A/N;
This story contains spoilers for My Hero Academia up to the Forest Training Camp arc and the events of FE7. There will be some exploration of content and ideas that have not been confirmed as canon.
The story will serve as a canon-divergent retelling of the events of FE7.
Chapter has been re-edited as of March 14, 2023. Major changes include removal of excess exposition, a change to Deku's motivation and the minor phrasing changes to reflect that.
No plan survives first contact with the enemy.
Not even that statement could've prepared Izuku for what was happening in front of his eyes. He might have even perceived it as a hallucination from the copious amounts of adrenaline coursing through his system from his earlier endeavours. Two broken arms were no joke, and his heroic instincts and hormonal response were likely to be the only things keeping him from passing out completely.
Good news; Shoji had grabbed the marbles containing Kacchan and Tokoyami.
Bad news; the villains seemed dead set on trying to capture them again, surrounding them on all sides; the knife-crazy blonde on their left, the bodysuit wearing villain on their right. In front of them, the masked villain and another who looked as though he was covered in burns. Behind him, the mist villain and a Nomu which seemed like a horror monster come to life, half of its eight arms bearing embedded chainsaws.
Uraraka, Asui, Shouto, Shoji and Izuku prepared themselves for battle; unwilling to go down without a fight.
Well, that was until the villain in the dark bodysuit started twitching.
Twice might have been eccentric, that much Dabi could've said without a doubt. When the self-contradicting villain started spasming like a man possessed; Dabi felt a smidge of concern. The League's future tactics would suffer if Twice was incapacitated here.
"Toga, quick. Check on him before he hurts himself." Dabi commanded, to which Toga complied before a clone emerged; stopping everyone in their tracks.
Twice had told the League the limitations on his quirk when he was first recruited. He needed to know the exact measurements and characteristics of a person before cloning them. This was the reason why he couldn't duplicate Kurogiri; seeing as the villain's body was in a constant state of change due to his gaseous abilities.
The clone standing over Twice's now unconscious body did not clearly emit any form of gas, but its presence felt more unfathomable than the mist villain ever did. It wore an identity-disguising green cloak; its form under it shifting as if the body underneath was constantly changing. In its hands, the clone held a staff whose head cupped a sapphire-like orb, which emitted a soft glimmer of starlight as it was held above the unconscious villain's head. The staff's body shone an extravagant gold; glimmering even in the darkness of the night. Floating at shoulder level to the clone, was an open black book with a gold design on its cover, its pages wreathed in an ethereal blue glow.
"Who are you?!" Kurogiri shouted, his question sending everyone in the clearing into tensed stances. For the villains, Kurogiri's statement confirmed that the clone was not an expected variable for their second-in-command. For the students, the appearance of another person from a villain's body didn't exactly assuage their fears that the newcomer was just another villain.
"Hm…" The robed newcomer pondered aloud. To everyone present, even the small sound felt like a cacophony of noise; a barrage of voices which came across as if it was said by many people at once.
"You may call me… Bramimond. Yes… I am Bramimond, the Enigma. I have a mission to complete in this world. This one's quintessence will not last me long." They spoke. Speaking in longer sentences, it was clear that their voice was composed of the voices of everyone in the clearing; not that it helped anyone recover from the fact that this Bramimond somehow spoke in all their voices.
"Then allow me to assist you with that. Take him out!" Kurogiri commanded, spurring his allies into action. Toga was the quickest to attack; her knife extended to strike the mysterious interloper.
A breath's distance away from finding her mark, Dabi watched as Toga's attack was deflected by Bramimond's staff; the enigmatic man tripping the girl and sending her tumbling away in the same strike. The burn-scarred villain's hand lit up with a blue fireball as he prepared to attack.
"Toga!" He yelled as he blasted Bramimond with a torrent of blue fire. To his surprise, the flames were absorbed into a purplish-black hole outlined with undecipherable runes that formed in front of the enigma.
All fell according to Kurogiri's plan of attack anyway as the tool-bearing Nomu rushed the outsider from behind, chainsaws whirring as it thrust one forward, seeking to run Bramimond through.
