Aaaaaand I'm back! 😆 I can't believe we are almost at the end of Ashes. This has seriously been a huge labor of love and I can't thank you all enough for continuing to support me and this story. LOVE YOU ALL!💖

As always, please give a big thank you to my beta who has stuck by me through these four years of writing FlourChildWrites.


Chapter 34: We Can (Not) Create


A chill spread through Momo's chest as frigid as the snow that crunched under Todoroki and the merchant's fading footsteps. She turned her full attention back to the boy.

They couldn't stay here. The frosted pine trees wouldn't provide any protection. There was nowhere to hide. It was too open. Too vulnerable if the empusa were to return.

Momo shifted closer. Blood oozed from the boy's wounds. She pressed her hands against his stomach. "Fuyumi!"

"Y-yes."

"I need to slow his hemorrhaging." Momo's gaze darted up. "Do you know how to identify yarrow or horsetail?"

Fuyumi nodded.

"Good." Momo looked back down at the boy. He was pale, and his every breath was harsh and ragged. She swallowed over a knot in her throat. "I need you to find some. Anything will do. Even if it's wilted — find whatever you can. There might be some under the snow."

"I'll do what I can." Fuyumi's form dissolved with the soft crunch of collapsing snow.

Momo's mouth was dry. She pressed her lips into a thin line and increased the pressure against the boy's stomach until he gasped in pain. Blood gurgled up like an overflowing brook, painting her hands and the snow underneath them bright copper.

Between the slick blood covering the boy's stomach and the stark shadows cloaking the forest, it was impossible for Momo to tell the extent of his injuries. If he was going to have any chance of survival, Momo needed to get him back to the cabin.

The problem was moving him.

Momo tore her gaze away from the boy. The forest was gray and desolate. A few pine branches had been broken off from the wind or snow, but not enough for Momo to build anything useful. And there wasn't enough time to waste chopping more to create a sled.

Her hands quivered. Even if they had the time to build something, ground transportation would be disastrous. The boy's wounds could be aggravated or, if there was a hidden rock underneath the snow, he could hit his head and die before she could even get him back to the cabin. The only solution was to carry him. But could Momo do it on her own?

Due to the distribution of weight, an unconscious body could feel twenty to thirty kilograms heavier than when awake. And as Fuyumi's snow form didn't allow her to physically touch anything, Momo would be on her own. Would she be able to do it?

Momo felt like her heart was in her throat. She had promised Todoroki that he could count on her; Momo couldn't go back on her promise.

She could do it.

She would do it.

Because, even more than her promise to Todoroki, the merchant needed the boy to live. Todoroki may have gone to look for the boy's mother, but there was no guarantee that she was still alive. If Momo were to fail to save the boy's life, the merchant would have lost his entire family. She would be condemning him to a life of loneliness.

Abandonment.

Just like she had been.

Her chest stuttered with a rising tide of dread. Momo would never allow someone else to go through that terrible pain of being alone. She would do whatever it took to save the boy.

The cold, quivering sensation in the pit of her stomach seemed to disappear as determination spread through her.

"Hang on," she said to the unconscious boy as she tore her cloak off. Momo shoved her shoulder under him, lifting the boy up to wrap the cape around his back. "Do not pay the ferryman. Do not cross the Styx or drink from the Lethe. You have to remain here. Do not leave your father."

Her hands were red. Momo's muscles shuddered under the boy's weight as she maneuvered him into a sitting position and pulled her cloak under him. They didn't have bandages, but she hoped her cloak would work if wrapped tightly.

"Momo!" Fuyumi said, appearing in the snow as Momo finished positioning the cape behind the boy. "I found horsetail! It's close by."

Momo looked up, wiping at the beads of sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. "Show me."

"This way!" Fuyumi shouted, her form already dissolving into a whirlwind of powder.

Momo jumped to her feet and rushed through the trees after Fuyumi. She leapt over rocks and branches as she followed Fuyumi's trail until they came upon a pile of snowdrift.

"It's under the snow," Fuyumi said, pointing to the closest mound.

Momo hurried over and fell to her knees. Her frigid fingers dug through the snow until broken stems and clumps of deeply lobed basal foliage emerged.

Momo ran her hands over the frosted leaves.

"Is this good enough?" Fuyumi asked. A quiver of uncertainty stuck in her voice.

