The Monster of Yuuei

by Glow in the Rain

The monsters were called Nomu: mindless, terrible creatures that instilled fear in the Kingdom of Yuuei. But one monster always showed up in a whirlwind of smoke and black tendrils, tearing the Nomu apart. The Monster of Yuuei, they called it. It doesn't take long before a witch, the Captain of the Guard, and the Crowned Prince realize there's more to this monster than it seems.

12. The Forgotten One

It was late afternoon when Kyouka found herself quietly moving through the forest, redistributing her clay cups around the border wall to the eastern ruins. Even with the new information presented, there were still too many missing pieces of this puzzle. Her Queen had ordered her to continue learning what she could, but to keep the risk to herself minimal.

"Keep me informed on anything more you learn about the magus Izuku and his guardian, as well as anything of importance about the eastern ruins. Continue to share your findings on the eastern ruins with Yuuei's little 'dragon.'"

She pursed her lips, pausing her thoughts as she heard noise coming from the far side of the wall. Someone was moving, and with help from her magic, she was able to identify it was a person with a steady, controlled gait. They were about her height, and she could hear the rustle of fabric dragging against dead grass as they moved. Likely a robe or a long cloak.

She swallowed, eyes falling to the crumbled portion of the wall ahead. They were walking towards it, and if she could get there and position herself, she might see a face. Pressing the tips of her fingers together, she pulled them apart like she was expanding something invisible, and the air around her shifted as her magic took effect, allowing her to move silently over the grass.

Her back to a tree, she twisted to see the person as they came into view. The robes were black and heavy, draping over the slight form like thick curtains as they walked quietly, boots pressing down over the dried soil and dead grass. However, the most important and most recognizable thing was the crow mask the man wore, with a feathered cowl that covered his entire head.

Kyouka's eyes widened, and she dispeled her magic instantly. "Fumikage!"

The masked head lifted calmly, as if expecting her, and nodded. "Greetings, Kyouka."

"How…" She pushed off from the tree, running up and coming to a stop just short of the opening in the wall. Eyes wide, she stared at how he stood there amongst the blackened grass and dried brambles, seemingly unharmed. Her mouth fell open. "How are you standing on that side of the wall? Alive?"

He nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "I can tell you, but you shall forget again. Like last time."

"Last time?" Kyouka echoed, brows furrowing. "Fumikage, I have not seen you in over a year."

"That is incorrect. You saw me two days ago. We had this same discussion," He replied patiently, and Kyouka didn't like how sincere that sounded. He wasn't lying.

"I…" She trailed off, shaking her head. "I don't understand. I–"

"Forgive me for interrupting, but in the interest of time, I shall quickly explain what you need to know so that we can make the best use of this window of opportunity," Fumikage replied. "I am currently under the effects of a curse. One that I have inflicted upon myself. From the point this curse was cast, no one can remember me when they look away, but past memories before the curse remain intact. So you are able to remember our interactions up until I placed this curse upon myself, however any of the interactions we have had since then, you forget the moment I am out of your line of sight."

Kyouka sucked in a breath, but Fumikage shook his head, continuing. "The reason I have done this is because, like yourself, I noticed people were moving through this cursed land but not dying as they did so. Through observation, I found they had one thing in common: they are all cursed. As you know, my magic allows me to sense curses in addition to creating them, so it was easy to find that commonality. So, I took a risk and cursed myself, and as you can see, I am able to freely traverse this sorrowful land without it harming me."

He paused, glancing around them, but Kyouka quickly spoke. "There's no one nearby. I'll let you know if that changes. …Please, uh… continue."

He nodded. "The benefit of this curse is that it makes shadowing these cursed souls easier, for they forget me as long as I can make them lose sight of me. While I cannot get too close, I have learned several things. Unfortunately, passing that information on to someone who is trustworthy has been… difficult. After all, we have spoken twice now, and yet you cannot remember."

Although she could not see his face behind the mask, she could tell by his tone that he was almost smiling at the irony of the situation. Still, she found herself asking, "How did you decide I was trustworthy, then? Because if you're saying that, I assume it means you assume most people are not, or you would have simply gone to the closest town and contacted the guard."

"I'm taking a calculated risk, given you are out here also trying to find who is moving and why," Fumikage replied matter-of-factly. "Regardless, I have decided to test the limitations of my curse with you, to see if we can find a way to exchange information without you forgetting."

Kyouka frowned, narrowing her eyes. "How do you plan to do that?"

In response, he shifted inside his robes and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment. Carefully, he crossed over the ruined hole in the wall, ensuring his robes did not catch on the rubble in the process. Kyouka backed up slightly, eyes falling to the piece of paper as he spoke. "I have written you a letter. Take it, but do not look away from me as you put it in your bag. I do not wish to have to repeat this again."

