Chapter 5: A Hero's Burden

The snow fell silently around the desolate streets of the town as Izuku wandered aimlessly, his breath visible in the crisp winter air. His eyes, usually so bright with determination, were dull and distant. It was Christmas Eve in Aincrad, but the festive atmosphere that filled the town did little to lift his spirits. He felt like an intruder here, amidst the laughter and joy of other players.

He couldn't stop thinking about her—Melissa. Every step he took felt heavier, weighed down by the memories of her smile, her laughter, and the warmth she had brought to his life in this cold, unforgiving world. She had been his light, the one person who gave him hope when everything seemed so bleak. And now she was gone.

"How could I let this happen?" Izuku whispered to himself as he continued to walk through the town square. His hands were balled into fists, trembling with frustration and grief. "I couldn't even save her. How can I ever be a hero if I couldn't save her?"

Melissa Shield, the daughter of David Shield, the girl he had admired, the one who had given him inspiration—she was gone. She had been more than just a friend to him. She was All Might's niece, a symbol of hope in a world full of despair. And he had failed her.

He had failed to be the hero he had always dreamed of becoming.

Izuku clenched his teeth, trying to push the thoughts away, but they kept coming back, gnawing at him. "I'm useless... I couldn't protect her."

His pace quickened as he made his way toward the quest board, a glimmer of desperation flashing in his eyes. There had to be a way to fix this. A way to undo his failure. A way to bring Melissa back.

His eyes locked onto the notice: "Nicholas the Renegade—Special Event Boss. Rumors for the reward: Revival Stone."

Izuku stared at the notice for a moment, his heart pounding in his chest. "A revival stone." A rare item capable of bringing back the dead if used within ten seconds of their death. It was a slim chance, but it was all he had.

"If I can get that stone..." he muttered to himself, his hands shaking. "I can bring her back... I have to bring her back."

He turned to leave the town, his resolve hardening. No matter the cost, no matter the danger, he had to get that stone. He owed it to her. If he couldn't save her in that moment, maybe he could still find a way to fix everything. Maybe then he could be the hero she had always believed in.

As he made his way to the outskirts of town, he noticed a familiar group standing by the fountain. Klein, Agil, and a few of Klein's guild members were chatting, their faces lit up with the rare joy of the holiday season. They hadn't noticed him yet, and for a moment, Izuku considered slipping by unnoticed. But before he could make his escape, Klein's voice rang out.

"Deku! Hey, man!" Klein called, waving him over with his usual exuberance.

Izuku hesitated, but he couldn't just ignore them. Slowly, he made his way over, his expression as unreadable as ever. The closer he got, the more Klein's smile faded as he took in Izuku's demeanor. Agil crossed his arms, observing the kid with a concerned frown.

"Hey, you alright?" Klein asked, his voice more serious now. "You look... I dunno, more brooding than usual."

Izuku didn't answer right away. He didn't know how to explain what he was feeling—not that he wanted to. "I'm fine," he finally muttered, though the words lacked conviction. "I'm going after Nicholas the Renegade."

Agil raised an eyebrow. "That boss? You know it's a holiday event, right? The rewards aren't worth the risk. Besides, there's been talk about player killers ambushing people out there."

"I don't care," Izuku said, his voice cold and distant. "I need that stone. I have to do this."

Klein exchanged a look with Agil, both of them sensing there was more to this than just the boss fight. Klein, who had always been able to read people surprisingly well, took a step closer to Izuku.

"Deku, what's going on?" Klein asked softly. "This isn't just about the quest, is it?"

Izuku clenched his fists, the pain and frustration boiling just beneath the surface. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to explain. All he knew was that he had to get that stone, no matter what.

"I'm going," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "With or without you."

Agil sighed, glancing at Klein. "Well, guess that settles it. We're coming with you, kid. No way you're doing this alone."

Klein nodded, slinging his sword over his shoulder. "Yeah, no way. Besides, it's Christmas, right? We can't let you spend it fighting a boss solo. Consider it our gift."

Izuku didn't protest. He wasn't in the mood to argue. He just nodded once, grateful in some small way that they were coming along, even if he wouldn't admit it. The group, including Klein's guild members, headed out toward the frozen wilderness where Nicholas the Renegade was rumored to be.

The snow-covered landscape stretched endlessly before them, the wind howling through the trees as they made their way deeper into the forest. The silence between them was thick with unspoken words, but Izuku was too focused on the task ahead to notice.

As they neared the designated area for the boss fight, the air around them shifted. Izuku's instincts flared. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes scanning the surrounding trees. Something wasn't right.

"We're being watched," he said quietly, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword.

Klein tensed, his own weapon at the ready. "Ambush?"

Before anyone could respond, a group of players leaped from the trees, weapons drawn. They weren't just any players—they were player killers. Their eyes gleamed with malicious intent as they charged toward Izuku and his group.

"Damn it!" Klein shouted, blocking an incoming attack. "They were waiting for us!"

Agil swung his massive axe, fending off two attackers at once. "We need to take them out fast, or we'll never reach the boss!"

Izuku's eyes narrowed, his mind racing as he assessed the situation. Klein and Agil were holding their own, but they were clearly outnumbered. Meanwhile, Nicholas the Renegade was still out there, waiting.

Without a word, Izuku broke away from the group, dashing toward the trees. Klein called after him, but Izuku didn't stop. He had to trust them to handle the ambushers. He had his own fight to face.

Izuku burst into the clearing where Nicholas the Renegade awaited. The towering figure of the boss loomed over him, its icy form glinting in the moonlight. Nicholas let out a bone-chilling roar, its massive hammer swinging down toward Izuku with deadly force.

