Author's note : special update because I am finally enjoying so good holidays.

I am also going to explain a few things before this chapter.

1) The romance between Tooru and Izuku may seems fast but honestly it isn't a romantic fic and unlike Mei who may have trouble with the concept or Ochako's shyness, Tooru knows what she wants. See chapter 12 for that.

2) i often use dies to differ from canon and illustrate the butterfly effect. Hence why the Shouto/Izuku fight happened way earlier.

3) This chapter was originally chapter 10 as I love to drop bombshell on every x0 chapter.

Now, I will let you enjoy the Endeavor Chapter.

Chapter 11: Remember that every demon is a fallen angel

—Two days after All Might's Heroes Exercise, Sunday—

Hell, it was freaking hell. Everything around them was burning down, the flame eating their surroundings as voraciously as possible.

Meanwhile, a teenage boy was trying to run.

Todoroki was trying to lose his pursuer. Who? A primal terror, inscribed into him. His father was following him, burning everything around him with just a touch while laughing. His father was laughing as he continued to torch everything around them to cinders.

"You can run, boy, but you can't run from who you are!"

"No! I will never be what you made me to be!"

"That isn't a choice you have, boy . The moment you were born with this quirk, I knew you would be the one."

His father's deep voice resonated around them, when suddenly, Todoroki's brother emerged from the flame, the fires burning around them. His fire, as intense as ever, shoots out to try to hurt their father.

The flames got absorbed into him, amplifying the power of their genitor. The temperature was making the airburn around them.

Looking at his eldest son, the monster of flame barely gave him a look before grabbing his head and cremating him in front of Todoroki. Ashes were all around them. The teen knew his brother's death was going to be long, as their father was anything but merciful. That and the fact he actually took some delight in killing his unsuccessful spawn. Adding their fire to his. They were not the first and not the last if Todoroki did not manage to reach his goal.

The boy ran away even faster than before, as the forest around them turned into death and charcoal. His brother ran to protect him from their father's insanity. He couldn't waste it.

"See him? He was weak. Not hot enough to burn me. Not resistant enough to withstand me, even after all his training. But you… You have the potential for both!"

His father sounded happy. He never liked that because it meant someone or something was burning.

Soon, it would be him, if he did not progress fast enough.

"No one will save you from me. You are mine, now and forever! If only you could understand I'm doing that for your good, boy!"

Liar. He was lying. All he wanted was an heir for his madness, his dream. Todoroki refused to do that. To be that.

Still, he ran as fast as he could. Suddenly, he heard another attempt to stop their father. A woman, probably his mother. He had loved her and her kindness in their madhouse of darkness and ashes, even if all she was, was to be a slave to his father's wishes.

Her scream was now ringing in the air, as the boy projected himself into the wall of fire. He was resistant to the fire of their father, to an extent. It was one of the only ways he could continue to run and not look back.

Then he felt the incandescent heat on his back and the hand of his dear father on him.

"Oh… My dear son. You have the potential to be such a great heir that I can't see what else you can be! Embrace your true nature!"

"I WANT TO BE A HERO!"

"Because you think the heroes want you to be one of them after today? They are probably speaking about culling our line as we speak! No, boy. You will follow and obey me, as you should have always."

Todoroki braced himself, before his father once again put his mark on him, on his back. The fire fingers slowly penetrated his skin, and his father began to tattoo him with his fire.

"What kind of king would I be if I did not have a Prince?" Said the Ashen King to his son's ear.

Behind them, the Harajuku temple and most of Tokyo were burning…

And Todoroki promised himself to never be his father. To be the greatest hero just to spite him.

--

Then Enji woke up in his bed, gasping for air. His bedsheets were burning… And the bottle of whisky he had drunk did not manage to be enough to let him sleep dreamlessly.

Absorbing the heat into him, Enji looked at himself in the mirror. He had bags under his eyes. He looked miserable and villainous.

