1 Chapter 1: Hatred

Walking through the narrow paths of the Zenin clan territory, I felt the cold gaze of Uncle Ogi on my back. Around me rose houses, structures in traditional Japanese style. Ornate patterns on wooden walls spoke of the glory and pride of the clan. Every step here reminded me of how little I meant to this place, to these people.

"You must remember, Toji, our clan only cares about its own image. Your existence is a stain on our reputation," the man's voice sounded cold and indifferent.

I remained silent, clenching my fists. I was a mistake to them. My gaze slid over the darkened windows of houses, behind which eyes looked at me with the same contempt as Uncle Ogi.

"Everyone bearing the Zenin name becomes a top-class hero, glorifying our clan. But not you, Toji," he continued.

I heard these words daily for nine long years. The day of my fourth birthday, when I was deemed quirkless, remained the darkest moment in my life.

The Zenin took pride in their quirk, the "Cursed Energy," which could enhance physical strength or release an energy projectile. Additionally, it sometimes evolved into something greater, becoming hybrid. Everyone in the clan had this quirk, except me...

I looked up at the ancient tree towering in the middle of the clan. Everything here, even this tree, seemed to hate me for my defectiveness.

"I understand, Uncle Ogi," I calmly replied. The old man couldn't stand being ignored, and it was important for me to at least maintain the appearance of respect.

Silently, we continued our path through the labyrinth of pathways.

Passing by an abandoned well, we headed towards the back of the clan territory. Here lay the pit of curses. These invisible monsters were powerful, but there were few, only around forty. It took a century or two to create and capture them all. And during all that time, we managed to tame only five.

We stopped in front of one of the doors. Ogi slowly opened the heavy iron door, revealing absolute darkness behind it.

"...Why are we here?" I asked, but there was no answer. Suddenly, I felt a push in my back, losing balance and rolling down the stairs. Glancing back at the door, I saw a small smirk on Ogi's lips.

"Prove that you're worthy of life," his voice sounded cold and ruthless. "Or die, cleansing the clan from disgrace."

"Stop!" I shouted, rushing towards the exit, but it was already too late. The door creaked shut. "Let me out of here, old man!"

Out of anger, I struck the door several times, then suddenly froze, realizing something was behind me. Turning around, I clenched my fists, sweat dripping down my forehead.

Suddenly, something grabbed my leg, knocking me to the ground.

"Ah-ah-ah! Don't touch me!" I yelled, trying to break free. Something heavy dug into my back, holding me down. I felt my breath becoming shallower, fear enveloping me.

"Ah!" The teeth of one of the creatures sank into my left hand.

Pain and fear consumed me as curses tore at my clothes and skin, their teeth and claws penetrating deeper. I tried to defend myself, but in the darkness, I couldn't see anything.

I struggled to push them away, desperately fighting for each breath. I couldn't die here, not like this...

Clenching my teeth, I tried to fend off the curses. The knife I grabbed from under my haori fell to the ground with a clang after a few swings.

"Tsk, damn it... Ogi, you bastard!" I roared, kicking one of the curses.

Eventually, I lost consciousness...

Waking up at home, wrapped in bandages, I bitterly smirked.

"Seems like my body is too strong to be killed so easily..."

It was just the beginning...

Every day, after training, Ogi took me to face curses. I couldn't distinguish day from night as everything was a continuous pain. And when I reached the point of not feeling pain, a new one followed.

"Still not dead?" I heard every time before losing consciousness.

My body proved strong enough to survive numerous wounds, leaving me only to endure.

Endure.

Endure.

Endure!

...For what?

"Hey down there, still alive?" Ogi's cold voice echoed as I tried to regain my senses. "Of course, there's no point in such useless trash like you even existing. Well, how about a few more hours?"

There's no meaning in my existence, heh...

But strangely, no one approached me. The curses behaved unusually quietly. The reason was banal - a stronger beast appeared in the cage...

No sound, not even the slightest rustle. Something slammed into my body, and I was thrown into the wall.

"Kha..." Coughing up blood, I crawled forward, trying to reach for a sharp piece of the wall. "Damn..."

I want... I want to get rid of all this!

Guided by intuition, I struck the air with a stone, and fresh blood splattered on my face. Kneeing the creature in the wound, I pushed it away, and standing up, I charged straight at it.

One, two, three, five, ten, my strikes rained down on the monster's torso until it simply disappeared, and I moved on to the others.

In every blow, I began to feel an extraordinary sharpness of my own senses. My strikes became more precise, and reactions faster. It felt like I could sense every movement of the curses around me.

