Perhaps...

The Imperial Gardens stretched for miles, a meticulously designed paradise that blended elements from a thousand worlds.

Crystal trees with leaves that chimed softly in the breeze stood alongside flowering plants whose blooms shifted color with the changing light.

Fountains of liquid that formed various shapes before dissolving back into their basins.

Sukuna walked these gardens with measured steps, taking in every detail with analytical precision.

Behind him, always maintaining a respectful distance of exactly three paces, was Anissa – his assigned "guardian" though they both knew the term was a polite fiction. She was his watcher, his jailer, his constant shadow.

She was also, he had quickly realized, a valuable source of information.

Four days had passed since his arrival in this dimension. Four days of careful observation, of mapping the palace layout, of assessing potential allies and enemies.

Four days of pretending to be weaker than he actually was, maintaining the illusion that the binding vow had left him genuinely depleted.

Most importantly, four days of gathering intelligence about the Megumi Fushiguro of this world – the strategic genius whose death had shaped an empire and whose memory had driven an Emperor to dimensional madness.

"The Cerulean Orchids are particularly vibrant today," Anissa observed, breaking the comfortable silence that had developed between them during their morning walk.

"They respond to emotional energy in their vicinity. The gardeners say they've never seen them this blue before."

Sukuna paused, studying the flowers in question – delicate blooms that seemed to pulse with an inner light, their color indeed a deep, almost hypnotic blue.

"Emotional energy," he repeated, his tone neutral. Did they work on the same principle as Cursed Energy but broader? This might need eventual investigating. "Interesting."

"They were your favorite," Anissa continued, moving to stand beside him rather than behind for the first time that morning.

"You had them planted throughout the palace gardens. Said they were useful indicators of emotional states people tried to hide."

Sukuna nodded, filing away this information. Another piece of the puzzle, another fragment of the man whose identity he was both investigating and, to some extent, assuming.

"Tell me more," he said, resuming his walk at a slower pace that invited conversation. "About... myself. About what I was capable of."

Anissa studied him for a moment, her expression carefully neutral despite the intensity in her eyes. "You were asking about your abilities yesterday as well. Are you starting to remember?"

"Fragments," Sukuna lied smoothly. "Images, sensations. Nothing concrete. But I feel... drawn to certain knowledge. As if my body remembers what my mind does not."

It was a calculated response, designed to encourage her to share more information while maintaining the fiction that he might be recovering memories of a past life.

The more they believed he might be "their" Megumi returning to himself, the more freely they would speak around him.

Anissa seemed to accept this explanation, nodding as they continued along the garden path. "You were not merely intelligent," she began, her voice taking on a reverent quality that Sukuna had noted whenever anyone in the palace spoke of this world's Megumi.

"You were... transcendent. Your mind operated on levels that even the most advanced Viltrumite scientists couldn't comprehend."

They approached a small pavilion overlooking an artificial lake, where exotic creatures with translucent bodies glided beneath the surface.

Anissa gestured for him to sit on one of the stone benches, positioning herself where she could observe both him and their surroundings – ever the vigilant guard.

"By the time you were fifteen," she continued, "you had developed nanomachines capable of enhancing human strength to Viltrumite levels. You used yourself as the test subject, naturally."

Sukuna raised an eyebrow, genuine interest piqued. "Nanomachines? Not genetic modification?"

"You had your own pride," Anissa explained. "You wanted to prove that humans could also be strong, to not be inferior to Viltrumites. And to a certain extent you did."

She looked out over the lake, her expression distant with memory. "I remember the first time you demonstrated their effectiveness. Thragg had arranged a combat trial – a test to see if your claims about the technology were valid."

-------------------------------------

Flashback:

The combat arena was circular, its walls reinforced with materials designed to withstand Viltrumite-level impacts.

Observation platforms ringed the upper level, where the Viltrumite High Council watched with expressions ranging from curiosity to outright disdain.

In the center of the arena stood Megumi Fushiguro, fifteen years old but carrying himself with the composure of someone far older.

He wore a simple black training uniform, no visible weapons or protection. His expression was calm, analytical, as he surveyed his surroundings.

