Chapter 1: New Accommodations

"… I DO NOT FEAR YOU…"

"… I WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN…"

"… THE LIGHT CANNOT BE CONSUMED…"

…

And look where that had gotten her…

Tangerine eyes scanned the room in front of her in disgust. All the way across from her was a large sliding door leading to a well-sized balcony overlooking a beautiful view of Musutafu Japan. Inside was a large couch against the left wall facing an eighty inch tv. In between the two was a pristine mahogany coffee table already furnished with coasters and a silken table cloth. A single candle was already lit and filled the room with the smell of vanilla. To her direct right was a door that led to a kitchen, fully furnished and stocked with a small circular table surrounded by four chairs. A window showed the same view as the living room, but obviously there wasn't a balcony. To her direct left was another door that led to her bedroom. A glorious king-sized bed took up half of the room with two nightstands on either side, and the bed itself was covered in very expensive silken sheets that must've been divine to touch. A massive wardrobe took up most of the wall opposite of the bed, and what was left was covered by another tv. There was also a bathroom with a massive bathtub and shower and vanity that was made of marble. It was also stocked, of course. It was what most people would dream of when it came to apartments.

She hated it…

The disgraced goddess crumpled the piece of paper in her hand, marring the flowery script written across it in red ink.

Dearest Sister~

I've taken the liberty of purchasing and furnishing one of the best apartments available on the market. Despite your situation it wouldn't do for you to live in anything other than perfect comfort and luxury!~

You are a goddess after all~

I think you'll find all of the amenities to your liking and I took the liberty of stocking it with everything you'll need for the foreseeable future, spared no expense of course~

Oh, and don't worry about money, I'll foot the bill and the rent for the entire thing. Don't you worry about paying a dime~

Your dearest brother, Grimm~

The Radiance threw the crumpled piece of paper across the room, growling. She was going to kill him! Not only did she owe him for saving her life, but now she was indebted to him for this apartment! With a scoff she entered the apartment and slammed the door behind her, angrily stomping over to the balcony and looking over the city beyond. Thousands of consciousness prickled against her mind, all of their dreams and aspirations and the cores of their very beings laid bare before her, not that she would do anything to them now. Once upon a time she would've exerted her will over the entire city, bringing everyone into the fold of her Dream. They would all love her, and she would care for them in return, whether they wanted it or not. Her name would be on the lips of everyone, spoken in reverence and desire and awe. They would worship her and the very ground she walked on.

But she wouldn't… She couldn't…

The goddess sighed, eyes softening as her face took a forlorn expression. That kind of thinking, that kind of acting, was what led her to this very situation. Once upon a time she ruled over a tribe of Moths, who were born of her light. They worshiped her, they loved her, and they were cared for in return. Once upon a time her light was a gentle, loving warmth. And then he arrived…

Soon a Pale Light arrived and began expanding the minds of the bugs he would soon rule over. Eventually that included her own tribe, who turned their backs on her and began to worship him instead. At her weakest the Pale Light attacked her and destroyed her form, trapping what remained inside of a vessel crafted of God and Void. The betrayal of her tribe cut through the very core of her being, and soon she was very nearly forgotten, very nearly killed. But her memory persisted in a few. Her light was turned; it grew sickly and blinding. She bided her time, becoming consumed by rage and hate. Hate for the Pale Light, hate for the bugs who worshiped him, hate for the tribe that she had once loved and cared for. By luck or by fate a bug had discovered an effigy of her, and she returned. Soon bugs began having dreams of her now blinding and hateful light. She began enslaving bugs to her will, forcing them into her Dream and robbing them of their minds. She was a plague that spread like wildfire, sundering the kingdom that the Pale Light had built from nothing. Soon, Hallownest was nothing but a ruin inhabited by the mad. Her greatest revenge.

