OOF. Guys. This chapter mang. THIS CHAPTER. It went through a dozen variations before finally landing on the version it is now... and even now I'm not completely happy. I'll explain why in the ending notes. Either way, some things.
But enough chat, ONWARDS TO VICTORY.
The room smelled like blood. Fresh blood. The kind just plucked from the body of a terrified, screaming victim.
He could almost feel the pain in the air around him. It clawed at him with nails tore from their fingers. It bit at him with mouths empty of teeth. His blood responded to it, as did the humanity of his soul. A mixture of effortless disregard, fearless expression, and a deep-set unease that sat, disturbed within his heart.
Before him, on a throne that was but a mere mocking shadow of the one he had seen in hell, sat Satani.
The Fallen was resplendent in every sense of the word. There was a sense of effortless grace, power, and splendor around them. Their flowing, golden and white robes. Their hair, long and perfectly braided, hanging over one slim, alluring shoulder. Their androgynous face which seemed to shift and change on the cellular level every time Izuku blinked.
Their eyes, an unblemished gold, blazed within the void-black of their sclera. Their skin was a marble white, like the statues of ancient gods of beauty and vanity come to life. Even their horns, great and bull-like, were adorned with delicate chains of gold and jewels of uncountable value.
They were perfect.
Too perfect.
Perhaps to mortal eyes Satani would appear as glorious and as wonderful as an elven dream-witch, come from fantasy itself to grant every wish of their heart. But Izuku was not looking at Satani with mortal eyes. He looked upon his aunt-uncle with the eyes of a Celestial, one of their own blood, and thus the glamor held no power over him.
He could see the way that their smile was just a little too sharp, the glow of their eyes not loving but cruel, and their movements not graceful but calculated and serpentine.
Yes, serpentine. That was the most accurate description Izuku's mind could latch onto Satani. Everything about them was cold-blooded and dark, despite the magnificence their very being radiated.
Lucifer had an unholiness around them that spearheaded into the very souls of those who looked upon him. A terrifying, yet regal presence, like a dark emperor upon a dark throne. But they at least seemed regal. Controlled, thoughtful and powerful. An ungodly creation, but one who understood the use of power and applied it with precise force and intent.
Simply looking upon his aunt-uncle now, Izuku could tell that was not the case with Satani.
Satani seemed to revel in their darkness. They toyed with it, played with it, and used it to toy and play with others as one might take interest in a passing fad before dropping it for the next amusement.
Izuku stood before Satani in the room that had been set out for them. The room itself was not wide, but wide enough. What it was before, Izuku didn't know, but he could guess it was once some sort of conference room. On Satani's left, stood Himiko, looking pale and dangerous as the dark light dance over her. On Satani's right, stood Tomura. He somehow looked more solid and defined, and yet in the presence of his master, he was barely a shadow of the threat Izuku remembered from the USJ.
Upon the walls, flickering blue flame danced on brass sconces. Under his feet was an ornate rug, covered with strange patterns that tempted the eye and filled the mind with bizarre thoughts.
He kept his eyes from them. He focused only on the four-armed Fallen before him.
There was no chair for him to sit on, though he had no doubt that was by design.
"So, my dear nephew, we meet at last." Satani's voice was laced with many more, though they whispered far in the background as had Lucifer's. Their voices however seemed to moan and cry out in lurid fashion and Izuku's pointed ears twitched as he detected more behind even that, screaming in utter, complete torment.
Izuku had to admit, he was unsure of how to proceed. Nemesis was still in his blood, though they had switched places upon behind brought to his feet. They had considered struggling and fighting when that strange doctor had come to give him first aid.
But they had been under the very watchful eyes of every remaining member of the Heralds. Any attempts at escape would have ended badly. Besides, the blessed, or perhaps cursed, irons clapped on his wrists made ice water flow through his blood, making his movements sluggish.
His dressed wounds were barely more than superficial. Enough to keep him alive, not much more. He was still weak, still injured. He needed to be careful.
"Can I get you anything?" Satani asked as they cocked their head, causing their hair to fall perfectly around their shoulders. "Wine perhaps? I feel as though we should mark this occasion."
"I'm underage," Izuku replied, though his voice echoed softly. He and Nemesis had never been more focused, save perhaps their fight with Himiko. Every movement, every word, every action could mean the choice between life and death.
Their soul almost hummed within their chest as their two halves worked intimately together.
"Oh please, like that matters." Satani stood up from their mock-throne and moved over to a small table, where an ewer of fine crystal glass was filled with a deep purple wine. Two cups stood side by side, matching the ewer.
Izuku watched as his aunt-uncle poured out a glass for themselves, then, just as they went to pour out another they stopped. "Though, if I were to pour you a glass, you might try to escape. I'd have to undo your chains after all."
"Why don't you unlock them, and we'll find out?" Izuku replied, calculating the slight boast with careful thought.
Satani laughed in delight and silently Izuku cursed. He couldn't even tell if that had phased his aunt-uncle at all. Every movement, every blink of the eye, and flow of their robes seemed tightly controlled as to be effortless.
"Perhaps you could! Though I doubt it. You may be strong, little halfling Prince, but you're not like me." They moved closer to the teenager and the pressure from their very presence grew stronger within Izuku's mind.
And he couldn't help but think that if he felt this power, what chance would any non-celestial have? No wonder they had taken control of the Heralds and commanded such obsessive, fanatic loyalty from their followers. No wonder Himiko had seemed so desperate to tie herself, as much as she could, to this magnificent creature of death, pain, and pleasure.
