Set In Stone

"-o."

"c-e?"

He hears a voice calling out to him. Though he can't seem to hear it properly.

Makoto rubs his eyes and sits up. His head still ached, and everything shook, he must have gotten up too quickly.

"Welcome back."

Makoto saw sitting before him was his double. Immediately taken aback, he looked around to find himself in the same dark void he was in before.

"...this again?"

"Take your time, you just spent a lot of energy back there."

"I...i thought you said we won't meet again."

"I said that we might not meet again. Besides, the good news is that we don't have to worry about this place collapsing in on us anymore." The boy smiles, which unnerved him.

Why does this guy seem so expressive all of a sudden? He was nothing but a concrete wall until the last minute, that day.

Makoto looked down at the jet-black ground, contemplating.

Uncertainty was written all over his face.

"Why am I here again?" he asked. After all, it had been almost a week since they met.

"I have some things to talk to you about. Like that little trick you pulled earlier."

"You know about that?"

"I could sense it you know. Whenever you used Alteration." the boy replied.

"Then...why did it fail? I barely used it."

"Let's rewind, shall we? You first used it during your first day of school and gave yourself a quirk. You called it luck."

So his suspicions were correct. He did end up giving himself a quirk.

Makoto pinches the bridge of his nose. "I made that up on the spot. If I'd known I could choose any quirk to give myself, I would've chosen something better."

"Right. And because of that change you made, the past and present now caters to the idea that you have had a quirk your whole life."

"...So, in everyone's memories of me, I always had this quirk."

The boy nods in response.

"But then- could I change it?"

"Change what?"

"My quirk. I mean, I didn't even mean to use Alteration that time. That shouldn't even count."

The boy gave a sigh.

"Remember this Makoto, what you use Alteration for is set in stone. Meaning you can never undo any changes you make upon this dimension. So keep that in mind whenever you intend to use it."

Makoto shrunk, a little disappointed that he can't choose a better quirk than what he's stuck with.

"Now, back on topic. The second time you tried to use Alteration was to give your sister a quirk, right?"

"Yeah."

"And it failed."

"...yeah."

"That's because you already used up your energy to fulfill your first alteration. Changing the reality around you is not a small task."

"I get it, I get it." Makoto said, maybe a little too impatient in his tone. Which he immediately caught himself before he said anything else.

Even though it's almost been a week. Everything still feels way too overwhelming. It was all still too much for him to take. When can he ever catch his breath?

"I'm guessing I can't give Komaru a quirk anytime soon, huh?" he continues, a little saddened by this revelation.

"No. You can't."

"I thought so." His eyes stray down to the ground as his head hung low.

"Don't be too down on yourself. It's better this way now that you know your limits. The worst possible outcome would be your death. And that would be very inconvenient."

Makoto would comment at this guy's nonchalant mention of his death, but he was too cautious to do so. So instead, he asked more questions.

"How many times can I even use Alteration? How long would I have to wait?"

"It depends really. The time it takes to completely revitalize after using so much energy, differs from person to person. As well as how many changes you can make before tiring out, and even how big those changes can be."

"You're telling me the only way I can really find out is if I try?"

"Yes but remember. If you try to use it to a certain point, you risk dying from over exhaustion."

"..."

He looked toward the boy. For some strange reason that he can't place, this person that sat before him seemed...different.

The way he spoke was less monotone and gray. Now, Makoto knows he isn't the best judge of character. But even he could tell something about this guy was off.

"Is there really no way to change the quirk I have?" Makoto asked, wanting to change the subject.

"No. Besides, you technically have a very powerful 'quirk' right now." He says in return, referring to Makoto's ability to alter reality.

"I just don't see the point of having something so powerful if I can barely be able to use it."

"I will say this, Makoto. You should never underestimate the capabilities of Alteration."

"But-"

"That means that the artificial quirk you gave yourself, can be very powerful if used right."

"I just don't understand. What's so special about 'luck'?"

"What's special about it is your ability to manipulate it. You could use it to your will, conjure it, and enhance it."

"You're saying I can make something "lucky" happen at will?"

"In theory, yes. But there's more." He says almost excitedly. His demeanor shifting as he leans forward in his spot.

"You can weaponize it." The doppelganger says, with a smile that was wider than it should be.

"...you uhh- You know what? Maybe things a-are fine as it is..." Makoto replies, shifting uncomfortably on the ground.

"Your quirk is luck. There's no indication of it being 'good' or 'bad'. If you really can will anything to happen that's related to good luck, it only makes sense for it to be the same with the bad."

"Think of all the possibilities. You can be very powerful if you enhance this power. You can do so much." he continued.

"Wait- Slow down."

"...What now?"

Makoto paused. This entire thing feels like a slow descent into madness. And there doesn't seem to be a way out of this rabbit hole.

After gathering his bearings, he spoke again. "What's the point?"

"The point?" the boy asks.

"I mean, you keep going on about becoming powerful and strong. But... why?"

"...Are you really that blind?"

"huh?"

The atmosphere suddenly felt dense. The doppelganger's expression darkened, as if he found that comment offensive.

Makoto found himself backing away even though he was sat on the ground.

"You have a mission, Makoto. A destiny. Your destiny."

"Well- What if I really don't want to?- !"

He rapidly held his hands over his mouth the moment he realized what he had done.

He had spoken before he could even think.

He shouldn't have said that. He shouldn't have said that. He really shouldn't have said that.

The boy stood up and takes a step forward, menacingly.

His double's eyes narrowed at him. He feels a chill crawl up his spine under the intense gaze.

"Listen here Makoto, you don't have a choice. And don't think that just cause you're in here, you'd be safe. Because spoiler alert, you're not."

Makoto was stunned into silence, he instinctually tried to inch away. But a wall that had not been there before had stopped him.

"If I had it my way, you'd already be a pile of dust. So do not test me-"

Out of nowhere the dark void that surrounds them started changing.

They noticed that the black darkness was slowly turning lighter and lighter in hue.

Makoto stood up swiftly.

"What's happening?"

He says half in relief that the conversation was interrupted and half in concern.

The boy sighs. "You're waking up."

"huh?"

"We'll have to talk later, Makoto."

The once black void was turning grey and then soon, white. Makoto squinted at the abrupt change of brightness.

He heard his double speak once more right before the bright white had completely encompassed his vision.

"Trust me, after all this...You'll be a hero."

Left with those cryptic words, he felt the ground beneath him dissipate.

And finally, he woke up.


Written: 9/19/2021

Edited: 9/13/2022

Published: 10/3/2021

Hey again. It's been a minute.

Honestly this chapter kinda had to be rewritten three different times. And the chapter didn't really turn out as well as I wanted. But, oh well this type of stuff happens.

There are no double chapters today, and I don't think I'll be posting two chapters at a time anymore since it kinda confuses some people. Which ultimately means longer chapters! Hurray!

Anyways, stick around, cause we're gonna run into a certain short tempered, blonde, and spiky haired boy next time.

Alright, have a good day!


Side note: Sorry for so much exposition and explaining. I have to get this stuff done and out of the way, so there's not much avoiding it.