I couldn't sleep without getting this one out out of my head. I read many Izuku as Green Lantern stories and decided to get a crack at one myself. I didn't want to go with the classic Green Ring though so I picked something else!
Hope you will enjoy!
The humanity was the species destined to rule. Not because of the physical powers granted to them by birth. But their own ingenuity and ability to evolve. With nothing but their brains and persistence, the humans have conquered the world around them.
They survived through cataclysms and wars. They have gone through famines and pestilences and persevered. They always did. It was their nature. No matter how much the world changed, people adapted to it.
Until the day when it was the humanity that changed first.
Quirks. The powers beyond one's wildest dreams. Some called them miracles. Some called them abominations. But what people called them or thought of them was irrelevant now. As the decades passed, the Quirks spread and now the world had almost no place for those who without them.
People like Midoriya Izuku were seen as relics across the world.
Which is why he enjoyed the comfort of the cold and dark space. There were no jeers or sneers from his tormentors. No mockery and ridicule from his peers for being born without powers. Up here, away from Earth, he was not Deku the Useless Kid.
He was Izuku Midoriya, the space mining specialist.
If he couldn't find any future for himself back on Earth, then why not take a shot in the space. With the society finally recovering from the damage done to its infrastructure by Quirks, many companies were looking to get back to the research their predecessors worked on before the whole mess.
Orion Universal literally aimed for the stars. Our there in the space, it's CEO said, was the future of the humanity. But before they built the houses and resorts, they needed to find the fuel and resources to make them.
Which is where Izuku came in.
The Project Starheart was the world's first major attempt at establishing a sustainable mining operation on the surface of the Moon. The mission would last two years during which he would use the drones to map out potential sources of the necessary construction materials.
And once it was over, he would return home a hero. Kacchan could punch villains all he wanted. Izuku would be part of the humanity's future.
The thought made him swell with pride. His place here was earned with his own blood and sweat. Sleepless nights he had spent studying and working to be chosen as the candidate for this mission above all others.
He would prove it once more by solving the mystery before him.
"Midoriya, what's the status?"
"Drones discovered. Their systems are all fried though," he scanned the lifeless pieces of metal. The results came up negative. "Energy signature unidentified. I think I can pinpoint the source of it based on the last footage recovered."
"Danger level assessment?"
"Minimal, sir," Izuku checked his wrist-mounted computer. The energy was unknown but a danger at this level. "The suit can handle whatever caused it. Something tells me we might find something more valuable than silicon and aluminum, sir."
"Noted. Collect samples and return to the base. Don't take any unnecessary risks."
"Roger that."
It has been almost a year since he started this job. And until two weeks ago, it was almost a routine for him. He would use drones to collect samples and analyze the quality of the materials. Then he would update the map of potential sources and the plans to mine them once his mission was over.
And then something fried several of the drones in one bright flash. It didn't came from outside. But rather something within the Moon was causing this. The scarce readings he got from the fried machines didn't match anything they had so far.
Which left the personal investigation as the only option.
Following the trail made based on the pattern in which his drones fell, Izuku took each step with a growing excitement. What could possibly fry their drones but not irreparably damage them? What sort of energy could stay hidden for so long in here?
Whatever it was, he could feel it growing stronger with each step he took. Or maybe he was simply getting closer. A quick look at his computer - the suit's defenses were still up. Good, wouldn't want to die inches away from the mysterious power source.
As he stepped inside the lava tube, he was swallowed by the darkness. The light provided by his tech did little to calm down his nerves he refused to give up, however. Whatever was the source of that energy, it was here.
And very soon, all that remained were just a few steps.
One step.
He could see it out there in the dark. So much power in such a small thing. Was that an orb? Some sort of crystal? It mattered little once Izuku held it in his hands. It would be his!
His to share with others. His to create a better tomorrow for the humanity.
Another step.
He would never be laughed at again. Nobody would treat him like trash after this. The rage fueled his movement as he imagined all the ways he would hold it over his tormentors. They would all see when he came home a hero.
He would come home a hero. And make mom proud. He would show her the years of her support and love were in vain.
The third was the final but his body froze mere inches away from the glowing crystal orb. Why was he hesitating?
Why was he so afraid?
His anxiety reared its ugly head as he looked at his suit's computer. He never noticed how low the energy on it ran. When has it been drained so much? Any longer and he would die. All of the trust put into him would be gone for nothing.
Why was he still hopeful?
He had gone too far. He worked the hardest to get here. He knew, deep in his heart, against all worries and doubts, that he could do this. He refused the fear to take control. The small sliver of hope cut through the fear.