"No, I'm not like you." Izuku shrugged and ignored the bite of pain from his bloody shoulder. "I'm not like any of you. I'm me, and I don't pretend to be anyone else."
"Oh? I'm not so sure about that." Satani stood before them and Izuku could feel their eyes inspecting every inch of body in a borderline pervasive manner. "So strong. So full of yourself. So prideful. You are truly your father's son." The Fallen took a sip of their wine, then held out the cup, and Himiko scurried forward to take it. "But let us see just how strong that pride is, shall we?"
Before Izuku could protest, the Fallen had raised a hand above his head as another hand cupped under his chin, forcing his eyes up.
He could see the pure, unapologetic inhumanity of Satani's gaze, and he felt a quiet terror grip his heart.
Then, the hand came down.
And the world fell away with the echoing gasp of his breath.
For a moment, Izuku thought he was in hell. All he could see was a void black that yawned eternally in every direction around him.
All he could taste was the cold emptiness of nothing.
But therein lay the clue. Hell tasted of ash and fire and despair. This tasted of… of cold, empty space.
"There, this is a much more private, I think."
He spun around and was surprised to find he could spin around. Satani was standing there, tall and resplendent, though bizarrely their clothes had changed. No longer were they wearing the long, ornate robes, but instead they were wearing a toga that seemed to flicker and dance with every color of the rainbow. It was beautiful, and extravagant, as were they.
Izuku clenched his fists tight, feeling strength and fire in them. He felt none of his wounds, and indeed, he felt as though he was burning and fresh to fight.
Yet even as he went to ready his body, his aunt-uncle laughed.
"I wouldn't bother if I were you. You can't hurt me."
Izuku's eyes twitched. "And why not?"
"Because, this place? We're not really here. It's not real. Well, it is in a sense." Satani looked around and held out their four arms. "This is your heart."
Izuku's eye's widened. "My… heart?"
"Yes. I am the Lord of Desire, and no heart is hidden to me." Satani moved forward, their steps unnaturally graceful. Izuku stepped back as they drew close, though nothing in their body language suggested an open attack. They stooped low and ran a hand through the ground. It rippled, like broken water, and suddenly the black void began fading.
The world changed. Izuku was standing on freshly mowed green grass, the sky above was open, blue, and bright, and around him was a stadium, no, it was U.A.'s stadium. The air became filled with the roaring of an overjoyed crowd and, from somewhere, Present Mic's familiar voice boomed through the air.
"WE HAVE OUR WINNER, FOLKS!"
Izuku turned his head, his eyes wide with confusion. And then they grew wider still.
He saw the stands designating the first, second, and third place winners of the sports festival. In third place was Katsuki, clutching his head in broken defeat. In second was Ibara, who was openly weeping at her loss.
And in first place, stood himself. Their wings open and spread, their fist consumed in unlight. Said fist was raised high into the air, holding a tightly clenched first-place medal.
He roared in victory and the crowd around them seemed to burst into even wilder cheers.
"This is just one of your many desires."
Izuku turned to see Satani had come to stand beside him. Their eyes were watching the scene, surprisingly amused at the sight.
"… I- I mean-"
"Victory over your rivals. The adulation of the baying crowd. It's a common desire if I'm to be honest. Though I do admit, first place suits you well."
Izuku turned back, his fists clenched tight. "I- I don't-"
"Don't lie to me." The comment cut into him like a sword through his belly. "You want this. It's what's in your heart."
It was Nemesis who answered. A low, growling reply that echoed through the stadium despite the roaring crowd. "… yes. Yes, we would like this."
"Good. Admittance is the first step to actualization. Now, let's look at another desire, shall we?"
Before Izuku could protest, his aunt-uncle again ran their hands through the ground, causing it to ripple and re-shape.
The world changed again. This time they were surrounded by skyscrapers and Izuku soon realized they were in the middle of a busy street. People ran, screaming and crying and again he turned, this time to see a huge, monstrous-looking creature, a mixture of a gorilla, a shark, and an elephant smashing buildings and roaring in fury.
He was already starting to move, to fight the beast and save the lives around him when a sudden bolt of black and azure blue shot past him like a bullet.
And he watched, in absolute awe, as Morningstar hit the villain like a righteous hammer.
It was incredible. It was a vision of a mighty, yet dark hero with great wings and furious anger delivering swift, brutal justice. He was tall and strong, an adult in the prime of his power and confidence.
Within moments the villain had been bested, and Morningstar stood atop them, his eyes blazing with pride at his victory.
Soon the crowds were gathering again, chanting his hero name in an almost religious reverence. A large teleprompter suddenly flashed with his grinning, sharp-toothed image, and 'Morningstar, the Redemption Hero, No.1 in the Rankings!' flashed across it.
"Fame and fortune, another common wish." Satani almost sighed from beside him, folding his arms. "Though fighting small fry like that? Surely this isn't your greatest desire."
"What's wrong with wanting to be a hero? With saving people?" Izuku replied. "Isn't this a good thing?"
"Perhaps," Satani agreed. "Though that smile on your face. The look in your eye."
Izuku glanced from his aunt-uncle back to the figure of his older self. They had hopped off the villain and were now walking through the crowd. As he walked, he stretched out his hands and people reached out to touch his unlight-clad talons, tail, and armor as if trying to receive a blessing from the demi-god amongst them.
But Satani was right. Morningstar's eyes seemed to glow with undiluted pride. His smile was not just victorious, but boastful and amused, as a mighty king might be amused by the antics of peasants before him.
This wasn't just thankfulness, this was worship.
"You want more than just their thanks, their apologies for the years of abuse. You want their love," Satani mused beside him, a hand now raising to their perfect chin. "Like father like son, I suppose."
