Hey everyone, this fic is gonna be a semi-sister fic to Successor with a bit more realism and "darkness" to it. It's a plot bunny that refused to go away, I hope you guys will enjoy it.


"Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift."

Izuku needed power.

The situation he found himself in was one that demanded it. The day had started out as normal as possible, Kacchan had led them to a new play spot, with him in the lead they ignored the signboards and walked into a restricted area. Everything went well until it was evening and they found themselves face to face with a wild bear.

The two others who tagged along with them escaped at the first sign of danger, but Katsuki had refused to listen to reason. In the cover of the forest, filled with a multitude of towering trees, Katsuki had taken the fight to the bear.

As Katsuki had manifested his quirk, one on the more powerful side of the spectrum. He had been placed on a pedestal, his pride inflated beyond expectations. It was only when facing a fully grown bear, capable of killing fully grown humans without powerful quirks did Katsuki realize his folly.

A single strike from the Asian Black bear had broken Katsuki's fragile arm, while the exchange had been short Katsuki had managed to land a good explosion on the beast's face causing it to back away a bit. Izuku stood rooted to the spot, his body rigid against his will and his eyes fully displaying the fear he was facing.

"RUN DEKU!" Izuku felt a shiver run through his body, his body shaking with fear turned to the downed Katsuki who was high with adrenaline. The darkness of the forest cover couldn't block the blazing fires in Katsuki's eyes.

"RUN AWAY! I'LL DISTRACT IT! YOU GET HELP!" Katsuki knew it was empty words, but he couldn't let Izuku die here. Izuku was quirk less, he was a pebble in his path, but…. Katsuki wanted to be a hero and he needed to save everyone.

"YOU IDIOT RUN AWAY!"

The roar of the bear signaled its charge towards them, Katsuki, high on adrenaline had sweat all over his body ready to ignite at a moment's notice, but his fear rendered it all useless. Izuku, on the other hand, was praying to any deity for help, he wasn't stupid, he knew that it was hopeless and that Katsuki wanted to sacrifice himself to save him.


Izuku ran forward, in the fleeting rays of the Sun that struck his face, showed an expression full of desperation. His body had moved to Katsuki's side ready to push him out of the way. Izuku's mind was a mess, his eyes only focusing on Katsuki.

The expression on Katsuki's face was foreign to him, fear. It was then he noticed that he was already in front of the bear, arms spread to the sides completely covering Katsuki.

His sense of time dilated, he could see the bear suddenly stand on its hind legs readying for an overhead strike. Izuku's eyes were wide, his senses felt as if it had been dialed up to 11. The combination of his fear and his heightened state and along with his relentless prayers had caused a miracle to occur.

The darkness around them warped, flowing into Izuku's body, strengthening it, embracing it like a layer of protection. The bear's claws bounced off harmlessly against the darkness, Izuku's body on utter instinct went for a punch. No matter what it might have looked like, a five-year-old punching a fully grown bear was simply a joke.

Yet, the darkness that cloaked his entire body rushed to his fist which lightly struck the Bear's massive frame, there was a second of stagnation before the darkness pushed the bear away. The darkness, seemingly having a life of its own had thrown the bear to the nearest tree.

The bear weighing more than a 100 kilos was thrown like a ragdoll and went it got back up, there was a trace of instinctual fear in its eyes. It scurried away, yelping.

Izuku's eyes rolled back to the top of his head as he passed out against an awestruck Katsuki. The last sounds being that of his mother's screams and the sound of multiple sets of footsteps.


(Timeskip)

Izuku watched as the tendril of darkness danced around his fingers, the blackness tinted with a tiny bit of ominous purple was beautiful to him. A collaboration of beauty and….fear.

His abilities had startled his mother and the community, a late bloomer manifesting a power that had caused a fully grown bear to run away scared. It was no secret to the community about the incident, the two kids who ran away first had actually made sure to inform the parents as well as cause a spectacle in the neighborhood.

A group of people mixed with stay-at-home parents and faculty of different Schools and companies had rushed to the forest with some of them calling for emergency services. What they found was an injured Katsuki and an unconscious Izuku whose hair was dyed black with wisps of Darkness dancing around him and the distant yelps of a bear.

Katsuki had explained the scene in great detail, and the broken pieces of bark and the remnants of the strange power had caused people to gossip all they could about it, turning both of the kids into local celebrities overnight.

Izuku had been ecstatic about his quirk, as would any child who manifested such power would rightfully be. They visited a different Doctor, who was a friend of one of the neighbors, he had mentioned that his quirk factors were in a constant state of flux, never really in a constant state. He had mentioned that it was common with dual quirk holders as the powers were constantly adapting and changing.

He mentioned that he might possess different abilities that may be a shoot off of his original quirk. This, of course, excited Izuku as it brought his dream of being a great hero closer and closer. But, there were some people who were concerned about the nature of his ability.

The eerie Darkness and the ominous glow of his newly acquired blood red eyes and pitch black hair had caused multiple people to mention how villainous it looked. There wasn't much to say, as some people knew about many Pro Heroes with Villainous looks or powers. But there was still a seed of doubt.


