They stood there for a moment, their eyes locked on the man as he stared at them across the white wasteland-and then he took off running in their direction. He was hundreds of yards away through deep snow and a landscape of fissures. It wasn't clear whether he was going to hurt them or not, but they weren't supposed to be there in the first place, and so it seemed the best thing to do would be to leave.

A decision that was soundly reinforced by a howl, the likes of which Izuku had never heard before.

A quick look over his shoulder confirmed Izuku's unknown fear. There was a giant black bear that had clawed its way up to join the man in the snow and now they were both coming at them, the bear clearing the distance much faster than the man.

"Bear!" Izuku screamed.

He tried to run but his frozen feet refused to cooperate. Seemingly impervious to the cold, Ochako grabbed his arm and swept him along. They lurched back into the cave, stumbled through the room, and tripped out the door, around which snow was filling the hallway. Izuku pulled the door shut behind them, and they retraced their steps down the long hall, down the stairs, and back into Morningstar's museum to hide.

They hid between a wall and a hulking sheet monolith in the farthest corner they could find, tucking themselves into a space so narrow that they couldn't turn to face each other, the cold they'd run from settling into their bones.

They stood silent and shivering, stiff as mannequins, the snow on their clothes melting into puddles at their feet. Ochako's left hand took his right-it was all warmth and meaning that they could trade.

"Was that...hell again?" Izuku asked. "Hell within hell?

"I don't know what that was," Ochako replied.

"The tundra. That's what the door said."

"If that was the tundra, then the room it was in was some kind of portal, not another hell. And portals don't exist, of course."

"Of course," Izuku responded, wondering why the afterlife was so normal, yet portals were a no no. His teeth chattered. "I can't stop shaking."

Ochako pressed her side to his and rubbed his back with her warm hand.

"If I could make a portal to anywhere...the tundra, would not be high on my list."

"Where would you want to go?"

"America! That's where All-Might made his debut and rose to the number one hero spot in the rankings!"

"Oh a fanboy huh?"

"Uh…:" And he'd been doing so well with this girl. She chucked and leaned her head on his shoulder and exhaled a warm breath down his arm. "That's pretty cool"

"You've got snow in your hair," Izuku mumbled, but it melted when he tried to brush it out. He shook the cold water from his hands onto the floor, and then he noticed the foot prints. They'd left a trail of melting snow that more than likely led to where they were hiding.

"Look at that." He noted, pointing at their tracks. "We should've left our shoes behind."

"It's fine," Ochako waved off his worries. "If they haven't found us by now, they probably-"

Loud, clonking footsteps echoed from across the room, accompanied by the sound of a large animal breathing.

"Back to the window as quick as you can," Ochako hissed, and they wormed out of their hiding spot.

Izuku tried to run but slipped in a puddle. He grabbed the closest thing at hand, which happened to be the sheet covering the object they'd been hiding behind. The sheet came ripping away, uncovering another display case and landing on the floor in a pile of rumpled canvas.

When he looked up, the first thing Izuku saw was a girl-not Ochako, but inside the case, behind the glass. She had a perfectly angelic face and a ruffled dress and a bow in her hair. She stared glassily at nothing in what seemed like the emptiest stare that Izuku had seen.

He freaked. Ochako turned to see what he was freaking out about, and then SHE freaked.

She dragged him to his feet and they ran.

Izuku had forgotten all about the guy chasing them, the bear, and the tundra. He just wanted to get out of that room, away from the stuffed girl, and far away from any possibility of ending up like her.

Now he knew all that he needed to know about this Morningstar guy. He was some kind of hell collector, and since Izuku wasn't on the record of Heaven or Hell, he wouldn't be missed. He was sure that they had looked under more covers, they'd find more specimens like her.

They sped around the corner to find a ten foot mountain of fur and claws towering over them. They screamed, trying to stop running before running into them, and slid into a pile at the bear's feet. Hot stinking breath rolled over them as they cowered over the bear. Something wet and rough mopped the side of Izuku's face.

He'd been licked by a bear. He'd been licked by a bear and someone was laughing at them.

"Be calm! He won't bite, I promise!" Someone said, and Izuku uncovered his face to see a long furry nose and big eyes staring down at him.

Did the bear talk? Did bears talk in hell?

"Her name's Lilith," The someone continued, "And she's my bodyguard. She's quite friendly, as long as you're on my good side. Lilith sit!"

