Izuku Midoriya was a paradox to her. He was strong yet weak, brave yet fearful, smart yet incredibly naïve. He was someone she had been sure of, no, the Herrscher had been positive that he would have been an easy host. She was betting on one of two outcomes when she looked at him.
Outcome one, Izuku would be just as spiteful as she was to the world that had wronged him, to the people who had abused him. He was tormented all his life, branded as something less than normal by the standards of this world. In a world where every human seemed to have a unique power, Izuku had none, and he was often seen as an inferior being because of it. He was taken advantage of because of it.
The strong preyed on the weak, Izuku at the absolute bottom of the food chain. His teachers, his peers, and everyone alike would see him as something not worthwhile. They would see him as just fodder and filler.
According to the Herrscher's own logic, that should have made him angry. Angry like they had been when the memories of the Babylon labs surfaced. Angry like they had been when they remembered how so many girls were dehumanized and stripped of what identity they had, becoming just numbers and statistics, human lab rats.
While Izuku's pain was nowhere near those girls, he should have had something, anything, for her to hold on to, but he didn't. In the end, he didn't want to destroy the world that wronged him, he wanted to save it, a concept that was so foreign and alien to the Herrscher.
She had expected someone who would have understood her, at least on some level but no, he was just another stupid hero.
As for the next outcome, since he wasn't someone who'd side with her, the Herrscher had another plan for him. She'd crush his will and devour his spirit. It required more effort, but she had been so sure it was possible. He was alone, he was beaten down often. He should have been ready and willing to give up. It should have taken her no time to erode him.
Yet Izuku persevered.
At the time she hadn't quite figured out why or how. She checked his heart and his mind and found no other additional entities living in his body. The Herrscher was the only one inside Izuku, not like Kiana who had the blasted chicken accompanying her. Yet against all odds, against the mental dread, she instilled, he resisted her. Now in front of Bakugo, the Herrscher finally understood why.
Izuku was strong, mentally strong, he'd been able to stand back up after everything the world threw at him and still smile, and still see the good in people. He was also conditioned to it. He didn't see the unfairness that befell him, it was a black-and-white world to the boy.
Bakugo could abuse him, and it would be fine because Bakugo could be a hero. Heroes were good, they were needed for society. However, the Herrscher was a villain, and no matter what, villains could never win, so even if the Herrscher offered him protection, safety, power, and the chance at revenge, he'd never take it. Not unless he truly wanted to live.
Izuku was infuriating to her, and he was going to become even more so if she didn't stop it.
She left when she realized how he had gotten out of that dilemma. He had found the one option she hadn't considered. He was clever, she'll give him that, and that only made her cautious.
Then if things weren't bad enough, All Might came and reaffirmed his dreams. The man who had once shattered Izuku's world had rebuilt it with even stronger support. She should have killed him when she had the chance. Nevertheless, now she was seething and trying to think of a new plan. She'd desperately need a new strategy.
"So did you get anything?" All Might questioned his partner as they drove back to the office. After finishing the interviews, the duo bid the two families goodbye before promising to keep in touch. For the most part, everything had gone well on his side of things. Now he only hoped things went well for Naomasa as well.
"Well…I got some info, but how useful it is, is another matter entirely." True Man answered.
"Now I'm curious. Anything about the Herrscher?" All Might asked.
"Yeah, and it's rather surprising." True Man answered. "The reason Izuku is alive…is because the Herrscher saves him." True Man explained.
"Wait…what?" All Might exclaimed. "But how?" She wasn't there prior. No one had seen the Herrscher before the attack, let alone in the café.
"According to Izuku, the Herrscher was invisible for the time being. He hadn't even noticed her, but she had been right there when everything happened. She was there when he was buried under the rubble." True Man explained.
"So…are they connected." All Might asked in disbelief.
"No. Izuku never knew of the Herrscher till he saw the news reports of her a day after her debut and from what he told me, she was just waiting to see if he fainted or died before getting bored. Overall, she doesn't seem connected to him." True Man noted.