Hesitantly, she reached out, fingers hovering over the parchment as she looked at him. He nodded once. "Touching me will not allow the curse to pass to you, that I can assure you."

"Right," Kyouka replied, before steeling herself and grabbing the paper from his fingers. She did as she was told, keeping her eyes on him as she fumbled for her bag and tucked the paper atop the cloth she had been using to buffer her clay pots from each other. "Now what?"

"There is no point in explaining what I have learned right now, as you'll forget once this conversation ends. However, my hope is that you will see this letter once you've returned home, and then you will read it. Assuming I have not made a mistake when I created the limitations of this curse, what you read will stay with you, so that you are prepared for when we next meet. If that works, then my next letter will detail everything I have found so far."

"Clever," Kyouka said, eyes narrowing. "Tell me this, then, even if I'll forget. What are we dealing with? Do you know?"

Fumikage was silent for several seconds, making dread build in Kyouka's body.

"From what I have witnessed, we are dealing with monsters and killers, Kouka. For that much, I am certain."

XX

It was evening, and Katsuki wanted to burn down everything around him. He snarled something unintelligible to Tsuyu as he stalked past the spirit, to which she only tilted her head in response.

Izuku was out in the yard when he got past the swamp, and the idiotic look of concentration on his face was almost enough to make Katsuki snort. He stood there, shirtless and in just his trousers, hands held out as he focused his magic and sweat gathered on his skin, indicating the amount of effort he had been putting into his training. The air in front of him spun like a small, violent cyclone, which did make the captain raise a brow.

"Hi Kacchan," Izuku said softly, his eyes briefly flickering over to him before returning to his magic. He then snapped his hands up into the air, letting the wind he had been controlling gush up and disperse above the treetops with a sharp whoosh. It was as the trees snapped back from the pressure that Katsuki realized the magic Izuku had been manipulating was not small. It was condensed.

A few branches fell with loud cracks, and the idiot had the audacity to look embarrassed. "Oh… that wasn't supposed to do that."

Ochako poked her head out the open door of her cottage a moment later, lifting a brow. "Practice makes perfect, but only with proper breaks. Come have some tea, Izuku. Katsuki, would you like some? I'm glad you got my message!"

"Your messenger won't let me go," Katsuki replied with a growl as he took a few menacing steps forward. "And she sucks at what she does."

"I do not," wailed Toru from behind him, and he had to refrain from the strong urge to set his hair on fire as she tugged on his rattail. "You just don't appreciate meeeee!"

He could see Ochako biting back a grin, and he glowered at her. "Seriously, Ochako. She showed up in front of Tenya."

The witch stiffened, frowning. "Toru, I said be discreet."

"I was!" The sprite cried indignantly. "I didn't say your name at all!"

There was a pause before Ochako sighed, her shoulders slumping. As much as Katsuki wanted to gloat that, yes, he was right, and this is the bullshit that happened when you didn't listen, he felt they had way too much to discuss.

"Tenya knows now anyway."

Izuku turned to him with wide eyes, and Ochako frowned, folding her arms over her chest. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Fuck if I know. I'll tell you what happened, and you can tell me what you've learned, since you called me here for a reason."

"I did… and…" She paused, frowning, looking out towards the forest. "You didn't come with Shouto? Did you two fight again?"

Katsuki stiffened, scowling. "What? No. He's busy doing research. Doesn't even know I'm here."

"Well he's on his way, apparently. I can feel him through the magic by the edge of the forest, so he must have found something with his research, then. We might as well wait so we don't have to repeat anything. You can both help me prepare dinner."

"I ain't helping you do shit," Katsuki spat back, only to duck as Ochako magically threw a mushroom at him.

XX

Eijiro was worried. Nervous. Frenetic. He was pretty sure those were all accurate words to describe his state of being, though he might have been confusing 'frenetic' with 'frantic'. Whatever, he wasn't hired by the guard for his poetry.

The prince had been incredibly evasive since the little girl had unlocked the veil on the Empty Book. He stated he needed to comb through the book before he spoke more to it, and despite everyone's very obvious concern and confusion, he didn't back down from his stance. He left the farmhouse with haste, but not without giving House Aizawa a sizable bag of coin and a promise that he would have someone visit soon to sort out the details of Eri's schooling.

Although it was not necessarily the most socially elegant exit, it was still leaps above King Enji's public appearances, so that was something at least.

