Forcing his stuff muscles to move, Izuku clambered out of bed, hand reaching out to silence his alarm clock.
Instead his palm slapped against varnished wood.
The noise hadn't stopped.
Right, I've been isekai'd. Then what woke me?
Stumbling forward, Izuku opened his drapes, blinking in the harsh morning light. Once his eyes had acclimatised he could see the source of the noise.
A group of what Izuku assumed to be construction mages were repairing the homes damaged by the attack the night before.
"The clay Nomu." Izuku shivered, he knew this was just a dream but the thought of them took him back to the USJ incident everytime.
Huh, I guess I've missed my therapy session with Hound Dog. Quite a few in fact, unless time in here doesn't pass at the same rate as the real world.
Shaking his head, Izuku forced himself to get ready, he could ponder the mechanics of this dream world another time.
A quick trip to the bathroom later. Izuku returned to his bedroom, finding a small pile of clothes at the end of his bed he'd missed earlier, Hinode resting on top of them.
Shrugging off his night clothes, Izuku paused at the sight of his skin, largely whole and unblemished. The scars from his childhood bullying were missing, bar a few that looked more accidental in nature.
Right, I wasn't a quirkless outcast in this world. There aren't any quirkless outcasts here.
On instinct, Izuku pulled his clothes on as he let his mind wander back to one of the first deep questions he'd had about Quirksmith after he'd got it.
Can I use One For All's quirk transferring ability to give someone one of my copied quirks? Or would I accidentally pass One For All on instead? Or maybe nothing would happen at all.
It would make sense that he could though, after all, One For All was supposed to be one power for all people, Quirksmith would make that far more literal.
I could cure Quirklessness. Or would that just be playing god?
Straightening his undershirt and attaching Hinode to his belt, Izuku judged himself ready.
Heading out of his bedroom, Izuku made his way to the kitchen, his stomach growling wildly with every step.
He heard laughter.
Rounding the corner, Izuku saw the table loaded with food, his mother in her usual seat, nursing a tea as he chatted with Kocha. Sansho saw in silence, picking at his food, further down Tenra was demolishing a tremendous amount of food, all while upholding impeccable table manners.
"Good morning, Izure." Inza greeted. "Grab a plate and dig in."
"He lives!" Kocha mock-cheered, throwing her hands up in the air.
Izuku saw Sansho hide a smirk.
I guess he's not so above it all.
Taking a seat, Izuku loaded up his plate, very certain the growling of his stomach must have been audible at this point.
I'd forgotten how hungry One For All makes you.
"We weren't sure you were going to wake ever again." Kocha teased.
Izuku snorted as he devoured a bread roll. "Neither was I."
Tenra cleared his throat. "That magic you used last night, those powers, the ice, the thunder, how did you get the blade of Yoichi to grant you them."
Izuku shook his head. "That wasn't Hinode, at least not for the most part, my magical ability is Proficiency Imitation. Basically I copied all your proficiencies, and then channelled them down the blade."
"Down the blade?" Tenra mused, immediately lost in thought.
"You copied our magic?" Kocha queried.
Izuku nodded, holding his hand out. "Butyrum. Gravitas. Libero."
The butter dish floated into the air for a few seconds, before Izuku let it down.
"Woah, that's my Gravity Manipulation, cool!" Kocha exclaimed. "How many proficiencies have you got?"
Oddly reminded of his first lunch break at UA, Izuku answered. "Before Hinode I could only copy two at a time, one was my mother's, Summoning, I didn't have a second one at the time."
Izuku took a bite from bacon on his plate.
"Now, I've got your Gravity Manipulation, Tenra's Time Dilation, Voice Manipulation and Thunder Touch from Hokyo and Denshi, they live in Lars, and well, three from Sansho."
The teen didn't respond.
"Can you copy proficiencies as well?" Izuku asked.
He managed to get Sansho's attention.
"No." Sansho paused awkwardly. "My true proficiency is Elemental Division, I can use it to split into two versions of myself, each with their own unique elemental proficiencies, fire and ice. I can't use either in my normal form, but I do know some learned spells."
"Woah, that's super cool." Izuku gushed. "So that was just one half of you in here yesterday, the other saw the Nomu coming right?"
Sansho hesitated, before nodding. "My brother, Akari, has the same Proficiency, except with plasma and water."
Kocha chimed in. "We call the fire one Hiasobi and the ice one Hisame."
