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A figure stood on the moon overlooking the Earth. It couldn’t be described as human, through its shape was close enough to it. The body of the creature was pitch black, filled with dots of glowing light that seemed equal in intensity to the stars behind it.

The only defining features on what could be called its head were two large burning orbs that were vaguely shaped like eyes, and a thin strip of white that seemed to be pointed in the shape of a frown.

“Five thousand D-Nomu destroyed, all of my various cohorts reduced to ruin. This has been a terrible week.” The beings voice was odd, seemingly reverberating on itself, as if a hundred people with the same voice all yelled down a cave at once. The starlight filled creature turned its head to the man behind him, the twin white orbs that made up the creatures ‘eyes’ narrowing in obvious annoyance. “And of course, there is you.”

Said figure was an older man, with black hair tinted in places by stripes of white, giving a rather dignified look to him.. He wore a number of strange regalia including a red flowing cape and a eye like amulet around his neck. But most striking was the gauntlet over his right fist, seemingly perfectly fitted for just him and with six glowing stones placed within it.

“Your reign of madness ends now. I shall return you from whatever dark corner of reality spawned you.” the caped man proclaimed, his voice booming despite the vacuum of space around them.

The figure let out an odd laugh, its voice a low affair that seemed to shift in tone and pitch with each movement. “Well, you would be far from the first to try.”  It raised its hand and tilted its odd head to the left.

“Very well. You face Doctor Stephen Strange, master of the mystic arts and protector of this world.” Strange lifted the arm covered by the gauntlet as the six stones lit up bright enough to illuminate even the darkness of space.

“Oh are we doing names, I love doing names.” The figure was almost giddy at the prospect as space began to warp in front of his outstretched hand. “You may call me All for One.”

And the two figures, each wielding powers beyond the scope of human perception, clashed against one another in an explosion of light and sound that rivaled even the creation of the universe.
 
The world changed one fateful night, when the world was lit by six colorful explosions that could be seen from every point on the planet at the same time. Mere hours afterward a child was born in Qing Quig, China. Thus began the Age of Quirks, or rather, the beginning of one of the darkest ages of mankind. More and more beings born with superhuman abilities began to crop up throughout the world, seemingly chosen at random and with gifts that varied from the mundane to nearly impossibly strong.

Humanity reacted to this new development with fear, and society turned on itself, pausing progress for nearly eighty years as more and more children were born with superpowers, slowly overtaking those born without quirks.

However soon a new age began, the Age of Heroes. Superhumans who vowed to protect the ideas of justice and freedom from those who would abuse their powers to bring ruin to a peaceful world. Standing above all heroes past or present was one man, the shining beacon whose presence became a pillar for the entire world, All Might.

Yet this is not his story. No. Rather, this is a tale about an odd young man who would one day become the world's greatest hero.

Izuku Midoriya had always been a strange child. From even the moment of his birth, one could say. When he was first taken into the nurse's arms he was silent. Only the beating of his heart gave any indication that he was alive. It took hours until his first cry, and it had only seemed to have happened because a  nurse picked him up.

The nurse would later be found to have been stealing medicine from the hospital to supply a ring of villains who were attempted to remake the Trigger drug.

It had been assumed as he grew up that Izuku was displaying the onset of a strange quirk, as he only seemed to cry or become especially animated around people who held intense negative or positive emotions. Despite this he grew rather normally, hitting the right weight at the right time, growing, and saying his first words around them time it was expected he would. Even his dream as a child was normal, to become a hero.  To the outside observer Izuku was a normal child with an odd quirk.

However, the truth was a bit stranger, though the only person who knew about anything strange happening was his mother, who was all too happy to simply write off any oddities as childish mischief.

After all, it was normal for a kid to talk to imaginary friends, or move things from one spot to another, or hit the remote to the exact channel when a Hero he enjoyed was on. Animals being attracted to him was also easy to write off as he seemed to take care of them.

And yet that sense of normalcy in the face of the unknown changed due to a doctor's visit, where a professional had told them there was simply no way that Izuku could have a quirk. Even specialists brought in due to the circumstances claimed the same.

The confusion this injected into the heart of the family was immense. Inko Midoriya could only watch as the hope burned away from her son’s soul, asking desperately if he could be a hero. All she could do was cry and hold him, cursing her own weakness.

She didn’t notice for a moment the lights flickering, or the sorrowful howl of the local strays.

Being declared as quirkless in a world of superpowers was near the same as being born without arms or legs. Anyone who knew always carried some amount of pity in their hearts. As children saw adults leaving Izuku to his own devices they chose to do the same, until there were few people in the elementary school who could even remember the young boy.

Despite this, he gravitated to another boy named Katsuki Bakugou, following him and his group despite jokes made at Izuku’s expense, or the occasional too hard play punch thrown at his arm.

To Izuku, Bakugou was like a bright flame, his passion and drive made him a person impossible for someone with Izuku’s disposition to not want to follow.

Until one day, Bakugou had pulled his friends into a place they weren’t supposed to be, and while playing he fell. He was unharmed and more bothered by having his clothing soaked then having actually taken a fall. It was on pure reflex that Izuku ran down to offer a hand to the other boy.

A hand offered in help was a shot to the boy’s pride, and when he slapped it away a feeling that Izuku had never previously encountered shot through his body.

Hate.

Bakugou hated him.

Hated that he was being offered help.

Hated that it was a weak, pathetic, insect like Deku that was trying to offer to help.

Just from a single touch all of this information flooded into Izuku’s mind, the look of concern replaced by horror. If given more time Bakugou might have responded and told him off, instead Izuku turned and ran, out of the park, out to the sidewalks.

Izuku ran, because it was the only thing that he could do at the moment, wishing desperately for the voices to stop. It didn’t  matter how tightly he held his hands against his ears he could hear the resounding thoughts and feelings of his closest and only ‘friend’. And it only seemed to get worse: as he ran he could feel the thoughts of those around him. This in and of itself was odd, as normally contact was needed for him to feel others emotions, but now they flowed freely into his mind.

He felt the judgmental thoughts of those who saw him, of those wondering why he was alone, all of their thoughts and words connected and screamed until his mind was filled with static. Even his vision became unclear, his legs giving out as he tripped over someone's foot. All he could do was curl into a ball and whisper, “please stop,” again and again as the feelings of those around him burned ever deeper into him.

Then a hand came down and rested on his shoulder and the world was quiet again. Izuku’s eyes opened and looked up at the stranger through the tears in his ears. The man seemed old, his hair was black but with a number of grey spots running throughout it, and from his facial features it was obvious he was a foreigner. Yet still he had a smile that was calming and now that the voices were gone he could make out the words being spoken by the man.

“By the Ageless Vishanti guide this young man's soul to peace and ebb the flowing mana within him.” The man’s words were spoken with a kind of strength that Izuku had never encountered before in his life, and it seemed that the static that had been building in his mind ceased. “Interesting, and I had thought that this world was utterly without those with a deeper connection to the mysteries of the mystical arts.” He spoke in flawless Japanese, but the way his lips moved didn’t seem to match the words that Izuku heard.

The young boy didn’t quite understand what the older man was talking about, but he tried his tears on the back of his arm and pulled himself up on shaky legs, almost falling if not for the intervention of the man.

“Hm, it seems the drain on you was quite substantial.” the old man smiled kindly. “Do you live far from here, little one?”

“I’m not supposed to talk to strangers,” the young Izuku said in a somewhat dazed tone of voice.

“Indeed prudent life advice. We shall remain on the streets and should I attempt anything uncouth...bad… you may call out and I am sure a hero would be along to investigate post haste.” Despite Izuku being a child the man’s words were respectful.

“That makes sense. If you were a bad guy a hero would definitely come and stop you…” Izuku nodded, though if it was just to himself or the man in front of him it was hard to say. “My name is Izuku Midoriya. What's yours?”

“Stephen Strange. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” With that, the two followed Izuku’s directions back to the apartment complex where he and his mother lived and opened the door.

“Izuku, is that you? I thought you were spending time with your…” Izuku’s mother turned the corner and froze at the sight of a full grown man standing behind her young son, a thousand different thoughts running through her mind.

“Pardon my intrusion. I found your son on the streets having suffered from a certain… shall we say, ‘episode’, and felt it my duty to see him home, at the very least.” Strange reached into his coat and pulled out a glossy business card, offering it to the Izuku’s mother. On the front it showed: ‘Dr. Stephen Strange, medical consultant.’

“Oh my.” She ran over and wrapped her child in a tight embrace before looking up, eyes filled with gratitude towards Strange. “Thank you so much for seeing my son home safely. But you said he suffered a-”

Strange’s expression turned dour for a moment, but quickly shifted to his usual smile. “It might be better to discuss this over a cup of tea. I’m afraid that the explanation for all this might be a bit much, Ms.-”

“Inko Midoriya, and off course, please come in.” Once the Strange was inside she went toward the kitchen, opening the fridge with her quirk, and pulling out a juice box for Izuku who began to happily drink while she began preparations for tea. “So please doctor tell me more about what happened.”

“I cannot speak for the condition that he was in before I arrived, but he was curled up on the ground and appeared to be covering his ears and in a great deal of pain.”

“Oh, Izuku,” Inko placed down a cup of warm tea in front of the doctor and took her own seat, looking at her son with eyes full of concern.

“I take it that this isn’t the first time this has happened?” Strange looked down at the cup of tea in front of him and took it in both hands, and when she saw them Inko gasped.

“Your hands,” she said. Inko looked at the horribly broken fingers on the man's hand, bent and twisted at strange angles along the joints, their movements painfully stiff. She could only imagine what could do so much damage to a person’s body.

“Hm?” He took a sip of his tea and looked down toward his hands. “Oh yes, the result of a horrible car accident many years ago. They ache when the weather changes and don’t move quite so well as they once did, but I feel no pain from them.” He placed the tea cup down and smiled. “A wonderful cup, did you create the blend yourself?”

Inko’s eyes snapped away from Strange’s hands and focused back on his face with a light blush, feeling a bit ashamed for gawking at what was no doubt a sore subject for the man. “Yes, I’m surprised you were able to tell.”

“When one travels in such circles as I have the subtle flavors tend to speak the loudest. But we can speak of tea later. For now, let us return to the subject of your son.”

Inko gave a nodded and looked down at her own cup. “Izuku tends to have...spells of unrest that can last for hours. Sometimes he sees things, or starts hearing voices. It always seems to go away by itself, but recently…” she felt tears spring to her eyes at her own helplessness. There was no worse feeling then having to look at her son living through such pain and being able to do nothing about it.

“I see.” Strange looked at the young boy with a quizzical expression. “Might I see the tea leaves you used for the brew?” Before Inko could question it, Strange raised a hand. “Please, humor me.”

Despite the question held on the tip of her tongue, Inko stood and walked over to the sealed containers where she kept her tea blends.

“No, the ones that were used, please. If you could put them on a plate for me as well. I would myself but such subtle tasks are difficult for me.” Strange smiled and waited for her to drain the rest of the tea and place the used leaves on the plate. Once offered to him he looked toward Izuku. “Young man, if you would please come over.”

Izuku looked up from his juice box and walked over to the older man and was motioned to look into the wet leaves on the plate. An odd expression came over Izuku’s face and suddenly his eyes began to move as if looking at something only he could see until his face exploded into a bright smile. “All-Might is on T.V.!” He rushed to the living room with the excited speed only a child could muster and turned the device on, hitting in the keys to the exact channel showing coverage of the symbol of peace in battle with some villain.

For her part, Inko looked gravely confused but Strange could only smile as he pushed the plate further onto the table. “It is rare for one as young as him to develop such strong abilities so early. In fact, I had thought that in this whole world I was the only one in anyway connected to the mystic arts.”

“The mystic arts? You mean magic?” Her expression became doubtful for a moment.

“It goes by many names, but yes, magic is a good blanket term.” Strange closed his eyes and laid his palm out as flat as he could against the table. Above his hand balls of white light appeared, spinning and dancing through the room. At the same time the faucet in the sink started and the used cups and kettle lifted themselves into the air and landed softly in the sink. The final thing to happen was that Strange’s body lifted itself out of the chair, hovering a few feet in the air.

Then all at once he landed back in the chair with a pained grunt, the white lights disappeared as he hit the wooden surface. “Not the most impressive display, but I am afraid that I am nowhere near as powerful as I was back in my hayday.”

“That was...did you use a quirk?” Despite saying the words on reflex some part of her knew that he hadn’t. There had been a certain energy that ran through the building when he had begun his display, something she had felt when holding her son against her body during his fits.

Strange shook his head and used a napkin provided to him to carefully dab the sweat from his forehead. “It can be quite a bit to take in. I understand your hesitation to believe in the mystical. However, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that your son is gifted with a great affinity for magic.”

“So you are saying that the fits Izuku has are caused by magic?” It made sense in its own little way. After all, no doctor she had visited had ever given her a reason for the fits, even those with quirks that aided in the identification of diseases could not find anything wrong with her son other than being born without a quirk.

Strange mulled over how to respond for a moment. “Yes, and no. Magic is a force, an energy that flows throughout the world quite naturally. Through either discipline or the proper tools a mage can harness that power to perform deeds beyond understanding. However, your son’s natural affinity is for opening gateways that he is too young to understand how to close himself off from. If I had to guess, his mind is picking up the thoughts and feelings of those around him; he is a powerful empath on a level rarely seen.”

It was obvious just from her facial expression that most of what Strange had said sailed over her head, but she understood the basic concepts well enough. “Is there a way to stop this from hurting him?”

“Through proper training and understanding of his abilities I have no doubt that he would be able to gain a firm hold of his natural abilities and prevent such incidents from occurring again.”

A spark of an idea appeared in Inko’s mind and she sat quietly for a moment. “This… magic. If he learned to harness it then it wouldn’t be dissimilar from a quirk.”

The doctor thought for a moment before giving a noncommittal shrug to that. “I suppose it would be within the same vein, a special ability honed and practiced. Though anyone with a connection to the magical realm could perform similar deeds to any other so I suppose it wouldn’t be as wholly unique as the genetic mutations most have.”

