Content warnings: Minor character death, body mutiliation/gore, and near death experiences. Please tread carefully.
XX
Sounds dulled as Ochako felt herself fade. From the floor of her prison sphere, she watched the blurred movements of the Nomu bearing down on Izuku. Its shape became less distinguished, a haze of shadow, and as she started to slip from consciousness, she saw a strange blend of black and red instead.
There was a piercing sound, so sharp it rang through her body, vibrating up her bones.
And then the bubble shattered.
She hit the ground heavily, and the sudden reconnection of her core was like a jolt of electricity running through her. She gasped, feeling power race through her body and clarity return to her mind.
"Ochako! Get up!"
Kyouka's harried voice snapped her out of her daze, and she twisted to see the sound mage standing between her and the enemy. The man in the mask was shaking himself from a stupor, slumped against a splintered tree, and the woman was rolling to her feet unsteadily. Kyouka slammed a palm out, knocking the woman down again with a shockwave, her other hand coming up, ready to strike.
Ochako threw herself to her feet, pink erupting from her eyes, but a roar behind her made her turn, and she sucked in a breath at seeing Izuku pinned under the Nomu. A burning heat came to life inside of her, pushing out to roll across her skin in pink and white flames. She kept pulling in magic from the ecosystem, ignoring the way it stung her lungs and seared her skin, teeth gritting as she concentrated the magic around her. With an angry shout, she released everything she pulled in, sending it all forward in one huge blast towards the great aberration holding Izuku down. The beam of kinetic energy hit the Nomu full-on, knocking it off of Izuku and sending it tumbling onto its side where it screeched and scrambled to get up.
She watched as Requiem's holder threw himself to his feet and whirled to see her, standing in a circle of white flame and pink smoke. Despite not being able to see anything beyond his black magic and green flames, she could feel the intensity of his gaze.
"Ochako."
Tsuyu's voice made her snap her head to the side, and she looked at the spirit now standing beside her, water pouring off of her form. A small distance away, the man with the ethereal knives lay in a muddy puddle, drenched and unmoving. Mina was still fighting the shadow mage, continually supplying a tangle of roots to keep him immobilized as he continued to slice at them, and further away, Toru continued to assault the poison mage, blasts of wind keeping him off balance and whittling down his defenses.
"Is the sound mage your friend?" The spirit asked without preamble, her eyes on Kyouka holding back the other two mages to the best of her ability.
"Yes," Ochako replied, not looking behind her as her hands began to glow pink. No more words needed to be said as the spirit evaporated into a fine mist and took off to assist Kyouka in taking down the enemy.
As Tsuyu left, Ochako dashed towards the Nomu, inspired by the burn of the world's magic in her blood. Red hot flames came to life around her, whirling in a blazing tempest as she joined Izuku. He watched as she approached, the beast's attention on her, and used that to his advantage as he raised his hands into the air. The dark clouds overhead began to crackle with green energy before several strikes of lightning shot down, sending flashes of emerald light across the fields as they struck their target. She attacked at the same time, throwing columns of fire at the angry beast.
Even the combination of their attacks did little more than burn and blister the surface layer of its flesh, and Ochako grimaced at that fact, letting the fire magic she conjured transform into haste, aiding her in evading the angry swipes thrown at her from the monster.
Izuku was running from the other side towards her, but the massive tail came around, catching him in the side. She shouted as it sent him flying into the air, but her eyes widened as the creature used its own momentum to bear down on her, coming at her with a blur of claws and teeth. The burn in her limbs picked up again as she prepared to shield herself from the impact. Suddenly, there was a rip in the space beside her, and Izuku came hurtling out, his dark extensions snatching her and throwing them both out of reach of the attack. The ground shook from the impact, echoed by the angry roar of the monster behind them as they came to a skidding stop, kicking up dust. Ochako stared at the closing portal as Izuku's magic let her go, realizing that he had just unlocked another core in the middle of the fight.
He pushed himself to his feet, using his magic to aid himself, and Ochako could see the tremor in his movements underneath the inky armor, as well as the dripping of blood that fell past it. Knowing he was now fighting injured, the witch set her jaw and threw herself in front of him as the creature bounded towards them. Shoving both hands forward, fingers curled, she grit her teeth as pink and white fire erupted along her skin once again, searing her fingers as she pulled from the magical plane, warping the area the Nomu passed through. The creature stumbled under its own weight, its limbs knuckling as Ochako held it there under an intense pressure that almost completely pinned it down. The ground shuddered underneath the crushing weight of amplified gravity, slowly sinking to form a small crater where the Nomu strained against the magic.
