Chapter 09 New Dawn
Change, like sunshine, can be a friend or a foe, a blessing or a curse, a dawn or a dusk
-William Arthur Ward-
Six months…
It has been six months ever since I return to my world and some things changes, some stays the same. In those six months full of training with Aria, a preparation against the Witness. She taught me how to use the Rubric of Ahriman while also keeping my skills sharp.
Every training session is a fight of life or death, Aria is extremely skilled in both gunfight and melee combat, but I suppose I should have expected it. Afterall, she is the-one-who-tends-the-garden, the source of both light and dark, the creator of Traveler, the origin of guardians' power. It makes sense that she knows every technique, every weapon and all abilities wield by guardians
Mother herself never changes, she's still a worry heart for my safety and always distressed for the slightest of inconvenience, sometimes I hate the fact that she treats me as a weak little kid and often would restrict my freedom of movements. But I know that she's worry about me, her son, and there's a sense of guilt in her.
Perhaps she blames herself for my suicide, no matter what I tell, no matter how many times I tries to convince her to stop taking the blame, she would reply that she's my mother, that my safety is number one, and she failed to protect me.
Izumi has also changed, after the night where she confesses to me her attitude has become more accommodating. Sometimes she would ask me on how I am doing, or cook for me if mother is not at home and no longer, she looks at me with disdain. However not all is sunshine…
I sense a darkness growing within her, a desire of salvation, a darkness that yearns for a light. How curious… But as much I would like to asks her about it, that means explaining what darkness is and what It could do, and that's a no-go for me.
My social live also change… bullies are not a problem anymore, sure sometimes some upstart junior with a powerful quirk would comes to me and demand this and that but after the third bully lost fifty percent of his teeth and a broken jaw it seems the massage to the masses spread quite enough since ever since that day no one bothers me with their stupid demand
However Katsuki Bakugo is not a no-one, he still tries to undermine me, telling me that I am merely a stone step for him and no matter how much I beat the sense of 'leave me alone' to him, he keeps coming back telling the same thing to me, but lately it just threats no fist fight, no hand bullying. Just some useless threats and I can handle that…
"Wakey wakey my beloved warlock, today is a new day" I hear Aria's soft voice cooed to me
"Five more minutes Aria" I replied still in a half-awake condition
"You said that five minutes earlier, my dearest guardian. Now wake up or I have to do that again" she said in a stern voice
"Ughh fine… but only just because of the damned foghorn would blast my hearing to kingdom come" I groaned, my body still sore from yesterday's training with Aria, a very hard training and learning to master the Rubric of Ahriman
"What is it that so important you decide to wake me up Aria?" I ask with a half-awake state
"You clearly forget that today you will have to choose your next education my dearest guardian. You will apply to U.A no? then it is best you prepare yourself" Aria replies
"That's what I have been doing for the last six months Aria" I replied while getting ready for the school
"Well then you know what to do for today" Aria said and vanish from my sight, she returns to my mind
After tidy myself I go down only to be greet with Izumi in the kitchen wearing apron preparing breakfast , a peculiar sight, usually mother would be the one that would prepare our breakfast.
"Morning Izu-nii" Izumi greet me
"Morning, where's mother? Why are you the one that prepare breakfast?" I aks her
"Mother left to America yesterday she said something about a business trip. Are you not here yesterday night when she said about this?" She asks back
"No" a short reply but to the point, I can see some confusion in her face but she decides not to press it further
The breakfast is as usual, silent, Izumi still feels guilt for abandoning me ever since the doctor told us of me being quirkless, I can see her hesitant to strike a conversation with me. For me, I'm too busy analysing the darkness within her, it is small but pulsating and growing a little larger, at least larger than last month.
'What is it that create the darkness within you, my sister?' I think for myself
'A wish for salvation, I sense it… but if you need salvation what are you enslaved with? And who or what is you need for your salvation? A hero? An object? A fulfilment of your desire? What is it?'
