As soon as Tess finishes her little monologue, Helsing drops the cross and bolts, rather ironically, like a bat out of hell.
And, following Xihrae's instructions, Tess grabs the cross, turns into bats, and flies away too.
[Beginning]
Apparently staying would influence Lucy and company's conversation too much. Or something.
And, with that nail now solidly in the coffin -- I can't stop myself, < ... Are you sure? >
< Hm? >
< About leaving. >
Tess reforms at the edge of a particular pond in the cemetery, cross in-hand. She's told me she likes this one because the way the moon and stars glisten off the water reminds her of Illunira.
< ... You still don't trust him, huh? You were even more nervous than me during all that. >
< Can you blame me? After everything he's done, I'm surprised you do. >
< True, Xihrae's come close to crossing the line.
< … A lot. But- >
< -But he's never crossed it, yeah yeah. >
The wind has started to blow again. It breaks the reflections in the water, stirring it just enough to set the light swirling against the leaves on the trees above us.
< You're still jealous, aren't you? >
< …
< … I'm not. I'm just worried he's gonna break your heart someday. >
I manage to refrain from adding 'That I'm going to break your heart someday…'
She smiles. < Heh. For a so-called "psuedo-demon," you can be awfully sweet. >
She likes calling me that. "Pseudo-demon." Says it contrasts nicely with "demon-eater."
It's not even remotely accurate to what I actually am. "Spirit," "ghost," or even "fairy" would be more accurate. But… I agree. I kinda like how "pseudo-demon" sounds.
Or… I guess maybe it just grew on me. After I got used to it no longer being an insult.
< You don't need to worry. My heart's not that fragile. You, of all people, ought to know that, haha! >
She likes doing this, it seems: saying something that's true, but still misleading. My guilt rising again, I remember how hard I'd tried to break her myself in the past. And, in fact, how her heart is actually all-too-easily injured.
… But, indeed, nearly impossible to fully break. And, for a moment, I'm reassured.
< Well. I suppose you're right. And if he ever does cross that line… >
Tess's smile becomes a grin. She looks at the cross in her hand; the thing this entire project had been about.
The thing that can break Dracula's curse-
-and let him roam the earth freely again. Without needing to return to the castle's cursed ground.
She stares at it, appreciating the way it seems to belong here, in the refracting, dancing light.
< If that happens… We'll BOTH show him what true HELL looks like! >
And with those reminders, those reassurances…
… I set my fears aside.
.
And choose to focus on my goal.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Let it be known that I'll be the last person to ever get offended by the term "adrenaline-junky."
Because what I had there, right then? That dead body in front of me?
Now that was a rush!!!
I knew "Jacob" would be difficult to kill. HE always is. That's what makes hunting HIM, fighting HIM, fighting alongside HIM-- SO fun.
And what made seeing HIS body -- Gary Sue's body -- lying dead at my feet so, so satisfying!
Granted, finding a poison that worked on him, then finding a way to use it on him -- OH, now THERE was a headache.
And a BORE!
I had so many things spoiled for me because of that guy! Life after life, timeline after timeline, wasted -- and for what? To get rid of ONE DUDE?!
Oh, that is something I just couldn't forgive.
"Sorry about this, ol' buddy," I said, pulling the body along, "Really, I mean it. You know I love playing with you. It's always such a thrill!"
I only stopped pulling once I reached the hole I'd dug.
"But I just couldn't have you ruining this chance for me. Sure, playing with you is fun and all -- but I know I'll get to do it again! This opportunity, though?"
I positioned the body and moved to stand beside it.
"I'll never get this again."
I shoved Gary's body -- that world's version of it, anyway -- into the hole.
Where it landed with a remarkably satisfying thud.
"And also, y'know…"
Finally, I picked up the shovel to start burying it…
"It really has been too long…"
Where hopefully…
"Since I've been in a war."
… Tess wouldn't find it.
And the sky is remarkably clear. If not for the torches, it would be perfect for stargazing.
If not for the torches, and…
[Beginning]
Helsing is shaking, his eyes wider than ever, and his face twitching, not settling on any one expression.
Tess keeps her voice steady, low, calm. Civil. "Tell me, Abraham. When he woke, didn't your partner say anything to you?"
The pitch of his voice is all over the place, his breathing ragged, "He… He tried to convince me it was his choice. That he became that monster by choice."
"And you said he was lying next to his brother on the bed. Tell me, were they lying peacefully?"
"No… NO! He-... He must have dragged him up there- Posed his body like that! Or-! No. No, he hypnotized him! Just like you've done to-!"
"-What will it take to convince you? That vampires are STILL PEOPLE," Tess's voice grows stronger -- more aggressive, "Or are you just scared of the truth -- that you killed your friend that night?"
"No! You're lying- Stop! Stop trying to convince me of your lies, foul creature!"
He lunges at Tess then, with no regard for any of the people between. In his hysterical state, he pushes them aside with ease and throws holy water from the flask at his hip.
Tess only stands there. Unmoving.
Truly panicking now, he pulls out some sacred wafers and tries again.
Still without effect.
He brandishes the silver cross at her, but still nothing.
< Of course not. I'm not cursed. >
"I don't understand. Are you…" His face lights up in false-understanding. His voice rises in pitch as he declares, "You're-not actually one of them! You're not a vampire!"
Tess sighs.
Turning into a flock of bats, she flies -- a blur to the human eye -- the few feet between them and reforms -- directly in front of him.
"I assure you, I am. Or, well…" Tess's eyes smile a little, involuntarily, "I'm a dhampir."
"A… a what?"
"I'm part vampire… and part HUMAN."
"But… No… But that would mean…?" He takes a step back.
"Indeed."
< You're smiling outright, now. >
< I really can't help it. I love it when they jump to conclusions! ~Just like he's about to.~ >
He's screaming now.
"But that can't be! For that to happen, a vampire and a human-! It's impossible! They don't mix, they-!"
"-I have an entire village that disagrees."
Tess turns so that she can address everyone.
"Back in my home, our entire village coexists -- half of them vampires and the other humans, living together. Caring for each other," she looks back at Helsing, "Families full of both humans and humans-turned-vampires."
He's backing away. "... That's… But…"
Tess grins an all-tooth smile. Her voice is overly-cheerful. "You should come visit! I could give you a tour, if you like. I really think some traveling would do you good.
"Seven times!! Isn't that something!!"
"Yeah…" I replied distractedly, too focused on eating my breakfast as quickly as possible.
"I fainted seven whole times since the cavalry battle!" enthused my mother, "And the last two times were from dehydration!"
"You've even got me beat in that department…" I mumbled around the last of my eggs.
"... I know you told me that private mentor of yours is helping you, but why do you have to fight using such risky methods?"
I glanced up at my mother, but didn't pause or slow in my eating. I didn't answer; I had no answer my mother didn't already know.
"Of course I support you, and I am SO PROUD of you… but that doesn't mean I won't worry."
"Yeah…" I swallowed the last of my food and stood up.
My mother's plate was untouched.
"Wanna see the videos?!" she said excitedly, "They're in HD. HD!"
"Sure. I'll take a look later, alone…"
I put my shoes on and grabbed my bag.
"After I get back. I need to meet my mentor to train today."
I opened the door.
"Love you! See you later!" I said over my shoulder.
"Izuku! Wait a moment!"
"Hm?"
My mom walked over, took my head in her hands, and, putting her lips on my forehead, gave me a long kiss. When I looked up at her afterwards, she was smiling warmly. "I love you too, sweetie."
I stared at her for a moment. Then smiled back.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I met Master at the bar that day, rather than the warehouse. When I entered, I noticed the plant was in one corner underneath an ultraviolet light.
"Congratulations on your win, Midoriya."
Master was sitting in the same spot as when I had first met him. In fact, aside from the presence of the plant and absence of Kurogiri… the bar looked almost identical.
"But…? I didn't win…?"
"You would have," Master said, "if you had had a quirk."
I set my bag on the counter, taking a seat.
"What do you mean?"
"Well…" Master swirled the liquid in the small cup he was holding, "The judges didn't say 'Iida wins his match because, if the wind hadn't blown him, or if the arena was bigger, he'd have landed and defeated Hatsume,' did they? And yet, Hatsume didn't use her quirk. She won with technology, and technology alone."
"It was gear she made, though," I said, "I didn't make mine."
"Did she use her quirk to make that gear?"
"..."
I looked away from him.
"... It's okay to be angry." I looked back up. "I dare say you should be angry."
"... I'm not angry, though," I said, looking down at my hands.
I fidgeted, twisting my fingers together and apart. "I'm… confused. And frustrated… and disappointed."
"Because you thought heroes were fair? More fair than normal people?"
"Well, they're heroes! That's what they do!"
Master sat for a moment, still swirling his drink.
"... I want to show you something."
He set his glass on the table and pulled a small device from his pocket. He messed with it, tapping at the screen, then handed it to me.
A video played on it.
A dark-haired young man was giving a speech from a street corner. He was trying to tell the people passing by about something he called the "Revival of Heroics," but no one was stopping to listen (except, apparently, the person recording the video, who was snickering and making fun of the man).
The video didn't show the beginning of the speech, and it didn't last until the end, but it was enough to understand what the man was getting at: He claimed heroes had become mostly corrupt, believing that the entire system needed to be changed to prevent "those without sufficient passion" from getting licenses.
When it finished, Master asked me what I thought.
"I dunno… He had some good points, I guess, but… I don't think things are as bad as he was claiming. I mean, some heroes need to take on outside work to make a living! Most need to! And as long as they're helping people, I don't think a person's motives for becoming a hero matter."
"Hm."
Master picked his glass up, swallowed the contents, set it down, then pulled out a piece of paper and pen from another pocket. He wrote down an address.
"Go for a walk for me. I can't go with you, as I have other things I need to take care of today, but go to this address."
He slid the paper over to me.
"No need to go inside; just look around the area a bit."
I took the paper, and Master said goodbye to me, going through a door leading, I could only assume, further inside the building.
I looked at the address. The place Master wanted me to go was on the outskirts of the city. I'd need to take a train, and even then, I'd be gone all day.
But… if it was for my training, then of course I'd go.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As I made my way there, I couldn't help noticing how the people on the street were whispering about me, as though I couldn't hear them…
"-should have caught their mistake sooner." "Why do they even let him attend?" "Poor, delusional…"
… I tried to ignore them… to act like I really couldn't hear.
When I made it to the address… '... It just… looks like a normal neighborhood.
'… Maybe a little rowdier than usual…?'
I'd been wandering around for an hour or so, when someone raced past me. From behind me, I heard a man yell, "Stop!"
I turned around to see who had yelled. The man was also running, but he was out-of-breath.
The man looked at me and yelled again, "Stop them! They took my wallet!"
'Wha-!' my mind raced, 'Wait -- I saw a hero patrolling..!'
Turning my head left and right, I spotted the hero. I called to them, and they came jogging over.
"This man," I gestured to the man who, seeing what I was doing and too exhausted to continue, had stopped nearby, "His wallet was stolen! The thief went that way!"
I pointed, expecting the hero to pursue the thief. But-
"-Huh?" The hero looked dumbfounded, "Is that all you called me over here for?"
I gaped at the hero.
"I need that money!" The man stood up straight, desperation in his eyes, "Without it, I'll lose my apartment! That's all the money I have for the entire month!!"
"I need to stay alert for real threats! Don't call me over for-"
I joined in the man's desperation, "But! He needs that money to eat! Without it-"
"You don't know this place, kid," the hero glared at us both, "I can't afford to go after every crime I see, or I'll miss when something actually dangerous happens."
"But…" And I realized -- this was the only hero I'd seen since getting to this area.
"There's a surplus of heroes in the city," I muttered, "Why is no one here?!"
"Because we need to eat too," the hero, thinking the question was directed at him, answered, "And this isn't a good location, so no hero agencies set up shop here. The only reason I'm here is 'cause I live nearby. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work!"
The hero walked off.
The victim of the theft collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily. The way his breaths came in bursts… suggested it wasn't from the running.
With the thief long gone, the only thing I could do for the man was give him what money I had.
The man, still panicking, commented it was only about half of what he'd lost.
But thanked me anyway.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I barely slept that night.
My mind kept spinning over-and-over, playing my experience with the thief and hero, and the video about the "Revival of Heroics," on an endless, jumbled loop…
I walked to U.A. in a haze the next morning, umbrella in hand, doing my best to pretend the whispering of the crowd was just the rain. I didn't register the sound of rapid, splashing footsteps approach me.
"Good morning, Midoriya!!"
I nearly jumped out of my skin! '… Oh. It's only Iida.'
The other student, sporting a poncho and rainboots, slowed his speed to talk to me.
"This is no time for an idle stroll!! We'll be late!"
"Late? But we've got five minutes before the first bell."
"The students of U.A. make it a point to arrive ten minutes early!!"
Iida's speed picked back up. I did my best to match Iida's pace.
My mind freed of its heavier thoughts, I remembered hearing about Ingenium, Iida's older brother, being attacked the day of the Sports Festival. I hadn't had a chance to talk to Iida since then…
But once inside at our lockers and shedding our wet shoes, poncho and umbrella, "... Um…" I couldn't think of what to say.
