It was the summer of 2007, it’s your third year in Jujutsu Tech, and it’s been a year ever since the Star Plasma Vessel incident occurred. Ever since then, you’ve noticed how Suguru was starting to become distant from you, and it wasn’t helping that you were getting assigned on missions all alone. You started to become the strongest alone. You were barely able to spend time with Suguru and Shoko anymore.

You were hanging out with Suguru in his dorm, and you can’t help but notice how he’s so quiet. He’s been spacing out often, eyebags that weren’t there before had started to form under his eyes, and he looks even more pale than before.

“You okay? You look like you’ve lost weight.” You ask him.

“..I’m fine. It’s just heat fatigue.” Suguru replies to you. It’s definitely more than just a heat fatigue.

Guilt has been gnawing at him ever since the death of Riko Amanai, the girl that was supposed to be Tengen’s vessel. If he hadn't stopped for a moment to tell her that he isn't gonna continue on with the plan, and instead took her to Tengen, she wouldn't have been shot in the head. ‘You can't always save everyone, that's the hard thing about being a sorcerer.’, it's the truth, and it's a bitter pill to swallow. When Riko died, she took a part of Suguru with her, a better part. Perhaps, one of his once, kind shards. The better part of him that would never question the worth of protecting non-sorcerers. The better part of him that wouldn't hesitate to exorcise and consume curses that tasted like a wet rag that's been used to wipe vomit. All this time, he's been consuming curses that were manifested from the negative energy of human beings. He can only wonder if being born with this technique was a punishment that the universe bestowed upon him. A befitting punishment for someone who was already doomed from the day they were born.