Requiem of the Broken

Chapter 61: Rebirth

"Why are they just flames then? If the first user can be here normally and you can as well, what about the other eight?" Ochako asked, looking around at the others.

"Because OFA is dying. It should have died years ago, but we were brought back. So long as AFO exists, so will we." said the first user.

"This is getting really confusing..." Ochako said, massaging her temples.

"Allow me to explain." All Might said to the first user.

"To start, Shigaraki inherited AFO and the vestige of AFO took over the body of Shigaraki, but not completely. It's why he was so unstable and displayed random bouts of caution and other times sheer madness and recklessness. AFO and Shigaraki were in a constant battle for dominance over the physical body. OFA on the other hand started dying when I did, but Nezu had my body frozen shortly after my death and cremated a fake body. Nezu's foresight is frankly terrifying, we are fortunate to have him on our side. His foresight allowed OFA to die slowly, and when Shigaraki emerged as an almost unstoppable force, he was able to use my DNA." All Might said.

"The QUEESS was made using my DNA as a means of empowering people to fight AFO, OFA's ability to be inherited made it all possible. The sheer power OFA granted you would have destroyed your body normally. Your arms would have popped off your body like fireworks so OFA ripped your body apart on the cellular level and forced your body to adapt, to make room for all the extra power, that is why it is so painful. Your suit, along with Hikari's and Tobita's all used my DNA, but because OFA was already dying, having it split into three different parts had unfortunate consequences. None of the vestiges could manifest and interact with any of you directly. My vestige was primarily tied to you along with the second and thirds, but we were too weak. I convinced the other vestiges of your character and that's why you could tap into a portion of our power. Likewise, Hikari and Tobita were also found worthy, as you can see. " said All Might, gesturing to the far right and left chairs.

Ochako looked, and as she focused on the indistinct shapes in the chairs, she saw that they did indeed have the vague outlines of Hikari and Tobita.

"You mentioned three of the suits used your DNA, what about the other three before me?" she asked.

"Those suits were made using AFO's DNA." All Might said, his smile fading.

"Now we get to the problems associated with the QUEESS. The original three suits that used AFO as a base, started to infect those users. It gave them power, but like OFA, the vestige of AFO was too split apart to work directly against the users, but you must have noticed the side effects. Heightened aggression, constant agitation, degradation of one's moral code, and more were all due to AFO's subtle influence working within them. When the war ended and the suits were retired, it was already too late. AFO's whispering vestiges had taken root within them, it drove all three of them to madness, and two to suicide. Yo Shindo was put into an institution to try and help him, but I'm afraid that allowed AFO's influence to grow. Now he lives again within Yo Shindo, who is now an unwitting pawn in AFO's schemes like so many before him." All Might said grimly.

There was a pause as Ochako digested that information.

"So... AFO has essentially come back to life, and now like a parasite, it has infested Yo Shindo..." she thought.

Then a question came to her mind, a question she didn't want to ask, but felt she must.

"And me?" Ochako asked quietly.

All Might didn't say anything at first, but she saw a great sadness come over him.

"I am sorry, young Uraraka... As time passed, the once distinct vestiges weakened so much that they started to merge together. Eventually, they latched onto you instead of remaining separate. The human mind isn't meant to handle that, so it did the only thing it could do. It broke it off from the main part of your mind, to become its own entity to ensure your mind didn't crack under the pressure. We latched onto the most readily available thing. The emotions, desires, and memories you tried to stuff away inside of yourself. Between all three of those and the vague sentience of the vestiges, a new personality was created inside of you, separate from you but still you. Had Hikari and Tobita survived their final battle, then it's likely they would have developed the same problem as you." All Might said.