Where there is light Sigma Chapter 1, a my hero academia/僕のヒーローアカデミア fanfic

WARNING! Cold recollections of physical torture are to be found in this chapter.

I tried to suggest rather than describe too crudely, taking a more or less 'scientific' stance, but read at your own discretion!

SIGMA CHAPTER 1

March 20th, 1988

My son,

I hope my letter will find you in good physical health. It has been a very long time since we last had any contact at all, and you must wonder the reason why your old bastard of a father comes to you at this time.

Firstly, I would like to offer you my sincerest condolences, although I suspect you will not accept them. Camellia was a delightful woman and a most distinguished lady, I heard, and I could never have approved more of your union. Such a tragedy tears at my heart, imagining what you must go through. Time alone can mend such wounds of the heart, and I pray for your getting better eventually.

Secondly, let me not equivocate, I have a favour to ask of you. Now, I can predict your first answer quite easily, and I can understand why you would think so. But hear me out, if you still have some humanity in you – I must confess I have very little left in me, myself, so I would not judge if you did not –.

It is hard to go around the fact that the experiments conducted at Unit 731 went terribly wrong, with its main test subjects on the loose and so many lives wasted for nothing. I will not ignore it any more, and I kindly ask of you not to ignore it either. I am partly responsible of everything that happened there, and I will bear the burden of my sins for all eternity. However, you, my son, can still do good on those that were wronged under my sponsorship.

The subjects are still alive, that much I am certain of. The girl might not be in a prime state, from what I understand, she might have been damaged in the scuffle she created, but she must have survived, and the boy will undoubtedly be with her. It should be possible for you to find them.

They are dangerous, yes, but they are still children. They deserve some place to live, and I recall you dreamed of having kids of your own. Unfortunate circumstances may have prevented you from that happiness for now, but fate is smiling at you, and I do not doubt those two extraordinary children would be nowhere better than with my extraordinary progeny.

Do not consider this a delusion created by a senile mind. I am not imagining things, and I am not playing with you. You have mastered the art of games better than I could ever do, anyway. I leave you the choice of realising such a folly, for I know you consider this as nothing more. This is an opportunity you might not encounter twice, and their powers are not to be disregarded either. The House of Crawford would benefit from them, as they would benefit from its influence. You, especially, would benefit from them. I just ask that you think about it.

You will find enclosed the files I had on them, as well as relevant information as regards their possible locations. Read them carefully, and you will see just what I am thinking of.

Rest assured that I think of you, always. I am proud of the man you have become, and I came with my best intentions towards you. I remain at your disposal should you need further details, but I do not count on your contacting me any more.

With my kindest regards,

Sagittari Crawford Jr

Testpersons Deckcode: Phönix / Code name of the test subject: Phoenix

Nachname: Paterson / Family name: Paterson

Vorname: Kai / Given name: Kai

Geschlecht: männlich / Gender: male

Geburtsdatum: 28. Dezember 1934 / Date of birth: December 28, 1934

Geburtsort: Paris, Frankreich / Place of birth: Paris, France

Vater: James Paterson, Amerikaner / Father: James Paterson, American

Mutter: Adria Léonora de l'Egide, Griechisch-Französisch / Mother: Adria Léonora de l'Egide, Greek-French

Haare: dunkelgrau / Hair: dark grey

Augen: rot / Eyes: red

Zauberkraft: Regeneration (Wiederbelebung?) / Magical power: regeneration (resurrection?)

Besonders: heilt sehr schnell, unverwüstlich / Particularities: heals really fast, resilient

Wird von dem Generalmajor Boris Schotten im verborgenen Forschungsfeld für das Okkult der japanischen Einheit 731 beaufsichtigt. / Will be put under the supervision of Generalmajor Boris Schotten in the Secret Scientific Cell for Research in the Occult of Unit 731, in Japan.