"You needn't worry about my brother," Iida said, seeming to guess what I was thinking, "I apologize if he or I caused you any undue concern."
He sent me an easy smile. I very much doubted Iida was actually okay, but… I couldn't think of anything else to say or do. So, for the time being, I decided to drop it.
Inside the classroom, everyone was chatting about how much attention they'd been getting since the Sports Festival: people stopping to talk to them, staring at them, congratulating them…
"One little event, and suddenly the world's got its eye on us."
"That's U.A. for ya…"
Aizawa walked in, and everyone settled into their seats.
"Morning."
"Good morning!!" the class replied.
"Today we've got Hero Informatics class. And a special one at that. You'll be coming up with your hero aliases."
Everyone started cheering, standing up, jumping into the air… Even my mood lifted.
'We get to choose our hero names…!'
Aizawa erased everyone's quirks to get us to quiet down again.
"But first, concerning the pro draft picks I mentioned the other day… It's based on who the pros think will be ready to join the hero workforce after another two or three years of experience. …So you could say that it's a way for them to show interest in your futures.
"But there's ample time for their interest to wane before you graduate," Aizawa warned, "And any and all offers can be arbitrarily revoked. It happens quite often."
My mood shot right back down.
"So if we're picked now, that just means there'll be higher hurdles in the years to come!" said Toru.
"Yes."
A graph with a few names appeared on the board behind Aizawa. "Now, here're the complete draft pick numbers."
Todoroki was highest, with over three thousand offers. Bakugo had about half of that, and Tokoyami was close behind. Iida had only about seven hundred.
After that, the numbers dropped to around three hundred and less.
My name wasn't even on the board.
"There's typically more of a spread. But our finalists stole most of the spotlight," Aizawa commented.
"These pros have no eyes for talent," said Aoyama. (His name wasn't on the board, either.) "Didn't they get the order mixed up?" said Kirishima. "Midoriya's not even on there!" "Guess they were scared of the guy who was literally chained to the winners' stand," commented Sero (Bakugo was cursing the pros from behind him), "Not to mention how what happened with Midoriya messed up the scores."
Momo congratulated Todoroki on his number of offers. "It's mostly just my father's influence… I shouldn't have even been given third place. I lost to Midoriya fair and square."
"Whoa!" Uraraka shook Iida's shoulders excitedly, although it was unclear whether she was excited on Iida's behalf -- or because her name was on the board.
"With that settled… whether you were picked or not, you will all have a chance to work alongside the pros," Aizawa cleared the board, "Seeing the pros in action and taking part yourselves will be worthwhile training and experience."
Sato cut in with an excited, "That's where our hero names come in!"
"This is really getting fun!" Uraraka agreed.
"They're only tentative," Aizawa said, "but you still want to pick something appropriate…"
"Or else you'll know true hell!!" Aizawa was cut off by Midnight, who strutted into the room, "The name you pick now… may be what the world ends up calling you. That's happened to plenty of pros out there!!"
"Yes. True enough," said Aizawa, "And Midnight here will be assessing the sensibility of the names you pick. I'm no good at that."
Aizawa pulled his sleeping bag out, but gave one final piece of advice to the class before leaving, "What future do you see for yourself? The name you choose will bring you closer to cementing a certain image… Because names are capable of reflecting one's true character.
"Like with 'All Might' …"
My classmates all got really into it. They seemed to be picking names left and right. Many, I didn't doubt, had had names prepared for years, but it took a while for people to work up the nerve to present them.
Many also struggled to find a name Midnight approved of. Todoroki and Iida ended up just using their own names.
.
'Before I met All Might… and Master… I came up with a whole list of homage names -- "Mighty," "Super Might," "Mighty Man"-
'-But…' I stared at the whiteboard in my hands, 'but now that I've made it here… And after what All Might said…'
'…I can't use any of those. Not anymore…
.
'I don't even know if I still-!'
-I cut that thought off. 'No. That's not true.
'I just- …'
…
In the end, like Todoroki, Iida, and surprisingly Bakugo…
… I couldn't decide on a hero name.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Stain stood smiling.
"Well?" All For One prompted. "Does he pass?"
Stain's smile grew. "Finally… Maybe there's hope for hero society yet."
Stain didn't take his eyes off the screen -- as it showed Izuku Midoriya arguing with the pro "hero" who'd ignored the thief right in front of them. Stain's smile grew even wider at the sight of Izuku giving the victim his own money.
.
"Yes. I'll train him!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Beginning]
[Previous Chapter]
Hi, everyone. What do you think of the story so far? I hope you’re enjoying it.
This was the last chapter of Part 1, and all that I have written of this so far. I have the next couple arcs outlined, and plenty of ideas of where I want things to end up. But here’s the thing: I’m exhausted.
Not because of this story, though. No, if anything, it’s my stories that have given me a sense of purpose ever since Corona started. But, because of that exhaustion (and some outside life events and problems), I haven’t been able to get the energy or time to write for any of my projects in the last few months. And things aren’t looking like they’re going to calm down for quite a while.
I’m not giving up, though! I am GOING to finish all the stories I’ve started, even if it takes me until a year or more from now! I am, however, asking for your patience. I’m gonna come back, I really am. But I need a vacation, and I put a TON of time into planning out my stories before I write them. So just know that, when next you see this story updated, it means that the entirety of Part 2 is complete.
In the meantime, if this is the only story of mine you’ve read, I welcome you to go read my others:
“Phantasma Magica” - a Harry Potter / Danny Phantom AU crossover fic
The “OSWs” - a series of short stories I wrote based on reader requests.
And, of course, the first book of my original series “Crossroad of Infinity, Part 1: ‘Alone’.” This one is a little unusual. See, “Ciestess” is the main character… and me, the author. My pseudonym’s backstory? Maybe. … Probably. Decide for yourself! You can read it on AO3, my Tumblr @cietessde, or on my website crossroadofinfinity.com. (I’m also trying to get it formatted to post on FF.net, but it might not happen. That site’s formatting options are so limited, and the story relies heavily on that ability.)
Anyway, may your lives be less stressful than mine have been these past few months.
When I got back to the Crossroad, it was like I'd lost all ability to feel.
It was just… too much.
[Beginning]
It's hard to tell the passage of time in there, but I must have stayed frozen for a few hours, at least.
.
Then I cried.
For not being able to reach paradise.
For causing what I had.
… For Angel. And all the other friends I'd never see again.
For everything.
.
I lied there for a while longer after that, just… staring into Prizmal. Into Infinity.
Not asking any questions. I didn't have any.
I just… watched.
.
And thought.
.
I didn't consider suicide, though.
For one, that just… isn't me. I don't have an explanation for that, exactly. For whatever reason, that's just… not how I'm wired.
But also, Mentor had told me that the only way to die inside the Crossroad is by old age. So there was no point in trying, even if I was so inclined.
Instead, I taught myself. About Infinity.
I watched, felt, and absorbed as much as I could stand.
And discovered:
Infinite variations of infinite worlds means there is infinite suffering.
And infinite joy.
.
I'm not going to pretend like what happened on Scarring was… the worst I'd ever seen. Not by a long shot.
Honestly, it's not even the worst I've ever caused.
But in those cases, those horrible things happened in worlds that had seen tragedies before.
Scarring was a paradise.
I had turned a paradise into a living hell.
And yet… What was I supposed to DO about that? I couldn't go back! I'd never be able to fix that mistake!
Oh, sure, I could "make sure I never did it again," but that's not the same!
It wasn't just the mistake I had made in letting myself cause a Demonic Energy Flame, it was…
I could never reach paradise.
How was I supposed to live with that?
…
Mentor had told me already: "Just do what makes you happy. There's no point in anything else."
"Get used to having a broken heart, Future Heir. It's the only kind you'll ever have.
You'll think you've gotten over it, and then it will start bleeding again the moment you see, for example, a brainwashed 'peacekeeper' forced to murder an innocent child."
I didn't like that. But that was because I hadn't understood. Mentor hadn't meant to do only the things I enjoyed. They hadn't meant to avoid getting a broken heart.
To be the Keeper of the Crossroad of Infinity is to be an explorer. And to explore means to constantly find new things that make me happy.
And that make me unhappy.
To be the Keeper of the Crossroad of Infinity means to explore the infinite joy and suffering out there!
What Mentor meant… was to focus on the joy.
"It's been so long since I've seen my own homeworld… I think some of these 'alien aspects' feel more familiar to me now than the ones I was born into.
"I wonder if that will happen to you someday? ...Probably."
Finding "alien aspects" that I like so much that I keep returning to worlds that have them?
So… What was something I liked?
… Helping people.
Was it the guilt? … Probably. Partially. At first, anyway.
But it's something that still holds true.
.
If I can't ever go to a "paradise" world, then I can at least enjoy making the worlds I go to a little better.
Not because it will "tip the balance" or anything -- if you add to or take from infinity, you're still left with infinity.
But because I enjoy it.
But also because: Wallowing in misery over something I can't change?
I just can't see the point in that.
It was another meeting with my "friends," and I still didn't realize -- or… didn't want to admit -- the truth.
[Beginning]
I didn't really want to go. It seemed like nothing but fighting happened there. And, as entertaining as it was to watch them throw insults at each other -- and then proceed to get all worked up when they were insulted back (Really, what were they expecting to happen? Haha!) -- it ALSO gave me that world's equivalent of a headache after only a few minutes.
But they said this one was important. And this was the first they'd held in a very long time.
… And I missed them.
When I got there, I wasn't sure where to put myself. The room had been divided in two -- As on one side and Bs on the other. I awkwardly settled into a corner between the two. The rest of the group filed in. I waited for the arguing to begin…
But it never came.
Evidently I'd missed something, because everyone else seemed to be on the same page already. They were just there to hash out details and make it all official.
They had decided to move all the Hybrids into one building. It seemed like it would be cramped to me, but the small size was, apparently, exactly what they were going for -- although it would take multiple "events." There was discussion of whether it would be small enough and if they'd have enough of a specific material.
It took me… too long… to understand what they meant.
But even once I did.
It… It actually sounded like a good idea at the time.
I mean, it would work, right?
And I wanted that peace back just as much as they did, right?!
And besides… At least, back then, it actually sounded…
…
… Entertaining.
So much so, in fact, that I agreed to help oversee the construction of the building.
It seemed like it was built in no time.
And was filled in even less time than that.
I-t-…
I-it…
(C'mon… I can do this… I CAN do this…!)
…
… It wasn't until after… after one group had already burned…!
.
The thing… about the Flames. They… The hunger doesn't stop until it's sated. Completely sated.
And by then… BY THEN THEY HAD-!
.
…
I was… I was up high, on top of a platform.
Both sides, As and Bs, were watching the fire rage inside the building. Screams were coming from inside, and the smell… it was terrible.
But. It "made my mouth water," even as everyone else protected themselves from it, trying not to "gag."
And below.
They were struggling to contain the next group. That group was struggling, fighting so hard to escape. But even more than that-
-they were pleading. Begging their friends -- their families -- to "wake up."
Then.
…
One of them tried to kill me.
I looked down at them, only to see them killed on the spot.
That's when I woke up.
And realized… I was smiling.
.
I just froze.
I couldn't process it.
What had happened? -- I knew what happened.
What was going on? -- I'd set a Flame.
How…?
.
< HOW DO I STOP IT?! >
.
I was already "full!" I couldn't absorb any more demonic energy!
And I didn't have any authority. I couldn't just order them to stop!
But.
I did have some say.
.
I could leave.
I needed to LEAVE!
.
But… How could I?
I couldn't just leave them like this!
I had to do something. I HAD to do SOMETHING!!!
… And there was only one thing I could think of -- before they started to lead the next group in.
.
I shouted -- I waved -- I did anything so they'd hear me.
I said I wanted to make an announcement.
… And I managed to get their attention. Everyone's attention.
In the pause before I did anything, I could hear some of the Hybrids below cursing me.
< Good, > I thought. < Blame me. Just not each other. Not anymore! >
I wasn't exactly eloquent. But with my plan, I didn't need to be. I hoped.
I apologized. It was the only thing I could do!
… The only thing I had left.
And I confessed. That I'd been running from my own problems. And dragged them into it.
Confessed I wasn't some "wise traveller."
I told them to stop. All of it. To go back to how they were before I'd arrived.
"AT LAST, WE'VE ARRIVED!! THE BEST OF THE BEST AMONG U.A.'S FIRST YEARS WILL BE DECIDED!"
Present Mic's voice rang out over the stadium, through television screens, to countless observers.
But Bakugo and I barely processed his words.
"IT'S THE FINAL MATCH… MIDORIYA VERSUS BAKUGO!!"
We were focused, listening for one word, and one word only…
"NOW, START!!"
.
Immediately, without even checking to see what Bakugo would do, I drew my gun -- and fired into the air directly in front of me. As I was still drawing the gun, the air behind Bakugo exploded and he rocketed toward me; however, he aimed slightly to the left, just barely avoiding the knockout bullet.
I dodged to my own left after my first shot and fired again directly behind me. The ground where I'd been standing exploded, covering the spot in a cloud of dust, rubble -- and knockout gas.
I, not taking my eyes from the cloud that hid Bakugo from view, backed up to the other end of the arena -- while changing the gun's ammo to the grapple and grabbing a net grenade from my belt.
