Before we begin this chapter, I would like to thank The Literary Lord and their friend for making a TVTropes Page for this story completely unprompted! I would also like to thank yufiduspawn for making some excellent fan art for All For Luz, once again, unprompted! You can find it on their Deviantart page under the same username as the one I put here.

Also, mandatory plug:

Check out my P-Atr-Eon [Sorry FF readers and Wattpad Readers check my BIOs for the link]: gobblegum2?fan_landing=true&view_as=public

And now, with that out of the way, let's jump into the chapter!

[Search and Steal – Part 2]

~One Week In The Future~

A raging fire spread across the forest with reckless abandon, smoke clogging up the air as a boy crawled away, blood soaking his entire body as he coughed. With each breath he took, his body shuttered and wheezed with indescribable pain. His blond hair was damp with a miasma of liquids, most of which were blood.

His body was riddled with cuts and scrapes, some deep, some not. He just wanted to go home! He didn't want to die! And yet… this was his fault. If only… if only he didn't issue that raid, maybe he'd have a higher chance of going home than he did right now. But now? He didn't stand a chance. the best solution he could come up with was to hide, and pray that she wouldn't find him.

Dragging himself toward a tree, he reached out to it so that he might be able to stand up and run like wild away from this hell that he inadvertently created, only for a foot to violently slam down on his back. Coughing up blood, he screamed in pain, a loud snapping sound echoing throughout the forest as he felt his ribs crack underneath the weight of the action. And as he slowly looked over his shoulder, his eyes shrank with fear.

What he was greeted with were two crimson eyes that stared back at him with nothing but anger, vitriol, and bloodlust. Shadows completely covered the figure, making identifying them nearly impossible. However, that didn't matter. He knew exactly who this was, and it was the main reason why he carried out that raid.

And that reason? To kill them. Why? Because they were far too dangerous to be kept alive. With the kind of power they had, if they were to come out of this alive, who knew what kind of terror they would invoke? And so, he banded both Foxtrot and The Heavens Devils together to wipe out The Alpha Squadron.

Only issue? She wasn't there when the attack happened, and, as was obvious, his plan was backfiring on him, as the remains of his allies laid strew about around him. His entire team was taken out, along with the neighbouring one. And to think, all of this, all of it, was triggered by one person's death. Just one! Not because her team was killed, minus the handful that got away, but because of one. Fucking. Person.

Red sparks of electricity washed over the figure, illuminating the blood-soaked clothes of the figure, but nothing of their facial features. To say that he was scared shitless of this person was an understatement. The person standing over him couldn't be human! There was no way that something like this… this thing could've been born by a human woman.

But then again… thinking of the idea that she wasn't human made this whole situation ten times more terrifying than it already was.

"N-No! P-Please! I-I-I'll do anything! Anything at all! J-Just please, please don't kill me!" The boy begged as the figure scoffed, applying more pressure to the boy's back as he gagged.

"Funny… I bet that's what she said, too. Then you ripped out her spine with that power of yours. A power you don't deserve. Heh… and here I thought diplomacy would've worked…. My faith in humanity plummeted when I got here, but maybe, just maybe you and the other team would've been more humane than the bastard running this cruel joke. Guess I was wrong." The figure spat as they recoiled their right arm.

The skin of the arm rippled as it tripled in size. Sharp points and spines jutted out of the arm's skin, though it caused no pain, or if it did, then she wasn't expressing it. Vine-like growths covered the arm from wrist to shoulder, as sharp blades covered the entire outer ridge of the arm. The entire arm eclipsed the figure's body, and probably weighed fifty times more than the figure, and yet, the figure did not sway, nor did they grunt due to the immense weight. All they did was keep that same, cold, anger-filled expression.

He recognized all of those powers. They were the powers of those who fell in the onslaught, and from the figure's own team—the dead ones, anyway. He didn't know how they were taken, but they were. And now the monster had them.

