Disclaimer: I don't own anything
After recovering from the blowback of his spell, Izuku took a moment to rest and record his progress. As a force of habit, he'd packed a blank notebook, a pen, and also a couple of onigiri as a snack. Within a couple of minutes, everything he had learned and experienced was written down.
Is documenting this really a good idea? What if someone sees it?
"People don't pay attention to my notes in general," Izuku stated. 'Barring yesterday.' "And even then, I write down all notes on all quirks I observe. Why should magic be any different?"
I suppose. My memory is still fuzzy, but I do recall one of my previous wielders doing something similar, and not just on magic.
Izuku looked up from his notes with an intrigued expression. "Really? On what?"
Machine designs, formulas, experiments, medicinal recipes, chemical compound recipes, spell types, species, different substances and materials, and the effects that came with them.
"Wow," Izuku exclaimed. "Sounds kind of like a scientist."
Oh, he was, and an inventor. From what little I can recall; he was also a practitioner of alchemy.
"Alchemy?" Izuku repeated. "Like transmutation?"
And producing potions dear.
Izuku quirked an eyebrow. Well, if magic and superpowers could be real, who was he to say this couldn't be the same?
All of my wielders have been different, but he stands out among those who followed the path of science. Like you, he was not a sorcerer from birth. However, what made him stand out was that rather than deem magic as science humans could not yet understand, he acknowledged that it was real as a force that didn't operate under the laws of nature. Though he did believe there were some rules surrounding it.
Now Izuku was really curious. "Sounds like someone I'd get along with."
I don't doubt you would. That one liked to talk about his inventions and theories.
"Do you remember his name, or what he looked like?" Izuku asked.
If the sceptre had a head to shake, they probably would do it gently.
I'm afraid not. Just what he was like.
Izuku frowned. He wanted to know more about this man, but if she couldn't remember then he wouldn't force the issue. Despite this, his curiosity had not been quelled. Quite the opposite in fact. He wanted to know more about the man's inventions and research and the different species he encountered. Hero otaku aside, Izuku had always loved learning about new things.
"Maybe it will come back to you," Izuku suggested. "Your memories I mean."
Perhaps. Only time will tell.
Truthfully, the sceptre found it strange she could only recall certain knowledge and a few facts about her wielders but no memories. Perhaps a specific spell or item was required to activate them.
Unaware of her turmoil, Izuku continued to jot down notes before swapping over to his food. Casting magic hadn't taken much out of him but he had missed breakfast so he was hungry. After consuming all three onigiris in quick succession, Izuku returned to practising magic with a bit more caution (lest he has a repeat of earlier).
Rather than start on something new, he focused on the same spells to improve his control. He practised moving objects of different sizes from place to place and later at different speeds. The heavier the object, the more difficult it was to move. He practised summoning fire at a specific spot before attempting to hold it out in thin air. The attempt was somewhat successful as he was able to hold a small bit of fire before it dissipated into nothing. He tried to generate enough fire for a fireball, but his attempts always fell flat, and whenever he tried to shoot it outward it looked just like a spark coming out of a fire and then dying. Then he practised controlling energy, well sort of. Izuku managed to fire bursts of green energy from the sceptre and maintain a straight beam (similar to a laser) that he could move around. However, they were quite small and lacking in power.
'Well, it's only my first day,' Izuku thought while panting heavily. 'It would be weird if I got everything right from the get-go.'
Well done, Izuku! You are getting the hang of this.
Izuku's eyes widened at the praise. For as long as he could remember nobody, and he meant nobody, had ever praised him for anything. Not his father, not his teachers, not his (former) childhood friends, no one. His mother had praised him for small things but that was a very long time ago.
"Thanks, I guess," he said softly while gazing out at the sea. He watched as the sun began to set while the water reflected the light creating a pretty sight. "It's getting late. We should call it a day."
If that's what you feel is best then do it. For the remainder of the day, I would not recommend performing magic unless it's for a small feat. Using too much can leave you worn out and exhausted for long periods of time, or in worse cases render you ill and in a coma, with the absolute worst resulting in death.
Izuku paled upon hearing that. He had expected some risks to come with his newfound power, but he hadn't thought to ask what they were. Too caught up in the excitement to care he supposed. Then again, the risks weren't too different to what people experienced with quirks.
The more you use magic, the more accustomed your body will become to the sensation. Eventually, you'll be able to cast stronger magic for longer bouts of time with little strain.
That did appease Izuku somewhat. "Is there anything important I should know about in general?"
The Sceptre did not answer immediately.
There are probably several things you should know, but if I had to pick one it would be the alignment of magic.
"Alignment?" Izuku repeated. "Like good and evil?"
