Umbra trudged forward, dragging its feet against the eroded ground. It had been travelling for what felt like eternity, yet time and erosion had no effect upon it.

It had came here, the only place it could possibly remember when it was bed ridden and still Human. Once, this location had been a temple of healing and majesty, giving respect to those that sought aid.

Now it was just ruins of a once great Empire, a dead tree being the only thing that remained.

It faltered, stumbling forward before coming to a kneel, propping Skiajati into the ground as the memories began to come back. Memories of betrayal, loss, and an overwhelming amount of grief began to take over. Umbra looked at its hands, blackened digits that were suited for eternal war. It had despised what it had became, hated what it had did, and resented its creator.

Rearing its head back, it let out a bone chilling howl. Rivets of yellow energy encapsulating its form as its arms splayed themselves outwards. It was only when the memories ceased that it stopped, leaning back down again to recover itself.

"Howl all you want, it won't bring him back."

It swiveled its form to the source of the voice, a figure walking out of the shadows. An Orokin, an unnatural look to his facade and expensive silk that hid his right arm from view, his form beautiful yet not.

Umbra knew this man...

His creator, Ballas.

Instantly, its surroundings began to distort, rocks becoming fully fledged Sentient Warmachines within a blink of an eye as the 'Mimics' revealed themselves. Umbra backed up, its form ready for combat as its exalted blade materialized at the palm of its hand.

They fired, a beam of power poised to strike him. Umbra raised its blade, blocking the attack before dashing to the side. Two Sentients fell, their forms disappearing into nothingness as it went onto the next two, quelling their ranks.

Umbra almost reached its next target, the beating heart of its betrayer and creator. It stopped just short, an unknown barrier protecting Ballas as his eyes began to glow with powerful energies.

"Lua brings you strength, Umbra-"

It felt the transference, causing it to flinch as it held its head in pain. Its mind and soul ringing with despair before recovering, yet both its energy and concentration was gone.

"-But you cannot defy your creator."

Umbra caught sight of a new form that entered the fray, a Sentient machine that it did not recognize.

"Even I make mistakes. Like you." Ballas finished.

The unknown Sentient charged up its weapon before firing. It had attempted to raise its arms, find some meager way to defend itself but to no avail.

The beam struck, and with it, Umbra was no more.

"Idiot!" Izuku simply thought as he walked forward, his hands clutching the straps of his backpack tightly. "If I really jumped, that would mean you instigated a suicide! Think before you speak!"

His shower thoughts were interrupted as he spotted something.

His burnt up notebook floating in the fountain, a few coy fish feasting on the sides of it.

"That's not fish food." He said, reaching forward grasping onto his notebook. "That's my notebook." The fish swam away, leaving him by himself as he scrunched his eyes with anger, the faded words of 'Hero analysis for the future' now barely readable on the front.

"Stupid...-" He thought again, the smug look on Katsuki's face as his once childhood friend tossed his book out the window. "-Idiot..."

He began to walk home, the ruined book in his hand as his thoughts began to circulate, his past to be exact, looking for a moment of reprieve from the constant bullying at Katsuki's hands.

Izuku remembered when he was young, he would beg his mother to startup the computer, just to watch that video of All Might saving droves of innocent people with a smile on his face. His mother, often joked that he had probably made up 10,000 views of that video himself. He had promised himself, that once he had gotten a Quirk, he would be just like All Might.

Only to be branded Quirkless a month later, a dream crushing experience he would never forget after the doctor pointed it out.

He had remembered watching the video again that night, tears in his eyes as he slowly turned to his mother.

"Can I... be a hero, too?"

His mother cried by his side, proclaiming her sorrow as she hugged him closely.

"I'm sorry, Izuku!" She began to weep, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

Regretfully, that wasn't what he wanted her to say.

He stopped, noticing that he had reached the opening of a tunnel. Izuku remembered that he had decided back then... to not worry about what other people thought of him, and like All Might, to hold his head up high and plunge forward.

The junior high schooler walked forward, letting out a loud laugh as he attempted to mimic his idol, making big heavy steps.

And then he reached the end, stopping before letting out a sigh.

"Now I feel ridiculous..."

He was around the residential district now, his house being only a few blocks away. Perhaps he could work on restoring his notebook through the use of his hair dryer, if there was still anything left to salvage his notes.

Izuku was about to press on before he heard a distinct humming come from the woods to his right.

