"You're the first in your lineage. In other words, you possess divine heritage - a Demi-God," Yui affirmed, her soft voice ringing with finality, the weighty proclamation hanging in the air like a sacred invocation.

"And the parent isn't just any ordinary God either. One powerful enough to elevate your bloodline from mundane origins straight to an Evoker. Likely a Greater Power," she added, using unfamiliar terms that piqued Izuku's curiosity.

"Normie? Greater Power?" Izuku asked, his brow furrowing as he puzzled over the new terminologies.

"I'm back, shroom~!" Kinoko's melodious voice chimed as she returned from refreshing her makeup, drawing Izuku's emerald gaze. 'Her adorableness shines through, I can barely tell the difference,' he mused.

"Welcome back, Komori-san!" Izuku greeted with a bright smile.

"Let's continue our discussion later," Itsuka whispered conspiratorially to Izuku, her words eliciting a raised eyebrow from Kinoko. The petite girl's hazel eyes darted between them, until she sighed, seeming to let the mystery go for now, though making a pointed effort to situate herself between the two.

'How adorably endearing,' Izuku thought, charmed by her actions.

Itsuka held an amused smile as she regarded her friend's antics.

They then continued their euphonic singing until their time expired. The journey home was a delightful symphony of laughter and chatter, their footsteps in perfect sync with the rhythm of shared experiences. Kinoko, strolling beside Izuku, cast shy sidelong glances that spoke volumes, her occasional dimpled smiles unveiling a hidden world of unspoken feelings. Itsuka, the embodiment of energy, led their way, her animated storytelling adding a lively cadence to their stroll. Yui, the quiet observer, walked serene beside her, her tranquil presence a calming bass line underlying the lively banter.

As they reached the crossroads, Itsuka assured Izuku with a playful grin, "Don't worry, I'll ensure Kinoko gets home safe and sound. Take care on your way!" The parting words echoed with the warmth of steadfast friendship, and with an affirmative nod, Izuku ventured down his path, the laughter of the day fading behind him.

The following months unfolded as a harmonious blend of school, cherished moments with friends, and intensive training under Itsuka's tutelage. She had agreed to train him upon learning he had no one to guide him in Japan. Izuku could have pursued higher education in Scotland, but he was still too young, and the thought of leaving his mother alone, especially as she grappled with his father's absence, filled him with discomfort.

He also learned that it was highly likely his father was still alive somewhere, as no Greater Power was known to have died in the past century or so. Unless he was conceived by some Divine Ghost or ethereal entity, his dad was likely still out there, his whereabouts a mystery.

About a month into his training, Izuku posed a question that had been weighing on his mind to Itsuka. "Wait, how could you tell I'm an Evoker?" he asked. Dozens of queries bubbled within him from these recent revelations, but he broached something he should have inquired about much earlier.

"You're just asking that now?" Itsuka replied, a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes. "We knew it based on your Aura. Yours blazes like an all-consuming inferno that will engulf anything in its path. Nothing screams 'Evoker' louder than that. Wait, you can't sense it?" she continued, her brow arching in surprise.

"I can't," Izuku admitted, shaking his head. He had felt his senses heighten the moment his powers awakened, but nothing like that.

"Huh. Guess that's something you'll need to master. You may wield the power to reduce a building to cinders in a single strike, but you'll still die if they sneak up and sever your head. Speaking of reducing structures to ash, take these," Itsuka said, pressing a set of crimson gems of varying sizes into his hands, ranging from a small marble to a golf ball.

"What are these?" Izuku asked, quite certain she wasn't gifting him a means to pawn them off and live comfortably.

"Those gems will allow you to cast more potent spells. I've noticed your attacks lack the punch Evokers are known for. Just channel them into your Spark, and you'll be able to harness the gem's spell. This set is for fire damage. Each gem requires a different amount of power to activate, but they grow exponentially stronger than the last. I can only provide these fire ones since I don't have any of the other elements'. I'll try to ask Gran if she has extras later," Itsuka explained.

"What do you mean, channel them into my Spark? I can't see them, remember?" Izuku asked, puzzled by her cryptic instructions.

"Just focus them into your chest or wherever you sense your power emanating from. Anyway, give it a try. It's not like you have anything to lose," she urged, pressing the gems firmly into his grasp.

Izuku did as she advised, and felt the gems resonate with...something within his core. His chest?

