Chapter 126 - Last of Me
[Earth, Last City, Tower Walk]
Hana Yukino, daughter of two bastard parents she forgot the names of long ago, niece of Grey Yukino, once a small-time thief and troublemaker in his youth, now, the only thing Hana recognized as a father figure, and Host to Velk, a powerful Nightmare, and a feminine one at that, which made her even more of a rarity among her race. Hana's life wasn't anything to aspire to, not when you have to sway through the filth just to get to where she was. Even at that, her quirk...
Is something she resents.
"Your control is what's weakest about you," Morbin cut through her thoughts like a blade, inspecting the bandaged blade of blue ice, the sacred relic from another world Velk had carried with her for a long time. He played with the edge, testing its sharpness. "You rely on this trinket to keep your 'quirk' in check, as well as Velk, but not once have to attempted to control your power without either, are you trying to make a fool out of yourself? Well, more than you are,"
Hana didn't show it, but her anger was simmering beneath her cold stare with one eye. "My quirk is too unstable, without it and Velk I could continuously produce below zero temperatures, I would become a storm that would freeze people and places in an instant, and subsequently die from exerting my body past its limits," The worst-case scenario, she doesn't die thanks to Velk and continuously produces ice beyond her control. The Perfect Storm.
Morbin tossed the blade to Velk who sat off to the side, keeping her peace. "Anymore excuses?" He rolled his eyes, not once considering her concerns as a viable reason. "Let me say this once; you lack control because you lack heart, it's that simple," His words confused her, brow furrowed. "You can make the smartass comment that I am a machine with a human consciousness, to which I do not have a heart, but you know well what I mean by that,"
What was more frustrating is the fact that his soul was so blurry among his metal chassis, these Exos were hard to read.
"Now, use your quirk," Morbin asked. But before Hana could interject, he held up his hand. "No, not with your sword, do it, no one else is here,"
"Fine..." Reluctant but feeling that no matter how much she argued he'd flat out ignore her, Hana exhaled a long, misty breath that quickly frost the ground under her. The rectangular ponds on either side of the pavement froze over as the moisture in the air quickly crystalized and shattered around her. Morbin stood there, unphased by the fact his legs were being coated in a thin layer of frost. He studied the girl as she seemed to just allow her power to steadily increase, the radius of the frost expanding until it reached over the ponds and toward where Velk sat, herself with a pensive expression. "I... ngh," Her eyes shut, and a burst of ice struck Morbin in the face, leaving his front half covered in ice, in an instant, Hana cut off her quirk. "I'm sorry, I cannot control it's-"
One hand rose to stop her, and with a slow swipe, the ice was broken off Morbin's face, leaving two piercing dull eyes to drill into her blue orb. "That was annoying..." He inspected the area, a perfect circle of ice around them, freezing part of the ponds, and even the nearest trees. "As I stated, your heart is what causes this, as well as years of conditioning to that trinket you carry ~ICE BURROW INTO MUSCLE~ right, ignoring him,"
Morbin sat down with his legs crossed, and gradually, Void Light surfaced from his robes, gathering between his hands as a small orb of lilacs and black. "The Void is infinite, those who have stared into the void are not bound by the laws of space and time. But to govern such power you must have a sound mind, body, and soul, currently, you are like the Void, your power is overflowing and constantly leaks out as a result, your body has been tempered due to your chosen profession, and your mind is aware of your power's dangers and limitations, but..."
"My heart is too cloudy to see beyond my fear," Hana answered him, staring at her frost-covered hands. "My power is a tool, but like any tool, it can bring harm..." She closed her eyes. "How... how can I control it?" Doubt seeded in her mind.
"By conquering not your fear, but your self-inflicted ignorance," Morbin stood up, dusting off the snow. "Come, for the next two weeks you will meditate and study the Void, take what you learn and apply it to your ice, then, I will see about breaking your ignorance ~CULL THE UNWORTHY!~ yes... you will," His eyes, once flashed red returned to their tiger pigment, and Hana stared at him as he left, leaving the girl to her thoughts with Velk stroking her hair, supporting her Host the whole way.