(Timeskip)

Katsuki recoiled as he felt Izuku land another blow to his body before he immediately retaliated with a vicious Haymaker. The referee signaled an end to the spar, both went to their respective sides and bowed to each other in their Gi. It was Karate club right now, both Izuku and Katsuki being the ace students were requested to have a spar before the new students and the visiting parents.

The little competition between them was at a tie, both of them had come a long way from "The Incident". The life and death situation bringing them close to brothers at this point, the rivalry being another thing. Both of them constantly tried to outdo the other in everything ranging from academics to Sports.

They were easily the most popular students in school, being in their final semester before heading to their respective Hero academies that had an impressive resume with them. Katsuki being an ace student, with a plethora of medals for every competition he's joined in. He was also known for his rather short fuse and for his company.

Izuku had grown from the skinny kid he was to a having a semi-athletic build, standing as tall as Katsuki. He shared his position as an ace student with Katsuki, along with bagging numerous medals in competitions, as well as for his swordsmanship. He was well known among his juniors and teachers as a child with a bright smile and personality, a stark contrast to his quirk. He was the friendliest person with a hint of mystery, a rather contradictory thing if he

says so himself.

Izuku and Katsuki had numerous admirers as well as a load of enemies, both of their quirks being much more "suited for villains". While Izuku took more time than Katsuki they gradually got over it. Both of them while model students also had a few pet peeves, bullying the weak being one of them. They had been almost suspended for their stunt with the bullies, yet the victims had pleaded for them and they got off with a warning.

Both of them had proven time and time again that they wouldn't stand for any injustice, not caring of the consequences or themselves for a matter.

(Izuku's house)

Izuku laid on his back as he finally let go of his concentration used to restrain his power. Silent oppression descended in his room, he groaned as he finally let his Nether flow freely.

Nether, a power to generate, conjure, and manipulate Nether, the essence that flows through the realms of the Living and the Dead. A Spiritual Element, which means it cannot be perceived by any physical sense. The only way Nether can be physically seen is if it were mixed with an element of the Physical Realm.

"Names have power"

When he had read his Quirk's description he had been startled, he had initially thought it was just a form of Darkness Manipulation, yet it was only fair after the emergence of the other abilities he had. Abilities like Emotion sensing, Destructive energy manipulation, and Reality Warping were, not small matters. Izuku had been notified that the name was finalized by an individual whose quirk was sensitive to phenomena relating to that of quirks more closely related to Lore than it did science.

There were only a few people in the world who knew of his full power, his mother, Katsuki and the Principal of UA. The Principal was one of the guests who were present at his Quirk's maturation, the constant state of flux had yet to settle and might never will. The Principal had been quick to make friends with Izuku and his Mom.

In fact, he had received a letter of recommendation to join the UA. He had of course politely refused as he wanted to take the test with Bakugo. The principal merely smiled and said that if he landed First place then he would get to meet a special person.

Izuku sensed his mother coming up the stairs, the door opened to show his mother, as beautiful as he remembered, in all her glory. It was not an understatement to say that he could only fully trust a few people fully.

It had been after his emotion sensing ability reared its head did he understand how ugly the world was. His ability had caused him to forcefully comprehend the emotions of others, the rage, the hate, the sorrow. Izuku had to take a leave from school when this happened, for a child below 10 to experience the emotions of a thousand people was no small task.

His powers were awfully potent for a child, it had caused many incidents during his time in school. His abilities were easily influenced by his emotions, the slightest bit of negative emotions was enough to agitate his Nether to cause havoc to his surroundings. The potent powers had caused him to become envied and feared among his peers. Izuku rarely opened up to people, the ability to sense emotions had caused him to understand who were actually "Good" people. Izuku was only ever relaxed with his Mother and Bakugo and Bakugo's immediate family, they were the only ones who never possessed a single ounce of "Fear" when with him.

But, it slowly became manageable. His body evolved, changing him to deal with the influx of his powers. It was a constant theme, he had long suspected that his quirk was semi-sentient, for everything it's done, it always did for the best of him. With his sensing abilities, he could almost accurately point out a person as well as his emotional state. This also allowed him to catch bullshit and lying almost instantaneously.

His destructive capabilities were under lock and key, his control with infusing any physical element other than darkness and fire wasn't up to the mark, in fact without the Principal's influence he was certain that he wouldn't be able to even walk freely. His Phenomenon inducing abilities were on the same boat, it was why he wanted to prove to the Principal that he was capable of controlling his power. And to thank him of all he had done, to prove that he was worthy of the time the Principal had spent on him. With that Izuku slowly descended to the land of unconsciousness.


(Final day of class)

Izuku stretched and groaned at the satisfying pops that resounded, the class was finally over. Both Izuku and Katsuki decided to go to the arcade, they spent the last of their allowance before finally heading home. It was in the middle of their journey did they hear a rumble in the distance along with a plethora of explosions.