He then unleashed a Full House, watching in awe as the spell vaporized an abandoned car in less than half a second, the intense heat rippling the air around the obliterated husk.

"Dang. That's a lotta power," Itsuka remarked, eyes wide with surprise. "How much of your magic did you channel?"

"I dunno, a Full House, I guess?" Izuku answered, still in awe of the scorching temperature he had conjured.

"So you see magic through card symbolism?" Itsuka asked, curiosity lighting her features.

"Yeah. Why? Isn't it the same for everyone?"

"No. From what I've been told, magic itself is pure chaos, so it's just your mind's way of interpreting and making sense of it all. Strange symbology for a twelve-year-old, though I'm not judging. Anyway, let's continue our training," she said, ushering them back to their lessons with a renewed sense of purpose.

She proved a demanding tutor, but over the ensuing months, Izuku felt himself becoming exponentially more powerful than when he had begun. He also earned money to support his mother financially by anonymously sending tens of thousands of yen intermittently. Thankfully, he was able to acquire the complete set of elemental gems, barring each of the elusive True Flawless Gems - the highest tier. Those were insanely costly. He had glimpsed ones fetching tens of millions, one in particular even reaching billions, of British Pounds, as the seller lived there. The exorbitant price made him shudder.

Izuku reflected on the cherished memories forged in these past months. Certainly, there were challenges and brushes with death, but he found himself smiling whenever revisiting these adventures. Moreover, he had grown closer than ever to Itsuka, though for some inexplicable reason, she had made him vow to only address her so familiarly when they were alone. He supposed it was a minor quirk.

Over time, he had come to appreciate her go-getter attitude. Some of that tenacious spirit had rubbed off on him. In her presence, he relished the sensation of letting go, existing solely in the moment. The nature of their bond had evolved, though he couldn't pinpoint how. Love? It didn't feel quite like that. Yet it was undoubtedly more than simple friendship. Best friend? He didn't know. It was distinct from what he felt for Kinoko. Of that much, he was certain.

It was then that Izuku suddenly sensed something weird. Only as he walked further did he become acutely aware of the silence enveloping him. The usual urban cacophony of sounds, had slipped away unnoticed, leaving him in an eerily quiet world devoid of familiar background noise. The stillness wrapped around him like a shroud, prompting the unsettling realization that the vibrant life of the streets had inexplicably hushed.

A shiver crawled up Izuku's spine as he stumbled upon an unsettling sight: a decaying dog carcass with eyes aglow in an eerie amethyst hue. Its teeth, more menacing than any natural creature's, seemed to defy the laws of decay, gleaming in a way that made shark's teeth appear dull in comparison. The chilling gaze of those luminous purple eyes seemed to lock onto his, casting an otherworldly pallor over the once-familiar surroundings.

"A Hellhound?!" Izuku's mind raced. This wasn't his first encounter, but it was the first time he had seen one with glowing eyes. Usually, a novice necromancer aspiring to become a serial killer raised such undead dogs, but whatever had reanimated this corpse was no mere amateur.

The undead canine moved with uncanny swiftness. Izuku tried to unleash a lightning strike, but before he could release the attack, its teeth sank into his arm with bone-crushing force. Blood sprayed in chaotic crimson arcs as those razor-sharp fangs tore deeper into his flesh, the stark contrast against the creature's lifeless pallor.

In the nick of time, Itsuka arrived with a swift and decisive blow, her form a blur as she smashed into the undead dog, forcibly wrenching its grip loose. The resounding impact echoed through the air, a fleeting moment of salvation amid the chaos.

"You okay?!" she demanded, her face a mixture of shock and concern, yet a determined focus blazed in her eyes. With careful poise, she kept the unnatural threat within her sight, ready to confront it.

"Yeah, it'll heal," Izuku replied, his tone hardening. While an Evoker's healing didn't match a Werewolf's prowess, any non-fatal wound, even grievous ones, typically mended by the next dawn. "Let's teach this undead mutt a lesson," he growled, seething as the searing pain lanced through him, his mind momentarily consumed by dark thoughts of retribution before he reined it in.

"It is too late, Winter Child. We have your scent. You cannot run from us," the undead mutt snarled, its otherworldly voice sending chills down Izuku's spine.

"It talks?!" Izuku exclaimed in disbelief.

"They come. The Gods have grown old and weak. Merlin's spawn cannot stop them. But first, Winter Child, you will die," it declared with grim finality, lunging once more with murderous intent.

