Felix entered the abandoned warehouse to a huge round of applause. With the exception of Kurogiri who was taken into custody after sacrificing himself, the majority of the League Of Villains had managed to escape from the heroes unscathed. Now with the Symbol Of Peace defeated and humiliated, the villains had scored big time.

The boy never felt worse.

He shoved Shigaraki aside rudely and mashed the power button on the television like a madman. He needed answers, and he needed them now.

“All For One, I know you can hear me!” Felix shouted at the fuzzy screen. “Show your face this instant!”

The warehouse went deathly silent, before the screen lit up.

“Well done, dear Felix.” All For One was grinning sinisterly. “I’ve taken the liberty of live streaming your whole fight with All Might. And you didn’t disappoint at all! The mighty Symbol Of Peace defeated by a mere schoolboy. Your name will go down in history.”

“I’m not here to talk about that.” The boy was gritting his teeth. “What have you done with my sister? I saw the tapes; she’s still alive. And you knew!”

All For One kept quiet for a moment, before sighing audibly.

“Is that all this is about? And here I thought you had some actual concerns,” he said. “Yes, it’s true. My researchers have already managed to make contact with the researchers in your world. I must say, even I was surprised to find out that your scientists are able to bring those who should be dead back to life. Very interesting and useful technology indeed.”

Felix’s heart hammered in his chest. He resisted the pointless urge to grab the television.

“Have you heard of a game called ‘chess’? The queen is the most powerful, but the king is the most important piece. Rest assured, I would never sacrifice the king just to keep the queen,” All For One continued. “But that being said, this is real life. And sometimes, the queen needs a little… incentive.”

The screen switched to another video tape of Marcia screaming in pain as the masked man syphoned even more Arcani from her.

Felix’s mouth turned dry.

“No! Nooo! Let her go!” he screamed, shaking the television frantically. “Stop hurting her, you bastard! STOP!”

Pink flared in his eyes as dozens of psionic swords materialised in the air, each of them pointing at every single member of the dumbfounded League Of Villains.

“I’ll kill them! I swear, I’ll kill them all!” His head spun as adrenaline pumped through his veins.

“If you kill them, she dies for the second time.” All For One signalled to the mirror behind him, and the men stopped. “Be logical about this. We’re tied together, you and I. You continue helping me, and I keep your sister alive. And I’ll continue helping you so that you don’t destroy my work. Rather fair terms, I believe.”

The pink faded from Felix’s eyes as a tear rolled down his cheek.

“Now that that’s settled, let’s move onto the next phase,” the man said nonchalantly. “I have spent a great deal of time learning the mechanics of your fascinating world, Felix. And I believe that this ‘Arcani’ holds the key to my final goal. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Arcani works on the principle of unstable reality, am I right?”

Felix nodded wordlessly.

“One For All’s final crystallisation will bring forth the quirks from its past users. With your Arcani, I believe we’ll be able to destabilise reality far enough to hasten that process in the ninth user, Izuku Midoriya. And once One For All is finally prime for my taking, I’ll grant you safe passage home.”

“Why should I continue to trust you?” Felix glared at the man, his eyes filled with hate.

“Weren’t you paying attention, boy? I only keep you around because you’re useful. Once I’ve obtained One For All, you’ll be free to go. You’re a God in this world, and a Demon Lord cannot coexist with Gods. Of course I’ll have to send you away. That is what you want anyway, isn’t it? To reunite with your sister?”

Felix looked away, keeping his jaw clenched. “Yes. I’ll… I’ll do as you say. Just don’t hurt her anymore.”

All For One released a sinister chuckle. “And now God belongs to me…”

“Master, so what do we do now?” Shigaraki asked. His face was still covered by his mask, but it was obvious that he was a little disturbed by what just happened.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Celebrate, train. There is still much for you to learn, Tomura. But you have already surpassed my expectations. Keep it up. You’re well on your way to becoming the world’s future master.”

The television screen returned to its buzzing state.

“Gee, it really sucks that Senpai can’t do what he wants now,” Toga commented quietly as the sound of static echoed in the empty room once more.

Felix turned to leave the warehouse, but a platter of footsteps stopped him.

“Felix, I’m sorry for lashing out at you back then.” Jin removed his mask. “I never knew you were in so much pain. I really… am sorry, my friend. But don’t worry, I’ll find help to support our cause. I promise I will.”

The boy mustered the last of his strength to crack a small smile, before trudging out of the new hideout.