"THE GAUNTLET'S BEEN THROWN DOWN!! LOOKS LIKE MIDORIYA WANTS TO AVOID COMBAT WITH BAKUGO!! DO WE ALREADY HAVE OUR WINNER SO SOON?!"
"You… looking down on me, you moron?!"
I grit my teeth, waiting for Bakugo to appear. 'Plan A failed…!' Bakugo came shooting out of the cloud faster than I had ever seen him move!
I pulled the pin on the grenade and threw it. All the adrenaline in my system, all the hours spent in combat training with Master… made it seem as though Bakugo was moving in slow motion. Bakugo's palm turned from behind him, to his right; I aimed the grapple… fired…
And time resumed its normal speed.
The grapple line wrapped around Bakugo, pinning his arms. Before he could hit the ground and lose momentum, I pulled with my entire bodyweight-
-But as Bakugo neared the boundary line, his palms exploded again, and the line broke. His momentum continued to carry him out-of-bounds for a second… I, immediately changing the gun's ammo again, had a flash of hope that Plan B might've worked…
"HE AVOIDS A RING-OUT IN MIDAIR!! HOW THRILLING!!"
But Bakugo regained his balance… as a part of me knew he would.
'No choice… Plan C it is!'
I holstered the gun.
Bakugo came in hot, but I jumped away in time. This time, Bakugo stayed on the ground, and I dropped into a fighting stance.
Bakugo stood still for just a second- "You'll regret making a fool of me!" -then came at me with his signature right hook- "I'll freaking kill you!!"
Rather than move away this time, I used my left arm to slide Bakugo's right arm to the side -- and I kicked out at Bakugo's stomach.
Bakugo dodged- "I wanted the first to end all firsts!" -and swiped at my feet.
I jumped, backing off -"But there's no point in winning against you!" -He lunged at me with a roundhouse kick- "No point if I'm not better than you!"
I crouched, Bakugo's foot passing above me, and went for an uppercut. Bakugo spun, dodging it- "So get the hell outta my face!"
With the force of the spin, Bakugo elbowed me in the back. I stumbled to the ground.
"Why're you even here, you bastard?!"
While Bakugo was busy screaming at me and couldn't see my hands, I grabbed and fired my gun at Bakugo's feet.
Bakugo was now frozen to the arena floor.
But knowing it wouldn't hold him -- only distract him for a split-second, AT BEST -- I moved!
A snarl on my face, I launched myself fist-first at Bakugo's face.
It landed-
And a small puff of knockout-gas surrounded Bakugo's head.
Unprepared for the hidden knockout-bullet this time -- let alone the ice-blast! -- Bakugo couldn't avoid breathing the gas. With a small gasp, and one last growl and glare…
… Bakugo passed out.
.
"Bakugo is immobilized!! So… Midoriya is the winner!!" Midnight announced.
I almost didn't believe it -- and I almost passed out from the relief. Swaying, I took a step back to steady myself.
"AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR CONTEST! THE FIRST-YEAR WINNER OF U.A.'S SPORTS FESTIVAL IS… IZUKU MIDORIYA OF CLASS A!!!"
.
But, predictably, as I walked out of the arena-
-the entire stadium booed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Back in All For One's viewing room, the man with no eyes turned to the Hero Killer. "So? Will you take him on?"
Stain was observing the screen with interest. He didn't answer at first.
Kurogiri shifted nervously.
"... A quirkless hero…" Stain muttered.
Abruptly, he turned to All For One. Kurogiri tensed, ready to defend his master, if necessary.
"I want to test him myself. So he wants to be a hero, despite not having a quirk? That doesn't mean he deserves to be one!"
"Very well," said All For One, completely calm. He'd expected this. "What do you have in mind?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The wait before the awards ceremony was… intense. From what I -- and everyone else -- could tell, the judges were debating something.
Finally, the winners were called up to our respective platforms -- the First Place one highest and in the middle, the Third was lowest and to the right, and Second was between the two and on the left.
But… there was something off.
"Now let's move on to… the awards ceremony!" Midnight announced, "No holding back Mr. First Place!"
"What a bloodthirsty beast," commented Tokoyami… who was standing furthest from me.
On the Second Place pedestal.
I was… confused, to put it lightly.
"In third place, we have both Todoroki and Midoriya," Midnight said, "There was a disagreement concerning the outcome of Midoriya and Todoroki's match. After reviewing it, the judges have determined that, if left alone, Todoroki would have woken before the ice immobilizing Midoriya would have melted."
My ears were ringing.
"However, we don't have time to redo all of the matches, so, as a compromise, both Midoriya and Todoroki are being given third place. Making Hatsume and Tokoyami tied for second and our winner… Katsuki Bakugo!"
The audience was muttering -- they were making sounds of approval.
"Now for the medals!! Presenting them this year is… you know who!!"
A voice came from above the stadium, "I am…" and All Might landed in the center of the stage, "… here with the medals." "He's everyone's hero… All Might!!"
The crowd cheered. All Might laughed, moving toward Todoroki.
"Congratulations, Todoroki, kid! You're a strong one! But relying on half your power will only get you so far. Whatever reason you have for not using it… you must learn to overcome that hurdle."
He put a medallion around Todoroki's neck.
All Might then turned to me.
"Midoriya, kid… Congratulations."
He continued in a lower voice, "I underestimated you. And for that, I'm sorry. I stand by what I said, but…"
He put the medallion around my neck, "You too… Can become a hero."
I barely heard him.
I was looking All Might in the eyes again. The time on that rooftop… all those classes I'd been in… all the times All Might had been there, teaching me… watching me grow and what I could do…
And this was when… he'd decided to say those words?
I was so caught up in my thoughts, I missed whatever All Might said to Mei and Tokoyami.
"And finally, Bakugo!! Well, um, this is…"
Bakugo was going absolutely feral. They'd even had to muzzle him! All Might didn't seem to know how to approach the furious boy, but, after a moment, All Might took the muzzle off of Bakugo's face and said, "You lived up to your promise. Wonderful!"
"All Might. This win…" Bakugo growled, "It doesn't mean squat. Doesn't matter what anyone says. If I don't recognize it, then that medal's just garbage!!"
"What a face…" All Might gulped, "Hmph! In a world that's constantly graded on a curve… there aren't many who can continuously be on top," he held up the First Place medallion, "So accept this! As a wound even! So you don't forget!"
"I told you I don't need that junk!!"
All Might tried to put the medallion around his neck, but Bakugo struggled against it.
Bakugo roared, "At least let me fight the IcyHot Bastard!"
Eventually, All Might managed to hang the medallion from Bakugo's growling mouth.
"Well!! These are your winners!! But hold on, everyone!"
And then he said… that phrase…!
"Everyone here today has the potential to be standing up here!!"
I could've sworn I'd just fallen six stories and swallowed the foulest thing known to mankind. That is, if the way my stomach felt hearing All Might say those words was anything to go by.
And somehow, All Might was still talking -- in that cheerful, self-confident and congratulatory tone.
"As you all witnessed! Competition! Encouragement! Pushing each other to climb higher and higher!!"
'What's going on? What is this feeling?'
"The sprouts of today will grow into the heroes of tomorrow!! In that spirit, let's have one final cheer!!
"Everyone say it with me!! One, two, and…"
'Oh…'
I realized, breaking out of my daze-
.
-that it was DISGUST.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Beginning]
[Previous Chapter] - [Next Chapter]
Read my original book, Crossroad of Infinity for free right here on Tumblr, on my website, or on AO3!
It was just meant to be some harmless jokes. … Toward the As. Just the As…
Friendly teasing, and nothing more.
[Beginning]
My friends there… They felt a bit awkward about it -- but it wasn't a completely unheard-of thing. Friends teased each other all the time!
Just… I did it more than most people in that world did.
"But hey!" I think they told themselves, "She's an interdimensional being! A dimensional traveler! That's about as 'foreign' as it gets!" So they wrote it off. My angelic aura probably helped with that, too.
Eventually, they warmed up to my "sense of humor."
Despite the fact that ALL of my teasing was aimed at the As…!
And even the As themselves joined in on the joking. Such was their trust. And if even the As were joining in, how was anyone supposed to suspect anything was wrong? No one was asking for the teasing to stop, so surely everything was fine.
And I was a being "of great wisdom," too! So how could there be anything wrong?
It was unintentional.
But still. I was stubborn.
I wanted to be right -- I wanted Mentor to be wrong!
SO badly!
I… didn't notice the change consciously.
But somewhere along the way, the As' and Bs' teasing and joking… the small annoyances and the "friendly" acts of revenge against each other…
… They changed.
Ever so slowly, it all changed into genuine spite and distaste toward one another…!
And, y'know… Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad, this development.
I could have gone up there. Absorbed the demonic energy. Regained my senses -- And fixed the problem.
Just like that!
-Except…
I didn't keep going up there.
-Except, I didn't FEEL "hungry," so I didn't try to absorb it all.
-Except these "friends." The ones I spent the most time with -- who suffered from my hunger the most… They were that very same group of "World Leadership."
.
In other words, that "Demonic Energy Flame"...?
Began in the WORST.
POSSIBLE!
Spot.
And the thing about spirit hunger is, if you're hungry long enough-
-you don't feel it anymore.
Now, that's not as true for physical hunger. The comparison, between spirit and physical "hunger," isn't perfect. But, hopefully, you've had a similar experience to what I mean: After a nice meal earlier in the day, you're finally ready for another one. Your stomach is growling, maybe you're craving something in particular, but, for whatever reason, you don't eat. Then, maybe an hour, maybe half an hour later, you aren't hungry anymore.
But with physical hunger, if you give it another hour or two, the hunger comes back even stronger.
Not so with spirit hunger. At least, not mine.
Granted, my spirit will still be craving "food." But it'll stop sending those signals that tell me I'm "hungry."
Instead, it starts making "food" on its own.
I haven't listened, or there isn't anything available. So my spirit "takes things into its own hands," so-to-speak.
In Illunira, this wasn't a big deal. For one thing, we always had "food" available. The Dead Ones and other lower-leaders made sure of that! But also, even if I did start a Demonic Energy Flame, there were other demon-eaters who could "eat" it. Or, if it was really bad, an angel-eater could just start a rival Angelic Energy Flame to combat it!
And yet, even back in Illunira, the Balancers' Flames were so feared that the Dead Ones made certain every balancer was trained from childhood to avoid setting one!
So you'd think I'd have been more careful, huh?
But again, I'd never set one before. I'd never even seen one set! I had NO IDEA what it was like!
I mean. I knew what it was like. But only in theory!
And ignoring my hunger, in favor of enjoying the paradise,
-the friends,
-the, just… beauty around me?
It was all too easy.
…
On some level, I noticed what was happening. Of course I did. But I avoided the issue as much as possible.
One of my favorite pastimes on Scarring was carving statues out of some of the benign plants there. It's probably easiest if you think of these plants like trees. This hobby was something I carried over from the First Nav, I think. But instead of furniture (though I made some of that too), I mostly carved animals, or ambiguous shapes and patterns. Trying not to degrade the plant or leave poison on the end product added an extra layer of difficulty, too.
This let me spend a large portion of my time alone.
Or with random strangers that would just pass by, then leave.
But if I wasn't alone carving-
-then I was talking with my… friends.
These meetings started off fine. The earlier ones usually involved a brief: "Hey, we need some more food." "Okay. Oh, and we could use some extra hands." "Sure thing."
Followed by more personal, friendly conversations on upcoming holidays, family happenings, funny stories…
As time passed, more and more of the discussions would focus on resources: who needed them more, who used them better, "I thought you said we could have as much as we wanted?"
… But they'd agree. Eventually. And everything would lighten up afterwards. They'd tell funny stories. Joke about each others' stories.
… Joke about each other.
It was so subtle. But the personal part of the meet-ups fell away. Or, rather, as the discussions became debates, and then the debates became arguments, the line between the personal and otherwise became irrelevant. And as the meetings became less and less pleasant, they also became less and less frequent.
They started settling things through messengers instead.
And as I went longer and longer periods of time without those -- unconscious though they were -- "meals," the Flame I'd stoke in their spirits became more and more intense. It would last longer, spreading to more and more people. Until…
…
If I'd paid attention, maybe I'd have gotten "full" enough to come to my senses sooner.
I'm not sure exactly how it spread so far, but I have a few theories. Maybe the members of the World Leadership socialised with many other people. Or someone they knew did. Either way, by the time I'd reached "adulthood," the Demonic Energy Flame had spread so far, and was so intense, that the previously perfectly balanced and loving community of Scarring… fell apart.
The Bs felt the As were taking advantage of them; that, with the technology that had been built, more As should have volunteered to work in maintaining the environmental divide. Some even thought the Bs deserved- … Thought the Bs were superior.
And the As… They believed, since the Bs could survive in the benign environment, that there was no reason to keep the poisonous one around. That it was just an unnecessary threat.
There were also some who the Flame… For some people, it manifested differently. Some people who… took it out on themselves. Thankfully, it wasn't… as many. Or things may never have stopped.
'Cause I would never have noticed. And would never have gotten "full."
Eventually, there was only one thing both the As and Bs agreed on. And my friends, the World Leadership, they…
Well, of course they wanted to restore peace. To calm everyone. They'd have done anything if it meant even a temporary truce.
