Awakenings
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Another spark of thunder echoed throughout the skies, overwhelming the steady rhythm of rain hitting against the murky glass of the window. Izuku examined it all with wide-eyes, occasionally jumping whenever the thunder would suddenly burst.
He doesn't precisely know where he is, it's only been a day or two from when they left the town of Elyria and ended up in this shabby spot. However, what he did know, or at least pieced together, was that something interesting must've happened when they left.
He recounts walking through the woods until Toga mentioned something along the lines of being followed, he remembered the muttered curses from Shigaraki, and with a sudden snap of fingers, his vision went black. Then by the time he came to, he was on the floor with the others standing around him, yet no one told him anything about what happened between then and before.
Though thankfully he can trust Toga and Twice to end up ranting or mentioning it with their loudmouth, what caught his attention was the term "prince" which found its way into their conversations.
Izuku liked to believe it wasn't Shoto they were referring too, mainly since he didn't want to believe the prince put himself in such danger just because of Izuku's actions. He feared something devastating must've happened, even more so when Toga casually asked Dabi, 'so, did you get to burn him?' Which only made the boy even more anxious.
However, that wasn't entirely the reason he grew so anxious or cautious since coming to this place. He may have experienced only a few interactions with other magical beings, such as when he felt the buzz of energy at the festival, or from the giant dragon that thankfully didn't burn him in Moonshire Bay. Yet, he's never felt anything like the ominous presence which haunted the place like a shadow.
It was similar to a horrid smell that he didn't know where it was emitting from, causing Izuku to constantly shiver or feel nausea whenever he does as much as try exploring his new confines. It wasn't like the lively magic of the Elves, or the soothing one of his people, or even the destructive force of the Drache, it was almost entirely new.
Though, with some observations, he realized that the very group he's traveled with gave off a similar aura. He never thought much of it, since of course, they were humans, and naturally couldn't even possess the magic, to begin with, but somehow his acquaintances found away. Nevertheless, the others were mere pebbles compared to the booming source which always caught Izuku off guard.
Something or someone within the place possessed something completely unnatural to this very world even, which goes against the basics of nature itself. The prospect alone was enough to cause him to shut himself out, deciding it'll be best to leave such a force alone, and simply sticking to his dust-covered room instead.
A crackle of lightning shocked the air, scaring the boy out of his thoughts and speculations, drawing his attention back towards the chaos outside. He's never experienced a storm firsthand before or got to see it so up close, mainly out of fear if the lightning strikes the water. He's heard it's a pretty quick death, which only used to terrify him, even more, when he was younger.
With a deep sigh, he laid his head against the sticky pillow, no matter how many times he tried it always remained hard as a rock. The only thing perhaps keeping him sane or in some form of comfort was the soothing sound of the rain just outside. 'The others wouldn't even survive sleeping like this, Mina and Tooru would already be complaining,' He joked to himself, smiling softly at the fond thought.
As he finally managed to get eyes to drowsily flutter shut, mumbling the lyrics of an infamous lullaby to calm him down and shut out the pouring of the rain. The mer drifting slowly into sleep, not worrying about what tomorrow has in store.
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"So, this, is our lair? Our old bathroom was cleaner than this place." Dabi remarked, dragging his fingertips across a nearby bookshelf, scrunching his nose as he examined the thick layers of dust on his finger.
"I think you're just seeing things." Toga taunts, but takes back her statement when the taller promptly rubs the dust over her jacket, causing her to frantically pat away at it.
"He does have a point, I would've expected something more extravagant for our headquarters!" Mr.Compress exclaimed theatrically, already imagining a lavish mansion filled with the finest of luxuries. Instead, the thunder from outside brought him back into reality, like the sky he turned gloomy as the daydream ended.
"Enough of that, this is more than just a simple headquarters, it's simply our starting point." Shigaraki declares, just in time for the door to the lounge to swing open, welcoming a new incomer.
The person, or at least what one can make out, was almost entirely covered in a dense purple fog. Though, as he walked into the room the smoke receded, displaying quite the comical suit which heavily resembled a butler's. The only thing that stood out was the lack of an actual face and mere yellow lights for eyes shining through the smoke.
"Kurogiri took you some time to get here," Shigaraki pointed out, involuntarily scratching at his already dry and ashy neck. The boy was adorned with his comical face covering of a hand, which received countless taunts from the group throughout their partnership. "How's the master?" He asked, peeking up curiously.
"He's still in stable condition as he was before, the doctor is tending to him as usual but like always, nothing new happened," Kurogiri responds, before bowing his head to the others as a greeting and returning to the conversation with Shigaraki. "Though, do you have the tear?"
The blue-haired boy didn't bother to answer, simply deciding to shuffle through his pockets until his fingers tapped with a small glass bottle. Taking it out, he revealed the bottle to not only Kurogiri but the other's who had no idea he possessed it, they were sure he would've told them he had a mermaid's tear.
