Chapter 6: The birth of a Star
Kyoka picked out the last bag of chips she could afford with her monthly allowance. Her stock of snacks was running low and she just couldn't concentrate if she wasn't munching on something.
She walked to the checkout line and waited, the soft background music of the market making her zone out a little, but it also gave her an idea for the song she was working on. She pulled out her song notebook, a small booklet with a red silk page marker, from her pocket and started to jot it down but then paused midway. She should be focusing more on what she should be doing to get into UA, not wasting time on music. It was a hobby at best.
Kyoka wanted to be a hero, help people and all that, she really did. It wasn't because of some great mission or life calling. She just wanted to do something important with her life, something that mattered.
She put the booklet back in her pocket, she would put music aside and try harder from now on. Kyoka was half considering getting rid of the snacks but they also helped her study so in the end she stayed in place and decided to buy them.
Two guys got in line behind her, nothing she really cared about until she heard one of them speak, or rather, whisper. "Do you believe we have enough supplies?" He spoke so softly most people wouldn't be able to hear.
But Kyoka wasn't most people. Her quirk gave her such sharp hearing that she could tell when someone was lying by their heartbeat, so not only did she hear what they were saying, it was as clear as if they were speaking normally. She always heard what everyone in her general vicinity said and while Kyoka did her best to tune people out to respect their privacy, sometimes she just couldn't help but focus on one or other even if just to kill her boredom.
The other counted their stuff, "It should be enough, we are diving into new territory today but we shouldn't encounter anything too difficult to deal with."
She turned slightly to glance at them, her interest piqued.
A boy with a mop of green hair pulled a green notebook from somewhere and opened in a random page that seemed to be the one he was looking for, "The villain attack was a fairly small one, only one person got slightly hurt and was sent to the hospital, no life threatening injuries. Considering that, our target should be an easy one."
Kyoka's blood froze. What? Were those two going after a villain? They looked her age- well, she was guessing since the other guy had a bird head, but she doubted they had hero licenses. That could only mean one thing: they were vigilantes.
She bit her lip, what should she do in this situation? Call the police? That seemed right, but she doesn't have any proof. Actually she didn't have any context, she could be jumping to the wrong conclusion here, so what should she do?
She decided to follow them. See what they were going to do, and if it was something illegal call the cops and let them deal with it. It was the most she could do without breaking the law herself. Kyoka put on her best poker face, paid for her things, stuffed them in her backpack and walked out, lingering a small distance away and hoping they didn't notice.
Two minutes later the duo of possible vigilantes walked out, Kyoka cursed herself for not checking what they were buying, maybe it would have helped her realize what they were doing. She trailed them at a distance, trying to look just like another person going about their life, which was really difficult when you were forcing it. She was sure she didn't look around so much normally but she was nervous.
The two reached a corner, looked up to something that she couldn't see, nodded at each other and walked into an alleyway to the side. Her suspicions skyrocketed, and Kyoka was starting to panic a little, thinking about doing something and really doing were two different things and now she was getting anxious in following her plan. She sucked it up and walked to the alley too. She was going to be a hero dammit! The two guys had books in their hands and their eyes closed. She almost did a double take, what are they doing? It was weird but not illegal, unless it was one of their quirks, but if it was, she couldn't figure it out.
Kyoka weighed her options, the only way to tell if she should call the police was if she caught them breaking a law. She put on her hero face and went to find out. As she entered the alley and sneaked towards them, she knew she wasn't intimidating being shorter than either of them. And considering the disadvantage of being outnumbered two-to-one, her hope was to get in their faces and squeeze an answer out of them before they could realize that.
Kyoka got at the green haired one side and put a hand on his shoulder to shake him, "Hey!" When she made contact, the boy opened his eyes in surprise and then alarm, as the world twisted around them.
—
Izuku was panicking so much, even his Personas were in an uproar. He could sense Omoikane about to put order in his mind when the soothing sound of Orpheus lyre filled his senses, his head turning from a war zone into a clear and calm lake.
'Thank you Orpheus.'
