SilverPsychic; Hello Hello! Finally, soon this Halloween arch will be done. *Sighs dramatically* Fun to write though!
Silver; True, but this chapter is supposed to be hype right?
SilverPsychic; YESSSS! If all goes according to plan, Halloween should be over in the next one to two more chapters! Keeping this brief, DISCLAIMER! I DON'T OWN SONIC OR MHA IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM! JUST THIS WACKY AU!
Silver; Ok, but can I get a break for a few chapters after this? Like….not faint or get possessed-?
SilverPsychic; ….
Chapter 26; Candles
"WHERE DID AOYAMA GO?!"
Kaminari shrieked in alarm as he pointed out the disappearance of the French magician. Everyone went into even more panic but they all tried to remain calm and stick closer together. However, when Silver heard Aoyama was gone, the costumed Hedgie-boy's face fell flat and all his fear left him. That jerk could stay gone for all he cared, in fact, it was even better. But to ensure Silver didn't hurt Deku's feelings…the Hedgie didn't voice his opinion on Aoyama's disappearance. Though quickly more people began to disappear without any reason. No sound, no figure, no hint as to why or where they were going. After Aoyama's disappearance, Sero, Sato, Ojiro, and Tsu all seem to slip into the darkness leaving their once 21-person group shrinking into an 11-person group. Even while holding hands, people seemed to fade into the shadows. Tokoyami, Todoroki, Kaminari, and Jiruo were the next victims.
Silver shuttered and clung to Izuku tighter, he wasn't going to let them get separated…currently, the class had shrunk to only Iida, Uraraka, Ashido, Kirishima, Bakugo, Izuku, Yoayomomo, and Silver. Kirishima linked both arms, one with Ashido and one with Bakugo. Bakugo linked to Kirishima and Uraraka. Uraraka linked to Bakugo and Izuku. Izuku linked to Uraraka and Iida. Iida linked to Izuku and Momo. Momo is linked to Iida and Ashido. Everyone made a full circle link while Silver clung to Izuku like a sloth would to a branch.
"Being here in the open isn't safe!" Ashido shrieked as she tightened her arms. She trembled a little and Kirishima lightly held her closer to him as a gesture of safety.
Mina's bag was wrapped around her like a purse while Kirishima had shifted the unused lanterns to hang on his belt. The psychic's ear flicked, he could feel a cold draft. His tail softly wagged as fear set in, he felt so helpless. He was like a toddler who was being carried around. Iida quickly dragged the circle of freshmen around the corner of the hall, trying to find a place for them to hide. Silver clutched to Izuku with all his strength, which wasn't much, as Izuku was dragged along in the group. Everyone tried to remain silent as Iida blindly dragged them around, trying to find a good place to rest and think of a plan. Each time Izuku stumbled, Silver's vision rocked to the point he was about to puke. His amber orbs tried to close to ease the dizziness but it didn't help. Silver softly clawed at Izuku's chest unintentionally, praying for all of this to stop soon.
The dizziness spun his world around making everything so much worse. Everything he glanced at shook, as if it were in an earthquake. He felt as if he were in a dryer, tumbling around to no end. The hedgie boy freshman bit his lip to keep himself from vocalizing his pain. However, when Izuku bumped into a wall, all of Silver's efforts came undone. He was lucky they were on the outside of the circle, the psychic quickly turned around and puked up whatever he had eaten earlier on the old floor. His mind was still tipping and spinning like a teacup ride as he groaned at the accident. The ivory teen had only begun to process he had puked when his mind cut out like lights in a thunderstorm. One second he was puking, the next he was being wrapped in darkness…Silver relaxed a little. It felt like a nice soothing blanket…it was so much better than the dizziness and the screaming of his body and-nope he woke up again.
He shot straight up, still tied to Izuku, "Oh thank goodness, we thought you were possessed again." Deku whispered as he felt Silver moving around on his back, "That was fairly short," Midoriya said jokingly through labored breaths.
Silver had wide eyes as his mind raced to understand what was going on, did he just pass out? Oh man, where was Uraraka? Bakugo was cursing under his breath as the remaining classmates were pressed against a wall. Everyone was panting from running but Izuku was the most, no surprise since he was carrying Silver as well. Ok well at least he wasn't as dizzy, Silver sighed at the happy idea. Yet he had puked…and passed out. For how long? Silver wanted to ask yet…he was too scared to speak. He didn't want to alert some sorta demon. He opened his mouth softly to whisper but hesitated feeling himself go limp again.
