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Ochako and Eren both came to the park for separate reasons and under very different circumstances. But despite this fact, as the two of them sat at the bench they both felt the same thing; insecurity, confusion and reluctance.

They both were desperately searching for the correct course of action that would lead them to the most favorable outcome. Needless to say, Eren's doubts were on a much grander scale the Ochako's, with millions of lives held at the balance.

Not that Uraraka's worries weren't important, because without a doubt they were.

You see, Ochako was concerned about her own hero work for mainly two things; first, with the recent attacks, Ochako felt she should find a way to put in a lot more work as a hero to help the people feel secure and maybe help with the investigation and capture of the culprit who launched the attack.

Second, over the course of the school festival, her crush on Deku showed no signs of slowing down. At first it was just embarrassing when she'd get all flustered and usually run off, but now she felt that if she continued to do that it could hinder her hero work.

Either get over him or ...confess. Those were the two options she gave herself, and the first one was much easier said than done, and the mere thought of the last one was enough to turn her face bright red.

Eren on the other hand was doubting his own convictions to his beliefs about freedom. At their reunion Armin had challenged the very core of his ideals, saying that his ideologies were just an excuse for him to take his anger out on something completely unrelated to his problems.

With this challenge the question once again resurfaced; is what I'm doing wrong? And with it came several other uncertainties. No longer was Eren's course of action set in stone, and the option to continue into a future without the Purge once again became an option.

Like I said before, it's not that Ochako was fretting over something meaningless, it is just that when compared to the weight and magnitude of Eren's choices, the word minor wouldn't cut it, and maybe even comparing the two could be called offensive.

But in that moment, there was only Ochako Uraraka and Eren Yeager sitting at the same bench, at the same park, feeling the same thing, and in desperate need of someone to talk to.

Little did each of them know that this was going to be one of those moments, those turning points in your life, those moments that you would look back on for the rest of your life and ask the question; I wonder what would have happened if I knew, was stronger, or simply acted differently?

Most people would call those moments fate or destiny.

But I wouldn't.

I don't believe in fate.

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Alida didn't wake up instantly. Rather, it was a gradual restoration of consciousness that was spread across the length of an entire hour. During the first half of the hour, her mind meaninglessly wandered throughout a series of abstract ideas, vague and without actual meaning.

Thinking back on it now, Alida couldn't even remember the subjects of those subconscious thoughts, and even if she could remember, since they were so abstract and illogical, explaining it to a second- or third-party would be nearly impossible.

Regardless of such thoughts, Alida began to recollect her last memories to give an explanation to her current position. She was lying on a white hospital bed in a moderately sized room. Just like the bed, the rest of the room hosted an impressive arsenal of the color white and had an infirmary/hospital feel to it.

It wasn't just the rooms color scheme that gave off this feeling, rather, it was mostly due to the multitude of surgical and hospital equipment that the room housed. There was a small white fan spinning above her head, and across from her bed was a small countertop with a tray full of surgical equipment.

There was a stand beside her bed that held two plastic bags hooked on its edge, one containing a clear liquid and the other, blood. A large tube ran from each of them and seemed to connect to her right arm. Wait - my arm!

"Hicc!"

Alida, despite her evident exhaustion and numbness, sat up and clenched her left arm. Or she would have if her arm was still there. Instead of an arm she found a small stump covered in bandages.

"W-what? I'm, W-where's my-"

"I see your finally awake"

The voice that interrupted her thoughts were those of an elderly lady. Timidly turning her head, Alida noticed a short old woman dressed as a nurse standing beside her.

"W-wait, w-who are y-"

"First you need to take a few deep breaths and calm down. You are in hospital in Japan, and that's all I can tell you as of now"

Because of the incredible amount of shock she still was in, it took Alida a few seconds before she could comprehend the meaning of the nurse's words. Wait, Japan? Where have I heard that word before? Alida placed hand on her head and tried to recall where she'd heard the word, and almost as if she was reading her mind, the nurse responded.

"It would be best not to force yourself to recollect anything, especially if it has to do with the attack"

Looking up from her recollections, Alida inquired at the nurse's statement "The attack?"