Yes. Throughout history, many beings both human and non-human have said that magic was divided into two categories: light magic and dark magic. Those who used positive emotions and certain arts for good were said to use light magic while those that did the opposite for evil were dark magic. However, neither was right. In truth, magic is neither good nor evil, only the wielders. Magic in general is neutral.
Izuku could see where she was coming from. In modern times, some quirks were considered villainous yet there were still people who became heroes with them. There were also villains with specific quirks that some of the populace questioned why they didn't become heroes.
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Found you!
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Izuku jolted as a strange sensation suddenly coursed through his body and ended after only a second. He quickly looked around but saw no one there.
"What the?" Izuku exclaimed.
Is something wrong?
"I don't know. I thought I felt something, heard someone, but no one else is there," Izuku admitted. "Maybe it's just my imagination."
Possibly. I couldn't sense anything irregular.
Izuku narrowed his eyes at the area. He held the Sceptre out.
"Could you try sensing if there's anyone in close proximity to us?" Izuku requested.
Instead of answering, the Sceptre shone brightly for several seconds causing Izuku to cover his eyes until it stopped.
Other than a few birds, there's nothing.
Izuku sighed. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid. It's been a long day, so let's just go home."
Five minutes after Izuku departed
Very slowly, the illusion the man had created dispelled leaving him standing alone by the sea.
"Such a pretty view, and a convenient spot to practice," the man mused as he inspected Izuku's work. "Hmm, not bad for an amateur. And he was cautious enough to check for anyone when I called out. I've stumbled across a smart one, haven't I?"
Perhaps he was overthinking it, but most beginner sorcerers weren't usually this subtle. Quite the contrary. Okay, so last night wasn't subtle at all but it was the kid's first time unleashing magic, so he'd give him a pass for that. But in general, first-timers tended to be a bit louder and flashier whereas this one was quiet and stealthy.
Okay, he was getting off track.
The boy's progress aside what intrigued him the most was his interaction with the Sceptre. The fact that he was talking with it implied that someone was speaking back. Whether it was a past wielder or the Fae Queen herself was unknown.
The Sceptre was alive. That much he was certain.
He could have tried communicating with it earlier, it wasn't impossible, but that would have required revealing his presence sooner than he had planned. They would be talking soon enough though.
Very soon.
"Rest up little sorcerer. You'll need it tonight when I visit."
With Izuku
As a small reward for his efforts today, Izuku was treating himself to his favourite dish: Katsudon. He was going to save it for the weekend but decided now was as good a time as any.
'Mmmmm, Katsudon in any form is delicious,' Izuku decided.
After finishing his meal Izuku took a quick bath to freshen up and then changed into his pyjamas (black baggy trousers and light green t-shirt). He made himself a cup of tea and began to jot down more notes on what he had learned. He divided it up into different sections focusing on a different spell for each one.
So far, they were divided up as followed:
Pyrokinesis
Telekinesis
Energy Manipulation
Given that this notebook would contain information about spells he could cast Izuku decided to start several on other areas. For what he learned today, there would be one on magical facts and history, one on theory, and perhaps one on magical races and alchemy (science and maths were his favourite subjects). There would be many new notebooks for each new topic that came up in the future.
What odd names?
"Maybe for you, but these would be the modern names for what I did," Izuku explained. "Moving fire and objects without touching them. Controlling energy. The names are just a small way to describe them."
The Sceptre didn't offer a retort. It knew that as time passed the language tended to change with it.
"Pity there aren't books about magic or topics related to them. They could really help me," Izuku lamented as he stood up.
There used to be. Whether or not they still exist or have been destroyed is a question I can't answer. And even if they do still exist, any sorcerer who owned them would have kept them hidden from public view for safekeeping, or to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
"Wrong hands?" Izuku repeated. "Like an evil sorcerer, or a villain? I remember you saying magic existed in every living being."
Correct. If they fell into the wrong hands, what is in those books could cause much damage, not all of which may be repairable.
Izuku frowned. That seemed reasonable, but what exactly qualified as the wrong hands? Could he fall into that category? The Sceptre had accepted him but even so.
PING!
PING!
PING!
Izuku jumped at the sudden sound and grabbed the Sceptre on instinct. His eyes darted around the room until they came across the source of the noise.
On the ground not too far from him was a blue marble rolling steadily towards him.
Izuku who knew his apartment like the back of his hand was baffled by its sudden appearance. That didn't belong to him or either of his parents, and he couldn't have missed it when cleaning.
The marble came to a sudden halt which only confused Izuku further because the floor it was rolling on was hard and smooth. It shouldn't have stopped until it hit the carpet.
"What the?" Izuku started.
"It's Showtime!"
They spoke in English, but Izuku could understand. What concerned him most was the voice. It was the same one he had heard at the beach.