Nonononono-... a warm blanket of darkness. The temptation to stay in unconsciousness was unbelievably high, leaving Silver wrapped in the warmth of the abyss…he could stay here forever. The ivory psychic allowed himself to simply sit there and float for a moment in peace…yet he forced himself to wake up again after a good moment of enjoyment from the void.
He was a little more dazed when waking up this time, yet Silver woke up to an even bigger surprise. Hagakure. She was just…standing there? The psychic hedgie-boy puzzled for a moment seeing this. Izuku was in a fight stance…and so was Bakugou… all 5 of Silver's remaining classmates were in the standard fighting position. Heck Ashido had a few cuts on her face even…were they fighting Hagakure?! WHY?! Silver looked straight at the invisible classmate in worried confusion, what was going on?! Hagakure leaped at them, her skeleton body paint being the only giveaway of where she was. Silver yelped and clung to Izuku tightly, his emerald-haired friend dodging Hagakure's attack with a swift movement.
"I DON'T HAVE ANY FREAKING BLOCKS, EXTRAAAAA!" Bakugo yelled as he jumped onto Hagakure and just started blowing up her face. She writhed and screamed like some unholy creature sending a chill down Silver's spine, his neck hairs risen and his eyes wide…was he like this earlier?
The psychic could only cling to his friend as Deku stayed on the defense. Izuku was taking Silver into consideration during the standoff. Hagakure was not herself though and everything was happening all so fast. Silver barely processed anything before Hagakure began biting Bakugou and tearing up his arms. The costumed explosive teen threw the skeleton off him with an angry shout. Kirishima seemed to be struggling with the floor for a moment while Iida stood in front of Midoirya. Ashido quickly ran over to help Kirishima as well as help Bakugo fight off Hagakure. Silver's mind was a mess, screaming how he should be doing something to help. Anything. Yet he was just clinging to Izuku with his life…the psychic berated himself mentally for being such a burden during the fight. How could he have been so stupid to get possessed? How could he have been so stupid to make himself useless?! Now Deku was carrying him around and had to pick up his slack! Silver's brows furrowed as he mentally hissed at himself for being so stupid.
"Guys! Come on, in here!" Kirishima quickly shouted as he lifted a rotten floorboard, "Hurry!" Mina jumped through the hole without wasting a second, Iida quickly pushed Deku (and Silver) into the hole as well. Iida followed as did Kirishima and finally Bakugo after blowing an explosive down Hagakure's throat. Silver felt himself panic as they fell into a deep void of nothing.
It was too dark for them to see as they seemed to fall for multiple stories. Ashido landed with a stumble, dirt, and dust taking to the air as she struggled to get up. Deku landed blindly after the black-cat-acid teen, his knees buckled and the young hero struggled to remain balanced with the secondary body clinging to him. All Deku's attempts to stay upright failed in seconds though as he ended up face-planting. It was a lot harder to try and stay upright when you couldn't see the ground at all. Silver tumbled out of Deku's bindings and hissed with pain scraping at the floor as the psychic tried to inflict the pain he felt onto something else. Iida landed on top of Deku, making the two teens yelp in surprise and pain. It was too dark to see and they were all practically blind so the murmurs of quick stuttered apologies filled the air with both Izuku's and Iida's voices. Kirishima toppled onto the small dog pile next, causing Deku to get squished under Iida again but with Kirishima now added. Silver continued to claw at the ground, his head throbbing after having slid off Deku's back. Kirishima stumbled off Iida and stepped on Silver's hand, causing Silver to hiss louder and the male Red Riding Hood to jump and trip, completely crushing Silver.
Silver hollered in pain and clawed at Kirishima with incoherent words and sounds of pain shared with tears. Ashido was stifling a laugh as she heard all this play out, lucky for her she was safe and out of the landing range. Iida tried to get off Deku again and help Kirishima off Silver as quickly as possible but then Bakugo landed. And not too elegantly. Bakugo landed in an odd position, making it so both Iida and Kirishima would be crushed under him. As a result, so would Deku and Silver. The psychic cried out again, not hiding the sheer level of pain he was being put through. Deku only grunted and struggled to breathe with around 330 pounds of weight crushing him. (A\N; Give or take, Iida being 145 pounds and Bakugo being 180 pounds. At least that's what Google says. Plus costume weight so-)
"Get. OFF!" Silver hissed in pain as he clawed at the ground trying to escape the heavy trap. He wriggled under the two older classmates and scraped at the ground for something to grab onto. Kirishima was struggling to stand up as Bakugo grumbled.
