00 - The Beginning...


The broken, desolate streets were bathed a bloody red by the sinking sun. There was a breeze, high and cold, with the shrill whistling with prominence in the absolute silence of the city. Surely no one had inhabited this place in a long, long time, but Haru was more than aware that wasn't quite right. No, people did inhabit this place. Days ago, in fact.

…Because all the bodies cluttering the streets said as much.

Some were torn apart, some whole but just barely. Either way, she was told to not look at them, pay them no mind. They were not for the eyes of children, but Haru looked anyway sometimes, especially at the bodies that were whole. It was morbid, she was told, to peer at the dead, but she couldn't help but think that the dead were lucky. The whole bodies luckier. If she was dead like them, then she wouldn't have to deal with any of the monsters.

Monsters who loved to play with their food. See their prey in pain before going for the kill once satisfied. Shibito, they were called, and they were entirely the reason why most bodies were mangled in some way, with ripped limbs, torn innards. If the bodies were mostly intact, then it meant that the death was quick and not horribly drawn-out, thus they were the luckiest.

Haru wished she was lucky. It would be a lot better, she thought. Since she wouldn't have to be here anymore.

Staaaayǎ̴̱̭͚l̵͐̀͘̕ͅì̷̙͖̮́v̷̛̩̜̈́̎͒e̷̲̺̔́͆. Promiiiiise.

Her brow crinkled, lower lip jutting out in a pout. Yes, yes. She made a promise, but it didn't mean she couldn't wish she hadn't. But Haru was never one for breaking promises. Not when the alternative was meeting an untimely and most likely painful demise. So they didn't have to give her a reminder, but of course, the voices did, rattling off one after another with whispers. Fortunately, the whispering voices were quiet enough to ignore even with how quickly they began to overlap one another, and she treated them like background noise as she stood on her tiptoes, trying to peer more over the ledge at the streets below, head resting on folded arms.

Nothing was out of the ordinary. It seemed mostly like it'd be a quiet night ahead. But then a guttural echoed. Suddenly, everything became all too hushed to Haru, the wind stilling with the hairs on the back of her neck sticking upright, breath instinctively held as her eyes darted to and fro, trying to locate the source. Another moan sounded, accompanied by lumbering footsteps she could hear even several stories above on the shopping mall's rooftop, and she snapped to attention, rosy-hued eyes directed on an alleyway across the street where she caught sight of a shadow, the silhouette of a towering, skeletal figure.

Another moan and she saw a hand, clawed and withered, come from behind the corner, gripping the concrete wall. A Shibito in the flesh.

She moved away from the ledge, ducking down to remain out of sight from street level. Her heart began to pound in her chest so much that the sleek black wristband, programmed to monitor her vitals, emitted a small vibration. She didn't have to look at her wristband to know that the electrocardiogram displayed on the squared screen had gone from a steady teal to a quickened, scratchy yellow—the distinctive sign of a Caution state.

…and thus a sign she needed to keep calm or else she was going to have more problems than getting caught by the man-eating monster in the alleyway.

However, she couldn't help but release a deep, shaky breath, a sigh of relief with her eyes slid shut at having remembered to set her wristband on mute. The beeps and tics it normally made to catch her attention would also catch the attention of any nearby Shibito as they were very attuned to loud noises, and the sounds on the wristband was like ringing a dinner bell.

And… Well, Haru wasn't exactly allowed to be outside. At least not alone. It was what the grown-ups had decided. Unfortunately, she was never good at listening, although she thought that the monsters in this area were led away or cleared. It was what she was told, and she was pretty confident that Namika or Tomo wouldn't dare lie about something like that.

You Don't knoooooooow If ť̶̨͓̳̜̆̆̈́h̷̞̭͜͠͝ë̴̳̺̤́̋̌̓y̴͍͍͉͔͐͠'̵̖͊͊̅̐l̴̯̾͐͘l̴̡͘ͅ ̵̱̄͝l̷̬͓̬̾i̶̺̾͘͜͠è̷̤̙̆̋.

Right. She did not know if they would lie, but she liked to hope that they would not. Namika especially. As mean as Namika was to the others, she always was nice to her. Sort of like in the way that a grumpy cat that had its own special person, one that made them the most affectionate.