"Ochako! Stop!" Izuku's panic was palpable through his wheezy shout. She shook her head, ignoring the way her vision swam briefly with the notion, just as she ignored the way her fingers had gone numb and the white and pink flames rolling up her arms.
"Attack it! I have it pinned!" She tried not to think of how raspy her own voice sounded, as if her lungs were full of thick smoke.
"You're burning yourself up!" He was all but screaming at her, and it made her look down at her hands to see the fingers had turned black, and that same discoloration was slowly crawling up her hands and wrists. Adrenaline kept her panic from spiraling out of control, and she shook her head again, wide eyes set on the monster before them.
"Just hurry!"
With a frustrated cry, Izuku pushed past her in a burst of speed, his black tendrils changing shape at the end, sharpening into curved points. Green lightning coursed through him, echoing down those tendrils as his augmentation magic solidified the magic into razor sharp blades. With the array of weapons formed, he lashed out at the beast, aiming for the smoldering sections of hide where his lightning had previously struck.
It howled as the magic sickles cut deep into the hide, slicing through the leathery flesh and sending a fine spray of blood. Encouraged to be finally doing some kind of damage, Izuku continued, carving into the beast's exterior as Ochako held it down under the intense weight of its own amplified gravity.
XX
Down by the city gates, Yuuei's forced continued to whittle away at the dark army. Unfortunately, while the Nomu seemed to not be getting back up once they were taken down, the shadowy monsters that came with it never seemed to cease. Shouto had no idea where they were coming from, and he couldn't pause in his fight to go investigate.
He noticed they had already lost Kyouka, who took off towards the large Nomu once he arrived on the scene, and he had to hope things were going okay over there. The beast had slowed down, now a dark form in the fields that seemed largely unmoving, and Shouto wondered if that meant Izuku and Ochako had won.
His eyes skimmed over the battlefield, doing his best to keep up with who was holding their ground and who needed assistance. Eijiro's use of his shield as a battering ram was proving to be invaluable, as his ability to harden the things he touched made those things unbreakable. Bones snapped and teeth shattered as the creatures tried to get to him. He was fast, too, because his magic meant he didn't need a reinforced set of gear. His armor was lightweight and thin, designed to not hinder his movements while his magic made up for the lack of durability. And he ruthlessly used that to his advantage, diving in front of weary guards to offer them a shield as they took precious moments to recover. Charging into a pack of enemies bearing down on an overwhelmed soldier to shake them off of him. Shielding his men and signaling to the archers overhead, allowing them to fire without discretion into the array of monster and shadow.
Truly, if Katsuki ever changed careers, Eijiro would be an excellent replacement
Beyond him, Katsuki continued to signal to everyone he was still fighting strong, plumes of rainbow smoke rising into the air, punctuated by bursts of bright lightning. The swords Tenya had core-bound were proving to be valuable aids, and now knowing what he did about cores, Shouto almost wondered if the cores that chose to live in those swords did so because they wanted to fight with someone like Katsuki. They were strong and flashy, with sharp burst attacks and explosive energy, and he knew from reading that Empty Book that Creators couldn't choose exact qualities in the magic they bound, but it was noted that cores still seemed to have certain patterns in the kind of places they showed up.
They were sentient, and there were enough accounts from Hollow core writers in that book for Shouto to understand the magic had personality. Preferences. Interests. The rainbow fire and burst lightning magic now in Katsuki's hands were practically made for someone like him, and the prince found that quite remarkable.
Overhead, the Queen's Rabbit still hovered, the constant undulating wall of fog still providing shelter to the city. Shouto had no illusions that she would offer further assistance, but he was grateful for what she had done. Minimal enough to be excused as protecting the Queen, but impactful enough to provide Yuuei time to react. He hoped his father recognized the consideration behind the action.
