In the non-physical world, Sōjun Minamoto and Shichizai stepped onto the blackened earth.
It felt like returning home.
Aside from himself, the others were all Shikigami—gentle and friendly, a stark contrast to the tone of the jujutsu world—or rather, the present world.
He had always found it strange. Curses embody negative energy, and that part made sense. Throughout the entire jujutsu world, Curses could heal themselves with ease, even without mastering the Reverse Cursed Technique. Severed limbs could regenerate, and as long as they weren't completely exorcised, any trace of Cursed Energy could restore them.
After all, they were made of it.
Humans, by contrast, bore Cursed Energy as a kind of burden. It strained the mind, and overuse often led to psychological instability. Imagine living in a constant state of anger, anxiety, or jealousy—it was no wonder users were never quite normal.
Only through the Reverse Cursed Technique, which converted energy into a positive charge, could humans be healed. In that sense, it was obvious: positive Cursed Energy was far more suited to humans.
"I don't know where it all went wrong, for the present world to turn out so twisted."
The thought passed quickly and was dismissed.
He walked in silence through the non-physical realm. Overhead, a sky full of stars cast soft starlight, calming his thoughts.
Looking across the ground, he saw a shimmering glow—first azure blue, then sky blue, followed by red. Black was the rarest.
His enhanced vision could now differentiate the qualities of energy by color: positive or negative, soul or flesh.
The azure blue represented blessings—Cursed Spirits formed of positive Cursed Energy. Sōjun Minamoto preferred to call them Blessing Spirits.
Unlike curses, which stemmed from malice, blessings expressed good wishes, a manifestation of positive emotion through language.
Sky blue denoted soul-based lifeforms, made from a mix of soul and blessing energy, though leaning more toward the soul.
Red came from transformed Shikigami, now bearing flesh and blood, with blessing energy within them as well.
Black was a deliberate wisp of negative Cursed Energy released by Sōjun Minamoto.
These were the results of recent developments.
He blinked, and the stars above shimmered with him. This world had promise—it was beautiful but undeveloped. The land was flat, barren, and lifeless.
A world in need of shaping.
Sōjun Minamoto stood still.
His clones began to gather, merging with him one by one until they became whole again.
Shichizai stood quietly at his side.
Sōjun Minamoto could feel the immense weight of power, heavier even than Shichizai's.
That was expected. In raw Cursed Energy alone, he was unrivaled on the human side—he had already surpassed the limits of the physical world. Shichizai, meanwhile, had only just reached the upper threshold of the Cursed Side.
"It's enough," he thought.
Once fully integrated, he stomped down hard. The ground cracked, and a massive stone pillar rose beneath him. He sat comfortably at its edge and closed his eyes.
The sky instantly dimmed. Darkness spread across the world.
From afar, a commotion echoed—the panicked cries of native lifeforms drawn by instinct toward light.
Sōjun Minamoto paid them no mind. He steadied his breathing and activated the Reverse Cursed Technique. A gentle, flickering blue light began to emit from his body, floating upward, becoming the world's only light.
Strong Shikigami began drifting closer. The quicker ones hovered nearby, but none dared come too close.
The light multiplied into a glowing orb, illuminating a wider area.
With light, the creatures calmed. They settled at a safe distance around the boulder, quietly resting.
Though lacking intelligence, they acted on instinct—and their docile nature kept them from fighting. They naturally arranged themselves by strength, the weak farther out, the strong nearer the glow.
Shichizai simply observed from the sidelines.
Eventually, all the creatures had gathered. Sōjun Minamoto slowly opened his eyes.
A bluish mist still flowed from the top of his head, rising into a thick pillar of light that pierced the sky, parting the mist above.
It illuminated half the world.
And the light kept spreading.
Maintaining the Reverse Cursed Technique, Sōjun Minamoto watched the surrounding lifeforms.
They were unique. The energy they first encountered would shape their nature from then on.
A rare and peculiar trait.
At first, he had thought the only division was between positive and negative Cursed Energy. But now he saw the distinction also extended to soul and flesh.
He wanted to understand it fully...
Time passed—he wasn't sure how long.
