Hey all! Uit Het Hart here with a brand new story! After the chapter of Analytical Hero where I pitched the idea of adding in more magic than only Izuku having it, I went off the deep end. My head just kept filling up with ideas on how I would write an underground magical society type of story. And so, here it is!
I hope y'all enjoy!
The soft hum of florescent lights, a bite of antiseptic from the washed floors, the humming of a drink fridge. This was the only accompaniment Izuku had as he stood behind the counter, most of the way through his current shift at his job. Each slow second ticked by. The sound like that of a soft hammer tap, slowly drilling it's way into his head.
He shifted side to side, his feet aching on the cold linoleum floors. He had already swept and mopped twice over, restocked the shelves, and precounted his money three times, and all in the last hour. There was nothing more for the young man to do. He was forced to stand, unmoving, with nothing but his thoughts to keep him awake.
Yet his thoughts offered a cold comfort these days. No matter where they started, they always ended up in the same spot. His rejection letter to UA. He spent hours agonizing over those few words, repeating them, searing them deep into his subconscious mind. Some nights those words would even chase him around his nightmares, the laugh of his former classmates taunting him as he ran.
Izuku shook his head, forcing those thoughts from his mind once more. It had been weeks since then, he should be over it. Yet he couldn't help but remember the day his dreams were finally crushed underfoot.
A soft alarm brought his focus back to the store, his hand unconsciously silencing it even as he weaved around the counter. The sign left a plastic slap against the window, showing it was closed for the night. He let out a tiresome sigh, locking the door and ambling over to finish closing.
It was a routine ingrained into the teen from over a month of working. He was to wipe down the counters, clean the drink machines, sweep the store, count the till, and finally lock up behind him. The slow day had provided him more than enough time to finish those tasks early. All that was left was a courtesy glance over, and then to leave.
Back to his quiet apartment.
He stopped to fill up an extra large cherry slurpee, his nightly reward for a job well done. His hands easily drew out the correct change to pay, but he was broken from his thoughts by the bell above the door ringing.
His eyes naturally jumped to the clock first, confirming it was past closing time, before he took in the intruder in the closed store.
The man didn't offer more than a courtesy nod, his path already taking him between the shelves as he hunted down whatever he was looking for. Izuku's brow creased, his mouth already opening before he could think over his words.
"I'm sorry sir, but we're closed."
The man's head popped back up, a neatly trimmed brown goatee on his chin and short brown hair windswept back. "My b. I didn't see the sign, 'sides the door was unlocked."
Izuku's brow quirked, eyes jumping to the lock of the door, showing that it was, indeed, in the unlocked position. His mouth opened, to once again reiterate that the store was closed, but the man cut him off.
"Don't worry, dude, I'll keep it quick. I just need a few items, pretty please?"
Izuku sighed, watching as his slush slowly melted in the corner of his eye. "Alright, but I need to finish closing up, so please make it quick, sir."
The man let out a joyful cheer, fist pumping as he looked around the aisles. His hands occasionally grabbed a few items, but the height of the shelves stopped Izuku from keying the items in as he shopped. It took the man a few seconds to grab everything he wanted, time Izuku spent eyeing the clock.
The vernadette eyebrow rose at the collection of items, but his hands started ringing him up even as he embarrassedly explained his purchases. "I was in the middle of cooking when I realized I needed some more salt, real fun to have to leave behind a near fully cooked meal for some freakin salt, but whateves. The candy is cause I have a bit of a sweet tooth, I'll probably end up eating it all before tonight. And then the, actually wait. Can I buy those?"
His finger pointed towards a knife collection the owner sold, most of them were production line knifes that were in bright colors. Good for opening boxes, not so much for anything else. Izuku nodded, the man leaning in to look at them.
He hummed, "Are these steel or iron?" Izuku shrugged. "Bah, whatever. I'll take this'n." He pointed towards an intricate looking red one, it's handle appeared to be made from interlocking branches and the blade was a deep maroon color.
Izuku quickly unlocked the cabinet, grabbing the requested knife and tuning out the rest of the man's rambling. If he would have came in even twenty minutes ago, Izuku would have been all for talking with him for as long as he could. But now that it was, he glanced at the clock, ten past closing, Izuku just wanted him gone.
He finished ringing him up, cutting of his ramblings of having a job in the area with his total. The man handed over some cash, throwing a quick, "Keep the change!" He retreated through the door, bounty held tightly in his arms.
Izuku glanced down at the cash, his eyes widening. The man had just over payed him by nearly five thousand yen! Izuku ran around to the door, intending to yell the man back to give him back his change. Only the man was gone. Izuku looked side to side before shrugging to himself, he did say to keep the change after all. He walked back inside, double checking that he locked the door this time around, before finishing up closing.
His slush was closer to a soda at this point, but Izuku shrugged and moved on. The machines were already down and cleaned, he wasn't putting them together for a new one. The vernadette finished up with everything left, shutting off the lights and locking the door behind him, before setting off for home, sipping on his cherry drink as he went.
It had been a few weeks since he decided to move out from his mom's place, shortly following his rejection letter. It might have been the end to his dreams, but it was also the solidification of aiming for a normal life. Luckily, Izuku knew it was a long shot, his entering UA, and so he sent off a few applications to civilian colleges.
Most of them had accepted him, leaving him the decision of which one to attend. His final choice was to attend a college a few cities over from his home town of Musutafu. It was just far enough away that he could gain some independence from his mom, but also close enough that she could visit easily. He was able to convince his mom to allow him to get an apartment early, explaining that he wanted to get used to living on his own before college started. His mom was hesitant, several tears were shed, but he was able to get her to agree. So long as he could find a job to support himself first.
That led all up to his current situation, working a boring job in a convenience store for pitiful wages while living in a tiny apartment. Some days he wondered what he even wanted to do. The back up plan was to always go to college and find a normal career. Yet he had always been so sure on becoming a Hero that he had never put any real thought into what he would do if he failed. Each major looked the exact same to him, all different shades of boring.
He couldn't imagine himself doing anything.
