The king of Curses

                                    

                                          
POV Ryomen Sukuna
My head throbbed, the side of my skull feeling like someone had crushed it and scattered the pieces. With a groan, I reached up with one hand and gingerly touched my temple. Instant, intense pain made me grimace.  My vision was hazy and unfocused. In fact, I couldn't tell how far away my hand was; if it hadn't connected with something, I would have thought I had passed out without realizing it. My senses were flooded with fragmented memories that rushed to the forefront of my mind.

I groan in pain as flashes of a beautiful woman in bed, a forest on fire, a burning village, screams, agony, agony, agony, more screams and blood, so much blood, a long line of souls waiting, all giving me strange looks before moving along, a girl being raped and beaten to death by thugs.

The moment of brief clarity disappears, and all I can do is feel those feelings. Agony. Over and over and over again, burning brighter and hotter and hotter and h- I want to throw up. And I do, spewing a viscous black substance onto the floor. My body convulses and rolls onto my back as I gasp for air, unable to control my shaking limbs, unable to escape from these awful emotions that weren't mine, until I eventually pass out again, grateful for the dark. 

Upon regaining consciousness, my memories gradually flood back to me, like scenes from a movie montage. And then, she appears in my mind again; her face is still a blur, but her touch is gentle as she lays her hand on my forehead. Instantly, a sense of relief washes over me. I find it easier to breathe, my weakness diminishes, and the shivers subside. The overwhelming mix of fear, betrayal, and anger that seemed to engulf me faded away. My entire body feels lighter and more flexible, and the ache in my muscles lessens. However, I am still enveloped by pain, hazy darkness, and a disorienting sensation, these being the only feelings I can grasp at the moment.

"I don't understand," I grumbled aloud, rubbing my temples. My throat was dry, and my voice cracked. The memories I had long since forgotten suddenly flooded my mind as I began to relive them. They came in fragments, and I still couldn't understand what was happening. I hated the memories; I hated my human self, but I was still unsure why memories from a thousand years ago were returning to me.

Why was this happening now? Was she causing it to happen? If the woman didn't actually exist, then who was she? Or was my imagination simply becoming less able to protect itself against these unwanted intrusive thoughts, or was it because I was a psychopath who was unfortunate enough to be stuck in a tiny, underdeveloped human brain. But somehow...somehow, she seemed real.

No, I can't deal with this right now. I refused to allow my human memories to come back, not without a damn good reason. Even so, I refused to allow the human part of myself to take over my life. I was no longer Ryomen Sukuna but the king of Curses himself. My heart belonged here among monsters and not humans. After all, how could those humans possibly understand me? They were all sheep that came and went in the same manner, weak and full of false promises that could only come from such pathetic creatures. The question remained, why were my memories doing this now? "Fuck." I muttered, trying to sit up, and more memories flashed before my eyes. It felt like someone was holding a lantern to them, making them bright and clear enough that I couldn't ignore them, yet not clear enough to fully grasp and remember them.

"The book," I mutter as I struggle to prop myself up in my arms. It all began when someone dared to unseal my book. Why didn't I figure it out earlier? As I push myself up, a surge of pain shoots through my arms, and I cringe, feeling slightly weak but no longer sick and delirious. My eyes flutter as I raise my hand to my face, wiggling my fingers a bit. The realization hit me that I was now in control of Yuji's body. A wicked smile broke over my face as the realization hit me. Yuji's consciousness had faded, and somehow, I had taken over; the seal had not broken, and Itadori's mind had retreated into its prison within me, leaving only me in control.