Hello and welcome back once more to another installment here! I am determined not to slow down on this project, and I am so grateful I keep finding more and more inspiration to keep me going! So let us waste no time and get right into the story for more excitement!
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Kytheon both was, and was not surprised.
He wasn't surprised at the enormous amount of interviewers at the front of the school, harassing the students as they entered.
He was surprised they had waited a few days before striking.
He had half expected the crowd to form after the very first day of school, so that they could all get the very first impressions of All-might as a teacher. He was such a massive figure in the public eye, that no matter where he went the news would be sure to find him. That being said, just because he expected them, didn't mean he welcomed them. And currently, they were standing in between him and the school.
He sighed and shook his head. There was at least one way to deal with such eager information hounds. He stood as straight as possible, looked straight ahead, and began moving with a purpose. Naturally, when people saw him, they started to get out of his way, up until they recognized his uniform. A woman in a blue suite stepped forward, thrusting a microphone in his face as the crowd closed in around him.
"Can you please tell us what it is like learning under All-Might?"
Kytheon looked around at all the eager faces and twitching pens, ready to get any details they could down. He looked back at the blue suited lady with a powerful gaze.
"Learning under All-Might is a privilege. His experience is proving to be a wonderful source of education. Now if you don't mind, I must be going-"
"Wait, aren't you the teen from a few months back, the one that fought the perverted tentacle villain?"
"Yes, but I still have much to learn, not just from All-Might, but also from all of the other teachers here at UA. Do not discredit their contributions just because they are not as famous as the mighty man himself."
With that, he turned and strode through the crowd purposefully, the people parting like the Red Sea for Moses as they watched him go by in awe. A small voice from the crowd could be heard.
"Seems he hasn't lost any of his eloquence since his last speech…"
Kytheon couldn't help but smirk as the crowd yelled some final questions at him while others prepared for the next poor sap to come through.
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A few minutes later, and Kytheon was safe in his homeroom, where he could converse with the friends he had been making during classes.
Eijiro had been one of the first to approach him after Tenya, Izuku, and Ochako, of course. The similarities between aspects of their quirks and Kytheon's apparent 'Manliness' had made the hardening hopeful hero see him in a positive light. He brought along Mina Ashido and Denki, who fortunately held no ill will over being so soundly defeated. He had also begun befriending Momo. Apparently being the number one in the practical exam had some social benefits.
However, he had not stopped being friends with the original three, no no, that much is certain.
"Man, those interviewers out there… they don't mess around, huh." Kytheon said with a chuckle as he approached Izuku, Tenya, and Ochako. The trio looked over and smiled as they saw the tall, broad and tanned teen approaching with a lazy grin.
"No kidding! They reaaaaally wanna know what it's like learning from All-might! I didn't know what to say!" Ochako said with a bubbly giggle. Tenya nodded solemnly.
"I said exactly what I thought: That it is a true privilege to study under such a legendary figure."
Kytheon nodded at Tenya's comment. "I more or less said the same thing, with the addition that they shouldn't discount the other teachers just because All-Might is there. We have something to learn from every teacher."
Tenya gasped in surprise. "Oh my word, you are completely right! I certainly should have mentioned the other teachers! I must make sure I learn extra diligently from them!"
Kytheon sweatdropped. "Tenya, tenya… It's fine. Don't worry. You won't always have the perfect response any time anybody asks you something, especially when you aren't prepared for it."
"Then how do you do it?"
That question from Izuku caught Kytheon off guard, almost causing him to stumble where he was standing. He looked over at Izuku.
"Pardon?"
The boy's eyes were strangely determined. "When I become a hero, I want to be able to say the right thing when I need to… You seem to always know! Like when the Zero Pointer showed up, or even with something as simple as handling the reporters… How do you do it?" The green haired kid had a notebook in his hands, causing Kytheon to raise an eyebrow.
"First off, I don't. I don't always say the right thing at the right time. Second, I've only become somewhat decent through experience…"
Tenya frowned. "That's been something I have been meaning to ask you. You speak like you have years and years of being a hero, and to a certain extent, your results seem to point that direction too. How old are you actually?"
Kytheon swallowed. "Erm-"
Fortunately, Kytheon was saved from that confrontation by an exceptionally sleepy looking Aizawa entering the room and demanding everyone to sit down. But Kytheon could tell by the looks on his friends' faces that this conversation was far from over.
"Good work on yesterday's combat training. I saw the video and results. Bakugo, you're talented, so don't act like a kid."
"I know."
'Does he?' Kytheon thought to himself.