Without warning, the marble exploded into a flash of light, blinding Izuku.
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Izuku slowly opened his eyes still holding onto the Sceptre. Physically, he was fine, although his attire remained the same.
Izuku are you okay?
"I'm alive," he said softly. "Where are we though?"
Izuku recognized the area as part of the city and has made an occasional trip. There were cars, traffic lights, street lamps, buildings, shrubbery, post-boxes, and even a playground just like he remembered… only not entirely.
The first thing Izuku noticed was the lack of people present. The area was completely deserted which was odd since it wasn't late enough for everyone to be at home. The street lamps weren't on even though it was past the time when they should be. However, what struck out the most was the lighting. It was blue, turquoise to be specific. The colour of the objects was normal, but the lighting was all wrong. Glancing up at the sky, Izuku was shocked to see that there was neither the sun nor the moon above him.
Izuku, this isn't a quirk, it's magic!
Izuku's eyes widened. "Magic! Are you sure?"
This entire place is made of it. I can feel it.
Izuku didn't doubt her for a second. This was her expertise, whereas he's only been studying for a day.
The only thing I can't sense is the caster. He must be concealing his presence.
Izuku bit his lip. "Must be, because you didn't pick up on him at the beach."
What?
"That man, his voice, I heard at the beach just before we left," Izuku explained. "It's why I asked you to check if there was anyone there."
For a moment, the Sceptre remained silent. Izuku couldn't tell if she was frustrated at not detecting the intruder or trying to figure out how he communicated without her knowing.
It's possible he spoke to you with his mind. It would have been a safe way to communicate without alerting me.
Izuku's blood went cold. "You've got to be kidding! There's magic for telepathy! Mind reading and control and all that!"
I wouldn't have called it that but yes. Reading a person's current thoughts is simple. Looking through their memories is a bit harder. Controlling a person's mind is quite hard. The difficulty of performing them depends on how strong the person's mind is and mentally fortified they are and vice versa. The caster must extra cautious as well because they may end up breaking the person's mind. And believe me, the aftermath of that is not pretty.
Izuku could feel sweat coming along. The way she described it wasn't dissimilar to mental quirks he had researched online. If his attacker could do the same, then he was done for.
I don't think it's something you need to worry about for the moment. This intruder clearly is no amateur. If they wanted to, they could have easily incapacitated you in your home. It's also possible that mind control isn't their speciality.
"I'll leave that to your imagination young miss!" a cheery voice rang out close to Izuku. "Or is it old miss?! I really can't tell!"
Izuku's eyes darted around trying to find the source.
"Right behind you Kiddo!" Izuku's swung around and saw standing a few metres down the road a man dressed in black. Specifically, he wore a large black coat that covered his entire body with the hood covering his entire head and obscuring his face accompanied by black boots. From what little a person could see; he was wearing black trousers. He held a silver stick with a yellow top over his left shoulder with the other hand on his hip. Raising his free hand, he offered a small wave. "Yo."
Izuku took a defensive stance and aimed the Sceptre at the intruder.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "What do you want?"
The man stared at him nonchalantly. "Pointing a stick at someone? How rude! Were you not taught any manners growing up?"
"You attacked me without warning and brought me here against my will!" Izuku retorted. "You're hardly one to be lecturing me on manners now, are you?"
The man in black chuckled. "I suppose not."
Can you hear my voice?
The man chuckled again, much to Izuku's irritation.
"Of course, I can Miss," he replied. "Any sorcerer could. Well, any trained sorcerer could. Newer ones would be a different story. Of course, you could simply communicate with them yourself if you prefer."
Thank you for the insight. I will make great use of it in the future. Unfortunately, that doesn't answer the question. Who are you?
The man brought his stick down his left side holding it firmly in place.
"A showman. A thief. By this society's definition, a villain. A phantom. A Spectre," he halted for a moment to compose himself. "A being born from the darkness which obscures the light. I am all that is, all that was, and all that ever will be. I was there at the beginning of everything, and I shall be there when it all ends."
Izuku stood still confused by the man in front of him. The stuff he was saying was way too deep, and if he was being honest, a little unrealistic for it to be true. Then again, what did he know?
"Or… I'm just an entertaining wizard who happened to be passing through," he said cheerily with an angel halo glowing above his head.
"W-What?" Izuku muttered confused.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" His reaction caused the man to start laughing hysterically to the point where he was gripping his stomach. "Oh, My God! Did you actually take that seriously? I can't believe it!"
Izuku stared at his kidnapper with a dumbfounded expression. "What is up with this guy?"
I don't know but don't let your guard down. He was able to track you down with little effort.
