Heyo! What's good everyone. So uh, not much to say before this chapter. We only have one more chapter before we get into the Halloween Festival and two more until we get to the first battle. Uh, join the Discord and if you wanna check out the community just search for Purpose of a Hero. Uhh, OH! I know it isn't explicitely stated in this chapter but there is a reason it is called "The Forge's Best".

Purpose of a Hero

October 8, 2317

Derrick Holl stormed through the halls of U.S.A.E.I in a rage, his eyes narrow and jaw set. Many of the students, shocked by the livid expression on his face, swiftly moved out of his way as he went deeper and deeper into the administrations building until he came to a dead end. However, instead of slowing his gait for even a moment, he instead pulled out a small keycard and flashed it in front of a solitary potted fern. Almost immediately the wall split apart, revealing a dark room and a dozen or more voices suddenly going quiet. The first people he noticed upon entering were Principal Fetisov and his fellow teacher, a man by the name of William Forrester, both of whom stared at him in shock. He ignored them and turned on the heel of his foot to face the twelve large television screens mounted on the far wall, each showing the image of a member of the North American Hero High Council. "What the hell is this?" Holl demanded as he slammed a manila envelope down on a nearby desk, resulting in a loud metallic clanging noise that caused several of the councilmen to flinch. One of the exceptions, an elderly man with thinning gray hair and sea-green eyes, smirked and leaned closer, making him appear more imposing.

"Ah, so good to see you again Ho-"

"Has the altitude started to mess with your minds at the top of the N.H.A. or are you all just naturally stupid?" Derrick growled, cutting Councilor Copley off. An uneasy silence filled the room as many of the council members looked at Holl with disdain, an expression he was all too happy to return. Unsurprisingly, it was Copley that was the first to speak up.

"I would lower your voice, Holl. Soundproofing only goes so far. Now, may I inquire as to why you are so… hostile, this morning?" Just the sound of the man's voice caused a new wave of anger to wash over Derrick. It took all of his willpower not to snap at the Councilor, who took this as a sign to continue. "I believe what you are referring to is our newest decree? Need I remind you that this council's decision is final?"

"I'm aware. It's still a stupid ass decision! This is absolutely insane! Do you have any idea how much danger you'd be putting the kids in?" He screamed. For an instant, invisible to most, Elliot Copley's grin became more malicious, his eyes harder, and his posture slightly straighter. In that instant, Derrick knew he was in the presence of Prophet.

"My my, so tenacious. Feeling guilty are we, Holl? Perhaps if you'd had that ferocity when you taught Zorra then she would still be alive," the Villain said, though he didn't for a second believe his own words. 'No amount of training could have saved that girl. As much as I hate to admit it, Spitfire is indeed strong. Especially from this fool,' he thought, watching as the teacher attempted to get his emotions under control. "The world is changing, Holl. It's time we change too, don't you think?"

"They are children. I agreed with the clean up because I believed it would help them grow while being in no real danger, something I was proven wrong on. What you're suggesting is tantamount to throwing my students on the front lines."

"These children are living in a world where crime rates are the highest they've been in three decades. They would do well to learn by an accelerated syllabus. Have you forgotten your own school days? Your graduating class, in particular, was forced to learn the equivalent of four years at the Forge in just under two… and look how that turned out. Seventy percent of that year's graduating class dead before they hit forty. If I'm not mistaken, only you, Seismos, and Overgrown are the only ones remaining from the top ten, yes? There is an old saying: 'those that forget history are doomed to repeat it'."

"Are you listening to yourselves? These kids have been in school for barely a month. They are in no way, shape, or form ready for actual patrols!" Derrick countered. 'Damnit, I need to calm down. I'm just playing into his hands by being this combative,' the blue-haired man realized and took a deep breath, trying to calm his rapidly thumping heart.

"Perhaps if you'd read the report fully you would have seen that we don't intend to push this through until after the Halloween Festival. Did you come right here after reading the first page, Holl? My, how… rash. Contrary to everything you've said since you arrived, we do in fact have the children's best interests at heart. However, with the times being as dangerous as they are, precautions must be taken. I would not at all be surprised to see the Black Order target the next generation of Heroes. Take out a future problem before it actually becomes one, yes?" Even though his tone was pleasant, Derrick had to bite the inside of his lip when he heard the veiled threat.