With each moment, my senses sharpened even more. I began to distinguish every rustle, every breath of curses around me, even the air itself gave me information. My eyes adapted to the darkness, and I started to see their silhouettes, predicting their next moves.

Now I not only defended against them but also counterattacked. My strikes were powerful and accurate, piercing the darkness like lightning. I felt every drop of blood splashing on my skin, every wound I inflicted.

In this insane dance of survival, I felt my own senses sharpen to unprecedented heights. I felt the light as if inhaling its scent, and saw every sound as if it outlined in color and form before me, and every touch of the enemy informed me of their weaknesses and my own limits.

"Die!" With a deep roar, I grabbed the jaws of a curse resembling a hound with both hands, spreading them with such force that I broke the bones with a crunch.

After a long struggle, when the last of the curses fell powerless, I remained standing in complete silence. I breathed heavily, oozing blood, but felt a strength within me that I hadn't experienced before.

When the door to the room finally gave way, I emerged a different person. My eyes now saw the world differently, and every sound and smell around seemed new. As I stepped out, coming face to face with Ogi, an unexpected expression of fear filled his eyes. His gaze was full of astonishment and horror at what he witnessed.

"You... how did you... curse of the first level..." He couldn't even formulate a question; his voice trembled.

"...I'll finish you all!"

The world around began to spin, and I fell to the ground, losing consciousness.

When I woke up, I was lying in bed. Sunlight streamed into the room, and I realized I was in my quarters. Silence surrounded me, interrupted only by the rustling of leaves outside the window.

Slowly getting up from the bed, I walked to the mirror. I didn't see my reflection until I did—exhausted but alive. A plaster adorned the edge of my lips. Slowly, I reached for it and removed it, revealing a scar beneath.

"Well, thanks for patching me up somehow..."

My head ached from the amount of information that now needed processing. But a smirk played on my lips.

"Now I'm one step closer to getting stronger. I'll become more than just a stain on their reputation. I'll not only overcome their disdain but rise above them all and learn to be strong, not like them, but in my own way."

After a few more hours of sleep and a hearty lunch, I, shedding the ragged clothes, donned a dark-gray kimono and stepped out of my little house. This time, everything was different. Clan members who met my gaze looked away or whispered behind my back. I felt that half of them feared me, and the other half despised me even more.

Passing by fellow clan members, I sensed each of their gazes and every whisper differently. My heightened senses allowed me to hear even what they didn't want me to hear. I walked like a ghost through the ranks of my peers, each perceiving me in their own way.

Suddenly, a boy of about ten bounced up to my side. It was Miyuki, my cousin. His eyes were filled with concern and admiration.

"Toji! Are you okay? I heard you were injured!"

Miyuki was the only one genuinely admiring me and followed me everywhere. In response, I just snorted and nudged him with my shoulder.

"Don't worry; it's just scratches," I said, trying to maintain my usual impassive look.

The boy was born with a weak body and couldn't fully control the cursed energy he had quite a lot of. Clan members ignored him, which, in general, was for the best.

I gently but firmly pushed him away. "Better stay away from me, Miyuki. No need to attract unnecessary attention," I warned him, but he stubbornly ignored my words, continuing to follow me.

We reached a small hall where the gym equipment was located. This place was intended for those who wanted to strengthen their bodies, but there were few such people in the clan.

Turning to Miyuki, I saw him curiously inspecting the equipment.

"You know this isn't the place for you."

The boy nodded, but disagreement was evident in his eyes.

"I just want to become as strong as you, Toji!"

"Fine, just don't get in the way," waving my hand, I began dragging weight plates to the barbell.

"I'll help!" Miyuki energetically dragged a twenty-kilogram plate along the floor. Breathing heavily, he placed it next to me.

"Better go and train with dumbbells; you might end up here, and I'll get scolded later..."

"Okay!"

I continued my workout, keeping an eye on Miyuki. Despite all the difficulties and the misunderstanding of those around me, my connection with him was one of those rare bright spots in my life.

Approaching the barbell, I turned to him.

"You're not doing bad," I briefly noted, not trying to hide a slight approval in my voice.

His face instantly lit up. Noting this moment in the corner of my consciousness, I focused on the weight in front of me. Placing my feet at the right distance, I took a deep breath and began lifting the barbell.

Well, this is the first chapter of the fanfic. I hope everyone likes it. Feel free to ask questions about the fanfic; I'll answer as best as I can.