But then of all things, a Vessel, a child, would be the thing to lay her low. The Vessel fought against her, and no matter how many times she forced it out of her domain it always managed to cut the veil between reality and unreality. And it won. It was beyond her comprehension that she would lose to a child, but she did, and at the last second before she was consumed by the void… He appeared… And she made a promise…

One Day Ago

The park was abandoned this late at night, except for the few birds or animals who made this their home. It was peaceful, and any other night it would've remained that way.

The wind picked up with a start, and the entire clearing began filling with red glyphs, looped like flowers or dream-catchers. They filled the park with a sickly red glow, and suddenly the clearing was filled with a violent flash of light. The sound of a faint accordion and a cry like distant bells filled the night and then faded as quickly as they appeared. The glyphs began fading as well, and in their wake two figures appeared.

"Well well, you certainly seem to have found yourself in a sticky situation~" came the smooth voice that the Radiance was all too familiar with.

"Grimm…" She spat before gasping lightly. What had happened to her voice? And what language was she speaking?! "What did you do?!" Her voice came out light and light and lilting, a far cry from her commanding and powerful tone she once held.

"You sound angry, dear sister!~ It's like you're unappreciative of me saving your miserable life." He chuckled, which only served to enrage her even more.

Finally she opened her eyes, seeing two oddly soft limbs ending in five segmented digits. They clutched and dug into the dirt—dirt?—, responding to her shock at the unfamiliar form she had taken. Silvery strands obscured her vision to the left and right, almost like thousands of thin antennae or feelers. She was kneeling, she realized, and immediately she set about fixing that travesty.

"I wouldn't recommend standing too quickly dear, you're still unused to your new form after all~"

Ignoring the pain and ache of using a new and foreign body, she forced herself onto her knees and finally took a look at her surroundings. Immediately she found Grimm, the cretin was leading against a tree in his true form, gazing at her with his crimson eyes that glittered in amusement. They were surrounded by trees, and far above them glittered gemstones across the ceiling, with the singular largest gemstone she had ever seen directly above them. She took another look at her new 'hands,' seeing the soft pads on the bottoms of her fingers and the five bits of chitin that sprouted from the tips. How odd… more silver strands fell in front of her eyes and she forced them back behind the two flaps on the side of her head before standing unsteadily. She groaned and winced at the many pops in her back as she straightened.

"You really should take it easy, you know, it wouldn't do to damage your new form so early after it's conception."

She scoffed, "as if… I'd stay kneeling… in front of you, of all people…" She looked further down to examine her new form, barely seeing past the two mounds protruding from her chest. There were two slender legs holding her up with extremities similar to her hands, but more stunted and with shorter digits. "What strange kind of form is this, Grimm?"

"I'm so glad you've asked! You are what the locals call a 'mammal.' Funny beings; soft things with their exoskeletons on the inside of their bodies! Strange, I know." He raised a solitary digit, "I believe the locals call themselves "humans."" With a snap of his fingers Grimm was engulfed in the crimson flames he was known for and a 'human' was left in his place. The new being in front of her wore a sharp black two-pieces suit with a red shirt and a black tie. His new features were angular and chiseled and he had freshly combed black strands on his head. Of course, two red eyes gleaming in amusement found her own annoyed tangerine.

He did a small spin, straightening his suit, "what do you think? I must admit I haven't practiced too much but I think I did quite alright on myself. Of course," he gestured to her, "I made sure that your form would be perfect, my dear sister~"

"What I think is that if you don't explain what you're doing, I am going to kill you!" She all but growled, willing her magic forth.

Grimm waves his hands, "peace dear sister! Like I've said I saved your life! And I brought you here, far away from the Pale King's machinations and plans. You're free, truly and at last!~"

The Radiance looked around again, "and where exactly is here, brother?" She took a testing step forwards, almost stumbling due to the sudden balance shift. "What cave have you brought me to? Hallownest is the only center of civilization for leagues in any direction."

"We're not in a cave, we're on the surface!"

She blinked, which was another new foreign sensation. "I have no time for your games, Grimm…"

A deep laugh sounded from the disguised King of Nightmares. "My dear, you have all the time in the world! And I think you'll find that this isn't a game, we really are on the surface."