He blinked, turning his head to the woods, the trees gently caressing against the wind. He had remembered when he was still in kindergarten... when he, Katsuki, and a few others ventured into the forest to go 'Kill the Enemy'. Of course it was all just imagination, but the only reason he had remembered it so fondly was because it marked the dawn of Katsuki's relentless bullying.

But now?

Izuku heard the hum again, electric in nature as his curiosity began to pique. Did someone have a generator running out in the woods?

Stepping off the sidewalk, he began to follow the noise of it, his shoes catching bits of grass. The bushes gave enough room for him to squeeze past without the twigs clinging onto his clothing.

He reached a small clearing before spotting the source.

A figure was slumped atop the ground, arms by its side and legs kneeling. Izuku blinked again, noticing the wind brush up what appeared to be an oily black scarf that was wrapped to the figures neck. Precious golden ornaments could be seen attached to its strange body, and its helmeted head almost made it seemed as if a golden horn grew atop its forehead. However most notable, was the beautiful but otherworldly looking Katana that hung off its side. Izuku immediately drew reference of another hero that used such a weapon, the armored hero 'Yoroi Musha', one of the top Pro Heroes in the country.

Izuku noticed the source of the humming as yellow energy could be seen orbiting around the being. It looked ominous, yet there was a certain beauty to it as well. Was this some form of Quirk?

He resisted the urge to mumble, instead calling out.

"Um, h-hello?"

There was no response, the figure only remained slouched and inactive. Izuku had thought for a second. Perhaps it was someone practicing the use of their emitter Quirk, for all he knew, he was disturbing their concentration.

But then again, that slouched pose did not look very comfy.

He stepped forward, calling out again. "E-Excuse me, sir? Is everything-"

All Izuku wanted to do was ask if the figure was in pain, if it required assistance... if it needed help.

It happened in a blink of an eye, the figure was no longer in its slouched position. Instead it was already standing, a metallic hand clasping around Izuku's throat as his back was slammed against a tree.

Izuku choked out in surprise, green eyes wide as his thoughts racing around in his head. How stupid was he? This was a fugitive, a villain perhaps that he had come upon. This-

And then it revealed the left side of its helmet... now revealed to be its actual face. It looked as if a damaged opening had been made, fleshy pus to reveal a milky dead eye. The round sensory narrowed at him and Izuku knew...

This... thing was something much worse.

He attempted to scream, to do something, but his muscles refused to obey. His body paralyzed and in a state of pure terror as situations began to run through his head. This thing was going to kill him and leave his body to fertilize the grass, maybe even toss his remains into a stream.

"ESCAPE!" Izuku's mind screamed out, finally propelling his body to act as his hand grabbed onto the things arm.

Within an instant, his surroundings seemed to ebb away, a strange feeling of peace growing within him as a bright glow briefly blinded him.

Was this death?

Instantly, he heard a wretched howl and his vision had returned. He fell back, bottom landing against the ground.

Izuku slowly looked up, noticing that he was back on the sidewalk, almost as if what had happened, never even happened. Yet the beating of his against his chest suggested otherwise. Just what the hell was that?

He stood up, adrenaline pumping as he immediately ran. He didn't know where to, just anywhere that wasn't where that thing could possibly be.

Izuku let out a strained breaths as he ran down the sidewalk, a few bystanders watching him with confusion. He heard them call out, possibly asking why he was in such a rush, but he couldn't hear them.

It was only until he rounded the corner that he allowed himself to rest, putting both hands on his kneecaps as he panted out in exhaustion. Never had he ran so much in his entire life, maybe a few times to escape Katsuki's harassment, but never to this degree.

He gained a few more precious gasps of oxygen before a shadow appeared on the ground in front of him.

"Hey, you okay?"

Izuku flinched, looking upwards to see a young man with a rather bland face and a blonde cowlick haircut atop his head. There were a few noticeable scars on his arms, yet even so, his exterior seemed rather upbeat and cheerful.

"I-" Izuku paused. What would he say? That he was attacked? He wasn't even sure what had even happened or if it even happened at all, that thing wasn't even Human as far as he knew. So he had went with telling a lie. "-I'm fine."

The Young man seemed to analyze him for a second. "You sure? You seem a little overexerted there..."

"N-No! I'm fine, really!"

"Hmm." He seemed to narrow his eyes before relinquishing. "Alright then." A smile that could rival All Mights grew on his face, "Stay safe!"