The street lamps around him wined with electricity, humming a tune he couldn't identify. Cars drove by, ruffling his hair in their path. A green crosswalk sign dyed his face the same hue as his hair. Each step near echoed of the brick walls in the sleeping city. The smell of the city infiltrated his nose, burnt rubber and car exhaust, yet with something unidentifiable underneath.
That something caught his attention, his drink retreating back into the straw as he turned to look down the empty alleyway. He wanted to continue home, yet something drew his attention between the darkened brick walls. Unbidden, his feet brought him further in, each step echoing high up the cracked walls. The sounds of the city fell away, leaving Izuku feeling like he was falling into his own world.
A fork in the path appeared, yet this feeling pulled him to the left with hardly a thought on his part. He walked around piles of trash, a few upturned boxes, and around a dumpster. He stopped when his footstep came back sounding off. Glancing down, Izuku froze.
He had thought, at the worst, he stepped into a dirty diaper.
His hand opened, dropping the cherry slush.
Or maybe into a puddle of trash juice.
The drink impacted, shooting the lid off under the trashcan.
Never this.
The red of the slush mixed with the red underfoot, intermixing too close for his liking.
His breath quickened.
A few chunks of something unidentifiable sat within the puddle.
His breath froze.
An eye stared back at him.
A scream worked its way up his throat, only to cut short as someone, no, something caught his attention.
His, her, it's face was so abnormal he kicked himself for believing it to be human. It's nose flowed from side to side, as if it was set in a face of gelatin instead of flesh and skin. It's mouth off human as it smiled at him, far too many teeth sat in a smile stretched much too wide, dyed red from it's meal. The eyes swirled between colors in a dizzying array that left his mind empty.
In it's hands was a desecrated head of a man. One eye torn as if an animal went at it. His face was set in an expression of terror.
And yet, Izuku couldn't find it in himself to care. Those eyes captured his attention so fully, so utterly, that the rest of the world didn't matter. The knees of his paints were staining, yet he didn't care. His palms, stained in the same red as the brick around them, yet he didn't care. He kept crawling towards it, her, towards the irresistible woman kneeling before him.
His mind was fully focused on her, on her ethereal beauty, on the slowly extending hands as she beckoned him into her grasp. He wanted to feel her warm embrace, feel her loving hold. His bloodstained hands reached forward, inching closer, begging for more.
But it was all for naught.
A hand grasped his collar, yanking him off his knees and throwing him back against the other end of the alley. His breath left him in a rush, hands scrabbling at the ground, trying to get him closer to the personification of Aphrodite he was so unjustly pulled from.
Yet the hand returned, dragging him bodily away from the subject of his affections. Izuku hissed, scratching at the Villain who would so easily ignore his wishes to kidnap him. It wasn't until the cross roads that he previously turned at, that the figure let him go, throwing him to the ground and straddling his prone form.
A bottle was forced between his teeth, his nose pinched and forced to drink down the liquid. Izuku held out as long as he could, but he was forced to swallow down the… totally normal tasting liquid?
His position came to him immediately, attempting to buck off the figure holding him down as he gasped for air. He growled out, trying to push the man back.
"What in the hell are you doing? Are you trying to drug me?"
The figure chuckled, "Nothing so sinister. You see, you were attacked back there by a dangerous criminal. Their Quirk allows them to mind control people, only unbreakable by drinking water. We were in the process of hunting them down when you appeared."
A new voice spoke up behind him, "You're welcome for that by the way. Heap your praises on me whenever possible."
The figure on top of him sighed, sitting up and talking over their shoulder to the hidden man. "Dude, he's in shock right now, let him breathe before he has to deal with your shitty humor."
The other man squawked, "My jokes are awesome, you're the one with the shitty humor. I've seen those youtube poops you think are funny."
"It's the pinnacle of humor, you shitty bird. Your humor is as bad as your cuisine. Or am I to believe that the packs of candy on you are for any children we save?"
"Of course it is! See?" A hand appeared in Izuku's vision, offering him a Twix bar, already opened and one taken. He mindlessly took the offered package, to the man's smug huff.
The other man on top of him rolled his eyes, finally standing up and giving Izuku his first full look at him. His hair appeared to be made of purple feathers, likely a mutation Quirk, and parted to the side in a facsimile of normal hair. His eyes were a light blue, almost shining in the dark alley, and his features appeared rather gaunt. Despite that, his form appeared quite muscular, if what he could see hidden behind the blue over coat he wore was true.
The other man was actually the guy who visited the store a little while ago, Izuku narrowed his eyes at that tidbit of information. Feather hair spoke up before Izuku could voice his suspicions.
"Whatever. What happened to the bewitcher after I dragged him away."
"Well… she kinda, got away? I was on her but she," he glanced over at Izuku in a way the teen couldn't interpret, "used her Quirk to escape."
"Damn it." Feathers pinched the bridge of his nose, "That sucks, but not much else that we can do right now. She's probably a few blocks away by now, and even scouting from the air, I doubt you'd find her. Most than likely, she's gone to ground."
His ruminations were cut off, a loud cackle splitting the air. Their dazes drew upward, to a figure crouching on the rooftop. Her form was left shadowed, but even then her eyes actually glowed in the darkness, twin pools of intermixing amber and scarlet as she looked down upon them.
"Wrong again." Izuku could feel her attention focus directly on him, leaving do doubt in his mind that her next words were meant for him directly. "I've decided to hunt you next, and I always finish the hunt."
She cackled once more, sending shivers down the teens spine as the two men flew into action. Feather hair sent out a few glowing blasts towards the figure, while the other man shot feathers from under his jacket in her direction.
Unfortunately for them, the attacks missed, her form shifting and disappearing behind the rooftop. Even still, her mad laughter echoed around the alleyway.
Both men groaned heavily, relaxing after the threat disappeared. They exchanged glances with one another, coming to a conclusion that clearly caused both men distress.
Feathered hair spoke first, "Can't believe I forgot my detergent, the one god damn time too. Alright kid, uh actually, do you have a name you'd prefer to go by?"
Izuku could feel his emotions finally reaching a peak, breaking through the shock that stopped him before. "She was eating someone, and you're asking me for my name?!"
