In the Academy as Sukuna

"Strength is not born from power, but from the resolve to protect those who we love."

(POV: Silvas)

It has been three days since I, along with everyone else in the academy, have been sucked into this dungeon.

We tried our best to help the students escape, but alas, we failed.

I was currently walking on a road in the city of Qora, the only remaining stronghold of mankind.

This dungeon had humans living in a civilization which was developed like the medieval times.

The city was beautiful, with the palace of royalty right in the middle.

I had been dropped in the middle of a forest when I first came here. Since then, I walked for hours trying to get out of it.

The flow of mana in this world is very different to ours, so I had some trouble adapting to it at first.

I was confused about what to do, finding the students was my first priority.

But, I had started hearing a name spreading around, one that I vividly remember.

I walked to a bar, outside of which were standing two bald men.

The smell of alcohol assaulted my nose the closer I got.

My face was covered by the coat I was wearing. I beat up a guy in an ally and stole all his valuables, including this coat (It was necessary).

I stood near them, taking support of the wall, as if I was tired and resting, so as to not arouse suspicion.

The two men didn't notice and continued their conversation.

The tall bald guy took a sip from his huge cup, which was filled with a transparent liquid.

"Hey, do you know? His name's Sukuna, Ryomen Sukuna," he said to the short bald guy, who was standing next to him, holding a cup with the same liquid in it.

"Yeah, who hasn't heard of him by now? But I heard that he is...well, pretty eccentric," the short bald guy said, his voice filled with curiosity.

He took a sip from the cup, the sound of gulping reaching my ears.

"I haven't met him, obviously, but some of the maids assigned to him have said so," the tall bald guy said, picking his nose and flicking the booger onto the street.

"Well, none of that matters to us, as long as he solves the situation, I'll be fine," the short bald guy said, sighing as he ended the sentence.

The tall bald guy looked as if he wanted to say something, but didn't do so.

"I'll go get a refill," the short bald guy said, walking back into the bar.

"Will he be able to though?" The tall bald guy muttered, his eyes glinted with sadness as he sighed, looking up towards the sky.

I realized that there was no more information to be gathered by listening to these two, so I walked away.

I had already found out that Sukuna was in the royal castle.

He got the title of 'Hero'. Supposedly, he was summoned by mages to pull humanity out of the crisis they were facing.

I assume that only he was supposed to be summoned, and the summoning of everyone else was just an accident.

Going to the palace would be the fastest way to gather all the students together, as the title of 'Hero' seemed to be quite prestigious and influential.

I unhid my face, taking it out from behind the coat.

As I walked closer towards the palace, the streets got more and more empty.

A huge castle, with intricate designs on its walls and hundreds of guards standing to protect it, came into view.

My fists clenched as I thought of how many students would die before even reaching the city, they were too weak to combat the monsters found here.

I took a deep breath and walked towards the palace, the sound of my footsteps echoing in the empty streets.

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.

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(Three days ago...)

(POV: Ryomen Sukuna)

What an original idea you have, author.

Thanks :3

I was being sarcastic...

Oh...sorry :<

Don't say it like that, you're making me feel bad.

"Welcome, Hero, to our world. I know that you may be confused, but please compose yourself. We are in dire need of your assistance!"

An overly formal voice came from my right.

I turned towards it. Into my view came an old guy wearing a white robe laced with gold on its edges.

He had an extremely long, white beard, reaching his waist, while his head lacked severely in that field, he reminded me of Netero.

Seeing that he had my attention, he continued.

"Our world is going through a calamity that only you can fix. O Wise Hero! Only you have the ability and strength to break us out from the clutches of those savages!"

I don't like this guy, he gives me flashbacks of all the Shakespearean monologues I have read.

I did what any normal person would do when they hear someone being annoying.

"k"

His brows furrowed as he tried to 'decode' the meaning of my words.