And right then, right there, did he realize just how much of a colossal fuck up he had been throughout this entire situation. During the raid, he had said to The Alpha Squadron that they were trapped here with him. But he was dead wrong. They were trapped in here with her.

"N-NO! NO! DON—"

A sickening crack, followed by a thunderous boom echoed throughout the forest.

It was over. This "game" was over. She ended it all by herself, letting those who wanted to flee do so. She knew going into this that she wouldn't be able to control herself after a certain point. All the rage, anger, and vitriol she had stored over the last week had finally boiled over, and out of it came a monster that she tried to keep down for far too long.

But at least now, it was over. With one, tiny, little exception.

There was still one more thing that she had to do.

~Present Day~

Luz didn't know what to think. Staring at the vines now covering her fingers, a small amount of guilt filled her mind. She just stole something that belonged to another that shouldn't have been able to be stolen. And yet… here it was, in her hands and not Julia's. Looking over at the pale-blonde-haired girl, her heart skipped a beat.

"Are… are you okay?" Luz asked the girl, who slowly stood up. There was no verbal response, instead, Julia hugged her. Luz tensed, not expecting that in the slightest as the vines retracted on their own. It wasn't that she was against the idea of being hugged, but… it just seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Thank you…." Julia muttered as she… cried? Why was Julia crying? Did she do something wrong? She did scream in pain earlier, so maybe she was hurting? Or maybe… maybe she was crying because she was happy? Happy that she had her power taken? She could understand why she was happy about her power being taken, but to cry over it? To her, that just seemed… over the top.

"But then again, if I was in her position, I would be crying to…" Luz thought, as she slowly reciprocated the hug, patting the crying blonde on the back softly, a concerned expression on her face.

After a few minutes, the two let go of one another, Julia wiping a tear from the corner of her eye as she laughed. "I… I'm sorry for just… doing that. You… you have no idea how happy I am right now."

Luz rubbed the back of her neck, glancing at the ground with a bashful expression on her face. "Y-yeah… uh… you're welcome?" Luz responded, her socially awkward side coming out in full force. Julia chuckled, covering her mouth in that stereotypical rich person way. If Luz were to be honest with herself, she found it kinda cute—you know, in a platonic sense!

"Hey! Is everything okay out here?!" A voice called out to the pair as both Luz and Julia spun around. Standing in the doorway of the cabin was Marcone. The boy looked tired, confused, and also worried. "I heard screaming! Did someone… you know?" Marcone called out as Luz stiffened like a board. Thankfully, Julia was there to back her up.

"It's quite alright, Giovanni! Go back to sleep, everything is alright!"

There was silence, and then the sound of a door closing. Julia looked over to Luz, who smiled sheepishly. "Come now, it's time that we get some sleep. You've been up most of the night anyway. You need it, Luz," Julia said as Luz sighed. The pale blonde wasn't wrong, much to Luz's chagrin. And while Luz had her reasons for not wanting to sleep, Julia didn't need to know that. So, instead of resisting, she walked with Julia back to the cabin.

When Luz got inside, she took the bed closest to the door, whereas Julia walked further down the aisle to an empty top bunk. For a few minutes, Luz simply stared at the bed. She didn't want to go back to that place again, especially considering who was waiting for her. But, then again, she still needed to sleep. And if she didn't sleep, then what good would she be as a leader who was constantly dosing off?

That was a trick question because the only answer to that was that she wouldn't be a good leader. She wouldn't have the energy to lead in the first place if she never slept. And so, with a defeated sigh, Luz sat down on the edge of the bed. There were a lot of thoughts and ideas bouncing around her head that she wanted to express, but found herself unable to.

Now that she had Julia's vines, did that mean the addiction was going to go away? Or did she only delay it? What would the others think if they found out that she took away Julia's power? Would they believe Julia if she said that she willingly gave them up? Or, would they all turn on her? If they did… what was she going to do then?