"And Midoriya… You settled it by breaking your arm again, huh? You can't keep saying you can't help it because you can't control your quirk. I don't like saying the same thing over and over. As long as you fix the control issue, there's a lot you'll be able to do. Feel a sense of urgency, Midoriya."
"Yes sir!"
"And Iora…" Kytheon looked up at the ragged teacher at the front of the class. "You need to stop holding back." This caused several people in the class to turn and stare at him. He sighed. Figures.
"Your quirk is a strange one, but I will not deny that it is incredibly powerful. But when you saw Jirou and Kaminari, why didn't you call out those chains like you did to stop Bakugo during the quirk evaluation test? You would have been able to match Todoroki's time for a completed mission, rather than going on a fruitless chase when they split apart?"
Kytheon shook his head. "I do not know, sir. Must have slipped my mind." He said. In truth, he did know why he had done so. He wanted to give the others a chance to prove themselves. If this was a class and they should be learning, what could they learn from being instantly captured without a chance for fighting back? But he knew that should he say that out loud, Aizawa would certainly say something along the lines of 'A villain won't give you the same opportunity'.
As it stood, the teacher merely sighed. "A hero needs to know the capabilities of their quirk, so that they can logically use it at max capacity. Otherwise you're even behind Midoriya in that case."
"Understood sir."
"Now let's get down to homeroom business. Sorry about the late notice, but today I'll have you decide on a class representative."
Oh boy.
If there was one thing Kytheon had learned from Jace becoming the guildpact, it was that no amount of fame was worth being put on a committee, or even worse, becoming a solo leader of a civilian organization. Being a general was fine. He could motivate troops, allocate appropriate defenses, and lead the charge into battle. But the one enemy he dreaded most of all was paperwork. He didn't know how much paperwork is a part of class representation, but to be safe, he wanted nothing to do with something like this.
Apparently he seemed to be one of the only ones that thought that way. So he sat quietly towards the back of the room, watching as people leapt out of their seats to try and be picked as the representative. Sure, it might be good practice for leading people as a hero, but still, the further away from that desk he can get, the better.
"Silence please!"
A bellow from Tenya quickly brought the class to blessed silence.
"It is a job with the serious responsibility of leading others. It is not a job for just anyone who wants to do it. It is a calling that requires the trust of those around you. If we want to use democracy to decide on a true leader, then we should hold an election to choose one."
The fact that his hand was raised the highest out of anyone aside, Kytheon smiled and stood up. Leave it to the guy who most reminded him of Dovin Baan to suggest such a thing. The vedalken would be so proud…
"Tenya is right." He loudly declared, drawing the attention towards himself this time. "A leader must be comfortable holding the faith of the others they lead, and likewise, the people need to feel comfortable following such a person. As such, a democratic vote is the best option. HOWEVER! To prevent everybody from simply voting for themselves, I propose a change to reflect that. If we decide to put it towards a vote, we must have each person not vote for themselves. Each voter must put their faith in the person they feel can lead the class better than anyone else barring yourself. In a way, this will be its own test of how much you have been paying attention to your classmates."
"Whatever you do, just make sure it is done before homeroom is over…" Aizawa said in the lull of silence that followed Kytheon's declaration, zipping himself into his yellow sleeping bag once more. Kytheon was moderately concerned for the man. What was his home life like to have to resort to this?
Regardless, Kytheon nodded and turned to the class. "Any objections proposed to doing it the way Tenya and I suggested?"
A chorus of No rang out. Momo stood up and pulled a box out of herself.
"In that case, everybody write your vote on a piece of notebook paper, fold it and put it in the box." She declared. Kytheon gave her a nod.
"And don't talk to each other during this. Don't let others sway your vote."
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Once all of the votes had been put in the box, Kytheon and Momo sat down to start sorting out and tallying up the numbers. Once the conclusion had been reached, Kytheon let his face fall down and thunk against his desk, letting loose a barely audible stream of Akroan curses.
"You Ok?" Momo asked, glancing over at him. He sighed.
"Let's just get the numbers up there…"
The two of them walked up to the teacher with the results, and Aizawa stood and began writing on the board as Kytheon and Momo sat back down.
With the ability to vote for oneself out of the picture, the results were pretty clear for everyone to see.
"Congratulations, Iora and Yaoyorozu. It would appear that you two are the new representative and vice representative of class 1-A"
The two of them stood in front of the class, stone faced and staring out at the crowd of mixed reactions. Some obviously looked upset that they weren't chosen, Tenya and Bakugo among them, while others like Izuku and Ochako seemed proud.
