Well, here's the fourth chapter. Hope you all enjoy!
See you at the end of the chapter!
Izuku stared up at his bedroom ceiling, trying to… process today. He still felt physically exhausted, body somehow sore despite going with an easier workout today. Then again, whatever had happened had worn him out.
He stretched a handout over himself, looking at it like it was an alien appendage. That thing he had summoned earlier had inspired a whole slew of new feelings he hadn't been able to parse out, especially in such a brief time period.
Izuku hadn't even had the time to talk with Morgana afterward.
"Okay," Morgana waved a paw for them to calm down, a weird thing to see a cat do. "I can explain everything about what happened, especially with that last part with the Persona-"
"Nope." Shiho, face set in stone in disbelief, got her bag out and put Morgana in it. The cat squeaked at the interruption, the girl pulling it close to her shortly after. "I think I've dealt with enough today. Not dealing with this right now."
"Wha- Wait, shouldn't we at least listen to him?" Izuku was just as mentally exhausted, though he wanted at least some kind of information to come from today. "I want to know how I did that thing with Crimson! I've never done that before in my life."
"You actually have a name for that spirit thing you summoned? You know what, never mind." Hitoshi rubbed at one of his eyes, slouching as well. "She has a point. I don't know if I'm able to take in any more information today."
"I want to know what happened to, but I won't remember a single thing if you say anything." Shiho looked into Morgana's eyes as she said this, shaking him a little. "Besides, I'm still hoping this is a dream, so maybe be quiet until tomorrow morning."
"Look, how about we talk about it tomorrow." Hitoshi pushed at Izuku's shoulder, a friendly gesture that he probably only did because he was exhausted. "You can put away that notebook- not sure where you got that thing- and we head home and figure out if we made this all up."
"But… Fine." Izuku put the Quirk notebook away, figuring he'd write in it later. If this was event applicable to Quirks, though he doubted it. "We'll meet near that café we saw on the way to the circus. You know the one?"
He received confirmation from the two, letting him relax. He could survive this, especially after surviving what happened earlier. All he had to do was wait.
"All I have to do is wait." Izuku scoffed to himself. Too bad that was going to kill him, unless being unable to sleep tonight gets him first.
He'd made it home fine afterward, but his mom asked him a lot of questions when he did. He must've been acting weird enough to trigger some alarm bells, but it wasn't hard to convince her nothing happened today. And since he wasn't hurt, that meant nothing had.
…He was still really tired, though.
"What was that back there?" Izuku shot out of his bed, moving toward the desk. He grumbled as he grabbed the new notebook. "That wasn't a Quirk. It couldn't have been."
Izuku had spent an hour writing out things about Crimson. He drew up a rough sketch of what he looked like before cleaning it up, writing down the things he had observed, cataloguing his weapon. He even did some research, with the only results he had resulting in a Pre-Quirk comic book company and one of its earlier heroes. When he'd looked it over, he felt like it was similar the thing he summoned, but it never quite fit. It was official art and all, but it just wasn't right.
(It didn't feel like him.)
Izuku shook the thought out of his head. He had to focus.
Morgana had summoned something too, so it couldn't have been a Quirk from him specifically. Unless the cat had some of Transmitter Quirk that did something like that, it had most likely been done by the environment he was in. But how? And what of the butterfly?
God. Izuku liked researching Quirks and all, untangling what it could actually do when let loose, but that didn't mean he wouldn't appreciate being given some answers.
"Honey?"
Izuku jerked, back straightening at the sound of his mom's voice. Inko Midoriya was a graceful woman, despite looking as nervous as her son. Izuku sometimes forgot that.
"Mom! Sorry, I was just doing some studying." Izuku didn't know why he lied. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him poring over a notebook before. "Just found a math problem that doesn't make any sense. Might be a misprint now that I think about it."
"Well, you were mumbling up a storm loud enough to hear outside your room, so I figured it had to be something." Inko walked over, giving her son a hug. Izuku gave her a light one back, a quick squeeze before he let her go. "Are you sure nothing happened today? You usually keep an eye on the news right about now for any hero debuts."