"Right you are Copley," Head Councilor Grenier interjected, giving the elder a cold look, which he responded to with an apologetic grin. The severe-looking woman sighed and grabbed a stack of papers from the corner of her desk before looking back up at Principal Fetisov, who'd been largely quiet throughout the meeting. "As I was saying before we were interrupted. The pairings of upper and lower classmen will be decided by their homeroom teacher in the next week. Does this work with your schedule?"

"Hm? Oh… uh, yeah, yeah patrols, experience, all that, yup," he stammered, clearly having paid minimal attention. In a brief moment of levity, Derrick let a small smile grace his lips as the Head Councilor's right eye began to twitch in annoyance and her grip on the stack of papers became noticeably tighter. The rest of the meeting continued much the same as it had been before Holl's arrival. Grenier would spend a long while explaining certain aspects of the changes that would be made to security, lesson plans, and housing over the next few months, while Igor attempted - but failed - at keeping his attention anywhere other than the lazily spinning ceiling fan twenty-five meters above them. At one point, Derrick could have sworn he'd heard the man mutter something along the lines of 'seems pointless, doesn't it?' and had to fight back his amusement. A little less than half an hour later, Grenier made her closing remarks, gave Igor one last hateful glare, and then her screen went black. There was a general farewell given by the council members as each screen followed suit until just Copley remained. Feeling slightly apprehensive, Derrick glanced over his shoulder and nearly swore when he saw his boss leaving the room with half-lidded eyes. "I'm gonna go get some coffee. Damn fan made me tired."

"You've gotten better at holding your composure," Prophet droned as he intertwined his fingers and stared at the teacher. Derrick had no doubts; this was now the Villain talking, not the councilor.

"You didn't exactly make it easy. What the hell do you want?" Holl asked angrily, folding his arms over his chest. The Villain sneered at him as he pointed one of his boney fingers towards the chair Fetisov had been sitting in.

"Sit. We have a lot to discuss," Prophet said lightly as he levitated a cup of tea toward him from somewhere off-screen. Holl scowled and stood stubbornly. For a long while, there was no noise other than the distant squeak of the ceiling fan. As Derrick had no intention of breaking it himself, the silence lasted until the Villain had drained his entire teacup and set it down in front of him. "You surprised me today. I've never quite seen you defend your students with such zeal. I wonder… does the fact that this class is made up of the spawn of your former students have something to do with it?"

"Just what are you talking about now?" Holl said evenly, though he knew the man would see right through his lie.

"Now, now, no need to play coy. I must imagine it burns to be the last of your friend group to have not either died, lost their way, or become a complete pariah. What I want to know is which one hurts you the most. The Abrams boy? Does he know the part you played in his parent's death?"

"Shut up. Don't put the blood of your deeds onto my hands," Derrick snarled, baring his teeth ferally at the Villain, whose grin only got wider. In the back of his mind, which was becoming more and more clouded with anger, he began feeling a familiar twinge of pain as Prophet continued.

"Maybe Seismos' daughter? You knew the state his mind was in and yet you left her with him. Her childhood must've been hell. What with the beatings, that fiasco with her mother, the loneliness of having no one except your abuser." The teacher said nothing. There wasn't a thing he could say to counteract the man smiling evilly down at him. "Ah, no retaliation? Not going to deny the fact that you left a poor, defenseless girl in the hands of that monster?"

"Shut. Up," He retorted, though his tone was hollow.

"No. I know which one is the worst. Teardrop's spawn. Melody, was it? Tell me, do you think she would still respect and look upon you with admiration if she knew how you betr-"

"SHUT UP!" Derrick surged to his feet with fury in his eyes. However, those were the last words he got out as a searing pain rolled over him and fell to the hard marble floor, clutching his head tightly with both hands. The burning sensation crawling under his scalp nearly caused him to black out several times before his 'episode', as he'd grown accustomed to calling them, ended. While he tried to collect himself, he could hear only two sounds, his own heavy, labored breathing, and Prophet's malicious laughter.

"Still affecting you after all these years? Well, as fun as this was, tormenting you into a psychotic breakdown is not what I initially intended. In reality, I wanted to know how Rune is doing?"