This time, Izuku didn't falter. He immediately unleashed pure kinetic force given corporeal form as a massive spectral fist, "Straight Flush!" The thunderous impact stunned the beast momentarily, the shockwave audible for kilometers. Itsuka seized the opportunity to strike, her claws slashing with lethal precision, severing one of the creature's limbs in a spray of putrid ichor. Then Izuku followed with a lightning blast, "Bye Bye POOCH! ROYAL FLUSH!" sending enough electricity to power Tokyo for a month cascading into the undead abomination all at once.

The carcass disintegrated into ashen embers, leaving behind an unsettling quiet that echoed the unnatural encounter. Itsuka's expression shifted from worry to palpable relief. Then, a disembodied voice reverberated through the air, sending chills down their spines.

"You can run, but you cannot hide. We come for you, Winter Child. We come."

"What?! Winter Child? Seriously, Izuku, who are you, really?" Itsuka demanded, her brow furrowing with consternation.

"I am the adventure you didn't know you were looking for," Izuku replied, attempting a flirtatious tone that felt strangely discordant on his tongue.

'What's wrong with me?' he wondered, inwardly cringing.

"You're an adventure, all right," she told him, a glimmer of amusement dancing in her eyes. Her gaze lingered, studying him intently. She took a step forward, then another, until they were mere centimeters apart, the charged tension crackling between them. She looked deep into his eyes, then at his lips, and back again, as if silently posing a question.

'It worked?!' Izuku's heart raced with disbelieving excitement.

Itsuka's face drew tantalizingly closer to his. In that suspended moment, their lips hovered in electrifying proximity, the unspoken tension between them defying the scant physical distance. The stillness surrounding them seemed to magnify the thunderous sound of Izuku's heartbeat, echoing the intensity of the encounter.

But then...she pulled back abruptly.

Her back turned to Izuku as her face angled downwards, obscuring her expression.

"Haha! That encounter sure was a close one, huh?" she said with forced perkiness, her overly chipper tone betraying an underlying tremor. Even Izuku could discern she was shaken.

"Yeah, I guess so. Thanks for coming along when you did. You saved me," he replied, uncertain how to address the tension in the air.

"Something's brewing, and I don't like how it sounds. F-F-From now on, you'll be with me as much as possible!" Itsuka declared, her voice wavering ever so slightly.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Izuku asked, brow furrowing.

"You're clearly being targeted here, and I don't like it one bit. Going to and from school together would be too suspicious, and you're with Kinoko going to the cafeteria. Taking that from her would make me feel guilty. That means I'll be with you to meet her at the gate. Give me a message when you're home. I'll also accompany you during the weekends if you're going out," she elaborated, her tone hardening with steely resolve.

Izuku was quite taken aback by her proclamation.

"So, you're the possessive type? I can work with that," he quipped half-jokingly, attempting to diffuse the tension with humor.

"This is serious, Izuku. I'll not let anything happen to you while I live," she avowed, her eyes a molten mix of worry and iron determination. Izuku sighed, recognizing the futility of arguing.

"Alright, then."

"Good, I'll come with you 'til I can see your house."

They then walked to Izuku's home in contemplative silence. Her eyes darted from place to place, ever vigilant for any signs of potential threats. By this point, the grievous wound Izuku had sustained from the undead hound had healed completely without leaving so much as a scar. They bid each other farewell, and Izuku entered, sharing a quiet dinner with his mother before retiring to bed soon after.

Itsuka watched as Izuku stepped into the safety of his home, reassured by The Sorceress that he would be protected within those walls. Honestly, she still considered keeping a round-the-clock monitoring to ensure nothing endangered him, but relented. Throughout the months, she had witnessed him transform from a fledgling into a formidable force to be reckoned with. And she often found herself trying to steal glances at him when he wasn't looking, like some lovesick puppy, even indulging in fantasies about him during the lonely nights.

"You can't, Itsuka," she berated herself repeatedly. "It'll only end in tragedy. It'll only hurt him greatly. After all, so long as he doesn't get himself stupidly killed, he'll easily live for thousands of years. His Power is growing exponentially, so much so that Gran even planned for us to have children to cultivate a more powerful Werewolf lineage."

But she couldn't allow herself to hurt him. After all, she'd be gray by 25, crippled by 28, and six feet under by 30.