The two of them broke into a sprint reaching the site of destruction in 5 minutes. The place was not in good shape, a gas tanker crashed into a pole and had spilled its contents everywhere and then was a car which crashed to its side, the sparks seemingly causing the fire. In the middle of it was Death Arms who was currently encased by a Slime villain. Izuku's eyes shifted to the rest of the Pros who were arguing about the difficulties in assisting the fight.

Izuku found that the villain had gained control of Death Arms and was using him to keep the others at bay. The flames preventing Kamui woods and Backdraft from interfering and the lack of space preventing Mt Lady as well. Izuku was about to turn to Katsuki when his heightened senses caught a faint cry. Izuku's gaze turned to the car before his emotion sensing activated, he could feel it.

The fear, the panic, the sadness.

Izuku's mind blanked, Katsuki was the first to notice the change his hands shot to catch the collar of Izuku's shirt to restrain him but, all he met was air and a bag to his face.

There was a violent wall of air as Izuku rocketed himself from his position. Izuku's eyes burned with fury, righteous anger swelling in his heart.

There's a kid.

Izuku paid no heed to the fighting of the Pros, he ignored the Sludge Villain, he had to get to the kid. His sensing abilities guided him through the debris, within a moment he was at the car, his Nether burst into action as it tore the door open. The sight he saw was a small child no older than five crying, trying to remove her seatbelt, along with who seemed to be her mother unconscious with a head wound.

Izuku swiftly cut through the seatbelt with a sharp blade of Nether and tried to shield the hiccuping child. His Nether formed an extra hand and tried to take her mother out only to meet resistance, his eyes met with that of the Villain and surprisingly the villain flinched after seeing the pools of red that stared back.

It was a second later did he finally get the mother out of the car, a spike of negative emotions caused his gaze to turn to the villain who used Death Arms strength to throw a large piece of rubble at him. Izuku ignored the cries from the crowd, he knew that the car was about to explode as well, within an instant, he conjured a blade of Darkness infused to the absolute with Nether.

A downward swing split the rubble into two, Izuku flooded his body with Nether and rushed away from the villain. Izuku set the victims down handing them over to the rescue services, he gave a bright smile to the little girl before turning his gaze to the struggle between Death Arms and the villain. Izuku was sure if he'd involve himself in this, it wasn't gonna end well.

But someone was in need of help

Izuku channeled the entirety of the Nether he could control throughout his body, a divine pressure descended onto the field. The fighting and struggling stopped for a moment, all the attention was on Izuku, wisps of Darkness and ominous purple escaped his frame. The stark contrast between the wisps and the sunny day was beautiful, yet the crowd couldn't help but take a step back at the fear of the child in front of them.

Izuku paid the bombardment of emotions no heed, his body wouldn't be able to function at this stage for long. A burst of Darkness carried him all the way to the villain,

"You think you can win against me kid?" The Sludge Villain put up a brave front, but inwardly he was wondering how to escape this predicament. He had managed to surprise Death Arms allowing him to take control of his body, he knew that a D-rank villain like him couldn't hope for much.

"Let him go." The Villains eyes widened, he could feel an overwhelming power from the boys gaze. Subconsciously, he retreated a few steps backward. Death Arms who was on the verge of unconsciousness finally acquired some breathing space saw the form of his savior with an expression of disbelief and anguish.

Izuku paid no heed to the expressions of both his targets as he slowly combined his Nether to his flames, the synchronization of abilities slowly combining to form a familiar ball of Purple-black flames. Izuku burst from his spot and immediately extended his arm to bury deep into the villain's body. An unexpected scenario was the villain throwing the semi-conscious form of Death Arms at him, Izuku struggled to cancel his flames as he caught the Pro.

The Sludge villain wasted no time in taking the opportunity and as soon as Izuku caught Death Arms, the villain was already trying to wrench control from his body. Izuku felt his body wrack with pain as the Slime fought with him for control, the Nether sensing the foreign body immediately fought back. Izuku used all of his willpower to throw Death Arms away as the flames he had tried to put out reignited all over his body causing the villain to scream in pain.

'Burn'

An unnatural roar emerged from the flames as it wrapped itself around the figures of Izuku and the villain. The blaze rose to the skies as Izuku poured his Nether into the flames hoping to shake off the villain.

Izuku's sight became blurry as the seconds passed, the mental exhaustion from fighting for control was getting to him, especially when the villain was trying to use the Nether to cause damage to the surroundings. Izuku saw that Katsuki was restrained by Kamui Woods while Death Arms was trying to get up to his feet.

Izuku knew that he couldn't let the villain win, the flames roared with a renewed ambition, exploding outwards forming a pillar of flames. Izuku didn't remember screaming, although he was sure that someone was. His rage and determination were focused on the most dangerous aspect of his power, Reality Warping.

The flames seemed to possess a life of its own as it twisted and turned in itself, the air around them was scorching hot, the Purple-Black pillar of flames gave off a chilling sense of the unknown. The sky which was clear was now bathed in darkness, the crackling of distant thunder and lightning added on to the eeriness. The flames were now shaping into a colossal cane that seemed to touch the heavens. Katsuki struggled continuously against the prison of wood, he knew what Izuku was going to do, that power of his wasn't normal. His screams were drowned out by spinning pillar of flames.

