He screamed when the blue flame washed over him, charring the muscle and skin to nothing but bubbling fat utop smouldering bones while the disfigured face of his killer grinned sadistically as his own fire burned out instantly, leaving him as nothing but a man forced to witness the end to his mortality without a shred of power to intervene.

Enji awoke in a cold sweat, the bitter taste of alcohol still in his mouth. Fire erupted from his face, setting his hair alight with the yellowish glow of what he used to value so much. In truth he still did, but now it seemed pointless to take as much pride in the abilities that made him wealthy when he couldn't even reach the top shelves in the kitchen. Steam rose from where the sweat contacted the flames, making the visibility of the room lessen by the second. He sighed, frustrated at his own weakness. How long has it been since he was reduced to this?

He had lost count of the days since that bastard lizard sliced open his ankles and robbed him of his ability to walk. The lights flipped on with a clap of his hands, exposing the opulent decor of his room in all its faded glory. With a slight grunt of effort, the hellfire hero managed to sit himself in the one thing he loathed and needed above everything else. The wheelchair was comfortable enough with manual wheels that required arm movement to power it (a feature he demanded so as to not completely forfeit his chances to exercise), but it still left him angry.

The door to his room slid open as he rolled past the entrance ramp. He fought against allowing a grow to leave his throat at the fact he was forced to live almost exclusively on the first floor of his home, installments and rearrangements were certainly an option with all the wealth he accumulated over the years, but the shame of having some blue collar nobodies come into his house and reconstruct the place he built was not something he would ever allow.

A glance at the clock told him it was three in the morning, he had slept in again. Enji had tried to follow a schedule like he had before he was forced to retire, but lately it seemed pointless. For all his power and prestige being the number two hero earned him, it wouldn't make up for what he saw in that mist. His son was staring right at him with a smile so evil and a face so disfigured that he didn't even recognize him until he started talking.

"Hi Pops, remember me? I certainly never forgot about you."

That was all Toya said before he raised a blue flame enwrapped palm, intent on charring him to a crisp, but for a moment, just a fraction of a second Enji saw hesitation in his eyes. Not that it mattered when he felt his tendons get cut open and pistol whipped into unconsciousness.

He shook the memory away and continued to the living room. Dumbbells and exercise equipment laid haphazardly around a giant television that took up the entire space of the wall where a muted film was still being played, casting a glow in the darkness. The light was a comfortable numbing to his current state and lately his whole damn life seemed to revolve it. Most nights he fell asleep watching one stupid program after another just to kill time, usually with a bottle or two spilled out onto the floor. This was the last thing he wanted to do, but frankly to him it was the only thing left.

His agency was shut down after word of his actions towards his family reached the government (strangely there was no public backlash against him on account of how it never seemed to reach the public), everyone of his old comrades refused to even associate with his name, let alone himself(All Might was the only one who even dropped by to check on him and even that's stopped for some reason) and his children won't answer his calls, Shoto went so far as to block his number.

So here he was, alone and crippled with not a single soul to even hear him scream. He would have laughed in hindsight, had he not been so bitter, karma really is a bitch at times.

With a flick of his fingers the TV was turned off and he moved towards the kitchen, intent on getting something to distract from the growing pain in his heart. Then he froze when he saw the dining table. A glass of alcohol was sitting right at the rim of the table, next to where he sat down before the injury. Little by little Enji made his way to the glass and lifted it to his nose.

"Rye whisky?"

He said aloud to himself.

There came a tap of hard soled shoes on hardwood from further inside the kitchen, just out of sight of the Hellfire hero and suddenly his body began to sweat, his quirk activated on instinct and he spun around to face the source of the noise. Nothing came out of the darkness, but then he felt a hand clasp his shoulder gently.

"Your favorite if I remember correctly."

The voice was deep and sophisticated yet held the assurance of painful death at the same time, a voice that he knew could only belong to a single individual.

"All..All For One!"

The villain chuckled as he patted the hero on the back and pulled a chair out for himself.