Lilith sat, then began licking her paws. He flipped himself right side up and wiped the slobber from his cheek, then finally saw the owner of the voice. He was an older man, and he wore a small smirk as he stared at them. He bowed slightly and tipped his hat. "Lucifer Morningstar, at your service."

"Back away slowly," Ochako whispered in his ear, and they stood up together and side-stepped out of the bear's reach. "We don't want any trouble sir. Just let us go and no one gets hurt."

Lucifer spread his arms and smiled. "You're free to leave any time you like. But that would be such a disappointment. You've only just arrived and we have so much to talk about."

"Really?" Izuku asked. "Could you start by explaining that girl in the case over there?"

"And the Tundra room!" Ochako added.

"You're upset, you're cold, and you're wet. Wouldn't you rather discuss all this over tea?"

Yes. But neither one of them would say so.

"We're not going anywhere with you until we know what's going on here," Ochako told him firmly.

"Very well," Lucifer said, not losing an ounce of his good humor. "That was my assistant you surprised in the Tundra room, which as you've gathered, leads to the 7th circle of hell."

"That's impossible!" Ochako said. "The tundra is thousands of miles of miles away!"

"Three thousand four hundred and eighty nine," He responded. "But traversing through the circles has been my life's work." He then turned to Izuku. "And as for the case you uncovered, that was Annabelle. She was the first child born to the royal family that developed a quirk. Such a fascinating life she led, if a bit tragic in the end. I have all sorts of notable people here, well known and unknown, famous and infamous-any of which I'm happy to show you. I have nothing to hide."

"This guy is terrifying…" Izuku muttered to Ochako. "He wants to add us to his collection!"

Lucifer laughed. "They're only wax models, my boy! I'm a collector and preservationist, yes- but not of humans. Do you think I've waited so long to meet you, only to pull out your insides and lock you in a cabinet?"

"What is it...that you want with me then?"

"And me." Ochako said, stepping up.

"All in good time," he said. "Let's get you warm and dry first. Then tea, then-"

"I don't mean to be rude," Ochako cut in, "But we really do not want to be here. We-"

"You are fine, for the moment," Lucifer said. "I've looked into the matters, and we have plenty of time."

"How do you know?" Ochako said at the same time that Izuku said "Time for what?"

"All in good time," He repeated. "I know it's difficult, but you must be patient. There's too much to tell all at once, and in such a sorry state." He stretched out an arm towards them. "Look, you're shivering."

"Fine, then. Let's have tea."

"Excellent!" Lucifer said, rapping his cane twice on the ground. "Lilith, come!"

The bear grunted in an unusual way, stood on its hind legs, and walked to where Lucifer stood. Upon reaching him, the animal bent down and scooped him into the air, carrying him like a baby, one paw supporting his back and the other his legs.

"I know it's an unconventional way to travel," Lucifer said over her shoulder, "But I tire easily." He pointed ahead with his cane and said, "Lilith, library!"

Ochako and Izuku stared as Lilith began to walk away with Lucifer in her arms.

You don't see that every day, Izuku thought. Which was true of...literally everything that he had seen today.

"Lilith, stop!" Lucifer commanded.

The bear stopped, and Lucifer waved to them.

"Are you coming?"

"Oh, sorry!" They said and ran to catch up.

At last they reached the library. And it was the most beautiful library Izuku had ever seen. Lucifer told Lilith to set him down, brushed fur from his jacket, and showed them in. The room was three stories high at least, with shelves rising to dizzying heights above them. An array of staircases, catwalks and rolling ladders had been constructed to reach them.

"I haven't read all of them yet," Lucifer admitted, "But I'm working on it."

He ushered them towards a battalion of couches surrounding a flaming hearth whose warmth filled the room. Waiting by the fire was Caliban and Nim. "Call ME an untrustworthy soul!" Caliban hissed, but before he could berate Ochako further Lucifer shooed him away to fetch them blankets.

Within a minute they were seated on a couch and wrapped in blankets. Nim fluttered around preparing tea on gilded trays, and Lilith curled up in front of the flames.

Izuku tried to resist the feeling of contentedness that was starting to settle over him and to focus on his unfinished business-the big questions and issues. It was enough to crush him if he thought about it all at once. So he asked for three cubes of sugar and enough cream to turn the tea white, and downed it immediately.