Suddenly, the memories regarding the attack, the heroes Dime and Freezard, the drink and the Titans.

And Ruth.

Ruth. The thought of that name sent a rush of emotions through Alida's mind. Why did things turn out like this?! Why did that have to happen to Ruth?! What are the leaders of Eldia thinking?!

Before she could think of a single reasonable explanation for the event, (not that there could be any reasonable enough to justify the compromise her best friend's life), the elderly lady called out for her attention. But instead of listening to the woman's words, Alida turned her thoughts to the events that brought her here.

"I am the Recovery Girl, and I'm the one that healed your wounds. Unfortunately, my ability is to increase the speed of the body's natural healing, not directly healing, so some of your wounds, including your missing arm and several scars, will not heal."

Although the nurse continued speaking after that, Alida blocked her voice out and turned her mind to her current situation. Based on what she could vaguely remember after the titan's appearance, the two heroes must have helped her and then brought her here. That much was evident, but what wasn't evident was their motivations. Why had they helped her? She was the enemy so they should hate her just as much as she hates them.

So why? Why did they- No, wait, that doesn't matter. After all, it's just the impulsive actions of a blood thirsty devil. Looking for explanations and reasoning in their actions was pointless. Alida stared at the nurse who was rambling off about how she should take better care of herself, and that just because she's a criminal doesn't mean she could hurt herself, almost like a mother dressing her daughter for the first day of school.

Alida's stare turned into a glare, and a shadow cast its self over her eyes.

"Die"

Recovery Girl looked shocked at first, but quickly regained her composure and replied, half to herself and half to Alida.

"Sigh* I see it will take a while before we can get you to open up to us. Well, I'll make sure no one will interrogate you until you're ready so don't worry about it. Also, lunch will be served soon, and you've been out for a while, so I'm sure your starving."

The nurse gave her a disappointed look before turning to the room door. Alida continued glaring until the Recovery Girl closed the door behind her. After the door closed Alida waited a few more seconds before taking action, giving the nurse time to leave the hall on the other side of the door.

Then she moved. The Eldian leapt of the bed and attempted to stand, which she barely managed due to the massive amount of exhaustion she felt. Alida only took one step forward and was still using the bed for stability before she noticed it. A three foot and somewhat small chain was around her wrist and chained to the bedside.

With a "Tsk" Alida blamed her lack of alertness and then searched the room for other security measures. Of course they'd restrain their captive, it was simply common sense. And a thin chain like this one wouldn't exactly be all they'd do to retain her. So Alida looked around the room, and quickly found what she was looking for.

There were two small cameras in the room's corners, and a rather large lock on the door that required a card to open. Alida climbed back onto the bed and began desperately searching for a flaw in the security that she could exploit. Even though she just begun searching, a feeling of hopelessness had already begun to sink in.

Since she was missing her left arm even if she had the key, she couldn't even unlock the chain around her wrist, let alone the cameras and bolted door. The cameras were definitely being monitored 24/7, so breaking the chain a launching a surprise attack the next time the door opened was out of the question. As for someone coming to rescue her, well, there was a time when she believed that if she was ever in a situation like this one then the Survey Corps would save her, but now she wasn't so sure.

"It would be best not to count on it" she said to herself, hoping the cameras didn't pick up sound. The Survey Corps had always been an embodiment of Eldia's freedom, after all, that's what the Wings of Freedom represented, and each of the Corps' actions were directed toward this freedom. But now things didn't seem so clear.

Alida was thinking these thoughts when they were cut short by the report and recoil of a sniper's rifle. Without a doubt, it was a gunshot, and Alida instantly recognized the rifle. It was a Survey Corps' Anti-Personnel sniper rifle used by the Elite Strike-Force. In that moment, Alida had mixed feelings; she felt hope, because there was a good chance that they were here to rescue her, but she also felt dread, because she was somewhat terrified of the confrontation with the people responsible for Ruth's transformation.

Outside the door she heard several footsteps racing down the hall, and then the cry of a desperate man, followed by several confused voices that quickly blended together into a mass of chaos.

