Chapter 17 - Cold Winter Knight
11:15 P.M.
The full moon shone high in the starry sky but it's light paled in comparison to the glow of the city. The city was even brighter than usual though . The cold winter air brought with it the festive atmosphere for the coming holiday season. It was the time of year when shops were bustling with business for the upcoming festivities.
However, no matter how bright the city may be, within it still exists darkness. There are places that are better explored under the the guidance of the sun. Parents would often spook their kids with stories of monsters lurking in the shadows waiting for helpless victim too venture too close before reassuring them that they were just stories.
They lied. Those stories are true. And in reality, the monsters were more terrifying than one could imagine. They had hands that can grasp you, smiles that can deceive you, and voices that can reach out to you. But what's most terrifying is that these monsters could feel the same things we can.
Muffled cries came from somewhere in the darkness. Crooked hands pressed harder shoving someone against a wall. Sounds of pain and fear came from the battered figure slowly, helplessly sliding down to the ground. Another taller figure stood menacingly. It's silhouette showed spikes protruding from many parts of the body notably the head, elbows and shoulders.
Three more silhouettes came from behind the imposing mutant each equally as intimidating.
"Please... no...no, no."
"Don't worry gorgeous, I'm a little prickly, but I'll be gentle with you..." The leader of the group sneered and licked his lips. The grotesque spikes stretching from his skin grew ever so slightly enhancing his menacing aura. "Don't scream and this will be all over soon."
He stepped closer and closer. Each step forward made the woman scoot back against the wall. "Get away from me..."
Thorns slowly sunk into the skin of her wrists deep enough to cause blood trickle out.
"Don't rough her up too much, we'll take turns remember?" One of the men from the group smiled disgustingly.
The woman looked on in agonizing realization of her fate. Tears of fear welled up in her closed eyes.
'Please anybody, a hero...' she pleaded in her mind.
The stinging pressure on her wrists disappeared followed by a scream.
She opened her eyes to see her assailant gone, as if he vanished into thin air. The remaining men in front of her visibly tensed and took on defensive poses.
Something had just snatched their friend and dragged him somewhere in the darkness.
"OI! JUZO!" One of the men, one with a rhino head with a large black horn, screamed at nothing hoping for a response from somewhere in the darkness.
They looked up and around keeping their guards up, waiting for their attacker to appear. The remaining three grew warier as the seconds pass by with no response. One of the men cursed under his breath.
"A hero... Come out and face us you shi—" He was cut off. Something strong had covered his mouth before it pulled with explosive force, dragging him into the darkness.
The other two panicked and the smaller one tried to reach for their friend...foolishly.
A powerful blow to the gut sent him curling over before his head was ensnared by whatever captured their first two comrades and dragged instantly into the dark headfirst.
The woman watched the whole thing from the sides still petrified with fear but slowly collecting herself to finally escape. But a large hand stopped her and she found herself in the iron grip of the last man with a rhino mutation quirk.
"Come out and give my men back! Or else..." He placed his massive hand around the woman's head and began tightening his grip. The woman tried to scream in agony but her mouth was covered muffling the scream.
She struggled in his grasp but her weak efforts did nothing but increase the pressure the man put into crushing her. She was losing consciousness.
The sound of clothes rustling in the wind came from behind. Instinctively, he turned around to the origin of the sound and prepared to bargain for his comrades in exchange for his hostage. What he saw encased his soul in fear. The world seemed to slow for him, giving him one last view of his incoming doom.
11:00 P.M.
Overlooking the city, atop Tokyo Tower, stood a lone figure. The cold winter breeze blew at its bushy green hair. The gleam of cold metal shone in the moonlight. Sounds of light metal clanging and screws gyrating could be heard as bright green eyes disappeared under a metal shell. Frosty air seeped through the mask's mouth.
"You're sure taking your time there." A long yawn followed. Prince hugged his pillow even tighter seeking the warmth it provided to shield him from the already cold winter air and the high altitude they're at. He was floating just a few meters away but made sure he was awake enough not to be blown away by the wind.
"Sorry, but isn't it kind of natural to get nervous when you're this high up in the sky?" Izuku replied in a muffled voice.
