Chapter Twenty-One


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Hope in the Wicked City


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At long last, Ochako found relief. After running into the rest station meant for nature enthusiasts and tourists, she was glad that the power was still on and that the facilities were clean.

As she washed her hands, Ochako took the time to look over her reflection. The woman looking back at her made Ochako frown. She was certainly not looking her best. Her clothes were basically ruined, torn in places and dirty everywhere else. Her face showed just how exhausted Ochako was after running for close to thirty hours on nothing but willpower. The only sleep she had gotten in the past day was a short nap while kneeling on asphalt, and her blackened knees complained at the memory. She didn't remember how long ago her lunch was, but her stomach complained loudly that it had been forever ago.

Ochako set all of those wants and needs aside as she washed her face and under her arms at the sink. The simple act of cleaning herself made her feel far more human and complete than she had been just moments ago. No, not just human. Ochako felt like herself, more so than she had in a long time. She felt a deep sense of purpose in what she and Izuku were doing, and that purpose made her feel prouder of herself than she had ever known throughout her life.

"Time to go save the world," she told her reflection. Ochako strode out to the abandoned parking lot, finally taking in how utterly empty the place was. She hadn't really noticed on their way here with Izuku's speed and her own biological needs screaming at her, but now the emptiness of this place was obvious and jarring to her. The lot was large, capable of holding several buses end to end while making room for cars. The only vehicle left was the incline railcar, patiently waiting for passengers that might never come.

The gigantic Chrysalis lay not far from her, shedding emerald light around itself. From her outside vantage, it looked vaguely like a bubble of radiance, an aura so thick with light that the air would be palpably different inside. Even with the sky lit up with soft green light, Izuku's bonfire lit up the world like a lone candle in the darkness.

As her eyes readjusted to looking at that radiance, she saw the most curious thing. Izuku was grabbing snacks out of the nearby vending machines. No. He was raiding those machines. Broken glass had scattered across the concrete from his efforts and he was filling his hands with quite an assortment of snack bars and drinks. She thought of scolding him for it until she saw his name carved into the side of one of the machines alongside a simple message: "Sorry."

"Wow, that is a lot of snacks. So, did you suddenly get hit with a case of the munchies, Izuku?" she couldn't help but smile as she asked him.

His smile was shy and sheepish. He looked almost embarrassed. It was cute. "Actually… I don't need to eat. Or, at least this version of me doesn't need to. I was grabbing all of this for you... I kind of thought you'd be hungry by now."

She stood there staring at him and all the snacks overflowing from his hands. He had done all of this for her when he didn't even feel hunger. He probably remembered what hunger felt like, but there was no gnawing reminder inside of him. His efforts, as much as they were an act of vandalism, were completely selfless and thoughtful. "Why do you have to be so perfect?" she whispered with the barest of breath.

Her heart compelled her, demanding action. Ochako decided then and there that she wasn't going to wait for the world to be saved. When would she ever meet another man like him? No. There were no other men like Midoriya Izuku. If she didn't act now, then she'd lose her chance later. Either they'd fail and the world would end, or they'd succeed and Izuku would become the most famous and most sought-after man on the planet.

It was either now or never, and Ochako chose now.

Could this be love? Ochako knew that it was much too soon to tell, yet she knew this feeling deep in her breast was the closest she'd ever felt to true love in her life. It was like a fire had consumed her heart and the bellows of a forge pumped fire instead of blood through her body. It was as complete a feeling as the adoration shared with family, but it took on a dimension she had no familiarity with.

Desire.

Ochako had let go of so many opportunities and wants in her life. She had saved and worked while her friends at school went out for fun and excitement… and boys. She had missed out on so many experiences with boys, all growing awkwardly into men now. Now, more than anything else, she wanted… no, she desired Izuku. Even if she could only have him for a moment, she needed him in a way she had never needed anything before, an opportunity that she absolutely could not pass up. Even if this spark of emotion lead to nothing, even if it just became a brief fire that would sputter out, she knew that she'd regret it forever if she didn't act.

If she was more honest with herself, she'd have admitted exactly what kind of moment she wanted to share with him.

Ochako strode toward Izuku with purpose, a smile on her lips as she swallowed back her nervousness. Whatever remark he was about to make died in his throat as she stepped boldly into his personal space. Refusing to hesitate, she stood on her toes and reached up to embrace him, pulling his face down to meet hers.

Ochako's heart fluttered with the excitement that lies between life and death as Izuku's arms moved to wrap around her, snacks and all. She shivered as a cold can of soda pressed on the small of her back, contrasting against Izuku's warmth. Just a few more centimeters, she tells herself, yet this last distance feels so much more difficult to cross than the entire walk towards him.

Ochako was so grateful that Izuku crossed those last few centimeters for her. He grazes gently against her lips at first, before they each lean ever so slightly as they allow instincts to drive the kiss deeper. His lips were hot and dry like she remembered, made of light and air, yet this felt nothing like when she had breathed into him earlier. This felt fulfilling. This felt right.

The kiss lasted longer than any Ochako had shared before, but it was still too short. They didn't part suddenly, but gradually, as she descended back to her heels.