"No! Stop that train of thought right now! Not everyone is going to turn their back on you just because you helped someone! This place, as hellish as it is, won't be like that stupid school!" Luz thought, rapping her fist against the side of her head repeatedly until it began to hurt. She sighed, putting both her hands on her knees. "Oh, mamá, por favor… when I need you the most, you can't help me…"

She was at a loss for what to do. She truly believed that it felt wrong to have taken away Julia's power… but if that was what she wanted, who was she to deny it? What about everyone else? Did some of them want their powers taken? Was Julia the only one? What were those on the other teams thinking? Did some of those people want their powers taken away? If so… who was she to deny them either?

Luz shook her head. She was beginning to assume now, and that wasn't a good thing. Assuming things of other people who she didn't know was a bad idea, and was a bad habit to get into. "Well… maybe I should sleep on it? Maybe then things will turn out better…." Luz thought as she lay down. When Luz's head hit the pillow, a wave of drowsiness hit her like a train, and she was out like a light.

When her eyes opened again, she found herself in a dark, empty, void-like expanse. Groaning, she knew where she was, seeing as she instantly recognized those leather chairs and the person sitting in one of them. Her eyes wandered over to Shigaraki, who smirked upon seeing her.

"Well, well, well. Look who came back!" Shigaraki greeted, arms wide and welcoming. Luz narrowed her eyes toward the man, who sighed, putting his arms down against the armrests of the chair. "Well, you didn't "come back." It was more like I dragged you back here. Just for your information, Luz, you don't come back here unless I will it to be; so try not to purposely stay awake. That's not good for your health."

Luz said nothing, nor did she move an inch closer to the man or the chair next to him. She simply stared at him, glared at him, and did nothing. Shigaraki's expression grew flat, as did the look in his eyes. "Oh, don't tell me, you're mad at me because you're here again, right?"

"You just said you dragged me here, so, duh! Of course, I'm mad! It's because of you that I can't sleep properly! I hate knowing that whenever I close my eyes I come back here!" Luz shouted as Shigaraki pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head in an almost disappointed way, which only further spiked Luz's anger, and making Luz of all people angry was a very, very hard thing to do. However, as she was beginning to notice, Shigaraki had a natural talent for doing so.

Finally, Shigaraki's crimson red eyes met Luz's dark brown eyes with a tired, almost annoyed look of his own, which quickly went away and was replaced with a neutral expression.

"There is no need to be mad at me. Besides, if anything, you should be glad to see me. After all, I dragged you here to teach you more about your power. There's more to it than just taking and giving, you know? Not that it's relevant to you right yet, but it will be in the future when you start amassing more power," Shigaraki explained as Luz blew out a sharp intake of air.

"Yeah, right! I don't plan to take any more—"

"The addiction, remember?" Shigaraki interrupted, causing Luz to clamp her mouth shut. "As I said, All For One comes with an addicting feeling to taking Quirks away. And now that you've actually taken one, it will only get worse from here on out. Well, perhaps not worse, but the longer you wait to take power, the more aggravated you will become, and the more snippy you'll be with those around you. I don't think I need to repeat myself from our last talk. As such, you should take a seat, because we'll be here for a while," Shigaraki explained, gesturing to the chair next to him.

Luz sighed, closing her eyes as she composed herself. There was no point in denying him, so instead of starting a needless argument, she walked over to the chair, and sat down next to the supervillain—because she wasn't going to kid herself, that was what he reminded her of. Shigaraki smiled, reclining in his chair as he crossed his arms.

"Now. For future reference, may I point your attention in that direction," Shigaraki began as he pointed toward a dark corner of the vestige realm. Standing there, idly, was a black, human-like shape of nothingness bobbing back and forth like one of those wacky-wavey-inflatable-arm-waving-tube men. Luz recoiled at the faceless, shapeless humanoid, which was seemingly what Shigaraki was looking for, judging by his creepy smile.