"I'd hardly call that a big achievement," the man scoffed having finally calmed down. "Considering the massive amount of magic you released the other night, not mention forgetting to cover your tracks, even a fourth-rate sorcerer could have found. I'll give you points for your earlier subtlety but last night you put on a huge show for the country and several others. Sooner or later, someone would have come looking. I just happened to get there first."
Izuku's eyes widened in horror. He hadn't thought about any of that. He'd just been caught up in the moment. He hadn't meant for that.
Rookie mistake. Don't overthink it. You'll get better.
"I'm sure he will," the man complimented. "Enough chat though. It's time to get down to business."
Raising his stick up, to which point Izuku realized was a staff, he brought it down hard onto the ground.
"Terra Separatum!"
As soon as the words left his mouth the ground began to rumble causing Izuku to lose his balance and hold onto a nearby car to steady himself.
'You've got to be kidding me! An earthquake!' Izuku thought horrified. 'How can- OH CRAP!'
Izuku ducked behind the car just in time to avoid the fissure forming where he stood. He watched as the fissure slowly got bigger as a bright light shot straight up the road.
When the rumbling stopped, Izuku stood up and glanced towards the man only to see that he had disappeared. Izuku stared at his work. The fissure was narrow but one look inside and he could tell it was very deep, making him wonder why the man stopped. One thing he did notice was that nothing behind where the man's staff connected was unscathed.
RUN! NOW!
He didn't need to be told twice. Izuku ran barefoot through the street and up towards the playground. If there were woods here it would provide him with some cover.
As he ran through the playground…
BOOM!
…an unknown force collided with Izuku's back sending him crashing down. Izuku barely brought his arms up to prevent his face from colliding with the swing chairs. Without warning, the earth moved upward (literally) and threw him through the swings where his body collided with hard ground.
Izuku groaned. His arms were sore from colliding with the swings while his back was sore from colliding with the ground and a cheap shot from earlier. Still, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle as he stood back up, Sceptre in hand.
CLAP!
CLAP!
CLAP!
Izuku gazed upward and saw the man clapping on top of a nearby building.
"A blast like that would leave even a pro struggling to get up, yet you're like it's no big deal. I'm impressed," the man applauded. "What's your secret? Exercise? Yoga?"
"I'm used to pain, and lots of it," Izuku said in a low voice. "Physical and emotional."
"That sounds dark," the man admitted calmly. "You a masochist or something kid? If you are I've got nothing against it, but I do know a few therapists if you want some help."
Izuku could feel veins standing on his forehead as his anger charged the sceptre.
"FUCK YOU!" he screamed.
He didn't even think about the spell he wanted to cast, only that he wanted to hurt this man.
Hence, why even he was surprised when a large green fireball (the very thing he had been struggling with earlier) shot straight from the Sceptre towards the man who remained unfazed. Pointing the head of his staff towards the flames, he stood firmly.
Much to Izuku and the Sceptre's shock (and horror), the fireball stopped mid-air. The sorcerer pulled it forward and spun it around his body showing he was the one in control of it now. To further emphasize it, the colour of the fireball changed from green to dark orange.
"Tut, tut, tut. Reckless casting like that will get you killed little Green Bean," the sorcerer chided. He manoeuvred the fireball around his body the same way a basketball player would, even spinning it around on the tip of his finger to mock Izuku. "Just like this will." He raised the fireball above his head. "Ignis!"
As soon as the words left his mouth the fireball got bigger, to the point where it could have been described as a fire boulder instead.
Izuku trembled with fear. He couldn't see the man's face, but he got a strong sense that he was smiling underneath that hood.
"I'm doomed, aren't I?" he lamented.
"Only if you get hit," the man responded merrily. "I'd tell you to run, but your feet are dug in too deep for that."
Izuku blinked. He glanced down at his feet and found (to his horror) that they were dug into the ground up to his ankles.
'When did he?' Izuku wondered.
"Kiddo, if I were you, I'd put up a shield to protect myself," the sorcerer offered. "Just saying."
He launched the fire boulder at Izuku at a tremendous speed. Fear and panic overwhelmed Izuku as the attack came closer. With no time to react and no way to run he closed his eyes and brought the Sceptre up as a measly way to defend himself.
BOOM!
The impact destroyed the playground with the fire slowly consuming the recreational equipment. The attack forced Izuku back onto the ground, his feet being ripped from the earth in the progress as fire danced around the area. The pain his body was in wasn't anything new but the sensation didn't involve burning much to his confusion. Given that he'd been burned before, he knew exactly what it felt like yet at the moment he could feel nothing.
Opening his eyes, Izuku noticed there was a green light emanating from the Sceptre that covered his entire body. There was a fire on him, but he couldn't feel any pain. In fact, the heat from the flames around him felt dull and almost lukewarm.
"H-H-H-How?" Izuku stuttered.