"If I had known how much you like candy and soda, we'd have stopped quite a while ago," Izuku teased. The grin on his lips was gorgeous.

She smirked while giving his shoulder a light punch, marveling that if felt almost like punching sun-warmed granite. Returning her hand to embrace him, she rested it on the back of his neck, tracing her fingers on the scars of his etched tattoo. "It's not the candy and soda… it's you. You have so much else on your mind… saving the whole world… and you still took the time to think about me and whether I was hungry or not. Izuku… I'm still figuring this out, but I think I might be falling for you."

Izuku's smile slowly faded as he regarded her seriously, his eyes almost unreadable. There was warmth there, but something else too. Worry? Doubt? What was he thinking? A tiny dagger of fear felt like it was shaving ever closer to her heart, threatening to slice into her with a rejection unlike any she had ever experienced.

Izuku moved his hands from their embrace and tried to hand her the candy and soda, but Ochako kept her arms upon his frame, refusing to let him go. He let loose a small sigh and bent at the knees before setting his stolen goods down on the pavement. Ochako pouted when his actions broke their embrace.

Izuku stood and took hold of her hands in his much larger ones, making her feel so small and fragile. "It's a bit soon for you to say that Ochako," he said.

Ochako inhaled a bracing breath as she bit on her lower lip, preparing to hear the worst. Her heart was falling in her chest and she was scared that she might cry. He squeezed her hands gently, warmth passing from his fingers into her. "Tell you what," Izuku continued. "Let's just take this slow and see where it goes, ok?"

His words registered, but to Ochako they were nonsense. "Wait, what? You want to take it slow at the end of the world? Izuku, it doesn't feel like there's enough time to take anything slow."

Izuku caressed her face and bent at his knees to bring his face closer to hers. The hand that was still holding onto hers moved, pulling her hand up to his chest. He held her hand firmly under his without saying a word. Ochako felt his hard and powerful muscles, marveling at the shape and density of his pectorals… but the longer he held her hand there the more she understood. There was no heartbeat at her fingertips, just Izuku's emanating warmth.

Izuku's caring expression was bittersweet for Ochako. "I don't want to lead you on, Ochako. I'm Izuku… but you also know that I'm not Izuku. After he gets out of there… he'll have changed quite a bit past the changes I've already gone through. I get to sample his power, but not his experiences or his memories... I only remember what he does up to the point that he made me. I don't want you to fall in love with someone who… who won't last."

Ochako shook her head, not wanting to listen to this. "You're talking like you're going to die."

His smile was so sad that her heart broke. No… no, she wanted to scream. "In a way, I am. No matter what happens, when Izuku stops feeding essence into the Charm that keeps me alive, I'll cease to exist. If we succeed at this, then hopefully he'll reabsorb my memories and I'll live on as part of him… but I won't be just me anymore. Do you understand?"

"Hopefully?" she could barely whisper the word. Ochako thought back to when Izuku was helpless in her arms, the chain that sustained him cut and dangling/limp on the street. Things still could end that way, with some battle cutting one Izuku from the other or… or worse. She knew now that it really could always get worse. Yet now even the best-case scenario felt unsatisfying.

It wasn't fair. She had met someone kind, and generous, and sexy… and he was going to die no matter what she did. It wasn't fair! "But he'll remember everything that you do… and you'll be part of him… so anything you remember about me, he will too, right?"

He nodded, dimples forming as his smile grew larger, yet his eyes were still so sad. "Yes, exactly."

Without even thinking about it Ochako's hand over his heart formed into a determined fist, grabbing up the shadowy material of his shirt as though she was claiming him. "Then it's simple… I just need to be awesome enough to make you fall in love with me. Then your love will survive… like a candle protected in his heart."

Izuku looked over to the giant Chrysalis and the aurora dominating the sky. "You want to start a romantic relationship with a man who won't exist anymore… and you want to do it with this as our romantic backdrop?"

Before Ochako could respond her stomach loudly interrupted her. After letting go of Izuku's shirt she bent down and picked up a large candy-bar, not even caring what brand it was. It tasted wonderful, but she knew that the flavor was likely her own hunger begging her to eat. "It's not ideal, Izuku… but this is all we have." She said, trying to speak as clearly as possible with a large chunk of chocolate in her mouth. "So, let me eat up as much of this as I can, as quickly as I can… then let's save the city, ok? Maybe after that… we'll think of something."

Ochako let the thought what "something" could be hanging in the air. She wasn't going to suggest making love in the open mountain air, but if that's what it took to make this man remember her forever, to make his existence one that the other Izuku could never forget, she'd talk herself into it if that's what he wanted. If he asked… but would he ask that of her?

"If this is what you want, well then… Later, I'll think of something for us to do," Izuku said. Ochako swallowed hard when his smile grew large enough to show his fangs. It occurred to her that she had no idea what kind of a blank check "something" might entail to him, or what he might ask from her. Her heart trembled with excitement, not knowing where this would lead.