"Think nothing of it, Hero. I am happy to help you." His melodious voice sounded over the ring of strings.
Now Izuku had the peace of mind to process the fact he dragged an innocent person into an Anomaly.
The girl was about his age, with purple hair and eyes, wearing a leather jacket over a shirt with a band he didn't recognize, ripped jeans and boots. Her quirk seemed to be a mutation type, ropey skin hanging from her earlobes drawing to… were those aux jacks? Izuku would love to analyze them if the situation was any different.
"What is this?" She asked, eyes widening at the twisted reflection of the world around them.
The Anomaly took the form of a colossal body of water with small sandy islands littering it. A pagoda stood on each, tall and imposing, all with different heights and colors. Wooden bridges connect them, each side marked by a torii, a traditional shinto gate, at each side. It was a strange but captivating sight, the toxic green light from the Anomaly sky mixing with a yellow radiance coming from the water making it even more ethereal, even if the dissonant colors were jaring, but it only served to show the distorted nature of the Anomaly.
The girl took in the fantastical sights around them,then looked back at Izuku. In a second she was right in his face, panicked and more than angry, "I don't know what you two did but you better get me out of here!" Her voice made Izuku shrink into himself, old instincts literally beaten into him taking hold.
Tokoyami came to his rescue, putting himself between them. "Calm down. We do not know how you followed us here, but if you want to go back to Reality safely you need to keep your voice down before you attract Shadows," He tried to be imposing, but the girl wasn't impressed.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" She shouted in his face.
With ruffled feathers Tokoyami sighed, "Stop, calm down and let me explain."
His words had the opposite effect, "Don't ask me to calm down! What's this, all this!" She waved her arms to the surrealist surroundings.
Tokoyami took a deep breath to keep his cool, if he too became agitated then the situation would only escalate, "Please, stop before a Shadow comes."
"A Shadow? What are you talking about?!"
"The dark reflection of the True Self." Just as he finished talking a Shadow busted out of the pagoda on the island they were on, "Or that, if you want a more visual example." He sighed exasperated
It was a Nue, a large Shadow with a black body, yellow pawed legs with stripes, a snake for a tail and a white furry head with a black face, on it red glowing eyes and hauntingly white teeth.
The girl gave a startled yelp and stepped back, eyes wide and fear in her face, an appropriate reaction to a monster more than double her size
Dark Shadow coming out cackling, "You just had to say it." The bird headed boy shot the aspect of his Other a glare but said nothing. Pulling his blade from his Record, he started to walk to the beast, "Stay back, I will be done in a minute." He said over his shoulder to the girl, who was staring at the Shadow with wide and fearful eyes.
Izuku snapped himself from his trauma induced lockup in the sight of real danger and armed himself, "It is immune to Curse! Be careful Tokoyami-kun!"
The raven swordsman gave a nod before dashing at the Shadow. Before it could move to attack, Tokoyami slashed its hind legs, making it fall into it's behind with a pained cry. The snake snapped at him but with a quick twist Tokoyami danced around the deadly fangs.
The Nue brought both his arms over his head and smashed them down with a roar, "Die!"
Tokoyami leapt back, avoiding the attack that kicked up a cloud of sand where he was a moment ago and called forth his Persona, "Tsukuyomi, Rising Slash!" The god of the night materialized below him.
"What the fuck?!" The girl shouted. Tokoyami couldn't fault her, his Other was quite a sight after all.
Tsukuyomi dashed at the Shadow, his blade of dark flames blurring into movement. The Nue got bisected diagonally, it's chest raining black tar before it disintegrated. Tsukuyomi huffed at the ashes before vanishing himself.
Tokoyami landed softly and made his way back to the other two, "As I said, be mindful of your voice if you do not want to attract more foes to our position." He said calmly.
"What was that?!" The girl whisper-yells, taking his words seriously, "Was that even real? It just… disappeared after you killed it!"
Izuku jumps on to defend his friend, "That was a Shadow, an aspect of humanity born from the collective unconscious."
She looked at him, "What?"
