I do not own My Hero Academia
Prologue
A calm, yet sharp silence. Cold winds encapsulated the terrain. Yet the term "cold" was a vast understatement. It was nothingness, devoid of life. Devoid of light. Devoid of any soul whatsoever.
Though it was to be expected. This wasn't the real world. It was its own being. Its own fuel, its own heart, its own origin.
All these things were set in stone. What it is now pales in comparison to its former glory. Without a worthy soul to accommodate it's grand power, it was void.
What would the people in the real world say? Without heroes, what would be left? Darkness? What would the heroes represent? Light? Hope? Peace?
Please. Spare me the theatrics. Peace is but a folly. Peace is but an amalgamation of coincidences left behind by the world.
Yet who was he to say such? He was all but a stray conscience. A voice to rant into the void it encompassed. An unused power, an unused world for many centuries, maybe even more. He had no way of knowing.
All that he was able to do was wait. Though waiting was something in which he had no choice but to do. His power dwindled as time went by, and his concept of time was so messed up that he had no idea how much of it he had left before he faded away.
Hah. Talk about irony. Centering yourself around time, and later on find yourself in need of it? He truly was pathetic, was he?
The vessel was something that he needed. All hope was lost, of course, but that didn't mean it was impossible for the worthy soul to appear. There could be a last-minute reveal, but…
Oh, there he went again. The tiny sliver of hope was back. Even though he had gotten rid of it so many times before, it kept reappearing. As much as he wanted it gone, he couldn't find it in him to permanently banish it.
He tore himself away from the subject and switched it to a rather important one. Worthiness. What was it? What did it mean to provide worth to the world? Value? Potential? The ability to do good? Bad?
It depended on the soul. The vessel under its guidance. How it made use of said power, and what impact it made under said guidance or influence.
The conscience's line of thought ceased once more. There was nothing that could keep it going, so there was no choice but to let it be dragged down. He was on his last fumes. The energy that made up his world was put out to keep him going. And now, it is the end. He held on for long enough.
Death. Someone like him, finally on its doorstep. The very thing he ridiculed, thought wasn't possible, was now upon him. Something he sentenced to countless others during his active eras, was now written in his fate.
He couldn't hang on any more. It was time to let go. Maybe it was true. Everything that exists needs to have its ending.
But how did he let go? He didn't know. He had never done it before. Every being, no matter what they were, be it ants in the ground or humans, instinctively held on to their life. It was the most valuable thing to them.
As much as his being persisted in keeping his life, he had to force it to…
It was that moment when he detected something he had never thought possible. A surge of energy flowed on the outskirts of his domain, and he quickly drew it in to sustain himself for a little while longer. He traced it to the best of his ability. It was outside, though not far at all. It was close by, close enough that he should be able to reach it.
A soul? Now, of all times? No, I mustn't gain false hope. I must investigate further.
Was this truly the last-ditch opportunity he had thought of just moments before?
The soul shone brightly, brighter than he had ever seen before. He analyzed it for further details. It was young, a little more than a dozen years of existence to its name. He held tremendous amounts of hope, anticipation, desire, and determination inside of him. Yet, unlike most of the other souls he had witnessed, this one held no power.
It was powerless. He held hope and desire to become someone great, yet lacked the power to do so. The exact type of vessel that he, no, his world needed. The brightness of his soul only further proved his worth.
He reached out to him, to draw him into the world, in order to try to communicate with it. He was too far at the moment, and he just needed him closer somehow. Someway. Any way.
However, in an instant, that hope shattered.
It was reduced to nothingness. Despair filled the void left by its absence. It was overwhelming, even for someone like him. It nearly overshadowed the light the soul was emitting.
But it still shone, even through everything in him.
He reached out with everything he had, and sent out his message.
"You desire to become a hero, yet lack the power."
His energy depleted with every word, yet he still continued.
"Do you wish to become powerful? Do you wish to have the ability to save as many people as you can? Do you wish to have the power to combat all of reality's evils?"
He was almost empty, yet he could see the seeds of anxiousness and doubt corrupting more of the light. Were his words making the vessel scared?
"I mean no ill will. If you wish to obtain your desires, O worthy one, touch the stone. All your questions, doubts, and wishes will be relieved and granted."