"Well, this doesn't seem like it will be too bad…"
"You're right, if the rumors from the practical exam about Kytheon are true, and since Yaoyorozu is really smart, plus her analysis of the battle results was so cool! And Kytheon was matching her in those as well… I think that they are the perfect match for this position!"
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"Whoah, there are so many more people here today!" Ochako exclaimed as they entered the cafeteria for lunch that day. Tenya nodded.
"That's because everyone in the hero course, support course, and management course meets in the same place."
"Uh, Kytheon, you alright?" Izuku asked, looking over at his beefy friend, who seemed to be poking around at his mound of food. Kytheon looked up.
"Hm? Oh yeah, I am doing fine!"
"You sure? You've not been eating with your usual gusto… are you nervous about being class rep? That's not like you…"
Kytheon couldn't help but laugh. "No, I wouldn't say nervous, per say. I just had a friend once who was in charge of a lot of people… He talked about how much he hated it. He told me to avoid it wherever possible. But, the people have spoken!" He said with a smile and a shake of his head, going back to his food and reminiscing about his time with the Gatewatch. The other three at the table looked at each other before looking back at him.
"He's doing it again, he sounds like an old man!" Ochako whispered. Tenya nodded.
"Now might be our best chance to ask him about that, since Aizawa interrupted earlier…"
"Yeah, you're right… of all the strange and mysterious things about him, that is probably one of the biggest mysteries! Why is he like that? Where is he from?"
The three stared at Kytheon, who just now seemed to become aware of what was going on.
"Ah? Why are you guys looking at me like that?" He asked, tilting his head.
"Where are you from?" Izuku asked, cutting right to the chase.
"Akros, why?"
"Where is Akros?" Tenya asked next, rubbing his chin. "I've never heard of such a place before… It sounds almost greek…"
"Uhh…. Y-yeah, sure, it is Greek… It's a small city."
"Really? That's so cool! What brought you to Japan? Was it UA?"
"Umm…"
Fortunately, Kytheon was spared from having to give further details by the sound of an alarm going off, causing him to jerk up to attention immediately. "An alarm?"
"There has been a Level 3 security breach." A disembodied voice on the intercom stated and Kytheon winced. That couldn't be good. "All students please evacuate outdoors promptly."
Kytheon turned to the person next to him. "Level three, explain."
The person gulped, obviously slightly intimidated. "It means someone is trespassing on school grounds! I've never seen anything like this in the three years I've been here! You should hurry too!"
And with that, the student upped and fled, joining the throng of students all pushing and shoving to get out as fast as possible. Kytheon grimaced. This was bad. Students risked being trampled underfoot should they fall, and in the chaos a villain could easily take out several dozen students at once. Kytheon fought his way over to the fortunately close window in the off chance of him seeing who the invader was so that he knew how best to protect the students. He growled in irritation when he saw boom mics and camera people.
"The damn reporters…" He mumbled. He looked back over his shoulder. No one else seemed to care enough to evaluate the threat. Everyone was panicking for their lives and trying to get out… putting themselves above others… he gritted his teeth and had to remind himself that they were still just teenagers. He had seen enough fresh-faced recruits abandon their posts because they didn't know what they were up against. Of course they wouldn't know, they haven't been through as much as he has. Still though… The mass of bodies pressing up against him was reminding him too much of the feeling he got when he was overwhelmed by the dreadhorde in the minutes before his death. He felt his heart rate quicken and his breath hitch, when he saw Tenya pressed up against the window next to him.
"Tenya! It's just the reporters! We need to work together and get the students under control!" He yelled. Tenya looked out the window, then back at the tanned teen, seeing that he seemed to be struggling with something. He seemed to be sweating, and his eyes were not entirely focused. He nodded, before trying to push his way along the window.
Kytheon was unaware of Iida's next actions, as his vision was filled with something else as he felt himself get pushed down onto his knees.
The sky was dark over Ravnica. Heavy clouds blocked out the sun for so long, one could not tell if it was day or night. The clash of blades could be heard amidst the screams of civilians and soldiers. But the enemy did not scream. They could not scream. The mindless skeleton army pressed forwards, the eternals not stopping, not slowing. The mages' spells splashed uselessly across the blue Lazotep that plated each and every warrior. He watched as a pair of zombified jackal-headed warriors cleaved through a soldier's shield and armor in a single swing, bisecting the poor person.
