Ruins (Part 5) - Love and Darkness

"Love is the strength that battles the darkest of times, a light in the abyss."

(POV: Ryomen Sukuna)

I continued to wander around the tunnels, exhaustion slowly gnawing onto me. The eerie silence was broken only by the sounds of footsteps echoing off the stone walls.

My mind raced with thoughts of all the strange appearances of my name, as well as of the amulet—Null.

After what felt like hours of continuous walking, I reached an open area.

My eyes widened as I saw tents lined up, light flickering from inside them.

"Finally," I muttered, a sense of relief passing through me.

"Sukuna!" A voice called from the middle of the tents, filled with surprise and concern. "Come here, you should drink some water!"

It was Silvas, the vice-principal of the academy as well as the one who had taken command for the exploration of these ruins.

He led me to a central tent where all the instructors were sitting around a table, on which was kept a map drawn roughly on a piece of paper, dirt smudging its edges.

All of the instructors glanced at me, relief passing through their eyes as I would be an important figure in the upcoming battles.

"This is the map of the boss room," one of the instructors said, his voice serious as he stared at the map.

"We could only get a glance, but that was enough to figure out the layout," he pointed somewhere on the map.

"It's shaped like a dome, designs on its margins," he said, pausing for a second. "Then there a hole in the middle, we're not sure why, but that could be important."

He paused for a few seconds, looking at me for any questions.

"The problem is," he continued, leaning back onto his chair as contemplation flickered through his eyes. "We couldn't see the boss monster anywhere."

I leaned back onto the chair, sighing.

"This will be a difficult battle," I said, my voice troubled. "With many casualties."

They nodded in response, their heads lowering.

It was their duty to protect their students, but they were doing the exact opposite of that, pushing them towards death.

"Also," I said, causing the instructors to look up at me. "I found Ryogaku in one of the corridors. I went through the widest ones, so you can probably reach him quite easily."

An expression of relief passed their faces. Both of the strongest in the academy were safe, which would be a great help in the upcoming fight.

The tense atmosphere prevailed as the instructors breathed a sigh of relief.

Silvas opened his mouth, his voice steady but filled with gravity.

"Out there, we all have someone waiting—friends, family, loved ones. We owe it to them to fight with everything we've got, to come back alive."

His words seemed to have a great effect on the instructors' minds.

They straightened up in their seats, their eyes burning with determination.

"We may be facing an unknown enemy, but we are not alone. We have each other, and together, we can overcome anything." He continued, his voice unwavering and carrying firm confidence.

The instructors nodded, his words sinking in.

"We will face this challenge head-on," they said, their voice resolute. "For everyone we care about. We will find a way to win, no matter the cost."

Silvas nodded, giving a small, encouraging smile.

"Remember," he said softly, "it's not the strength of the enemy that defines us, but our courage and unity. Together, we can conquer any darkness."

The instructors nodded, smiles blooming on their faces.

They soon diverged, going of to do their own business.

Silvas glanced at me, before walking out too, he had a lot of work to do.

I sat alone in the room, the silence broken only by my steady breathing and beating heart.

I was contemplating Silvas's words, which were replaying in my mind without stop.

'Together, we can conquer any darkness.'

Why did these words bother me so much?

They echoed in the confines of my mind, my breathing slowly becoming unsteady.

For some reason, I felt a deep animosity for those words. The only thought in my mind was...

'...how disgusting.'

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(With Nect and Eva...)

Nect dragged herself through the dark tunnels, Eva, unconscious and lifeless, resting on her back.

Her steps were slow and heavy, each fighting the fatigue that threatened to throw her onto the floor.

She could feel her legs trembling, but the thought to stop never crossed her mind.

She had to do this, both for herself and for Eva.

She suddenly saw light in the distance, one which seemed like it was being emitted by an artificial source.

"Hang on, Eva," she whispered, her voice weak. "We're almost there."

Eva, still unconscious from her injuries, gave no response. Nect's grip tightened, her resolve hardening as she pressed on. The distant flicker of light gave her hope.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Nect saw the glow of tents ahead. Relief washed over her as she stumbled into the open area, the sight of the tents sending relief through her mind.

"Help!" Nect called out, her voice weak but desperate.