XxX
"I cannot simply say 'You can be a Hero without a quirk'."
The skinny, blond man in front of him, who was in reality Japan's number one Hero, had told him his lifelong dream was impossible.
He swore he felt something in him shatter right then and there.
"I see…" Wide eyes, and on the verge of tears, Izuku Midoriya let his hopes decline, as despair took over more of him as every second passed.
All his life, he had been shunned, had been called "quirkless", "weakling", "powerless", and a myriad of other insults to the point where he was numb to it. Yet, even in the face of that, he still pursued his dream. To become a Hero that could help others. To follow in the footsteps of the one he looked up to the most. The Symbol of Peace, All Might.
He had hoped, maybe if the one that he held in such reverence would tell him that his dream was possible, then he would charge with newfound vigor to being the first quirkless hero.
It seemed like everyone was right after all.
The skinny version of All Might walked over to the rooftop door. "It's alright to dream, young one. But just make sure it's realistic." He closed the door, and disappeared.
All Izuku could do was stand still. What did he do now? He had no power. All Might said it himself. It was too dangerous for someone like him. He wouldn't survive out there.
It was just like earlier, with the sludge villain. He was completely helpless and at their mercy.
The wind picked up, and grazed his ear. It felt like a sharp whistle, piercing his eardrums, causing him to jerk out of his thoughts, realizing he still stood still on the rooftops.
He glanced towards the door, where All Might left, his wet Hero's journal clutched in his hands. He held it in both hands in front of him.
Maybe his dream was a sham. Maybe Kacchan was right, after all.
"You desire to become a hero, yet lack the power."
His eyes widened as he let out an involuntary yelp, surprised at the sudden voice. His heart raced, and he looked around him for any sign of villains.
Where did that voice come from?
It sounded like a deep voice, and it was so loud and clear in his head that he had completely forgotten what it had said in the first place. Was it a telepathy quirk?
The one that he thought of off the top of his head was Mandalay's quirk from the popular rescue hero team Wild Wild Pussycats.
Even then, it had to have some range to it. Was someone watching him from another rooftop?
"Where are you? What are you trying to tell me?" He called out in the distance, yet received no outer response.
"Do you wish to become powerful? Do you wish to have the ability to save as many people as you can? Do you wish to have the power to combat all of reality's evils?"
The voice appeared again, though this time, he was prepared for it. He paid attention to the words.
Become powerful? His thoughts drifted to All Might's words a few minutes ago. That being a hero wasn't an easy task, and someone without power couldn't do what he did.
What if he had that kind of power? Maybe he could become what he always dreamed to be…
No. That didn't make sense. He couldn't get a quirk. Quirks only manifested in someone at the age of four. He never heard of someone getting it later on in their lives. Even then, the doctor had told him that he was unlikely to get one in the first place.
Besides, you couldn't just give someone power, could you? Something like that doesn't exist in the first place. If it did, it would be all over the place by now. Everyone would know about it, and want it for themselves.
The voice had to be lying. There was no other explanation to it.
"What do you mean, you can give me power? How can you even do that?"
"I mean no ill will. If you wish to obtain your desires, O worthy one, touch the stone. All your questions, doubts, and wishes will be relieved and granted."
A light emanated behind him, the heat from it radiating on Izuku's back. He turned around, and immediately put his hand in front of his eyes, shielding them from the glare. Some sort of glowing object lay on the floor in front of him. He couldn't tell the exact shape of it, due to the light, but it looked akin to a rock that was slightly bigger than his clenched fist.
The voice clearly wanted him to go touch the stone, but was that really a good idea?
The answer clicked as soon as it appeared in his head. No. It was a terrible idea. It could be a trap. It could be so many other things that were dangerous.
Power…..
Would he put himself at risk for it? How badly did he want it?
"You can't be a hero without power."
That was all he needed. If he had power, then maybe he had a shot at becoming a hero.
All Might even said it.
He found himself shuffling his feet forward, walking towards the stone. He couldn't control it. His legs were moving on it's own.
But he didn't make any moves to stop.
The voice said that all of his questions would be answered. And right now, he had plenty.
He edged forward until he was directly in front of it, squinting because of the light. Bending down, he reached out to grab the stone, but paused, his hand hovering above it.