Izuku paused in thought. "So, for each person the elements are different, I wonder what mine are."
"Izure, no magic at the-"
But it was too late, in a flash of light two Izukus appeared, one with blond, almost yellow, hair and blue eyes, electricity sparking around his body.
The other Izuku had yellow eyes and light blue hair, a light breeze rustling his hair and clothes.
"Woah." Kocha breathed. "They're totally different elements from Sansho."
"You indeed possess powerful magic." Tenra mused politely. "To copy abilities as complex as Sansho is impressive."
Izuku blinked.
In fact, both Izukus blinked.
Or would it be Izuki?
Feeling a little queasy from the twin vision, and other senses, Izuku canceled the split, returning to his normal, singular self.
"That was weird." Izuku admitted, reseating himself.
"It can be quite disconcerting." Sansho admitted. "It is best to treat both of them as separate entities."
"I see." Izuku pondered, wishing he had his notebook in this world.
Tenra cleared his throat. "Izure, the truth of the matter is that we wish for you to join us on our return to Elvar, and our trials beyond."
Izuku nearly choked on his food, looking over at Tenra.
"Come with you?"
"Yes, it is clear you have great skill with Hinode, that I do not have with Yuyake." Tenra explained. "Your support, and guidance, would be appreciated on our quest to defend this kingdom, my brother."
Izuku knew this world wasn't real, that this blond version of Iida was not his brother, but still, he felt his heart swell, tears forming in his eyes.
Tenra started. "I apologise if I've offended-"
Kocha batted his arm. "He's not crying because he's upset, ya said a nice thing, ya big dummy!"
Izuku wiped away his tears, glancing at Inza to see her nodding.
"I accept!" Izuku announced.
Kocha cheered, tugging on a relieved Tenra's arm. Sansho simply raised one eyebrow before shrugging, returning to his toast.
Izuku smiled, they might not be exactly like his friends, but he could see the same heroic spirits in them.
His expression dimmed.
What if other counterparts aren't so heroic? Kacchan? Momo? Could I even fight them?
Izuku didn't know if he could.
It was a day later as Izuku stood at the edge of town, Hinode at his waist, dressed in his newly purchased adventuring gear.
Or rather, new gifted adventuring gear. Since Denshi was one of the people who had seen him wielding Hinode, of course half of the town had known by breakfast.
And the other half by lunch.
A forest green padded doublet fit over a white undershirt, with heavy brown trousers and red boots. Hardened leather gloves encased his hands, a brown cloak with black fur around his shoulders.
Izuku secretly thought he looked pretty cool.
Although he did feel like he was taking advantage of the shopkeepers who gave him these clothes, Izuku knew he could never have afforded them on Izure's teaching wage.
"Woah, you really look the part!" Kocha exclaimed as she bounded up, her horse trotting behind her.
"Thanks." Izuku replied, barely stopping himself from stuttering as he spoke.
Tenra tapped his armor, a large shield on his back. "We can equip you with more durable armor like my own once we make it to Elvar."
Izuku shook his head. "I'm fine with this, thank you, I prefer mobility, not that I don't appreciate-"
"I understand." Tenra said, interrupting Izuku. "Well, if there is anything in the Royal Armory you require, it is yours. As is this horse, I bought from the local stables, at quite a discount."
The second horse, black with a white spot over its eyes, sideled over to Izuku.
Sansho rolled his eyes. "You got absolutely scammed on that horse."
"I did?" Tenra frowned. "But that is the same price I paid in Elvar for mine."
"In Elvar, it would have been reasonable, here, not so much." Sansho explained.
Izuku secured his bedroll to his new horse, which he quickly named Llamrei, his Izure memories granting him the requisite skills to easily mount up.
Izure may have been a teacher, but he'd still spent plenty of time on a saddle.
"Sansho, how long are you staying with us?" Izuku asked.
The teen looked over. "To the borders of Jundland, where the rivers Zwen and Drezti meet, at Elvar's first wall. Then I head south to Asche, to report to my father."
Sansho looked relieved at the idea of leaving Tenra's presence.
"Right, so what's the fastest path to Elvar?" Tenra questioned. "Kocha and I came from the north, from Löschen, not Elvar."
Sansho clambered onto his horse. "This way, I am knowledgeable of Jundland's roads and paths, I will have us there soon."
Five days later…
"We're lost." Kocha sighed, slouching on her horse.
"No, we're not." Sansho replied stubbornly.