'Perhaps something more my beloved warlock' Aria chimes into my thought
'Could you tell me what is it that she desires?' I ask her for a clue
'I could not my dearest guardian, not that I do not know what she wishes. But because it is a taboo to tell you what other people's desire is. Although I am the source of life and death, I too bound with the rules I made for myself'
'The rules act as a parameter to keep the world as balance my beloved warlock, if I change the reality willy-nilly, then, the universe would not be habitable. The rules are made for me to ensure the continuation of life' Aria explains
'I see… and I suppose you won't tell me what the rules are?' I replied to her
'No, besides what would you do if I share you the burden of this knowledge? It would not changes your daily live, It would not bring Cayde back, it would not let you return in time. All it will do is just burden you with extra subject to think about' Aria vehemently denied to explain the rules
'There's bliss is ignorance my dearest guardian, mine beloved warlock. And being wise is more important than being smart'
After our silent breakfast we begin our day as usual, and surprisingly, no stupid things or accidents happen to me during the school session. The class goes as usual with Bakugo glares at me at most of the times, many of the students avoided me leaving me alone which is a good thing. After school I go to the roof and begin my sparring session with Aria, which ended up the same result like the last six months. Losing
"Could you please be gentle with me next time we spar Aria?" I said while walking back home in bruises
"You said that you wanted to keep your skills and learn new one and it is what I give to you" Aria said floating next to me
"Yes… but not so rough" I said while groaning
"If you think this is rough then you should've seen me in bed~" she teases me
'Ughh seriously? Now? When your guardian is in pain?" I exclaimed at her
"Sorry, sorry, I just wanted to brighten your spirit" Aria apologizes
"Also check on 3 o'clock something approaching" she said before disappearing
I look on to my right and see a creature crawling out from a drainage pipe, a slime-like organism emerges and reared its head to 'look' at me
"A medium meat jacket, good enough for me to hide from him" its said with a masculine voice, like a man in his early twenties.
Several tentacles launch from its main body, aimed at my legs and arms, however, despite in the eye of civilian it's a fast attack, for me its quite slow. I simply pivot and let them pass through me, he then continues to launch some tentacles made of green substance trying to restrain me, but, just like before I simply dodge all of them
"Stand still kid! I just need your body!" he desperately yell at me
I do not bother to reply, and truly unimpressed with this villain's skill, if every villain has the same amount of skill. I'm afraid that my biggest obstacle is not to simply summon Last Word or Ace of Spades or other weapons in my arsenal and commit murder in broad daylight.
Truth is even right now I'm struggling to fight, not against the slime, but my own instinct. Why body tells me to quickly kill him, but my brain tells me to not kill this being, killing is a taboo in this world as can be seen Izumi's and my classmate reaction of killing the four tugs in the bookstore
"DO NOT WORRY, FOR I AM HERE!" a voice suddenly booms out of nowhere, I look around to find the source of the voice but find nothing. Until I look up and see a shadow coming closer
"TEXAS SMASH" the voice emitted from a figure that suddenly punch the slime villain to the ground. He soon stands up, the figure is an extremely muscular blonde man standing around three meters tall, he wears a blue tight outfit that shows his muscular body with a red and white stripe on his collar, on his back drapes a yellow cape
Such appearance only befitting for Japan's No.1 Hero, All Might
"Are you hurt young boy?" he said with and extremely loud and heavy voice. I can sense some American accent from this man
"I'm sorry, I have brought you to danger. I was hunting this villain but he somehow escapes from me. But fortunately, you manage to stall him long enough for me to catch up!" he said with a proud voice, perhaps on my action?
"Yes… thank you…" I said with a flat expression
"All might I have two questions for you" I said looking at him face to face
"If you wanted my signature, then sure young boy!" he said already assuming my question with a big smile in his face
"No, I need not of it." I said, shocking him.
I sigh and prepare myself
"Do you think people without quirk can be hero? And does hero made or are they born?" I said to him
All Might ponders my question for awhile, his face becomes serious and after several minutes he said with a saddened expression
"I… I'm sorry young boy" he said looking at me with a sad face
"The job of hero are dangerous, for a quirkless to be a hero is impossible. Look there are many jobs out there that can be suited for people without quirk, maybe you can apply. Afterall the definition of hero can be varied" he said
"I see… and the second question?" I ask him
"Hero can be both born and made young boy, some hero are born into a family of heroes and thus he would continue to be heroes, inspired by those around him. Some other however are made, they train and then they be hero" he explains
"I see…" I said analysing his answer and after that I feel… unsatisfied but I would not interrupt him from doing his business any longer.
"Okay then, thank you for answering my questions" I said while turn around preparing to leave
"Hold on young boy…" he said grabbing my shoulder
"You seem unsatisfied with my answers pray tell, what is it that you wish for me to fulfil" he said looking at me with curiosity
"You want to know the truth?" I ask him
"Yes, it is better to know the truth no matter how bitter it is rather than live in an illusion of lies" he said
"Fine…" I replied taking a deep breath
"Who are you to judge someone could or could not be a hero?" I said to him with a scowl
All Might's expression shows that he's in shock not just because no one have ever tell him that but also because he could feel that this is a beginning of a long tirade
"Who are you saying a quirkless cannot be a hero? Who are you denying their dreams and destiny? Are you someone who have seen everything? Are you someone that understood the chaos of life? For a quirkless to be a hero is not impossible to me, there's a chance for a quirkless to be a hero as long as they are willing to endure the pain and sacrifice themselves.