Slow down, she told herself. Don't choke on a chocolate bar. Get this in your stomach, save the world… then worry about… something. Her lips couldn't help but curl upward into a smirk. She'd done it. She had told Izuku about her newborn feelings for him… and he didn't turn her away. Sure, he had tried to persuade her to hold off, but… he wanted her, she realized. He didn't say it directly, but the way he cared for her, his unspoken gestures, his protectiveness of her safety and her feelings. All of it pointed to a heart of gold, and somehow in the short time since they had met, they each had a piece of the other's heart.

When she had finished two somewhat healthier snack bars and downed two cans of soda, she marveled at the pockets that suddenly formed in Izuku's pants. He filled them with more supplies for her before holding out his hand to her. "Ready to go save the world, Ochako?"

Ochako's eyes welled with tears. "With you? Always," she said as she rushed forward to take his hand.


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Third Daughter was a small girl, underfed and overworked. She was smart enough not to ask what happened to her two older sisters or why she had no brothers. Life in Malfeas was hard. By the Malfean calendar, at fifteen months per year, she supposed she was eight years old, though she did not know what day she was born or even the month. She didn't have the worst fate a slave could have, at least not yet, but she was far from the top of the human pyramid, let alone the deva hierarchy.

Her masters, a pair of scorpion tailed Tinsiana, called her according to her task. Usually, her name-of-the-day was some variation of maid or wash-girl. Third Daughter dreaded the days that she was called Dishwasher. Those were the days that she was called into the kitchens. There she saw the fates of slaves that the masters no longer deemed useful, or simply looked too delicious. A slave was often served up if an important guest was expected. Lesser meats simply would not do if a high-ranking deva dined in their master's hall.

Today she was called one of the worst names of all. "Coinpurse," was the name she woke up to as they called down to her in the basement where she slept with the others. It meant that she was going to be taken to the market today. Third Daughter shivered with fear throughout her bath, despite the warmth. Shaving her head was especially difficult with how nervously tremulous her hands were. It made her glad that she wasn't old enough to have to remove hair anywhere else. She scrubbed her brown-red skin until she felt her hide was about to bleed. Devas always demanded perfection in that regard. It was mandatory that she be thoroughly clean for any prospective buyer to examine her. Third Daughter briefly considered drowning herself or slitting her own throat.

Instead, she set the dagger down for the next slave to use and gargled her acid-rinse before scrubbing her teeth clean. No doubt numerous fingers would poke and prod her mouth as she was examined for any possible defects. It was a funny thought that the devas would pore over her so thoroughly when she had never seen her own reflection.

Third Daughter would never see Matron again, the last family that she had left. They weren't related by blood beyond hailing ancestors from the same conquered world. Matron simply did her best for all the younger slaves in the household. Her advice and interference had kept Third Daughter alive more times than the girl could keep track of. Matron had stepped in to be there for her when her actual mother had been sold off and distracted her with tasks out in the yard the day her father had been slaughtered and butchered. It wasn't because of an important guest that time. The meat locker was simply too empty.

The worst part was knowing that the devas didn't need food to survive. They could all stop eating for centuries on end and be no worse for it. For them, it was only for culinary pleasure, a luxurious indulgence. They didn't have human needs, yet they cravingly ate human meat with enough regularity that even the slaves wondered at their own flavor.

Emerging from the baths, Third Daughter saw that a simple white hooded robe was laid out for her. The linen was finer than any she had ever worn. Wearing this, she had no doubt that she would be dramatically unveiled before a crowd of expectant buyers. Putting the robe on was frightening to her, a prelude to the vulnerable nudity she would endure as monsters bid on her… or worse, didn't.

Practical and wise, Matron had told her many stories to memorize and hide in her heart, pearls to conceal for moments like this. Distant tales like the fall of the Helgenkan Empire when the Devas invaded, to useful advice when dealing with deva overseers. "Never look them in the eye. Keep your head bowed low. Never use complicated words near them. Never express an interest in writing, or history, or magic. Most of all, never trust the ones that look human, least of all the ones they call Princes." Matron's soft yet firm voice commanded this exact lesson into her more times than Third Daughter could count.

"Princes are beautiful," she had been warned, and "Long ago they were human once, but all of them down to the last were and always will be monsters."

One Prince stirred Matron's emotions more than any other. "The Crimson Prince, first and foremost of his kin, conquered Helgenka after luring the Empire with honeyed words as sweet as any whispered by the Father of Lies." The old woman spat as she spoke, unable to disguise her revulsion.

"Then, when the Imperial Family had sworn unbreakable oaths to him and the citizens ate the never-ending food he supplied to the people, he turned them all over to the devas as slaves. Chattel." Each time she told the tale, Matron allowed that horrid word to sink in and would always tap her fingers on the brand on her left breast, identical to the one next to Third Daughter's hip. "To be eaten or prayer-driven once their working years were done. Cities burned and any who resisted were devoured as war rations for the invading army. The entire world was torn asunder on the endless forge-fields of Malfeas, used to make more weapons and more walls for the ever-expanding city. Destroyed like so many worlds before and so many since."

