guide:
"Normal talking"
"Spoken in foreign language"(in this case English)
'Thoughts'
Flashbacks
Chapter 3- A Boy and His Sin
"Ne Izu, over here!" A soft girly voice called out from within the snowy forest. Izuku hurriedly followed after the voice of his cheery friend. She wanted to show him something and he was exceedingly curious to know what it was.
"Here we are!"
Izuku looked over to where she had stopped. They were standing at the entrance of a small cave big enough for a person to fit in. Izuku followed the girl and crawled into the mouth of the cave, but nothing could've prepared him for what he was about to see.
"Woah! This place is so cool!" The interior was an impressive space full of plant-life. There was a small opening on the roof of the cave covered by roots and foliage acting almost like a skylight. What was most eye catching though was the bright blue pool of water with an unnatural glow to it.
"What do you think?" Azuki asked her best friend.
"It's awesome! This is the coolest place I've ever been to!" Izuku answered all too enthusiastically earning him a giggle from the white-haired girl.
"I'm glad you like it. This is where I go to relax. It's so peaceful and calm here." She said in a dreamy sing-song voice. Izuku looked further into the cave stopping right in front of the glowing spring. "This water is special. I don't know exactly why but it glows every once in a while, and when it does everything just seems more...beautiful. Don't you think?" Azuki explained while staring at the water. A soft peaceful smile was on her face. Her eyes were closed as she tried to relaxed.
Izuku turned his attention from the spring to the girl beside him. To a normal onlooker, she looked pretty average but for Izuku, she was radiant, glowing like an angel. Maybe she is one, who knows? All he knows was that this person beside him chose to be his friend for as long as they had met and that made him happy.
He smiled the goofiest of smiles to himself as he continued to bask in the peace around him and his friend. Cherishing the moment forever. One thought crossed his mind and his eyes glowed with admiration.
"Hey Izu, check this out." The girl took her boots off and stepped on the water creating ripples on the surface. Her foot however never breached the surface of the water and she started walking to the center of the pool.
The boy watched with wide eyes and excitement at what he was seeing.
"That's amazing! How are you doing that? Is that a part of your quirk?"
She walked back towards him, ripples on the water followed her every step.
"Nope! Why don't you try for yourself and find out" she giggled while grabbing the boy's hand and pulling him into the water with a splash.
Izuku's eyes opened slowly. The dream or memory ,he didn't know, was still fresh in his mind. His head was throbbing in pain for no clear reason. The memories from before came rushing back. Too much had happened in so little time for him to bear it all.
He and his mother had been attacked by a villain. His mother is dead. He tried to kill himself. He survived somehow. He blacked out with not a clue why. His questioning was paused by a more serious realization.
'Where am I?' To his surprise he was no longer in his apartment where he last remembered before he blacked out. Instead, he was in an unfamiliar room, an open window provided enough light for him to see in the dimly lit room. From what he could tell from the light of the sun, it was almost noon. He sat up from the bed he was laying in taking in the atmosphere of the room. It was calm and eerily quiet. There was a drawer on his left, a tall table with two chairs in front of him just below the window.
'Am I in a hospital?' It didn't seem like a room in a hospital. Dread had set in his stomach at his next thought. Had he been kidnapped?! He placed his hands on each side of his head trying to keep his young overwhelmed mind in control. Emotions from before started eating away at his composure. Tears welled up in his eyes. Years of being a crybaby only further helped his tears spill.
An empty void opened up in his chest and with it, a new foreign feeling. A feeling like there was nothing left, a feeling of... loneliness, meaningless, of emptiness. That's it. He felt empty. Why should he even be afraid when he has nothing left. His mother is gone. The world had made it clear time and time again that he could not follow his dream of becoming a hero. So what now?
Quiet sobs filled the air of the quiet room as the only occupant was having a severe emotional breakdown. Destroying himself from within. It's scary how much can change from just one extremely bad day. He hugged his knees to his chest as he continued to comfort himself but was failing miserably.