Activity erupted around the camp as Nect's voice reached the inhabitants of the tents, instructors rushing out towards her.

Silvas was the first to reach her, seemingly teleporting from his spot.

Sukuna's eyes widened at the display of speed. He was with Silvas at the time, but still couldn't follow his movements.

For the first time in a while, he felt inferior, his jaw clenched as he stared at the figure of Silvas confronting Nect.

He put his feelings out of the way for now, running towards Nect, who required more and immediate attention.

Silvas, who was now in front of Nect, asked her in a voice filled with urgency. "What happened?"

Nect, still tired from the exertion, managed to whisper out a few words before passing out.

"We got attacked, she needs help."

Her body slowly fell to the ground, her eyes catching the figure of Sukuna for a split second.

A small smile graced her lips as she looked at the incoming figure of Sukuna.

All the worries in her mind were gone, and she felt safe and secured, as if in the hands of a parent.

Her eyes closed as she went unconscious, a smile still present on her face.

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(Some time later...)

Nect and Eva almost simultaneously opened their eyes, they were laying on the floor inside a tent, a hard pillow under their heads.

Eva blinked, the light hitting her eyes. She shifted slightly, her body wincing at the soreness of her every muscle.

As her vision cleared, she glanced to the side, seeing Nect looking at her with a smile.

Relief washed over her, they were both safe.

Memories of the ghouls, the darkness and fear she felt, resurfaced, but the sight of her friend brought her peace.

She couldn't help but wonder how Nect managed to defeat all the ghouls alone, while having her as a baggage.

"Nect..." Eva whispered, her voice rough.

Nect slowly got up, her movements laced with exhaustion.

"...we made it!" Nect exclaimed, trying to mirror her usual attitude, but her voice came out weak.

Eva lightly chuckled at this, which turned out to be a weak exhale. "We...did," she whispered.

The tent fluttered open, unfiltered light coming from the outside which blinded them for a second.

Both the girls turned to the entrance of the tent, their eyes catching a silhouette.

As the tent closed, the silhouette got closer.

Both of the girls finally recognized who that was—Sukuna.

Sukuna's steps were slow, even hesitant, as he walked towards the girls, kneeling beside them.

His usual stoic confidence was replaced by something vulnerable, his eyes were soft and caring.

There was a peaceful silence in the tent, broken by Sukuna's words. "You're awake," his voice seemed low, as if he didn't want to disturb the peace.

Eva couldn't hold it anymore, tears spilled from her eyes as she managed to whisper out a few words.

"Sukuna," she said, her voice cracking. "We thought we'd never see you again."

He took her hand in his own, his grip gentle. "You're safe now," he murmured, his voice unlike his usual commanding one.

Nect pushed herself up using her elbow. "Thanks...for being here."

She couldn't think of anything else to say, her voice slightly cracking due to her emotions.

Sukuna shook his head, his expression soft. "No Nect...I must thank you," he started, his voice comforting.

Nect swiped a falling tear off her cheek, her eyes watering as she heard Sukuna's words.

"You saved Eva, all by yourself," he continued, his eyes flickering in a contented glint, feeling pride that he was the one to train her. "You're stronger than you realize."

Nect couldn't hold it anymore, all her welled up emotions, ever since her childhood, broke out like a flood.

She leaned forward, tears streaming down her cheeks, into Sukuna's embrace, sobbing uncontrollably.

Sukuna, without hesitation, wrapped his arms around her, comforting her wordlessly.

Eva, too, joined in the hug, feeling warmth in his protective embrace.

Sukuna looked at both of them, his eyes momentarily shining in an unknown, dark light, which soon faded and was replaced by a warm and sympathetic glint.

He gazed at the wall, noticing the changes in his mind in the past weeks.

He had grown attached to both Eva and Nect, his usual cold heart breaking down to reveal a softer side, a side that craved love and acceptance.

For a long time, these three stayed holding on to each other. Sukuna tightened his hold, his gaze distant.

He didn't feel used to this closeness...but it was something he knew he had to protect. It just felt...right.

Some time later, Sukuna noticed that they had fallen asleep, he smiled a little, putting their heads onto their pillows one by one.

After setting them up for a comfortable sleep, he sat in the middle of them two, gently rubbing their forehead as he closed his eyes.