"Well yeah, what else do you want me to do? A terrible thing has happened tonight, but I can't exactly save someone who's in pieces. The most I can do is alert the proper authorities to the threat she possess and move forward. And that starts with you, the person I just saved from her."
His words made sense, and any other time Izuku would have been appeased by them. Now wasn't that time. His everything was wound up and he found no outlet in the calm man before him.
"I. Just. What the fuck?!"
Feathers sighed, turning back to the other man. "Hawks, I want you to scout from the air for the time being. She's already proven that she wants him, and I don't want to bet on her being smart enough to keep back."
The now named Hawks nodded, shedding his overcoat to reveal blood red wings as he took to the sky. Feathers watched him for a few seconds before turning back to the still panicking teen.
"Breathe kid. Hawks isn't just named that because of his wings, his eye sight is near perfect, even at night. He'll keep us safe. But that won't matter unless you calm down enough to talk with me, okay?"
Izuku was still breathing heavy, but he made an effort to try and calm his beating heart. He waved for the man to continue as he focused on keeping calm.
"Good job, kid. Let's start with something small." He held out his hand for a handshake. "My name is Marcus. Marcus Shannon. I was born in the U.S. to a Japanese mom and a half American half Mexican dad. I moved here about five years ago."
Izuku shook his hand. "Izuku Midoriya. Uh, Japanese mom, deadbeat dad. I live a few blocks away."
Marcus smiled warmly. "There we go, now we're talking. Forgive me for saying, but you look pretty young. Are you attending school, Izuku?"
"Just graduated High School, going to college this coming semester."
"Cool, cool. Never attended myself, but good on you! Do you mind leading me and my friend to your place?" He quickly back petaled, noticing the conflicted expression on the teens face. "No worries, my friend. If it helps any, that guy up there is a Hero. Number three, I think? We just want to make sure that she doesn't attempt to follow you home. Or already hasn't been stalking you, ya know?"
Izuku nodded, mentally berating himself for not realizing the other man was a Hero. Perhaps he could ask for a signature later?
"Okay. I-I live in Green-view Apartments, first floor. It's not too far away, maybe a ten minute walk."
"That's perfect. I have some stuff I'd like to ask you. A few questions regarding that person and such."
Izuku nodded, standing with some help from Marcus. He glanced back trying to catch a glimpse of the already distant grisly scene, but Marcus blocked his view, giving him a gentle push forward. He took the hint, leading the man towards his apartment while listening to the man's ramblings.
"You're lucky we happened to be in the area. Hawks asked me to help out with a case of his, I think he likes me cause I'm part bird too." He grinned while pointing towards his hair. "Course it's got nothin to do with my real Quirk, just a side effect. Granted, not one I mind too much. I quite like my hair, makes me feel unique."
Before long, they made it back to Izuku's place. Hawks landed, talking quietly to Marcus. Both men seemed calm, evidently the person that attacked him had retreated. Hawks waved goodbye when their conversation finished, flying off not much later.
Marcus ushered the teen inside, and for the first time, Izuku felt a little apprehension. It was one thing to be grateful to the man who saved his life, another thing to invite a stranger to his apartment after knowing him for a total of twenty minutes.
He looked around Izuku's apartment, checking the latches on the windows and every conceivable corner of his place for an intruder while Izuku retreated to the bathroom to clean his hands and change out of his dirty clothing. Once he was sure it was safe, he sat on Izuku's couch, giving the teen an unreadable look.
Marcus sighed, running a hand through his 'hair.' "Alright, Izuku. I'm gonna level with you. You saw some shit tonight. Some very scary shit. I know the kind of effect that has on a person's psyche. But I'm afraid it's going to get worse for you before it gets better. So why don't we start somewhere easy. Do you remember her voice?"
Izuku nodded, a little frightened by the man's tone. "Did she sound familiar?" He shook his head. "Alright. Well have you noticed a woman stalking you? Maybe felt like someone was staring at you, despite you not being able to see them."
Izuku took a few seconds to think it over before responding. "No, I don't think so. I tend to only go to work and home. I don't really have a lot of friends."
Marcus nodded, "Did you notice anything weird before you found that scene?"
Once again, Izuku shook his head. "I mean, I felt something weird. Like a gut feeling that didn't give me a choice but to go down the alleyway."
He sighed, leaning back against the couch. "A weird feeling, okay. Now then, did you notice anything weird when she used her Quirk on you? How did it feel to be under it's effects? I know it may be a little scary to remember everything you saw, but any information you have could be helpful in locating her."
Izuku flinched, the image of an eye in a pool of blood rising to the forefront of his mind. He steadied himself, breathing deeply for a few seconds before calming himself. "I- I can't quite describe it right, but I'll try."
He closed his eyes, attempting to remember the feeling. "When I met… it's eyes, they enraptured me. I remember how disgusting it's face looked at first. But once I met it's eyes, I remember her looking more beautiful than anyone I've ever remembered. I felt a… compulsion is the best way to describe it, to touch her. To have her hold and love me. I felt like I would die if I didn't touch her that instant."
The older man nodded, "That sounds like a typical mind altering Quirk. And quite the powerful one too, if she could enrapture your mind so completely that you didn't realize you were being controlled."
A thought hit Izuku at that instant, his mouth moving before his thoughts had a chance to stop him. "Wait a second! If she had a mind control Quirk, then why did she also have a shape shifting Quirk? Her face was clearly changing before my eyes, and then she disappeared on that rooftop. That doesn't fit with mind control?"
Marcus sighed explosively, face dropping as he looked at the teen. "Damn it. I guess it's too much to ask you to forget that?" Izuku gave him an incredulous look. "Fucking fuck. God damn detergent never being around when I need it."
He took a deep breath, giving the teen a serious look. "I was debating whether or not to tell you this at all, I was hoping that she'd be something I could advise you to stay away from by using her Laws."
Izuku's face scrunched up. The way he said 'laws' carried a certain weight behind it, like it meant far more than he intended. "What are you talking about? What 'laws'?"
"What I'm going to say is, unbelievable doesn't begin to describe it. But it is true. And it could mean the difference between life and death, especially since she's now taken an interest in you in particular."
Marcus leaned forward, giving Iuzku his strongest stare yet. His face hardened to granite, and his voice left no room for disagreement as he spoke.