"We've ended up back in Arzol six times now." Kocha groaned. "It's a nice town, great apothecary, but it really isn't where we want to go."
"We are indeed lost." Tenra agreed, his horse neighing. "The longer we spend lost the more at peril Restaria becomes."
Sansho sighed. "Fine, we're lost. I have no idea where we are, I have a terrible sense of direction."
"How did you manage to meet us at Löschen coming all the way from Asche?" Kocha questioned.
"You were three weeks late from what your message stated, I arrived a day before you." Sansho admitted.
"You were lost for three weeks?" Kocha exclaimed. "We're doomed!"
"Izure, you're native to the Jundland Province, do you perhaps know the way?" Tenra inquired, looking over at his half-brother.
Izuku started, surprised to be pulled into the conversation. "W-Well, I've never actually travelled more than a few miles out of Lars."
"I see." Tenra nodded.
Izuku racked his mind, thinking back to the map of Restaria at the front of the first novel.
"But, I do think I may know a shortcut." Izuku paused, getting the attention of the others. "The problem is that it does go straight through a dragon's lair."
"A dragon's lair." Sansho scoffed. "Dragons died out a millennia ago."
"Oh, I didn't know." Izuku admitted.
"Don't listen to him." Tenra assured. "Dragons haven't been seen in a millennia, at least not by anyone who lived to tell the tale."
That certainly didn't comfort Izuku.
Sansho rolled his eyes. "Let's take this shortcut. Dragons, how ridiculous."
Izuku dodged behind a rock, shielding him from the torrent of azure flames.
"Yeah, how ridiculous, I never should have mentioned this shortcut." Izuku chastised himself. "Dragons were never seen in the Restaria Chronicles, not even in the prequel spin-off or any of the sequel series, and the main character of one of those was specifically a dragon hunter!"
Izuku's rambling was drowned out by the roar of a massive red dragon.
Their horses had long since fled and Sansho had split into Hiasobi and Hisame. The former was using his magic to deflect the fire away from where Kocha and Tenra hid, Hisame creating a dome of ice to protect them from the heat.
They all knew they couldn't keep this up forever, their magic reserves weren't infinite.
Izuku had an idea.
With an ease granted by a few days practice, mainly during meals and evenings, Izuku activated Elemental Division.
The newly dubbed Ikaze and Irai came into existence, the latter falling back while Ikaze stepped out into the open as the dragon took a pause from fire breathing.
Ikaze raised his arm, channelling both One For All and his Wind Manipulation into his fingertip, charging up as the dragon prepared to attack again.
In the moment before the blue fire left the dragon's mouth, Ikaze flicked his finger. A super-concentrated blast of air shot from between the boulders, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and firing straight down the dragon's throat.
The red dragon coughed and gagged, its flames extinguished, it was only dazed, not seriously injured.
"We need to retreat now, while it's distracted!" Tenra called, as Izuku reformed. "We'll have to go the long way round."
Without argument, the party of four turned, ready to make a break for it.
A beam of light hit the ground, directly in the group's path. For a moment, nothing happened, and then the point of impact detonated.
They were all blown off their feet, back towards the dragon.
Gravel crunched as boots hit the ground, there was someone else here, they'd jumped down from the dragon.
"You morons don't get to go before I've had a fucking word with you!"
Izuku instantly recognised the voice.
Kacchan.
Or as he was known in this world, Katte.
Izure and him had been in the same class at school, much like the real world. At thirteen, when Izure had become a teacher, Katte had set off as an adventurer, looking to join a guild in Elvar.
Looking up, Izuku watched as Katte grabbed a dazed Sansho by his lapels.
"Understand me, if you breathe a word of the fact that there is actually a dragon here, I will hunt you down and you will wish that I let Eii kill you instead of me."
Sansho groaned in response.
Izuku pushed himself to his feet. "Katte, you always manage to take things too far."
Katte froze. "That voice."
The blond-haired teen, dressed in furs and notably lacking a shirt, wheeled around to face.
"Izure, you bastard." Katte growled.
A moment later Izuku found himself in Katte's firm embrace, hugging him tightly.
Izuku almost cried, memories of his and Bakugo's long gone childhood friendship resurfacing.
Returning the hug, Izuku laughed. "I guess you didn't make it to Elvar after all."
Katte snorted as they broke apart. "Of course I did, idiot, blew those dolts' minds with my magic, got myself some sidekicks, went adventuring, kicking ass, taking no names."