Again, she exhaled. Eyes resembling morganites in color slowly opened, Haru deciding to peek over the ledge to see where exactly the monster was—but she was completely unprepared for the sight of cat-like eyes staring into her own. It was the very last thing she expected to see, and she surely would've screamed and flinched away, most definitely alerting the nearby Shibito of her presence. However, a hand clamped over her mouth, the scream silenced, but despite the momentary fright, she knew who the eyes and hand belonged to.

After all, no one else had eyes with black slitted pupils surrounded by a deep yellowy orange while the remainder of the irises were silver-colored, glittering in the glow of the descending sun… or thin, bandaged hands that smelled like an odd mixture of cooked meat, metal, and medicine.

D̵̞̤̭̹͗e̴̬̬̜͐̔͜a̸̬̫̱̰̽͒͑͝t̸̫̝͛͑̈́̌h̶̖̤̗͚̐̎̀.

Sato Ai. A grown-up, although one of the younger ones at eighteen years old, not even having finished high school before the beginning of the end. So a kid in the eyes of Japan, but Tomo and Miika didn't really act like kids either despite being roughly the same age.

But Ai was far more whimsical. Unconventional, and even while a thin, gauze-covered finger was raised over her plush lips in a shushing motion, a wry smile crossed her delicate features, eyes twinkling with amusement instead of the displeased look anyone else would have at catching Haru out alone on the rooftop of the large shopping center they had taken shelter at.

"Haruuchi," Ai whispered. "Y'know Tomo's gonna scold you for being out by yourself, right? Especially with tall, skeletal, and withered nearby."

Haru nodded. Although Tomo was very lighthearted, she would definitely do that, especially with a Shibito not too far away from the building. It was a very correct assumption.

"Guess that means we don't tell her nuthin', huh?" Ai's smile turned into a wide grin, large, prominent fangs on display.

Again, Haru nodded. What Tomo didn't know wouldn't hurt her, but that grin. Oh, that grin said bad things were about to happen to Ai in Haru's stead, but Haru decided she'd be none the wiser. It was what Ai had been doing the last couple of times she'd been the first to catch Haru outside anyway. Namika was the same way, with some scolding and a stance of 'Do as I say, not as I do'. but Tomo was more forgiving with Ai compared to Namika.

The hand clamped over her mouth moved away in favor of going for her shoulder-length hair, ruffling it as Ai always did, which made it messier than normal. "Good Haruuchi," she praised, although her cat-like eyes directed elsewhere, slender body moving to peek over the ledge with the mischievous grin still in place. "Now as for that Shibito—"

Her eyes twinkled, glinting in anticipation for a fight. Ai was always like this. Despite Shibito proving to be vastly dangerous, she always wanted to… seek them out. Attack them. Tomo always scolded her for it, but Haru had very quickly learned that if Ai wanted to do something, then Ai would do so anyway regardless of anyone else's wishes. So she prepared herself to rush into the interior of the shopping center and pray she could find someone more responsible fast so Ai could have help on whatever she planned to do with the nearby Shibito.

Yet. Just as Haru made her move, something green appeared from behind Ai, glowing intensely. She froze in her tracks, dread washing over her in that instant. No. Not this. I don't—

A butterfly, bright and luminescent, fluttered out from behind Ai's head, leaving glowing emerald particles in its wake that quickly dissipated, evaporating into nothing.

And no sooner Haru felt it. A tingly, slightly pained sensation, but only around her head. The telltale sign Revival was activating on its own, and she sucked in a deep breath as the effects of her Quirk began to take over, a pang occurring in her chest. Her surroundings distorted, colors becoming less saturated, more washed-out with everything seemingly taking on a grainy texture in that instant.

Everything but the glowing green butterfly—the only other exception aside from Haru. It flapped its wings impossibly slow for it to stay in the air, but it had no problem doing so, fluttering around Ai, whose movements had come to a halt, making her seem frozen in time. Suddenly, the butterfly perched in her hair, its glowing wings contrasting heavily against Ai's wavy tresses that reminded Haru of cherries, a deep red.

Instinctively, Haru braced herself, preparing herself for the worst—as the butterfly forced her to see Ai's future.

The stretch of cooked flesh and burnt fibers permeated the night air like a thick curtain.

Ai laid slumped up against brick wall, her clothes scorched, arms covered in fresh burns with steam rising from damaged flesh. Her head hung low, red tousled locks covering her eyes, but there was no hiding how one corner of her mouth had been split all the way up to her ear. Blood seeped from the grisly wound, drenching Ai's neck and shoulder in red.

