IGNITE | Sukuna

Chapter 7: Fragments of Memory

Her hair was a wild tangle, as though someone had dared to touch it. Her eyes—those deep, unsettling amethyst orbs—were wide open, gazing into nothingness and everything at once. There was something different about her now. Sukuna felt it, like a tremor in the air, the moment she collided with him.

A force was stirring within her, something ancient and untamed, beautiful in its lethality. He could feel it, a pulse that resonated deep in his bones, rushing through his veins like liquid fire. He held her gaze for a fleeting moment, drawn to the storm raging behind her softened eyes. What was he searching for? The human buried beneath the weapon? Ridiculous. Impossible.

He tore himself away, forcing his attention back to the battlefield, where chaos roared like a hungry beast. The royal sorcerers and the revolutionaries were locked in a deadly dance, spells clashing in the air like jagged lightning.

Sukuna played his part, pretending to fight against his own soldiers, manipulating the battle like a puppeteer with invisible strings. His little game, carefully orchestrated, every move falling into place like clockwork. But then—a flicker of purple eyes in his mind. A flash of cursed energy that shattered his composure.

It wasn’t just her presence; it was her cursed energy, dark and vast, creeping across the battlefield like a shadow with no end. It felt… familiar. Too familiar. A darkness that mirrored his own. Without hesitation, he lunged in her direction, a sudden urgency propelling his steps faster than before.

“My prince?”

Noritoshi’s voice echoed behind him, doubt laced in his voice. Of course, the crown prince’s faithful shadow would question.

“More curses!” Sukuna barked the lie, not breaking his stride. His heart pounded in his chest. Something was unraveling—something dangerous and beyond control.

"She attacked everyone, Sukuna-sama."

The accusation rang out as he arrived, his eyes immediately fell upon Subuhi—curled on the floor, clutching a small child in her trembling arms. She attacked everyone? The girl sobbing into the child's hair? His eyes narrowed.

"Well," he replied, his voice dripping with disdain, "perhaps you should train harder if a rookie nearly defeated you." His tone was ice, cutting through the silence like a blade. The accuser’s face contorted in shock, but he quickly bowed his head, retreating under Sukuna’s scorn.

His focus was entirely on her. As he made his way closer, the air around her hummed with residual cursed energy, thick and nauseating. Nasty. His eyes flicked toward the nearby hut. A body lay crumpled inside, limbs twisted unnaturally. So it was her doing. A faint smirk curled his lips.

Kneeling beside her, Sukuna’s crimson gaze studied her trembling form. She was too consumed by her sobs to notice him. Without hesitation, he reached out, his hand sliding gently to the back of her head. A quick surge of cursed energy, and she slumped unconscious into his arms.

"What did you do, brat?" he muttered, almost as if speaking to himself. His fingers traced the soft lines of her face, his mind racing with questions.

"She… she saved me."

The small voice startled him. He turned his gaze to the little girl. Immediately, his eyes caught the shimmering aura surrounding her—a cursed technique he recognized.

"Technique extinguishment?" he murmured.
The girl, her halo gleaming faintly above her, nodded, her tiny wings fluttering nervously.

An angel.

With effortless strength, Sukuna lifted her limp form, cradling her against his chest as if she weighed nothing at all. "Retreat, now. And bring the child," he barked, his voice a sharp command that cut through the stunned silence. The fallen soldiers scrambled to their feet, their eyes wide in disbelief as they took in the sight of Sukuna carrying Subuhi.