Testpersons Deckcode: Walkürie / Code name of the test subject: Valkyrie

Nachname: Paterson / Family name: Paterson

Vorname: Philae / Given name: Philae

Geschlecht: weiblich / Gender: female

Geburtsdatum: 3. April 1936 / Date of birth: April 3, 1936

Geburtsort: Orleans, Frankreich / Place of birth: Orleans, France

Vater: James Paterson, Amerikaner / Father: James Paterson, American

Mutter: Adria Léonora de l'Egide, Griechisch-Französisch / Mother: Adria Léonora de l'Egide, Greek-French

Haare: braun / Hair: brown

Augen: braun / Eyes: brown

Zauberkraft: unbekannt / Magical power: unknown

Besonders: robust, vom Gift und Feuer wenig angegriffen / Particularities: robust, little affected by poison and fire

Dear Sir,

I come to you with the most dreadful update of all.

You may have heard of it from other sources, but I regret to inform you that Unit 731 has been discontinued, after all occupants had been massacred and an explosion had blown up most of the hidden labs. It is only thanks to my being away to get supplies, that I have survived. I have made sure, however, that my fortunate co-soldiers did not get the occasion to tell anything to anyone. I have taken dispositions to preserve our secrets, as per your instructions.

Japanese authorities have been dispatched to the site and begun an investigation as to why such a tragedy has happened, but I think you know what is the source of the 'accident'.

To this day, only a quarter of the prisoners' bodies have been found in the main unit. However, you must guess I have discreetly made my own research into the Cell for the Occult, and I can confirm that subjects Phoenix and Valkyrie have vanished. Their cells, although showing obvious signs of life for a continued amount of time, were devoid of bodies, as were the rest of the buildings – or what remained of them –. I have, nonetheless, discovered what I believe to be Generalmajor Schotten's mutilated and lifeless corpse in one of the 'interrogation rooms', and I have no doubts that he must have been with the subjects at the time of the incident. He was alone with a few soldiers, whose bodies I will refrain from describing.

Therefore, on the basis of my meticulous observations, as well as my experience at the service of Schotten, I can safely assure you that Phoenix and Valkyrie managed to escape Unit 731.

I will forward you every document I could salvage from Schotten's personal notes shortly. Everything else has been destroyed.

My infiltration mission is reaching its end, and I kindly ask for your permission to come back to you, unless you need me here for gathering further information.

With my most respectful regards,

(from a encrypted message sent around 1944)

I, Boris Schotten, hereby confirm the reception of the sensitive test subjects respectively named 'Valkyrie' and 'Phoenix', in our base in Japan. They arrived in a stable condition and good health, and they will be ready for conditioning in a few days.

For the sake of our generous benefactor, my reports on the various experiments that will take place, will be written in English.

I am delighted to receive such a charge, and I will exceed the expectations awaited of the subjects entrusted to me by our most benevolent Führer.

GMBS

Valkyrie came about yesterday and is still disoriented. She has realised she is in a place she does not know, but sedatives have prevented her from having any panic attack until now. We must be careful with her, as she is believed to retain much more physical strength and harmful potential than her brother. My goal will be to condition her into the most magnificent soldier the world has ever seen. Her leadership will show our bravest patriots the bright path to Valhalla. Besides, if she becomes as beautiful as I believe she will, she will be a walking goddess of the superior race.

Phoenix gets agitated regularly, especially when meals are brought to him. His powers have not shown yet, but his worry for his sister is obvious, and it could be problematic if left as it is. Exploiting the subjects' bonds would be a way to go around their future resistances to conditioning. Together, they could form an unbeatable pair of warriors, and German glory would echo for millennia after.

I will introduce myself to Valkyrie soon. She needs to recognise her caretaker as quickly as possible, and my affirming authority over her is essential. She is still young, and she needs anchors in her new world of glory and blood.

