What makes a hero? What makes a villain? Is it their origins, the nature of their abilities, or is it simply the choices they make?
Megiddo City, Formerly known as Besupin, was once a massive business center with a plethora of various firms that ran the gamut from Law, Financial, Scientific, Technological and so many more. But that all changed when, one unassuming day, there was a flash of light and then chaos erupted in the streets. To this day, no one knows what happened but whatever did happen, had unleashed strange, powerful and vicious creatures that attacked anything in sight. Many heroes were dispatched to protect the people trapped inside the city and fight off the foreign beasts with little success. Even All Might, Japan's greatest hero, was hard pressed against the growing swarm. However, while these creatures frightened the people trapped within the city, nothing scared them more than what followed them: they came on horseback, cutting down the creatures like wheat in a field. Four was their number and their strength, prowess and ferocity immediately gained them infamy.
They came to be known as… the Four Horsemen.
Strife, the White Rider, the Outlaw, whose marksmanship was unmatched. War, the Red Rider, the Conqueror, his massive blade left many enemies in pieces. Fury, the Black Rider, the Protector, no weapon of man could withstand her whip. Death, the Pale Rider, the Reaper, leader of the Four and master of the scythe. Yet for all their terrifying power, not once did they turn it onto the people and when the fighting was over and the last of the survivors rescued, they vanished.
Who were they? Where did they come from? These questions and more plagued the world. Were they heroes? Villains? Depending who you ask would get you a different answer. The survivors from the city, civilian and pro-hero alike, would call them heroes for their efforts to save so many lives but there were those who would dismiss such claims and even call them villains who started the chaos in the first place. The government had sealed off the city while they continued their investigation of this tragedy in their efforts to discover the origin and maybe either prove the Horsemen's guilt or innocence. As for the Horsemen themselves, where they had gone to is up for debate; some say they are still in Megiddo City, haunting it like vengeful ghosts, some say they vanished into the void, back to a dark realm from whence they came and some even say they are in hiding among the people.
'Another typical morning,' thought one Izuku Midoriya, as he went about his routine: Wash his face, brush his teeth, get dressed for school and, of course, the latest news in the Pro-Hero business.
He scrolled through the links with a smile, searching for any big news that happened overnight. Ever since he was a child, Izuku admired heroes, some would say obsessively, and he dreamed of joining their ranks, just like his idol: All Might. However, events over the course of his young life have put those hopes in doubt. Doubts that morphed his smile into a sad frown as he glanced at an object on his desk.
"Breakfast is ready!" his mother called.
"Coming!" he replied as he stood up.
After opening his bedroom door and his hand raised to turn off the lights, he turned back to the object again, a constant reminder of that.
A mask seemingly made of a bone-like material fashioned into a mouthless skull.
He then steeled himself before turning off the lights and made for the kitchen.
A/N: Something that's been on my mind for a while. I'm undecided if this will become a full story so I'd like your thoughts. Until then, I will focus on the next chapter of Love and Iron.
