Author's Note: This is my second-ever fanfic. For those who've read A New Future, this story will be similar. The main difference is that Marvin is female, along with several other changes that will be made apparent. The story will begin about a week before Izuku meets All Might, so nearly a year before UA starts.
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Mani groaned softly as she regained consciousness, her head pounding.
It was eerily silent, almost like Mani had lost her hearing completely. Was she dead? She didn't think Death would hurt this much.
Her eyelids cracked open, and she looked around groggily, her mind not fully processing what she was seeing.
The stone room was dark, the only light coming from a window on the outside of her jail cell.
Mani blinked; jail cell?
She sat up quickly, chains dragging on the ground as she moved.
She looked down, seeing her wrists and ankles restrained by thick, dark metal chains.
Mani pulled at them harshly, trying to break them to no avail.
"Null," Mani breathed, feeling the distinct dead feeling that accompanied the magic cancellation.
Null was a type of energy that essentially canceled out any and all energies, no matter the source, except those allowed by the caster. It could also be made into a physical form, like the chains that were binding Mani at the moment.
'Fuck me, of all times Rami had to be right,' She grumbled, remembering her friend's insistence that Mani improve her physical strength.
At the time, Mani had refused. Her speed mixed with her mastery of magic made her almost impossible to catch, let alone beat.
Now, here she was, chained like a dog, her magic bound by Null, and in a building she didn't know the location; making it impossible for her team to find her.
Mani took a deep breath, trying to keep her head. Losing her cool while inside enemy territory was a death wish.
She closed her eyes, trying to reach a true calm in order to check her magical reserves.
She gave up after several seconds; the situation was too dire for her to calm down, even with her years of training.
'OK, think. What's the quickest way to get out of here?' She asked herself. 'Magical means are out, so no runes, spells, potions, or rituals. Blessings and Curses would cause me too much pain since my magic's bound, so that's a no too.'
Mani bit her lip; racking her brain to come up with a solution. 'Come on, Mani. You're a fucking commander of war! I've been in worse situations and been captured before, I can escape this.'
A light bulb went off in her head; it was a long shot, but she didn't really have options.
"Artemis," She hissed, annoyed she couldn't just teleport away. "Artemis, I'd really appreciate your help right now."
Several seconds passed, and Mani slumped against the wall, disappointed at the lack of results.
She jumped as bright blue flames appeared to her right, dissipating after a second to reveal a large, eagle-like bird with bright blue and white plumage.
"Artemis!" Mani sighed in relief at seeing the phoenix. "I thought you wouldn't hear me."
Mani had met the phoenix during one of the travels with her team and had quickly befriended it. The only reason Artemis hadn't become Mani's familiar was due to Mani's team dragging her away from the phoenix.
Artemis thrilled gently, hopping onto Mani's knee and staring at her.
"I need you to get me out of here," Mani told it. "Fire Travel me out."
Artemis let out a soft, somber note and shook his head.
Mani's brows furrowed. "No?" She whispered harshly. "What do you mean no?"
Artemis sang a few more notes, moving its head side-to-side as it did.
Mani looked desperate. "Artemis, I know your fire can burn magic. Just burn these chains, please."
The phoenix shook its head, releasing several low notes before shaking its head again.
"You can't burn these?" Mani asked, holding up her arms.
Artemis shook its head, causing Mani to look more desperate.
"Artemis, my team needs me," She pleaded with the bird. "The Archangels are going to kill them if I can't get out of here in time!"
The young phoenix bowed its head, warbling while swaying its head.
"Artemis, the fucking Outer Ring is going to kill me!" Mani replied. "I can't help more people if I'm dead!"
Artemis let out a snapping sound, ruffling its feathers and extending its wings.
"Banishment?" She asked, brows furrowed. "Where? Tell Casi, she'd be able to find me-"
Artemis let out a series of soft notes, covering his head with its wings before resting them against its body.
"Where they can't follow?" Mani whispered, repeating the phoenix's words. "The fucking Non-Presence?" She asked, beginning to panic.
The Non-Presence was essentially a part of Mani's world covered in perpetual darkness; where not even the sun could shine. Magic didn't work there, and every deformed creature inside the Non-Presence could damage and eat souls.
Mani and her team had once been forced to go there to rescue a team of refugees and had barely made it out with their lives. Even with Mani being one of the strongest mages on the planet, her wounds from the Non-Presence still took three weeks to heal.
