It Has Begun

TW: Brief mentions of suicide and self-mutilation.

Sitting on the bench in the gymnasium, Estelle observed Izuku with intense focus as he trained on his moves. She had diligently attempted to attend his training sessions, but there needed to be more hours in the day to achieve everything she desired. It was a bitter pill to swallow, knowing she could not be there for her classmates and their training as much as she wanted. The ordeal connected to the spirits was the priority, making everything much more difficult.

Still, Estelle made it a point to check in with him and Eri daily to ensure everything went smoothly. She found that Izuku struggled to voice out his needs, and she figured it was because the green-haired male was attempting to lighten her burdens by doing so. The female appreciated the thought, but Estelle needed to know for her nightmares to cease harassing her. Katsuki was at least more forthcoming with information, which she was grateful for.

Since Katsuki had vocalised that he was fully aware of her nightmares, he had returned to being her rock. He was by her side in a heartbeat, making her wonder if he had known she had been struggling the whole time. Though, Katsuki having to reassure her that he wasn't, in fact, dead probably gave him an indication of what was happening. He made no mention of it, however. Honestly, he was too good to her.

Katsuki's knack for doing everything with his all made it all the harder to come down from their date. Estelle was still continuously stunned by his effort to ensure she had the best date ever (which he loved to rub in her face), so much so that Estelle had trouble being present when she returned to work the next day, moments of their date flashing in her mind like a siren call. Only when she was met with battle plans did she crash back into the earth from how hard reality hit her.

She had stayed true to her promise, not mentioning that she would leave him even once. But now, Estelle couldn't get the thought out of her damn mind. Like a torturous leach, it festered as it reached every facet of her brain.

How could she leave here with her sanity intact when Katsuki seemed to hold the strings in the palm of his hand? How could she do it when the thought of it was now beginning to twist her heart like a daggered knife being wrung into her very body? Why did retiring her duty to the spirits leave her feeling like a hand had been wrapped around her throat to the point that she could cease to exist?

It hurt, and she only had herself to blame.

Startling from her thoughts as Katsuki's elbow met with her stomach, Estelle grunted as she narrowed her eyes towards the smirking male. Eyeing him as he leaned closer, she could feel the back of her neck flush as he murmured, "Tch, looks like the moron needs help. Go on, sweetheart."

Humming in acknowledgement, Estelle stood quickly, her feet taking her towards Izuku as he attempted his movement again. Noticing her from the corner of his eye, Izuku loosened from his position, his grin wide and happy enough that Estelle could not help but reciprocate. The urge to ruffle his hair was present in her mind, her thoughts beginning to wonder if it was as soft as Shinso's or as spikey as Katsuki's.

"You're putting too much weight on your lower back, which is why you're accidentally backflipping into the air."

Izuku perked up, his eyes shining as he bobbed in agreement. Estelle couldn't really tell why he was so pleased, considering he would have figured it out himself eventually, but she smiled in response regardless as she listened to him respond, "Oh! Well, that makes sense! Thank you!"

Waving his gratitude away, Estelle raised a brow when the male plunged into a conversation with himself, his mutters filling her brain like a headache as she tried to give him a moment to let it all out. When she recognised he wouldn't stop, she interrupted, "It's fine. But, have you had any more dreams?"

Izuku's shoulders softened, his smile shifting into a beam as he caught the hidden concern within her tone. Shaking his head, he assured, "No! It's still been pretty silent on my end."

Estelle scrutinised him for a moment, internally debating whether his answer was truthful before eventually deciding to take his word this time. Nodding at him, Estelle shifted so she could return to the glaring blonde, his jacket raised so high that it covered the lower half of his face. The picture nearly made her chuckle, his beady eyes staring ahead with enough silent rage that a few classmates scattered around the room avoided him like the plague.

"Why do you keep asking him that? I would have told you if there was a change," Katsuki grunted once Estelle returned to his side, his hand automatically grasping hers like a reflex as she got comfortable.

Shrugging, Estelle wasn't sure if she could explain all of her reasonings. Her voice was quiet compared to the noise of quirks around the room, her focus still on Izuku as she answered. "It's easier to tell if he's hiding something if I'm asking."