Across from him stood a Viltrumite warrior – not one of the elite, but still a formidable opponent with centuries of combat experience. The warrior smirked, clearly unimpressed by the human teenager he'd been ordered to fight.

"This is a waste of time," the warrior complained, loud enough for the observation platforms to hear. "The human will be dead in seconds."

Thragg, seated in the central position of honor, leaned forward slightly. "Begin," he commanded, his voice echoing through the arena.

The Viltrumite moved with blinding speed, crossing the distance between them in a fraction of a second, his fist aimed directly at Megumi's chest with enough force to shatter concrete.

What happened next caused a ripple of shock through the watching council.

Megumi didn't dodge. He didn't flinch. He simply raised his hand and caught the Viltrumite's fist mid-strike, the impact creating a shockwave that rippled visibly through the air but leaving the teenager completely unmoved.

For a moment, the arena was utterly silent, the Viltrumite warrior staring in disbelief at his captured fist.

"Impossible," he whispered.

Megumi's expression didn't change – no triumph, no effort, just the same calculating assessment. "No," he replied calmly. "Simply the application of advanced nanomechanical integration with human musculature and skeletal structure.

The impossible becomes quite possible with sufficient understanding of molecular engineering."

Before the warrior could respond, Megumi twisted, using the Viltrumite's own momentum against him in a throw that sent him crashing into the arena wall with enough force to crack the reinforced material.

The warrior recovered quickly, rage replacing his initial shock. With a roar, he launched himself at Megumi again, this time holding nothing back.

What followed wasn't so much a fight as a demonstration. Megumi moved with precision that bordered on prescience, each action perfectly calculated for maximum efficiency.

He didn't just match the Viltrumite's strength – he applied it with a strategic understanding that made brute force irrelevant.

From the observation platform, a young Anissa watched with growing fascination as the human teenager systematically dismantled a warrior who had conquered worlds.

There was something almost beautiful about the precision of his movements, the economy of his actions.

When the Viltrumite finally lay unconscious at Megumi's feet, the arena remained silent, the High Council too shocked to immediately respond.

Megumi looked up at Thragg, his expression unchanged. "The demonstration is complete," he stated simply. "The nanomachines function as designed, allowing human physiology to match and, with proper application, exceed Viltrumite capabilities."

Thragg's expression was unreadable as he studied the human who had just defeated one of his warriors. Then, to everyone's surprise, he nodded – a small gesture of acknowledgment that carried immense weight coming from the Grand Regent.

"Impressive," he said, the single word echoing in the silent arena. "Most impressive."

As Megumi exited the arena, Anissa noticed something that others might have missed – a brief flicker of emotion crossing his usually composed features.

Not pride or triumph, but something else. Something almost like... loneliness. As if the victory meant nothing to him beyond its practical applications.

It was the first time she had seen what would later become his most recognizable trait – the distant gaze that seemed to look beyond immediate circumstances to some greater pattern only he could perceive.

The expression that would eventually earn him the name that would be whispered across galaxies:

The Lonesome Devil.

----------------------------

"After that demonstration, your status changed," Anissa continued, pulling herself back from the memory. "You were no longer viewed as merely Mark's human friend or a strategic advisor. You became something else – a power in your own right, respected and feared across the empire."

Sukuna absorbed this information with careful neutrality, though internally he was fascinated by the differences between this world's Megumi and his own experiences.

The nanomachine enhancement was particularly interesting – a technological solution to power rather than the spiritual/cursed energy approach of his world.

"And my relationship with Thragg?" he prompted, sensing there was more to that dynamic than she had revealed.

Anissa hesitated, her expression suggesting internal conflict. "That's... complicated," she finally said. "Thragg was not known for respecting any species other than Viltrumites. But you... you were different."

She glanced around, as if checking for listeners despite their isolated location in the gardens. "What I'm about to tell you might sound like treason to some, but you deserve to know the truth about your past."

Sukuna nodded encouragingly, maintaining his facade of eager interest in recovering "his" memories.

"Thragg cared for you," Anissa said, her voice dropping lower. "In his own way, he saw you as the son he never had.

Not because of sentiment – Thragg would have considered such emotions weakness – but because he recognized in you a mind that could elevate the Viltrumite Empire beyond mere conquest to true galactic governance."