"We're not sidekicks!"
An alternate version of Sero, with cropped black hair and decidedly standard human elbows, landed next to Katte with inhuman grace.
A new proficiency joined Izuku's quirkspace.
Spider Body.
It made sense, Izuku mused. After all, in the real world hardly a day went by without Sero joking that he was Spider-Man.
"Cram it, Han'i." Katte barked.
Another person joined them, clambering down one of the boulders. For a moment Izuku didn't recognise her, and then it came to him.
Ashido.
Gone was the pink skin, replaced by an almost blue hue, her ears pointed and elongated.
She was an elf, in the literary sense, but this world didn't have that word. Instead they were known as Hemothis, the race that inhabited the plane Restaria existed upon before Humans first arrived at the beginning of the First New Age.
They had been turned to stone by an unknown curse thousands of years before the First New Age, at the end of the Last Old Age, beginning the Wild Age.
Humans, led by a pair of brothers, had used the magic they had brought from their homeworld to reverse the curse and free the Hemothis. In gratitude they had been gifted the wild plains of Restur.
However, Yoichi, the younger of the human brother's, had been forced to kill his sibling. The older brother, his name lost to time, had tried to recreate the curse, as a threat to enslave the Hemothis.
Naming the gifted lands, Yoichi had become the first king of Restaria, wielding both his own sword and his brother's, in memory of him.
The blades of Yoichi.
How do I know all this? None of this was in the Restaria books, is my brain just making up random stuff now?
"Hiya, I'm Mikka!" The Hemothenan greeted, breaking Izuku from his thoughts.
Another Hemothenan joined them, riding down on the head of the now docile dragon, his skin a light purple, posing so his blond hair fluttered in the wind.
"Charmed to make your acquaintance, I am Prince Yuryo, a name you will surely remember for all time."
Aoyama.
A clump of dirt hit Yuryo in the face, making him splutter.
"Can it, no starting any fancy court bullshit." Katte brushed his hands off. "You're thirty-seventh in line to the throne."
Alas, it was too late.
Tenra bowed. "It is an honour to meet you, Prince Yuryo. I am Prince Tenra of Restaria."
"Woah, Katte's cousin knows the Crown Prince of Restaria!" Mikka exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Your cousin?" Izuku queried, looking at Katte.
The blond shrugged. "That's basically what we are, isn't it."
Before Izuku could say anything more he found Tenra's hand on his back, forcing him to bow.
"And this is my brother, Prince Izure of Restaria."
Izuku saw a range of reactions as he was released from the bow. The dragon had cocked their head inquisitively, Han'i looked confused, Mikka was somehow more excited and Yuryo looked intrigued.
But the most surprising one of all was Katte.
He shrugged. "Always knew you weren't the run of the mill village idiot. You're still a village idiot regardless."
Izuku laughed, the rush of relief getting to him. "Says you, I'm the one who went into teaching the next generation, you ran off looking for fame and fortune, now who's the idiot."
Katte snorted. "Bet these morons I have to lug around make your brats look like geniuses."
"Hey!" Han'i yelled indignantly, but lacked any genuine fire to it.
Mikka stamped her foot. "Yeah, we figured out that the weird shopkeeper was a con without you around!"
"Yeah, after he'd taken most of your gold." Katte snorted, looking back to Izuku. "So, who's Round Face and the world's most boring flag?"
Izuku couldn't help but smile at Katte's total lack of decorum and manners. "This is Kocha, she's a mage, mainly gravitational magic."
"Gravity magic." Katte shrugged, looking at Kocha. "Sounds pretty powerful."
Kocha hid a blush. "Your explosion was super cool too!"
Now it was Katte's turn to his own slightly rosy cheeks.
Izuku smirked, some things just seemed to be the same as the real world.
"And this is Sansho, he's-"
Katte interrupted. "Lord Endeavor's younger brat right? Met your brother, he's a dick."
If Sansho had any reaction, he didn't didn't show it.
"Er, I'm just going to ask." Kocha leant forward, dropping to a whisper. "What's with the dragon? Why isn't it, ya know, killing us indiscriminately?"
Katte snorted, as if the very idea was ridiculous. "That's Eii, he's human normally, we were on our way back to Elvar to sell some shit we got out of some long dead witch's dungeon."
The dragon bobbed their head in agreement.
