Synopsis: One For All - the ultimate gift and curse. Turns out, it doesn't just cultivate the power of its users over generations, it's also its own conscious being; it just doesn't know it. When Izuku Midoriya becomes the next successor to have his body hijacked by a sentient quirk that THINKS it's him, he finds himself spiralling down into the deepest darkest recesses of his own subconscious. What seemed like an opportunity to finally make his dreams come true has instead morphed into a one-way ticket to his own personal hell.
Now Izuku's a prisoner of his own mind, trapped in a strange landscape where truth and lies are one and wherein reality no longer must abide by its own rules. The only allies he has are the minds of past One For All users...well...what's left of their minds anyway. For him they are a glimpse into the future, for they are the ghosts he will become if something isn't done. There's only two ways this will end. Either Izuku accomplishes the impossible and regains control of his body and life or...he's condemned to forever be trapped in the darkness and slowly fade into nothingness like his predecessors before him.
It's do or die.
Plus Ultra or Nothing.
Welcome to the void.
CONTENT WARNING/EXPLAINER: This story is an existential horror piece, and as such, will dive deep into Izuku's psychology. This will include mentions of self-harm and suicide so there's your trigger warning.
Additionally, before you all jump in, let me forewarn you. This is an avant-garde experimental writing piece. This means experimenting with layout and different symbols in order to portray Izuku's mental state in an abstract way. This sometimes even means the way the words and symbols themselves are arranged to look may be more important then what they actually communicate as words and symbols. I'm not kidding when I say this is meant to be experimental. The text won't even be aligned left at certain parts. This is way off the rails because it's a piece about existential horror. Why would it make sense? That being said, you can skip down a bit for the talking part, which is a lot more conventional and straightforward. I acknowledge right out the gate that this definitely won't be some people's cup of tea.
In a sense, it is all very pretentious. I keep underlining words in this explainer paragraph to make my point clear, clearly I'm condescending right now lol. But I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy crafting this piece. I say craft because it wasn't just about writing. Parts of this I did treat more like a picture or painting. Take that as either a good sign or a bad sign for what's to come. This is a deeply experimental piece for me and I'm trying something new and exploring my instincts. If you read this and go "what the hell was that?" I won't be surprised. Take comfort in the fact that you probably won't be the only one because this whole thing is meant to not make sense in a way. Maybe it will connect with some people too though, which is what I'm hoping for. But we'll see. At the very least, I think this premise in of itself has potential.
With that out of the way, I hope you all enjoy this "thing" that I've cooked up. Or at the very least, you feel like you had some sort of experience. Leave a review if you wanna give your thoughts. I'm eager to hear if people think I've simply lost it or not. Thanks you to everyone who decides to give this a chance because this isn't going to be your conventional MHA fanfic. Also, I will use some Japanese in here, but I'm using Google Translate so take anything that's not in English with a huge grain of salt. It's probably all wrong. I'm more so using Japanese here and there for dramatic effect and it'll probably only be for the chapter titles because I don't want to butcher their language too much.
Anyways, let the mind-bend begin.
WHERE DARKNESS DWELLS
A My Hero Academia Existential Horror fanfiction
By Infinity Wizard
[The First Part]
一 空所
One: Void
The void was empty.
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Or perhaps it was full?
I=I=I=I=I=I=I=I=I=I
Full of darkness, that is.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Was darkness a thing though that could fill a space
?
Or was that in of itself proof that something was empty?
:o
The void had no edges or discernible barriers
'
'
'
It didn't begin anywhere or end anywhere
?
It simply was.
Was.
Was.
Was.
Was.
Was.
Was.
Was.
Was.
Was.
Was.
Was.
Was.
Was.
Was.
It was everything and nothing all at once.
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He couldn't think straight.
I^II^II^II^II^II^II^II^I
His head was spinning.
I^II^II^II^II^II^II^I
Pain.
I^I
Ear-splitting pain.
I^II^II^II^II^I
Pain
I^I
Pain
I^I
Pain
I^I
PAIN
II^II
ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!
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!
#
%
(
)
[
]
{
}
/
\
Was the darkness the absence of light or was this simply the natural state of this plane of existence
?
He couldn't see his own body but he could feel it was there even if he couldn't move.
: o
What was this place
?
What had happened to him
?
What would become of him
?
He could breathe fine so there must be oxygen here.
: )
But he also couldn't think straight and seemingly couldn't speak.
: (
Was this all a trick
?
An illusion
??
Had he been kidnapped
??
There was no temperature here
0
He was neither hot nor cold.
\_(-_-)_/
He simply was
'
Everything just was
[%]
The darkness was simultaneously vast and empty, but also constricting and claustrophobic in its presence
=/=
He felt as if he was all alone and there was nothing around for miles, but also he felt as if the darkness had him in a stranglehold and was forcing its way down his throat
:o
Panic was all he felt one moment
!