Izuku knew that he couldn't hold out much longer, but he knew that he had to outlast the villain. It was only a matter of time, the Sludge was trying his best yet the combined efforts of Nether and himself were making sure that the villain wasn't going to gain any ground. Izuku hoped that he would win, he hadn't been able to pursue his dreams, he hadn't even entered the UA. There was dullness in his senses, it seemed as though he reached his limit. The flames were dying but he could sense that with his body reaching its limit the injured slime could now retreat into his own body to recover. His thoughts ground to a halt when a large boom sounded right in front of him. Izuku's blurry vision caught sight of a blond hair as it wrenched him away from the Slime Villain's hold, the last thing he remembered after that, was a resounding

"DETROIT SMASH!"

All Might staggered on his feet as his body fought back against the backlash of using One for All, in a moment he wiped the sliver of blood and basked in the rain he had created. He looked down to see the child who had placed his life on the line for an even smaller child and then for a Pro Hero as well. He walked over to the crowd and answered a few questions to the media while also requesting that the child not to be given harsh punishment. The remaining Pros took the words to heart as they promised him that Izuku would not be given any punishment as the consequences would have been severe if Izuku hadn't acted the way he did.


The rescue services had begun repairs by the time Izuku regained consciousness, and it was Katsuki who had asked his parents to drop them back as the flames had burned away all of Izuku's uniform leaving him in a pair of shorts which was specifically made for such a situation. Inko was a mess as she sobbed into Izuku's clothes, Izuku knew that it was his fault that his mother was crying yet when he thought about the two people he saved he could bear through it.

The Pros had been very kind to Izuku especially Death Arms, who said he owed his life to him. They had also mentioned that he needn't worry about the fact he used his quirk, as they would all provide reports that would specifically mention that the help provided was crucial to the Zero casualty incident.

Izuku was happy about that until they mentioned that All Might had been the one to save him. Izuku was inconsolable at the fact he missed an opportunity to talk to his Hero. It was greatly appreciated that Katsuki had taken the initiative and retrieved two autographs from All Might.

Both Izuku and Inko had arrived home just to see Principal Nezu waiting for them. After the greetings were exchanged Nezu had mentioned that he had come to check up on Izuku as he had heard about the incident. The Principal had not once berated Izuku, which actually caused him to be surprised as vigilantism was normally scrutinized.

It was only after that did Nezu reveal another reason as to why he was here,

"Now Izuku, I'd like you to do me a favor." Izuku had to suppress a small smile at that, he knew the conversation would lead to something like this.

"I would like you to train with one of my Staff for the 10-month gap you have before the UA entrance exam." Nezu finished with a small eye smile.

Izuku was a bit confused as to why the Principal would want him to train with one of the Staff, but since the Principal had come here personally he had no reason to refuse. As such, a few greetings passed where the Principal informed him of the person who'd be training him was called as Toshinori Yagi, he would be focusing on building up Izuku's endurance as well as his overall physical strength and also allow him to synchronize with his quirk. The Principal had mentioned meeting his new Sensei at the Dagobah Municipal Beach at 7 in the morning and with that left the two family members to their devices.

As Nezu left in the car he picked up his cell phone and dialed a number, after a couple of rings a voice answered "Principal, I didn't expect you to call back so soon. Did he agree?"

The voice had a deep tone along with a touch of desperation and tiredness, the Principal let out a sigh at how anxious he sounded,

"You don't have to worry All Might, he's agreed to train with you. I'm sure you saw his character today, he isn't like the others. I know you wanted to meet Young Togata after you reached the UA, but I assure you, this child is special."

Toshinori couldn't help be surprised at the trust the Principal was placing on this young child,

"Yes, I can agree that his character is indeed good….but I'm also afraid that it's all an act. What if his power consumes him? You yourself had told me of his Transcendent Quirk. His power is stronger than any other we've documented, in fact, I'm afraid of what'll happen if that power comes into contact with OFA."

The Principal was silent for a moment before replying "This child, while his quirk is indeed powerful, it remains a fact that it would never hurt him. A semi-sentient energy that adores its user, his abilities have a startling similarity with texts that predate the Quirk Era. And his moral compass is set, this child would never harm the innocent, but he doesn't show mercy to his enemies as well." Nezu took a deep breath as he stared at the passing scenery.

"Izuku's powers are theoretically limitless, each and every one of his abilities was brought from scratch. I'd suggest you not lie to him, he was very keen with his emotion sensing. In fact, my only concern with his powers would be his control. You yourself had faced this issue, with a Divine power at his beck and call, his control over his power is very less. I need you to train him in restraint as well, we'll have to trust Aizawa with his control over his emotions. But, that's for a later day. Right now, be prepared to meet your apprentice at the beach tomorrow at 7. Get some rest All Might."

With that the call ended with All Might staring out of an apartment to the night sky, a hand slowly moving to the wound that almost took his life.

"Am I doing the right thing?," Toshinori's eyes went through a train rush of emotions "Sensei?"