Magical barrier or shield depending on what you prefer. When his attack came, your only instinct was to defend. Hence the construction of the barrier.
"Looks more like a forcefield to me," Izuku murmured.
Fine. Magical forcefield then. Happy?
"I certainly am!" the sorcerer applauded. "Did you just learn how to do that now? Oh! I am impressed! You're picking up things much faster than most sorcerers would."
Izuku glared up at him.
"Oh, don't be like that," the man chastised. "I was praising you Midoriya. It's a compliment. Take it."
RUN!
Izuku didn't need to be told twice as he darted towards the woods and disappeared amongst the trees.
The sorcerer started to laugh before adopting a serious expression. "That's right! Run little Green Bean! Run!"
With Izuku
Izuku wasn't sure how long he'd been running but as soon as he came to a river with a bridge over he came to a halt. He looked back to see if anyone was coming but saw no one. he did see his own footprints though. Examining the area, he devised a small plan to through his attacker off. He first walked over the bridge with footprints being quite visible as he walked towards a grassy section. Then he retraced them backwards until he came to a large bush. Wiping off the dirt on his feet first, he took refuge inside the bush which covered his entire body and lay still.
"Okay, we need a plan," he whispered urgently. "That guy is way out of my league."
On that, we agree. In terms of raw power and skill, you'll lose. If you can catch him off guard though, you may have a chance.
"That's easier said than done," Izuku scowled.
True. But you're a smart boy Izuku. You analyse quirks and people on a daily basis. Simply do the same here and apply it as a battle tactic.
Izuku didn't say anything. He could certainly see the logic in her words but putting them into practice was another matter altogether.
'Well, I've nothing to lose,' Izuku decided.
He thought about his opponent's character. Based on the way he fought, he was cocky, flamboyant, and loved to show off. He also had a knack for cheap shots and surprising his enemies. Izuku knew full well a full-on frontal assault would be pointless.
He thought about what he could do himself. His spells were very limited, but there were many ways for him to use them, and not necessarily on his foe.
Strike and evade was his best course of action.
Izuku listened to see if the man was coming but heard nothing. He waited another ten minutes but continued to hear nothing. Although he knew the possibility of the man using magic to conceal himself, Izuku also knew he couldn't stay there forever. Especially since if the guy wanted to, he could set the bush on fire with him under it which didn't sound very appealing. Checking that there really was no one present he moved out and proceeded to walk on the grass.
"Alright, I know what I need to do," Izuku said quietly.
"Ooh, what's that?" the sorcerer asked cheerfully in Izuku's ear, his head resting softly on the boy's shoulder.
Izuku slowly turned to look at him with an unreadable expression.
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"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Izuku screamed in high pitch.
On reflex, he elbowed the sorcerer only to be caught and shoved forward. Izuku whipped the Sceptre around, but the man was quicker. He struck Izuku with the tip of his staff in the stomach causing the boy to gag and stagger. He then grabbed Izuku's arm with the Sceptre, stomped on his foot whipped the staff backwards and across Izuku's face leaving a visible mark before kicking him in the stomach which sent him tumbling backwards. Izuku cried out in pain, but it wouldn't end there.
The true purpose of the kick had been to provide some distance between them. Dashing forward the man dug his staff into the earth and used to pivot himself upward. Twisting his body, the man spun in the air and delivered a devastating butterfly kick to Izuku's face that flipped the poor boy back onto the ground less than a metre away.
"Surprised? I know, right? Guy knows how to fight magically and physically! That's not fair!" the man gloated. "I suppose this entire fight is unfair since you only got your magic yesterday whereas I've had mine for years." He glanced down at Izuku who was neither moving nor responding. "Whoops. Guess I went a little overboard." He walked over staff in hand and knelt by Izuku. "Still breathing and you've got a pulse so you're not dead. That's a relief. You still awake kid, or did my kick put you of commission?" Izuku remained silent as the man examined him and the Sceptre as his hand went by Izuku's neck. "Such a shame really. Maybe I should've held back. After all, the whole reason I came here was to test."
Izuku bit him.
Without warning, his eyes snapped open, and his mouth chomped down hard onto his opponent's hand.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" the man moaned.
Not giving him the chance to defend himself, Izuku concentrated all his power pointed the Sceptre directly at his chest and fired off a beam of energy.
BOOM!
This time it was the man who was sent flying through the air onto his back.
Izuku steadily got back to his feet ready to fire again. Unfortunately, the sorcerer kickflipped up seemingly unbothered by Izuku's attack (on the outside).
"You bit me!?" the sorcerer yelled incredulously. "What are you, three?"
"Oh, my apologies Mr Superior Sorcerer!" Izuku responded sarcastically. "It's just that with the way you've been KICKING THE SHIT OUT OF ME I have very little to work with while you have ALL THE ADVANTAGES!"