"N-No," Izuku stammered even as his heart betrayed him. "This isn't- I don't- This isn't me."
"Of course, it's you. You're right there." Satani waved a hand before them. "And this is your heart. This is who you want to be." They paused. "But why don't we push a little deeper, hm? Let's really go into the core of what you truly desire."
Izuku had known that Satani would torment him. That his aunt-uncle would unleash his most awful terrors upon him.
But this… this exposure of his darkest desires… it was too much. It was an internal hammering that he couldn't stand.
Because he knew, deep inside, that some part of him truly did desire everything he was being shown.
And he knew what might be coming next.
"Please, don't!"
It was too late. With a wicked, fanged smile, Satani again ran a hand through the ground, and again, the world rippled and re-shaped.
This time, there was no bright sun in a clear sky. There were no crowds chanting his name, or rivals weeping as he stood over them.
This time, there was only fire.
The world was burning. As Izuku turned on the spot, he could see the skeletal remains of skyscrapers, the burned-out husks of cars and… bodies. The land was soaked in the blood of the dead, and corpses scattered the ground. Decapitated, disemboweled, dismembered.
Destroyed.
This was… this was the ending of the world.
And suddenly, emerging from the air around him, came demons. At first, there were just a few, then dozens, then hundreds, then thousands. They rose out of the ground like ghosts, some gigantic and hulking, others so small that they crawled up onto the shoulders of their hellish comrades. Somewhere in the distance, a sound was starting to fill the air. A monstrous, world-shaking booming and hammering and crying.
It was a battle. A great and mighty battle.
One the demons were marching toward.
Izuku suddenly found that Satani was nowhere to be seen, and panic was hammering inside his chest. Panic and… and something else. Something black and heavy and full of guilt.
He began running. The demons parted before him, unconsciously or not.
That was until he came out upon a ledge.
He skidded to a halt, almost toppling over before he fell to his knees. Before him, he saw the last bastion of mankind. A church-fortress, tall, but burning. He could see upon its ramparts his friends, clad in strange uniforms. They were fighting desperately against the monsters that climbed the walls, but they were losing.
They were fighting, and they were dying.
The last humans on earth.
Tears filled his eyes as he witnessed the death of all that was good and right unfolding before him and he wept openly.
That was until he heard a soft chuckling from his side.
He turned his head, and once again his eyes widened as he beheld himself.
Though this was not the prideful, almost shining Morningstar of before. This was a different Morningstar.
This was the King of Hell.
He stood, tall, proud, in the same armor with the same body, but upon his brow was a crown of shining, golden laurel leaves. A sword of flaming azure blue stabbed into the ground beside him, and he rested one mighty, black-taloned hand upon its shining lilac pommel. His eyes, glowing bright with a merciless pride, were locked upon the scene before him.
And he smiled the smile of a conqueror.
"Ah, so this is what you bury so deep down inside you."
Izuku turned suddenly to see Satani behind him. The Fallen's presence seemed to set in as if he had been hiding it all the while. They stepped forward, slowly circling the smiling King of Hell.
"You wish to take your father's crown and do what he never could." He paused as he came back around to Izuku. "… yes. Yes, this I approve of."
"I don't want this!" Izuku snapped, scrambling back to his feet and wiping the tears away angrily. "This isn't me! This isn't what I want!"
"Yes, it is," Satani replied in a soft, calm tone as if they were delivering bad news to a terminal patient. "This is your greatest, deepest, darkest desire." They smiled almost lovingly. "And, if you join me, I can make this happen."
Izuku's breath caught in his throat.
"This is the world that is to come, you have the foresight to see that at least. Right now, the one who would stand in your place is Tomura. However, if you were to pledge your allegiance to me." Satani looked back to the grinning figure of Morningstar. "It can be you. You would become the King of Earth… and perhaps, if I may make a little suggestion."
They waved a hand, and from the Legion of demons, a new figure emerged.
Izuku's heart began hammering once again as he saw Himiko walk out of the monstrous crowd. Himiko, aged as Morningstar had been aged, dressed in a fine, flowing, almost sheer silk dress with her arms adorned with the finest gold and jewels.
But this Himiko was no mere girl with a borrowed gift. This was a Himiko full in the blood of the Celestials. Great horns, like those of her would-be father's, curled from her brow. Her ears were sharp, and a flowing, snake-like tail curled from the base of her spine.
She came to stand beside Morningstar and the man turned to look at her. His smile grew wider and his hand snaked around her middle, pulling her close to him. She rested a hand upon his breastplate and together they stood, united, watching humanity die.
"Would you like her?" Satani asked softly, curiously. "You could have her. If you were to kill Tomura and take his place, we could use the same ritual I plan to use on him with her. She's already survived longer than any other mortal I've ever given my blood to. She might just have what it takes."
"I… I…"
"And think about it." Satani continued, their golden eyes glowing brightly. "It wouldn't just be for you." Their long, black, sharp fingernails traced across Himiko's middle. Before Izuku's eyes, her stomach suddenly swelled and grew heavy with child.
She placed a soft hand upon it as if it had always been there, and Morningstar's hand joined on top, his fingers intertwining with hers.
"The world wiped clean of humanity, and in its place, a new race of Fallen Celestials. Free and wild to act upon their every desire, forever."
Izuku was silent, his eyes cast down. And in this silence, Satani drew close. The world faded away until they were once again back in the void of nothingness.
"Well, nephew? You have seen the desire of your heart, and the truth of what you, Nemesis-Who-Is-Izuku truly want, and it's all within your grasp! All you have to do is reach out," they offered one of their pale hands, "and take it."