"I see." All Might sighed. "Well, that's a relief."
"You seem to have taken quite the interest in this boy." Naomasa pointed out.
"You sound like Nezu."
"Just an observation." The Detective pointed out.
"He reminds me of myself." All Might noted. "I was like him once, young, quirkless, and hoping to be a hero in a world where even babies could probably kill me." All Might pondered. "Someone took a chance on me, I wanted to return the favor."
"You want to make him your successor?" Naomasa questioned.
"I've…considered it." All Might admitted. "However, I don't think that would be the right call. A lot of villains have become more active and while AFO hasn't shown himself, the Herrscher has. I don't think it's a good idea to pass on OFA to someone else with chaos just brewing at the edge. Maybe if things were more peaceful, I'd entertain the thought."
"So then why train Izuku?" Naomasa asked.
"Because that's the ideal scenario." All Might explained. "I'm no fool. If push comes to shove there is a chance I can be injured or worse. In my mind, Izuku's the best candidate for OFA but he can't just take it right off the bat. Plus I wanted to show my support."
"So basically, if I'm getting this right. You're training him so that while he may not need to be your successor, he can still be so in case of emergency." Naomasa summarized."
"Yup." All Might agreed. "Best case scenario, he'll never get OFA ever."
"Are you at least going to tell him about this?" Naomasa asked.
"Nope." All Might answered. Naomasa cast him a glance. "Don't give me that look. I just made a big deal to Young Midoriya that he can be a hero without a quirk. Do you know how shattering it would be, if I suddenly walked up to him and said, here's my quirk, now go be a hero?"
"It would be like hitting him with the US Smash." All Might said. "I told him I believed he could be a hero without a quirk, and I don't intend to go back on those words."
"Oh, brother." Naomasa shook his head. "I can't imagine how Night Eye would react. You finally choose a successor, and you don't even plan to give him the power unless you're about to die."
"It's a risk I'm willing to take." All Might told him. He'd keep an eye out for other potential candidates should the need arise, but he'd ultimately hope they would never be needed. While being the Symbol of Peace was an honor, it was also a burden, one that he knew he would never wish on anyone else.
After having dinner with the Bakugos; Izuku and Inko returned home tired but content. The night had gone on without any more hiccups and Izuku's mood had been noticeably brighter, much to Inko's delight and Katsuki's dismay. Of course, how long he'd be so cheerful was going to be put to the test soon enough. Upon entering his bedroom, Izuku was greeted by none other than the Herrscher of the Void, who was leaning against the wall with her arms folded.
Izuku gulped. She had disappeared after the interview. He had hoped that was the light of her appearance for the night. Sadly he was wrong. He closed the door before him. The Herrscher upon noticing, gestured to a chair opposite to her. Not needing any further words, Izuku sat in the chair and the Herrscher mimicked his motions and sat on his bed.
"You seem happy for a boy who had the tuna knocked out of him by a loud mutt and then interrogated by a Detective." The Herrscher noted. "I take it the rest of the evening went well."
"Yeah…it went well," Izuku answered. He was still wary of the Herrscher. Just an hour or two ago, she almost threatened to kill everyone around him and now she was here acting polite. It unnerved him how easy it was for her to flip the switch. "I didn't tell the Detective anything, incriminating," Izuku noted.
"I heard." The Herrscher answered. "I must admit, I was surprised you found a third answer. You figured out the only solution that would satisfy you as a victory for yourself. It's impressive." She said the last part in a rather forced manner.
"Oh, well…thank you." Izuku took the praise with caution. What was she getting after?
"Nevertheless, you still lost some of the little respect I had for you." The Herrscher deadpanned. "You were more than willing to sell me out, you actually schemed it, yet it never occurred to you to also sell out Bakugo." She sneered. "Why?"
"What?"
"A lie detector comes to the house. You could have told them everything about what Bakugo did and you didn't." The Herrscher explained. "You let the boy who hurt you walk free while you conspired to expose the one who healed your wounds. You see what's wrong with this picture. Right?" The Herrscher asked.
