Chapter 4: CHP 4
"Cursed Technique : Anima Res."
I could feel a part of me hidden from my perception come into contact with the ground under me. It was firm and rigid, stubborn as stone. But it would move to help me and it would do what was asked of it. I didn't have enough experience to know the intricacies of what it could do. All I wanted was to see my technique in action. With that thought in my mind I flooded the connection with Cursed Energy.
The ground around me rumbled before it cracked and erupted into jagged spikes, all hard edges and faintly glowing neon blue. They stayed that way for a few moments before falling back down, my connection with the earth cutting off. Exhaustion suddenly slams into me. I didn't use my energy efficiently at all, combined with the physical taxation my technique caused, I blanked out briefly before catching myself from falling.
Regardless, I couldn't help but laugh with joy. It was my first taste of outright supernatural power and it was glorious.
My technique worked on the principle of animism, the concept that all things had soul. My ability specifically allowed me to manipulate the souls of objects I come into contact with. I was a Fullbringer expy, essentially. It allowed me to draw out the potential of all the things I touched, interact with their souls and more, much more that I would have to discover on my own. It was such a versatile tool in my arsenal, and I couldn't wait to sit and grind until I learnt all the secrets of what I could achieve.
Just off of the initial experience I had had, I wanted to see if I could maybe read the histories of objects, try to cut through durable metals by cutting at their soul, try basic matter manipulation through the object soul, telekinesis, the Fullbringer technique of high-speed movement by pulling on objects, and on and on. I don't know if I could develop my own Fullbring but I won't let that stop me.
My technique didn't have much of an energy cost at all to operate it, but it did cost me stamina to use, something I would have to focus on and train later. I had gotten my money issues under order, I had a place to sleep now, I needed my wand and cloak back which was my most pressing concern right now. I also needed more general information about the Wizarding World and to go and buy my schoolbooks. I should also probably contact Hermione or Ron. I hadn't received any letters from them, despite them promising to send some.
This could either be because they were bad friends and an evil Dumbledore plot or because of the missing house-elf from the picture. I hadn't seen Dobby till now, even the cake falling on Vernon's guest happened without me meeting him, if I hadn't known of the Second-Year plotline I would've just thought it was accidental magic. As it is, things are different enough that I am wary of sending Hedwig out to ask for their help, and I'm doing well enough on my own for now. Dobby might or might not be an ally, but he's probably not out to kill me, considering how easy it would be to ambush and kill me especially with house-elf magic and its many tricks.
Another thing I feel like I need to mention was that my wounds are now completely fine. No itches or fuzzy feelings, my new sensations replacing pain, anywhere. It's definitely odd but it's something that my older Harry memories tell me is normal. The beatings he got would usually heal in a day or two. Even just casual recollection of those event was… yeah, just terrible, terrible memories.
I know that wizards are stupidly resilient with how Neville survived a 20-foot drop from his broom mostly unharmed and wizards surviving dismemberment from apparition casually with only some healing to reattach limbs required, but for regular me this was a godsend. I hadn't paid attention to my injuries because I couldn't really feel pain from them, another thing to note. Maybe dark arts induced wounds are the only ones that leave any lasting damage, considering how in the entire book series I can only think of Moody being scarred, Remus Lupin's scars after his werewolf transformation and Dumbledore's cursed arm that eventually lead to his death.
I could probably sneak into the Dursley's house now to get my wand. Vernon leaves for work in the morning, Dudley has vacations now but he'll definitely be at his friend's house, a habit from wanting to avoid being near me, Petunia went to her neighbourhood tea parties around noon. I don't know if that's changed at all now but I feel much safer dropping in with a means to defend myself judiciously.
I know I could easily beat them with my new knowledge of martial arts and just all the advantages I have anyways, but its better to have a gun and know Kung Fu than just Kung Fu. There's something about having overt means of harm like weapons and powers over just sheer physical violence that gives me more confidence in myself. It may have to do with how I have no experience with actual physical fights. I'll probably go today and get it done as soon as possible.
