Fantasy AU
A long time ago, more than 200 years…
A Demon King appeared.
His power was feared by all. He had a sharp mind, he had a strong body but his magic…
He had the power to perform almost all sorts of magic, except those of the holy element, he had near limitless well of power and could give similar abilities to his servants.
His reign of terror continued, his kingdom of evil grew, many brave adventurers, knights, mages and even heroes fell before his might. He was called All for One.
But he was finally defeated by the 8th hero party sent by the Yuuei kingdom, led by All Might. It is said the earth shook as he and All for One exchanged blows. Dark magic vs a holy sword blessed by the goddess. Finally, All for One was defeated by the hero. Everyone rejoiced but their happiness was short-lived. Just as he was about to be defeated, All for One had unleashed a deadly blast of cursed energy and it had hit All Might. The priestess tried to save him but it was too late, he died soon after…
"Mommy?" – a quiet and a bit hoarse voice of a child was heard.
"Yes, sweetie?" – a woman with soft face, beautiful green eyes and hair turned around.
The small bedroom was illuminated by the soft glow of several magical mushrooms. The covers of the bed shuffled and a kid's head popped out, his green hair fluffing up and his bright green eyes looked up at her. He looked a bit feverish.
"Why did the hero have to die?" he asked sadly "This is a stupid story." – he pouted.
"It's not a story, Izuku. It is history, unlike with stories, there's not always a happy end. Also, you were the one that wanted to hear a real hero story." – Inko smiled at her son.
Izuku grumbled and cocooned himself in the blankets.
"Now, it's time to sleep." She closed the book she had been reading from "Good night." – she leaned down and kissed his forehead.
"G'night mommy." – Izuku said.
Inko exited the room and left the door slightly ajar in case Izuku needed something.
'He is so fragile sometimes…' – she thought.
Her son was already 5 but he still had to manifest any special talent. All other children in Mushroom Forest village had already gotten theirs.
Izuku had always been a bit smaller, weaker… he would easily get sick, he could even get sick from not properly drying off after a summer rain. This time, he had slipped into a stream while he and his mother were out in the forest picking berries and herbs. By the time evening came, he was already with a slight fever.
Inko placed the book in its place on the shelf before heading to the brewing room. Inko was no ordinary woman. She might be working as e herbalist right now but before coming to Mushroom Forest village, she was one of the best alchemists on the continent. She waved her hand around and ingredient after ingredient slowly floated towards her as she prepared the cauldron.
'Hmm…I would need to go to the nearby city again. My Ash flower reserves are starting to dwindle.' – she carefully sprinkled a few black and red-tipped petals in the bubbling liquid.
=The next morning=
Izuku was woken up by the gentle shaking of his mother. His throat was even more painful than last night and his head hurt.
"Here, Izuku, I made this potion last night. It will make you feel better."
"T-than-ks momi-" – he started coughing, his eyes tearing up a bit from the pain.
Inko gently patted him and after the coughing stopped, she brought the cup to his chapped lips. He drank slowly, at first, but as the sweet, soothing liquid traveled down his throat, he began to greedily drink. His mother always made the best medicine.
"Better?" – she put the empty cup on the bedside table.
"Uhum!" – he nodded and smiled.
"That's my little hero!" she lifted him up and he snuggled closer "Now, let's go and get some tasty soup int your tummy."
===9 years later===
Izuku was now 14, he had grown quite a bit but still was a bit shorter than his peers in the village, his hair was still as wild and his freckles remained, the childish softness of his face never truly leaving.
He put on a pair of dark brown pants, while shirt, greenish vest and his favorite red shoes before heading for the front door. It was THE day! Finally, after several tries, he'd gotten the permission to go to town on his own. His mother had been reluctant but she finally agreed to allow him to go.
You see, Izuku always dreamed to be a hero as a young boy but since his special talent never came, he was laughed at by the other kids, so he settled for the next best thing- becoming an adventurer! He was not as frail as he was as a child but he still was king of thin and didn't have much stamina, so his mother refused to allow him to do something this dangerous but he never gave up! Finally, she gave him a task – go into the nearby town, Aldera and bring her back all the potion ingredients on the list. If he could do it before the sun set, she would allow him to go to the guild and apply for the junior adventurer course.
It was a training program that prepared you for the dangers one might face as an adventurer – learning first aid, basic combat, basic knowledge about plants and animals, but most importantly, you form a group with other Juniors and complete missions together, it is said some friendships last years after the course is complete.
Izuku was excited at the idea- daring adventures, visiting new places and making lots of friends!