He ducked under a creature swiping at his head, sending a fist of fire into its belly, flames ripping it apart. Without pause he twisted, both hands coming to his drawn sword as he swung in a curved arc, slicing into the monster trying to go after his exposed side. The weapon sliced through the shadow flesh, and knowing that wasn't enough to stop the strange creature, Shouto eliminated it with a blast of fire that engulfed its head. As the onslaught of enemies continued, he found his mind still clinically running down the path of cores, as if the topic kept him grounded while he fought. Perhaps, in a way, it did.
If he had asked Izuku to talk to his core, to help him unlock the magic… would he be stronger in this fight? He was only using half of his potential, if what Izuku said was accurate about half of his magic lying dormant. What could he do with all his magic, if he had it? Would it help turn the tides of this battle? Would it help save lives?
He knew the questions wouldn't be answered today. He had to use what he had right now, and hope to live another day. Still, as the monsters continued to rain down on him and the soldiers, it was hard to keep up hope they would pull out ahead.
Just as he twisted and cut the head off of a Nomu lunging at him, he felt a shift of energy in the air, like a dry heat being pulled behind him, growing faster and stronger. The sheer feeling of that magic running across his exposed skin made his eyes widen as he recognized it. But he had never felt it surge like this.
Feeling the hot energy coalesce behind him, he turned to look at the wall of fog just as a large tornado of fire rolled through it, rising high into the sky. The twister of angry flames was huge, spanning the width of the gates themselves, sending out a wave of heat that felt like the entire battlefield stood before a hot forge. Without preamble, the cyclone of fire swept through the area, winding like a river and without regard to what it touched. Guards screamed as it swallowed everything in its path, man and monster alike. However, when the tornado moved past them, the guards remained standing and unharmed, surrounded by smoldering grass and scattered ashes of the creatures they had been fighting moments before.
Wide, mismatched eyes watched the tornado dissipate after incinerating over half of the remaining army, and as the guards realized just what was responsible for the magic, they began shouting, their cheers sounding over the battlegrounds.
And there, walking through the fog, was King Enji Todoroki of Yuuei, wings of rolling flames coiled up behind him where his cape normally hung. Fire poured from his eyes, angry as the man himself, and for the first time in his entire life, Shouto felt pride at seeing his father.
"Fucking hell," Katsuki said as he came to a stop beside Shouto, covered in black blood and several scratches. "I'd always heard your dad could cast discriminate magic, but I didn't realize it was on a level like this."
"Y-yeah," Shouto said in wonder, still staring at the fiery image of his father. "He can't do that again for a while, though, so we'll have to take care of the rest."
"That won't be a problem," The Dragon of Yuuei replied, lips pulling into a grin as he twirled his swords in his hand. As if responding to his words, both blades' magic came to life in rainbow flames and singing lightning as he pushed forward into the fray once again.
Shouto watched him before his eyes locked on his father's, and he gave the king a single, sharp nod. Without a word, he followed Katsuki back into battle, the flames of his core roaring to life around him as the soldiers cheered.
From the battlements, Ryuko nodded in approval, and turned her attention towards the Requiem and the Echo.
XX
Jin the Dark Summoner shook from his place between the nearby trees, staring at the giant tornado coming towards him. It moved ominously, with tendrils of twitching flame, and he heard it whisper its promises to consume him. To gobble him up and swallow him whole. It bared its teeth at him in a malicious smile, and unable to determine reality from curse, the troubled man screamed and clambered off deep into the woods.
As he left the area, his magic fell apart without him to keep it going, sending the remaining summons melting back into the ground, leaving behind a dark ichor that seeped into the grass. The sudden loss of remaining enemies confused the guards, none noticing the man taking off into the woods.
The only person who did had a cursed amulet around her neck, and she picked up her skirts, running after him and crying his name.
XX
As Izuku continued to lash at the beast struggling under its amplified weight, his eyes kept falling back to the woman holding it in place, the fear he'd been trying to keep caged clawing free as he watched the flames of her magic slowly burn up her arms and bleached her hair white. Over and over again, he silently pleaded Ochako to stop, knowing she wouldn't, but wishing for it with all his heart.
He begged Requiem for guidance, but the core was strangely silent. The absence of his support did not feel like abandonment, but more that it was focused. He couldn't afford to think of what that meant, not with Ochako tearing apart her own body to win this fight.
When the heavy pressure surrounding the Nomu flickered, Izuku realized Ochako had lost control of the spell, and she dropped to her knees as the magic shattered, allowing the Nomu to shakily rise back up out of the crater formed from its own crushing weight.