"The hell would he lie about it for?"

Not giving an immediate answer, Estelle wished her mouth could move to explain what was heading directly for them. But she couldn't, and it was tearing her apart inside. The female wanted to clarify it all; the League coming for them and how Izuku's quirk was likely acting up because of it. Or, how she wouldn't be there when everything goes to shit, leaving the two boys and All-Might to struggle alone.

"I'm worried about him."

Katsuki scoffed, his body descending so he was no longer sitting correctly, resting on his upper back as his legs spread onto the ground. "Tch, aren't we all? Apart from doing good to others, he has no sense of self, and the idiot doesn't know when to stop."

Frowning, Estelle knew that Katsuki was the best person to understand Izuku. Despite their tempestuous relationship, Katsuki was well aware of Izuku's mindset, which only furthered the solidifying assumption in her mind. Once the time came, Izuku would always choose the option which protected the most people, including the ones he held dearly, such as his classmates.

"But that's not why you're worried, is it?" Katsuski interjected, a knowing expression on his face as he scanned her for any indication of her thoughts.

Pursing her lips in silent acknowledgement, her eyes finally parted from Izuku's frame, her head tilting slightly to view the male next to her. She noted how Katsuki straightened up from the look, leaning forward as he recognised that she was prepared to give an answer. "Remember how I told the class something was coming? I think Izuku might be smack dab in the middle of it."

Opening his mouth to start demanding answers, Katsuki knew that Estelle would close up like a sea urchin when he started barking. Thinking better of it, he patiently waited for her to continue.

"I won't be there to help him if that's the case. But, if that time comes, you'll likely need to be his voice of reason, Katsuki. However, I want you to remember that his choices are never on your conscience."

Katsuki could read between the lines; Estelle held much more information than she was letting on. Izuku was abso-fucking-lutley in the middle of it all, and he was probably going to make dumbass decisions because he was a dumbass. The teen could already feel the urge to throttle his childhood friend.

Scowling at the implications, Katsuki didn't let the previous words slide past him as he rebuked, "Well, if you're seriously that concerned about him, then shouldn't you be here to support him too? Sounds like you're running away."

Widening her eyes, Estelle's jaw dropped slightly at his bold statement. Estelle wasn't running; she was simply doing what she must, wasn't she? Yet, she found herself lost in words as she attempted to formulate a response that did not sound like she was running away. "I.."

Feeling her phone buzz, Estelle was stuck in Katsuki's eyes for a beat before she compelled herself to move. She didn't miss the narrowing of his eyes, a hidden promise that the conversation wasn't over as she placed the device over her ear. Coughing slightly to rid herself of her tight throat, she murmured, "Estelle here. Report."

"Your comrades have reached out to us to request your immediate attendance. I would make your way to that camp as quickly as possible. They had stated that Squad Alpha has ceased to exist."

Feeling ruby eyes burning on her skin, Estelle did her best to maintain her calm even though her best group had been completely wiped out. Gripping the phone tighter in her palm, Estelle was gruff as she stood, her eyes falling to Katsuki once more as she replied, "I'm on my way."

Evidently unhappy about the interruption, his sights glowered at her device before meeting hers again. "You have to go?"

Nodding, Estelle took a subtle breath to calm the heartbeat beginning to quicken throughout her chest. Without thinking about it, she slanted, kissing his crown tenderly before leaving for the exit. "Yeah, I'll see you later, Ruby."

"Tch, be back for dinner. I'm making rice."

'AKA. Be back for dinner, or I'll kill you.'

When the gymnasium doors closed behind her, Estelle could feel her body bolting for the central doorway, her feet thudding across the ground as she felt her pulse pound in her ears. Jetting into the air the second the bitter cold hit her, Estelle whizzed through the sky as the news finally began to settle into her stomach like a bad lunch.