"I'm just… I may have met a few people today." Izuku still wasn't sure what to tell her, if anything, about what happened. A half-truth would keep her away. "Not sure if they're friends or anything, but they seem nice. At least, right now."
"That's- Really?" Inko said disbelievingly. She must've realized how that sounded, jolting as she waved her hands in front of her frantically. "I mean, I'm not saying I'm surprised you met some people! I'm just saying, you don't really go out and make friends! No, wait, that's still wrong…"
"Mom, mom," Izuku actually laughed, grabbing his mother's hands. That was the first time he'd laughed today, at least not while under duress. "I know what you mean. I was just saying. We're meeting up tomorrow and I'm hoping this works out, so…"
"So you're putting yourself into a fit thinking about it." Inko sighed. Izuku could hear her mutter something along the lines of "crying not being the only thing passed down," before she smiled and hugged him again. "I hope it works out for you too, sweetie. Don't worry about it too much, otherwise you won't sleep tonight, okay?"
Izuku nodded, returning the hug before she let go to head towards the door. The teen opened his mouth, an old question on his lips.
"Hey mom?"
Inko turned, hand on the door as she looked back at him. "Yes, honey?"
"…I think I'm going to bed. Have a good night."
"You too, dear."
Izuku didn't want to say that, but something in him didn't have the guts to ask her the question. It wasn't like he didn't know the answer to it.
(I'm so sorry Izuku!)
He should really head to bed. It was starting to sound like an incredibly good idea right about now.
The boy shifted back over to his bed, pulling the covers over himself. He felt himself drift moments later as his head hit the pillow.
Izuku found himself being woken up rudely minutes later. Well, if you could call it being woken up.
Fingers were snapped in the boy's face, causing his eyes to widen immediately and for him to jerk forward. Gravity seemed to disagree with that idea, the action making him fall face first into the floor. Izuku didn't feel any pain, but the humiliation he felt as someone laughed above his head hurt more than the wood flooring ever could've.
"Great. Not even one minute in here and he's almost broken his neck getting out of a chair." The voice stated, chuckling still. "I think we might need to exchange this one for someone else. What's the exchange rate for Wild Cards again, Big Nose?"
"I think you already know what the price is, Prometheus."
Izuku forced himself upward, scrambling to get a clear view of "Big Nose" and "Prometheus." He was greeted by the second weirdest scene he'd seen today.
The room- no, building he was in looked like a library, one that went on and on into a deep void. Colored in various shades of blue velvet, enough to differentiate between ornate decorations and the books in the shelves. They were protected by transparent glass and golden bars, as if to protect them from theft. He could see items ranging from children's books, handwritten notebooks, to tomes that looked to be straight out of a wizard's personal collection.
Izuku felt his hand reach out for one of the shelves, only to have a gloved hand slap it away.
"Hey! No touching any part of our catalogue yet! We've only just got this sorted, and I won't have anyone messing up my work just yet." Prometheus, Izuku could only guess. He waggled a finger, exuding rude energy from every pore. "If I have to reorganize again, I will have your head. I promise you that."
Izuku wasn't sure what to make of the threat, or of the man himself. He wore a strange costume in the form of a blue, gold, and black Victorian outfit, with the blue jacket, black vest and blue cravat completing the look. Black pants and gold accents on his buttons and pockets, the only thing that stood out was a strange mask covering the entirety of his face. It looked… well, Izuku wasn't sure how he knew this, but it was in the style of a venetian mask. He could see wild eyes through the sockets, hair pushed backward to let the mask stay on, but not much else.
"It's not good manners to fault a guest's curiosity, young one. It shows at least they have they're willing to go into the unknown rather than run from it." Izuku looked to see a man whose facial features were certainly exaggerated. He could see why his nickname was big nose, though the large smile he gave was somehow still friendly. "If you don't mind, I think it would suit you better if you sat down, Young Izuku. We have some matters to discuss."