To be sent there was a death wish, and to go there willingly was suicide. Only the strongest could survive there, and even then, it would be extremely difficult.
Artemis bumped its head with hers, singing a few soft notes before shaking its head.
"If not there, then where?" Mani asked, slightly relieved.
The phoenix somehow shrugged, snapping a few times and waving its head from side to side.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Mani hissed, sitting up sharply. "Artemis, this isn't the time to jo-"
Footsteps sounded down the hall, along with the clank of metal and wood on stone.
Mani's eyes widened. "Go, go," She whispered to the phoenix.
Artemis disappeared in a flash of fire, leaving Mani in the cell.
Mani watched as seven people stood outside her cell, each wearing colored robes and holding a wooden staff, each with a different wood type.
"Couldn't fight me the proper way?" She spat at the Outer Ring. "What's wrong, scared?"
A woman, about 50, wearing a dark purple robe and holding a light golden staff, stepped up, her face neutral.
"Mani Mikrai, you are here due to your crimes against the state," She stated calmly.
"You mean trying to kill you fucks?" Mani replied, struggling against her chains.
The woman raised an eyebrow. "You were trying to kill us? Unfortunately, I didn't notice."
"Tell that to your husband," Mani spat with a cruel grin. "Oh wait, I fucking killed him."
The woman's face contorted in rage and the grip on her staff tightened.
"SILENCE!" She roared, jutting her staff at Mani.
Mani gritted her teeth as a spell hit her, feeling like her entire body was being burned directly under the skin. She didn't scream, she wouldn't give them that satisfaction.
The spell was released, and Mani's breath was shallow, feeling the aftereffects of the magic linger.
"As I was saying," The old woman continued as if nothing had happened. "Due to your crimes, you will be punished."
"Want me to give your husband a message once I see him in Hell?" Mani spat, her grin crazed.
"Death was considered too kind for you," An older man wearing orange-gold robes stated. "Your crimes will result in banishment."
Mani laughed a little, hiding the pain from the aftereffects of the spell.
"Just say you can't kill me," She stated, glaring at him. "You realized that when you punched a hole through me and still barely escaped with your life."
Mani hissed in pain as a spell hit her in the head, feeling like her bones were breaking and healing dozens of times per minute.
"Whatever your delusions may tell you," The original woman stated. "Is irrelevant. What matters is that you will be banished for your crimes against our country."
Mani gasped as the spell released, a bit of blood in her mouth from biting her tongue to avoid screaming. Her dark hair curtained her face, hiding the grimace of pain.
"You mean… your dictatorship," She panted, her breath coming in large gulps of air.
"Of course a stupid brute like you would think that," The woman sneered.
Mani grinned and stared the woman down. "If I'm a brute… and nearly killed all of you… what… does that make you?"
Dozens of spells hit her instantly, ranging from burning her soul to peeling her skin away and forcing it to heal.
Mani screamed that time, screamed louder than she ever thought possible.
The pain was unbearable, every part of her violated by the magic cast, even her soul being tortured by the people on the other side of her cell.
Mani felt like it was an eternity before the magic was released, and once it was, she was left gasping for air and barely conscious, too weak to even move her head.
Tears stung her eyes, and the taste of copper filled her mouth, Mani having bitten through her tongue due to the pain.
The Outer Ring invaded her cell, grabbing her harshly and putting more chains on her while undoing the ones that held her to the floor.
Mani was dragged through the underground prison, being consistently hit with spells to keep her subdued.
She was led to a large room with a giant runic circle in the middle.
Mani was shoved into the middle of the runic circle, forced onto the ground, and into a kneeling position, her hands tied behind her back.
A clamp was put on her mouth, preventing her from calling Artemis or using verbal magic, and a thick band was placed on her neck, further negating her magic.
The seven members of the Outer Ring stood on their respective sides, surrounding Mani and preparing to banish her.
Had Mani been able to speak, she would've commented on how the seven strongest mages in the government were needed just to banish a single teenager.
As she was, Mani just glared at the mage in front of her, who happened to be the woman.
The runic circle began to glow as the Outer Ring began chanting, raising their staves as they called upon their magic.
The runes burned bright white, and Mani's ears rang as the crescendo of magic reached its peak.
Mani closed her eyes, tears stinging them as the realization that she'd probably be months or years without her team hit her.