They both exhaled a little, enjoying the warm touch.

The next words that came out of Sukuna's mouth, were heard neither by Eva, nor by Nect, they were said to the air, and heard only by the air.

"You both have grown splendidly," his voice was steady and unwavering, it carried an undertone of pride.

He slowly got up, glancing one last time at their figures sleeping peacefully, before walking out of the tent.

He couldn't afford to waste too much time. They had a battle coming, an extremely difficult one at that.

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(POV: Ryomen Sukuna)

As I walked out of the tent, my thoughts were taken up by the upcoming battle.

I looked around and saw a lot of commotion, the students and instructors were running around, but most of them were crowding around a certain place.

I walked to where everyone was concentrated, pushing through the crowd of students, going towards the center.

Looking around, there was a path of blood going from one of the tunnels to the middle of the crowd.

As I reached the center, I saw Silvas and some instructors trying to heal a boy, who was wearing completely tattered clothes, which were drenched in blood which was his own.

He was missing a left arm, which was healed just enough to stop the bleeding for now.

This was the person I had found on my way—Ryogaku.

He had walked all the way from that place to here, his body taking extreme damage from the exertion.

He fell unconscious as soon as he reached here.

It was extraordinarily impressive that he managed to stay conscious and move for that long using sheer willpower, even after losing so much blood.

I was silent, my expression unreadable as I looked at him, but my eyes narrowed.

I looked around his body, noting his missing arm. "He's still alive, huh?" I muttered, my voice heard by a few students around me, who backed out a little.

I was unsure whether him being able to walk here was due to my healing using cursed energy, or if it was just because of his willpower.

All I knew that I needed to do some experiments on this phenomenon.

Ryogaku was carried into one of the tents as his bleeding was stopped, for further healing.

As he was being carried by the instructors, my eyes suddenly widened as I focused on his body.

I saw something which was not supposed to happen...I knew that I had to keep an eye out for Ryogaku now.

A flicker of something passed through my eyes as I watched him being taken into the tent, my thoughts already shifting to the upcoming battle.

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(The Next Day...)

The narrows corridors echoed with the collective footsteps of dozens of students as they made their way to the final room.

Silvas led the group, his usual stoic face replaced by a determined expression, his eyes scanning the environment.

Ryogaku walked near the front, his body covered in bandages.

Even though he felt pain with every step, he refused to let that stop him, and was moving forward with determination.

Behind him was Sukuna, his expression carrying unwavering confidence as he walked without a care in the world.

Beside him was Nect, her expression nervous as she darted around, her usual bouncy demeanor returning.

On his other side was Eva, her expression stoic and alert. Even though her pain and soreness had not completely subsided, she kept moving on, her movements sluggish yet filled with resolve.

The students had not experienced such a danger before, they were following closely behind, their soft whispers filled with fear.

"Stay close," the authoritative voice of Silvas broke the tense atmosphere. "We're almost there."

The tension in the air was palpable. Everyone steeled their resolve as they approached the boss room, the walls getting cleaner as carved ancient scriptures and decorations started to become visible on them.

"This is it," Silvas announced.

Everyone was standing in front of a great door, decorated in exotic gems and intricate designs.

It gave of a malevolent aura that sent a chill down everyone's spines, their fists clenching as they awaited what lay ahead.

"Remember the plan," Silvas said, his voice, barely a whisper, was heard by everyone clearly.

All the students nodded, their faces resolute as they gripped their weapons tighter.

Silvas stepped forward raising his arm to the door.

"Get ready," he said, as he applied force onto the door, doing his best to open it.

The door began to move, a low noise of grinding rocks reverberated in the corridors.

It slowly opened, revealing the great boss room.

Everyone's eyes widened as they gazed upon the scene, the smell of decay and blood assaulting their noses.

As they stared at the boss, their earlier resolve started to waver. The boss eyes were glowing a dangerous crimson as it stared back.

Some students dropped their weapons, they had lost the will to fight.

Only one thought went through everyone's minds...

...can we even survive?

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Some relationship building in this chapter.

What do you think of it?

The final boss has appeared, fight next chapter :>

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Also this story got 1k collections, YAY :3

Thanks for your support!

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2550 words

gimme POWER STONNNES :>