"You're correct, would you like to state anything else that was blindingly obvious?"

Teeth began to chatter inside Enji's skull, his body alight with fire. On reflex he raised an arm to shoot out a stream of flame at the demon, but he never got the chance. A line of red energy flew out from the titan and instantly touched his chest, killing his flames and removing something indescribably important that he just knew he needed back. All For One wagged a finger at him like a teacher disciplining a misbehaving child.

"None of that nonsense, Enji. I've not come all this way just to have an idiotic brawl between another cripple and myself."

He snarled at the Symbol of Evil, his fear barely hidden behind his anger.

"Get out before-"

"Before what? You call your sons to come save you? We both know that is never going to happen, you pushed them away with your foolish ambition to have your name be one number higher than All Might in a government sponsored popularity score."

Still the hero glared at the man, his eyes filled with terror and hate for that fear.

"Why have you come here if not to kill me?"

A second glass was extended out to him, the calloused hand holding it filled with tubes and wires aplenty.

"I simply wanted to talk to another failure of a man, and maybe gain some advice on what not to do."

Endeavor opened his mouth to protest, but relented. What else did he have to lose other than his shame of a life now? He took the glass and leaned back in his wheelchair, a sense of defeat washing over him that made the aura of All For One seem useless.

"Advice on what exactly?"

The giant turned the drink in his hand, the black death mask he wore hiding his expression.

"What did you feel when you knew you were going to be a father?"

Enji nearly choked on his drink, his eyes wide in shock.

"W-What!? You have a child!?"

The villain's mask dialed directly on the fallen one and those soulless simulacrum of eyes dug deep into him.

"I never said that, but as I've asked, what did you feel when you learned you were to be a father?"

The hero flinched at the threat in the monster's voice. Then he considered the question, oddly finding himself drifting back to a time he hadn't thought of in years. He frowned as the memories came back.

"Angry, I was angry at nothing and everything at the same time. I suppose the first thing that came to mind was "finally"...I think you already know why."

All For One placed the cup down and studied the man, his eyes somehow being felt by his potential victim.

"Ah yes, Dabi was quite clear about your brand of "training". Thank you for that by the way, it gave me such a pleasant little student."

Whisky flew through the air as the glass in Enji's hand was launched at his aggressor.

"Don't call him that! That boy may be a failure but like it or not he is MY child, you evil bastard! I tried to help him, make him strong, but I was too damn hungry for results!"

The air suddenly became deathly cold, enough to where the breath of the men could be seen.

"You are a tiny, insincere, pitiful excuse of a human, Enji, and that boy is mine now, well not quite, I'm simply keeping his leash maintained until his leader comes back, but I can say with absolute certainty that Dabi is worth a thousand of your sort for the reason that he refused to bow to men such as you and used his life for a cause greater than his own self aggrandizement, staying true to himself all the while."

Enji's chair began to roll to the fiend as the air seemed to push him. The scarred hands of the original evil grabbing his arm rests.

"Do you know what makes our sort truly despicable? Is it the suffering we inflict? The lives we ruin? Yes, but the difference between men like Dabi and All Might and you and I is one simple, vital thing: honesty. We lie to the public, our loved ones, ourselves because that would ruin the image we create. I still feel the poison of my deceptions even centuries later, you? You have the luxury of mortality and in a few decades your pain and sins will die with your body, myself? I'm doomed to walk this earth until the end of time contemplating my mistakes."

Sand seemed to gather in his throat as he watched the monster lament his fate, not saying a word as it went on.

"I had a chance to leave this, you know? Retire away to a drab little two bedroom apartment and live out the rest of my days in peace, but I just wouldn't let my obsession with that bumbling ox go. I sacrificed everything I had to that foolish need to end this game and look at where it got me, got us. Two lonely, broken men with all the wealth in the world but not a soul to even notice unless we pay them."

Endeavor noted the sorrow in his voice, the fear slowly waning away as the Master of Evil went on his tirade.