Yet, despite her constant attempts at reminding herself, she still found her dreams inhabited by visions of him—a reverie that would never be.

Time skip to after-school the next day

Izuku was waiting for Itsuka to fetch him from class as they had agreed.

"Waiting for your harem to come collect you?" Neito teased with a sly grin.

"Like I said, I'm not in a relationship with any of them," Izuku asserted, though a traitorous part of his mind harbored furtive hopes.

"Keep telling yourself that. Seems like the only one unaware you're their boyfriend is you yourself," Neito continued needling him mercilessly.

"Midoriya! Let's go!" Itsuka called out, summoning him with an authoritative tone. Neito's face morphed into an expression that seemed to say, 'See what I mean?'

It was then that a smoke grenade was brazenly tossed into their classroom, and Izuku was tackled to the ground by Itsuka's protective form. Confused, he tried to question her, but she shouted with urgency, "To the window!" She then propelled them both through the glass pane in a thunderous crash. Izuku followed her lead instinctively, plummeting from the three-story drop—a height that would injure a normal person, but not an Evoker, and certainly not a Werewolf. They continued their headlong flight until finding temporary refuge under a tree.

"What's going on, Itsuka?!" Izuku demanded, rattled by the inexplicable violence.

"It's a vampire!" she hissed, her unusual admission sending a jolt of alarm through Izuku.

"WHAT?!"

"I noticed too late, but to think a vampire sneaked up on me!" She admonished herself, visibly shaken and irritated—the first time Izuku had witnessed her composure fracture.

"Wait, we left my classmates there while a vampire's on the loose?!" Izuku cried out, agitated, thinking to rush back and neutralize the threat as swiftly as possible.

"Don't worry. She's after us. They'll be fine," Itsuka assured him, though her tone lacked full conviction.

"Half-right. I'm only after you," an ethereal voice taunted from above. Izuku's gaze snapped upwards to behold a blonde girl of striking, feline beauty. Her eyes featured thin slit-like irises, and her pale, ash-blonde tresses were styled into two messy buns, with numerous wayward strands framing her delicate features.

She descended with predatory grace, landing before them with a dull thud, her intense stare fixated on Itsuka.

"She's walking out in the sun?" Izuku blurted, perplexed by the paradoxical sight. "Rather, there are more vampires? I thought they were wiped out?"

"There likely aren't," the vampire replied with a dismissive sneer. "All because of you shits!" she snarled, her enraged glare boring into Itsuka with palpable loathing. "But it would've been a pain to kill you while there are more witnesses, so the Normies are just taking their beauty sleeps right now," she continued, her feline gaze sliding over to study Izuku appraisingly. "Evoker, this has nothing to do with you. I'm killing the Werewolf. You're free to go."

"Like hell I'm letting anything happen to her while I'm here," Izuku stated with conviction, positioning himself defensively before Itsuka.

'How disappointing. The Evoker's cute, but I can't let hormones get in the way of what I'm about to do,' she inwardly lamented. She had witnessed his battle with the hellhound the previous day and knew that if she faltered, she'd be incinerated. 'Or more likely, become that bitch's dinner.'

She brandished Harpe, the sickle-sword once used to sever Medusa's cursed head, and launched a vicious swing at the Werewolf. But the blow was deftly parried as she was sent back by a wave of raw kinetic force.

'This won't end well for me if I don't neutralize the Evoker first. Sorry, but I'll have to avenge my family from these vermin.'

She charged him with blinding speed, prompting another kinetic blast. 'Is he holding back?' she wondered, unsure whether to find it sweet or insulting. No, he was likely just wary of collateral damage. Anticipating the trajectory, she agilely dodged the strike and countered with a powerful punch to his chest, sending him flying backwards.

Seeing this, Itsuka leapt towards the vampire, partially transforming as her body beefed up a lot. Then a gigantic fist, larger than a refrigerator, barreled towards her foe.

'Heh. They won't win while she refuses to fully transform.' The vampire backflipped out of harm's way with dexterous grace and retaliated with a stinging kick to Itsuka's jaw. She tried impaling her face with Harpe, but Itsuka blocked the thrust with her forearms. The vampire twisted the blade viciously, eliciting a pained scream. With this, she'd easily be able to decapitate her prey. Or so she presumed.