"Izuku Midoriya. You are about to be let in on one of the biggest secrets in the world. Something so world shatteringly important that you can't, and I absolutely mean can not, share it with anyone else. Do you understand me?" Izuku wordlessly nodded, his full attention captured by the man before him.
"Magic is real."
Izuku waited. Surely there was more. Surely the man before him was about to let him in on the real secret, and this was just a test to check his loyalty. But as the seconds ticked on to minutes, Izuku realized the man was serious.
"Bullshit."
"Real shit."
Izuku couldn't stop himself from jumping up from his chair, eyes alight as he yelled at the man before him. "No, bullshit! You saw what just happened to me! You know something more about her, and yet you're sitting before me, telling me a bullshit story just so you don't have to explain the truth!"
Marcus rolled his eyes, sitting back on the couch as he stared at the teen. "Okay. What'll it take to prove it."
"Fucking, I don't know. Pull a rabbit from a hat, magic up some fire, I don't know!"
A hand was raised, a small tongue of fire rolling across the older man's palm. "I already know you're about to call bullshit again. Maybe try to pass it off as part of my Quirk that you thought you saw earlier. So go ahead, ask for something else. Something different enough that I can prove that it's two totally different abilities."
Izuku grit his teeth, his anger pushed higher as the man so flippantly disregarded his thoughts. "Make something appear from thin air."
The flame was extinguished as the man closed his fist, when it next opened a small length of string was sitting in his palm, unfurling into a foot long red rope.
"Awesome close up magic. What, you learn that, in a magic sho-"
He was cut off. The rope jumped from the man's hand to wrap around the teen, lengthening as it went. It somehow tied itself around the teen, leaving a nice little bow around his chest. Izuku yelped when it made contact and tried to take a step back from the possessed twine. Instead he found himself loosing his balance and crashing into the ground, the rope also restraining his feet.
Marcus smirked at the prone teen, laughter hardly held back as he spoke down to him. "Believe me now? Or should I change the rope back into fire, you know, while it's still wrapped around you?"
Izuku struggled against the rope for a few seconds longer, attempting to wriggle free. He gave up, looking up angrily at Marcus.
"Fine. Say I believe you. Why would you even tell me if it's so secret?"
Marcus sighed, waving his hand. The rope responded, uncoiling from around the teen and disappearing into the man's open palm. He rolled his sleeve up, revealing a red rope tattoo that coiled around his forearm. It calmed down after a few seconds, sitting as still as any other tattoo. Marcus had apparently decided one last show of magic was in order. Once he was sure the message had gotten across, he re-buttoned his sleeve, sitting forward with seriousness writ across his face once again.
"This isn't something I'd tell anyone lightly. In fact, this whole situation is quite serious. This town is under my protection against magical forces like the one who attacked you tonight, and I take my job quite seriously. Which is why it's so odd that an entity like her was able to remain under my radar. While it is possible that she's a new problem, it should be one I've at least heard about before. Either from a nearby Magician, or from our network."
While Marcus was talking, Izuku took the time to return to his seat. His attention was taken by the man, until a question wormed it's way into his mind. "So you're telling me that you have no idea who the thing that attacked me tonight was?"
Marcus snorted. "I have a few ideas towards her lineage. But to explain that would take some time, and is something I'll explain later. For now, no. I have no idea who she is. But believe me, I'll make sure I know before the week is up."
"Right now, however, I have some very important things I need to explain. Firstly, I'm only telling you this because she very clearly has you in her sights. I don't know if it's due to her nature, or if it's a part of who she was before. Either way doesn't matter. She's going to come for you sooner or later, and I can't always keep an eye on you. So that leaves you with two possibilities to consider."
Marcus raised his left hand, the arm without the rope inside. "You can either take the information I've already told you, and what else I'm gonna tell you, and use it to protect yourself. Hide from the woman inside your apartment, secluding yourself from all but the most necessary of social interactions until I can hunt her down. And once she's no longer a problem, you can restart your life. Do whatever you want. The only thing you really loose is whatever time it takes me to hunt her down, which could be anywhere from a few days, to months of work."
Izuku felt uncomfortable with that choice. Being a loner was a personal choice at the moment, but being forced to stay a loner sounded much worse to the teen. Especially with an undefined time limit attached. Luckily for him, Marcus had another choice to give him.
His other hand raised, palm pointed at Izuku as he delivered his point with all the seriousness he could muster. "Or, you can listen to everything I have to say. You can learn what it means to be a Magician. Take that knowledge, and use it to protect yourself. Not only from her, but from any other magical threats that may attempt to attack you. Doing so, however, comes with more responsibility than just protecting yourself."
"You would be inducted into the very same ranks that I am apart of. You would become a protector from the masses, working to protect the unknowing from a threat they can't know about. I will be frank with you. It's an unforgiving job. The kind of job where the young stay that away, and the old are to be feared and respected in equal measure. Where threats can range from the one you saw tonight, to hardly anything at all, to even worse than what you can possibly imagine."
"You will see things that haunt your every dream. Situations that scar your mind and soul. I say this not to scare you, but to inform you of the risks before you decide to take the plunge. It's an important choice, and an unbelievably difficult one. And it's a choice only you can take. Believe me when I say that no matter your choice, I will respect it. My work is not for everyone, and I can understand if you feel that you are not up for it. I would much rather you stop yourself from making a choice you feel even the slightest bit hesitant over, than die because you pushed yourself."
He sat back, hands falling limp to his side as the teen froze. His words hung heavy on Izuku's mind, the thoughts both tempting and haunting in equal measure. It sounded so incomprehensibly frightening, so mind numbingly terrifying that he wanted to blurt no as soon as the man finished talking.
But one simple thing stopped his mouth from moving.
His mind conjured up the image of his nightstand, free of clutter, only a lamp to read by sitting on the edge.
And a rejection letter.
Even as his mind remembered the scene he unknowingly stumbled into tonight, even as he compared it to the older man's words. He couldn't help his thoughts from bringing up one simple fact.
It's the closest he'd become to a Hero.