"To be honest, I had thought of quitting this silly distraction and waiting until All Might was at his happiest to finally end it. I'd played around the idea of turning him into a Nomu, yet while that'd be sweet in a cruel way, it would remind me of what he cost me...what he took from me."

Curiosity began to over take the weakening fear in Enji's mind and somehow he managed to speak.

"What could he have ever taken away from you? Your abilities practically make you a god and you have enough wealth to fund small nations if you wished, what in the hell did All Might take that none of those things could replace?"

All For One's knuckles cracked, his sense of danger rising slowly.

"My family, Enji, he stole my life from me or to be exact, I sold it to him. I have only been truly happy a few moments in my time on this earth and I once had an era, not even twenty years ago where I smiled everyday, nearly forgotten about as this...sham of a puppet and known by a different name. I had a wonderful woman by my side with more wealth than I knew what to do with...it was the second time in my life where I dared to dream about something other than power. Granted, I still desired it, but that was an afterthought."

A bit of whisky had suddenly refilled itself in a glass that Endeavor hadn't known he was holding. He allowed himself a sip and listened, completely intrigued by what he heard.

"Which is why I ask about your children, I...I haven't quite understood it, at least not until much later than I should have, how much having kin of your own can lift you up."

Enji snorted, annoyed at the weakness in the titan.

"You aren't missing much, kids are nothing but wastes of time. You give them the best training around, try to raise them to be strong and in return all you get is damned silence."

A finger was flicked and suddenly the liquor in the hero's cup became a clear white.

"You didn't have a great father, did you Enji?"

He turned his head away, refusing to look at the killer.

"What's it to you?"

"That's where most problems in life originate from, I'm no exception and neither are you."

There was a pause as he slowly swiveled his head to face him, confusion now about on his brow.

"What do you mean?"

A light chuckle came from All For One, his voice filled with a palpable hate.

"Do you want to know the first person I ever killed? It wasn't some idiot hero or some head of state, no, the first man I'd ever killed was my own father. The old bastard had it coming and it was the first step I took to fully understand how badly humanity can falter. I can still feel it, you know, the way my fists ached after I beat him to death. The feeling never left, even now it stays with me."

Endevor raised his brow, a bit of recognition coming with the statement.

"What exactly happened to make you do it?"

A sharp inhale came from behind the mask and it was held for a moment before the monster spoke.

"He struck my little brother. I was about sixteen at the time, my brother was fourteen and our father liked to beat me when the feeling came about. He was a cruel man who thought of his children as annoyances, fit only to be used to vent his petulant anger at the world when something inconvenienced him. He wasn't even that much of a man to begin with, the most he could pride himself on was an italian suit he wore everywhere. That didn't help to make him feel better or in control of his life as a cog in a massive corporation, so he decided to use me as a punching bag because he knew I wouldn't hit back, or at least until I did. My brother never was on the physical side of the abuse, mainly because I always without fail stood between my dear old dad and him. Then one day, I had to stay over at school to study for a test, mathematics if I recall correctly, and saw my brother nursing a black eye."

A slight spasm came from All For One's hands, each finger curling back into a shaking fist.

"He tried to laugh it off, saying dad had just been playing around, I wasn't listening nor did I care to. I simply stood up, dropped my school bag on the floor of our room and went into our father's room. I changed into one of his precious suits and waited. I sat down on his bed, just staring at a wall, waiting for when the front door would click open. It had taken exactly six hours for him to get home and five minutes later, he walked inside his room. He looked so surprised to see me, much less in one of his suits. He tried to shout me down, but instead I stood up and asked him why he decided to hit my brother. I think it was at that moment he realised that he wouldn't be walking back out...well not quite, but the fear was gathering in his eyes. He said it was because he wouldn't get out of his way when he asked over and over again."

The villain shook his head at the memory.