Izuku kept his silence for a long, eternal moment.
The weight of his heart was so heavy within his chest that he could barely breathe. Each intake seemed to only increase the tightness of his skin and each outtake drained him of the energy to stand.
He wobbled, his limbs begging to fall, to bend and bow to this monstrous thing of aethereal beauty before him.
Izuku didn't dare open his mouth, for how could he? How could he dare deny that anything he had been shown was a lie or a trick? That was truly the cruelest aspect of his Aunt-Uncle's power. That they were not showing some glamoured illusion, they weren't tempting him with things beyond his grasp.
They were tempting him with things he knew he could do.
If only he had the will to do it.
… and yet.
And yet, from the depths of his soul, came the voice of his other-self. His own inner Fallen, the one to whom he was one and the same.
Nemesis spoke, and their voice was like a lantern bobbing in the storm.
"How strange."
'What's strange?'
"Satani shows us what we desire… but they do not show all our desires."
And just like that, Izuku felt the fire-warmth return to his blood. It was a slow, trickling thing, nothing more than a few droplets against the ice in his muscles. And yet it was there, and like a grasping hand onto the fickle edge of a cliff, he began to pull his will back to his control.
"We're… we're in my heart, right? Or some image of it?"
Izuku couldn't see his uncle, not with his eyes cast down, yet he heard the creature hesitate. It was an unsure footing, one that perhaps to human eyes may have just been a slight changing of a confident pace.
But Izuku heard it.
And he knew he was piecing the veil.
"Then… then why don't we look at some of my other desires?" He looked up, his eyes black as the void, a sudden match to the molten gold of the ones now staring down at him through snake-like slits.
"Why? So, you can fool yourself into thinking they matter? I showed you your deepest desire."
"Did you?" Izuku snapped suddenly, and with his will alone, he began to picture what he truly wished. What he wished for more than anything else in the world.
He pictured his true desire.
The world began to fill with color, though it wasn't the fire red of apocalyptic death. It was the calm of a deep, blue ocean. He suddenly felt sand under his feet and tasted the sea salt upon his tongue.
Satani, if one such as they could ever look shocked, looked pretty damn shocked.
They turned their head as the beach took shape. The sun was setting eternally on the horizon, and the waves lapped in a calming, rhythmic motion upon the sand.
"What is this foolishness?"
"This is what I want, Aunt-Uncle," Izuku replied, growing more confident with every second that passed. Nemesis was now rushing through his blood, flowing, and breaking down the doubt and fear that Satani had sewn into his heart.
"There is nothing here!" Satani turned back, the venom in their voice like the coldest blade being drawn against the softest throat. "This is just- just-"
"This is us." Nemesis replied with an echoing tone.
For indeed, Nemesis had come forth before their aunt-uncle.
And in this world of hopes and dreams, of sweet illusions and terrible promises, they were not the monstrous being of terror and death.
They were simply… them.
Izuku and Nemesis, as one, as the Morningstar.
Nemesis turned their eyes to the horizon and held out their arms, even smiling wide with fanged teeth. "It is perhaps a little bland, yes. A little boring, yes. But this, She Who Wants, is what we truly desire."
"A beach? A sunset?"
"Peace." They replied with a laugh, their arms rising high before the warm glow of the setting sun. "Peace, unity. In this place, we are no longer two beings but one. One Morningstar."
"And then what?" Satani snarled as they moved behind the teenager. "This dream is nothing but that, a dream. This static peace will never last. Only by taking power can you achieve true unity, true lasting peace."
"A wasteland is not peace." Nemesis snapped back. "A world filled with madness is not unity. Power. Money. Fame. Admiration. Yes, we do desire those things. We always have. Perhaps it is part of our nature, part of our blood." They looked up, locking eyes with Satani. "But it is not us. We are not some mortal to be lead with promises of gold. We are Izuku-Who-Is-Nemesis, Nemesis-Who-Is-Izuku. We may not be fully Fallen, but we are Fallen enough to see through your petty tricks. You promise freedom with one hand and enslave with the other. We would take the crown of our Father and abandon the throne of Hell to you. You would feed us your favored slave only for us to take their collar. You would even offer us your own adopted daughter, knowing that they are dying."
Their voice lowered and their defiance was now set within their very soul. They were of the blood of the King of Hell, and no power, not even one of their own family, could cause them to betray their own heart.
"You have no power over me, Aunt-Uncle. We know the desires of our heart and soul. And you cannot tempt us off the path of unity, of freedom, of the path we chose for ourselves."
Satani hissed, their tongue forked and long. Something of the true Satani was now within their visage. Something that was serpentine and bullish all at once. Something that was unholy and imperfect and made of the sweetest nightmares of human psychopathy.
When they spoke again, their voice was a mixture of male and female, slave and master, murderer and victim. "I took Tomura, who wanted to destroy the world for his own satisfaction, and turned him into my mindless weapon. I took Himiko, who above all others wants and desires freedom and love, and I turned her into my personal slave. I even took the most powerful human on earth and made his heart beat only because I will it." They towered before Izuku, for arms stretched out great and ready to strike at a moment's notice. "And you, you, the bastard child of my absent, weakling King, dare defy me?"
Nemesis only smirked in response. "You can't hurt me here, remember? This is my heart, and you do not rule here."
And at that, Satani screamed.
Izuku fell back with a cry, hitting the ground hard. Pain shot through him as his wounds, which had been all but forgotten, now reminded him that they most certainly still existed.
He curled up as best he could, his eyes squeezing tight and his tail wrapping around his leg.