The explosive teen awkwardly tried rolling off Kirishima as Silver threw a painful fit, "Shut up! I'm trying-" The pitch-dark room suddenly wasn't so dark. Everyone froze and kept quiet, fear holding them frozen. A single candle lit beside Ashido's right arm, she squeaked and quickly shifted away from the flame.
Silver felt his heart drop, the pain still pulsing through him like molten lava. Fear overran the pain though, making it more as if his body was painful and static. He stared at the single flame, that single candle a-lit. The psychic's hands tensed as adrenaline began pouring over his pain, giving him anxiety as he stared. He was entranced, but not in a good way. The hedgie-boy could feel the heat on his skin, the thickness in the air, the screams in the deafening silent room. His chest tightened and Silver began to hyperventilate. The ivory-haired hedgie-boy's tail began to wag with fear. Warm tears slid down his face. It was overwhelming, he was in so much pain but too paralyzed to move…or look away. He felt like he was going to puke and suffocate and pass out and scream and run AND fight all at once! Silver's brain was so scattered and so entranced by the single lonely candle. Everything else didn't seem to matter...Silver forgot where he was and what was going on.
His mind kept repeating one word. Silver began shaking his head softly, the familiar feeling of that monster haunting him gripping at his chest. One simple flame, yet he saw so much fire. One single candle…yet he saw thousands of people falling. Silence, yet he heard blood-curdling screams… Dimly lit place, which they only really could see a foot around them, yet he saw destruction consumed by it. He didn't know where he was anymore, his peripheral vision blurred as flames crept into his vision. Soot laid heavy in his lungs, he couldn't breathe and needed to cough, yet he couldn't. Silver couldn't move. He didn't want to be here…the young psychic wanted to put out these fires once and for all…yet he had no power to…
"Silver?" Kirishima's face came into view as he snapped in front of Silver, "You alright…?" His voice was soft and caring as he broke Silver's painful trance. The hedgie-boy's amber eyes softened as his world returned to normal, he took a deep shaky breath upon feeling the weight off him.
Deku was trying to help lift Silver back onto his back while Kirishima and Mina looked worried. Bakugo was inspecting the candle and Iida was kneeling next to Silver, having the psychic's arm around his shoulders and gazing softly at Silver. The ivory-haired teen felt embarrassed and ashamed he let himself get consumed by a candle flame…mentally. His face began to heat up and he looked down, his ears pinning against his head in shame. Silver sighed, Iida tilted his head softly as Izuku wrapped his arms around the shameful hedgie-boy's waist with a grunt. He was supposed to be strong…to be a hero…how could he be a hero if he couldn't even save himself? He got scared of a candle! How heroic…how did he even-Silver internally growled at himself. He had no right to ever reassure Izuku it was ok to cry when he wouldn't even allow himself to cry.
The psychic's brow knitted together and he huffed at himself, bested by a few memories. It was in the past. It wasn't an issue anymore…why did he care? Why was he scared still? Why…couldn't he move past it? It wasn't real anymore. None of it was. He fixed it. Well…mostly. Those issues, those memories…those flames…have long since been blown out. So...why did they still haunt him? What did he do wrong? Silver felt his shoulders drop, why was he so scared of fire when it was all he ever knew? Heck, he didn't have to worry about it anymore…he wanted to let it rest…yet…it wouldn't. Why? What kind of a hero was he…if he couldn't handle a few memories? He couldn't handle a candle…why did he think he could handle saving others' lives-?
"Silver?" Iida frowned softly and his eyes showed a bit of concern, "...is something wrong?" Silver shook his head slowly with a smile, trying to hide the rampant thoughts in his mind as he breathed. It wasn't real, he was safe with his friends…actually, he wasn't safe but-
Bakugo jumped back with a small shout of surprise as thousands of candles lit themselves. The waxy flame holders spiraled up and up far into the sky. Silver's eyes widened in shock, what was this? All the candles spiraled up as if aligned on a staircase, yet they were only placed on small edges of the winding walls. Looking up was almost dizzying as the candles reached impossible floors. This building was only so tall yet…it looked like looking up into a dark skyscraper! The hair on the back of his neck slowly rose, an uneasy feeling filling his gut. They were being watched…Despite his pain, Silver softly rose himself to stand. He needed to be prepared. Izuku seemed unsure about Silver's balance but once Silver proved he could stand, Deku hesitantly backed off. Iida slowly stood to a stand as well and Kirishima glanced at Bakugo. Mina scooted towards Kirishima a little and whispered.