The witch cradled her arms to her chest as she tried to regain control of her magic. The flames had spread throughout her form, deep pinks fading to searing white, and in any other situation, it would have been beautiful to look at. Her core shone just as brightly as the fire of her magic, too bright, with all the threads shining and spreading out like a giant dew-covered spiderweb.
It was painful to look at.
Izuku shouted at her to stay down, and when he saw movement out of the corner of his eyes, he felt a momentary surge of relief. The guards rushed across the fields towards them, Katsuki and Shouto leading the way. No longer feeling hopeless, Izuku whirled on the Nomu, and felt his heart plummet when he saw the creature curl in on itself, all the spikes twitching violently in a move he knew all too well.
And now, too many people were in close range.
He rushed towards the Nomu, drawing out dozens of black tendrils, as many as he could control at once. They lashed out and wrapped around the Nomu, over and over again, spreading out to cover it completely like a heavy net. His hands slammed to the ground in front of the beast, and thick roots shot up out of the dirt, tangling with the black cables of magic pinning the Nomu down. Green lightning erupted from his body, racing up the bindings he had made, and that flickering green turned into an angry red as the magic surged, becoming nearly unbreakable.
The creature thrashed, unable to break free, but with Izuku right in front of it, it did the next best thing. His eyes widened as it lunged forward with its head, maw open and teeth aiming to crush him. To move away would be to let go, allowing it to attack everyone else, so instead he charged up into its lunge, fueling augmentation magic into his right arm. Red lightning surged across his skin as he punched up into the open mouth bearing down on him, shards of bone spraying over him as he shattered through the teeth and punched a hole into the roof of the creature's mouth.
The Nomu pulled back with a gurgled screech, black blood splattering and leaving behind Izuku's arm, or what was left of it. The impact had shattered his bones, and through the flickering magic and black monster blood, he could see the remains of mangled flesh, muscle shredded and tendons severed from the rows of teeth he broke through.
The pain surged through the magic suppressing it, and he grimaced as the arm fell uselessly to his side as dead weight. Black tendrils wrapped around the tattered flesh to secure what remained, and as the magic holding the beast down flickered, Izuku realized he just didn't have the power to finish this alone.
He needed Ochako, but he would die before he let her–
There was a sudden flash, and his head snapped up to the witch who was shakily pushing herself to her feet, the magic around her roaring. But most importantly, the glittering Echo inside of her had now changed from shimmering silver to a burning gold. It flashed again, and Izuku watched with wide eyes as that gold spilled out through all the threads connected to the world, until the only one that remained unchanged was the one connected to him.
And then, the beautiful golden light rushed down that final thread, rolling towards him with a familiar taste of Ochako's magic, bringing with it a cool mountain breeze and the brief image of sunflowers.
Requiem's voice boomed in his mind, everywhere all at once.
"Now, Izuku! The bond is complete! Get to the Echo!"
His eyes flickered between the beast slowly pulling out of his bindings and the woman on fire from the magic of the world. With a snap of his head, he ripped open a portal and launched himself through it, unsure of what happened, but pouring all of trust into his core anyway. In an instant he was upon her, and he threw himself into her magic, ignoring the way the flames licked at him through his magical armor.
He wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her to his chest, and his sudden appearance made her gasp, hands coming up to grab him through his magic. The moment her blackened fingers pressed against his skin, he felt a surge of foreign energy roll up into him. It was thick and dense, tasting of all the elements at once and ringing in his head with all the songs of the seasons. He watched with wide eyes as pink and white flames raced up her arms and into his, swirling into the black and green as his core took the magic overloading her body and made it his own. The numbing pain in his ruined arm shifted into a strange cold burn as that magic pushed through it, encasing it in a pink and green glow. He felt the limb twitch and shift, bones snapping back in place and tissue knitting in a way that made his skin crawl. That same magic rolled up into his head, wrapping around the wounds of his face and concentrating there.
The pain lessened, but he was far more focused on how the flames dancing across Ochako's body went from pink and white to pink and green as his own magic rolled up through her, ribbons of dark extensions gliding over her skin and wrapping around her limbs protectively, humming with the energy of his core. His augmentation magic followed after, surging through her to reinforce her body against the magic it was trying to channel.
