"Ahh... there he is." An older woman's voice drew Cassius from the darkness that consumed him, lifting him to the surface where he managed to open his eyes. A familiar face was before him. "Welcome back, sonny." The voice's wielder was a very tiny woman with grey hair in a bun, wearing a labcoat. She had a strong aura of mana and high energy.
Nodding, he smiled. "Hello, Recovery Girl." The woman was a legend among legends, how anyone in their superhuman society could not know of her was an oddity by itself. "How bad is it?" He gestured to himself as he looked around to see the small doctor's office he was in.
She frowned, her eyes barely visible. "Not that bad, you just exhausted your powers..." he froze, realizing she did not say quirk. "It isn't a quirk though, you have no quirk on file and frankly I have never seen such a versatile power as yours."
Sighing, he sat up, just as the door opened up and he saw the familiar face of UA, Principal Nezu! "Hello there, my dear boy, I wanted to be here when you explained exactly how you managed to do all you have without a quirk."
Biting his lips, Cassius assessed himself and realized something. 'I have nowhere near enough power for a mind wipe, I've never cast one either, so really... I am kind of screwed. Honesty might be the best policy here.' Sighing he leaned back. "What do you want to know, I cannot entirely trust you with all I have and am, I am sure you understand that."
They both nodded. "We understand that you might have to mask your true skills, but we can help you if you are honest," Nezu said.
The Nurse smiled. "We are always here to help, child, not judge you."
He sensed their honesty... "My name is Cassius, I have no last name... and I am a sorcerer, a mage, wizard... witch." He raised his hand and let mana flow, creating a dull white light. "I hold sway over magical forces, mana, the essence of life free flowing in the world. I was not born with a quirk, but I do have this." he lied then but mixed it with a truth to make it harder to notice a trick from his youth. "I want to help others, to use my powers to better the world. I want to see what I can do, and stretch my limits. Can you help me with that?"
They both nodded, eyes wide.
Recovery Girl spoke first. "What can you do with your powers?"
"With the right words, training and power... anything really. I am best with divination and barriers, I can heal too if you were curious. I will be healing myself from my exhaustion today, once I go home. A session of meditation can soothe the damage done."
"I see, well if you would like to practice healing with me, I would be more than happy to put you to work, that would also allow you better control over your powers and help you establish a relationship in the minds of others... but we do need a way to mask your powers, so as to not disrupt our society's delicate balance..."
He barely withheld the urge to roll his eyes. "I understand, I am not here to cause a disturbance, just to live my life and do some good."
"Well, I have a suggestion..." Nezu started. "Why not say that your powers allow you to wield energy to influence the world around you? Words are merely your medium as they help you focus your gifts and understand your intention. Star and Stripe can create rules based on thought, a potential student can cause comic book rules to come into effect. Really this is not that would be out of the ordinary, your powers are versatile but not so powerful as to be out of the ordinary. Many powers are incredible, mind bending even. We can even say that your powers too time to develop as you had to gain a strong enough body to use them... you work out, do you not?"
Cassius nodded. "I refused to be a glass canon, too many powerful beings in the world rely on their quirks or magical skills. I am trained judo. I claim to be no expert, but I have enough of the basics to hold my own."
They all nodded, contemplating his words. "A wise choice." Nezu said. "I look forward to seeing what you are capable of. Now... I do believe we ought to send you home. Do not worry about us revealing your gifts to the world, we can easily see where you would worry for the world having too much knowledge about you. Your very safety would be jeopardized."
He felt the creature's honesty. "Thank you, sir... and madam... now, before I leave, how long was I out?"
The Doctor answered. "About three hours, you recover fast."
"Mana has that effect, my body knows it so it seeks it out." Bowing once more to each of them, he hurried out, terrified and amazed and grateful all at once... 'I wonder... will I get in now, or will they claim something is holding me back?'
:::
Cassius opened the UA letter the moment it was placed in his hands one week after his UA exam. He was nervous, more than most given the revelation of his secret. His fears of not getting into the program were something fierce, but he had a good feeling too, he sensed such sincerity in the hearts of the UA faculty that he just... had a good feeling. As he tore open his letter, a disc fell out of the envelope, shocking him dearly as a projection appeared.
"Booya! I am here as a projection now!" All Might said.
"The hell, why is All Might here?" Cassius asked, looking at the ridiculous man.
"You're looking at the newest UA faculty member. Now, you actually charted really well at Forty-Seven Villian points, but you also received Rescue points! Training those who would risk their lives for the greater good. A panel of judges watches, and they award points for heroic acts beyond just fighting villains. For saving three fell applicants from falling rubble, Cassius, you receive thirty Rescue points!" All Might said, a screen behind him showing their points...
Despite only using the School as a means to master and use his powers freely, Cassius could not help but cry at his high score... he was tied with a familiar name, Bakugo... for first place! He may not have destroyed anywhere near as many robots as Bakugo, but he did just as well.
"You have tied for first place... congratulations, Young Cassius... you made it."
The projection ended and Cassius fell into himself, crying hard, unable to believe that he had made it, proving to at least some of the world that he mattered at least a little beyond people born with quirks... people blessed with power, with skills they long time said he would never met up to...
He mattered... and he had proved it...
He just hoped he wasn't being kept, at least in part, as a science project by Nezu cause of his magical abilities... really he should have guessed he would get caught by Nezu, his excitement, and overcome logic. Nezu's brains were legendary... still, it was worth it. He would succeed and be great... and no one would stop him.
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This was a joy to write.
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.