Several days later and Izuku could be found still laying on the couch, groaning and not really doing anything, completely zoned out. His mother was worried but had no idea what to do, as he'd been like this for several days.
He couldn't bring himself to play games, to watch Yotube videos or analyze heroes. He couldn't even find it in him to be excited to experiment with his own powers or try to discover the applications of his newer ones.
About the only thing he had done was talk to Tokoyami over the phone and even that was rare. He knew Urachan and Kyoka were particularly concerned about him but… acknowledging the world was just too much sometimes.
A part of him almost felt angry again, not just at himself for this pity party but at the outsider who still hadn't granted a single visit since it had occurred. Izuku still had no idea what the glow was about.
The best guess he had was some kind of magical overflow but even that raised its questions over how and why, questions that were getting no answers due to the Outsiders radio silence.
And of course, with no visit from the Outsider at all, nor any mental messages, that would also mean there had been none from the past holders of One For All to at least try and kick his ass into gear and tell him to get over himself.
To tell him to stop the pity party. He knew he shouldn't need someone else to tell him to manage, but it would help so much just to know someone cared enough to actually come do it properly to his face.
But alas, it wasn't going to come. There was no message to be, nothing to do, nothing to get him off the feet. His eyes shifted to the clock and sighed as he saw the date. Maybe if he'd accepted the invite to the mall all his friends were visiting tomorrow…
Maybe then he'd have something to drag himself off of the couch for. Instead, everyone would be there while he'd be alone. He'd be alone, unable to talk with Kyoka, unable to at least see if Tooru was alright even if he couldn't interact with her, couldn't just have one normal conversation with Urachan or even just some supporting hands on the shoulders from Todoroki and Iida.
Little things one took for granted, all gone and leaving him with so many aches inside for things he wanted back. It was for the best though, he was sure. He shouldn't be there, he said he wouldn't be and Tooru didn't need him there right now. He'd stay home and that was for the-
His train of thought didn't get a chance to finish as the TV suddenly crackled to life loudly, forcibly grabbing his attention and making him turn as it seemed to switch through channels with a mind of its own. 'What the…'
Then it came up. A news broadcast with a headline that made his stomach drop.
'Breaking News: Musutafu Mega Mall Massacre….?'
Izuku sat up immediately as his throat went dry and he turned the volume up, listening to the reporter on the screen.
"I would just like to remind the viewers at home once again what you may see soon will be graphic and not for the faint of heart. If there are children present please remove them from the room immediately." The blonde news anchor spoke, clearly struggling with her own words and seeming very shell-shocked. "I will confirm again that these corpses were not found within the Musutafu Mega Mall itself and there is nothing to suggest that anything untoward is happening within the mall itself. We are required to assure everyone that Musutafu Mega Mall is still open and dedicated to protecting its customers. We merely only know one definitive fact about these unfortunate souls and that is they were all last seen around the Musutafu Mega Mall. I am now going to…. Going to play the footage of the bodies being found. Again, please leave if you are faint of heart or have kids."
A shaky camera footage began. It was clearly taken by some drunk college students celebrating some good grades or something similar. Something normal, about to be corrupted at any moment as they walked into a carpark. A carpark Izuku recognized as being only a few streets down the road.
The camera footage stopped and the loud amused laughing and mumbling from the drunk students gave way to silence followed by horrified shrieks and screams. The camera briefly focused and Izuku felt ill.
There were more dead bodies on the screen then he could count. Every single one viciously ripped apart in some way. This wasn't the work of some human, even a sadistic one. This was the work of a monster.
A single word creeped up in the back of his mind and filled him with dread. The feed cut and the anchorwoman seemed even more sickly looking then before, looking down and struggling to speak.
"That… that footage was taken not too long ago. Aside from the connection of the Mega Mall, all that's known is they have unique… words and phrases carved into their bodies, the meaning of which are currently unknown. 'Outsiders', 'Dawn of next day', 'Friends', 'decide', 'Or you', 'Chosen one'-"
She continued on to discuss more phrases but Izuku didn't need them as he knew the second she said the first one what this really was. A demon for sure, there was no doubt now.
And if he was deciphering the message right….
'Outsider's chosen one, dawn of next day, friends or you, decide.'
It was a message. To him. A threat even. He felt fear and rage course up inside him and he immediately picked up his phone moving to call Mina and warn her.
Then he stopped as the sheer absurdity of what he was about to tell her came through If he told her they were the targets. Tried to claim it was an attack on him without being able to tell her why 'Outsider's chosen one' meant him.
He let out a loud curse as he realized the situation this put him in. A part of him hoped the others would see it and decide to call it off but a more rational part of him immediately reminded him that the likelihood of them calling it off without further proof was low, if they didn't have many other chances to get supplies and had good reason to assume their own safety as they were hero students and likely would travel in groups.
