Days turned into weeks, and Izuku's relentless pursuit of answers continued, despite his mother's concerns. His room remained a cluttered warren of research materials and scattered notes. He had made progress, uncovering more about the enigmatic Nexus project, but there were still pieces missing from the puzzle.
One evening, as Izuku was meticulously going through some newly acquired documents, Inko entered his room with a heavy heart. She watched her son, the determination in his eyes, and knew she couldn't keep her secret any longer.
"Izuku," she said softly, gaining his attention.
He looked up from his papers, his eyes tired but still filled with an unwavering resolve. "Mom, I think I'm getting closer to the truth about Dad."
Inko sighed, her resolve wavering, but she knew she had to do this. She approached Izuku's desk, and with a heavy heart, she began to speak. "Izuku, I need you to listen carefully. What you're searching for, it's not what you think it is."
Izuku furrowed his brow, his curiosity piqued. "What do you mean, Mom?"
Inko took a deep breath. "Your father, Hisashi, wasn't just involved in The project. He was one of its lead."
Izuku's eyes widened in shock. "Dad was working on it?"
Inko nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "Yes, Izuku, but you need to understand the truth. The project wasn't just about research. It was something far more dangerous."
Izuku's mind raced as he tried to process this revelation.
Inko's voice trembled as she continued. "They believed that they could gain access to untold knowledge and power. But something went terribly wrong during an experiment. There was a catastrophic accident. Many were injured, and some were lost, including your father."
Izuku's heart ached as he realized the truth. His father hadn't just disappeared; he had been consumed by the very experiment he had been working on. "So, Dad... he's gone because of The Marker."
Inko nodded, her tears flowing freely now. "Yes, Izuku. That's why I've been trying to protect you from this. I didn't want you to follow in his footsteps and be drawn into the same dangerous path."
Izuku was overwhelmed by a mix of emotions—grief, anger, and a profound sense of loss. His quest to find his father had led him to the painful truth, one he wasn't sure he was ready to accept.
Inko placed a hand on her son's shoulder, her voice filled with regret. "I'm so sorry, Izuku."
Izuku turned to his mother, his eyes filled with tears, but he managed a small smile. "Thank you, Mom."
As they sat together, mother and son, the weight of the past and the uncertainty of the future hung heavy in the air. Izuku's quest for answers had brought him closure, but it had also opened new wounds. The mystery of the USJ incident remained, and the dangers of The Marker were still lurking in the shadows, waiting to be uncovered.
As the days turned into weeks and Izuku wrestled with the painful truth about his father's fate, a heavy cloud of unease settled over him and his mother.
Inko, burdened by the knowledge she had revealed to her son, grew increasingly worried about the dangerous path Izuku was on.
One night, as the moon hung low in the sky, Inko left a heartfelt note for Izuku and quietly slipped out of their home, leaving her son sleeping peacefully in his room. She had made a difficult decision, one that weighed heavily on her heart.
*Late at night*
Izuku awoke, feeling a strange emptiness in the room. He sat up, sensing that something was amiss. He glanced at the note from his mother, and panic began to rise within him as he read her words:
"Izuku, I love you, but I need to protect you from the dangers of the past. Please understand."
Tears welled up in Izuku's eyes as he realized that his mother had disappeared, leaving him alone in their home. His heart pounded with worry and fear for her safety. As he contemplated his next move, a chilling presence filled the room, causing the temperature to plummet. The air grew heavy, and the darkness seemed to grow deeper. Izuku's instincts told him that he was not alone.
Then, a voice, a hauntingly familiar voice, echoed in the room. "Izuku, my son, I've missed you so much."
Izuku's heart froze as he turned toward the source of the voice. There, emerging from the shadows, was Mr. Tanaka, or at least, the man who had once been Mr. Tanaka. His form was grotesquely distorted, his body now a nightmarish amalgamation of flesh and monstrous appendages.
"Dad?" Izuku's voice quivered, a mixture of disbelief and fear.
The creature that was once his father slowly approached, its form shifting and writhing. "Yes, Izuku, it's me. Or what remains of me."
Izuku was torn between the desire to embrace the man he had longed to see for years and the terror of the monstrous visage before him. He took a hesitant step back, his heart racing.
The creature continued to speak, its voice filled with a strange mix of longing and malevolence. "I've been trapped in this form, a prisoner of The Marker's catastrophic failure. But now, I've returned, and I need your help."
Izuku's mind reeled at the impossible revelation. His father had survived, but at what cost? And what did he mean by needing his help?
Before he could respond, the room seemed to convulse, and the darkness coalesced into a grotesque, towering figure—a monstrous entity born from the very experiment that had claimed Hisashi Midoriya's humanity.
Izuku's breath caught in his throat as the creature loomed over him, its twisted form casting a shadow that seemed to swallow everything in its path.
"Izuku," his father's voice, now a tortured whisper, implored. "Please, you're the only one who can save me."
The room descended into a nightmarish tableau, as father and son faced the monstrous consequence, and Izuku was forced to make a choice that would shape the fate of his family, his friends, and the world of heroes. The monstrous entity, once a twisted remnant of Hisashi, loomed over Izuku, its presence both horrifying and unsettling. It reached out with its grotesque appendages, but instead of an attack, it began to form a protective barrier around Izuku, shielding him from the darkness that surrounded them.
Izuku was torn between fear and confusion. "What are you...?"
The creature's voice, now distorted and echoing, filled the room. "Izuku, I am no longer your father, not in the way you remember me. But I still care for you. I want to protect you."
Izuku's mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation. "Protect me? From what?"
The entity hesitated for a moment before responding. "From the dangers of The Marker, from the forces that seek to use its power for their own dark purposes. I was... I was part of the project, and I understand its true potential and its terrible consequences."
Izuku's eyes widened as he began to grasp the gravity of the situation. The Marker had been a Pandora's box of unimaginable power and danger, and his father had been ensnared in its dark web.
"What can we do?" Izuku asked, his voice filled with determination.
The entity's form continued to shift and writhe, as if it struggled to maintain its physical presence. "My little hero... The Marker left me with a connection... With your help, we can prevent further catastrophe."
Izuku nodded, his sense of duty overriding his fear. "I'll do whatever it takes, Dad. We'll stop this together."
The entity's distorted form seemed to relax, and it withdrew its protective barrier, allowing Izuku to step closer. As they stood together in the dark room, father and son united by a strange and perilous bond, they made a solemn pact to confront the horrors of The Marker and protect the world from its terrifying consequences.
AN: I dont really have a lot to say. But I hope everyone is liking the story.