"Eii, like the idiot he is, decided to try on an obviously fucked cursed armband, and then he turned into a dragon." Katte finished.
"Yeah, damn near crushed us in the process." Han'i grumbled, while still managing to sound oddly jealous.
"Perchance we could be of assistance in freeing your friend from this most foul malediction." Tenra spoke with gusto.
Katte raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong with him? He talks like a weirdo."
"Er, he's posh?" Izuku offered.
"Makes sense." Katte nodded. "And nope, the curse isn't permanent, got some sort of release trigger. We've been camping out here while we figure it out so no noble chucklefucks decided to stab first, think never."
The blond teen shot a glare at Sansho and Tenra.
Kocha spoke. "Hey, in our defense we were the ones who got jumped by a dragon!"
"Katte, she's kinda got a point." Han'i argued. "We did start attacking first."
"Fine." Katte rolled his eyes. "But it was only as a warning."
"We were leaving, and you stopped us." Sansho noted.
"Leaving is good." Katte smirking. "Never fucking coming back is far better."
Tenra moved over to Izuku's side.
"Izure, I believe I know a spell that may free this Eii from his curse." Tenra whispered, as more arguing broke out.
"Which one?" Izuku questioned, opening the mental folder of spells he'd gotten when he'd copied Tenra's proficiency.
"Mallen Exordio, it's rather archaic, used to cleanse a vessel of magic residue." Tenra explained. "Normally, I wouldn't consider it, it's designed to remove trace amounts of magic by fast forwarding it until it fades, not full curses, but-"
"If we combine our castings and use the power of the swords to boost our magic it might work." Izuku finished, largely muttering to himself now.
"Oi, Izure, what are you and Prince Stick-up-Butt muttering about?" Katte called, ending the argument between the others immediately.
Izuku's head shot up. "Tenra just had an idea of how we could help your friend."
"Yeah, I could tell that much, even when he's tryna be quiet he's got a voice like a horn." Katte rolled his eyes. "I meant the spell you were conspiring about."
"Mallen Exordio." Izuku offered.
Katte shrugged. "Never heard of it, and we definitely haven't tried it, so go wild, knock yourselves out."
Izuku glanced to Tenra, the Restarian Prince giving him a curt nod of agreement.
"We'll need to double-cast." Izuku stated. "And swap the target invocation to aim at the curse specifically."
Mikka leaned in towards Kocha, the dark-haired girl's clothing allowing the Hemothenan to instantly recognise her as a mage.
"What's an invocation, isn't that just another word for incantation?" The pink-haired elf queried. "Or is it different in the Restarian language?"
"Oh, right, Restarian isn't your first language, of course." Kocha realised as Izuku and Tenra continued to workshop the spell.
Mikka nodded. "I used a foreign language potion to learn it a couple of years back, but it doesn't really give you any colloquial knowledge."
"Ah, well invocation and incantation aren't quite the same in Restarian." Kocha explained. "Most of our spells, or incantations, are made up of three words, target, magical discipline and effect. Each word is referred to individually as invocation, so-"
"Three invocations to one incantation." Mikka finished. "But how to do more complex spells? With only three words to them, how is it possible?"
"Well, if we need to we can just add extra words on the end, or have multiple words in one invocation." Kocha answered.
Mikka nodded in understanding. "The differences in how Hemothenans and Restarians use magic is fascinating, isn't it?"
Kocha nodded resolutely.
"I believe this will be sufficient then, correct, Izure?" Tenra held out the section of parchment he'd written on.
Izuku took it, reading it over twice to make sure.
This knowledge, it seems that Izure was something of an amateur spellcrafter.
"Yep, checks out." Izuku confirmed. "So we just need to double-cast and emphasise the last syllable of the final invocation, then?"
"Indeed." Tenra nodded. "Shall we begin?"
Izuku and Tenra walked forwards, standing before the giant form of Eii, at each of their waists the swords of Yoichi began to glow.
Power flooded Izuku's veins as his magic synchronised with Tenra and magnified greatly.
I can see why people can get addicted to this now.
"Tenebris Maledictionem. Tempus. Fugit."
Eii began to glow as well, with black wisps of smoke writhing over his scales.
"Tenebris Maledictionem. Tempus. Fugit!"
A beam of silver light shot from each of Izuku and Tenra's swords, hitting an ornate golden armlet on one of Eii's front legs.
The dragon roared, a gout of blue flames shooting high into the sky. And then, he started to shrink, slowly at first, before getting faster.