Tokoyami sighs, "Do not concern yourself with its demise, it was merely an aspect of Humanity among countless others. It was not truly alive in the first place. More importantly we will escort you to the nearest Safe Zone and bring you back to Reality."
"I don't even know who you are!" She groaned while taking another step back, trying to keep her distance from both of them.
Izuku looked at Tokoyami and stepped in, "My name is Midoriya Izuku, and this is Tokoyami Fumikage. We want to help you! This place is dangerous, so please, let's get you out of here before anything else attacks! ." He was using all his social ability for this, even if that didn't mean much.
She stared at him for a second, scrutinizing him, then she apparently found what she was looking for, "Ok, I'm Jiro wanna help me? Then tell me what the hell is going on! And in a way that makes sense! Unlike everything he says!" Jiro pointed at Tokoyami and gave him an accusatory glare, as if all the madness happening was his fault.
Tokoyami looked at Izuku, the green haired boy nodded, they had to prioritize Jiro's safety, she was an innocent bystander that had been dragged into this.
Tokoyami turned to Jiro, "You are inside an Anomaly, a focus point of distorted Emotion, not by your own fault but by our carelessness. For that, I am sorry. I acknowledge that you have no reason to trust us. However, as my friend said, please let us assist you." He bowed, Izuku following his lead and doing the same.
Jiro huffed but nodded, "Fine, I'll listen to what you two have to say. How do we leave… whatever this is."
Izuku straightened himself and gave a relieved smile, "We need to find a Safe Zone, from there we can escape the Anomaly. That wasn't the only Shadow here, so it'll be dangerous, but we will deal with them!" He finished, trying to sound upbeat. The last thing he needed to do was scare her.
Jiro only gave him a side eyed glance but nodded.
Tokoyami turned to the torii and the bridge beyond it, "Let us make haste." He said, and walked ahead, Izuku quickly followed, glancing back at Jiro who stayed in place for a few more seconds before joining them.
They started to cross to the next island, the wood creaking under their feet. There weren't any Shadows in sight, but the water was too calm. Izuku was already sketching a map of the path they were making in case of a future attempt of clearing the Anomaly. He was looking from one side to the other to keep an eye out for enemies and to get the general details of the surroundings when Jiro tapped his shoulder, concern visible in her face, "Did you hear that?"
He stopped to listen, Tokoyami also pausing and closing his eyes to sharpen his hearing. Jiro looked from one side to the other, but then she glanced down, just as both boys heard it.
"Look out!" Izuku shouted, grabbing one of Jiro's arms while Tokoyami seized the other. A giant form burst from below the bridge, sending splinters of wood raining down from the section of the bridge that it pulverized.
Izuku stared at the monster in fear. It was a snake thicker than a train car and just the part above the water was taller than a three story building. Certainly, it was the biggest enemy he found in an Anomaly until now. It had sickly yellow scales marked by scarlet red ones, the eyes being a blind and milky white, a blue biforked tongue shooting out to taste the air.
"What is that thing?! Another Shadow?" Jiro's cry snapped Izuku from his fear fueled awe.
"...This isn't a Shadow."
Tokoyami took in a sharp breath and shook his head, "No, it is a Cognition," at his partner's confused glance, he explained, "Here where beliefs take form a thought given Power, a twisted perception created by Cognition and Emotion can come to life, this is a Cognition ."
Izuku gulped, "So basically, the monster that the person who created this place fears is the monster that we face." Tokoyami's only answer was a grim nod.
"How do you plan to fight something that big?!" Jiro's question was an extremely good one, unfortunately Izuku didn't have an answer.
The snake turned its massive head towards them, and he decided to think about a plan in a better position, "Run!" They all followed his panic filled order, rushing back to the island they started on.
The snake snapped its jaw at them with enough force to nearly send them flying. They ran back under the torii and kept going, but when Izuku risked looking over his shoulder… the snake was sinking back underwater.