Why… Or rather when did he become so close to being his father?

How did he fail his children so much?

"Finally waking up, boss?"

Oh right. He had been sleeping at his office for the past few days. Right now, Burnin was not smiling at him with her witty one. Instead, she looked at him with pity.

"You have been trying to kill yourself with these bottles since you came back from the U.A. What did the mouse say to make you want to try to do that?"

Enji looked at the window, wondering if running through it would be a viable alternative.

"I have to remind you that you asked for a reinforced glass to avoid an assassination attempt."

Fuck.

Nonetheless, Burnin sat by her boss.

"Boss, you know what you have done for me. I know what you have done for me. You know I'm there to help you."

Endeavor looked at the mirror and took another bottle. Burnin was going to say something but Endeavor managed to stop her with his depressed look.

"The man I respect the most in this world told me with proof that I was becoming someone my father would be proud of."

"And that is a problem because?"

"Let me put it that way: If Purity, Beast and my father were in a room with a quirk suppressing cuff and I had two bullets…

I would shoot him twice and piss on the remains.

I would get a fuckin medal."

Endeavor said seriously this, while pouring a drink for his sidekick. He trusted her. Maybe he could tell her.

"That… Is it a joke? Right?"

When Enji told her who his father was, Burnin was horrified and drunk with her boss. The other sidekicks took it as protocol #5 "If neither Endeavor nor Burnin is in a state to patrol, take their shift."

--

The day before

--

Endeavor was not happy. Not only did he hear that his son lost in his first battle but adding to that, he was still not using the quirk Rei bestowed on him. Could he not see the potential he had? To not rely only on one quirk when some people did not even have one? When would people sell their souls to get even half close to Shouto's power?

Adding to that, he was now missing his meeting with the assigned HSPC psychologist. Why? Because of the one person he respected more than anything in this goddamn world and who was still alive. That was the reason Endeavor stood, though a bit nostalgic in the front of the U.A. His… Old home.

Nostalgically, Endeavor passed his hand on the gate, before opening it. He inspired the air he was smelling before letting out some of his flame of contentment. Yes, truly. It felt like home. (A small voice inside of him was asking him why home did not feel like home. It was then squished).

Most of the academy was empty as they were on the weekend. Had it been anyone else, Endeavor would have told them to get lost because he had a job to do.

However, a son could never refuse something his dad asked of him.

When he stood in front of Nezu's door, Endeavor allowed himself one of his biggest smiles, before opening the door, as passionate as ever.

"HELLO NEZU, HOW ARE YO…"

"Sit down, boy."

Something that was maybe a bear, maybe a mouse but most certainly the principal of the U.A. spoke coldly to the #2.

Nedzu had a look, Enji knew it, that means he was frankly pissed and that the someone who would get it would get his life ruined in the next few minutes.

When the steel door closed behind him, Enji knew. It was going to be him.

Many people forgot, but Nezu's quirk did not give him only high intelligence. It also gave him a life expectancy higher than most animals and Endeavor suspected the stoat did something (or suffered, both were as probable) to extend even more his life.

When he called Endeavor "boy", he had every right. However, he often refrained from doing it because he knew how traumatic it was for him.

Therefore, Endeavor found himself on the chair quicker than he thought he could, as the principal served both of them a cup of tea. Oh fuck. It was chrysanthemum tea. Nezu was more pissed than the time when Enji stole his cheese.

"I have found proof of your educational style, Boy. Why did you become someone your father would approve of?"

Endeavor was trying to drink his tea when Nezu spoke these words. The cup went crashing down and Enji looked furiously at Nezu's. His flames were roaring all around them and the mouse was not afraid.

"Nezu. You are the closest thing I have to a dad and that is the only reason you'ren't getting punched in the face."

"If I'm a dad, then I clearly failed to make a good man of you. I wonder what Crimson Riot would say."

Before Endeavor could indeed try to punch Nezu, his flames went down and a hand, firm and unbelievably strong, was put on his shoulder.