"All-Might!"

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"Hi, I'm Ochako"

The brunette smiled and extended her hand to Eren, who could detect no malice or hidden agenda in her words. That she was simply being friendly was the conclusion he was forced to reach. Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt just to amuse her, plus I could test Wrath's Authority… Eren activated the power and then answered.

"I'm Eren. Eren Kruger."

After handing out his common alias, he watched her reaction to pinpoint what her thoughts were. Wrath's Authority was the unification of individuals, meaning everyone who was within his realm of influence subconsciously shared their thoughts and opinions. If focused and if he were strong enough, Eren should be able to control people, and have them share damage too, turning them into an army of hostages.

Eren anticipated the results he'd get through this power as he watched Uravity. But Ochako simply put a finger to her lip, tilted her head and began thinking to herself.

"Eren Kruger huh… I've never heard a name like that before. Are you a foreigner?"

"I guess you could say that…"

"Really?! You actually are?! Wait, where are you from?!"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Oh, come on! Please tell me! I just wanna know where you're from..."

Eren rolled eyes, thinking "Well you just say whatever comes to your mind…" when he realized, they were at a perk surrounded by toddlers and other children. Wrath's ability must have been unifying the emotional state of all those present at the park (excluding himself) making everyone at the park become innocent and honest, which if combined with an outgoing, talkative personality, the results would be something like this.

*Sigh, "If I said Europe would you shut up?"

Uraraka leaned back onto the bench, kicking her feet and staring at the clouds as she pondered his suggestion, and eventually agreed.

"…Fine, I won't ask any further"

After that they fell into silence, Eren musing around in his own thoughts, and Ochako feeling the urge to speak to him, but didn't want to be rude after Eren asked her to be quiet.

The two of them sat side by side on the bench as the sound of children laughter and birds chirping filled their ears. Even Eren had to admit that it was a beautiful scene. In addition to the majestic image, Eren thought the situation wrath had created was perfect for searching for information about this realm, and that he'd hate for it to go to waste, so…

"So, why are you here?"

Uravity tilted her head as she turned to Eren and pointed at herself, and with a confused look asked,

"Huh, you're talking to me?"

"Who else would I be talking to?" growled Eren

"Oh, umm, I just thought you didn't want to talk, so..."

"Just answer the question, dammit!"

Eren began tapping his fingers somewhat angerly as he demanded a response, while Ochako thought about how much he reminded her of another one of her friends.

Uraraka sighed and stared out at Eri as one of her friends took her by the hand, leading her to the play-house's tallest slide. Eren smiled knowing that the children's honesty was beginning to reach her, and soon he'd be able to ask her anything.

"Actually, I'm here looking after that girl over there" she said, pointing toward Eri.

"Her name is Eri, and she spent a large portion of her life living with a villain, and long story short, we're now helping her to recover"

"A villain?" asked Eren, hoping she'd explain what a villain was. The name itself was self-explanatory, and he was somewhat informed on this world's social status, but Eren never paid much attention to those meetings. He preferred seeing the world's status first hand rather than from spies.

Eren simply wanted to confirm that the term "villain" was referring to what he thought it was, or if there was anything more to it. Ochako must have misunderstood what he meant because she began explaining information about that villain specifically.

"His name is Chisaki, and he was a member of the Nine-Precepts of Death, a villain organization. His quirk is to destruct and reconstruct matter."

Although his questions weren't answered, this explanation did ignite his curiosity. Assuming a villain organization was like a gang, they'd need a reason to take in a girl as young as she was.

Based on how she only "spent a large portion of her life" with Chisaki meant that she most likely wasn't directly related to him, and that she definitely wasn't a hostage, because otherwise her real family would have paid for her return.

In other words, The Nine-Precepts of Death most likely wanted Eri for her quirk, and these motives combined with Chisaki's destruction and reconstruction quirk and Eri's trauma wasn't painting a pretty picture.

"Was he caught?"

"Who? Chisaki?"

"Who do you think?"