--------------------------------

Flashback:

The Grand Regent's private chambers were spartan compared to his public spaces, reflecting the military discipline that defined Viltrumite culture.

Thragg stood by the viewing window, staring out at the stars, his massive frame silhouetted against the cosmic panorama.

Behind him, seated at a workstation covered in holographic displays, Megumi worked tirelessly, his fingers moving with precise efficiency as he adjusted calculations for the upcoming Centauri campaign.

It was late – well past the time when most of the palace staff had retired. But neither Thragg nor Megumi seemed to notice or care about the hour.

Their work rhythms had synchronized over the years, both preferring the quiet productivity of night to the political performances required during the day.

Anissa stood guard near the entrance, technically there to protect Thragg, though everyone knew the Grand Regent needed no such protection.

In reality, her presence was more about protocol than necessity – and about Thragg's growing paranoia regarding the human who had become increasingly integral to imperial operations.

She watched as Megumi's movements gradually slowed, his usual precision giving way to the subtle but unmistakable signs of human exhaustion. Three days without sleep, even for someone enhanced by nanomachines, was pushing biological limits.

To her surprise, Thragg noticed as well. The Grand Regent turned from the window, studying the teenager with an expression that, on anyone else, might have been called concern.

"You require rest," Thragg stated, his voice carrying its usual commanding tone but lacking the harshness he typically displayed toward subordinates.

Megumi didn't look up from his work. "The Centauri calculations must be completed before the council meeting tomorrow. Sleep is inefficient at this juncture."

Thragg moved closer, his shadow falling across Megumi's workstation. "Your efficiency is already compromised by fatigue. The biological limitations of your species cannot be entirely overcome, even with your enhancements."

This time, Megumi did look up, meeting the Grand Regent's gaze directly – something few beings in the galaxy would dare. "The limitations of humanity are precisely what I'm working to transcend," he replied. "Each extension of my endurance provides valuable data for future modifications."

"At what cost?" Thragg asked, the question surprising both Megumi and Anissa with its implication of concern for something beyond strategic value.

Megumi's expression registered mild surprise before returning to its usual analytical calm. "Cost-benefit analysis indicates the knowledge gained outweighs temporary physical discomfort."

Thragg's eyes narrowed slightly. "And if your calculations are compromised by fatigue? What then?"

"They won't be," Megumi stated with absolute certainty.

"Nevertheless," Thragg insisted, his tone leaving no room for argument, "you will rest now. The calculations can be completed after sufficient recovery time."

For a moment, it seemed Megumi might argue further. Then, with a slight nod that acknowledged the logic of Thragg's position if not the authority behind it, he saved his work and rose from the workstation.

As he moved toward the door, his exhaustion finally manifested fully. He stumbled, his enhanced reflexes momentarily failing as fatigue overwhelmed his systems.

What happened next shocked Anissa so deeply that she would later question whether she had imagined it.

Thragg moved with his legendary speed, catching Megumi before he could fall. The Grand Regent's massive hands, capable of tearing planets apart, gently stabilized the teenager with a care that seemed utterly at odds with everything Anissa knew about him.

"Your determination is admirable," Thragg said, his voice lower than usual. "But even the greatest strategists must recognize when tactical retreat is necessary."

Without waiting for a response, Thragg lifted Megumi - with both hands - with surprising gentleness and carried him to a resting couch in the corner of the chamber – a piece of furniture that Anissa suddenly realized had been installed specifically for this purpose.

As Thragg carefully laid the now-unconscious teenager on the couch, Anissa saw something in the Grand Regent's expression that she had never witnessed before and would never see again – a softening, a moment of what in any other being might be called tenderness.

"Monitor him," Thragg ordered, turning to Anissa with his usual authoritative manner restored. "Inform me when he wakes."

As Thragg returned to the viewing window, resuming his contemplation of the stars, Anissa remained by the door, her worldview subtly but permanently altered by what she had witnessed.

The mighty Thragg, Grand Regent of the Viltrumite Empire, feared throughout the galaxy for his ruthless strength, caring for a human teenager with a gentleness she would never have believed possible.

