“First police, then heroes. Now they’re sending children here for us, huh? Didn’t need your help when I kicked those thieving punks outta my store, and I sure as hell don’t need it now. Run home, kid.”

Izuku backed away slowly as the horde of civilians grew increasingly agitated. This was pointless. If these people weren’t even rational enough to realise that their supplies will run out soon, there was no way he could convince them to come with him to a safer place.

The door crashed open, broken down by a pro hero struggling with yet another escaped convict. Izuku narrowed his eyes and aimed his finger.

One For All Full Cowling: Air Force!

His support gloves retracted, bracing his fingers as he sent a flick of air pressure at the struggling men. The attack struck the criminal cleanly, slamming his body against a nearby brick wall.

“Thanks, Deku. You saved my bacon,” the curly haired hero said, straightening his hero costume.

“You’re welcome, Rock Lock.”

“Everyone! This place is not safe!” Rock Lock called out to the civilians. “We got reports just yesterday that a gang was causing chaos around here. Their only purpose was to spread violence. You have to come with us.”

The crowd jeered louder.

“We don’t put faith in heroes anymore, and you’re not stupid enough to think you can force us to leave our homes. You ran off with their tails between your legs when things started looking bad,” one of them yelled back. “You pros have shown us that you’re useless. We’re taking matters in our own hands to protect this town. We won’t trust you with our lives anymore.”

The heroes walked out of the building before the civilians started attacking them as well.

“Hey kid, I don’t think this place is going to be safe for you either.” Rock Lock shook his head. “It’s probably best to just leave this to the pros. The east and west wards have been abandoned, and I just received instructions to send you kids back to school.”

“Seriously? More than half the pro heroes quit after the Gunga Villa incident, and now you’re chasing us away too?” Izuku growled in annoyance. “You barely have enough manpower to even keep the public in check.”

“Look, kid. I cannot speak for the rest of them, but I agree that we are living in much more dangerous times now. That’s why we cannot risk the lives of promising young heroes. We have to shoulder the burden ourselves, no matter what it takes.”

“And what if you can’t?” Izuku shouted. “Is it really worth risking the lives of the pros just to maintain the image of the Hero Public- Ugh, damn it… fine.”

He put his tattered mask back on and began floating in the air. Gran Torino’s yellow scarf rippled around his neck, while the dark green costume remained in its battered state. He probably looked like a demon, but he couldn’t care less at this point of time.

“If you don’t want me here, I’ll leave.”

Izuku shot Blackwhip at a nearby building and swung away.

~ ~ ~

“Widespread devastation. It kinda feels like we’ve travelled back in time.”

Izuku found his mind back in the world of One For All’s vestiges, although he was sure that his body was still swinging back in the real world.

“In my day, we did our best to stay out of sight, because hiding from villains kept us alive,” Banjo continued. “It was like that when Quirks first appeared too.”

“Shigaraki, All For One, Nomus, The League of Villains. We still don’t have any idea where they disappeared to.” Izuku surprised even himself with how dejected he sounded. “The police have their hands full with the jailbreakers, and they don’t have the resources to investigate the bigger threats.”

The vestiges stood up from the stone chairs and surrounded him in a circle, with the exception of a golden figure that bore a striking resemblance to All Might.

“Your mind is muddled and confused, and we can sense it,” Shimura said in a motherly voice. “One For All reacts to your feelings, and they are spiralling dangerously out of control.”

“Although the problems you are facing now are exacerbated by the mistakes of society, my brother is the spark that lit the fire currently ravaging your world.” A white haired, malnourished looking man stood in front of him. “I am Yoichi Shigaraki, the first wielder of One For All. All For One is my brother.”

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“Shiga…raki?” Izuku’s mouth was no longer covered this time, and he felt a lot more corporeal now.

“Indeed. The ‘Tomura Shigaraki’ you know wasn’t always called that.” Regret was written all over Shimura’s face. “His real name is Tenko Shimura, and he is my grandson.”

Revelation rocked Izuku’s mind.

“One For All is a result of the merging of two quirks. My brother only sees others as playthings or prizes to win, and that includes me,” Yoichi said. “I was the weaker of the two when we were born, and he sought to forcibly implant a power stockpiling quirk in me. Unbeknownst to both of us, I had already possessed another quirk, which allows me to bestow quirks onto others. The two quirks thus merged, and One For All was born.”