Dabi was slightly surprised at the new revelation, he knew when they escaped with Izuku, they left the bowl of tears there to at least fulfill their task. However, he didn't even notice when Shigaraki had the time to scoop some for himself, which Dabi was a bit okay with since the ashy-man clearly needed it.
Nevertheless, the group didn't bother saying anything, simply sparing a few glances but letting the interaction continue to play out. "And where is the mermaid now? Do you think they are hungry?" Kurogiri asked in a concerned manner which would've commonly been reserved for a mother when her child has friends over.
"In one of the rooms, and why would you ever care about that? The thing already ate earlier, why bother wasting more resources on it," Shigaraki huffs annoyedly, rolling his eyes at the mere mention.
"You say that as if you're not the one who came up with the idea to even take him," Dabi comments, narrowing his eyes at the other.
"We took him for this," Shigaraki states, waving the bottle holding the tear around in the air for them to see. Even under the lighting of the rustic fireplace and candles, the rear still managed to shimmer like a diamond. "There's plenty of things you can do with this, but there's no point in discussing it with you all."
"On a lighter note, dinner would be served shortly if you are all still interested. So, I suggest you begin to settle down whilst the storm continues," Kurogiri spoke, quickly intervening before it got dirty. "I'll take this to the Doctor and see what he can do with it, I'm sure it'll be of great help if the stories of it are true." He states, taking the small vile into his hands as he begins to already make his departure.
"What are you going to do with it?" Dabi curiously asks, receiving another glare from Shigaraki who opened his mouth to speak until Kurogiri answered first.
"To tend to the Master's wounds, this has great healing properties which can be beneficial for his current condition." He replied calmly, placing his hand on the doorknob already twisting it before the mystic eyes turned towards the other. "And, perhaps a bit of dark magic."
With that, the gentleman was gone, leaving the others in awkward silence as the door creaking echoed throughout the room. 'That kid has no idea what he's in for, huh?' Dabi questioned to himself, crossing his arms and resting his head against the wall. Listening intently to the rhythm of the rain hitting against the stone wall from outside.
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Although the storm was soothing or frightening to some, to others, it was quite the nuisance to deal with. For example, the irritated prince who stared grumpily at the rain clouds outside the window, as if angry at the sky for the sudden change in weather. This can be seen with the daggers he shot as the rain and lightning just continued without any sign of stopping.
They have been staying within the Wild Wild Pussycats Inn for two days now, though, it might as well be three now. The group was supposed to set off, with them doing enough investigation in the town and the area to only come empty-handed. Now, they were right back at square one, which only irritated Shoto the more he thought about the failed attempt.
The prince was growing uneasy, anxious, and above all frustrated that they didn't even manage to see Izuku, the real one at least. It didn't help that he was already worried before the trip, and now the young prince is practically beating himself up for what he calls, his failures.
Not even Iida's constant comments of reassurance or support could dig him out of the hole he made. The Elf boy recovered fully yesterday, his injuries weren't fatal so it mainly relied on a good-nights rest, however, Shoto still reacted as if it was. He blurted all sorts of sayings of forgiveness and a variety of apologies, which Iida was quick to forgive and stop the panic before it got worse.
Though, no matter what the elf bothered saying in return, Shoto was too dense to even process it. This led to their current position, Shoto stared out his window contemplating the past but also worried about the future. 'Should we just give up? How long will it take until we find him, how could we even start?' He questioned himself.
He wondered, instead of himself, of what other people would've done in his situation for any advice or guidance. He imagined his father in this predicament, knowing Enji would probably break apart the entire region, which didn't help his cause.
He then imagined Fuyumi, and how she would proceed with such an issue. Shoto imagined his sister, being the most intelligent, would probably think of something outside the box or something of the sort, he wouldn't know of course since she's the intelligent one, not him.
Shoto didn't even bother thinking of what Natsuo would do, he would've simply done something rash similar to him. Now, he ran out of people to help him find where to start next, in the end, it only made his confidence further decrease.
It was then, as if the gods got too tired of his self-loathing, a knock came from the door to his room, followed by a prompt 'can I come in?'. When Shoto replied to the familiar voice, in came a certain blue-haired elf, who was also holding a tray with two plates of food.
"I noticed you weren't there for dinner, so I decided to bring the dinner to you since you must always have a balanced three meals-a-day to maintain perfect condition!" Iida exclaimed assertively, waltzing into the room and placing it on the small desk available.
Iida didn't look any different from the attack, the only noticeable thing was the bandage wrapped around his ear from the cut inflicted upon it. He acted his usual lecturing-self, and casually approached Shoto as he would always do.
"I'm not hungry," The prince simply answered, maintaining his scowl which looked foreign upon his stoic face.