And yet it was not the worst of what Ai suffered. Gone were her legs, torn off from the upper thighs down, leaving only dangling chunks of meat and skin, exposed bones protruding out. Her arteries were seemingly hard at work spitting out as much blood as possible, forming a pool of sticky red with Ai as its center.

"...S-Shi-Shi… really didn't like that," Ai mumbled. Small gray tacks prickled through the skin around her facial wound, wiggling.

But she released a dry laugh, lifting her head up high. No longer were her eyes covered and no longer were her eyes pale, glittering gray with a splotch of gold around her pupils. Instead, they were deep, glowing red, and she glowered ahead of her where an imposing, lanky figure stood, maggots wiggling out of its withering, rotted skin as it feasted.

A Shibito, munching noisily, the sounds sickening as it ate the legs it had taken from its prey.

As much as Haru hated every single moment, despising the butterfly more and more with each passing second, the scene played out like a cinematic film, and she could do nothing but watch. Until Revival deemed it was all it had to show for Ai's future, a cruel, grisly fate.

But when it was over, the butterfly vanishing instantly from sight with everything no longer distorted and faded, she launched herself at Ai, embracing her in a tight grasp, her face buried into her stomach. She didn't budge a single bit in the tightness of the hug even with how Ai grew rigid in response, startled but most certainly uncomfortable.

Because Ai didn't like being touched, Haru knew. But Ai didn't do anything, only taking a deep breath in and a deep breath out, body soon relaxing. Then a hand moved to Haru's hair, a gentle voice asking: "Haruuchi? What's wrong?"

Haru looked up, teary-eyed. The smile Ai had dropped in favor of a concerned expression. "I…It... It is going to get you. The monster," she told her, sniffling, reminding herself she needed to keep quiet. "Tore off your legs. Ate 'em."

Her words made Ai pause. Blinking, her features twisted for a brief second, but in that second, all Haru felt was malice, Ai's eyes glinting dangerously, pupils constricting with the amber in her eyes almost entirely swallowed by the silver that seemed to be taking on a more reddish hue—but then Ai's hand rose.

…and she smacked herself across the face. Hard. Luckily enough, the slap didn't alert the Shibito, but all Haru could do was blink at Ai, bewildered. No longer was there an aura of malice coming from the wavy-haired girl, only displeasure as she rubbed her reddened cheek with the very same hand she used to slap herself with, lower lip jutting out in a disgruntled pout.

Haru felt even more confusion when Ai grumbled softly: "Don't scare Haruuchi, Shi-Shi."

But then Ai's eyes found hers and she smiled at her, patting her head. Haru noted her eyes had softened, her pupils widening with the glittering gray in her irises lessening so much that the amber became the more prominent color. "You saw with your Quirk, yeah?" she asked.

It wasn't a genuine question. Haru was pretty sure that Ai was only trying to move on from the slapping and talking to herself. Or this 'Shi-Shi'. Ai was peculiar, sure, but this was even weirder than her seemingly normal weird… but Tomo did mention Ai wasn't one for talking about herself all that much.

Like me.

Reluctantly, Haru nodded. Ai hummed in response. "Then go find Nammy—I mean, Namika and tell her I spotted a Shibito nearby. 'Cause if one's here, there's probably more coming. So it's gotta die or else we'll be suffering more than some torn-off legs."

"R…Right." Haru gave a short nod. However, she didn't quite release Ai from the embrace immediately. Instead, she nudged Ai with her head, the familiar feeling of dread washing over her as her mind cruelly thought of her.

Rosey brown, mischievous eyes. One torn out. Long, pale-colored hair. Stained sticky, dark red. Fair skin. Shriveled, devoid of color. A monster.

T̴̯̊̀͆̀è̵͕̹͐̽l̷͈̥̖̣̅l̴̻̂̔͆̚ ̷̢̨̛̦̏͜͝h̸̡̨̛̲͇͊e̷̲̺̥̗͒̃r, little One.

"Don't… Don't leave like—" The words died in her throat, much too difficult to say. Her mouth clamped shut, and her chest started to pound again, hurt even from the stress.