Slowly Ochako turned her head to look at him, with wide eyes that were now stained from the overuse of her magic, her expression shocked.
Requiem's voice sounded inside their heads, filling them both with a hope they thought they had lost.
You echo all the magic you are connected to.
XX
Katsuki ignored the ache in his limbs as he rushed across the fields, doing his best to not stumble over soft earth and uneven terrain. He could hear Shouto running just behind him, doing his best to keep up with his mad sprint. However, just as the battle came into clear view, he fumbled to a stop, staring wide-eyed at the scene before him. The Nomu was straining against all sorts of roots and black extensions wrapped around it, crackling with Izuku's energy, but beside it stood Izuku and Ochako, both wrapped in the black magic of the Monster of Yuuei, and both standing in a swirl of pink and green flame.
He heard his soldiers coming to a stop behind him, the metal of their armor clanking noisily, drowning out the gasps of breath from jogging with the extra weight. A rush of heat followed, and Katsuki stiffened as he realized King Enji had joined them.
Shouto half turned to look up at his father when the guards shouted, and Katsuki's eyes went wide as the Nomu howled, surging up against its bindings and breaking free. With a bellow, its back exploded, sending hundreds of spikes into the air. The bony projectiles shot out in all directions, and before Katsuki could shout to take cover, they all came to a sudden, perfect stop.
He stared at the cloud of quills floating in a dome around the Nomu, a faint violet glow emanating from them. And then his eyes fell down to the much stronger purple glow coming from Ochako and Izuku. They stood side by side, fingers interlocked while their free hands were in the air, mirroring each other with fingertips glowing with magic, holding the spikes in place. In unison, they brought their hands down in a sweeping motion, sending all of the barbs back to their owner, piercing the Nomu in all directions.
It screeched in pain, and Katsuki continued to stare as both lifted their hands again, the purple changing to pink as the Nomu was pulled up into the air, flailing as it tried to break free from the invisible grip. Higher and higher it rose until both Izuku and Ochako closed their hands into fists and slammed the monster back down into the crater, sending a tremor rolling through the fields in response.
Katsuki could see the way its body rippled from the impact, and even though it was still moving, that blow, combined with all of its own spikes sticking out of it, had definitely done damage.
A sudden flash of light in the sky caught his attention, and he looked up as he felt the air around him begin to thrum and crackle, making the hairs on his skin stand on edge. Forming below the swirling black clouds was a sphere of pure arcane energy, gyrating in a concentrated mess of pinks and black. It continued to grow, causing the entire area to be cast in a reddish-pink light as Ochako and Izuku charged it up.
Katsuki stared at the two as the fire around them flashed and the wind picked up. Green lightning danced across the sky and beams of sunlight started breaking through the ominous clouds, causing the spilled monster blood on the ground to sizzle. The raw magic in the air crackled against his skin, and the display drew gasps and shouts from the soldiers behind him, unsure if they should run, shield themselves, or simply watch. Even King Enji himself seemed stunned by the raw power on display as he bore witness to a strength even he couldn't match.
And then with a unified shout, both mages unleashed the arcane bomb on their target, sending the giant ball of pure magic crashing down in an explosion of pinks, reds, and violets.
Everyone shielded their eyes as the whole area lit up in saturated color. However, instead of the explosion expanding out to engulf the fields and everyone standing in it, it shot up into the sky, hitting the clouds and scattering in all directions. Particles of pink and red light came down like a snowfall, popping like static as they hit the ground.
Slowly, Katsuki lifted his head and opened his eyes. There, under a rain of colorful light, stood Izuku and Ochako with the smoldering form of the giant Nomu, half of its body reduced to ash.
XX
Izuku slowly lowered his hand, staring at the remains of the monster before him. Beside him, Ochako mirrored the action, her hand dropping to the side. Together, in unison, they approached the dying Nomu, eyes on the twisted core trapped inside of its decaying body. He had no idea what kind of core it was, but he didn't want it to suffer as it waited out the Nomu's inevitable death. Reaching forward, he pressed his hand against the thick hide of the smoldering beast, and Ochako mimicked him, blackened fingers resting over his.
The moment they touched the core, a surge of images flashed in his mind, racing behind his eyes. Just like the first time he tapped into the divining magic, he found himself looking into the scene instead of part of it, as if he were the ecosystem himself.