"That's no reason to be such a sore loser," the sorcerer shrugged unrepentantly.
Without thinking, Izuku fired off another energy blast.
"Clypeus Defensionis!"
An invisible forcefield formed from the man's hand that blocked Izuku's attack with ease. Calling his staff to him, the man pointed it at Izuku.
"I know Japan has a taboo against guns but I take it you know what a machine gun does," the man assumed, to which Izuku nodded, not quite understanding where he was going with this. "Good. Celeri Ignis!"
The man's staff glowed orange at the tip before it started shooting out several magic bullets in quick succession.
Panicked, Izuku brought the Sceptre up again and generated a green forcefield like before. The bullets ricocheted off the shield, but the constant barrage made it difficult for Izuku to focus and maintain it. While he was doing that the man approached Izuku slowly, his staff constantly firing without ever stopping.
Izuku hold me up high. Do it now!
Izuku didn't question her orders, but it was incredibly difficult with the strain he was under. Steadily, but slowly, he raised the Sceptre above his head.
Now bring me down fast!
Izuku brought the Sceptre down into the earth creating a massive shockwave that not only destroyed his forcefield but easily broke through the man's firing and destroyed several trees.
"Urgh!" he growled as he collided with the ground.
Izuku panted as he examined the fallout of the spell.
"What was that?" he gasped.
I'll explain later. Now's not really a good time.
Izuku wasn't really in the mood to argue, or rather, he wasn't in a position to. In addition to the damage he had taken, the spells he'd cast were starting to take a toll on his body.
"Well, I have to say," Izuku noticed the man was on his feet again. "I did not see that coming. You are just full of surprises, aren't you?"
"I wish I could I say I planned it, but it was just in the heat of the moment," Izuku admitted.
"No shame in that. As long as you're still standing in the end, that's all that matters," the man stated as he brought his right hand to his chin. 'Hmm, smart and humble, no hint of arrogance at all. You don't see that in a lot of people these days. Casting spells on a whim, especially if you've never cast them before, can be quite dangerous. We can work on that.' He took note of Izuku's state. 'He's already at his limit, though that's my fault. Still, let's how far he can really go.'
He aimed his staff at Izuku who readied himself to defend. Underneath his hood, the man smiled. Amateur or not this kid was putting up a fight.
"Levare Magus!"
Izuku's eyes widened as he was suddenly lifted up into the air. "Huh?"
"Time for a change of scenery, don't you think?" the man suggested as Izuku went further up into the sky until he was above the trees and the same height as the buildings.
"W-Wait," Izuku stammered with an incredibly pale face.
Turning on his heel, the man swung the staff down and released the spell while literally throwing Izuku back to the city, like an owner throwing their dog a ball with a launcher.
Izuku screamed as he was thrown through the air with no way to stop. Flying through the sky yesterday with All Might had been bad enough especially since the latter was dumb enough to ask him to let go despite the possibility of him dying. But even that had a better survival rating than this.
As he neared the road, fear and adrenaline began to overwhelm Izuku to the point where he unconsciously gave the Sceptre a command.
'I don't want to die!' was his last thought before closing his eyes and waiting for the inevitable crash.
SWOOSH!
The impact created a small gust of wind that tore off several tree leaves.
Realizing he wasn't dead or moving, Izuku stayed still for several seconds before finally opening his eyes. His entire body was wrapped around the Sceptre suspended in mid-air with the head just two inches from the ground.
Well, that was, dare I say it, a close one.
Her words were enough to break Izuku out of his shock.
"You saved me," he whispered.
Actually, you did that. Albeit unintentionally.
"I did?" Izuku responded confused.
Call it survival instinct or subconscious desire. The end result was the same.
Izuku glanced down at the Sceptre. They were hovering just above the ground but that's all they were doing.
"What exactly did I cast?" Izuku asked uncertainly. "Levitation? Gravity nullification?"
Interesting words. But no, you cast a flight spell instead. It wasn't perfect but still. You cast one.
Izuku's eyes widened. Flying was something he had only vaguely been interested in because of the dream from last night. It also may have been a bit of a stretch, and he may have been applying the stuff that only happened in fiction, but for someone like himself flying would require the use of a broomstick.
I hope you don't mind, but I am going to stay in control of flying since you have no experience.
Izuku didn't mind at all. If anything, it would probably reduce their chances of crashing.
Straightening itself out the Sceptre flew forward along the road at a fast enough (but not too much) pace. Izuku gripped the Sceptre tightly and leaned forward so he wouldn't fall off.
As they flew, Izuku looked around to see if the man was following them only to find no one (for now).
(Insert Wicked Witch Theme)
A sinister tune rang out through the area.