His thinking was paused when something ,more like someone, lightly tapped his shoulder making him shrieked in surprise. Twisting his head to his right he finally saw the other occupant of the room. How did he not notice before?
"Yoo-hoo. I hope you slept well but judging from your face and actions, you're still a tad bit confused are you?" The person talking was a pink-haired man with amber eyes. He was wearing open rimed glasses, a turtleneck, and most noticeably a large silver heart pendant around his neck.
"Oh how silly of me, I apologize for scaring you. You still have a lot on your mind. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gowther, I was one of the people who found you in your apartment. Your situation is a special case, and we will explain everything to you. Take your time to adjust, I know it is difficult for you all things considered."
Izuku took a moment to take in the man's words, quietly formulating a response. "I-I'm Izuku...Midoriya. G-Gowther-san, u-um w-where am I exactly...and what do you mean by s-special case?" Izuku asked in a trembling stuttering tone. His emotions were still getting to him
The sound of footsteps approaching caught their attention and making Izuku his head turn towards the door. It opened to reveal a rather short meek man with silver hair and eyeglasses. He was wearing a green tunic and matching green pants. He turned his attention to the boy who was sat up on the bed.
"Oh you're awake." The man spoke in English. "I see you've already met Gowther. My name is Gawain. It's nice to meet you." He bowed politely.
"N-nice to meet you too" Izuku bowed as well. He was familiar with English, but he could still use some improvement.
"Now then, how about we get you something to eat? Then we will be explaining what is happening." Gowther spoke up, breaking the moment of silence.
Gawain flinched slightly after hearing Gowther. "O-oh apologies, my Japanese not...very fluent." He spoke in pauses while finding the words. Gowther proceeded to walk out the door gesturing at Izuku to follow him.
Izuku got up from the bed, noticing another major detail he managed to miss. He placed his hand on his shoulder, the one that was stabbed, and to his shock there was nothing. No pain, no itchiness and not even a scar.
"M-my s-shoulder, it's healed?" Izuku asked a bit surprised by this.
"Why yes. One of our members healed it yesterday. It was very fortunate that we were able to find you before you lost too much blood." Gowther replies as they started walking down the halls of the place they were in.
"Gowther-san, you never answered my question of where I am."
"Well, you are in a safe place Izuku, that I can assure if it will help ease your worries." Gowther replied vaguely. They reached the bottom of the stairs, entering what was a large dining area with numerous dining tables and chairs. A long counter with what appears to be numerous bottles of alcohol of different brands placed on shelves behind it was at the left of the stairs. Was he in a bar?
Four individuals were seated around one of the tables, well one of them was floating while holding what appears to be an orange hotdog pillow. All eyes locked on him making him slightly uncomfortable from all the attention. Gowther walked towards the group with Izuku following suite albeit slowly.
"Glad to see you're awake." A woman was the first to speak. She had short black hair, golden eyes. She was wearing a plain purple button up shirt matched with a black short skirt and stockings. What stood up most however were the nasty scar that started from her lips all the way down to her torso, and the red marking on the left side of her neck. A tattoo?
Izuku gave a little nod acknowledging the woman's curious gaze.
"So this is the squirt?" A tall man with blonde hair and red eyes was the second to speak. Izuku was a bit confused not knowing the meaning of "squirt".
"He looks pretty plain to me." The floating one said. It looked like a boy no older than him with dark brown hair and violet eyes.
"He looks kinda cute." The last one spoke up. This one was a girl who looked like she was in her late teens with chestnut colored hair tied to a ponytail with bangs brushed to the side and amber-colored eyes.
Izuku had the decency to blush slightly at the comment despite all that was going on. He looked back from the table to the woman standing before him. He had to raise his head up because of the height difference.
"A moment, all of you." The woman said. All the others nodded and began standing up from the table, leaving Izuku with the woman who's name he's yet to know.