(Municipal Beach)

Izuku arrived at the beach with a bit of apprehensiveness, the entire area was littered with huge amounts of trash. There was simply no place for a training center or training area. Izuku broke into a run when he saw a lone figure gazing at the sea, the moment he reached the person he couldn't for the life of him understand how he was a hero. One that was recommended by the Principal, Izuku examined the skinny figure wearing extremely baggy clothes. There was not a sign of any muscle or anything remotely related to a physical expert.

"Um, are you the person that the Principal had asked me to meet?" questioned Izuku nervously as he scratched the back of his neck with an awkward smile.

"You must be Young Midoriya, the Principal has told me a lot about you." Toshinori was in his "true" form as of now. The Principal wanted him to get to know Izuku without any other factors involved, he understood that his "Hero" form might cause a bit of a bias. The child was fit for one of his age group, especially one with a rather "Mage" type ability. His quirk was powerful, records of a "Transcendent" quirk were very limited, the only ones so far fitting were limited to "OFA" and "AFO".

This was why Nezu had decided to invest this much into Izuku, a person with this much power was able to tip the scales with their mere presence. And with the information obtained by the researchers, Izuku was a person that shouldn't even exist. Izuku's power was a few generations too advanced, his abilities were too different from that of even the strongest quirks. If Izuku lost his way and became a villain…..the destruction would be unfathomable. Yet, as he examined the child in front of him. For a quirk with such an awe-inspiring power and association with darkness. The child seemed to be the friendliest individual he had ever met if a bit too nervous.

"I would like you to know that the reason I brought you here is that UA had been able to acquire this land, as a part of a contract deal. Your job is to clean up this entire place using only Augmentation or pure physical power." the bomb dropped by Toshinori was a large one, as Izuku stared at the surrounding mountains of heavy machinery, he understood the task was anything but simple.

"This is merely the beginning, by my estimates, you should be able to finish it in 4 months. The Principal is currently talking to the board to assign us a special training center, his argument is that you were to be recommended anyway along with the nature of your Quirk. I just didn't want to waste time waiting. I hope you don't mind." Toshinori mimicked Izuku's part and nervously scratched the back of his head.

"NO! NO! NO! It's totally fine, I mean both of you are taking time from your schedules to teach me, um if anything I feel as though I'm a bit unworthy…." mumbled Izuku at the end.

Toshinori smiled at the child before patting the kid's head and told: "Trust me, we wouldn't be able to do this if people weren't convinced of your worthiness."

Izuku gave a small smile before he was instructed to begin his training by moving the heavy metals to a side, Toshinori kept up by explaining the different muscle groups and the way to develop each one. Izuku grinned as he began his work out, hoping he could go stronger unaware of the drastic turns that his life would take after this decision.

(Timeskip-3 months)

Toshinori examined the clean beach and the figure who was currently swimming against the waves as he came to a conclusion, Izuku was a Demon.

His learning curve, his physique, his abilities were fear-inducing. It was a miracle that Nezu was able to suppress the information about Izuku at all. The few months with Izuku were all that he needed to understand that Izuku was a heaven-blessed child. His quirk was not just his only weapon, his mind was powerful enough to scare the most respected of tacticians. His gifts were numerous, all of which span from his almost surreal synergy with his quirk.

The only limit was his mortal body and his imagination, Izuku's body was gifted with incredible properties, the passive abilities of Nether granted him large reserves of energy which could allow him to function at the top output for almost a scary duration. He was able to internalize his energy drastically increasing his power, the only telltale signs of his power being activated was the drastic shift in aura and power.

Izuku had mentioned that he had to take multiple leaves of absence from his school due to the continuous evolution of his quirk, his abilities would manifest at random. Each having no relation with the old, Izuku's latest ability being his collaboration abilities to bring Nether to the Physical plane using the various elements other than darkness. He was most familiar with fire, and was attempting to infuse lightning but was still having difficulties.

It was only when he found out about Izuku's strength did he have hope in passing on his power. Izuku had grown considerably during the time under his care. Toshinori had discussed with the Principal that Izuku would've been one of the best Sidekicks of the nation if he would have been allowed to train his quirk early on. It was when viewing Izuku's abilities did they realize a conundrum, Izuku's abilities far surpassed even the best of students of the 2nd year.

There would be difficulties if he were to stay with as a student, both of them decided that it'd depend on Izuku's performance at the Entrance test. It would be criminal if they let such talent stagnate under their watch, unknowingly they had placed their hopes on Izuku.

Izuku himself was thankful of both the Principal and his "Sensei" for all they were doing for him. His quirk had been caged for far too long, it now cherished its new found freedom with vigor. The aura of Divinity now stuck to Izuku like a second skin, stares were now a common occurrence to him, people would give him an especially wide berth and even the Pros on patrol would give him a hard stare whenever he was spotted.

Only a few people would actually be able to stand near him without an expression of abject fear on their face, those few being Katsuki, the Pros he had personally met during the "Incident" and of course the Principal and his Sensei. Yet honestly, he was only comfortable with his mother. The one person who could shrug off all of his "Aura", the one person who'd never flinch away from contact, he'd always have his guard up with anyone other than his mother.