Izuku watched in horror as the newcomer was pierced by the Nomu's attack, then in bewilderment as the robed person simply dissipated into black and purple smoke, reforming into his original form behind the modified creature. They pointed their staff at the Nomu, starlight blasting from it from behind, causing it to slump over like a doll with its strings cut. As the fight between the villains and the outsider continued, the green-haired student was grabbed by Shoji.
"We need to leave while that person is distracting them. I can carry you all as Asui launches us with her legs." The tentacled student whispered into Izuku's ear as they all started to retreat away from the battle.
"You are critical to my goal. I cannot allow you to leave." Bramimond spoke in a decisive tone to the heroes in training. Parrying a sudden cane strike from the masked villain; Brammind delivered a swift blow to his enemy's head with his staff. The blow rendered the villain unconscious and undid his quirk; releasing a dazed Kacchan and Tokoyami on top of Shoji, toppling the tall student.
"I concur. The young master will be cross if we don't fulfil our goal." The mist villain agreed as he began to expand, threatening to warp the heroes with his quirk.
"Everyone, stick together! Todoroki, freeze our feet!" Izuku quickly commanded, prompting the group to huddle together. Before Todoroki could freeze them, Bramimond interrupted the dichromatic teen with a shout, their discordant voice causing both Todoroki and the mist villain's concentration to lapse for a moment.
"That will be unnecessary. Apocalypse!" Bramimond announced as he raised his empty hand, his tome floating in front of him as purple rectangular runes traced themselves around the mist villain, restricting his movements, much to Kurogiri's disdain.
"Come now, young heroes. There's a world that needs your help."
The statement from the enigma was the last thing Izuku heard before the world around him descended into darkness.
Izuku never really struggled with a fear of the dark. The All Might night light from his youth completely obliterated it from his young mind.
Now, he was starting to have his doubts. The darkness that surrounded him seemed impenetrable; the only thing visible being his own two bandage-bound limbs. The silence around him was deafening, and he wondered if Bramimond's objective was to kill him. It was then that Bramimond appeared to the young hero, wreathed by the ethereal glow of his tome.
"Midoriya… Izuku. You seem to be wounded. Shall I heal you?" Bramimond asked, kneeling to the boy's eye level and putting a hand on his shoulder, revealing a different staff from under his cloak. Its design consisted of a clear gem-like orb on a pedestal surrounded by a gold crescent. Before the enigma could do anything, Izuku sputtered, giving Bramimond pause.
"Wait, wait, wait! I don't even know where I am! I don't even know who you are!" With the light from Bramimond's tome and staff, Izuku found himself sitting down, and was under the realization that he was really, really tired. The adrenaline had worn off and now he could barely keep himself awake.
"You are within the space of Apocalypse, the Silencing Darkness. I am Bramimond, the Enigma. Now shall I heal your wounds?" The answers didn't exactly satisfy Izuku, but it was better than nothing. Bramimond seemed caring enough to want to heal Izuku's injuries, and as often as Izuku hurt himself; he wasn't a glutton for punishment, nor someone who thought collecting scars was 'manly', like Kirishima.
"Alright. Can I ask more questions after?" Izuku agreed, submitting himself to Bramimond's care. As the robed person, male, if his voice was to be believed, started unwrapping Izuku's wounds, the young hero noticed scars on Bramimond's right hand which mimicked the ones he gained during the sports festival.
"If we have time. A moment to concentrate, please." Bramimond responded. Raising the staff, the orb in its head expelled a soft green light, illuminating a large radius around the pair, only to reveal more darkness within the Silencing Darkness. Go figure.
Izuku watched as the light from the staff coalesced into a translucent ball of energy, lowering itself into him and restoring his body's health.
"Wow, that felt amazing! Is that a quirk? So what does that make your book? Or your other staff? Or your body transformation? Or the weird symbols that stopped the burnt villain's fire? Or-" Izuku's signature mumbling roared back to life as he was revitalized by Bramimond's healing magic. To save time, Bramimond simply silenced the boy with a finger to his lips. The boy noticed that the scars on Bramimond's hand from before had disappeared.
"In the world that needs your help, Izuku, there's no such thing as quirks. It is a world of blades and magic, whose greatest technological innovations are equal to your world's middle ages. I've done my best to preserve your abilities under the guise of magic, but some things can not be retained. The same will have occurred for your classmates, but the degree of change is different case by case. And then there's the matter of your clothing." With his previous fatigue gone, Izuku now had the presence of mind to realize that Bramimond's voice was the same as his own, along with his mumbling sort of tone he recognized as his own bad habit.