"Hello Izuku-kun, it's nice to finally be able to talk to you." The woman greeted him.
"H-how do you know my name?" Izuku asked curiously yet cautiously.
"I've known who you are for quite some time now. My name is Merlin. I am a researcher and a member of a group who protects the world from threats beyond humanity, and you, Izuku are currently the center of an extremely critical case. I understand if it makes you uncomfortable but what happened to you yesterday was an attack from one of these threats." Merlin revealed to the boy.
'Threats beyond humanity?!' He repeated in his thoughts. 'What does she mean?' He needed to know.
"I'm very sorry for your mother. If we had arrived sooner, maybe we could have stopped what happened." Her tone was apologetic. Izuku looked down, his previous thoughts were cut short, his tears were building up in his eyes again. No matter how many times he thinks about it, he just can't accept it or maybe we doesn't want to. Light sobs escaped his lips as he was finally able to release his pent up emotions in a less destructive form.
Merlin placed a hand on his back, rubbing it gently to comfort the poor boy. Izuku leaned closer to the woman's touch seeking as much comfort as he could to help ease his aching heart. He was able to recollect himself enough just to ask his question.
"M-Merlin-san,w-what do y-you mean by you've known m-me for some time...a-and h-how do you know about w-what happened to m-me and y-yesterday?"
"Gowther-san used his powers to look inside your memories, and he confirmed what we had suspected."
"L-Look inside my m-memories?! He has a mind-reading quirk?" Izuku asked with curiosity.
"Something like that." Merlin replied quickly. There conversation was stoped when the blonde man from before walked towards the table holding a steaming bowl of food. One with a very familiar smell.
"Oi, I hope your hungry cuz' I made this one extra special." He placed the bowl in front of Izuku, a steaming hot bowl of Katsudon, his favorite dish. A dish that his mother always made special for him. His tears were pricking at his eyes again. 'How did they know?...right, Gowther-san looked into his memories and told them.'
"You should eat first Izuku-kun. You've been asleep for over half a day." Merlin advised him.
Izuku looked up from the bowl to see the blonde man smiling at him, as if encouraging him to eat. The heavenly smell of the dish as well as the fact that he hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday only helped him find the strength to start digging into his food.
"Itadaki-masu." He took his first spoonful and it didn't take him long before he took another...and another...and another.
'This is so good!' It didn't occur to him how hungry he actually was as he was almost finished with the bowl.
"Guess it's safe to say you like it. I had to learn it and improvise on the fly." The blonde man said.
"T-Thank you for the food, m-mister..." "Lancelot, but call me Lance for short hehe..." The blonde introduced finally himself.
Izuku repeated his thanks before continuing to devour his meal.
"Well looks like at this rate I won't be getting some scraps from this." A new voice chimed in.
Izuku paused on his meal to look to his right, and was met with a very peculiar sight. On the seat to his right stood a pig, a not so normal looking pig with an overly round shape.
"Yo, nice to meet you. My name is Hawk." It spoke...IT SPOKE!
Izuku nearly choked on the food still in his mouth as he was not expecting this. He forced his food down with a loud gulp before speaking (screaming).
"THE PIG CAN TALK!...THIS IS AMAZING!" Izuku said amazement laced his voice.
" I am the great Sir Hawk, captain of the knights of leftovers disposal. Who are you?" Hawk further introduced himself even though he didn't understand a thing the boy said in his native tongue, all the while Merlin and the blonde sweat dropped at the pig's antics.
"I've heard of animals developing quirks before but I've never really seen one up close and...*mutter, mutter, mutter.*" Izuku forgot about his meal choosing to geek over the intelligent pig before him. Some habits just don't die.
"Geez, you look like a handful, but more importantly, are you gonna finish that?" The pig asked hopefully.