One option left then.
"OUTSIDER!"
….
"OUTSIDER!"
…. Nothing. Izuku growled.
"OUTSIDER TALK TO ME OR I SWEAR TO… WELL YOU YOU'RE NOT GONNA APPRECIATE OUR NEXT VISIT!"
….Still nothing. He gritted his teeth and cursed, wanting to throw something but deciding against it. Fine, if he had to do this himself then so fucking be it.
With that though he whirled around and hurried to the door, rushing outside and hopping over the balcony, using Far Reach to safely descend and rush to the nearest alleyway, once more using the power in tandem with his new Shadow Brute ability to scale the roofs and get higher. Were it a better time of day he might have used the shadow morphing power he'd elected to dub Shadewalking to get around but sadly he had to take the riskier route because of the time.
Fortunately, it seemed no pro's noticed him as he hurried down the streets and over the rooftops until he eventually reached one just across from the car park. With a deep breath he prepared himself, used dark vision to make sure no one would see his entrance and used Far Reach to fling himself right through a window, rolling on the floor and standing up.
He pushed into the hallway and cursed as he heard footsteps approaching, hiding in the shadows quickly and watching some pro heroes run by. Once they were past him, he came out again and ran up the stairs, coming out into a small area with a few pro's guarding the presumed crime scene.
Noticing one heroine off to the side away from everyone's sight he shifted down into his shadow walk form and tore forward as fast as possible, getting behind her and turning back to normal before he could be seen.
Right as she went to turn he grabbed her from behind, putting his marked hand over her mouth and pulling her behind a wall, activating semblance. Her face turned to stone as Izuku felt his magic pool and shifted his appearance from others perspective.
He kept an eye on the stony already fading mask in his hand and hurried into the main area, walking up to another pro who raised a brow. "Something wrong?"
"Just making sure I didn't drop something." His voice came out in a higher register than he expected, even though he knew it would be different.
"You shouldn't be going back there." The pro told him, blocking his path and Izuku cursed internally before getting an idea.
"It could corrupt the crime scene, and if it does, do you think I'm the only one getting the blame for it if they can't pin it on just me?"
"You-"
"So wanna take that risk or wanna just let me past and get it?" He challenged. There was a tense moment of silence before the pro groaned and relented, letting a somewhat surprised Izuku past. He couldn't believe that actually worked.
With that done he went right to the heart of the scene and winced as he saw the body bags. Even in person, he struggled to count how many they were. The fact anyone could have gotten away with this made him sick to his stomach.
"Like my handiwork?" A quiet voice asked and Izuku immediately whipped around to see a scarred red-head with a missing eye, a half chewed ear and tattered rags of clothing standing there. Her one good eye had red sclera with yellow pupils.
She definitely looked the most unhinged of any demon he'd met so far.
"You did this… they were innocent people." He growled quietly, already moving his hand to form Far Lance. The demon just laughed.
"And I was hungry." She shrugged with a cruel giggle. Then she leaned in to whisper something that made Izuku want to throw up. "The one your beside struggled most. She was the funniest one."
"You monster!" He snapped, trying to rush at her as far lance formed and he went in for an immediate strike, only to find his feet suddenly would go no further at one point and he crashed into some sort of invisible wall, knocking him to the ground. "Ow! W-What the-"
"I think we'll do this on my terms actually, brat." She giggled as he leaned down. "Tommorow. The car parkoutside your tiny little apartment. Be there, or I'll go to the mall while your friends are there, find them, and slice and dice every last one of them into pieces. Show up in time and I might even blend them into a smoothie for you to drink!"
"The fuck is wrong with you!?" Izuku growled, standing up and trying to attack again only to hit the same wall. "What is this?! Who are you?!"
"WHO'S THERE?!" A pro's voice came. The demon grinned as she stepped back.
"That's my cue to leave. If you need a name, you can call me Maul, because that's what I'm going to do to you, then your friends, then everyone else. Be there, or regret it." She grinned as suddenly there was a bright white flash like a camera and the next thing he knew, she was gone making him let out a loud curse.
He found he could move freely again though, and he could hear footsteps rapidly approaching. With a loud curse he turned and dived right out the window, heading straight for the shadows below and literally merging in, waiting for the heat to die down before he unmerged and ran away.
Ran all the way back home, cursing wildly and trying desperately to think of what to do. How did she even know about his friends?! How'd she know about him?!
"OUTSIDER?! OUTSIDER! GODDAMIT ANSWER ME!"
….
Once more, there was nothing.
Izuku sank into his seat, gritting his teeth and shaking with worry and anger. There was nothing for it.
He had to stop Maul all by himself. If he didn't….
Izuku didn't want to think about the ramifications.