"It seems that the Hero doesn't speak our language! What must we do now, your majesty?" The beard guy asked, turning towards a person standing a little behind him.

I looked towards the guy.

He was wearing a luxurious outfit, adorned with gold and gems all over it, which shone in the sunlight, making the person in them look ethereal.

He was definitely the king of this place.

The king was quite tall, more than 6 feet. He had a little beard and neatly styled brown hair.

Beside him were two people. First, a guy, who looked like he was in his teens. He was dressed as well as the king himself, so I assume that he was a prince.

Second, a girl, who looked younger than the prince, but was also dressed in a beautiful white dress. This was probably the princess.

"I assume you're the king," I said, trying to make my voice as intimidating as possible.

The king seemed to get more nervous as I spoke to him, hurriedly saying: "Yes, I am, Hero."

"Hero! I didn't know you could speak our lang–" the guy in the robe started, but I cut him off.

"Dude shut up! Go get me a glass of water," I said with a dismissive motion of my hands, irritated by the constant nagging.

"But Hero, I am the Head Mage of the Great Empire!" He said, finding himself too high for the job.

"Did I stutter?" I said, my voice indifferent as I glared at him.

He turned his head down and slowly walked out of the room.

Finally, there was some peace. "You", I turned to the king. "Call me Sukuna, and let's talk in private."

The king just nodded, his nervousness slowly dissipating, as he, along with some maids, led me to another room.

.

(A few minutes later...)

We were sitting on a table. The king was right in front of me, his expression stoic.

On the table were laid down numerous delicacies, but none were so good as to immediately catch my attention.

I just sipped the water kept in a cup, which tasted a little sweet.

Putting down the cup with a silent clang, I turned towards the king, who was now in business mode with a serious expression.

"So...what is the reason that you have very politely summoned me here?" I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

The king's expression didn't change, but he suddenly bowed his head, almost hitting the table.

"We are deeply sorry, Hero. But we had no other choice," he said, apologizing genuinely.

"Raise your head," I said, my voice softer than before. "Now, tell me the whole story."

He took a sip of water before starting.

"An expedition team found some ruins a few years ago, which were filled with riches. Some greedy aristocrats started sending people to completely mine it out..." He paused, taking a deep breath.

"...but that turned out to be a mistake. Monsters swarmed out from the ruins, stronger than we had ever seen before."

His fists clenched under the table, and his voice got lower.

"Since then, we have been fighting for survival. Now, all that remains of humanity is this city," his eyes glinted with grief as he thought of the destruction caused by the monsters.

"Thousands died fighting, but we still couldn't see any chance of victory."

His voice slowly returned to normal, the earlier confidence coming back.

"It was then that we consulted the ancient texts. They said that pouring mana into a certain item will summon a Hero from another world... one which will save us in time of crisis."

I could see his eyes getting teary as he spoke. He had finally found hope for humanity's survival.

"Hundreds of mages had to be sacrificed to summon you here, Hero. You are our last hope, the last stand of mankind!"

His eyes glinted with passion as he finished that sentence.

I sighed. Sacrificing hundreds of people is probably the reason why the gate was so big and everyone was sucked into it.

But soon, a little smile came up on my face. This king sympathizes with his people, suffers when they suffer.

I could figure out that much by the change in his expression throughout his narration. This is what a good ruler looks like.

The smile disappeared as quickly as it came, replaced by a frown as I thought of the consequences of this action.

After a few seconds, I opened my mouth, my voice nonchalant.

"Okay, but it's not just me that got summoned, many of my...acquaintances did too."

The king's brows furrowed, his mind was running at great speeds trying to figure out how to deal with this situation.

He knew how dangerous the outside world was, and it was highly possible that those people are already dead.

"Don't worry too much," I said, which caused him to look at me. "I don't care about all of them."

His posture slightly relaxed, but his mind got more alert.

The legends always said that Heroes were brave and kind souls who would do anything to protect the people.