Oh, right. Situational awareness. Did they manage to hide All-Might behind the couch and Eraserhead on the ceiling?

Apparently, he did.

Enji was put down in his seat and the look Nezu gave him… It reminded him why he had been terrified of being called there all. Then, once the rage subsided, Endeavor looked at All-Might. No sign of a smile or of courtesy he had before. He was pissed off.

The man who was the most powerful in the world was pissed off at him.

While Endeavor wanted to be N1, he also understood sharply and painfully the difference between him and All-Might. His psy actually helped him understand that and that the only way his dream could ever be achieved would be by his children.

Then Nezu took several pictures from a file. He showed them to Endeavor. All of them, he knew them. He had worked on them. The fire hero looked at them and said immediately.

"Abused children, yes? Aku, Sakura, Araki…"

A pinch of pain clenched in his heart. Children police ignored at first because they were villains' kids.

So he took the matter in his hand and protected them. It was not well known, as it was not something the media was noteworthy but Nedzu, when he could detect such a case, would always send Endeavor.

Then, Nezu nodded and took another set of files, and Enji's blood became colder than what Rei could freeze. The teen he was looking at had his body battered.

Scars of burning. Bruise. Clearly some old broken bones.

"... Is that a case I ignored?"

Oh god, did he fail a kid? Did he ignore one of Nedzu's requests?! Did his secretary do that!?! Because of these burned marks… They were too familiar. Did… Did they fail to find another spawn of "Him"?

"It is Shouto."

All-Might explained with his grave and booming voice behind him.

Enji's world began to crack. Because he was smart. Those wounds. It couldn't have been from Touya… Or Rei. Anyone else in his household.

"It… It was…"

Nedzu activated the TV next to them. On it…

A clearly younger Endeavor, clearly shaken and with the smile of an abused kid who did not want anyone to worry about them.

"Do not worry, mister bear. It was just training. I'm sure my father did not mean to hurt me!"

Had Nezu pulled a gun and shot him in his heart, it would have hurt less than what Enji was seeing. In fact, he was trying to see if he could activate his flame to blast off his own head. Nope, Eraser was still working.

"How did you manage to save all of these kids but fail yours that much? I'm ashamed that one day you called me dad because that was certainly not the way I educated you."

All-Might was a tad bit surprised by how much Nedzu had managed to destroy the man in front of him. He had known the N2 for a good while now and he had respect (until now) for his mental fortitude.

"I mean. I even helped you find Rei because you wanted to avoid becoming your FATHER OR YOUR CHILDREN TO BECOME HIM, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE"

The animal lost his temper and was spilling the tea nervously around them, when this time, it was both Aizawa and Yagi who looked at Nedzu.

Wait, what?

Nedzu was suddenly conscious of their stare and sighed.

"All of what I'm going to disclose will stay in these walls. But it is important to understand everything."

The nine people listening nodded.

"Rei and Enji Todoroki were indeed a form of Quirk Marriage, through a lot of Omiai. It was also love at first sight for both of them."

That was… New for most of them.

"To avoid making any child Enji had to have a fire quirk and a heat resistance above him. Because, otherwise, the risk the child would have reached the Singularity would have been above 90%".

Nedzu explained, suddenly tired, even though he was prepared.

"I thought… The Singularity was a theory?"

"It is a secret not many people know about it. We hid it with nice words, but we have already seen two cases of people managing to awaken more than once and as a result of favorable awakenings… Become something that could only be described as Living Quirks. Functionally immortal"

"And the point with Endeavor being?"

Shouta asked, descending from the ceiling, while Endeavor was sobbing. Actually sobbing. What the hell was going on.

"... Endeavor is the son of one of them."

For a moment, Shouta refused to see the connection. The Living Quirks. People who underwent freak accidents and evolved.

"So… He is french? That is a good reason for sobbing."