It was… extremely similar to the First Nav. To the point that it will be faster to tell you how Scarring was different from it, rather than anything else.
…
Heh… C’mon Tess. You can do this.
…
…
…It… had no countries.
There were no divides between people: no prejudices, no grudges, no great differences in power…
There were still As and Bs, a poisonous ecosystem and a benign, but… They’d tamed them. By working together, they’d divided the ecosystems, given each certain areas to exist, and prevented the poisonous ecosystem from overtaking the benign.
The Bs and As helped each other in the way they were supposed to in the First Nav: The Bs maintained the separate ecosystems, protecting the As, and the As returned the favor by taking care of the Bs other needs. But… because they worked together to accomplish this, people from both groups were able to take part in… more fun activities, like arts and sports.
No one needed to perform a job if they didn’t want to!
And crossbred children…
If it hadn’t been so difficult to accomplish physically, I think they might have replaced both the As and Bs.
In fact, since I can’t exactly check… Perhaps they did, after a time. I’ll never get to see it, if so, but… I like to think they might have.
Aside from that, though… the two worlds were identical. The traits I wanted -- went looking for -- didn’t change, after all. I’d only added more.
There was… one… unexpected consequence of the As’ and Bs’ care for one another, though.
They realized very quickly that… something was off about my sudden arrival.
Children didn’t just… show up -- without parents to care for them.
I mean, it’s not like there were any orphans! Why would there be?!
So my just… forming was… heh, conspicuous, to say the least. But even so, I was welcomed and accepted by them without question.
I was given a place to live, any education I wanted, the chance to try all sorts of “jobs” to see what I liked… Friends and family, gifts, love and affection… They just… POURED it out on me!
They figured some terrible accident must have happened to cause me to be alone (they weren’t exactly… wrong, I suppose), so they tried to help me however they could.
So, I ask you… How, exactly… was I supposed to keep my mouth shut? When literally everyone was just so… so NICE?!
I doubt I need to explain it, but just in case: I generally tried to not tell people about me being the Keeper.
I mean, 1. They usually just decided I was crazy and wrote me off, even if I tried.
But, 2. If they did believe me, they… sometimes tried to access the Crossroad.
Which, y’know, never worked, since only one spirit can inhabit the Crossroad at a time. But! I’d learned there was a slim chance that they could achieve interdimensional travel.
And most people who go looking for power like that…? Don’t plan on doing anything good with it.
But these people… These people.
They wouldn’t abuse that kind of power! And I knew, if I told them, they would believe me!
And I was…
Honestly, I was DESPERATE at this point. Desperate for someone -- anyone -- to just… talk to. Because… Everytime I left a world…
Heh… I…-
-It still hurts.
I don’t just leave worlds behind when I die in them. I leave the people IN them, too.
So… I told them. About the Crossroad.
Thanks to that, I was… often invited to chat with the “leadership” of the world. And no, not the “World Leaders” -- there weren’t any countries or anything to be leaders of. But there was still a general group of people trusted to make the “big decisions.”
They told me they wanted my input because, having lived so many extremely diverse lives, I was surely “full of wisdom.” I don’t know about that, but… I chatted with them. And I gave them the best advice I could.
However, despite trusting them -- so deeply I risked them gaining access to such a great power -- … I still couldn’t tell them about me being a “demon-eater.”
Despite knowing that they wouldn’t, that they would never do such a thing, I… I couldn’t risk them rejecting me.
And so, when the time came… they didn’t stand a chance. They couldn’t defend themselves, and…
And they couldn’t help me.
… Not that it would have made much difference, in the end, I suppose. There is only one way to satisfy my hunger. There’s no way around it.
And no one could have guessed how it would manifest, since not even I knew yet. I had heard of it, but it had never happened to me before.
So when it did…
… Not even I realized what was going on.
Even after his feet were unfrozen, part of the stage was still covered in ice. So there was a short break.
When Izuku returned to the stands, Iida called out to him, "Midoriya! Congratulations on your win!"
Izuku faked enthusiasm as best he could, "Right. Thanks!"
"How did you win against Todoroki's ice, anyway?"
Still wearing a fake smile, Izuku sat down beside Iida. Before speaking, he went over how much Master said he was allowed to share.
"Well… I knew my physical equipment and abilities wouldn't count for much against Todoroki's speed and quirk… So I dodged as soon as the match began and shot him with a bullet filled with a potent knockout gas!"
Iida's face was shocked. "They approved that kind of equipment?!"
"Uh… well…" Izuku looked away from him toward the arena, "They said- as long as I provided my own equipment, and as long as the gun was incapable of firing real bullets, it was fine!"
"Huh… I suppose that makes sense. They allow Aoyama to use his belt, as it's a necessary support item. With you having no quirk, any equipment you normally use would be necessary to even the playing field!"
'He's right… So why does it feel like that comparison is wrong?'
Izuku looked back at Iida. The other boy looked…
'… "contemplative" isn't the right word…'
Already, the ice was almost melted.
"So now your in the final four," Iida said, "I hope my match against Hatsume… was informative for you."
Izuku couldn't help noticing how the look on Iida's face changed when he said that.
'Oh, of course…! He's upset that he lost!'
Hoping to cheer Iida up, Izuku switched topics.
"Yeah, it was… Hey! Do you know if your brother Ingenium has been watching you this whole time, Iida?"
"He called me earlier, but he was busy with work… I'm actually glad though," Iida smiled warmly, "Even after coming this far, I still can't say I'm number one yet."
Because of that smile, Izuku couldn't tell whether the change of topic was a success… or not.
Soon, though, they were distracted by the next few matches. Izuku pulled his notebook back out.
Tokoyami barely needed to put any effort into his fight against Ashido. It was practically over the same moment it began, and the tournament moved on to the next match.
Kirishima lasted better against Bakugo than Izuku would've thought possible. His hardening seemed strong enough to stand up to anything Bakugo's explosions could dish out. Meanwhile, Kirishima was wearing Bakugo down with a relentless barrage of physical blows. However, Bakugo was ultimately victorious, wearing Kirishima down, in turn, with some rapid-fire, weaker explosions.
"AND WITH THAT, WE'VE GOT OUR FINAL FOUR!!"
'Looks like Bakugo was playing the long-game from the beginning…' Izuku scratched some notes down onto the paper in front of him, 'Since, for the moment, Kirishima can only turn his quirk either all-on or all-off, Bakugo forced Kirishima to keep it on.'
Izuku sweated, once again realizing exactly what he could be up against in the final round.
But first, he had someone else to deal with. Someone with a distinctly different advantage over him.
An advantage that almost had him more worried.
Unpredictability.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
There was another quick break before the Final Four matchups. Then…
"BOTH OF THESE COMPETITORS HAVE ALL SORTS OF GADGETS UP THEIR SLEEVES. IT'S A BATTLE OF EQUIPMENT AND SKILL! IZUKU MIDORIYA VS. MEI HATSUME!! START!"
Izuku tensed, wary and unwilling to make the first move.
"Well, this is a little awkward. And I'm afraid it won't boost your reputation, either, but…" Hatsume said, rocking on her heels, "I aaactually was planning to forfeit during my match with Iida, once I was done showing off my babies… But Iida got blown away before I could!
"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is…" She walked over to the boundary line, "they've seen it all now. There's nothing left to show, so I'm out!"
She stepped over the line.
Present Mic's voice reflected everyone's shock, "HATSUME HAS STEPPED OUT OF THE RING!"
Izuku blinked, relaxing his stance. Was this really happening?
"MIDORIYA MOVES ON WITHOUT LIFTING A FINGER!"
The audience booed as he walked back inside. Why did this outcome make him even more nervous?
'… Because next… I'm fighting either Tokoyami… or Bakugo,' he swallowed, 'And I'm pretty sure I know which it's going to be.'
.
What made his remaining uncertainty worse, though, was that -- while he couldn't see what was happening from the prep room -- he could still hear Present Mic's commentary…
"BAKUGO'S UNSTOPPABLE!! TOKOYAMI'S COME THIS FAR WITH A SERIES OF WINS THANKS TO HIS NEAR-INVINCIBLE QUIRK, BUT… NOW HE'S TOTALLY ON THE DEFENSIVE!! HE CAN'T EVEN GET CLOSE!!"
'He could still turn this around if Bakugo doesn't figure out his secret weakness.'
"HE'S BEHIND HIM!!"
'Who's behind who?!'
"ALWAYS WITH THESE DUST CLOUDS! WHAT'S HAPPENED DOWN THERE?!"
There was silence…
…
Then Midnight's voice, "Tokoyami has surrendered! Bakugo wins!"
"LOOKS LIKE OUR FINAL MATCH IS SET. MIDORIYA VERSUS BAKUGO!!"
Izuku got up.
'I can't even leave for the arena yet…!'
There was still Bakugo's prep time before the match.
He started pacing instead.
'So… it's us two…
'…How's this gonna go?'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Meanwhile, in the stands…
.
"Poor Tokoyami…" Uraraka said.
Iida agreed. "Observe and learn now, and we'll get him back later!"
"Right!" She shouted, clenching her fists and looking determined.
Suddenly, Iida's entire body started vibrating.
"Whoa! What's that?!"
"My phone," Iida replied calmly. But when he saw the caller I.D.-
-he decided to walk away before answering. "Hello. I lost, mother… I apologize if I've disappointed you…"
"No! This isn't about that… Oh, Tenya… Stay calm and listen to me… it's Tensei… Your brother…"
Iida froze. That tone of voice… and his brother…
What was she…?
"A villain got him…"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hosu City
.
A lone, masculine figure perched on top of a water tank on a roof.
"You people haven't realized… How they're mired in vanity and hypocrisy…" they spoke to no one, or perhaps the crowds below, who were too far away to hear them, "hahh… These so-called heroes… in this twisted society.
"But I… will make you realize…"
They were interrupted, "We meet at last, Hero Killer… Stain!"
Stain swung the sword on his back in the voice's direction. If its owner had been corporeal, he probably would have killed them.
"Oh, please, relax… We're on the same side… You're already quite infamous. I really wanted to meet you."
The owner of the voice appeared to be a living shadow. But out of that shadow came another figure.
One that didn't have any eyes.
"May we have a moment of your time?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Back at the Sports Festival
.
Still waiting in his prep room, Izuku was sitting in his chair again, nervously tapping his foot and staring at the page of instructions and predictions in front of him -- when the door flew open.
Bakugo stood there, his foot in the air where the door used to be.
"Huh?" He lowered his foot, his confusion turning immediately into anger, "Huh?! Why're you in here, stupid Deku?!"
Izuku, despite his previous nerves… 'Now that he's here… in front of me…'
Without any emotion in his voice, Izuku said, "This is prep room two."
"Huh?!" Bakugo glanced back outside the door, "Prep room… Ah, crap."
Izuku looked back at his notes -- but he wasn't seeing them.
'What's with my reactions lately? …Is it a side effect of that plant? … Maybe it lasts longer than I thought…?'
"Hey, I mean I get that I walked into the wrong room… But giving your final opponent the cold shoulder? What's the big idea? Look me in the eye, Stupid Deku!"
Izuku looked up at him, that question still in his mind. Then it occurred to him…
"We've been friends since we were kids, right? And you said that I've been acting weird… right?"
Bakugo looked taken aback for a split second -- then the anger came back, even fiercer than before.
"You damned nerd… Who the hell cares?!" He kicked the table over, and Izuku's notebook went flying. "All your stupid plans… You're asking me about your damned feelings? Who cares?! Just come at me with all you've got."
He walked over to the door, "And I'll crush you like the damned PEBBLE you are!"
As the sound of Bakugo's footsteps faded, Izuku picked up his notes. He stared at his plans for the final match.
'"With all I've got," huh? …Alright.
'I suppose… There's nothing else left TO do.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Beginning]
[Previous Chapter] - [Next Chapter]
Read my original book, Crossroad of Infinity for free right here on Tumblr, on my website, or on AO3!
Every time I come back… Those first few seconds, they…
They're spent re-living- No. No, re-remembering my memories of the life I'd just lived.
And I just…
[Beginning]
I guess the First Nav was… "the straw that broke the camel's back," I guess? 'Cause…
Or maybe it'd be better to call it the "trigger." 'Cause…
Because I hadn't- no. No, I had.
I'd been planning on doing this. Or… It felt that way…?
Maybe it was a decision I kept coming to while in other worlds?
… It must have been. Because I don't remember coming to it consciously, but it was definitely a decision I must have come to at some point.
…
I… I just wanted to see if it-
… No. That's a lie.
-I mean. Who would turn down a chance at paradise?! I HAD that!
And all those worlds… It just… It wasn't FAIR, DAMMIT!!!
IF THERE REALLY WERE AN INFINITE NUMBER OF VARIATIONS OF THE SAME WORLD, OF EVERY SINGLE ASPECT OF A WORLD ANYONE COULD EVER DREAM UP, THEN…!!!
Then…
Then why couldn't I? … Right?!
'Cause… After I'd figured out how to navigate- how to choose…
What was stopping me?!
…
One thing. There was ONE other thing stopping me.
.
I'm a demon-eater.
.
"Demonic" energy.
What that means. Is. Well… surprisingly easy to explain in this world.
It's "unhealthy."
… That's it.