While this person was completely opposite to that description.

"I care only about a few of them," I said, my voice nonchalant. "But if any of those die..."

My voice got deeper as I slowly released some of my Cursed Energy, which applied a pressure similar to mana pressure.

Cold sweat trickled down the king's forehead as he struggled to keep his composure.

Veins popped out in his arms as he did his best to circulate mana inside him, combating my cursed energy.

I got up from the chair and leaned on the table. My face was extremely close to the king's, so much so that I could hear his ragged breathing.

I whispered to him, my voice carrying weight and authority...

"...then the one to end humanity won't be the monsters, but me"

I fell back onto the chair, my serious expression replaced by one of nonchalance.

The king's eyes were widened, and he was frozen in spot, cold sweat still dripping down his forehead.

"Also," I said, my tone carrying no hostility. "Call me Sukuna, not Hero."

The king smiled nervously, his thoughts filled with prayers that those people I was talking about stay safe.

His fists clenched under the table. He knew that this was a risky gamble. He was ready to take the blame and punishment if the hero summoning fails or goes rampant.

But he never expected that he would summon someone who would become a threat to all humanity.

He slowly calmed down, his fists relaxing and opening back up.

He figured that worrying about this subject wouldn't give any results.

In a few years, humanity would be destroyed by monsters anyway, so it is better to rely on the Hero rather than trying to do anything foolish like trying to kill him to remove the risk.

"Now," I said, my voice completely normal. "How about you lead me to my room, I'll rest for a bit."

"As you wish, He–Sukuna," the king said.

Thinking of it now, I don't know this guy's name. But I guess that isn't too important.

What's important is to wait for the students and teachers to arrive here, so I'll just chill out until that happens.

A maid came up to me and led me to a luxurious room, one which was literally glinting with decorations.

The room was filled with a comforting fragrance, as if a light perfume was sprayed all around it.

I fell onto the bed. Closing my eyes, I felt myself sink into the comfortable mattress.

Thinking back about my words, everything I said to the king was completely true.

If Nect or Eva died, then I would burn these people to the ground, no matter if it was their fault or not.

Johan and Ryogaku come next in the list.

And the principal Blaze was out when the gate appeared, so I doubt that he would be stuck in here.

I sighed as I looked at the ceiling.

This world had given me everything, but there was still something I wanted to experience for myself.

I haven't had a lover in any of my lives, I've never truly known what 'love' is.

Sometimes, I felt that I am incapable of feeling deep affection and attachment with anyone, other than my sister, that is.

Now, in this whole new world, I have endless possibilities to feel 'love' for someone.

Eva is the first candidate, she is the closest to me. But no matter, if it doesn't work out with her, I have a multitude of options.

My life always felt monotonous, doing the same things every day. This feeling grew stronger after my sister's death.

Or should I say, her murder.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my head. I instinctively held my head tight.

I shot up from the bed, now sitting on its edge, gripping my head. My eyebrows were furrowed, and my mouth open as I took deep and sharp breaths.

Some distressing memories started to surface.

My heart started beating faster as the image of a girl flashed in my mind.

I was holding her in my arms as she laid on the floor. Her chest had a bullet wound, with blood gushing out of it non-stop.

All of my thoughts were drowned under the silence of the room, a pool of blood forming under my sister's body.

I felt my eyes grow wet and a teardrop fall on the floor as I clutched my head harder.

I grit my teeth, my expression unknowingly morphed into one of pure anger.

In the memories, her body went limp, slowly growing colder the longer I held her.

A large number of men in suits entered the room. Seeing the pool of blood under me, they surrounded us, taking out their guns to protect me.

But, I didn't notice any of them. I was crying with my sister in my arms.

The last thing I remember was her smiling face, as if reassuring me that everything would be okay.

===========================

Hints about his past...what do you think?

.

This took longer to write than I expected :P

2550 words :>

gimme POWER STONES :3