Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online or My Hero Academia, and I do not earn anything from posting this. I also do not post in other places. Please do not repost this story.

Hello everyone! The last few months have been kind of crazy for me. I just got back from surgery a few days ago, and I am currently recovering, so I should have a little more time to write! I hope that you all like the chapter! It feels a little slow, but it was necessary. I hope that you enjoy!

Chapter 4

Heroes and Villains

Riding in a police car was oddly nostalgic.

Not that Shiroe had ridden in a police car before, but the idea behind it was still the same. Everywhere he looked, remnants of his fading past flickered back to life again. Unlike many of his fellow Adventurer's, Shiroe still had most of his memory intact. Little things, like the fact that the buildings were all crisp and upright instead of covered in moss and tipped, or pedestrians carrying suitcases and walking around in business suits instead of battle armor, these tickled at his memories like a long forgotten dream.

The soft rumble and padded seats of the car were nothing like the harsh cries of his griffon, or the hard wood of the carriages that he had become used to in the past few years. Even so, he didn't miss it. No matter how convenient a car was, it couldn't compare to the magic saturated air blowing through his hair and around his ears. Compared to that, this was practically stifling.

Sometimes he wondered if at some point during the last few years he'd become more Adventurer than regular civilian.

Many times he's opened his mouth and turned to his loyal shadow to ask her opinion on what was happening . . . only to feel a jolt of pain as he remembered that Akatsuki had not been with him when the summoning took place.

Shiroe sighed and leaned back slightly, taking his eyes off the window to glance up at the police officer in the front of the car. The young officer flinched slightly as he caught Shiroe looking back at him through the front view mirror. Shiroe smiled wryly and adjusted his staff so that it was at a more comfortable angle. Honestly, he wanted to place it in his inventory, but showing that ability to already jumpy officers might make them a little trigger happy, and he didn't want that.

Sure, he'd seen some people with strange abilities - how did that even work? - but he wasn't going to push his luck. Did everyone have powers here, like in Theldesia? Or was it a few chosen? What kinds of powers and skills did they have? Why? What had caused society to change so much in such a short amount of time?

What world was he currently on? If this was Earth . . . then that might throw a wrench into their plans for the warp gate. That might mean that there were multiple versions of their home world and they would have to find a way to pinpoint the correct one or, even worse, the time difference ratio between their home planet and Theldesia had dramatically increased enough to allow for severe changes in the culture and abilities of normal humans over the span of a few years. Speaking of which, he still needed to find out the year. He hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of the calendar back at the station without looking too obvious.

"Ah," the still youthful voice of the officer interrupted Shiroe's inner thoughts and he glanced up questioningly. The officer flushed slightly as he caught Shiroe's eyes again and then cleared his throat, "S-sorry. I was just curious," he hesitated, "are you . . . really called the Villain in Glasses?"

Shiroe closed his eyes briefly and let out a sigh, "Honestly, it's more of a nickname than anything else. People usually only bring it up when one of my plans comes to completion. It's not really important," Shiroe tilted his head and took note of the slight flinch that the other gave at the movement. "Is it really such a taboo here to have that title?"

"Um," the officer fixed his gaze back on the road nervously, "Not so much a taboo as . . . unexpected? Not many people would be willing to let themselves be called a villain unless they really were one. And you're not really like any of the villains that we've met before, so a lot of us don't really know what to think at this point."

Shiroe's fingers, which he had been tapping on his leg throughout the ride, froze.

"Villain?"

Honestly, Shiroe was a little irritated by how much everyone had been focusing on his given title. It was just a title that his opponents and allies called him when he was being particularly ruthless. And the odd emphasis on the 'villain' part of it made him uneasy. Sure, there were many things about this world that were familiar, but there were twice as many that just didn't make sense.

"Yeah," the young man continued, "Like the League of Villains, or the Villain Syndicate a few years ago, and the-"

"You're saying," Shiroe cut the other off, his voice tight, "That real villains exist in this world?"

The light that they had stopped at momentarily turned green, but the officer didn't move, his eyes wide and terrified as they focused on the mirror. It took a moment for Shiroe to realize that a small fragment of magic had slipped from his control and was now drifting through the air angrily.

For people on Theldesia, such a small amount of magic would have done little other than make them shudder, but to a human who had never had any contact with magic even such a small amount probably made the very air around him feel like it was made of molten lead. Shiroe sucked in a shuddering breath and gently tugged at his magic, quietly coaxing it back into his chest where he typically kept it tightly coiled. All half-alvs had the ability to sense magic, but it took dedicated practice to be able to manipulate it like he had learned. On the battlefield he would let it soar outwards, striking fear in his enemies and bringing confidence to his allies as the familiar magic washed over them, marking their positions, stamina, and health as they fought side by side with him at their helm. But in this situation, he needed it to be calm, quiet, and undetected. There was no point in giving these people any of his secrets until he knew that he could trust him.

The air drifted back out from his lungs, taking with it his surprise and confusion.

"Sorry about that," Shiroe said calmly, loosening his grip on his staff, "It was just a surprise, to realize that the term 'villain' is more than just a general term here."