Izuku slowly nodded as he watched the young man walk away, two thoughts running in his head. One being the fact that the person seemingly knew that something was up, and two being the familiarity of the man, Izuku had felt he had seen him somewhere before. The junior high schooler shook his head before looking up to get his bearings.

He had somehow ran all the way back to the train station, a surprising feet considering his Quirkless attributes.

"Now look what you did. It's gonna take longer to get back-"

And then he heard an explosion.

His bones momentarily rattled as he flinched, swivelling his head as he noticed a billowing cloud of black grow over one of the shopping districts. Already, people were running, whether or not it was a gas explosion or a villain remained to be said.

Either way, Izuku felt compelled to check it out. It was only a block away, and maybe he would see a few Heroes in action. In reality he felt the growing sense that he was just trying to distract himself.

Walking to the opening of one of the streets, he watched from the back of the crowd as a few Policeman held them back. A few were taking a videos whilst others spoke amongst themselves, yet the face of worry seemed prevalent this time as fires raged only a few meters away.

It was there that Izuku saw the villain, a powerful looking one at that, with some form of Sludge Quirk. The only recognizable features of the goop being Human was the giant crazed eyes and the bright white teeth that consisted for its mouth. A few heroes were already on scene, but they were still as rocks as they stared at the villain.

"Why aren't the heroes doing anything?" A man asked his friend.

"They can't. Apparently the villain caught a junior high schooler. It's been like that for a while."

Izuku overheard the man's words, realizing how serious the situation actually was. Someone was in actual danger, someone who was his age.

"Anyway, wasn't that villain the one All Might was chasing earlier?"

All Might? All Might was seen around here?!

He didn't need to ask, as another person in the crowd did it for him. "All Might? No way! He's here!?"

"I-I think I saw him earlier." A women answered, prompting the man's disbelief to rise.

"Seriously?! Then what's All Might doing!?"

Izuku didn't hear those words though, because he saw who the hostage was.

It was Katsuki.

The delinquent appeared to be enveloped by the sludge villain, struggling as Izuku watched with horror. "K-Kacchan..." Izuku said, hands shaking as cold iron developed beneath his skin. To make matters worse, Katsuki appeared to be suffocating as his mouth was thoroughly covered.

"T-This is bad... I-I need to- I need to do something or-" And then seemingly from nowhere, darker thoughts began to develop. "-or I could just leave."

Izuku's eyes widened.

That... wasn't him, and neither was that his line of thinking. Yet it continued.

"Arrogant idiot got himself into this. Why should I get involved? This has nothing to do with you... If he gets hurt, who cares? And If he dies... Well..."

"Maybe that will be better."

Izuku shut his eyes, shaking his head as a gnawing dread began to grow. What was this? It felt as if a completely different person had somehow accessed his thoughts, planting seeds of sinister indifference.

He looked back up, eyes blinking as Katsuki's panicked gaze met his.

And at that moment, he didn't think of being a hero for once... He thought of grabbing something sharp instead. Quickly opening his bag, he dug through it for a second before finding it.

A pen.

He then dropped his bag, scurrying past the crowd as he reached the police line before breaking into a full on sprint, running past both police and heroes alike as they yelled for him to stop. But he didn't hear them, he simply kept on running. Izuku's mind was in a surprisingly tranquil state despite the insanity of what was going on. Him, a Quirkless boy, charging a villain that held a hostage no less.

What was he thinking? There was none, there was only to act.

The sludge villain turned to face Izuku, "What's this? Another brat?" The villain then thrusted a giant goopy hand forward. "Better for me!"

Dodge was an understatement with the next action he performed.

He vaulted.

Like an olympic athlete, he swivelled his body in the air as he spun briefly, almost like a bullet. The arm narrowly missed him, passing his back as Izuku landed, his face just as shocked as the villain's.

But Izuku wasn't going to let the element of surprise linger. He clicked the pen before raising it, jabbing it directly into the villain's eye. The sludges response was instantaneous, "ARGH! My eye!"

The villain's grip weakened on Katsuki, allowing the student to breathe as he coughed out. "Kacchan!" Izuku ran to his side, trying to dig Katsuki out of the villain's grasp as his hands clawed at the sludge.

"Why are you here!?" Katsuki demanded, apparently not recognizing the peril he was in.

"M-My legs moved on their own!" Izuku said, "I-I couldn't just let you die!" And that was the absolute truth.

He didn't think this far ahead of what exactly he would do after poking the villain's eye out, a fatal realization dawning upon him.

"The sludge is too thick! I can't-!"