And so he willed himself to grasp it.
It felt warm. So warm to the touch even through the layers of the protective suit. Mesmerized by the brilliant white light of the orb, Izuku was too slow to react to the warning of his suit. Too slow to notice how the soft glow of the sphere quickly turned into a cacophony of colors and lights.
He didn't answer the urgent questions of his superiors.
He didn't react as his suit systems failed and shut down.
As the sphere itself shattered into billions of specks and ripped his suit apart, all Izuku could see was the brilliant white light.
The feed was lost.
And so the team assigned to keep track of what Izuku observed never saw the single silver ring escape the sphere and put itself on Izuku's finger. As all their tech failed and shut down, none of them heard the faint whisper that came from it.
{°}
Izuku woke up with a groan. His whole body hurt. His throat was dry and he felt like someone smashed a sledgehammer into his head. As he got onto his feet, he tried to remember what he ate last night that causes him to feel like this.
Then, like a wave, the memories overwhelmed him. Looking for the unidentified source of power. The weird turn his emotions took with each step. The orb in his hands. His suit failing. A strange silver ring latching onto his finger.
"Ah!" he groaned in pain, falling to his knees. The feeling of his body being consumed by the very same energy he wished to find was not something he wished to relive. "W-What happened to me? Where the hell am I?"
It took him a few seconds to realize that he was still on the Moon. Out in the open and breathing without his protective suit as crazy as it sounded. He looked at his hands, noticing the faint glow coming from his entire body.
He could feel it all come from the ring on his finger. Silver and light, it felt warm to the touch. He brought it closer to his face. He could feel his heart race as he saw its glow grow stronger.
Suddenly, his world exploded into the colors and lights.
Orange. Red. Yellow. Green. Blue. Pink. Indigo.
Each color hit him like a wave. Stealing his breath away and filling his lungs and heart with the new and powerful emotion.
Greed. Rage. Fear. Will. Hope. Love. Compassion.
He was drowning in them all. His very being was being reduced into nothing but a speck of dust in the ocean of emotions. He fought against it. He refused to be lost in them. Izuku gritted his teeth and he tried to latch onto the single thing in his quickly dying consciousness.
It was his dream.
An old and forgotten dream of being a hero. He buried it years ago. And now it saved him, serving as his anchor to stay conscious in the storm of emotional spectrum. He focused on that dream and held tight onto it.
Until the rest of the world around him stopped screaming.
And his eyes saw only one color.
"Willpower... Perhaps it's the sign."
Izuku turned around in panic. Getting stuck in the cold dark space was one thing. Being saved by the weird ring another. Seeing the stranger casually walk up to him was something else entirely. Who was he? Was he the one who brought him here?
"Careful there, child," the man chuckled. His voice was rasp and tired. Izuku could tell the man was old and sick even if his cloak concealed his face and body entirely. "Fear is not what you wish to tap into right now."
Tap into? He cast a glance onto the ring. It was glowing green now. Just like the rest of his body. And since the glow settled on this color, he felt stronger. More confident. Unafraid. But it had other emotions, didn't it? Could they be tapped into if he felt them?
"Strong willpower and a curious mind," the man interrupted him, giving him a quick look. "Good. I am glad you were the one to find it. Go ahead... Ask me what you wish to know. But hurry... I don't have much time left."
Was he dying? How could he-
"You will not help me, child," the man shook his head. So he could read thoughts? "Believe me, if you knew what I had done, you would not wish to help me. Now come and ask your questions. Let me do something good while I still have time."
Izuku took a long hard look at the man. Eventually, he decided to ask his questions. It was clear to him the man was sincere in his words.
"Tell me what's going on," Izuku whispered. God, he was so lost right now. "What is this ring? And why did I feel... Why did I feel all those things?"
"The ring on your finger is the only thing left of the old universe. The universe that has been lost and forgotten to times. It is the universe's most powerful weapon. It is the universe's last hope," the man placed his hand upon Izuku's. "It is the Phantom Ring. And now you are its guardian, the Phantom Lantern."
The Phantom Lantern?
"I am sorry to place this burden upon you... But the ring chose you. So now you must do what I and other could not."
What was he talking about?
"The ring chose me?" even now he had trouble believing his words. "Chose me for what?"
The man gave a small sad smile.
"To bring back the Light."
Izuku wanted to ask more. What was the Light that he was supposed to bring back? And how was he supposed to do that? Millions of questions he wanted to ask.