Despite his lingering pain, Derrick struggled to his feet and glared at the monitor in response. "You're looking at me as if I've done something wrong. I thought it was standard protocol to inquire about one's only grandson."

"You've lost any right to call him that," Holl growled back.

"Oh, please. You talk as if you were any more virtuous than me, just because you took the boy before I could when his father died. You're just too afraid to admit that, when the time comes for him to choose a side, Rune is smart enough to choose his true family over the fake image of one you've tainted his mind with. He will join us and serve Master Plague once the war starts," Prophet said confidently, casually glancing over a piece of paper on his desk.

"I-"

"Oops, would you look at the time? I really must be going, don't want to disappoint my master by not arriving on time. Until next time, yes? Oh, and please… give my regards to Leena. She is such a dear." The Villain gave him one last smug look before the screen faded to black. Finally alone, and a bit shaken by Prophet's final veiled threat, Derrick yelled in anguish and flipped one of the room's desks, sending its contents scattering across the floor.

Purpose of a Hero

Leena Holl sighed as she entered the rather large apartment she shared with her husband. It had been a rather long day for the school nurse, with two students from the same freshman class wounding themselves, the seniors had had a capture the flag game between classes - something that always resulted in a major amount of injuries - and the poor Halloway girl had come in several times complaining of migraines. She placed her medical bag on the table by the door and hung her keys on the leftmost hook. 'Huh, usually Derrick is home by now. He probably just got held up by Igor asking him for a drink,' she theorized when she saw his own set of keys missing. As she went to walk down the hall toward the living room, she tripped, and nearly fell, on a pair of green and white sneakers sitting haphazardly in the middle of the floor. 'Gah, really? I'm gonna kill him. Every time he visits I tell him not to leave his shoes lying in the middle of the damn floor and every time he still does it. I swear, he and Derrick have got it out for me,' she thought, righting herself and stomping into the living room, only to stop at the odd, yet familiar sight before her. Every single item in the medium-sized room, from the flat screen to the pile of magazines that once sat on the coffee table, was hovering several feet above the ground. With a sigh, she glanced over to where the couch was floating just a few inches away from the ceiling, close enough that the nose of the teal haired boy sleeping on the airborne furniture was brushing against the rough surface with every inhale. "RUNE HOLL!"

"Whaa!" The boy gasped as the woman's shout woke him up. Still disoriented, he tried to raise his head but only succeeded in bashing it against the ceiling and crying out in pain. As he clutched his head, every single levitating item in the room came crashing to the floor, including the boy himself. "Wassat? Wh'appened?"

"Rune? Yes, over here. Tell me something… how many times have I told you not to leave your damned shoes in the middle of the hall?" Leena demanded, seemingly ignoring the widespread destruction of her home that had just occurred. Rune smiled sheepishly and hurried to his feet.

"Uh… well you see, I had a pretty tiring day at school, right? It's only the second month of school and we already had an exam from Mr. Forrester's class, which always sucks but this one, in particular, was brutal because it was all about pre-thirty-first amendment Quirk rights and you know how boring that subject is, yeah? Well anyway, I was trying to get some last minute studying done but then Dominick spooked Hector and caused his bees to form a swarm that just started stinging everyone. Oh, and these were not normal bees. For one they could sting you as many times as they wanted without dying like the normal ones do, Hector said it had something to do with the acids inside of him fermenting the eggs differently or some weird shit like that, I dunno he's always been a bit odd. Anyway, the bees also had this annoying venom that sapped your energy, so everyone in the class - after we rallied up the bees of course - just kinda fell asleep at their desks but then we still had the test to take. Uh, I'd say all-in-all I'll be lucky to pass this one," Rune quickly explained, taking a few deep breaths for the ones he'd skipped whilst telling his tale. Leena gave him a blank stare for a few moments before rolling her eyes and beginning to make her way to the kitchen.

"Have you heard from Derrick at all?" She asked, opening the small refrigerator and pulling out a can of soda. Rune shrugged and started going about returning the room to its normal state. Almost as if on cue, the sound of the front door opening and someone walking down the hall was immediately followed by the entrance of a haggard-looking Derrick Holl, who tossed his briefcase onto the island separating the living room and kitchen. "Hey, you alright?"