Squad Alpha held some of the best in her crew and had been pivotal in helping her maintain the peace in Japan for this long. She hadn't placed all the spirits in one group for this reason alone, a tactic to ensure she still had some of the finest with her when the time came. Still, she had never expected a whole squad to be taken out, and it sparked a familiar feeling of foreboding as she pushed her wings to fly faster.

She had never expected to hear such news. She had faith in their abilities, so what the hell happened that caused all these comrades to be wiped out so quickly? Then again, for Nyx, it was likely purely tactical. Removing some of her best weakens her in future battles with the dark spirit. It seemed like Nyx was finally beginning to move his chess pieces on the board, which only meant one thing.

It was about to begin.

Estelle didn't feel ready despite the months of preparations and fighting for territory. Though she had no choice regarding such matters, it was never good to feel uneasy, predominantly when souls relied on you to win. The warrior could not afford to be weak right now. She could not afford to make mistakes. She was a general; it was time for her to lead.

Finally reaching the campsite, Estelle wasn't surprised to find her squads lined up in formation, a grave expression covering their features as they stared ahead for instructions. Harshly landing on the mud, her heels dug into the ground to maintain her balance as the atmosphere flickered the alarm bells in her mind like a light switch. Edgy, as she leaned forward in anticipation, Estelle was hurried as she barked, "What was it, and where?!"

The fact that these emotionless creatures were rustling with uneasiness was enough for her to feel like the world was ending. And the moment a comrade finally gained the courage to speak, it felt like it very well could be. "It's a Hypnos! Just southwest from here!"

She had never intended for the small gasp to leave her lips, her head automatically flinching at what was about to happen because of it. Yet as she stared into the abyss of comrades, the female bit back her noise of amazement as no spirit uttered a word in response. Typically, a sign of weakness was an opportunity for them to dominate, but it was evident that they were frightened themselves, automatically turning to the Cambion regardless of status like they always have done for centuries.

Estelle couldn't blame them; nobody had ever had pleasant encounters with Hypnos.

They lacked numbers but made up for it in strength alone. Highly deadly in the art of taking down multiple enemies with its toxic gas, which exudes from its body. The fog it emanates is harsh and can force your mind into a trance-like state as it seers nightmares into your brain. The insatiable fear was enough to render those trapped within immobile, mentally crying out for help as they suffered under the cruellest of images.

Snapping her head to the right, Estelle felt as if every nerve within her body was ablaze as she regarded the comrades around her. "I want everybody with Air-type abilities in my squad! You should know the drill, keep the air around you dispersed, and prepare for combat! Those with long-range will be behind, and I don't want you to stop for a second when you have visibility! Sheild users will back them up! Everybody else will surround the area far back enough to deal with any other darklings that may arrive! We'll need medics on standby, understood?!"

"General!"

"We leave now!" Estelle shouted as she observed the rustle of creatures spitting apart to join their assigned squads. She couldn't help but take note of the few spirit children who had made their way here, her heart pinching at their upset towards the adults who were now setting off for battle.

Shaking her head, Estelle hissed through her teeth as she reminded herself to pull it together. Emotions weren't required here; she was a general. Thankfully, the air users had surrounded her, avidly awaiting her take-off so they could follow. Turning, Estelle flew to the skies as the faint buzzing sound followed suit, their voices muted as they headed towards the feared destination ahead.

Estelle had only fought Hypnos twice in her lifetime, and both times she failed horribly. The millisecond of a chance of breathing the toxic air was too easy of a mistake to make. She was brought back to reality in each instance as if she had lived through a thousand years of torture. The comrades who had made the same error had ended up in worse positions, their aura dimming from what they had seen in such a depraved way that Estelle had never wanted to witness it again.

Estelle could never blame them. She had wished for death in those dark moments, but no matter how much it crushed her, she was forced to stand up and keep going. Wolf had been her saving grace, his fist slamming into her with enough ferocity that she would choke out blood for a few moments until she gathered her bearings.

"I found you for a reason. The gods don't want you dead yet."

Wolf said it each time, disappointed eyes glinting at her as he yanked her onto her feet. He knew what she wanted, he could see it within her eyes, yet he refused to provide her with any relief. Instead, he would demand her strength, dragging her onto the battlefield to slaughter enough darklings until she felt somewhat sane again.

