My Disastrous Academia

Ch. 1 - A complete and utter fool

Pain flooded my senses.

I felt myself wince.

My vision was invaded by blinding colors dancing behind my eyelids.

It felt like a thousand needles were piercing the back of my eyes.

I thought I was dead, but the fact that I could still feel and think is telling me otherwise

After a while, the pain in my eyes slowly started to subside, and my eyes fluttered open. I blinked a few times trying to get my eyes adjusted to the light. I surveyed my surroundings.

I seemed to be inside some sort of glass capsule filled with clear liquid, with red light glowing inside of the capsule. There was a masked buckled onto my face, and I could feel tubes and wires of different sizes attached all over my back and my arms.

Ignoring them, I turned my gaze forward, trying to look beyond the capsule. There were more serious matters right now than tubes attached to my back. Like finding out where I am, and who or what was behind all this.

The translucent glass obscured my vision. But, regardless, I strained my eyes trying to peer through.

After a while, I managed to get my eyes to adjust and tried to make out the shadows and silhouettes.

'Ah, he's awake...'

My eyes involuntarily widened in shock from both the voice in my head, and the silhouette of a tall man in front of the glass. Before even a single thought could form in my head, my eyes darted to a crack that suddenly appeared on the glass.

Before I can even react, the glass exploded.

The world went dark, and my ears were deafened. I could feel a pressure pull me down, and my skin suddenly felt colder. My shock lasted for a few moments, before my senses slowly came back to me. I noted how I was now on the ground, only being held up by my trembling arms.

I ignored the small shards of glass pricking my palms and the hard cold ground making my knees ache, and just willed my breathing to steady. My heart was beating hard in my ears, and it felt like a struggle to breathe. My body couldn't stop trembling from shock.

I let out a gasp through the mask, followed by a series of coughs ripping through my throat. The unbearable pain forming tears in the corner of my eyes.

My eyes widened and a cry escaped my throat. I felt pain. Immense pain. Excruciating pain.

The ground suddenly started to violently quake. I barely noticed the shards of glass starting to slowly float from the ground.

My breathing quickened and the earth shook even more violently, gradually worsening.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I ground my teeth. My hand clenched into a fist. I tried to block everything out. It was all too overwhelming. I wanted it to end.

I stiffened when I felt a calloused yet gentle hand land on my back. It started moving in a circular soothing motion. Before I could process it, warmth enveloped me as something wrapped around me, bringing me up from the ground.

The warmth helped me steady my heartbeat. I let out labored breaths as the pain I felt slowly diminished, and the ground halted its trembling. My body only ached now.

"There, there... you're safe now..." I registered the rough but warm voice in front of me, similar to the thoughts I heard earlier. I felt the warm figure that surrounded me pull away, leaving me to kneel on my own.

The man gently unbuckled the mask from my face, and I couldn't help the gasp I let out when the mask was detached from my face, relieved to finally breathe more freely. As my breathing slowly started to be more stabilized, I tried to speak.

"W-whe..re... who..." I winced when my voice came out scratchy and broken. It sounded weak.

"Shh," the man hushed, "I suggest you avoid speaking. Your vocal cords seem to have suffered a great deal of damage as an aftermath of the surgery."

Surgery?

I peered up at him, my eyes meeting his red irises which stared me down. His gaze was menacing, eyes cold and dark. My senses were telling me to get away, not look back, but all I could do was stare at him.

"Do you remember your name?" The man asked with a soft voice.

I blinked. Of course I did. How could I not? My name is... my name... I don't know. I remember- I swore I did. Yet nothing came up. I don't remember my name.

I swallowed.

I couldn't remember anything.

My mind swirled like a storm. But I could recall absolutely nothing. Not my name, not where I am, not even who this man is.

I could only shake my head, dropping my gaze to the ground.

"You poor, unfortunate thing..." He landed his hand on my head and caressed my scalp, soothing my nerves. I pushed the thoughts of doubt and suspicion at the back of my mind, and let my eyes shut.

I wonder.. Who is this man?

"Who am I?" I flinched at his voice.

Did he just hear my thoughts?

"Hm. It seems you're involuntarily broadcasting your thoughts to me." He hummed, and I stiffened.

Broadcast.. my thoughts.?

Even more questions popped up in my mind. So I willed my brain to 'broadcast' my thoughts once again.

"Whe-who am I? Where am I?"

"Do not fret. You're completely safe in here. Noone or nothing may harm you. Because I am here." He soothed circles into my back, a motion that felt somewhat familiar. "Unfortunately, you've lost your memories due to your brain not being able to handle overwhelming stress."

He kneeled in front of me and leaned in engulfing my cold stiff body in a warm hug. Unable to move my arms, they only stayed limp at my sides.

"But worry not. I will take great care of you. I will train you to be stronger. No harm shall ever conquer you ever again, Kusuko."

Is... that my name?

No.

It feels familiar. It sparks something in the very back of my head. Like a distant memory.

But it doesn't feel right.

But.

He promised he'll take care of me. He won't let harm come to me. He'll train me. He'll raise me. He promised.

I closed my eyes.

I can trust him.

Oh, how much of a fool I was.

A complete and utter fool.