"Yep! And it was my friend Deku who gave the final blow! He was sooo cool..." Ochako started day-dreaming while Eren rolled his eyes. Eren looked at Eri who was playing with a friend. Eri's friend appeared to be leading Eri to the tallest slide in the playhouse, and she was heavily nervously and franticly protesting riding it.

"But then the League of Villains attacked"

"..!"

The League of Villains. That was the group that Floche volunteered to go recruit. Might as well learn as much about them beforehand as possible.

"What happened next?" asked Eren.

"They attacked the police while they were taking Chisaki to prison, destroyed his arms, and then disappeared. It sounds pretty suspicious, but I wasn't there so I don't know why they did it"

While Eren made it a mental note to ask the league why they did that when he got the chance, he turned the conversation back to Eri.

"She seems to be recovering though, I mean look"

Eren pointed toward Eri and her friend just as another one of her friends ran up. Eri was desperately resisting, but her friends knew she had to face her fear. The two of them took her hands, encouraged her to keep moving, and led her to the slide. Eri was clearly petrified by the play-house's height, but her friends gave her the courage she needed. Ochako smiled,

"That's because friendships can keep you going even in the times when you're hurting the most. Someone who encourages you, someone you can cry on, someone that will stand up for you and then tell you to keep moving. If you have someone like that, no matter how deep, all your wounds can heal! Right?!"

Still holding one of her friend's arm Eri climbed onto the slide, leaned forward, and then slid to the bottom, putting a broad grin on Ochako's face as she beamed at Eren.

Although Eren nodded, he couldn't help but feel that that wasn't all there was to it.

"Yes, everyone needs someone to encourage them, but because that's the case everyone will only do things that will get others to like them. This is why true freedom is so incredibly rare." Eren said, not realizing he was talking aloud, nor did he realize the confused look he was receiving from Uraraka. Instead, he continued talking to himself.

"Yes, Eri's friends did encourage her, but they didn't encourage her. They told her to do what they thought she should, and as a result, instead of following what she thought she should do, Eri gave up her freedom and let her friends control her."

Ochako didn't really understand what Eren was talking about, but it was made evident by his facial expression and tone that he was feeling greatly conflicted right now. The words he spoke were directed to himself, to make him feel more confidence in his beliefs so that he wouldn't have to consider different perspectives.

"I don't see it that way though. I mean, sure, people might start holding similar opinions to their friends, but they are the ones who reached that conclusion themselves."

Ochako turned and smiled at Eren, who made a somewhat shocked expression once he noticed he said it aloud, and Uravity continued her speech.

"When someone does something different because of a friend's influence, it's because he or she saw the logic in their friend's opinion, or because they wanted something that their friend had. It's never because their friends made them do it."

Ochako's words aligned with Armin's, and both of them confirmed something Eren himself had been debating a long time now.

"Eren, it isn't that Eri's friends took away her freedom, actually, all they did was show her that she has options! And if anything, more options mean more freedom, not less, so she never lost anything!"

Deep down, Eren wanted to agree with Uravity's words, but his own ideologies that he held since he was young opposed that viewpoint. If he were to change his mind now, the people of Eldia wouldn't react well. The people already say that his purge that spared the free was too merciful on the "other-world devils", so if he were to start recognizing more people as free, they wouldn't react positively.

In addition, if he were to recognize that his ideas were wrong and change his view, where would that put the six realms he already purged? He already killed over 2/3 of each of the realm's population because he thought they weren't free, and if he were to admit he was wrong that would mean he'd be confessing to murdering billions of innocent people. It was an increasingly complicated situation, and Eren had no choice but to live up to what everyone, Eldians and nonEldians alike, thought.

"I honestly don't know what you were going on about, but whatever you're going through, just know that you are free just like Eri. Just cuz everyone wants you to do something doesn't mean you have to do it, and just because they want you to doesn't mean you shouldn't! The only thing that matters is that you do what your heart tells you!"

Although it was a cheesy and childish line, when Ochako said he should "follow is heart", Eren felt a since of completion. Almost like all the mysteries of entire world just snapped together, like when you press down the last piece of a puzzle and take a step back to admire your work. "Follow your heart and do what you want; only then will you be truly free". It just made sense.