It wouldn't be the same, no where near. Marcus was clearly someone to know Hawks on a personal level, yet Izuku couldn't find his name among his encyclopedic knowledge of Heroes. He knew Marcus was an unknown to the general populace, yet if tonight tells him anything, no less a Hero for it.
He saved Izuku's life, literally risking his own just to drag the teen from an incomprehensible monster. And he fought those on a general basis. With out looking for any acknowledgment for his achievements. To the teen, he was a perfect Hero. The kind of selfless person that looked for nothing but knowing people were safe.
Yet, as the teen looked upon his face, he didn't see a Hero. Marcus' face had grown cold after his speech. His face aging several years even as he sat awaiting the teens decision. His brilliant blue eyes haunted with a memory that darkened them.
The teen sat in silence for several minutes, the very fiber of his being arguing back and forth. Reach for his dream, one last time. Or save himself from the horrors that the man before him hasn't even begun to speak of.
With indecision warring, Izuku raised his head high. His expression firmed, mouth opening to deliver his answer.
Marcus leaned against the low brick wall surrounding Izuku's apartment building. Acrid smoke swirled about his face, a lit cigarette burning merrily between his lips. A slow drag saw it burn closer to finishing.
His hand traced the rope tattoo curling around his arm. It was a habit the man partook when he was thinking deeply. Before, it was just fascination with the magical item. His very first one. He still remembered the battle that earned him the item. It caused a small upturning of the man's lips. That fight was one of the few the man could remember fondly. No complicated situations, no messy results. Just saving a perfectly innocent dreamer from an unquestioningly evil entity.
The rope was actually an item the entity had used, and one that bonded to Marcus after killing the entity. It burned as it forced it's way under the skin of his hand, just like it does every time it enters or exits, but it's a pain he's used to. Some days, that pain even felt comforting. A reminder that at least somethings he does can have truly positive results.
The last of the ash fell from his smoke, sitting next to the previous cigarette he finished. He chewed on the butt as he considered his next steps. Obviously, he needed to finish his mission with Hawks. That entity was a troublesome one, but a known one. It had just fed the day before, and likely would remain in hibernation for the next week, digesting it's meal. Right now was the perfect time to dispose of it.
But until Hawks showed up, he was stuck waiting outside planning his moves.
After that monster is dealt with, he would move on to the entity that attacked Izuku. Judging by the abilities it showed last night, he would have been forgiven for thinking it a Vampire. Yet the blood that pooled around it suggested otherwise. Most Vamps tended to only attack when hungry, and there was no way they'd let a target bleed that much without drinking most of it.
Of course Vamps weren't the only man eaters. But they were one of the few that could bewitch and shape shift. Granted, he didn't explicitly see what it transformed into. Hawks had to remain at a distance when they briefly fought last night. He didn't have the same protections Marcus had when it came to mind altering effects. But it is possible it's something more local.
Maybe a Kitsune? The shape shifting and man eating fit, but Kitsune tend to be trickster beings. Typically causing havoc for their own enjoyment. It is possible that man she killed was from a personal grudge. Yet that still wouldn't explain the beguiling. Maybe a Quirk instead of a supernatural ability?
Marcus sighed, letting the cigarette drop from his lips as he did so. Speculation on her particular mythos could wait. Until he had any real information to go off of, all he was going to do was go into a fight with false beliefs. He still had the scars on his shoulder from over believing his information gathering to be ironclad.
The second step then, would be to start gathering information. He'd see if maybe greasing a few palms through the Magician's circles would open up some channels of communication. It was always possible that she's from a neighboring city and just happened to hunt outside this time.
His ruminations were broken by the soft thump of a landing. Glancing to the side revealed the sight of Hawks. His hair was in it's usual windblown style and his ever present grin was back.
"Miss me, magic man?" His eyebrows wiggled as he elbowed his side.
"Maybe in my ten piece KFC bucket."
Hawks laughed, throwing an arm around his shoulder. He whispered into his ear, "Did the woman from last night attack again?"
Marcus shook his head, responding in a normal tone. "Nope. And if most of my speculations on her race are correct, then she's not a day walker. I don't know what she is exactly, but she's probably the kind to hunt at night, an ambush predator. Remember how she didn't attack us, despite her having the drop on us?"
"Mm, fair enough, I guess. What're you doin with the kid? Already used that mind erasing crap on him?"
"Detergent, Hawks. I don't want people freakin out if they think I have access to mind altering substances."
"Just scrub their minds too, I don't see what the big deal is."
Marcus sighed, his hands already taking up the position he dubbed 'Hawks position number three.' That was, rubbing his temples as he fought off a headache. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."
Hawks laughed, clapping the feathered man's shoulder. "Cheer up, buddy! We're only on our way to hunt down a dangerous entity, you should be excited."
"Maybe I would be, if I didn't have to deal with you."
He laughed for a few seconds longer, wiping away a tear as his face turned more serious. "Okay, but what did you decided to do with the kid?"
"I gave him a choice. And I'll respect it." Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention, the curtains on a particular window opened, emerald green eyes peering through. Marcus sighed, looking away as he continued talking with Hawks. "The kid decided he'd much rather be safe, and I can't fault him for it. Sometimes I wish I made that same choice."
He sucked in a great breath of air, releasing with it all of his unnecessary negative emotions. "I just wanted to let you know that, we'll be putting the hunt off for a day or two, I want to educate Izuku on keeping away from his hunter. Maybe teach him a few warding glyphs, pick up some general deterrents, that sorta stuff."
"No worries, dude. As you've already said, the monster I'm dealing with should be sleeping off his meal for now. You said about a week right? Well we still have five more days until it should wake up."
Marcus grinned at him, "Yeah, should be fine. For now, I wanna make sure the kid's okay. I can't imagine he's seen a dead body before, that must be weighing pretty heavily on him."
"It's chill, you got my number, so give me a call when you're ready to go huntin."
The pair shook hands, bidding their farewells before Hawks flew away. Marcus watched his slowly disappearing form, sighing heavily once he left. He turned back to the apartment building, taking note that Izuku's eyes were no longer on him. He walked back inside, gently closing the door behind him.