"You've taken attacks that could melt mountains and blows that could destroy skyscrapers. Jumping off of a tall tower would scratch you at best."
"It's not that I'm worried about. It's..." In all honesty, this plan of theirs had a few flaws, the first one being that it was out in the open where people could just look up and he'd be caught . Second was that this was kind of (absolutely) against the law but Merlin told him, encouraged him even to go through with it and said she'll take care of the rest.
The masked boy was about to retort but saw that the other boy was already on the verges of sleep probably from finding the perfect temperature to finally doze off comfortably. "Never mind."
He sighed.
'Focus.'
'Don't think about anything else, Merlin said she'd handle the rest.'
He looked over the edge and down at the busy streets bellow.
'I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.'
He stepped closer to the edge and with one final breath of determination, he jumped. The wind blew against his mask, frost and dust began building up as the ground came closer and closer.
If one were to look closely, they'd see a black spec accelerating headfirst to the ground, falling well below any buildings.
The boy twisted his body in the air and shot a tendril of darkness towards the tower where it wrapped itself around the steel connectors. Using the force from the fall, he pivoted and changed direction. He was flung skyward and beyond, reaching heights higher than the buildings.
He was slowing down on his ascent, indicating it was the limit of the force he has built up and at the moment he reached his highest...
Frosty air seeped out of the helmet's mouth.
Demon darkness sprouted from his back and extended out forming in the shape of wings, draconian wings.
The wings flapped once and again and now he was suspended in the air.
He glanced behind him, seeing his ethereal creation as they carried him above the bustling streets.
"I did it! I actually did it!" He threw his arms in the air in celebration, flipping him over and momentarily losing his balance causing him to fall, but he caught himself. At the height he's at and under the cover of the cold winter night, his suit provided excellent camouflage against the dark sky from any wandering eyes below.
He felt the wind blow strongly against him, covering his new attire in more snow, but he couldn't care less. A new feeling has enveloped him. The freedom of being in the air, high in the sky where everything was within his reach, it was... liberating. Looking up at the full moon, he reached for it completely enamored by an idea. There was a popular saying he heard once, "The sky's the limit."
Invigorated by the sense of freedom, he wanted to see if that saying was true. With a powerful push of his new dark appendages, he ascended higher in the sky, piercing the sea of clouds like a rocket.
He soared higher, as high as he could until he saw the build up of hoarfrost on the lens of his mask. He took a second to use his powers to increase his temperature to stop the icing on his head. He looked down at the well-lit city below him, the city he called home for almost a year now. It was bright, brighter than the stars that dotted the sky.
Turning to see the moon again, he breathed in its magnificence. It was a beautiful sight from where he was, free from the clutter of the city. It was still too far for him to reach but to just be this close to it...
He dreamed of something like this before. Just a quirkless child's fantasies. He remembered wishing that if he ever had a quirk, it would be something hero-worthy. Something like the iconic comic book heroes had like super strength, super speed, super enhanced senses and of course, the ability to fly. But as he got older, the less of a chance he could naturally get a quirk like the ones he's dreamed of. As time went on and as the bullying got worse, his wish for a cool hero-worthy quirk became a wish for any quirk no matter how impractical or boring it may be to appear.
But up here, where he was closer to the moon than anyone else, he is reminded of how his dream, unlike the moon, was now within his reach.
He looked back down at Tokyo and focused his eyes on the humble home he has been given. This was probably as high as he should go and it was about time he got home now anyway. With a smile hidden under the mask, the wings on his back dissolved and he plummeted back down to the ground.
The powerful wind pushed the hood off his helmet. His chest was pounding from the exhilaration and adrenaline. He laughed at how much fun he was having. After a few seconds of falling, his wings grew back and he was soaring through the sky again. He flew above the buildings just to stay out of sight until he reached a less active part of the city. He didn't know if it was the adrenaline in his system that made him do something so reckless but this feeling of freedom was something he couldn't just let go.