'I'm sorry guys, I should've been more careful.'
Right as the banishment magic reached its peak, Artemis reappeared overhead, having watched everything that had happened to its master, and being able to do nothing.
But it could at least make the trip a little easier.
Artemis dived, forcing its magic out as it soared directly at Mani's head.
One of the mages noticed Artemis diving, but it was too late, a ritual couldn't be stopped, especially not now.
Artemis burst into flames, its magic manifesting visibly as it collided with Mani's body.
The phoenix let out a deafening shriek as magic exploded around Mani.
They disappeared with a roaring wave of magic, slamming the Outer Ring against the wall harshly enough to draw blood.
—-
Momo stretched as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.
She quickly packed her bag, making sure she kept her notes properly organized as she did.
Momo stood after everyone else exited the class, not wanting to get caught up in the chaos that was them leaving for the day.
"Good job today, Momo," Her teacher said with a smile.
Momo smiled back. "Thank you, Sensei."
She left the classroom after saying goodbye, walking at a comfortable pace, not having any need to rush.
She ignored the groups of students hanging around the school grounds; she didn't really have any friends, but she tried not to let it bother her.
Momo's head seemed almost on a swivel as she looked for her driver, her brows furrowing as she didn't see them.
'They should be here by now,' She frowned a little, the wheels in her head spinning.
Her family had switched to a new security group called ANVIL a few months back, and they had performed beyond any expectations so far; for them to be late was a first.
Momo dug through her bag for her phone, deciding to call her head bodyguard to see why they were late.
She jumped as someone grabbed her arm, her head snapping up in shock.
A man, much larger than her, leered down at her, his shark face split into a grin that made Momo's skin crawl.
"Sorry about being late, girlie," The man said in a growly voice. "Those bodyguards were real adamant about keeping you away from us."
Momo tried to pull her arm away. "Let go!" She exclaimed, trying to break free.
A staff shot out of her palm, and she hit the man in the stomach with it sharply.
The man only laughed as her staff bounced off, sending shockwaves up her arm.
"That's so rude," The man grinned wider. "Guess we'll have to teach you some manners, huh?"
Momo felt a pit of fear in her stomach as she tried to break away from the man, hitting him with her staff to no avail.
Her mind was spinning endlessly, but she couldn't think of anything, the fear overriding the logic she was so proud of.
"Let GO!" She screamed, trying to punch the man in the stomach.
Energy resembling an explosion left her fist, hitting the man's abdomen violently.
She gasped as the man suddenly let go, his body getting flung back like a ragdoll caught in the wind.
He collapsed a few feet away from her, clearly unconscious.
Momo froze as she stared at the unconscious body, her eyes darting to her still outstretched hand.
"Did… Did I do that?" She asked herself softly, staring at her hands.
Her Quirk was powerful, sure, but she had never released energy before, and definitely not at a scale large enough to knock out her attempted kidnapper.
Her driver appeared a moment later, and four bodyguards poured out of the expansive vehicle.
"Miss Yaoyorozu," The head bodyguard exclaimed as he rushed over. "Are you alright?"
Momo nodded shakily. "Y-yes, I'm fine."
The guard sighed in relief. "We need to get you home. Some hooligans attempted to intercept us in order to kidnap you."
Momo was silent as they ushered her into the car, her mind still reeling from the incident.
It was only after the car began moving that Momo looked up, doing a silent headcount and frowning a little.
"Where are the rest?" She asked her head guard, who was sitting on her left. "There are usually six."
"The group that attacked us injured Yoshimura," Her guard replied. "Ruflo stayed back to take care of him and take down the remaining thugs."
Momo nodded in understanding. Ruflo was an absolute tank of a man; he would be able to handle a few thugs without issue.
The rest of the ride was silent, with Momo repeatedly going over what had happened.
It wasn't the first time someone had tried to kidnap her, not even close, but it was the first time the kidnappers were close to actually finishing the job since ANVIL had guarded her family.
'I'm still not sure what that blast was,' She mused, staring at her hands in her lap. 'My Quirk doesn't work like that; I would know if it did.'
The vehicle passed through the gate of her family home, and Momo looked up, not having realized they'd gotten home so quickly.
The car stopped in front of the absolutely enormous mansion, which looked lavish enough to make even standard mansions look like huts in comparison.