"Are you me? It sounds like you have my voice and the scars on your hand were healed when you healed me." Izuku asked, putting all the pieces together. Under his hood, the corner of Bramimond's mouth curved upward.
"What I am shouldn't concern you now. It's a consequence of perfecting the Silencing Darkness." The Enigma responded matter-of-factly, the undertone of melancholy not missed on Izuku.
"Your dream of being a hero will save many lives. Hold onto those ideals, and together you and your friends will prevent a great calamity." Bramimond said with a wistful smile. Before Izuku could ask more, the Silencing Darkness began to rumble ominously.
"It seems like your time in this space is coming to an end. Best of luck, Izuku. Perhaps, we will meet again." Bramimond noted, putting his hand outwards. His tome appeared before him, the blue ethereal glow transitioning to an elegant crimson red as if it was a magical battery indicator. A circle of purple runes lit up around Izuku, changing his clothes to something more fitting for where he was going before beginning to lift him into the air.
"I-I'll do my best, Mr. Bramimond. I will become a hero!" Izuku stuttered, watching as his bare chest and worn pants were replaced by a linen shirt, green tunic and dark green pants. He had more questions to ask the slowly shrinking stranger, but he could only hope that he could find someone else to fill him in; wherever he was going. He simply resolved himself as the world faded into black once more.
"Hey, are you alright?" A gentle hand shook Izuku's shoulder, waking him from his slumber.
"Huh? Where am I?" Izuku grumbled as he rubbed his eyes. As the world came into focus, he spotted the one who woke him. A brown-haired boy about his age looked at him with concern. He had a bowl-like haircut, their bangs nearly obscuring their red eyes that glimmered like rubies.
"You're in my tent. Doesn't it hurt to sleep with your things on? How did you even get in here without any of my guards noticing? They would've gone nuts if I hadn't told them that you were an acquaintance." Having yet to boot up the necessary mental functions to reply to the young man, Izuku simply nodded his head in thanks to this compassionate stranger as he sat up.
"Sorry, do you have some water I could splash my face with first?" Izuku asked with an apologetic tone. It wasn't the best first impression to give off after waking up in their bed.
"I do, let me get it in a bowl for you." The young man nodded, walking over to a bag near the edge of the tent and grabbing a bowl before depositing some water from his waterskin into it. He passed the bowl to Izuku while the student gained his bearings.
On Izuku's hands were light grey leather gloves, which he slipped off to dip his hands into the water, splashing his face before wiping it with his sleeve. A little more awake, Izuku absorbed his surroundings like a sponge. His 'things', as the stranger had put them, were a brown leather utility belt, a brown medieval haversack, an iron sword sheathed in its scabbard on his belt and most interestingly, his red sneakers, which had gone completely unchanged. Funnily enough, his current garb was a one-to-one of the outfit he had worn for a school performance not too long ago with a medieval setting. The 'bed' he was lying in was a simple bedroll made of straw.
"Sorry for barging in on your tent. My name is Izuku Midoriya. I was sent here to become a hero!" Izuku said with pride, holding his hand out for a handshake from the bewildered young man, who took it cautiously.
"...Nice to meet you, Izuku. My name is Mark. I'm a tactician studying at the military academy in Bern. Though currently, I'm leading a group of mercenaries as a… let's call it a work study. You said you wanted to be a hero, right?" Mark explained, to which Izuku gave a curt nod, listening with rapt attention.
"You could join us and gain some experience. Nothing that will get you an instant promotion, but it's a start. I'm surprised you want to be a hero though. Sacaens usually become nomadic troopers or swordmasters. Orion's Bolts are much more common in the area and Sacaen blades aren't fit for a hero's fighting style." Upon hearing a lot of unfamiliar terms, Izuku wished he had a notebook to write down all the new information he was receiving.
