AN: So, this is my first fanfic and I'm still trying to improve my writing. I'm using this chapter as a test run to see what to do and what not to do. So please review my work and give me feedback so I may improve. I hope you enjoy the story.

"Midoriya." -regular speech

'I can do this.' -thoughts

"Well done partner." -speech in head

"I am here!" -All Might

All men were not created equal, that was a lesson that Izuku Midoriya had learned too well. A year ago, he was diagnosed as quirkless and his whole life changed. It was as if the whole world had turned on him, with whatever friends he did have decided they didn't want to associate with him anymore unless it was to bully him for his new status. He was lucky that his best friend, Katsuki Bakugo, hadn't turned on him, though, he was always swarmed with people due to his powerful quirk, so Izuku never really saw him all that much anymore.

Just earlier today, he was trying to defend a kid from a gang of bullies, only for them to choose him as their punching bag instead. Luckily, Bakugo was able to save him, unluckily though, he was berated by the blonde for getting himself in danger and was told to stop trying to be a hero. While he knew there was no malice in those words, it still hurt. So here he was, walking through the nearby woods during a sunny afternoon despite the no trespassing sign. He didn't care, the woods always felt comforting to him, like something was drawing him there.

While kicking a rock down his path, he sighed, "Maybe Kacchan's right. Maybe i should give up on my dream. After all, how can I save people when I can't even save myself."

While he was lost in his thoughts, he tripped over something and fell to the ground. He groaned as he lifted himself up. He walked this path multiple times and was sure that there weren't any roots that could trip him up. However, when he looked back, there seemed to be some large black root.

"Huh," Izuku said in confusion as he stood up from the ground, "How did I miss that?"

He stepped over towards the root and touched it, only to jump back in surprised as it suddenly sprouted up from the ground and pointed at him. Izuka backed up in fear, hoping whatever this thing was wasn't aggressive. It began to move again and Izuka closed his eyes in fear.

'This is it,' he thought to himself, 'I'm sorry mom. I'm sorry Kacchan.'

He waited for when the root would strike, however, nothing happened, after a while of nothing, Izuku hesitantly opened his eyes and saw that the root was pointed in the opposite direction. Izuku blink and stood there until he heard a faint whisper, "Follow."

Finally able to move his own legs again, Izuku looked towards the direction the root was pointed towards and saw another black root in the distance. It must've somehow sensed that Izuku was staring at it, because it did some sort of wave at him. Izuku, mustering up the courage, walked towards the other root rigidly and nervously. When he got to the next root, it pointed deeper into the forest where another root could be found. Izuku decided to walk towards the next root, a sense of calm washing over him with every step he took. As he reached the next root, it pointed deeper into the forest and another whisper was heard, "Is he the one?"

Feeling braver, Izuku began to follow the roots' directions and walked deeper into the forest with the whispers getting louder with each root he reached. Eventually, he reached the final root and it pointed towards some sort of arch that seemed to be made out of the black roots. Taking up the whole of the arch's space looked to be some sort of mirror. A feeling of familiarity washed over him, compelling him to walk towards the mirror. As he did so, more black roots sprouted from the ground as if to watch him. He didn't mind however, that was simply what they did, remembering the other times he did this. Izuku blinked and stopped at the mirror, those weren't his memories. Why was he doing this? He had no idea what was going on. However, before he could do anything, the roots pushed him through the mirror with a small yelp from Izuku. A strange feeling came over him, one of dizziness and nausea. He felt his consciousness fading and the last thing he heard before passing out were numerous loud shouts of, "The Master has returned!"

The first thing Izuku felt after waking up was hard stone. Groaning, he lifted himself up and saw that he was laying on some stone path. That fact that he wasn't at home only meant one thing, this was all real. He must've been lured to some villain's lair and was going to die, or worse. He sat down and began to cry. He was never going to be found. His mother was going to be so worried and distraught. Why did he follow those roots, how stupid could he have been? He really was good for nothing.

As he was crying, a black root sprouted up next to Izuku, and placed itself on his shoulder. Izuku jumped slightly and looked over at the root. Somehow, he felt better. It might just have been a villain's quirk making him feel that way, but he felt comforted. The root then helped Izuku to his feet and disappeared into the ground. Looking around, he noticed that whatever this place was seemed to be some sort of garden. All around him were multiple statues of people, all of them were wearing robes and each one had a faceless mask with the only feature on them being some sort of intricate design. Around them were flowers, one kind for each statue or at least the ones that he can see.