But inside, he was proud. Proud of himself for defying Satani, for not falling for the tricks of seduction and desire. He had held his ground, even against his darkest dreams.
Nemesis fluttered through his blood and within his mind, he heard the echoing voice. "This is a great victory."
A tiny smile dotted his lips.
"Himiko. Pick him up and drag him back to his cell. I'm done with him."
"Erm, F-Father?"
Izuku wrenched his eyes open and looked back to his aunt-uncle. They looked the same as before, still unholy and unnaturally beautiful. Yet somehow… somehow Izuku felt his defiance had marred them.
The Fallen Archangel stopped before their throne, turning to look at the girl. "Yes, child?"
"I… can I get a reward?"
Tomura seemed to stiffen where he stood.
Satani's eyes twitched. "A reward?"
"Well I did capture the Prince." She spoke with a grinning confidence, and yet Izuku could hear her heart starting to hammer in her chest. "And I sowed chaos in their ranks! I think I deserve something, right?"
"… you want more blood?" Satani replied as one of their four hands curled around the arch of their throne. It was not lost on Izuku that their claws were digging into the wood. "Are you so greedy, even now? I gave you some not too long ago."
Himiko looked flustered. "Well I- I mean- I did your will! I succeeded where Tomura failed! Father I- surely-"
"Do not presume things, child," Satani snapped suddenly, their teeth flashing in threat. Izuku really had angered them if their gracious mask had slipped this much. "We are on the precipice of victory. Total victory." They stopped suddenly, bringing carefully composed fingers to their forehead and closing their eyes, giving an exaggerated sigh. "Surely you can hold out until after the ritual tonight, hm?"
"But-"
"You did what you were told. That does not deserve a reward, bar my praise. Tomura is the focus here, never forget that. We work so that the Ender of Days may fulfil his destiny."
Tomura's smile was unmistakable. It was small but smug, and it was directed right at Himiko.
Satani moved closer to their would-be daughter, and she visibly stiffened in response. "You did well. And if you hold on just a little while longer, you will get all that you dream of and more. But for now," their voice became a low hiss, "do what I ask, and take the Prince to his cell."
Himiko glanced between Tomura and Satani before her lips thinned and, in a clearly suppressed voice, she replied, "of course, Father."
Himiko felt sick.
Her stomach churned and twisted on the very edge of agony. Her wounds, the few she had taken from the fight with Nemesis, seemed suddenly sharp and biting on her body.
More than anything she felt the hunger within her. The hunger for more of her Father's blood. The sweet balm to her strange, bizarre pain deep within her heart. Her body still felt as though it was on fire, as though she was running some low-grade fever she was trying to work off.
And yet the medicine had been denied to her, and she didn't even know why.
Hadn't she done everything that was asked of her? Hadn't she out-performed Tomura in every regard? Was she not, even now, closer to the ideal of what Father wished of the Ender of Days? She didn't feel the need to claim his title, no, of course not, why would she? She was better than that.
She was the Daughter of Satani.
… wasn't she?
Their footsteps echoed through the cold, dark walls of the chapel. Her boots landed on stone that sent a chill into her very bones. Bones that ached as that blue fire ate her insides. Down in these depths, the air was ice cold, and she could almost feel the shadows biting at her heels.
They had walked in silence so far. Himiko hadn't even flirted with him, which truly showed the depths of her dark mood. But how could she flirt with her handsome, kind-of cousin when her heart felt… tight? When her jaw kept clenching and her head felt as though a migraine might split across it at any moment?
She felt… weighted. Heavy. In one moment, the elation of the past few weeks had been stripped and she found there was very little substance behind the delicate lace curtain her Father had hidden behind.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry you had to find out this way."
She blinked, turning to look at Izuku. She didn't reply, though he too turned to look her in the eyes. His own seemed to glow softly in the dark, like viridescent lanterns in the shadow of his sclera.
"About the Fallen, I mean. They're all like that."
"Like what?" She spat.
"Complete bastards."
She huffed in response and turned away.
Though, to her own shock, she didn't rebuke him.
"If it's any consolation, I don't think Satani cares about any of you. Even Tomura."
"Shut up."
"You know they're just using you, right?"
"Will you shut up." She snapped again. "I'm not going to listen to you lie to me!"
"Odd, 'cos I'm not lying."
Himiko turned away again, knowing her silence spoke for her.
Since drinking Satani's blood and fusing it with her own, she had noticed many improvements. She could see better, hear better, move better. Even though the corridor was completely pitch black, she could see just fine.
She could see Izuku's face as clear as it would be in daylight.
She could see the honesty in his kind, soft eyes.
And that was why she couldn't look at him.
"I just… I should have done better. I spend too much time playing with you when I could have captured other sacrifices or- or something." As she talked, she could hear it in her own voice. The desperate need to convince herself that it was true. "Yes, that's it. I just need to work harder."
"Work harder? I thought you wanted to be free."
"I do. And I will be."
"Do you really think becoming one of us will set you free?"
They came to Izuku's cell and she wrenched it open before turning to him.
"Of course." She replied with a surprising honesty to her voice. "All I've ever wanted is to be free. My parents, my friends, all of society tried to stop me from being me, but if I rise to become one of you, well." She smiled, her fangs flashing even in the dark. "Nobody can ever tell me what to do, or who to be, ever again."
"Is that what you think?" Izuku almost laughed. "Because ever since I found out who my dad was it's been responsibility this and tradition that."
"Well R.I.P you, but I'm different," she huffed as she dug her nails into his arm and threw him in.