Izuku looked at the pig for a moment and then back to his food which was katsudon...which was Japanese pork cutlet, the main ingredient being pork...which came form pigs. Now here he was being asked by a pig if it could have some. 'How am I gonna explain this?'
The pig or Hawk as it introduced itself was still waiting for a reply from the boy.
"Master, I don't think you wanna eat that." Lancelot addressed the pig.
"Nonsense! Wether it's raw or cooked, the captain of leftovers will never let it go to waste." Hawk said proudly.
This had been the most bizarre moment Izuku had ever found himself in and did he just address the pig as "Master?!". Izuku eventually finished his food leaving Hawk to complain about not getting some "scraps."
Izuku felt better after the meal and the small hilarity of the event that had transpired. It wasn't enough to drown out the emotions he was feeling before but it was a start he supposed. His discussion with Merlin resumed.
"Merlin-san um... what's going to happen to me? And w-what do you mean by threats b-beyond humanity?!" He said the last part with worry and curiosity. It's not everyday you here someone say that seriously especially in a world where people have supernatural powers that can defy quantum physics.
"Those two things are actually what I need to discuss with you the most." "Izuku-kun, I'm not asking you this if it wasn't important but... do you know what that being was after?" She asked. Her eyes were serious and her gaze was hard.
Izuku's eyes widened and a brief memory flashed into his mind, the memory of an imposing figure, one whose terrible image was burnt into his mind.
"Where is your power?"
He grit his teeth at the painful memory. Merlin noticed the uneasiness radiating off the boy and called out to him. "Izuku-kun?"
Izuku's eyes snapped back to her. "I...don't...k-know. All he said was that he was coming for me for my p-power...but I-I don't have a quirk! I don't know w-why!" He said.
Merlin's eyes lit up. Looks like her thoughts were right. He still doesn't remember.
"Izuku-kun, the next thing I will tell you is very important and very top secret. There will be some parts that you may not like, some you may not believe in, and some which will interest you...but your next choice could define the fate of this realm. Do you wish to know?"
Izuku looked dumbfounded at the statement before hesitantly nodding his head. 'What was he getting himself into?'
"Good then let's get started." With a snap of her fingers they were surrounded by white light. The boy was surprised by this sudden unexpected action. Images then started to appear around them. One image caught his attention though. It was a picture of a group of people, seven to be exact, all standing with the sun behind them. All of them were wearing metal armor covering their whole bodies and possessed a variety of weapons.
'Her quirk?'
"The group I mentioned to you before is called "The Seven Deadly Sins." A group of seven individuals who maintain the peace between the 5 clans after the great separation over 2000 years ago. To ensure that the 5 clans follow the agreement of respecting each other's space. We do so by making sure the balance of this world is maintained, and recent events have shown that that balance has shifted for unkown reasons...until today. The individual who attacked you has been the one causing a disturbance and naturally, it is our job to stop him." Merlin explained to the boy.
Izuku on the other hand had no words for this. He had never heard of something as this fascinating. A part of him told him that it was made up but looking at the woman as she spoke, she didn't falter one bit. So either she was telling the truth or she was good at lying. He went with the former.
"Currently however...as of now we only have six memebers...
That's where you come in...Izuku Midoriya...YOU are the seventh sin."
As she said this, his sleeve was pulled up by an invisible force revealing something he had never seen before. On his left bicep, the very spot that always stung, was a red marking. A marking in the shape of a beast. A dragon.
He traced his finger around the marking bewilderment present in his face. The dragon had a long body formed by numerous rings which had one spike each protruding outwards until the head of the beast. It was styled in loop giving the image as if it was eating itself starting with the tail.
"That tattoo is the symbol of a member of our ranks. The Dragon's Sin of Wrath. The exact member we are currently missing." Merlin smirked as seven red symbols appeared behind her, each a different creature. A snake, a fox, a bear, a goat, a boar, a lion and lastly the very dragon on his arm.
~End of chapter~