[Moon, Ocean of Storms, Hellmouth]
True to Morbin's word, the two, with Velk within Hana, stared at the edge of a great abyss, a dark city buried beneath the Moon's crust, the edges of the titanic hole in the moon delving further into the dark. Various levels could be seen, and a sinister feeling resided in its depths. The odd scream, boom, and skitter of Hive crawled in the pit. The Hellmouth.
"You want me to go down there?" Hana inquired as she was handed a small data pad with a name and details written on it. Upon closer inspection, it read. "'High Value Target, Moon, Ocean of Storms, Hellmouth. Zerex the Fanatic, a Hive Knight conducting rituals to bolster his Hive Magic Snares, proceed with caution', how does hunting a Hive Knight aid in my training?"
"Because you won't be relying on Velk, aside from keeping you from dying," Morbin crossed his arms. "And that sword of yours, don't use it, only reason I'm letting you keep it is for... emergencies," He muttered that last part. "I will wait here until you return... or die, whichever comes first,"
"You would allow that?" Hana stared at him inquisitively.
"Well, don't die, and I won't have to consider that fact," Morbin shrugged.
"You can trust him, even if he is a little assy," Velk even agreed it was a bad idea, but again, what choice did Hana have? She wanted to control her quirk, perhaps this was her way forward? To delve into the dark and- "Huh?"
"Ah?" Hana saw her vision fall, as Morbin promptly kicked her over the edge and down the steep slope of the Hellmouth's outer lip, watching the girl slide and attempt to catch herself with her nails to no avail. "Morbin-!" Before she could find the words, she flew off the edge and down into the harrowing depths. "Velk!"
"This is part of your test, you can do this, Hana!" Velk offered encouragement despite the fact both were equally as startled about the ordeal as light faded around them, falling deeper into the chasm. Without thinking, Hana grasped her sword, bringing it to bear before twisting her body vertically.
"Release - Clear White Sky!" The wide arc of winter shot through the pit, as Hana flew down the arc like a slide and straight into a gap between massive pillars like ribs, rolling through a large pile of bones and dust onto solid earth again. She coughed, shaking off the dust to see her ice slide crumble and disappear into the void below. "Hah... guess this is the start... I'm going to kill him when this is over," She huffed, picking up her sword while spotting the white lanterns sway from the black chains above.
Traversing the dark below was by far easier than Hana expected, she wanted to avoid attracting attention from the Hive, so in combination of sensing their twisted souls, she used the shadows cast by the poor lighting to dart around the maze of rooms, hallways, and passages. The place was a labyrinth beneath the Moon, the sheer size and quantity of Hive scurrying in the underground made her think what an all-out-war between Kovik's Splicers and the Hive's Brood would look like.
[Hana's POV]
I entered through a doorway atop a balcony that overlooked the large room bathed in darkness. Six columns supported the ceiling with piles of bones and various cages hung from the ceiling. In the back, Acolytes bowed in three rows of two with their weapons hovering above their hands. Two Wizards floated beside what I could only describe as a jagged archway made of black chitin, they seemed to be chanting something. Thrall gathered in groups of four behind the ritual, gnashing teeth while some picked at piles of bones. Worst of all, something else stood between the rows of Acolytes, something bigger than me. Its soul festering in corruption, a blue flame coiled in dark embers.