The officer swallows, finally shaking off his terror slightly, although his wary eyes kept a careful focus on Shiroe through the mirror, just in case. "I-I see . . ."

The car pushed forward and Shiroe glanced out the window to watch all of the people around them pass by. "What, exactly, are villains to you, if you don't mind me asking, Officer?"

The young man twitched again, but spoke up, "Well, textbook definition is a criminal whose power necessitates a hero on the scene to take them down. The department has a ranking for the criminals as well. G through E ranks are fairly calm and only need one or two Heroes to interfere. Rank D and above require a team of Heroes, usually from an agency so that they know how to work together. And then . . . there are the S rank Villains. For them, only the top pro's are called."

It was clear that the officer was rambling now, and Shiroe could see the light shaking of the other's fingers on the steering wheel. For a moment he considered asking the young officer to pull over and center himself, but then shook his head. Doing so might make the other even more nervous. Right now, he needed something to focus on other than the invisible threat of magic that had been hovering over his head a few moments ago. Honestly, Shiroe sometimes forgot that he had to treat everyone here like they were People of the Land who had been isolated in an area with little magic their whole lives. He was a little guilty about causing the youth a mild case of mana overexposure, but it really couldn't be helped. What really worried him was what this meant for the society that he was currently trapped in.

Heroes and Villains, huh? Who would have thought that a society could actually develop to the point where these became not only typical but meaningful terms. For Shiroe, the only time you ever really heard about heroes and villains was from television or movies, sometimes games, but never in real life. Even his own nickname stemmed from the fact that he didn't shy away from making people angry in order to make sure everything shaped up the way that he wanted it to, not because he was a criminal or had plans to take over the world.

Now that he thought about it, the whole situation suddenly made a whole lot more sense. Shiroe wanted to groan and go back and hit his past self on the head. Everyone thought that he was a Villain of some kind. Probably a dangerous one, from the way that they were reacting, but they had no proof so they couldn't actually do anything about it yet.

This was a huge mess. It's not like he can backtrack and try and fix the misunderstanding, either. By their standards, he might be a villain. It would be best to just keep his head low and wait for his guild to find a way to snatch him back from this world. And they would, he had no doubt. Whether they did that before he got fed up and found his own way back first or not was the question.

Still, a society of Heroes and Villains. It was mind boggling. They way the officer spoke, it sounded like being a Hero was an actual profession here, which put them above the police in a way. Maybe even equivalent to the special forces.

There were several issues that he could already see coming from this kind of situation, however. So far, he'd only seen a few people display unusual abilities, and both of them had been in the room that he'd first showed up in. One had summoned him, and the other had some sort of telekinesis. If he were guessing correctly, the man in black was a 'Hero' and his summoner was a 'Villain'.

He'd seen several people in the station and just on the streets that had strange appearances as well. It had taken him a minute to notice though, since back in Akihabara it was more polite not to comment when just a few years ago everyone had been human. Some were still sensitive about their race change. That didn't seem to be the case here, however. Maybe whatever caused people to gain powers affected different people in different ways?

Regardless, in a society that had actual heroes and villains, it was highly likely that those with good powers and skills got singled out and praised, raised to the position of hero practically from the point that they are discovered, while those with less desirable powers were tossed to the side. This separation of the people was never a good idea. He'd learned that with the People of the Land.

Sure, they may be different, they may have different specialties, but that didn't mean that they had to be kept separate. Exactly opposite, in fact. Adventurer's had to interact with the People of the Land in order to know how to treat them without offending them, and the People needed to know that not every Adventurer was a big burly brute. Preventing misunderstandings was the first step.

If they had withdrawn from the People of the Land in the beginning, there would have been war.

Here, there was no line between two distinct people, but rather a divide of culture. The further into the light the Heroes were pushed, the deeper the shadows the Villains hid in would be. Escalation, basically. Shiroe had seen plenty of it during his time as the head of the round table, and he was just tired of dealing with it.

There were other problems as well, but Shiroe was honestly too tired to go over all of the reasons it was unwise to have a society based around heroes and villains. It was impractical to give only a certain amount of people authority and power while oppressing the other side. If it were up to him, he would have found a way to give everyone with powers something that they could do in their skillset without having them resort to crime.

Shiroe sighed and tilted his head down, letting his glasses slide downward slightly as he thought. Whatever his opinion, it had been a long day, and he really wasn't one to judge without all of the facts. Maybe there was a good reason that a society based around heros had developed. As it was, Shiroe just didn't have all of the facts. Maybe after he'd gotten out to talk to a few people he could make a judgement call, but for right now it was probably best to just acknowledge it and come back to it later.

"Ahm," the officer cleared his throat as they pulled in front of a small apartment building. This neighborhood was quiet, with very few people out and about. Shiroe could see an older lady out walking her dog on the opposite side of the sidewalk, but other than that it was empty. "We're here."

They both stepped out and the officer led him up through the building to the second floor.