Izuku should've felt some alarm at that statement, but he felt surprisingly calm despite the surprise wake-up call. He did get back up and nearly stumbled as he got back into his seat (earning another laugh from Prometheus), gripping the handles of it tightly.
"Uh," Izuku winced at the sound of his voice, realizing how quiet the library actually was. "Who are you? Where am I exactly?"
"An understandable question. If you must know, my name is Igor, and this is your Velvet Room." Igor looked at the room with open curiosity, looking over the shelves. "An interesting form this place has taken. So many things that could be in your grasp but locked away for no known reason."
"Waxing philosophical again, are we?" Prometheus sighed, leaning in to whisper into Izuku's ear. His behavior was really bizarre, somehow joking and genuinely malicious. "He does that a lot. I hope you're the patient type, otherwise it gets annoying really quickly."
"I'll keep that in mind." Izuku looked around the room, trying to parse out his feelings on it. Something about it was familiar. "This feels a lot like… the circus. Are-are you related to that?"
"Not directly, but I'm also familiar with it. I'm sorry to say this, but with you walking in there that you have a choice to make." Igor extended his hands outward, presenting two choices. "You have the choice to walk away from all of this, considering it to not be your problem. Or, on the other hand, you can continue this path that you've found yourself on."
"What do you mean?" Confusion laced Izuku's expression, giving way to frustration. He looked to Prometheus, who could only shrug. "I didn't choose to go to that circus. I just found it while looking for a cat."
"Oh, but many journeys start out that way. As a wise man once said; the right man in the wrong place can make all the difference." Igor purposefully ignored the boy's irritation, putting his hands under his chin. "Of course, that decision is up to you. If you do happen to make the choice to go forward, we can help guide you on the road you've been put on."
"What he means is that he wants to make a "deal" with you. Though I fail to see what we'll get out of this." Prometheus sighed, clasping his hands together. "Maybe if Master Big Nose didn't have such a bleeding heart, we'd be able to get something."
Igor didn't do anything but raise an eyebrow at the statement. Izuku just gulped.
"I-I don't really know if that's a good idea right now. No offense, but I don't know who either of you actually are." Izuku kept his voice steady. While the statement was true, he really just wanted to see how they'd react to rejection. If they didn't react well, then he wouldn't play their game. "I've had a very stressful day, I have yet to get any answers, and this is the first time we've even met!"
"Understandable. The point was to let you know the deal was on the table, which will remain so until you give us a definitive answer." Igor waggled a finger. "Though, it is suggested to make it quickly. While you would survive well enough out there whether you accept or not, our assistance might be crucial to you in the near future."
"Especially if you want to see what the "freakshow" has to offer." Prometheus was behind Izuku now, shocking the teen with how fast he was. The man leaned forward, putting the boy in his shadow. "You'll find a lot of different things there that you won't like. And it always pays to be prepared."
"Until then, we'll give you something that will hopefully serve you well. Think of it as a tase of what we can offer you." Igor snapped his fingers, a black box appearing in Izuku's hands. As the boy curiously looked it over, he continued to speak. "We do hope you end up collaborating with us. We're extremely interested to see how your journey goes."
"Yes, exactly." Prometheus patted Izuku on the shoulder, a bizarrely friendly gesture compared to his usual temperament. "Now, you better head back. Can't have you sleep in too long, yeah?"
And with a snap of his fingers, Izuku woke up.
Izuku had made sure to arrive at the café as soon as he could. While he'd been able to get through his routine for today, it had been a little off since he'd woken up that morning after that… well, dream.
The box that Igor had given him was a box of cards, something that confused Izuku greatly since he didn't know what use he could have of them. It looked like a tarot deck from the looks of it, with some stylized looks for certain arcana that appeared on the cards. The only thing they seemed to have in common, though, was a list of stars going from top to bottom on each cards left sides.