Momo brushed the dirt off the leaves. The stems were wilted, but otherwise, the plant looked healthy. Her heart seemed to jump in her throat. "Yes. Yes! Thank you, Fuyumi!"

Momo gathered the horsetail and raced back towards the boy. Kneeling at his side, Momo pressed the leaves into his stomach. The boy moaned as Momo applied pressure before falling silent again. "This should be good enough until we get back to the house."

"Won't he bleed out if we move him?" Fuyumi asked; her voice was tight, frantic with concern.

"We don't have a choice." Momo grabbed her spear from the snow and, using her weapon as a tourniquet, tied the cloak into a tight knot over the boy's stomach. "I need to get him back to the cabin for treatment. The empusa?"

"I don't sense her."

Momo nodded. "Okay, let's go." She braced herself. Tensing her legs, Momo took a deep breath and heaved the boy onto her back.

It was like lifting 50 kilograms of mud. Momo gasped as the weight settled against her back and the warm slickness of blood soaked into her chiton. Her knees buckled. Had the boy gotten heavier? Momo pushed her thoughts and fears from her mind as she adjusted her stance and took a step forward.

A sudden cold gust pushed against her back. The wind sent a shiver down Momo's spine, and she yelped as her body was propelled forward.

"I can't touch anything, but at least I can do this much," Fuyumi said with a hint of pride in her voice.

Momo blinked. Then her lips pulled up into a grateful smile. "Thank you."

She readjusted the boy. The handle of her spear dug into her back painfully, but Momo forced herself to ignore the discomfort as, with the help of the wind, she began to ascend the mountain. The sky to the east turned a lighter shade of gray with the first light of morning. And the tree marked with the evil eye came into view.

"I'll wait out here to watch for the empusa," Fuyumi said as they reached the edge of the clearing.

"Right," Momo said, her chest heaving. She didn't have the energy to argue as she stumbled toward their cabin. When she reached the door, she threw it open and staggered inside.

Blood soaked her back and ran in rivulets down her arms to drip onto the floor. Panting, Momo dragged herself towards the cabin's lone table. Her body ached and screamed with every step. Even with Fuyumi's assistance, it had felt as though Momo had carried half of her body weight up the mountain.

Ignoring her protesting muscles, Momo pulled the merchant's son from her back and pushed him onto the table. Her legs wobbled as the boy's weight was transferred from her back. Momo grit her teeth and clutched onto the table to steady herself. She couldn't rest yet.

The boy needed her.

Todoroki was counting on her.

The merchant couldn't be left all alone.

Momo squared her shoulders and turned back towards the merchant's son; the blood drained from her face.

His skin was as pale as the snow outside of the cabin. And Momo's cloak was soaked through with blood. The boy looked like he had crossed the river Styx to the land of the dead.

Momo checked his pulse and gasped in relief. There was still a pulse — weak but there.

Hurriedly, she untangled her spear and tore her ruined cloak and the boy's chiton from his body. The horsetail had kept the boy tethered to the human world, but there was so much blood she could barely make out the large ragged gashes running across his torso anymore. And his skin had turned gritty, like he had rolled in dirt.

She had to wash his wounds first.

Momo rushed over to the hearth and lit a fire before grabbing a pot and hurrying back outside. She jumped over the blood spilled across the floor.

The sun had risen in the east, but the day was still dark and dreary as if the god Apollo had decided to sleep in. Momo's gaze darted towards the tree marked with the evil eye, but the only change in the landscape was the trail of blood dotting the snow, marking her path. There was no sign of Todoroki.

Momo tore her gaze away. She didn't have time to worry about him. Todoroki could take care of himself.

Right now, the boy needed her.

She crouched down into the snow and wiped the blood off her hands before scooping the ice into the pot and returning inside. Placing the pot onto the fire to let the ice melt, she searched for something that could be used as bandages. The only usable cloth was the single bed sheet.

It was dusty and old, but it was the only plausible option since her cloak was now ruined.

If only they had real bandages. Momo shoved the thought away as she grabbed the blanket and tore it into thin strips. The water was boiling. She wet a few pieces of the cloth and returned to the boy's side.

The merchant's son's face appeared whiter than before, and Momo could see his every pore as if he were made of grain.

His condition grew more dire by the second.

