I died with my eyes open.
People say death is peaceful, that it's quiet, that everything fades in slow motion.
For me, it was loud—metallic crashing, someone screaming, the sharp burn of concrete tearing into my back.
And then, silence.
No tunnel of light.
No afterlife.
Just the uncomfortable feeling of floating in a cold, dark ocean that wasn't water.
When I opened my eyes again, the first thing I saw was a ceiling of white panels… and a talisman stuck to one of them.
I blinked.
The talisman did not disappear.
"…What?
I sat up too fast, and pain shot down my spine like a live wire. A sharp breath escaped my lungs, but the sound wasn't the only thing that startled me.
My voice.
It sounded younger.
Smoother.
Not mine.
The thin futon under my hands was unfamiliar, and the room—dim, traditional, smelling faintly of old wood and incense—made my stomach twist with recognition.
No way.
No fucking way.
Was I…?
Before I could finish the thought, something else appeared—something far worse.
A floating screen.
A translucent rectangle of light hovered in front of me, its letters crackling like cursed whispers.
[ARCHIVE initializing…]
[Soul synchronization: COMPLETE.]
[Welcome, Anomaly.]
My skin went cold.
"Anomaly?" I whispered. "That doesn't sound good."
The screen pulsed.
[Identity]
Name: ???
Biological Age: 16
Classification: Undefined
Threat Level: HIGH
Status: Unstable existence
Notes: "He should not be here."
My heart slammed against my ribs.
I knew this place.
I knew these words.
I knew the smell in the air.
Slowly, dread spreading through me like ice, I stood up and approached the small wooden window.
Outside, the tall trees, the stone paths, the faint lanterns lighting the campus…
I had seen this before.
"Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High…"
My voice cracked.
No.
Impossible.
JJK was fiction—anime, manga, whatever you called it—it wasn't supposed to be REAL.
But the cursed presence in the air was unmistakable. The way shadows twisted unnaturally in the corners of the room. The faint, ghost-like hum of negative emotions pooling across the floor.
My skin wasn't just crawling.
It was responding.
Like my body was absorbing cursed energy.
A chill ran down my spine.
"Okay… okay, calm down," I muttered to myself. "Think. If this is Jujutsu Kaisen, then… what timeline? Before Yuji? Before Gojo gets sealed? Before Shibuya?"
As if the world wanted to answer me, another floating message appeared.
[Timeline integrity compromised.]
[Canon deviation detected.]
[You are the deviation.]
"…I fucking knew it."
Footsteps echoed outside.
Soft. Calm. Precise.
Only one character in this world walked like that.
I froze as the sliding door opened.
A tall man entered, dressed in a dark uniform, his blindfold tied loosely around his eyes. Silver hair glowed faintly in the dim light.
He looked straight at me.
And smiled.
"Yo," Gojo Satoru said. "You're finally awake."
I felt my soul leave my body.
Gojo Satoru.
In front of me.
In real life.
He leaned casually against the doorframe—like my existence wasn't wrong, dangerous, or world-breaking.
"You gave us quite a scare," he said. "You appeared in the middle of training grounds, screaming your lungs out. Not very subtle, you know?"
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.
Gojo continued, raising a brow.
"Also… what are you? You don't feel like a cursed spirit. You don't feel like a sorcerer either."
His smile sharpened.
"You feel like…"
A threat.
He didn't say it, but the air tightened as if Six Eyes itself was analyzing me.
I swallowed.
"I-I don't know," I managed to say. "I don't know what I am."
"Hmm."
Gojo walked closer.
I tried stepping back, but my legs trembled.
When he reached me, he placed a hand on my shoulder.
For a split second—just one—his eyes beneath the blindfold opened.
My breath hitched.
A wave of pressure crashed into me, almost knocking me down.
It wasn't killing intent.
It wasn't hostility.
It was analysis.
Deep, surgical, terrifyingly precise analysis.
Then Gojo grinned.
"Well… whatever you are, you're definitely interesting. And hey, that's already more personality than half the first-years."
I stared at him.
Was this… good news?
Before I could respond, another screen popped up.
[WARNING]
Gojo Satoru has detected your anomaly.
His presence stabilizes your existence temporarily.
Without him, your soul may destabilize.
Wait.
WHAT?!
Before I could panic, Gojo snapped his fingers.
"Come with me," he said cheerfully. "Principal Yaga wants to see you. And maybe punch you. Hard to tell with him."
"I—what?!" I sputtered. "Punch—why?!"
Gojo shrugged.
"You appeared out of thin air. And you're not human. And you're not a curse. And you almost broke one of our barriers by existing."
"WHAT?!"
He began walking away.
I didn't move.
I couldn't.
But then—
[ARCHIVE advises following Gojo Satoru.]
[He is your temporary stabilizer.]
[Failing to remain near him may result in existence collapse.]
My stomach dropped.
Great.
I wasn't reincarnated as a sorcerer.
Or a curse.
Or a student.
I was a walking bug in the universe.
Gojo peeked back through the door.
"You coming? Or do you want to stop existing?"
I ran after him.
Hard.