Inko took a deep breath and forced back the tears in her eyes. “If he were trained would he be strong?” it wasn’t quite the word she was looking for, but she was grasping so tightly to this one thing that her word choice didn’t feel like it mattered.

“Extremely so. I have seen such natural talent in only a select few. if properly trained he could even come to exceed my own skills. And during my time I have...or, rather, had faced quite a few foes who could have been best described as terrifying.”

“Could he become a hero, if he learned all of this?” A few tears ran down her face despite her attempts at keeping herself together. “There is nothing more Izuku wants then to be a hero and rescue people, but neither his father’s nor my own quirk came down to him. I want to give him the life that he wants, but I can’t even give him the tools to pursue what he wants the most in life.” She stood and bowed to Strange. “Please, Dr. Strange, please teach my Izuku.”

Strange sat for a moment in silence, his face unreadable before standing up and placing a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder and offering a handkerchief in one of his broken hands. Once she had a chance to right herself he took his place on the other end of the table and drew in a deep breath. “I can teach Izuku how to harness his powers, how to perform deeds of such greatness that he will always be remembered. But I’m sorry: it is not within my power to make him a hero.”

His mind drifted to old friends and allies, of the greatest heroes and the most humble. In a few scant moments he remembered the terrors he had once faced, and even when confronted by such evil how he had found strength in those alongside him.

“Would you please call him in.” His voice was low and seemed to convey an age beyond his physical appearance.

Inko looked at the doctor and nodded. “Izuku, pause the T.V. and come in here please.”

From the other room Izuku entered with a bright smile on his face. “Mom it was so cool, All Might totally blew away a ton of bad guys in a minute flat!” He swung his arms out in front of him as if blowing away invisible enemies before noticing the mood between the two adults. “Am I in trouble?” Izuku’s young mind came to the first thought it could summon.

“No, but if you wouldn’t mind I would like to ask you a few questions, young man,” Strange turned to Izuku from his seat, eyes fogged over with memories despite his attempts to focus.

Izuku smiled at the knowledge that he wouldn’t be getting yelled at and nodded. “I don’t mind.”

“Your mother tells me that you want to be a hero. Why exactly is that?”

Izuku’s face lit up. It was rare that he got to talk about his dream, so having a chance with the nice man who had helped him out was a rare treat. “Because I want to be like All Might!”

Strange’s expression didn’t change in the least. “And what does that mean, to be ‘like All Might’?”

“I...I don’t understand.” Izuku was honestly confused by the doctors words.

“What is it about All Might that makes you want to be a hero. Is it because he seems happy? Is it popularity? Simple strength? What part of being a hero makes you want so desperately to be one?”

That question threw Izuku for a loop and his young mind couldn’t quite grasp an answer that he could be happy with. Everyone wanted to be All Might--wanted to be a hero like him. But now that he was asked he couldn’t quite think of a reason. Of course he wanted to help people, but that seemed almost too small. “I…” he looked down, frustrated at himself.

Strange waited a few moment before sighing to himself under his breath. He was about to say that Izuku could return to the living room before being preempted by the answer to his question.

“It’s because someone has to.” Izuku looked up at the doctor with eyes filled with an odd sort of determination. “All Might is the strongest, coolest, and best there is and that means he could do anything. But he is a hero who saves people. One time when he was being interviewed he was asked about why he became a hero, and he said ‘because someone had to protect people, so it might as well be me’. So…” Izuku  drew in a breath and stood to the full height. “I want to be a hero, because if someone has to do it, I want it to be me.”
 
In that moment Strange found himself frozen by that childish declaration, seeing that there was no dishonesty in Izuku’s eyes but a fire burning within them, one that he recognized from the many examples in his life. In those eyes he saw a man gifted with great strength who bore the world on his shoulders because it was his responsibility. He saw a man who walked a path toward the future, willing to put his life on the line to ensure a brighter tomorrow. And, most of all, he saw a man out of his time with a will so unshakeable that if he stood before a wave it would shatter against him like glass.

“I see.” Strange smiled to himself and looked toward Izuku. “I believe we have a great deal of work ahead of us.”
 
Thanks to everyone who has read through the first chapter, I hope you guys are ready because this is going to be a wild ride. Before anything else big thanks to Phantomhill for editing this.

As with all my stories make sure to comment to make your voices heard, and follow for more fun in this...strange crossover.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It wasn't long before Strange had to excuse himself from the household, but not before recasting the charm to keep Izuku's empathic abilities from utterly dominating his mind. From what he had told Inko and Izuku, while the chances of such a devastating episode were rare, he wasn't willing to take risks with his new apprentice's life. In addition, Strange provided an address for the two so they could be acquainted with Izuku's training regime and the area where the doctor lived."Before I go, I feel the need to offer a suggestion to both of you," Strange said and turned to look at both mother and son with a solemn expression. "Don't let discussion of the mystic arts leave the walls of your house." His expression seemed to change to a soft smile. "In my experience, when confronted by the unknown, most people either believe you are insane, or shun that which they can't understand. However, that decision is yours to make." And with that, Strange exited the house, closing the door softly behind him.Inko collapsed back into her chair and drew in a long breath once the doctor was gone, having not realized just how nerve wracking the experience had been. Had it not been for the numerous strange events surrounding her son she might not have believed in anything as outlandish as magic."Oh man, I wonder what kind of powers I will get!" Izuku was the exact opposite of his mother. while he didn't quite understand the larger picture, he was still of the age where if someone of authority told him that he had magic, he would believe them when presented with the bare minimum amount of proof. "I bet I could make myself as strong as Kaach-"All at once the energy building inside of the young boy seemed to die off at the mention of the childish nickname for the one person he had assumed was his friend. Even with his abilities held under the charm the memory of the hate that had burned in Bakugou's heart had left its mark on him.Despite her exhaustion Inko was ever the mother and picked up on the sudden shift in mood almost immediately. "Did something happen today?" She knew of course something had. Strange himself had said that such an episode would have never have triggered without some sort of outside influence.Izuku frowned and looked away. Part of him didn't want to say anything bad about the person he had thought was his friend, but another equally large part wanted to reach out to his mother for comfort. "I was playing in the woods with some-" he suddenly realized that he didn't really know anyone in the group other than Bakugou. He couldn't call them friends, and at this point he couldn't really call Bakugou that either. "-classmates, and one of them fell. I touched his hand and..." A shudder ran through him.Inko wanted to say something about playing where he wasn't supposed too, but it was obvious that wasn't really the issue at the moment. "Izuku honey, you can talk to me. you know that, right?"Izuku looked at his mom for a moment and ran over to hug her, the pent up stress that he had been doing his best to hide exploding out. He told his mother about the feelings he had received, about the harsh nickname handed down to him, how Bakugou talked to him in what he had thought before was just friendly teasing.By the time he had finally calmed Inko's blood was ice. she had no idea how she had missed such things happening, but she vowed that she would rectify the mistake. "Don't worry baby, I'll take care of it," she kissed the top of Izuku's head. "Go and wash up. I think you deserve a special treat today."Izuku smiled and rubbed at his eyes before walking off to the bathroom, and Inko entered the kitchen and began to gather together ingredients for katsudon while also bringing out her phone and dialing a number, waiting patiently for an answer. "Is this Mitsuki Bakugou?" She waited for a reply and smiled. "Wonderful, my name is Inko Midoriya, our sons know each other. I was wondering if you had a moment to talk."Somewhere far from the Midoriya household a boy with an explosive quirk and equally explosive temper got an earful of fury from a mother whose own temper was double that..Finally the end of the week came and Inko and Izuku found themselves in front of the address that had been labeled on Strange's business card, and what they saw was less than what they had imagined. The neighborhood was nice enough, fairly suburban but not the most upkept area, but the house that the card had lead them to was of particular note because of just how badly it had been maintained.The lawn was a patchwork of long growing weeds and potholes, the paint on the house had been long overdue for a touch up; it looked like someone had pulled a classic example of what a hovel would look like and pasted it down among the slightly worn but still presentable houses near it."Do I have the right address?" Inko looked down at the card and then her phone, trying to wrap her mind around how someone who had seemed so refined lived in such a horrible home."Trust not what you see with your eyes," Both mother and son jumped and turned to find Strange behind them, holding a bag of groceries and a thin smile. "As a first lesson it should suffice."With that said Strange walked past them and pulled a large iron key from his pocket, placing it right on the threshold of sidewalk and lawn and turned it to the side.And before their eyes the world shifted, reality turning on its head as the home began to lift and fold itself down and a new building took its place. Rather than a worn hovel the building that took its place was a large western-style mansion that stood at least three stories tall, but the size seemed to shift so it was hard to even gleam that amount, as if it was settling in reality. Even its width would suggest it would encroach on the buildings on its sides, but through whatever strange magics worked on it the building still managed to stand and neither of the buildings to its side were affected.Even looking at the strange sight gave Inko the beginning of a headache, but for his part, Izuku was fascinated, running forward to touch the air where Strange had put the key."Wow. did you put up some kind of cloaking field around it, or do you teleport it in?" Despite being young Izuku had put a surprising amount of time into learning about odd things. after all, when one's dream was to be a hero, being educated in multiple fields was expected.Strange chuckled at the boy's eagerness and shook his head. "Nothing as simple as that, both this building and the other exist at the same time, in the same space. Even now while you two see my Sanctum Sanctorum, the other building remains in place. Both existing within the same moment. The key I hold simply allows me to enter the space that holds it."Izuku blinked and tilted his head. "Like a pocket dimension?"Strange paused for a moment, considering his pupil-to-be and gave another half smile. "Yes, an apt description."Inko coughed into her hand and walked forward to the edge of the sidewalk. "Is it safe for us to walk in?" Seeing such a brazen display of power performed so simply had thrown her off balance, but she was ever the kind to follow the flow instead of fighting against it."Oh yes, how rude of me to become so wrapped up in this that I would forget my basic manners, it has been quite some time since I had guests." He walked forward and waved for them to follow, opening the door and waving them inside.Much like the outside of the mansion, the design of the inside was very western in its sensibilities, a number of interesting baubles and paintings on display. The amount of wealth held in just the foyer of the building was enough to make Inko suddenly self conscious about what Strange must have thought of their tiny apartment."I welcome you both to my home, if you would please follow me to the kitchen, I believe we can start there and tour the house as we discuss Izuku's future training," Strange spoke in a low but quick tone and the grocery bags lifted themselves into the air floated away from him, as if carried by a pair of invisible arms.Izuku and Inko paused for a moment, unsure how to proceed due to the strange environment. Normally it was respectful to remove one's shoes before entering much further past the door, but given their host's western home and sensibilities they simply followed suit after him despite the strange environment.It wasn't a long walk to the kitchen, which, in contrast to the more old fashion design of the foyer and outside of the building, was stocked with a number of modern amenities, all top of the line and cleaned to perfection.Strange led them to his dining table and sat with them, waving his hand vaguely toward a teapot atop his stove causing it to light an begin warming the water contained within. "I am afraid that my selection of tea is mostly medical blends, nothing as delicious as yours, but it rests easy on the stomach.""Oh it's-that's no issue." Inko sputtered, almost embarrassed that he would demote his own tea to her own blends. "This is a beautiful home that you have, Dr. Strange.""I thank you for the compliment, but the Sanctum is only mine by trade. I suppose you could call it a 'work benefit'. Though, I do have to provide the more modern details myself." Strange clapped and the kettle rose off the stove along with three tea cups and two small bowls of sugar and honey. The kettle poured itself into their cups before floating back to the stove."Thank you." Inko and Izuku both lowered their heads in respect and took a sip of the tea, which was intensely bitter, but soothed the nerves. Izuku added a spoon of sugar to his, while Inko simply left it as it was. "So, then, what does Izuku have to expect for training?""Straight to the point: a respectible quality," Strange smiled and took a sip of his own tea, letting himself savour the bitterness of the drink before setting it down. "To begin with, I will keep his schedule open, focusing only on building a foundation for future learning with a focus on control and discipline. I would like to wait at least another four years before studying anything more advanced than that, but beyond that point I would be teaching a… I suppose you could call it a full spectrum of talents. Divination, enchantment, evocation, conjuration, and so on and so forth. As I had stated during our first meeting, I believe that Izuku has a natural born talent for the mystic arts, so focusing on one area would be a waste of that useful talent."Despite not knowing what the words meant, Izuku couldn't help but beam at Strange's compliments. He had been so used to people just saying 'well, he is quirkless, so there is no point' that someone saying that he had potential was enough to make his day.Inko smiled and turned to Strange, her expression dipping for a moment. "I assume you will take every precaution to ensure that he is safe?"Strange hesitated for a brief time before giving a nod. "I will never put your son as undue risk, Ms. Midoriya. That being said, the mystic arts are capricious forces, and those who learn them always follow some risk. But I would stake my very being on the protection of another."That seemed to put her at ease. "Thank you, doctor. Now I may I ask, are you using a spell to translate your words?" He seemed a bit surprised so Inko hurriedly continued. "I noticed that when you speak your mouth doesn't quite match your words, it's a close thing but it's difficult not to notice.""I see that your son's eye for detail is inherited rather than a byproduct of his own talent," Strange stood up and motioned for them to follow, the cups and kettle floating themselves into the sink to be washed later. "As I am sure you have already noticed, I was not born here. I suppose you could call me an immigrate to Japan, though it is a great deal more complicated than that."Strange snapped his fingers at the door leading back to the main hall and the door opened itself to a completely different room. Inside was a long hallway lit by natural light from an entirely glass ceiling, which illuminated rows of statues and paintings of various men and women, all in brightly colored costumes and striking poses. "Izuku, you are quite the fan of heroes if I remember correctly. Do any of the statues in this room seem familiar to you?"Izuku frowned and stepped forward, looking at the various statues and trying to find one that looked familiar. Despite still being young Izuku had a fair grasp on heroes from around the world, afterall, it was difficult to not hear about even those from across the sea when you were a big enough fan. But he couldn't recognize any of them.Some of the images certainly bore a resemblance to other heroes, but there had been thousands of heroes throughout the years, so that was a given. Finally he shook his head. "No, are they all from across the sea?"Strange smiled sadly and looked over the collected statues. "In a way you are right, but it's a deal more complicated than that." Another snap and the three were in another room, this one containing a number of odd looking artifacts, including a large glass case, a red cape and an eye like amulet that were seemingly suspended in the air. At the very top of the room was a glass window in the same design as the eye amulet.The view outside of the window, however, was not the sky, but rather a collection of white lights on a black background. "For each possibility there exists another existing alongside it, both diverging like twin streams of a river." Strange opened his arms and the window seemed to zoom in on one of the lights until Earth rested comfortably within the view of the mirror. And then, with a final movement, the window showed Japan, their view zooming down and revealing massive monsters the size of skyscrapers roaming it, snapping and fighting each other."Earth-100-M. a world where giant monsters evolved instead of man," Strange waved his hand and another Japan took place on the screen, this time an advanced city whose buildings seemed to pierce the sky itself. "Earth-3842, a world where technology advanced at a mind boggling rate." another wave revealed a world where people and dinosaurs lived together. "Earth-500-J. I could continue, but I assume you both understand the point."Inko looked at the window for a moment, her mind wanting to call doubt on the sheer lunacy of the situation. But at the same time, Strange had displayed acts of power that couldn't be explained and had gone out of his way to be honest. If he had decided to lie to them, she somehow doubted it would be something so unbelievable. "So you came here from… another Earth?""That's so cool!" Izuku cried, looking up at the window with awe in his eyes. He didn't doubt for a second the doctor's words, after all, he was a wizard, so why should the fact he came from another world be strange?""Indeed, Earth 616." Strange raised his hand for a moment, but hesitated and slowly lowered it. "My home reality was a place of great heroes and terrible villains. The statues you saw - they were under my protection after some villain attacked the museum that held them. A great many of them were people I would count as friends."Izuku looked up at Strange, even without full access to his empathic power it was easy to see that the man was in pain, so he stepped forward a bit. "What happened?"Strange looked at his student-to-be, a deep sadness in his eyes. "Our world came under attack by a being of indescribable power, with an army of monsters at his call whose strength rivaled even the strongest of our number. We fought, and by a miracle we won." His hands tightened to fists. "I confronted the leader of the monsters with the greatest weapon that we could muster, and I forced him to flee, but not before…" he looked down, not able to meet their eyes. "Not before he stole everything. I chased him into this reality and stuck him down with all of the power I had. My weapon was destroyed in the process, but I ensured that he would never harm another world."Neither Inko or Izuku knew how to react to that, it was a story too awful to merely say 'I am so sorry for your loss'. It was simply too difficult to even put it into thoughts, losing one's entire world and the people on it.So instead of saying something, Izuku walked up the steps and hugged Strange's leg, surprising both his mother and Strange.For his part, Strange could only smile and put a hand atop his head. 'With the heart inside of this boy, he will make a fine hero' were the thoughts in Strange's mind."Thank you," he spoke lightly and motioned for Izuku to return to his mother's side. "However, I have learned many times over that appearances can be deceiving, so I immigrated to this world, bringing my Sanctum with me to stand vigilant so if the creature ever rose again, I would be ready.""Thank you, for sharing this with us," Inko gave a small bow to Strange. It must have been difficult to drag all of that up, but he had proven beyond a doubt that he would be honest with them. Trusting them with a secret so large was more than she would have asked for.Izuku looked between the two adults, not quite understanding but still trying to be attentive. "So… can I learn how to speak any language too?"And with a simple question from a child the tension of the situation was shattered, with Inko trying to hold back a laugh and Strange simply shaking his head with a smile. "That and more," he said, his eyes twinkling. "That and more."From that day on Izuku's training with Strange began. Before they had left, the doctor presented both Inko and Izuku with keys that, when inserted into another door, would make it a pathway to the Sanctum, ensuring that only the two of them would be able to use the key and making them promise to do it only in secret.However the training was not quite what Izuku had expected. Monday through Friday Izuku would go to Strange's home and do homework he had left over from school with help given from Strange, who was surprisingly knowledgeable and, beyond all else, patient with his young student."Did you have any other students?" Izuku had asked him one day, wondering just where he had picked up such a talent."No, but a great many of my allies had children, and one must learn to be patient with little ones whose tantrums can rip holes in reality." his master had answered.After that was done the two would enter a large room set up a bit like a dojo, with a number of wooden training weapons and various exercise equipment kept to the sides of a large padded floor.There, Strange had begun to teach Izuku basic martial arts, focusing on muscle control and precise movement and breathing. From what the doctor had told him this was an important step in eventually learning magic -one had to have a certain mastery over both body and mind before they delved any deeper. Those exercises continued for about an hour and they would finish the day with a variety of activities designed to make Izuku more comfortable with himself. Practicing speaking quickly with tongue twisters, going over old legends and trying to guess which ones were real (it turned out that is was most of them), and, rarely, testing the bounds of Izuku's Empathy.The last one was especially dangerous, so they mostly kept it small. To this end Strange had adopted a white mix breed cat he had named Clea, apparently named after someone who had once been very special to him. Izuku would spend the remaining time attempting to feel out the cat's emotions, which were quite complicated for an animal but a great deal less straining then a human's. Within his first year Izuku had easily picked up the spots Clea enjoyed having scratched and rubbed and was able to predict her wanting to leave easily.Beyond his after school training, life didn't change much for Izuku-He still attended school where he was mostly forgotten about by those around him. Ever since the creek incident, Bakugou had cut him a wide berth, which was mutually agreed upon by both children. While Izuku couldn't bring himself to say that he hated the other boy, he couldn't bring himself to be around him for anything more than class.The teachers seemed impressed, at least when it came to his grades, but all the same they continued to give Izuku the exact treatment as before.It would be another four years of this routine, and though both Inko and Strange worried about Izuku's lack of a social life, neither complained about his dedication to learning magic.Things finally changed on his tenth birthday, a small affair in the Midoriya household with only Izuku, Inko, and Strange. They enjoyed a good meal together and drank tea as Izuku opened gifts from relatives and cards sent by his classmates out of obligation. A few new All Might toys put a smile on his face, but it was the final gift from Strange that excited him: An odd eye shaped amulet that hummed with mystical energy. When Izuku took it in his hands he felt a wave of static run through him, but found he couldn't let it go.Strange kept a careful eye on his student as he held the object. "What you hold is the Eye of Agamotto, one of the most powerful and ancient of the relics that can be safely used, and only meant to be held by the Sorcerer Supreme. However that was on my world, and while it maintains a great deal of power, it no longer grants me its power. So I pass it into your hands now, as a sign that the time has come."Izuku looked at his master, holding the Eye to his chest. "The time for what, sensei?"Strange gave a half smile. "For you to learn magic, from this point forward I take you as a full apprentice, Izuku Midoriya."Izuku smiled widely and stood up to give a bow toward Strange. "I'll do my best!"Far away from that happy scene and deep underground rested a laboratory that had been built and hidden under a skyscraper owned by NEXT Limited, a massive business empire with hands in everything from cell phones to hero outfits. It wasn't a stretch to say that the corporation was one of the most powerful corporate entities in all of Japan. However, only a select few knew about what certain floors of the building were used for, and only a handful of those knew about the secret lab hidden deep underground.The elevator dinged as it arrived at the underground lab, and out from it stepped two people, one a man whose body seemed to be composed of a black mist that swayed to the air currents blasted out by the A.C. within the room, the other a teenage boy tapping away at a handheld system and cursing his luck."What are we doing here, Kurogiri?" the teen spat, his voice filled with venom but also containing a small tremor, as if just being in this place put him on edge.Kurogiri looked at the boy, wanting to admonish him but knowing there would be no point. So, instead, he simply sighed and flicked on a light switch, revealing the room. "It's because this is a very special day, Tomura Shigaraki."The room was barren except for its center, in which five large tanks each contained an odd creature. The skin of the creature was jet black, and they all seemed to have their brains exposed-Not as if the top of their skulls had been removed, but rather as if they had simply evolved to look that way. Multiple tubes were plugged into their bodies, and one attached to their mouth seemed to provide oxygen. Each tank collected a red fluid from the creatures and fed it into what could only be described as a oddly designed coffin in the lab's center.Along the coffins' front a number of lights flickered between different colors, until eventually stopping on green."So will he finally wake up today? Because the last five times you brought me here they were all false starts," despite saying this, Shigaraki put his device away and looked at the coffin as more and more of the lights flashed green.And then finally, the bottom light on the coffin flashed between yellow and red before finally clicking to green. The coffin opened outward, and a figure fell from within the device only to land face first on the floor.Every inch of the things body was covered by tightly woven bandages, giving off an almost mummy-like appearance. At first the figure could only squirm, but slowly it managed to get its bearing, pushing itself up with its arms and laughing in a strange masculine voice. "I feel like I've been asleep for ages," the thing from the coffin rasped as it pulled itself to its feet.Kurogiri sunk into a deep bow toward the figure, placing one ethereal hand on Shigaraki's head and forcing him to do the same. "It has been too long, Master.""Please, enough with all that, we're all friends here, aren't we?" The figure walked, or, rather, stumbled over to Shigaraki and sunk to a knee so he could look the younger man in the eyes. "It's good to see you again, have you been looked after while I slept?"Shigaraki looked to the side, not able to meet the figure's eyes. "I've been fine, like you asked, I have been training and getting stronger." gone was the arrogant tone and venom in his voice. Now Shigaraki was almost like a young child trying to get the attention of a parent."Good," he ruffled the boy's hair and stood up, trying to close his fist and finding himself unable. "Ninety percent of my bones broken, the other ten either reduced to dust or fractured beyond belief. Even with all of my healing and the H-Nomu I lack even a fraction of my old strength. But a broken body is no excuse for leaving you two alone."The figure brought its hands to its head, moving the wrappings enough to reveal its eyes, black pits dotted with star light that slowly faded away into a red. "All for One has returned for you, Shigaraki. Just like I always do." All for One stood up and began to chuckle, through it quickly broke into a loud and deranged laugh, throwing his entire body back into it as the sound echoed in the empty laboratory.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The first day of training wasn’t  what Izuku had expected, as within moments of entering the Sanctum for the first time after his birthday party he was given a number of cleaning supplies and lead to the Sanctum’s library.