I spent the rest of my time playing with my energy and discovering it had an attribute to it. My energy made my hits have a cutting impact. (Forgive me Mr. Tree, you will be missed.) I tried to maximise my efficiency and control utilizing my Six Eyes, which really made the whole thing way too easy, not that I'm complaining. I estimate I'll still need a few months before I manage a completely even coat of Cursed Energy instinctually simply because my drawbacks were hamstringing my efforts at growth. A bit annoying but not very concerning as I don't have any real issues that would require that much firepower in the near future.
After taking a break to rest and recover from my exhaustion and hunger, I headed back to the village near my cottage to get a cab to Surrey. It was 1 in the afternoon by the time I reached. Now that I was here, I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I didn't have any logical reason to be afraid but anticipation of conflict is almost worse than conflict itself. I don't think I'll meet any of my relatives but the possibility was there. I didn't want to have anything to do with them. Harry also didn't feel any real hate towards them, it was just the drowning feeling of injustice, helplessness, bitterness, pain and sorrow, lovelessness. It was too tiring to hate someone for so long. Harry didn't even understand how heinous the things being done to him were.
A majority of how I view them comes from Harry, and so I couldn't bring up the righteous rage it would take to inflict upon them the harm they deserved. I could definitely report them to police though, which I am unsure of how effective that would be without physical evidence on my part, or the Dursley's suddenly being overcome with guilt at what they put me through.
I had gotten off before I reached the house because I wanted to be sneaky and also to psych myself up enough to do this confidently. It was as I was about to reach the house that I realized something was wrong. Even as underdeveloped as my spiritual senses were without my Six Eyes fully unleashed; I could tell something was off. My hearing couldn't pick anything up strange, I couldn't smell anything off but I my skin prickled and I could feel an impending sense of something in the air. My pace picked up, my shoes creating a steady, fast rhythm on the pavement.
The Dursley's house came into view and my breath stilled.
Humans in Jujutsu Kaisen release small amounts of Cursed Energy with every little negative emotion they feel. So, places like schools, offices, hospitals where a lot of people come in everyday and be miserable usually become gathering centres for cursed spirits. Similarly, untrained sorcerers end up releasing larger amounts of cursed energy due to larger reserves of it.
The Dursley's house was teeming with cursed spirits. Thousands of crawling, gnashing, slithering, whispering, screaming, wailing spirits of horrendous shapes moved in and out of the house. Just looking at it was nauseating. This was wrong, it couldn't be right, it's not possible. I just got my powers yesterday. Even considering that I got strangled by Vernon here, I do not have the reserves yet for any uncontrolled release of energy on my part to cause this… this infestation. Harry Potter didn't even have an analogue for Cursed Energy or Cursed Spirits. Unless of course, this wasn't just a Harry Potter world. 'Held back my knowledge of the setting indeed.'
This was years upon years of deposited negativity. The only thing stopping a higher grade 1 or special grade curse from manifesting was the lack of a stabilising influence or nucleus for the things to grow and agglomerate into like some kind of death crystal murder spirit. As it was, the spirits present were weak but their sheer number could be dangerous for me.
I needed my wand though and it wasn't like I was totally defenceless with my attributed energy and Innate Technique, even if I couldn't use my Innate willy-nilly. Game plan right now was to breathe deeply, nut up, coat myself with my cursed energy, shut up, and hope it attracts the mindless grade 3 and 4 spirits into killing themselves on my body. I was reluctant to use my innate technique simply because currently my only method of attacking with it I had experience with would leave me tired and defenceless, while also destroying much of the house which was more of a plus now that I think about it.
As I got closer to the house, I couldn't see any wards, blood or otherwise, around. Quite unlike what I would have expected from canon. I would have loved to spend more time putting off my future altercation and think more about the current reality I was living in, but Petunia would probably be coming soon and I wanted to be done as soon as possible and leave this repugnant place.
My initial scouting of the house didn't show me anyone inside. I didn't really need to be afraid of these low-level curses yet because they couldn't harm me physically, I was pretty sure. Lower grade curses grew by absorbing the miniscule energy left behind by people or causing misfortune like illnesses and such at Grade 3&4, growing much deadlier in later Grades.