Eii collapsed at their feet, long red hair falling over his face, the armlet had shrunk to fit his now human arm.
"Urgh, I feel like I just got run over by a carriage." Eii groaned. "It feels weird having arms again."
"Then you shouldn't have put on obviously cursed jewelry, Shitty Hair." Katte groused, grabbing Eii's arm and pulling him to his feet. "We need to get him checked out."
Izuku nodded, not particularly surprised to see Eii was Kirishima. The only difference was his eyebrow scar, much larger, running from the corner of his mouth and disappearing into his hairline.
Han'i went to Eii's other side, wrapping his arm around his neck. "Good to have you back to normal."
"Good to be normal." Kirishima mumbled, only half-conscious.
Izuku frowned, thinking back to the map of Restaria. "The nearest town is Far Helos, but it's in the opposite direction to Elvar, plus Elvar would only be a couple of hours more travel."
Kocha bounded up. "I know some healing magic, not a Proficiency by any means, but enough to tide him over until he can see a professional."
Katte stared at her for a few moments, as if judging her.
"Fine." Katte acquiesced. "But as soon as we get to Elvar, we're finding a doctor."
Kocha nodded. "Sounds great."
With that Eii was laid out on bedroll, Kocha casting diagnostic spells on him as Han'i, Mikka and Yuryo crowded around.
Izuku joined Katte, his hands still tingling from the sheer power of the spell.
"It would make sense for us to travel together to Elvar." Izuku stated, trying to judge Katte's reaction.
In the real world Bakugo would probably try and blow him up for suggesting such a thing.
"Yeah." Katte stuffed his hands in his pockets, his voice almost a whisper. "I didn't think we were ever going to find a way to break that damn curse."
Izuku was internally panicking, not quite sure how to react to a Bakugo that was sharing his feelings with him.
Well, feelings other than homicidal rage.
"And that would have been my fault." Katte continued. "Basically, what I'm tryna say is, thanks for helping him, for helping me."
Izuku's brain short-circuited.
"You great big dork." Katte joked, sucking in a deep breath as he blinked away tears. "And if you tell any of those idiots about this conversation, I will find, I will kill you. There will be no running, there will be no hiding, only-"
"-pain." Izuku finished, smiling. "You need to get some new threats, Katte, they're starting to get predictable."
Katte turned to look at Izuku.
"Run for your life."
"We're not doing 'run for your life', Katte."
"Three."
"Come on."
"Two."
Izuku could taste ozone in air, Katte was charging up an explosion.
"One."
Izuku ran for his life.
Two Days Later…
Boots pounded on stone, the path becoming wider as they came closer to Elvar's first wall.
Eii had gone on ahead, on Izuku's horse, with Kocha, Tenra and Sansho, the latter was no doubt halfway to Asche by now. Or with his sense of direction he'd probably end up back in Lars by the end of the week.
Izuku's hand rested on Hinode, the familiar thrum of One For All comforting him as Elvar grew larger.
The names and faces may be different, but he recognised broad strokes of the roles within the story.
Lord lngen was absolutely a villain, he'd tried multiple times to kill the hero of the original series. This had culminated in him colluding with Blackthorn to destroy the entirety of Elvar just to kill the hero.
And it made walking into Elvar all the more terrifying knowing Tenra had gone ahead to announce his existence and impending arrival.
Izuku was expecting assassins around every corner, ready to kill him before he could even claim his title.
That reminded him, the brother in the novel, the one Iida was taking the place of, had been far less welcoming to the hero in the novel. The brother had even helped his grandfather with some of the assassination plots, before having a heel-face turn in the sixth novel.
Perhaps the difference was because Izuku knew Iida would never engage in such heinous acts.
"Oi, nerd! You fucking sleepwalking?"
Izuku broke from his thoughts, looking round to see they'd stopped, just a short distance from the east gate of Elvar's first wall.
"Oh, I was lost in thought." Izuku replied. "Sorry."
Katte rolled his eyes. "Some things don't change, do they?"
"Sparky-Sparky-Boom-Boom was asking if you have an identification coin to get into Elvar." Han'i explained.
In his hand was a bronze coin, with the seal of the Adventurers' Guild upon it. Izuku had forgotten all about identification coins, one was needed just to enter Elvar.