"Hm? Yeah. Had a meeting with the council today. Speaking of which, I need a word with you, Rune.," Derrick said quickly as he grabbed the bemused boy by the arm and dragged him down the hall towards a quartet of shut doors. In just a moment's notice, they had retreated into the furthest one and slammed the door, leaving Leena standing alone. Her eye twitched as her gaze locked onto the door before she threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Not even a 'how was your day, honey?' I mean really. Screw it, I'm ordering takeout for dinner," she grumbled and reached into her pocket to retrieve her cellphone. Meanwhile, Rune gulped and looked down at his hands as Derrick paced in front of his childhood bed, unused since the boy had moved into the dorms three years prior.

"You're serious? He thinks I'm gonna join him?" The teal-haired boy asked in a defiant voice. The elder Holl nodded but stayed silent, making Rune uneasy. 'I haven't seen him this angry since I levitated our car over rush hour traffic. The old man must've really gone hard on him today. I swear, every time those two talk it wears on Derrick more and more. We have to stop him,' he silently decided and shot to his feet. "Alright, so we stop him! Let's tell the Heroes and police about him being a bad guy. Better yet, let's go and take him down ourselves! The two of us are more than a match for some old fart!"

"Absolutely not!" Derrick snapped, sending a heated glare in the boy's direction, instantly dissolving his bravado. As Rune sat back down on the bed, Derrick winced and took a seat next to him. "Sorry, kiddo. He's got me in a bind here. If we go and tell the Heroes, he will kill Leena and my students and convert you the hard way."

"What? We could send Overgrown and Crusader! Hell, send Aeroblast, they'd be able to take him out no problem!" Rune protested.

"No… they couldn't. I don't think there's a Hero alive today that could beat Prophet. All-Might would have been able to but… well, that's not an option anymore." The boy launched himself up and glared at his adoptive father, who looked back with empty eyes.

"Why are you so afraid of him? Are you just gonna roll over on your back and show your belly every single time he tells you to do something? What the hell have these past ten years been for, huh? No one is unbeatable so why does this guy turn you into such a pussy?" Rune demanded, unconsciously causing the objects in his room to lift into the air.

"He's the reason my Quirk is shot," Derrick replied, his voice barely above a whisper. Rune froze and unceremoniously sent everything his Quirk had been effecting crashing back to the floor.

"What?"

"It was... about a decade ago now. During the Battle of Las Vegas. I was one of the first responders on the scene after Vesuvius' attack and came face to face with him. Up until that point, I'd never met anyone who could match me in terms of progress with a Mental Quirk. Then Prophet came. He broke me, and here I am. Ten years later and I'm still trying to pick up the pieces. He killed so many people that day. All in the name of his master," Derrick explained with a sad smile as his eyes stared, unseeing, at the ugly neon green carpet, something Rune had found amusing when he was six.

"If he's so strong, why the hell does he follow… uh, what's his name? Seems like he should've taken over the world by now, yeah? I mean, if I had that type of power the first thing I'd do would is stick up the nearest burger place but… well, it seems like he has higher aspirations than dinner."

"Rune. You're rambling again," Derrick chuckled. 'Plague is wrong. Rune is too much like his mother to ever turn evil. He doesn't have a bad bone in his body.'

"Oh, sorry. Uh, anyway what else happened? What's the… decree thingy you mentioned? Does it have something to do with me? Or just, like, the students in general? It's not anything too bad right?"

"No. Actually, it's something you're going to enjoy. All students are being required to take a regular weekend patrol," Derrick said. Rune's eyes widened and he grinned before leaping into the air, letting out a 'whoop'.

"You're serious? Oh man, that is awesome! The Hero Council is good for something after all! Man, I can't wait! When does it start, huh? Oh! Do we get to patrol alongside actual Heroes? Are we allowed to fight? This is the best thing to ever happen to me!" Rune cried happily, dancing in place as Derrick looked on with a disbelieving smile.

"Where the hell do you get that energy from? I'm gonna have to ask William to up your training. Seems like you've outgrown it already." Rune grimaced and waved his hand lazily at the elder Holl.

"Nah I just had a nap when I got here. That woke me right up! I was a damned mess when I left school, let me tell you that Forrester's exams are fucking brutal! Especially when you're pumped full of tiring bee venom. It's really off-putting."