"I didn't say anything after that, I took one step towards him then he hit me in the face. I didn't even register the pain, all I could feel was this roar building in my throat and then, nothing. Everything went black and the next thing I saw was my hands covered in blood, the old man was dead, his face didn't even look recognizable as human with how badly I beat him and my brother was staring at me in horror, a phone in his shaking hands. My fists ached with blood coming from my knuckles, but for some unknown reason I smiled at him, told him everything's alright now. The police came not long after and I was acquitted due to me being a minor, it was in the nick of time too because after that, quirks started to appear in more of the population and chaos followed soon after."

Enji stammered the words leaving his mouth, the sheer amount of new information making him want to ask more questions then he had ever thought to ask.

"You have a brother!? Nowhere in all the databases in the world did it say you had any kin."

"Well what did you expect, that I was some horror from beyond the stars? As loath as I am to say it, I'm human. A ridiculously powerful and arrogant one, but human all the same."

"No...it's just, a normal man can't do the things you do, even the most debase and vilest of criminals don't give off such an instinctual sense of...death."

All For One rolled his wrist absentmindedly in an attempt to relieve some pressure in the joint that popped loudly.

"It comes with practice. You do what I've done over the centuries and you'll start to get a feel for human fear. Although, I suppose that might also have something to do more with the person's quirk being alarmed at my ability, you'd be surprised how alive those things can be. Still, I'd like to ask you something else now. Do you ever miss your wife?"

Endeavor flinched at the question. That was one thing he'd always try to bury. His jaw shifted uncomfortably as images of the past came back, striking him like a slap to the face.

"I'd rather not talk about."

Again the villain chuckled.

"Lies, lies and more lies Enji. You love to unload all that pent up thoughts but you'd don't want to admit to all the pain you brought that poor woman. It's alright my friend, it's just a secret between failures after all."

The hero slid his mouth around as the liquor touched his lips. He drank deeply, the taste easing some of the tension in his body.

"I rather not speak of it."

Somehow Enji knew his guest was grinning at his discomfort.

"Did you love her? In all the years you were together, had she ever rendered you breathless with just a glance? Made your chest swell with pride when you got to hold her close? Give you such a joyful feeling that every little worry in the world seemed nonexistent? Did you feel your heart skip a beat when she smiled at you? Perhaps she never smiled at you, pity that."

The fire quirk user squinted his eyes, both ashamed and perplexed at the criminal's words.

"I...I think it's best if I ask a question now."

"Even though you barely said a word since I arrived? That is not exactly an even trade, but since your future is going to be filled with much, much worse encounters on my account, I'll make an exception."

He hesitated for a bit, taking another sip before practically vomiting the question out.

"This woman you're so fond of, care to explain why?"

"Simple old sport, it's for three reasons. She has no one else in this world, no living parents, no siblings, nothing save for me, an old highschool friend and...another person, so I can empathise. The second being that she never backed down from me, that woman was only one of two people who I couldn't intimidate and she treated me like a person because of it. The third is due to a more debased reason that I won't get into."

Endeavor swirled his drink around, trying his best to not look at the giant.

"You act as if she could hold up the sky."

"And why shouldn't I? She put up with my special brand of jackassery for years and even managed to nearly help Tomura, if I hadn't intervened of course. She...She was my everything. I was alone for so long after my brother's passing and then one random day centuries later, by pure chance we ended up in the same elevator and from there I began to get enthralled by her beauty, by her kindness, by the purity of her soul that shined so brightly despite encountering hardship after hardship. I am a fool Enji, and the only thing...one of the only things keeping me from going further into my madness is the fact that out there is the woman who made me forget my pain."

"Tell me, you speak much about this brother of yours but it seems you can't decide if you despise him or love him, what's that about?"

His lungs practically flattened when the pressure exerted by All For One's anger chased away the comfort of the liquor instantly, then that too, died as the villain leaned back in his chair and tilted his head to the ceiling.