"W-What the heck is that?!" Luz asked as Shigaraki huffed.

"That, Luz, is the imprint that is left behind when you take a Quirk from someone. Much like myself, it is a vestige, but an incomplete one, seeing as the person who you stole the Quirk from is still alive, the vestige cannot fully become their own person, so to speak. I've dubbed them "incomplete vestiges." For them to become complete, the user in the real world, or in this case, the former user, has to die." As Shigaraki explained that, Luz scowled.

"You better not be telling me that I should kill Julia because if that is what you're telling me to do, I swear—"

"Oh, heavens no!" Shigaraki quickly interrupted, putting his hands up defensively as Luz relaxed. "In fact, if this Julia person were to die, it would only make your quality of life worse," Shigaraki continued, a distant look on his face. "You see, the more people you take the powers of, the more this place becomes full of other vestiges. Now, granted, they do not have power over you, nor can they do much of anything against you. However, depending on how you took the Quirk, be it forcefully or otherwise, a vestige of them will appear here. Now, some are silent, much like that one over there, but some are more vocal, and can even be nasty. ESPECIALLY if you killed them after taking their Quirk. It would be better for yourself if you didn't kill anyone you took the Quirk of if it can be helped. Otherwise, you will be bombarded by the voices of those who you've stolen the Quirks of. Believe me, this happened to me on multiple occasions, so much so that I eventually found and stole a Quirk that made it so I didn't have to sleep."

As Shigaraki spoke, he cringed at the last part. "Trust me, it is NOT a good idea. Now, if they were to die outside of you being the reason for it, the vestiges will never fully form, remaining shapeless blobs like that one over there," Shigaraki said, pointing toward the blob in the corner. Luz felt a shiver run down her spine when she looked at the blob, her shoulders tensing as she pushed deeper into her chair.

"It's creepy…" Luz murmured as Shigaraki nodded.

"My point exactly," Shigaraki quipped, clasping his hands together. "Now, moving on. There is one more thing I must tell you about All For One that is crucial once you acquire more Quirks," Shigaraki said as Luz placed a hand on her cheek, a disinterested gleam in her eye at the mention of "acquiring more Quirks." Shigaraki's mouth morphed from a neutral line to a frown. "Luz. Let me ask you a question, and I want to hear your honest response. Why is it that you seem so annoyed when I mention stealing other people's powers? There is clearly a reason behind it, and in order for this to work, you have to come forward about it."

Luz scoffed. "Do you really want to know, or are you just trying to pick my brain super villain style so that you can turn around and say "I kNoW yOuR gReAtEsT wEaKnEsS" later down the line."

Shigaraki frowned. "Luz. I'm serious about this. Whether you like it or not, your Quirk is designed to steal other people's power. And yes, I truly do want to know your reasoning. Because if it is what I think it is, then perhaps I can make this easier for you. In our first meeting, you mentioned that you didn't want to take people's powers because you saw it as wrong. Care to explain that a little bit more?" Shigaraki questioned as Luz sighed, sitting up straight and looking the man dead in the eyes.

"Why do I have to explain it more? Shouldn't it be obvious? Taking other people's powers is like ripping away the thing that makes them unique! Why should I be the one to decide who gets to be special, and who doesn't? All of my life I've been seen as "the weird one," or "the kid who can't separate reality from fiction." And now people will finally get to see the world how I saw it, and now you're telling me that I should strip them of that?! Here's a question for you, what gave YOU the right to do what you did in your world, 'cause I'll be honest, you strike me as some kind of maniacal supervillain who takes over countries and steps on babies for fun!" Luz ranted, glaring at Shigaraki, who gave off a calm aura. "Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong because I'll call you a liar if you do."

Shigaraki reclined in his chair, looking up at the infinite expanse above them. He remained like this for what seemed like hours when in reality it was only a few seconds. Finally, he came back with an answer.