'Work study, that's just another name for internship, right? Bern definitely doesn't ring a bell. He makes hero sound like a job, are there already heroes here? What about Sacaens? Are they a nomadic people? It'd make sense why one of their jobs is nomadic trooper. Orion's Bolts sounds like an item of some sort. Are heroes stuck to one fighting style?' Izuku thought, processing all that Mark told him. Some leaked out as mumbling, giving the tactician pause.
"Ah, you must not know much outside your tribe. It's alright, I have a map you can look over in our spare time. I might still have that basic class manual lying in my bag. Let's gauge your knowledge first. What do you know about Sacae?" Mark pounded his fist into his hand at the minor revelation, before tugging at the front of his green scarf. It looked like a thinking action, similar to Izuku's own mumbling, or how someone would place a hand on their chin.
"What's a 'Sacae?'" Izuku responded without hesitation, causing Mark to sputter.
"I see… Do you know anything about Elibe?" Mark asked with mild concern, loosening his scarf as a drop of sweat rolled down his forehead, the ahoge on the right side of his head drooping comedically. It brought attention to his outfit, which seemed much warmer than Izuku's. He wore a light brown tunic over a white linen shirt with a green line embroidered along its edges under a thin grey cape. His dark brown pants were cuffed by his shin-high boots with a gold lining.
"Sorry, I don't think I do." Izuku confessed, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment. Bramimond was rather vague about where he would drop off the young hero, and now the young man was paying the price for not asking those details earlier.
"That's alright. I can give you a quick lay of the land at least." Mark said as he reached into a waist-bound satchel under his cape, taking a scroll from within and unfurling it to reveal a map of the continent split into seven general territories.
"We're currently here, just north of the border of Bern. We're on our way to Bulgar to group up with the rest of the mercenary group I'm leading for my work study." Mark pointed out, finger on the border of the territory called Bern and tracing upwards to a dot labelled Bulgar. The dot was firmly located in the area labelled Sacae.
Izuku drank in the other details on the map as quickly as he could, but understandably couldn't make heads or tails of any of the information other than what Mark had just mentioned. He was surprised to find that he could read the language just fine, chalking it up to some translation ability Bramimond must have given him.
"Anyhow, let's get ready to go. Our caravan should be moving out soon. I'm currently travelling with the leader and a couple of his subordinates." Mark said as he put away the map. Opening the entrance flap of his tent to the small camp that was set up around them, packed up onto horses as a grass green-haired man walked up to their tent.
"Glass, is everyone ready to go?" Mark waved the man over. They wore a simple red tunic with a yellow sash that kept his broadsword on his back. From his vibes alone, this man felt scarily similar to Kacchan, causing Izuku to shrink unconsciously.
"Yeah, kid. We're ready to move when you are. We should hit the third-way point to Bulgar by evening. So... who's the runt? We've already got Guy." Glass nodded, his last statement singling out Izuku. His question also made Izuku realize how short he was compared to the others. He himself was five feet five inches, but Mark was two inches taller and Glass stood towering at roughly six feet.
"An acquaintance who is gaining mercenary experience. You think you can show him some of your moves while I pack my things?" Mark responded without hesitation, pulling Izuku from out of behind him and pushing him to the mercenary.
"Hah, considering my skill? I don't see the harm. Come on runt, let's see your teeth."
'Ah, there's that self-assured confidence in their abilities', Izuku thought as Mark went back into his tent to get ready to move. Glass dragged Izuku over to a relatively open area, drawing his sword from his back and resting it on his shoulder.
"What are you waiting for, runt? Draw your blade and come at me!" Glass taunted as Izuku drew his sword, holding it with mild trepidation. He certainly didn't use swords. Perhaps he could get away with hitting the guy with Full Cowl? It was worth a shot at least.
Clenching his buttocks, Izuku internally screamed 'SMASH!' in his heart as he charged forward, practically abandoning his blade to land a punch instead.
"What kind of pansy shit is this? The kid didn't tell me you didn't know how to use a sword at all. Try again, I'm going to beat swordsmanship into you." Glass spat as he batted Izuku away with the flat of his blade, mildly surprised at the young man's speed but more so peeved at his willingness to toss his blade aside.
Izuku now realized what Bramimond meant when he said some things could not be retained. He couldn't feel One For All in the slightest. He ran through other strategies he could use as he picked up his sword and got to his feet, filing his worries about One For All away until after this sparring session with Glass finished.