~ ~ ~

When the first superhumans were born, cities swirled with chaos and confusion following the appearance of these powers. Amidst the societal turbulence, a new profession emerged. Heroes. Those who fight for justice and help others in need. Those who prevail despite overwhelming circumstances. Those who guard the world through night and day.

Those who sometimes fail.

The defeat of the Symbol Of Peace struck the nation like a mega tsunami, its effects rippling and spreading even to the other countries in the world. Although All Might had survived the fight, the public loss of his power and the reveal of his true form had dealt a devastating blow to the foundations of the hero society.

And apparently, he wasn’t the only God in town.

For better or for worse, the media shifted their attention from blaming the heroes once again to the horrifying implications for the citizens’ daily lives. Now that the one man who shouldered all the world’s burdens was broken, what now? Now that the truth of U.A. High’s traitor has been brought to light, who else can they trust to protect them?

Shota Aizawa sat among his colleagues, waiting quietly for the rest of the heroes to arrive. The room was silent as well, each and every one of the pro heroes harbouring a helpless expression. Was this all they were? Just an oversized group of sidekicks who couldn’t do anything without their lead?

The doors closed quietly.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Sir Nighteye began. “We… We have failed.”

He cast a solemn gaze to All Might. “I have failed you, All Might.”

All Might opened his mouth to speak, but the sound of a creaking chair interrupted him. Aizawa stood up and kept his head bowed low.

“I’m sorry. This is all my fault.” He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, but he fought them back. He did not deserve to shed a single tear.

“I truly believed Felix Pagonis to be a hero. It was my arrogance, my gross misjudgement that blinded me to the truth. It was my mistake to have hidden his origins from all of you. As a teacher, I take full responsibility for his actions. And as a hero, I accept full blame for Izuku’s continued disappearance.”

“Don’t say that, Shota!” Present Mic blurted out. “It’s not just you. He kicked all our butts. None of us could even put a scratch on that boy. Even if we did confront him earlier, the outcome would still be the same.”

All Might stood up as well.

“I know I don’t deserve to be here, but I must say this. Even though Young Pagonis had beaten me, I believe he still can be saved. He had every chance to put an end to my life, but he did not. He is not entirely lost to us.”

“With all due respect, All Might, you’re being too optimistic about this,” Principal Nezu spoke up. “This boy does not even belong to our world. It is not our responsibility to save him; it’s ours to safeguard our own world and find a way to send him back.”

“It’s as you predicted, Sir Nighteye. This extra-terrestrial has proven himself too strong for us to handle,” Midnight said grimly. “Kamui Woods has suffered from third degree burns and is still in a coma. Edgeshot and Best Jeanist are still recovering from internal injuries. Endeavour has woken up, but hasn’t spoken a single word. Only Mount Lady and Gang Orca were lucky enough to suffer minor injuries. Pagonis has dealt a devastating blow to us.”

Gran Torino tapped All Might’s shoulder. “Can you still fight, Toshinori?”

The man shook his head, before burying it in his hands.

“The bad news is, I’ve exhausted the last of One For All’s power in that fight,” he replied after a brief pause. “The good news is, I’ve already passed on that quirk to Izuku Midoriya. I believe that’s why the League Of Villains kidnapped him. All For One must be behind all of this.”

“And it appears we cannot fight them head-on as long as Pagonis stands in our way.” Cementoss sighed. “We’ll suffer heavy casualties before we can even catch a glimpse of that supervillain.”

Sir Nighteye tapped the table to get everyone’s attention. “Our next step is obvious. Research the warp gate that brought Pagonis here, and reverse engineer it to send him back.”

“Easier said than done. Where do we even begin?” Aizawa mused. “And even if that works, Pagonis is not going to let himself get taken down that easily. We Pro Heroes have skill, but our numbers are dwindling. How many of us are going to throw our lives away pointlessly just so we can get close to him?”

“Well, U.A. High has a large pool of talented students…” Gran Torino suggested, although it was immediately met with a plethora of disapproving noises.

“Send the students to battle? No way, they’re just kids!”

“Isn’t that what they’re training for in the first place?”

“They’re not ready yet; it’ll be a massacre!”

“You’re underestimating these youngsters.”

The doors burst open, interrupting the commotion before it could turn into a full fledged argument. Aizawa stared at the five students barging into the meeting room.

“Mister Aizawa, everyone. I sincerely apologise for our rudeness.” Tenya scrambled to his feet and bowed his head. “But there is something we must show you.”

Momo pulled out a thumbdrive from her belt.

“I managed to make a copy of a video back in the nomu lab. I believe Felix is being blackmailed by villains.”