In the Academy as Sukuna

"There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds."

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(POV: Ryomen Sukuna)

I was standing in front of a grand mansion, one which I was more than used to seeing.

This was the mansion I had always lived in with my parents, a place where I could feel secure and comfortable.

However, today, as I walked in through the gates, my shoes making grinding sounds with the gravelly path below, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread and emptiness grip my heart.

Today was a day I would never forget. I got a call from my dad, telling me that mom had been injured... 'quite badly'.

I could feel it in his voice... he was doing his best not to let his emotions out. I had never seen him so... agitated. I knew this was bad.

My heart skipped a beat as I saw the doctors and nurses running around, their faces morphed in both nervousness and urgency.

My footsteps were slow, hesitant, even. I didn't want to see her state if this is the amount of help my dad called for... I just wanted to go away and act like she's fine.

But no... I have to face the truth... and be by her side.

I walked in further, my heart beating faster with every step.

Some of the doctors and assistants walking around caught a glimpse of me, immediately moving aside, making way for me to go.

I could see cold sweat on their faces, some of their hands trembling in anxiety. It seems that the rumor about me doing the massacre of the town was still fresh in their mind, though it is anything but a rumor.

I stood in front of the door, my hand hovering over the doorknob as I took a deep breath.

Steeling my resolve, I grabbed the knob, turning it and pushing the door open.

What greeted my eyes were some extremely familiar figures. Elara, Eva, and Nect.

The atmosphere was depressing, almost suffocatingly so, as if their whole family had died, wouldn't be new for Eva, though.

They were sitting on the couches in the living room, their faces down as they stared at nothing.

Elara and Eva seemed to be quite distraught. Elara had built quite a bond with both my parents in the few days she had been here, or at least it seemed so.

Eva, too, had made quite a strong connection with them. It was almost certain that she would be my life partner. She thought of my mom as her own, it was clear that she didn't want to lose family once more.

Nect, however, seemed comparatively calm. I sure expected some degree of indifference from her, since I had noticed that she has a hard time connecting to people, but not this much.

Looking at the scene, my heart beat hard. Everything seemed to go silent, I could hear everything, as if time itself had stopped.

In long, quick strides, I rushed upstairs, to my mom's room, where she would be resting, probably.

"Sukuna!" I could hear Eva call me from behind, her voice heavy with emotion, but I ignored it for now, walking up the stair, my steps echoing in the silent living room.

I took a sharp right, my hand grazing a vase, which fell to the ground, breaking into pieces, an event that felt more beautiful than the vase itself.

My mind was too preoccupied to pay attention to my surroundings for now. I rushed through the hallway, my footsteps freezing behind doors leading to my mom's room.

I could feel my dad's presence inside, and it felt... eerie.

It was almost as if there was a monster sitting inside, which would pounce on me the moment I dared to walk through this door. It almost felt like there was a black smoke coming out of the room, threatening to engulf me whole.

My movements didn't stop, though. My mind was too shocked to feel my instincts screaming at me.

I pushed open the door, the pressure in the air crushing me from all sides, almost making me fall to my knees.

My eyes widened at the sight... my mom was lying on the bed, motionless. The only movements I could see on her body was the shallow rising and falling of her chest.

Many tubes were connected to her body, going in through her nose, her mouth, some piercing her hand, as if they were the only things keeping her alive.

My dad was sitting on a chair next to the bed, his elbows resting on his knee, his fingers interlocked. His eyes were closed, his body completely stiff.

My hands trembled at the sight. I felt... numbed. The shock had numbed my senses, I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that my mom, a person so strong and charismatic, was currently in this state.

No... charisma has nothing to do with her state... I can't think clearly.

"Sukuna," I heard my dad whisper, his voice shaking.

My eyes widened even more... I had never seen him so affected by anything. It seemed like he was almost about to... cry.

I pulled a chair, sitting next to him. I extended my hands, grabbing my mom's unmoving hand tightly.

My heart fell at the sensation of her cold hands, tears forming in my eyes as I saw her sorry state.

"It's not right," my father whispered, his eyes still closed, his head turned towards the floor.

My hand held my mom's tightly, as if trying to say that I was here for her. I turned to my father, my eyes glinting with both anger and grief. "What do you mean?"

He sighed, turning his head up, his eyes slowly opening.

A chill crept down my spine as I saw his eyes... dark and empty, akin to a void threatening to eat everything it catches sight of.

"She didn't start her healing at all," he said, his eyes turning to me, which seemed darker than usual. "She didn't notice it's presence too."

My grip on her hand tightened, my other hand dangling in the air, slightly trembling as I stared at him for answers.