She fixed him with a blank look before bringing both hands together in front of her. Power welled within her. I've retained my abilities, even in this form. But there was a cap, when she gathered a certain amount the flow stopped. She scoffed before attempting to force her way through… To no avail.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She stopped, dispelling the gathered magic in a flurry of golden glyphs and sigils. "You see, putting too much power into that form would be, well… rather explosive, so to speak!"

"Have you… shackled me?!" Blinding rage filled her. How… How dare he! "You have no right!" Her eyes flared and golden light filled her hands, her power flowed right until the artificial cap that only served to enrage her further.

"You'll find that you have full access to your powers, just not while you're in that form~" He leaned against the tree again, though she noticed a subtle tenseness in his gait. "Besides! You laid waste to an entire kingdom because you got a little cranky~" the park was engulfed in golden light. Grimm vanished in a scarlet puff of flame as the tree he was leaning on was engulfed in a golden beam. Seconds later the tree buckled and creaked as it collapsed to the side, crashing to the ground with a dull thump. She nearly stumbled from the vibration, but she was able to right herself.

"You see, we have a little issue between us~" a gleaming sword flew through the puff of red flame and lodged itself into another tree."

"You have a bit of an… anger issue—" Another puff of smoke right behind her before she could do anything.

"—and I need to make sure you'll behave before giving you full access to your powers." A sharp orb of golden light exploded where he just was, carving out a deep section of the dirt. He reappeared to her left, inspecting the haft of her summoned sword. He turned to face her when it was clear she wouldn't attack him this time. "You see, this world is important, and I need things to happen as they should. Without interference from a sore goddess."

I want to kill him. I want it more than anything right now. He's treating me like I'm sort of CHILD!

He nudged the sword, but it was lodged deep in its new home, "you see I took… inspiration so to speak. There's a local religion, and it tells of a story where a full God comes down to live in the body of a mortal man among the people that would worship him. So you have the body of one of the locals, but you still have the being of a goddess! Genius, isn't it!?"

"… What's your game, Grimm? You've brought me to a world where nobody knows me. You know that I'll die if I stay here, and you don't want me "interfering," so why am I here?!"

"But you won't! You see, that's the genius of it! You are fully human, and fully Radiance! As long as you stay in your human form, you'll sustain yourself! Just make sure you take good care of it, I spent a long time perfecting it, after all~" He gave up on the sword with a resigned sigh. "Besides, this is a second chance! For both of us! I've brought the troupe along of course, we'll be setting up here pretty soon and I've already begun scouting for the ritual."

"And what am I supposed to do?" The urge to rip the sword out and impale him was nearly overwhelming, but she held it back… for now…"

"Why, whatever you want!~" Grimm waved his hand with a flourish, "I've brought us to a place with no interference. No Pale Light, No Root, No Void that I'm aware of. Just the Goddess of Order and Light, and the God of Chaos and Darkness. We're free to resume our little chase unimpeded. So find a hobby! Try to gain new followers if you want, the world is your pillbug, so to speak!"

She was silent. As much as she hated it, he wasn't exactly wrong. She was seconds away from death before Grimm intervened and brought him here… She'd play his game, for now.

"Fine… Fine! I won't interfere or do anything to jeopardize your sick ritual, and in return when you're done playing with mortals you'll return my true form and my powers. I'll… behave." She spat out the last word like it personally offended her, and in a way it did. Grimm's smile immediately set her on edge, but she'd been used to his games for eons.

Grimm sauntered up to her, standing a full head above her, and bent to her height while holding out a hand. "Then do we have a deal, dear sister?~"

With great reluctance she mimicked the gesture, grasping his rough hand firmly and moving it with his as he shook up and down. "We do… brother…"

He lit up, "great! By the way, you'll need this," he handed her an odd brick filled with rough sheets of rigid and coarse fabric. On the front was large red lettering spelling; "Grimm's guide to Earth and Japan (the place you're at now)" and underneath it was a cartoonish drawing of his true form's face.

"… You are an absolute child."