"For starters, Luz. The worlds we inhabit, or in my case inhabited, were far from the same. For you, Quirks are just awakening as a result of a mutated genome found within the human body that mass produces adrenaline at such a rate the body has to find some way of getting rid of it, which culminates in those who are affected to gain superpowers. In my world, it was because some child back in the 2020s was born with an abnormal amount of brain cells that converted energy into light, allowing this baby to glow like a lamp. This trait then carried over to other children, which would make them exhibit strange abilities later called Meta Abilities, which then came to be known as Quirks," Shigaraki began, glancing over to Luz, who began to pay attention.

"Now, when I was born, I was what was known as a second-generation Meta-Human. The science behind identifying Quirks at the time was severely lacking compared to what it was in the future, so when I was found out to be a Meta-human, I was shunned by my peers and those around me. When my baby brother came around, he went through the same thing. And so, I got fed up with the treatment, and I acted upon my urges. I started to amass power, steal from those who I thought didn't deserve it, and redistributed it to those who I knew would never lay a finger on my brother and me. My brother, Yoichi, believed that what I was doing was monstrous, and compared me to a comic villain that we both read about as a kid. Granted, I always found myself relating to that villain in question, so I went full throttle with the idea of being the big bad. I started to amass armies, and eventually, I took over Japan. It got to the point where there was a resistance force created solely to kill me!" Shigaraki continued, a smile on his face as he reminisced.

Slowly, the room began to change into a vault, and within it stood a copy of Shigaraki looming over a sickly, frail young man with long white hair. The copy of Shigaraki was seemingly forcibly taking, or maybe even giving something, to the younger brother, which made Luz sick to her stomach.

The idea of forcing anything on anyone made her want to puke. As far as she was concerned, forcing anything on anyone was akin to… well, just thinking of the word made her sick, but it was true! It was a non-consensual act, be it forcing a drug on someone, or be it… whatever else, it was still wrong! Morally and legally. And when she looked over to Shigaraki, he had a grimace on his face.

She didn't know whether to be relieved that that was the case or to be disturbed because with the way this story was going, it most likely wasn't because he regretted forcing whatever it was he was forcing on his younger brother.

"This. This was where my downfall began. You see, I pitied my brother. I wanted to make him strong, but he refused to accept any of my offers. Eventually, I got so frustrated with him that I gave him a Stockpiling Quirk. This was a mistake, as my brother would then turn around and join the resistance force. I later found out that his Meta-Power was a lot similar to mine, and that he could pass down his Quirk to others, and with it, those who had the power could accumulate power, make the Quirk stronger, and move it down the generational line. With each user, the Quirk would become twice as powerful as the last time, empowering the original Quirk of the person it was attached to. This Quirk would later be known as One For All. Fitting, as it is the polar opposite of my power."

The surrounding plain went back to how it was before, as Shigaraki looked over to Luz. "While my actions, to you, might seem detestable, or even downright disgusting, know that we grew up in different situations. My people, those with Quirks, were seen as monsters. My people were culled, and it was even worse with those who had mutant powers. I will admit that it was wrong for me to take advantage of the situation and become a tyrant, which I will freely admit that I was. However, and I cannot stress this enough, you do not have to do the same thing. Learn from my mistakes, become who it is YOU want to be, but allow the stories of the past to mould you. For all you know, the very same thing could be happening right now, and you would never know because you're being forced into this murder game. A murder game, may I remind you, that is being sanctioned by your state's ruling government. And whether you like it or not, there will be people here who will try and kill you. Use THAT for your justification to take powers away from others. Don't be afraid to do what is necessary to protect not only yourself but those around you. While my actions may have been twisted, yours do not need to be the same."

Shigaraki paused his speech, allowing Luz to soak in all of the information. She wasn't going to lie to herself and say that not all of what he said wasn't useful information. And the fact that he was so willingly able to call out his past actions, just to make sure she understood the full scope of his prior situation…. It was… strange. For someone to admit that they were a bad person, and to do so unflinchingly… well, it was certainly a bad thing. It was clear that this man was evil, which was a no-brainer. But the fact that he admitted to it was more than enough to satisfy Luz.