I have to absorb unhealthy energy to survive.
And a paradise, by definition, doesn't have any. And isn't the idea of that beautiful?
.
I learned quickly, during my first few travels, that the Crossroad gives the Keeper a new material body and a new prizmal one -- but NOT a new spirit.
I had to learn the difference; that, while one's prizmal body is part of their spirit, the reverse is not true. My new prizmal bodies might have been new containers for my spirit -- with new limbs, abilities, and even needs…
But my demon-eater nature was part of my spirit.
And I didn't want to admit that. If I did, then…
…
I told myself: "I just haven't found the right one, yet. Eventually, if I look enough, I'll find a Place, a dimension, a world- where I won't need to absorb demonic energy anymore! I'll find my Paradise -- and I'll live in those worlds forever!"
.
… I came close, several times.
Found worlds where there didn't seem to be any demonic energy.
-Except I'd find it, somehow.
Would draw it out. Make people who'd never experienced anything Bad like that go through suffering for the first time --
-- OR WORSE.
…
I'll tell you about The One Time…
… It Was Worse.
…
And yeah. Only once.
In a situation where I have only the barest summary of my memories -- where I could live multiple, FULL lives, and think they were nothing more than hallucinations -- I only needed to experience this ONCE…
To decide not to look for "paradise" anymore.
…
I…
…
I'm sorry this is getting so dark.
But… This is something you need to understand about me. Why, out of everything, THIS is my greatest fear.
So…
Please, just…
… Please keep reading. I promise it gets better.
I swear, most of the stories I have of my travels are happy things. Pleasant ones. It's just-
-I can't tell them yet.
Not really.
Not until I tell this one first.
So, I'm sorry but…
It's made traveling to new worlds a bit more convenient.
[Beginning]
When he died, I connected to the Crossroad for the first time. It happened when I was… just reaching "adolescence," I suppose you could say? Er, well- I guess, in your terms, I was somewhere between nine and twelve years old.
That stage of development -- the transition from childhood to adulthood? That's the stage of development my new bodies are always made in -- which is rather lucky, actually, since it means I'm rarely expected to know everything about the worlds I end up in. Quite often, I'll get taken in and cared for because of my "age."
Which is exactly what happened in the First Nav.
The body I'd been given was a B. I won't go into detail on what the As or Bs looked like -- mostly because I couldn't describe them if I wanted to, but I also don't want that to distract you. However, I'll say this: They definitely weren't humanoid.
Since I had arrived as a B, thankfully it was a group of Bs that found me. The Bs didn't have a strict "familial" structure, but lived in groups with between one and five leaders, as many as thirty other adults, and a multitude of children.
And, unfortunately, it wasn't uncommon that many of those children were adopted. Because the As, if their "structure" was disrupted, had a tendency to… overreact.
The Bs… "worked" for the As in order to survive. From the moment a B could move around on their own and follow orders, they went to work for a community of As.
The As had a much more structured ranking of authority among them. One family would rule over about seven others, all of whom would provide one or more services -- such as food, medical care, and even artistry. Whatever the ruling family desired, they'd find a lower family to supply. In exchange, the ruling family would allow the lower ones the "service" of their Bs.
Now, as far as I could tell, this had started off as a mutual agreement between the two races. Because of their physiology, the Bs could venture into the outside world without fear.
But the As couldn't.
The First Nav's two ecosystems were not equal in strength. At any moment, the poisonous one threatened to overtake and eradicate the benign. Any "poisonous" creature that happened into a benign environment would be perfectly fine, but the reverse was not true. The As and Bs, as the only fully sentient beings, had established a partnership to help prevent the extinction of the benign ecosystem.
Or, rather… the Bs had decided to help the As out. Since the Bs didn't require the As help in return and, in fact, the As didn't have much to offer.
Except.
Except for the promise of an "easy life."
Which the Bs became addicted to.
In exchange for having basically every one of their needs cared for (housing, food, even entertainment), the Bs rid the As immediate surroundings of anything and everything poisonous -- cleaning their homes, tending their gardens and fields, and even serving as guards on the rare occasions any As dared to travel.
By the time they realized anything was wrong, they didn't know of any other way to live. And the As refused to teach them. (Trades were heavily guarded family secrets, after all!)
.
A few Bs got around that rule, though.
It was rare, but crossbreeding was possible between As and Bs. These Hybrids would usually have the benefit of being able to survive in poisonous environments without being poisonous themselves; however, if they bred with either an A or B, the trait of the other race would disappear.
Of course, given the interruption they caused to their hierarchy, the As weren't fond of the Hybrids. But their strict societal structure didn't allow for much disclusion of them.
Reluctantly, some Bs were allowed more deeply into the As' society. This was where I had found myself.
I wasn't blood related, but this only barely mattered to the younger As of the family. Their trade was in making furniture and the like, so my musical talents were a treat for them. One they didn't have to pay for. That, plus my angelic aura…
They took a liking to me. All the younger As did, even ones from other families.
And… I decided to take advantage of that.
I had failed in overcoming the prejudice in Illunira, but in this new dimension… Maybe it would be only one community, but it could grow from there!
So I taught these young As about the Bs -- taught them to see past their society's rigid structures into actual interpersonal relationships. And surprisingly… it worked!
This wasn't the first time I'd tried this. And my attempts usually failed.
In fact… they seemed to always fail.
I struggled many nights… to remember times I'd succeeded… and sometimes, I-... I just couldn't…
So, to see these kids -- so incompatible to each other that they could barely even touch one another… playing and working together?
It was bliss.
I'd… actually helped someone…!
I'd chosen a world… and it had worked…!
…
But OF COURSE it didn't last!
.
The older As of the community found out. The younger As had assured me nothing would come of them knowing. They didn't think we were breaking any actual rules.
… They'd forgotten that the ruling family made the rules.
And could change them.
They said our little group threatened to disrupt the "harmony" of the community -- that disrupting the structure of authority put all As at risk.
Something about the Bs "not doing their jobs anymore" because other professions would be "too tempting" if they were options.
Regardless of their faulty reasonings, they decided our group was a threat.
So they destroyed us.
More than that, they made examples of us -- to any children that hadn't joined our group!
.
They killed them… All of them…
… Every last child…
They made a SPECTACLE of it!
I just about lost my mind.
If I hadn't been restrained, I'm sure I'd have killed some of those As.
… But I was restrained. So I could do nothing.
As the "leader" of the group (I was no such thing, only its founder, but as if they would ever have believed me), they saved me for last.
They tortured me first, then killed me.
But I barely registered it.
.
The thing about the summarized memories I get left with- is that they work like normal memories. As in, the more impactful something is, the more easily it's remembered. It has little to do with the amount of time something took to happen.
And most of my summarized memories at that point in my travels… They weren't pleasant.
Dimensions after dimensions seemed to be filled with suffering-
-Oh, don't misunderstand, though! There were plenty of happy memories too! It's just…
With all of Infinity at my fingertips -- infinite options, infinite possibilities…
Surely…
I could find an infinite number of paradises…
Iida and Uraraka had saved a seat for me, and I took it just as the next match began.
"THE WAIT IS OVER!! MOVING ON… THERE THEY ARE! THE CREAM OF THE CROP!! YET THIS GUY'S SOMEHOW STILL AS PLAIN AS THEY COME!"
Todoroki's intense focus was a stark contrast to Sero's relaxed stretching.
"HANTA SERO OF THE HERO COURSE! VERSUS… THE BEST OF THE BEST! THE STRONGEST OF THE STRONG! SHOTO TODOROKI, ALSO OF THE HERO COURSE!!"
Sero continued to stretch, raising his arms above his head.
"START!"
Suddenly, Sero's stretch became an attack -- as tape shot out of his elbows, trapping Todoroki.
"HE'S TRYING TO PUSH HIM OUT WITH A SURPRISE ATTACK!! IT'S PROBABLY THE BEST STRATEGY FOR HIM! SERO'S GIVING IT HIS ALL!!"
But even more suddenly, even while being flung close to the edge of the arena-
-half of the stadium was covered in ice!
There was a tense, shocked silence for a few moments, before cries of "Good try!" started coming from the stands.
"SERO IS IMMOBILIZED!!"
'That's an understatement,' I thought. Then noticed something.
Watching Todoroki thaw Sero out of the ice with his left hand, I couldn't help it.
'Todoroki… seems sad. I wonder why?'
.
It took the staff a few minutes, but eventually…
"WITH THE ARENA ALL THAWED OUT, IT'S TIME FOR THE NEXT MATCH!! THE SPARKLING, KILLING BOY FROM THE HERO COURSE! DENKI KAMINARI!!"
I jerked in sudden realization. 'Aw, no! I'M MISSING IT!' Scrambling, I pulled out my U.A. hero notebook.
Number Fourteen.
"VERSUS… A PASSIONATE, MANLY FIGHTER AS HARD AS ROCK. ALSO FROM THE HERO COURSE, IT'S EIJIRO KIRISHIMA!"
Notebook and pencil now in hand where they belonged, I watched the match intently -- while also trying to catch up with what I'd noticed from the previous match!
"START!!"
Kirishima managed to dodge Kaminari's first attack by jumping. But the second one…
"Kirishima is down! But…" Midnight announced from the arena, "Kaminari is out of bounds! The winner is Kirishima!"
Murmuring, my writing became frantic.
"I thought Kaminari's quirk would be stronger, but Kirishima managed to endure long enough to push him out of the ring. I wonder, was it his hardening? Or was Kaminari holding back so he didn't lose his ability to think?"
Uraraka leaned over, glancing at my notebook. "Your match just ended, but you're already thinking ahead, huh."
"ACK!" I jumped, snapping out of my murmured analysis.
"Huh?! Nah, I'm just…! Well, you could call this a hobby of mine…" I tried to hide my blush with my hand. It wasn't working. "We finally have the chance to see everyone's quirks in action…"
Then I remembered.
"Oh! Right." I started flipping through the notebook. "I've got everything you'd need to know about Class A in here. Even your 'Zero Gravity,' Uraraka. And, well…"
Settling on a page, I held it out for her to look at. "You need a counter-strategy for Kacchan. One that works against his quirk. So I thought I'd offer-"
"-Deku…"
"..."
Uraraka had on a polite smile. '…Why does that make my heart hurt?'
"… I thought you were amazing since the day we met, but… this Sports Festival… has brought you to a whole other level."
'...? What's she…?'
"But…" There it was.
Her smile was more genuine now, though, as she looked down at the arena. Filled with purpose -- and that fire from when they first announced the Festival.
"Everyone here is fighting for their futures! Doesn't that make us all rivals?
"So… That's why I have to say… Thanks, Deku… But…"
She turned back to me with a close-eyed smile.
"That's okay. I'll see you in the finals!" "MOVING ON… WHO'S NEXT IN THE BATTLE FOR THE TOP?"
Sitting next to each other -- after a conversation like that -- was… a little awkward. But… also somehow kinda nice, I thought.
"THE FIRST ROUND'S JUST UNDER HALF OVER!! NEXT UP IS TENYA IIDA OF THE HERO COURSE! VERSUS… COVERED HEAD-TO-TOE IN SUPPORT ITEMS… MEI HATSUME OF THE SUPPORT COURSE!"
'…! It's that goggles girl!'
There was some conflict over whether Iida using Mei's support items was against the rules or not, which allowed me to catch up with my notes. Eventually, Midnight decided that, since both parties were fine with it, it was okay.
But I had to wonder, 'Would that goggles girl -- Mei? -- really share her equipment… to be fair?
'…No. I think she's… '
"START!"
And I was right. The match ended up being a ten minute game of tag that doubled as a play-by-play sales pitch of each of Mei's support items.
It ended when the jetpack Iida was wearing activated and, combined with the momentum of his running, launched him out-of-bounds. "Iida is out of the ring! And, since there's an uneven number of matchups… Hatsume moves immediately to the third round!!"
I had to admit, Mei's equipment was impressive.
'I should get in touch with her later. See what else she has… I almost wish I'd taken her offer!'
"Iida is just way too serious." Uraraka was on the verge of laughing. "It wasn't hard for her to get him to play her game…"
"No kidding. She has a real mind for strategy, huh?"
Uraraka got up, suddenly sober. "Right… I'd better get to the prep room."
I looked up from my notes, then, to wish her good luck.
I watched her go, wondering what her strategy was against Kacchan.
'Well… there are two more matches before hers.' I turned back to my notes. 'And she's had plenty of time to think, before now. …Yeah. Uraraka can handle herself.'
Mina won her match by damaging Aoyama's belt with her acid (and punching him), and Tokoyami simply overpowered Momo, pushing her out of the ring.
I felt only a little sorry for Momo. Tokoyami was an extremely strong opponent in a one-on-one match, admittedly. And he hadn't given Momo much time to use the objects she'd created.
But seeing as those objects had, apparently, been a shield and staff…? I didn't like her chances, even if she had been given an opportunity to use them.
Finally…
"FOR THE LAST MATCHUP OF THE FIRST ROUND… A CELEBRITY SINCE HIS MIDDLE SCHOOL DAYS, WITH A FACE ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE… IT'S KATSUKI BAKUGO OF THE HERO COURSE!! VERSUS… MY PERSONAL PICK!! OCHAKO URARAKA, ALSO OF THE HERO COURSE! START!"