He tucked his wings in and dove down to the dimly lit residential area. Just before hitting a roof, he did a flip and landed on the snow-covered rooftop of an apartment complex and began running towards the edge. His boots slid on the snow providing minimal resistance. Just before reaching the edge, demon darkness accumulated in his hand before it shot out and latched onto the side of a building. Pulling himself up on his makeshift rope, he swung himself back up like a pendulum.
He knew of a hero in America who traversed the city environment like this and an iconic comic book hero who did the same. As he accelerated back up, he released his hand and the darkness in his hand dissolved. The action allowed him to fling himself up in the air.
He laughed, intoxicated with adrenaline followed by a "WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!"
He probably shouldn't have done that in a residential area where people would probably be sleeping especially at this hour but even if they did hear him, at the speed he's going, he would already be gone before anyone spots him.
He shot out another tendril of darkness. This time, at a railing and did the same thing as before. He used the momentum of the swing to bring him closer to the building he was latched onto, and began running on the wall.
Feeling a bit more daring, he held out both hands in front of him and shot out one tendril from each at a radio antenna. He pulled his hands back and twisted his body in tandem. The motion effectively enabled him to pull himself forward instead of ripping the antenna off the roof. The new horizontal momentum allowed him to land on his feet on the roof's edge and skid across the snowy surface.
He let himself slide right off the edge. He landed on the next building with a roll before pushing himself off the ground with his hands. The action causing the surface he exerted force on to crack from excessive force. He winced at his mishap as he flipped through the air over an empty street. The damage wasn't as bad as he expected though.
He kept running from rooftop to rooftop, using a combination of the thick snow and his special boots to make sure he wasn't making noise as he did so. Anyone who would see him now would think he was some sort of daredevil for his incredible display of various acrobatic feats and stunts. He hopped, rolled, flipped and twisted in the air in quick succession. It was an awesome display of maneuverability.
He stopped just at the edge of a roof in front of a wide intersection. His destination was just up a few blocks ahead. The busy street below was somewhat of an issue though. Glancing to his sides, he came up with an idea. He crossed his arms in front of him and darkness once again shot out and latched onto two construction cranes. He walked backwards, stretching the dark tendrils.
An amazing trait of his darkness powers was its incredible versatility, and it was by far his greatest asset. With rigorous training and after spending countless nights in the danger room, he's able to unlock his greatest asset's fullest potential. When mastered, even the very properties of demon darkness can be altered. Mass, density, flexibility, and... elasticity.
He reached the other end of the building and relaxed his muscles, releasing the tension in his improvised giant rubber band. He shot through the air with his makeshift slingshot, soaring over the buildings. It occurred to him that he didn't really think about his trajectory. The darkness retracted back to him before they accumulated on his arms taking the shape of large bat-like wings.
He glided down back to the rooftops. Seeing his destination up ahead, he barrel-rolled through a concrete pipe in a construction site. He flapped his large wings once, flipping himself one last time before landing on the snow covered slope. The boy wanted to finish off his joyride with a final act of skill but he didn't factor in the small dip he was sliding on. He stumbled on the snow making him slip forwards, straight toward the wall. A pile of snow fell over him, burying him completely.
He heard clapping and chuckles from behind him.
"I assume you enjoyed your first test run Izuku-kun.?" Merlin asked eagerly. She was accompanied by Gowther who wore a cheeky smile.
The helmet's jaw unhinged and the screws loosened, allowing its two pieces to split open. The upper half collapsed and retracted behind his head and into the hood while the lower jaw hung loosely around his neck. He nodded vigorously, a large beaming smile plastered on his face.
"The suit feels amazing Merlin-san! I've never been able to move so unrestricted before. Unlike before, I barely even needed to focus to minimize the damage. Not only that but the insulation is amazing for
The woman stepped forward and began inspecting her student, specifically the suit he was wearing. Immediately, Izuku locked up like a deer caught in headlights.
"The other systems weren't even active..." She mumbled to herself quietly.
"What?"
"You didn't activate the other features I've installed."
"Other features you mean there's mo-" He was cut off when Merlin flicked a switch behind him. The suit came to life and the helmet pulled over his unsuspecting face.
The helmet locked and the insides of the mask lit up. An interface showed the totality of the suit's apparently massive arsenal. Numerous subsystems were on display. He didn't expect it to be this advanced!
