Jujutsu Kaisen: False Dawn

The third morning had arrived. Pale sunlight poured into the apartment window, slanting across the floor like a blade cutting through dust. Ren sat at his table, Kai2 curled up lazily near the edge of the rug like a bizarre paperweight. His mind, however, wasn't idle.

He stared down at his fingers, slowly flexing them as a faint shimmer of red curse energy danced between them.

"Red Stitch…" he muttered under his breath.

It was time.

Ren had spent most of his days training his base—his cursed energy control, his endurance, and even testing out minor binding vows. But his actual cursed technique? He'd barely scratched the surface. And that was deliberate.

He thought back to his own logic: "All my ideas to improve this are risky… too risky."

If he messed up his cursed technique even once, that could be it. It could fry his entire system, destabilize his cursed energy output, or worse—completely remove his ability to use cursed techniques. That would leave him naked in this world. Utterly vulnerable.

So, for now… safer ground.

He turned instead to the next best thing: the Red Cursed Circuit.

This technique, an extension of his Red Stitch, was his original creation. A unique cursed energy control system made from weaving his cursed technique like wires through his own body. It wasn't just useful. It was everything. It let him compete with actual sorcerers.

And now, thanks to Rika, he could try to complete it.

He didn't waste another second.

---

Two days passed in painful silence.

And nothing was working.

Ren slammed his fist against the table. "Fuck!"

Kai2, who had been balancing an old spoon on its nose, dropped it with a tiny clatter and rolled to the side in alarm.

Ren leaned back and groaned. His cursed circuits were buzzing—overloaded again. He'd burned through several configurations already. He tried running new 'lines' through his legs. Failed. Tried splitting the cursed thread inside his shoulder. Failed again. The best he got was twisting the threads around his bones in one continuous spiral.

That at least worked.

It had made the Red Cursed Circuit more stable and even improved his cursed energy control a little. Just a little. Barely anything. Barely worth the effort. And now?

He was stuck.

Totally, completely stuck.

The worst part? He felt it. That dreaded sensation he had feared since day one: The Wall.

He couldn't push any further. Not with what he had.

Every time he tried running multiple threads, the cursed circuit inside his body would destabilize, and—bam! Backlash. It felt like fire through his nervous system. For a few minutes afterward, even basic cursed energy manipulation became a chore.

He gritted his teeth and hissed through them. "If I didn't have Rika backing me… I'd be a vegetable by now…"

Thankfully, Rika had become something like a fail-safe. Whenever Ren broke something internally, he could force a reset. Reform the base circuit using her cursed energy as a support. It was dangerous… but survivable.

Still.

He was failing. 

And it sucked.

Ren walked over to the mirror. His reflection looked like crap. His hair, a little too long, was messy. Eyes red-rimmed from sleeplessness. Shoulders sagged. He looked like a mad scientist who hadn't eaten in a week.

"This cursed technique… it's not limitless," he whispered.

He had always known Red Stitch wasn't some godlike ability. But it was his. And now, even his own invention, the Red Cursed Circuit, had seemingly hit a wall. He couldn't expand it. Couldn't build on it. Every upgrade idea he tried only caused more instability.

He slumped to the ground.

Ren hadn't felt this helpless in weeks. Not since he first arrived in this world and read that damned letter. And now?

"Did I just run out of ideas…?"

That thought scared him more than anything.

---

Kai2 had been oddly quiet. Usually the dumb fish-like curse would be spinning, floating, or trying to chew on Ren's boots for no reason. But now, it just did… a cartwheel.

A weird, sloppy one.

Ren blinked. "What the hell was that?"

The fish rolled upright and wagged its tail like a proud dog.

"...You think I'm gonna feel better because you did a fucking cartwheel?" Ren muttered.

Kai2 flopped down. Looked at him.

Ren looked away, but his mouth twitched.

He sighed. "Fine. That was kind of funny."

And he smiled.

---

Two days. Two full days had passed. He had made some slight upgrades to the red cursed circuit. Minor ones. More like refinements than true progress. But the wall still loomed.

Ren paced the apartment. The clock ticked. Kai2 snored quietly. Outside, the city buzzed with the uncaring rhythm of normal life.

Only three days left.

Three days before, he had to make a move. Before, he had to light a fire big enough for Jujutsu High to notice. He needed to make noise. He needed to become a threat.

Not because he wanted to destroy anything.

But because he needed to survive.

He needed teachers. Books. Resources. Knowledge. He was reaching his limits out here on his own.

He had done everything alone.

Learned cursed energy.

Awakened his technique.

Formed a cursed circuit.

Trained with binding vows.

Tamed a curse.

Took Rika.

And still… he was at the end of his rope. If he didn't get help soon, he would plateau. The idea of being stuck at Grade 3 or even Grade 2 forever made him want to vomit.

"I have to go to Jujutsu High."

It wasn't just a plan anymore.

It was a necessity.

He sat back down on the mat, arms resting on his knees.

Kai2 slithered over, curling near him.

Ren absentmindedly ran his fingers across the floor.

Three days left.

Just three more days… and then it would all begin.