Peace was all he felt the next
...
Everything was scattershot
STOP!
Everything was in flux
NO!
Nothing was compatible
ARGH!
Nothing made sense
IT HURTS!
Paradoxically it all worked and functioned though
dont even think about it okay just dont worry about it its nothing trust me lmao just have a laugh
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ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!
Pft.
What was he even doing
?
Why was he thinking like this
??
He was smart, wasn't he
???
He should be able to solve this
!
But there wasn't any clues
: (
No clues that made sense anyway
\_(-_-)_/
Was this heaven
?
Hell
??
Somewhere in-between
???
Did he even exist anymore
????
Had he ever existed
?????
STOP IT!
NO!
SHUT IT DOWN NOW!
NEVER!
I SAID SHUT IT DOWN NOW BEFORE YOU-
ifyoureallywannabeaherosobadlythereisonethingyoucandopraythatyoullbebornwithaquirkinyournextlifeandtakeaswandiveofftheroofofthebuilding
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FLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOY
The fact he was so quickly spiralling down such a rabbit hole was a bad sign.
NODONTEVENWORRYABOUTITITSALLJUSTINYOURHEADBRODONTSWEATATHINGYOUREPROBABLYJUSTOVERREACTINGLIKEALWAYSALWAYSSUCHAWORRYWORTITSALLNOTHINGDONTTHINKABOUTITTOOHARD
But then there wasn't much else to really consider.
He was starved for much of anything down here.
Wherever 'here' was anyway.
XD
Perhaps he had taken Kacchan's advice that day and taken a swan dive from the school's ro-
101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101
-/-/-
rebooting
He expected his throat to feel scratchy and strained from his lack of speaking, but he was still too numb all over to feel much of anything.
He hadn't been sure until that moment he even still had a mouth.
lol
The fact the full implications hadn't entered his mind until then frightened him more than he'd be willing to admit out loud.
dontevenworryaboutitbrolmao
The void offered no response to his cries.
He could not be in a vacuum because sound would not work otherwise.
right
But there were no echoes.
"
His voice seemed to travel though somehow in spite of that.
""
He couldn't even begin to contemplate how paradoxical that last concept was.
2+2=5
If there was nothing in the void and no gravity then perhaps sound waves would travel forever.
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Was this plane a sphere like a planet or did it simply stretch forever in all directions
?
Was he even standing on solid ground
??
He couldn't feel his feet after all
'
Did he even have eyes anymore
?
He thought he was staring into the void but maybe that was just an illusion
.
Was his existence just an illusion
?
Was he even conscious
??
He couldn't even feel his heart pumping in his chest as he was sure what was a panic attack came upon him.
! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*
"HELP!"
! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*
He still couldn't see anything!
! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*
He still couldn't smell anything!
! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*
He still couldn't taste anything!
! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*
He still couldn't feel anything!
! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*
He still couldn't hear anything!
! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*
"HELP ME!"
! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*
His throat did not get sore from screaming even after what felt like hoursThen again time was an abstract concept in this placeThere was nothing to indicate how long had passedThere was nothing changing in his surroundingsThere were no windows or anything resembling realityThere was no skyNo stars or sun or clouds or the moonSeemingly nothing here existed but himself
! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*! #$%^&*
GOD
Oh
GOD
What had he done to deserve this?
Hadn't he been good?
He thought he'd been good!
He thought he had suffered enough already!
Why?
Why was this happening to him?
Why was this to be his fate?
101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101
101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101101ERROR101
"Am I…am I the only real person here? Am I the only person who exists? Who ever did exist? Who ever will exist? I wanted to be like everybody else, but maybe there was no everybody else to begin with. Was my whole life just a dream, a fabrication, a delusion? Mum…Kacchan…All Might. Were you all just a figment of my imagination?"
He couldn't tell what was happening anymore.
Maybe he was crying
!
Maybe he was yelling
!
Maybe he was screaming
!
Maybe he was thrashing about
!
Maybe he wished the void would swallow him up and end all of this
!
Or was this the end itself
!
Was this what death was
!
A dark infinitude
!
drowninggninword
drowninggninworddrowninggninword
drowninggninworddrowninggninworddrowninggninworddrowninggninword
drowninggninworddrowninggninworddrowninggninworddrowninggninworddrowninggninword
drowninggninworddrowninggninworddrowninggninworddrowninggninword
drowninggninworddrowninggninword
drowninggninword
falling
fallingfalling
fallingfallingfalling
fallingfallingfallingfalling
fallingfallingfallingfallingfalling
fallingfallingfallingfallingfallingfalling
fallingfallingfallingfallingfalling
fallingfallingfallingfalling
fallingfallingfalling
fallingfalling
falling
s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-vs-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-s-l-i-p-p-i-n-g-
The darkness did not yield.