Matron's eyes were filled with a madness that only ancestral rage could fuel. "Never forget that this place is built on the mortar of human corpses and human worlds. Never put faith in them, the traitors of all mankind. Their kindness is always a prelude to treachery and violence. The devas abuse us, but it was the Princes who sold us all into bondage. We pay the price for their power. They are the true demons of this world."

Matron would lean back, letting Third Daughter's pulse slow from the pitch induced by her elder's anger. Calmly, she'd always continue with a simpler lesson. "Be like your dear Matron, yes, like me. Remember and harden your heart but hide it. Be useful but be smart. Cultivate difficult skills. Put yourself in debt to the greater among the devas. They won't want you dead so long as there is still some value they haven't collected yet."

Third Daughter couldn't bring herself to follow all of Matron's advice. Even now as the two spoke farewells to each other, Third Daughter could not help but gape at the woman's expanding midsection. Matron exuded fertility and the promise of new life. The pregnancy was false, though, born of parasitism instead of intimacy. Stomach Bottle Bugs needed a host to live in, allowing themselves to be transported in artificial vessels only for the shortest of trips. Matron's diet of Wasp Honey was for the preferences of the masters swimming in her gut, not her own desires. One day the woman would likely be pickled in the stuff as a mollified delicacy. Third Daughter shuddered at the thought.

All the words they ever exchanged and her Matron's face were behind her now. Now they were off to the market. For the sake of the other slaves in the house, Third Daughter hoped that she fetched a good price. Maybe coin from her purchase would be used to fill the larders, or at least she hoped. She often got the sense that her masters were struggling financially, but she didn't know the details. Most of all though, she hoped that she wouldn't be sold to the slaughterhouses or to the cult. Either of those would mean a painful death. Any other fate, even the breeding pits, would be preferable. She knew better than to pray for the result she wanted. In Malfeas, you never knew who or what was listening to your prayers.

Daeluss, the large reptilian thug that oversaw the slaves, would be her handler for the sale. Her actual owners were far too busy with their work to fuss over saying goodbye to a household appliance. The chain around her neck was secured onto the brace at his wrist, anchoring her to him. A single hard pull from his massive arms would be enough to snap her neck.

The streets were crowded, far more so than on any errand she had been on before. She was glad that her robe was hooded, shielding her from the harsh Green Sun. The sky was clear today. No acid or blood rains were in the forecast it seemed, a good day to go to the markets. Was that why it was so crowded?

No, she soon found out. The crowds loitered about near the great stone-carved gate, Charybdis. She had never seen the gate open, not in all eight years of her short life. There were many gates to and from Malfeas, but this one was famous for allowing entry but never an exit. Once Charybdis allowed you to pass, the power of the gate would bar you from leaving until the Primordials granted you permission to leave. The great maw opened sideways, the teeth of the inner gate withdrawing into the stones of the grave-wall. Who could it be? What was entering the city through such an infamous gate?

The crowd thronged forward, lurching like a mass of trees in a strong wind. Instruments played. Shouts echoed through the crowd. Her handler paused from his role as overseer long enough to peer over the heads of his fellow devas. She had never seen the devas act like this before. Was an Unquestionable here? She couldn't think of anything else that could cause so much uproar.

And then, for just a moment, she saw him. He was everything that Matron had warned her against. He was tall, strong, and beautiful. He was the most human and the most inhuman thing she had ever seen. His bronzed skin was flawless, and his smile though fanged was generous and gracious. His eyes shone with green fire and love. His hair could have been finely woven from emeralds spun on the ephemeral gem-looms of Naragumo's spawn, it was so green and vibrant. A single shining jewel shone like a star from between his brows as he gracefully strode through the crowd. There was no mistake. This was a Prince.

Before she knew what compelled her or what she was doing, she pulled her hood back and reached forward, wishing for just a single moment. Ignoring all her lessons throughout all her years, she desperately wanted the Prince to notice her. If she was going to be sold or worse today, she wanted him to see her and remember her. She wanted to be pictured somewhere in his mind for all of time. Third Daughter wished against all odds that she could compete against devas far more beautiful and more enticing than a human girl could ever be… and then, finally honest with herself, her spirit cried out as tears flooded from her eyes. She didn't want to be remembered. She wanted to be saved!

"Please save me," she silently prayed, directing her prayers to the Prince in front of her. She knew that she could never out-shout the great throng. But humans could do one thing better than any deva could. It was what humans were designed to do: pray. "Please, see me. Please, save me. I'm going to be sold or eaten or killed in the great prayer fields as a sacrifice… please, look at me!" Her heart begged so loud in her head that it sounded like screams within her mind.

Then his eyes fell on her, and Third Daughter was filled with a desperate emotion that she had never known before. She did not know the name of this feeling. No one had ever taught it to her. It was painful and beautiful all at once, and so very frightening. She wanted this feeling to last forever and to end as soon as possible.

The expression on the Prince's face was one of amazement and pain. It lasted only for a moment, but that was long enough for her overseer to pull on her chain and break her vision away from the shining face that exhilarated untouched parts of her heart. Daeluss pulled roughly on her robes, covering her head. Normally, she'd be relieved to hide from the sun's terrible light… but now all she wanted was to be visible to the Prince. She knew better than to defy her handler and bowed her head like she had been taught.