Who cared if the Eldians said he was far to merciful, and who cared if all nonEldians called him a murderer? Eren was now truly free, and will do exactly what he wants, not what others expect him to do, because Ochako had said exactly what Eren wanted to hear, and that truly changed everything. It was almost as if she was reading his mind...

"!"

Eren gasped as he quickly released Wrath's Authority. He concluded that he must have been subconsciously broadcasting his thoughts to the entire park, although they didn't realize it was his and instead thought it was their own.

"That was close..." He mumbled. Eren didn't like using Wrath because it literally controlled and manipulated others, the very embodiment of what he was trying to oppose with the purge. He still kept it because it would be safer and rarely used with him, and even though he still didn't like it, it could still be used as a tool to reach the greater good. You know, the whole "end justifies the means" deal. But because of his opposition against using it, it soon became his weakest authority, due to his lack of experience in welding it.

This is why he was able to make a mistake like this, and why he wanted to get more practice with it in the first place. After lifting the power, Uraraka looked around, somewhat confused. That's a good sign, he thought. If someone wasn't free, then they wouldn't even notice that they were manipulated. This is because those who are truly free have specific set ideals or a goal in mind, and make sure all their actions are abiding by those ideals or bring them closer to their goals, including those a few seconds ago. A truly free person would notice these discrepancies and ask themselves 'why did I do that' while a slave wouldn't even notice. "Might as well make sure she passes" he thought, pulling two rings from his pocket.

Ochako looked at Eren like she was going to say something but thought the better of it and looked back to Eri, who was about to ride the slide a second time. Eren then caught her attention and tossed the rings to her, causing her to clumsily grab at them, catching one at the tips of her fingers, while the other landed in her lap.

"Huh?! What's this?"

"Just keep it, it's a gift. Also, give the other one to someone you trust"

Ochako looked puzzled by his explanation but turned her attention to the rings. They both were silver, incredibly hard, and had an emblem of a nine-pointed star on the top. Outside of the fact that it was a random gift from almost a complete stranger, there wasn't anything suspicious about them or the person who gave them to her, so she thanked him and placed them into her pocket.

After that, Eren refused to answer any questions about the rings, which seemed strange, especially when combined with a certain question she wanted him to answer that had been bugging Ochako for a while now. And so, she finally decided the best thing to do would be just to ask it.

"Umm, Eren, why are at this here? I mean, you never mentioned taking anyone to the park, and if you just wanted somewhere to relax, there are other places in the park that less kids and are quieter."

Ochako inquired for Eren's motives, but while anticipating the results, her face suddenly turned bright red.

"Wait, you wouldn't happen to be a l-lolicon would you?"

Eren rolled his eyes before answering the original question.

"Actually, I was looking for someone."

"huh? Who?"

"Actually, you said you helped out with saving Eri earlier, which means you must be some sort of hero, so maybe you could help me out"

"Sure! I can help!"

Eren smiled "Alright then. She's a little girl a few years older than Eri and has black hair and red eyes that glow when she's excited. I think it's her quirk."

"She was also in a traumatizing situation like Eri when I first met her, an abusive household to be specific, but I managed to pull some strings, and now she's freed from them. Apparently, she has trust issues now and ended up running away and hasn't been seen since. That was a couple days ago. The police already know, but they haven't really been showing results, so I've been searching myself too"

"Any other information I should know?"

"Well, she's pretty smart for a kid, but a little awkward. Oh yeah, her name's Komekko"

"Komekko... That's a weird name...! Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to be rude!"

"That's okay. I thought the same thing when I heard it for the first time too"

And as she prepared to begin a search for the girl, Ochako Uraraka had no idea that a few minutes away at UA the Symbol of Peace, All Might had been shot by a sniper in the face, blowing half his skull off.

She had now idea that the only clue the heroes and the police could find at the crime scene was a small not that read "For Freedom –Eldia" .

And she definitely didn't know how impactful on not just her life, but the entire planet's state the next few weeks would be.

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter!