Surprise! Because of the overwhelming amount of encouragement I have received for this story, I have worked overtime to give you Ch.2 ahead of schedule! To everyone who was kind enough to praise the White Lantern oath in the last chapter, thank you very much, but I must admit I did not create it. I also want to remind everyone that future chapters will take a lot longer. So without further ado, enjoy!
Izuku's voice died away. As quickly as it had appeared, the light vanished. Slowly, the crowd lowered their arms from their faces. All eyes turned towards the source. The sludge villain lay in pieces, his slimy body scattered up and down the street. Izuku Midoriya stood alone where just moments ago he had been on the verge of death. His face was pale, his eyes glazed. For a long moment, there was silence. Suddenly, his knees buckled, and he fell forward.
He never touched the ground. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was the deep, comforting voice of All Might. "I've got you kid, I've got you."
All Might looked down at the young boy in his arms with a mixture of respect and awe. During his years as the world's greatest hero, he had seen some amazing things, but even the most extraordinary of them could not compare to what he had just witnessed. "What in the world was that?" He thought. "Some sort of light based quirk?" No, that couldn't be it. The kid had told him face to face just a few hours ago that he was quirkless. Besides, that was no mere quirk. The energy, it had seemed almost alive, sentient, and the pure power that All Might had sensed at its core made his own great strength pale in comparison. All Might gently lifted Izuku's right hand, eyes narrowing as he looked at the ring adorning the middle finger. It was snow white, and adorned with a symbol that appeared to be rays of energy emanating from a unknown object. All Might shook his head, questions could wait, right now he needed to get the kid to a hospital.
Death Arms appeared at his side. "Is the kid okay?" He asked. All Might nodded. "I think so, he's just unconscious. Whatever that was, it took a lot out of him. I'll get him to a hospital, can you guys take care of things here?" Death Ams nodded. "You got it," He gestured towards the scattered pieces of the sludge villain. "I don't think our villain will be giving us too much trouble, the kid wasn't the only one that blast took a lot out of. All Might glanced back at Izuku. "Something tells me that we've just witnessed the birth of something very special." He said. And with a burst of his mighty legs, he was gone. Death Arms sighed and looked at his hands, which were still tingling from the energy. "Something special?" He murmured. "If that isn't the understatement of the year, I'll consider early retirement."
Izuku floated in a sea of darkness; pure, thick blackness so impenetrable that he could not even see his hand in front of his face. Izuku's heart pounded like a jackhammer in his chest. He reached out into the darkness, hoping to find something, anything, in the void. Suddenly, a light appeared in the distance. Tiny and distant at first, it began to grow in size and intensity until it was almost within reach. Izuku extended his arm, desperately trying to grasp it. Just as his fingers brushed the edge of the light, a voice spoke.
"Greetings, Izuku Midoriya of Earth. Do not be afraid, no harm will come to you here." Izuku was stunned. "Am… am I dead?" He managed to whisper. An ethereal chuckle answered him. "No, of course not. I merely took this opportunity to contact you during your current state of unconsciousness."
"Who… who are you?" Izuku managed to ask.
"An excellent question, the first of many that I hope to answer. However, it must wait. It is time for you to awake. Don't worry, we will meet again soon. After all, you have so much to do, so much to accomplish…" The light faded, and Izuku woke up.
A white ceiling greeted him as his eyes snapped open. Disoriented, he looked about, trying to take in his surroundings. He was laying in a soft bed surrounded by white walls. "I'm in a hospital." He realized. A soft snore caught his attention. Slumped in a chair next to the bed, fast asleep, was his mother, Inko. "Mom"? He whispered.
With a yawn, Inko's opened her eyes. At the sight of her son, She threw herself across the bed, wrapping her arms around him in a loving embrace, tears streaming from her eyes. "Oh Izuku"! She sobbed. "Oh sweetheart! I was so worried about you"!
"MOM," Izuku wheezed, " Can't breath..." With a gasp, she released him. "Sorry honey," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm just so happy to see that you're okay"! Izuku smiled. "I'm fine mom, don't worry." He looked around the room. "How long have I been here"? Inko sniffed. "Oh honey, you've been here two whole days."
Izuku sat bolt upright, his fatigue forgotten. "Two days! I've been unconscious for two… ugh." A wave of exhaustion swept over him. Inko gently pushed him back down on the mattress. "Just relax sweetie," she said softly. "You just need to rest and recover. Now, I'm going to go home and bring you some fresh Katsudon, will you be okay for an hour or two?" The thought of his favorite food made Izuku lick his lips, and he suddenly realized how hungry he was. "I'll be fine." He said. Inko smiled and kissed him on the forehead.
"Okay dear, I'll be back as soon as I can." She turned to go, then paused. "Oh, I almost forgot, there is a gentleman here to see you. He said that he was a friend of yours. Would you like to see him, or should I tell him to come back later?" Izuku's brow furrowed in confusion. He had few friends, none of them adults. He shook his head. "No, its okay, tell him to come in."
"Okay dear." As his mother walked out, Izuku heard her speaking in the hallway. "Mr. Yagi, Izuku is awake. He said that he would love to see you. And I want to thank you for coming to visit him. Izuku doesn't have many friends."
"It's my pleasure Mrs. Midoriya, your son is a very special young man." Izuku's eyes widened in shock. He knew that voice…
A thin, gaunt man entered the room. His wild explosion of blond hair was untamed and messy, and his pallor was pale and sickly. But his eyes were bright and vibrant, brilliant blue orbs that radiated strength. "Hey kid." He said with a smile. Izuku almost leapt out of the bed. "All Might"! He exclaimed. "What are you doing he…
"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"! All Might hissed in panic. "Quiet down! Do you want to blow my cover"!?