Rune Holl

His Quirk: Telekinesis

Rune has the power to make things float with his mind. However, if he uses his Quirk too much in one day he will get extremely tired.

"And to answer… one of your earlier questions, you're not gonna be working alongside real Heroes. I'm in charge of pairing the students up. Since you're a Junior, you're gonna be paired up with a Freshman. I wasn't supposed to reveal this until after the festival but you won't shut up about it otherwise. Your partner is going to be a girl named Melody Halloway." Rune's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Halloway? You mean like the pizza place Auntie Leena has been ordering from the past month?" The boy asked, to which Derrick nodded in affirmation. "Huh, so her dad is the one who owns it I'm guessing? I really hope she isn't like him. He's super~ intimidating. I mean, Dominick and I walked in there for lunch one day and there's this fucking giant tossing pizzas while simultaneously screaming his head off at this poor guy who was shedding these weird spine things. Then when we sat down and he came to take our order, he gave me this weird look like I was an old friend or something. Then, of course, I ordered the garlic twists, you know how much I love those, and Dominick orders the house special, which I ripped him about because honestly who the hell goes to a restaurant and orders the house special? I mean, even if you like it there's only like one day a week you can get it, y'know? Then when the food gets there, the house special is like… some messed up kinda pasta that this moron just starts slurping down even though it looks like the giant just cut the hairs off a broom, slapped some tomato sauce on them and called it pasta. The place is kinda weird too, I mean, I don't even remember the building being there two months ago, let alone the business inside. Weird right?"

"Rune. You're doing it again."

"What? I'm just telling you what happened. That's not rambling, it's storytelling! There is a huge difference!" Rune said indignantly. Derrick sighed and shook his head before patting the boy on the shoulder, his expression turning serious.

"Can we get back to the topic at hand here?"

"So what was that again? I, um, kinda forgot. You know what with the, uh, storytelling " Rune replied timidly.

"Prophet seems to think you'll join him once the time comes. He believes you'll choose your true family and a life of servitude under Plague…" Derrick trailed off and appeared to be waging an internal battle with himself. The teal-haired boy frowned and turned his head to look out the small window at the silhouette of U.S.A.E.I. in the distance. 'Jeez, I've never seen him like this. Having to juggle his family, teaching, and playing an unwilling double agent must be awful. There's gotta be something I ca-... wait! That's perfect, I could take the weight off his shoulders and turn the tables on the old man!'

"Then I'll choose his side."

"W-What?" Derrick sputtered, looking completely and utterly confused. Despite the reaction of his father-figure, Rune's confidence in his plan grew and he smiled.

"Yeah, it's so obvious! I can play the double agent card!" He said cheerfully. The elder Holl stared at him for a moment before frowning and clenching his fists.

"It's too risky. For everyone involved. What happens if you're found out? They won't hesitate to kill you, family or not." Rune straightened and, for the first time, the smile left his face.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. Think of how many innocent lives I can save by feeding the Heroes information. If I save even one life it's worth it." Derrick grit his teeth and, to the younger boy's surprise, tears began to form in the corners of his eyes.

"I promised your mother I'd look after you and keep you safe. That was her dying wish, damn it," Holl finally let out, grabbing the boy by his shoulders.

"I've got enough blood on my hands from the Black Order's victims, I don't need yours as well."

"Then I won't die," Rune replied, with no hint of hesitation. Before either man could say another word, the sound of the apartment's doorbell ringing cut them off. Almost as if the entire previous conversation had been wiped from his mind, the teal-haired boy grinned and rushed out of the room. "Wahoo! I am starving!"

"This kid," Derrick said sadly. 'Caroll, you'd be so proud of him. Granted, you'd kick his ass for even thinking of sacrificing himself but proud nonetheless.' After taking another moment of silence, the teacher stood and smiled as he glanced around the room of the boy he'd raised. His chest swelling with pride, he walked out of the room to enjoy a dinner with his family.

Purpose of a Hero

Well… lots of unanswered questions in this one, eh? It's early in the morning and I didn't get much sleep so I can't think of anything clever to say so let's just get into the teaser.

Next time on the Purpose of a Hero!

Chapter 23: Fire and Pizza

Huh, that's certainly a… unique chapter title.