"That'll help you to acclimate to the culture here! I think you'll find the 'Heroes' section very interesting!" He turned and started to leave before spinning suddenly, "oh! And on the inside I have directions for you. There's a building nearby that I've turned into your new humble abode. Oh… and I do recommend clothing yourself. You'll find that it's generally not acceptable to go around in the nude. You wouldn't want to be seen as some sort of deviant, would you?~" He disappeared in a puff of fire and laughter as the sword that had previously been in the tree sliced right where his neck was seconds before.

But even then, the Radiance formed a gown and cloak of light and donned it, covering her new form. She took one more look at the book in her hand before sighing.

Ridiculous…

The Radiance wasn't allowed to intervene in this world, whatever the hell that meant. And just like her infuriating brother probably intended, she had absolutely no idea what to do going forward. She couldn't expand her influence, she couldn't build a base of followers or worshippers, she was just supposed to be… what? Normal? Normal how?

The definition of normal here was so out of order that she didn't even know what constituted normal!

The Radiance and the Master of the Grimm Troupe had been more than well aware of alternate realities. Every Higher Being knew of them, but nobody ever interacted with them. Why bother? Everything they ever needed was right in front of them. She had her tribe and followers, Grimm had a multitude of kingdoms to enact his dark ritual, the Root had ample place to grow and flourish, and the Pale Light founded a kingdom in his name. Again, why bother? But when she very reluctantly began reading the book that Grimm had given her, it all made perfect sense.

The reality that Grimm had chosen was certainly… Unique.

At the present moment over 80% of the world had an uncanny ability that society had dubbed "Quirks." These abilities could be anything, either visible or more concealed. None of these abilities revolved around Soul Magic, but seemed to stem from the very soul itself. This meant that 80% of the population had a brand of Soul Magic unique to themselves and only themselves. And with this amount of power in the world, there was utter chaos. For a time the world had fallen into anarchy as the world governments tried to control what couldn't be controlled. Seems familiar, she thought with sick amusement. Eventually out of the madness, emerged people that would become the first heroes of this new superhuman society.

Heroes…

People who used their power for good; defeating those who meant ill for society. and who protected those who simply tried to go about their days living happy lives. Heroes would put their lives on the line day after day to do this, and in doing so they inspired those who would take up that mantle when they grew to be the correct age. In order to stem the inevitable chaos this would cause, Hero work was government sanctioned as a profession, and the usage of one's quirk in public was heavily restricted. Once again, the government was trying to control something that couldn't be controlled. For now it seemed to be working, but that was mainly due to one man… All Might. If the Radiance didn't know better, she would've assumed the man to be a god himself. She didn't even need to try; when she reached out with her mind she would find somebody in seconds who wanted to be like him, or who looked up to him. The man had a following that would make gods green with envy. He was the pillar of hope that this entire society was built around.

No wonder Grimm chose this place to call home. Japan was one pillar away from turning into another dead kingdom, ripe for his fiery ritual. The utter chaos also fit his bill of "entertainment." She had no doubt that he was already making plans or doing research on how best to take advantage of their new home.

And while he was doing that, here she was enjoying the view.

The book contained everything she would need to know about this society and its customs, and it also had the fake identity she would use for the duration of their stay. If Grimm was trying to push her buttons, he was doing an excellent job of doing so.

From now on, she was to be known as… Myla Grimm…

It was another cruel joke that Grimm made, and like usual it was in poor taste. She remembered Myla of course, the little miner bug that was oh so desperately searching for the crystals in the Forgotten Crossroads. Once Upon a Time, the goddess would have taken pity. She would have given the poor bug her rest and welcomed her warmly into the Dream. As it was, when Myla succumbed to her Infection the Radiance didn't even care.

"I must be close… How much longer must I keep digging…? I need to… keep going… Sisters, I'm so close… Why won't you… Sing to me…? Sisters…? How much… Longer…?"

And now her own mind was clear, and poor Myla was beyond even her reach. Never again, she thought. Never again will I succumb to such rage.