As far as Luz was concerned, everything that Shigaraki did was unforgivable. He was a monster, through and through, and there was nothing he could say, do, or change about himself in this vestige form to make her think otherwise. However, the simple act of admitting he was wrong made Luz look at him in a different light.

It was one thing for a tyrant to brush off what they did and claim no wrongdoing. It was another for them to admit and call out what they did as wrong; something she had never seen from the villains in her favourite animes, mangas, TV Shows, and comics. In those shows, there was either the misunderstood villain or the comically vile and monstrous villain; and nine times out of ten, it was the latter.

So for Shigaraki to straight up say that what he did was bad, and then tell her to not make the same mistakes he did. It sounded like… he regretted it. "Do you… regret what you did?" Luz asked as Shigaraki raised an eyebrow.

"Do I regret my actions?" Shigaraki asked back, huffing out hot air. "Hardly. The only thing I regret doing is going about it in the way I did. I made a lot of errors back then, and if I were given a second chance, I would do it again, only perhaps with a less violent approach, and perhaps I wouldn't have created One For All with my future knowledge. To give a very short version of my answer. No. No, I do not. But if I could change small bits and pieces of what I did to make for a more healthy outcome, then I would. Otherwise, I'd keep things the same."

Luz frowned. "So, you're saying that you'd still become a tyrannical monster on purpose?" The Dominican teen said, furrowing her eyebrows at the man, who shrugged.

"Who knows? For all I know, if what I change does end up getting changed, perhaps I wouldn't become a tyrant. We will never know what that future holds, or what it would turn out to be. But, what I do know Luz, is that we're getting off-topic," Shigaraki said, smirking.

Luz cringed at the hideous smirk on his face, avoiding eye contact. Shigaraki's smirk faded back into a neutral line, as he adopted a more thoughtful expression. "And now I know why you don't like the idea of taking away people's powers. You find it to be abhorrent because you see it as taking away someone's individuality, and not only that, but you see it as a form of projecting your pain onto others when you don't want anyone else to experience that level of loneliness," Shigaraki said, catching Luz off guard.

"B-But that's—!"

"And not only do you not want others to feel that way, if I were to take an educated guess, if you could you'd also go back to being the normal, plain, no power-having Luz so that you don't have to live with the burden of knowing that with just a simple shake of the hand you can take that person's power. Am I correct?"

"Y-You…! You don't know that!" Luz shouted as Shigaraki grinned.

"Oh…? Am I not correct? Does this perhaps mean that, secretly, deep down in your heart of hearts, you like the idea of stripping away power from others?" Shigaraki questioned, making Luz flinch. Just as she was about to interject, Shigaraki continued. "Don't lie to yourself, Luz. You enjoy that idea, don't you? Even if you'd never willingly admit it, the idea of taking away power from those who you believe don't deserve it is something that you've always liked. After all, everyone who you ever met who had a modicum of power over you, even your own mother, has discredited your creativity to some degree, calling it a waste of time, or worse, something that you should strip from your very being!" Shigaraki said, his voice picking up in level, and a distorted, warped passion oozing from each and every word he spoke.

"Look around you, Luz! This very situation you're in is because of those who had power over you saw your creativity, and saw it as a blight on your very soul! So, instead of helping you direct that creativity into something positive, what do they suggest to your mother?! They suggest taking you to a conversion camp meant to make you fit in line with those around you. And the worst part? Your mother agreed with them."

At that, Luz flinched harder than she ever had before. She could feel tears poke at the sides of her eyes as Shigaraki continued to speak. "Your mother, someone who was meant to care and love you, agreed with those who said that you were "too weird" or you were "too obnoxious" for polite society. How devastating is that? To know that your mother doesn't love you for the way you are, and would rather have you change into someone else so that HER life is easier!"