Izuku's first thought was Stain's fighting style, dismissing it after remembering how Stain relied on multiple weapons and the activation on his quirk rather than his skill with a single cracked katana, much less a pristine european longsword like the one Izuku held at the moment.
His next thoughts were pro-heroes that used swords. He narrowed down four that he could remember; Mr. Brave, Nyikang, Hawks and Yoroi Musha. Mr. Brave relied on the constant formation of hardened hair from his quirk as they broke in battle. Nyikang, a Sudanese pro hero, also had a quirk-reliant fighting style, as well as a blade that did not match Izuku's. Hawks, the current Number Three hero, used two long sword-length feathers from his quirk in conjunction with his ability to fly. Finally, Yoroi Musha. The samurai-like pro hero was ranked tenth in all of Japan. His one-sword style was the closest thing Izuku would be able to replicate on the fly.
"Oho? Now we're talking. Come at me runt!" Glass quirked an eyebrow at Izuku's stance. The young man held the blade with more confidence, taking a high stance. And then he lunged.
"Haha, even if you did grow some backbone, it wouldn't be enough to scratch me! We're going to go over drills when we set up camp for the night. Keep working on it, and you might be able to take out a bandit or two by next month!" Glass laughed, clapping Izuku's back as they walked through the prairie. Izuku's grit managed to impress Glass enough to stop calling him a runt.
Behind them was Mark, who walked a ways behind the two, chatting with one of Glass' subordinates; a man named Ringue who wore a bow on his back. They took up the rear, along with the horses carrying their gear. Further ahead was another one of Glass' subordinates, a man named Bank who acted as their scout who seemed to keep to himself. Mark had given him a handbook known as a class manual that he was reading through as he walked along with the caravan. The manual was rather simple, but it seemed like the tactician had scrawled in some of his own personal notes in the margins of each page. Mark raised an eyebrow as Izuku seemed to begin reading through without any assistance, but made no comment.
With the information in the manual, he identified Ringue as an archer and assumed Bank was a thief, considering his cloak and dagger-like sword. There were four others of Glass' group, three who waited for them in Bulgar and another newer recruit that would meet them halfway.
"Glass, three bandits in the distance to the west, they've spotted the horses and are coming our way." Bank returned from his position, stopping the group.
"Haha let them come! It will be good to show off my skills in practice. Kid, command is yours. Rookie, watch and learn." Glass laughed as he unsheathed his blade. Practically, it wasn't much better than 'Runt,' but at least it wasn't as rude.
"Izuku, stay by my side. Glass, up front. You know what to do." Mark commanded.
"Ringue, there is an outcropping of rocks which will provide high ground. Head there and take your shot. Banks, go through the brush and flank them after Glass draws their attention. Move out." With their commands, the group quickly moved into position. Izuku simply stood by Mark and watched as the tactician loosened his scarf, gaze focused on his men.
"What are we going to do to them?" Izuku asked, imagining that the bandits would back off after being confronted by a larger force.
"We will rout them. It should be quick work for Glass and his companions." Mark responded offhandedly.
"Wait, we're going to kill them!?" He almost shrieked, completely blindsided by the notion of casual murder.
"If we don't, they'll kill us. Bandits are ruthless around these parts. I need to prioritize the life of my allies over those of my enemies. I thought you wanted to be a hero." Mark answered as Glass began fending off the first brigand in the distance, parrying the bandit's leaping smash with a twist of his blade and beheading him with a side slash.
"But I don't want to kill anyone!" Izuku dissented, having missed Glass' display of expertise.
"Then what kind of hero did you want to be?" Mark argued, unable to believe that Izuku wanted to become a hero without any experience in battle. He missed Glass' kill on the second brigand, the mercenary piercing the bandit's chest with a well-placed thrust.
"The kind that saves people!" Izuku retorted, causing both to miss Ringue and Bank finish off the last bandit with an accurate shot to the shoulder before the brigand was shanked, falling into the grass with a slump.
"Tch. We can argue this later, but Glass isn't going to be happy if he hears about this. I'll keep you at the back of the fight while the others deal with it. Don't make a point about bringing it up unless you want to get sent home. You're of no use to a mercenary band if you're not willing to fight." Mark clicked his tongue as he silenced Izuku as Glass and his subordinates returned to the duo.