"It's not about that, I've heard having a decent meal is better to calm the mind! And you, my friend, are in deep need of a break," He suggests, gripping a plate of food and ushering it towards the grumpy prince, who reluctantly took it since he didn't want to be rude. "You're thinking about Izuku aren't you?"
The way Shoto quickly tilted his head away, refusing to even look at his friend at the sudden question, which only answered Iida's question. The knight sighed heavily, slumping down into the available chair at the desk. "You and I both know constantly beating at a dead bush won't bring it back, y' know?"
"Still, I just felt like this whole thing could've been avoided if I would've gotten there on time. We don't even have any leads! For all we know is that Izuku, a mermaid, is hanging around a bunch of criminals and psychopaths!!" Shoto shouted, flailing his hands to better emphasize his annoyance. "He could be anywhere and we don't know where to start!!"
When the prince seemed to be done with shouting, and his voice echoed throughout the room, Iida finally decided to speak up. "Well, to be fair, you're acting as though he's some weak damsel. Izuku was practically ready to fight with the Prince of Dragons just a week ago! I'm sure no matter where he is, he would keep his head up the same way we should be doing."
Shoto recalled the experiences, he knew the boy was capable, he managed to not cry when a heated sword was pressed upon his skin, that alone was something. However, the more he thought about it the prince just got even more irritated. "He shouldn't have to," Shoto mumbled, a pout evident on his features.
Iida sighed heavily, he too felt a bit down at letting the chance to recover their friend slip through their fingers, but he had a different coping mechanism, unlike his dual-haired friend.
"You know, they say that meditation can be of great help for dealing with loss and calming your mind when experiencing hardships. For elves, it can even make some live longer, a few elves manage to pass 500 years!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, already plotting down onto the wooden floor with a soft creak.
Shoto furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, eyeing his friend who seemingly already got into stance. "Iida, you're my friend, but what in gods are you doing right now?"
"Shush! Now you either join me or continue moping around like Aizawa after he misses his morning coffee, silence is the perfect environment to meditate!" He reprimanded, getting into the ideal position and closing his eyes shut.
The prince continued to look on bewildered, and now hesitant as he debated what to even do. However, looking at his friend who's already humming a small tune to himself and shows no sign of budging, his shoulders fell as he maneuvers to sit in front of the elf.
Iida cracked an eye open, holding in a smile of victory as he saw his friend joining him. "Your knees are bent at the wrong angle." He noted, earning an annoyed glare from the other.
"I've never even done this before—"
"—Oh, and your back needs to be straightened, not slouched like some amateur."
Shoto did his best not to sigh aloud, switching and adjusting his position to mimic Iida's. Constantly having to deal with the Elven boy's many statements of which part of the pose he got incorrect.
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The man waltzed down the dirty and battered hallways like he's always done, his misty eyes glued to the small bottle in his hands as he'd watch the liquid inside move with each step.
It was a rarity, a mermaid's tear, even when Shigaraki came to him with the prospect he couldn't believe it. Despite his line of work, experimenting with a variety of living creatures, and performing the darkest of spells, he's never really thought of such a thing. Nevertheless, he knew this would be vital in his master's recovery.
Kurogiri continued his way down the hall, coming upon a set of stairs which lead to the chambers of the one he sent out to seek. Just opening the door was enough for him to get a whiff of the sheer intensity in the room, similar to a thick cloud of plain darkness. Something he's grown rather tolerable with.
When he made his way down the stairs, ignoring the few spiders which lingered along the walls and roots from the outside ground which made its way within. Though even then the vines were wilted and brittles due to the lack of care.
Kurogiri managed to hear the many sounds of trinkets and spells from the crazed doctor before he even got close, hearing the muttering enchantments. The man entered the vast room, eyes darting around to spot the doctor himself.
The room was wide, filled with all types of things magical and not, from silly things like a type of herb to even the eyeball of a dragon. It was expected from a dark mage, constantly hunting and searching for magical things when they weren't.
However, in the center of the labyrinth of materials and objects, was a casket with multiple carved sigils and symbols. The top of the casket was removed, revealing the person inside who was dependent on the constant healing spells which were cast upon him almost every day.
"Ahah! I was expecting you! Oh my, is that what I think it is—quickly give it here!" The doctor spoke out in quick words, fumbling his way towards the taller man, quickly snatching the small bottle from his hands.
"Would it be of use?" He asked questioningly.
"Of course! Ah, it's even prettier up close!" The doctor exclaimed, swirling the tear around as if it was the greatest thing he's ever seen. "They say it'll rewind someone's body towards perfect health! Oh, just imagine the wonders of what I can do with a real mermaid, I'm curious if their scales have such healing properties too!"
Kurogiri slightly grimaced at how easy the words fell from the older's house, but simply stepped aside for the man to begin his work.