"Um well…the thought just didn't occur to me." Izuku defended.
"Of course it didn't." The Herrscher sighed. "Because let me guess, Bakugo's a hero and I'm a villain. Is that it?"
"Yes." Izuku answered without thinking. The Herrscher glared at him. "I mean…no?"
"Do you still believe Bakugo's a good person?" The Herrscher questioned. "Or are you just in denial?" She questioned. "When asked by the Detective, he called you out on those being lies." She recounted.
"I…" Izuku sighed. He was forced to finally confront the idea. "For a long time, I've never wanted to admit it." Izuku finally confessed in defeat. "How could I, Bakugo was the only friend I had when I was younger, and when I grew older, he was the only person I could have even claimed was a friend."
"So you lied to yourself." The Herrscher reiterated. "You wanted to keep that false sense of friendship so you wouldn't be isolated." Surprisingly she didn't seem to be trying to mock him. Despite keeping her echo, her tone was different than its usual mocking and taunting.
"Yeah…I lied to myself." Izuku admitted.
"Well then, now that you've admitted he's a bad person. Why don't you let me go and punish him?" The Herrscher asked. "I promise I won't kill him."
"I can't let you do that," Izuku told her. "You've already done so much to him."
"Of course," The Herrscher scoffed. "Even when you admit he's a jerk, you still defend him."
"That's not why I'm defending him," Izuku argued.
"You defended him when he beat you, you defended him when the Detective interrogated you and now you defend him even when you admit he's bad and I decide to punish him." The Herrscher listed off. "It seems like you still think he's a good person, he is good hero material."
"I'm not defending him because I think he's still a good person. I'm defending him because I want to believe I'm still a good person." Izuku argued. "You've made it quite clear what your solutions are. You can't expect me in good conscience to let you do as you please." Izuku retorted.
The Herrscher sighed.
"So, it seems we're truly stuck at an impasse." The Herrscher lamented. "Tell me, now that you are aware, that bad people can be heroes, do you think good people can be villains?" She questioned.
"It's possible," Izuku admitted. "There are cases of people being labeled as villains because they simply tried to be heroes without a license." He recalled. "However…."
"Unfortunately, as much as I would like to believe otherwise. You don't seem to qualify as such." Izuku noted.
"Oh…you're doubting my intentions." The Herrscher noted.
"You've told me many times. Your end goal is the destruction of humanity. You've drilled it into my head. It feels hard to believe you could have any justifiable reason for such a desire." Izuku noted.
"I have a reason." The Herrscher added. She had 322 reasons for wanting humans to die, possibly more if she considered all the individuals outside the labs.
Izuku looked at her with a curious gaze. "Would you tell me?" He wondered.
The Herrscher looked like she was about to say something but she held her tongue. Izuku could take note of the changing expression on her face. "No." She answered. "Someone like you, wouldn't understand." The Herrscher told him.
"Someone like me?"
"You believed for years that your suffering was acceptable, all because the one who tormented you, could have been a hero." The Herrscher explained. "Your pain was ultimately not a factor, so long as a hero was not hindered for the good of humanity. Such a mindset is not one I believe would understand me." The Herrscher elaborated.
If anything, she felt Izuku would have said they deserved it. It was for the good of the world after all.
"I see."
The two stayed silent for a moment.
"Well, I think I've said my piece for tonight." The Herrscher noted as she stood up. They were both stubborn individuals, opposite in many ways except this one aspect.
"Thank you for healing me." Izuku told the Herrscher. "It meant a lot."
"Hmmph…you're my host, I need you to be in good shape." The Herrscher dismissed.
Izuku had gone to bed not long after, the Herrscher was left once more with her own thoughts. While he slept the Herrscher kept watch, hovering in his room while she pondered her next options. "I shouldn't have antagonized him." She mentally kicked herself.