Luz snapped to Shigaraki, fury in her eyes as she spoke, "B-But that's—"

""But that's not true!" you say?!" Shigaraki interrupted as a sharp snarl came across his visage. "Oh, really! Is that the case? Then why did she send you here? Hm? What, let me guess, she said that "this is an opportunity to make new friends," right? But what was the real reason? Do you even know what the real reason was? You don't know, now do you?" Shigaraki spat as Luz shrunk deeper into herself. "Well, allow me to make an educated guess, speaking from experience. Your mother caved into peer pressure, and sent you away, instead of standing up for you and making it known that she'd stick by you to the bitter end, falsely believing that what she was doing was the right thing, right? That sounds to be in line with how your mother operates, am I wrong?"

At this point, Luz was shaking. Not out of anger, well, not solely out of anger, because that was one of the reasons, but it was because of just how right Shigaraki was. Of course, there was a vocal, very loud part of her mind that was shouting at Shigaraki to shut up, to go away, and to never utter another word again.

But, at the same time, a more quiet, rational side of her, a side that only came out when she knew that the person in front of her was right, whispered in her ear and told her that Shigaraki, for no matter how evil he might've been, was correct about a few things. Very, very few things, mind you, and unfortunatly, this was part of it.

And no matter how much she wanted to punch him in the face for it. No matter how much she wanted to scream, to shout, to cry that he was wrong, she couldn't deny the fact that what he described was probably true.

For as much as she loved her mama, she was the type of person to cave under peer pressure. It had happened before with the idea of getting her to try out for the cheerleader squad so that she could distract herself when in reality all it did was humiliate her. Granted, that wasn't her mama's fault, but she was partly to blame for it.

But this? This was different. Sure, her mother might not've known that this whole "death camp" thing would come out of it, but she knew that it was meant to convert her into a pencil-pushing snore-fest of a person.

And to Luz, that was unforgivable. No matter how she sliced it or diced it, that was something that only someone who hated a part of that person would do, even if peer pressure was involved.

And Shigaraki seemed to notice that it struck a nerve with Luz, seeing as he reclined back into his chair, and let out a small, soft, quiet breath. "My point is, Luz, is that those around you who have had power over you used it to make you feel small, weak, and little. And in the back of your mind, you've always wanted to strip that power from them. Now that you have the means to, are you really going to try and tell me that you would never do such a thing? That now that you have the means to point back at the world, and tell them for once that they're wrong, that you won't?"

When Shigaraki poised to her that question, all Luz could do in response was hum out a no. Nodding, Shigaraki sat up straight, the vestige world flickering in and out of existence. The man hummed, letting out a sigh.

"Seeing as we are running out of time, and that morning is now quickly approaching, I'll summarize this as fast as possible. When you do eventually gather more powers, All For One gives you the ability to also combine Quirks together and create new ones. Now, these are not permanent creations, though they can always be paired together and activated in that way. Over time, though, if you use them together enough, you can turn them into a new Quirk completely. So, use that creative brain of yours to think up interesting Quirk combinations when you do get around to it."

The vestige world flickered again as Shigaraki nodded to himself, standing up from his chair. "It seems our time is up. Luz, do not forget what I told you here. Don't force limitations on yourself because of some misguided morality. Do not let anyone control you anymore. And most importantly, use All For One the way you want to. After all, there is no such thing as an evil Quirk, only an evil Quirk user."

And as Shigaraki spoke those last words, the vestige world began to disappear, and for the second time that day, Luz awoke….

-To Be Continued-

Yeah, I know quite the chapter. Seeing as we're getting into the meat and potatoes of this arc, expect longer chapters as a result. Stuff like this will be more commonplace, at least, I hope. That, and I love it when I get to write All For One and Luz interact. Trust me, when we get to the boiling isles, shit will be going down differently. But, that's for then, and now is now. So, till next time everyone. Peace!