Alex was sitting in the back seat of Nora's car. She sat in the front with a serious expression, while a paper lay on the passenger seat with the word "EXPULSION" written across it.
Meanwhile, Alex sat in the back with a completely unconcerned expression, while Nora was absolutely furious in the front.
"Alex, how could you get expelled…? No—worse than that, how could you send two other kids to the hospital like that? You were very lucky they didn't die and that you weren't taken to the police station."
Alex stayed silent for a moment before answering.
"Kids? Teenagers? No, Mom… I don't regret what I did. I'm only upset I didn't finish off their friends. They're monsters."
As he spoke, Alex looked down at his old law book—the one that had always been by his side.
This time, he made a face of disgust…
…and shoved it under the seat.
Me? A hero? Never. How could I have ever thought that?
_________________________________
Alex was still holding the neck of the boy who had been beating Peter. He stared at him, and without realizing it, a portion of his cursed energy leaked out.
Everyone around him felt it.
Alex's presence became increasingly oppressive—overwhelming. Some of the more weak-minded students even dropped to their knees in fear.
"YOU BASTARD! THE ONLY REASON I'M NOT KILLING YOU IS BECAUSE I STILL BELIEVE YOU DESERVE A SECOND CHANCE!"
Alex threw him to the ground like a ragdoll and immediately rushed to Peter.
Even though Peter was badly injured, he was still conscious.
Carefully, Alex picked him up with two of his arms and, moving with controlled speed, rushed toward the infirmary without caring about anyone in his way.
Meanwhile, Gwen stood frozen where she was.
When everything started, she had been boiling with anger too, ready to intervene—
But Alex had been faster.
He had stepped in first, threatening the bullies and freezing everyone in fear.
Everyone except Gwen.
She almost fainted.
While others were simply intimidated by Alex's presence, Gwen—because of her other identity as Spider-Woman—experienced something entirely different.
The moment Alex's cursed energy leaked out, her spider-sense exploded violently.
It screamed at her.
Warned her.
Over and over again.
In countless ways.
That she would die.
That she wouldn't even have time to react.
The intensity of it gave her a splitting headache, almost overwhelming her senses completely.
Gwen had only gotten her powers about a month ago, and she was still getting used to her spider-sense giving her occasional warnings…
But what she felt from Alex—
Was brutal.
It wasn't just a warning.
It felt like a certainty.
Like death itself had looked straight at her… and then disappeared.
Snapping back to reality, Gwen quickly ran after Alex, worried about Peter's condition.
Some time later, in the infirmary—
"Your friend is fine, but I'll need to inform the principal about this. If you hadn't shown up when you did, he would've needed immediate hospitalization."
The nurse said while writing on his clipboard, before standing up to check on Peter.
"I'm fine, doc. Just a little sore. I'm pretty tough."
Peter said, covered in bruises, bandages, and band-aids, flexing one arm—
Only to flinch in pain.
"OW!"
Gwen laughed a little and smacked him lightly on the head.
"Stop being weird, Peter. We both know you're strong—but not that strong, you twig."
While they talked, Alex remained silent, lost in deep thought.
'Damn it… now Peter's in danger because of those damn bullies. What do I do? I'm not some kind of hero who can protect him…'
Alex's expression darkened as he thought—
Until suddenly—
'Wait… what the hell am I saying? I am a hero now! I'm stronger, faster… I can feel it. And I have that strange power too… of course I'm a hero.'
His mood lifted instantly.
Without thinking twice, he spoke with confidence.
"Peter, you don't have to be afraid. I'll protect you, man."
"Alex… sorry, but I'm not into men—AH!"
"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT!"
Alex snapped, cutting off Peter's joke, making everyone in the room laugh.
"But I'm serious, Peter. I'll help you… next time you need help, just call me—and I'll come running."
The other two in the room looked at Alex, who had a sad expression on his face as he stared at Peter.
Peter understood.
His friend wasn't joking.