Later, as she maintained her vigil, she studied the sleeping Megumi with new eyes. What was it about this human that could reach something in Thragg that centuries of Viltrumite companionship had never touched?

The answer, she realized, lay in the very quality that had first caught her attention in the arena – that distant gaze, that sense of seeing beyond what others could perceive.

Megumi Fushiguro wasn't just intelligent; he carried a perspective that transcended ordinary understanding, a vision that even Thragg, with all his power and experience, recognized as valuable beyond measure.

----------------------------

"Thragg respected you enough to name you Emperor of Mankind," Anissa continued, her voice pulling Sukuna back to the present.

"Earth was placed under your direct authority – unusual for a conquered world, but Thragg insisted. He said humanity needed a leader who understood their potential and their limitations equally."

Sukuna absorbed this information with careful neutrality, though internally he was fascinated by the complex relationship being described. "And yet Nolan killed me," he observed. "Despite this... connection with Thragg."

Anissa's expression darkened, old rage flickering in her eyes. "Yes. In the most dishonorable way possible."

She looked away, her jaw tightening with remembered fury. "You trusted him. Nolan was Toji's best friend, practically family to you. And he killed you when you were completely off guard – when you were asking him to be your daughter's godfather."

The revelation hit with unexpected force, even though Sukuna had already known the basic outline of Megumi's death in this world.

The additional context – the betrayal of trust, the timing coinciding with such a personal request – added layers of cruelty to an already tragic event.

"My daughter," he repeated, the words feeling strange on his tongue.

"Eve was pregnant," Anissa confirmed, her voice softening slightly. "Four months along. You were both so... happy. It was unusual to see you that way – genuinely happy, without the weight of strategic considerations visibly pressing on you."

She hesitated, then continued. "After Nolan killed you, Eve lost the baby. The shock, the trauma... her body couldn't maintain the pregnancy despite all your careful preparations, all the specialized blockers you'd designed to make it possible in the first place."

Sukuna remained silent, processing this information. The parallel to his own situation – Eve pregnant with his child in this dimension – was not lost on him. It added another layer of complexity to an already complicated situation.

"When Thragg learned what had happened," Anissa continued, "he was faced with an impossible choice. His care for you warred with how he was raised to value Viltrumites above all else.

You were dead, and to choose your memory over a Viltrumite commander would have lowered the station of Viltrumites in the empire – something unacceptable to someone raised to believe in Viltrumite supremacy."

She looked at Sukuna directly, her expression intense. "If you had been alive, I believe he would have chosen you over Nolan. But you were gone, and principles of Viltrumite hierarchy won out over his personal feelings."

"Leading to civil war," Sukuna concluded, pieces falling into place.

Anissa nodded. "Mark killed Nolan without hesitation when he found you.

The empire fractured – those who valued your contributions and saw Nolan's action as treason against the empire itself sided with Mark.

Those who believed in absolute Viltrumite superiority, regardless of strategic value, sided with Thragg."

"And you?" Sukuna asked, genuinely curious about her position in this conflict. "Where did you stand?"

A complex emotion flickered across Anissa's face – something between shame and pride. "I was Thragg's right hand before the war. His most trusted lieutenant. I believed in Viltrumite supremacy because I had never seen evidence to the contrary."

She met his gaze directly. "Until you. You showed me that true strength isn't about species or bloodlines – it's about vision, about seeing patterns others miss, about applying power with precision rather than brute force. It... It reminded me of Emperor Argall."

"So you switched sides," Sukuna observed.

"Not immediately, not in the first hours of the Day of Ends - that is what the war is called." Anissa admitted and explained.

"I fought for Thragg at first, out of loyalty if nothing else. But when I saw what Mark had become – how he had integrated your teachings, your strategies, your vision for what the empire could be – I realized I was fighting against everything you had worked to build."

Her expression hardened with resolve. "I switched sides during the Battle of Proxima Centauri.

Turned on my own squadron and helped Mark secure a decisive victory. He made me his left hand after that – Eve as his right, me as his left. The perfect balance of strategic vision and military strength."

Sukuna nodded, filing away this information. Anissa's loyalty had shifted once before – from Thragg to Mark. That suggested potential flexibility that might be useful in the future.