His voice was like gravel pouring from a trough. "Come, we have dallied too long. Hurry your steps, Coinpurse."

"Yes, master deva." She replied, remembering she was unworthy to speak a master's name.


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Izuku trailed the demon and his leashed slave-girl, keeping a respectable distance. This did not award him any stealth in which to conceal himself. Celebrities cannot tail anyone effectively, especially not on the day of their grand debut. Izuku's efforts were twofold. He needed to keep track of the pair, but he was silently communicating with his other half. Sending Morse signals in English was mentally taxing. Before he had done this while focusing solely on the task, but now he had to contend with crowded demon-ridden streets.

Bursting forward through the crowd to rescue the girl would raise too much suspicion. Izuku needed a plan. The drone of noise up ahead told him that he was running low on time. Soon they would arrive at one of the slave markets. That would be terrible, both because rescuing her with so many prospective buyers around would be even more outlandish behavior for a Prince, as well as the fact that if he saw enough human suffering packed into one place then he'd probably lose control in other ways as well.

No. It would be better to rescue one child and pass it off as a Princely eccentricity than go on a humanitarian crusade. If he roused too much curiosity from his actions, it could mean his death and Earth's downfall. Objectively, he knew it would be better to focus entirely on Earth, continue with his mission, and forget the child. Izuku couldn't do that, though. Those dark pleading eyes and the tiny hand reaching out towards him haunted him and would torment the rest of his days if he turned away now.

Passing the stalls around him gave him the opportunity to read more and more examples of the Malfean number system. Prices on most goods were clearly marked. Curiously, they were noted in several currencies, and the preferred method of payment might change from shop to shop or street to street.

One currency symbol though remained consistent. The Malfean words for All Thing were very telling. Somewhere, some time ago, it seems the Princes had taken on the task of simplifying the Malfean currency system. Was it a unified effort or was it the pet project of just a handful?

No matter. Izuku had learned enough. These were the prices that he paid the most attention to, gleaning a sense of the unseen coin's value against all manner of spices, tools, and fabrics. If he stalled to gather more information, though, then his procrastination could cost the child dearly. It was time.

"Excuse me, yes, you there!" he called out to the tall demon.

The demon paused, watching Izuku approach with a mixture of fear and respect. The child stood behind where the demon's grip on her chain could remain obscured. Izuku tried not to think of how much training it would take to turn a child into an obedient dog. The thought disgusted him, a feeling he needed to swallow for now. If this plan could work, it could only do so if he played the part.

"How may I serve you, my Prince?" the demon asked, bowing his head to Izuku's approach. Their interaction drew many eyes. No doubt there were powers beyond those arrayed here watching and listening, gauging Izuku's every move.

Izuku pointedly looked up at the demon's face, ignoring the child despite every instinct roaring in his skull. The creature had large snake-like eyes and a reptilian beak. Its limbs appeared supremely flexible, as though each was a serpent-spined mass of muscle rather than a true appendage as Izuku knew them. "I am newly arrived in the city and wish for an escort. Please, take me to the Palace of the All Thing." He smiled as he made the request, though they both knew it was also a demand.

The gigantic creature swallowed hard. "My Prince, I am currently on my way to the markets just beyond the great spire. I was asked by…"

Izuku interrupted the creature flatly. "I'm sorry, but I don't recall asking about your personal errand. Was the task given to you by a ranking citizen? Is it a duty-bound order… or are you refusing me for a job of personal profit between the serfs?"

Izuku watched the creature sputter awkwardly. His instincts had been correct. The sad truth about Malfeas was that this was a place where the powerful demanded service from the weak and paid them nothing. Humans were merely on the bottom, but the demons just above them passed down abuses that were heaped on them just as unfairly and just as brutally. It did not make their lot in life any better, but it offered brief solace as they inflicted their impotent pain onto someone else.

Wasn't that the way of all abuse, be it personal or systemic? Wasn't it all just an endless cycle, a game of passing a hot rock around instead of finding a way to put it down? Izuku almost laughed bitterly at the thought.

"Her owners asked me to sell her at the markets." It was the first acknowledgment either of them made to the human girl, the one Izuku still had not looked at.

"So, a set of fellow serfs, then. You're refusing a Prince's request because of a desire for coin." Izuku had the sense to appear offended. He understood on some level that demons weren't paid for their intended functions, their obligations to their overlords. The entire currency-based economy of Malfeas was an afterthought of second and third jobs. Then again, demons didn't have to worry about certain bills that plagued humans, such as food.

"Of course not, my Prince. I was merely… there are better devas for this task and…" the large creature stuttered. For a moment, Izuku allowed his eyes to wonder with an air of annoyance on his features. He accidentally allowed his eye to pass over the girl's face and saw a sense of wonderment there. It seemed likely that no one had ever made a demon appear this foolish in front of her. He moved his eyes away from her face before his emotions could crack.