Aizawa joked because the alternative was far, far worse. he seriously hoped that Nedzu would confirm this.

"No. My father… Is the other one."

Endeavor who was breaking down emotionally in front of them, chose to explain the situation.

"My father is the Ashen King, burner of Tokyo and the Imperial Family. The genocider of China. The living cataclysm."

Suddenly, for many people, it became clear why the hell, Endeavor of all people, hid his family tree.

—

The Ashen King. No one really knew his origins. However, if Endeavor was the strongest hero fire user, all specialists agreed to say he did not even reach half of the level of the Living Cataclysm.

However, he became in a decade a legend among supervillains. Even All For One, in all of his madness, had tried to take him down but not to steal his quirk, fearing it would still try to consume him down.

He failed to even approach the Living Fire.

The man appeared one day in Beijing. One hour later, nothing was left of the Forbidden City.

Then, the blue giant of fire turned his sick smile and stare to the rest of China. In a rare moment of clarity, mafia, supervillains, and heroes banded together to try and stop what was obviously a monster.

His whole body was actually made of fire.

No heating problem like Endeavor or what the few fire users in the world could meet. He was the fire and had embraced it. The more he burned down, the stronger he became. Wherever he went, only ashes were left. Hence his name.

He burned 75% of the whole country. What was left was because everyone united against him. So, The King walked into India and a few more countries. Nuclear fire had been used. Somehow, it made him disappear after a few months.

Then, Florida got burned to a tenth of its initial size by nuclear fire.

Then, he came to Japan. That is where he had been destroyed twenty years ago, by a joint task force of a young All-Might, Crimson Riot, Nedzu, and many other top 10 heroes from all around the globe… Including the other Living Quirk, though he was way weaker than their enemy, for he was… a living pile of trash.

Yes, one of the French top heroes was composed of junk and part found in a junkyard. You could laugh but the man was a hero at the core and was always putting his body in the line of the fight. Even some supervillains were recruited for the operations, such as the Amazonian Queen (though some called her more a Nature fighter. One of the strongest water users in the world). An actual ash user who joined for personal reasons.

What All-Might and many people did not know about the operation, was how Nedzu found the location of the Ashen King and his plans for that day, the Great Burning of Tokyo.

It had been because he had found a young kid in the street and shared cheese with the crying boy. He had consoled him and promised to protect him.

That kid had been Enji, one of the many spawns of the Ashen King. Well, many… As long as you show progress and potential, you lived. Otherwise, you were sacrificed to him. No one wanted to know how that worked for a man who was more energy than a human and no one truly wanted to understand.

The only one who actually knew was Dr. Garaki, since unbeknown to anyone, including All For One, he had been the doctor for the King. Why? Simply because that way he could collect more information about the Singularity and the fact HE WAS RIGHT.

All-Might remembered the fight. Even David had been baffled by the firepower of the villain, as he had almost killed All-Might when he began to use his power in a concentrated manner. However, it had not been All-Might who managed to bring down the monster.

It had been the Crimson Riot. To this day, the only explanation of what happened was that Crimson underwent because of the stress and the fact he was protecting the last member of the Japanese Imperial family (who had the rare power to actually strengthen their protector) a succession of awakening. However, he did not manage to become like the other two, his quirk evolving not to protect its user but to protect everyone else.

The man punched fire. As in somehow, he made the fire corporeal and he punched it a lot. David's theory was he had obtained the power to harden immaterial things. Still. The former N1 had managed to kill the fire user before saving the last kid of the Imperial family. He then died of exhaustion.

"But I don't remember the part where Endeavor was here. In fact, no offense Endeavor, I'm surprised you did not get shot in the head."

Shouta, who was used to conspiracy now, had no time for tact.

"None taken. When the higher-ups discovered my existence, Nedzu defended me. Saying he would make me a hero. Someone who would do anything to stop the second coming of my father. That is how the U.A. ward program actually began."