Caliban had retreated to a corner, where he could sulk but still hear what was going on.

Ochako was eager to dispense with the formalities. "So, can we talk now?"

Lucifer ignored her. He was sitting across from them, but staring at Izuku, the oddest little grin on his face.

"What?" Izuku couldn't help asking.

"You're really here. Whole."

Izuku lowered his teacup. "Thank you?"

He glanced at Ochako. Her teeth were gritted and she was clenching her teacup. Lucifer finally turned to her. "And you must be Ochako. I've heard a great deal about you."

She started at that revelation. "You have?"

"Oh yes. I've heard all about you from your mother."

"My...that's news to me." She said instead, looking down.

"Oh yes, me and your mother are quite close…"

She clenched her jaw at that. "That's nice." She said flatly. "What about Izuku?"

Lucifer's smile wilted. "Straight to business then."

"Yes please."

"Why of course," He said, although he had lost his smile. "Now, you asked me before about the Tundra room, and I know, Miss Ochako, that my answer was unsatisfactory to you."

"Yes, but I'm-we're more interested in Izuku and why he's here."

"They are related, I promise. That room, and this house generally, is the place to begin."

"Okay. Tell us about the house." Izuku said.

Lucifer took a breath and steepled his fingers together, thinking. Then he said, "This house is filled with priceless artifacts I've brought back over a lifetime of expeditions, but none are more valuable than the house itself. I call it Tartarus."

"Mr. Morningstar's genius." Nim said, laying a plate of sandwiches before us. "Sandwich sir?"

Lucifer waved him away. "But even that is not quite enough. My story begins long before this house was built, when I was a lad about your age, Izuku. My brother and I fancied ourselves explorers. We pored over the maps of hell and dreamed of visiting all of the circles. Of finding new ones, and visiting them, again and again and again. In this way, we hoped to make Hell great again." He leaned forward. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Izuku frowned. "Make it great...with maps?"

"No not with maps. Ask yourself: What makes us weak, as spirits?"

"Demons?" Ochako guessed.

"Heaven?" Izuku tried

"No. That's just a symptom of our weakness. What makes us weak is distance. There are, by my estimation, some ten thousands of spirits in hell today. It is mathematically mandatory." He smiled and sipped his tea. "Now, just imagine, ten thousand spirits, all with astounding abilities, all in one place and united by a common cause. They'd be a force to be reckoned with, no?"

"I guess so," Ochako said.

"Most definitely so," He said. "But we are splintered by geography into hundreds of weak subunits. Because it is extraordinarily difficult to travel from circle to circle. There are not only the dangers of demons and natural world to consider, but there's also the dangers of heaven as well."

He paused for a moment, before continuing, his eyes scanning the room.

"Now then. Imagine there was a link between that first circle, and the one here. Suddenly those two populations could develop a relationship. Trade with each other. Learn from each other. Band together to defend each other in times of crisis. All sorts of possibilities arise which were previously impossible. And gradually, as more and more connections are made, Hell is transformed from a collection of far flung tribes to a mighty nation, united and strong!"

Lucifer had grown increasingly animated as he spoke, and at this last bit he'd raised his hands and spread his fingers like he was grasping a pull up bar.

"Hence the machine?"

"Hence the machine," He said, lowering his hands. "We've been searching, my brother and I, for an easier way to explore the circles, and instead we found a way to unite it. Tartarus was to be the savior of our people, an invention that would change society forever. It works like this: you begin here, in this house, with a small piece of the machine called a shuttle. It fits in your hand," he said, opening his palm. "You take it with you, out of the house, out of the circle and into another one. And then when you return here, the shuttle will have collected and brought back the signature of that other place, which can be used to grow a second entrance to it, here in the house."

"In that hallway upstairs!" Ochako guessed. "With all the doors and plaques."

"Exactly. Everyone of those rooms are an entrance that my brother and I, over the course of many years, harvested and brought back. With Tartarus, the initial, arduous trek of first contact has to be made only once, and every return trip thereafter is instantaneous."

Ochako raised her hand. "One question."

"I bet I know what it is," He said.

"Okay?"

"If such a wonderful thing exists, why haven't you heard about it before now?"

"That's it."