On their ride back, Eijiro tried to press for details of any kind, but Shouto had shut down the conversation, giving an order that the subject was off limits until he said otherwise. The rest of the journey back to Ultra was mostly silent as the prince skimmed over the first page of the book in his hands, half paying attention to his horse. From his position at the prince's side, Eijiro could see that the magic was slow. The ink returned to the pages with the crawl of a child learning to write, so it was clear it would take hours for the entire book to be done. And yet, Shouto couldn't keep his eyes off of it, repeatedly reviewing the small amount of text with almost an obsession.

It was disconcerting, and Eijiro promised himself to keep an eye on the prince for the rest of the evening. Surely he was just paranoid, but what if the book had bewitched him somehow?

However, the moment they reached the city gates, Shouto dismissed his escorts, telling them to head back to their routine duties, and Eijiro swallowed nervously. He had his orders, and they both knew that, and yet Shouto explicitly pulled rank to override Katsuki.

Eijiro was a person who did his best to follow orders and do the right thing, so he almost let it go, leaving with his men, but the whole situation bothered him immensely, and something in the back of his mind nagged him to just double back and check and make sure Prince Shouto was okay. That book… it could have done something. Eijiro still wasn't sure it hadn't, and after a moment of warring with himself, he gritted his teeth and turned back.

His worry began to snowball as he realized Shouto had left the city instead of coming inside. And that worry continued to snowball as he followed the young prince to the rural farms outside the city, despite how late in the day it was. And then the snowball turned into an avalanche as he watched the prince disappear into the forest rumored to be haunted.

Why was he going into the enchanted forest? Nay, the haunted forest. 'Enchanted' was too positive of a name. He swallowed, glancing back towards the farmers hurrying to finish their remaining tasks before the sun finished setting. He could see one of the troops in the distance, patrolling for potential Nomu attacks, and really, he should have been preparing to do the same.

Instead, he found himself prompting the nearby farmers, asking about the forest and what they knew. He couldn't let them know he'd just watched the crown prince wander into the shadowy woods, but maybe he was wrong about the rumors, and it was nothing of concern. It's not like he often ended up in these parts of the farmlands during his own patrols.

He felt his skin crawl as the farmers told him of the numerous sightings of Yuuei's Monster. Of the forest witch who lingered at the forests' edge at dusk, wrapped in a cowl of blood red, with a staff that glowed ominously. They spoke of the hushed whispers carried on the wind from deep in the forest, and of the way the trees loomed if you approached. And if you listened in the early morning hours, you could hear the echoed voices of children giggling, likely spirits of the forest hiding amidst the pre-dawn fog.

Eijiro distinctly did not want to go into that forest, but after ten minutes of waiting, Prince Shouto had not returned. Knowing that his fear of Katsuki's wrath was much greater than his fear of ghosts, he whimpered, squared his shoulders, and equipped with a lantern of Todoroki fire, he stepped into the dark woods.

XX

"What happened?" Katsuki asked without preamble as Shouto stepped past the enchanted barrier.

The prince blinked, looking at the three who were standing out there in front of the cottage, as if waiting for him. "Ah… you knew I was coming?"

"I could sense you as you got close to the forest," Ochako replied, stepping back towards the inside of the cottage. "Come, I have dinner cooking. It's almost ready."

"Wait, don't you mean the magic told you?" Shouto clarified, arching a brow and following her inside. Katsuki and Izuku trailed in behind him, the latter pausing to grab a bucket of water and bring it in with him. The earthy scent of mushrooms and herbs permeated the small space of the cottage, and the heat from the hearth washed over them.

"Not this time," Ochako said as she returned to the kitchen. "I've been able to sometimes sense things. Usually things that are important to me, so I knew when Katsuki was about to arrive and when you showed up as well."

"That's… new," Shouto replied carefully, taking a seat at the table. Although his voice was mild, Katsuki could see the tension in the other man's form. It was like he was brimming with excitement, and the captain had to wonder just what had happened.

"Sounds like we all have shit to discuss," He muttered, taking a seat beside the prince as Izuku moved past them to help in the kitchen. His eyes followed his childhood friend, watching with scrutiny as tendrils of black magic whipped out and moved things about, helping set the table. This was a stark contrast to the display of magic Izuku had shown before. Far more control, and far less… 'monster'.

Things had definitely changed, and quickly.

"Yes," Ochako's voice broke him out of his thoughts, and he looked up as she stirred the contents of the pan over the heart. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled at both of them. "So… who wants to go first?"

XX

Katsuki rubbed at his face with his hands, staring down at the open book that Shouto had brought. There were only a few pages of text so far, but the words strongly aligned with what Izuku had explained to them about cores. The fact this had even worked, especially on the first try, was unbelievable enough, but to know they now had the beginnings of proof made it all feel like a dream. Could they really spread this knowledge in a way that would help people protect themselves? Would it cause them more harm than good? There were so many questions that he knew he wouldn't have answers to right now, so he had to focus on making sure he had the facts straight for what they did know.

