3'rd POV
"It's a warm spring morning in New York City, with temperatures expected to go all the way up to the high 80's later on today. Before we move on to the weather though let's move over to our technology correspondent-"
The low volume TV was the only thing breaking the peaceful silence in a quiet and sparse downtown apartment.
A studio apartment with tan walls, the quintessential living situation for many if not most of the city's population, but this one was even plainer than most. The walls were bare, and the only furniture inside were a bed, couch, and a TV perched on top of a dresser.
Laying on the bed was Vance, who groggily cracked open his eyes upon the sun hitting them. Allowing himself to sit up and stretch a bit, he took a look around and couldn't help but give himself a sardonic chuckle.
'So that wasn't a crazy nightmare then. This is real life.'
He flopped back down on the bed, closing his eyes again as he recollected the previous day, while also giving his mind a bit of a break from the influx of information his six eyes brought.
After a two block sprint to evade the police, he'd been able to get the directions to the apartment he somehow owned, 'Thank you who or whatever sent me here for free housing at least. It was small, sure, but a home was a home at the end of the day.
After searching the apartment he'd managed to find a standard flip phone with no numbers saved, documentation stating he was allowed to live alone due to his parents owning the apartment and passing it to him when they passed, and a paper regarding his transfer to Midtown High School from a school in upstate New York. Right when he thought he was finally done with the day his brain felt like it exploded with a sudden influx of information. The details of adaptation, a cursed technique that allowed him to adapt to any and all phenomena, but not immediately. He wouldn't adapt after one hit but several, and he didn't have Maharoga's insane regeneration… yet.
Limitless and the Six Eyes were more familiar but even more information intensive. Mathematical equations, numbers that strung along forever, and the ability to see cursed energy through his eyes. After that was over Vance's eyes rolled back and he fell unconscious.
The bit about his parents brought back some memories that took a while to overcome, and thinking on it again just brought those thoughts back to the forefront. Shaking his head to try and disperse the negative thoughts, Vance got out of bed and did his best to start a morning routine.
Not until he reached the bathroom mirror did he realize his eyes had been closed the entire time. Opening them, Vance finally got a good look at the new him. The dark haired, green eyed, overweight college graduate he used to be now a young, lean, white haired high schooler.
Closing his eyes with a frown he continued his routine while considering his immediate needs,
'Money isn't the top priority, the money in my account would last me through at least high school. Realistically I'm going to need a blindfold first so I don't have to keep shutting my eyes. Since today's Saturday I have a weekend to try and understand my abilities a bit and at least use my cursed energy a little.'
Exiting the bathroom after a shower, he sat on his bed cross legged and reached out to the system.
'Ok system. What exactly is your function?'
Good morning host. The system is here to provide you with a visual representation of your strength and advice on how to proceed on the path to becoming stronger.
That answer caused Vance to narrow his brows a bit, 'so you don't provide quests, rewards, or a gacha function?'
No host. All upgrades in strength must come from you directly. I suggest you create a workout routine to supplement your cursed energy training as most fights with cursed energy involve hand to hand combat.
Now Vance was really considering if it was possible to survive what he knew was coming. It was 2006, two years before the events of the cinematic universe began to take place, and based on newspapers he assumed that's where he was due to Tony Stark's name.
'What about mutants though? This must be some kind of mash up universe if they're involved. Hopefully that doesn't cause everything to go to shit. I can only plan for so much.'
The system's voice knocked him out of his thoughts.
Host I suggest you begin your workout routine as soon as possible. I will provide assistance in helping train your cursed energy when you begin to do so.
Vance paused a bit at that, 'I don't even know where to start.'
*A few hours later*
Vance could be seen gasping for air face down on the floor of his apartment building.
'Fuck you system. Fuck you Saitama. That workout is the absolute worst. No way I do that again.'
Vance had taken the system's idea for a workout, Saitama's routine from One Punch Man, and tried it out which leads us to where we are now, with him on the floor feeling nothing but exhaustion.