"So Rookie, what did you think of that? Pretty sick, don't you think?" Glass smirked as he made a show of dusting himself off, causing Izuku to flinch in disgust. He quickly recomposed himself with a subtle elbow from Mark.
"Y-yeah! You're going to have to… um… teach me sometime." Izuku managed to cough out. Despite his issues with the situation, he at least understood Mark's advice to keep quiet about it.
"Haha, good answer! Let's get going then. Bank, did you find anything?" Glass laughed as he clapped Izuku on the back, turning to the thief who pulled a small bottle from inside their cloak.
"The last one had a bottle of pure water on them. Looks like loot from a raid on some monks. Seemed dropped rather than taken." He said with a flat tone, pointing out some scuffs on the bottom and a stain that was clearly mud-brown rather than dark maroon.
"Eh? Will we need it, kid?" Glass raised an eyebrow as he redirected the question to the group's strategist.
"I doubt it. The nearest mage has to be back at Bern; it's only bandits or Sacaens out here." Mark responded, tugging at the front of his scarf in thought before making his decision.
"We'll pawn it off when we hit Bulgar then. You keep it for now, Rookie." Glass decided as Bank scratched the hardened mud off before passing it to Izuku. The young student simply stared at the bottle for a moment before he caught Ringue in the corner of his eye. The archer mimed placing a bottle into his belt, which Izuku repeated with a red tinge on his cheeks.
"Alright, let's get moving! Bank, I'm with you. Ringue, cover our rear." Glass commanded as he and Bank took point, leading the horses as Izuku walked with Mark and Ringue.
"Thanks for earlier, Ringue. I wasn't sure what to do with the bottle." Izuku bowed his head as he walked.
"Don't sweat it… 'Rookie'? I know that's what Glass calls you, but what's your name?" Ringue waved away Izuku's concerns, asking the young man a question in turn.
"It's Izuku, Izuku Midoriya." The student responded, realizing that he hadn't actually introduced himself to the rest of the group.
"Yeah, don't sweat it Izuku. Everyone is a rookie at first. Just follow Glass and you'll get used to the flow of things eventually. There's a reason why he's our leader, even if he's a little abrasive." Ringue explained, piquing Izuku's interest. It was a minor thought that had been wandering Izuku's mind. Mark seemed interested as well, not having heard this before.
"He's the one who gathered all of us together. Bank, myself, Guy, Bub, Mac and Aron. We're only a team because his leadership shines through; even if Mark pulls all the tactical shots. Plus, he'll never admit it, but he really cares about all of us. It's why he doesn't hesitate to put himself on the front line." Ringue said with a smirk, though his tone carried a hint of admiration. Izuku nodded, understanding the archer's feelings.
"So Ringue, you seem Sacaen, how come you aren't a nomad? I thought those were more common around here." Izuku asked. He had thumbed through the page in the manual about bow-wielding nomads on horseback and how they were all natives of the Sacae region. As an aside, the manual noted that Sacaens were typically recognized by their green hair. Izuku imagined that it was the reason why Mark had thought he was Sacaen, which he hadn't corrected yet. Ringue had olive-green hair, giving some credence to Izuku's notion.
"Oh? I couldn't get used to the feeling of the saddle. My shots would always fly wide on horseback, so I gave up on it and took to using a bow on foot." Ringue said with a hint of disdain, shrugging before carding his fingers through his hair. "Plus, headbands aren't really my style. With hair like ours, those things would just get in the way, right?"
"Yeah. My hair's been like this since I was born." Izuku laughed, trying to do the same without getting his fingers stuck in his curls. "So you and Glass are Sacaen, right? What about Bank and the others?"
"That's right. Guy is Sacaen as well. Kid wasn't any good at bowmanship, horse riding or hunting, so he set out into the world to train his decent sword arm. We only picked him up recently. I think he's about your age, the same height as you too. Bank and the others are from the northern areas of Bern." Ringue nodded, pointing his thumb over his back to the south, where Bern was.
"Ah, so he's a myrmidon then? How come Glass isn't a myrmidon if he's Sacaen?" Izuku asked, hoping he wasn't prying too much.