"I-I think we can stop now." He gasped, winded from the desperate sprint. He would have to up his training later. Tokoyami was the first to stop at his words, letting go of Jiro's arm along with Izuku, not even breathing deeper, he was used to suddenly having to run for his life inside Anomalies, and watched the broken piece of the bridge, waiting to see if the snake decided to attack again.
Jiro kept going for a little more, but then she stumbled to a stop and gasped for air, "W-what the hell was that?! There's no way a snake can be this big! And explain it without the damn poetry!"
Izuku glanced at her but then avoided her eyes. Talking with a girl was still a little hard for him, plus years of being ridiculed and then dismissed that still popped up every now and again, if his earlier froze up was any indication (He pointedly ignored how easy it was to talk to Angela, why did Izuku have such an easy time talking to her when with almost everyone else he was a pile of nerves?.), "I think… I think that was a cognitive manifestation of the villain that attacked the person who originated this place, just blown out of proportion by their fear. In the Metaverse how you see things take a much more literal meaning, so it would make sense the Cognition would be a giant monster or something equally terrifying. The person that created this is scared, it makes sense that they would see who attacked them as a monster."
Tokoyami finally turned to him and asked, "The villain had a snake quirk, right?"
Jiro frowned and tried to understand what they were every minute that passed she believed more and more she was going insane with all the crap those two were dumping onto her.
Izuku nodded and answered Tokoyami's question more in deep to hopefully get an idea of how to proceed, "They had a Transformation type quirk, they could turn into different nonpoisonous snakes, they also has interesting application to both rescue and reconnaissance as reptiles are heat sensitive and snakes have an sharp sense of smell-" His began to descend into an infinite abyss of quirk analysis was interrupted by Jiro snapping her fingers in front of his face.
"That's nice and all but how are we going to get past that thing?"
Izuku started to break down their current dilemma in hopes of solving it, not noticing how Tokoyami crossed his arms and waited for his thoughts before giving any input.
"The serpent is not one I recognize, so that will not help, it can also only be a fabrication of the Metaverse and not a real snake. It stopped chasing us when we retreated to the island, so that means it has marked the water as its territory and will not leave it, or…" Izuku's eyes widened and he looked at the red gate that separated the earth from the water perfectly, "The gates!"
"What, what's the problem with the gates? Aren't they just normal temple stuff?" Jiro asked, confused, but Tokoyami also had realization flashing in his eyes.
Izuku started to explain, "It is a torii, they are normally in the entrance of Shinto shrines because... "
Tokoyami finished his line of thought, "It symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred. In the Metaverse, it not only symbolizes, it is."
Izuku nodded his head frantically, "Yes! It separates the Cognition's territory from what I suppose is the Shadow domain."
"The mundane threat of an animal to the divine threat of wrathful gods and evil spirits, apart only by the threshold of our beliefs. Fitting." Tokoyami looked from the torii to the pagoda, "I am certain one of these pagodas will be a Safe Zone, we only need to find it."
"That's great to know, and you two really have a promising future with poetry, but we need to get past that giant ass snake first! Any ideas on that?" Jiro snapped at them.
Dark Shadow came out, startling Jiro and cackling. He got in her face and gave a smirk visible even in his indefinite features, "Like this!" Dark Shadow shot up, trying to stretch himself above the gate and the bridge directly to the next pagoda, only for his form to crash into something. The Persona manifested in quirk form patted the air and shouted, "There's a damn invisible wall here!"
Tokoyami put a hand over his eyes, embarrassed by his Other's antics, "Do not mind Dark Shadow, he is, in simple terms, an aspect of my quirk." At her weirded out stare he shook his head, "It is best if you do not think about it, the specifics are… confusing, to say the least."
"I'll take your word for it." Jiro decided to focus on their current problems instead of trying to dig up new ones.
Izuku pursed his lips, ignoring the conversation at his side, "Maybe the only way to cross between the two sides is by the gate, and that will probably alert the Cognition."
Jiro gulped, "Then, what do we do?"
Izuku and Tokoyami traded a glance, "We run." They said at the same time. Izuku quickly summoned Omoikane, causing Jiro to yelp in surprise. The Persona cast Sukukaja on both boys while Dark Shadow scooped Jiro up as she squawked in protest.
