Echelon: A Multiverse Story

Unlike Tokyo, Sendai felt like a real place someone could visit. It was still a city, but it wasn't plagued with the undeniable dread that filled the heart that Tokyo was plagued by. 

Being a mosh-pit full of curses probably doesn't help.

Now, that wasn't to say that Sendai was without its own issues—there were plenty—but that, in comparison, the weight Quinn felt on his shoulders was noticeably lighter in this city, as opposed to the time he'd met Kusakabe.

Whether because the city itself was smaller, the atmosphere was different, or because it was noticeably colder, they were all relatively equal reasons in its being superior to the capital, however there was one aspect tied to Sendai that Quinn did not welcome. 

Unlike in Tokyo and unlike in Jujutsu High, a certain object had been placed in a certain school, within the vicinity of a certain student. Three strange coincidences that would later lead to an even stranger display of events. 

It all began here, Quinn thought to himself as he followed Megumi Fushiguro down a flight of stairs. It's a little weird, now that I think about it.

There was nothing special about this place, nothing striking or overly revealing in some way. It was simply a city, though one inevitably tied with the eventual emergence of what might as well be evil-incarnate.

A fitting place to be hunting down rotten fingers, all things considered. 

"He's so fast?!" Megumi shouted, hopping down the stairs. He stammered at the bottom, head swerving left and right as he struggled to follow the boy. 

Quinn followed him down. "Do you know if he had the object or not?" 

Some students passed by, muttering nonsense about running quickly, though were just as fast to move on as Megumi gave them a pointed expression. He eyed Quinn a moment later, apparently content. "I felt the presence of a cursed object—it was him."

Nodding, Quinn eyed the set of stairs that led down to the main street; directly where he'd ran off. "Shouldn't we follow him? Shouldn't be hard to track him, since he's got the object, right?" 

Gritting his teeth, Quinn stepped down from the stairs and followed Megumi as he made for the main road. He didn't feel ill or weak; but there was something welling up in his chest. A sort of pressure, or perhaps an expectation.

I shouldn't be here. I'll fuck everything up if I intervene, won't I? 

He was treading on thin ice. This wasn't unlike his meeting Yuki or Kusakabe, though the consequences of intervening with them had very small impacts on the story, if any at all. This, however, was not something he could simply brush under the rug as simple happenstance. 

I need it to play out exactly as it did before, otherwise…

Otherwise? Quinn wasn't certain what would occur should he intervene with the flow of the story. Up until now, mostly everything had remained likely as it should have been, with some minor adjustments he'd spotted. Yuta Okkotsu still being in Japan was an oddity he hadn't let go, as was the strange absence of Gojo Satoru, though such things could potentially be chalked up to happenstance. 

Messing this up could completely destroy the world, right? 

It seemed plausible. He himself had experienced things that hadn't occurred in the story, which meant the world could deviate from how it originally played out, however his existence up until now had been minimal. Nothing egregious had occurred…as far as he was aware, at least. 

This wasn't a simple event, though. Yuki Itadori consuming one of Sukuna's fingers was what spearheaded the entire plot of the series, to some extent. Incidents naturally occur beyond that, though whether or not they would play out exactly the same without Yuji. If such were to happen, if Yuji failed to consume Sukuna's finger, what exactly would happen? 

It's not like…I can eat it, he told himself, though quickly paused as another thought crossed his mind. A silly, nonsensical thought that didn't deserve to be entertained, but then it was a thought nonetheless. Despite trying to ignore it, Quin couldn't help but humour himself. 

He quickly shook his head. Even if I did manage to eat it and manage to hold Sukuna back with Axis, there's no guarantee that it could even work to begin with—not to mention the fact that he'd be constantly in my head. 

Then again, there were always two sides to a coin. Axis being able to suppress the entity known as Sukuna long enough for the remaining two weeks to lapse was a possibility Quinn was considering. It was a promising, enticing possibility that would likely all but guarantee his first win in the tournament, however….it was a gamble. 

Sukuna wouldn't be able to comprehend anything after the month…the spaceman wouldn't allow outside interference, would he?