It was only due to his aura that he could withstand the throng. His sword cleaved straight through the lazotep, singing with delight in his hands as it drank in the trapped souls within each that fell before him. However, each skeletonized warrior that fell was replaced by more. Always more. The forces of the dreadhorde advanced always. He was dimly aware of fellow fighters falling around him, until he was all that remained at the foot of the citadel. He could see Bolas standing at the top from where he had smacked him down minutes ago. Yet it felt like hours, or even days. He could see the sparks flying through the air as other planeswalkers fell elsewhere, flying to the false God-Pharaoh. Helping to fuel his ascension. He could not be allowed to succeed…
The eternals that pressed against him did not care that he was immune to their blows. He could feel the closest ones thrusting their talons against him, trying to pluck out his spark. Blows from a multitude of Khopeshes bounced off his arms and head, even as spears plunged through gaps in the forces, trying to impale weak spots in his armor. He could no longer move, his sword couldn't be swung, he was drained, he couldn't move he couldn't move he-
"KYTHEON!"
A warm hand on his shoulder jerked him from the memories, and he looked up with wild eyes at a very panicked Izuku. He and Ochako were kneeling next to him, as Tenya made the other students back up from Kytheon to give him space. The ex-planeswalker gasped in heavy breaths and wiped the sweat from his face, trying to calm his heart rate down. He could hear murmurs and whispers among the other students, and could see a concerned Denki and Eijiro peering over the crowd at him.
"Kytheon, what happened?" Ochako asked, her voice ladened with concern. Kytheon shook his head and ran a hand through his hair to straighten it back out again. His breathing was still pretty heavy as he rocked back so he was sitting on his heels.
"The crowd was too tight… triggered some memories that are… best left untouched. I'm fine… I'm fine." It sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself more than anyone else. Tenya was finally starting to succeed in getting the crowd to disperse as Kytheon shakily pushed himself to his feet.
"I'm going to head back to the classroom… I've lost my appetite." He mumbled, before starting to stride down the halls, leaving behind a very concerned trio of friends. Denki and Eijiro came up to Izuku and Ochako.
"You, what happened to Kytheon? I've never seen him so shaken before…" the redhead asked, tilting his head as he looked at Kytheon's retreating back.
"He had a panic attack from the crowd pushing against him… There's still so much we don't know about him."
"I hope he tells us someday…"
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It had taken a little while for Kytheon to compose himself when he got back to the classroom, and by the time the other students came back in after lunch, the only difference was that his eyes looked about as tired as Aizawa's. Fortunately, everybody seemed to be giving him space, and Momo gave his shoulder a gentle pat as she passed him to her seat. Once everybody was settled in, Momo got back up and tapped Kytheon once more to have him follow her up.
"Alright… before we continue, let me just be clear to you all. Some of you might have heard rumors of my panic attack or even seen it, but I am better now. Don't worry. Now let us decide on other class officers…"
The rest of the day managed to proceed without a hitch, and at the end, Kytheon was the first one out the door, taking a different route back to Nemuri's apartment. He needed time to himself. Sure he felt bad leaving his friends behind, and they obviously would be concerned, but… the incident rubbed him the wrong way.
Come to think about it, he had never really come to terms with the War of the Sparks in Ravnica. The place where he died… even to the current day, the incident back on Theros that ignited his spark still gave him troubles, something that Nicol Bolas had used against him on Amonkhet. And the things he has seen on Zendikar and Innistrad still sometimes gave him nightmares… This world he found himself on, it was considerably more peaceful compared to any other world he had been to. Even Kaladesh had a secret war that blew out of proportion when he got involved. Nowhere had he ever felt so… relaxed. Being able to go to a normal school, and make friends, get time to actually be a teenager like he was never allowed to be before…
But he wasn't a teenager. He was a war-torn veteran, weary from conflict. And apparently he wasn't doing a good job of hiding it. His friends have noticed something was off about him, and were going to ask him about it twice before something intervened both times. He wouldn't be able to keep dodging around it forever. He had to tell them at some point. And tell them everything. He had it in good faith that they wouldn't shun him or anything like that, they were too friendly to do such a thing.
He took a deep breath to clear his head. He was so used to carrying other people's burdens. In fact, it literally was what caused his death. Perhaps, now in this more peaceful world, he could rely on others to help with his own.
By the time he made it back to the apartment, he found himself smiling.
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Oh dear, this chapter is the shortest one yet… I most certainly didn't want to give you such a short one after the longest break thus far, but y'all know what is coming next, and since I plan on making the USJ attack all one chapter, tacking it on to this one would just be unnecessary.
Let's be honest here: Kytheon can not have possibly gone through all the things he has and come out mentally unscathed. So while he may seem a little ooc, I figure that it is at least a reasonable change to make.
So the next chapter may take a while to produce, as I said before, I want the whole incident to be one chapter, but hopefully I will be able to knock it out relatively quickly and get it out to all of you lovely supporters!
Stay safe and wash your hands!