GMBS

#42

Phoenix is incredibly resistant to physical torture. His most significant trait is his capacity to heal at a speed no human should achieve. It has been calculated as follows, depending on the subject's condition:

– deep wounds caused by sharp knives and whip gashes: three to six hours, leave no trace (average humans take weeks at least to scar)

– acid burns: thirty minutes to one hour (average humans takes weeks)

– bruises: ten to twenty minutes (average humans take a few days)

– cracked ribs: one to two hours (average humans take a few weeks)

– broken bones: one to three days, depending on the bone's size and place (average humans take a few weeks)

Naturally, Phoenix heals faster when correctly nourished and cared for, while he will need much more time when famished and mentally abused. His cells show an amazing ability to regenerate themselves a dozen of times, before duplicating and dying. Thus, his ageing must be slowed down drastically, and further observations will have to prove that physically.

However, after each session, it has been observed that his wards progressively weaken and eventually fall ill. In some cases, they are not necessarily in direct contact with the subject for days and still experience this strange process. It is incurred that his powers have a sense of compensating for the energy needed to heal his body, though it has to be determined how such a happening is possible, and in what proportions it happens.

Valkyrie has yet to show any specific power. First experiments have shown that her body does resist fire quite well:

– there is no burns under 2000°F / 1093.33°C (equivalent to molten lava)

– first degree burns appear between 2000°F / 1093.33°C and 2192°F / 1200°C

– second degree burns appear between 2192°F / 1200°C and 3034.4 °F / 1668°C (melting point of titanium).

Higher temperatures have not been tested.

As for poisons, she feels close to nothing, depending on the species of snake or venomous animal at our disposal:

– snake venom has absolutely no effect (tested with cobra, rattlesnake, python)

– scorpion venom in consequent doses, causes light nausea for about two hours (tested with three times the lethal dose for an average grown man)

– puffer fish venom causes light-headedness and nausea for about three hours (tested with three times the lethal dose for an average grown man).

Following sessions will have to determine if her skin is harder or sturdier when hit with various weapons. I will have to be gentle, though. I do not want to damage this precious little girl. But if, one day, she can take a bombing without a scratch, she will be invincible. And priceless.

As a side note, my presence begins to influence her, she fears me. Good.

GMBS

#65

Valkyrie shows character, despite her young age. It had already been noticed that both subjects look younger than they act, and it has been proven that while she looks five, she might be around six or seven in terms of maturity. Maybe it has to do with her seeing her parents die, though. A delayed physical ageing has been confirmed for both siblings nevertheless, but only observation will determine a what rate this phenomenon functions.

As regards Valkyrie's physical capacities, it has been concluded that her body sustain potential for a magical ability, that has to be awakened as soon as possible. I had the disappointment to see she is not sturdier than average when hit with weapons, and she heals at normal speed. Thus, her physical integrity must be preserved until we discover what her powers are. Given Phoenix's abilities, I have no doubt she will not disappoint again in the future. Mythical creatures have blessed those children, the game is to discover which.

On the brighter side, Valkyrie shows obedience so as not to get her brother punished (only three occurrences the past week), which is progress. Phoenix shows wonderful resilience and undergoes punishment without fighting back, which eases our job immensely. He may fear the same will happen to his sister if he ever does. It serves our interests for now, but I have to think of a way to maintain the bond in depths, and break some ties at the same time. They have to be able to work separately as well as together.

GMBS

#125

Tests are more difficult. Valkyrie refuses psychotropic drugs and fights back more often, despite the repeated punishments endured by her brother. Breaking her mentally, though I do not think it most efficient, might be considered if she continues like this.

Phoenix is getting recluse and quieter. His wards have to shift every other day, as they all fall sick quickly. There is no more doubts that his powers draw energy from living beings around him.

– after a punishment, during which he received thirty whip lashes, he recovered in forty minutes, and the potted plant we had put into his room died in fifteen minutes.

– the next day, he received a hundred lashes, and a healthy prisoner from the medical testing section was put into his room instead of the plant; he recovered in fifty minutes, and the prisoner had difficulties to breathe and could not stand up.