The setting was unfamiliar, with a ruined stoned courtyard and black grass. Piles of bodies were stacked in the corners, burnt and attracting flies. A short, stout man stood with his hands on the shoulder of a younger man kneeling in shackles. Both of them had shimmering eyes and prismatic cores.
They were Hollows.
The older, shorter man stepped back as a dark figure approached. It took Izuku a moment to realize it wasn't that the figure was in shadow, but that its core was so ominous that it overwhelmed his appearance. The Blackened Core was just as he remembered it all those years before, a swirling mass of black tendrils caging a center that resembled an open maw with too many teeth, all guarding the patchwork of cores inside. Cores stolen over decades. Centuries. The tendrils licked out past its holder like thirsty tongues, eager to consume.
The man kneeling began begging as the holder of the Blackened Core reached out, and Izuku watched with horror as the man twisted unnaturally, his body contorting against his will as he screamed in pain. Life left him just as his core did, but the latter did not move on, the Hollow caught between the thin tentacles of magic as it was ripped from the man's body. He collapsed to the ground, face trapped in an expression of agony, body curled in on itself.
The Blackened Core's holder tilted his head, holding the Hollow in front of him, and Izuku gasped as he shoved the core back into the man's body. It shuddered as it was forced back into the corpse of its previous holder, and as it was bound against its will, the body began to twitch, slowly turning gray, then to black. It grew in size as it transformed, and what was once a man with a Hollow core became the Nomu he'd just killed, with the corrupted Hollow core bound to its body to drive it forward.
As the creature screeched and stretched its wings, the holder of the Blackened Core slowly turned his head, glowing red eyes staring right where Izuku was observing the memory.
"I have an audience. Hello, Requiem."
Izuku gasped as reality came rushing back. He stumbled, dropping to his knees as Ochako collapsed with him, unable to hold up her own body. He caught her as she fell forward, their combined magic fading away as the last of the Nomu's body disintegrated into ashes carried by the wind.
"Ochako!" His voice was weak as he turned her over in his arms, staring down at her injuries. Her skin had lost most of its pallor, sweat gathered along her temple and neck. Her hands and forearms were black, fading to an angry pink from the magical burns she had received. Hair that was once a warm chestnut now clung to her in messy gray and white, with barely any brown left at all. Her eyelids fluttered, allowing him to see a flash of pale pink that shouldn't have been there.
He swallowed, grabbing her hand as she shakily lifted it, cradling the black fingers in his own. He could barely see through the tears that he hadn't even realized were falling.
Her voice was thready, barely a whisper, but he heard it clear as day.
"I understand now…"
He didn't get to ask her what she meant, because she lost consciousness afterward. Burying his face in her hair, he began to sob.
XX
The moment the two collapsed, Katsuki started moving, driving himself forward. The Nomu was dead and they were both very clearly injured. Ochako looked almost unrecognizable, and Izuku was covered in blood, with his black magic wrapped around various parts of his body like bandages.
He could see two people fleeing from the area, one in black shadow and the other with greenish skin. He vaguely noted the wind sprite that Ochako knew was chasing after them. Kyouka was rushing towards Tsuyu to free her from some weird magical bubble caused by a mage in a mask, but it was the last person that Katsuki saw that made his heart stop.
The woman was stalking forward, muddy and bruised, but still very mobile. Her fingers pointed towards Izuku, whose back was exposed to her as he clutched Ochako. A swirl of magic gathered above her arm, dark and brimming with energy, breaking out into multiple, pointed slivers. Without hesitation, she took aim and fired them all at once.
There was a moment where time hung still and Katsuki heard that damned spirit's voice in his head.
"Tell me, human friend of Ochako. Is this concept of self-sacrifice beautiful?"
He didn't remember moving. He didn't register the activation of his magic as it propelled him forward with a speed he didn't know he possessed. He twisted, letting his chest armor take the full brunt of all five projectiles, and he watched in fascination as they punctured halfway through the battle-worn metal to pierce the tender flesh it protected.
XX
As the impact threw Katsuki to the ground, Shouto realized the screaming he heard was his own. The magic inside of him roared to life as he hurled a blast of fire at the woman, setting the grass on fire in its wake as it slammed into her and sent her flying. He didn't care if he set the entire field on fire, rushing forward to the collapsed captain who had blood coming out of his mouth as he tried to sit up.