Strange ran a finger along the spine of one of the books, rubbing said finger with a frown on his face. “It has been ages since someone has cleaned this place, once you finish we will begin your training proper.”

Izuku looked at the bookshelves, slowly cranking his head back to take in the full view. The shelves themselves took up each wall of the room, reaching higher than the building itself through whatever eldritch means bent the very fabric of space within the walls of the building. A small army of dedicated and professional cleaners would look at the various walls and quickly excuse themselves for fear of a broken neck.

Without a moment's hesitation Izuku accepted the challenge and gathered his supplies.

On the first day he attempted to do everything normally, taking the books off one by one with as much care as possible and cleaning the wooden shelves. By the time he was halfway done on the second row of shelves around the room five hours had passed and Strange called him away to work on his homework and meditation.

It progressed like that for  some time, Izuku would do his best to pick up where he had left the previous day, but it always burned too much time and what little remained would be focused on classwork followed by using whatever time was left to either meditate of continue his education on self-defense.

The task did have its upsides however, Izuku had started speeding up while running around the room, had gained a good sense of his balance from lifting the various important tomes around the library, and finally built a good workout routine from climbing up and down the ladder once he hit the shelves he couldn’t reach.

However there came a point where he just couldn’t go any faster without risking his safety. Of course that didn’t mean he would try to pace himself. Rather he began to put caution to the wind, trying to speed along his cleaning task.

So of course, one day he fell.

It had been a mistake born of frustration, trying to carry one to many books at once while high up enough that he should have tried to lighten his load. A slid of the foot threw off his balance and sent him falling from a great distance with no way to stop himself from hitting the hard wooden floor.

But just as he was bracing himself for a landing he stopped a good foot above the floor, floating in place. Having noticed that he hadn’t broken his spine he opened his eyes and found that not only was he being held above the floor, but the books that had taken the fall with him were also floating safely.

After a few seconds the odd effect disappeared and Izuku touched the ground softly along with the various books.

“Wow that was scary,” he clutched his shirt and picked up the books, checking to make sure that none of the tomes had suffered any damage. “Sensei must have put a spell to make sure I didn’t get hurt if I fell…”

A smile exploded across Izuku’s face as he looked toward the upper shelves, the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind.

With greater care Izuku climbed the ladder along with a few books from his backpack, school textbooks worth a lot less then even a single rare book in the library and tossed them from his place on the ladder, watching as they fell only to stop just before hitting the ground.

“Okay, you can do this,” Izuku took a deep breath and jumped off of the ladder, his entire body tightening as he braced for impact, only to find himself paused one more and deposited safely on the ground. “Still scary,” he shuddered and looked up, determination burning inside of him. “But not that scary.”

With that discovery made Izuku attacked the task before him with renewed vigor, dropping a number of books after making a note of their order and then falling himself to gather cleaning supplies. It was still a difficult task, but he had managed to save himself time climbing up and down.

And finally after another month of work he walked to the door and knocked on it waiting for just a moment before Strange walked in from another room in the Sanctum, the houses innate magic warping the space. “And how goes the work?” Strange asked, looking around at the massive bookcases.

“Done, I dusted all of them off,” Izuku smiled in triumph despite being soaked with sweat. Even with a few months of work under his belt it was exhausting having to climb up the ladder. Falling helped but there was only so much it could do.

“Did you now?” Strange gave a small smile, one that Izuku had come to know as ‘I know something you don’t and am being a wizard by not telling you’. The man walked over to where Izuku had originally started on the bottom shelf, took off two of the books and ran his finger along the wood, bringing it up to show a thin coating of dust. “Seems you missed a spot,” he stood up and clapped his hands, a great many of the shelves glowing a dull yellow. “A few spots.” Strange amended.

Izuku looked at each marked spot and felt all of his accomplishment and pride turn to sand in his mouth. “But, that's impossible.”

Strange looked at his student for a moment. “Then quit, once you find something that is ‘impossible’ you might as well just call it your limit.”

The boy looked at his sensei for a moment, tears pricking at his eyes before giving a shake of his head and squaring his shoulders. “I won’t quit.”

“Very well,” Strange turned and walked to the door.

“Wait, sensei,” Strange turned as his student called out to him. “What kind of spell did you put in the room?”