– the third day, he received a hundred lashes, without any living thing near him. He recovered in an hour and twenty minutes, and his two wards waiting outside of the room felt awfully tired, without any change in their own living conditions.

Phoenix really is amazing. The possibilities offered by his magic could overthrow the fate of our fatherland. If Valkyrie is the sword, Phoenix is definitely the shield. A lethal kind of shield.

I would love to test out his regeneration ability further and further, but I cannot risk severing a limb or killing him. I am not a hundred per cent sure he can recover from those, and I do not want to damage him too much either.

GMBS

#288

Things are getting nowhere. Phoenix does not react any more, except when with his sister, and Valkyrie gets torn between disobedience and fear for her brother's life. She bit me yesterday, quite forcefully at that. I guess she hates psychotropic drugs and wants to show her disagreement.

I have to resort to more artful ways. Their physical integrity must remain intact, but their minds have to be broken in the following days. I will stop at nothing to get them into our ranks.

I have dreamed of my perfect pair of warriors, and I will have it.

GMBS

December 17th, 1990

My sweet Camelia,

I continue writing letters, even though I know you will never receive them. It is silly, really, but it is the thought that counts, they say, and in any case, I cannot help it. You were, are, and will forever be my closest confident. My only friend in this sea of sharks.

I thought humans dull and tasteless. They are buzzing with life, and yet they waste it running around like headless turkeys, and they do not even see what they want to achieve. They are grey blotches of colour on a canvas I cannot make myself look at. I would have rather spent my remaining days as a recluse.

Yet here I am. When I received my father's letter, I was this close to rip it to shreds and throw it into the fire. This man does not deserve the air he breathes in, and there he was writing to his long forgotten disgrace of a son, to ask a favour. Could you imagine?

He blabbered listlessly about you, even though he has never seen you in person. It was for the better, in a sense, as I would have hated beheading him in front of you. His sight would get me nauseous in an instant, so I would have never dared appal you with his presence. I cannot express the deep hatred he ingrained in me, nor do I want to. He is as good as dead to me.

But you know me. Curiosity eventually got the upper hand over my distaste, and I gave in to it. What I read was too out of this world to make sense at first. You were not around when I discovered he had sponsored a series of experiments on Japanese citizens, in a hidden unit where the poor souls where relentlessly tested on for impossibles cures and gruesome biological weapons. This was the main reason why I had cut ties with him. I did not expect him to talk about it again, but he did, and he even suggested that the most important test subjects there were still alive somewhere. It has been forty-four years since they escaped, and yet they would still be, according to my father, children.

I did not know if I should laugh or call for a hearse. Sagittari was an old fool, but this reached new heights in terms of madness. Those who believe I am mad, have certainly never encountered my father. He was delusional there, had to be.

I knew those two subjects were special cases. The occult was quite in vogue among the nazis, and they had taken a few people to such units just because they suspected magic in them. Still, this was too much to be credible. For a few months, I did not make anything about it. With the letter had come a stash of yellowed documents, but I refused to look at them for some time.

Then, curiosity once again won over my internal battles, and I decided I would verify the origin of those papers. I sent a sample to a graphological laboratory, and another to an expert in the nazis' appeal to the occult during the second world war.

The results were astonishing. Not only were the papers legit, but they were of the few traces that remained of Unit 731, particularly the hidden cell dedicated to the occult. Boris Schotten had really existed and died in the mysterious explosion of the site, in December 1944, and it had always been hypothesised that test subjects may have managed to escape.

Therefore, part of my father's story was true. So, I read the documents thoroughly and gathered data. By God, how awful were those reports. I wish to never read such things again. How could sentient beings do that to children? It was fortunate that you did not see them, my dear, for you would have felt yourself faint from horror. You are so sensitive...

I do not know how Sagittari managed to narrow down the places where the Paterson siblings could be found, but he was right. Maybe he had spent his retirement searching for them. In any case, they were indeed hidden away in a godforsaken part of Siberia.