Millions of questions he didn't get to ask. He barely had time to pull the man out of the way of a sudden blast. Through the cloud of lunar smoke, he could make out the vague shape of their attackers. Built like tanks, the figures slowly stepped through the veil of dust.
Aliens.
Honest to God aliens, with space guns and reptilian features, stood before him. They looked at the two of them, pointed at him and then yelled something out in language that confirmed their extraterrestrial heritage.
They kept yelling until they ran out of patience and simply raised their guns. He saw one of them aim at the old man. Without thought he jumped in the way of the blast.
As the attacker pulled the trigger, Izuku braced himself for the wave of heat or electrical charge. But before the shot connected, the transparent jade shield appeared out of thin air and blocked the attack. The aliens screeched and Izuku could only stare at it in marvel as the aliens tried to break through it.
It was his... Wasn't it? He did this.
"Your ring... It creates whatever your mind can imagine," the man spoke up. "But your constructs are weak. You are running low on energy. You must recharge your ring now before they break through the construct."
He could see cracks forming in the shield.
"How do I do it?"
The man gave him a small excited smile.
He motioned for him to come closer. As he did, the man placed his black fingers against Izuku's forehead. The thoughts turned into words and formed the verses in his mind. The words that carried the power in each letter.
Izuku brought the ring closer to his face.
He closed his eyes and stilled his breath.
And then he spoke the Oath.
In Desperate Day, In Hopeless Night,
The Phantom Ring is burning Bright.
With all my Might, to set things Right,
The Seven Lights, I'll Reignite!
Izuku could feel it all. The power of seven lights course through his veins. He knew now what the man knew. With his last breath, the man gave him the knowledge of the power he possessed. In time, he would master all that Volthoom knew.
But for now, he would deal with these aliens.
The faint green glow was gone. But Izuku was wreathed in bright green flames. The fires that frightened some of these bounty hunters for they now knew he could use the ring. Despite their fear, they still fired.
They didn't miss. But none of the shots hurt either.
It has been centuries since the universe saw the Lantern of any color. And many have forgotten just what made them the universal force of law and order. These aliens were feared across their galaxy as the most vile and dangerous creatures.
But even their greatest weapons were nothing compared to his ring.
Flight came naturally. All it took was the imagination. And Izuku has spent years dreaming of flying like this. He imagined moving in the air as if he was carried by strings, and the ring allowed him to do just that.
Past the blasts and bombs, he was flying circles around the mercenaries. Taking the higher ground, he aimed his fist at one of the bigger ones and shot. Non-lethal, a hard-light punch. But it was enough to show he could also fight back.
The fight ended soon after, with the aliens fleeing while throwing expletives and threats his way. The ring translated them for him. As well as gave him all the information he needed on who they were and who they worked for.
He cast a glance at the man who was no longer breathing.
The man he now knew much better.
"Thank you, Volthoom," Izuku whispered as he knelt besides the old man's body. In that moment that the man transferred his knowledge Izuku got a glimpse of his life. The First Lantern. The God. The Destroyer. And, at the end of his life, the Atoner. "I promise to make thing right."
Volthoom's body faded away into nothing. He had spent the past thousands of years using his own life force to keep the ring hidden until it chose the new wielder. And now all that remained of him was that black cloak.
"Midoriya? Midoriya, can you hear me?"
Izuku looked at his ring. It caught the signals sent to his communication systems. At this point, Izuku wondered what the ring couldn't do.
"Loud and clear, sir," Izuku answered automatically. The ring showed that its massive energy surge completely fried any surveillance tech nearby. "I... I managed to stay safe."
"Good. Our scans are showing the complete absence of that energy you found earlier. Any clue what happened?"
Yes. It all was on his finger now.
"We also detect the seventy percent damage to your station. Seriously, how the hell did you survive that surge?"
The man sounded even more terrified than Izuku. The mission was aborted. He would stay in the designated emergency part of the station until help arrived. And then they would take him home. To all of that, Izuku gave brief but clear acknowledgement. Maybe his supervisor thought he was in shock.
But all those things didn't matter now.
All that mattered was the warm and powerful feeling in his chest.
The feeling of his Hope being reborn.
His dream of being a Hero.
The Phantom Lantern.
And there you go, folks! Hope you liked it! I aged up Izuku because I find writing adult Izuku a lot more fun and it gives me some liberties with writing him too!
So many ways for Izuku to go from here...
Hero or Vigilante?
Public or Secret Identity?
Single or Harem Romance?
I have no idea! Be sure to throw in your suggestions in the review section!
And Happy Easter!