Walking along the stone path in the gardens, he got a sense of familiarity, as if he'd been here before. Looking at all of the statues, he felt like he knew all of them. If this was a villain, then they were committed to this bit. After walking for a while, he finally got to the end of the path, he stood at a door, leading into what looked like some kind of large church or cathedral, if he was using those words correctly. The door suddenly opened and a woman dressed in a black robe appeared. What was peculiar about her was the fact that she was wearing a blindfold over her eyes.

'This must be the villain,' Izuku thought morbidly, 'I just hope she makes it quick.'

However, he didn't expect the woman to bow to him. She spoke in a soft calming voice, "Master, you have finally returned. If you would follow me to the nave, we can start the ritual at once."

She stood up and walked into the building. Izuku blinked and quickly followed after her, trying to match her steps with his short legs. Looking around, he could see more statues of robes figures. However, unlike the ones in the gardens, these statues were huge, reaching all the way up to the high ceilings, using one of their arms to hold up the roof. Another thing Izuku noticed was the fact that these statues were also unmasked with great detail showing on the faces. Soon, the woman entered a large, dimly lit room and stepped to the side. Izuku stepped in after her and saw, in the center of the room, something that looked like a waterfall but whatever was flowing down was pitch black and he felt it calling to him.

The woman got into her knees and kowtowed towards him. Feeling slightly uncomfortable with the sudden sign of respect, Izuku hurriedly walked towards the waterfall and as he got close, three white masks began to appear from the black water. However, unlike the masks from the garden, these ones didn't have any designs on them and had actual faces on them. They were organized into a triangle, their eyes shown a pale white before facing directly at Izuku. Before Izuku could say anything, the mask on top spoke with a deep male voice, "Greeting child. I'm sure you have a lot of questions but for now, listen."

Izuku nodded and stared at the masks in a mixture of fear and awe. The mask continued, "I am known as Kazu Miyamoto, the first Grand Master of the Kage. The one to your right is Mai Kita and the one to your left is Renzo Mori."

Izuku looked at the masked confusedly, "Kage, shadow?"

Kazu's mask seemed to have nodded and spoke once again, "Our order holds mastery over shadows. We have watched over Japan and its people for generations. It's good to finally meet you Izuku Midoriya."

Izuku gulped as he looked at Kazu's mask, "How do you know my name?"

Kazu chuckled, "We know many things young Midoriya. We've been watching you for a long time now, judging you."

"Judging me, for what?"

Mai, laughed slightly and spoke softly, "Why, to give you our power of course."

Izuku widened his eyes as he stepped back, "What?"

Mai continued, "We are offering you the power that we once had. Mastery of Shadows."

Izuku couldn't believe what he was hearing. Just a year, he was diagnosed as a quirkless nobody. Now, these three were offering him one. It had to be a dream, there's no way this was possible. Snapping out of his shock, he looked at the three masters, "Are you saying that you can give me a quirk?"

The other mask, Renzo, scoffed and seemed to glare at the boy, "Watch your tongue boy. Our power isn't simply a tool for you to wave around. It's a commitment to the order and the shadows. In order to control the shadows, you must first gain their trust."

Izuku nodded slowly, taken aback by the mask's brazen tone, "But, why now, why me? Why not Kacchan, or a hero like All Might? I'm just a quirkless nobody."

"That's simply because you were chosen young Midoriya," Kazu spoke calmly to the boy, "We do not choose who is given the power, we merely judge and interject. The shadows chose you young Midoriya, they believe you are the best candidate to take our power and after watching you, we believe so too. Bakugo Katsuki is strong, but rash and aggressive. All Might is simply too old to receive the necessary training as well as being too accustomed to his own quirk to even think about using out power. You, young Midoryia, are special. You are kind, patient, and are genuine with your feelings."

Izuku can hardly believe what he was hearing. He was the best person for this, not only that, but the only person that was even considered. For a whole year, he had been looked down upon, bullied for not having a quirk. People would always tell him to give up his dreams in becoming a hero, even Bakugo and his mother would tell him that it was too dangerous and that he should move on from this childish fantasy. Now, these three, these masters were giving him a chance to actually fulfil his dream.

"Which is why we say to you young Midoryia," the three masters said in unison, "You can become a hero."

And with those words, Izuku collapsed onto his knees, tears pooling in his eyes. These three believed in him when no one else would. These three had given him hope when others would squash it. Soon, tears fell from his eyes as his sobs of joy filled the room.

Mai giggled softly, "Oh dear, we seemed to have broken little Izu."

Renzo scoffed at that, "This boy will need to grow a spine before he can save anyone."

Kazu just simply stared at Izuku, a slight smile showed on his mask, "Let him cry for he had to deal with so much before now."

Today would mark a change in Izuku's life. No more will he be the useless Deku that everyone called him. Now, he will be a hero, and he will be the greatest of them all.