The villain seemingly recovered, looking back down as his left eye bled a dirty ichor.

"You miserable brat!" Bringing a sludgy hand upwards before swatting down. Izuku closed his eyes, ready for the hit to come.

And then the strangest thing happened.

"POWERRR!"

Immediately, Izuku could feel himself get wrenched from his spot, a hand grabbing at the scruff of his school uniform as he was bought into a sitting position.

He opened his eyes again to see both a smiling and familiar face.

It was the young man before, holding Katsuki in his arms as he gently plopped the unconscious delinquent down. "Wow, luckily I came just in time. You two looked like you were in trouble."

"Y-You!?" Izuku yelled out in shock, "Y-You're a hero-?!"

Izuku realized another detail.

The man was completely naked.

Izuku became red faced, his eyes at disbelief, partly because he now recognized the young man from the U.A. Sports Festival on TV. He was the student that didn't display any noticable results but left a weird impact on Izuku, possibly due to the fact that said student was most of the time busy putting his own clothes back on.

The naked young man gave a thumbs up, "Yep!" before turning to face the villain. "Now get your friend to safety! I'll keep the villain occupied!"

Izuku had no time respond as he felt something wrap around his waist before bringing him upwards. It was Kamui Woods, leaning against the side of the building. Izuku and an unconscious Katsuki were plopped down on the roof alongside a bunch of other civilians.

"Stay up here! You're in enough trouble as is!" The pro hero said, clearly angered at the fact that Izuku had ignored all safety and threw himself in danger.

Izuku gulped, slowly nodding as he looked down at the street below.

The young man was having a standoff with the villain, the sludge growing to an intimidating size whilst the naked Hero merely smiled. How exactly did the young man get close enough to grab him without getting attacked by the villain? Not only that but retrieve Katsuki out of the villain's impossible grasp?

"You got rid of my cloak!" The villain yelled.

"Or in other words, saved two innocent people from your grasp? Yes... yes I did." The young man then assumed a combat stance, the bright smile still on his face. "For what type of hero would I be if I let you hurt them?"

The sludge villain seemingly sneered, "Bah! I don't know how you did it, but whatever Quirk you have can't hurt me! I'm invincible!"

"Maybe..." The young man then sported a look of determination, "But you've made a mistake! Heroes always risk their lives just for a chance to help people! And that is why you will ultimately fail!"

Izuku's eyes lit up, his soul moved by the U.A. student's words. It was almost reminiscent of watching All Might when he faced up against a mighty opponent.

That seemed to get a rise out of the villain, the pile of sludge gritting his teeth. "Then this 'hero' will die!"

The villain raised a giant fist of mud, ready to smash the hero in front of him. Izuku held his breath, only to be stumped as the fist seemed to stop midway, almost as if...

And then he saw it, a giant figure holding the sludge back. Izuku's eyes widened, the memories of countless videos resurfaced from when he was but a child, watching his idol within a screen.

But never would he imagine seeing him in real life.

"All Might! All Might is here!" Someone yelled.

His idol looked like a god send, his features shadowed as an ever present smile was on the hero's face. He then spoke, holding the sludge back. The U.A. student that had been facing off against the villain looked astonished, still holding his combat pose.

"Young man..." All Might seemingly had his attention directed to the naked hero, "You are right... A hero should always be ready to risk his life!"

Izuku didn't know why, but he could have sworn that he saw blood trailing at the edges of All Might's lips, but he shook his head. It must have been the adrenaline he had expended today.

All Might threw a swing directly into the villains body.

"DETROIT SMASH!"

The muddy villain practically dispersed from the force alone, buffeting winds sailing across the street. Izuku had to put a hand in front of him just to cover his face from the sharp force. Seeing All Might in action was definitely a far cry from seeing him behind a screen as Izuku noticed a controlled tornado sweep up into the sky.

There was a long pause, the atmosphere silent before Izuku felt something splash on his cheek.

Rain.

It was raining. A single punch from All Might had made it rain. If Izuku had described the feeling, it almost felt... Prophetic.

"Jeez, there's a limit to how rash you can be!" Kamui Woods exclaimed.

Death Arms was the next to scold, "There was absolutely no reason for you to put yourself in danger!"

Izuku merely knelt, nodding with embarrassment. As soon as he was escorted down to the street level, the two pro heroes gave him a wordful lashing. He found it disheartening for his favorite heroes to be scolding him, but he could hardly blame them for doing so. He had almost tossed his life away after all.