Izuku had been shuffling them, trying to figure out what they meant. Cursory Google searches explained the meaning of the cards to an extent, but he wasn't sure how that related to his current situation. The stars were an even bigger mystery since nothing on the internet explained them, most likely being an addition made by Igor himself. The man looked like he had a Mutation Quirk, but that obviously wasn't it.
And to mention Prometheus, who was simply just strange. Maybe this was a result of his Quirk then? He didn't seem to be there for anything other than make random comments, though there must've been something else to it.
Then again, he should focus on the present right now, shouldn't he?
"So, is fortune telling a hobby or something for you?"
Izuku was too exhausted to jump at the sound of Hitoshi's voice, only able to sigh and grab at the cards in front of him. It didn't look like he got a good night's sleep either.
"It's just something I got recently. Still trying to figure out what they mean." Izuku figured talking about his dream wouldn't go over too well. One weird thing at a time, right? "I'm guessing yesterday wasn't some weird dream if you're here."
"Likewise. I stayed at an internet cafe last night and I feel like shit. It was either that or possibly head back into a circus, though, so I took my chances." Hitoshi cracked his neck, wincing. "When do you think Shiho is going to show up?"
"We're using first names now, huh?"
The boys gave Shiho a glance as she put her own bag gently onto the table. The Sleep Deprivation Club, as Izuku couldn't help but call it, was officially in order as she zipped it open.
"Honestly, you can if you want to. We survived a villain attack together, right? Might as well get familiar." Shiho raised an eyebrow as Morgana sheepishly lifted his head out of the bag. "My cat is still talking to me, so I suspect we're going to be here for a very long time."
"Heh, yeah. Sorry for scaring you so early in the morning too." Morgana said nervously, his smile small as he looked at everyone's faces. The deadpan look from Hitoshi and inquisitive look from Izuku caused him to wilt. "Guess I was hoping too much for you guys to forget what you saw, huh?"
"Yes. As adorable as you are, I'm not leaving until I get a few answers here." Hitoshi booped the cat in the nose, a deep frown on his face. The compliment was almost drowned out by that look. "First of all; what in the hell happened to Goto and the orphanage. I've never seen her act like that before, and buildings don't just disappear into thin air."
"That's because you weren't actually at the orphanage. You were in a Palace." Morgana's ears twitched, straightening himself out. "Not a castle kind of palace, but a mental one."
The confused looks from the teens caused the cat to stop and sigh. Should probably start from the beginning.
"A Palace is a physical manifestation of a person's distorted thoughts or desires, all part of a collective unconscious. While thoughts like those are usually only general, the stronger ones result in creating things like the circus." Morgana figured that would be a suitable explanation for now. "For Goto, she views the orphanage as a circus for some reason, and the circus is run by a version of herself that acts closer to how she thinks."
"And this is supposedly not part of some Quirk." Shiho found that really hard to believe. On the other hand, that would be a first. "What does make everyone in those Palaces, then? We saw a bunch of people running the place, and they sure acted a lot like people."
"Those are Shadows. They aren't exactly living beings, but the suppressed feelings and emotions people feel." Morgana frowned. "They aren't friendly. I'm sure you already knew that."
"What about me, though? I saw a version of myself in there, and he looked pretty close to me." Hitoshi had made sure to remember it. Not like his dreams let him have a choice. "Unless I got a brother I don't know about, I don't think there should be two of me."
"That's a cognition. A cognition of you specifically. They're based off of how the viewer sees another person, and it seems like Goto wants to muzzle you." Morgana ears twitched at all of the scribbling he heard coming from Izuku. "Are- are you writing all of this down?!"
Izuku sheepishly stopped, on the verge of another mutter storm. He smiled, putting down the pencil, but not letting go of it. Just in case.
"That leaves only one question then." Izuku heard Hitoshi mutter something about there being "a lot more than one question," ignoring it as he bore holes into Morgana with his eyes. The cat almost shrunk at the boy's sudden intensity. "How did I summon that thing at the end? You have an answer for that?"