Uraraka charged Kacchan.
'...! She might just-'
And he exploded a palm directly in her face, too fast for Uraraka to dodge.
'... pull this off…'
As the match went on, I caught on to what Uraraka was doing. Using the rubble as a sort of bomb attack was super clever, but…!
"... Uraraka," Midnight announced, " …is unable to continue."
… Uraraka collapsed after only one attempt at the technique.
"Bakugo moves on to the second round!"
Midnight crouched over the exhausted girl.
"OH, POOR URARAKA… TAKEN DOWN BY BAKUGO IN THE FIRST ROUND."
"If you're going to be an announcer, then do it right…" Aizawa criticized.
Present Mic ignored him, "GET IT TOGETHER, EVERYONE."
"You're making this way too personal…"
"THE FIRST ROUND IS NOW OVER!! WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE SECOND AFTER A QUICK BREAK!"
'Such an extreme self-sacrificing strategy… Uraraka!!' I thought, making my way to the prep room for my second match, 'If only her weight capacity were higher… or… Yeah. She might've been able to corner him if…'
Kacchan came up one of the stairways as I was passing by. I elected to ignore him, but-
"You helped her come up with it, didn't you. That freaking self-sacrificing scheme of hers."
Kacchan stopped at the top of the stairs.
… I stopped walking and faced him.
"You caused me a lot of trouble out there…"
"-No. I didn't. That was all Uraraka." I interrupted. "… If that was 'a lot of trouble' for you… then that was all Uraraka messing with you."
Kacchan just stared at me.
"... Congrats on your win," I turned my back to Kacchan, "See you-"
"-What's up with you?"
"Hm?" I turned back.
Kacchan growled, stomping up to me, "Ever since you got in to this place, you've been freaking weird. Weirder than usual…" He grabbed me by the collar. "So I'm askin' yah -- What's going on with you?"
We stood like that for a moment. The sound of the crowd cheering, my face unreadable.
'Shouldn't I be scared? That plant's effects are gone. But…' I glared at Kacchan. 'No. I'm not scared. Because…'
I grabbed Kacchan's arm- "Let go of me… Bakugo." -and twisted it.
"Guh-" With a small grimace, Bakugo released me.
Without another word, without looking back, I continued walking to the prep room.
But not my prep room.
.
Uraraka, having changed out of her uniform, sat at a table. When she spotted me come in the doorway, she beamed at me like usual.
"Guess I lost. I just got carried away at the end when I thought I could actually win…"
I walked up to her, looking her over skeptically.
" Uraraka… Are you hurt?"
"I'm good! Well, I'm healing bit by bit, so my stamina doesn't get drained. Just these little scrapes left." Her expression did a 180. Her face scrunched up and she growled. "But darn it! I couldn't put a scratch on him. Guess I just gotta try harder next time!"
"... I-" I hesitated, not wanting to impose on her -- or waste my own prep time. "I need to go prep, but…"
"Hm?"
"I just… wanted to say -- I think you should focus on combat."
Uraraka blinked at me. "What makes you say that…?"
"Well -- it's just-"
"-Oh!" She smiled brightly, "Does this have to do with that strategy you came up with for me?"
"Uh… Kinda." I looked away from her. I could stand up to Kac- to Bakugo, but being close to Uraraka still made me blush. "If you had more hand-to-hand combat training, you might've been able to get close enough to Bakugo to touch him and make him float…"
Uraraka stared at me, her eyes slowly lighting up and becoming even brighter.
"I-I-I ummm…" I was looking anywhere but at her. "I'll let you borrow my notebook later, but Ireallyneedtogettothepreproom,bye!!"
I all but ran to my prep room.
…
Before I knew it, it was time for what I knew would be my biggest challenge yet.
"BOTH OF THESE COMPETITORS HAVE WON TOP MARKS IN THIS FESTIVAL SO FAR!!"
During the Cavalry Battle, I'd been able to just run away. Same with the race, in a way. But now…
"BUT THERE'S ONLY ROOM FOR ONE OF THESE GREATS IN THE RING!"
Now I'd have to fight him head-on.
"IT'S… MIDORIYA VERSUS TODOROKI!!"
'As soon as he says it -- I can't afford to hesitate…!'
"START!!"
Immediately, I leaped as far to my right -- Todoroki's left -- as possible, aimed-
-and used the new tool Master gave me for the first time in this competition.
The place where I was just standing was, predictably, now covered in a wall of ice.
And I hadn't dodged completely.
Despite my best efforts, and being completely prepared for it, my feet were frozen. I couldn't move…!
"WHOAAA!! WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! I DIDN'T SEE A THING. HAS THE MATCH BEEN DECIDED?"
It took a few seconds for the mist to clear. When it did, Midnight looked at both contestants -- and walked up to Todoroki.
"Todoroki and Midoriya are both immobilized… But-"
I was grinning. I knew. I could practically see a recording of the fight in my mind. Me jumping, Todoroki firing his ice, me firing a knockout-bullet in Todoroki's face -- and Todoroki collapsing before my feet froze.
"-Todoroki was immobilized first… Midoriya… moves on to the third round!!"
"-Yes! … ehem."
"WHAT HAPPENED TO 'DON'T MAKE IT PERSONAL'?" Present Mic jeered at Aizawa.
.
Waiting for my feet to be thawed, I listened to the audience. After their reaction to me winning against Shinso…
"That Midoriya…" "He should've gotten straight up blown away!" "Did Todoroki not have a plan, or…?"
'So…'
My heart sank.
'It's the same.'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
All For One grinned.
"Did Todoroki even want to win? Or was he trying to lose?"
"Either way, Todoroki sure has some impressive power…"
"Midoriya's got moxie, for sure, but…"
"Todoroki put up such a good show through the cavalry battle, c'mon!"
The "audience" seemed to be having the effect he'd hoped. That is, if the boy's expression was anything to go by.
He turned away from the screen, "He actually made it past that prodigy… Well, then. Time to begin the next phase, Kurogiri."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Beginning]
[Previous Chapter] - [Next Chapter]
Read my original book, Crossroad of Infinity for free right here on Tumblr, on my website, or on AO3!
It took me at least a few hundred tries to navigate the Crossroad successfully, even after figuring out the basics.
A few hundred tries to get a dimension decently close to what I wanted. To get one with physics I liked.
[Beginning]
It might seem odd how I keep bringing up "different physics." Well, there's a good reason for that: It's the first thing I notice about a new world. And a large part of what makes many of them so interesting.
And also-
-They're usually impossible to completely describe once inside a different set of physics (although some are more difficult to describe than others.)
In this case, my first successful navigation definitely falls in the "more difficult" category, since it was more similar to Illunira than to this world: It had no sun, was a half-prizmal dimension, and didn't require spoken language.
But, I suppose it also had no spirit types, like this one.
Rather than having a material and a prizmal body, it was more like living things there were made from a substance that combined both. The material was the prizmal.
They didn't have any need to feed the prizmal part of their beings. Rather, it was their material body that fed their prizmal element. In many ways, this made the First Nav's connection to Prizmal much stronger than Illunira's.
And, in fact, Prizmal was much easier to see in the First Nav's sky.
But it didn't look like the Prizmal I knew.
Rather than a crystal, with sharp edges and refracted light, it looked like a bunch of amorphous. Blobs. Of glowing. Goo.
...Alright, I admit, that description might be intentionally degrading.
I'm biased in favor of Illunira's Prizmal. So sue me.
I guess a more flattering description might be "the sky looked like a giant lava lamp."
More familiar, and a more important aspect to me, was that communication was done through the aura/mind; through the prizmal. Because, by this point, I had encountered worlds that required the use of some type of language -- spoken or otherwise. And the thing about language is that it has to be learned.
And I couldn't just travel to worlds that used the language from Illunira because that magnet-like, pushing effect wouldn't. Let me.
Now, eventually, of course I would come to learn another language (thanks, in large part, to Noctu and Xihrae), but I hadn't yet. So not needing to know one in order to communicate? Made things considerably easier on me. This was one of the aspects I'd continue aiming for for many travels to come!
I said there weren't spirit types. This, too, was intentional.
I was tired of the prejudice different spirit types had aimed at each other in Illunira. I knew there would likely still be prejudice of some kind -- but at least it would be a different kind!
And it was. Rather than judging each other based on any prizmal aspect -- they judged using the material:
There were two basic ecosystems. We'll call them "poisonous" and "benign."
And there were two intelligent, souled races in this world. One for each ecosystem.
And, while they weren't exactly at war, they did not get along.
I could come up with names for them. But I'd rather not -- for reasons that should become obvious. Later.
So, instead, I'll refer to the poisonous-ecosystem race as "B" and the benign as "A."
Over time, I definitely became more familiar with the Bs.
It's a while, yet, before Tess is supposed to fully turn Lucy.
And since it's good cover for establishing a relationship with the locals, she's been working at this little pub for the past few weeks.
[Beginning]
Imagine our surprise, then, when we spot Abraham Van Helsing, of all people, arguing with the cook. We knew he was coming at some point, but, once again, Xihrae had "accidentally" neglected the details.
Despite the short time to prepare, Tess isn't thrown off, thinking only, < … Well, now's as good a time as any, I suppose. >
Once they've finished, Tess asks the cook what the argument was about. That answered, she grabs and scarfs down her own food -- and waits for the perfect time to make her entrance.
"I didn't realize the pub offered breakfast this late," Tess says, her tone light-hearted yet accusatory.
"Hm?"
In the middle of taking a bite, he looks up at her (Tess's eyes just barely above his own) and spills a bit of egg from his mouth. She's not yet donned her uniform, so any attempt at intimidation via authority is pointless. And yet…
He swallows and, stoic, mutters, "Not my first choice."
Not to be denied, Tess tries again, "Oh yeah? What would be?" She puts a hand on her hip and tilts her head down at him. "Because I hear the chef takes requests now."
He flinches.
< There we go. At least he has the decency to look guilty. >
"I… suppose I could have handled that better."
"A bit."
He regains his bluster, "-But in my defense, my first choice would have been a proper amount of sleep." His face scrunches in disgust (< He looks like an angry bulldog, haha! >), "No rest for the wicked, I suppose."
"…" Tess pulls the stool out from the other side of the small table and plops down. "Why the lack of rest? What are you doing that's so 'wicked' -- if I may ask?"
His mouth thins, and he looks away. "Such things are no concern of a young woman."
"Oh?"
And then, the door opens-
-and HE comes in.
Thankfully, HIS presence here is a detail Xihrae did not "accidentally" leave out. If he had, this game of hi-... of ours would have been over the very first moment Tess and I met… "Jacob." Nonetheless, I still have to push down the touch of panic that "Jacob" causes every time I see him.
Tess waves to "Jacob," tonight's waiter, as he passes us, continuing her conversation with Helsing, "And I suppose there's nothing I could do to change your mind?"
"Hmf!" I can't tell whether that was a laugh or a scoff, but his next words are… gentle, "…This really isn't something you ought to concern yourself with. It's too much for the weak-willed, best left for a man."
< … >
< Tess. Control yourself. >
< ... I will choose to ignore the last part. >
"'Not for the weak-willed,'" Tess thinks for a moment -- then grins, "…Alright, then."
She clicks her tongue twice.
It takes only a couple seconds -- the puppy (now about three-fourths grown and considerably larger than most dogs) opens the door with his paws, enters, and comes directly to the table. She snaps her fingers. The pup obeys, sitting beside her.
The wolf stares Helsing in the eyes for a couple seconds, before looking back at its master. With the obedient beast beside her, and Tess still dressed in her usual, flowing black dress… Images I'd caught from mirrors in the castle's halls surface at the thought.
And I wonder -- how ethereal must Tess look to him in this moment?
After a couple pats, Tess orders the pup, "Open."
It opens its mouth, and Tess places her arm inside the wolf's jaws. Understanding seems to dawn in Helsing's mind a moment too late, "Now, hold on a moment-!"
"Snap!" Tess yells.
Helsing lets out a guttural yelp, preparing to leap across the table, as the wolf's jaws SLAM down on Tess's arm-
-and stop precisely as its teeth meet her flesh, without so much as a single droplet of blood.
Helsing drops his fork, his eyes wide and mouth agape like a stranded fish. Tess removes her arm, pets the pup, snaps her fingers, and points at the ground. The pup obeys, circling a couple times before lying down facing the door.
Since he's still busy gaping, Tess takes the opportunity to add, "I work the night-shift here a few times a week -- just me and my dog. What were you saying about being weak-willed?"
"Why…!" If possible, his eyes have gone even wider. "You really trained this beast? And- and work in a pub while-"
"-I RUN the pub. Alone. At night."
"Ha!"
< Now that was a laugh! >
Helsing sits back down. He's returning Tess's grin, and his shoulders are back and head raised. "My apologies, miss…?"
"Ciestess. You can call me 'Tess,' if you like."
"Miss Ciestess, you may be one of the bravest women I've ever met."
"Then I'm afraid you haven't met many women."
"Ha!" He picks his fork back up.
"So," Tess leans forward and rests her arms on the table, "Why are you in here eating breakfast for your dinner?"
