In The Academy As Sukuna

Ch 45 - Survival, Protection, Domination

"When power whispers in your ear, it doesn't speak of right or wrong—only of what must be done."

(POV: Ryomen Sukuna)

"How do you know about the Soul?"

My heart beat hard in my chest as I looked into my father's eyes.

My mother looked at us with an unreadable expression, but her eyes showed a bit of concern.

My father was said to be ruthless, especially when he was interrogating people, and now, I understand what they meant.

His eyes looked like they were peering right into my soul, as if he knew all my secrets.

I tried to calm myself down, steadying my breathing.

Should I tell him the truth? Be vague? Or lie?

My gaze remained locked with his, as if we were trying to see through each other.

Finally, I decided what to tell him.

"In the dungeon...I figured it out," I said, my gaze unwavering as his eyes narrowed.

"How so?" He asked, his voice commanding, demanding an answer.

"There was a book about it," I said, not telling him about the 'Prison'.

His eyes remained narrowed, but he dropped the subject for now.

My mother's gaze alternated between me and him, her concern growing as time went on.

She closed her eyes, finally speaking. "Why did you do it?"

I knew what her question meant. Why did you massacre the town?

I sighed internally. They would figure it out soon enough. The fact that I knew about the Soul was enough proof of my doings.

"The increase in size of my soul had started to stagnate," I said, trying to word my sentence well. "This was the only way."

They both sighed together. My mother's eyes remained closed, while my father leaned back into the couch, putting an arm over his eyes.

It hurt my heart to see them so worried, but I knew that this would happen, and I knew that they won't be too affected by it, which is because...

"Are you angry?" I asked, my voice solemn as I leaned towards them, resting my elbows on my knees.

My father sighed, not removing his hand from his eyes.

"We're not mad," my mother said, looking at me, her expression soft. "You were too...open with it."

I nodded, agreeing. But, I had Aiden Arceid tailing me, no matter how much I tried to hide it, he would find out, so I decided not to hide it at all.

After all, public opinion doesn't really matter, since I can control (blackmail) the World Nobles using the information I got from Shade.

"No use thinking about it now," my father said, straightening his posture. "We'll just have to deal with it."

My mother nodded in agreement, her expression was solemn, but her eyes were soft.

My father looked at me, his expression serious, but there was a glint of something in his eyes, it felt like...pride.

"What is the purpose of power, Amaya?" My father asked, his eyes closing.

"Survival, protection, and domination," she replied without hesitation, her eyes closing in sync with his.