The cat didn't answer, weighing out his options. He was still wondering how he could get the other Phantom Thieves over to deal with it. If this guy figured out what he could do, he might try and go gung-ho and do it himself, which would get him killed. The Shadows weren't weak, but he was still just a beginner and Morgana had to wait to regain his powers. If he could frame it a Quirk mutation-
"Wasn't that your Quirk, though? I mean, it took a little bit to get it to work, I guess." Shiho laughed nervously, noting that Izuku hadn't looked away from Morgana once. "Is it stress based? Must have a high threshold."
"No," Izuku decided to ease up, moving to sit back as he adjusted himself. He gulped, feeling his bravery leak away. "I'm Quirkless. And I've been stressed enough in my life to know that it should've appeared by now."
-Shit. Okay, Curly Hair. It took a lot of guts to say that and now he was out of ideas.
"You summoned a Persona. A Persona is you exercising your frustration. Your anger. Literally every part of you that feels wrong and need to let out." Morgana shrugged. He figured that if the guy was Quirkless, then he'd every reason to be angry. "I can't really explain more about yours specifically, though. Crimson, right? He's your Persona, so figuring out what he stands for is up to you."
Izuku's frown deepened. "And I can't use it outside of that world?"
"No. Your Persona can only be used in the Metaverse."
Izuku felt like a balloon deflated in his chest at that. He had a feeling it was too good to be true, but he'd still hoped he could use Crimson in the real world. A Quirk like that would be amazing, and if he could access a fraction of that power, he could easily become a hero in the real world- the real world.
"Wait!" Izuku slammed his hands onto the table, standing up with eyes wild. He looked over the notes he'd written down, muttering to himself.
"Uh, something you'd like to share with the class, buddy? You kinda scared us there." Hitoshi had gripped his chair at the outburst, watching the boy as he went slowly nuts. "I get not being happy there, but I think you can calm down a little."
"You said that what she perceives affects her Palace, right?" Izuku noticed Morgana shrinking at that, a look of dread crossing the cat's face. Looks like he might be right. "If that's the case, we need to head over there right now."
"Why? No offense, but we got off lucky last time. I don't want to test it twice." Shiho could tell it was serious, but that didn't mean she wanted to see what the place had in store for a "repeat" customer. "What do you think we'd even find there?"
"If the Palace reflects how she sees the place and the children she takes care of," Izuku gave them all a panicked look, putting them on edge. "Then what is she actually doing to those kids?'
"All I'm saying is that we're relying on flimsy evidence that was presented to us by a cat. I doubt anyone would take the testimony of a cat in a court of law." Hitoshi was trying his best to keep up with the other two, once again wondering what the hell they ate to walk this fast. He worked out plenty, but apparently not enough for these two. "We don't even know if the damn thing is telling the truth."
"I want to disagree with you, but if he's telling even a partial truth, then he might have a point." Shiho whispered, elbowing Hitoshi lightly. Izuku had been weirdly focused since he mentioned his thoughts on it, so it wasn't unconvincing to her. "And maybe we should check again. You said you live there, right?"
As the two continued to argue, Morgana sighed. He lamented the fact Izuku was smarter than he thought, having spotted the thread early. He was being reminded so much of the first time around, he wasn't paying attention to what was actually happening.
"Izuku, I don't suggest doing this either." Morgana had decided to switch over to Izuku's bag. Shiho had started asking questions about the situation between him, Ann, and the rest of her friends. Not to mention it felt worryingly familiar to be in his bag instead. "I can't say you're wrong, because you're not, but you don't have any idea what you're getting into."
"I know." Izuku had started to realize that he may have jumped into this without thinking. Considering this and.. previous instances, he wondered if that was a problem. "But you saw the Freakshow, right? I can't just stand by and let that happen."
"Okay, that's nice to hear and all, but you also don't have any firepower. When a Persona awakens, it usually does it in a burst of power that can't be matched again without some practice." Morgana shifted out of the teen's bag, moving to his shoulder. "Yours seemed powerful, or at least has the potential to be powerful. But if mine, which has evolved and seen a lot more action, is too weak due to inactivity while yours is newborn, we're just walking into a trap."