You are just like every one else, blind to the world, blind because your basic value is power and strength. You deny quirkless their light, and they will fall into the darkness. There are always chance in this chaos called life and living that anything could happen. A quirkless could be the greatest hero, they could also be the villainous nightmare
Eeverything is possible in life and living, a quirkless being a hero is not above that" I said finishing my tirade in front of the No.1 hero
"…" for several second All Might said nothing, his mouth left open looking at me, shock that some middle schooler would tell him that he's no better than other people, that he's also blind. After several minutes he manages to regain his composition
"Then… if you… in my shoes, as No.1 hero. What would you say" he asks me with a curious expression
"Do you want me to teel you what you wanted to hear or my own terrible, ruthless version?" I ask back
"Your version, please" he gives me the dreaded answers.
I sigh and take a deep breath…
"Don't say I did not warn you…
I would say that it is up to you, you could be a hero of you are willing to sacrifice yourself. But for me heroes and villainy is like a war. Not a war of light and dark or good and evil, but a war of ideas. A conflicting idea that changes the person, and unlike man or woman, ideas are FAR harder to kill.
So, I would say you could be a hero, yes, but are you ready to participate in this war? If you are asking me, well… I would not say no for a soldier to be thrown into a meat grinder like in Rzhev" I said with a stone face
"That's… quite an answer if I may say so myself" All Might seemingly shocked to the core seeing such a cold answer from such a young boy
"You told me you want my version" I replied with a deadpan expression
"Well… have a good day sir" I said leaving him alone
The rest of the journey is not that eventful, although I wonder where would All Might take the slime guy but that's my business. Feeling a little hungry I decided for a detour and buy some taiyaki.
"A fish looking cake… how amusing" Aria chimes while seeing me eating the fish cake
"It could be any shape you desire Aria… And I'm sure you see the special fish mould the lady uses to make taiyaki" I answer her curiosity
"Look, my beloved warlock what is the commotion over there! There are some silly looking guys too, why don't you check out?" Aria said with a cheerful voice, while I'm practically tired dealing with people
"You still have thirst for adventure huh?" I said already knowing the answer
"You know me my dearest guardian, I always love to explore. As the-on-who-tends-the-garden I always cherished any moments I could take a day off. I hardly ever got any because of the garden you know" Aria says with a solemn expression
"I'm sorry my companion… I do not see it from your perspective" I apologize
"So… what are you waiting for let's see what's the commotion!" she says with an excitement in her voice
I see three pro-heroes, Kamui Woods with his green and earthly outfit, Death Arms with his special arm-gun attachment and heroine Mt Lady, soaking in the crowd's attention, her tight spandex outfit accentuates her curves that triggers many passersby. However, all of them looking quite worried, so I decided to move in further to see the source of this ruckus
And lo and behold, I see the green slime that All Might supposed to capture standing, inside of its slimy body lies a certain blonde boy that I once knew. Katsuki Bakugo trapped inside of the slime's body and despite trying to break out by using his explosions, the slime substance seems have anti-explosions capabilities since those explosions only deform the villain, not breaking him away from its grip
I see that slowly, but surely Bakugo started to get suffocated, his explosions started to dimmed. I thought that the heroes would do something to free the poor boy, but seeing none of them move a finger I decided to approach Kamui Woods
"Why are you guys not attacking?" I ask Kamui Woods with an unimpressed stare
"We could not afford to injure the kid in its grasp. Death Arms bullet would just pass through the slime villain, my quirk could not restrain him since he simply slips through and Mt Lady's physical attacks does nothing" He explains
"So, you all just here watch the kid to die?" I ask him again, with a disgust in my voice
"We have massage All Might to come here kid, also get back, this is not a place for civilian. Its dangerous here go back with your parents' kid" Kamui says with a worrying tone
"Haah… Useless" I said and then turn to face the slime villain
"Hey kid, what are you-"I hear Kamui's voice behind me but another voice catches my attention
"YOU! You almost make me get captured you bastard!" the slime guy yell at me
"I will take this boy's body and then you will be the next victim for my revenge!" he declares and launch several slime tentacles like our first encounter.
And just like our first encounter I easily dodge everything he use, tentacles, slime ball projectile, acid spray. I pivot, sidestep and dodge while simply walking closer, and once he's near enough I toss a Duskfield Grenade.
