~~~
"O-Okay?"
"Have you've been having any strange dreams lately?" her face showed seriousness, eyes traveling across his features as if searching for any change in emotions.
"Well, I-I don't know, what is c-considered as a strange dream?" he bites his lip in discomfort, though it he couldn't figure out if that discomfort was from his stuttering or the sudden topic.
"Let me rephrase that, have you had any reoccurring dreams, or ones you yourself would consider strange?" she sits down on a chair besides Toshinori's bed her eyes never leaving him as if he would disappear any second.
"I-I think, there is a d-dream that I've had for a few days now," he eyebrows crease together in thought, small incoherent words leaving his lips as he speaks, a habit he had when he was little but didn't occur as often anymore. "It s-suppose it was kind of strange."
"What was it about, Izuku-sama?" it seemed like she was trying to make him more comfortable by using his first name but he didn't know if it was helping or not.
"I-I can't remember clearly, every dream was a little different, though every one had Toshinori-san waking me up in the middle of the night, I think it was the middle of the night at least. He told me to be quiet and said something about not letting the guards hear me, but it just felt so real," his stuttering had disappeared as his muttering started, it felt kind of refreshing, even if that habit would to most people be considered strange and annoying, to him it was relieving to be able to stop stuttering and just talk.
As a minute passed by he soon realized how much he'd talked, he was so used to having to keep quiet and suppress his old habit that while it still was quite relieving to just talk, it still felt as if he did something wrong.
He didn't want to look up at the woman's face, afraid that she would be displeased at his sudden rambling, but after trying to convince himself for a few minutes he decided to just take the bullet and look up, only to be met with the complete opposite of the sight he was expecting.
"And this dream has occurred multiple times in a row?" she simply questions, her eyebrows raised in an emotion he couldn't quite decipher, though it did look like she was concerned, not that he knew why.
"Y-Yeah," his response was short but still seemed to please the lady as she stood up, hand on her chin, looking to be deep in thought.
"I didn't think it would happen this soon," she whispers out, barely audible.
"What do you m-mean?" he was reluctant to ask, scared that he would choose the wrong words.
"I have to go get something, Izuku-sama, please stay here and look after Toshinori-san, I'll be back soon," he wasn't able to respond before she was out the door, his mouth slightly hanging open.
What was he supposed to do now?
With a confused mind he looks over at his attendant whose face had begun to regain it's color, he wanted to help in some way, but he just couldn't figure out what to do. He was useless, a future king who couldn't even help his own attendant.
The faint sound of a knock echoed through the room, signaling that there was someone at the opposite side of the door. He didn't know if he should open, what if it was a guard ready to take him to the king because he wasn't in his study or the practice room.
Biting the bullet, he stands up, hesitantly walking over to the door and opening it with ease, only to see the bubbly girl that had just previously left, a tray carrying a jug of water as well as two cups in her hands.
Stepping out of the way, he allows her to enter and silently closes the door after her, watching her put the tray down on a small desk. "Where's Shuzenji-san?"
"I-I don't know, but I'm sure she will be back soon."
The girl simply nods and stands there, shifting here and there, not sure if she should leave or stay, she was after all only 'a simple servant'.
However the prince seemed to notice her awkward shifting and looks around the room, trying to find somewhere for her to sit as he didn't want her to be uncomfortable. Though he soon noticed the lack of seats inside the small chamber.
Without a thought he stood out, gesturing for her to sit down much to her surprise. It wasn't that his kindness was surprising but just the fact that he would give up his own seat for someone that would be considered from a lower class than him.
"Are you sure?" she hesitantly asks, not daring to walk over before getting confirmation that she was actually allowed too.
"Of course, I'll just sit beside Toshinori-san," a small grin spreads across his features as he walks to the relatively small bed belonging the the former knight laying beneath it's blankets, sitting down on it while hoping he wasn't disturbing the passed out man.
"T-Thank you then," she bows deeply and sits down, relieving her legs that had been standing since early that morning. "Oh, right, would you like a glass of water? I brought another one just in case," she quickly stood up again, hurrying over to the tray as she remembered what she initially had meant to do.
"If it's not too much trouble," his eyebrows crease together as he watches her slightly sway back and forth as she walked, most likely the result of her standing up so fast.
"It's most definitely not," after standing still for a couple of seconds to let her mind get caught up with her body, she begins to pour water out of the filled jug into one of the cups, a drop of water running down the side of it.