The young adult peeked around the corner, sighing in relief once he realized it wasn't his mysterious hunter. Marcus wasn't lying about Izuku's condition, tiredness hung off him like a thick blanket. His eyes rimmed with bags and his hair tousled more than usual. His eyes darted when a loud bang came from an upstairs apartment.
Marcus plopped down on Izuku's couch, gently coaxing the teen into the seat nearby. Once Izuku had calmed down, Marcus started talking.
"Let's start with something helpful. Tell me, what do you know about older folklore or myths?"
Izuku scratched the side of his head, face contorting as he tried to conjure up old history lessons. "Uhh, not a lot? I mean, I know about werewolves and stuff, but mostly from movies."
"Okay, so not a bad start. Most movies are hogwash, but do have some nuggets of truth in them. Like werewolf's do have an aversion to silver, not enough to where they would be killed just by getting stabbed with it, but it does weaken them. Think about it like how humans have an aversion to carbon dioxide. We can exist with it in our atmosphere, but anything above a certain parts per million starts getting fatal."
"It's the same with most supernatural creatures, they may not have an instant kill, but they will have things that can weaken them. But most myths you may have heard of are just stories widely blown out of proportion throughout the years. Like how vampires aren't weakened by garlic. That's just an old wives tale created by someone who had way too much garlic they needed to sale."
Izuku chuckled at that, putting the start of a smile on Marcus' face. "Or like how a wooden stake to the heart kills them. It's not the fact that it's a wooden stake, it's the fact that most anything dies when stabbed in the chest."
"But that does lead to a good point I want to make. Over ninety nine percent of any supernatural creature you may run into, will have certain disadvantages thanks to their magical physiology you can take advantage of. Or what we call, their Laws. Laws are pretty simple rules that the supernatural has to abide by. Like a werewolf's aversion to silver. Nothing naturally makes them predisposed to a metal allergy, but something magical does."
"Now granted, that's pretty low on the scale of Laws you can take advantage of. Giving a wolf a skin rash isn't too helpful in killing one. But let's say you ran into a creature with a stronger law to take advantage of. Like a demon. Demons are weak to anything with a holy or religious element attached, even if you aren't attached to that religion yourself. Like holy water, religious sacraments, or whatever."
"Finding out the particular entity I'm dealing with is always the first step during a hunt. As so then I can take advantage of it's Laws. That's what I want to focus on today, as learning how to take advantage of Laws will save your life when that woman comes for you."
The smile that had been slowly building on Izuku's face left with the mention of the creature that attacked him. Marcus cursed in his mind, but pushed forward, knowing he needed to get through this.
"Izuku, your greatest asset to keeping yourself alive will lay with how creative you can be in an emergency situation. For instance, let's say that she is a vampire, how would you keep yourself safe. Don't be afraid to answer, I'm not going to punish you for not knowing, this isn't a classroom."
Izuku looked uncomfortable, but pushed on regardless, trying to come up with a suitable answer for the man before him. "Well, if I remember correctly. Aren't vampires, like, allergic to sunlight? Doesn't that kill them?"
"Not a bad answer, but unfortunately one that won't really help you. Disregarding the fact that you may end up working late again soon, we also don't know if she is the kind of vampire that makes sunlight deadly to her. It could be a mild skin irritation, it may not even hurt her, hell, she may even be powered by the sun for all we know." Marcus shrugged, "Still not a bad guess, why don't you try again."
He spent a few seconds longer trying to come up with a better answer. "I mean, they don't appear in mirrors? So hypothetically I could lead her to a hall of mirrors and try to escape?"
Marcus rolled his hand, "Highly situational, but you're on the right track. Using your mind earned you some bonus points there. Vampires can't appear in mirrors, you got that right, but it goes further. They also can't appear on modern video cameras. Or when they do, it's closer to a very hazy outline, like a smudge that's moving. Not very helpful in escaping, but a good thing to remember should you catch something weird on a camera at work."
Izuku perked up when an idea hit him. "Wait a second. Vampires need permission to enter a house, right?"
Marcus grinned, nodding as Izuku continued. "I mean, would that only apply to my apartment? Like let's say she's chasing me down the street, could I break into someone's apartment and claim she's trying to hurt me and to not let her in?"
He clapped, giving Izuku a hearty thumbs up. "Ding, ding! We have a winner! Yes, vamps can't enter a person's place of residence without explicit permission from the person who is living there. They do have to be living there for more than a month though, and it does have to be explicit permission. They can't simply twist around a person's words to make it seems like they have permission."
"Only one problem though, you're thinking too narrowly. The only rules towards that Law are that they have been living there for more than a month. I never said anything about them being the owner of the place. So you could even stretch it out and run into an abandoned warehouse where some homeless people have taken up residence."
"You also didn't mention anything about walls or a roof. Could I run to an underpass where someone is sleeping under to hide? Or even inside of a hotel where the owner lives in one of the rooms? What about a dorm room where more than one person are living in, would she then need permission from each of the tenants? Therefore leaving me safe while she has to find the absent roommate to be allowed to enter?!"
"There you go kid! Now you're getting there! In order, it does have to have at least three walls and a roof, if the owner lives in the same building, and she would only need permission from one tenant, but if they aren't present then she can't enter period until they return."
Izuku laughed, pitching a few more ideas towards the Magician. Marcus laughed along with him, always taking his ideas in stride and correcting them patiently as they went. Within the next few hours, Izuku had completely forgotten about dangerous women hunting him down, gory scenes in alleyways, and his anxiety towards the situation. Even his rejection letter was further from his mind than it had been for the past few weeks.
Izuku was almost glad when the time for his shift had rolled around. Marcus had already explained that he needed to gather some supplies to 'ward' Izuku's apartment, a task that he warned would take a few hours. So either way, Izuku was going to be alone for some time tonight. He figured he might as well be alone at work, where he can keep his mind busy with mindless menial tasks.
Only it didn't quite work out that away. Sure sweeping the floors and ringing out customers helped pass the time, but each time it sent a wave of anxiety through his body. Would the woman sneak up behind him while he was sweeping up dust? Would the next customer who came in be her in disguise? Or would she use some magical powers to sneak in undetected while the store was empty? All so she could take her time with him.
