Blessing in the shadowsSilence, as absent as the beating of a withered heart. To his eardrums comes the deep reverberation of the domain of a cursed mind, lodging in them the echo of a cave cemented on the skeleton of a creature of great dimensions. The boy lying face up on the surface, floating on a vast dark crimson lake, seems to have been swallowed in one bite by the beast. His face remains completely pale: it's a white that represents purity without stain, or the death that corners his soul without having the luxury of touching it, still. His almond-shaped eyes refuse to open. He wants to believe that his guess is wrong, that it's all part of a nightmare, but the sudden echoing laughter of someone else forces him to swallow his saliva and face the gloomy landscape. What he sees first are the great vertebral bones of a colossal animal column hanging above him a few feet above the ground, the thick ribs stretching across the place like prison bars. Although this domain gives the illusion of warmth, the atmosphere in this place is actually as icy as a winter wonderland.

Although this is Fushiguro Megumi's first time in this macabre territory, his conclusion is firm: he is somewhere in Sukuna's mind. Megumi remembers vividly, goosebumps like the fur of an angry black cat, that the curse has decided to take possession of his body. Suddenly, his whole organism convulses. The rib cage rises and falls violently as if it wanted to expel that which is damaging his heart and consuming his life gradually. This state lasts an instant, barely two seconds, and ends when he finally spits out a mouthful of blood. The splashes stain his discolored lips red, thin strands of blood sliding down his jaw. At the same time the marks of disaster begin to form under the corners of his greenish eyes. They are crescent-shaped, resembling more like two intentional scars than Sukuna's closed eyes etched into his flesh and displayed on the skin like an imprint of conquest. Megumi, however, cannot see them.

Although each of his limbs feels more rigid than usual, his spirit is shaken by the need to confront Sukuna. Then, the boy decides to roll onto his side, his trembling arms pushing against the surface to pull himself up. His hands disappear, sinking beneath the dark liquid that submerges the floor of this place, but somehow it doesn't get wet or dirty on his skin. The sensation is unreal, as if it were a hallucination. Megumi ignores this without waiting a second longer. It doesn't take long for him to kneel, finally rising to find himself standing in front of a pile of bull skulls. The empty sockets of the stacked skulls seem to be watching the intruder's every move, warning him not to do anything stupid. He frowns and, with his back still slightly hunched from the throbbing hammering in his chest, raises his head to the top of the mountain of bones. His eyes wrapped by indignation focus on the figure sitting on the debris of a slaughter, and the metallic taste of blood becomes even more present in his mouth.

Megumi clenches his jaw, a familiar name reluctantly slips from his throat, "Sukuna."