Momo's guards quickly got out of the vehicle, checking their surroundings thoroughly but quickly before ushering Momo out.
'This must have been a big attack,' Momo realized as her guards flanked her, pulling out every security measure they had, even though the risk of her being attacked in her own home was practically non-existent.
They walked past the extravagant entrance hall with Momo barely giving a glance at the dark wood walls, while her guards looked everywhere, even checking the ceiling, which was so high that it would have been impossible to hide a person there anyway.
Her guards took a final look around as they reached the dark cherry wood double doors, with two checking the doors, one of them shielding Momo from the front, and the last one guarding Momo's back.
They checked everything, to the point that even Momo was feeling her patience wear thin, before finally letting her into the living room.
She ignored the dark wood walls, high ceilings, and furniture that was an elegant mix of traditional and modern, instead looking around for her parents.
"MOMO!" A voice shouted as she entered.
An older woman who looked to be in her mid-30s at most ran up to Momo, and if one were to look, they would be taken aback at the similarities between the two women.
The girl stumbled a little as her mother almost tackled her, running up to Momo and hugging her fiercely.
The Yaoyorozu matriarch pulled back after a moment. Her eyes raked over Momo's body, checking for injuries while simultaneously fussing about Momo's hair being slightly out of place.
"Are you alright, Momo? They didn't hurt you, did they? Are you ok?" She asked, pulling back and holding Momo by the shoulders.
Momo smiled warmly, not the show smile she used during formal events, but a genuine one.
"I'm ok, Mom," She said. "I got grabbed for a bit but my Quirk took care of it."
That was the excuse she was going to use for the moment; she still didn't understand what exactly had happened, but she wasn't about to worry her parents more by saying her Quirk did something new.
Her mother looked relieved, staring at her with yellowish-green eyes. They were almost identical in appearance, the only difference being Momo was a bit taller and slimmer, along with having a different eye color.
"Oh, that's my Momo," her Mother cried, hugging her again.
Momo flushed a little as she hugged her back. "Thanks, Mom."
The Yaoyorozu matriarch pulled back, composing herself in a heartbeat, though her smile was still gentle.
She turned to Jona, the leader of ANVIL. "Do you require her to say anything or is she allowed to go?"
Jona, otherwise known as The Engineering Hero: Cypher, was an absolutely massive gray humanoid dragon, standing just a few inches below All Might, and was rather well built. Besides his intimidating appearance, though, was a keen intellect and a tactical mind that outpaced his brawn.
"I just need a quick statement from her to understand what happened on her end," Jona stated respectfully. "Anything you consider to be important, please, Miss Yaoyorozu."
Momo nodded, beginning to explain what had happened, starting from her confusion at her driver being late.
Jona took notes the entire time, mentally cross-referencing them with the information he'd already acquired. Though something got his attention a little bit, he could sense a change in Momo's energy, it wasn't enough to be alarmed… but it was there.
"Hold on, you said he grabbed you?" Momo's father interrupted, sitting up sharply.
Momo rubbed her arm. "I took care of it. He only grabbed me for a few seconds before my Quirk kicked in."
"And can you tell me what exactly you did to get him to let go?" Jona asked, looking up from his notes.
Momo stiffened a little, her mind racing to find an answer that didn't give away the energy blast. She felt oddly protective of it, for some reason.
"Oh, well- I just used my Quirk on him and forced him to let go," She replied, avoiding Jona's eyes.
Jona smiled a bit, thinking Momo just felt nervous at the memory. "Well, of course, but as you know, your Quirk is rather versatile. A tad bit more detail would be greatly appreciated."
Momo's mind raced; she couldn't tell them the truth, but she couldn't think of anything that would cover the lie. Maybe a half-truth?
"I've been experimenting with making small explosives with my Quirk," Momo explained. "And I used one to launch the man back and force him to let go."
The first part was true; she'd wanted to use things like that for a while but hadn't had any success so far. But her parents didn't know that.
Momo's mother smiled brightly. "That's my daughter," She said, hugging Momo again.
Jona watched the Yaoyorozu heir curiously. 'She's clearly leaving details out. Her story included basically every detail possible before, but she's being so vague all of a sudden.'
Perhaps it had to do with the energy change he sensed? A Quirk evolving or changing would be a drastic moment for anyone, and maybe she just didn't want to stress her parents out more in figuring out how her evolved Quirk worked?