Izuku slowed at that. That was a good point. He had been planning on sneaking in this time with the others, but it was also possible the place would be on high alert thanks to their first visit. Plus, it could be considered too soon trying to go in again with the first experience of it still fresh in their minds.
"Finally, the cat makes sense. I've never had so many mixed feelings involving a cat before." Hitoshi sighed. He stopped, looking around and realizing where they were. "Huh. It looks like we're here…"
The three teenagers looked at the place where the circus had been, taking a few minutes for the details to settle in.
The orphanage... well, it was normal. Almost painfully so. The building was old, obviously showing some age, but it looked like a bland, gray, three-story building you could find anywhere in the city. The windows were covered up with curtains to prevent anyone from looking inside, but it didn't otherwise look shady.
"...I'm not sure what I was expecting." Shiho frowned; the drive being taken out of her. She figured it wouldn't be too obvious, but the difference between yesterday and today sapped her energy. "This place actually does look normal."
"Well, even if it was messed up, it's not like there's going to be a neon sign saying it's a den of evil or anything." Hitoshi sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Seriously, just when you think things are going to be quiet-"
"I honestly don't remember anything being quiet around here."
The teens jumped at the voice, tripping over themselves to see an awfully familiar, if unwelcome, face. They were a little surprised to see the serious face of Goto herself looking at them with an eyebrow raised. She was dressed more conservatively this time around, with more monotone colors and a calm air around her. She settled onto Hitoshi, who didn't seem happy to see her.
"I hope you have a good explanation for not showing up home last night. I can lie about your attendance all you want, but sometimes you do have to be here in case an inspector comes around." Goto walked up to the boy, still giving him a glare. "And you've made friends. Not sure how, considering how rude you can be."
"They're not my friends. I was just showing them around the area." Hitoshi said bluntly, forcing himself to look her in the eyes. It was a lot more monotone than usual, prompting some concern from Shiho and Izuku. "I'm sorry I didn't show up. I was trying to study for the entrance exams coming up in two months."
"Not sure why. You do realize that if the school is too expensive, you won't be able to go anyway, correct?" She flicked him in the forehead, letting out a sigh. "Smart boy, but you don't even think about the future. You really do need to think about what you can get. Not everyone is as lucky as you, considering your situation."
Goto looked over at the others again, eyes narrowing at Shiho. "And maybe avoid certain people you meet. Your reputation can only take so much."
Shiho's skin crawled and Izuku felt his anger spike at that.
"It's not like that matters much." Hitoshi muttered, a suppressed scowl forming on his face as he looked away. "No one cares anyway after they learn about my-"
"Shh."
Hitoshi's voice dried up before he could finish the sentence forcing him to clam up. His lips formed into a straight line, regaining eye contact with her instantly.
"Should really learn not to talk back. Wouldn't have to do that if you behaved." Goto moved past them, a firm stride taking her quickly away. "Don't stick around long, children. I don't appreciate hooligans near my property."
"...Well, she was a joy to be around." Shiho elbowed Hitoshi, who still hadn't moved just yet. "You sure you don't want to look into any of that stuff from yesterday? Seems to me you're not saying a lot about it."
"...Fine. But we leave when we need to leave." Hitoshi looked to Izuku, clicking his tongue. "This was your idea. Know how we can go back?"
Izuku pulled out his phone, swiping at it until he got to the page he wanted. Morgana's eyes widened as he saw what the boy was looking for.
"I might have an idea." Izuku stated. And without further ado, he pressed his finger onto the travel app.
Alright, there it was. I hope you guys enjoyed! It's still setting things up, but I really wanted to make sure Igor and Prometheus got introduced here. I want to make sure that it works, so feel free to tell me if I get anything wrong. While I did play the game, I am relying the wiki to get things right.
If any of you have questions or want to share something with me, feel free to leave it in the comments/reviews.
Thank you and I'll see you next chapter.