"And they just followed Nedzu's advice? Because I'm pretty sure you don't have, even now, that much political clout."

All-Might was in disbelief. Though, had he been there, he would have tried to protect the kid. Yes, even if he knew what he had become now. Why? Because he was a hero. You don't save people because it is easy or simple. You don't condemn a kid for his father's fault too.

"Of course not! In fact, they were already aiming at me when Crimson Riot asked for me to live."

Endeavor said before crumbling. Nedzu continued, for everyone in the room.

"Crimson Riot patted his head and told him to be the best hero in the world. That he was proud to die if it was to protect even one more person. The Emperor, a child around the same age as Enji at that time, mind you, actually ordered the soldiers to stand down and listen to the hero."

Enji nodded. He had devoted his entire life to these words. All of his fuckin life to become a hero that would be the best in the world. Because of his father's sin and because he cost the life of one of the greatest heroes that ever lived.

"And now, I'm not sure I was worth that sacrifice."

Enji tried to continue before getting bitchslap by All-Might.

Which to be fair, surprised pretty much everyone in the room.

"AND THAT IS WHY YOU WANTED TO BECOME NUMBER ONE? FOR FUCK SAKE, ENDEAVOR. THE RANKING IS A FUCKIN MADE-UP POPULARITY CONTEST. I WIN BECAUSE OF SHEER CHARISMA."

All-Might seemed both sad and angry before pulling up the man.

"Did you ever check the stats? I'm no slouch, I admit it. But I'm growing old. Even I don't resist the passage of time. But you're already surpassing me on so many things. And I don't even care about the ranking."

This punched Endeavor in the gut.

"Enji. Kid. There is a reason why I often give you so many cases of child kidnapping. It is because I trust your brain and your investigation skill. Did you know that if people preferred if it is All-Might saving them, most parents would prefer to know you were on the case rather than All-Might?"

Endeavor cracked a bit more at those words. He… Has he already reached his dream? Then… Then…

"Then why have I done everything ?"

—

The meeting went for quite a bit after that. Mainly because Nedzu wanted to make sure of many things, such as asking if he took pleasure in beating his kids or if he had anything to do with Touya's death personally.

Enji actually managed to gather enough rage to punch Aizawa in the face for thinking he could kill one of his children.

There was the issue of Rei's commitment. This was actually one of the few good moves of Endeavor who explained he had been worried it would aggravate. Now, he had to live with the fact he was the cause for the one woman he would burn a forest for, to hate him.

Nonetheless, the Endeavor that went out of the building that evening was someone destroyed and who went out to his agency to get wasted and try to sleep a bit before getting back home to try to start fixing what could be fixed. Which he was pretty sure was not much left.

His punishment had been to open his eyes to what he had done… And honestly, it had been only that because Nedzu told him he would pactize with Necromancer if Endeavor even dared to think of doing the final measure.

Oh and losing parental rights of his kids, for very obvious reasons.

Now, Nedzu was sipping tea in front of the three Todoroki left in front of him with All Might and the detective Naomasa. Aizawa had been sent to make sure Enji did not try a funny business.

Nedzu had required the presence of the detective to be sure of what Enji had said before. Learning that one of your adoptive sons had become abusive despite coming from a similar home had been hard. Learning he did that without noticing it was even harder but gave hope he could change.

"The fuck have we learned?!"

An angry and disturbed Natsuo said that. Seriously? Seriously, all they had to do was to ignore that one asshole from the HSPC they tried to talk to and just ask Nedzu, and their father would have crumbled like a little bitch?

Fuyumi was even more hurt as suddenly, everything made more sense, as to why their father never raised his hand against them (her and Natsuo). No training, no hurting. He was just ignoring them most of the time…

Well, except that time, when she thought about it, when she had cried about a teacher that had been excessively harsh toward her students once. That teacher had been way more considerate afterward and seemed scared quite a lot after. Maybe…

As for Natsuo, it was a rage that was icing his tea. His power had never been enough to be a hero or a vigilante. However, he was good at cooling liquid. Nonetheless, it had been the realization they could have been saved earlier.