Looking out over the city, the goddess decided that if she was going to be stuck here among the masses, she might as well familiarize herself with her new surroundings. So she would need to be at least presentable. As nice as her robes were, going out in public would be welcoming… unwanted attention. So without any more wasted time she walked to her wardrobe and decided to see what she had to work with.

There was… a lot. And before she got consumed by the mass of colors she picked out a simple orange shirt and a pair of pants made of a coarse blue material. Before she wore them, however, she decided to… inspect this new form. She had only gotten a limited gaze after all, and her perspective was limited to her own view. So when she was in front of her mirror, she dispelled the flowy robes she had on with a wave of her hand, showering the room with motes of light and glyphs.

As much as she hated her brother… He was right. Grimm had done a very good job when crafting this form. From what she was seeing, and from what she understood, the Radiance–Myla–was inhabiting the body of a human female. A young one at that, but she wasn't exactly an authority on human ages. She could have been older though. The goddess didn't have that knowledge yet, even with the book's help. Ignoring her slender body she looked at her face and frowned. She was probably beautiful by this world's standards. She had a soft face with high cheekbones and gorgeous tangerine eyes, all framed by flowing silver hair that reached down to the middle of her back. But that wasn't why she was frowning. Sticking out of her hair, were two fluffy antennae that faded the same color as her eyes as they got close to the tips. When she touched them, it revealed that they were very much real, and seemed to serve their actual function. I really do hate him…

She gave an annoyed grunt before going back to her wardrobe and pulling on appropriate smallclothes—the guide was very particular about that—before she pulled on her shirt and pants.

She grabbed her keys before going out, at least knowing that getting back to her new home would be difficult without them, and she finally set off.

The streets of Musutafu were much different than the caves she was used to, even if she rarely traversed them herself. Everything was so bright, all cast in the light of the yellow orb high up in the sky. Did this world have its own version of her? She wouldn't ponder on it. For now she was simply wandering, taking in the sights, so to speak. All the while she let the dreams and wishes of those around her wash over her. All of them were familiar to her, but there was one that seemed to be in the minds of nearly everybody. The single most common wish entering her mind was the desire and want to become a hero. It was nearly overwhelming to her limited faculties, but she had dealt with much worse before.

Large machines crossed the pavement in front of her, and seemingly in every color she knew of. How did they work? What kind of magic propelled them? The Radiance knew vaguely of the Tram System implemented by the Pale Light, but that was powered by a kind of soul magic familiar to her. She sensed nothing from these machines, except for a foul smelling smoke coming from pipes on the rear of the vehicles. And far, far above her she saw another machine. At first she thought it was a vengefly, but it had the wrong shape. Another machine, but once again the way it worked eluded her. As she passed over a bridge she felt a slight rumble beneath her feet. A tram, longer than any she had seen, came out of a tunnel beneath her and continued on its way. This; she somewhat knew of. Trams followed a preset path on rails, this was simply that but on a much larger scale. Or at least that's what she assumed it to be.

Her antennae twitched, she wasn't alone.

She did a quick turn-around but found nothing. The presence hadn't disappeared, but she couldn't find the source! Was someone planning to attack her? Preemptively she readied her powers, light welled within her being and she prepared to summon her beams. Whatever it was, it would very quickly find that she was a poor target! Nothing would get close to her without her knowing!

And then she felt something soft brush up against her leg.

The goddess would not admit that she nearly jumped a solid foot into the air, and most certainly wouldn't admit that she let out a very undignified scream. After the brief second of shock she recovered and phased a few feet away. Light gathered in her hand and she laid her eyes on her new target. A very small… thing stared back at her with large yellow eyes. At first she thought it was a creature of the Void as it was entirely pitch black, but in the daylight she saw that it was just a coat of fur or fuzz. She was scared by, and very nearly killed, a small animal. She dispelled the light in her palm and let her power simmer down into nothingness.

Stupid! Stupid, stupid Moth! You call yourself a goddess and this gets the drop on you?

