Chapter 5

**Keep Walking** (保つ歩く, *Tamotsu Aruku*?) is the fifth chapter of the *Jujutsu Shori* series.

## Summary

Allen is horrified as the giant glowing green spirit uses its tentacles to probe its way through Allen's hand all throughout beneath the skin of his body. He doesn't know what's happening and he looks down to see Komui. The Director looks satisfied with what's going on, giving Allen the feeling of he's been betrayed. Determined to fight back, Allen forces his Cursed Cross to activate. However, it comes out deformed, causing Allen to yell out in agony.

The spirit, Hevlaska tells Allen that it's okay and to calm down. She communicates that she isn't the enemy by gently placing their foreheads against one another. Her curses energy connects with Allens and flushes him out, allowing her to manipulate the cursed energy within him. The first part of the process can be agonizing, siphoning the cursed energy out of the vessel.

However, now she can manipulate the cursed energy in Allen's body to fix his hand, reverting it back to its standby form. Hevlaska explains she could sense Allen's feelings during the process as she gently places him back down on his feet. She believes one day Allen will be able to learn how to heal his arm on his own without her cursed technique.

Allen asks why she needed to sense through his feelings and she responds that it needed to be determined whether Allen could be trusted. Komui claps for Allen and congratulates him for passing the first of many tests. He expects big things from crosses pupil but is interrupted in the middle of saying that when Allen attempts to punch him in the face. Komui blocks Allen's fist with his clipboard and apologizes for scaring Allen. However, like Hevlaska said everyone has to be inspected, especially people who carry curses. Allen is annoyed Komui didn't warn him first.

Komui says Hevlaska can be kind of scary looking but she's the key to all his research on cursed energy. He asks what Allen knows about jujutsu and Allen reveals that Cross didn't teach him very much at all. Darkness exists within every human heart. Negativity flows out of people in the form of cursed energy. Over time that energy pools together to manifest cursed spirits. Only a curse can be used to exorcise another curse... and that's it for what Cross taught him.

Komui understands and says that he'll learn all about it here at the Jujutsu Technical School program. Allen is a cursed human without a proper cursed technique, but his skills can be refined to become a great sorcerer. Komui reveals that he isn't a sorcerer but his research with Hevlaska has helped him gain and practical understanding of cursed energy and how to apply it scientifically. He believes everyone must play their role and do their best. He adds that Allen isn't cursed, he's a soldier blessed by God. The Tower is God is a place where people discover how to use their blessings to fight against the forces of darkness.

Speaking of Allen's curse, (even though Komu just called it a blessing), the lift platform their standing on takes Allen and Komui to a laboratory area they talk into. Komui shows Allen on the monitor that although his left eye and left arm are both cursed, they don't originate from the same curse. Allen tells Komui that he was born with his left arm, but his eye was only cursed after being attacked by one of the Millenium Earl's puppets.

Komui says he understands and this explains the Earl's insignia on Allen's forehead. The Earl's puppets are cursed corpses inanimate objects that obtain a sense of self after being possessed by a curse, similar to the Gatekeeper. Normally man-made cursed corpse puppets possess a core made of cursed energy, but this can be augmented. The Earl's cursed corpses have cores made of dark matter they believe originates from his cursed technique. They call his toys "Hallow Mutated Cursed Corpses, or Hallows for short.

Curses have existed at least since the Medieval ages, but they're growing more and more prominent as they approach the end of the eighteenth century. Komui reveals that their Oracle foresees great darkness that's been building for the last thousand years. The Millenium Earl is the harbinger of that darkness. He can essentially mass-produce his Hallows, causing fear and malice to spread, resulting in more naturally occurring cursed spirits. If the jujutsu sorcerers do not stop him, he'll swallow Europe in darkness before the next millennium.

The Tower of God was an old castle built by the ancient order of the Vatican create as an avenue to reach the skies and commune with God. Twenty years ago it was refurbished and set up as a research facility for Jujutsu. It's well hidden, providing all the space, security, and privacy they needed to operate. Just within the last decade, the Vatican asked the Tower of God to adopt Japan's Jujutsu Technical School program. Allen and other students will be training as exorcists, but to the government, they are officially recognized as college students looking to obtain a religious apprenticeship.

Komoui asks that they both do their best to save the world and shakes Allen's hand, officially welcoming him to Jujutsu High. He believes it's Allen's destiny to be here as chosen by God, and they will bring down the Earl without fail.

Afterward, Allen finishes moving into his room and decorating by putting up a picture of a clown that represents Mana. Allen talks to it, telling Mana that he's finally at his starting line. He doesn't believe it has anything to do with destiny, it's just the path he decided to follow. Allen places his hand on the picture and swears to Mana that he won't stop no matter what. He'll keep walking down this path as long as he lives.