"You got it. As for Glass, he always dreamed of being a hero. He saw one fight off a bunch of bandits when he was younger and wanted to be just like them. You should have seen his face when he realized his talent with a sword." Ringue mused, a nostalgic smile stretched upon his face; causing Izuku to almost forget that these people were technically murderers. Hadn't he been the same when he was younger? Inspired by heroes to become like them. He spent the rest of the walk in pensive silence, reflecting on the things he heard.
The group had their lunch on the go and managed to make it to the destination point for the day by the early evening. Glass called Izuku aside as Bank prepared supper while Ringue and Mark set up camp. Mark gave Izuku a pointed glare of warning; reminding him not to aggravate the mercenary leader.
"Rookie, we have some free time. How about we run some drills while they're doing their thing. It'll be good practice for you if you want to be a hero too." Glass pointed to the clearing behind them; perfect for practicing blade and footwork.
"Y-yeah, let's begin." Izuku responded with some hesitation, following the mercenary and drawing his blade.
"Good, let's see your form again. You're still a rookie after all." The mercenary taunted, drawing his broadsword and holding it against his shoulder. Izuku nodded, holding his blade up at his side. His stance was much sloppier compared to what he had tried to pull against Glass earlier.
"What's wrong rookie? What happened to the teeth you bared earlier? Your stance is shit." Glass prodded, a glint of concern for the new member of his crew, despite his rough tone.
"Glass… What are you doing this for? This entire mercenary thing." Izuku asked, slightly wounded by the biting comment, but surprised by the hint of concern. He had been reflecting about the differences between himself and the mercenary.
"Huh? Did Ringue spill the beans? Tch, a sentimental guy like him has no clue how to keep things private. If he said anything while you three were talking in the back, you probably already know." Glass clicked his tongue in annoyance, knowing that the chill he felt on the back of his neck as he walked with Bank had meant something.
"He did, but I wanted to hear it from you. If you don't mind." Izuku admitted, a stray thought wondering if this was a conversation he should have avoided.
"If this is your way of getting out of training, I'm going to drill slashes until dawn." Glass threatened, sheathing his sword and taking a seat, tapping the dirt beside him to beckon Izuku to sit with him. Sheathing his own sword, Izuku took his spot, watching the sun set over the plains with Glass.
"I was lost on the plains when I was a young lad, probably half your age. Our tribe was travelling and I had wandered off doing Spirit knows what. Next thing I knew, bandits had surrounded me on every side. They were about to kidnap me and sell me to the highest bidder until a wandering hero arrived and routed them all." He retold, eyes bright with admiration.
"I want to become a famous hero so I can find and thank him someday; as miniscule of a chance as that may be." Glass continued. "So what's your reason, Rookie? To become a hero?"
"I've always admired heroes. But is it really necessary to kill to become a hero?" Izuku nodded, asking an earnest question.
"I don't know any other way. The Hero Crest will only promote an experienced combatant. Not prepared to do the deed rookie?" Glass explained, something Izuku recalled as he read about the promotion system in the class manual.
"Not really. I don't think I'd be able to live with the consequences." Izuku responded, thinking of Kota, the boy from the training camp. The boy's parents had been killed by a villain. Would Izuku be willing to do the same to fulfil his dream?
"You'll need to eventually. The world isn't that kind enough to turn the other cheek. If you're not going to fight, you might as well go home. I can hook you up with a guide once we get to Bulga-" Glass spoke before Izuku suddenly stood up.
"I made a promise to become a hero! I'll show the world that I can become a hero by saving people!" Izuku shouted with resolve.
"Heh, if anyone would be the first to prove it, I think I'd like it to be you Rookie. But you're not going to get anywhere with your skills now. Let me show you how a true mercenary fights." Glass smirked, unsheathing his sword, two-handing it in front of him.
"I'll do my best to learn, Glass!" Izuku responded as he drew his own sword, resolve solidified as he took his stance. They trained until Ringue called them over for supper, the archer whistling in slight awe at the two sword fighters swinging their blades in-sync, perspiration glistening on their arms in the dying light.
Hello everyone, DTale here! Thanks for reading chapter 1!
Many thanks to my beta-reader, GoldenWitch! Check out her FE3H fanfic on AO3, Ghosts of the Body!