"All right. Lemme fucking summarize this. Deku's core is named Requiem, and it's really an accumulation of cores over multiple generations. The Blackened Core can steal his cores, but he can steal from the Blackened Core. Except every other holder has died by this fucker's hands, so Deku's chances of survival are abysmal, like everything else about this fucking situation."

"But Requiem stated the Echo was important," Shouto countered, gesturing to Ochako. "In fact, it implied she was a key to Izuku being able to put a stop to this cycle."

"Yeah, and she's also the key to ending the world if they get a hold of her," Katsuki grumbled, waving a hand and ignoring the way Ochako glared at him. "Regardless, we still don't know how Ochako's magic is supposed to help Deku. For all we know, Deku's supposed to take hers or something."

"I can't take cores," Izuku interjected softly, fidgeting with his fingers. He had put the rest of his clothes back on before dinner and sat beside Ochako at the table, eyes resting on the book laid out before them. "I can only take back what the Blackened Core had stolen, and I release those back to the ecosystem."

Ochako nodded, sipping her tea and doing her best to not wake the wind sprite currently sleeping in her hair. "Most likely it involves our magic intermingling in some other way. I suspect we'll learn more once Izuku gets a better grasp on his own magic."

"Yeah, about that. You've already touched two new magic branches?" Katsuki asked, jabbing a finger in Izuku's direction. No one questioned why it was his middle finger, but everyone very much noticed.

Izuku nodded, green curls bobbing. "I think so… but it's hard to tell. Right now I'm trying to master my Hollow core so that I can constantly see and interact with cores. I think that will help me the most."

"Oh… it's not constant?" Shouto inquired, stirring a finger in his tea to reheat it, having forgotten about it during their catchup.

In response, Izuku shook his head. "I usually have to concentrate, though sometimes it activates on its own, like when Nomu approach. I think that might be Requiem's doing, though. But it's getting easier. I can do it much faster and see things a lot clearer and farther away."

He blinked, eyes flashing briefly, and the intensity of the glow changed slightly. "Before… it took a lot of concentration. Now, I can do it much easier. I think I can find a way to have it always… active? Maybe. Requiem seems to think so."

He trailed off with that, eyes falling to the two men across from him, his expression pensive.

After a moment, Katsuki continued, "Right, so we have the book, and we gotta wait it out, because everything has to take its sweet fucking time. As for the rest… the shit Kyouka overheard ain't good, and it means they know Yuuei's Monster is Requiem, but we don't have evidence they know your faces. And as for Kyouka and Tenya… having them on our side hopefully keeps us a step ahead of whatever the shitty Blackened Core asshole has going on."

"We just have to hope they are trustworthy," Shouto added quietly, sipping his tea. He paused, lifting his eyes to Izuku who had been staring at him intently. "...What is it?"

Izuku pursed his lips, not immediately responding. After several seconds, he replied, "I… have never looked at your core until now. I'm confused by what I see."

Shouto and Katsuki both paused, glancing between each other before looking back at Izuku. Katsuki distinctly did not like those words coming out of the idiot's mouth, because now it was yet another fucking new thing they had to deal with it. He bit his tongue, however, waiting to hear more. Ochako frowned, leaning forward to see her ward's face. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't think something is… 'wrong'," Izuku replied hesitantly. "...Different. I thought Shouto would have a fire core."

Katsuki clenched his jaw, watching as Shouto blinked rapidly, his surprise showing through his normally muted expressions. "Don't I?"

Izuku shook his head, still staring at the prince with his eyes shining brightly. "You have a core that has two branches of magic, and… half of it is… asleep?"

There was a heavy silence as the group tried to process what exactly that meant. Internally, Katsuki was spewing a string of curses, because fuck if this didn't mean all sorts of bullshit if the king found out. No one said anything for several seconds before Ochako finally asked, "What's the other half, then?"

Izuku shook his head again, shrugging a little. "I… don't know. I can tell it's there, but I can't really see it. It's like one half is covering the other half and …hiding it?"

Shouto pursed his lips, thinking, and Katsuki found himself stunned he was taking it so well. Did he not realize how serious this was? Did he not care? He watched as the other man nodded to himself thoughtfully. "Can you talk to cores, Izuku? Like how Ochako talks to the ecosystem?"

Izuku hummed, his expression unsure. "I… sometimes feel things from them. I've never… tried talking to them, though, but I-I think it's possible."