STOP IT!
He sunk further and further.
I SAID STOP IT!
Down and down he went.
NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!
D
O
W
N
.
D
O
W
N
.
D
O
W
N
.
D
O
W
N
.
D
O
W
N
.
D
O
W
N
.
D
O
W
N
.
darker
Darker
DArker
DARker
DARKer
DARKEr
DARKER
FLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOYFLESRUOYLLIKOTDETNAWUOYTIDEREDISNOCUOY
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Hmm?"
"…"
"Another one, huh?"
"…"
It was a voice
!
Not his voice
!
Someone else's voice
!
It was familiar in a sense
!
But somehow also distinct in a way he couldn't put into words
!
But that meant he wasn't alone
!
That meant he wasn't the only one in existence
!
HOPE
There was still hope.
"Um…Hello?"
"Hmm?"
"Is anybody there? Can someone help me? Please. I can't see anything! It's cold and dark and I can barely…I can't feel my legs. I think…I think I've lost all sensation in my body. I'm trying to lift my arms and I just...I just can't. They're so heavy…"
"Kid."
(WHISPER)
"...Why are they so heavy?"
"Kid, calm down."
(GASP)
"It's real. You're actually here. There's someone else actually here. Where are you standing? I can't see anything. I'm not sure if my eyes are open or-"
"I'm not standing anywhere, kid."
(PAUSE)
"Oh…um…is that because…?"
"Neither of us are standing, kid. Or doing anything for that matter. Piece of advice, don't bother with all the struggling, it'll only make things worse. But you do you ultimately."
"What? Struggling? I don't...I don't understand…"
(SIGH)
"Clearly you're new here. Oh boy…How to put this gently? Have you noticed it's difficult to keep a clear train of thought? Or have normal thoughts in general? Have you noticed your feelings are scattershot?"
"Um…yes actually, now that you mention it."
"That's because you're not real."
(PAUSE)
"Did you get all that, kid?"
(PAUSE)
"...Pardon?"
"You're not real is what I said. Well, you're not real anymore anyway if we're getting technical about it."
(GRUNT)
"Look...can you just...can you help me? I don't know where I am. I was at a beach with All Might...I think, and then suddenly-"
"Don't get your hopes up, kid, there's no way out. Didn't you hear what I just said? You don't exist anymore."
(PAUSE)
"I don't understand. What do you mean I don't exist? I'm right here, how could I not exist?"
(SIGH)
"You just got here, that means you still have a coherent sense of self. That'll change over time; trust me. We all tried to fight it when we ended up here, but eventually you'll come apart like a ball of yarn. Slowly but surely you'll unwind until there's barely anything left. You can resist of course and take the long and painful route, or you can just concede defeat now and get it over with. Trust me when I say this, once you don't exist anymore and simply go with the flow, everything is a lot more peaceful. After all, if you're not actually here you can't feel pain. Or, what essentially amounts to a simulation of pain. You don't feel much of anything of course, but here you have to find the silver-lining in everything."
"I still don't understand. What is this place, what's going on? Why I can't I see you?"
"Because I don't have a body anymore, kid. None of us do and you won't eventually either. The one you have right now isn't even real; it's just a mental construct you've constructed because your mind is still largely yours at this point. Cherish it while you can because very soon it's going to be taken away piece by piece."
"Who are you?!"
(LAUGH)
"Kid, if I knew the answer to that I wouldn't be a disembodied voice. I haven't known who I am for what I assume to be years now and honestly it doesn't really matter at this point. Down here we're all just afterthoughts, it's not like there's lives to live here or something. There's no society to take part in, no goals or motivations, there's simply nothing. Who we are doesn't matter when nothing matters anymore."
"TRICK! This is a trick! This has to be some sort of trick!"
(SIGH)
"If only it were some big joke, kid. If only...Look, we've been here for only God knows how long. If this is some practical joke then it's gone on way past funny. I hate to be the one to break this to you, but this is real. And pretty soon it's the only real you're going to be feeling."
"Tell me how to get out! Tell me! Tell me now!"
"Get out? Kid, where do you think we are?"
"I don't know because you won't tell me!"
"We're inside your head. This is your subconscious. Well, it was your subconscious, not anymore of course. As far as the theories go anyway…"
"Anymore? What do you mean by that?!"
"It's One For All's now."
(GASP)
"One For All? That's…that's the name of All Might's quirk."