Jona nodded to himself. That was probably it, there would be no other reason for Momo to get so cagey all of a sudden.
"Is that all?" Momo asked, swaying side to side to try and calm down.
"Are you ok, Momo?" Her mother asked in concern.
Momo nodded. "Yes, Mother. I'm just tired is all."
The Yaoyorozu matriarch snapped her head over to Jona, eyebrow raised.
"Your information was highly useful, Miss Yaoyorozu," Jona stated, bowing lightly. "That is all."
Momo smiled a little. "Thank you."
Her mother told the butler assigned to Momo to take the girl to her room, and the butler obliged, walking with Momo up the enormous spiraling staircase to her room.
Momo thanked the butler as she entered her room, reassuring them that she'd tell the staff if she needed anything.
She let out a sigh of relief, pressing her back against the door and closing her eyes.
Her room was enormous, the walls painted light greige, with blond wood providing accents and adding a bit more color to the room.
There were several rugs across the dark floor, a desk that seemed capable of comfortably seating five people pushed against the left wall, filled with several large textbooks Momo used for studying.
Momo opened her eyes, trudging over to the gigantic bed she had and flopping onto it.
'I still have no idea what that blast was,' She thought, flipping onto her back.
Momo paused as she heard a sigh, blinking in confusion.
She sat up, brows knit together as she looked around. That sigh definitely hadn't been her, but there wasn't anyone else in the room.
Momo groaned, rubbing her eyes. 'Must have imagined it. I thought the auditory hallucinations would stop after I stopped studying late at night.'
'I'm not a hallucination,' A voice drawled.
Momo stiffened, her head whipping around. Still nobody in the room, was that in her…
'YES IT'S IN YOUR HEAD,' The voice exclaimed in exasperation.
"WHAT?" Momo exclaimed, eyes wide. "Why are you in my head?! Get out!"
'You really think I'd still be here if it was that easy?'
"I still don't want you in my head!" Momo snapped, beginning to panic. "Find a way to get out of there; invading someone's privacy like that is despicable. How could you even do such a thi-"
'Ok, ok, ok,' Mani groaned, cutting her off. 'Stop talking. You think before you speak and I'm hearing everything you say twice.'
'Second of all,' Mani continued. 'You're acting like it's my choice to be here.'
'WHY ELSE WOULD YOU BE IN MY HEAD?!' Momo replied, still panicking. What if this person looked into her memories? Momo didn't really have many embarrassing memories, but it was still a violation of privacy.
Momo blinked, and she was in a large, white room. Dark bookshelves filled with books lined the walls, though the right side of the room was strictly organized, while the left side, while organized, had the bookshelves arranged in an almost maze-like pattern.
'Where-' Momo trailed off as she looked around.
'You're inside your mind,' Mani said from behind her.
Momo's head snapped over, and the girl paused.
The girl Momo was staring at was extraordinarily beautiful, with long dark hair similar to Momo's, and bright green eyes with silver streaks. There was a small, lightning bolt-shaped scar that ran under her left eye, along with a few more thin scars on her hands and arms.
Mani was sitting with her cheek squished into her hand, and staring at Momo in boredom.
But what shocked Momo the most was that Mani looked so young, around Momo's age, and maybe a year or so older if she pushed it.
'Cat got your tongue?' Mani asked, slightly amused.
Momo snapped out of her shock, young or not, Mani was inside her mind and invading her privacy.
She tried to activate her Quirk, slightly surprised at how quickly it responded.
A metal staff formed from her palm, and Mani's eyes widened in shock.
Momo rushed Mani, who leaped out of the way with ease.
'This girl just fucking did conjuration without any effort,' Mani thought to herself in shock. 'No wonder the Outer Ring banished me to her, she's good.'
Momo attacked her again, and Mani dodged, weaving through the strikes without effort.
'She's slow,' Mani thought, even more baffled. 'But conjuration at that level… is she testing me?'
Momo's staff whistled as it moved, and Mani jumped back again, beginning to get nervous. She couldn't do conjuration at anywhere near that level, so Momo had to be messing with her, right?
Momo balled her fists, clearly annoyed that Mani was dodging so easily. First, she invaded Momo's mind, and then made her combat skill look like an amateur's?
Momo's hand shot out, the only thing on her mind being to restrict Mani from dodging.
Both girls did double-takes in shock as chains ripped up from the ground, moving around like snakes.