But Izuku was faster. His reflexes, honed by countless battles, allowed him to dodge the attack, his sword flashing as he struck back. The force of his blow barely scratched the surface of the boss's health, but it was enough to get its attention.

"This is for her," Izuku muttered through gritted teeth as he continued his relentless assault. Each strike was fueled by his grief, his guilt, and his determination to make things right.

But Nicholas was no easy opponent. The boss's attacks were powerful, each swing of its hammer sending shockwaves through the ground. Izuku's health was dropping fast, but he refused to back down. He couldn't. Not when he was so close.

Meanwhile, Klein and Agil were struggling to hold off the ambushers. Just as one of Klein's guild members was knocked to the ground, a shadow emerged from the trees.

It was Deku.

With a speed and precision that took the player killers by surprise, Deku cut through them like a force of nature. His swordsmanship was flawless, each strike calculated and lethal. In moments, the ambushers were either defeated or retreating into the forest, unwilling to face Deku's wrath.

Klein, breathing heavily, watched in awe as Deku sheathed his sword. There was something different about the kid—something darker, more broken. But beneath that cold exterior, Klein could still see flashes of the boy who wanted to be a hero.

"Deku..." Klein began, but before he could say anything else, Deku reached into his inventory and pulled out the Revival Stone. He handed it to Klein and Agil, his face expressionless, but his eyes betraying the depth of his sorrow.

"If... someone dies in front of you," Deku said quietly, "use this within ten seconds... to bring them back." His voice cracked, and for the first time, Klein and Agil saw the tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "I couldn't... I couldn't save her."

Before either of them could respond, Deku turned and walked away, disappearing into the trees.

Later that night, Izuku sat alone in his inn room, staring blankly at the wall. The weight of his failure pressed down on him, suffocating him. He had gotten the stone, but it didn't matter now. Melissa was gone, and no amount of rare items could change that.

He opened his menu, scrolling through the notifications absentmindedly. It was all meaningless. There was nothing that could ease the pain, nothing that could fill the void she had left behind.

Then, he saw it—a notification for a gift. Izuku's heart skipped a beat as he hesitated, staring at the small box icon on the screen. His fingers trembled as he selected the notification.

"Gift from: Melissa Shield."

Izuku froze, his breath catching in his throat. Melissa? But... how? She was gone. His mind raced as he stared at the screen, his heart pounding in his chest. With a shaky hand, he tapped the notification and a small package appeared in his inventory. Inside it, a voice recording.

His thumb hovered over the play button. Every part of him screamed not to do it, to let it be, to not reopen wounds that were barely closed. But he couldn't stop himself. He needed to hear her voice again, even if it hurt.

The recording started.

"Hey, Deku..." Melissa's voice came through the speakers, soft and warm, just like he remembered. "I, um... I guess if you're hearing this, then something happened. I wasn't sure if I should send this, but... well, here goes."

Izuku clenched his fists, his eyes glued to the screen, barely breathing as Melissa's voice filled the room.

"I wanted to thank you," she continued, her tone sincere. "For everything. What you did for me, it was so much more than you'll ever know. You were my bright light when the world went dark..."

Izuku's vision blurred as tears welled up in his eyes. He could see her in his mind, smiling at him like she always did, that spark of determination in her eyes.

"I don't know what's going to happen in this game. I don't know if I'm going to make it out or not. But... I'm not upset about it. Not anymore. Because if it weren't for this game, I never would have met you."

Izuku's chest tightened, the lump in his throat making it hard to breathe. He tried to hold back the tears, but they fell anyway, silent and steady.

"You're a hero, Deku. Whether you believe it or not, you've always been my hero."

There was a pause in the recording, and Izuku could hear Melissa's breath hitch slightly, as if she was holding back her own emotions. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she began to sing.

It was a Christmas song—"Home for Christmas." Melissa's voice was soft and sweet, and as she sang, Izuku could picture her, sitting by a fire, smiling as she hummed the tune. He closed his eyes, letting the sound of her voice wash over him, bittersweet and haunting.

When the song came to an end, Melissa's voice returned, quieter now, almost like a final goodbye.

"Thank you for everything you've done, Deku... You'll always be my hero."

The recording cut off, leaving Izuku in silence.

He sat there for a long time, staring at the screen, tears streaming down his face. Her words echoed in his mind, each one a dagger to his heart.

"You'll always be my hero..."

But how could he be? How could he be a hero when he had failed her? When he had let her die?

Izuku wiped at his eyes, his chest heaving with the weight of his grief. He didn't feel like a hero. He felt like a failure. A failure who couldn't save the one person who had believed in him the most.

He curled up on the floor of his inn room, clutching his knees to his chest as the tears continued to fall. For the first time since Melissa's death, he let himself cry, truly cry, the pain of his loss overwhelming him. He had kept it inside for so long, trying to be strong, trying to pretend he was fine. But he wasn't fine. He hadn't been fine since the day she died.

In the end, all he could do was cry, her voice still ringing in his ears.

AUTHOR NOTES: For the few of you that read the chapter I posted earlier, I'm sorry. I downloaded the edited the wrong file and posted that chapter early. PLEASE don't spoil it for everyone else. That will be chapter 7 and as soon as I get chapter 6 finished, they will go up at the same time. I really liked exploring Izuku's emotional depth in this chapter, showing how much Melissa's loss has affected him. You can see how torn he is between wanting to be a hero and feeling like he's failed at the one thing that matters most to him. Even though he's distant and cold, there are still moments where we catch glimpses of the old Izuku…. Have a good one :)