The trees stood tall and silent, their gnarled limbs twisting into the darkening sky like crooked fingers. Mist coiled along the forest floor, hiding roots and stones, making every step uncertain.
Riku moved ahead, barefoot despite the chill, eyes glowing gold under the fading light.
Behind him, Momo trudged with a flashlight, swinging it back and forth with a frown. "Why is it always creepy-ass woods? Why can't spirits ever haunt, I don't know… a 7-Eleven?"
Riku chuckled quietly. "They like places where human fear lingers. The woods have stories. Abandoned kids. Lost hikers. Hidden rituals. Fear sticks."
Momo's light caught something — a shrine gate half-swallowed by the trees, its top beam cracked and sagging.
"Old forest shrine," Riku said. "This is the place."
He reached forward, brushing his fingers across the gate's wood. Cursed energy sparked instantly — sharp, electric, wrong.
Momo's hair stood on end. "Whoa. Yeah. Definitely not a normal place."
They passed through the gate, and immediately, the temperature dropped. Birds stopped singing. The wind fell still.
Then, a sound.
Creaking.
Not wood.
Joints. Bones. Something walking.
Momo raised her fists, cursed energy flaring slightly. "We've got company."
From the undergrowth emerged three humanoid spirits. Their forms flickered — one was headless, dragging a rusted sword. Another had hands too long, nails curling into knives. The last was a twisted woman with eyes that blinked sideways.
All three let out a wail in unison.
"Spirits born of old offerings," Riku muttered. "Forgotten prayers. Broken promises."
One lunged.
Riku didn't move.
> "Divine Dogs: Totality."
From his shadow burst the white hound, fur glowing with runes, eyes locked on the attacker. The dog met the spirit mid-air with a devastating bite, ripping straight through its form.
Another spirit tried to flank from the trees — only to be blinded by a flash of cursed light from Momo's punch, sending it crashing into the underbrush.
Riku stepped forward, hands calm at his sides. His cursed energy began to rise — slowly, like a tide.
"Let me try something new…"
He pressed a hand to the ground.
> "Ten Shadows Technique: Chimera Shadow Garden."
Darkness exploded around him.
The ground beneath them vanished into an endless ocean of shadow. Trees bent backward, disappearing into black void. Cursed sigils covered every inch of the terrain. Riku's eyes now gleamed like a god's.
Momo gasped. "What… is this?"
"Domain-style shadow field," he said, his voice echoing. "My world."
The final spirit shrieked in confusion — then horror — as dozens of hands erupted from the shadows, dragging it down, binding it. The Divine Dog howled. Max Elephant's silhouette loomed in the distance. Even the toad's form emerged and hissed.
The spirit tried to flee.
It didn't get far.
Riku held out his hand and simply whispered:
> "Cleave."
A precise, vertical slice split the spirit down the middle — spiritual body severed and banished. The domain shattered with a gust of wind, leaving the forest intact… but quiet.
Momo looked around, stunned.
"You summoned that much power in seconds. You're… not like any jujutsu sorcerer I've ever seen."
"I'm not one," he said. "Not officially. Just… something else."
"Something powerful," she whispered.
He shrugged. "Power's only useful when it protects something."
They moved deeper into the forest.
At the base of the shrine, they found an altar covered in dried blood and discarded talismans. Old bones lay scattered, mixed with coins and broken amulets. A foul aura still lingered, thick as tar.
Momo lit a cleansing charm and placed it at the altar's edge.
"Let them rest," she murmured. "No more fear. No more curses."
Riku watched her in silence.
She was brave. Unafraid to dive headfirst into unknown dangers. And yet… she had this kindness. A soft heart wrapped in brash armor.
He admired that.
She turned to him. "You okay?"
He blinked. "Yes."
"Good. You were quiet for a second."
He hesitated, then smiled faintly. "Just thinking."
They began walking back.
As they moved through the trees, Momo broke the silence again. "Y'know, you never talk about where you're from."
"I don't," he agreed.
"Any reason why?"
Riku looked up at the moon breaking through the clouds. "Because… I'm still figuring it out."
She didn't press. Just smiled and kept walking beside him.
But even as they left the woods behind, the cursed whispers lingered.
Old spirits had been silenced.
But something deeper was stirring in the forest floor. Watching. Waiting.
And in the heart of it, a shrine cracked open just slightly.