But what was done was done. The sludge villain had been detained within trash bags as the police van drove off, allowing the crowd to gawk at the heroes that saved the day. So it came as no surprise that Kamui Woods and Death Arms had to be off to give a public statement, allowing Izuku off the hook.

The junior high schooler stood up, looking around. He saw one the heroes appraising Katsuki, his former childhood friend sitting down.

He didn't know what to do except pretend not to notice him, he was pretty sure he was glaring daggers at him for trying to help. Regardless, Izuku was looking for someone else, someone who he desperately wanted to talk to.

All Might.

There seemed to be only a few paparazzi around the hero, giving encouragement for Izuku to approach him. Silently grabbing one of the books from his bag, he stepped forward. "A-All Might?" He asked sheepishly.

The number one hero turned his head, intense blue eyes staring down yet big smile still ever present.

"Yes?"

Izuku held out his book shakily, "I-I w-was just w-wondering i-if you would-"

"Why of course!" All Might yelled happily, producing a black marker from seemingly nowhere. He took up the book, scribbling quickly before handing it back. "There you go!"

Izuku nodded before bowing his head profusely. "Thank you very much! It'll be an heirloom! A family treasure!"

All Might laughed, slowly turning around. "Good to know! Stay safe!"

"W-Wait!" Izuku said, "I-I wanna ask...-" He paused, realizing there was something more important to ask first. "-if you know where that U.A. student went. I wish to thank him too."

All Might seemingly blinked before realization dawned, "Ah. That is a good que-"

"Here!" A voice called out, Izuku turning his head to spot the student busily buckle his pants. "I was just looking for my clothes." He then walked up to the pair, "All Might, I must say I am a giant fan of yours! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be studying in U.A."

All Might seemed to pause, "Are you... Mirio Togata by any chance?"

"That's me!" His smile then began to die out, "Am I in trouble by any chance? I know I'm not an official hero yet, but I am interning at-"

"No, no! Of course not my boy!" All Might then seemed to wipe away something at the edge of his mouth. "I just need to have a talk with you. Later, if that is alright?"

The student named Mirio blinked before he nodded, Izuku slowly walking up to him. "I-I w-wish to thank you for saving me and K-Kacchan..."

Mirio gave a smile, "No sweat! Besides, you showed every hero here how it was done today! What's your name? Maybe you should apply for U.A.!"

"I-Izuku... I-" He then struggled to ask the question, that if someone who was Quirkless could become a hero. The sentence died within his throat. "Alright."

"That's the spirit!" Mirio said, giving a thumbs up before leaning in close. "And by the way... Have you seen my shirt?"

"Why didn't I ask?" Izuku said to himself, looking down as he held his back straps. Maybe it was because of all that had happened today, the craziness being a weight on his heart.

It also didn't help that he almost considered leaving Katsuki for dead, or that he was almost choked out by-

Izuku closed his eyes, shaking his head. That couldn't have happened, he was sure of it. Maybe he passed out from a heatstroke and had a really crazy dream of some sort. That seemed like a plausible explanation. He would probably have to drink more water when he got back.

He was about to continue on before a voice called out.

"Deku!"

Izuku turned his head to spot Katsuki running towards him, "Kacchan?" He asked.

The delinquent stopped a good distance away, breathing heavily as he balled his fists. "I never asked you for help! And you didn't help me!" He then looked up, pure anger in his eyes. "Got it!? I was fine by myself! You're a Quirkless failure playing without a full deck! Don't think you can look down on me!" He then turned around, hands in his pockets as he called out. "You damn nerd!"

He watched Kacchan stomp away angrily, a cold feeling developing at the base of Izuku's spine. It felt as if his body had gone to sleep momentarily as his mouth stirred, an involuntary presence perverting the spaces of his mind.

"You disappoint... Deku."

Izuku blinked, a sudden realization coming to him.

He had just said that.

His eyes widened, shaking his head as he looked at his own hands.

"M-Mom, I'm back." Izuku announced as he opened the door, making sure to take his shoes off outside. As soon as he closed the door behind him, her mother rounded the corner of the hallway.

"Izuku! Where have you been all day! I've already finished cooking-" She then seemed to notice something, "W-What happened to your uniform?"

Izuku looked down, realizing that his clothes had been ripped in some places, pieces of gray dust from building debris clinging on. "Oh, um... Well, there was this villain-"

"A VILLAIN!?" Inko immediately ran up to her son, hugging him tightly, "My baby! Please tell me you didn't get hurt!"