It was a gamble; and one that likely wouldn't end up paying off. Taking the chance on the condition that Sukuna did not exist or function outside of this world was incredibly risky. But, even despite the inherent risk, Quinn couldn't help but consider the risk. 

"Quinn?" 

Shaking his head, his eyesight fell onto Megumi, who was standing a couple metres ahead of him, phone held to his ear. "Something the matter? Surely we can just track the boy down…there should be residual cursed energy, right?" 

Megumi nodded. "That's not the issue." A faint echo of a ring filled the air as Megumi pulled his phone back down, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "I can't get a hold of him!" 

"Of who? Kusakabe? He told us to phone…" 

All of a sudden, something dawned upon Quinn. Nothing he hadn't already considered, nothing egregious or necessarily troubling, but something that was strange. It wasn't the kind of sensation one would feel when they were scared or worried about something, but a sense of wonder and terror. The sort of incomprehensible sensation that couldn't make sense, that refused to make sense. 

He…should be able to get into contact with Megumi right around now, right? He's in some neighbouring city buying souvenirs, so it's not like he wouldn't pick up. 

Gojo Satoru would soon enter the story, that was an undeniable fact. He'd appear rather suddenly after Yuji consumed one of Sukuna's fingers. That was an undeniable, impossible event that occurred in the story. 

"Gojo shouldn't be busy right now," Megumi said as if to reaffirm his suspicions. He shook his head a moment later, locking eyes with Quinn. "Come on; let's find him before anything bad happens." 

For the first time since arriving here, Quinn felt genuinely scared for his life. He didn't panic or perceive this fear, yet it was there, overwhelmingly so. He could feel a pressure in his chest welling up, beating against his ribcage as if to break free. 

What if Sukuna found a vessel other than Itadaori Yuji?

He'd have a vessel, simple as that. He'd have free-reign to do whatever he wanted, however he wanted, whenever he wanted. 

Quinn felt a shiver trickle down his back. 

Of all the possible outcomes, of all the possible events that could spell his demise, this was one of the few that were guaranteed. Being within the general proximity of the finger alone was already an issue crossing his mind, but then what of Megumi? 

He'd take one look at the Ten Shadow's and immediately recognise the potential. I'd…what would he do to me?

Axis might be capable of buying him some time, however this was the King of Curses; if Maki Zen'in could somehow find a way to get around his barrier, then there was no doubt about Ryomen Sukuna. 

Uncertain and uncomfortable, Quinn followed Megumi as he followed the cursed energy residue. He was naturally already aware of where it led, however that fact would only serve to further confuse Megumi, who was visibly shaken by his teacher's lack of contact. 

By the way he worded it, it sounds like they stay in contact regularly. Which means…what?

There was something missing, something crucial he'd overlooked—but what? Had he misremembered how the story played out, or was something happening beyond the confines of what could be expected?

Nothing.

No notion or prospect crossed his mind that could answer such a question. There should have been; it should have been simple, and yet Quinn couldn't comprehend the situation.

Where was Gojo Satoru and why was he ignoring Megumi?

Beyond some of the oddities springing up around him, Quinn was eventually led down a familiar trail as Megumi guided him through the city towards a certain hospital, where a lone student was waiting. 

Turning his back, Megumi made for the main entrance. "I'll check the reception—go round back, check if there's anything suspicious." 

Quinn nodded curtly. "Got it." 

The hospital was large enough that his task would likely span some ten minutes, easily enough time to be considered "dead weight" by the young sorcerer. Normally, Quinn would have done as asked, making no mistake in his task as to maintain his identity in this world. He'd been fortunate enough not to have his presence questioned too much by those surrounding him, which was only due to his diligence in maintaining appearances. 

Stepping outside of appearances, he thought, turning his back to the hospital, is bound to happen eventually.

Unbeknownst to Megumi Fushiguro, Quinn Verner was already familiar with the location of the Special-Grade Cursed Object known as Sukuna's Finger. 

~

Quinn felt it before he saw it. A heavy, unbridling disease that seemed to overpower the very air itself. It was a gravity unbecoming of life, a weight unlike the will of the universe itself. Like a sick, ghastly bullet, Quinn felt the full force of the cursed energy blast into him as his eyes fell onto the school. 