(Timeskip- 2 Months from the Exam)

(Personnel Training Centre)

A deafening boom echoed through the thick walls of the underground Training center, the entire area was covered by a dust cloud from the most recent experiment of its lone occupant. The figure paid no heed to the dust as he continued his execution of the Katas. Each strike carried more force than the last, his blood red eyes concentrated on the imaginary opponent attacking him. The Purplish-black tendrils of Nether steadily seeped out of his body, the pressure on the field was extraordinary.

Toshinori watched the practice session from the viewer's side, a small smile tugged on his face. The past few months were the most memorable, his apprentice was a prodigy like no other. Soaking in everything like a sponge, Toshinori felt even his own Sensei and Gran Torino would've loved to have him as a student. Izuku's prodigious talent allowed him to push past any known expectations and tower over all his potential peers.

The board of directors representing the UA was a bit peeved at Nezu's nurturing of Izuku, but his own presence overruled much of the arguments. After all, these were the people who knew about his weakened form, they knew that Izuku was to be groomed as a Successor. Their most powerful deterrent against evil was All Might, his powers were unmatched before, but now he was not as powerful. While he was still capable of holding the position of Number 1, he knew it wouldn't be for long. Hence the board had agreed with the Nezu's plan and allowed for the separation of Izuku from his peers for a while.

Toshinori's eyes blazed with passion as he felt the signature energy combine with the Darkness and form a barrage of constructs ranging from swords to spears, each of them firing off towards a line of mobile dummies. Each construct sliced through the dummies before dissipating, Izuku wasted not a single breath as he focused on his Nether infusing it with flames. He had mastered his flames mostly to have something that reminded him of his father, the flames burned with a bright red slowly shifted to the signature Purplish-black.

"Could light be black?"

The flames that flew towards a particular target were something that made the hair on Toshinori's neck stand up. He felt those abilities were something that wasn't meant for mortal hands, his opinion was reinforced as he witnessed the destruction that followed. Yet, he knew that Izuku hadn't showcased his final card yet. As if on cue, Izuku's aura shot up in an instant.

Like a scene from an epic, the entire area seemed to drain of color as Izuku's aura dominated the area.

The air around him became heavy.

The aura radiated of power,

Of a divine might

Of utter destruction.

Toshinori watched as the aura flattened the remaining targets, each one meeting a rather pitiful end. An aura of destruction, capable of rendering the most battle-hardened of foes to submission. The elements were at Izuku's beck and call, and as a testament to his phenomenon rewriting abilities, there was a perfect "Domain" of his own. Only if the power gap was enormous did anyone have even a chance of surviving at that range. But, it was precisely that reason that caused that power to be locked up. Only under the direst circumstances was its usage allowed.


Izuku's breathing was labored as he fell on his butt after the display of power, he could feel his Nether slowly work on his exhaustion and wounds, yet this was at the cost of his reserves of Nether. But, like a muscle with each use, it became stronger and stronger. He turned his gaze to his Sensei who was making his way towards the arena. Izuku knew there was something hidden from him, and he was certain that the Principal and Toshinori-Sensei were in on it together. Yet, the emotions he picked up from his Sensei was always a mix of Joy and Anticipation.

Izuku blinked as he saw that his Sensei had taken a seat right beside him, there was a rather happy grin on his Sensei's face. Feeling a surge of happiness, Izuku could feel a grin on his face as well.

"It's always a treat to see your fighting prowess Young Midoriya, you remind me more of a new bud Pro than a student. I have no doubt that you'll carve your name in the halls of the UA."

Izuku knew that the words were sincere, but he felt that his Sensei wanted to say more. Izuku knew that his Sensei was just waiting for the right moment to say so.

They both sat in the silence before the elevators opened to show the figures of the Principal and the academy celebrity Recovery Girl. Izuku stared in awe as one of the most respected Rescue Hero walked towards him.

Izuku hastened to bring himself up to a bow but was stopped by Recovery Girl herself,

"Now, now kiddo you don't have to be so formal to a young lady like me." teased Recovery Girl. Izuku watched as Recovery Girl giggle to herself, it amazed him at how normal she was acting.

"You must be wondering if the rest of the heroes are the same as well right?" Recovery Girl's question shocked him out his line of thought, especially considering that was actually his next question.

"You don't have to look so shocked, I've seen my fair share of whipper-snappers like you in my life. All of them are so focused on becoming a hero like their idols that they seem to forget one important thing, we are only human."

Recovery Girl shifted her gaze to Toshinori who nodded his head before moving close to Izuku,

"Young Midoriya, I'm sure you know who this esteemed figure is. What you may not know is, as to why she's here….am I right?"

Izuku nodded at both questions before turning to the Principal who held out a file, "Izuku, what I have in my hands are data regarding your quirk, these are theoretical estimations on the growth rate of your quirk based on your quirk factors."