In the end, he felt more anxious than he ever did before. Each customer was a game of keeping his eyes away from theirs, afraid that he'd be ensnared before he realized what had happened. Each passerby outside his window could be his stalker, keeping an eye on him under the cover of a new body.
There was a positive though. The scene from last night had finally stopped being so fear inducing. It kinda helped when each time he closed his eyes, a blood soaked eyeball stared back at him. What had first kept him from sleeping the night before, instead desensitized him. Now he didn't flinch when a pool of blood invaded his thoughts. Instead he quaked in fear over the cause of that blood.
He feared that once again he would lose complete control to a monster, that just by seeing a swirling mass of rainbow colored iris' he'd be at the mercy of whatever she wanted. That was what made him sweat, that was what spiked his heart rate, and what raised the hairs on the back of his neck.
Watching himself give control over, to be devoured and mauled, all while his conscious mind was trapped, watching it all unfold before him.
He shivered in the air conditioning, trying to regain his thoughts. That proved pointless when the clock ticked over to eleven, his phone's alarm ringing to signify the end of his shift. His hands fumbled with the device, taking a screen shot before he could get them under control enough to shut of his alarm. The silenced phone was placed on the counter, Izuku sighed above it as he focused on calming his thoughts.
Closing time had become a routine to Izuku, each step carefully planned out to be completed as fast and as efficiently as possible. Tonight was no different, in fact, Izuku could say he finished his tasks faster than ever before. But each slowly ticking minute only felt like he was bringing the executioner's ax closer to his neck. Even as he finished and stared outside the window, he couldn't muster up the courage to take those steps into the darkened night.
The young adult craned his neck every which way, trying to catch a glimpse of amber and red pools in the darkness. Logically, he knew the glass windows would provide him zero protection should she decide to attack today. But his talks with Marcus earlier in the day provided him with a brand new fear.
He now knows something more lurks in the shadows.
And unlike his would be attacker, he knows nothing about them.
At least with her, he has some sort of plans for when she attacks. He has routes and a number to call, bringing the full might of an experienced Magician down on her head. If anything else decided to attack him though? He's as good as dead. His talks with Marcus did help alleviate his fear towards that woman, but it also gave him more monsters to imagine stalking him. Werewolves, ghosts, vampires, ghouls, the undead, and the list just continues from there! Each one terrifying in it's own right, but nothing compares to the rest.
The ones he knows nothing about.
Those scare him the most. The creatures he doesn't have any sort of knowledge on, and therefore no way to actually fight back against. The kind where he can't run to help, since he doesn't know what would be helpful. The kind where he can't hide, since he doesn't know if they can sense him in another way.
Would he die, wondering if he could of prevented it if he knew they had a Law where cardboard kills them? Would he die, considering if he could of ran across a bridge, leaving them behind since they couldn't cross running water? A thousand of those questions ran through Izuku's mind in this moment, his eyes looking hard into the shadows of a nearby alleyway.
He shook the thought from his head, forcing himself outside. Like he said before, the store would offer no protection from an attack. The only safe place was at home, where an experienced Magician could keep him protected.
The keys rattled in his hand, scratching the lock more than a few times. His steps echoed once more off the walls, his eyes jumping around fast enough to appear more like a mix of emerald green and white. Up ahead, he noticed Maurice, a regular at the convenience store, especially this late at night. Izuku couldn't count the times Maurice had entertained him at the end of a long shift with his stories from his job. His favorite was the time he welded a coworkers steel-toed boots together after he fell asleep on the job.
Many slow late night hours have been staved off with the presence of the older man. But now, Izuku could only feel trepidation as he wandered past him. Maurice had a mutation Quirk, one that left him with thick brown fur covering his body, and a faintly beast like face. Now as Izuku stepped past him, he couldn't help but wonder if it was just a mutation Quirk, or a werewolf sizing him up for dinner.
Each new person he ran into had the same thoughts race through Izuku's mind. Was that pale individual a vampire? Was the floating woman a ghost? Each crosswalk and darkened alleyway had his eyes darting around, trying to spot the threat before it got to him first. Each random sound in the city had him jumping, sweat already pouring down his face.
Even his apartment building was a cold comfort. The swaying curtains had him looking at every window, the thought of his hunter watching from a window sat heavily in his mind. His apartment door opened slowly and fully, the vernadette taking a moment to look around the empty room. The door closed slowly behind him, Izuku finally letting out a sigh of relief.
He wandered over to the fridge, draining a water bottle in less than a minute and grabbing a new one. As it turns out, being in a constant state of fear really dries out the throat. He idly sipped on the water as he wandered over to his couch, once again thanking his landlord for providing fully furnished apartments. Otherwise he'd be sleeping on a pile of blankets and sitting on the floor.
Izuku spoke lowly to himself as he collapsed onto the couch, venting his frustrations for the first time today. "This can't go on. It's only been a day, half a day! And I'm already about to die from stress." He chuckled, "I wouldn't be surprised if I'd be half gray before the day's up."
"What stopped me from saying yes to becoming a Magician yesterday? Was it fear from what I saw? Did his words break through to me? Or did I let that rejection letter get to me too much, let it convince me that I couldn't become anything even resembling a Hero?" His hand rubbed at his forehead, sliding up into his hair line to tug at the strands. "God damn it. This sucks."
Izuku laid back on the armrest, his eyes unfocused on the ceiling, and his thoughts whirling. He sighed, his energy leaving as he closed his eyes. The tips of his knuckles brushed against the carpet beneath him, freezing his thoughts. His apartment doesn't have a carpet. He sat bolt upright, his form going rigid, mouth dropping open.
His apartment had changed. The light gray walls and pale white ceiling had disappeared. In front of him was a verdant beach, soft grass breaking way to softer looking sand, waves gently breaking over the beach a mere twenty feet away from him. Looking back revealed a lush jungle, tropical plants grew in all colors and sizes around tall palm trees.
The vernadette spun around on his couch, the only thing left unchanged from his previous surroundings, taking in the view all around him. It was only once he made a full turn, that his view once again changed. The beach was now occupied.
A sunbather sat on a chair facing the ocean waves. A woven sunhat concealed their form, only a pale hand holding a vibrant looking drink was visible from Izuku's angle.