They've already taken the seal off?! 

It was overwhelmingly obvious that he'd have to struggle to see his goal through, but that was fine. If he was content in betraying all his progress up until now, then he'd have to stick it through and sacrifice it all if he wanted to live. 

"I have the fundamentals down," he muttered, stepping into the school. "All I need now is strength!" 

Of course, it wasn't as though he was weak. Quinn was confident in his strength, but was it overwhelming? Would someone falter at the sight of his power? Could he finish a fight with minimal effort and minimal injuries as he currently was? 

No. 

Simply put, he was not powerful. He had strength, but it was not perceived by others—not in the way he needed. The people in this world could recognise his strength, they could recognise and acknowledge his progress, but they were not aware of the weight his strength would be forced to uphold, to fight back. 

In order to live, to truly survive, he needed something unnatural. Something that existed in such a way that could not be replicated or challenged. 

An overwhelming force. 

"Where would someone find overwhelming power in Jujutsu Kaisen?" Quinn muttered aloud as he ventured deeper into the school. He exorcised two curses before finding a stairwell to the second floor.

Funnily enough, the question had an abundance of appropriate answers. This was only one of twenty fingers, after all. Why not wait until he returned to Jujutsu High and consume a finger then? 

There's no guarantee anything will happen if Yuji's already eaten the finger.

Four more curses approached Quinn before he could locate the source of the overwhelming presence. They fell with ease, quickly sliced apart by his New Shadow Style techniques. Kuskabe had done well in drilling the fundamental aspects of the moves into him, though he'd have appreciated some more established foundations. 

Simply knowing techniques isn't anything like actually being taught them, he told himself, entering a strangely familiar corridor. But then…if I go through with this, that won't matter at all.

[Cursed Technique: Axis] 

Activating his innate technique, Quinn tempered himself and began running down the corridor, directly towards the amalgamation of cursed spirits that had formed. It was enormous, consisting of multiple connecting curses, each entangled and focused…on the two bodies trapped within their grasp. 

The enormous mass of evil convulsed, apparently aware of his presence as he raced towards it. Separate curses approached him with glaring intent, though they were quickly erased as Quinn charged down the hall, slicing them and pushing them aside as Axis dealt with any he'd missed.

He was in his element. 

As though everything had been shut off, Quinn focused solely on the girl in the centre of the mess of curses, specifically on the presence he felt emanating from her. It was screaming at him, almost as if calling out to him for help. 

"Quinn?!" 

Like flicking a switch, Quinn's focus wavered as a voice called out to him from behind. Glancing over his shoulder, he locked eyes with a pair of dogs as they chased a number of curses down the hall. Megumi, at their centre, had a confused expression washed across his face, bewilderment and apparent joy contorting into a smile. 

Quinn smiled. "Sorry about this." 

[New Shadow Style: Hazy Moon] 

Despite not being broken, Quinn made use of the technique, extending the length of his blade at the tip extensively, allowing him to reach up to the ceiling of the hall. He slashed at the building quickly, eviscerating the walls and ceiling alike as it all crashed down, blocking Megumi's path to both him and the finger. 

It immediately dawned upon him that he'd likely just made a mistake. Not a moment passed before he heard a window shatter and the faint smell of ozone fill the air. By the time Quinn had reached the girl and pried her out of the amalgamated cursed spirit, Megumi appeared on the opposite end of the corridor, his shikigami racing down towards him. 

"What are you doing?!" 

Content in his goal, comfortable in surviving, Quinn recognised that, despite his grievances on the matter, betraying Megumi and the rest of Jujutsu High was the correct decision here. 

"Actually," he muttered, palming Sukuna's finger as he placed the girl on the ground, "I suppose I'm betraying your entire world." 

It stank, unsurprisingly. Unlike the sealed finger's Yuki had temporarily given him, this one was oozing resentment, disgust, and practically every other negative emotion one could associate with anything at all. Quinn detested the concept of such a thing existing, let alone swallowing one; but alas, if his survival was dependent on becoming strong, he wouldn't let anything beat him. 

Once More, he smiled, eying Megumi. 

Quinn swallowed Sukuna's finger.