Izuku's hands took the offered file and whisked through the pages full of data, trying to grasp the various details and figures. Recovery Girl took the initiative to continue,

"The reason why I'm here is simple, I'll be overlooking your training for the last two months along with Toshinori-chan. I have a few rough guesses on your quirk, I'll be around to just confirm my guesswork and of course, I'll handle healing your injuries and maybe fixing up your diet as well.

"Thank you very much, ma'am, I'll do my best to help with your work" exclaimed Izuku with a deep bow.

The adults let a small smile as they saw how respectful he was being, Toshinori soon continued with instructing Izuku's close combat fighting style. Izuku who had a thorough base in Karate and prodigious talent in Kendo had developed a peculiar style of combat. Toshinori seeing the potential in it had taken an initiative to work out the kinks present in the style and to make it battle ready.


(Day of UA Entrance exam)

Izuku watched as the students-to-be warming up for the practical part of the exam, Present mic had informed all of them about the intricacies of the test. The distribution of the points and the allotted time of 20 mins, Izuku was surprised at the new time limit being extended from 10 min to 20 min. Izuku mused at the new records that would be placed during this test.

His attire for the test was made of special fiber and looked similar to that of the UA's PE uniform with a color scheme being that of black with white accents, it played well with his spiky black hair and his blood red eyes. Izuku could feel the emotions running through his fellow competitors, there was also a fair share of people who were unnerved by him. His Nether wasn't restrained in the lightest, hence the air around him was thick, this in turn, caused everyone to give him a wide berth. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't put off by it, but he was used to it. Only a few people could ever interact with him without fear in their hearts, or without ulterior motives.

Izuku's body jolted when he heard Present Mic's voice cut through the air, all of the competitors were like deers caught in headlights. Izuku's reaction time was the fastest as his body shot into the now open gates of the city, his body was a black comet as he blurred through the street. His goal was to reach the city center which should hypothetically have the largest cluster of enemies. Izuku utterly shattered any of the robots that came close to him, his Nether grasped the darkness and transformed into a barrage of spears that struck at any enemy.

Explosions soon sounded at all parts of the city, the hot-blooded children displayed their best to gain their spot on the UA roster. Each participant pushed themselves to the limit as they struck at any moving piece of machinery, a dissonance of the powers exhibited and the shouts of the participants ruled over the entire city.

(Control room)

The Principal took in all that he saw on the screen with a rather subdued expression, the talent these children were showing at their age wasn't that surprising.

'But it's not enough, is it?'

His mind ruthlessly crushed that train of thought, yet….he knew it was true. The enemies they'd face would be a far cry from anything they would have ever expected, and he could only hope that they'd have the strength to fight back. As he continued to watch the screens change scenes from one location to another, he felt a bitterness rise up from within. He knew what he was doing was wrong, he knew why there was always a need for heroes. The world these aspiring kids enter was merciless, there were so many people with dreams that never happened.

The screen flickered to one individual, he was surrounded by the remains of maybe 50 robots, the Principal's eyes gleamed as he gazed on the figure of Midoriya Izuku. This child was Pandora's box, that was what the majority of people who knew about him had coined his existence as.

In a way, they were not wrong. Izuku was a child with a Transcendent quirk, his powers would undoubtedly cause waves in the world they live in. His powers would not be chained by logic, it was one of the reasons that the UA had hidden and shielded his existence with the highest priority, it was why he assigned All Might as his teacher. This child, he considered him as a gift, not a weapon. And his duty was never to toughen up children to face a cruel and heartless world, it was his duty to teach children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.

He knew many forces would want Izuku as their own weapon, and honestly, he understood them. Izuku was not meant to have this much power, and he was still a child. They were confident that he could be molded the way they wanted him to be.

But now wasn't the time to think about matters such as those, he turned his gaze to Toshinori whose eyes held a light in them. He was ignoring everyone's words and all the other participants except his own student. And Izuku was giving them one hell of a show, his fighting abilities were a class apart as he utterly demolished any robot who entered his line of sight. With around 7 minutes left on the clock, Izuku had racked up an astonishing 130 points, where 90 was from villain points and the rest were from rescue points gained by eliminating stragglers who were about to reach exhausted students.

The increase in time constraints was specifically to see Izuku in action, he was not a bit disappointed with what he saw. But, he still had the Arena trap left. He wondered what Izuku would do once he saw it, would he ignore it? would Izuku attempt to battle it? Or would he try to save the people who would have been in a bad situation because of the behemoth's appearance?

'Regardless, I'm certain that all eyes would be on you.'

(With Izuku)

A rumble shook through the entire vicinity, Izuku's senses were on high alert. There was still 5 minutes left on the clock, the remaining robots seemed to be running away to bunkers. Izuku was a bit confused until he heard a large commotion arise from what seemed to be the downtown area of the city. His eyes widened as he saw a behemoth of a robot seemingly rise from the ground. His mind faintly remembered them as the "Zero Pointer" mentioned by Present Mic, Izuku hesitated for a moment before his body blurred towards the affected area.