"You never heard about it...no one did-because of the trouble with my brother." His expression darkened. "Tartarus was born with his help, but ultimately he was its downfall as well. Ultimately, Tartarus was never used as a tool to unite our people, but for the opposite purpose. The trouble began when we realized that the task of visiting every circle in the world was laughable at best-so far beyond our abilities at its worst. We needed help, and a great deal of it. Luckily, my brother was such a charismatic and convincing fellow that recruiting all the help we needed proved easy. Before long we had a small army of young, idealistic spirits willing to risk life and limb to help us. What I didn't realize was that my brother had a different dream than I did. A hidden agenda."

With some effort, Lucifer stood up. "There is a legend," he said. "You might know it Ochako." Tapping with his cane, he moved across the floor to the shelves and pulled down a small book. "It's the tale of a lost circle. A kind of afterworld where our souls go when spirits die."

"Arcadia," Ochako said. "Sure, I've heard of it. But it's just a legend."

"Perhaps you can tell the tale," He said, "For the benefit of our friend."

Lucifer hobbled back to the couches and settled down. Ochako shuffled uncomfortably. "I've not heard it in some time…" She tried tentatively.

"I'll help you along," Lucifer said, "Go on."

"Well," She began, "The legend goes that back in the old days, the really really thousands of years ago days- there was a special circle that spirits went to when they died.

"Spirit Heaven?" Izuku guessed.

"Not quite. We didn't stay there forever or anything. It was more like...a library." She seemed uncertain of her word choice, and looked to Lucifer. "Right?"

"Yes." He said nodding. "It was thought that spirit souls were a precious thing in limited supply and it would be a waste to take them with us to the grave. Instead, at the end of our lives we were to make a pilgrimage to the library, where our souls would be deposited for future use by others. Even in spiritual matters, we have always been frugal-minded."

"The first law of thermodynamics," Izuku said.

They looked at him blankly.

"Matter can neither be created nor destroyed. Or souls in this case.

"The principle is similar, I suppose," Lucifer said. "The ancients believed that only a certain number of special souls were available to humanity, and then when one was born, he or she checked one out, as you or I might borrow a book from a library." He gestured at the stacks around us. "But when your life-borrowing term-was over, the soul had to be returned."

Lucifer gestured to Ochako. "Please, go on."

"So," She said. "There was this library. I always imagined it filled with beautiful glowing books, each containing a peculiar soul. For thousands of years, people checked out souls and returned them just before they died, and everything was rosy. Then one day, someone figured out that you could break in to the library, even if you weren't about to die. And he did break in- and robbed the place. He stole the most powerful souls he could find and used them to wreak havoc." She looked at Lucifer. "Right?"

"Factually correct, if a bit artless in the telling," Lucifer said.

"Used them?" Izuku asked. "How?"

"By combining their powers with his own," Lucifer explained. "Eventually the library's guardians killed the rogue, took back the stolen souls, and set things right. But the genie was out of the bottle. The knowledge that the library could be breached became a poison that spread throughout our society. Whoever controlled the library could dominate all the circles, and before long more souls were stolen. There dawned a dark time, in which the power mad waged epic battles against one another for control of Arcadia and the Library of Souls. Many lives were lost. The land was scorched. Famine and pestilence raged. Some people even escaped down to your world Izuku, which is when your people started developing quirks themselves."

"I thought you said this story wasn't real," Izuku said.

"I'm getting to that. As I was saying. For a short but terrible time, destruction and misery befell our people. Control of the library changed hands often, accompanied by immense bloodshedding. Then one day it stopped. The self declared king of Arcadia had been killed in battle, and the one who killed him was on his way to claim the library for himself...but he never found it. Overnight, it had disappeared.

"Disappeared?"

"There one day, gone the next."

"Poof."

"According to legend, the Library of Souls was located in the hills of the ancient city of Arcadia. But when the would be king arrived to claim his prize, the library was gone. So was the town. Gone as if they'd never been there at all.

"That's crazy."

"There's nothing to it though," Ochako said. "It's just an old tale."

"The Legend of Arcadia," Izuku said, reading the page that the book was open to.

"We may never know for certain if Arcadia is a real place," Lucifer said, smiling serenely. "That's what makes it a legend. But like rumors of buried treasure, the legendariness of the story has not stopped people, over the centuries from searching for it. It is said that Christopher Columbus himself committed years to the hunt for the lost circle-which is how he began to discover so many of the circles that we have now."