Izuku had had enough, both in this farce and truly in his own human disgust for the monster in front of him. His eyes glowed with power and he pulled hard on the spiritual chains that bound the demon to any superior in the hierarchy of Malfeas. The Demonic Primacy of Essence worked strongly in Izuku's favor as he laid out the order into the demon's hide. "Escort me by the most efficient means to the All Thing Infernal."

Baring his teeth, Izuku added the appropriate social pleasantry: "Now."


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The trip to the great collection of palaces known as the All Thing Infernal was awkward for all three of them. Firstly, it was a long trek that required hours of travel time regardless of the best travel methods possible, including teleporting through waypoint gates reserved for citizens or above. Having a serf and a slave with him garnered unwanted attention, but the Prince's annoyed expressiveness kept any interference to a minimum.

Secondly, Izuku continued to ignore the slave and her chain-collar. She, likewise, kept her gaze down at the ground. The few times Izuku allowed his eyes to pass over her, she was either caught in amazement at wonders of the city that she had never been allowed to see before or trembling in fear.

Lastly, the demon was doing his damned best to be a good escort, fearing that a sub-par job would incur the Prince's wrath. The poor fool had no idea that Izuku wanted to kill him for a reason so obvious that the demon clearly couldn't think of it. He'd blithely point out various sights or wonders as though that act would earn the graces of Prince Izuku. His efforts were met with stoic indifference.

At last, they arrived at the gates of the All Thing. Fifty-one massive palaces arranged in the pattern of an inverted lotus were arrayed before them. Technically, each palace beyond the central structure was referred to as a Princely Apartment, but the truth was far grander. Those with wealth and power often show off by taking up as much room as possible for their personal space, and the Princes of the Green Sun exemplified this behavior more than anyone Izuku had ever met or imagined.

The grounds alone were an expansive array of walled gardens each with fountains, ball fields, fighting pits, and any number of untold luxuries hidden away from casual viewers. Gigantic demons that resembled praying mantises wandered the gardens, pruning and tending to the plant life and likely the security. Blood apes patrolled the outer walls and stood by the various gates. Each palace seemed well attended. Good. This would fall well within Izuku's plan.

"Come." He said to his awkward companion before the demon could find an excuse to leave. "Let me reward you for going out of your way for me." Izuku strode forward through the gates before the serpentine demon could object. The crunching of two pairs of footsteps behind him on the gravel pathways was the only confirmation Izuku needed that the chain-linked pair was still following him.

From this point on a strange sensation of familiarity guided Izuku's steps. Without asking he knew exactly which of these palaces was his. He was both delighted and troubled at how luxurious and grand it was. The fountain in the front garden sputtered to life as they approached, spewing wine into the air. The front entryway was shielded by a translucent crystal awning that diluted the intensity of the sun's heat and unrelenting light. A crowd of several hundred could have stood comfortably under that awning. Instead, it was just the three of them and two great apes guarding the front gates. How many supplicants and petitioners had his predecessor received if the waiting area outside the gate was this luxurious? How long would a demon be expected to wait out here if the Prince that designed this thought to make their wait so comfortable?

A small demon that reminded Izuku of a grasshopper rushed forward towards them. "Oh! My Prince! We were not expecting you so soon! We still are making so many preparations for you! Oh! But… yes, please… um…" the thing fretted as it walked rapidly towards them, never breaking into the indignity of a full run. It bowed low, as was expected of any demon assigned to Izuku's personal retinue.

"Enough. I wish to review my property before continuing my trek to meet with Ligier. This deva… whose name I forgot." Izuku gestured towards the tall lizard, realizing he had never asked for the creature's name. "Buy the slave from him. Double what she's worth, but only if he agrees to keep to himself his… assistance in getting me here. It's an embarrassing tale I'd sooner forget." He waved off the matter as an afterthought, passing the diminutive creature as he strode onward towards his palace.

This was for the best, he told himself. He did not want to make a scene of personal attachment to the girl. It all had to look like he didn't truly care. Gritting his teeth, he swallowed his emotions and continued as though he didn't want to grab her up and run. Even this garden, palace grounds supposedly reserved for him alone, even this was a dangerous place. All his staff were demons. Every servant was just another potential set of eyes and ears for the Yozis. This place was a gilded cage meant to keep him comfortable and obedient to their plans.

"Master!" he heard the girl call out from behind him, interrupting his thoughts. Izuku couldn't believe that the girl had called to him. He didn't expect that she had enough willpower to do something so bold.

Izuku stopped dead in his tracks.

"You dare address the Prince?!" he heard the great lizard beast roar.

Izuku moved like lighting, turning and running far faster than even he understood. His body moved in its own, accelerating towards her before his rational mind could stop it all from happening. He was there, standing like a pillar as he interjected himself between the girl and the demon's giant fist.

Izuku took the blow without flinching, his face contorting into loose sand before reforming back to its original composition. As tempted as he was to strike the monster dead, he was satisfied with this result.

For now.

"I… my Prince… I am so sorry!" the demon had the good sense to back away, fearing the consequences of what he had just done.