A brief look of confusion came over Strange’s face before it set itself neutral. “There are no spells in this room. It's just a library.” and with that he walked out of the room.

It took longer than Izuku would have ever wanted to admit before those words finally clicked with him. If there were no spells in this room, but neither the books nor himself had been hurt by the fall, that simply left one avenue of thought.

When someone fell they put out their arms to catch themselves, even as a kid Izuku understood that much about things. It was simply instinct, something that didn't need to be taught to someone. If you tripped you put out your arms so you didn’t fall. If you dropped something, you would try to catch it before it hit the ground.

If he extended upon those ideas then the same arms that could catch a falling object or stop him from hitting the ground should be able to pick things up. Same use, different perspective.

Izuku closed his eyes and thought about one of the books in front of him, but when he opened his eyes it hadn’t moved an inch. Most kids his age might have gotten frustrated by that, but Izuku had always been a different breed then most and instead his mind started churning over the facts.

Whatever ability he had used had only activated because he was in danger. It had extended to the books because they were important enough to trigger the same thought of ‘I don’t want these to get damaged’. So in the end, instinct. All he had to do was hit the right trigger.

So with that he closed his eyes again and did what he did best, used his brain. What would happen if he couldn’t use magic? Strange had said that once something was ‘impossible’ that is where the training stopped. And no training meant he couldn’t use the powers Strange used, couldn’t become strong enough to be a hero.

It meant things would go back to how they were before. His mom’s sad eyes, the teachers and their pity that just bled off of them, and Bakugou. He would never save anyone, never be like All Might.

He would be nothing but Deku.

The pain behind that thought burned, and that burning built into a sensation like static, his mind felt it might boil over and cause his entire head to burst. The static built behind his eyes, until all thoughts became replaced by a sharp noise.

Izuku opened his eyes and felt as if his jaw might hit the floor. At best he had meant to pick up on book, maybe just make it float a bit.

As it was, every book in the library was floating off of the shelves, and without any further input the cleaning supplies he had used jumped to life, flying to the shelves and working with speed that put anything he could have done to shame.

The static burned in his mind, but it provided him focus, he held that feeling to his heart until he was sure it had been completed, and then clutched that painful feeling and pushed the books back, falling to his knees and only then realizing his entire body was covered in sweat.

He would never be Deku again.

“Well well, an impressive display.” Strange smiled behind him, as if he had been there all along.

Izuku took a few more deep breaths, a smile breaking over his face. “Well sensei,” he looked up. “Its clean.”

A small twinkle burned in Strange’s eyes. “Indeed they are. Now then, let's go to the kitchen.”

“The kitchen?” Izuku asked confused.

“Ice cream, I think you have earned it.”

Izuku’s smile had never been wider as he followed the other man out the door.

From then on the true training began, Izuku studied books in languages he could only understand because Strange cast a spell of translation on him until he could manage himself. These things would have been above a grown man's head, and the trouble of having to cross reference so many things was a pain. But Izuku Midoriya was hungry for every scrap he found, studying and learning at a rate that Strange himself recognized from when he started.

“So most magic is simply projecting the power of a stronger being or source. But I was able to make things float without having to call upon anything,” Izuku looked up from the time before him, barely suppressing a yawn. While the great masters of Atlantis were some of the most knowledgeable in terms of invocation they were ironically rather dry in their writings.

Strange paused his own writings, and considered his student's question. While he knew the answer, he would have to bring it down a few steps to convey the information to Izuku. “The short answer would be, you are still using invocation, but rather than call upon a deity, magical source, or element you are calling forth power from within yourself. Tell me, have your readings come across the reason higher beings answer our spells with power?”

Izuku paused for a moment and raised his hand, diving into the large pile of books that had built up on the desk he used to study, pulling out a dusty tome that looked as if a stiff breeze might cause it to fall to shambles. With the utmost care he opened the book and began to read the words to himself. “It is in covenant that the gods answer our prayers with miracles, so that those miracles can go on to create more prayer,” he shook his head. “But I don’t get it.”

“Hm, it could be seen as an investment, beings on that level are empowered by things done in their names. A god of protection who grants a shield to protect a group of people will get a return of power for having themselves called upon. They supply power, and in return their power is increased by use.” he could see his apprentice was still struggling so he wrote a list of books and offered it to him. “Put a break on your divination and explore this topic until you are satisfied.”

“Thank you sensei,” Izuku took the list and stood up, pausing at the door and closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened it the door lead directly to the library, and he quickly gathered the books and took his place at the table with a stack of books that easily went over his head.

Strange clicked his tongue as his eyes ran over the titles. “I see a few outside of my recommendations.”

Izuku for his part seemed a bit embarrassed. “Well sensei you tend to pick really advanced things, but it helps to have a more general purpose book to start from right?”

“Is that so?” it seemed rather obvious now that Strange thought of it, but it had been lifetimes since the Ancient One had begun his training. “I will keep that in mind for next time, your choices will serve you well but another level of intermediate might be for the best.”

Izuku let out a short breath, trying to focus on nothing and everything at the same time before finally opening his eyes out of frustration. “I feel like I am doing something wrong sensei.”

Strange opened his eyes and looked to his student with an amused expression. “If there exists a wrong way to meditate, I must admit I haven’t found it. Just because a single road doesn’t manifest the desired results doesn’t mean that those results are impossible.

There was little Izuku could do but sigh and relax himself from his meditative position. “Even if you say that I just kind find the ‘center’ that you are talking about. It's not like I’m not relaxed or at peace. But I don’t know what I am looking for you know?”

“I see,” Strange stood up and began to stretch himself out. “Tell me, my student, what do you find fun?”

Izuku paused at the odd question for a moment. “I, well learning new spells is pretty interesting, and translating a new text.”

“Something outside of our lessons,” Strange amended.

Izuku thought for a moment. “I guess, watching heroes fights is interesting, but I don’t know if fun is the right word…”

“I believe the problem is clear, you are having trouble finding your center because you unbalanced. As your teacher I should have caught this sooner.” Strange had little experience with children, but even adults needed to balance their work with interests. Even Tony Stark had things he enjoyed doing outside of being Iron Man. In fact it could be said that the many ills that faced the heroes of his old world had been the fault of not taking a moment to breath.

“What do you mean unbalanced?” Izuku blinked in confusion and tried to discern the meaning of what his teacher had said.

“There is an old phrase, all work and no play make a dull child. While your diligence to your studies in both the mystic arts and to your normal classwork are to be commended it has been to the detriment of your greater well-being,” Strange summoned a notepad and a pen and quickly wrote something down. “In order to take the next step of your training you will need to be able to meditate and enter the astral realm. But until you find balance that will be impossible.”

To say that Izuku was disappointed was an understatement, but at the same time he understood. Obsession was a dangerous road to walk down, many of the spell tomes he had studied spoke of those who had been consumed by their work and met untimely ends to powers they shouldn’t have ever come across. “So what should I do sensei?”

Strange gave a half smile to his student and put a hand on his shoulder. “Go have fun.”

“Okay,” Izuku frowned. “How do I...do that?”

And for once, Strange had absolutely no answer for his student.

It turned out that trying to ‘have fun’ was a task that was more complex than Izuku could have imagined. His school had a number of clubs and after school programs, and he gave an effort to try his hand at some of them. The sports clubs had their charm and he wasn’t bad at any of them. But they also didn’t hold any appeal to him. Kendo and Judo also seemed interesting, but everything they were learning was simply old news to Izuku.

By the end of the first month of searching Izuku was getting desperate. It wasn’t like he couldn’t enjoy things, movies were good, video games were fun, but they didn’t seem like permanent solutions to his problems.

“Maybe I’m just really boring,” Izuku muttered as he rested his forehead against his dining table.

Inko looked at her son with a frown on her face, measuring out things for dinner. “Maybe you are thinking about this the wrong way dear.”

Izuku sat up and looked at her with curious eyes.

“Instead of trying to find something new to enjoy, why not find something to do that you already liked?” it might have been rather obvious advice, but having been young herself once Inko found that obviously solutions were always the last to arrive.

Izuku frowned in thought and pulled out his phone, only an occasional mutter that wasn’t quite intelligible to anyone but himself.

Inko couldn’t help but smile at this, because it meant that she had at least put her son back on the right track. While she couldn’t do anything to help him out with his magical research or training under Doctor Strange she could help with mundane things like this.

“I want to help people!” Izuku suddenly shouted out, an excited expression on his face. He looked to his mother as if he had discovered a hidden secret laced in a mysterious code.

“I see,” Inko turned to her son with a thoughtful expression. “So if you figured that out do you have something in mind?” he was still a boy, and as such was  limited in his pursuit of doing much of anything.

“Well, I think I might have a place in mind,” he turned the phone in his hand to show Inko, who examined the article with a smile.

“Yes, something like this might work out pretty well.” Inko kept the place in mind. “Lets see, why don’t we go Friday after your classes and see what we can do.”

After all, how bad could an organization called FEAST be?

Friday eventually came and Izuku and his mother caught a train to the closest local FEAST building, and both found themselves surprised to see not a ramshackle building but a modern looking building that could have passed for an amusement center.

FEAST, from what its website and many articles written about it seemed to say, stood for Food, Emergency Aid, Shelter and Training, apparently it had started in America but had branches all across the world now. While their entry into Japan had been a difficult one, publicly due to the fact that they had an open door policy that could let villains use is as a ducking in point. But in reality the issue had been a point of national pride, as having a center open in Japan would mean having to admit that there were people fallen between the cracks of their society.

Their solution however had been brilliant, they had All Might talk of the good that he had seen the organization do throughout America and had given the charitable organization his full endorsement free of charge. And where All Might stood others would inevitably follow. Ever since it had opened large and small shelters throughout many cities in Japan and despite publicly helping ‘those few who have fallen’ saw quite a bit of people coming both in and out.

Many stories were the same, people who might have dreamed of becoming heroes who couldn’t make the cut and suddenly were left without any transferable skills. FEAST provided temporary shelter and classes that got people back to their feet.

Beyond that it provided services that were simply out of the price range of some, ranging from on site clinics, daycare centers, and even trauma and crisis counselors. Normally such an organization would be too good to be true, but donations and occasional government funding kept the lights on all day and night. And beyond that those who left to lead successful careers would funnel money back in gratitude.

To someone who wanted to help people with all he had, a place like this would make a wonderful stepping stone. Izuku smiled and walked forward confidently with his mother by his side, entering the large building and finding that the inside was just as neat and clean as the outside. A smiling man stood behind a counter and nodded to the two of them as they entered.

“Good day, is there anything we can help you with?” his tone was pleasant and the smile he wore was utterly genuine.

Izuku nodded at the man. “I was wondering if you guys needed any help?” his tone was excitable, for once he felt like he was on the right track.

“I see, so you are looking the volunteer?” he looked to Inko and waited for a nod of approval from her. “Wonderful, while it just so happens we can use an extra pair of hands around here,” the man reached under the desk and pulled out a clipboard and pen, holding it out to Inko.

“Thank you,” she took the form with a small bow and began to read it over. “So how will Izuku be able to help around here?”

“Well because he is so young we will have him follow and help out one of our older volunteers who will help to show him the ropes, he will be under constant supervision from staff and help out with little things here or there. Once we find something that Izuku excels at we will place him there to help out when he comes around.”  the worker took back the forms and looked over them. “Normally we would have you folks come back a bit later so we could assign him a buddy, but we actually have a volunteer that could use a bit of extra help sorting things in the kitchen.”

Izuku couldn’t have been happier, the worker might has well have said ‘we are offering a pot of gold.’ “Wow how lucky is that?”

Inko covered a chuckle and nodded to her son. “You know, I happen to have some time off as well, I’m quite the cook if you need an extra hand in the kitchen,”

The worker whistled at that and offered another form. “Two volunteers on the same day, we are lucky indeed.”

Inko finished filling out the paperwork and turned it over around the same time a young man entered into the lobby. He seemed to be in his mid teens, and was  skinny in an almost unhealthy way. One could be forgiven for thinking he was one who had come to partake in the shelter and not a volunteer.

“I still have a ton of stuff to sort through, so I hope this is important,” his tone was curt and a bit rude, but not malicious. It made him seem like a rather blunt person overall.

The man behind the counter rolled his eyes. “I figured, which is why our new volunteer,” he paused a moment and looked at the form. “Midoriya could offer you some help.”

The boy looked over Izuku for a moment before giving a noncommittal shrug. “Sure, why not,” he offered his hand to Izuku, strangely only giving four fingers. “My name is Tomura Shigaraki, welcome to FEAST kid.”

Far away in a large building that looked like it might have been owned by a powerful bank or business a man whose entire body was wreathed with dark shadows sat across from a man wrapped completely in bandages. Both held a cup of black tea in front of them but neither drank.

“I fail to see how working at that place is beneficial for Shigaraki’s growth, master.” Kurogiri brought the cup to his lips, the shadows pulling away from his mouth as he took a drink.

“That is why you are a small picture type person, my dear Kurogiri.” All for One took a sip of his own drink, through it was quite a deal less elegant as even lifting the cup seemed to cause his entire arm to shake, with only a small amount of liquid actually passing his lips and a greater majority of it landing on the white bandages that fully covered his body. “That one is simply too dangerous to let him do whatever he wants. A child should have chores don’t you think?”

Kurogiri inclined his head, through he still didn’t quite understand his master had reasons of his own. “I see, he is there to ‘scout for talent’ then?”

“Ever to the heart of it, indeed FEAST is a useful tool, plenty of people have quirks that are too dangerous to actively enter the workforce, meaning that when they fall on tough times they come to us. At such a low point anyone could be brought around.Beyond that feeding dirty money into a charity makes it easy to launder, so it acts as a nexus for all other uses.” the cup slipped from All for One’s fingers and shattered on the ground, drawing a grunt of annoyance from the man. “Fine motor controls still haven’t come back.”

“It will be slow going sir, after all even with your healing potential most of your body is held together by pins and staples. Without the bandages you would simply fall apart.” while he was probably trying to sound encouraging Kurogiri couldn’t quite pull it off.