He was serious.
And when Peter realized that, a faint, bittersweet smile formed on his face.
No matter how hard he tried, Peter had already reported the bullying countless times. But every time he brought it up to a teacher—or even the principal—they would just say things like, "Just try not to get into more trouble," or "I'll talk to them."
Only for everything to be forgotten soon after.
And for the torment to start all over again.
After being pushed down for so long, just knowing that his friends were on his side…
Was enough.
For the first time in a long while—
Peter felt hope.
Some time later, Alex was at home, thinking about his powers.
'Damn it… why did I promise that to Peter?'
Inside his room, Alex began to realize something very important—
He didn't know how to control his dismantle.
It wasn't about knowing how to use his cuts…
He simply didn't know how to control how strong they were.
'So far, I have two main weapons: my body… and my cuts. Oh—and I almost forgot, I can also launch that really strong slash… and I don't even know if that's everything I can do.'
Taking everything into account, Alex felt weak.
For example, during the alien invasion two years ago, there were ships that could tear down buildings with ease—and weapons that could disintegrate people instantly.
All he could do…
Was cut.
'AAAAHH… how did I ever think I could become a hero with just this?'
Sigh…
Alex let out a heavy sigh as he threw himself onto the bed. Turning his head, he saw his old companion—his law book.
Alex had always dreamed of becoming a great prosecutor and making sure his mother would never have to work a part-time job again.
Even with all the prejudice against mutants, he still believed he could reach that goal. After dozens of tests, there was no way he'd be rejected—with an IQ of 300, even the top universities would want him.
That had always been his greatest support.
But now…
Even if he could become a superhero, that wouldn't stop him from becoming a prosecutor.
Even if he had to study himself to death.
"Well… before I say my powers are weak, I should first see how far I can push them."
Having decided what to do, Alex left his room, grabbed a jacket, and started heading out.
From the living room, Trix called out while watching TV:
"Where are you going?"
"None of your business. I've got something to do."
Trix froze and stared at him as he walked away.
"OH MY GOD—IS IT A GIRL?!"
"NO IT'S NOT! AND STOP ANNOYING ME!"
Alex stormed out, slamming the door loudly.
Fortunately for him, his mother was still at work.
Some time later, Alex stood inside an abandoned construction site, holding several shopping bags in two of his arms.
(And just to point out something funny—he had just spent all the allowance he had saved.)
After searching the entire place and confirming no one was around, he dropped the contents of the bags onto the ground.
Electronic devices.
Tools.
A large hoodie.
A white mask.
And some gym weights.
Looking at everything, Alex felt a headache coming on when he remembered how much all of it had cost.
But he shook his head and got to work.
He grabbed some of the electronic devices—a regular radio, prepaid phones, and other gadgets—and began dismantling them.
Piece by piece, he started assembling something small and compact.
In the end, what looked like a walkie-talkie sat in his hand—
But in reality, it was a reasonably powerful signal jammer.
In his other hand, he held a modified phone—no longer a normal flip phone, but something with a much larger antenna.
In truth, it was a radio tuned into police frequencies.
And since Alex knew a cop, it hadn't been very hard to figure out how to tap into it.
He then looked at the hoodie and put it on.
Unlike his old custom one, this was just a normal hoodie—no extra sleeves.
So two of his arms stayed tucked inside, crossed.
To finish, he put on the white mask to hide his identity.
"NOW THE CITY WILL KNOW THE CUT MAN!"
...
"Yeah… no. That name was terrible. I'll think of something better later."
Realizing he had zero talent for naming things, Alex sighed and focused.
Time to test his powers.
'Alright… let's start with a simple cut.'
He extended his hand and pointed at a rusty metal barrel in the distance.
Channeling his energy into his hand, he activated his innate technique—
And the barrel was instantly reduced to scrap.
'???'
Alex frowned.
That wasn't like what he saw in his dream.
Sukuna just sent out cuts… but when Alex did it, things didn't just get sliced—
They shattered.