In that instant, searing flames hotter than the sun's surface came scorching towards the vampire. Panicked, she leapt back, narrowly avoiding immolation. She saw the werewolf's master now shielding Itsuka, assessing her condition. He then swiftly nullified the raging inferno with a concentrated ice blast.

'Damnit! DAMNIT! IT'S MY BEST CHANCE YET! AND THIS GUY MADE ME LOSE IT!'

He hurled another kinetic barrage her way. 'Back to holding back, I see.' She dissipated into mist form, the attacks harmlessly passing through her intangible state. She then rematerialized directly behind him. Izuku and Itsuka's faces contorted in panic as she bared her fangs and sank them into the tender flesh of his neck.

This sent Izuku in panic as his mind raced with manic thoughts. 'I got bit by a vampire! Gods, am I going to turn into one?! How am I going to explain this to Mom? 'Hey Mom, I'm following this new fad diet, only drinking blood for nutrients from now on?' Like hell that'll fly! What about burning up in sunlight?! Wait, this vampire seems immune, so maybe I will be too?'

Thud Izuku's frantic inner monologue was interrupted by a sound from behind. He whipped around to see the vampire girl sprawled on the ground, arching her back unnaturally as she released a guttural scream, "AH! AHhhhhhhhAHHHHAhAHH~!" The bizarre, almost sensual vocalization sent an involuntary shiver of excitement down Izuku's spine. Was this some new form of attack?!

She then lay prone for a minute or two, drool pooling from her slack mouth. Izuku hurried to check on Itsuka, whose face was flushed crimson, but her wounds had already knitted closed. 'Thank the gods,' he exhaled in relief.

The vampire then sat upright abruptly. Izuku was oddly reminded of those wrestlers he sometimes watched with Itsuka after training sessions. Her eyes, now molten gold, briefly flashed with cartoonish heart symbols before she shook her head, seeming to regain her senses.

"We...We'll meet again, Evoker," she vowed ominously, dissipating once more into a vaporous mist that swiftly dispersed.

Izuku turned his attention to Itsuka, whose face remained an alarming shade of scarlet. Worry gripped him - 'did something more happened? Maybe the blade was laced with venom? Or had the vampire attacked her first when shifting to mist form? Or worse, did the smoke grenade contain noxious agents? A werewolf's enhanced olfactory senses would render her more susceptible to airborne toxins.' Izuku's mind constantly thinking of the worst-case scenario.

Before he could voice his concerns, Itsuka's hands found purchase around his neck as she crushed her lips against his in a scorching, needful kiss. She broke for air momentarily, panting "I thought..." before reclaiming his mouth hungrily, her tongue delving insistently past his lips as she murmured "I'd lost you." She then ended the fervent liplock, burying her face against his chest as her arms wrapped around him in a fierce embrace.

"I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I did," she whispered throatily, and Izuku felt the warm moisture of her tears seeping through his shirt. She must have been utterly terrified. He reciprocated her embrace, enveloping her in his left arm as his right hand cradled the back of her head, resting his cheek atop her crown.

After several long, cathartic minutes, they slowly disengaged from the intimate clinch.

"Crap! Let's go. Kinoko's waiting at the gates!" Itsuka blurted, her bubbly persona reasserting itself with whiplash force. This momentous event would need to be revisited later, but for now, she was right. Izuku didn't want to keep Kinoko waiting any longer.

He glanced at his watch, mildly surprised that the entire bloody ordeal hadn't occupied more than fourteen minutes in total.

After hastily washing away the blood, they made their way to the gates to reunite with Kinoko.


Okay, now we can take the time skips. Hopefully, it's still an enjoyable read despite it taking a little detour. Though I was able to advance some more bits of the story. Another 3.8k chapter just for this one. LOL.

Anyone familiar with LOM (first of all, HI!) would likely realize the presence of a vampire in the story but wonder because there's no such thing in LOM canon (at least was never mentioned) so I'm kinda stretching it with Himiko's story. She'll be the sole (half) vampire in this fic and it ties to her backstory which will be revealed later on. In this fic, vampires are Trueborns (one of the original lurkers of Elsewhere from before even the Gods) rather than undead creatures. Mostly because I want her to be part of the harem rather than a pest Izuku would decapitate without mercy later on. She'll continue to have a strained relationship and even antagonistic one with the ones found in her bio. At least for now.

Thanks again for reading this, and do let me know your feedback! Have a great day! Next chapter, the main ship will finally meet.