“Thanks,” All for One replied blandly. “Still, there is a deeper lesson for him. These people who ‘fell into the cracks’ only did so because those cracks exist in the first place. As one who also fell I wish for him to develop empathy. Or at least learn to fake it well enough. Shigaraki will need to develop relationships in the future with those who will serve under him. It's crucial that in this stage of his development he learns how to act...human.”

“And if he fails?” Kurogiri asked.

“Hm, then I will simply move him to a different shelter and have him try again. A teacher needs to be their for a student you know. Killing a few people should hardly be the end of it.” he waved away the concerns as if they were so much dust. “After all…”

“Shigaraki must grow to become a villain who takes the spotlight. That's simply the way of things.” All for One chuckled in a raspy tone, which quickly evolved into a hysterical laugh that dimmed even the very lights of the meeting room.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Izuku sat down on one of the many boxes, his body covered with sweat but with a smile on his face. Shigaraki was a bit less dignified, falling on the floor with his arms laid out on either side of him. “I don’t know if I should be impressed or pis...angry that you were able to keep up with me for that long.”All Izuku could do was laugh a bit and toss the older boy a water he had grabbed from one of the boxes. “Well my sensei has me do a lot of physical labor so that I can keep in shape. Through most of it feels like getting me to do chores.”Shigaraki barked out a laugh and downed the water quickly, pouring some of what was left on his sweat covered face. “Your sensei and mine don’t sound all that different. Let me guess, sometimes he says something that you don’t get and tells you to figure it out?”“Well, maybe sometimes.” Izuku took a sip from his water and relished the feeling of the cool drink, placing the rest of the bottle against the back of his neck. “He tries to be straightforward, but I guess he is used to being mysterious.”The two of them shared a laugh over their shared issue before lapsing into a comfortable silence. This would mark the third week the two of them had worked together, and while Izuku had shown talents in other areas of the FEAST center finding someone that Shigaraki could work with comfortably was a big enough boon to have them attached to each other.With a short grunt Shigaraki pulled out a handheld game from his pocket and started it up, careful to only keep four fingers from either hand on it to prevent his quirk from becoming active.It had been during their first day that Izuku had learned about it, a quirk that caused the destruction of anything that all five of his fingers touched. It was beyond powerful, and equally inconvenient for a human to live with. But regardless he had managed to adapt to it well enough.“We need to wait for the doctors to get here before we can move any more supplies,” Shigaraki explained as he clicked through the start menu. “And given that today is ‘get a shot day’ most of the medical staff onsite are busy helping, so that means we have about an hour or so to kill. Can’t just leave the boxes either,” he rapped his knuckles against one of the closest boxes. “Sometimes people try to steal them to sell for money.”“So our job is guard duty?” Izuku asked while pulling out his phone. “Is that safe for us?”Shigaraki shrugged as an answer. “Desperate doesn’t mean stupid, FEAST as a rule doesn’t let Heroes in but we do have security people who can deal with rulebreakers. So long as someone is close by no one will do anything dumb.” the boy paused for a moment and looked at Izuku. “Do you not play games?”Izuku looked up from his phone with a shy smile. “Well my Mom and I, we aren’t poor or anything but at the same time we don’t have a lot of money to put toward stuff like that.” he wasn’t ashamed of that, since his dad had passed when he was a kid his mom had worked hard to support the two of them. They had been lucky that his father's company had very generous life insurance, which had more than covered most things of importance. Shigaraki paused for a moment before reaching into his pocket and tossing Izuku another handheld device like his. “It's already preloaded with games, sensei says that it's better for me to have backups.”Izuku caught the device and blinked, examining the rather expensive thing that had just been thrown like a cheap toy at him. It wasn’t a special edition or anything like that, but it was in mint condition. “I’ll make sure to be careful with-” before Izuku could finish a harsh tone came from Shigaraki as his phone went off.“Hold that thought,” Shigaraki replied, picking up the phone between two fingers and holding it to his ear. “I’m busy wha- oh sensei its you.” his eyes went to Izuku for a moment, a frown playing on his face. “I need a bit more time, I have to get someone to finish the job I started. Yes sensei I know but you are the one who wanted me to start here. Right see you soon.” he sighed in exasperation and quickly punched in a text.“Is everything okay?” Izuku asked, a curious expression on his face.Shigaraki sighed and shook his head. “My sensei has something really important for me to do, looks like I might not be available for the next few weeks,” he idly scratched at his neck, a nervous tic that Izuku had only seen when he was really frustrated with something. “Guess it’s lucky in a way, didn’t you say that you were going to be busy pretty soon?”Izuku gave a happy nod, after spending the better part of a month volunteering he felt comfortable that he had explored enough of himself to properly focus for his exercises. Of course that meant cutting back on his volunteer time, but it was a sacrifice he would have to make. “Yeah, we might not be able to work together very often.”“Yeah,” Shigaraki sounded rather wistful for a moment. “It's a shame.”The door opened and two familiar faces to the two boys stepped into the room, the ‘security guards’ Danjuro Tobita and Manami Aiba, both quite popular with the younger crowd for being rather energetic and for being unintentionally hilarious while going about their duties. From Tobita asking to be referred to as a ‘Gentle Security Guard’ to Aiba’s constant gushing over Tobita to everyone who would still listen to her. “Worry not children, we were informed of the change of plans and have come to relieve you!” Tobita struck a wild pose while Aiba clapped for him, a bright smile on her face.The two could do nothing more then look at the two adults, barely swallowing a laugh before excusing themselves.The only thing Izuku could do in response was shaking his head, Shigaraki had what his mother would describe as a difficult personality. But somehow things managed to work out. “Oh right, sorry we didn’t get to play.” Izuku offered the device he had been given.Shigaraki looked at it for a minute and waved a hand. “Keep it, next time we meet I expect a decent challenge from you,” before Izuku could interject he raised a hand. “If you argue about it I will get ticked off.”Seeing that it wasn’t a fight he was going to be able to win Izuku simply smiled and lowered his head. “Thanks, next time I promise to give you a good match.”They finally exited to the lobby, where Inko was sitting at the reception desk happily typing away at her computer, turning to offer a smile at the two boys. “Done already?” she asked.“Shigaraki has to go, and since I can’t work without him,” Izuku looked a bit bashful.“Sorry about the trouble,” Shigaraki’s voice was gruff, a far cry from the casual conversations he carried on with Izuku. Ever since he had met Inko the young man had always seemed apprehensive of the woman. “You might want to put in that I won’t be able to work for awhile.”Inko frowned and looked toward the young man. “I hope nothing is wrong.”Shigaraki turned away from her caring gaze. “I-it’s nothing like that. I just have things to take care of.”Inko giggled into her hand, which only caused a dash of pink to go over the boys face. “Well I understand.It's a shame, Izuku has such fun working with you.”It was Izuku’s turn to flush, but he couldn’t really deny that it was true, Shigaraki was like a weird older friend. They tended to disagree on some things but still got along well. It was nice, working with him had helped Izuku grow. “Mom…”“Well regardless you will be missed until you can come back.” Inko said.“Right,” Shigaraki gave a wave to the two and went out the door, a slight hunch in his step.After he was gone Izuku turned to his mom with an excited smile. “So since I don’t have anything else to do, can I?”Inko shook her head with a smile on her face. “I suppose, try not to stay too late, you have class tomorrow.”Izuku’s face broke into a smile. “I promise!” with that said, he walked over to a nearby door, pausing for a moment and closing his eyes. “By the Gates of Alcore give me passage,” when he opened the door rather than leading into a supply closet it connected to the foyer of the Sanctum Santorum, and with a final wave Izuku entered and closed the door after him, only to have the janitor walked out of the room right afterward. Inko simply sighed and returned to her work, a wistful smile on her face. It seemed that her boy was well and truly growing up.Izuku stood before his mentor once again, meeting his eyes with an air of confidence that hadn’t been there before. “I think I understand myself sensei.”“Do you now?” Strange examined his student and found that the boy seemed more sure of himself now. While taking such a large break from their true lessons was a stumbling point he would rather avoid anything more dramatic in the future. “Then tell me.”“I want to help people,” Izuku drew in a calming breath. “But, I also want to feel good, and helping people feels good. Does that make me selfish?”Strange let out a short sigh and chuckled faintly under his breath. “Yes, but no more so than anyone else in the world. Your goal is admirable.”With that said the two of them entered the meditation room once more, Izuku flicking his wrist and causing the various incense burners to light before sitting down.“Find your focus,” Strange spoke slowly, focusing his breathing even as his student matched him. “Let all else bleed from your mind. And once you are empty your spirit will be able to leave its mortal shell.”Izuku did as his master asked, holding fast to his newfound focus in life and letting all other creeping thoughts fade away. To become a hero, to help others, and to find joy in that activity. Once that was all that he held in his mind he finally felt it. An emptiness within his own body, and if his body was empty…When Izuku opened his eyes he was looking at his own body from the outside, watching himself steadily breath. Part of him started to panic, but a hand fell on his shoulder and provided him peace.“It is always disorientating your first time, but you are tethered to your body and safe.” Strange spoke with a voice laced with experience, and within moments Izuku had calmed down. “Now tell me my student, why is this step necessary.”Giving Izuku a project to focus on helped him avoid the panic that he might have felt, and after taking a breath that he didn’t need out of reflex he focused his mind on past studies. “We draw power from sources outside of ourselves, however to commune with them means having to stand in the realms of ether. The easiest way to communicate then is to bring ourselves to them, rather then trying to draw them to us.” Strange offered a smile in his own spirit form. “Not only that, but this form makes it easy to peak in on a foe, and once you are stronger you can cast spells and defeat your enemies despite never having been in the same room as them.”Izuku hadn’t thought of that application, but then again all of his experience at this point in his life came from theory and learning from the Sanctum’s library. There was still a lot of room for him to grow if he wanted to match his teacher. “So now that I am here I can start learning how to use better magic right?” being able to lift things with his mind was cool, but Strange never let him really test it.“Indeed, while your world is surprisingly absent of magic users the fundamental forces that make up magic are the same as ever. Most beings exist outside of the normal bonds of a single frame of reality, so as long as you invoke them they will give you the power needed, for instance,” Strange closed his eyes and focused.While reaching for magic in his physical body was difficult due to the damage sustained in his battle against the monster that had assaulted his reality so long as he remained in spirit form within the Sanctum he would at least be able to perform some feats. “By the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, encircle my foe!”Izuku’s spiritual form was suddenly wrapped in a number of red circles made of a strange energy. For a moment he panicked, but no amount of effort would cause them to even so much as budge. “Wow, this ability is amazing.” the sheer applications of this ability alone would already make for an amazing quirk. Instant restraints that appeared out of thin air and pressed tight enough to not allow even room to budge.“Only so much as the caster wills them to be. Should your mind waver in its attempts to encircle your foe so shall its power.” with a wave of his hand Strange ended the spell, allowing Izuku’s ethereal form to move freely once more. “The power you can gain from magic is only equal to your own strength of will. The moment you lose yourself is the moment that even the most potent of spells will do no more then fade into nothingness.”Izuku looked down for a moment, which gave the odd effect of looking down at his own body. That sort of confidence didn’t come naturally to him. It was no secret that he was shy and reserved. Even now that Bakugou had made every attempt to cut communication with him making friends his own age had been a nearly impossible task. Shigaraki was about as close as he could get, and even then he could never quite tell what the other boy was thinking about.A gentle cough brought Izuku back to reality, a kind smile crossing over Strange’s face. “Now then, why don’t you try casting that spell on me. Simply speak the words and push your will forward.”That by itself seemed to shock Izuku out of his usual feedback loop. “Right sensei!” he closed his eyes and ran over the spell in his head, making sure he had every syllable correct before speaking. “By the Crimson Bands of Cy-” and then all at once, the world went dark.Izuku opened his eyes to a room that he had never seen before, becoming quickly aware that he was back in his physical form. “What happened?” he pulled himself up and looked around, eyes straining against the dark room, with only a few torches offering any sort of vision into the place.Dull stone made up both floor and walls and were cold to the touch. It looked like a scene pulled out of an old fantasy story where the hero was thrown into a dungeon by some wicked king. While this was normally the part where Izuku would start panicking he managed to swallow down his terror and steeled his mind, running a few of the mantras that Strange had taught him in order to focus his mind.Once his mental state was in order Izuku walked to the walls and put his hand on it, walking around until he had made an entire lap, finding no door or any obvious exit. “Okay,” he felt the panic begin to rise up in his chest before an idea came to him. “Right, I just need to project myself, I can get past the walls and figure out how I got in.”Izuku sat on the floor and closed his eyes, willing his mind to empty in order to embrace a disconnect from spirit and body. It took time to fully quiet his mind, but once he felt the state of emptiness overcome him a small shock hit his body and forced his eyes open.“Apologies, we can’t allow you to do that.” a tall skinny figure appeared before him, draped in a long brown cloak, a hood pulled over its head as to hide its face, its voice low and droning .“Your mind ain’t ready for what lies outside of this here place, not yet kiddo.” a second figure appeared next to the first, similarly hidden beneath a cloak, but rather then tall and skinny it was short and rounded, with a voice full of energy and life.“It isn’t safe,” a third figure appeared, smaller than the other two, almost matching Izuku in height and shape, its voice filled with nerves.Izuku was glad he had already managed to calm himself down, because if he wasn’t already prepared this situation probably would have had him terrified. “Who? What? Where?” even saying that however, he wasn’t exactly fully ready for whatever this was.“Who is relative.” the first replied.“What is ever shifting boyo.” the second boisterously answered. “And where is beyond explanation.” the third replied in its low tone.It took everything Izuku had to remain calm at such dodgy answers, but he managed himself well. For those three questions there were only riddles, which left only one course of action. “Why am I here?” he asked softly.The figures turned to each other for a moment, before turning back to Izuku. “A test must be performed.” the first figure said.