"Ah, well, that…" He pokes at a piece of meat, but doesn't stab it. His eyes flit between her and his food as he answers, "I'm a doctor, you see. And a patient of mine is suffering from a rather unusual condition. Extremely rare. It requires I look after her throughout the night hours."
"Hm…" Tess feigns worry -- eyebrows raised and pulled together, "What condition? Is it contagious?"
He looks up at her again. "Oh! No, no-ah… Mm, well… Yes, but…" Breaking eye contact, he searches for his knife. Grabbing it, he stabs the meat and cuts it -- with more force than strictly necessary -- into bite-sized pieces. "... It's… It's rather difficult to-... Well, you're unlikely to believe it…"
Tess sits up straight again. "You're a doctor, aren't you? What reason would I have to doubt you?"
"It…" He pauses his cutting, but still doesn't look at her. "Well, I suppose… working throughout the night… you'd be in more danger NOT knowing…"
His knife moves again. He's silent until he finishes cutting up the meat.
"... Very well. I'll tell you, but you mustn't let word spread, you understand? The truth is…" He looks up again. "She was attacked, you see. By… By a vampire."
"A vampi-oh!" Tess says, then whispers, "A vampire? You're serious?"
"I warned you-"
"-No no, I believe you, it's just… surprising, to say the least! How do you know that's what happened?"
"She's suffering from a form of anemia -- she doesn't have nearly as much blood as she ought to… As though she's been bleeding from an open wound," He stabs a piece of meat with his fork. "But the only marks on her are some rather distinct bite marks on her arms and neck. And new ones appear every few nights."
Tess mumbles, "So you've been guarding her…"
"Yes, but it doesn't seem to be working. All I can do is try and set up as many obstacles between her and her attacker as possible."
We're interrupted by "Jacob." He sets a glass down in front of Tess: A sweet tea, with no ice.
Tess looks at him, genuinely surprised, "You didn't have to-"
"I figured you could use a cup of tea. This is still your favorite, right?"
< … Jeez, that smile. How am I supposed to say no? >
< Why should you? > I counter, doing my best to act as I normally would -- instead of shouting at her to remain cautious, don't trust him, trust anyone BUT him, and whatever you do, don't drink that-!
< ... Good point! >
Tess smiles back at him, "Thank you."
"Jacob" returns to his table. Tess sips at the sweet tea.
< A little too much sugar, but not bad. >
"If you don't mind my asking," she mutters, "How did you come to learn so much about vampires? Do they teach all doctors about them?"
Helsing had returned to eating in the brief silence. It takes him a moment to answer. "No, I'm an unusual case in that regard. I… Well, it's a bit of a personal story…"
"I don't-"
"-Oh, don't apologize, miss. It's actually rather refreshing to be able to talk like this. As some say, the only people you can truly be honest with are complete strangers."
They share laughter for a moment. Helsing's face becomes solemn, his mouth turning down slightly and his brow furrowed.
He takes another bite of his eggs, then starts his story.
"... I was still new to being a doctor, at the time. I was working with a friend to cure his brother, who was suffering from, what I learned quickly was, an incurable disease."
Helsing takes another bite. His food is almost gone.
He's staring at the table.
"The night we expected him to die, my friend requested I leave them alone together. So I did. When I returned the next morning, it was to find them both dead-" His nose wrinkles up, and his lip curls. "-my friend lying next to his brother on the bed, a bite on his neck, and his blood on his brother's mouth."
He snatches his cup and guzzles it.
He returns it to the table with a clunk -- but continues clutching it.
"I was in shock. Confused. But I'd heard of vampires, of course. I could hardly believe it, but the more I studied the scene, the more certain I became that I wasn't mistaken."
He lifts the cup again, but doesn't drink. He's staring at it, instead of the table, now.
"So, perhaps a bit mad in my grief, I admit, I took revenge upon my friend's brother's corpse."
His voice has gone monotone and, aside from his furrowed eyebrows, his face wears a neutral expression.
"I broke the leg off a wooden chair in the corner of the room and stabbed it through the heart. When I did…" His eyes widen slightly, and his words come more slowly. "Those screams will haunt me to the day I die."
He's stopped talking.
< What can I say to that? Should I say anything yet? >
< … No. We need to stick to the plan- > Musn't give in to the guilt…! < -Xihrae's plan. >
Thankfully, he continues. He hasn't moved even a little during the silence.
His voice seems stronger now.
"Suspicions confirmed beyond any doubt, I waited for my friend to wake. I suppose I hoped… I'm not sure WHAT I hoped."
He finally looks up from the cup. His pupils have dilated, and the area around his eyes is tense.
"That he'd be human? That I could cure him? … No. I suppose… The truth is that I needed to see his inhumanity with my own eyes before I could bring myself to do it. To kill him-
"-No," His eyes widen -- the haunted look in them replaced by madness. "No, to SAVE him! A creature like that…" His lip curls and nose wrinkles again.
He growls, "The only salvation left for them- is death!"
"WE'LL PROCEED TO THE AFTERNOON PORTION AFTER A ONE-HOUR LUNCH BREAK! SEE YOU THEN!!"
We could still hear both announcers as their voices faded out: "HEY, ERASERHEAD. WANNA GRAB SOME FOOD?"
"I'm taking a nap."
"WHA-?"
.
As we walked off the field, everyone drifted from our cavalry teams and back into our friend groups.
"This sucks," said Tsuyu, "But congrats all the same Mina."
"Bakugo only picked me as a counter-strategy against Todoroki's ice," Mina replied, rubbing the back of her neck, "This win doesn't really say anything about my strength."
"Iida, you were so awesome, keeping us away from the other teams like that!" Uraraka praised, miming Iida's running.
"Oh, no," Iida waved away her praise, "With your zero gravity and Tokoyami's dark shadow, it was a simple matter of paying attention to the different teams' locations relative to our own."
"Geeez!!" Kirishima groaned, punching Iida in the arm, "And I wanted to win so badly!!"
"Hey, at least we're moving on, right?" Mina cheered him up.
Todoroki cut-in, "It's Midoriya who deserves the praise, for getting such a high score in the first place," he turned to me, "And I imagine it was you who came up with that strategy as well."
I rubbed the back of my head, blushing, "It was nothing, really. I mean…"
I started murmuring, "yeah, getting first place in the race was kinda tough, but the cavalry battle wasn't actually so difficult, since I had the ideal team and all, and-"
Kirishima smacked me on the shoulder, a wide grin on his face. "You gotta stop it with all that! You did awesome, man! Own it! All that murmuring isn't manly!"
"Yeah!" agreed Mina, pretending to be a photographer, "A hero's gotta show their stuff! Smile and wave for the camera!"
"Yeah, Deku!" Uraraka beamed at me, "We wouldn't have gotten first place if it wasn't for you!"
I blushed even more deeply.
"Hey, you wanna eat lunch together Iida?" She asked, turning her attention to him.
'I think…' I reflected, as I went to eat with my friends, 'this might be the best day of my life, so far.'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As the students filed back into the stadium after lunch, Present Mic announced that those not continuing in the competition could still participate in a different activity.
"HOPE EVERYONE ENJOYS THIS LITTLE RECREATIONAL COMPETITION!" He said to the audience, "ONCE THAT'S OVER, WE'RE ON TO THE FINAL EVENT. BETWEEN THE 15 MEMBERS OF THE FOUR WINNING TEAMS… WE'LL HAVE A FORMAL TOURNAMENT!! A SERIES OF ONE-ON-ONE BATTLES!!"
"A tournament huh?" said Kirishima, "So we'll be up in that ring I see on TV every year!"
"Was it a tournament last year too?" Mina asked.
Sero replied, "The format's always different, but most years involve some kind of head-to-head competition. Last year, it was foam sword fighting."
From the small stage in front of the remaining competitors, Midnight explained this year's competition, "The matchups will be decided by drawing lots."
She held up a box labeled "Lots."
"Once that's settled, we'll move on to the festivities and then the tournament itself! It's up to each of you 15 finalists whether or not you participate in the fun. I expect some of you would rather take a breather and save your strength.
"Now, let's start with the first-place team…" Midnight moved, about to step down from the stage so the students could pick from the box-
When she was interrupted.
"Um… Excuse me," Ojiro raised his hand, "I'd.. like to drop out."
There was chatter from all over the stadium, everyone wondering why he'd give up an opportunity to be noticed by the pro heroes.
"The Cavalry Battle…" Ojiro lowered his arm slightly, not looking anyone in the eye, "I have no memories of anything that happened up until the tail end. It's probably his quirk that did it…"
Izuku looked around for -- who he assumed to be -- Shinso, the guy he remembered seeing Ojiro team up with and the one their team was named after. He spotted him standing alone, hands in his pockets and also not looking anyone in the eye.
He wasn't even looking at Ojiro.
"I know this is a great opportunity. And I know how stupid it must seem to throw it away… But this final tournament…" He looked at his fist, his face tense, "Everyone else made it here by their own strength. Yet I'm standing here, and I don't even know how or why. I just can't take it."
"You're thinking about it too hard!" Toru tried to cheer him up, waving her gloves placatingly, "Just show what you're made of in the tournament!"
"By that logic, I shouldn't really be here either!!" added Mina.
Ojiro lowered his head into his hand, shaking.
"No… I'm talking about my pride, here… I don't think it's right."
.
After a few moments' pause and muttering from the crowd, Present Mic said, "WE HAVE A STRANGE TURN OF EVENTS…"
"What will the coordinator, Midnight, decide?" Aizawa prompted.
"How naive and green… I… Like it!!" Midnight cracked her whip, grinning, "Ojiro has officially withdrawn! That brings us to an even 14 competitors!!"
The screen lit up, a bracket with names displayed on it.
"Here are the new matchups!"
The first bracket consisted of Izuku vs Shinso, Todoroki vs Sero, and Iida vs Hatsume; the second bracket was Kirishima vs Kaminari, Mina vs Aoyama, Tokoyami vs Yaoyorozu, and Uraraka vs Bakugo.
'If I win my first match… My second's against Todoroki!' Izuku thought.
'But before that…'
"Shinso…"
"Izuku Midoriya," came a voice from behind him, "That's you, yeah?"
Before Izuku could respond, there was a hand covering his mouth. It was Ojiro.
"Midoriya!! That guy… Don't answer him."
"?!"
.
"NOW LET'S SET ASIDE THE TOURNAMENT FOR THE TIME BEING… AND GET ON WITH THE THRILL-A-MINUTE FESTIVITIES!"
.
Once Shinso had walked away, Ojiro asked to talk with Izuku alone, leading him to one of the competitor prep rooms.
And explained his theory.
"A mind-control quirk?" Izuku gaped, "How can I hope to win against that?!"
"My loss might be your gain. My memories cut out from the instant I replied to him," he said, tapping his head with his finger, "That's the trick, I think."
"So…" Izuku murmured, "It's all over if I slip up and say anything to him…"
Izuku gave a small shiver. If that was the case, he was impressed. That was a powerful tool Shinso had, alright!
"Not necessarily," Ojiro said, "It doesn't seem like such an almighty ability.
"Remember how I said I didn't remember anything up until the end?"
Izuku nodded. He'd thought that was odd.
"When Shinso had us run past to nab Tetsutetsu's headband… I think I must've bumped into Tetsutetsu's formation… 'Cause that's when I snapped out of it. I was suddenly aware of what was happening!"
"So it was undone by physical contact?" Izuku put a hand to his chin, his mind already comparing and weighing strategies.
"That seems very likely," Ojiro nodded, his chair creaking as he leaned back, "That said, I have no idea how strong the contact needs to be. And in a one-on-one match, of course you can't expect any outside help.
"Anyway, that's all I can tell you."
Ojiro got up to leave, and Izuku rose to meet him.
"No, that's awesome! Thanks!"
"No problem! Uh-… Forgive me if I'm out of line, but…" Ojiro held out his fist, "Win this one for me."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Before I knew it, the recreational activities were over. It was my turn; time to face my first serious opponent outside of a classroom.
"HEY, GUYS. ARE YOU READY?! YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH HELL TO GET HERE!! BUT NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE ONE-ON-ONE TOURNAMENT!!"
My heart was racing. But… I felt oddly calm, too.
… Prepared.
"YOU'VE ONLY GOT YOURSELF TO RELY ON!! EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT A HERO, THIS SAYING HOLDS TRUE! YOU KNOW IT!! SPIRIT, TECHNIQUE, STRENGTH, WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE!! USE 'EM ALL AND SHOW US YOUR BEST!!"
Shinso, the audience, and I, all had to wait a few more tense seconds as Cementoss put the finishing touches on the arena.
Then… we walked out.
"THE FIRST MATCH!! MAKING A SCARY FACE, AND WITH THE EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE TO BACK IT UP, IT'S IZUKU MIDORIYA, FROM THE HERO COURSE!! VERSUS… SORRY, BUT THIS GUY HASN'T REALLY DONE ANYTHING TO STAND OUT YET! IT'S HITOSHI SHINSO, FROM GENERAL STUDIES!!"
My ears were ringing from the sheer volume of the crowd's cheering. Evidently, they were looking forward to this event.
… I supposed I couldn't blame them.
"THE RULES ARE SIMPLE! WIN BY KNOCKING YOUR OPPONENT OUT OF THE RING, IMMOBILIZING THEM OR GETTING THEM TO SAY 'I GIVE UP'!