"What the... WHAT?! You mean this whole time it wasn't even turned on?!"
"Well, the structural features are always active. Perhaps I should've given you a crash course on how to use it." Why didn't she do that? Oh right, she was too excited for him to try it on she completely forgot to tell him how to operate it.
'Forget a crash course! He needs a whole manual!'
"How much did you add onto my suit?"
"Oh, just a few quality of life improvements to make your tasks more convenient. For example..."
His vision flashed into a hue of red. He craned his head to the side to look at his teacher, the left lens glowing bright red. The moment he caught a glimpse of her, she was outlined by his suit's strange vision. Words spelt out with corresponding numbers after them.
Strength: 70
Magic: 3540
Spirit: 1100
Total: 4710
"Woah..."
"A built-in Eye of Balor. This magic item will allow you to peek into any creature's combat potential. In addition, your visors are also capable of seeing in any frequency of the electromagnetic spectrum. It may seem counterproductive but the whole helmet acts as a nullifier for your senses, however I still wanted to make sure you had the best tools available. There are a multitude of other features that will aid you in investigating crimes."
'A fusion of magical and technological innovations. If anyone could put two worlds together, it would be Merlin.' The boy thought to himself grateful, amazed, and worried.
"J-Just how many more features did you add exactly?" He asked slightly nervous and excited f her answer.
The woman merely chuckled and waved her hands. "I'll leave you to find that out. I'm sure your curious mind will be breaking it down later anyways."
She left out the part where she wanted to see each and every one of his reactions when he finds out. She thoroughly enjoys seeing her student's awestruck face before it twists into childish glee.
"I will tell you this though. The suit is one of a kind. It draws power from a variety of sources including the sun, your increased body temperature, and any excess magic you may be leaking out. Similar to how Divine Axe Rhitta absorbs any excess heat from Gawain and stores it for later use."
Yup, she definitely went overboard with the upgrades. He'll need to do a lot of testing tomorrow (later). The teacher and student duo shared a contagiously bright atmosphere. A voice finally made itself known.
"Not to ruin the moment but... where is Galehaut?" Gowther's question flew in the air.
...
"Ack! I left him asleep at the top of Tokyo Tower!"
"That boy... sleeping in the most untimely and unconventional of places is his most unique talent. Someone should retrieve him before he floats away. I would be the best to do so but, Izuku-kun, how would you like a second testing? You can also think of this as your first hero training exercise. A rescue scenario of sorts. What do you say?"
...
"Izuku?" It was only then she realized the cold wind blowing against her.
Said boy was nowhere to be found. She realized what just happened and chuckled to herself.
"Quiet as a cat." She whispered to herself, smiling.
"Sound nullification tech huh? You've really given your all on this one design. Not even our uniforms have that feature." The doll walked up to her, looking at the sky, trying to spot their student against the darkness he so perfectly faded into.
"It was a recent idea that crossed my mind when I thought of how things will be for him from now on. The harder it is for someone to detect him, the better it is for all of us."
"Merlin... you know as well as I do that even if he worked from the shadows, a time will eventually come when he will step out into the open to save someone, and we can't stop him."
"I know, and I don't plan on stopping him. I just need more time to set everything in place so when that time finally comes, the higher-ups in this hero saturated society will learn to keep away from my student."
She gazed at the city. A cold analytic look. "By helping Izuku-kun, this society... no... this whole world is about to enter a new era of chaos, and he will be the center of it all. I cannot entrust him to the decisions of humans who seek to protect a society crawling with corruption." Her eyes gleamed with conviction. The small spark behind them that appeared all those months ago had grown into a raging flame of determination. She heard chuckles behind her.
"What's so funny?"
"You're beginning to sound like an overprotective mother."
"ACHOO!"
The faceplate unfurled to let the expelled mucous out. The cold air must finally be getting to him which was strange since he's literally been encased in ice before and never had an issue. Was someone talking about him?
He landed on another rooftop and yanked something attached to his arm. From the sky descended a large bloated figure floating down like a balloon in a child's grasp. Said ballon was actually a boy completely encased in a giant pillow suit made of magical insulating moss that grew only in the Fairy King's Forest attached to a string made of darkness.