"It's not much," the young man spoke up, "But it should tide you over until you find your own place. This is just one of our safe houses that we don't really use that often."

Shiroe stepped past him as he glanced around. It was a modest apartment, a little on the small side but well furnished. There was a slight layer of dust, but that was to be expected from a place that hadn't been opened for some time.

The officer cleared his throat again and Shiroe turned to him.

"Ah, the Chief asked me to get these to you," the officer held out a stack of papers and a ballpoint pen, "If you could fill these out, we can get you some temporary residence papers until we can figure out how to get you home."

Shiroe nodded and carefully plucked the papers from the officers hands, clicking his glasses up on his nose as he glanced over it momentarily. "I understand," his eyes flashed, "When do you need this by?"

The officer snapped up, face draining of color, "Um, d-don't worry. An officer will be back tomorrow to pick you up for a follow up. T-take your time and make sure that y-you fill it out to the best of your ability."

Shiroe sighed and tilted his head. The other's reaction was ridiculous, but he wasn't willing to do anything about it right now. His exhaustion was finally catching up with him.

"Very well," Shiroe flicked the papers slightly before settling them on the tabletop. "Thank you for guiding me here. Do you need to stay here, or am I free to get some rest? I am quite tired, you see."

The young officer's eyes widened, "I-I need to report back to the station. Feel free to make yourself at home. There might be someone that will come by later, but they will inform you before entering," he swallowed, "H-have a good evening, Sir."

"Evening, officer," Shiroe tried to keep his tone light, but even still the officer still flinched slightly. He sighed as he heard the sound of the door shutting quickly behind him.

Really, what was he going to do with this situation?

0~o~0

Officer Yani barely managed to shut the door behind him before his legs gave out on him and he slid to the floor, his breathing ragged.

When the chief had given him the assignment and warned him to be wary, he honestly hadn't known what to expect when the tall youth had casually walked out of the interrogation room. The whole office was buzzing with whispers, of course, but seeing their subject in person was daunting.

The other was a good deal taller than Yani. It was a little daunting, but he'd put up with it. It was one guy, and honestly this 'Shiroe' character didn't seem to be too bad. He hadn't done anything since coming to the station and hadn't caused a scene while here. The only proof they had of his supposed 'villainy' was what another villain had said, and that had to always be taken with a grain of salt.

That was his initial impression.

Let's just say, the monster that had appeared in the back of the car along the ride back was nothing like what he'd first thought.

Such an innocent question, such an easy answer.

But for a moment, when he'd heard those low, flat words whispering past his ear, his heart had shuddered to a stop and the entire world narrowed into hyperfocus.

"You're saying that real villains exist in this world?"

Darkness. That's what he'd seen in the back of the car. Shiroe's entire figure appeared to have been completely shadowed by darkness so deep that even the light of the windows couldn't illuminate his face. Like a monster out of a nightmare, the figure loomed out of the darkness. Creeping trendles of shadows flickered in his direction, as if trying to bring him into their depths as well. The air thickened like sap.

Within the darkness, something glinted, and the gleam of glass flickered ominously.

Even after the darkness receded, pulled back into the figure sitting in the back seat, Officer Yani couldn't erase the image from his head.

Like a poison snake hidden in the sticks. You will never see it until it's already too late.

With a shudder, Yani pulled himself up and stumbled back down the stairs. He still had to get back to the station and give his report, no matter how shaky he was at the moment.

But seriously, who in the world did that crazy villain summon?!

0~o~0

Deep within the city, in a small, familiar apartment, a blue glow flickered to life. Slowly, dust and mist began to spin once more, picking up speed as it rose through the air. The the center, an oval of near white light shimmered, and distant echoes danced through it.

"It seems . . . be working."

"Be careful . . . control output . . . unsure."

"Don't care . . . going in . . ."

"Wai-!"

The light bulged upward, shaping itself around what looked like a small, glowing hand as it tried to break the barrier. For a second time that day, reality wavered, shifted -

Light shattered, leaving behind only flecks of glowing dust as they drifted to the ground. Leftover mana dispersing as a glowing sign appeared, hovering over the ground.

Dimensional Rift Connection Failed

Attempting reshift in 24:12:29:30

24:12:29:29

24:12:29:28

.

.

.

In a distant world, a small girl snarled as she clutched at her arm, which had several long scrapes along the side. Around her, people rushed back and forth to stabilize the fluctuating magic from their attempt.

A healer approached her slowly as she stared at the spot where the portal had hovered.

"My Lord," she whispered, unheading of anything around her, "Don't worry, we will find you."

0~o~0

Thanks again to my beta reader for continually encouraging me to keep writing!

I don't really know where this will go, but I hope that you all enjoyed! Please let me know your thoughts and any questions that you might have. As always, I have many story ideas, and not a lot of time, so if anyone wants to vote on which story I upload next please let me know on the poll on my profile. Note, I will only be unloading the chapters that I have written for any specific story idea, and I will be choosing a new one in about a week. If I continue the story after posting is based on if I get any more ideas for it or not.

I hope everyone has a good month!

(Updated: 2/3/2020)