"On three?" Izuku asked while getting ready.
"And give it a warning? I believe we do not owe it such courtesy."
Both bolted over the bridge, running as fast as their speed enhanced legs could carry them. They lunged over the destroyed part of the bridge even as the water began to swell beneath them, not slowing down for a second. When their feet touched the ground at the other side they felt the wood vibrate, the Cognition was coming.
They darted to the other torii, the other side of the gate and it's sanctuary was their only hope in this situation. As they heard it emerging from behind, Jiro screamed, "Gogogo!"
They crossed the gate, hearts in their throats, looking back the serpent was only a couple meters behind them.
Izuku and Tokoyami both gulped down deep mouthfuls of air, legs and lungs burning from the frantic exercise. Unfortunately the universe wasn't going to give them time to rest as, from the pagoda in the island, two other Nues and a Nigi Mitama, a blue floating tomoe with a smiling face, came out.
"This will be a long one, will it not?" Tokoyami sighed, Izuku's only answer was a resigned nod.
—
Kyoka didn't know how things turned out like this, one moment she was following two possible vigilantes, the next she was in a weird green world full of monsters. She first thought it was one of their quirks, but then they explained, or tried to explain what was happening. Kyoka didn't understand everything, actually she didn't understand most of it, but she could hear when someone was lying and when the two said they wanted to help her she heard the sincerity in their voice and their stead heartbeats.
With no other option she decided to follow along. Kyoka wanted to be a hero, yes, but the insanity currently happening around her was too much, she just wanted to go home and forget this ever happened.
Midoriya and Tokoyami weren't that bad, both were trying to help her and they were actually nice to talk to when she stopped freaking out and actually tried to. After the third sprint across the giant snake's territory, they started to talk about random things while fighting the monsters, the Shadows, and Kyoka found herself chipping in. Tokoyami was a cool guy, but a little edgy, Midoriya was a mess. He could come up with plans and take the lead in a fight, but when the subject was social interactions he was… unsure almost like he wasn't used to talking with other people and was trying too hard to make up for it. The rare occasions when he did fall into a mutter storm he talked so fast even she had problems listening, but it seemed very genuine, like he was just being himself.
Now they were hanging out while fighting monsters, and she was in the middle of it too, the hanging out part not the fighting monsters one. That she would leave to the professionals, speaking of which they are now in the middle of fighting another group of Shadows, three this time, some snakemen with shields and lances called Naga according to Midoriya. What was with this place and snakes?
Oh yeah the guy that made it was so afraid of snakes that now there was a giant one lurking around.
Midoriya parried one lance and kicked another's shield with his metal sole shoe, causing it to ring and Kyoka to flinch. Tokoyami was running circles around his sole victim and slashing it with his katana, and Jirou could tell he wouldn't take long to wrap up his part.
Midoriya leapt back and pulled his green notebook from somewhere, it was as if it simply appeared in his hand, "Ghoul, Magaru!" A lanky humanoid with dark skin appeared behind him from where the burning pages that came from the notebook flew. It swung his arms and wind blades cut into the Nagas, causing them to fall to the ground.
"Tokoyami, let's go all out!" Midoriya shouted to his partner, who had just finished with his enemy. Both nodded and dashed at the snakeman, blitzing in and out while attacking, faster and faster until they were only a green and black blurs. They skidded to a stop, a second later the Shadows burst in a shower of black sludge.
Kyoka whistled, "That was cool." Her compliment earned her a nod from Tokoyami and an embarrassed blush from Midoriya.
"I-It was nothing." The green haired boy said.
Tokoyami opened his bag and searched it before frowning, "Do you have any soda left? I seem to have run out." He asked Midoriya, who checked his own supplies.
"I think I used the last one before the last battle, sorry."
Kyoka raised an eyebrow, "I know moving around that much will get anyone thirsty but didn't you think water would have been better than soda?"