Her plans for an aggressive takeover had backfired on her. Izuku's will had been stronger than she realized, and his 'heroic' nature was far beyond what she had expected. In hindsight, it seems like the best solution would have been to slowly corrupt him to her side.
He was weak, vulnerable even. All she had to do was become his friend, become someone he would trust. Someone who he'd listen to without question. Unfortunately, none of those plans seemed viable now.
He was all too aware of her nature. Even if they were capable of being cordial with one another, he'd have doubts about her motives. She had made her desires unapologetically very clear, and they were directly against his nature. The Herrscher even doubted she could fake a redemption. Given her host's fleeting moments of intelligence, he'd probably realize she was only faking.
All seemed lost for the Herrscher. That was until she took note of her host's sleeping form. Hang on…maybe it wasn't.
The Herrscher recalled the very troublesome family from almost a lifetime ago. The Kaslana family, specifically Cecilia, and Siegfied. A long time ago, Sirin tried to trap them in a dream, but Cecilia had turned it around on her. That had weakened Sirin considerably in a sense, left her exposed, and made her ponder things she didn't normally consider. Sirin's will had almost faltered right then and there.
A big consequence of that dream was no doubt the birth of the Herrscher's other half, the girl who would take the name Kiana Kaslana. Perhaps she could take some inspiration from that experience. The Herrscher floated to Izuku and pressed her fingers on his forehead and his heart. The Herrscher began to focus, thinking of a very pleasant dream.
Izuku found himself in a strange place. It felt familiar and unfamiliar if that made sense. It looked like the park he and his friends used to play around, but it was snowing and all the buildings were smaller, like those old villages from those stories he read. He didn't feel so cold even though he had no cloak.
"Help me." A voice called. Izuku on instinct rushed over to the source. Moving around some parts of the playground Izuku found the owner. On the ground was a girl with blue-ish maybe silver-like hair and draconic features. However the strange girl wasn't what surprised him, it was her assualters.
Standing over the girl was Bakugo and two of his friends. They were mocking and teasing the girl, calling her names. The girl whimpered and Izuku instinctively ran to protect the girl. "Leave her alone, Kachaan." Izuku shouted at Bakugo and his cronies.
Izuku felt terrified. He was shaking in his boots and tears were threatening to come from his eyes. He had jumped in to save the girl without thinking but he soon realized where he was, yet he still persisted. "If you keep making her cry, I'll stop you myself." He told them, trying his best to be brave.
Bakugo smirked at him maliciously. He punched his face creating a small explosion on the impact. Izuku recoiled instinctively in fear. "Still trying to be a hero." Bakugo taunted. The two 'friends' he had behind them shifted as their own powers activated. "You don't stand a chance without a quirk." Bakugo smiled.
The three boys looked at Izuku, with predatory grins before they lunged at him and the girl. Izuku froze, his body unable to move. Yet, just as they were about to hit. A purple blur came to the side of Izuku.
"Don't touch my Bella." A girl screamed as she swung a baseball bat over her shoulder. The bat recoiled with one of the attacking kids, knocking him to the ground. Bakugo and the other had stopped momentarily to see the girl. She was a young girl around Izuku's age, with a mass of purple hair and soft gentle amber eyes.
The boy who was struck whimpered in pain before running away. "Hey, get back here you loser," Bakugo screamed as his partner fled. He then turned to the remaining one. "You just gonna stand there. Get her." He ordered the other kid.
The next boy did as he was told, he extended his wings and flew to the girl who held the bat and swung it again to knock him away. However the victory was short-lived, Bakugo blindsided the girl, releasing an explosion in her face. The girl was knocked down and the bat had rolled over, lying in front of Izuku.
"Think you can make a fool of us, you little brat." Bakugo screamed.
Yet that was not where the bully stopped. He started to wail at the girl, hitting her with an explosion into the ground. She looked up to Izuku with pleading eyes.
"Being a hero is about saving people and I believe you can still be a hero Izuku." All Might's words echoed in the boy's head.
Izuku remembered all the pain he felt being in the girl's place. He couldn't stand seeing it again. Katsuki shouldn't be doing that. He shouldn't be doing that to someone else.