The chains launched at Mani, who began moving faster to dodge.
'Fuck, I forgot we're in her mind, she has full control of the space here,' Mani realized as she moved. 'No wonder she was toying with me, she knew she had the upper hand.'
Mani stepped back from the chains, only for more to rip from the ground behind her.
She weaved through the chains, only to nearly get caught by a staff that Momo had thrown.
Mani changed directions, continuing to dodge. She couldn't risk using magic here, Momo had full control of the space and everything in it, if Mani used magic she risked Momo using Mani's own spells against her.
'HEY! I'M NOT TRYING TO FIGHT YOU!' She shouted as she leaped high into the air.
'GET OUT OF MY HEAD!' Momo shouted back.
Dozens of chains ripped from the ground, surrounding Mani almost instantly.
'SHIT!'
She tried to dodge, but her being in the air reduced her mobility drastically.
The chains grabbed her ankles and yanked her down harshly, crashing her into the ground.
More chains wrapped around her body, binding her legs together and her arms to her sides.
Momo was breathing heavily, the battle taking a huge toll on her mind.
'Why… are you here?' Momo asked, staff gripped tightly in one hand.
Mani struggled against the chains; she could break them with magic, but lacked the raw strength to snap them without it.
'Oh don't fucking play dumb,' Mani snapped, still trying to break the chains. 'You know damn fucking well why I'm here.'
Momo glared at her. 'If I knew, I wouldn't be asking,' She stated coldly.
Mani did a double take. Did she really not know? Maybe the Outer Ring hadn't notified her? It was a shitty thing to do, but it wasn't like the Outer Ring was known for its compassion.
'You know… Mani Mikrai? Illegal fugitive of the Crown?' Mani asked.
If anything, Momo looked more confused. 'Who?'
Mani's face went slack; the Outer Ring not giving Momo details she could understand, but everyone knew who she was, whether they were people of the Crown or fugitives like her.
'I- uhhh, you know? The Outer Ring's Public Enemy Number One?'
Momo blinked. 'What's the Outer Ring? Is that a Hero Organization?'
'I-' Mani stopped, her jaw hanging in shock. This girl didn't even know the government? Why did the Outer Ring banish her here then?
'Well?' Momo asked, poking Mani with her staff.
'You know… the magical government of the world?' Mani said almost pleadingly. 'Like the seven strongest mages on the planet?'
'Magic? You mean Quirks?' Momo replied, brows furrowed.
'What the fuck is a QUIRK?' Mani pulled a face before she let out a silent 'oh'. 'Is that what you call magic here?'
Momo looked at her like Mani was crazy. 'There is no magic here; I mean, I guess you could consider Quirks as magic, but they're more of genetic gifts than any real magic.'
Mani was completely stunned. Had the Outer Ring sent her to some random backwater country where there wasn't any magic? She didn't even know such a thing existed, but to be fair, almost nobody knew what lay beyond the Non-Presence; nobody had survived it long enough to find out.
Momo shook her head, realizing they were getting off track. 'Whatever you call Quirks isn't important. What's important is that you need to get out of my head.'
Mani gave her a flat look. 'You really think I'd still be here if it was that easy? Plus, you should be thanking me, I saved your ass back there.'
The Yayorozu heir blinked. 'That energy blast… that was YOU?'
'Yeah?' Mani replied. 'I saw you were panicking and helped you out. Surprised you still let me use magic while I'm here honestly.'
'Let you…' Momo just looked more confused. 'What are you talking about? You're the one inside MY head; you're the person who forced yourself in here.'
The mage stared at her. 'Why the actual fuck would I CHOOSE to be here? Like, realistically, what do I gain from being here?'
Momo's eyes narrowed. 'Don't act like I'm stupid, I know you're just here to get secrets to use against the Yayorozus.'
'The Yao-what now?' Mani blinked. 'Is that like… your family name?'
Mani hadn't ever heard of a family called the Yayorozu's, but then again, there were thousands of families with their own unique magics, it wasn't impossible or even unlikely the Yayorozu's were just a family she hadn't met before.
'Wha- YES, it's my family name,' Momo shot back. 'Stop acting like an idiot; I know you just want to find stuff to use against us!'
The young mage just stared at Momo dumbly. 'Why the hell would I need blackmail? Are you actually working for the Outer Ring?'