Host, the system projects that you will see a discernible increase in strength, speed, and constitution if you continue with the workout daily for an extended time.
The only response he provided was a groan as he flipped over, using his whole body to sit up and go cross legged. 'Ok system. Let's get the cursed energy training out of the way now too. How do I start this?'
There are two major points of discussion in regards to learning to control cursed energy. The first is to control your emotions well. You are already doing very well with this despite being displaced which is commendable. Secondly, I suggest you use your Rikugan to observe the flow of cursed energy in your body. Follow the energy and slowly direct the flow. Think back to prior visualizations of this if necessary from the Jujutsu Kaisen anime.
The bit about his emotions caused Vance to pause briefly but he quickly shook it off. Regardless of where he had been, he was here now. The only options were to either go insane trying to think about the why and how, or to push forwards and find an answer himself. With the abilities he'd been provided there was a clear choice. Plus, 'who didn't watch Jujutsu Kaisen and imagine being Gojo?'
He looked down, eyes covered with a blindfold he gained while on his run, as he fully looked at his energy for the first time. It was very obvious that it wasn't being utilized to its full potential, the flow looked… off in some spots and leaked in others.
Minutes passed as Vance entered what appeared to be a trance, his mind and will fully focused on observing, understanding, and correcting the flow of his cursed energy. There was a lot of it, and out of any person he'd seen he had by far the most, but that made sense considering he was hopefully the only jujutsu practitioner in the world.
Two hours in the blue glow in Vance's eyes intensified slightly as he took a sharp breath,
'That's the difference in feel already? Gojo you were broken man.'
He couldn't really be blamed for thinking so, after a few hours he'd already improved the flow of his cursed energy by 25%. That may not sound like much, but the flow of cursed energy is what separated the strong from the weak in the JJK world. Yuta became strong after learning to imbue his katana, Yuji once he could use cursed energy all the time, and Gojo…
'Well he was kind of always super strong.' Vance thought while tapping his chin. 'I'd probably be able to manage infinity when I need it now, but I'm a ways away from it being automatic like it was later on for Gojo. For now I should just focus being able to apply cursed energy and activate infinity.'
With the system's coaching and a drive to grow strong enough to understand his circumstances, time quickly flew by as Vance quickly settled in a routine. As he'd once been told by his father, "A routine is what you do to break out of a rut. Find something to better yourself each day and keep doing it." Maybe if he kept at it long enough he'd be able to tell him just how important that advice was for him right now.
Just like that two days passed, leading Vance to the biggest challenge of them all…
High school.
3'rd POV - Midtown High School
The spring excitement could be felt in the air. With every passing day the students, and teachers, could almost taste the freedom of summer vacation. Down each hall you could find groups of people laughing, talking, and shouting in what can only be described as organized chaos. Teachers ushered some along while others stood talking to students or other teachers with smiles as well.
Past the sounds of teen excitement stood the principal's office, home of Principal Morita. An Asian gentleman with a strong frame but kind smile. He was currently reviewing the transfer paperwork of his new student as he glanced up and smiled,
"Alright Mr. Gojo everything looks to be in order. It's not common to have a transfer this late in the year, but since you'll be here for your senior year it should work out just fine. Though are you sure you'll be ok with your blindfold on? I know you proved you can still see, I just want to make sure we are providing the best help we can for you."
Vance simply smiled, appreciating the gesture. "No thanks, sir, I'll be fine. My eyes are just a bit too sensitive, just think of it as a less clunky pair of sunglasses."
That was the story he decided to go with for his blindfold, a pair of eyes that were overly sensitive and struggled when exposed to sunlight. If he ever had to prove it, the color of his eyes should do the trick.
'Plus, I look super cool.'
Moving on from the chuuni thoughts of Vance, Principal Morita chuckled and nodded while grabbing a sheet of paper from the desk, "This is your class schedule, I went ahead and added on the floors to help out a bit. If you ever find yourself struggling feel free to stop by and I'll get someone to bring you where you need to go."