"Are you sure you wanna do that?" Katsuki asked carefully, eyes narrowing as he turned to Shouto. Honestly, he had no idea what the right answer was here. Why did Deku have to open his stupid mouth at a time like this? Couldn't he have waited like, six years?

Much to Katsuki's relief, and maybe also his surprise, the prince held up a hand, shaking his head. "Not right now. We don't know what kind of effect that would have on my magic, and the last thing we need is to add another 'unknown' to everything going on. This…" He sighed. "This can wait."

Katsuki huffed, looking away. "...Yeah. Last thing we need to do is send your dad into hysterics." Or me.

XX

The sun had set by the time they passed through the swamp, and Shouto led the way, fire dancing gently in his hand as he held it up over his head. They had agreed to leave the book in Ochako's cottage overnight, as that was the safest place to let the spell finish its work.

Katsuki frowned, looking down at the strange stone in his palm, black, with a hole in the center. Although he'd been holding it for several minutes, it still remained cold to the touch, like he had just pulled it out of a running brook. Ochako had given one to each of them, saying that if something urgent happened, she would be able to let them know with this. It was about fucking time that she was starting to plan ahead and not just react to shit as it happened, although all of this still made him antsy. So much was happening so fast, and as much as he wanted to believe they were a step ahead of the enemy, he knew very well it was likely they were several steps behind.

He didn't like that.

"Let's pick up the pace. Everyone's gonna wanna know where we've been, and–"

Sudden movement caused both men to whirl around, magic building up around them in anticipation of attack. However, they both came to a screeching halt as Eijiro dove out of the shadows, sword and shield drawn and eyes wide. The flame of his lantern hanging at his hip grew brighter as it reacted to Shouto's presence. He stared them both down, and the fire in Shouto's hand cast eerie shadows across his face, highlighting how utterly terrified he looked.

"Eijiro, what the fuck?" Katsuki all but shouted, alarmed. "What are you doing out here?"

"What am I doing out here? I'm looking for Prince Shouto," Eijiro replied, exasperated, and his voice just a touch shrill. "I have been out here for hours trying to find out where you went! I frickin' thought that book cursed you, because why else would you come into this damn place! It's creepy! I am pretty sure I've had ghosts trip me a dozen times now, and one pulled my hair!"

"Wait, what do you mean the book cursed him," Katsuki replied, eyes narrowing on Shouto and ignoring Eijiro's absurd claim about ghosts. "You didn't mention a damned thing about the book cursing you."

"It didn't curse me," Shouto replied, a slight edge in his voice as he looked back at the captain. "The magical release… knocked me back. That's all."

"How did it knock you back? Wasn't the kid the one who undid the veil?" Katsuki's question was met with silence, and Shouto pointedly didn't look at him, staring off into the forest with his jaw set. Growling, Katsuki rounded onto Ejiro instead. "What stupid-ass bullshit did he do this time, Eijiro?"

The lieutenant captain paused, eyes widening. "I…well, he–"

"Don't tell him, Eijiro. I'll handle this later." Shouto's words were an order, and Katsuki was having none of it, snarling out something ugly under his breath as he took a step forward, shaking a finger at him.

"No you fucking will not! Tell me right now, asswipe!"

"Nothing happened! We got the spell undone and I brought the book over! That's the end of the story!"

"It clearly fucking ain't if you got Eijiro so panicked he braved his fear of ghosts to come into this place!"

"Katsuki, I swear–"

"Will you both cut it out?" Eijiro finally snapped, stomping his foot. "It's late, and I'm tired. This place is creepy, and I want nothing more than to kick back six pints of ale until I can't feel my feet. And, frankly, had I realized why you were in here, I wouldn't have followed you, okay?"

"Wait, what do you mean?" Katsuki asked, eyes snapping over to his lieutenant, color draining from his face. No, no. Oh fuck, no.

Eijiro gave him a withering look. "I know, OK? I won't tell anyone; don't worry. But you need to be more careful. If I know, others will eventually find out. Just…"

He trailed off, shrugging, but Katsuki was reeling. This entire time he thought they had been doing a good job keeping it hidden, but now not one, but two people had implied they'd figured it out, and suddenly he felt clammy and – his brain came to a screeching halt as Shouto opened his stupid fucking mouth and said the stupid fucking worst thing he could in that moment.

"...How did you know about Izuku?"

Katsuki turned wide eyes to Shouto, a million expressions crossing over his face, most of which harbored violent intent. Eijiro blinked, confusion spreading across his features. "Izuku? Who's Izuku? Exactly how many people are involved in this damn lover's tryst?"

And that was when Shouto realized he'd royally fucked up.