Momo set her jaw and prayed as she cleaned his wounds and wrapped him. Her hands were shaking by the time she finished. She had done all she could. It was up to the fates now whether he lived or died.

Momo wobbled over to the pot of hot water and washed herself.

Her body was covered with blood. Her hands. Her hair. Her face. The last time she had seen so much blood was when Tokoyami was dying.

A wave of fear and memories from the day Troy fell slammed into her. It was like a rock had been placed on her breast, making it difficult to breathe.

Momo swallowed hard and tried to push down her rising anxiety. It wasn't like Troy, Momo reminded herself as she finished washing and stepped outside to dispose of the dirty water. She wasn't going to lose anyone. This was a routine rescue mission. There was no need to worry unnecessarily.

Her gaze drifted towards the tree marked with the evil eye. Her fingers tightened around the pot as her heart quivered.

There was no need to worry, but where was Todoroki?

She bit her lip. It had taken Todoroki far longer than she would have anticipated to return. She wondered if she should look for him. He could need her help.

Momo shook her head. What was she thinking? She couldn't leave the boy alone to sate her own worries. Besides, she tried to reason, Todoroki was strong. He could take care of himself. He was probably lost or trying to do what he could for the merchant's wife before coming back.

She wanted to believe that, but in her heart, Momo couldn't.

'You'll be all alone, Yaoyorozu. You won't be able to handle it.'

Momo froze as Overhaul's venomous voice seeped through her mental barriers. His words burned her ears and tainted her heart like poison.

Todoroki was a demigod, but no matter how strong he was, he wasn't invincible. He had been injured by Dabi, and he could have been harmed when fighting Overhaul if Momo hadn't woken up first. There was no guarantee that he would be safe, especially if he were protecting civilians. And with his lack of sleep, his reactions would be hindered. What if the empusa returned? What if he were hurt and needed assistance?

Momo dropped the pot to the ground and pressed her hands to her eyes, trying to will the fear away. She felt sick with worry and ashamed of being worried. The merchant could have lost his entire family, and she was only able to think about Todoroki.

There wasn't even evidence that anything was wrong. Momo wanted to believe it was just the paranoia of her tired and over-reactive mind. She wanted to believe that she'd realize there was nothing to worry about after some rest. Todoroki would return. He had promised. However, Momo's ability to reason and tell herself that he would come back was insufficient persuasion to her mind and body.

'I curse you, mortal.'

Momo's chest felt as though it were hollowing itself out. She ran her hands over her face and pushed the hair that had come loose from her ponytail back.

She needed to stop herself from thinking. She had to keep herself busy; otherwise, if Momo stopped, if she let her mind continue down its current path, she would go crazy with worry and do something she'd regret.

Drawing in a deep breath, Momo opened her eyes. She should at least wash the blood off the floor to keep herself busy.

With one last glance towards the trees, Momo picked up the pot and re-entered the cabin. The blood on the floor had darkened to a brown sticky mixture that looked like mud. Momo's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She glanced back towards the boy to check his status and froze.

Her heart seemed to abruptly stall.

The boy's body was cracking. Lines crossed his white skin like shattered glass. From each crack, sand seeped out, spilling onto the table and floor in a silent stream.

Momo threw the pot to the ground and lunged forward. She pressed her hands to the boy's body, trying to keep him from crumbling, attempting to put him back together. But no matter how she fought, it was futile. The boy's body kept disintegrating between her fingers like ash and dirt until all that was left was a pile of sand on the table.

"No!" Momo choked over the rock in her throat. Tears streamed down her face as she stumbled backwards, heart and head pounding in terror and confusion. "No. No. No!"

This was wrong.

All wrong.

She hadn't been able to save the boy. What had she missed?

Momo's legs shook, threatening to give out beneath her. There was the sensation of a knife being drawn down her spine. She stared at the sand that had replaced the boy in abject horror and tried to think.

Was this the empusa's magic? But monsters — even their magic — weren't supposed to have the ability to cross into a space protected by an evil eye. Only humans could -

'Todoroki!'

Momo's heart felt as though it had plummeted into her stomach. She staggered away from the table. The blood that had been smeared across the floorboards was now mud that clung to the soles of her sandals. Momo ignored it as she turned and bolted out of the house. Her throat felt so tight she could barely breathe as realization swept over her.