Then something snapped.
Izuku ran forward, grabbing the bat off the ground. He'd save the girl, he'd save her from Bakugo. He held it firm as he ran up to Bakugo and the girl. "STOP IT KACHAAN!" Izuku screamed as he swung the bat, right into the Bakugo's face.
Bakugo was knocked on unconscious by the swing, several of his baby teeth coming out and some blood running from his nose. Izuku huffed, surprised by the action he had taken. He looked down at Katsuki, almost feeling sick by what he saw, yet before he could fully process those thoughts he was hugged by the two girls.
"Thank you." The draconic-looking girl told him as she and her friend pulled Izuku away from Bakugo's battered body.
After they had moved to a different spot, the girls introduced themselves. "I'm Sirin and this is Bella." The purple-haired girl told him.
"I'm Izuku." He responded.
"Thank you for saving me," Bella repeated once more.
"I didn't really do anything." Izuku humbly denied it.
"Bella why don't you go and tell Mom, we're coming," Sirin ordered the other girl.
"Oh, okay," Bella answered before leaving.
Once Bella had disappeared from view, Sirin turned her attention to Izuku. Her eyes were familiar to Izuku, but he couldn't quite tell why. "Thank you for saving Bella," Sirin told him. "And for beating that bully." She smiled.
"Like I said, I really didn't do much." Izuku denied. "You did more than me, you beat two of them."
"You still saved me." Sirin smiled. "Weren't you scared?" The purple-haired girl commented. "You had frozen up earlier." She noted.
"I..I was." Izuku admitted. "But then…then I saw your eyes." Izuku told the amber-eyed girl.
"My eyes?" The girl repeated in confusion.
"You looked like…you were asking for help," Izuku told her.
As the words left his mouth, Sirin suddenly acted strange. Something clicked in the girl. Her body tensed as her eyes glowered. "What?" She dismissed. "I wasn't…I didn't." Sirin had wanted to say something but she'd stopped herself.
She took a deep breath then her body relaxed and her eyes dimmed. "I'm glad you saved me, Izuku." She told the boy with a smile. "You're my hero." She giggled.
"I…thank you…no one's ever said that before." Izuku blushed. He tried to hide it, tried fidgeting with his hands to ease his anxiety, that's when he realized, he still had the bat on his person.
"Oh, I almost forgot, here." Izuku offered the bat back to the girl. "It's a little dirty." Izuku innocently apologized when he noticed a stained spot on it.
Sirin eyed the spot, it was the dried blood that had fallen on the bat when Izuku had swung it. She smiled at Izuku before pushing the bat back into his hands. "Keep it," She told him. "I'm sure you'll use it better than me." She giggled.
"Uh, are you sure?" Izuku questioned.
"Positive," Sirin smiled, her eyes glowing softly.
Back in the real world…..
The Herrscher smiled as she saw the dream play out before. Izuku may not trust the Herrscher but he would trust others. While it may not have been real, it did reveal something about Izuku. He's very willing to do what it takes to save someone in danger, It's where he's his most courageous, the most reckless, and perhaps…the most vulnerable.
She was very pleased with this outcome. It may have been just a dream but seeing him smack Bakugo had been satisfying. She had assumed Izuku might have just tackled him, but he had actually taken up the bat and caved it into the other boy's skull. Perhaps there was something she could work with.
Glancing at the sleeping boy, the Herrscher reached out and caressed his face in an almost tender manner. She called upon the Honkai in their body once more, and this time she properly healed the injuries he had received from Bakugo the night before. It was a small reward.
However, despite this success, there was one thing that bothered the Herrscher. She had staged everything for Sirin to be the victim, how bruised she'd look, how her voice would sound. The only thing the Herrscher hadn't quite done, was the eyes, she didn't know how. Eyes were the windows to the souls after all. She had just used her own, albeit altered as placeholders.
So…what did Izuku mean when he said her eyes looked like they were pleading?