The grenade detonated and made a some of freezing cloud, while for me the vision is clear Duskfield grenade also acts like a smoke grenade, other people could not see what's happening inside the darkness of dusk cloud
'Wha-what is this?! I-I'm freezing up!" the villain started to feel his body hardened and slowing down with mini stasis crystals started to form inside and outside his body. Further limiting his movements and damaging his body
While he in state of shock, terrified and distress I quickly plunged my hand to his body, grab the barely living blonde and pull him out and then toss him out of the Duskfield clouds. The clouds soon dissipate leaving a grotesque statue of the once villain.
"Now for good measure…" I said while summoning Last Word and aim at the centre of the slime villain and fire a round.
The impact shatters the ice sculpture and as stasis always do, create a moderate explosion that launch several stasis shards to their surroundings, luckily none of them hit the civilians or pro heroes, but, unluckily none of them hit the started to awake angry Pomeranian dog either
A shame truly…
*COUGH* *COUGH* *COUGH*
I hear his coughing behind me and turn around to see him started to awake, and as soon as he opens his eyes, he glares at me
"I don't need your help deku" he said but I'm sure he's fully knowing that should I not take him out of the slime body, he would've died
I do not bother to reply to him, my attention is now focused on the three heroes that quickly closing at me
"What have you done kid!" Death Arms yell to me
"You killed a man!" Mt Lady said with a horror in her voice
"You should not just barge in and do your things kid, should've just let pro heroes to do their job" Kamui Woods said, scolding me
"I do what is needed, since three of you decided to leave the boy to his fate. I decided to save him" I reply with a cold voice
"And you said that I killed the guy, are you no better? You leave a child in the hands of a certain doom. If he died, what would happen to his family?
Are you willing to be the one who tell their family that their son died because you just stand there like a fool?
I killed a man, yes, but at least he's a villain. You three sacrifice a child just to wait for All Might to get here, you do not do anything to face the slime fucker" I said scowling at those three
"You-" before Mt Lady said anything a booming voice can be hear from the sky
"FEAR NOT! FOR I AM HERE!" All Might proclaims after landing with a thunderous boom while creating a small crater, a crater that needs to be fixed with taxpayers' money
'Can you NOT make a ruckus or destroying Japan's infrastructure for at least a day?!' I said in my heart
"Kamui! I got your massages! Where is the villain!" he said with a loud voice that almost bleed my ear
"He's dead this kid kills it" he said, pointing his finger at me
"Hello boy! We meet again! Also, you killed the slime?" he said shocked seeing the same boy that he met earlier, a middle school boy kills a man
"He's not dead, see?" I said while pointing at the stasis crystals that has thawed and letting the slime villain to reform his body
"DETROIT SMASH!" All Might says, and then he soon dashes to the slime and deliver a powerful punch, launching the villain to the building and knocked him out
Well, that's certainly one way to apprehend the villain, I bit violent but at least he's not like me
"Wait a minute, how that villain still alive even tough this kid has break it to pieces" Death Arm ponder aloud
"He's merely frozen alive, when I shot him, I fully know that he will service, he's a slime after all. He has no vital organ, so no harm be done. Also, when I said I killed him? Yea… that's a lie" I replied
"I just need time for All Might to fully apprehend him, I'm just a middle school boy after all" I add with a snicker knowing full well that they would not buy the fact that I'm a middle school student
"Ughh, all of this commotion gives me headache." Kamui Woods groaned, not that I can blame him tho. Its not every day you see fifteen years old boy charge in to a villain you cannot defeat, froze him with a weird gadget, save the victim inside the villain, and then breaks its body with a weird gun.
Speaking of gun
"Kid I wanted to ask you what is that gun? I have never seen such magnificent revolver before" Death Arms said to me with a surprised look
"Can I see that gun again?" He asks to me, quite surprising to be honest. I only summon Last Word for ten seconds before let it disappear
"No, and that gun is a memento from someone who is very close to me" I said denying his request
"You have license for that?" he asks
"Yeah, here…" I said giving him a gun license from by backpack
What he did not know is that gun license is fake, Aria, knowing that I would not depart from Last Word, Ace of Spades and other exotic weapons, made a copy of Japanese gun license. Of course, this is Aria, so you could not tell the difference
"So… I'm free to go?" I ask these four heroes that surrounds me, and in case of a rejection and apprehend by law enforcement I prepare storm grenade
"Yea, I guess, I mean the police seems to be okay with you. Although you need to be more carefull in the future" Kamui said
And thus ended my six months of no incident, today marks the beginning of something new. A journey? An adventure? Or perhaps something else…
But for now, my goal is simple
Let me go home