“You are the first to call upon the powers unknown for many years so you must prove yourself worth before them.” the second continued.“To the victors the spoils, to the only contender, the victory.” the third finished.That was a bit to digest, he had remembered Strange having mentioned his own trials and tribulations when becoming his worlds greatest magic user, but nothing like this had ever come up. Then again according to the theories he had been taught each unique dimension had its own Sorcerer Supreme. “So is this the test?” he looked around at the stone room, trying to figure out what he was meant to do.“Not yet,” the three responded as one. “First you may take a boon from one of us to aid you for the trial ahead.”The first reached into its sleeve, pulling forth a purple substance in a crystal container in the shape of a star. “Crystalized intelligence, to drink from this is to have all of the worlds mysteries laid bear for your mind. Any question will be answered, any riddle solved. You will go before those who will judge you as a being of knowledge.”The second figure cupped its hands together, and a deep red substance in a wooden cup appeared in its hands. “A cup of pure power, the strength to make your enemies bend the knee, your allies follow your will without question. To have this power is to have the might needed to make yourself right in all things.”Izuku looked at the two, and could practically feel the power radiating off the two liquids, sweet and seductive, calling for him to embrace the power it would give him. But his eyes turned to the third, who held a paper cup with a clear liquid. “What about you?” Izuku questioned.“I can offer neither strength nor wisdom, mine is not a gift and you will face what comes next as nothing more then yourself. All I offer is clarity.”Izuku thought for a moment, considering all of the options put before him, and then stepped forward toward the smallest of the three and took the cup, drinking it back. The water was cool and refreshing, and he could feel his mind becoming clear. There were never walls around him, rather surrounding him was open space on all sides.He stood in the center of the stage, beings cast in shadow watching from all sides. Ringed around the stage, high above, and down below.“You accepted neither strength nor wisdom. Do you believe that you are worthy without the gifts offered to take the role you strive toward?” the voices that spoke were like legion, a single booming voice that none the less echoed with hundreds of different tones.“I’m just...I’m just me. Just because I am given knowledge doesn’t mean I know how to use it. My sensei still needs to explain it, and sometimes even then I have to study to really get it. And it's the same with being strong, even if I was as strong as All Might, it doesn’t mean I could use it to be like All Might.” Izuku was nervous, there was no doubt, but he remembered one of the most important lessons Strange had ever taught him. He was never going to be anyone else, so be the best he could be.“True wisdom is knowing oneself and not hiding it behind illusions.” a figure appeared on the stage with Izuku, a faint smile on their lips. The figure was dressed in all white, a flowing outfit that could have easily been mistaken for a cloud. Their face seemed feminine from one side, and masculine on another glance, ever shifting between either ideal. And the eyes, old yet young, a paradox of a person. “So you are to be my successor, a bit young. Hm, but so was that man back when he first started.”Izuku couldn’t help but be in awe of the person before him. Power radiated off him in waves, and for a moment he couldn’t help but wonder if Strange had been like this in his prime.The other voices were silent as the person smiled at Izuku. “The task you take is unlike any in the world, you are the guard and gate all in one, the beings both high and low will look to your world as they always have. Answer one question, and your test is done. Does the guard stand alone before the coming tide?”There was a pause. “No. I’m not that strong. I cry a lot when I mess up, and sometimes I don’t think I will ever be able to do what sensei thinks I will be able too.” the figure waited patiently as Izuku thought. “But...my mom hugs me when I cry and tells me to try again. And sensei guides me to work harder and puts me back on the right track. When I don’t understand how to do a task Shigaraki will get mad but he will still teach me step by step. If I get scared Mr. Tobita and Ms. Aiba will always come and make sure I feel better. And when I need to work hard against someone, Kacchan does something amazing that makes me want to try harder.”The figure clapped their hands and turned to the beings that watched. “Well then, what say you?”A mighty laugh rang out from above. “Indeed well spoken child, the wisdom of even the Aesir can not grant clarity of self. The King of Storms votes yay.”A dark voice from beneath simply sighed. “This one is not for us, but we shall not stand before him. After all, who else shall catch what falls?”Hundreds of voices rang out their support, a massive roar of support for him. Only all at once to be replaced with the silence of the stone room once more. However instead of the three figures, only the one in white remained.“You take on a heavy burden, and you are still too young by half to take on the full responsibility of Sorcerer Supreme.” they reached forward and took Izuku’s right arm, cupping it between two hands before stepping back.Where they hands had been rested now sat a metal bracelet, many interlocking chains wrapping around his arm with a single pendant sitting atop it in the shape of a tree. “The Guard of Avalon. Just as your teacher has the Eye of Agamotto and the Cape of Levitation you shall have regalia to mark your position. Its power will protect you until you are ready to take the next step.”Izuku looked down at the bracelet, touching the cold metal in awe and reverence. “Thank you, wait, what's your name?” he couldn’t properly thank them without one.“Hm, a name?” the figure closed their eyes and shook their heads. “I’m just a story, or maybe a dream of a world that never came true. Now then, time to wake up Izuku.”Izuku’s eyes shot open as he came back to reality, gone was the stone room, having been replaced with a guest room he had laid at many times when he had exhausted himself during practice. The sheets were cool, and thin rays of light came through the window onto his sleeping form.“Well you certainly had me worried there.” Strange rose up from a chair, his back creaking to a look of mild discomfort on his face. “So then, do you want to explain what happened so I can think of a way to protect myself from your mother's wrath?”Izuku considered that for a moment, running his left hand to his wrist and feeling the cold steel, offering it for his teachers eyes. “By the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, bind my foes.” a bright red band appeared around the chair Strange had just been sitting in, holding it tight so that any attempt to budge it was rendered moot. “It's a long story.”Strange looked gobsmacked for a moment, before a bright smile came over his face. “One I should very much like to hear. And afterward we need to build a new schedule. Much to do, and only a short amount of time to have them done before you move to your next step.”But even while Izuku rested, a darker force began its own advance through the streets.“Sir, moving about like this while you are still injured, I don’t mean to question you but is this really safe?” Kurogiri walked behind Tomura and the still bandaged All for One with his quirk deactivated in order to look less conspicuous walking through the lamp lit street.“My body might be held together with pins and the sheer volume of bandages around it, but that doesn’t mean I’m an invalid Kurogiri.” All for One turned his head just a bit to shoot a leveled look back to Kurogiri, which seemed to quiet the man quickly enough.“Master, I still don’t understand what the point of this is. We’ve been wandering the city for weeks now and you still haven’t ‘jogged your memory’,” Tomura reached to scratch his neck, but a glare from his master was enough to pause his hand.“Good, we’ll train you of that disgusting habit yet,” All for One declared cheerily as he continued to guide the group through the various streets, giving a small wave to a police officer that passed them on patrol. Even covered head to toe in bandages he didn’t stand out in the least, after all there were plenty of people who could only survive in this world with special accommodations due to mutations. “At the moment Tomura you don’t need to understand why I do things, like a good student you need to simply obey teacher.”Tomura forced his mouth shut and simply followed his teacher as they made their way forward. “I uh, met someone while working at the center,”“Oh?” All for One turned to Tomura, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Could it be that you’ve finally come into your popular period? I don’t imagine many confessions but if you receive a love note remember to share it with the teacher so I can gauge if they are worth it or not.”“That isn’t what I mean,” Tomura quickly barked out, turning his face away from All for One. “I mean, I’ve been working with this kid. At first I thought he was a pain in the ass that would get in my way. But he isn’t all that bad, still annoying but I don’t want to kill him when he talks.”“Progress is a beautiful thing isn’t it Kurogiri?” when the other man didn’t reply All for One let out a sigh. “Teacher is proud of you Tomura, managing to suppress your nature in public is the first step toward becoming the perfect villain. It's okay to want to kill, to cause chaos, even to just destroy for the sake of it. But those impulses should always be aimed at constructive uses. Destroying your own organization out of anger will only lead to pain.”The group stopped as All for One raised a hand before the opening of an alleyway. “Okay this is the spot,” as if the emphasize his declaration a short scream followed by silence echoed out of the alley. “Mean faces on everyone, don’t want to look weak in front of our new friend.”Kurogiri wrapped himself in the darkness that acted as his portal while Shigaraki took a hand from his coat pocket and placed it over his face, fingers twitching as if they had minds of their own. All for One simply walked forward, as any display of power would most likely make his body fall back to dust.In the darkness of the alley the three would be witness to a bloodstained scene, a costumed man pinned to the ground with long knives, body twitching as the last of its lifeblood pooled onto the street. A figure loomed over it, long tongue darting about and turning to look at them like a ghoul spotting fresh prey.“Hero Killer Stain,” All for One greeted the ghoulish killer as if he were an old and familiar friend. “Is that the Guardsmen? You sly dog you never fail to impress.” even being witness to this scene All for One seemed almost playful, like catching a dog chewing on a bone.Stain however didn’t seem friendly to their approach, pulling out two knives in either hand and taking on a defensive pose. “And who the hell are you?” his voice was a full rasp, like someone trying to speak through years of throat damage.“Friends, enemies, villains.” All for One tilted his head. “Depending on who you ask.”“I see, villains huh?” Stain was still for a moment, and then flashed forward at speeds that bordered on superhuman. Neither Kurogiri or Shigaraki had time to even react before Stain was nearly atop All for One and ready to strike. “Just more trash to be taken ou-” before his strike could land All for One lifted his leg and slammed it into the hero killers stomach with enough force to throw him back down the alley and into a metal fence, bouncing off of that only to end up on the floor.“Shit!” All for One hobbled up and down on one leg, leaning on Shigaraki as one of his legs dangled uselessly under him. “You can’t imagine how much that hurts.” the useless leg began to shift and move of its own accord before a loud crack rang out, and he was able to put pressure on it once more. “But it's not a bad trade, seeing as I just broke four of your ribs.”Stain tried to push himself up, only managed to cough out blood onto the street. “Who...the hell are you?” he weakly questioned.“Just a man who wants everything.” All for One spread one arm away from himself, and Kurogiri extended a small black portal, out of which a small box dropped into All for One’s waiting hand. “But also a fan of your work. I come with a gift for the future, a present from far away.” he threw the box by Stain’s limp form.Stain could only look at the box as it began to shake and rattle, small holes opening as a black liquid pooled out of it and seemed to move toward him. “Stop, I-” whatever he was about to say was stolen away from him as the black liquid jumped up and covered his face, spreading out from the box and wrapping around his form.“Well I’ll be damned, the records were right about this one,” All for One whistled as he watched the transformation before his eyes. “So Stain, how does it feel?”“It feels...good.” the rasp in Stain’s voice disappeared as his thin figure began to rise once more, all hints of pain disappearing. “I-no...not I. We feel strong.” Stain closed his hand as the black substance began to bleed away, covering his clothing and scarf and leaving both as black as the night. “Stronger than ever before.”All for One gave a nod and pulled out an envelope, tossing it toward Stain who caught it between two fingers. “The price for my gift, when the time comes, follow the instructions within. If you don’t I will repo my gift. Understood, Stain?”A low chuckle escaped Stain’s mouth, but his voice was different, like two people speaking at the same time. “No, not Stain, not anymore. We accept your offer, for this partnership of ours will be greatly beneficial. But from this day forth we are changed, stronger together. To this society of false heroes and daily villains we have become something much worse.”“Oh?” All for One leaned forward. “And what would that be?”“We are Venom!”And like that, the night grew a bit darker.Years passed quickly enough, and while some things change others are meant to be the same. As time draws close for Izuku’s next step his class talks about their future plans, everyone wants to be a hero that much is clear, but only two have the sort of grades and recommendations that will put them on a charter to U.A.“DEKU!” Bakugou slams an explosive palm into Izuku’s desk, sending his school supplies and papers into the air, only to be caught by the invisible force of Izuku’s magic. “You bastard, what makes you think you can get into U.A.?” the fury in his eyes reminds Izuku of all those years ago in the forest, his offered hand being met with anger.In another time, in another life Izuku would have summoned half formed excuse in order to feed a delusion of purpose to his life. But this life was different, now he stood as the student of the greatest magician of another world, and the future Sorcerer Supreme of this one. To offer anything but his best to such a question would be an insult to both of them. “Because being a hero is everything to me.” was his simple and honest answer.That seemed to throw Bakugou off his game for a moment, as such a direct and honest answer wasn’t something he was used to receiving. He couldn’t throw it back into the other boys face, and the longer he stood there without saying anything the more awkward the atmosphere of the classroom became. “Well...just don’t get in my way!” he turned around and took his seat, the teacher having long ago given up on having any chance of controlling Bakugou.The rest of the day went on normally enough, Izuku taking notes but mostly looking disinterested in the subjects. An advanced course in academics had been part of his mental training so he was pretty sure he could pass the class with both eyes closed, but such blatant confidence was likely to get him pointed out and he would rather pass quietly.However as school ended that wish was trampled upon as Bakugou and his two goons surrounded Izuku as he tried to leave. “Sorry, I really need to get home.” when he tried to walk past Bakugou pressed forward and bumped into him, hard.“I don’t know where you think you can get off standing up to me, but you are always going to be the same weak Deku as always. Don’t think having a quirk is going to make you any better than all those other losers in class.” Bakugou was in rare form today, his anger masked by a smile that was all teeth.Izuku looked at him, really looked at him and tried to figure out why he was doing this, what Bakugou gained out of this entire encounter. “Thank you for the advice,” Izuku slipped between Bakugou and his friends and shook his head going down the hallway, trying to summon up just why he had felt the need to do that. Even as he walked the streets back home he couldn’t help but try to puzzle it out, think of some reason for his behavior at that moment.And of course, lost in his thoughts he never saw the pool of green sludge just under his feet.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

