Jujutsu Kaisen: The Sorceress of Control

Here is the chapter of the 50 stones

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Makima arrived at a small, isolated structure, far from the clan's main buildings. Behind her, as always, was Rika, her loyal servant. Upon opening the door, a nauseating stench wafted out from inside, hitting Rika in the face with its force. She couldn't help but cover her nose, repulsed. Inside, sitting on a chair and bound with ropes, was a disheveled man covered in wounds. The dirt and lacerations on his body indicated a long suffering. As they entered, the door closed behind them, and the oppressive atmosphere became even more unbearable.

Rika frowned, confused. "What does my lady want with... that?" she wondered. The man smelled horrible, as if he hadn't seen daylight or received any care in days. Just being in the same room with him was repulsive to her.

Makima advanced without flinching, approaching the man, who could barely lift his head from exhaustion. When he noticed the young woman's presence, he weakly lifted his gaze, and upon meeting Makima's eyes, he trembled and began to plead.

"Please... mercy..." he stammered. The fear in his voice was palpable, his desperation evident.

Makima displayed a small but calculated smile. She observed the man's deplorable state with care. She didn't know exactly what had been done to him, but that would only make her job easier. She leaned slightly towards him, letting her shadow completely engulf him.

"What is your name?" she asked calmly, her tone controlled but firm.

The man hesitated, swallowing before replying. "R-Ren..." he whispered.

Makima nodded, showing a slight gesture of approval. "Ren," she repeated, almost savoring the name on her lips. "What do you desire?" she then asked, not taking her eyes off him.

The man, still stunned, could only think of one thing. "I... I want to be freed," he said, his voice weak but filled with hope. The simple thought of getting out of there, of being free, was the only thing keeping him sane.

Makima's eyes gleamed with an almost supernatural intensity upon hearing those words. Her smile widened a bit more, a mix of satisfaction and danger. "I'll free you," she promised, her voice enveloping. "But... in exchange, your body will take all the damage inflicted on mine."

Ren frowned, not fully understanding what she was offering him. The girl before him seemed strange, her words even more so. However, the promise of freedom blinded him, so he quickly nodded, thinking that anything would be better than staying there.

"Is it a deal?" Makima insisted, her voice sounding a bit more impatient.

The man swallowed. "It's a deal," he said, hoping that this would end soon.

Makima's smile disappeared in an instant. Her patience had limits. "Say it out loud," she demanded, her tone filled with authority.

Ren, trembling, obeyed. "I-it's a deal," he said with more force.

Makima turned to Rika. "Untie him," she ordered. Rika, still confused, looked at her mistress with a mix of disgust and disbelief. Why release him? But, knowing she shouldn't question Makima's orders, she approached the man and began to untie him with quick, precise hands.

Once freed, Ren rubbed his wrists, relishing the feeling of being free of the restraints. He smiled, a sinister smile, as he looked at the two young women before him. He thought about taking some revenge, taking advantage of the situation. Two young, beautiful women had freed him... he felt lucky. However, before he could do anything more, Makima lifted a finger and pointed it at her own head.

Rika, seeing this gesture, paled. She knew what was coming, and her stomach turned at the thought.

"Bang," Makima whispered.

An invisible blast pierced her skull as if a bullet had shot out from her finger. Her body fell to the ground with a thud, her head soaked in blood that flowed freely from the invisible wound. Rika was petrified, unable to move or react. Her mistress's head... how...?

Ren was about to say something, to take advantage of the confusion, but before he could utter a word, his own head exploded into pieces. Blood and bits of skull splattered throughout the room, splashing onto Rika, who couldn't help but scream at the sensation of hot liquid on her face.

Ren's lifeless body fell to the ground, but before Rika could process what had just happened, Makima, still with her head covered in her own blood, began to move. Without visible wounds, she rose from the floor with the same calm as always, as if nothing had happened. Her smile reappeared on her blood-stained face.

Rika, despite her unwavering loyalty, had rarely been unsettled by Makima's actions. Over the years, she had witnessed countless deaths, tortures, and experiments, all with the cold indifference of someone accustomed to cruelty. However, this time was different. What had just happened before her eyes was not an ordinary killing, nor even an ordinary display of power. Makima had killed herself in such a casual, impersonal manner.

Ren's body lay shattered on the ground, his skull crushed and his remains scattered, while blood pooled beneath him. The disturbing part was not the brutality of the act but the simplicity with which Makima had exchanged her fate for that of this man. A single word was enough to end one life and let the other continue as if nothing had happened. Now, Makima, standing unscathed, wiped the blood from her forehead with a black handkerchief, her expression unperturbed. There was no trace of the self-inflicted shot from moments before.

Rika continued to watch, showing no emotion, but her mind kept analyzing what had happened. She knew her mistress's abilities, her capacity to control wills and manipulate others' bodies, but she had never seen her play with her own life this way. Rika couldn't help but wonder how many more would have to die to satisfy Makima's experiments. However, she quickly dismissed the thought. Her role was not to judge but to obey orders, and what she had just witnessed should not affect her loyalty.

Makima, observing the corpse with satisfaction, broke the silence. "It worked just as I expected," she murmured, as her eyes glowed with a hint of control. Her power, as always, was beyond what anyone could imagine. The transfer of damage had been perfect.

Rika began to clean, and with accustomed efficiency, she started removing Ren's body. As she did so, her thoughts remained orderly, leaving no room for shock. Makima could twist reality at her whim, and while what had just happened would be terrifying to anyone else, for Rika it was simply another reminder that her mistress was invulnerable. Life and death were mere instruments in the hands of someone like Makima.

"Rika," Makima's voice pulled her from her thoughts. Her tone was gentle but firm, imbued with an undeniable authority. "Make sure you're clean; tomorrow will be an important day."

The servant nodded, bowing her head with respect. "As you wish, mistress," she replied. Although the situation seemed unsettling in the back of her mind, her outward demeanor remained unchanged. She knew her place was not to question or reflect on what had happened. Makima didn't need her servants to understand her motives, only to execute them.

As the last traces of blood disappeared from the floor, Rika cast a final glance at Ren's corpse before taking it away. The image of her mistress, surviving what for anyone else would have been a sure death, remained etched in her mind. She had seen the true extent of her power countless times, but the ease with which she even toyed with her own life, exchanging it without hesitation, showed her something new. Makima didn't just control others; she controlled the course of life itself, as if reality were just another tool in her hands.

Silence fell over the room once Rika left the place in perfect order. As she closed the door and followed her mistress, she knew that what she had seen was only a small fraction of what Makima was capable of doing. Though she remained mostly indifferent, the shadow of that absolute power resonated in the deepest part of her being, reminding her that in her mistress's world, nothing was impossible.