What would happen when he touched it? Would something appear? Would the owner of the voice make his appearance? He had no idea.
He took a deep breath, and prepared himself. He tensed his body, and tried to keep his mind on high alert, but it was extremely difficult for him to do so. His heart kept racing, his unease picking up by the second. Inching his hand closer and closer, his fingers closed down on the stone….
And the world went white.
Izuku let out a small groan as he sat up, shaking his head.
The floor beneath him felt smooth, incredibly so. It felt like some form of marble or smoothstone, but he felt something flowing in one direction. Sharp wind blew across, carrying the familiar nighttime cold with it.
He opened his eyes…
Only for them to shoot open further in surprise.
The scene in front of him was something that could only be described as something straight out of a 3D cinema. Streams of lightning struck the ground at a constant pace as far as the eye could see, though doing nothing to the ground. The area around him was shaded in an ocean-blue vibe, getting darker the higher it went, with the sky being colored akin to a cloudless night sky without stars. Other than that, there was…. Nothing.
Literally. There wasn't a single other thing. No buildings, people, or any solid object, besides himself. By all means, something like this should have been impossible.
Was this some sort of quirk? An illusion one perhaps? He couldn't see how this could possibly be anything else.
"Welcome to my domain, O worthy one. Though, in due time, this could be yours, too."
The same voice from earlier, but this time clearer, spoke out from his side. Izuku's head snapped to the left, eyes seeking the owner of the voice.
A lightning bolt, brighter than anything he had seen before, struck directly in front of him, yet he didn't feel any force from it. He put his eyes in front of his face, once again obscuring the bright light. Waiting a few seconds, he brought them down. Something, or he should say someone, stood in front of him. The figure was easily comparable to All Might in size, and he donned full-body steel-like armor, spiking in various places. Though the most notable thing about him were his eyes. A blue light took their place, almost like an LED flashlight.
"W-who are you?" Izuku finally managed to stutter. He was so caught up with everything that had just happened that he was at a loss for words.
The man looked down on him, his expression obscured due to the mask on his face. "My name is Chronos, and I am the sole owner of this domain. I welcome you, Izuku Midoriya."
He stood there, confused at the being's words. "Y-you know, who I am?" he asked, pointing a finger to himself.
"Not exactly," Chronos clarified. "All I can do as of now is take a glimpse into the souls of humans, and view their names and true nature."
He blinked. "I see." He didn't know what else to say to that. The presence that he, no, Chronos gave off was nothing short of incredible. It was a lot like All Might when he stood in front of him, yet this one was more… intimidating, in a sense. It was like one wrong move and something bad was about to happen.
Which was why he hesitated to ask the many questions he had. Why did he call out to him? What did he want from him? What did he mean by granting him power? How could he even do that?
"I can sense your uneasiness. You have no need to fear anything from me. After all, I lack the strength to do anything to you," Chronos tried reassuring him, but it didn't do anything to quell the fear in him. It only spun further doubts in his mind.
Izuku saw the being sigh. "It seems like that didn't really do anything. Nothing is being solved by dilly dallying. Very well, you have questions. Ask away, I permit you to do so. You want to know why I called you here, correct?"
He wordlessly nodded. Chronos took it as a prompt to continue. "For you to fully understand, I must first explain what 'this'," he gestured around him, "is."
Izuku blinked, listening with rapt attention. Chronos began his speech.
"What we are both in right now, as I have mentioned before, is my domain. It is what can be considered to humans as an 'Alternate Dimension', independent of the laws of the Earth, and a mass of pure energy. I am a spirit which controls this, keeps it in existence, and also feeds upon this power. It's been like this for eons. It's been like this for such a long time, that my memories of my creation have long surpassed me. Though one thing was always common in all that time.
"This world has been instilled in various beings, granting them power beyond any other. This world charges them with energy to pull off feats that would otherwise be impossible. The influence that this can provide on the world is tremendous."
"Alternate dimension?" Izuku stood in awe. He was not prepared for such things to actually be said. Spirits? Alternate dimensions? How the heck was that even possible?
This wasn't the result of some quirk?
Hold on. If this power was used for this much time, and it was something used to superpower normal individuals, then how did he prevent it from going into the wrong hands?