Tokoyami shook his head, "That is not the problem, the Metaverse works on a different set of rules. Here a soda can restore your energy, food can heal your wounds, and a collector copy of All Might's card from his time in the United States can teleport you out of a battle." He said the last one while shooting Midoriya an amused smile, the other boy yelped and hid his head between his arms.
"We agreed we wouldn't talk about that!" Midoriya blushed, he had put the card in his bag by accident, in the end it helped but it was still embarrassing, like the time he brought his figurine collection to class.
Kyoka snorted in amusement, mostly at Izuku's embarrassment rather than the nonsensical magical powers random items had in the world they were now in, "Give me the deets on that later. Here, I have some things with me." She picked a pack of sodas from her stock and passed them to Tokoyami, who nodded gratefully.
After they recovered from the last fight, Izuku and Tokoyami checked the pagoda for anything useful. After they came up empty-handed, Midoriya updated his map and led the way to the next torii.
They all paused as soon as it came into view. The gate was much bigger than the ones before, white paper origami cords dangling from it and gently swaying with the wind, the one on the other end of the bridge much the same.
"That's a long one." Kyoka gulped, the bridge was the longest one until now, fitting the bigger torii marking it. Considering the Cognition had got really close to them each time, they would be in danger if the snake got them halfway.
The pagoda at the other end was the opposite though. It was the smallest, with a single floor and the red wood it was made from completely unmarked. It was simple, but even from afar it seemed… cozy. Safe. Less like an obelisk, and more like a home. Midoriya gulped, "That pagoda must be the Safe Zone." He pointed to the structure at the end of the bridge, it was flickering slightly, a subtle glow coming from within.
Tokoyami put a hand on his shoulder, "We cannot falter now."
Kyoka had mixed feelings, on one hand, they were almost out, on the other they would be screwed if they couldn't reach the other island in time. Before she could say anything Dark Shadow picked her up, which still annoyed her greatly. She wasn't some damn damsel in distress.
Midoriya used the spell to boost their speed and in a second they were off. They were crossing quickly, but not nearly fast enough, the path ahead of them seeming to stretch on endlessly. Beneath them the Cognition began to rise. Kyoka heard it first, the water streaming from it as it broke through the surface, letting loose a roar that caused all of them to stumble. Jiro clutched her ears while Midoriya and Tokoyami regained their balance before resuming their mad dash.
Kyoka stared at the giant reptile as it reared up behind them, waiting for it to give chase, but it didn't, instead it submerged again. Her blood froze in her veins, she heard the water rippling towards, and then past them, "Look out! It's trying to cut us off!"
Kyoka's warning was too little too late, the Cognition emerged right in front of them, causing the whole bridge to shake when it burst through it and sending the three teens crashing in the ground. Dark Shadow lunged at it to distract the snake long enough for them to run, but with one snap of jaws the quirk entity dissolved, Tokoyami grunting and holding his head.
Midoriya jumped to his feet and shouted, "Jack Frost! Bufula!" The little imp threw sharp icicles at the reptile in the vain hope that the cold blooded creature would falter, but it only flinched slightly, the creature too big to be hurt by the spell.
The Cognition opened its mouth and lunged, Midoriya had only a second to make a decision to save all their lives, "Omoikane!" His Other Self appeared directly in movement, stabbing his spear at the Cognition 's lower jaw in a position it would stop the mouth from closing.
Izuku grunted, the strain was too much for him to hold for long, "Jiro, take Tokoyami and run!"
Kyoka could only stare, the only thing keeping them alive was the will of one boy, while she was here defenseless, useless, worthless. She hadn't lifted a finger during any of their fights, she hadn't even run across any of the bridges, being carried across by Dark Shadow. What had she done? Just watched as they struggled and then handed them a soda so they could do it again?
Tears of frustration gathered in her eyes, she was angry, with this stupid situation, with the monsters trying to kill them, but more importantly, with herself. Kyoka wanted to be a hero, but how could she call herself that if she couldn't save a person right in front of her!
Kyoka didn't notice the World crawling to a stop, nor how her booklet had fallen beside her.