Izuku stumbled into the cell, falling to the center of the floor. "Don't make any attempt to escape." She pointed to the ceiling where a light was built far above them. A grate had been placed over it, casting the shadow of an incomplete soloman's cage. It was easy to see how, with just the slight adjustment, it would become complete and active, and the wire running from it spoke of just that possibility. A camera whirred in the corner, focusing intently on Izuku. "We've brought out all the stops to keep you contained, and suffering. The suffering is important for the ritual, you know."
It felt good to taunt someone who was under her control. That at least gave her some joy. Though it didn't do much.
She moved back, ready to slam the door on him. Yet before she could, Izuku suddenly called out, "Himiko!"
She paused. Despite knowing that she would probably get in trouble for even talking to him, she still hesitated with her handle on the cold iron pull.
"Please," Izuku spoke almost in a whisper from the center of the room as he managed to right himself onto his knees. He could have been begging her. "Listen, just for a minute. Please."
She didn't reply, though she knew that alone was damning. The voice in her head that sounded a little too much like Father's demanded she slam the door and walk away. That's what would make Father happy, after all, and didn't she exist to serve? To make him happy? To make her father proud?
And yet another little voice, one that sounded much more like her own, simply said, 'Let's hear him out. He's our cousin, after all.'
"… what?" She asked in what she hoped was a stony tone. Her bones were beginning to ache more than ever, and being in the cold, dank air of the basement dungeons made it somehow even worse.
"I… I've never met anything, anyone who was like me before. I thought I was alone. You're the closest I've ever seen to another child of the Celestials, and if that's the case, I don't… I don't want you die needlessly."
"I tried to kill you and your friends. I unleashed hell upon your class, and you still want to save me?" She gave a light, mocking laugh. She didn't really feel it.
"Yes."
"You're an idiot. A cute idiot, but an idiot."
"Maybe. Maybe I'm too forgiving. But I am the Morningstar, the Redeemer of the Damned."
"And you want to redeem me?" She laughed, and this time she meant it. She was far beyond redemption of any sort, whether she be human or not. "You're adorable! And so heroic! But I think I gave you one too many blows to the head!"
"Listen to me, Himiko." Izuku pressed again, his voice echoing slightly as his Fallen side took over. "If you really want to be free, then get away from Satani. All they want to do is use you, and once they're done with you, they'll kill you."
Izuku's words cut her laughter short. His eyes again seemed to glow in the darkness. He made no move, other than the soft rising and falling of his chest, and with his hands chained behind his back, he really couldn't do anything. Even his tail lay limp and bandaged on the cold stone floor.
And yet she saw the fire in his eyes. The same fire that was eating away at her insides was somehow within him, but where it weakened her it gave him strength.
At that moment, she deeply envied him. She felt an overflowing well of jealousy in her heart. Why was he the complete one, and not her? Why couldn't she feel the fire's warmth like he did?
"Look, Lucfier kept talking about a change coming to the world. All the celestials can feel it, I think, but they don't know what it is. But… but I think maybe we're that change. It started with me, but maybe you're part of it too, and I don't think Satani realizes that. But maybe you can. Please. We're meant for more, we're meant to be free."
For just a second, a long, eternal second, Himiko almost believed him. She felt the goosebumps run up her arms and her lips become dry. More importantly, she felt that fire-burn gnawing within her blood fade. Just for a moment. Just for that moment.
Then the unprovoked thought of her Father's elegant, graceful, loving voice overpowered her senses. Her own voice faded back into the depths of her mind and she took a long, deep breath. "You're wrong. The world is going to end and then I'll be free to do whatever I want, forever. Nothing you can do will change that."
She slammed the door on him before he could say any more, locking it behind her, and began walking back through the long corridors.
This time, however, they felt… darker. Colder. The weight in her heart was so great she could barely move and yet she kept going, one foot after the other.
This was the right thing to do. She was doing what was right for her. She was sure of it. She just had to get through this night and then it would all be hers.
She looked back over her shoulder to the door vanishing in the dark behind her. Everything would be okay after just this one night.
Everything would be okay if she just… kept doing what Father told her.
Even if, deep in her heart, she finally began to wonder this really was the path to the freedom and love she craved.
All Might stood, feeling the weight of the world on his mighty shoulders. It had been some time now since he had discovered that Izuku Midorya had been kidnapped by the Heralds.
He had slept a total of four hours, and not all at once.
Every waking moment he was consumed with thoughts of his own personal failures. He had failed to be there for the boy when he had needed him. He had broken the promise he had made on his knees to Inko Midoriya, and he could only imagine the wrath she was feeling as of this very moment.
Wrath that was surely born from intense, unending fear.
The sun wasn't yet low in the sky, though soon it would be. Not that he'd really be able to see it. Outside the fourth-floor windows, clouds were gathering. Huge, black, ugly-looking clouds that had been pulled in from who knew where. A storm was building and building fast.
It made All Might nervous. Everything, right now, made him nervous. Including this wait.
He looked around the conference room.
Aizawa sat at the table in the center of the room. He had his head in one hand, his hand hiding his eyes. His other arm was in a cast, and that cast was held up by a sling. Apparently, the fight to finally contain and stop the blood-mad psychopath villain at the camp had been intense, even with the entire class of one A and one B there to help.
Aizawa had described the man as being like a monster, a demon, someone possessed, unable to feel pain or fear. They had still been screaming, their mind utterly lost and broken, as they had restrained him and thrown him in the back of a police van.
He looked defeated. Not in all the years that All Might had known the man had he ever known Aizawa to look defeated.
His eyes then traveled to the final member of the room.
Endeavor.