He paused for a second, his eyes turning to the ceiling as he leaned back on his chair. "She's in... not exactly a coma, but something close."

Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes, the anger in my heart slowly rising. Who dared to put my mother in such a state?

"She won't be awake for a while... but she'll live," his voice got steadier, echoing in the room with an eerie tinge to it.

My heart calmed down at his words, my grip on her hand loosening as I gently caressed her palm.

He turned to me again, placing a hand on my shoulder, his mouth opening slightly as if he was hesitating to say something. Finally, he said: "It was a demon."

My eyes widened, my free hand clenching into a fist as my gaze went to the floor in shame... demons, they had humiliated me so, and injured my mom like this...

Emotions took me over. I wanted to kill them... kill the demons. No, I wanted to tear their limbs away one by one and watch them writhe in agony.

"I know what you want to do," he said, a sigh escaping his lips, his grip on my shoulder loosening, before he retracted his hand. "Go, take your revenge, vent your emotions... kill every demon you find."

My heart skipped a beat. It was almost as if he could read my mind... but I calmed myself down, taking a deep breath.

"No," I said finally, my grip on my mom's hand unwavering. I felt her hand get colder, which sent a prick of pain through my heart. "I won't go... she needs me."

My eyes were soft, looking at my mom. Her well-being was more important than my emotions right now... I need to be by her side, to support her through this.

"No." My father said, his voice slightly louder now, almost as if he was frustrated.

I turned to him, my eyes glinting with both confusion and a tinge of anxiety. "But—"

He cut me off, shouting a few words that he seemed to use all his energy for. "You use a different energy than mana."

My eyes widened at his words, my heart threatening to burst out of my chest.

How did he know?

Did I slip up somewhere? Was I too obvious in using it? Did he find it out from somewhere else?

Questions floated in my head, my eyes going through a million different emotions in a second.

"Did you think I didn't know?" He said, his lips curling up into a smile that seemed... sad. "I'll admit it, Sukuna, I was curious, and I ran tests on you when you were a baby."

I felt my heart sink at his words. I knew that loving a manaless baby was probably something impossible for most, knowing that my father was indifferent enough to experiment on me was a sad revelation.

However, I don't think I am one to complain... after all, I've done the same with Elara.

It was clear how he knew about cursed energy... but why didn't he tell me up till now?

I didn't have the guts to ask that now... now that I saw his state.

He was... crying.

Tears fell from his eyes, rolling down his cheek, dropping from his chin onto the floor with a drip, crystal clear.

It was the first time I had seen him crying.

"Sukuna... I don't know what that energy is, but it's affecting her mana," he said, turning to me with pleading eyes, a small, sad smile still on his face. "You being here will only make her condition worse."

His words stabbed my heart like a spear, a single tear falling from the corner of my eye onto my legs, being absorbed by my clothes.

I wanted to say something, I wanted to rebuke him... I wanted to stay here. but, nothing came out, I knew he was right, cursed energy interfered with mana, and it can make her condition... even worse.

"Sukuna..." his weak voice hit my ears again. "...please, leave."

He turned his head down, burying his face in his hands, leaving me with my decision to either leave, or to stay and risk my mother's situation worsening.

I got up slowly, my hand sliding off my mother's, sending a pang of guilt through my heart as I turned my back towards her, walking to the door.

With a final glance, I walked through the door, shutting it behind me with a thud.

I took a deep breath, my face contorting as if I was about to weep, but I held in the tears... I knew, my mom wouldn't be happy to see me in such a state.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I slowly took it out of my pocket on instinct... it was Eleanor.

I gulped my emotions down, picking up the call. "H...ello?"

She seemed to notice my emotional state, pausing for a second before speaking in her usual tone, though it seemed to have an undertone of urgency. "There is a swarm of demons again, even bigger than... the one before."

My hands clenched, making the phone bend unnaturally due to the force.

Survival, Protection, Domination.

These were the three uses of power... or strength. To chase the third, I had forsaken the first two.

I had failed.

And it was all because of these demons.

Anger surged through my veins, my whole body trembling in rage. I wanted to kill these demons... no, I will kill them. I'll show them the consequences of their actions.

"I'll be there," I said through gritted teeth, my eyes red from holding back tears as I stomped through the house, leaving the front door in a hurry.

I could feel the gazes of the three girls behind me, especially Eva, who noticed my emotional turmoil clearly.

I rushed away, their calls fading away... I couldn't hear anything right now... my mind was focused only on one thing.

These mere demons thought that they could hurt my mother, humiliate me, and then escape unhurt?

I'll show them their place.