So much that her wristband vibrated as a warning to keep calm, and she knew Ai felt the vibrations because Ai crouched down, kneeling to be eye level with her while gently moving her arms to her shoulders, allowing the hug to continue still. Hands, bandaged and with the scent of that weird mixture of cooked meat, bandages, and medicine, cupped her face gingerly, amber-gray eyes gazing at her with nothing but tenderness.

"...Haruuchi?"

Haru swallowed, squeezed her eyes shut as a tear ran down her cheek. Why was this so hard to say? The voices urged her on, gentle. "Don't… leave"—she sniffled, parting her eyelids—"like my… sister. Please."

Ai's eyes widened slowly, brows raising upwards as she processed the words—clearly surprised. Once they registered though, the corners of Ai's lips uplifted into a smile, but the expression she had was…

Regret. Guilt. Pain.

And Ai smiled through it all, rubbing Haru's cheeks with the pad of her thumbs as she willed away the agonized look. "Aww, Haruuchi. Don't worry about thaaat," she cooed, making sure her voice stayed low. "Tomo would drag me back even if it killed her. And we know our lil' not-Oni can't die, right?"

Haru wasn't easily convinced. Ai knew this. It did not matter though. Because even though she wore a gloomy expression, her desaturated pink-hued gaze doleful, Haru decided to go along with it and nodded once, releasing Ai, who stood silently.

But even though Haru didn't put up a protest, Ai still wavered, gazing down at her dejectedly. It lasted only for a brief moment, and she took a deep breath through her nose, exhaling out of her mouth slowly as she made sure to wipe away Haru's tears with the sleeve of her hoodie, far too big for her slim body with how it fitted her more like a dress. One hand moved higher, ruffling Haru's hair, platinum blond and messy, and Ai nodded to the door, watching the seven-year-old child scurry inside the building, no doubt to do as she was asked.

And then Ai's expression went stone-cold once Haru was no longer in sight, eyes nearing completely silver in hue as the pupils narrowed into predatory slits. She turned around, casually hopping onto the ledge of the roof, but her movements were stiff. Robotic. Almost as if she was being controlled, moving unnaturally as her irises began to change, swapping from largely gray with only a small bit of deep amber… to glowing crimson, seething with near unbridled rage.

Even with the intense anger that radiated from her eyes, an aura of nothing but malice surrounding the entirety of her being, Ai's face was blank. Expressionless, coldly staring down the alleyway where the Shibito emerged, dragging its feet along the ground.

It was a hideous creature, skeletal and rotted. It had to have been one of the first people to have turned because it no longer looked human. Sure, there were plenty of heteromorphic Quirks that altered the appearance even from generations down to where some people only had humanoid features, but the Shibito's haggard, maggot-filled appearance was definitely not because of a Quirk.

No, it was because the person it was before had turned, became something that was no longer human. Its skin and body had withered to the point where it just seemed like a towering skeleton with clawed hands and feet, one singular eye in the middle of its forehead.

…And its mouth lined with sharp, metal teeth from ear to ear. Maybe, just maybe those teeth were the result of a Quirk? It was possible, but the brat wasn't—

Ai closed her eyes, inhaling. "No calllin' Haruuchi a brat or I'll hurt myself," she mumbled, a brisk wind beginning to brush against her skin, almost as if the weather wanted to give a reminder that it was going to get cold very soon with night coming. Her forelocks were blown back out of her face, and shivers were sent down her spine involuntarily by the sudden chill.

She opened her eyes though, expression still blank and eyes still blood red. She raised her hand to her lips and let out a whistle, loud as she could, and the Shibito craned its head, neck twisted unnaturally as it searched for the source. Her expression remained blank even as she locked eyes with the Shibito, its hallowed eye glowing white, and it let out a croak, wailing—a sign that it had found its prey and it wouldn't stop until Ai was dead.

"Any other time you're ready to coo over her or tear someone's head off for her," Ai said, leaping off the ledge, plummeting down fast with a blue-violet light emitting from her right palm. "For shame, Shi-Shi."

Meanwhile, the Shibito wailed louder, taking off at break-neck speed to meet Ai's location. Namika was going to have a time with this one, Ai thought, but even with how fast it moved, Ai could still track its movements.

Closer and closer it drew. Closer and closer Ai got to the ground.