Izuku clamped his hand over his mouth. "Sorry." He whispered. All Might signed and sat down. "Its alright, I don't think anyone heard you. But enough about me, how are you doing.?"
"Oh… Okay I guess, just tired." Izuku lowered his eyes. "I… I want to thank you for coming to see me, I know that you have much better things to do than..." "All Might interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "Don't be ridiculous, what kind of hero would I be if can't take some time for a fan. Besides, I wanted to thank you personally for what you did. Izuku's eyes widened. "You're thanking ME"! He exclaimed. "But if it hadden't been for me, you would have been able to handle that villain yourself."
"It wasn't your fault," All Might said. His piercing gaze burrowed into Izuku. "I'm just glad that someone was there, someone who, despite having no powers, was willing to put his life on the line to save a friend. What I saw you do was most heroic thing I've seen in a very long time." Izuku blushed from the praise. All Might leaned forward. "And I also saw what you did… with that. He gestured towards the white ring that still rested on izuku's finger. Izuku looked down at it in surprise. He had completely forgotten about it. "How did you get that ring," All Might asked. "And what exactly is it?"
Izuku shook his head. "I don't know. The sludge villain had me, I thought I was going to die… and then I looked up, and the next thing I know, this ring was on my finger." He shook his head. "I don't remember anything after that. All Might pulled his phone out his pocket and handed it to Izuku. "Here, watch this.
Several Minutes Later…
Izuku stared at the screen in astonishment. "I did that"!
"Yes, you did, It's been front page news for the last two days. You really don't remember any of it?" Izuku shook his head.
"Hmmmmm...You told me that you were quirkless, are you absolutely sure about that? A familiar sadness pierced Izuku's heart. "Yes, a doctor confirmed it when I was little. I don't have a quirk." All Might thought for a moment. "Well, we can figure it out later. Right now you just need to rest."
"Wait, did you say we?" Izuku asked. All Might nodded and stood up. He placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Young man, I have a feeling that you've come to a crossroads. Things are going to change for you, and I want to help you face that change." Izuku struggled to fight back the tears that were gathering in his eyes. "Thank you." He managed to say. With a poof, All Might transformed into his hero form. Towering over Izuku's bed, he flashed his famous smile. "No need to thank me young Midoriya! It is my sworn duty to protect and…"
A chorus of excited voices rose in the hallway.
"Did you hear that, it's All Might's voice"!
"Wait, did I just hear All Might?"
"All Might is here? where is he?"
All Might's eyes widened with panic. "Great! Now the whole hospital will be looking for me. It's time for me to go." He rushed for the window and opened it. He paused with his foot on the sill. "Rest and regain your strength, Izuku. When you've recovered, I'll contact you." And in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Izuku stared out the open window. "All Might is right," He thought. "Things are changing."
He had no idea.
Later that evening...
Izuku took off the ring and laid it on the nightstand next to his bed. He dropped onto the soft mattress with a sigh of relief. It was so good to be home. He groaned as he thought back to the last couple of hours. Leaving the hospital, he and his mother had been waylaid by a crowd of reporters, all itching to speak with Izuku about the incident. Inko, normally the sweetest and most inoffensive of women, had gone into protection mode and promptly sent them packing. Izuku chuckled as he remembered one particularly stubborn reporter forced to retreat after Inko threatened to mace him.
Delicious smells drifted through his open door from the kitchen, where dinner was cooking. Izuku closed his eyes and inhaled the timeless scent of genuine home cooking. Why, he could almost taste...
"Greetings once again, Izuku Midoriya."
Izuku jumped up with a cry and fell off his bed, landing with a thump on the floor. "Izuku, are you alright?" Inko called from the kitchen. "I'm alright," Izuku quickly called back. "Just stubbed my toe." Quickly closing the door, Izuku scanned the room, looking for the source of the voice.
"My apologies, Izuku, It was not my intention to startle you." Izuku's reaction was only slightly better than it was the first time. "Where are you?" He demanded. "Who are you?"
Suddenly, the room began to glow with a gentle light. "I am right here." The voice responded. Izuku gasped. The light was emanating from the ring on his nightstand. Izuku cautiously approached it. Trembling, he reached out, and touched the ring. He gasped, but not with pain. Soothing, relaxing warmth flowed from the ring up through his fingers into his body. Picking it up, he stared at it. "Hello?" he whispered.
"Hello." The voice answered back. Izuku's mouth dropped open. Desperately, he tried to speak, but his brain failed to form any words.
"Don't worry, I realize that this must be a rather disconcerting experience for you. But I mean you no harm. Do you not remember our meeting earlier today?" Memories of the mysterious dream roared through Izuku's mind. "It wasn't a dream? That was you"!?
"Yes. Oh, and don't worry about your mother hearing us. I am in your head. Only you can hear me." Izuku blinked. That had indeed been what he was thinking. A mixture of relief and confusion swirled inside him. "Who are you?" He repeated. "What are you?"
"That is a rather complicated question." The voice answered. "But I have traveled a very great distance to find you."
"Me"!? Izuku exclaimed. "Why?"
"I will explain everything. But I suggest you get comfortable, it is a long story." Izuku obediently sat on his bed and backed up against the headboard. His initial shock was fading, replaced by an eagerness that he could not fully explain.
"All right," the voice said. "In simple terms, I am a weapon, a weapon known as a Power Ring." Izuku looked slightly skeptical. "A little ring? A weapon?"
"Yes, but I am getting ahead of myself. To properly explain what I am and why I am here, I had best start from the beginning..."
Hope you enjoyed it. See you next time!