Izuku Midoriya is a quirkless loser.
Or at least that's what all his so-called "friends" tell him.
But Midoriya knows he's special, "I hear a voice sometimes." he tells himself.
At first, Inko believes that Midoriya has developed some sort of mood disorder. But the doctors, completely disinterested in the problems of a quirkless five year old robotically prescribe him with over the counter medications and tell his mother to shove the pills down his throat until the voices go away.
It does not leave.
It only increases in its wailing desperation.
The voice is not appreciative of these new medications, so it screams. It roars in an anguished, horrific tone like that of a wounded beast.
Midoriya is only five at this time, almost six. Unable to understand what's going on inside his consciousness he begins to shriek as well. And Inko his loving, ever-reliable mother calls an ambulance.
But Midoriya's screaming does not subside. And so the paramedics hurridly strap him to the gurney and sedate him with emergency anesthesia.
And as the ambulance pulls into the hospital parking lot, there is a spark.
And then there is fire.
The hospital turns into nothing but scorched earth. Hundreds are dead. Inko is one among many.
Izuku Midoriya's corpse is not found.
Go West.
Delusional and wracked with grief, barely able to understand what he has done. Izuku listens.
Izuku is almost seven going on eight halfway through China. He hid on a cargo ship heading from Japan to Taiwan, making his way through mainland Asia on his stubby legs.
Food is a luxury. He has to beg on the streets for scraps. And Sometimes he steals. It's not what All Might would do.
But it keeps him alive.
And so he marches forward.
Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan
Midoriya is twelve, and the fire he holds inside him is only getting hotter. He scratches at his skin for release. It burns his insides; it has a carnal desire to destroy everything in its path to fuel itself. But Midoriya knows to bide his time; release is near.
He finally arrives in Saudi Arabia and the fire quells itself. Midoriya knows he is close.
He walks through the bustling streets of Mecca and finally arrives at his destination. The Masjid al-Haram.
And for the first time in twelve years, the voice says something other than to go west.
Burn it commands.
He does.
Midoriya wakes up in a changed world. The city that he walked across is all but ash. The moon hangs above his head at a crooked angle, smiling with an all too human face. The sky behind it is pitch black, with not a single star left in the cosmos. And there on top of the monument is the most brilliant fire he has ever seen. A beautiful medley of reds and oranges burning brighter than the sun. A comforting warmth like none other washes over him as he reaches for it.
The First Flame, the voice whispers excitedly. The Age of Dark has been repressed.
Around the world, people's quirks begin to vanish.
Earthquakes shatter the earth to its core, releasing evils long forgotten.
Tsunamis and Tidal Waves crash over the coasts. Those who once slept in the deep awaken again.
Dreams, the last bastion of safety in this world, are contorted into horrendous nightmares.
The Old Ones have risen, their horrid cries signaling the beginning of a new era.
The era of Fire.