"Do you hear that too? Or is it just me?" Izuku asked alarmed.
I hear it. He must be close then.
"Think he's doing this just to mock us or intimidate us?" Izuku asked, his voice on edge. "Because if it is, it's working."
Before the Sceptre could answer they were interrupted by the sound of cackling.
"Not so much my pretty!" the sorcerer called out in a deranged voice. Izuku looked up and saw that he was actually flying on a broom with the colour scheme of his outfit having changed to green entirely. "More to add to the effect! Enough chit chats! Want to play catch Green Bean? Ignis!"
Orange fire danced around in the sorcerer's hands while the Sceptre began to speed. Izuku waved his head frantically as he focused on the road ahead.
"What's that? You don't want to? Well, alright. I suppose it would be boring," the fire in his hand extinguished. "Let's play whac-a-mole instead! Fragor!"
In front of Izuku, a portion of the ground began to glow bright orange. Without warning, the Sceptre halted and immediately started to reverse.
BRACE YOURSELF!
The sheer terror in her voice made Izuku go pale as he brought one arm up.
BOOM!
From where the light had shone, a large explosion occurred. Thanks to the Sceptre Izuku wasn't caught in the blast, but the force of the explosion sent Izuku colliding with the side of a car and then onto the ground.
From the impact, he had several visible scrapes and bruises, blood was running down the side of his head, and as a natural effect of the explosion, there was a ringing in Izuku's ears rendering him momentarily deaf.
If the man was saying something, Izuku didn't hear it. There were a variety of things going through his head at that moment. Agony, fear, humiliation, but most of all, anger. He felt very, very, very, very angry.
This man came into his home, abducted him, kicked the crap out of him, mocked him, and worst of all, he wasn't even taking him seriously. It was no different than what happened to him before he attained the Sceptre. Being beaten and pushed around for his quirklessness, something he had no control over, was now being repeated for him to attain magic.
Nothing had changed at all.
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The sorcerer gazed at the boy's motionless form feeling a little pity. He may have gone a tad bit overboard.
Then the boy's body began to glow green again forcing the man back on his guard.
Izuku's clothes and appearance changed from pyjamas to the clothes he was wearing when he first received the Sceptre. Even his bare feet were now adorned with the boots from before.
The glow didn't stop either as Izuku glared at his adversary with glowing green eyes.
"What's with that look I wonder?" the man asked.
CREAK!
The man looked behind and noticed a car being flung towards him. Almost instantly, the man's broomstick reverted to a staff as he swiftly dodged to the side.
'Odd. With his condition he shouldn't be able to,' he never got the chance to finish that thought as Izuku began to throw more cars right at him.
With each car he threw, they piled up into a small mountain that got bigger. Izuku threw car after car, but the man dodged everyone.
When he stopped throwing them the man tried to speak. "Is that everything?"
Izuku didn't answer. He only glared.
"That was an impressive show, but you know, I expected more from you Green Bean," the man sarcastically lamented. "Given how much of a smart boy you've proven to be."
Izuku remained silent.
"Not very talkative, are you?" the man continued. "Can't say I blame you? This whole fight, you've had your ass handed."
CRASH!
Whatever the man wanted to say next was swiftly by the two-storey house Izuku dropped on top of him.
The end result was cars even more wrecked than before, while the man lay under the carnage with boots sticking out from underneath.
Izuku was very tempted to set the building on fire, just to make sure he would die. However, he did not want to kill.
Yes, he dropped a house on top of him… but considering all the shit he had pulled over the last hour not to mention all the shit he had survived Izuku was confident that he was alive.
"Is he dead?" a high-pitched voice asked.
Izuku raised an eyebrow and turned to see where the voice came from. Behind him was a small person, actually, several small people (the size of children) who were dressed in outfits consisting of one colour yet a lot of them were not the same. The colours of the outfits consisted of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Despite their size, Izuku could see they were all adults.
"And what if he is?" Izuku asked coldly.
"Then you have liberated us!" one in red preached. "From the Wicked Wizard!"
"For years, he has tormented us!" one in orange shouted.
"He abducted us from our homes and made us his slaves!" one in yellow contributed.
"All for his sick, twisted sense of amusement!" one in green yelled.
"But you have freed us!" one in blue declared.
"For that, we thank you deeply!" one in indigo added.
I can't sense anything from them at all. They may be an illusion.
Whatever they were, Izuku's patience was at its limit.
"Our saviour, our hero!" one purple stated.
They started to sing about the wizard being dead, but Izuku cut them off.
Holding up the Sceptre he slammed it down into the ground with incredible force and screamed. "ENOUGH!"
The entire area surrounding him was destroyed though parts that were further away remained intact. The people disappeared as though they had never been there at all. Izuku meanwhile had reached his limit and was now gasping for air as he reverted to his original clothes.