"Fuyumi!"

Snow condensed, and the shape of a woman formed. "Momo! What –"

"Where's Todoroki?!" Momo demanded, cutting Fuyumi off.

"What?" Fuyumi's eyebrows raised in alarm.

"We were tricked. The boy was fake!" Momo gasped. Her mind reeled as she tried to piece together her thoughts. "He was a golem created by the magi."

Fuyumi's eyes widened. Her breath caught. "By the gods!"

"I need to find Todoroki! He's in trouble."

"'I'll – I'll get him." Fuyumi stuttered. "St-stay."

The snow collapsed. Momo's body trembled. Her hands and fingers felt as though they were being pricked with needles.

It had all been a lie. The merchant. The boy. Even the empusa's attack. They had been fooled.

'I curse you.'

Momo breathed sharply through her teeth as she tried to steady herself. She needed to prepare to confront whatever was targeting them.

She turned and rushed back into the cabin. Pausing in the middle of the room, Momo's gaze swept over furniture to land on the pile of sand covering the table. Her chest constricted, and she felt sick.

They wouldn't be able to come back. If the magi hadn't known about the cabin, he would now. They wouldn't be safe here anymore.

Her body quivered with terror. Momo turned and began gathering anything that she could see: pieces of the shredded bed sheet, the remaining horsetail, and a rusted kitchen knife. Momo stashed what she could into her chiton before grabbing her spear and returning outside.

Fuyumi wasn't back.

Momo's body shook as she waited for Fuyumi to return. Her fingers and toes felt stiff as if ice filled her veins instead of blood. She couldn't stand still. Her mind raced. There must be something else she could do.

Momo looked around the forest, trying to identify anything else to take with her. Her gaze landed on the evil eye. It was useless now that the magi knew about the cabin.

Momo moved closer and ran her fingers over the indents in the wood, wondering if she should take it. She didn't know if the mark would retain its magic if she removed it from the tree, but at least it gave her something to concentrate on while she was forced to wait.

She leaned her spear against a tree and withdrew the rusted kitchen knife from her chiton. She had grabbed it on impulse, but it wouldn't be of any use in a fight. Momo's fingers tightened around the hilt before slamming the knife into the wood, cutting the evil eye out.

The piece of wood was light enough to be lifted by the wind and small enough to fit into the palm of her hand. Momo shoved it into her chiton as the snow began to shift, signaling Fuyumi's return.

"Did you find him?" Momo asked, her voice tight with tension.

Fuyumi looked up, and Momo's heart felt as though it dropped into the pit of her stomach at Fuyumi's frightened expression.

"I can't see him."

Momo's legs shook. "What-what do you mean?"

"I can locate his general location, but – I don't know what type of magic it is – something is obstructing my view. I can't see him directly."

Momo swallowed thickly, then steeled herself. "Show me," she grit out.

"It's far and the safest way will take -"

"It doesn't matter. Show me the quickest way."

Fuyumi nodded before dissolving into wisps of snow that swirled into the forest. Momo grabbed her spear and flung herself after Fuyumi into the trees.

The path was unfamiliar. Momo followed Fuyumi through the uneven forest terrain. She was vaguely aware that they were making their way to the opposite side of the mountain.

"We're almost there." Fuyumi's voice came from beside her. "Just a little farther –"

It happened in an instant. There was a sudden prickling along her skin. Momo twisted away as jagged claws swept at the air where she had stood.

"Momo!" Fuyumi called out in alarm.

Momo didn't have time to answer. She spun her spear around and lunged forward. The attacker disappeared into the shadows.

Her heart raced as Momo scanned the trees but couldn't see anything.

"Are you okay?" Fuyumi asked in a hushed voice; her gaze darted back and forth.

"Yeah..." Momo said. Her mouth was dry. If she'd reacted even a second later the claws would have torn through her back.

The pine tree branches behind her shook. Momo spun around as a feminine voice rang out from the shadows.

"I'm so happy!" The feminine voice squealed in a girlish delight. And Momo's breath caught as a beautiful woman materialized before her. She had blonde hair curled into buns, lion paws for hands, and one foot was that of a donkey — the empusa.

The empusa smiled gleefully. Her golden eyes were bright, manic. "I was on my way to you! But you came to meet me first. Hehe."