She gave a huff of annoyance and closed her eyes. What had become of her? After a few seconds she felt the same rubbing she had felt earlier. Cracking open her eyes she saw that the small animal was rubbing up against her legs, making an odd sort of rumbling noise. She crouched down and held out her hand. The animal moved and pushed its head against her palm.

"What manner of creature are you?" When she moved her hand slightly the rumbling intensified and it sat down, content to let her do the work. She gave a huff of amusement. "What does an animal like you dream of, I wonder? Perhaps the source of your next meal or a warm place to nap?" It tried to paw at her hands when she moved to stand up again. When she touched her own consciousness against its own, she wasn't surprised.

It was more complex than she gave it credit for, but it was still an animal. She did see a wish to return to its home though. A picture flashed briefly in her mind; of a male about her height with a tired face and wild lavender hair. It's owner then?

"You should return to your caretaker, he must be wondering where you've run off to." It tilted its head at her, not moving. "I will say no more on the matter, do not follow me." She gave it a subtle push with her own mind to find its caretaker before withdrawing her own mind. The small animal watched her as she continued on her way but luckily it didn't pursue.

She spent the rest of the day wandering the city while creating a mental map in her head for how to return home. As the sun passed overhead and began its descent westward she stopped to get some food from a small shop. SHe hoped that she gave the correct amount of money, but Grimm had left her with more than she would ever need, and she'd rather not question where he got it. Eating was a novel experience, and one that she was sure that she'd enjoy doing again. On the way back to her new home she spied a very large building on the horizon. It looked to be four large towers connected by bridges and made entirely of glass. For whatever reason, she felt that this particular building was important. She couldn't point to any specific reason, but the swells and tides of fate seemed to congregate around it. When she looked into the dreams of the nearby people again, many seemed to congregate around that building. It was certainly something she would keep an eye on.

When she got back she found a poster on her door. To her surprise it was a poster of the very same building she had been observing some time prior. It showed about twenty people, all with big grins on their faces and all wearing a gray coat and green pants or a skirt. Everyone had a red tie on as well. At the bottom of the poster were the words; "U.A. The Best Hero School in Japan. Register today! Classes begin in April!" Underneath in the corner was the contact information and instructions on how to do so. Taped to the side was a note in familiar writing that made her annoyance spike.

Dearest Sister~

I've already set up shop in a nearby district and while I was perusing the city and seeing the sights I came across an interesting advertisement! I know you're currently lacking any kind of purpose so I thought I'd drop this by in case you were interested~

If you are, I would be more than happy to help you through the process, please stop by sometime~ An address was scrawled down next to the sentence.

Please let me know of your decision, your dearest brother, Grimm~

She crumpled the note and disintegrated it in a flash of light, but for the poster? She took it inside with her and put it on the wall in her living room. She probably wouldn't do anything with it beyond having it as a decoration, but there was something about it…

She sighed, crawling into her bed.

Ridiculous…

Can you tell I recently beat Hollow Knight?

For those of you who know me, welcome! I've decided to add another story to my little group and made it a trio. Like my other two I have big plans for this, as I love both of these series.

For those of you who don't know me, welcome! This is going to be a crossover with The Radiance as the protagonist. I haven't decided on a pairing, or if I'm going to do one, but I am more than welcome to suggestions. I'm also going to address the elephant in the room: The Radiance is a Goddess in the direct meaning of the word. She is a monstrously powerful being and in any other case she would probably crush anyone in this universe without a problem. But I have no interest in making a Mary Sue or a character so overpowered that anything is a cakewalk.

That's boring…

You've probably already one of the main way's I've limited her with the "shackle" on her power. She is stuck in human form for the time being, and while she has her abilities they are not nearly as powerful as they are in the game. Don't worry, while she is a powerhouse she will have her weaknesses, even if she isn't aware of them.

Anyways, I've gone on for over 200 words of just announcements. This is where I'll leave you for now! If you're interested in my other works, the next story in the rotation is: The Rider's Sentinel.

Other than that, thanks for reading, I'll see you soon~