"Look, such a valiant hero! Let us be sure to sing about his noble sacrifice in his grave! after all this is everything you can do." A voice, so similar to her own and yet so different, filled the now quiet stillness of the frozen time.
Kyoka gritted her teeth, her eyes being dragged to her music booklet. She didn't want that, she didn't want to be a damn victim! She didn't want to fail without even trying! Midoriya and Tokoyami had fought tooth and nail against everything they faced. Kyoka wanted to be like that, not for a grand reason, nor for a sense of obligation, but just because that's what she wanted to do! She wanted to save people, to play her music to everyone, to help the two guys that she, somewhere along this bizarre adventure, started to think of as friends! So why couldn't she move her damn body?!
"Are you angry? Did you finally realize that your feeble indecision between your passions will not do you any favors?" The voice taunted, the same way she taunted herself when she needed to be pissed enough to stop worrying and just do something.
And wasn't that just it? She wanted a lot, but if Kyoka was to transform any of her desires into reality she needed to stop thinking and start acting.
"Yeah, I don't care if people say to choose between being a musician or a hero. I don't care if I keep holding myself back for stupid reasons and indesisions, and I don't care if some stupid voice thinks I'm not good enough! I'm going to be a damn superstar! I'll save us, and a lot more people, and I'll be the biggest name in the music world! And not you or a damn overgrown lizard are going to stop me!" Casting all her doubts to the wind she let her passion ignite the flames of her heart. She grabbed the booklet on the ground and stood up.
The small and simple book filled with her ideas lit up along her Rebellion, and with that it was reborn. The booklet gained a deep purple color with sheet music patterns and musical notes in a lighter tone as it shifted into a Record.
The voice laughed melodiously in a voice identical to hers but completely different. "Wonderful! It was about time you decided to stop hiding and start to shine! Now let's start this show! I am Thou, Thou art I, together we will make our voice be heard by all, our dream a beautiful song carried by the four winds!"
Kyoka smiled, "I like the sound of that, now let's rock it, Benzaiten!" With her shout time resumed and the pages of her Record danced with the wind, and from within came her Other Self.
She was a tall woman using a purple dress with a black sash, lavender ribbons flowing around her at the beat of her steps, her feet shoeless. Her short purple hair was like Kyoka's, but her eyes are a lighter tone, in her earlobes short ribbons ended in two windchimes that tinkle softly at the breeze. At the Persona's left hand was a booklet similar to Kyoka's Record, in her right a thin light green saber with purple flowing lines engraved into it, the weapon marked by tiny holes, their purpose known when Benzaiten brought the handle to her mouth and with a breath produced a sharp note.
Midoriya and Tokoyami stared with wide eyes, as Kyoka's Awakening was complete.
"Let's not leave our fans waiting, just say the word." Benzaiten smirked, Kyoka mirroring her and pointing to the Cognition.
"Tarunda!" Her Persona brought her weapon to her mouth and from it an ominous song filled the air.
The Cognition's body glowed a dark red and lost its strength. Omoikane seized the opportunity to push it back, the God of wisdom laughing merrily, "Benzaiten, goddess of everything that flows, words, speech and of course, music! It is a pleasure to meet you however there is a pressing matter we have to take care of." He bowed to the other Persona before vanishing.
Midoriya knew what his Other Self had in mind, as both shared the same plan, being the same person in the end, "Jiro, I have an idea but I need your help!"
The girl nodded, "Lead the way, Mop Head."
Midoriya didn't pay attention to what Kyoka called him, focusing on his Record he called, "Orpheus!" The Master of Strings materialized.
Kyoka's eyes widened, then she grinned, "That's what I'm talking about. Benzaiten, let's make our debut a duet."
The Personas started to play, the song picking up the pace, from the lyre embers flew into the fast wind caused by the flute. The Cognition's body, still weakened so much it could barely keep itself above the water, was violently surrounded by the blazing gales, a tornado of infernal flames that made it give out a pained hiss.
The Cognition, with scales blackened from the fire, hissed one more time before retreating back under the water, the cold soothing it's burned flesh preferable to pressing on.