The large Hive was an onyx Knight, lines, and cracks of sky blue snaked through his chitin, leading up to its glowing, blue eyes. His shoulders were bulkier and jagged, his gauntlets too. While his head was spiky. Within its right hand, dug into the floor was a cleaver, coated in blue mist. I held my ground, albeit, anxiously. "The VIP, but something's wrong, all of this feels weird...?" My thoughts were met with silence, but I could feel Velk silently judging me, she wanted this to be my test alone. It did bring me comfort knowing she would be there if I so needed it. "Very well, let us do away with this beast."
|Zerex the Fanatic|
Keeping my blade raised, I warped into the shadows and zipped back toward the door then toward the edge of the balcony, using that momentum within the shadow to vault over the unknown ground toward the lit middle pathway toward the portal, and in turn, the center of the Hive ritual. I landed with a heavy thud, alerting several Thrall and Acolytes, but that did not matter. With one horizontal swing, ice and snow severed their legs from their stomachs, some missing their heads as the wave of ice covered the ground ahead of me, frightening the others into retreating behind cover. The Knight didn't even budge.
"This ritual ends here," With that statement, I lunged to quickly dispose of the target. The others would fall like domino.
*Boosh!*
The wind was stolen from my lungs the second my third step was made, and I felt the sudden jerk of gravity anchor me in place, losing my sword as it clattered to the feet of Zerex. He studied me like a fresh slab of meat, watching me struggle in a green cage of thorns, white ropes of burning magic dug into my wrists and ankles, making me swallow a cry as the flames peeled at me skin. "He expected... this!?" I had fallen straight into the most obvious trap possible. Velk would've warned me, but she kept her peace, but I felt it, she was stomaching this for me. Dammit, I failed! "Ngh, hah, hah...!"
The rough fingers of Zerex dug into my cheeks, lifting my head to look at him directly, he grunted, clearly displeased. Perhaps expecting a Guardian? He rolled his shoulder, showing me the sword I carelessly lost, then, tossing it back onto the ground, far from my reach. I tried to wiggle free or use my ice, but the second any frost emerged it was melted away by the cursed green flames.
Zerex then raised his black cleaver to my gaze, all I could feel was is overwhelming sense of bloodlust, there was nothing inside that resembled humanity, just a hollow puppet swelling with power. I stood there, helpless as he brought his sword back, and without a moment's notice, plunged the large cleaver through my abdomen. My eyes widened in shock, vomiting blood onto the floor where the crystal held the magic snare in place. I couldn't move my feet so I couldn't kick it.
Gargling on blood, the Knight twisted it deeper, feeling the flesh and muscle grove painfully around my back and stomach as I cried in pain, puking up more hot liquid, but in a twisted sense of karma, Velk kept me alive as I endured the constant pain flooding my nervous system. "Velk... I... I can't..." I couldn't even put my thoughts into focus, the pain was so unbearable. The blue flames from its sword... it felt like my soul was being attacked! "Please... I..."
"It was never me," Velk replied with a taut voice, clearly, she hated seeing me this way. Despite the pain, I tried to focus on her voice as this damn Hive enjoyed his work. "I never supressed your quirk, not once," That new made my eyelids shoot open, then I coughed up more blood as the cleaver dug at an angle. I might pass out from shock any moment now... "And that sword, it siphoned your quirk's power into its blade, it never nullified your quirk, I'm sorry I lied, I at first thought it would put you at ease, but Morbin was right, you've drowned your feelings in ignorance, you pretend like it doesn't hurt when it really does, and I failed as your Nightmare - no, your sister, so see that,"
Velk was... ashamed of herself? But... it was always me, why is she apologizing? My eyelids grew heavy, the pain was dull and barely stinging anymore. I... I lied to myself... because I'm...
...
...
...
Just a weak spirited human being
I shut my emotions away, I kept everyone at arm's length to keep my heart from being crushed by disappointment. I wanted to disappear.
Images of herself surrounded by old classmates she couldn't recall the faces of passed by, she moved with a blank stare and downward 'V' frown, she was completely robotic. Even with Velk, she rarely showed her emotions openly.
But then I met Kaneko and Lux, despite my resistances, they kept coming back, they always watched out for me despite my curse.