The hulking form of the hero stood in a far corner, leaning against a wall. His muscles bulged under his uniform, though they weren't nearly as threatening as the flame that danced from his shoulders, arms, and beard.
For once, All Might didn't mind the obvious show of arrogance and strength. They'd need it in the coming fight, of that he was sure.
He went to open his mouth, to say… something, anything to break the stifling silence in the room when he felt something.
A soft crawling sensation on his skin, like goosebumps but somehow more… primal. Something dark that screamed in the very center of his human soul.
And it was growing.
His sense of danger was never something he would ever willingly ignore, so as he looked to the door his hands clenched into fists.
He wasn't the only one.
Aizawa looked up suddenly from the table, his hair messy and greasy about his unwashed and unshaven features. Even Endeavor reacted, pushing himself from the far wall, his scowl becoming a confused frown.
They could all sense it. The power coming down the hall towards them.
The shadows grew darker while the sunlight seemed to grow stronger, and more blinding.
The door opened, and All Might felt his body freeze up.
It'd never done that. Not in all his years. Not even when fighting All For One to the death in that bloody, mad space that existed out of time within his mind.
His lips were dry. His old wound ached.
And he felt his heart struggling to beat.
Hisashi Hokori walked into the room clad in black shadow and grief. Never before had he looked so drawn, so thin, so… old. And yet the fire that was in his eyes was raging with the inferno of Hell behind it.
And indeed, it felt as though he had brought Hell with him. All Might had an immediate flashback to the night before the Sports Festival. The threat that hung over his head, the one that he knew had been no mere threat but a promise.
He felt as though here and now, that threat would come and take its pay.
And yet his body swung again as someone moved behind Hokori.
Hawks. Hawks who seemed to almost… glow with some inner light. For a moment, All Might felt his heart leap in a bizarre reaction against the terror and darkness that Hokori brought with him. Something about Hawks was noble and bright and strong.
But then he made eye contact, and that mood too was dashed.
Within those sparkling eyes, he saw only hate. Only fury. Only a deep, rending disappointment in all of mankind. Some emotion that went beyond the scope of his mortal mind to process.
And with the two of them suddenly side by side, he could see the resemblance. It was as clear as day.
They were both something more. Something greater. Some inner thing within them was larger and more… other than anything All Might had ever seen within another being. They didn't look alike or sound alike.
But they acted alike in the way only family members did.
And that scared him.
Because that was the same greatness, the same nobility, the same strange, beyond otherness that he saw so clearly whenever he looked at Izuku Midoriya.
Nedzu followed behind the two men, who quietly, approached the end of the great conference table which, thankfully, separated them from the rest of the inhabitants in the room. And behind Nedzu was someone that All Might had never seen before.
A child? No, a teenager, who was a shadow-clad black with bone-white hair, eyes, and a permanent grimace on his face.
He was also wearing strange armor that resembled the armor he had seen on Izuku, but was far less ornate, despite the odd mixture of red, gold, and brass.
Within his hands, he carried a sword in a sheath, which he held with a strange sort of reverence. All Might felt something was very wrong with whatever that sheath was hiding. Something... empty seemed to drift from it, like smoke from a fire. He forced his eyes from it and focused on the two beings before him.
The door shut behind them, and it seemed to All Might like the slamming of a jail cell.
The silence couldn't have lasted more than a handful of seconds, yet to All Might it lasted the length of the world. Hokori's eyes were fixed onto him, and he could feel his skin burning from the terrible fire he knew that man had within him. He could feel his soul being stripped down bit by bit, exposed before something far mightier than he could understand.
Then Nedzu spoke.
"Your temporary court, old friend."
"This is what you could manage?" Hokori grumbled out as his eyes scanned the room. "This is all you could find?"
"Do not judge them so harshly, sibling." Hawks replied before All Might could defend himself. "Your servant has done well. Look at them, they are all great warriors, and they burn to redeem themselves for their failures." His eyes landed on Endeavor. "They've also felt the touch of our world on theirs. It'll make explaining things a lot easier."
"What is this?" Aizawa said, rising to his feet. His voice held the pain of his wounds and the exhaustion of a sleepless night. "Why are we here?"
"Silence."
The command cut through them all like a blade, and despite the power and strength of the heroes in the room, not one dared defy it.
Hokori leaned onto the table, his fingers spreading carefully, but firmly upon the old wood. With one hand he reached up and removed his glasses. He set them down onto the table, took in a low, deep breath, and exhaled.
The shadows moved with the motion, growing deeper, stronger, before relaxing back against the bright light.
"Izuku Midoriya has been taken by the enemy." Hokori began. "I placed my trust in mortal men. I believed that my own sibling would not be so bold as to strike so obviously and risk open war. I have come to realize this may be as much my fault as anyone else's. But I intend to fix this mistake, by any means necessary."
"My King, please-"
"Silence, Kuroiro!" The man snapped, and everyone in the room other than Hawks drew back from the sudden wave of anger that hit them all.
All Might noticed how, in that sudden slip, Hokori's teeth had become sharp.
In fact, as he watched, he could see other tiny changes slowly occurring. His ears were becoming slowly pointed, and his fingernails lengthening into…
No.
No.
"Open war is not something I wished, but I will commit all my power to returning what was mine back to me." He straightened up, as and he did so, a pair of terrible, dark, ruined wings stretched out of his back.
Horns curled up from around his brow, and the black shadow coated his arms.
The transformation was complete.
"Now. Humans. Champions of Men and heroes of this world." The monster from the nightmare of biblical myth, the first evil, the lord of the damned, the King of Hell, spoke in a commanding tone. "You will help me save my son, or I will take your souls so deep into my blasphemous realm that not even my Father will find you on the final day."