"You called me something earlier," he said, changing direction slightly. "The Lonesome Devil. What did that mean?"

Anissa's expression softened unexpectedly. "It was what they called you across the galaxy. Not to your face – few would dare – but the name spread nonetheless. The most feared and respected human in the universe."

"But why 'Lonesome'?" Sukuna pressed, sensing something significant in the descriptor. Something that resonated with him - with his 2nd life as Sukuna, as well as... As something he couldn't really put his finger on.

"Because of the look you always carried," Anissa explained, her voice taking on an almost gentle quality.

"Even surrounded by people who cared for you – Mark, Eve, Toji – you always seemed... apart. As if you were seeing things from a perspective so profound, so elevated, that it separated you from everyone else."

She gestured vaguely toward the sky. "Some cultures believed you had a divine perspective – that you could see the universe from above, perceiving patterns and connections invisible to ordinary minds.

Others thought it was profound sadness, a burden of knowledge too heavy to share."

Anissa's voice dropped lower, more intimate. "I always thought it was loneliness. The isolation of being the only one who could see what you saw, who could understand what you understood.

Even those closest to you – even Eve – couldn't fully comprehend the way your mind worked."

Sukuna remained silent, struck by the unexpected accuracy of her assessment. The loneliness of perspective, of seeing what others could not – it resonated with his own experiences across multiple lifetimes.

"Your mere presence caused entire planets to surrender immediately," Anissa continued, her tone shifting to something approaching reverence. "Your name made civilizations tremble.

Not because of cruelty or brutality – you were never needlessly cruel – but because they knew resistance was futile against someone who had already calculated every possible outcome of conflict."

She smiled slightly, the expression softening her usually stern features. "The Emperor of Mankind, Thragg called you. A title given in genuine respect, acknowledging you as the pinnacle of what humanity could achieve."

Their conversation was interrupted by the soft chime of Anissa's communication device. She checked it with practiced efficiency, her expression shifting back to professional neutrality.

"The Emperor requests your presence," she informed him, rising from her seat. "He wishes to show you something he believes will help with your... memory recovery."

Sukuna nodded, rising as well. Their garden walk was over, but he had gained valuable information – not just about this world's Megumi, but about the complex web of relationships and loyalties that defined the imperial court.

As they walked back toward the palace, Anissa maintained her usual three paces behind him – the perfect guard distance, close enough to protect, far enough to show respect.

But something had shifted between them during their conversation. A connection had formed, tenuous but real, based on her devotion to the memory of who he had been in this world and his genuine interest in understanding that person.

It was a connection he could potentially use, Sukuna thought coolly. Another piece on the board, another potential ally in this strange new game he found himself playing.

Yet beneath the strategic calculation, a question lingered – one he wasn't entirely comfortable examining too closely.

How much of this world's Megumi Fushiguro existed within him? How much of the Lonesome Devil's perspective, his vision, his fundamental nature, did Sukuna share?

And if the answer was "more than he cared to admit," what did that mean for his plans moving forward?

As the palace loomed before them, its crystalline spires reaching toward the alien sky, Sukuna pushed these uncomfortable questions aside. For now, he would continue his careful information gathering, his strategic positioning.

The Emperor was waiting, and with him, undoubtedly, more pieces of the puzzle that was this strange new world and the ghost of himself that haunted it.

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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

So, yeah, Megumi wasn't weak - the reason Emperor Mark in his fight with Sukuna was overjoyed that Sukuna was so strong, was because he was comparing him to himself -

the pinnacle of strength in his universe, where before there were those stronger than Megumi (not that he didn't have contingencies and all that.)

Also the reason Emperor Mark said Megumi had no abilities is because that's true - he had no natural abilities. It is what he created with his intelligence.

And yeah, Megumi was indeed just caught off guard by Nolan - it really is because of one thing and one thing only - speed thinking.

These beings move at immense speeds and can process at immense speeds, Nolan himself made a too fast switch up to be prepared for especially when Megumi was well trusting of him, too emotional in his new fatherhood and joy with Eve.

I'll probably go more indepth about that in the future.

So yeah, I hope to see you all later,

Bye!)