Izuku voiced his thoughts. "If this is used by other people, then how do you know if the person with this power isn't going to use it for the wrong reasons?"
"Valid question," Chronos responded. "That all depends on the soul." The spirit jabbed a finger towards his chest. "Only those worthy enough to wield this power shall be able to access it, and this world will only appear for them, and no one else. And this, Izuku Midoriya, is where you come in."
Him? Worthy? He was going to get this world? So this is what he meant by power…
But did he really deserve it? Surely there were other people who could use this power, right? He couldn't be the only one that was worthy!
"But, why me? There must be someone else much better than me to receive this power! I'm just a quirkless kid…"
"Trivial things such as holding a quirk or not are of no concern!" He snapped, and Izuku flinched. "My world can outdo every single one of those measly powers. Comparing them together is an insult to what this truly means! However…" he visibly calmed down. "The existence of this world is actually dependent on whether or not you accept this power."
Wait what?
"This will disappear if I don't accept it?" Izuku looked around to see if there were any abnormalities. "Is there something wrong with it? Is something destroying it? I mean, it would be such a waste if something as amazing as this would just vanish, I mean something like an alternaterealityhasneverbeenknowntobeathingandthepotentialitcanhaveforbeingaheroisinsane…" he mumbled away, his attention drifting farther and farther away from the spirit.
Chronos continued to stare at the mumbling kid, who now was completely unaware of his presence and in his own world, no pun intended.
"Oh dear, what have I done?" He asked no one in particular. The tone of his voice alone caused Izuku to snap out of his daze. He slowly began to realize what he had done, and dread took over him.
In an attempt to calm him down, he tried apologizing. "I'm sorry! I, uh, I tend to do that a lot when I'm really deep in thought. I didn't mean any disrespect or anything like that…"
"It's fine, brat. Just don't do it again and let me explain. I can't do anything to you anyway, remember?" Izuku snapped his mouth shut once more.
"The reason for this realm being endangered isn't because of something attacking it. Nothing can attack this, after all. Rather, it's a lack of energy. Because it's been such a long time since I've last had a vessel, the energy to maintain this world has been slowly siphoning away since the last vessel passed. I've been using the remnants of his energy, but it's run out as of now. I need another vessel, and fast. I've been using bare fumes, and even that has run out."
Oh. It all made sense now. In it's own way, it was like a quirk. It needs energy to be able to be used, and if someone didn't have the energy, then using it would just tire them out faster. Well, it wasn't exactly the case. It was like a quirk that was independent in it's own way.
Wait, no, that's not it. I think I got it!
"So, it's kind of like a phone that's run out of battery, and it needs to reconnect to a charger, right? Only in this case, this world is the phone, and I'm the charger..." He faltered for a bit.
"I'm not sure what you mean by that. I haven't been connected to the real world for centuries now, remember?" Chronos reminded him. "But if you want to think of it that way, then feel free, as long as you understand my situation. Now you know why I chose you, Izuku Midoriya. You are the only compatible soul that I have found in centuries, and you are necessary for this world's existence. We both benefit from this. You can hold the power to become the hero of your dreams. I get to continue existing along with this domain. A sweet deal, is it not? It should be clear to you what the answer should be. Will you accept the power of Temporal Chronos?"
It was here. The very thing that he dreamed would happen. Somehow, someway, he would have some form of quirk, some form of power in which he could become a hero. He never thought this would ever happen. He didn't even know it was possible.
But there was one more thing he had to know.
"What type of power would I have?"
Chronos laughed. "That, young blood, is something you must discover for yourself. But the one thing I can guarantee you is that you will rise above all others in strength. You will ascend what it means to be bound to human capabilities.
You will become time itself."
Time.
That didn't sound bad.
It sounded amazing.
The answer came to him quicker than anything that has ever come to him.
"I accept."
"Then I grant you, Izuku Midoriya, O worthy one, the authority of the Spirit of Time, Chronos, and the power of the Temporal Realm. May time course through your veins. May fortune be on your side. May victory bless your battles. May the tides of fate ever be in your favor."