Suddenly, the light that emitted from Ai's palm ruptured into indigo flames, wild and crackling with a haze washing over the redhead, the surrounding temperature soaring to extremes instantly. Her fingers flexed and fire shot out toward the Shibito in a large, ferocious blast, burning so hot that the color grew more vivid in some places and very much blinding in its volatile intensity. No longer was there a chill in the air that symbolized night was coming, instead replaced with blistering heat as the blast not only engulfed the Shibito in an intense violet-colored blaze but practically the whole street along with the side of the shopping center she and the others had made their temporary base.

It was not all though.

Ai's hand clenching to a fist, a superheated shockwave roared out alongside the flames, making the ground and air shake with its power and creating a trail of destruction that scorched the earth like a volcanic eruption—ash, molten material, and embers quick to flood the streets. Cracks appeared within structures of the nearby buildings, some windows shattering, with the streetlamps buckling and slowly bending from the intense heat and force. Abandoned cars were flipped over on their sides, a few exteriors showing signs of melting, and where the Shibio was, the ground boasted a deep, wide crater filled with glowing embers.

…It was practically a no brainer that everyone else was aware Ai had started a fight. If by some chance they had missed the blue-violet light shining vibrantly through the windows of the shopping center, lighting up the street as the sky descended into night, then they certainly felt the shockwave, heard the destruction it caused. Because while Ai did make sure everything behind her was kept relatively safe, directing the shockwave and fire away from the shopping center, there was not much she could do with toning it down in intensity. Not when most abilities she had weren't of the gentle sort.

"Focus," came her body's command as Ai landed on the blazing street with the grace of a cat. "It's not over."

Yes, yes. She could see that clearly with the Shibito being a little way from the crater, having had enough sense—or self-perseverance—to dodge. However, its body was scorched, and even as it stood with a furious snarl, it was trembling, almost as if it was straining to keep itself up on its feet.

Ai couldn't help but grin smugly—even with how most of the skin on her right hand had been scorched, too, from the attack. Gruesome as the burns appeared, no pain was felt, thus there was really no problem for Ai, simply cracking the forefinger and thumb of her left hand as a ball of fire blazed in her right palm, prepping for another attack. But really, to think a few days ago she couldn't exert her abilities without so many consequences to consider.

…A few days ago when everything was simply normal. No people waking up as monsters. No one murdering sisters.

She shook her head. She could think about that later when this was over.

Because Pyroclastic Flow had injured the Shibito if the burns and trembling was anything to go by. Yet the Shibito was still standing, still wanting to attack. While it had dodged for the most part, it was still definitely hit by the attack, and she knew from personal experience that not many people could withstand that particular technique. Whether it was a direct hit or not was irrelevant. In fact, even someone like Tomo—with a Quirk that rendered effectively immortal—couldn't withstand any Pyroclastic Flow without getting most of her body turned to ash.

But this thing—the Shibito stood on its own two feet, despite shakily, and while it had suffered from burns, some down to the bone from what she could spot, its body was mostly intact. Its skeletal appearance was extremely deceiving, far superior in durability than it looked. Probably had resistance to heat, too. Her Pyroclastic Flow would've charred the Shibito otherwise, if not burned its body straight into ashes, and she could see why Haru saw a future where she was so gravely injured.

It was good everyone decided they were moving away from this area. No need to care all too much about collateral damage if their safe haven was temporary. Plus, everyone was safely tucked away in the center's department stores, scavenging and trading. So until someone came, Ai could afford to be destructive, even at the cost of her own body.

As the Shibito unhinged its jaw to let out an unearthly screech, Ai tilted her head to one side playfully, beckoning it over with a singular finger as she spoke softly aloud: "Shi-Shi, Nammy's definitely not gonna like this thing."


*sweatdrops*

If you couldn't tell by the time you get to reading this, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing at the time of writing this prologue. In fact, I still have absolutely no idea what I am doing. I am just a dyslexic foole who is mostly illiterate, suffering from the clowniest of diseases—the mad clown disease.

Jokes aside, hello. I am not new to the SYOC scene, but this is my first time attempting to write seriously in a long time, especially in this fandom. I was encouraged by some friends to write, and so I did, but this isn't your typical "children want to be heroes so they go to a hero school" SYOC. No, no. This is your "children thrown into a post-apocalyptic nightmare, getting hunted by superpowered undead" SYOC.

...fun, amirite? Hehe. I don't think it's very original, but I do hope I've caught your interest in this little "future" snippet. Additional information is located on my profile as well as the form.