XX

Kyouka frowned as she pulled the scroll out of her bag that she certainly didn't remember putting in there. She had been home for about an hour, but admittedly had not gotten around to sorting her things immediately. Still, this wasn't in her bag when she packed her cups this morning, she was certain of it. With some amusement, she glanced over to her spouse sitting by the window, a smile tugging at her lips. "Denki, is this your doing?"

Her husband looked up from his mead, eyes falling to the parchment she held. He gave her a lopsided grin. "Not me. It's a bit too rough looking to be one of my love letters. Should I worry I got competition?"

She snorted, lifting a brow at him. "They would need to try a bit harder, I'm afraid." Moving on from their joke, she carefully unfurled the paper to see what the contents were. However, as her eyes fell to the characters written in charcoal, her brows dipped in confusion. "What…"

Denki frowned, pulling himself out of his chair. "What is it?"

"I…" Kyouka trailed off, shaking her head as she went over the scrawl on the parchment. "The hell…"

Coming up beside her, Denki looked over her shoulder, skimming the contents of the paper in her hands. "What… is this?"

Kyouka,

You will find this letter and not remember how it came into your possession. In your mind, the last time we spoke was a year ago, as I passed through Heights Alliance before the summer solstice. However, we have met three times in the past week as you have done your patrols. You cannot remember, because my magic makes it that way. Assuming I have applied the curse correctly, you will remember this letter. If so, then find me at the crumbled wall by your sixth clay cup, in the evening before the sun sets. I shall provide you with more information at that time in the form of another letter.

Keep this information quiet. I suspect the walls have as many ears as you do.

- Fumikage

XX

Turquoise eyes regarded the village before him with cold calculation, regarding the milling people as nothing more than pawns in a game. As much as he'd rather be blazing the soil of Yuuei, there was a certain appeal of targeting Dragoir instead. Either way, they needed bodies, and Touya was here to make bodies.

He shifted, hands shoved in the pockets of his leather coat, and turned his attention to the man standing beside him. Lifting a brow, he watched as gray eyes darted all over the place, as if following something in his vision that no one else could see. His fingers twitched with each notion as did his shaggy blond hair. He looked broken, and really, he pretty much was given his curse. "Jin. Stay here until I get the place cooking, then you can drag the corpses back to the Reliquary."

"Right. Stay here. Here. There? There. Here." The man named Jin replied, his head twitched with each word, as if something was wrong with the sounds leaving his mouth.

Touya watched without a single thread of concern for the other man's sanity. Really it was just interesting that Jin could still function given his state of mind. He wondered if at some point he would completely break under the effects of his curse. If so, they'd have to kill him, and while Touya didn't care about that, it would be a shame to let his magic go to waste. Maybe Tomura would at least steal his core before that happened.

Turning his attention back to the village, he grinned as clouds passed overhead, blotting out the moonlight. Freeing his hands from his pockets, he turned his palms upward as they exploded in blue fire.

Tonight was going to be… fun.

XX

Ochako paused from reviewing the pages of the book that now had text, rolling her neck to work through the mild stiffness that had formed. It had been a while since she'd used her rocking chair, given that it was in the corner behind Izuku's makeshift bed, and she tried very hard to keep out of that space to allow it to be 'his'. However, when he saw her settled down at the kitchen table bench to read, he'd asked why she wasn't using her chair. And when she explained, he gave her the most adorable pout, saying that was silly, and he wanted her to use the chair.

So she did, rocking quietly while Izuku read over one of her many books, this one on magical precision. He fell asleep almost immediately, and she wasn't surprised, given how much he had spent the day training. Carefully, she closed the book in her hands and stood, mindful of the rocker to not let it creak and wake him up. Stepping over his bed, she paused long enough to gently tug the book out of his fingers and close it, ensuring his leaf-bookmark was in place. Tugging the blankets up to his chest, she smiled, gently brushing his bangs from his face.

She was proud of him, and she wondered if she was saying it enough. Encouragement was important in the face of everything he was shouldering. He sighed softly, snuggling deeper into his bed, and she smiled, fingers waving about as she hushed the flames of the lantern and the remaining embers of the hearth, shrouding the cottage in darkness.

It took her a bit of time to fall asleep, mind going over everything that had happened recently. It would be a lie to say she wasn't extremely worried, and she had to wonder just how Izuku was holding it together. Part of her hoped he simply lacked the capacity to focus on all the details that were lingering around them, implying how things could fall apart so quickly. The rest of her knew that hope was unfair, because he needed to be aware of everything as best he could, because this was all depending on him.