Estelle had always relented, though she recognised that it wasn't strength that she had, it was a hopeless determination to be done with it all and finally rest. Yet, somehow, she was here again, rushing into the fray to fight another Hypnos. Gods, Estelle was weary. She had thought she would be done fighting by now, finally given a reprieve from the gods that demanded her submission. But, it seemed that nothing Estelle did was enough for respite; they wouldn't let her die until they were satisfied.

Would they ever be satisfied? Was she just damned to fight for spirits for all eternity? Did she really deserve this? Would there ever be an end?

'Of course, you deserve it. Stop thinking like a human. Just do your job.'

At least Estelle had Katsuki, even for a little while. The aggressive blonde had been the only respite she had ever been gifted. Yet, it wasn't from the gods; they had no impact on this world. And ultimately, they had never given her anything remotely close to that back home, no matter how much she gave of herself.

Ignoring the resentment beginning to spark within her, Estelle halted in the sky as she recognised the air around her becoming foggy. Her hand instantly lifted, held upwards to keep a continuous clean air barrier around her like a shield. Although she could keep it up, it meant she only had one hand for battle. Taking note of those around her doing something similar, they wasted no time heading further into the mist.

It was easy to pinpoint the general location of the Hypnos as the air turned white closer to the area. Lurching closer, Estelle flinched at a shrieking sound that penetrated her ear, her head whipping to her left to see a Pixie slamming onto the harsh concrete below. She stilled as the younger creature gasped for air, evidently losing consciousness the longer he soaked in the terrifying gas around them. She watched as he reached a hand up in its last moments of lucidity, a cry plugging his lips with so much anguish that those around her winced. "Please! Don't let it get me! Please! I beg you!"

She could feel her mind jerk her to help, but the feeling didn't linger for long; the image of the body, which had turned limp, evaporated from her mind as she shifted to face the others. Narrowing her eyes at the barely concealed anxiety from some of her comrades, Estelle redirected their attention sternly. They had a job to do. "Don't let down your shields. We can't help you until it's over."

The audible gulps as she began moving were enough for her to know they had taken her warning seriously. Some of her comrades in her squads were new, fresh-blooded to war. Typically, they wouldn't be on the front lines so quickly, but their abilities were needed too much for that to take the primary focus. They would soon see more; there was no point in hiding it from them.

Peeking through the heavy white fog, Estelle shot ahead the moment she noticed they were right in the middle of the vocal point of the smoke. The Hypnos rested on top of a building, wholly camouflaged from their sight. Setting her free hand aflame, Estelle used her strength to flame the damn thing to hell, only to be welcomed by thickened mist and a scalding scream below.

"Those on my right attack in two's! Those on my left disperse the air around us as much as possible! We'll need to improve visibility and tire it out! Go!"

"General!"

Using close combat as a distraction, Estelle mentally apologised for the property damage she was about to commit. Tearing into the abandoned building close by like it had been denoted by an explosive, Estelle eyed the boulders left behind in approval. Lifting a few up behind her, Estelle floated in the air as she awaited the right moment, her vision taking notice that three comrades were down already,

A Hypnos's body was practically a smokescreen, but for them to release more gas, it had to flicker into a more physical frame. It was a bit like Kurogiri's quirk, which meant there was only a tiny window of time to impact the creature. A noise of irritation left her as she detected two more comrades fall in the fight. She was beginning to get impatient, so when she could finally see a flicker of a body, Estelle moved like lightning to launch the boulder towards it.

Hearing a belting screech vibrate through the buildings, Estelle glared as more gas entered the area. Darting ahead to join in close combat, she remembered to place a few boulders nearby, just in case. In complete truth, there wasn't much she could do when fighting a Hypnos, which was the most annoying thing about the creature. Every attack within its smoke state was futile and would only achieve tiring her out. The only positive to it was utilising it as a distraction.