Izuku grumbled at his fellow sinner's uncooperativeness. After a few minutes of trying to wake him up and failing, he was left with no choice but to literally drag the other boy home at speeds that could give someone whiplash to avoid detection but in his extravagant sleeping bag, Izuku was sure someone had probably noticed them by now.
Now on the rooftops, he could slow down a bit and think of the best route to take while avoiding the eyes of the pedestrians. Just as he thought this, the interface in his mask displayed an detailed 3D map complete with street names, addresses, and even live satellite imagery. Green eyes widened in surprise at the navigation system presented to him.
'Well that's convenient. Just when I was just thinking abou- THE SUIT READ MY MIND!' Another thing to add to his list of things to mull over later. Right now, he's gotta get his friend to a proper bed. It was two-thirds before midnight which was plenty of time to get back. Opting to stop wasting anymore time, he chose a less populated route and began dragging the oversized ballon person with him like a kite on a windy day.
He jumped and scaled over the buildings, making sure to time his transitions as to not get spotted which definitely slowed him down.
Things were going well... until they weren't.
His 6th sense flared up. He paused and felt the familiar clawing feeling in the back of his head. Unlike before where his body decided to act on pure instinct, he was able to control it. This feeling wasn't the same as the maniacal savagery of a bloodthirsty killer, no. It was... hunger.
A lustful hunger.
A forceful ravenous desire of the flesh driven by primal intoxication.
The feeling was faint, as if the source of it was a good distance away. But it was there, flickering in the back of his head like a broken signal.
His young inexperienced mind could only think of one scenario that could explain this repulsive feeling. And it just fueled him with more righteous anger. He needed to think things through.
Fighting crime now would be a risky move. Last time, he could excuse it as self-defense, but now, he was clad in a fully loaded unregistered combat suit, one that would easily make someone mistake him as a vigilante. The appearance of his suit would also do very little to convince any witnesses otherwise. Acts of vigilantism have been strictly prohibited and regulated by the Hero Public Safety Commission. He also has no clue what the setting of the scene would be. Escaping any commotions would be hard for him because he doesn't blend with anything other than black.
He wanted to go and help but now that he has his senses back, he realized how risky this decision is. Not only could he be caught and get in massive trouble with the law against vigilantes, but the amount of unpredictable factors could lead to him blowing his cover which would be a huge problem.
But...
"You did the right thing."
"Thank you for saving me."
His mask reformed on his head. Fists clenched and a foot already at the edge of the roof, he has already made up his mind. Someone is in danger. That reason alone is enough. He was already breaking the law anyway by using his "quirk" out in the open without a license.
Just as his feet left the ground, he felt something pull him back down with such force. He spun around and saw Prince wide awake and staring at him warily.
"Izuku-kun... calm down. You're using your demon powers." He said calmly but taking on a ready stance in case the worst were to happen. Dealing with an annoyed demon could get messy but dealing with one in a state of frenzy near the peek of midnight was another story entirely.
Immediately as the fairy said that, the red face plate faded into its usual green as said demon realized what he was doing and attempted to calm down. Spontaneous activation of demon mode was a problem that wasn't new to him and that only increases the danger he poses to others.
His body relaxed a bit and fog seeped through the mouth of the mask. He was back in control. The clawing feeling in his mind faded away. That was... strange. Before he could think any further, he felt his shoulders being pulled.
"Oi, Izuku! What the hell happened this time? Did you sense another villain attack?" He asked seriously.
"Yes, but I couldn't pinpoint the exact location. It was faint, like really faint, but it was out there somewhere."
"Was?"
He nodded. "The presence disappeared just now. I-I don't know what happened. Maybe a hero managed to take care of it? I'm not picking up any evil intentions." He looked back into the distance. Worry, doubt, and frustration eclipsed his mind.
But the evil feeling was gone, so that must mean someone stopped them or maybe the person who intended to do something horrific decided to abandon his/her course of action. He honestly he wished it was the latter.