"He was family, that should be reason enough. Things are rarely black and white, rather shades of grey especially when kin are involved. Still he brings me trouble even after all this time because I refuse to let him die. I suppose you could say it is regret that binds myself and him, although I know he would beg to differ on that. Duty he said, what a joke told by such a serious man. The entire world was teetering on the brink of collapse and he cared about freedom? People were dying in the streets while petty dictators rose and fell with the morning sun as the old governments tried to retain control over a population eager to cast off the shackles of civility for their own animalistic selfishness with abilities that seemed like a gift from above. I was the only one able to stem the tide of chaos, to give people the fear of retaliation and authority in this new order and he wanted to stop me. Do you ever wonder why they called me "The Shadow Emperor" for so long?"

"Because it seemed to fit?"

"N..Well perhaps, but it was because I had no interest in directly ruling over the lives of mindless sheep and petulant children who never grew up, I simply wish to push things in the proper direction without being seen. My reasoning for this whole crusade of mine is simply due to a natural need for a dominant figure in human society and if I remind the masses exactly how weak their current system is, then I would have safeguarded many more lives in the process. I am humanitarian by nature if you can believe it."

A growl left the hero's throat as he listened to the king of crime.

"You're a bastard who justifies his misdeeds with some greater good so that any damage done can be swept away."

"Yes and so are you. What else is new? The fact that you tormented you children so badly that they all universally want you dead? Honestly, had Dabi fully informed me on just how deeply he was hurt, I would have turned you into a Nomu on my decency as a human being alone. However, he still harbors a dying ember of care towards you Enji, it is because of his request that Izuku hadn't led a campaign to capture you back when this all came to light and you should thank the stars for that because that boy thinks himself righteous enough to justify the most horrible acts in the name of "Justice". Though I doubt those ideas were new to him, given how close he was to Shoto, I bet that he had considered something of the sort long before he was inducted."

"You keep his name out of your filthy mouth."

"Oh please, you never cared for that child anymore then using him as a tool for your own selfish desires, so let's not be hypocritical here. I'm guilty of much the same, but even I never beat my pupil into submission. Subconscious manipulation and positive association training do far more than brute force ever will to get people to do what you want. Tomura may be a failure but that falls solely on me and not due to a lack of trying, while your children fail to spite you. In fact, we all have had our eyes on your son, his ingrained hatred of you would have paired wonderfully with Izuku's established bond and not to mention how helpful Dabi would have been to fully seal his loyalty to my cause."

Strong, powerful hands clasped around All For One's neck when the Hellfire hero threw himself out of his wheelchair and used every bit of frustration in choking the life from the fiend.

"You will never lay a finger on that boy! As long as I draw breath I will protect my son with everything I have, do you understand me!?"

The murderer's throat did not give or flex under the strain of the hands trying in vain to squeeze the life out of them, they remained as they were while Enji's palms collided with the skin.

"Hollow words said by a hollow man. Justice never mattered to you, all you wanted was to be the strongest because of your childish ego that wouldn't allow for anyone to surpass you and now after tasting that bitter fruit, you think yourself worthy of even pretending to be the role you perverted? You were supposed to be a father, Endeavor and you used those who depend on you as puppets and think anything can make up for that? Perhaps, I am not one to believe in redemption, but if I may share some advice before you annoy me further."

Coldness touched his arms as All For One peeled him away effortlessly.

"The past is over and it will haunt you as long as you allow it, the sacrifices made will never be regained, but even still you can move forward if you are willing to bear the pain of looking at your mistakes and accepting them. I will never get my old life back, but I have made it my mission to do such things that will allow me to forgive myself for my foolishness. You still have other children who have yet to fully turn away from you, I suggest you make the best use of your time with them before forces come into motion that will make this world bend."

The chair was pulled back as the Symbol of Evil stood to his full height, the drink he poured still untouched. He shifted a hand over Enji's head and patted him softly while the hero was powerless to do anything.

"Thank you again for the great company Endeavor, you truly made my night. I'll be sure to stop by more often and maybe I'll give Shoto a visit as well after we're done. Oh and before I forget, could you please thank All Might for that favor he gave me? I can't really put into words how profoundly grateful I am."

With that, the original villain vanished, leaving the former number two hero to scream into the dark night, bereft of the power which gave him everything and burned it to ash.