Knowing the same tactic wouldn't work again immediately, Estelle worked tirelessly to get close to its frame, her air-bending working overtime to ensure she wouldn't slip up. Lighting the area up in flames seemed to aggravate the creature, its squeals reaching her ear as it flickered to release more gas. Smashing the ground beneath them, Estelle grunted in achievement as the being fell through the broken ceiling, falling to the floor below within its solid state.

Hoping to use her body like a bullet to smash it through the multiple floors within the building, Estelle halted in shock as a comrade above her attempted to do the same. Unfortunately, he wasn't as fast as Estelle, and as she surveyed him getting closer, the recognition of the outcome hit her brain. "Wait!"

Cringing as the Hypnos screeched, letting out a violent twist of gas that compelled her to reinforce her barrier, Estelle stared at the wailing comrade blankly as it convulsed on the ground, turning slack within a few moments. Cursing, Estelle diverted, attempting to count how many of her squad were still with her before realising that only two members remained. When the hell did the rest of them succumb to the mist?

"Change of plans! I want you both to surround me and create a shield to cover all three of us! Leave the fighting to me!"

"You must be-"

"Just do it!" Estelle screamed back, frustrated that they were attempting to question her. Of course, it would tax them, but they needed to try something else. So, giving them a few winks to raise a barrier, Estelle was uneasy as she dropped her busy hand, eyeing the area for any toxic gas that may get her.

Relieved when nothing struck her, her hand immediately darted for the katana, thankful that she could utilise two hands. Jumping back into the battle, it didn't take long for her to realise that the only way to win was by attacking, hiding, and then attacking again, weakening it slowly since her numbers had dwindled to the extreme.

She had wished the squads outside of the mists, especially those in long-range, would have been able to provide support. But the white haze around them was too thick to see through. She had hoped those who worked on dispersing the mist would have done enough for that not to be an issue. Unfortunately, the Hypnos' ability was too easy to fall into.

She didn't know how long she had been fighting the Hypnos, but she was aware that the two spirits beside her were tiring, and the shield around them was beginning to weaken. So, rushing to the boulders she had set aside, Estelle desperately hoped her action would work as she darted towards the body for a blow with her katana.

The blow was never meant to hit the Hypnos, but it had aggravated the creature enough for the body to flicker in. Feeling her heart lurch, Estelle yanked the boulder, throwing it down with all her might and enough hope to carry the entire planet. Hearing a final, squelching cry, Estelle eyed the scene, her frame trembling slightly from the adrenaline as she awaited any hint of other mist.

There was none.

Estelle could hear the sigh of consolation of her comrades as they followed her to the ground, their shield still covering them as the dust finally began to fade into the atmosphere. They could hear the rumble of squads outside their vicinity, starting to head for them as everything cleared. Estelle simply dropped onto her butt, taking in the moment whilst she realised this had been the first time she had escaped the Hypnos's wrath. She appreciated the ones behind her because she knew it could not have been done without them.

By the time the buildings around them were visible, Estelle had found herself surrounded by relieved spirits, their voices filled with so much cheer that she nearly found herself settling. But the memory of those lying limp on the ground at a distance jerked her mind awake.

Staggering onto her feet hurriedly, Estelle rushed to a body lying a few buildings down, demanding the medics' arrival before she reached down to shake the female Sylph awake. She could hear the frenzy behind her as her comrades rushed to the other wounded, but it didn't take much for the sound to muffle in her ears when the Slyph jolted upwards with a yell.

Her sky-blue eyes stared into Estelle's with trembling horror, her arms moving frantically like she was batting away some imaginary beast. Her shouts didn't stop, and as Estelle tried to calm the Sylph down, she wondered if it was futile. She had seen this before; these spirits would never be the same. "You're okay. Take a few deep breaths. You were under a Hypnos; whatever you saw wasn't real."

Yet, as Estelle witnessed her comrade finally close her mouth, a spark of hope lit within her that maybe the Sylph would be okay. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as she remembered-

"Oh, gods! My children! My poor children! T-they-"

Estelle sighed, her ears automatically tuning out the rapid words screeched at her with frantic abandon. What the hell had she been thinking? It was always as foul as she remembered it to be. And so, what followed suit only firmed her thinking, the atmosphere turning grave as other voices began to follow. The torment in them was staggering to those who weren't impacted, and it was evident that those who had never encountered Hypnos before held destain for such emotional reactions.

