After laying the girl down once she had passed out, the two of them tacitly stepped aside to briefly go over the situation.
"Your Return by Death comes from the Joyseeker—you should know what I mean by that, right?"
Even with his eyes hidden behind the blindfold, Subaru could tell Gojo was scrutinizing him. The slight tilt of his head and the faint curl at the corner of his mouth made it feel like he was trying to confirm something.
"…Are you sure your memories haven't been fabricated by THEM?"
Subaru expression quickly turned downcast.
The words sounded casual, but they struck like a needle pricking under his skin.
Because no matter how many times he told himself otherwise—that possibility had crossed his mind more than once... What if the countless futures he remembered were nothing more than a product of his imagination? That he had never truly died, never truly returned—and that he was simply losing his mind?
It was a very real possibility and dismissing it outright without evidence didn't feel like a sound judgment.
To anyone else—perhaps someone with stronger and sharper reasoning—they might have been able to affirm the truth to themselves without hesitation. Or should a genius take his shoes instead, they could have probably figured out how to capitalize on the advantages of such an ability by now.
Unfortunately, he was neither of those.
At best, he was someone with a decent head above his shoulders. Expecting more than that would be unreasonable. In the end, the only thing he could do was trust the small, fragile conviction he had left because that was the only solution someone like him could reach.
"...I'm sure of it."
Even so, the answer came out quieter than he intended.
After a brief pause, he gave a firm nod, as if reinforcing the words to himself as much as to Gojo.
And for a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Gojo hummed softly, tilting his head the other way.
"Hmm..." He dragged the sound out lazily, as though rolling the thought around in his tongue.
"Putting the questioning aside, there's not much we can do about it anyway," Gojo said at last, shrugging his shoulder in a characteristic nonchalant fashion, "if you're sure, then I'll take your word for it."
"Still," he added, glancing in the direction of the unconscious girl, "that was your best partner in your previous 'loops', as you call it, but only you seem to remember everything what happened after returning, and that too only activates upon death."
A faint smile tugged at his lips, though it carried a sense of irony.
"That's a pretty cruel mechanic."
"But don't get me wrong," Gojo continued casually, raising a hand as if to wave off any misunderstanding. "I'm not doubting you. We're already past that stage. Just saying whoever gave you that ability has a very twisted sense of humor."
"Pft."
Subaru could only let out a short, humorless chuckle.
He didn't need to be told that. After experiencing it dozens—no, countless—times, he understood that fact to a painful degree moreso than anyone could imagine.
However, it was precisely because of that why it had been so difficult.
Who else could understand but himself?
"I suppose so," sighing as if defeated.
Subaru looked away for a moment, staring at the ground.
Gojo, meanwhile, simply watched him figure things out on his own. He wasn't insensitive enough to continue making light of the situation given the atmosphere; he'd even willingly lend a shoulder to lean on if desperately needed—that was his role after all.
As a teacher, being a role model was his duty.
But the sentiment had to be cut short.
His already sharp senses, elevated by his eyes, caught a slight ripple.
It was a minute disturbance in the flow of reality—a flicker so brief it would have been imperceptible to anyone else, but the sudden, massive outpouring of energy surging toward them signaled an impending disaster if it hit.
"Hey, I'm going to push you."
"What?"
Subaru didn't even have time to blink before a massive force slammed into his chest. It wasn't a blow meant to harm, but the sheer repelling force emitting from Gojo's palm sent him hurtling backward like a ragdoll.
"Gojo—!"
The rest of his shout was swallowed by a sound that defied description.
It wasn't a kind of explosion; it was the sound of creaking as the space station gave way.
Mind you, this was Herta's Space Station—a marvel of intergalactic engineering, shielded by the defensive protocols of a member of the Genius Society. Its hull was reinforced with gravity-binding alloys, and its perimeter was guarded by state-of-the-art surveillance and automatic energy barriers designed to repel even a massive incursion.
Yet the station's much-vaunted security had been bypassed like a hot knife cutting through a dry sponge.
What could it be?
As the thought sprang up in his mind, Subaru looked up, and his blood ran cold.
Gojo was standing at the edge of a newly formed ravine that had swallowed the floor, his hands shoved nonchalantly into his pockets. He hadn't moved an inch, yet the back of his high-collared jacket fluttered violently against the sudden vacuum.
Apparently, the station had been cut cleanly in half.
"Man, Herta is going to be absolutely livid about the repair bill," Gojo remarked, his voice cutting through the screeching metal and the blaring of emergency sirens. "Or should I say Asta?"
"Hey, eyes up," Gojo's tone then shifted. The playfulness was still there, but it was now dripping with seriousness as he addressed Subaru. "Get the girl and take refuge, quick. It's about to get messy in here."
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
"Is that..." Subaru hissed, clutching his chest.
As black feathers descended from space, a figure loomed from the shadows.
"Let's see: Destiny's Recusant. Stellaron Hunter. And the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer of this era," the voice echoed chillingly. "Now... how best to expedite your deaths?"
The air grew heavy, thick with the stagnant scent of Nihility, but the accompanying ethereal melodies arranged within a three-dimensional framework hinted at Order.
And that desire for Destruction...
This was contradiction made manifest: Genius Society Member #5.
One who embodies the Theory of Four Apocalypses.
★ ★ ★
A/N: I was honestly considering Aizen, but I wasn't confident about writing a strategic character.