It was as if the cut didn't stop where it hit.
It kept going, spreading like flames across the surface until the energy ran out.
The problem was—
Alex had no idea what the limit was.
Or how much energy each attack used.
Realizing he needed something more durable, he searched the area until he found a large, empty shipping container.
Perfect.
Without hesitation, Alex pointed at it with incredible speed and precision.
The container began to be cut—
Again.
And again.
At first, it didn't seem to give in.
But then more cuts started appearing all over its structure, forming a grid-like pattern across the entire surface.
'This isn't the same cut Sukuna used in my dream… what's going on?'
Then something Sukuna had said echoed in his mind.
"Your soul is a mess… it awakened fragments and consciousnesses scattered within it."
"Fragments…? And consciousnesses… plural?"
A thought hit Alex like a thunderclap.
"What if I don't have just one consciousness inside my soul?"
Suddenly—
Everything made sense.
His technique wasn't the same as Sukuna's…
Because he wasn't Sukuna.
And Sukuna wasn't the only one inside him.
'My soul is a mess… so it's likely his technique got altered by something else inside me!'
Realizing this, Alex understood—
What he saw in his dream wasn't exactly what he could do.
He was still himself.
Sukuna was Sukuna.
There was no way their abilities would be identical.
And even if they were, he would still use them differently.
"But if there are more beings like him inside me… what kind of monsters are they?"
Before Alex could continue testing—
Something interrupted him.
Voices.
"Jean, are you sure it's here?"
"I am. I've been sensing something strange coming from this place for a while now."
"If you're wrong, I swear you're going to keep searching alone. This is the fifth place you've dragged us to with nothing."
Panic hit Alex instantly.
Without thinking, he looked for an escape—
But the place was too destroyed.
The fire exit had completely collapsed.
Which meant—
The only way out…
Was through them.
Alex, without even having time to think properly, looks up and, without hesitation, jumps with all his strength, striking the ceiling. His nails—now suddenly grown—pierce into it, allowing him to cling there.
'Okay… that's new. Now I can turn my hands into claws.'
With a hint of unease, Alex looks down.
_________________________________
A few days earlier
In a very feminine room with two beds, a girl around 17 years old lies asleep on one of them. She has red hair, a beautiful face, and nearly perfect curves.
But in her dreams… she is burning.
An intense fire engulfs her, seeming to scorch her very soul, trying to corrupt her. Strangely, a mysterious power keeps her from losing consciousness. It prevents her from fainting—but it does nothing to lessen the pain.
In the middle of the flames, an identical version of her stands, staring with a twisted smile, as if she wants to melt her completely.
Then suddenly—
The fire vanishes.
Both girls freeze in confusion.
And from the darkness surrounding them… a heavy, malicious, mocking laugh echoes.
A silhouette appears.
Completely black.
Only its four differently colored eyes make it stand out from the void.
Then—
It snaps its fingers.
Both girls are torn apart into countless tiny pieces.
And the being keeps laughing uncontrollably.
"KYAAAAAA!!!"
The girl wakes up screaming, curling into herself as if trying to protect her body from being shredded again.
"JEAN!? ARE YOU OKAY?!"
The girl in the other bed—brown-haired, also very beautiful, though not as striking as Jean—wakes up startled and rushes to help her friend and roommate.
"No! Don't let him get any closer! THE FOUR-EYED MONSTER!"
_______________________________________________
Hey guys, I've got insomnia today, so to pass the time I've been writing. I don't think it's helping much, but it is what it is—these things happen. Just so you know, I think there'll be another chapter coming out later today for you guys, so I hope you're excited.
As always, if you enjoyed it, please send power stones or just rate my work—that already helps a lot. And if you have any constructive criticism or anything that could help me improve, feel free to say it, I always read everything.
And just so you know, I love reading your messages or even your GIFs—it really makes me happy to see that people are enjoying it.
Good night, everyone.