"They killed them! I saw it; they killed them!" Estelle heard as her head twisted to the pixie who had fallen beforehand.

"Pull yourself together! This is untoward of an esteemed spirit!"

"They will get us all! We're all going to die!" The pixie yelped as he was pulled to stand, his eyes turning bloodshot under the strain of what he had seen. The female watched as he was dragged away, his previous cries bouncing in her brain as he asked her to help him.

Estelle dulled further before returning to the wailing mother, still crying for her children. Her hands gripped Estelle tight enough for her to lose blood circulation, but the warrior couldn't find it within herself to respond to the mentally lost Sylph. "My children! You have to-"

Estelle couldn't listen even if she tried, something within her shuttering like a blind as she witnessed such a state before her. She could feel it as she sat there, her heart solidifying to those around her who mourned, internalised and realised the extent of the torture they had seen. Estelle didn't have time for this; where the hell was the medic?

"You have to help me! Please! I'm begging you! I'll give you everything I have, anything-"

Gritting her teeth, Estelle felt annoyance zing through her as she shook the woman's hands off her body. Standing up with a scowl when the Sylph immediately grasped her legs instead, Estelle held back the urge to reprimand the woman. Swivelling her head to locate a medic, the warrior narrowed her eyes at the soldier standing beside her, witnessing the scene with a blank stare. Feeling her jaw ache from the tension before opening her mouth to hiss, "Well? Take her away!"

Jumping at the rough tone, the soldier quickly nodded before grabbing the woman and hauling her towards the nearest medic. Estelle watched them leave, her head pivoting away when she realised the Sylph was still speaking to her. "Wait! No! Please! You have to help-!"

A shadow loomed over her eyes as Estelle turned, her shoulders tense as she was met by another scene of soldiers on the ground. They surrounded the vicinity, tearing out their vocal cords as they hollered towards anybody who would listen. Knowing that none were left sane by sight alone, Estelle was greeted by more howling cries as she walked past the terror-filled bodies.

Scanning each of them as she strolled past, Estelle found her vision focusing on a soldier who had gouged out its eyes, incapacitated by the pain as it lay silently on the ground. Shaking her head to rid the image from her brain, Estelle looked to her right only to witness another soldier strike a sword through itself.

"Pathetic, isn't it?" A soldier called towards her, their eyes unmoving from the dead body, which was beginning to fade from the ground.

Estelle didn't articulate a response, her eyes hard as she stared ahead, a typical cold washing over her that almost seemed comforting within the atmosphere. She was used to this; this felt right. This was her purpose; this was why she had been created.

Managing a simple nod when she realised he was waiting for an answer, Estelle headed to continue her trek through the crowd of defeated spirits and medics, a single thought weighing on her mind.

'It's starting.'

And as she reached the end of the line, Estelle examined the distance as she took in her previous words like a solace. Her reprieve didn't last, the ground beneath her beginning to tremble so lightly that she wondered if she had imagined it. But, as the vibrations grew more pungent, shaking through her body, Estelle instantly knew something was coming.

The warrior parted her legs as the trembling grew so viciously that the spirits behind her began to stand, their questions not reaching her attentive ears as she gazed ahead. Slowly sliding her katana out of her Saya, Estelle's stony eyes stared into the abyss of buildings as shades of black began to peak out in the distance. Her mouth tilted up, an aura of killing intent seeping out of every pore of her body as she opened her mouth to command her troops.

"First aiders to help those on the ground to evacuate! Everyone else, get in formation!"

"General!"

Estelle didn't need to pivot to see they were following her instructions, her eyes dead set on the black ahead slowly beginning to get bigger the more the distance closed. Hundreds, if not thousands, of darklings were rushing towards them, hungry and ready for a fight as the light prepared itself.

And as the number became more apparent, Estelle knew she would not make it back in time for dinner.

'War has truly begun.'