Shouto threw himself to the ground beside Katsuki, yanking at the fastenings on his chest plate as he tried to free the captain from his armor. It finally gave way, and the prince practically ripped the equipment off of the blond. The magic barbs had melted away, leaving behind the damage they had created, five holes in the Dragon of Yuuei, all quickly staining his undershirt red.
"No, no, no, no–" He barely recognized the mantra escaping him as he pressed his hands over as many of the wounds as he could, having nothing else to staunch the blood flow. "You–You can't do this, Katsuki!"
The captain coughed up blood in response, shakily placing a hand over his, and Shouto shook his head at the look in his eyes, tears burning his own. This wasn't how it was supposed to be–they had won. This was not a victory! How was it a victory if he couldn't keep everyone safe? How was it a victory if he lost the one person who kept him moving forward? How was it a victory if he couldn't prevent this death?
How?!
He felt something inside him shift, like a part of him just woke up from a very long sleep. A strange feeling washed over him, warm not like fire, but like kindness. Like compassion. His magic sprang to life, erupting in beautiful golden flames that raced down his arms and wrapped around the man bleeding out before him. Instead of burning fabric and flesh, it danced over Katsuki's skin like sunlight reflecting off of water. It washed over the wounds, kissing away the cuts on his hands and face, and knitting closed the holes in his chest.
With wide eyes, Shouto watched as his magic healed the fatal wounds of the man before him, with a golden fire not meant to burn, but to save. Katsuki took in a ragged breath, sucking in air greedily before shakily pushing himself up onto his elbows. Grabbing his shirt, he yanked the fabric down and stared at the bloodied skin, and the fresh pink lines where holes should have been. "F-fuck."
Shouto gaped as the golden fire on his hands faded away, leaving him hovering over Katsuki, golden smoke billowing off of his form. Crimson eyes met mismatched ones as the Dragon of Yuuei gave him an exhausted, but scrutinizing look. "Guess you… unlocked the other side of your core."
Shouto didn't bother to hide the tears that fell as he smiled down at his lover. "Y-yeah. Wasn't… expecting that. At all."
"Fuck, me neither. I was hoping it'd be something stupid like ice magic to spite your dad."
They both laughed weakly as Shouto helped Katsuki to his feet.
XX
Ryuko watched as Kyouka took out the woman who had tried to kill Requiem's holder, subduing her with an attack that caused the woman to be off-balance, unable to stay on her feet. Much to her curiosity, the woman refused to stay still, even as she recognized she had no balance. She thrashed almost in panic, like being immobilized might bring her harm. Fascinating.
Behind them, the water spirit had drowned the man in the mask, leaving him face-down in a pool of her making. As she stood there, draped in long hair and a cascade of water, Ryuko had to applaud how the Echo had drawn the attention of so many spirits, and they were so fond of her they acted without contracts to aid her. To protect her.
She noted the other magi were long gone, but that was the least of concerns as she watched King Enji approach Requiem's holder.
She felt a shift of energy beside her and she turned her head to regard the figure in white who appeared in a swirl of silver mist. "Rumi," Ryuko whispered as the Queen's Rabbit came to a stop beside her. "Be ready to intervene."
The spirit turned her head to regard Requiem's holder, who was curled up over the unconscious form of the Echo. He shook from overexertion, but managed to lift his head to look at the towering form of King Enji standing before him. Flames still rolled off the king's back, ominous and threatening, casting shadows in all directions. The water spirit stepped up beside the two injured mages, a massive pool of water poised behind her, unblinking eyes staring at the king in warning. The floral sprite hovered on the other side, shivering in fear because fire could easily destroy her, but she still refused to leave their side.
The prince had pulled the captain to his feet, supporting Katsuki who could barely stand, his swords laying on the ground before them. Both men stared uneasily at the king who regarded the two injured mages before him. One he now knew was the Monster of Yuuei, and the other a woman he despised.
The moment seemed to hang in the air as everyone waited to see what the king would do, some with bated breath, others ready to defend.
Finally, the flames around the king extinguished, and he sighed, weariness on his features. "Rest now, boy. The fight is over."
Requiem's holder bowed his head, clutching the limp form of the Echo in his arms.