"That's…creepy…"
The candle's flames flickered and moved as if there was a gentle wind. A knot formed in the teens' stomach's as they tensed, it was no secret they were in danger. Izuku stepped towards Silver just in case he needed help, Bakugo growled and smirked. The explosive teen's hands softly began heating up, preparing for a fight. Iida glanced around on edge and Kirishima with Ashido balled up their fists and stepped into a fighting position. A soft creak of old wood caught Silver's ear with a flick. The adrenaline-filled his system to cover for the pain. Iida shifted and locked eyes with something far above them in the spiral of candles.
"Up there…Someone's there…" Iida whispered as Silver squinted. Eyes. The psychic huffed, they played throughout the game, time for the boss. What terrified them was the silhouettes that began dropping from the higher levels. None ever fell, simply held limply suspended mid-air. It was too dark to see who they were…but there were so many. Much more than their class alone. It was as if a collection of marionettes were spun into a spider's web. They weren't wooden dolls though…
Pit, pat, pit, pat.
The on-guard hedgie-boy tossed a glance in the direction of the new sound. Something was dripping onto the cold stone floor. He hoped it was water…but it looked too deep in color to be water…Silver tried to figure out where it was coming from but he couldn't. The echo in the large chamber was too hard to figure out any sort of pinpoint. His senses heightened and his fists clenched, ivory quills softly rose in defense. The unknown threat was not something he wanted to be caught by surprise. Every small noise made him tense, and the small breeze made him race with adrenaline. Then…clunk
That little red glow tightened Silver's chest. Tails Doll…again…for the third time. If anything, Silver felt a little relieved. It was easier than what Silver originally thought he was gonna go up against. Tails Doll stood in front of the small group of teens forebodingly, awaiting a move. Neither team moved, tense as they waited in thick silence. Silver frowned a little as his ear flicked, he wasn't going to let that cursed plush get away this time. It was time to settle this. The psychic couldn't help but feel it was his fault Tails Doll was here in the first place…so he was going to fix the mess he made. But how? In the stiff waiting war, Silver furrowed deep into thought. Nearly mimicking Midoriya but without the endless muttering. His face was tense and serious, how could he neutralize Tails Doll?
What was a weak point? His gears turned, thinking about the dolls' weak points. If this was a doll like a Mobain, maybe he could use himself as a reference? What was Silver's weakest point that could neutralize him? The time ticked by in heavy seconds. His greatest weakness…was also his biggest strength…so the question was…what was the most prominent feature about Tails Doll that Silver could try to use against him? Nearly a thick, slow 3 minutes went by as the opposing teams glared at one another. Neither moved and barely breathed. It almost seemed like nothing was going to happen. Silver sighed softly and shifted ever so slightly, at least he knew he could take on Tails Doll. At least it wasn't anything new.
The hundred or so marionettes fell from the spiral above. Silver grimaced at himself, he thought too soon…again. The marionette-like silhouettes slowly rose from the ground, mimicking the movements of zombies. The ivory psychic shuttered as a chill slid down his spine, this isn't right. Their movements…seemed so stiff and empty. Tails Doll tilted its head slowly, the amount of angles he could move was unreal and unnerving. It looked like it was going to twist its head off. Silver tried to brace himself, but his legs felt wobbly and unsturdy and his body locked and shook. He didn't have the strength to fight…but he was hoping more than anything that the adrenaline alone would be more than enough for the strength he lacked. The freshman knew adrenaline was powerful and could be crazy strong, along with shock which Silver was hoping he could trust to work if he got more injured. He just hoped his body's natural life-or-death functions would be enough to get him through this fight without dying stupidly.