The two talked with Hana and Velk, the Nightmare openly giggling at Kaneko's brash antics with Lux shaking his head with a small smile. Hana enjoyed it too but remained aloof. She liked them but didn't express it openly at all.
Yuki, Midoriya, Akio... Hanta. They gave me more than just connections, they offered me love and compassion where I refused to give it. I withheld my joy and supressed my feelings. But... he always brought them out.
The kind-hearted smiles of those from UA, and the image of Hana sobbing into Hanta's arms after the ordeal with Harrow. It was the first time in so long that Hana showed her true feelings, it was a moment of weakness she couldn't contain. And yet, it felt so freeing.
If anyone is a fraud in this world. It's me.
I regained my senses, the blade within my stomach lodged in deeply, Zerex gave a growl of frustration again, clearly unable to comprehend why I was still alive. If I were honest, I didn't know either. But, my body felt so warm, my blood was boiling so hot my skin started to itch. My breathing was raspy and I choked on more blood as my face lifted, the veins on parts of my body bulged from an excess amount of force and blood I pumped from my pounding heart.
I hated it. My parents abandoned me and branded me as a monster just because my quirk was a mutation. Doctors didn't bother helping me, saying I was a lost cause or giving some half-hearted excuse, some thought to drug me until I was a mewling husk drooling on the floor. All the names I was called. the constant verbal, sometimes physical abuse at the hands of people that even so much as thought themselves to be 'future heroes', it made my stomach turn, those hypocrites!
A villain is what they called me, a degenerate of humanity who served only to feed the earth with my corpse. I hated them all, every last human being I despised them silently. I could kill them so easily and nothing would be done. I'd send them through the hell I've endured for years. But people out there are like me, suffering through no fault of their own, forced to believe they were fit solely for the roles others imprinted on them like cattle, they don't deserve that.
I hate it. I hate them all! I... I...!
"I FUCKING HATE IT!" Pure, spiteful hatred spewed from my lips in a tsunami of rime that chipped away at my burning bindings, sending fissures through the crystal holding me in place. Zerex stumbled back from the arctic force, trying to pry his cleaver free but my ice quickly clotted the wounds and the blade embedded in them. The harsh wind blew my hair wildly, displaying my vicious eyes drowning in contempt as my mark glowed a piercing ice-blue.
I felt my legs move, so without thought I pulled my body down the length of the cleaver, feeling my skin and flesh peel and snap, I twisted erratically, feeling bones snap at the sickening angles until my throaty cry tore me from the magic snare, shattering its grasp while my bleeding wrists regrew with black hands and white claws, patches of blue scales growing along the backs of my palms. Zerex held his sword firmly, watching me with fear and caution in his soul. A sadistic smile pulled at my lips, the wind kicking up again as I laughed. Oh I felt a hearty laugh rip through my regenerating lungs like a breath of fresh air. Oh God... this felt so much better!
"Die... won't you, worm?" I cooed with my fingers tapping my lips, licking the blood off of them. With a blinding flash, a wave of ice erupted behind me, and my fist drove through the side of the cleaver, shattering it at the hilt. Zerex howled in pain, erecting a barrier of blue flames and chitin to shield himself from the cold that grew up the pillars and froze the weaker Hive to the floor. "Hahahaha...!" I couldn't help but pity something so weak... so... fragile.
Touching a nearby pillar, I sunk into the shadows, moving around to jump in front of the inoperable portal as Zerex spun around, manifesting a new cleaver from his flames to slam the ground, unleashing a torrent of soul fire to collide with my ice, I guided it with my palm, gathering it up a small incline into a ball. Then I squeezed it tightly. "Shatter," I commanded, seeing the tight blue ball splinter into thousands of needles of ice, skewering the Wizards that burnt my body with their arc bolts, some Thrall that survived were immediately pinned against the walls until they crumbled into dust.