He looked to the side and saw the man laying right next to him, his hand holding his head up with his right arm with his left leg up over the other as though he were at the beach. He stared at Izuku with what he could only assume was a passive expression.
"Not a big fan of the Wizard of Oz, are you?" the man said nonchalantly.
"Haven't read the book nor seen the movie," Izuku deadpanned. "It's supposed to be a classic though from what I hear."
"One of the best," the man proclaimed proudly. "They even did a spinoff musical on the main antagonist. It's fantastic."
Exhausted Izuku sat down cross-legged from the man.
"You certainly are one for theatrics, aren't you?" Izuku joked tiredly. "What kind of villain are you? A Disney one or a Final Fantasy one?"
The man laughed as he jumped up. "Bit of both actually. Kingdom Hearts! Ever play it?"
Izuku took a second to register his words as he glossed over the man's attire. It had been a while since he played the game, but with that man's words, it all came together.
"Are you shitting me?!" Izuku shouted. "This whole time you were cosplaying as Organization XIII!"
"Young man, I will have you know that I am not cosplaying as them, but the other way around," the man snapped sounding offended. "They are cosplaying as me!"
Izuku stared at him for a very long time. The Sceptre was just confused as to what they were talking about.
Izuku sighed in defeat. "If you say so."
"I do," the man declared. "Now, back to business."
Izuku swiftly cut him off. "No need. I surrender."
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"WHAT!" the man shouted alarmed.
The Sceptre was shocked as well but figured Izuku had a very good reason behind it.
"I can't beat you," Izuku admitted. "You're stronger than me and you've got more skill and expertise in this area. During the whole fight you were in control and quite frankly just toying with me. On top of that, I'm worn out from everything else. I haven't a hope in hell of winning against you. So, I give up."
For about two minutes (though it felt much longer), the man just stood there motionless.
"Just like that?" he wanted to make sure he had heard correctly.
"Just like that," Izuku confirmed. "So, if you're going to kill me, just do it already."
The man blinked. "Kill you? Why would I do that? I want you as a student!"
This Izuku blinked. "I'm sorry what?"
"I want you as my student. I haven't in a long time," the man explained. "I'm sorry if I was a bit rough but I needed to test how strong you were first."
Izuku shot him a look of disbelief. "You call beating the shit out of me and throwing through the sky a bit rough?"
This time the man laughed. "Well, I can certainly understand why you might think that. But kid, if I really, and I mean really, wanted you dead I would have killed you down at the beach."
Izuku didn't know what to believe from this man. Then again, from the way, he fought he probably could have killed him, and quite easily at that.
"We can discuss the details of mentorship back at your apartment, but for now," he stood with his arms out and his staff raised. "The long-awaited magnificent introduction, by yours truly. Drum roll please!"
(Insert Drum Roll Sound Effect)
Izuku didn't know where the music was coming from, but he didn't care. He just wanted to know who this guy was already.
"Introducing the one and only…" the man threw up his staff which twirled in the air and rained down orange sparkles on him, revealing a new outfit and appearance.
He wore a dark orange shirt, a green striped polo necktie with an azure brooch holding it together, red gloves, a black waistcoat, black dress pants and knee-high white boots with wedged heels and black toe caps. Over his face, he wore a black and white mask with a unique pattern. Additionally, he possessed curly brown hair.
Catching his staff, he took off his mask, revealing a handsome face and brown eyes, he bowed to Izuku like a performer to his audience.
"The name the press has christened me with is Mr Compress, a C-Rank villain named after my quirk. My real name is Atsuhiro Sako. Master sorcerer, escape artist and entertainer," he smirked at Izuku. "As of this moment Izuku Midoriya, I am your mentor. Nice to meet you!"
Hi there! Well, what did you think of that?
I did not mean for this chapter to be this long or take this long, but then again I never do.
So yeah, Mr Compress is going to be Izuku's teacher and mentor for this fic. When going over potential allies for Izuku he was the first one I thought of because of the magical element tied to his character. Rather than be a street magician, here he is a literal one.
Izuku learned a few new spells in this chapter. However, it's going to be a long time before he masters them properly and can use them at max efficiency.
The fight may have been one-sided for the most part but that's because Izuku is a complete beginner whereas Atsuhiro has had years of practice.
Anyway, next chapter you'll just see them talking and discussing a few things, like the Sceptre.
The spells Atsuhiro used are in Latin and I translated using Google Translate so I'm sorry if they are not accurate. They are:
Terra Separatum (Earth separate)
Ignis (Fire)
Fragor (Explosion)
Levare Magus (Levitate sorcerer)
Clypeus Defensionis (Shield of Defence)
Celeri Ignis (Rapid fire)