I have just brought them back, and their sight will haunt me for a good while, perhaps as vividly as you do. Now, do not be offended, for you are quite a charming ghost. But as for them, they were dreadful, and I am glad they are still alive.

They were, truly, children in body. An eight-year-old boy, and a six-year-old girl. Around them, the land was dry, lifeless, and no animal could be found for miles around. They seemed to move regularly from place to place, and whereas nature could survive anywhere else, it did not around them. I believe it is due to the boy's power, from what I gathered in Schotten's notes.

The poor young lady was catatonic. Unmoving, barely breathing. Her skin was dangerously transparent, and only her cheeks sported a slight tinge of pink on them. As for the boy, he was standing unsteadily on his legs, but his eyes... his eyes were burning with a love I have seldom seen in humans. He loved his sister so much, that he could have killed us on the spot had we shown any sign of threat. He clung to her like his life depended on it. It probably did.

There was darkness, too. An abyss I can seldom believe was in the depths of a child's soul. Perhaps it is related to his dangerous magic. In any case, it did not seem to do him harm, and I had more pressing matters. I will have to look out for it in the future, though.

My sweetest pea, I have no words for what I saw, and I lack the will to describe everything to you, for you would be horrified. Those children had survived hardships that had killed many adults before them. They were to the brink of death, in a frozen land, forgotten by the world. And yet, they were still there, unwilling to give up on life. For someone like me, whose life tasted like ashes and regret, the glimmer of wonder rekindled. I had two treasures in front of me, two treasures you would have loved, undoubtedly.

I know you would have welcomed them with open arms and warm kisses. I think myself incapable of love, now that my heart resides forever with you, but I can welcome them into my home with as much grandeur. The dreary Halls of Crawford shall echo again with voices and life, and for once, just this once, I will abide to my father's wish. That old, disgraceful traitor would not have been able to do good to the children anyway.

I thought humans dull, tasteless and unworthy of my time. I would have rather spent my remaining days as a recluse. However, now, I am swarmed in paperwork and formalities I would have never thought I would have to take, like forging birth certificates. Do you imagine? I think you do, and you must be laughing. You crystal voice still echoes in my ears, sometimes.

I made a deal with the young gentleman, that day. I would make them dignified members of the House of Crawford, and give them a normal, happy life. In exchange, I would get heirs and redeem my name. We would deal with their wonders as they come. Their addition to my line would be one to make our prestige shine and sparkle for eons after.

You would have loved them. Kai is such a brilliant boy. He understands a lot of German and English, and he has solid notions of French and Greek. He learns with such speed, that his tutors fail to give him enough knowledge to end the week. And Philae... she is so cute, and she is bound to become a beautiful lady. Soon, I will have suitors pounding on my door for the privilege of seeing her. But rest assured that I will never sell our little rose to scoundrels. A Crawford always gets the best she can hope for. You would not have wanted it any other way, and neither would I.

I miss you, my dear. I was assured I would be given full rights over the siblings around the 26th. Quite an enchanting Christmas present it is, do you not agree? I miss you now, more than ever. I am parenting two wonderful treasures of ancient blood, and you are not here to marvel with me at how lucky we are. Your laugh gave colour to the world, and your smile chased away the storms. Perhaps our little girl will do the same, one day, and the man that will be lucky enough to be offered such unearthly gifts, will be the happiest alive. You will be proud, I promise.

And, who knows, maybe one day, you will be back to me. Maybe I can dream of you coming knocking on the door, with your straw hat and pencils and drawing pad, as if you just returned from a trip into the park in search for a good inspirational spot.

I love you, always.

Your Orion.

Hello all! :)

I've decided to write this chapter as a bonus chapter (hence the title 'Sigma Chapter'), to go a little deeper into background and characters without necessarily including them into the main story line.

I still have adjustments to make in the previous chapters, bear with me!

Hope you liked it!