"BRING THE PAIN!! WE'VE GOT OUR GOOD OLD RECOVERY GIRL ON STANDBY!! AND FIGHT DIRTY IF YOU MUST! 'ETHICS' HAVE NO MEANING HERE!!"
Cementoss made himself a throne of stone where he could watch the entire arena.
'"Ethics have no meaning"...? Isn't this a "hero" fight…?'
I didn't have time to follow that train of thought.
"WELL, OF COURSE, GOING FOR THE KILL IS A NO-NO!! YOU'LL BE DISQUALIFIED! BECAUSE A TRUE HERO'S FISTS FLY ONLY WHEN IN THE PURSUIT OF VILLAINS!"
"'I give up,' huh?" Shinso said, "Get it, Izuku Midoriya? This battle's going to test your strength of will."
The look in Shinso's eyes… It looked familiar to me, somehow…
"If you've got any kind of vision for your future, there's no sense in worrying about how you get there."
"NOW LET'S GET THIS THING STARTED!!"
Shinso's voice overlapped with Present Mic's: "Like that monkey, babbling about his stupid pride."
"READYYYYYYYYY!! START!!"
"What kind of dumbass throws away a chance like this?"
Not responding was turning out to be more difficult than I imagined.
'Save it for later! I MUSTN'T -' I kept reminding myself, '- I can't. Say. ANYTHING right now!'
I told myself the best way to protect my friend's honor… 'I can't lose this!! What I need to think about now…'
.
While the two of us were just standing there, the audience unable to hear Shinso's taunting, some unexpected commentary came from above us.
"I mentioned that that entrance exam was completely irrational," Aizawa explained to the crowd and Present Mic, "This kid is a perfect example of why."
"Hmm? What's that?" Present Mic responded to Aizawa at a lower volume than his usual commentary.
"Here are the simple specs on these two. I've got them here because we knew this would be a quirk versus quirk battle. In theory, anyway."
The sound of paper shuffling could be heard.
"Shinso failed the practical part of the exam, so he lost a spot in the hero course. He got into general studies, though, and that's all he could have hoped for. His quirk is extraordinarily powerful, but… Given the format of the practical exam… his ability didn't help him out.
"And yet, someone with no quirk at all managed to get past it!"
"That's right," Shinso was talking again, "Thanks to my quirks nature, I couldn't enter the golden gates!"
That familiar look in Shinso's eyes intensified.
And suddenly… I realized what it was.
"But you get it. You're not naturally blessed, either. So I don't really have anything against you… That said, I'm not giving up."
I swallowed nervously. 'I do get it. That's how I used to think too. But…' I realized… that I should really… just get this over with.
'… right. I… I am blessed. Even if it's NOT "natural."'
"Those people…"
Shinso's expression turned furious -- hateful even. And suddenly… It stopped looking familiar.
"Born with their awesome quirks… Getting to follow all their dreams!!"
'I'm blessed… by the people in my life! By Master… And by my friends! And that's… exactly why… '
Shinso took a step toward me, "Say something already!"
'That's why I'm… not gonna lose!!'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Abruptly, Izuku charged at Shinso.
'Sorry. I really wish I didn't have to do this.'
It wasn't a surprise. It couldn't be. Of course Shinso tried to run, to fight… Nonetheless, with the large gap in their training, experience, and strength…
It was a simple matter for Izuku to overpower Shinso…
'I don't… have anything against you either!'
… and throw him out of the ring.
After a brief pause out of shock at the sudden… anticlimactic victory, Midnight announced, "Shinso is out of the ring!! Midoriya… moves on to the second round!!"
"IZUKU MIDORIYA MOVES ON TO THE SECOND ROUND!!" Present Mic repeated, his tone of voice just a tad surprised. "GOODNESS GRACIOUS! WE'RE OFF TO AN EVENTFUL START! PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR OUR FIERCE COMPETITORS!"
.
As Shinso got up -- before he could walk away -- Izuku asked the question that had been burning in his mind, "Shinso… Why do you wanna be a hero so badly?"
Without even pausing to think, Shinso responded, "We don't get to choose the things we naturally admire."
"...!" Izuku froze. Surprised, and… confused.
'His feelings… They're the same as…' Izuku looked up into the stands… but couldn't spot him. 'I still admire All Might…
'… Or…' Confused because, at the lack of feeling in his chest, he had to wonder, 'Do I…?'
Izuku was broken from his internal debate, "You were awesome out there, Shinso!"
Shinso's classmates were cheering him from the stands.
"You had us on the edge of our seats!" "You're the shining star of us general studies guys!" "You did just as well as the guy who got third in the obstacle course!"
Izuku smiled; it was right that they cheer Shinso. He'd done wel- "Why is that quirkless kid in the Hero Course and not Shinso? He has such a strong quirk."
'...!'
.
Far away, All For One smirked.
'That's it. Listen to what the crowd is saying…'
.
"That quirk would be great against villains. I wish I had it…" "What the hell's U.A. thinking? Putting him in general studies…" "Well, they can only admit so many. That's just how it is." "There's only so much you can do… when there's such a large gap in their battle experiences. What a shame… A big loss to the Hero Course, not having a quirk like that."
Shinso's classmates heard it too, "You're awesome!" "Hear that, Shinso?"
'… Right.' Izuku thought, 'Of course that's how they-'
"They'll consider transfers to the hero course depending on the results here."
Izuku was interrupted again. Snapped out of his thoughts this time by the sound of Shinso's voice.
"Remember that. Maybe I failed this time, but… I'm not giving up." His voice was filled with determination, although the hatred wasn't completely gone. "I'll show them I've got what it takes to make the hero course, and I'll become a greater hero than all of them."
Without thinking, Izuku responded, "Hang on. I-"
'Oh! He got me… But why? The match is already over…'
"People who respond to me tend to stiffen up like that…" Shinso looked over his shoulder at Izuku, grinning. "It'd be easy to mess everything up for you now… So just promise me…"
He released him.
"… you won't lose in a sorry way out there."
This time, Izuku responded with just a smile and a nod.
That hatred…
'He… probably has his reasons…'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Beginning]
[Previous Chapter] - [Next Chapter]
Read my original book, Crossroad of Infinity for free right here on Tumblr, on my website, or on AO3!
Where was I?
It… reminded me of… Prizmal for some reason…?
But- I couldn't be there, right? They had True Killed me, so I wouldn't have ended up there.
… Wait-
-They'd killed me.
[Beginning]
.
I was supposed to be dead. But -- I still had my physical body!
Then I remembered why I was supposed to be dead-
-ANGEL…!
I looked around to try and find her; THAT'S when it started, I think. Although, granted, no memory crystals grow to help me remember what happens while I'm within the Crossroad itself.
But I know that, pretty quickly, I stopped looking for Angel.
I got distracted.
By my new reality.
I started getting these visions -- flashes of lives I couldn't have lived, in worlds that couldn't exist. For a long time, I figured I was hallucinating. That, wherever I was, something was messing with my mind.
Gradually, I realized the truth. But I didn't want to -- couldn't -- believe it.
They weren't visions. They were memories.
I knew this for certain when… Ah, I should backtrack.
Every time I had one of these visions, a plant would grow. The longer the vision, the taller the plant-…
No, no… I need to backtrack further… I should describe what the place looked like:
It was like a garden, except it only had one plant.
At least, for those first few seconds. Before I started having "visions."
It resembled an empty plot of land from Illunira. So closely, in fact, that I thought I was still in Illunira!
If I'd cared to look closer, I'd have noticed how there wasn't a horizon or sky -- how everything seemed to… fade- after a short distance. The only other thing there (aside from the plant and the ground) was some lava flowing down a small incline -- with no volcano to supply it in sight.
And that one, solitary plant. One, what I'd later dub, "memory crystal."
But the First Crystal is different from the ones that came after it. Which is how I can always find it, no matter how many more grow: It's grafted onto another plant. One that didn't originate from Illunira.
(To describe it, I guess it kind of looks like… a mushroom? Like a fuzzy mushroom, but made out of… a bunch of tiny ribbons? … That's the best I can do.)
I realized my visions were actually memories when I touched one of these crystals. While touching it, all the details of the "vision" came into clear focus.
As a test, I touched more. And the same thing happened.
Then I touched the First Crystal.
And I recieved Mentor's messages.
That bit of foreign plant was, apparently, how Mentor's memories had been stored while they were the Keeper.
They had known their old memories wouldn't be accessible for me (if they even still exist at all), but that the ones they made in Illunira before they died would be. So they'd gone over their advice to me countless times, imprinting them in that bit of stored memory with remarkable clarity. (Repetition will do that.)
All so I could know what was happening to me.
…
Well… so I wouldn't have to figure it out on my own, anyway…
The story Mentor had told me. About the Crossroad of Infinity and its Keeper? … Was true.
After touching the First Crystal, I finally allowed myself to study my surroundings. I'd been subconsciously avoiding it, too scared of the looming Unknown.
Now that I wasn't panicking, I could see the place for what it was. The illusion of Illunira, of familiarity, faded away.
Actually, that's only half-true.
They were still there, if I looked.
Still are if I look.
Although, it's less that they exist, but more like they are how my mind chooses to perceive the Crossroad.
Infinity is incompatible. At least, with my physical body and mind. So the plants, ground, and lava are a substitute for it. And, after I'd acclimated for a while, so was the sky.
Or, rather, Prizmal.
The reason the Crossroad had reminded me of it was because, in many ways, it IS Prizmal. Just deeper into it than I could ever have imagined! It's truly impossible to describe.
How does one describe Infinity? That's a puzzle I've been trying to solve for ages.
A single point within the Crossroad is both infinitesimally small and infinitely large.
Some points and paths I could see -- or taste, hear, smell, feel… Process.
But others I'll never be able to recognize. Let alone navigate.
They're beyond my abilities.
Incompatible.
The sensation of all those paths and worlds, dimensions and timelines… Physics that are eerily familiar, or ones that are so alien as to be beyond comprehension, or are so absurd that they make me laugh or shudder in terror just knowing THEY EXIST somewhere.
That sensation is completely intangible.
The best way I can describe it is: I was in the center of the biggest prism in existence!!!
Although, it is more… ambiguous in shape than a prism from this world, haha!
All those places reaching out, connecting to each other, leading to one another…? The way they fade into each other, the same and yet remarkably distinct?
It's like a never ending rainbow of infinite colors -- and the Crossroad is the point where all those colors meet!
And that fracturing, refracting effect. Heh.
That's Prizmal!
-Ah! Part of it. That's how it appears -- and why I named it that in this world!
What "Prizmal" is -- is the "Great Energy Dimension."
Every dimension, every world -- err, every one that I can access, anyway -- has a "prizmal" element. Sometimes it will be contained within the same dimension, and sometimes it will be in a parallel one. Sometimes it'll even be something between the two!
And if it's a parallel dimension, quite often it gets called a "spirit world" or "afterlife" of some kind by the people who live in its material counterpart.
And that makes sense, since ALL prizmal dimensions are PART OF PRIZMAL! It's through Prizmal that dimensional travel is possible! And it's through this overarching connection to Prizmal that different dimensions gain knowledge of each other!
Stories, thoughts, feelings, spirit -- information -- can travel so easily through prizmal energy that, with no effort at all, people can tap into it through almost any dimensional barrier!
So is it any wonder that, when I reach out -- with my prizmal body. With my spirit -- I can sense Infinity more clearly? It's almost as though it's imposed on top of those perceived physical surroundings -- like a hologram.
And, while in this state of perception, the memory crystals connect to points within Infinity, marking where I have been.
This is extremely useful for navigation!
But when I first figured that out-
- I was devastated.
Because Mentor was right. I couldn't go back to anywhere I'd been.
Least of all to Illunira.
These points are like magnets. They repel me. The closer I try to get to them, the closer a destination is to them, the harder it becomes to reach.
At first it was hard to navigate even a tiny bit. It was so hard that my attempts had barely any effect on where I ended up. I'd try to reach for a world with similar physics, and end up in a set of physics I'd never even thought possible. I'd reach for a specific person, but they wouldn't be in the world I ended up in.
I tried again and again: reaching in, living a new life, returning with only the summary of my memories (a small consequence, it seemed at the time), reaching again…
So many lives and memories, most going ignored.
Because, to give a comparison (although the time isn't exact): One year to the "me" inside a world -- was like only a second to the real "me" inside the Crossroad.
To live one hundred and twenty years in this world-
-would be like being forced to remember every second of that life in the span of only two MINUTES back in the Crossroad.
If, say, my memories of a life in one dimension were a file, then I could only "unzip" them by touching a memory crystal. So, no matter how devastating or incredible they might have been, those failed navigations barely even felt real. That's why, at first, I didn't think they were.
Eventually I figured it out: I couldn't just blindly aim into infinity. I had to start somewhere and… well, as best I can explain it, "move sideways." Not that there were any actual directions, but-
-… Let's see…
It's like… trying to find a specific object inside a pitch-black, silent, unfamiliar room.
Without anything or anyone to help you.
Your chances of succeeding are much better if you work your way through by touching the furniture, other objects, walls…
The memory crystals are like my furniture and walls. They're where I've been. By "moving sideways" from them in the "direction" of the traits I want for my next world, I can navigate!
… Kind of.
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