With that the two shook hands before Vance left to start his school day. His look wasn't exactly subtle, and he was the talk of the school by the time he got to his locker.
"Do you think he dyed his hair?"
"I think he might be blind!"
"You moron, he just walked directly to his locker, how would he be blind?"
He held back a snort, hoisting his backpack up as he walked to his home room.
'Well glad to see that gossip is about the same no matter the universe.' With that thought he entered the classroom, greeting the teacher and taking a seat towards the back.
'Well high school was boring the first time. I imagine it'll be just as boring the second time around.'
Time skip - 3 hours
Vance dropped his head onto the lunch table with a, thud, glad for the temporary pain on his forehead to distract from the headache his morning had caused.
'I get introductions, but every class? Plus, why do I have to answer questions? If this continues to the afternoon I might lose it.'
Biting into his burger, he looked around, trying to see if there was anyone he recognized or if anyone in the school seemed off.
'Can never be too careful in this universe.' He thought to himself. A bit of research over the weekend had reiterated his need to grow stronger.
A few google searches had confirmed that Tony Stark was alive and selling military weaponry, Charles Xavier was a well known doctor, and The Hulk's origin story had occurred last year. He tapped his knuckles on the table rhythmically, zoning out a bit as he considered his plans for the next couple of years.
The tapping came to an abrupt stop as Vance's head turned quickly to the right, blindfolded eyes focusing as he flowed his cursed energy a bit.
'That's not a normal being.'
He could feel the energy, and he could see the trail it left coming from a couple hallways down. Checking the clock and seeing he had twenty minutes until lunch ended, Vance put back his tray before speed walking in the direction of the energy.
Students seemed to part as he walked, but that was just due to his movement. With cursed energy flowing through his body, every step was purposeful and brought him to the incongruity in the quickest way possible. After a minute he reached the men's bathroom, his vision showing disgusting black tendrils of wasted energy slipping past the door frame.
With a deep breath he grabbed the door knob, sliding in and shutting the door as soon as he entered. No students or teachers were present which almost made him sigh in relief, but his breath hitched and a bit of bile rose in his throat when he saw the source of the energy.
A bloated head with hands and feet where the arms and legs would be, making the spirit itself only about three feet tall. The muttering voice is what truly sent chills up Vance's spine.
"Swi- Swirlyyyyyyy. You- Yo- You need a swirlyyyyyyy"
The creature rolled a bit when speaking, now facing the sky with what could be described as it's face. An elongated mouth opened with no teeth, and eyes that were more vertical slits than real eyes.
Vance recoiled a bit before thinking quickly to the system, 'How exactly do I go about attacking this thing? I don't even have any offensive abilities yet!' He flared his cursed energy a bit, stepping back as the system spoke,
It is advised to locate and destroy the core. This is a Grade 3 cursed spirit so it should be unproblematic.
"Of fucking course" he muttered, "I was really hoping I wouldn't have to touch this thing." He finally focused on the spirit, eyes widening behind the cloth as he saw energy concentrating on the curse's foot.
Whoosh
He ducked down as the spirit's foot shot out from its body, right where his chest would've been. 'Gotta move fast before it fills up the bathroom.'
With a flare of cursed energy Vance lanced forwards, reaching out to strike the spirit's temple as that was where he could see the mass of cursed energy coalescing into a core.
He was forced to stop his attack briefly, activating infinity as the foot that had been behind him now turned around and shot for his back. He ducked again, the foot connecting with the spirit's body, forcing out a wailing cry that sounded like a chair being dragged on wood floors.
With a quick jump and spin, Vance snaked his foot down and connected, bouncing the spirit into the air still screaming. Overflowing his cursed energy, he brought back his arm before striking true directly through the face of the spirit and crushing it's core on the way.
With one last groan the spirit began to disintegrate, fading into nothing as the bathroom was left undamaged apart from a loose stall door the foot had clipped on the way through.