He gathered his bag, checked if he had all the money, ingredient list, map and lunch before going out of his house. It was shaped like a giant green mushroom, if you are wondering.
It took him quite a bit of walking but Izuku managed to reach the town and found almost all the ingredients his mother wanted…
"What do you mean you are out of stock?!" – Izuku was quite surprised when the shopkeeper didn't have any Lumina berries.
"I am sorry, sonny." The old lady said "I just haven't received much stock these days and since they are main ingredient in many healing potions, they are flying off the shelves right now. If you can wait until next week, I can save you some."
"I have to bring the berries to my mom today! Are you sure there's none left or somewhere from where I can get some? Please, I really need them." – Izuku pleaded.
"No, I don't have any. You can ask around the market, but… well, people have been buying them a lot lately…"
Izuku's face fell. He looked so heartbroken that the old shopkeeper's heart hurt.
"I know where one can gather Lumia berries, but I wouldn't recommend it." – she said reluctantly.
"Really?! Please, tell me!" – Izuku's eyes sparkled and the woman gave in.
"Alright, but promise to go there ONLY if you can't find any intown."
"I promise!"
"North-west from here, in the forest, there's a small steam coming from between the cliffs. The water from that stream is extremely clean and the trees provide enough shade for Lumia berries to grow. But it is very long and dangerous trek."
"Thank you, a lot!" – Izuku bowed and ran off.
He asked every single shopkeeper bun not even one had the berries. Izuku didn't really want to go to the stream because of how dangerous it sounded, but as noon passed, it seemed like he had no choice.
Izuku braced himself and set out into the woods.
'It should be all right…It is the middle of the day. There shouldn't be many animals out there and monsters rarely even appear near these parts.'
…..
"AAAAAAAH!" – Izuku screamed as two Bloodhounds chased him through the forest.
Izuku ran as the two growling beasts were right behind him, trying to bite him. He just ran, not even paying attention to where he was going, he just made sure there was nothing in front of him, so it was not a surprise that he tripped and fell down a hill. The beasts stalked towards him as he pulled himself up from the mud and frantically looked for a way out. The young boy's eyes spied a crevice in a rock wall, a small stream of water flowing from it. It would be a bit of a tight squeeze but it would at least buy him time while the Bloodhounds struggled to get through the tight space.
The stream's water soaked through the shoes, the cold water making his feet sting. The Bloodhounds clawed at the crevice, trying to squeeze in after him but their bulkier frames and not being bipedal made it difficult for them.
There was light streaming from the other side and this gave hope to Izuku. He hurried and came out of the crevice… only to find himself trapped. High walls surrounded a small clearing between the high rocks. In the end of the clearing was a small stone temple-like structure from where the water seemed to pass. Monsters at his heels, no other way to get out… It was hopeless, but Izuku was not going to just stand there and wait. He ran to the small building and tried to pry its wooden door open. The metal hinges were all rusted and screeched as he barely managed to open them just enough to squeeze through.
The inside of the structure was mostly empty, except for a sword put on top of a pedestal and a giant shimmering crystal.
Izuku pushed the door closed and kept pushing on it as he heard the growls of the monsters approaching. Something slammed into the door and almost knocked the boy back. The monsters growled and furiously clawed at the wooden doors, the material creaking and splintering under their assault.
'Mom… I-I don't wanna die! S-someone… HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!' – Izuku desperately prayed, his eyes tearing up a bit.
"-boy!" – a voice called.
"Huh?"
"Hey, boy! Can you hear me, young man?"
"W-Who's there-GAH!" – one of the Bloodhounds' claws managed to finally puncture through the door.
"This doesn't matter! You seem in a pinch and I can help! It's just that I am currently sealed in this crystal, so have to free me and I'll defeat those hounds in a flash!"
"W-What do I do?!"
"Take the sword and pierce the crystal! My friend made it this way so the seal can be released easily, now hurry! That door won't last long!" – the voice urged.
Izuku gulped and ran towards the pedestal. The door creaked as the monsters pushed it. He grabbed the surprisingly heavy sword and with one a bit shaky motion, pierced the crystal.
CRACK! – the crystal flashed and broke in a shower of shards.
A tall, manly figure wearing a battered but still shining suit of armor stepped over and grabbed the sword.
"Good job, young man!" – the loud and cheerful voice of the man boomed and it just made Izuku feel safe.
The monsters burst in with mighty roars.
"Holy Slash!" – the man shouted.
An arch of pure holy power shot out of the swung blade and it instantly destroyed the two monsters. Izuku just stood there on the floor, unable to believe the sight in front of him. It was just like a scene from one of his hero books! The man turned around to look at him, he sheathed his sword and took off his helmet. The man, Izuku's hero, was tall and very muscular, had blonde hair that was cur short but his bangs were long and gravity-defying as they stood up, despite being crammed in a helmet for who knows how long.
