This took a very long time huh...? to be honest I am still not satisfied and I feel that a certain part of the story may feel too abrupt but knowing myself.... I'll never post the story at all if I keep acting like that lmao. Certain things have changed since I posted this story including the backstory for some of My ocs... so let's see how this goes.
And another thing! The cover of the story is drawn by @Yu_Aisa on Insta, great thanks to her for that amazing cover, hope you guys like this story and I will try to update the story at a good pace but no promises lol.
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There were many ways she had expected this day to go, but this was not one of them. Maybe the ominous weather was a warning, a message for her to stay at home in the comfort of her bed. Even so, she went against her gut feeling and headed out.
Jaku city's streets were now covered by agonizing flames, devouring everything in sight. Thick smoke billowed upward, covering the sky in darkness. The horrendous screams of civilians pierced through the silence, resonating across the streets, they clomped around, searching for safety. The sounds of their footsteps gradually vanished into nothingness as each ran for their own lives.
Erumi was left all alone in the chaos, staring at all the surrounding destruction, face filled with terror as she tried to process what had happened. She stumbled through the debris, trying desperately to find some kind of escape route through the wreckage. The girl clutched her hand and kept moving forward, “Mom…Dad… Itsuo…Ritsuo…where are you?” she choked out, her voice trembling. “Please… answer me!” She’d been walking aimlessly, searching for any sign of life to no avail.
Tears threatened to fall from her eyes and she wiped them away quickly. She couldn’t cry—not right now.
Be strong Erumi...
She repeated in her mind, pushing forward. Had she not been caught in this mess, she'd still be with her parents, if only they went to any other place… everything would've been fine, she'd still be safe in her house or having fun with her family elsewhere.
But it was too late to regret anything.
Her legs trembled, fear and exhaustion taking their toll on her muscles. Her heart pounded against her chest, the blood pumping through her veins and causing her to feel faint. In her distraught state, Erumi took a wrong step, stumbling against something before falling on the hard concrete. With a grumble, she raised her head, then flinched back.
She stared down in front of her, eyes wide open. The tears welled up, running down her cheeks, both hands clasped onto her mouth, she wanted to scream, but it came out a quiet cry instead. Her stomach churned as if she was going to throw up. Her breath caught in the back of her throat at what she saw. She pushed herself back, desperate to run away from this place.
In front of her was not one… not two but several lifeless bodies crushed between the rubble. It was a horrifying sight. One that made her skin crawl.
Her hands shook as she froze in fear. She hoped it was just a dream, a horrible nightmare. It wasn't real, it couldn't be, right? Right…?
She'd soon wake up from this terrible nightmare, at least, she genuinely hoped so.
The small girl was too shaken to notice the wall behind her, it slowly began to collapse, but it was too late by the time she noticed. Her heart stopped as she watched, horrified, as the crumbling wall fell down, collapsing on her with a deafening bang. The massive slab of concrete weighed on her body, knocking the air from her lungs.
She tried to scream as the stone crushed her small body, but nothing came out of her mouth but a pained gasp. Her fingers clawed at the ground, desperately trying to dig herself free.
Frightened, the small child tried to push her body up, pulling through as she felt the hot concrete burning through her skin, tearing into her legs. She screamed, enduring all the pain with teary eyes. It all felt futile, however, she was desperate, and the girl kept pressing forward, attempting to free herself. "Dad....anyone!" She cried out, tears distorting her view. "Help…" her energy was draining away, her voice barely coming out as a whisper in the wind.
Of course, she received no answer.
With each passing minute, her remaining hope was fading away.
Why did it come to this?
Erumi wondered, trying to dig her body out of the rubble, she gritted her teeth and screamed in agony before stopping to take her breath. The pain was unbearable, she bit her lips as she tried to stop her agonizing screams, then closed her eyes, attempting to drown away the voice in her head.
That voice that kept telling her all her efforts were pointless, that no one would save her, and that she should just give up.
She can't give up, not yet.
Erumi yelled with all her might as hot tears streamed down her face, her small body recoiling from the pain as the concrete sank into her legs. She clenched her fists, letting the water surge and twirl around her fingertips, it slid through the cracks overflowing it with the clear blue water, letting part of her body slip free, easing the pain ever so slightly.
Almost there…
Erumi thought with relief. As much as it hurt, it was better than doing nothing, she had to keep pushing for some way for her to escape. She couldn’t give up now, not when she was so close…
Water continued to flow from her fingertips, the coolness soothing her burning skin before slipping under the rocks.
Just a little bit…
She kept pushing herself, her energy draining as she constantly pumped the water through the cracks.
The approaching footsteps echoed through the shattered pathway, freezing her in place. Her body started to quiver as the thumping sound got louder, her mind urging her to run —but she couldn't.
She needed to get out.
That thought kept running through her mind as she scrambled to free herself, digging her fingers in the dirt.
Erumi saw the man come into view. His intimidating figure stood in the distance, casting the shadow of death around the city, a peculiar mask covered his entire face while pipes protruded out, leading towards the back of his suit. Chills ran down her spine as her breathing began to pick up, beads of sweat trickling down her skin.
It was him.
She only took one glance at him, but she was sure it was the same villain who rampaged through the city. And right now, He was headed her way.
His eyes let out a red glow as he slowly turned to face Erumi's direction; spotting her amidst the rubble. His lips curved upwards, forming a hideous grin before marching forward, aiming for his new prey.
She hastily moved her hand, trying to crawl out of the way, grabbing and pushing her legs out; Attempting anything to free herself.
Never had she felt true fear until now.
Move…
She kept pulling, gritting her teeth as the water moved along her arms, running through the creaks and pushing the concrete upwards, her hands trembling, panic setting in.
Move!
She kept urging her body, using her Quirk to its maximum to lift the rubble off. Just as she managed to pull away, the footsteps came to an abrupt halt, stopping right in front of her.
Her body quivered at the sight of blood as a nauseating smell hit her nose. She wasn't sure why, but the moment she made eye contact, she couldn't move.
Gritting her teeth, Erumi looked up at him and mustered up her remaining courage, letting a burst of water fly toward him, scattering into specks when it hit his chest.
The villain looked down at where he was hit before laughing hysterically, his malicious grin widening as he walked over, "Pathetic." He spoke out, amused by her futile attempts. His words were like poison, biting and cutting through flesh.
It was frustrating but he was right, her life was on the line yet she was too powerless to do anything.
Why am I so pathetic…
She clenched her fists. Despite her Quirk, she stood no chance and she knew it.
Here she was, unable to even get up and run away. Even when her life depended on it, she wasn't able to fight back.
She was useless.
Utterly useless.
Erumi crawled back, legs aching as blood kept oozing out, tears staining her eyes. With desperation, she kept going, flinging the concentrated spheres of water towards him, pushing her Quirk to the limits, failing to land a hit.
Nothing was working and she had no power left. Her energy completely drained out.
On the other hand, the man hadn't lifted a finger. He kept on pushing forward, amused by her foolish attempts, "I'll give it to you kid, you're braver than most, but it's futile." he mocked in a condescending voice, "You can't do anything against me." His body continued to push forward until he stood right in front of her.
Preparing herself for the worst, she closed her eyes. This was it. There wasn't anything else she could do. She was at her limit and It was the end…
Or so she thought.
Everything happened too quickly. One moment, a swirling red sphere was rushing towards her, the next a massive wall of ice blocked her view, shattering slightly with the impact.
Shocked, the man spun around, in time to see a silver blur heading his way, he raised his hand, blocking a blow that would have sent him tumbling to the ground. The ground underneath his feet crumbled as he got pushed back, his body crashing into a wall. He staggered, barely managing to avoid falling to his knees.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Erumi saw a familiar pair of white wings flapping around in the air, cold air gathering around him as he looked at the villain on the ground. His hands curled into fists, his teeth clenched together tightly, anger radiating from him.
"Erumi!" A woman called out, hurrying over and crouching beside her daughter. She grabbed her arm and pulled her into her arms. "You're… safe… Thank God."
“Dad….Mom!" She sniffled, clutching onto her mother's clothing with all her might, unable to let go, the tension from before drifted away as the exhaustion began to sink in.
Her father glanced back at her, his sharp eyes softening, before looking back in front of him. He looked furious, his face twisted into one of pure hatred, the veins on his forehead bulging. He noticed the villain struggling to get up. "Oceane, bring her to safety." He instructed, his tone commanding and authoritative.
"Understood," Oceane nodded, tightening her grip around the tiny girl she carried with care. She smiled, as the little girl clung tighter to her, she rubbed her back, "Hold tight sweety."
"What about… Dad…" She peeked from behind her mother's shoulder, watching as he flew around, spinning and dodging the red projectiles.
"Don't worry, your father is strong," Her mom assured softly.
"But-"
"Shh~ I know you're worried but you need to trust me." The hero pressed a finger against Erumi's lips to stop any protests. "It'll be okay sweetheart, we're going to take care of that bad guy, don't worry," She stroked her hair soothingly.
The little girl looked over at her father and back at her mom again, sighing shakily. She took a deep breath before nodding.
"Let's go-"
At that split moment, her motherly instincts took control, shielding Erumi with her own body as a shot pierced through the wall, hitting her back and piercing through her skin, leaving a hole in her chest.
A fountain of blood came from the wound, splattering onto the ground, her fingers clamped over it letting the hot fluid gush between his fingers.
Erumi's mouth opened as she watched in horror, the tears pricking in her eyes. She tried to utter a word but all that came out was a sob. All she could see was blood. It was such a horrid sight, she felt the urge to throw up. The thought alone sent her into another fit of panic, her breathing becoming shallow and fast. Her legs were shaking and her heart was pounding against her ribs.
It was all her fault. Her fault alone.
Right in front of her eyes, her mother was bleeding. Blood pooled on the floor underneath her and spilled out from her mouth in spurts, staining her clothes red.
She was scared stiff, unable to do anything, her heart rate accelerated as she looked down at her hand, her hand drenched in her Mother's blood. Before she knew it, her vision blurred, her breathing became heavy, and her chest rose in quick gasps. And then, everything went dark.
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And that's all for the prologue, how do you like things so far? I know a lot of stories start off like that but I have a small little twist planned out next chapter since I wanted a slightly different approach to this, so hopefully, I'll write it well, finally- I decided to draw my oc Erumi to give everyone an idea on how she looks like as a kid. There's a LOT I have planned for her, and I mean a lot.
Edit: Recently made a somewhat better redraw of the original, so here's the redraw yet again, this time the eyes are better spaces