A familiar feeling of powerlessness washed over him for not being able to act. He promised himself he would protect, but he hesitated when he realized he had to choose what to protect. The promise to his saviors or someone else whose location and predicament he has no clue of. He released a long breath. A part of him was relieved though. Relieved that he didn't have to make that choice yet. It was a decision for another time. One that he will hopefully have enough strength to make.
He turned to his companion, seeing the ballon boy try his best to watch him closely for any more slip ups. Izuku noticed the other boy's baggy eyes giving out in his losing battle against sleep.
"I'm fine now Prince-san. We can go now." He said smiling behind the mask.
Whoever managed to save that person from their predicament, if there was, they have his thanks.
He felt a weight on his shoulders. The long horn he so proudly displayed easily broken off by metal claws. He stared into the abyss ready to envelop and consume him. He felt the skin on his face being pierced by dozens of daggers, the blades sinking even deeper as the abyss encapsulated his view. All of it happened in a split second.
Metal jaws clamped shut like bear traps. The sickening sound of warm flesh being torn apart echoed in the alley way before the large lobeless body fell to the ground, splattering its contents on the cold concrete.
Cold metal hit the ground in rhythm as ominous footsteps filled the dead alleyway.
That and...
Grunts of pain came from beneath the mutilated corpse. Her legs were crushed from the sheer weight of her former assailant. She tried to pull herself out but the pressure was too great and the pain and stress are catching up to her.
A shadow loomed over her struggling form. Warm crimson droplets landed on her outstretched arm. Her body was trembling from the cold and she only grew weaker.
Helpless.
Weak.
Suffering.
In this world, monsters exist. And they are more terrifying than we can imagine.
Mortified golden eyes flashed back against a bloodstained reflection. Fresh blood dripped down it's horrific mandibles, the blood of her captor. A cloak made of what appeared to be living shadow blew against the wind. The figure raised a metal clad finger to its vicious mouth.
"Shhhhh..."
~End of chapter~
Bonus: "D. E. M. O. N. (Dark Energy and Magic Output Nullifier)"
Short Overview
Prototype Version: Alpha
The main purpose of this suit is to contain and regulate large amounts of demon magic. It has been enchanted with a powerful sealing spell that prevents any demonic energy from leaking out, effectively hiding the wearer's demonic presence from humans. The intensity of the enchantment can be regulated to allow for the use of minuscule amounts of demon magic.
Materials:
The helmet, gauntlets, and boots of the suit are made up of a special non-magnetic alloy forged only in the demon realm. It has a unique property of absorbing great amounts of heat (or energy) and dispelling it instantly.
The rest of the suit from the hood to the pants is made up of a triple-layered fabric. The outermost layer is a synthesized fiber-mesh that acts as an effective insulator. The second layer is an extremely thin sheet made of a carbon material with an incredibly high tensile strength. The last layer is made up of a cushioning material that's comfortable on the skin. The suit is very flexible and allows for a wide range of movement.
The soles of the boots are made of a sound absorbing padding that mitigates most of the sound from impacts.
Design:
The mask is based off of Meliodas's old armor which resembles that of an armor demon. The suit is mostly black with some green accents and highlights for personalization which can be manually altered to fade into black for camouflage reasons. The half cloak and hood also serve the purpose of hiding the wearer's identity and appearance. The body and patterns have been modified from the original design.
The overall appearance seems to resemble the over popularized pop culture ninjas with a mix of pre-quirk era comic book characters.
Features/Abilities/Equipment:
Magic Items:
Eye of Balor: An item that allows someone to peer into the attributes of a living organism to determine current combat ability.
Spell-casting runes: Unknown
Enchantments: Unknown
Utility:
Med kit- includes bandages and disinfectants
Reinforced ultra-adhesive tape- 80m long per roll; used for restraining; very painful to remove without someone else's help; about 20x tougher than T-Rex tape
Fire extinguishers: used for putting out minor flames; ineffective against hell blaze
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed Izuku's first joyride. I had a lot of fun with the emotions and emotions in the flying/parkour scene. Next update will come sooner than usual. So stay tuned.
The new cover image was made by a good friend of mine and he asked to remain anonymous. I love the overall design of it but just to be clear, the suit doesn't actually have glowing green streaks. They're just for highlights.