Otherwise you had to go through a lengthy immigration process, or get sponsorship from a guild. Those granted the bronze coins that Katte, Han'i, Mikka and Yuryo had, allowing you into just the outer ring of the city.
Silver was for permanent residents, allowing access to the outer and middle rings, as well as limited sections of the inner ring. Gold was all-access, while Platinum was reserved for the royal family and various lords.
Izuku gritted his teeth, preparing himself.
"This is my identification coin."
In one fluid motion Izuku drew Hinode, the emerald blade glinting in the harsh sunlight.
"That's ballsy." Mikka whistled. "It was nice knowing you, you won't even make it through the gate."
"Agreed, a pretty face such as yours will not suit all the injuries you will no doubt suffer." Yuryo agreed.
"Who said I was going through the gate?" Izuku responded, crouching down.
Remember, resistors in the circuit.
Katte rolled his eyes. "Oi, Izure, just don't get yourself killed."
Izuku smiled. "Come on, you know me."
"Yeah, that's why I said it."
Chuckling, Izuku charged five percent of One For All into his legs, before using one of Kocha's spells to reduce his mass.
And then, he exploded into the air, soaring high into the sky, he could see the entirety of Elvar laid out below him.
Shouting from the guards at the gate reached Izuku's ears, but he didn't care. The adrenaline rush was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before.
No wonder this is All Might's preferred mode of transport.
Izuku whooped in delight as he reached his apex, revelling in the momentary feeling of weightlessness and the drop of his stomach as he began to fall.
The royal residence, an ancient, ornate tower, grew larger and larger with every passing second.
Now I just have to land.
Easier said than done.
Activating Sansho's Ice Manipulation, Izuku cast a spell, drawing water from the large foundation in the main courtyard.
It froze, forming a slide just in time for Izuku to land on in, transforming his downwards momentum into propulsion.
Remembering the movements Todoroki had made when Izuku had been possessing him, he gracefully slid down the ice, transiting to a jog as it ran out.
The doors slammed open, Izuku using his mother's magic to summon them towards him, their hinges doing the rest of the work.
"What is the meaning of this!"
This was the first thing Izuku heard as he walked into the throne room. It didn't take a genius to guess the speaker was Lord Ingen himself.
The balding man sat on the throne, Tenra kneeling before the lord, Kocha at his brother's side.
Izuku held his head high, trying his best to emulate All Might, the adrenaline still pulsing through his veins driving him forward.
"I believe that was called an entrance." Izuku spoke, stopping before Ingen, Hinode hanging loosely at his side.
"Insolence, it disgusts me." Ingen sneered, his face pinched, cheekbones high and severe.
His entire body look drawn and thin, like a stiff breeze would snap him clean in two.
Ingen snapped his fingers. "Guards, arrest this gutter trash!"
None of them moved, whether it was a deference for the blade in Izuku's grip or the opposing order Tenra barked, he didn't know.
Izuku sheathed Hinode, his breathing growing shaky as his bravado left him.
Tenra stood. "Grandfather, this is my brother, Izure, you must believe me now, he wields Hinode, do you not see?"
Izuku watched as Ingen glanced around the room, it appeared he had gatecrashed a rather lavish party, filled to the brim with fancy lords and ladies and even fancier wine.
"So, my grandson speaks the truth." Ingen finally spoke, waving a calming hand to the guards. "I thought he had perhaps been bewitched by some foul curse. But in the flesh, the resemblance is uncanny, you look just like that common harlot."
Gasps shot through the room, followed by whispering, these stuffy nobles were loving the show.
Izuku saw red, in an instant he dashed forwards, drawing Hinode and placing it at Ingen's throat before the man could even blink.
"I believe such a comment is grounds for an honour duel, is it not?" Izuku asked, his tone dangerous.
Izuku knew what a vile being the Lord Protector of Elvar had been in the books, he was no All For One, but still, he wasn't a common villain.
Ingen gave a hearty laugh. "I retract my statement. You look like your mother, but your attitude, it is entirely your father's."
"I've looked up to him my entire life." Izuku slowly lowered Hinode.
"Who hasn't?" Ingen shrugged. "I suppose this little soirée has a dual purpose now. Please kneel, Izure."
Ingen held out his hand towards Hinode. He was going to acknowledge Izuku as a prince of Restaria.
Izuku knew it was all for show, he could see in Ingen's eyes that he was already plotting how to kill him off discreetly.
The green-haired teen gave the lord his blade, before lowering himself to one knee.