Finally, Shouto. His father did not know he was there for everything that had been said. Now? Now he was having his world destroyed. His father was still an abusive asshole and the cause of his mother's breakdown.

However, apparently, while his father did engage in a quirk marriage, he had loved Rei and the meaning of the marriage was to avoid another living cataclysm. Nedzu confirmed there was an actual imperial edict about who Enji could marry. So, yes.

That explained why Endeavor did not simply marry someone with either a salamander mutant quirk or a fire-resistance quirk. Or someone with a dragon quirk like Ryukyu.

So, to say he had various feelings was… a euphemism.

"So. Let's talk about your lodging. Natsuo, Fuyumi, I will provide for your lodging. Just tell me if you prefer a home together or separately. As for Shouto, I'm bringing him as a U.A. ward. He will be under my personal care. Question?"

"I just asked what the fuck we learned."

"That your father was an idiot and that sometimes, asking the right person for help was essential."

"But we did ask for help! Like the HPSC!"

Natsuo protested, who was remembering his father spiraling from a loving father to… Now, during and after Touya's death. The fact Touya apparently took Trigger before his death. Something that made Endeavor take a personal vendetta against any Trigger case after that.

"I said… Right. People."

Let's add that to his grievances against the HPSC. All three children (well, that's how they were to him) were staring, surprised.

"The HPSC isn't full of them."

Which was now raising more questions to Nedzu. He would have to ask Mr. Compress for a service or two. He would probably pay him by making sure his wedding was undisturbed.

Nedzu wondered when Atsuhiro would notice that his wife was a former vigilant-ish doctor. Hell, even Eraserhead had been terrified of her.

Still, it was going to be a long debrief for them too.

—

Finally, Nedzu was meeting the last person he had to meet today. The one who was going to determine how much he was going to destroy the country.

A man with a pharaonic mask. Technically a villain, as he was a known weapon dealer and thief around the world. The Architect himself, genius and probably someone who reached singularity but never abused it.

Nedzu had paid him in advance with the authentic Yata No Kagami, as the man was one with an intellect on par with Nedzu but more years of experience.

One of the few true immortals in the world.

"What did your machines register?"

Nedzu had to require his service in an emergency. Thankfully the man was highly competent and various machines in the room next to Nedzu's office were set to monitor everyone's thoughts and memories.

"The person who tampered with him is an expert of the highest degree. Actual psychology, mental manipulation, gaslighting and carefully applied quirk to tamper with his emotion and his ability to judge what he was doing. What you did to him today was incredibly harsh but necessary. Let's just say I would recommend you to make sure he only meets people you trust for... Since he's especially stubborn, three weeks. However, you did well. A bit more and he would have been highly susceptible to suggestion. In fact, he's already susceptible to them, to a degree. You can't ask him to ignore a murder… But you can convince him to let someone else do the investigation."

The "man" in front of them, while a hologram detailing Enji's brain appeared in his hands, explained the whole situation.

The Architect was… someone unique. He disliked appearing in person (the thing in front of Nedzu was nothing more than an incredibly advanced android) but he was honest to a fault when he was hired for a job. Nedzu was also sure this conversation would never get out or be used against him.

After all, the Architect's own great great great granddaughter was studying at the U.A. She was also already making Power Loader crazy.

"So, you're telling me…"

"That it isn't provable except by my technology or if you managed to get Mindraper to check on him. Or the Heart Stealer, if that man was alive. In fact, the process was quite close to what I have seen on some of his victims. If given enough time, the "true" Endeavor should re-emerge."

Technology that was not usable in court. Either it or Mindraper in fact. Both were criminals of the highest degree and Mindraper only worked with Misery, someone Nedzu found highly detestable. Not to mention both of them had disappeared a few years ago.

Now, Nedzu was going to war.