There are few surefire ways to take down a true master of the mystic arts. For those that fight against the learned ones the only suggestion they can put forward is to attack from incredible distance with a single attack. This made the possibility of a counterattack much lower than on average if only because the attacker would get a head start should they run into some defense they couldn't pierce.Of course, the other method was to utterly silence a sorcerer and do something that threw their mind into utter chaos, like say, wrapping a body composed entirely of slime around their entire person and attempting to force yourself down their throats.Izuku was of course face to face with this sort of situation, and the fact he wasn't trapped in a cycle of panic spoke well to the years of training he had received from Strange."Honestly kid I don't like this much more than you, but when you have a hero on your ass you do what you gotta do in order to survive," the slime villain's voice held no sympathy despite the horrible act he was engaging in, almost speaking conversationally to the younger boy. "Not that it changes anything, but you are my hero, kid."Those words sparked a hint of anger in Izuku's mind, that mocking joking tone that reminded him of others, of a certain blonde haired boy who would often step on his dream during their younger days. If he died here, then all the people who had said that becoming a hero was impossible for him would be right. All those hours of training, all that time studying, all reducing to nothing.Even as his thoughts burned from lack of oxygen he reached toward the greatest weapon in his arsenal, his mind. Without being able to speak he couldn't call upon the great majority of his powers, and even in his thoughts he couldn't focus enough to project his spirit and attack that way. But he had one power that didn't require a vocal component to activate, the only tool that had been with him even before Strange had found him on the street that day.Izuku brought his hands up and dug his fingers into the slime villains body, closing his eyes even as the last few flashes of thought faded from his mind. And then he gave a single command, power arcing through his body as his innate magic did its work.
Feel
His main magical talent was in the realm of empathic magic, the ability to pick up thoughts and feelings from people and objects. It's what had allowed him to feel Bakugou's emotions that day at the riverbed, but all things that flow in one direction can be made to do the opposite. So with what little power he had left Izuku forced a connection to the villain and forced him to experience what he was doing to Izuku.The lack of breath. The feelings of hopelessness. The utter terror of the thought of death."W-what the hell!?" the villain began to rapidly gush forth out of Izuku, his main body slinking away from the boy as if trying to put as much space as possible between them. "What did you do to me?!" the villain threw itself against the ground as if trying to knock the feelings he had just experienced free. "I don't want this, I don't want to know how you feel!"Air filled Izuku's lungs, which while on its own was great still lead to a coughing fit trying to eject any leftover of the villain's form out of himself. He wanted to pass out, the experience he had just gone through was too much for most people to handle. Already he could feel darkness creeping over his mind. But if he passed out the villain would get away and try to do that to someone else. He couldn't let anyone else get hurt just because he was weak."By the Great Gates of Avalon, be sealed!" Izuku lifted his right arm and pointed the Guard of Avalon at the villain, his power flowing through the ancient artifact and casting forth his power and will into a spell. Around the villain a translucent orb appeared, entrapping him in an airtight and impenetrable prison. "You won't ...hurt...anyone else…"And for a short time, he managed to keep that promise, holding the villain in a deadlock. If he had been more about himself he could have made a call to the police, but as things stood the moment he lost focus would also be the exact moment he blacked out.But he wouldn't be caught in this stalemate for long, as a loud explosion drew his attention away from his target, the barrier bursting like a bubble in disbelief. At first he thought that his brain was making nonsense to give him a sense of peace, but even as he fell there was a sense of realness to what he saw.The figure that had landed to take over the battle against the villain was the number one hero in Japan, the one known around the world as a pillar of justice. All Might had arrived to save him.Izuku came back to the waking world to the feeling of a large hand patting him on the back."Come on now young man, can't sleep here." the strong voice of All Might filled Izuku's ears, flashing back to the odd situation he was in. Just moments ago he had almost been killed by a villain, and now he was face to face with the man who had inspired him to try and become a hero in the first place."I'm awake," Izuku said with no small amount of nervousness. He was sitting in the middle of the street with a national treasure right beside him. If there was ever a time to remember his breathing exercises it was this moment. "Wait, the villain!" Izuku jumped up, only to remember he hadn't exactly been steady on his legs when he had went down the first time. But All Might's reaction was faster than his fall, and he ended up being caught by one of the heroes hands."You needn't worry about that criminal," All Might made sure Izuku was steady before straightening out and revealing a large soda bottle in either hand. But rather then a sugary drink both were stuffed with the slime villain's form, compacted down to just enough mass to be held inside. "Not the most healthy of drinks, I much prefer a nice cold justice myself," he held for a laugh, but seeing the still shocked expression on Izuku's face put any expectations on ice.When one had been in the hero business as long as All Might had little clues spoke volumes. The wetness on Izuku's clothing and the way he had been shaking when he had arrived on the scene painted a fairly clear picture of what had happened before he had arrived. If he was a less morally upstanding sort he would have given the bottles a few more shakes just to show the villain what for. But it bumped up the robbery charge to an assault charge, he wouldn't be seeing the light of day for a long time."You're...All Might," the hint of reverence in Izuku's tone was all too familiar to the world's number one hero, but it still managed to send a bolt of pride through his heart. "I was just saved by All Might...wait I almost just died but then I was saved by All Might?!" Izuku's brain was caught in a spiral of excitement, terror, and relief."Calm down kid," normally All Might would try and be a bit more comforting, but he could practically feel his wound burning in his chest, slowly ticking down the time he could remain in his stronger form. "It will be okay now."Izuku took a few shaky breaths and gave a nod, remembering his lessons in composure from Strange and focusing on his hero. "Right I'm...I'm okay," he let out one more breath and looked toward his hero, trying to summon forth something to say. "Would-is it okay to ask to shake your hand, sir?"All Might blinked for a moment, more than a bit surprised by the question. Autographs or a few words on a recording were a normal request upon meeting him, but something as temporary as a handshake was a rare request in this day and age. Still seeing his determined expression the hero put out a hand. "Of course son, put 'ere there." a quick shake and he could be on his way.Izuku looked at the offered hand, large enough that it could probably crush a watermelon with a simple grip and put forward his own. This was a rare opportunity, and for the moment it was all he could do to thank the person who had inspired him.But the moment their hands came into contact a link was created, because Izuku had never lowered his empathic abilities, not consciously anyway. After having trained it so keenly he could do much more then pull feelings, when he was focused he could get a glimpse of a memory that connected something they were strongly feeling.All Might was in constant pain, to the point it was the dominating thought in his mind.And all that pain linked back to one memory.Despite being recognized as the world's greatest hero those who fought Toshinori Yagi, hero name All Might, would have compared him instead to a monster or demon. A totally unstoppable force that could only be cowered before while awaiting punishment. And on this day he was true to form, tearing through a massive skyscraper and hurling armed thugs and villains as if they weren't even there.This was the final rat hole that All for One had left after his months long crusade against the Japenese underworld. He had worked his way from bottom to top in order to eliminate any support or protection the villain who had killed his master might have had. Along with the aid of the government and the other heroes he had cleared them away like trash.Simply put, there was nowhere for All for One to hide any longer, and it was with the exact knowledge that this was where he would flee that the trap had been sprung. Heroes, police, even some military assets had surrounded the building and ordered the surrender of everyone inside. It was only after they opened fire that All Might and the other heroes had been given clearance to enter.Most of his comrades at the moment were busy dealing with All for One's last line of defense, those who had been gifted Quirks and thus were the most loyal to the organization. They had told him to go forward and claim the king, once All for One was defeated the rest of the enemies within would topple.So with a final push of effort he knocked away the last defender and stalked toward the door leading into the head office at the top floor, his fist balled tightly as he prepared to meet the man who had killed his master."Knock knock All for One," he brought up his foot and kicked the door, shattering it inward as he stepped through. "I am he-" his words died in his throat as the office came into full view.The office looked like the scene of a massacre, bodies thrown about like broken toys. At the back of the room sat the figure that had haunted the heroes dreams for years now, the man who killed his mentor. His entire form was battered beyond recognition; ever square inch of his body riddled with some sort of disfigurement or ruination. But the most striking part of it was his head having been severed from his body, held in the hands of a figure behind him."It's a waste, but I don't really need a tool like you at this point," the figure turned its eyes toward All Might, and for the first time since he had become a pro hero fear exploded in his heart. Others villains could cause stress, even cause moments of doubt but this was something beyond that.The cold dead eyes of the figure holding the severed head of his greatest foe didn't truly look at him, but rather through him, as if he were looking at a corpse in front of him. "Ten seconds faster, still a margin of error that I can deal with."Those words broke All Might out of the trance the figures eyes had put him into, focusing for the first time on the person in front of him. But then came a new shock, as he genuinely didn't know what he was looking at.There were parts that he could lock on to, the figure was most likely male and dressed well despite the various drying bloodstains that clung to his suit. Youngish, maybe early or mid twenties and built on the thin side but still with enough build that it was noticeable. Black hair, hellish red eyes, and oddly enough two spiral horns growing from his head. But when he tried to put it together, tried to think 'this is what the person in front of me looks like' nothing clicked. As if he were looking at the idea of someone standing in front of him."Perception Filter, it's a neat little ability that confuses the human mind and obscures my being toward those I choose. Despite a limited range its perfect for stealth missions." the man let the head of All for One drop out of his hands. "Unlike this. Unfair Evil: Rupturous Applause!" he clapped his hands together and a massive wave of force slammed into All Might, throwing him out of the room and through two walls before finally slamming against a third hard enough to leave a web of cracks in it."Who the hell are you?" All Might pulled himself free and focused himself on the task ahead. Whoever this guy was he meant business and had enough power to kill the most terrifying being on the planet in his own place of power. One way or the other he had to take him down.The man walked out of the room, stretching his body out as if preparing for a workout. "Well that should be obvious. I can use multiple quirks, and I've already made myself your enemy. Wait no, I should introduce myself," the man made a sweeping bow to All Might. "I am All for One, a pleasure to meet you All Might.""Enough games!" All Might roared and charged toward the man who had proclaimed himself to be All for One, the room shaking as he truly moved with his full speed and reared back a punch that could level a city block at his foe."It's no game All Might," All for One watched the approaching fist and took a stance at the last moment. "Unfair Evil: Danse Macabre!" he stepped into the approaching fist and seemed to pass through it, his entire body phasing through All Might so the hero hit nothing but empty air.After finally stopping his charge All Might began to suddenly cough, his entire body shaking as blood and spittle escaped his mouth. "What did you-" he coughed again, staining the ground with more blood."Don't worry, the damage is superficial at most, passing through you like that played havoc with your organs but given your ability to heal and your strength it won't be enough to take you down." All for One was almost conversation, as if he had never taken this fight seriously for a moment.All Might's only response was a roar, swinging his fist around to strike his foe, and even as All for One stepped back the force of the swing put a hole in the nearby wall. Normally he regulated his attacks to ensure he wouldn't punch a hole in a person by accident. But in order to fight someone on this level he couldn't hold back even a single bit of his power."Scary, Unfair Evil: Shadow Play!" All for One's body began to glow, and all around the room various copies of him came out of the shadows within the room, pulling themselves from any shade that was cast. The copies were not perfect, there was no detail except for the vague shape of body, pitch black silhouettes that seemed to dance and sway as they took solid shape. "Not my favorite army maker, but I'm low on supplies and they should ho-"Before All for One could finish his speech All Might was already in motion, his fists flying in front of him with terrifying speed and power. The sheer force exerted acted like a ranged weapon, and the shadows copies were ripped the shreds where they stood. Before All for One could react All Might closed the distance and landed a blow that rattled the building directly into the villains chest. "You-" All Might rained blows upon All for One with his full power, lifting the other man into the air with his assault. "-Talk-" All Might delivered an uppercut that put a hole through the roof directly under All for One's chin. "To MUCH!" to finish his attack he grabbed All for One's head and threw him like a ragdoll into the ground, throwing the villain through three floors.After taking a breath All Might dove down after his enemy, only to be blasted by the same sonic force All for One had opened their brawl with, throwing him up and through the hole in the roof created by his blows. Instinct took over, and with a flick of his fingers All Might threw himself onto the more solid part of the roof.Out of the hole All for One floated out, looking none the worse for wear other then some scuff marks on his suit. "You are and will forever be my most terrifying enemy, All Might. But it doesn't matter, because so long as these horns are on my head, I will reduce all you do to nothing." his body flickered for a moment, and when he next spoke, it was from behind All Might. "That being said, Unfair Evil-Hero Killer." All for One thrust a hand forward into All Might's stomach, and ripped it out to the side, spilling blood and viscera on the roof.What happened next would forever haunt anyone who heard it.All Might screamed.Izuku and All Might pulled away from each other in shock, a flicker of understanding flashing across both their eyes."You're hurt," Izuku said without much inflection, in the same tone a child might use when finding out Santa didn't exist.All Might turned without a word, panic filling his entire form as he readied himself to leap away from the scene. That nightmare which constantly haunted him had been played out in detail and shared with a complete stranger. An utter breach of any sort of privacy, a display of the cracks that he worked so hard to keep hidden from the world. So he moved to get as far away as he could.But even as he was hurtling through the air he could feel a weight on his back.A literal weight as it turned out."Wait All Might!" Izuku tried to speak even as the air pressure buffeted his form. "I didn't, I'm...oh crap!" as if a switch had been turned Izuku realized the situation he had put himself in, clutching tight to All Might in a desperate attempt not to fall. The distance between the ground and here was much further than the top shelf of Strange's library, and he was too exhausted to even think about keeping himself in one piece.All Might silently cursed himself for this situation, using what little remained of his power to adjust himself and landed heavily on a nearby rooftop, skidding to a halt. "Hell kid, that was…" he clutched his chest and stepped away from Izuku, only making it a few feet away before smoke billowed off of his body. When the smoke cleared the heroic visage of the number one hero was gone, replaced by his form. A skeletal runt who looked like a stiff breeze would knock him over."Oh," Izuku's eyes went wide but he quickly swallowed down his anxiety. "I don't...how?""So you really saw that huh?" as much as he wanted to be pissed about what Izuku had done All Might could see that there wasn't a drop of malice behind it, at least if the kid had gone fishing for something like that he wouldn't look so damn pale after finding out. Still this was a bit beyond an accident. "If you're asking how I survived, it was sheer luck.""Luck?" Izuku couldn't imagine random chance had managed to save All Might against such a terrifying being. Unless he was meant to believe that All for One had tripped and knocked himself out.All Might shook his head and took a seat on the ground, motioning for Izuku to do the same. Everything was out in the air now, and if he didn't answer the