"Are you alright, young man? This must have been quite scary." – he extended a hand towards Izuku.
"T-Thank you for s-saving me…" – Izuku took it and let himself be lifted from the dusty floor.
"No problem! It is the right thing to do to help someone in need! What kind of hero would I be if I let someone get hurt right in front of me?!" – the man laughed loudly.
"Why-" -Izuku began.
"Cough! CoUGH!" the man clutched his chest and blood leaked from the side of his mouth "S-shiiit…"
"S-Sir?! What happened? Do you need help? I can-"
"N-No… It's alright. You can't do anything either way…" – the man carefully lowered himself on the floor.
"M-my mom is a great herbalist! She doesn't live too far from here I can-"
"No…" the man began hacking again, more blood spilling, his face starting to look pale "It's not something that can be cured. This is a curse…cough… the crystal I was sealed in was meant to keep the curse at bay while my friends looked for a way to dispel it… I have waited for almost a decade but no one came." – the man leaned back.
"No… It is all my fault…" – Izuku was on the verge of tears, this man was going to die because of him.
"No, it was my choice to save you." the man wheezed "Would you mind listening to my story?"
Izuku shook his head and sat on the floor in front of the man.
The man began telling his story – he was an orphan taken in by the church and how his job had been cleaning the floors before meeting one of his loyal friends. Nezu – the great sorcery king and the founder of the new adventurers' guild,after the old one was abolished.
He had been taught a lot of things and taken under Nezu's wing, brought into the life of adventurer. How he later met his party members, the ones that would stay by his side no matter what. How he was chosen to be the newest hero, despite being bort talentless, aka without any special talent, yet still managed to push the demonic army back and even faced off the great demon king All for One.
"T-then you are…?"
"Yes, I am the legendary hero – All Migh-!" – he coughed and spat out some more blood.
"All Might!"
"Yeah, in the last moment, just before his demise, All for One fired a great curse at me. Even Chiyo, our healer, didn't recognize it and she's know for being able to cure anything! The curse began to kill me, so with the help of Cementos and Midnight, our mages, I was sealed until they could find a way to break the curse. As you can see, it didn't work."
"All Might…"
"Yes, young man?" – the hero looked up, he was pale and Izuku could see dark tendrils crawling up his neck.
"C-can… Can s-someone like me become a hero? I-I have no talent a-and have been weak since a child, b-BUT I have been getting a lot better and-"
"Haha! Breathe, young man." the hero laughed weakly "I can't wish for you to be a hero. Being a hero means a lot of hardship and sacrifice… Instead, I wish you luck in becoming a great adventurer! There are a lot of things out in this world I couldn't see because of my duty, I have lost a lot because of it, but it is fine now, knowing people can live happily right now. You can become a splendid hero! Here." All Might handed his sword to Izuku, the boy took it, struggling with the weight a bit "Being talentless helped me a lot. I will tell you this – because you have no talent, you are a blank slate, so if you practice with the holy attribute long enough, your body will tune in to it. That's the hero's secret, don't tell anyone!" – the hero winked, Izuku laughed at how goofy the man could act.
"N-No… you-you can't die!" Izuku cried "You said it yourself, right? You have missed a LOT of things! You have friends waiting for you, you- you… I won't let you die! I want you to teach me! Please, just… hang on!" – Izuku pleaded.
All Might had come to terms with his inevitable demise but now… looking at the young man in front of him… Something changed; his heart clenched painfully.
'I… I don't want to die yet…' – the hero thought.
All Might's whole body went limp and Izuku was about to burst into tears when-
Poof! – smoke filled the room.
Izuku coughed and waved his free hand to try and clear the smoke. What he didn't expect was to see that in All Might's armor now sat a skeleton- No, he still had hair and skin, so it wasn't really a skeleton, but with how pale the skin was and how it seemed to be stretched oved his bones, it could very well be a skeleton. (Imagine his skinny form, jus a bit skinnier.)
"Ugh… What happened? Wasn't I-?" – All Might spoke, his voice a bit tired and hoarse.
The hero rubbed his head but since his armor was so big now, its gauntlet fell on the floor. Sunken blue eyes that seemed to glow under the shadow cast by his now limp bangs stared at the bony hand, then at Izuku.
Glowing eyes were a mark all nocturnal magical beings bore, but glowing eyes and a black sclera… It was a trait only carried by the undead.
""AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"" – the two of them screamed.