After almost filling it up to the brim, she walks over to the prince who was simply looking at the attendant with an obvious worry. "Here, my prince," she holds the cup towards him, waiting for him to grab it.
Though just as he got a grasp of the cup, his view turned jet black, eyes widening as some sort of picture appeared in front of him. It felt like he'd seen it before, yet he couldn't describe it. His fingers slipped from the cup while his soul felt like it was leaving his body, only to come back seconds later with questions that would remain unanswered.
His eyes that had suddenly closed shot open, focusing on the girl in front of him whose mouth were hanging open in what seemed like shock and worry. "A-Are you okay?" the girl stutters out, trying to figure out what just happened.
"I don't know.." he whispers out, hand moving up to grip his head as a headache had started to from. His eyes blinking as rapidly as his heartbeat. A few more seconds pass and his headache soon disappeared, leaving him with more questions.
By now he had been able to focus his gaze in front of him, the usually bubbly girl was very much worried and cautiously laid a hand on his shoulder, hopefully calming him down. "I thought you would pass out," she whispers out, thankful that he didn't seem to be hurt in any way.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened," the girl slowly retracts her hand a little unwillingly, as if once she let go he would just fall over on the bed. Once it was obvious he was back to his usual state, she stepped back, hoping she hadn't caused him any discomfort.
However before she even could utter another word, he beat her to it. "U-Uraraka-san..? What happened to the cup?" he chokes out, staring at something laying on the floor.
Well not really laying, it was floating just above the floor, shocking the young prince as he looks at it in confusion and fascination. How could a cup suddenly just start to float?
"Is that magic?" he whispers out, falling to his knees on the floor as he looks at the simple cup with curiosity. While it was faint, something that looked like smoke with a pinkish hue surrounded the cup.
Even if he had only seen the works of magic one or two times while spying on the special guards, it was clear this was something similar, and after all the different kind of books he had read he had already started guessing what its source was. The only thing he came back to was a witch of some sort.
"U-Um.." the girl stutters out, not knowing what to do as she simply stares at the prince who was carefully studying the cup. Suddenly, it dropped to the floor, the water that had miraculously not left the cup spilling over the floor. "I think I need to help one of the servants in the kitchen-"
Her sentence gets cut off by the door closing, revealing the short healer who simply stood there with the same curiosity tinting her gaze. "Magic," it was more of a statement than a question as she walked towards them, two large books in her arms as she eyed the cup.
"Izuku-sama, would you please hold these?" without even receiving an answer, she had already handed him the books, carefully picking up the cup as she examined it, looking for any signs of a crack or remaining pink smoke.
"Uraraka-san," just the simple calling of her name made her jump slightly, worried that she would get in trouble. "Please sit down, I have something important to tell you both."
Sitting down on the chair beside the bed that Izuku had deliberately avoided sitting on, the young girl hurries over to the second chair, sitting down as well as her attention regularly switched between the two residents of the castle.
~~~
"First of all, everything I say in this room stays in here and shall not be heard by anyone outside of here, even if threatened, understood?" the two younger ones both nods timidly, curious yet scared of what she was about to say.
"Seventeen years ago, the battle against Shigaraki Kingdom and the nine kingdoms took place. Toshinori-san was one of the guards fighting in the front line, together with his sword, One For All. Even though we fortunately were able to take over their forces, they still left with many of their own soldiers unscathed, as well as being able to get in a life threatening blow towards Toshinori-san."
The story was one they had heard before, everyone had, young or old. Though what made them both more interested was the mention of the sword, one they've never heard of. Even after the countless times of getting in trouble for just simple talking didn't seem hold his curiosity back. "One For All?"
"Yes, One For All, both of you have probably not heard of it before as Toshinori-san and its previous holders had made sure to keep it a secret as it would surely cause people to go after it, ones that are definitely not fit to hold such power."
"Previous holders?" he questions, not able to hold back as all of this was very interesting to him.
"One For All has been passed down for generations, Toshinori-san being the eighth generation to be its holder. However, as you might have already guessed, One For All isn't a typical sword, no, it holds a special kind of magic that resonates in its next holder the second they're born. Which is one of the reasons as to why it's dangerous for someone other than it's holder to carry it, the power of the sword would simply be too much for their own being and would most likely instantly kill them."
The two listened intently at her explaining, both of them deciding to save their questions for later as they didn't want to interrupt her anymore.
"Sadly though, once Toshinori-san received his injury, his magic started to gradually disappear, making place for another holder to be born. That holder is you, Izuku-sama."