kid then who knows what would have happened. "So then, it stopped after the bastard put a hole in my stomach."All for One laughed, his entire body arching back as he watched All Might scream. "It was worth all of the work just for this moment. Sure I slept through most of the wait but still," the villain raised a hand into the air to prepare for a final strike. "Any last words?"All Might forced himself to look up at the man and did what little he could through the haze of pain that was clouding his mind. He spat a glob of blood directly onto his shoes."That's just childish." and with those words All for One brought his hand down toward All Might's head to deliver the killing blow.But the moment his hand touched All Might's head All for One's entire arm was suddenly ripped apart.The scream that rang out next certainly didn't belong to All Might, but it was haunting in its own way."No, damn it I should have still ha-" All for One backed away, or at least tried to. Whatever had happened to his arm hit one of his legs at the same time, the limb lost all function as it was ripped open as if by invisible claws. "Shit!" he tried to reach up with his remaining arm to touch the twin horns on his head, but at the slightest touch they shattered to dust. "No, you can't abandon me like this, I should have still had time!" blood began to leak from his eyes, mouth, and nose as more signs of trauma began to manifest across his entire body.All Might watched his foe's sudden ruination, and even through the fog of pain he saw the opening of a lifetime. Even if it were a trick this was his last shot. So with every ounce of willpower left in his devastated form he pushed to his feet and charged. Blood and bits of his stomach were barely held in with one arm, the other rearing back for a blow.All for One turned to watch the approaching hero, fear burning in his crimson eyes for the first time in their entire fight. He opened his mouth to scream, but all that came out was a gurgling sound as his vocal cords were ripped to shreds by internal trauma."SMASH!" All Might roared the only word left to him, digging in his heels and delivering a blow that could shatter mountains into the body of All for One, sending the man flying through the air, a web of cracks running all along the roof and down the sides of the building even as the villain cleared the horizon.As he watched his enemy vanish All Might allowed himself a moments victory on his feet, before promptly collapsing onto the roof. He was vaguely aware of voices calling out to him, but he was too far gone to care."Master...I...did it.""I pretty much lost consciousness after that, when I woke up I had been through almost a full days worth of surgery and lost most of my stomach," he lifted his shirt to show the gruesome wound on his stomach.Izuku listened to the entire tale with rapt attention, trying to absorb the information as best he could. While most would be horrified by a tale of blood and carnage like that he was in a quite unique position. Most of the tales his mentor had told him were horrifying beyond reason, outer gods and planet eaters. Horror came hand in hand with magic."I can help," Izuku suddenly said, his good intentions outracing his brain in the moment. "I mean-I think I can."All Might, or rather Toshinori Yagi now that he was in his true form looked at Izuku and shook his head. "I wish that were true, but this isn't something that can be fixed so easily."Izuku shook his head. "No I mean, my power…" he bit his lip and tried to think of some reason he was going to be able to do what he was about to do.One of the many conversations that he had his mentor had run over was how he should present his magical abilities to a world where most people were born with but a single ability. The answer they had come to was simple. He would simply say it was magic, and let the results speak for themselves. Even if people didn't really believe in it they could draw their own conclusions about the things he could do. However in this situation such a relaxed explanation wouldn't hold water."When I touch someone without thinking I can connect to what they are thinking and feeling, and when one thing is really on someone's mind I can even see it like I did with you. My mentor calls it 'empathy'. But I wasn't paying attention, so I got that memory, but I also understand a little bit about your quirk to," he closed his eyes, focusing on the content and what his powers had picked up."Your quirk boosts everything about you, strength, speed, durability. But it also helps you heal, because it has to in order for your body to deal with the stress of everything else. But your quirk is really straightforward, so it only really understands how to do simple things that a normal human body can do." Izuku dug deep into his own research of quirks, a field of study that had always interested him and his mentor had actively encouraged. "It probably couldn't fix everything, but if your quirk understood how you had been hurt it could um…" he realized how fast he had been talking from the confused look on Toshinori's face."I can tell your quirk what it's doing wrong and maybe it can...help out?" Izuku finished rather lamely.Toshinori was caught for a moment, looking as far from a confident hero as one could in that exact moment. The logical part of his brain was telling him the kid was giving him a crock about how to help to make up for whatever weird thing happened with his quirk before. The heroic part of his brain told him that unauthorized quirk use should be punished with at least a verbal warning and a reminder of the laws of society. But the all too human part of his brain that wanted to wake up from sleep without constant pain was louder then the other voices at the moment."And if it doesn't work?"Izuku considered for a moment. "Nothing," he took a breath and summoned all of the confidence his teacher had given him throughout the years. "Because it will." he offered a hand to Toshinori.And for whatever reason, the man behind the hero reached forward and took the boys hand."By the All Seeing, All Knowing Vishanti who watch from above," Izuku spoke silently under his breath, feeling the stress of magic flowing into his body as the keepers of order heard his call to them. "Guide and grant wisdom, to the passage to a greater future," the power inside of his flowed out of his hands and into Toshinori.The man felt a warmth flow through his body, but after a few moments it passed and he let Izuku's hand go. Maybe that was as far as things could go, that little nugget of hope had been foolish after all. Burying his disappointment in another false miracle he readied himself to ask the child for discretion in this matter when something happened.For the first time in a good number of years Toshinori's stomach rumbled. It was a clear and vibrant sound, an embarrassing bodily reaction to most but to him it was something much different.It was closer to being complete then he had felt in years."Young man," Toshinori looked up toward the young boy in front of him, who looked exhausted enough to drop. "What did you say your name was again?""Izuku Midoriya, sir." Izuku went for a bow, but given his exhaustion he just sort of stumbled a bit before righting himself."I see," Toshinori looked at the young man and pulled out a business card, handing it over. "I would very much like to talk to you again. I believe that we have much to discuss. Tell me young man, have you ever considered becoming a hero?"Izuku's eyes widened, tears building up past his ability to force them down. "I...it's all I've ever wanted.""Young man, I want you to hear my promise today, if you are willing to continue working hard I will make it my mission to see that you become a hero." he put a hand on Izuku's shoulder before walking past. "I'll be awaiting your call, young man."He walked through the door and left Izuku to cheer and cry at the top of the roof as an explosion of emotions hit the young man all at once.It wasn't until he reached the third floor that Toshinori realized that the bottle he had kept the Slime Villain contained in was missing.There were few moments of pure bliss in Izuku's life that the young man could summon up off the top of his head. His discovery of his magic ranked pretty well up there, as did his first thanks from those who needed the help of the FEAST center. But meeting All Might, helping his hero. No above even that having the man he had looked up to for years saying he wanted to help Izuku become a hero. What that meant exactly didn't really matter in the slightest to him because he had All Might's phone number in his pocket.Now all he had to do was explain the whole situation to his mom and Strange. Which would be far from easy but he figured so long as he downplayed the nearly drowning with the meeting All Might part it could still go through. At least it gave him an excuse for being so late coming home on a day that had been set aside for school work.However his thoughts were torn away from him as a massive explosion shook the nearby area, with various people sprinting away from an area and shouting something about a villain attack. Normally Izuku would just brush it aside and continue on his way home. But then he picked up a certain phrase that many of the people running kept repeating.'It's a villain made of Slime, he took a kid hostage!'Realization struck him like a lightning bolt, when he had grabbed All Might from behind, with how his hands were placed it would make sense that one of the bottles would have fallen.This was his fault.Izuku didn't even realize he had started running against the crowd until he was already in the battlezone that had taken over the nearby block.The entire area was on fire, various heroes standing at the mouth of an alleyway trying to hold back both gawkers and news crews who wanted to get the first shots of the incident. Still Izuku was small and could easily manage to slide through the wall of bodies to get a clear look.He had been right about the Slime Villain having escaped, its grotesque pseudo liquid form having increased since he had last seen it. But what caught his attention most was the person at its center.``you're nothing but a worthless Deku!'"Why, why did he grab Kacchan?" out of all of the people in the entire world, the villain had grabbed middle schoolers in the same class. The odds of it all boggled the mind, but still Izuku was frozen for a moment. The pain and fear in Bakugou's proud yet defiant eyes was so utterly alien to him that it would have been easily to think he was someone else.But this was no mistake, no rather this was his responsibility. For letting the villain escape due to his own reckless actions.Izuku broke free from the crowd and weaved around the heroes, madly charging toward the villain without a thought in his mind. His instincts had jumped the gun on his mind. Strange would probably lecture him on that later, but there simply wasn't time left to think."What, no no no no get the hell away from me!" the Slime Villain reared back as Izuku charged, making an almost comical scene for those watching. A monstrous villain with an appearance ripped out of a horror movie, who had faced multiple heroes without flinching was now trying his hardest to flee from a middle schooler.If he wanted to get Bakugou free the first thing he would have to do was prevent the villain from escaping. His own telekinesis wouldn't be enough, but there were plenty of beings that could hold someone tight. Normally the Bands of Cyttorak would be his go too for this sort of situation, but given the villain's form he wasn't sure if he could bind them tight enough."By the Hoary Hands of Hoggoth," he muttered the incantation under his breath and extended his senses to the villain, pushing forth vast telekinetic force to keep the villain trapped in place.That was of course about as far as his plan went, casting multiple spells at once was still something that gave him trouble, not to mention he was still exhausted from the previous attack and invoking the Vishanti to aid All Might. Still he reached his hands into the very body of the villain and tried to dig Bakugou out, because he hadn't come this far just to give up on him now."Why are you-" Bakugou tried to speak despite the villain having wrapped itself around most of his head. "-trying to save me!""Because someone had too, I won't let you die," he finally made contact with skin and began to pull with all the strength he could summon. "But I can't do it alone. Help me Kacchan." he didn't know why he slipped back to that old name. He hadn't even thought of it since the day he had touched Bakugou and discovered the hate he held toward him. All he really knew in the moment was that he didn't want to watch someone he admired die."Damn it!" Bakugou closed his eyes and began to focus. "Pull, now!" the Slime Villain's body began to shift and bloat as a continuous series of explosions rang out from Bakuou's palm, and along with Izuku's pull he was wrenched free of the villains embrace.But as they fell to the hard ground Izuku's concentration was shattered, and the villain loomed large over them. "I'm not going down without taking you brats with me."Bakugou and Izuku watched the villain as it prepared to fall on them, but before it got the chance a figure put itself between them."I'm afraid that won't be happening villain. For I am here!" All Might stood between the villain and the two children, his eyes flaring with power. His body still hurt, and nothing that was wrong would be fixed so fast that every movement in this form wasn't agony.But his stomach had felt hungry for the first time in years, and he saw some glimmer of hope that he didn't need to project into the world. And for even that much, he would shatter whatever limitations were before him.After all, was he not a hero?"Damn you all!" the villain reared back a tendril like arm, but it was all for not."Detroit Smash!" with a blow strong enough to bring a building down All Might took out the Slime Villain."So...cool." Izuku collapsed against the ground, darkness rushing to meet him as Bakugou shouted his name from someplace far away. "I'll just close my eyes for a minute."He was snoring by a three count.From a nearby rooftop the bandaged figure of All for One lowered a pair of binoculars from his wrapped face. "Fifteen seconds fast this time, something isn't right." he handed off the binoculars to Kurogiri.The warp villain sent the binoculars away using his ever present quirk and focused on the man he called master. "While this has been an interesting sight, I am still unclear as to why this was something we had to view in person. Such pond scum rise each day.""You aren't wrong, that's why I left Shigaraki to his games instead of bringing him along. But this is a clear divergent point so not being here to view it could lead to...complications." All for One seemed far off in his own mind.Kurogiri watched the bandaged man for a moment, his own thoughts drifting to all those years ago.Back then he was an up and coming villain amongst the various recruits to All for One's forces. At the time he had felt invincible, as if all he had to do was continue on and follow orders to receive the life he had deserved.But soon enough All Might's grand crusade burned through the underworld, and the faction he ran with was utterly destroyed. It was only due to the man next to him that he had been allowed to continue on. Pulled away at the last moment he had sworn his loyalty to the man before him, who claimed the title of his former leader. He claimed to be the same man from another place and time, but the truth to the matter didn't interest Kurogiri.During those few months they were active together he had seen miracles and horrors beyond imagination. He had seen the boss who had left him shaking torn from his throne like a bin of garbage, body desecrated beyond recognition and power swallowed.Of course, after that he had been felled by All Might, or so he had believed at the time. His quirk had been forcibly activated, pulling his shadowy form and his new masters battered body into a lab he had never seen before.With what little strength All for One had left in his body he had instructed Kurogiri to put him into a tank which was attached to a number of other tanks containing the bodies of what could only be monsters within them.Once inside All for One had told him the full story. Before he had come to this world he had taken damage beyond anything he could have healed from, even with his thousands of unique powers. But there was one ace up his sleeve, an ability to send damage forward into the future. But doing so was exhausting, trying to calculate exactly when to be hit.Even from within the tank he was able to effect the world through Kurogiri, acting as his hands in the world. Bit by bit he created the world so that when All for One was freed of his prison he could truly continue to create his new world."Let's go home Kurogiri," the bandaged form of All for One tilted his head. "Tell me, how are you? I've been keeping you busy so don't feel scared to ask for time off." his voice was rather kind, in the same way one would imagine a snake's voice as it led mice into its trap.Kurogiri created a portal, following after his master. "No, the future you promised is more than enough of a reward to work toward.""I see, your loyalty is utterly without measure."The two villains disappeared, ready to take the next steps to the future.Izuku jolted up in his bed, his breath caught in his throat for a moment before his mind came back into focus. After a quick look around to confirm he was safe he took a few calming breaths as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. It seemed like someone had managed to get him home, maybe one of the heroes or the police.He pulled himself out of bed and stretched himself out, his body was sore all over, but he couldn't help but smile. If he had thought when he woke up this morning that all of this would have happened he might not have been able to believe it.Once he got to looking around to make sure he still had all of his things he noticed two notes sitting on his desk that hadn't been there before. One was signed from All Might, and given how fast his heart was racing just looking at it Izuku decided to save it for later. The other one was more confusing, as it was signed with Bakugou's name and looked like it had been scrawled in a hurry.Izuku opened it and read through the letter, what little of it there was.'I'll beat you in U.A., so don't even think about backing out now.'A smile came over Izuku's face as he put the note down, turning to see light coming from under his door, meaning that his mom was probably still awake, maybe even waiting for him. Feeling bad for not noticing before he steeled himself and walked out to find both his mother and mentor sharing a cup of tea, silently laughing over a shared joke before turning to look at him."Hey," Izuku felt a bit embarrassed by the way they were suddenly focused on him. "I um...had a pretty exciting day."