The doctor took the cap off the vial and poured it into a much bigger bowl. Kurogiri was a bit confused at the action but didn't bother, watching as he quickly scanned through the packed shelves in search of various objects.
Once the doctor came with the needed materials, the horn of a Dragon, the feather of a Harpy, the blood of an Elf, and now a tear of a Mermaid. The four magical races of Yueii, which were connected directly to one of the primal sources, something humans aren't.
The doctor mumbled a spell as he brewed the ingredients together, Kurogiri stunned as the bowl began flowing and emitting a strange glow. "Would that be beneficial for him?"
"Absolutely! if this doesn't heal him, then nothing will!" He exclaimed cheerfully, quickly walking up to the man in the casket. With one hand he opened the other's mouth and began to pour only a slight drop of the brew into it, then quickly stepping back to wait for results.
They waited for a mere second before the transformations took place, the man's veins practically glowing the same color of the potion. His scarred and brittle face was the first to take charge, face contouring and reshaping to an actual normal face, from small tufts of white hair growing from his bald head, towards the shape of eyes being seen.
Kurogiri looked amazed, same with the doctor who had a wide grin on his face, as they watched their master be restored into his former glory. Those patches of coarse and distorted skin were now moving like clay to mold the outline of eyelashes as the potion took effect. His white hair blooming from his scalp like a flower during spring, the duo are even able to make out the changes in other parts of his body which were riddled due to years in bed rest.
When it was all complete, the pair didn't know what to do next, especially now that their master finally looked more human at least. Therefore, they decided to simply wait for himself to wake up instead of fearing on tampering with the spell by interfering with it.
Yet, they didn't need to fear long, as they noticed the faint movement of fingers, and then the steady rise and fall of his chest. Now, they watched in both glee and bewilderment, as their eyes traveled towards their master's once scarred face.
The two awaited patiently, as there eyes never left those of their master. They wanted to see their master arise from his slumber themselves, even though that's not what it may seem like.
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Izuku's eyes shot open, awakened by a sharp sting which flurried throughout his body, the mer panting slightly as he tried to regroup himself. However, when he finally got the chance to gaze at his surroundings, he quickly noticed quite a list of things that weren't there before.
Mainly, he definitely wasn't on his bed like before, nor was he sure he was even in the house, to begin with. Another one of those things, where the mer surprisingly wasn't wearing any clothes, at least he presumed since most of his body was covered in thick layers of cloudy smoke.
The room, or area, he was in was practically void of any light yet still managed to not be fully consumed by darkness. 'It's been a while since I've had a nightmare, but this is my first' Izuku mumbled to himself, attempting to walk on for him to realize his legs wouldn't move.
Though, just before he can even panic, he saw a soft glow piercing through the shadows, bringing a sense of calm and serenity. It felt different yet oddly familiar, Izuku trying to search for what it reminded him of tilted his head to inspect further.
The glow only got brighter, and so did the calming aura, as he managed to spot the silhouette of a person who presumably was emitting the light. Izuku had to squint his eyes a bit to get a better description of the figure, it didn't help that a white cloak or cape would cover most of it as it swayed back and forth.
"Izuku Midoriya, out of all the ones I've seen before," The person spoke, their voice was soft and light, captivating all of Izuku's attention. "You certainly have become the most unique."
"W—Who are you?" The boy choked out, watching as the figure approached closer. Upon further inspection, he was able to make out black hair which blended easily to the darkness of their surroundings, tied up into a bun. His eyes wandered past their jet-black eyes, and gazed over their attire, noticing how tall the person was.
Besides the white cloak which swung over her back, the woman had on a dark, sleeveless bodysuit that hugged her figure nicely. Around her waist was a belt that had a white buckle, a familiar sigil printed on it as it was accompanied by another small cloak. Izuku observed the way the black of the suit would shimmer with every movement, realizing it was shining like stars on the blank canvas of night as it reflected the light with each step.
Izuku suddenly came to a conclusion which nearly made his soul leave his body, as the same appearance was similar to a certain statue which he and his people would constantly pray to. The boy gawked at the figure in shock, noticing the many patches of white scales that found their way across her hands and arms.
"Y—You're—this can't be real, it can't be! Oh my goddess—I mean, oh my—You!!" Izuku muttered out, face turning red in embarrassment for even stuttering in front of a goddess. This was not a nightmare, but a dream the boy didn't want to wake up from anytime soon.
"You probably know me as many things, but we don't have time for such formalities," She said passively, smiling warmly at the boy in front of her, a small mole evident below her bottom lip. "You can just call me, Nana."
..
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Yay new chapter!
It's been a minute but hey y'all, it's so weird posting only one chapter but it's a nice change!!
Like always, hope you enjoy and stay tunedd
omgggg over 4,000 words