"It's also the name of the being One For All. Look, there's a few prevailing theories amongst us voices, but here's the typically agreed one based on the little evidence we have. Turns out the quirk doesn't just pass along from person to person, it's also presumably it's own mind. Each time it moves into a new body, it morphs into an exact replica of the host's mind and then takes control. We hypothesise that One For All is essentially a body-snatching parasite whose own composition makes it think it's actually the person whose body it now possesses. In reality it hijacks each host and usurps control of their life. We're all past hosts, our minds got kicked to the curb and now yours has too. Each time One For All jumps we come along for the ride while a fragment of One For All remains in control of the prior host body until it dies. That's how it's able to transfer quirks and jump from body to body so easily without rejection, because it literally supplants the people it jumps to. After all, not every quirk is completely compatible with its owner. One For All side-steps the mental side of that problem by simply filling in that slot itself. It can't be incompatible with itself after all. Well, that's the primary theory anyway along with some conclusions we jump too."
(PAUSE)
(PAUSE)
(PAUSE)
"Could you stop visualising things like that? It's getting really annoying."
"…No…"
"No what?"
"…No…"
"Oh, you mean all of this. Unfortunately, it's happening kid."
"...No..."
"Yes."
"...No..."
(SIGH)
"...Yes."
"..."
"..."
"...No..."
"Don't make me say it again, dammit! Well, not say because we aren't actually speaking but you get what I mean! Just don't be a twat as the Brits would say. Say, is Britain still around? Time passes weirdly in here and all and I thought I'd just-"
"No! No! No!"
"Ugh…what did I just say? Try not to have a mental breakdown; it'll just make things worse. I know just saying that isn't very helpful but I don't exactly have a leg to stand on here. Literally."
(PAUSE)
"...What?"
"No leg to stand on! Get it, because I don't have a body?"
"…Are…are you serious?!"
"Hey, humour is about the only thing we have an abundance of here. How else do you stave off insanity?"
"No. No. No…"
(SIGH)
"Back to this then…great…really wish I had eye balls so I could roll them with a huff right now but that's a privilege reserved for people with bodies..."
"This has to be a trick or a nightmare or a bad dream or something! None of this can be real!"
"Afraid it's so, kid. Sorry I had to be the one to break it to you. As I said before, you at least have non-existence to look forward to. Eventually. Once you stop feeling things the whole scenario becomes a sort of non-issue. In a sense. Rules around here are a bit vague. You'll catch on."
"I have to get out! I have to get back control of my body!"
"By doing what? You think some of us haven't tried that before? We're working with nothing here, kid. You don't even have a physical form anymore, just the illusion that you do, which if anything, is just more a signifier that you still have a sense of self. That'll dissolve over time as I said earlier and from there then you'll be at peace. A shitty, bitter peace but a form of peace nonetheless. Can't really lament what your life once was when you can't remember any of it."
"No! No! Things were finally going my way! I was finally turning things around! It can't end like this. I refuse to let it end like this!"
"Again, kid, I'm sorry. I really am. But there's nothing we can do. We all got the short straw. I won't berate you if you wish to struggle because that's your choice, but I will warn you that failure is inevitable. You're not going to get your body back. Heck, we have a theory about what's happening. It might not even be correct so basing your actions off of that entirely is potentially a dead end anyway. Instead of lamenting what will be lost or struggling against the unknown, maybe just take the time to cherish what you have. Those memories aren't going to be around much longer after all. While you still have time, savour that happiness. Savour what you can remember once was. Savour at least the illusion of what being human feels like before its gone forever."
(WHISPER)
"Mum…All Might…Kacchan…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"
(PAUSE)
"I know you can't see it right now because perception is weird in here, but…let me tell you, kid, you're crying right now. And that's good. Shed those tears while you still can. Relish in having the closest approximation to proper emotions we have here and not just stilted artificial recreations of them like I've got. None of us have been able to cry in a long time let me tell you. Those tears are proof you still have a soul. That you're still you and not just a voice in the wind. You're still a person."
"It can't end like this…"
(SIGH)
"What's your name, kid?"
"Midoriya…Izuku Midoriya…."
"Hold on to that."
"Why?"
"Because eventually you'll forget that too. We all did."
"No..."
"Yes. Welcome to the void, Izuku Midoriya."
To Be Continued:
Dun-Dun-Duuuuuuuuun. And there we have it, the first chapter. I have no idea when an update will come because I'm doing this to stretch my creative muscles on the experimental side. We'll see what happens. I'm curious though as to what kind of reception this will get, if any at all. Only time will tell I guess. Leave a review if you like informing me of your thoughts, praises, criticisms or frustrations. Or all of those things. And for those wondering if the voice talking to Izuku is All Might, my answer is maybe. Gotta keep you all in suspense somehow, am I right? Also, minor spoilers, we will eventually have some stuff in the real world. So look forward to that. Thanks for reading and see you all next time, whenever that is.