Chronos walked towards the boy, who stood still throughout the whole incantation. Parts of his armor fell off as he walked, dismantling into tiny pieces and floating in the air. Before Izuku realized it, the lightning quickly increased around him. The bolts in the far distance ceased, and converged around him. Deafening lightning bolts circled him, the light forcing his eyes closed. It was agony, but he kept himself standing.
Then he felt something attach itself to his arms, legs, and chest. He tried shaking it off, but it wouldn't budge. Opening his eyes briefly to see what it was, he saw it.
A metal, glowing bright blue, with grey scales hanging off of it. It was the exact same as Chronos's armor. Another piece appeared next to it the very next instant. And then another. And another. It was like water flowing, covering every part of his body in a smooth motion. His entire arm was covered in a steel gray armor. His legs were encased in the same metal, rooted to the spot. It looked massive on him, but it didn't feel heavy at all. It felt…
Natural.
Like he was made for this.
The armor rose from his legs, and attached itself across his chest, connecting with the armor that was spreading from his arms and across his shoulders. It edged to his back, covering every portion of his body, until it reached to his neck. He felt the metal go across his face, grimacing as he felt the weird sensation of the ethereal metal on his skin. It covered his eyes, forming something of miniature sunglasses over his eyes, making the lightning bearable. His vision was tinted in a shade of sky blue, the same shade of the world around him. He felt his hair flatten as the armor finished covering his head.
Izuku took in the new look, glancing at his hands from his helmet. He clenched and opened his hands. It felt exactly like his regular hands, albeit a bit thicker than he was normally used to. His fingertips had somewhat of a clawed look, almost like a villain, but it looked exactly like what Chronos had. Taking a look at his legs, it was identical there as well. Flat heels curved up as he leaned back on them, and the armor flowed with his body as he rotated his ankles.
"And now, for the final touch," Chronos announced.
Izuku looked up in confusion, wondering where the spirit spoke from, but he didn't have long to think.
As his thoughts were scattered as soon as the bolt hit him straight on.
"AHHHGGHH!"
He was quite literally struck by lightning, and he couldn't even describe the agony, armor or not. Every part of his body burned, his skin felt like it was peeling off by his body little by little, and he wasn't even allowed to think. He couldn't even hear himself yelling himself hoarse.
He felt the strength leave his body, and his knees buckled to the ground where he sat on his knees. Tears welled up in his eyes, yet the armor covering him never let them drop.
His consciousness faded away a few seconds later as he slumped down to the ground, unmoving, and entered the realm of dreams.
Izuku's eyes flashed open, and he took heavy breaths, hands clutching on his heart as he tried to recall the past moments. His eyes were greeted with the concrete floor of a rooftop below him, and he only registered it after a few seconds of recollection. Pushing off of the ground, he rolled over until he was staring at the tranquil blue sky once more.
The scene of the rooftop flashed back memories of All Might in his true form, the very place where his dreams had been crushed.
Speaking of dreams…. he just had the weirdest one. It was of a man who called himself a spirit, giving him something overpowered. It was so weird, and he said so many strange things….
Izuku wished it was real. What wouldn't he give for a quirk that could be used as a hero?
He took a deep breath, as he let the energy from his body flow back to him. He had to get back to his home as fast as he could, his mom was probably worried sick about him.
He stood up, and ran for the rooftop door, pushing his legs as hard as he could.
It was then when it happened. He rocketed forward, completely unprepared for the speed in which his body moved. His left leg stood still, and his right leg collided with it, causing him to trip down once more. He didn't know how he did it, but he unconsciously bent his body to the side, and rolled on the ground sideways.
"Ow…. what just happened?"
"That was your power, Izuku Midoriya."
"AHHHH!" His body jumped up in freight, involuntarily tensing, completely unprepared for the voice in his head.
"Wh… who are you?"
"Oh please, don't tell me you forgot alred- oh wait. You were a powerless kid, and you thought you had a really weird dream of obtaining power. Yes, you technically did. But that didn't make what happened any less real."
Izuku froze, passing those words in his head. Everything in that dream, everything that felt so real… really happened.
So that means…
He had a quirk now? And since he had a quirk….
He could become a hero.
A teardrop ran down his cheek. He finally was able to chase his lifelong dream.
"Yes, Izuku Midoriya. You now have the potential to become a hero. Not just a hero…
A legend."
Thanks for reading!