'Ok system, what could I have done better?' Breathing deeply to offset his used stamina, he questioned his system. His system wasn't as overpowered as the many he'd read about on his original planet, but it was calculating and intelligent which were two things he needed when analyzing his battles. As a person with no experience other than the information he had, an outside opinion from an unbiased source would go a long way.
Congratulations host on a victory in your first battle. Combat efficiency hovering at 65%. Suggestion, use your main cursed technique in battles with weaker opponents to gain adaptations quicker. Reasoning, you will be better prepared for battles with stronger opponents.
Vance considered this before nodding slightly, he hadn't even thought before activating infinity early. He had 'seen' the attack from behind with his six eyes and instinctively brought it up to prevent harm.
'That may take some trial and error. Plus if cursed spirits are going to be popping up now this world may have just gotten that much more dangerous' he thought with a grimace, removing his blindfold as he splashed some water from a sink into his face. Looking in the mirror, he sighed at his paler complexion and bright eyes. Wrapping the blindfold again, the bell rang to signal his lunch period had ended.
'Well no rest for the weary I suppose…. MY BACKPACK IS STILL IN THE CAFETERIA!'
With that thought Vance sprinted back to grab his things, momentarily forgetting his battle and the problems ahead, simply worried about being late to class in five minutes. The long days of schooling might've been unfamiliar, but as a person who had been through it all before, he very quickly began to…
Adapt.
Scene shift - Kamar-Taj - Unknown location
Deep within a hidden sanctuary known to a select few throughout the world sat a bald woman with a serene expression. Her eyes closed, the subtle rise and fall of her shoulders made it appear she was asleep, but that couldn't have been further from the truth.
The woman, dressed in yellow robes and a black sash, was immersed in meditation. Surrounding herself in the energies of the world she was able to deeper understand the shifts and turns the timeline took, all in the hopes of protecting the planet she was a part of.
As she began to bring a cup of tea up to her lips her serene expression cracked briefly, a hint of curiosity flitting by before her eyes fluttered open.
"What energy was that?" She had felt a strong shift in the energies of the world. So strong, in fact, that a new energy itself had been born. The energy felt… dark. Not evil, just dark. She briefly tilted her head, eyes glancing down and the back up as she considered what this could mean for the world. "Well it has been a while since I've peeked" she softly said, hand reaching up for the metallic container hung around her neck.
With a few motions the container began to unravel, shining green becoming visible as she began speaking to herself again.
"What changes will this bring about, I wonder?"
Scene shift - SHIELD HQ
Nick Fury was a very curious man. His curiosity and want to understand is what had earned him his position, but it was also the cause of several rougher instances. Absently scratching his eyepatch, Fury once again rewinded the two videos on his screen. The first was from a bodega camera, capturing a fenced back alley, while the other was from a satellite SHIELD had in orbit.
He ignored the petty thief escaping the police, focusing first on the satellite camera. Everything appeared normal, the camera capturing the usual odd space debris and nothingness until a brief flash of gold filled the lens before it went back to normal.
"If it was just that I'd say it was a solar flare" he muttered to himself, turning his attention back to the other screen as the thief packed up his findings. Just as the man went to leave another flash of gold, but this time when it ended there was something new. After a minute a boy rolled out of the dumpster in the alley, his back turned to the camera.
"Can't be older than 18, and the white hair should make him stand out in a crowd." Fury continued talking to himself, his good eye trained on the boy as the thief now went down to speak with him. As the two ran from the returning police, he tried to get a close up of the boy, but the resolution was nowhere near good enough.
"That same gold light twice, seconds apart, and the boy appearing out of nowhere. If something isn't fishy here I'll eat my own god damn foot."
With that he stepped behind his desk, pressing a button on his phone, "send in Coulson. I've got something I want him to look into."
Receiving an affirmative, he leaned back in his chair, hands steepled on the back of his head. 'Friend or foe, I can't let an unknown just take root in my city. How many albinos could be in New York City anyways?'