He took a deep breath in, his wonderment fading away to be replaced with fear. Was this some magic cast by his attacker? The figure before him lifted their drink, taking a slow sip before placing it on the sand beneath them. They pushed themselves up from the chair, letting Izuku see their form for the first time.
The man wore an unbuttoned soft blue Hawaiian shirt with yellow flowers playing across it, underneath was a pink t-shirt and matching pink shorts. He removed his hat, smiling widely at the teen.
"How're you doin, Izuku?"
He blinked, rubbing his eyes to ensure he was actually seeing what was happening. "Mr. Isinagi?"
Izuku would recognize that tone from anywhere. He heard that same phrase every time he grabbed his mail from the office of his apartment.
His landlord chuckled at him, striding forward to sit on the other side of the couch. Izuku wanted to scrabble off the end, to regain some distance from a magical entity. But a wash of emotion stopped him. His fear and apprehension faded away, like the sand beneath the oceans waves. He leaned onto the back rest, smiling warmly at Mr. Isinagi.
The older man sighed, placing his hat onto the edge of the couch. "I'm sorry for manipulating your emotions, Izuku. But I know that you would be feeling quite a bit of fear in this situation, and rightfully so. The old bird explained what had happened the day before, and the offer he was making to you. I just thought it right to introduce myself first, avoid any misunderstandings, ya'know?"
Izuku's brow creased upon hearing of his emotions being manipulated, but he couldn't find it in himself to particularly care about that at the moment. The sounds around him were just too relaxing for him to stress.
"It's whatever. But what do you mean by introduce yourself?"
"Well, that's a difficult situation to explain." The old man looked towards the sky, contemplating his thoughts as he watched the clouds flutter by. "I am a magical 'creature' as the Magicians put it. I ain't ever felt like a creature though. I mean, have you ever known me to be anything other than human?"
Izuku searched through his thoughts for the answer to that question. Isinagi was relatively unknown to the teen. His wife was old coworkers with his mom, and frequently baby sat him when he was younger. It's how he was able to get this apartment so easily, the man had a soft spot for him.
But as he searched further, into the few interactions they shared, Izuku couldn't find it in himself to disagree. Isinagi must of saw his response on his face, for he started talking again.
"But I know there comes a time in every young Magician's life where their thoughts change. They start seeing magical beings as potential enemies. Each and every one they encounter could be the end to their life. Usually it's after a particularly troubling mission, and usually an earlier one. One where they get too cocksure and headstrong, and they end up paying for it."
"I just wanted to head off those thoughts early. Make sure you didn't make a mistake and assume me a dangerous entity after you discovered me for what I really am." He looked deep into Izuku's eyes, his contentedness fleeing just enough for Izuku to seriously consider his words.
"I am a purely magical being, and this apartment complex is part of what is mine. I don't care if you put up warding sigils, magical defenses, or what have you. Just make sure you don't destroy the place. Beyond that, I figured I'd share a peace offering, just to help calm you a bit."
He cleared his throat, "This building is part of my Law, I can influence the human mind and their emotions, and I feed from the positive emotions of my tenants. It's why I endeavor to keep this place in tip top shape. Don't worry about the feeding from emotions part. I'm not eating your happiness just by you staying here. It's more like I'm sustaining myself off of the residual emotions you humans have."
"Think of it like how you need oxygen to survive. But you breathing, even as heavily as you can, wouldn't be enough to drain the earth of it's supply. I do functionally the same thing, but with my tenants. I could gorge myself, day in and out, but with how many I have, you wouldn't notice a difference."
He patted Izuku's knee, putting on his sun hat as he strolled back to his chair. "That's really it. Just wanted to clear the air and cut off any attempts at you trying to hunt me down later on." He waved a hand, Izuku's feelings changing back to normal.
It took a few seconds for the fear to set in, just long enough for Izuku to form a coherent thought. "Wait! I'm not gonna be a Magician! I said no!"
Isinagi froze for a second, brow creasing before he cheered back up. "Izuku. I know you. My wife watched over you for years. You want to be a Hero. It's the reason you're warring so much with yourself right now. You wouldn't feel this badly, if you weren't given a choice, and picked a wrong answer."
He waved one last time, the beach fading back into the walls of his apartment. Izuku stared at the last place his landlord stood, considering his words. He couldn't help but ponder over them for the rest of the night. All the way until Marcus reappeared, bag of supplies in one hand, and magical book in the other.
This time, indecision didn't eat him up. He raised his head, face set in a firm expression. His mouth opened, to give his real answer.
Oh boy, it's out! It's really, really out! I had so much trouble finding a proper place to end this, I kept fighting back and forth on an ending. But I think I finally got to a fantastic one!
I am so excited for this to continue as well, this story is the most planning and preparation I've put into a story so far, and I certainly hope that it'll show later on. But for now I'll leave y'all with a few questions.
1: Who do y'all believe is the magical woman that attacked Izuku? I'll give a hint, she is a canon character. We all know the obvious answer would be Himiko, but I want to know who else y'all think she is.
2: What do y'all think the Magicians are? An Illuminati type shadow organization, working from the shadows to keep humanity ignorant? An SCP scientific foundation type, with different levels of organization?
3: Why is Hawks associating with, what could be lawfully defined as, a Vigilante? Is this him just being curious? Is the Hero Association trying to work a mole into the Magicians?
I look forward to reading y'all theories, I want this to be a more densely packed story. With plenty of lore and world building.
If you enjoyed, why not try a podcast all about fan fiction, called Canonically Incorrect! From the variety of tropes, the rise and fall of past fan fiction websites, and interviews with your favorite authors, the hosts, Sydney and Maya, do a wonderful job in talking about fan fiction in a positive light! Recently, I've had the honor of being interviewed in an episode, (Title Here), where I talk all about my journey with fan fiction, why I enjoy writing, and why I think it's an excellent way to build up your writing skills, and gain experience with your stories! You can find them on Spotify, Apple podcast, and Tiktok! They didn't ask me to write this by the way, I just love everything they do and want to share their podcast wider!
Anyways, that'll be all, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, and could get past my voice on the most recent episode.
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And have a great day!