Izuku knew Ingen couldn't hurt him, a blade of Yoichi could not be used to harm its bonded user. The emerald blade rested one shoulder and then the other.
"In the place of the dearly departed King Tozanori, I, Koto Ingen, the Lord Protector of Elvar, recognise and grant you the title of Crown Prince of Restaria."
Hinode was placed horizontally across Izuku's outstretched hands.
"Arise, Prince Izure."
Izuku stood, sheathing Hinode as he did. There, in Ingen's eyes, Izuku saw the burning rage, the humiliation of having to pass the Crown Prince title to him from his own grandson.
That was Ingen's mistake, he had changed the laws to force Tozanori to marry his daughter, but never given thought to change the laws of succession.
If the blades of Yoichi choose different wielders, they who possesses the first of the blades will be Heir Apparent.
But Izuku wasn't king, not yet, with both he and Tenra in possession of one of the swords, neither could ascend to the throne without the other blade changing its allegiance.
However, it did grant Izuku a seat at the head of the Interregnum Council, alongside Ingen. The man was in the seat of House Ingen, and would remain so, only lacking the second vote his Regent status had provided him.
Ingen grabbed Izuku's arm, pulling him in for a hug with a jovial chuckle.
"You will regret this, you filthy bastard." Ingen hissed into Izuku's ear.
Izuku's eyes darkened. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing."
The two broke apart, Ingen retreating to a side table, under the pretense of mingling with the guests.
"Izure, I was hoping for a little more subtlety." Tenra chided as he and Kocha approached.
Izuku shrugged. "Your grandfather would have been arrested and thrown in jail before I even made it through the gate, this was simpler."
Tenra shook his head. "Nonsense, he would not do such a thing, you'll understand once you get to know him."
Izuku doubted that.
"That was super cool though, you definitely get style points for that entrance!" Kocha cheered. "You should socialise a bit, introduce yourself, although I imagine you've already left quite the impression."
Izuku nodded half-heartedly, watching as Tenra and Kocha left, slipping their way through the crowd.
They seem to have forgotten that I don't have etiquette training. Not that I care.
Slinking towards the edge of the room, Izuku found an empty table, and took a seat.
He was exhausted, after two days walking and all the political shenanigans he'd just gotten through he wasn't surprised.
Izuku heard her before he saw her. The footsteps on stones, getting louder every second.
He looked up, and there she was.
Momo.
She looked just like the real world, her hair was even styled the exact same way.
Izuku started, he saw something in her eyes he hadn't been expecting.
Familiarity.
"Momo?"
The dark-haired girl smiled. "Hey, Izuku."
"H-How?" Izuku choked out, standing as Momo walked towards him.
But she didn't answer.
Strong arms wrapped around him, and on instinct Izuku wrapped his arms around her as well.
"I thought you were dead." Momo choked out, she wasn't crying, but it was close.
On the other hand, Izuku most definitely was crying, his tears soaking into her hair. "Please tell me you're not in a coma too."
Momo laughed. "No, just sleeping. Dreaming of the world in that book."
Reluctantly, the two broke apart.
"I love you." Izuku found himself blurting out.
"I know." Momo smiled, before leaning forward and kissing him. "I love you too."
Izuku was glad he'd chosen a table shielded from the view of the rest of the party, mainly because he had no way of explaining this, and partly because he was pretty sure his cheeks had caught aflame.
"You know, this is the point in stories where something usually goes wrong." Izuku murmured, Momo's hand clasped in his.
Momo laughed. "Oh absolutely, I am most definitely expecting that to happen."
"Nomu!" A voice called.
"This is all getting a bit meta, isn't it?" Izuku joked.
Momo smiled. "I always thought the fourth wall was overrated anyway."
"Giant Nomu! Coming from the south!"
Momo tilted her head. "Is that Shoto's voice?"
"Sounds like it, I've never heard him shout that loud before." Izuku admitted.
Izuku and Momo left the seclusion of the table, re-entering the throne room proper.
And there he was, Hisame, Sansho's Ice half, panting with exertion as he stood in the doorway.
Izuku frowned. "The giant attack on Elvar, that's a bit early, it shouldn't be until Book Eight."
Momo shrugged. "None of us are characters in a book series from two hundred years ago, this dream isn't really abiding by the original storyline, is it?"
"I suppose not." Izuku admitted. "Ready for a really awesome set piece?"
"Indeed."
"Then on we go."