Momo lunged forward, but the empusa disappeared back into the shadows.

Fast.

On instinct, Momo brought her spear up. There was a loud clang as the metal connected with talons. Pain reverberated up Momo's arms, she stumbled backwards from the force of the impact. The empusa giggled and dissolved into the shadows before Momo could counter.

She was losing time.

"Please," Momo said, slowly repositioning herself into a defensive stance. "Let us go. I don't have time to fight you."

"No can do," the empusa sang. "I made a promise, and promises are meant to be kept."

Momo gritted her teeth. She couldn't tell where the monster was. "What is it that you want? Why are you helping a magi? A human?"

"Why? Because Mr. Atsuhiro and Jin are my friends. They accept me. Love me. I get to have all the fun I want while they play with Dabi's little brother."

Momo's breath caught in her throat.

"Dabi!" Fuyumi gasped.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. I have a message for you," the empusa said almost conversationally. The shadows shifted, and warm breath brushed against Momo's ear. "Dabi sends his regards."

There was a ripping sound, and Momo stumbled forward with a gasp of pain as blistering heat bloomed along her back.

"Momo!" Fuyumi screamed. A gust of snow and wind shot toward the empusa, but the monster sidestepped and dissolved again.

"I'm okay," Momo gasped through her teeth. It felt as though flames licked against her back.

Momo readjusted her hands and shoved the pain to the back of her mind. She could still move. Momo's eyes darted over the shadows.

The empusa was playing with her. A cat batting at a mouse, before killing it.

She could feel her chiton becoming soaked from her blood. "Can you find her?" she asked Fuyumi in a low voice.

"No. She has the same magic as what is blocking Shouto's presence from me."

Momo bit her lip. What could she do? What would Todoroki do? He'd burn her. Or freeze her. But those weren't options available to Momo. She was defenseless.

'You're a god slayer.'

Momo gritted her teeth, thinking.

"This will be difficult. She's too fast for me to keep up with. I'll need your help." Momo spoke softly so that only Fuyumi could hear.

"Always." Fuyumi's voice came back in a whisper.

"Please follow my lead. I'm going to have to stop her from moving." Momo pressed her lips into a hard line and forced herself to straighten up. Her back screamed in pain, but Momo ignored it.

"Okay," Fuyumi said. "I'll do my best."

Momo swallowed hard. This was a bad plan. A very bad plan in a very bad situation, but they didn't have time to come up with something better. Her stomach tightened, and Momo steeled herself as she spoke to the darkness. "If you are with Dabi, then you planned this."

From the shadows, there came girlish giggles. "Sort of," the empusa drawled. There was a mischievous lilt to her voice. "Dabi told Shigaraki what happened after Troy, but he didn't plan this fun game. That was us. Shigaraki loves plays — especially tragedies."

The blood in Momo's veins turned to ice shards. Shigaraki Tomura, the twin brother of Overhaul, and the personification of death. Thanatos.

"You set up the cabin," Momo said in a strained tone. It wasn't a question. Her fingers trembled as she slid her hand into her chiton and allowed the piece of wood to fall to the floor.

"The cabin was there, but Mr. Atsuhiro was the one who added some fun magic to it. Didn't you notice?"

Momo's chest tightened like bindings restricting her lungs at the mention of the god of nightmares. "The dreams…"

"You got it!" the empusa laughed. "Thanks to Shigaraki's brother, the setup was complete. The hero, Todoroki Shouto, dreamt of his own demise. And now," a fanged smile appeared in the darkness from the top of a pine tree, "it's the final part in Shigiraki's play. The part where the hero will face his own fears and die."

Raw anger spread through Momo's chest.

"This isn't a play!" she hissed. Her hands trembled around her spear's hilt; her knuckles were white. "You aren't going to win."

The empusa's golden eyes glittered as they met Momo's gaze. "I think we are already winning." The monster's long tongue flicked out of her mouth as if she was tasting the air. Her human-like mouth twisted up into an exuberant smile. "I'm going to eat you while my friends play with Todoroki and his nightmares."

Momo's tongue twisted with fury. "They aren't your friends. A god would never befriend a monster! He's just using you!"

"Shut up!" The empusa snarled, disappearing back into the shadows.