"N-No, no! It's alright mom." He held onto her shoulders, "I got to see All Might!"

She gasped, "A-All Might? You got to see him?!" She then sniffed, "T-Then you weren't in danger if he was around, right?"

Izuku paused, "Well..." He then decided to leave a great portion of his day out by changing the topic. "You should've seen him mom!" He then held up his book, "I even got his autograph!"

"That's great Izuku!" She then gave a teary smile, "I can't believe my son finally got to meet his idol." She then gently held onto his elbow, "I-It's a good thing I made your favorite curry tonight."

Izuku smiled, if there was one thing he was completely grateful for in life, it was his mother. "Thanks, mom. I'm gonna go change my clothes."

"It's fine now. Why? Because I am here!"

Izuku was busy rewatching that video, scrolling down to see all the positive comments below. He had already eaten dinner now, retiring to his room as he sat in his shirt and boxers. Watching All Might's debut was great, but now it didn't have the same impact, not after feeling how great it was to meet him in person.

He looked at the time, a feeling of drowsiness beginning to seep into him. He turned his head, calling out to his mother.

"Mom, I'm gonna go to sleep now!"

There was a pause before she responded, "Okay Izuku! Have a good night's rest!"

He nodded, standing up from his chair as he clambered to his bed, removing the covers as he lied down. His muscles felt sore all over from today, and the soft texture was a god send for his body.

Immediately, he felt his eyes begin to close, sleep quickly taking him.

Sadly, he did not know that dreaming was no longer the venerable fortress that he thought it was.

Izuku slowly awoke, noticing that he was no longer in a familiar place. He was lying on a bed, a silken sheet draped over his body. The room he found himself in was strangely designed, with expensive looking gold trimmings and white walls around him.

A tree could be seen in the room ahead of him, surrounded by a pond of midnight.

Two figures were at his bedside, one sitting to his left and one standing to his right. The figure on his left seemed... Strange to say the least, otherworldly even as pale grey skin and expensive silk could be seen adorning his body. The one on his right seemed like a futuristic warrior of some sort, with bronze colored armor and headdress that looked like a kasa covered his eyes.

However, most strange of all, was that he knew the man on the left.

"Good morning, old friend."

He tried to say something, only to find that he could not speak, as opening his mouth produced no words. He struggled, mumbling loudly as his body stirred.

"I'm afraid the disease has taken your voice, but we've prepared the finest serums to treat you." Ballas said as he gestured to a stand carrying a few bags of some unknown substance. "Shall we pass the time with a game of Komi? Like old times."

Sure enough, a board that looked like a Go board was by his bed. He looked at it for a moment before he felt something get injected into his body, one of the bags draining itself of the liquid as he mumbled in surprise.

"You remember this game, don't you?"

He paused, noticing that Ballas's mouth did not open. Instead his eyes seemed to glow with a unnatural power.

"Think your move and the board sense..."

He tried to mutter his confusion, not understanding how Ballas was able to do that. The strange man seemed to notice, tilting his head slightly.

"Oh, this... I've had them fit you with a Transference bolt. In honor of our history together." Ballas then turned his head, speaking out. "And look... look who hasn't left your side since you took ill."

Ballas then looked back, his eyes glowing once more. Gone was the playful attitude, now replaced with something much colder.

"Look at him, old man. Look at your son."

Son?

He looked to the right, honing his focus as the memories began to surge. Isaah, that was his name, his own flesh and blood.

"Can you hear me? Father?" Isaah sat down next to his bed, parts of his headdress peeling away to reveal a relatively young face. "It's me, Isaah. Do you remember me?"

Ballas seemed to scoff, "Of course he remembers you, young Dax-" And then Ballas looked directly at him, "-Which will make this reunion all the more tragic... when you watch him die."

His eyes widened, slowly struggling against the confines of his bed, mumbling hysterically as the feeling of helplessness wrapped around his heart in a crushing squeeze.

Inko Midoriya woke up to her son shouting.

She shot out of her bed, throwing the covers off as she ran into the hallway, sleeping robe still on. She didn't know what was going on, but what she did know was that her son was in trouble.

"Izuku!" She yelled, opening the door to his room. Her son was curled up on his bed, sitting up as he stared forward, tears in his eyes. She rushed forward, hugging him closely as she held him still. "What's wrong!?"

"He-" Izuku paused, struggling to utter the next line of words.

"He's going to kill him! He's going to kill my son!"