Kyoka slumped while Midoriya fell on his rear, their Personas traded a nod and a final bow as fellow musicians before vanishing.
"That... That was a rush." Kyoka chuckled between mouthfuls of much needed air.
"It is like that the first time, just be glad your Persona didn't nearly knock you out just by being summoned." He laughed in relief, so tired he didn't bother being embarrassed and threw a verbal jab.
Tokoyami, after finally recovering enough to talk again, the damage Dark Shadow received took a lot out of him, "You Awakened to your real self. After so many years alone, now there are two others, now there are more of us." His low laugh had too many emotions to count, but his mist filled eyes told of how overjoyed he was.
Midoriya put a hand on his shoulder in support, noticing Kyoka staring he explained, "I had my Awakening last month, Tokoyami-kun had his when he was four. And I have reasons to believe we might be the first people to possess Personas since the Dawn of Quirks."
Kyoka blinked, "Wait, with Dawn of Quirks you mean since they appeared two hundred and something years ago?" Midoriya nodded slowly, "Wow, that's, wow." And she thought she was special before.
Tokoyami stood up, "Let us depart, there is much for us to talk about."
The other two followed the bird headed boy to the Safe Zone, all more than ready to finish exploring for the day.
—
Izuku drank his tea slowly, his tongue numb after so many sodas in the Metaverse. Jiro sat facing him and Tokoyami, who had his eyes closed and was holding the bridge of his nose and trying to ward off the headache that having his Persona in quirk form temporally destroyed caused. The girl was absorbing their explanation of what Awakening meant for her.
"So you two are like, other dimension heroes?"
Izuku tried to come up with a better way to put it but in the end just shrugged, "More or less."
Jiro hummed for a second and nodded to herself, "I want in."
Izuku choked on his tea, "What?! Really?!" Izuku had spent the whole time after they exited the Anomaly trying to come up with a way to convince Jiro to join them. With the long history of things not going his way he thought it would be another battle to have her join their group, for her to be the one that asked for it was more than a surprise.
She gave him an unimpressed stare, "You heard me, I just entered the really exclusive club of people who can fight Shadows on their rules. I want to be a hero, so I won't miss the chance of being one in the Metaverse too. And if you think that you can boot me out I'll find my way back to that place myself." Jiro all but threatened the boy, she would stop saying she wanted to help and start acting on it.
Izuku gave out a relieved sigh at the same time as Tokoyami, who probably felt the same and also had spent the last minutes thinking of what to say to expand their numbers.
"That will not be necessary," Tokoyami opened his eyes and locked them with Jiro's, "We were about to ask if you wanted to join us."
Jiro's tough front cracked as she cracked a smile, "Then we don't have a problem."
Izuku nodded quickly, "Yes." He locked his eyes with hers, a seriousness Izuku could only muster when lifes were on the line clear in his eyes, "Only we can solve problems on the other side. We can't fail, because if we fall there's no one else to take our place. This is dangerous but there is no one else to face this danger. I also want to be a hero, I know how you feel and I promise that if you help us I will do everything in my power to help you too." He bowed his head until it was parallel with the table.
Jiro stared at him, for a long second she heard, more than ever before. The sincere plight the boy was making, how his voice hardened with determination in his promise, and how his heart was steady. She smirked, glanced at both boys and said, "I'll hold you up to that Green, both of you."
Izuku's head shot up, "So that means…"
"I'm part of the gang now." Jiro smiled, and the World stopped.
You have acquired a new Oath.
With it Awakening the Star Persona.
You have changed the Fate of a Life, turning Chains into Bonds that will become Power to attain Freedom.
Izuku smiled in return as the World started to move again, "Welcome aboard, Jiro-san."
This wild ride was brought to you by me, with the help of Jurodan, Annaliese (These two amazing human beings deserve everything good in the world for their patience with me while editing this chapter) and Silverbits (Who brings my inner madness out better than anyone, said madness is what made me start writting in the first place.). If you want to find them on AO3 look for Beribits, littlemissoyashirou and Jurodan.
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