He saw pure Chaos downtown people were rushing to get away from the Zero Pointer, Izuku who could sense the emotions of these participants scanned the entire area for a Pro Hero. To his surprise, he couldn't find anyone. Izuku knew that the UA wouldn't allow anyone to die especially with someone like Recovery Girl, and he knew that this was a test. But, seeing the present situation as well as the rampant emotions of the participants he grit his teeth and ran opposite to the crowd. He stopped near an exhausted participant and helped him to escape before turning back and running towards a piece of rubble and cutting through it using blades of darkness.

The surrounding participants soon noticed his selflessness and began to do the same, the Zero Pointer who had been focusing away from them soon came to life and demolished the top part of an apartment building. Izuku knew that the structural integrity of these buildings wasn't much, in fact, the "rubble" weighed much less than what he carried at the beach as well. He understood that all of this was calculated, but he couldn't stop his body from reacting the way it did.

The rubble didn't land on any of the participants as Izuku and others helped the injured and exhausted to safety. Izuku was about to lead the others to safety until he noticed that a participant with a startling resemblance to "Ingenium" rushing towards the robot once more. Izuku followed the path to see that one participant was stuck underneath some rubble, he saw that a few others had also rushed to help her. His attention was then drawn to the Zero Pointer who was coming startlingly close to the participants, Izuku's perception of time slowed to a crawl before coming to a decision.

The people surrounding him slowly backed away when his Aura spiked, Purple-Black flames soon ignited all over his frame. He was thankful for the fact his Mom had bought him some of the more high-end clothes which would resist a certain level of heat. There a split second gap as he mapped out a way to the Zero Pointer, his flames propelled him in short bursts and before he knew it he was only a few feet from the Zero Pointer and the people who were rescuing the participant and the victim herself were looking at him in shock.

(Control Room)

The Principal had a small smile on his face as he saw Izuku rush towards the robot if it were anyone else he would be a bit worried. But he was confident about Izuku, because if nothing else Izuku was supposed to be in Recommendation exam and not the normal Entrance Exam. And it was a given that almost anyone who was recommended had the capability of destroying Robots like these. His thoughts were proven when he saw the "battle".

(With Izuku)

Izuku paid them no heed as he let loose a torrent of flames at the robot's leg, his flames struck true as they instantly caused the robot's body to warp. The robot sensing the threat moved to swat Izuku, the robot slowly moved away from the other participants. Izuku was a bit surprised at how easy that was, he slowly built up more Nether in his body as he prepared for a barrage. The robot clumsily followed him through the debris, once Izuku felt they were far enough he slowly stopped running. The robot stopped as well, seemingly confused as to why his target stopped. It scanned the target and detected no excessive injuries, thus it was to begin its attacks when suddenly the target's Crimson eyes shone and a wave of darkness pinned it down.

Izuku walked slowly to the Zero Pointer, he lured it here so that there would be no one affected by his powers. His full aura descended on the field as a ball of flames ignited on his palm, Izuku took in a deep breath as his eyes focused on the center of the robot. The robot struggled to move, but the darkness rooted it down. It gazed on the figure of its "prey turned predator" and saw the ball of dark flames.

Izuku stared at the robot a second longer before unleashing hell with a single word.

"Burn"

The small ball of flames expanded like a beam and shot to the target, the robot seemed to seize up before the beam of fire pierced through the robot leaving a large circular hole on its chest. Izuku didn't bother moving as he saw the robot tip over backward, he let out a breath and reigned in his powers. It had taken a bit out of him for doing that, he gazed at a particular roof where he saw Present Mic looking at him in shock. Izuku felt his face burn so he gave an awkward wave of his hand before slowly getting up and leaving the area.

Mic watched as the kid walk away from the scraped remains of the robot towards the exit, he was a bit confused as to why the kid was going to the exit. Until his comms burst to life to inform him that the 20 mins were over.


(With the Principal)

There were loud discussions all over the room as they witnessed the "massacre" that Izuku had committed. The points he accumulated shattered any records set, he was sure that everyone was interested in Izuku now. There were a few comments from the local Pros, some like Death Arms were singing praises about Izuku while there were some who were making some snide comments about the nature of his power. He would've preferred if he could've trained Izuku a bit more, at least till he had received OFA from All Might. But Recovery Girl had been adamant that she finish her tests before the transfer.

He had conceded to her demands, but he still wished otherwise. There were too many forces in this world that lurked in the shadows, and there were others who wore masks that operated in the light. He had been fighting a vicious battle to keep Izuku safe, but now it was time for Izuku to enter the world. He would have to carve his own legend in the world, to show that he had what it takes to be a hero.

This child, Midoriya Izuku was his hope. When everyone saw his powers as dark, evil, corrupted, he saw it as hope. What people don't understand is, when they are plunged into despair. The person who'll save them won't be enshrouded in light, rather the person who'll take your hand would be one who'd know his way through the darkness.


This fic won't have priority over Successor, especially since Successor is at a critical arc. I'll be updating them both...whenever I can. So please read and review.

And as always, Multyfangirl being my beta helps me out a lot especially since she's a great person to bounce ideas with. So a shoutout to her.