There was a pause where All Might felt as though he was caught in a nightmare from which he couldn't wake up. This couldn't be real, right? He had to be dreaming, or so consumed with grief that his mind had broken.
That was until Hawks stepped forward, placed a hand on Hokori's shoulder, and with a wry smile, said, "I think the traditional greeting was, 'do not be afraid', sibling."
"They should be afraid of me."
"Mal'akh."
The word drifted through the room like a ghost before All Might turned to see the speaker. Aizawa stood, frozen to the spot, his eyes wide and bloodshot and amazed.
Hawks shrugged and suddenly replied in a language that All Might had never heard before. He looked back to Aizawa as if expecting the man to know it before he replied in kind, though his sounded more… broken. Rusty, almost.
"Are you really that out of practice with your Hebrew, Aizawa? You should speak it more." Hawks replied with a small laugh, though it seemed a little force. He then turned to look at the rest of the room. "If you didn't get the message, we're clearly, you know, not like you. Not human, I mean. I am Azrael, the Unforgiven of God. This is my sibling, Lucifer, Lord of Hell. Also, God is real, demons and angels exist, yadda, yadda, yadda," he rolled a hand, as if it would somehow make the earth-shattering revelation more acceptable, "now, if you can save your spiritual and probably mental breakdowns for after we rescue Izuku, that'd be great."
Aizawa did nothing for a moment, then simply replied. "I didn't believe you existed. I don't believe you exist. This has to be some kind of quirk."
"Cool. Whatever helps you sleep at night." Hawks snapped back before looking to the others. "Look, the cat's out of the bag now, so we feel no more need for hiding. This meeting is being held under the strictest of secrecy, do you all understand? We're going to tell you things here that you might find hard to believe, maybe even impossible. But you must believe us. Otherwise, you're all dead. If you want to leave, if you want to abandon this mission which may cost you your lives, walk away now."
Silence gripped the room again.
And All Might was tempted.
He was standing here before these two things, these two creatures which had burst out of myth and fantasy and were now commanding their cooperation. One was a monster, the literal well spout of pure evil in the world. A darkness, a blight, which was at the source of every disaster and horror inflicted on mankind.
And the other… he didn't even know. Was Hawks some kind of angel? Was he just as cruel and evil as the thing he knew once as Hokori? Could either of them be trusted, or was this another trick of the enemy?
"I don't trust you." The words fell out All Might's mouth softly but landed as heavy as bricks upon the floor. "Either of you. You've been hiding all of this from us since Izuku joined the school. And now to learn all of this is… it's overwhelming." He gulped back his nerves and tightened his jaw. "But I have never walked away from a person in need. Whatever you are, whatever Izuku is, I do believe that you care for him. And it's in that, that I'll place my trust."
"I never thought I'd live to see living proof of God," Aizawa replied in a quiet tone. "Or the devil. I'll have to have a long talk with my Rabbi after this. But fuck it. Izuku is in trouble. I'll work with God or the devil to save him."
Lucifer smiled, actually smiled, and Toshinori knew it was true.
Then Endeavor stepped forward. He had been silent the entire time, and that alone was suddenly suspicious. What had Hawks said? That their world had touched them all in this room? How the hell was Enji connected to any of this?
"… If I do this. If I work with you. Will you help me when I need it? I... made a great mistake, a long time ago. I've been looking for a way to repair it ever since. You, your kind, may be my only hope."
"You dare try and bargain with-" Lucifer began before Hawks put a hand to his shoulder, silencing him.
"I will help you, Enji Todoroki. However, I can." Hawks replied. "But in exchange, I expect you to fight with all your strength. Everything you have, every aid you can summon, must be committed to this fight."
"It would have been anyway. I'm not some coward who'll go running when the world is in danger. I asked only for my own personal reasons. I'll owe a separate debt from tonight."
Hawks nodded. "Alright then."
The King of Hell then straightened up. His presence was commanding, his power dark and terrible. This was what had always been waiting behind the glamour, this was what All Might had always suspected lay within the shadows of Hokori's presence.
And now, he was expected to fight alongside it.
Strange how the world sometimes made one work for redemption.
"Then it's settled. Tonight, you are to be my earthly Privy Council. You must obey my orders without question. You must fight as though your lives depend on it, for they do. You will be my swords, my shields, my spears, for tonight, we go to war."
SO THE WAR COUNCIL IS GATHERED. It was a bit shorter than I would have liked, but now Aizawa and Toshi know the truth. And Enji seemed... less impressed. How very sus.
Izuku fighting off Satani's temptations was super fun to write sas well as a tad hint at IzuToga/s. And of course, it looks like earth has finally come back to Himiko's feet and she's finding things ain't so clear cut. Her loyalties are wobbling a little now she's been verbally slapped down by her Father and her Celestial-blood high is fading.
Could we get a heel-face turn? Who knows!
Though I admit I disliked the structure of that whole middle bit. Kinda felt a bit... gratuitous? Not sure if that's the word, but having them have that alone time still doesn't fit super right with me. Yet it is important to have Izuku whisper those words to her. My defense is that I'm sure Satani is so confident in their control over everyone, they could leave her alone with him and not worry about it. Hum. Either way, I'd say that's the weaker moment of the chapter.
But, enough self-critiquing, what do you guys think? Let me know!
Next update we get the Goth God Gang going late night shopping, a moment between Lucy and Inko, a public address by Aizawa, and perhaps a little bit more Himiko... with a surprising ally coming to her side. Thank you all for reading, I really do appreciate it, stay safe, wear your mask, and I'll see you next update!