Momo held her breath trying to listen. The darkness above her abruptly shifted, and the empusa leapt down. She knocked Momo over and pinned her to the ground.

Momo gasped in pain as her raw back slammed into the dirt. Her spear was torn out of her hands, as the empusa stared down at her.

"What do you know? Human!" The empusa growled. Her expression twisted in fury. "You don't know my friends." Her eyes glittered with malice. Then, she leaned down and sank her teeth into Momo's shoulder.

Momo screamed.

"Momo!" Fuyumi shrieked.

"Now!" Momo shouted. Using all her strength, she wrapped her arms and legs around the empusa, pushing the fangs further into her shoulder. "Fuyumi!"

The empusa froze as the air became a whirlwind of snow, fallen branches, and pine needles. The empusa flailed and tried to pull back, but Momo tightened her legs around the monster as the whirlwind changed course, and a piece of wood the size of a person's palm shot through the air.

The empusa thrashed, breaking out of Momo's hold, but it was too late as the piece of wood shot like an arrow and slammed into the empusa's back.

For a moment nothing happened. Then Momo watched, wheezing, as the empusa's eyes widened and white lines appeared criss-crossing her body.

"No!" The empusa screeched as her body broke apart into ash. "No. No, Toga doesn't want to go to Tartarus."

Then, as suddenly as the battle had started, the woods became quiet.

Momo pushed herself up and sat, staring at the black ash that had once been the empusa. It was over. They had won.

Her body shook. Blood oozed from her shoulder. Momo reached up and flinched as her fingers grazed the wound. Deep, but not fatal.

The snow dusted up next to her, and Fuyumi appeared. "Momo!"

"I'm fine," Momo said. She rolled her shoulder experimentally. Shooting pain radiated out from the wound. Momo bit back a hiss of pain and swallowed as she turned towards Fuyumi. "Thank you. You saved me. I wouldn't have been able to defeat her by myself."

Fuyumi shook her head, her expression full of barely contained worry. "Momo… That wound –"

Momo averted her gaze. "I'm fine. I'll just bind it."

She pulled the bandages from her chiton. They were soiled with blood and what looked like teeth and spit marks from when the Empusa bit her. Momo sighed and let them drop to the ground.

"Will you be okay? Your back and shoulder - It looked like she bit you hard," Fuyumi said, looking down at the ruined bandages.

"I'll be fine. There isn't time to go back to the cabin," Momo said, trying to keep her voice even as she forced herself to her feet. She picked up her spear. As Momo reached out, her shoulder screamed in agony, and she had to switch it to her other hand. Her fingers were stained red.

"Let's keep going."

Down the mountain, smoke rose from the middle of the forest — a beacon to where Todoroki was. Fighting. In trouble.

"I can't."

Momo stopped and looked back; Fuyumi's snowy face flickered. Her lower lip trembled. "I can't - I can't go further than this."

Momo's heart plummeted into the pit of her stomach. "I see," she said slowly before taking a deep breath and giving Fuyumi a shaky smile. "Then I'll be off. Thank you. For everything."

"Momo," Fuyumi started, then paused. She looked at Momo, and her eyes were intense. "Please. I'm counting on you. Save my brother."

Momo gave a sharp nod. "I'll see you soon."

Pain raced down her back and the wound in her shoulder as Momo descended the mountain. Alone. In the distance, the smoke rising above the tree line darkened as Todoroki's flames grew hotter. She was still minutes away, but Momo could already feel the warmth from the fires, and the taste of ash and blood sat on Momo's tongue.

Her stomach twisted as her mind launched her back to that night six months ago when she stood in front of the temple protecting Tokoyami. This was like Troy all over again. Once again, she needed to save the one she loved most. And once again, she was hurt and outnumbered. Up against a god and magi. And there was no guarantee Todoroki would be in any condition to help.

Suddenly, a cracking sound filled Momo's ears and the world shook. She hit her knees as the ground quaked.

Gravel, hidden underneath the snow, cut into Momo's skin. She bit back a cry of pain and alarm as she fought against the impulse to start crying. She was going to lose the one most important to her, and she couldn't do anything about it.

'Curse you, mortal.'

Overhaul's words stung like an infection. Momo curled her fists against the ground and pushed herself up. She couldn't give up.

Todoroki promised to never leave her. She had to keep believing him. He had never broken a promise to her before. He had always been the one to save her; this time she'd be the one there for him.