Momo looked extremely frustrated. 'WHO'S THE OUTER RING?'
'I ALREADY TOLD YOU,' Mani shouted in annoyance. 'THEY'RE THE FUCKING GOVERNMENT!'
'THERE IS NO-' Momo paused, taking a deep breath. 'What country are you from?'
Mani gave her an odd look. 'Etuluthania? Why?'
'Ok, now I KNOW you're playing dumb,' Momo snapped, whacking Mani with her staff. 'There aren't any countries that go by that name, never have been.'
Mani looked almost desperate. 'Wha- What the fuck do you mean?! That's my country! I was born there in the city of Athesall, inside the District of Eysra!'
'Ok, you're DEFINITELY a hallucination of some sort,' Momo sighed, rubbing her eyes. 'None of those are real places. So you're either a hallucination or lying.'
Mani was internally panicking. Where had the Outer Ring sent her? For Momo not to know Mani's name or face was one thing, but to not know the magical government of the world, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, one of the most famous districts in said country, and its capital city?
Even the backwater countries recognized the Outer Ring and the Archangels, and everyone knew Etuluthania at least by name.
'You're already caught,' Momo sighed. 'Can you just leave?'
'I CAN'T!' Mani told her, partially exasperated and partially annoyed. 'I already told you; I don't know how to leave!'
'JUST GO BACK THE WAY YOU CAME HERE!' Momo exclaimed, her patience with this random girl reaching its limit.
'I GOT FUCKING BANISHED; I CAN'T!' Mani almost pleaded, hoping Momo would understand.
Momo sighed, rubbing her eyes. 'So you're a criminal?'
Mani flushed but nodded. 'I guess you could say that.'
Momo threw her hands up in exasperation. 'Great, I have a crazy banished criminal in my head that can't leave for some reason.'
'HEY!' Mani said, offended. 'I may be a criminal, but I'm not crazy.'
Momo gave her a blank look. 'How did you get here?'
'The Outer Ring used a ritual circle to banish me,' Mani explained. 'Though, before that, they captured me and chained me with Null so I couldn't use magic to escape.'
'Yeah, you're crazy.'
'I'M NOT-' Mani stopped, seeing that Momo was walking away. 'HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?'
Momo gave her a confused look over her shoulder. 'Why would I keep talking to you? You're insane; you're mentioning magic, governments that no one's ever heard of, countries that don't exist, and ritual circles. Next, you're going to mention how you have a pet phoenix or something.'
Mani made a so-so gesture with her head. 'Artemis is more of a friend, really. I wouldn't consider him a pet.'
'Yeah, I'm done talking to you. You can stay there.'
'WAIT!' Mani cried, falling over due to the chains. 'Can you make these a bit more comfortable at least?'
Momo gave her an odd look, but reluctantly sighed, walking over to her again.
Mani felt a bit of relief; she couldn't act rashly. She had no idea where she was, and trying to overpower someone capable of conjuration with such ease wouldn't end well for her.
'Hey, can I ask a question?' Mani asked as Momo replaced the chains with soft ropes.
Momo looked at her suspiciously. 'What's the question?'
'What year is it? And where are we?'
Momo looked at Mani with even more confusion. 'We're in Japan, and the year is 2084.'
Mani stiffened. 'What?' She whispered, eyes wide.
'The year is 2084,' Momo repeated.
The words hit Mani like a truck, shattering any plans of escape in an instant.
She was nearly 70 years in the future. It was 2017 when she was banished. Which meant the Outer Ring didn't banish her to another place, but another time.
Her shoulders slacked, and her eyes looked defeated. Her team would be either dead or so old that they wouldn't recognize her. They must have spent decades without her; she would've become a distant memory to those still alive.
Mani's will shattered like glass hit with a cannonball, leaving an empty hole in her chest where her heart should be. Any desire to fight or escape poured out of her like someone had stabbed the bottom of a water tank, leaving nothing but a deep, aching sadness.
She began crying, uncaring that Momo was still there. Her home was gone; her friends, family, and entire world were gone. She was stuck inside a random mage's mind, unable to do anything, and even if she could escape, she had nowhere to go.
Sobs racked her frame, her body heaving violently as tears streamed down her face. All her fighting, all the times she'd risked her life to fight the Outer Ring, every time she'd been scorned as an enemy of the Crown…
It was for nothing; in the end, it was worthless.
The Outer Ring had won.