She didn't even realize she had fallen asleep until she found herself standing in the midst of sunflowers. She sucked in a breath, smiling to herself as she felt her magic all around her, manifesting in the scent of spring rains and mountain winds. This place always calmed her, no matter how bad the day had been, and as her eyes fell down to the fields, her lips turned upward upon seeing footprints in the soft soil, larger than hers.

Izuku had been here. She followed the footprints, happy to know he was retreating here when things were stressful for him as well. The footprints were meandering, and she could easily imagine the way he paused to admire things and look around curiously. She mimicked the actions, chuckling as the wind ruffled her hair and knocked the sunflower blossoms together. As she turned, admiring the scenery of her haven, the air in the distance rippled in a strange way. Her brow furrowed, and she pushed through the flowers to get closer to the unusual distortion in the little world she had created.

Confusion mounted as she found herself peaking through the fabric of her own dream to see a familiar sandy field below her. Izuku stood in the middle of his field of cores, curiously looking at one of them, although they all appeared as black stones to Ochako since she was not a Hollow. Unlike before, he was no longer a small child, now looking like a young teenager with unruly hair and gangly limbs. His clothes were a little too small for him, like he had just hit a growth spurt.

Ochako held her breath, trying to figure out just what this meant. How was she seeing the inside of Izuku's core from this place? Had he done this?

She called out to him, but he seemed to not notice her, fingers gently touching the rock he crouched in front of, peering at whatever core was underneath it. The window into Requiem blurred, and she took a step back, deciding to give him privacy as she tried to hypothesize what had happened. She had shared this dream space with him, but it now appeared to be somehow connected to his core.

Frowning, she turned and walked back into the mass of yellow flowers, fingers brushing against the petals as she tried to make sense of it all.

XX

Izuku looked around Requiem's landscape, feeling the sand between his toes as he walked through the field of cores. He had started his night off in Ochako's sunflowers, taking refuge in the inviting landscape that drove away the fears and anxiety plaguing at him. He hadn't stayed very long, simply enjoying the lingering sensation of her magic, and the calm it brought to the storm in his heart.

Eventually he closed his eyes and left the place, opening them to find himself inside the heart of his own core. Requiem hummed at him, urging him to connect to the magic he had trained with that day.

He started at his Hollow, noting how he could easily feel the magic at his fingertips. He was becoming very adept in his understanding of magical cores, and he wondered what more there was to learn. Could he learn to talk to cores, like Ochako did with the ecosystem? And if so, what would they say? Would he be able to understand why Shouto's was hiding part of itself?

Thoughtfully, carefully, he moved to the cores he already knew, admiring how strong his connection with them was after training with them all day. The magic of each clung to him like a solid tether, promising they were right there if he needed them. His eyes then fell to the next few that stood out, closer than they had been before. Two were small, and one slightly larger.

The first one, the smallest, looked like a tiny, calm lake floating in hues of blue, its surface almost like a mirror. Izuku ran his fingers through it, feeling the familiar sensation from earlier, when he had touched Ochako's comb. This was the divination magic that Ochako mentioned. It was not very strong, and he didn't have a good understanding of how it worked yet. Quietly, he asked his core, "How does this magic work?"

Requiem thrummed in response to his question, but the answer was not the most helpful. "The magic is a mirror into a memory, when activated by the right trigger."

Izuku pursed his lips, knowing very well that if he pressed, he probably wouldn't get a better answer. Requiem had made it clear that much of his mastery of magic needed to be of his own accord. Sighing, he turned his attention to the next one, and he tilted his head as he touched the small sphere. It broke apart into slices in his hand, shivering, before pushing itself back together. The magic was …familiar, but in a way that made it hard to distinctly identify, because he realized it was always on him. This time, Requiem decided to help him out.

"This magic has aided you from the start. It is subtle, allowing you heightened senses. With its mastery, you will be able to adjust that sensitivity to your will."

Heightened senses… He frowned, noting every time a strong scent had made him recoil, and how he had much better vision than he could ever recall as a child. It would be nice to gain control over that, if only because the medicine Ochako used when he got injured was retched, and it made him want to vomit every time he had to smell it.

Wrinkling his nose, he made a mental note to try to actively tap into that magic later. As it was something he was already doing subconsciously, maybe that meant it would be easier to master?

His eyes landed on the last of the new cores, energetic pinks and purples swirling around a black center. He knew before touching it what it was, as the energy looked just like the glow of his fingers when he had stopped everything from hitting him during his training. What was the word Ochako used? Telekinetic?

He sat down in front of it, hands cupping the core gently. It wasn't as powerful as the ones he used the most, but he had a feeling it would be very versatile in his fight against the Blackened Core.

However, as he started to close his eyes, he paused, feeling a brush of Ochako's magic roll over his senses. He blinked, looking up and around, but didn't see her anywhere.