Predatory rage consumed Izuku's features. "You almost damaged my property. The moment I laid claim to her, she became mine. Is that clear?" he dripped the words slowly like venom from a well-coated blade.

The demon, large as he was, had been cowed into utter subservience. He knelt onto the ground, his knee impacting hard into the gravel pathway. "I meant no disrespect, great Prince. Please pardon my stupidity."

"Hold yourself there and endure waiting while I see what the human's outburst was for. That will be your punishment." As much as Izuku wanted to kill this beast and taste its death, he restrained himself from his violent desires. Shame would be just as powerful a tool here as execution. Perhaps more so.

The palace attendant wisely remained still and quiet as Izuku's gaze swept past him and onto the chained girl. The collar on her neck had clearly chafed her from the bruising beyond its edges. "Now. Speak, girl. What compelled you to call out to me?"

"Please, my Prince," she began, keeping her gaze firmly on the ground. "I mean no disrespect, but… I trust you to evaluate my worth more than any other. I'm young. I have not started my breeding cycle… my mother bore me last and named me Third Daughter. I am sure I will be just as fertile…"

Izuku felt cold air on his eyes as they widened in astonishment. How thoroughly had the slaves in Malfeas been indoctrinated, that a child would haggle up her own price?

His amazement turned to shock as she pulled off her robe to reveal that her only garment beneath was a simple cloth strip wrapped multiple times to offer her the barest of modesty. It was tied with a single knot near her hip… where her owners had branded her with their names. "I am without blemish, save the one I deserve. I am skilled at scrubbing floors and dishes, and I can run far for your errands…"

Izuku sensed something was amiss by the flinching glances the two demons spared to the child. Was talking her price up like this unusual? "Stop," he commanded.

She immediately fell into silence. Only the distant ringing of tower bells kept the lot of them from the psychological fear induced by true quiet. After all, there is no silence without death.

"Girl. Put your robe back on. Tell me why you are trying to negotiate your worth to me. Do not omit or cover a single detail in your answer." Izuku spoke with resolute authority.

She obeyed immediately. "I have… family left behind. If I don't fetch a good price, I fear that they will be eaten or sold. I have a good set of masters… or… I did. I just fear that they… that my masters will be forced to sell or eat another if they don't get enough money from selling me!" she cried out. Tears dripped down her cheeks as she spoke, the barest hint of a flood waiting behind her eyes.

Izuku wanted to bend down and hold her, to pick her up and ensure that her bare feet would never touch hot cobblestones or gravel ever again. He wanted to buy her entire family and ship them far away to a place where they could be free and happy… but he did none of those things… not yet, he told himself. "I told you to leave out no detail. Tell me the rest."

She sniffled, clearly fearing her own words. "If you pay my overseer extra… none of that will go to my masters. They might still have to sell or eat someone… so… I…"

"Stop. You have done well to show loyalty to your masters." Izuku hated the words even as he said them. This act was draining on him. "Attendant." He called out to the grasshopper standing nearby. "If you were to buy her on the open market, what would you offer?"

The insectile demon pondered briefly. "She could easily fetch a price of five full crowns, my Prince."

Izuku hid his astonishment. He had seen tools, albeit magical ones, with significantly higher price tags on the market. An enchanted knife that he passingly admired on the way here was listed with a price of twelve full crowns and two duchies. Apparently, it had the power to preserve the meat it cut, whatever that meant. How little was human life worth if a knife sold for more than a small child?

"And the price to have her delivered to your home?" Izuku asked.

The grasshopper thought about it. "I'd offer two duchies at the most, and even then, only if I was too busy to handle the trek myself."

Izuku knelt onto the gravel to put himself at eye level with the girl. "She shows potential though… bravely seeking each of her master's best interest even when she will never see them again. Draw up a receipt. I'll pay ten crowns for her… and two crowns plus two duchies for her delivery. The price is to her owners, and the fee is to her handler. I trust that is agreeable." He did not phrase it as a question. He also didn't admit that he derived the price from that knife from earlier, disgusted that anyone could pay less for a human being than a simple piece of cutlery.

Her eyes, downcast as they were, widened with astonishment when he called her brave. Izuku wondered if she had ever been complimented like that before in her life. One more thing he would have to change.

The hulking lizard bowed his head lower than before. "My Prince is most generous. Your bounty is as vast as the Endless Desert."

The attendant stepped forward, draft-printing a prayer strip from within his mouth. "I trust this is to your approval, my Prince?"

Prince Izuku took the offered strip of paper and read it. It was spiritually binding to the exact terms he had just dictated. Offering it to the kneeling lizard, he did his best to still sound dismissive of this whole affair. "Consent to the transaction and my attendant will pay you from my coffers."

The strip of paper burned up once the demon held the other end, and a new one was formed from the ashes in its place. The child uttered a terrible scream as green fire erupted from her brand, burning a hole through her robe as well as the small cloth wrap about her waist. To Izuku's horror, the name of her previous masters was replaced with his own… and the process was traumatically painful for her. Abandoning all pretense, he moved to pick the child up, rescuing her from a fall onto the gravel below. Cradling her in his arms, he smothers the fire on her hip before pulling her robed tighter around her.