His lips parted in shock, not knowing what to say, surely he would have known this earlier. Surely this was just a simple mistake, maybe there was someone else out there that they had simply mistaken Izuku for. His previous choice to hold back his questions was thrown out of the window.
"B-But how.? I have no magic," he breathes out, eyebrows creasing together as he desperately tries to think of something that would make sense.
"You have magic, it just hasn't awakened yet, though both you and Toshinori-san has shown clear signs of it awakening in just a few weeks."
"Shown signs..?" his perplexity was audible in his tone of voice but it was as if he knew what she was talking about at the same time. As if he had heard this somewhere before.
"Correct, both you and Toshinori-san has been experiencing reoccurring dreams recently, and Toshinori-san's exhaustion is proof that his magic is close to being gone, meaning that you've almost received all of it."
"W-What will happen when all of it is gone?" he feared the answer, hoping it wasn't what he thought it would be.
"It's unclear, previous holders has died by the sheer stress it causes on your body when it disappears but it isn't set in stone and it has been documented that at least one of them survived."
"S-So Toshinori-san might die..?" he was more than afraid, that man had been with him since he was born and to think that he might leave him while still being considered young was scary.
"As I said, it isn't set in stone, seeing as he only passed out and didn't receive any sort of fever is a clear sign that it's highly likely he will live," she gestures over to the books Izuku had been holding.
"In there is the documentation of all the holders of One For All, however it's simply information about their life and how One For All changed their physical and mental state, even then, if those books land in the wrong hands, all hell will broke loose."
The green haired boy slowly opens the top book, only to see some simple cooking recipes.
"The book is protected with a magic seal, but it still would be easy for the average witch or wizard to open it as the seal has been worn out over time, and that's where you come in Uraraka-san."
The girl jumps in her seat, not expecting for her to suddenly bring her attention to the auburn haired girl. "W-What do you mean?"
"I'm asking you to renew the seal."
"R-Renew it?" she stutters out, standing up quickly in surprise. Yes, she had wondered why she was chosen to sit there throughout the healers storytelling, but she definitely didn't expect to receive and actual task.
"Renew the seal? You can do that Uraraka-san?" the prince asks, curious as to what the nurse was meaning. "Wait, you were the one that stopped the cup from breaking, weren't you?" he stands up as well, eyes glimmering as his interest in the subject reached its peak.
"N-No, it must've been Toshinori-san's magic or something, maybe even the prince's," she nervously licks her lips, knowing there was no hope in convincing them as she dropped to her knees, bowing down against the floor as her hope left her body. "P-Please don't tell the king, I really need the money."
To say the prince was shocked was an understatement, first he realized how stupid he was to not think of it as her magic and then she's on the floor begging her heart out.
"We wont tell the king, this matter should stay as far away as possible from the king and everyone outside of this room, Uraraka-san, you're not going to get into trouble, I completely understand your reasoning, but after seeing you so nonchalantly perform that spell without even uttering a single word gave me hope that you could help us."
The girl timidly stands up, she had tears in the corners of her eyes as she sighs out in relief, thankful for the fact that she wouldn't loose her job.
However, the sound of metal clinking against stone stopped them all from moving and even breathing. Praying to god that the guard or guards outside would leave, which they did, after ten minutes of loudly laughing and talking, something about how one of the servants fell down and accidentally ripped her dress, revealing her undergarments, which was just simply disgusting to hear how they objectified her.
Once the voices and clinking metal soon came to an end, the older woman began speaking again, only in a faster pace. "I'll cut this short as Izuku-sama need to get back to his lessons soon."
"In the mountains of Yoarashi Kingdom, lays a small cabin inhabited by the only others who has knowledge of One For All," she whispers out, not daring to talk any louder as there still could somehow be guards outside.
"T-There are others that know of this?" Izuku questions, standing closer to the woman so he would hear her whispering.
"Yes, I only know a limited amount as my own magic doesn't allow me to open that book, even if I got a witch or wizard to open it, it would still not have everything in it, though the people who live in that cabin knows mostly everything that there is to know."
"Has Toshinori-san been there?"
"Yes, that is precisely why I'm asking you this, Izuku-sama and Uraraka-san, would you please go there?"
~~~
I feel like I'm saying this for everything I write, but I'll say it anyways, this was hard to write. But I'm finally starting to get to the part that I've been waiting for to write, so I'm pretty excited yet nervous, how about you?
Please leave feedback and suggestions in the comments as always!