CHAPTER 6: THE SECRETS WE CARRY
The months passed like the changing seasons.
Spring turned to summer. Summer turned to fall. The cadets trained, fought, bled, and grew.
Sukuna watched them all.
He watched Mikasa become a monster on the battlefield. No one could touch her. She moved like wind, struck like thunder. But her eyes always found him. Always.
He watched Armin struggle with the physical training but shine during strategy lessons. His mind was a blade sharper than any sword.
He watched Jean grow from an arrogant boy into a reluctant leader. He complained, but he cared.
He watched Reiner play the role of the big brother. Helping everyone. Smiling. Hiding the monster inside.
He watched Bertholdt stare at the walls with sad eyes, remembering the day he kicked one down.
He watched Annie train alone, speak little, and never look anyone in the eye for too long.
And he waited.
One night, Sukuna found Annie sitting alone on the roof of the barracks.
The moon was full. The walls were silver in its light.
He climbed up without a sound and sat down next to her.
She didn't look at him.
"You're not Eren," she said.
Not a question. A statement.
"No," Sukuna replied. "I'm not."
Silence.
"Who are you?"
"Someone who should not be here."
Annie turned her head. Her blue eyes studied his face.
"You fight like you've killed before. Many times."
"I have."
"You're not afraid of me."
"Should I be?"
Annie looked away.
"Everyone is afraid of me. Even Reiner. Even Bertholdt. They pretend they're not, but they are."
"They should be afraid of you," Sukuna said. "You're dangerous."
"And you're not?"
Sukuna smiled.
"I'm the most dangerous thing in this world. They just don't know it yet."
Annie was quiet for a long time.
Then she said, "Why are you here, Eren? Or whoever you are."
Sukuna looked up at the moon.
"I'm here because a dead boy's story isn't finished. And I'm curious to see how it ends."
"And if you don't like the ending?"
"Then I'll write my own."
Annie stood up.
"Stay away from me," she said.
"Or what?"
She looked down at him. Her blue eyes were cold.
"Or I'll kill you."
Sukuna laughed. A quiet, dark laugh.
"You can try, Annie. You can certainly try."
She walked to the edge of the roof and jumped down.
Sukuna stayed under the moon.
"The Female Titan is scared too," he whispered. "They're all scared."
The next day, the cadets learned to use the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear.
The ODM Gear. The only weapon humans had against Titans.
Sukuna strapped the belts around his thighs, his chest, his waist. The gas canisters hung on his hips. The blades were sharp and silver.
"This is ridiculous," he thought. "Flying through the air like insects."
But he understood the logic. Humans couldn't match Titans on the ground. They had to move fast. Strike fast. Never stop.
The instructor shouted.
"TODAY, YOU LEARN TO FLY!"
One by one, the cadets launched themselves into the air.
Mikasa was perfect. Of course.
Armin crashed into a tree. Of course.
Jean swore loudly as he nearly hit a wall.
Sasha screamed with joy as she flew past everyone.
Connie flipped upside down and almost fell.
Reiner was solid. Bertholdt was clumsy. Annie was graceful, like water.
And Sukuna?
Sukuna stood on the ground, watching.
"What are you waiting for, Yeager?!" the instructor shouted.
Sukuna looked at the trees. The wires. The gas.
He had fought with curses. With his bare hands. With his domain expansion.
But this? This was new.
He pulled the triggers.
The wires shot out. The gas roared.
And Sukuna flew.
He crashed through three branches, spun in a circle, and landed on his back in the dirt.
The cadets stared.
Then Sasha laughed.
Then Connie.
Even Jean cracked a smile.
Sukuna lay in the dirt, looking up at the sky.
"Pathetic," he whispered to himself.
But his lips curled into a smile.
"I like this."
That night, Sukuna practiced alone.
Again and again.
He crashed. He fell. He almost broke his neck twice.
But he didn't stop.
By the third night, he could move without crashing.
By the fifth night, he could turn.
By the seventh night, he was faster than anyone except Mikasa.
Mikasa watched him from the shadows.
"You learn fast," she said.
"I've had centuries of practice. Just not with this."
She stepped into the moonlight.
"Who are you really, Eren?"
Sukuna landed on a branch and looked down at her.
"I've already told you. I'm not Eren."
"Then why do you look like him? Why do you sound like him?"
"Because his body is my cage. For now."
Mikasa's hand moved to her scarf.
"Will you give him back?"
Sukuna was quiet.
Then he said, "I don't know if I can."
Mikasa's eyes glistened.
"Then I'll wait. Until you figure it out."
She turned and walked away.
Sukuna watched her go.
"She loves him," he thought. "Even though he's gone. Even though I'm here."
He looked at the moon.
"Love is a strange curse."
END OF CHAPTER 6