"I didn't know that," Ochako said. "I suppose something good, came of it then."

"And something very bad," Lucifer added. "My brother too, believed the story. Foolishly, I forgave him this frailty. And I ignored it, realizing too late how completely it drove him. By then, my charismatic brother had convinced our small army of recruits that it was true. Arcadia was real. The library of Souls was discoverable. Christoper had gotten so close and all that was left to do was to complete his work. Then the vast and dangerous power contained in it could belong to them. To us."

"I waited too long, and this idea became a cancer. They searched and searched, mounting expedition after expedition, each failure only adding to their zeal. The goal of uniting Hell became forgotten. All along, my brother cared only for ruling it, like the gods of old. And when I tried to challenge him and regain control of the machine I'd built, I was smeared as a traitor, had the others turned against me, and locked in a cell."

"It was my fault for letting things go on as long as they did," He said heavily. "I kept telling myself that my brother wasn't as dangerous as he seemed. It was only after he imprisoned me, and it was too late to act that I realized how wrong I'd been."

He stepped closer to the fire, letting his fingers get lost in Lilith's fur. "I knew he had to be stopped, and not simply for my own sake-nor because there was any danger he'd find the library. No it was clear his ambitions had grown beyond that. For months he'd been molding our recruits into the foot soldiers of a dangerous movement. He was envious of people stronger than him. That ugliness only deepened over time. He was able to harness and exploit the same poisonous envy latent in some of our fellow recruits. He held meetings, and made speeches, rallying people to his cause. We were so close...thick as thieves. But he hid his true self from me. I didn't see him for what he was until I asked him to stop, and he had me beaten and thrown into a hole to die. By then it was too late."

Lucifer looked up, his eyes reflecting the fire's glow. "It's quiet something to realize that you mean less than nothing to your owner brother." He was quiet for a moment, lost in memories. Izuku could relate to that.

"I tried to kill him, and thought I was successful, until he showed up five years later. He was obsessed more than ever with finding Arcadia, but to do it he needed Tartarus-and me to operate it. I became his prisoner and slave, and this circle the secret headquarters for his men, bent on finding and cracking the library of souls."

"I thought you said it was legendary," Izuku said. "Now you're talking like it's real. Which is it?"

"The official position is that the Library of Souls is nothing but a story."

"I don't care what the official position is." Ochako said. "What do you say?"

"My opinions are my own," He said evasively. "But if the library is real, and my brother finds it and opens it, he still won't be able to steal it's souls. He doesn't know it, but there's a third element he needs, a third key."

"And what's that?"

"No one can take the souls there. Or even see them. To most everyone they would be invisible and intangible. In the stories, only special adepts called librarians can see or handle them. And a librarian hasn't been born for thousands of years. Until now." He gestured to Izuku.

Ochako sat up straight at that, as did Izuku. "That's why you were waiting for Izuku?"

Izuku had frozen at Lucifer's gesture, unable to believe it. He was still listening intently as Lucifer continued. "You have heard that you weren't listed to show up in Heaven or Hell correct? That happens from time to time, when people do something that's unexpected and...I guess you could call it a processing error. There's a brief window of time where anything can happen. It wasn't you specifically that I was waiting for Izuku, just anyone that fit the criteria of dying unexpectedly."

He leapt off the couch and grasped Izuku's hands. "My brother broke my machine so irrevocably that I never thought that any of this would be possible. But if I can get you into the library, you can grab a book, any book, and use that soul to come back to life. WITH a quirk."

"Why haven't you done this before?" Ochako asked, when it appeared that Izuku wasn't going to say anything.

"I no longer have the ability to leave Tartarus. And I can't gather the parts I need to fix the damage that my brother has done to it. But I can fix it...I just need your help. Both of you."

"Mr. Morningstar," Izuku said, softly, catching his attention. Izuku waited until Lucifer was looking at him, before he breathed out the question that he was dying to know. "With this...library, do you think-I can be a hero?"

Lucifer clapped his hands. "My boy, I have no doubt that you'll be the greatest hero that your circle has ever seen, once we're fix Tartarus and find the Library."

Ochako's gaze lingered on Izuku's face, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking. "Then I'll help you." Izuku would have agreed to anything if it would get him what he wanted. He would fix Tartarus, find the library, get his quirk, and then show All-Might and Bakugo what real heroes were.