, Eda would have slapped me not only for calling her an iron- fisted woman but also for using her name when addressing her. However, today, the woman, as if shedding some burden, laughed and embraced him.

"I'm glad to see you, my boy."

So we stood for a few minutes until Eda regained control of her emotions and stepped away from me.

"A cigarette?" he offered, taking a pack out of his pocket. "I won't refuse," Matron replied straightforwardly.

The quiet sound of the gas igniting was followed by a deep drag.

"I didn't think we'd meet under these circumstances," Eda said, exhaling a thin stream of smoke.

"Unpleasant atmosphere, bone-chilling cold, and darkness," he observed the characteristics of the place where strong Curses usually appeared. "Sooner or later, it had to happen."

"I always nipped the slightest hint of Curses in the bud," she said, as if recalling something, nervously biting her lip. "But this time... This time, I was gone for just one day, and when I returned, it was already here."

Watching the emotional Matron, he couldn't help but remember her conversation with the old man. It seemed he mentioned that she had gone from being a Sorcerer to a mother? He hit the nail on the head. The Matron he had heard about from his grandfather and that woman wouldn't have lost control of her emotions. Of course, the Curse's rank and Eda's long period of inactivity might play a role, but the main problem was that she had grown accustomed to the sweetness of ordinary family life. Probably that's why she asked him to intervene. That damned gray fox knew he wouldn't refuse her in this situation.

"Alright, this isn't the first, and certainly not the last, high-rank Curse that I'll exorcise. So don't worry," he said, handing another pack of cigarettes to Matron. "Save your nerves for the little ones; I'll handle this."

With that, he walked towards the curtain without looking back.

"Oh, and watch over my bike while I'm gone," he added before passing through the curtain.

Matron shouted something after me, but I couldn't hear her anymore. Being under the inky dome, the first thing that struck my senses was the incredible silence. No rustling, no howling wind. I remembered being in a similar place in my previous life, only there, everything was covered in acoustic foam, and the effect of silence wasn't as overwhelming.

Surrounded by dense fog, I stood entirely alone in front of the orphanage. To my surprise, it was no longer the three-story clean building I remembered; instead, it was an artificially aged house, rising like the maw of a nightmarish creature.

"Thinking about it now... During my first meeting with the old man, he was standing right here," I smirked, looking down at my feet. "Brings back memories... Alright, I need to look around."

Observing the surroundings, I quickly noticed that the process of the building's "aging" smoothly transitioned into a state of decay. Cracked windows covered in dust and cobwebs gradually fell away from their frames. The walls, weathered by time and covered in worn-out paint, crumbled, exposing the underlying bricks. And the steps... Everything as expected: the worn-out staircase creaked mournfully underfoot, and eventually split in two.

"Is this a characteristic of the Curse?" I noted, glancing at my wristwatch. "I've been here a little over two minutes... I'd say less than twenty minutes until the building's complete destruction."

Thin smoke spiraled up from the cigarette clenched in my teeth. The oppressive silence was broken only by the sound of the burning tobacco. My breathing became rhythmic, synchronized with the beat of my heart, like the second hand of my wristwatch, gently and precisely ticking off each second before the battle began. In this place, where even the air was saturated with the scent of fear and, in some places, ammonia, emotions came to life, transforming into the darkest and most vile abomination - Curses. This was because their essence often consisted of negative human emotions such as fear, hatred, and anger. All these feelings, along with many others, acted as catalysts for the release of Cursed energy from the depths of the human essence, which then settled and accumulated, turning into sinister Cursed spirits. Among sorcerers, this was simply known as Curses.

That's why Curses were more likely to be born in crowded places, such as shopping centers, tourist streets, Starbucks, McDonald's - all due to the large accumulation of negative emotions there. Among Curses, schools, prisons, slums, and special places like...

"Orphanages. The most mind-boggling and unpleasant missions," I grumbled, recalling one of my assignments with my grandfather. "However, at least there are no corpses here."

Yes, my grandfather and I worked as supernatural janitors, so to speak, ghost hunters. Although, what do I mean "we"? My grandfather exploited me more, while I toiled and risked my life. He stood on the sidelines, calmly smoking and observing. These were true abusive relationships, not like your "homey love." Using child labor for profit... It was a brilliant business idea, even praised by that woman.

"There was a time, there was a time," I said, reminiscing, taking a deep drag with a bitter taste of Carcinoma.

Continuing to observe the surroundings, but now with my Spirit Sight activated, which had grown stronger after advancing to the Seventh Sequence, I noticed that the spiritual energy flowed gently, almost leisurely, within the building's walls. Strangely, due to this energy system, I couldn't make out the soul of the Curse. It felt as if the soul was the building itself.

Another oddity was the massive amount of Cursed energy that was altering the surroundings. It somewhat resembled Domain Expansion, but this Curse was too young to possess something that powerful.

Making the last pull, I tensed my fingers in a "flick" position, then, sharply extending my middle finger, released the cigarette butt a few dozen meters forward, making it land on the porch of the orphanage.

"Well, it's time to burn this bastard," I said, anticipation in my pocket and my katana hanging by my side as I stepped towards the impending death.

A loud thud as the door slammed shut behind me marked the beginning of the hunt. In the next second, an acrid smell of "elderly" aging, soaked wood, and decay hit my nose. But all of that was insignificant and inconsequential compared to...

"This place has significantly expanded due to an immense amount of Cursed energy," I observed, scanning the room, which was many times larger than the actual building I had seen from the outside. My face betrayed a moment of surprise.

Honestly, even I, a guy who had spent his entire second life battling Curses and their endless exorcisms, had never seen a Curse so profoundly affect the territory in which it emerged, even before it mastered Domain Expansion.

"But that makes it much more interesting!" I said with anticipation as I stepped further into this accursed abyss, pushing open the door to the next room.

Tension hung thickly in the air, as if the very room was saturated with fear and horror. The light, penetrating through cracked windows, seemed pale

and unsure, as if it itself was afraid to illuminate every nook and cranny of this place.

A turn of the round doorknob and the next room. The walls were covered in faded wallpaper with whimsical surrealistic patterns. The wallpaper's shade must have once been dark red, but now it had turned dirty brown and worn, as if it were swallowing the light.

A turn of the round doorknob and I entered a long corridor. The creaking parquet floor cracked beneath every step, creating the impression that it was alive and disapproving of the intrusion of outsiders.

A turn of the round doorknob and I...

In the center of the room stands an old, rusted crib with faded children's drawings and rotting pencils.

A turn...

Cobwebs tightly entwine the room's corners, as if they have existed here for centuries, long forgotten what light and cleanliness even mean. A dim patch of light falls on an old bookshelf, which houses rotten, warped books with tattered pages.

"I'm tired of this," I yawned, settling on a stool in one of the numerous rooms of this place.

So, what conclusions can be drawn from this entire situation? Firstly, the last two bowls of instant ramen were clearly unnecessary, considering I was going on such a long walk. And secondly, I was mistaken.