Through the white mist, the blade's edge caught on my right forearm, digging into my flesh but I barely flinched, pushing it back while rime crawled down the face and bound the sword to Zerex's hand. He didn't react in time as my boot launched out and broke his hand into glassy pieces, leaving him to summon a shield again, that's when I noticed, he was regenerating behind that barrier. So that's how he survived this long, huh? Cute.
To his surprised, my fist plunged through the barrier to grab his left hand, pulling him through his own shield as black chitin clattered around us, the sheer proximity with me forced ice to snap and crackle over his armour, my very aura was a living blizzard. My smile remained, twisting his arm slowly until it broke off, crumbling into frozen shards. Now, he was defenceless, no hands, and crawling away from me like the worm. Hold on, didn't Morbin say these Hive are...?
I snickered, stepping close enough to peer into its husk, and sure enough, two souls were present. One in the Hive's chest, the other, squirming around inside its gut. "You Hive need this to survive, don't you?" My smile faded briefly, then it returned with a joyful laugh, pressing my boot down on its leg to keep him from moving. "It's really a shame," I leaned forward, looking down at this fear-ridden Knight with disgust. "That I never realized how much of a stupid bitch I was, so thank you for giving me clarity on who I am,"
With a single, powerful thrust, my fingers dug into a soft, slippery creature inside its body, it squirmed and made an odd sound like a wail before I crushed it, pulling my hand out to flick off the green goo and bits of flesh from my fingers. Zerex seized up, head bursting into flames as its whole body crumbled at my feet. Without a Worm, a Hive would wither and die. The price of power for them.
Nothing lived but me, any and all Hive were frozen like statues or crumbled in the chaos. I was alone with Velk as the whole chamber was covered in a winter wonderland of my design. But, looking to my sword buried in snow a few feet away, I raised my hand. I... stopped it? My quirk, I just let it run rampant until I was satisfied and... "I'm okay? I... I feel... warm," My hand pressed to my chest, which I now realize most of my hero costume was gone, leaving me with torn underarmour to cover my pelvis and parts of my thighs, and my chest with a sleeves that only now reached halfway down my biceps. My boots were intact, so that's good.
Besides my torn wardrobe, my heart was beating warmly, it was filling me with heat again. Did I never notice or was it my quirk? Hanta said I always felt cold to the touch, not that he cared, but his observation aligned with other points from others. How long was I like this? Tears rolled down my bloodied cheeks as Velk appeared to grab my shoulders with a teary smile of her own. "I'm sorry I put you through that, I - huh?" She stopped when I started to laugh, it wasn't malicious or sadistic I felt... so happy!
"Hahahaha!" I yelled it to the high heavens with a wide smile on my cheeks. "Thank you... thank you so much!" I wept, hugging my sister so tightly I thought I heard her back pop from the force. I feel good, amazing even! "I love you..." I buried my head into her chest, feeling her cool wings and arms surround me.
"I love you too," She nuzzled the top of my head.
I don't know how long we stayed like this, but frankly, I couldn't care less.
To Be Continued...
Now this was something to write, Hana has always been very strange, all due to her quirk that she actively supressed not just its power but her feelings. With Morbin's aid, that barrier has been brought down as the ice master finally lets her anger out, and ever other emotion she's kept bottled up for years. Now all that's left is our main girl's test but with what? I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Guardians!
Next Chapter Intermission: Legacy of the Splicer
Hana stood into view first, "Well, it appears we've gotten closer to finding that Baron," She nodded over to Akio who was playing with his new black bow.
"Yep! But, well... Yuki's still... I don't know how to help her right now," His words trailed off, looking worried as a hand ruffled his hair, belonging to Dimitri. "Teach?"
"Heyo, don't worry about little Yuyu, C and my brother's got it covered," She reassured, clicking her fingers at the camera. "Coming up, Legacy of the Splicer!"
"Okay, Continue On!" Akio copied Dimitri's action as Hana smiled, being put at ease with Velk smiling behind her.
"Towards the Light!" The sisters chimed.