Momo breathed in a wheezing breath of air. "Kaminari! I have a wish."

No one answered. Momo steeled her jaw, not slowing her pace. Her life with Todoroki flashed behind her eyes. She couldn't lose him. Not him.

"Kaminari!" She screamed again. "I wish to be able to create…create -"

What? Her mind asked.

Momo swallowed. "Anything. I wish to be able to create anything! I need to save Todoroki, no matter what it is."

She could almost hear Kaminari's lips thinning as his voice rang in her head, as though he were speaking right into her ear.

"That's a big ask. Since you were not born with these powers, there could be repercussions. And I won't know what those are until the gift is already granted."

Her jaw tightened. "That's fine."

"Are you sure? You could just wish for me to save him."

"No. I don't know the situation, and I don't know the future. I rather have the ability to handle any situation and save ourselves."

"Ok-okay, if you are sure."

"I am! My wish is to be able to create anything I need to protect Todoroki!" Momo repeated louder.

As soon as her last word was out, a blistering heat poured through her. Momo screamed and fell to the ground, shuddering and gasping as the pain pulsed and traveled through her veins and into her heart. As fast as the pain came, it was gone, replaced with cool tranquility.

Momo lay in the snow where she had fallen. She stared at her hand as the wish settled into her. Her fingers appeared the same, but she could feel intense power thrumming just below the surface of her skin like a second heartbeat.

"It's done," Kaminari said. He paused before continuing in a hesitant voice. "Are you okay?"

Momo licked her dry lips. "Yeah." Her voice was raw. She pushed herself up from the snow. Her body tingled. It felt as though she had captured the sun within her chest.

"You can create anything you want now. But, like I said, there are repercussions. And it seems the more you use the magic, the more it will drain your vitality."

"How does it work?" Momo asked as she rose slowly. Her head pounded.

"I'm not entirely sure," Kaminari said in a sheepish voice. "But, I think if you just imagine what you want the magic should work, somehow."

Momo nodded. She wasn't sure how she knew, but could tell Kaminari was speaking the truth. Limitless potential tingled beneath her skin. She was Daedalus able to create wings from wax.

She raised her head and looked back towards the path. Smoke rose above the trees mixing with the ashen gray sky.

"Hold on, Todoroki. I'm coming for you," Momo whispered into the wind.


Really hope you all enjoy these final chapters as Ashes reaches its end. 🙈🙏 We are almost there ya'll! 2 maybe 3 more chapters left depending how it breaks up!

As always, lots of love. All comments, questions and words of encouragement are welcome! 💖 If you don't know what to write, but would like to leave a comment to let me know you read and enjoyed, feel free to comment with this emoji ' '.

More Notes:

Atsuhiro Sako - also known as Mr. Compass is part of the League of Villains in BNHA

Lethe - Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, is one of the five rivers of the Greek underworld; the other four are Acheron (the river of sorrow), Cocytus (the river of lamentation), Phlegethon (the river of fire) and Styx (the river that separates Earth and the Underworld).

Daedalus - Daedalus, a mythical inventor, created wings made of feathers and wax to escape from Crete where he and his son, Icarus, were held captive by King Minos. Icarus, however, ignored his father's warnings and flew too close to the sun. His wings melted and he fell into the sea where he met his end.

Himiko Toga - is part of the League of Villains in BNHA. In this story, she is an empusa.

Horsetail - Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is an ancient herbal remedy that was used by Romans and Greeks as a traditional treatment for stopping bleeding, curing wounds, and healing ulcers. It is brimmed with nutritious compounds that pace up the healing process for quick recovery.

Jin Bubaigawara - known as Twice is part of the League of Villains in BNHA.

Tomura Shigaraki – Main villain in BNHA. In Ashes, Shigaraki is Thantos, the god of death and twin brother of Hypnos, who was Overhaul. Thantos and Hypnos are the twin sons of Nyx the goddess of night.

Styx - Styx is the river that separates Earth and the Underworld.

Yarrow - Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a legendary herb, steeped in myths and lores about treating bleeding issues. Achille, a Greek mythical hero, used it to stop the bleeding of his soldiers. This shows the historical value of yarrow. Its leaves are used raw as poultices or its oil can be massaged on the wounds to staunch the bleeding.