One of the puppet-like figures stumbled into the light, revealing a blankly staring Tsu. The psychic could feel his classmates tense. So the missing trainees…were all probably part of this horde of mindless shells. A knot tied in his stomach, they could undo this…right? There were more innocent people in this mess though, and Silver felt himself frown. Who knows how long this has been going on? No one had officially stepped foot in here to mess with it in ages. More figures came to light. Kaminari, Tokoyami, Shoji, Koda, and four people Silver didn't recognize. This whole situation was off but the unknown people seemed…even more different. Silver couldn't see their face ...their faces were all concealed with blank wooden masks. Holes for the eyes and mouth but no other hints. He swallowed harshly, Tails Doll and an army of brainless people vs six sleep-deprived heroes in training. This was going to be greaaaat. (A\N; For reference, the unmarked masks are Ocarina of Time Redead masks but made with all kinds of different types of wood and the eye and mouth hole sizes tend to vary. Some masks are even made of animal bones.)
Well, Silver braced himself. He was going to win this…somehow. Tails Doll eerily stepped forward, if the psychic had to guess, the haunted doll was the Commander of this small army. The hedgie-boy swallowed thickly, this was all his fault…Silver quickly shook away the guilt. Determination is what he needed. So he was going to fix this. Shoji leaped forwards, running at the tense group with his hands back. Iida quickly came forward and met Shoji midway, hands interlocked in the intense situation. Both were trying for the upper hand in the battle. Silver's eyes locked with Tails Doll, his mind playing through ways he could fight this demon that stood before him. Tsu followed Shoji's lead. Kaminari, Tokoyami, Koda, and the other faceless people trailed behind. Ashido locked in a battle with Tsu, the frog girl mindlessly wrapping her tongue around the acid black cat. Silver staggered forward, forcing himself to move towards the heart of this mess. That glowing red gem pulsed like a heartbeat in the swarm of mindless puppets. Bakugo was exploding two of the faceless puppets while Izuku cried out to Tokoyami. Kirishima was trying to get Kaminari back to reality while being shocked painfully, Koda launched himself at Silver. Silver was roughly shoved backward by Koda's strong hands, that mindlessly blank look haunting Silver's mind. The psychic struggled to force himself up as Koda approached.
Everyone was locked in their battle, the sane student's cries for their classmates fell on deaf ears. Silver could hear Izuku desperately crying for Tokoyami to break out of it. The ivory hedgie-boy quickly launched himself forward, barely dodging Koda's reach. He wasn't interested in playing the game Tails Doll wanted, and Silver wasn't going to dance around the bush to get the prize. Silver ran as fast as his body would allow, his arms trailing behind him. The psychic dodged the hands reaching towards him as he got closer to the heart of this mess. He didn't know what he was going to do to fight Tails Doll, but- Silver felt a cold hand grab the collar of his cape. Silver yelped as a shadow-hidden Uraraka threw him backward. Flying backward, Ashido screamed for Tsu to snap from her trance. He felt the hard brick wall to a painful degree as he collided with it. Silver shook from the pain his body was feeling as he fell to the floor.
Silver staggered up again, keep going. He had to keep going. "COME ON! THIS ISN'T YOU MAN!" Kirishima yelled as he hardened his arms to counter Kaminari's punches.
"Our quirks are useless," Izuku said as he dodged a swipe from Dark Shadow, "I don't think they can feel pain! Not in this state! Even if their bones are broken, I'm sure they'll keep going!" Silver leaned against the wall, holding his back in pain as he watched Iida hesitate to hear Deku's information, "We can't use them, without a proper reaction from them we can't gauge how far we are going. If we aren't careful, we could kill them!" Izuku quickly stated, his voice laced with worry, "We need to break them out of this, without fighting!"
SilverPsychic; ….Oopsies, they are all possessed now!
Silver; Psy! What the heck?! Thats the opposite of what I asked!
SilerPsychic; … s. Seriously as I said in like…2 chapters back or so, Thank You to my friend for giving me an idea on how to end this Halloween Arch. I know she probably isn't reading, but if she is; You know who you are and Thank You.
Silver; …That…might sound ominous to the other readers…
Izuku; *Mimicing All Might:* Now, it's your turn.
SilverPsychic; Its not ominous at all! You're the one making it weird. *Pouts a little* …NEXT TIME! Rupert's Drop! Is Tails Doll the Master Mind behind all of this? Or is there someone else? What is up with the masked dudes? Can they break the trance their friends are in? Does this haunted place get the closure it needs? I'll see you for the next chapter, my Chaos Born Heroes! Pluuuuus ULTRA! *trips*