He noticed some Shikigami trying to absorb the energy he released. The weaker ones couldn't even touch the pillar of light. The stronger ones could barely tug a few threads from it, but the blessing energy simply slipped away like water through a sieve.
The power still belonged to him. Without permission, none could take it.
He'd discovered early on that in this non-physical realm, any leaked Cursed Energy never vanished. His authority in this world was simply too high.
Even now, he could sense the very first trace of positive Cursed Energy that had fused with the realm—and he still had complete control over it.
That said it all.
The energy continued to flow out. The blue glow, centered on the light pillar, spread across the sky, pushing back the mist. Though some Cursed Energy remained in the ground, the mist was constantly being driven back, its space compressed bit by bit.
The blue light grew denser.
"Tap... tap..."
Raindrops suddenly began to fall on the surface of the boulder.
Mist gathered into droplets, and a light drizzle descended from the sky. Strangely, the rain avoided Sōjun Minamoto entirely, pooling in a shallow depression beside the boulder instead.
The rain grew heavier.
No one knew how long it lasted. The boulder beneath Sōjun Minamoto kept rising, while the land below had turned into a vast sea.
His Cursed Energy had been completely exhausted. As the final strand of blue light faded, the sky was dyed a brilliant sky-blue. In the east, a blazing sphere of fire appeared, faintly shaped like a gourd. In the west, a pale white moon emerged, surrounded by drifting frost.
More celestial bodies dotted the sky—some bright, some dim.
Gazing at the azure sea and sky-blue dome above, Sōjun Minamoto felt an overwhelming sense of control over this world.
He stood up. With a thought, the boulder beneath him surged upward, lifting him high into the sky until he stood face-to-face with the stars.
Neither searing heat nor chilling cold affected him. With just a flicker of light, Sōjun Minamoto saw himself reflected. Then, the rest of the stars began to blink in succession, and within his vision, the entire world unfolded.
These so-called stars... were all eyes.
The Star Eyes, in the truest sense.
Through this vision, the world looked barren. At that thought, a lush green field sprouted beneath his feet. At the center, a single bud broke through the soil and, in an instant, grew into a towering tree.
Unlike ordinary trees, its trunk was luminous and white like polished jade. It even felt warm to the touch. The leaves were also jade-like, refracting soft, radiant light.
Sōjun Minamoto sat beside the tree. Though the depletion of his Cursed Energy left him feeling a rare emptiness, the complete control he held over the world brought a calming sense of peace.
Closing his eyes, he began to observe the world through the Star Eyes.
In the ocean, countless creatures swam freely—vibrant and playful. His mood lifted slightly just watching them.
A faint smile formed on his lips as he granted these beings permission to absorb positive Cursed Energy, helping them grow.
Time passed—years at a time.
Eventually, one of the creatures awakened intelligence and emerged from the sea. It was small, with a delicate face and gentle features. Long, narrow ears framed its head, and transparent wings fluttered behind its back.
"Giggle~"
It let out a silvery laugh, glanced around, then flew straight to Sōjun Minamoto's shoulder. Its tiny legs swung back and forth as it hummed a light tune.
"Now that's a fairy," he murmured.
He wasn't surprised. The world was evolving exactly as he had envisioned. He had wanted the first intelligent life to take the form of a fairy—and so they had.
What came next, he wouldn't interfere with. Let them evolve on their own.
Soon, sixteen more fairies emerged from the sea. They circled him once, then flew up into the White Bone Tree.
Only the first one remained on his shoulder.
It made sense that the first would be special—smarter, more agile. It understood that knowing the right path early would lead to broader roads ahead.
Sōjun Minamoto fed it a thread of blessing energy. Though a mere trace, it was already too much for the tiny fairy. It carefully held the energy, then flew to the White Bone Tree and shared it with the others.
Sōjun Minamoto smiled and let them be.
The birth of intelligent life meant this world could now generate its own power—at least, it could create blessing energy.
He looked toward the sea and noticed a slight drop in water level—but that was expected. Initial investment was always necessary.
Once intelligent life became widespread and the returns exceeded the costs, it would be time to reap the benefits.
He turned his attention away from the sea.
The world was now on the right track.
Next, it was time to get himself on the right track as well.
This time, Shichizai had entered the non-physical realm not just to avoid the balance mechanism's targeting—but for something more.