It must have been leftover from when he was in her sunflowers. Sighing ruefully, he returned his attention to his magic, failing to see the shimmering window in the sky above him with blurry sunflowers waving in the distance.

XX

Through the roaring of his flames and the pained screams, Touya smiled, walking along the center road of the village. There was… some measure of restraint involved, because corpses burnt to ash were not useful. So he made sure to extinguish his flames on the bodies he passed by, leaving behind smoldering flesh and boiled blood.

Behind him, shadowy creatures that half ran, half galloped were clamoring around, grabbing up the bodies and scurrying off into the night. At least Jin's curse did not seem to affect his magic too much. The last thing Touya wanted was to have those summons turn on him.

A sudden movement in the crossroads ahead drew his attention, but his brows lifted at seeing the red, white, and gold colors of the Dragoir royal guard. The woman turned to him, eyes full of anger as she whirled her staff around in her hands. He grinned, cocking his head to the side. "Hey. Wanna dance?"

She said nothing, staff behind her in an odd position for a magical weapon. He lifted a brow, contemplating the pose. She waited, eyes narrowed and focused on him.

He moved first, lashing out in a wide arc of blue fire, a glint in his eyes as he watched the magic sail towards her. In response, she snapped her hand up, creating a dome of golden light around her. He watched, fascinated, as his magic barreled into the dome and came to a sudden halt. She walked around it, stepping out of the dome and dispeling it behind her. His flames charged forward, crashing into a burning building behind her.

Was that…?

Lips pulling into a wide, chapped grin, he lashed out at her again, watching with utter fascination as golden light encased her form and she blurred out of the way, moving towards him with startling speed. He narrowly avoided a swipe of her staff at his head, throwing up a wall of fire to force space between them.

"Hah! That's some neat magic. What is it, time manipulation?"

She said nothing, but he could see the fury in her bright blue eyes. He leaned forward slightly, brows lifted. "Answer me."

"Drop dead," She replied, jutting a hand out at him. Golden light encased him, and the next thing he knew, he was tumbling back across the street, a pain in his chest from the impact of her weapon. He grunted, rolling to his feet, a hand pressed to his ribs.

She advanced towards him, and he grinned at her, tilting his head again. "That's some impressive magic, but it's not well-suited for combat."

She opened her mouth to respond, only to be cut off as two of Jin's shadow summons came after her from opposite directions. She thrust her hands out, catching them each in a time bubble, causing them to be suspended in slow motion, and that was all the opportunity Touya needed.

"Thanks Jin!" He called cheerily as he rushed in, flames in his fists. He definitely didn't want to kill her now, but he certainly needed to incapacitate her. Her eyes widened, and she swung her staff, only to have it meet a pillar of fire as he wrapped himself in his own magic. She yelped, pulling back as the blue flames licked at her hands. Touya advanced, lunging through the fire and slamming his fist into her stomach. The woman doubled over, and he followed up with a double-handed strike to the back of her head, sending her crashing down onto the road. The magic bubbles around them shattered, and she did not get up.

"Girl. Magic. Down. Girl down," Jin said from a burning rooftop, his words stilted and abrupt. "Not dead. Not yet dead. Dead."

"Yeah," Touya agreed, reaching into one of his pockets. "She's got time magic. Tomura will want to see it. We're bringing her back."

"Back, back. Bring back," Jin agreed, looking around. "Bringing with the corpses."

Touya hummed in agreement, fishing around his pocket for something. He pulled out a black bracelet with purple etchings and snapped it onto her wrist. "How many bodies do we have?"

"Many. Dozens. Multitudes. More than one."

"Jin," Touya turned to look at him. "What's the exact number?"

"One hundred and sixty seven. And a half. Missing a torso."

"Good. Let's get out of here."

The response he got was a stilted laugh as Jin hopped down from the rooftop of the nearly-collapsed building, landing like a frog. He stood up, waving his hands as his remaining shadow summons came running up to them. One grabbed the unconscious woman, her Dragoir uniform and blonde hair a stark contrast to its shadowy form. With a whoop, it took off, running up the hills towards the ruined kingdom. Jin took off after them, galloping in a strange half-jog with the ends of his robes gathered in his hands.

Toya waited until they were out of range before he threw out one final wave of fire, ensuring everything was burning. Lips pulling into a wicked smile, he raised his hands up into the air and snapped his fingers.

The roaring blue flames turned to angry red and continued their course in burning everything into ash.

"Oh, Queen of Dragoir, I do hope you enjoy your gift of Todoroki fire."

His high-pitched laughter could be heard echoing over the hills.