No one was more startled by his actions than the girl herself.

The transaction was done, and she was his now. Without a word, Izuku cut the chain that bound her to the lizard before turning his back on the creature. He strode towards his palace, carrying the child in his arms.

After they had crossed a fair distance, he spoke more freely than he had before. "Bear through it… we'll get you an ointment for the burning. Then your new life can begin…"

Her eyes were wet with unrestrained tears. "My new life? As… your…"

"As the newest member of my family," Izuku whispered to her, interrupting her before she could call herself his slave.

A tiny fist balled up on his shirt, gripping him tightly at the word family. "I wouldn't dare wish for such a thing… master," she said, likely testing if it was indeed safe enough to let her emotional guard down.

"Did you hope, though?" Izuku asked.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry master, but I don't understand."

It was a simple enough question, he thought. He looked down into her face as she once again averted her eyed from his. She was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of being carried like this. "Is being treated well something that you hoped for?"

Her lips pressed hard together. "I… don't know that word, master."

Izuku was caught by surprise. "Hope? You don't know the word hope?"

She nodded. His astonishment dissipated into angry resolve. Slaves here weren't even taught the meaning of hope. The only way open to them for a better future was to wish and sacrifice to higher powers, who doled out small favors in exchange for human lives, who bought and sold children for less than the price of a kitchen knife.

"I'll teach you about hope… and a lot of other things you'll need to learn. Hope is that feeling in your chest when you wish for a better future, for things to turn out well." Izuku said.

"Is that what that was?" she whispered. "When I reached out to you… and you saw me… that feeling… is that why you…"

"Why I saved you? Yes, I suppose it is." Izuku admitted. He thought for a bit. "Are you comfortable being called Third Daughter?"

She shrugged. "It's what my mother named me. But my masters usually called me other names…" she still couldn't look him in the eye.

He smiled at her. "How about Nozomi?"

She blinked in confusion. "I… what's that?"

Izuku felt happy for the first time since arriving here in the Demon City. His joy earlier while under the influence of the Ebon Dragon did not compare to this feeling. That selfish aggrandizement of his ego was such an insignificant thing compared to the wonder on this child's face. "It's a name that means 'hope' in my native language."

"You… in the world you come from?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes. I come from a big island; a land surrounded by blue waters. The waters don't burn when you touch them, and the sky is blue… the sun is yellow and warm, not as hot and unforgiving as the sun here. It's a land filled with trees and mountains. The buildings there are tall, but they're built by humans for other humans… it's a land where humankind lives freely with each other."

"I…" she interrupted him, her childish enrapture interrupting all the training she must have endured. "I'd like to see that… please… I…" she obviously didn't know what to say or think, but Izuku was glad to distract her from the pain she must be feeling. "I… like that name…" Nozomi finally mumbled.

"Then from now on, that's what I'll call you, Nozomi. And don't worry… I have every intention of showing you my homeworld." Izuku said, wanting her to have something to look forward to.

"I… thank you, master," Nozomi said. "Thank you for giving me… hope." She dared to look up into his face.

Izuku sighed at being called master but still smiled at her. He'd correct her for calling him master another time when there weren't demons around every corner. She finally looked him in the eye and named that emotion that stirred in her heart. It wasn't much, but it was progress. This was probably the closest she had to a normal human life than ever before.

Now all Izuku had to do was save the Earth and make sure none of the children there faced a childhood like Nozomi's was. A lesser man might have buckled under that pressure, but Izuku was armed with more hope than sense. "No. Thank you, Nozomi, for giving me back my humanity."


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A Note from the Author


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This has probably been the fastest I wrote out a chapter and published it. Can you blame me though? I've been looking forward to this chapter for months.

Thank you all for continuing to read me strange crossover fiction and my long-winded writing style. Your likes and comments mean a lot to me and encourage me to finish this project for not just my own sake but for all of you as well. I feel so lucky to be able to share this story with all of you, to draw up all the love and hurt in my life and translate it into the words on these pages. From the comments and discussions this has started, it really feels like a lot of you are able to look past these pages and into the part of me that is so hard to express any other way than storytelling.

At 668 followers, 517 favorites, 229 reviews, and over 107,733 views on FF dot net, as well as 167 kudos, 49 bookmarks, and 5513 hits on AO3, you all have blown me away. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Once again, I am going back to older chapters and going over their grammar and flow to improve the quality of my work. I did another edit run on chapters one and two and will hit chapter three before I work on typing chapter twenty-two. As I normally do, I will reply to every single comment. I reply directly to comments on AO3 and wait three days after publishing to reply in the review section directly on FF dot net.

I've decided to start up a Discord server by or before I publish chapter twenty-two in case anyone wants to just stop in and say hi to an amateur author like me. I can't be on all the time, what with work, etc., but I can talk a bit about other directions my writing is going and would appreciate people's feedback as I continue on toward my goal of getting an original work published.

I look forward to all your feedback and look forward to sharing the next chapter when it's ready! Onward to Chapter Twenty-Two: The Second Heresy: Hourglass Accelerating Impatience!