I readied myself for battle, Six Eyes unveiled, Principle of all Things ready and Cursed Energy thrumming under my skin ready to be unleashed. I walked into the house and brought up my energy like armour around me, its sharpness reassuring me like a trusted sword. I didn't need to do much else, the spirits sensing my energy fell into frenzy and rushed towards me, wanting to feed on me mindlessly. I was bombarded by creatures that looked like insects, spiny tentacle monsters, eldritch-looking eyeball-infested miniature heads and more. They truly looked disgusting.
The initial wave of monsters seemed to attract the rest of them throughout the house to come to the entryway and rush into me. My energy was doing an admirable job at protecting, the screeching wails of dying spirits serenading me. But each spirit did chip off small chunks of my armour off with their death. With the sheer number present I worried I would run out but ultimately the stampede of spirits began to settle down after a few strenuous minutes. My heart was thumping in my chest and my adrenaline was rushing high. Sure, it ended up not being too difficult but that was my first fight and I enjoyed it a lot. Being overpowered as hell is really fun. I ran for the cupboard under the stairs where my stuff was most likely being kept, not wanting to delay things any longer.
I tried turning the doorknob but it was locked. My patience was running thin, I didn't have fond memories of this place so I didn't feel guilty at all in breaking the door down after reinforcing my hand, the flimsy wood cracking apart with my punch. I looked inside to see Hedwig's cage, my suitcase filled with clothes and books and my Invisibility Cloak, my wand placed haphazardly on top of it in the corner of the cupboard. I grabbed all three and booked it out. I didn't want to risk meeting anyone I didn't want to, and the longer I stayed here the higher the chances of that got.
I hailed the nearest cab and went back to my place. I looked a bit too much like a runaway kid and getting reported by the taxi driver, but it was nothing some extra money didn't solve. I'll have to back to Gringotts soon if I keep using my liquid money at this pace. Living is expensive.
Once I was safely back home, I could take the time to go over what all had happened in these last few hours. Why were there Cursed Spirits in this Harry Potter world? Were they even Cursed Spirits? I don't know the lore about the later parts of Harry Potter but wasn't there something like an Obscurus that came about when kids suppressed their magic? It could have been that, but my Six Eyes definitely identified them as being made up of the same kind of Cursed Energy as inside me. I guess it's possible that the god who put me here modified canon to make Cursed Energy not an Out of Context problem. I could also be in a JJK/Harry Potter crossover world considering how its currently 2011, which is close enough to JJK canon date, 2018 being when I finish my Seventh-Year roundabout. I didn't really have a way to confirm that though aside from going to Japan and searching for a school hidden from people.
It could be a side effect of the horcrux maybe? Or maybe instead of receiving my powers yesterday, I've always had them and yesterday was when it finally unlocked. That was doubtful though. Maybe the reason I survived the Killing Curse as a child was due to my perks? I had too many doubts and not enough evidence for confirming any of them.
Cursed energy in high concentrations always affects people though, schools feel boring, jobs get tiring, hospitals become places of death. Suffering always follows large gatherings of negativity. Or the other way around. It would be within the realm of possibility then, that if I always had powers, or if the horcrux somehow kept releasing negative energy that the Dursleys' were gradually changed into worse human beings just from being near me. Or that their initial mistreatment of me grew to feed itself into an escalating cycle of hatred.
I didn't want to feel guilty about something I may or may not have done unintentionally so I didn't entertain that idea for much longer. Even if I couldn't stop a little bit of guilt. They may not have always been that bad, it could have been your own fault for making them be that way. It was an ugly feeling; I didn't want to know. I didn't want to know if the reason I was always treated so badly was because of myself. I didn't want to know.
I needed information once more. Hogwarts definitely had a lot of knowledge hidden away in their humongous library but most of the juicy stuff was probably hidden behind the restricted section. Not a dealbreaker with my newly acquired invisibility cloak but risky nonetheless. Cursed Energy seems like something that would be classified as 'dark' magic so maybe the Black library has it? God, I can't even free Sirius ahead of time because my drawbacks prevent me from having my metaknowledge believed, like the fact that Peter Pettigrew is alive.
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