Anger surged through Izuku’s mind. All For One. It was always All For One.

“One For All emerged from my will to resist my brother, but it has never crystallised. And it never will,” Yoichi continued. “Not unless you find the strength to correct the mistakes of our superhuman society.”

“How can I do that when even the heroes are working against us?” Izuku flared up. “My friend… he could’ve had a chance to turn good again, but the pros screwed it up. I can’t be like All Might. I can’t be a Symbol Of Peace, no matter how much I want to. Can someone like me ever hope to save everyone?”

“Kid, we know you’re trying your best, and you’re lost right now.” Banjo’s voice was unusually soft as well. “It’s not fair that all the world’s burdens have fallen to one wielder. But we have faith in the strength of your heart. You are much stronger than you think you are, Midoriya.”

“It was my actions that caused Tenko to turn out like that. Neglecting my family for the sake of hero duties… Ignoring my son to keep him out of harm’s way.” Shimura cast her translucent eyes downward. “All of us have made mistakes, and many of them grave, even. We have no right to demand you to meddle in affairs that you are not involved in, but we have faith that you will.”

Izuku looked up as Shimura gave him a tender smile.

“After all, meddling when you don’t need to is the essence of being a hero, right?” she said, slowly fading into the deep recesses of his mind.

~ ~ ~

Izuku landed in an empty plaza, littered by fallen stands and empty cans of spray paint. The whole place looked like a warzone, which was not that different from his headspace. Perhaps he subconsciously brought himself here during that talk with the vestiges.

A golden statue of All Might’s hero form stood before him. Graffiti decorated its body, as though All Might had fallen victim to a drunk tattoo artist. To add salt to the wound, a placard had been slung around his neck, which read, “I am not here.”

The boy contemplated taking out the disgraceful sign, before simply settling for kneeling in front of his idol.

“What’s this? Have you come to blaspheme against a great hero too?”

Izuku would’ve flinched at the metal pointed at his throat, if he wasn’t even more surprised by the fact that he recognised the voice.

“Stain, we meet again,” Izuku muttered, and he could have sworn the sword tilted away from his body for a brief moment.

“Ah, the young hero in the making.” Stain forced his body up, but kept his weapon trained on him. “All Might’s chosen one. I was right to let you live.”

“Is… Is that a compliment?”

“That depends on what you’ll do, now that hero society has crumbled and purged itself of the weak heroes.”

Izuku pursed his lips. “Are you happy, Hero Killer? Your vision has come true. Is this your idea of a better society?”

“No. This outcome is simply inevitable; a wake-up call to all those heroes who have become complacent. But also, the birth pangs of a better society, and a necessary step for the greater good.”

“An outcome borne of the suffering of millions,” the young hero hissed in response.

Stain forced his head to look at the golden statue once more.

“Make no mistake, boy. This is All Might’s legacy. But the smouldering embers he left behind cannot be so easily extinguished, for they are fueled by the select few who live in his image,” he said. “And before long, they will form a new, unstoppable blaze. The important thing is making sure that fire doesn’t go out. As long as we’re alive, we have to keep stoking those flames.”

The Hero Killer flicked his sword, and the placard dropped to the ground.

“Even when All Might struggled or faced indignities, he smiled as he faced the insurmountable. That didn’t have anything to do with his power. It was the only way the Symbol of Peace knew to bring security to the citizens. It was the heart of his conviction that won him their praise.”

The pressure on Izuku’s shoulder lifted, and Stain sheathed his sword.

“You chose this path, so it is your duty now as All Might’s successor to put an end to all of this; to put an end to me.”

Izuku raised his fists hesitantly, but Stain simply turned away.

“Your mind is still muddled, that much is obvious. So you don’t deserve to take my life now,” he said. “But your actions to save your friend from the path of villainy despite all odds is admirable. If a person has the soul of a hero, they exist only to help other people. I believe I sense the soul of a true hero within you, but only you can prove to yourself if that is indeed true.”

Stain tossed a piece of paper on the floor.

“Use this information I took from Tartarus. And when you’ve finished, make sure you track me down and put an end to Stain, the vigilante who killed forty heroes, all for the sake of forging a better society. Now that All Might is gone, you’re next.”

The Hero Killer walked off and disappeared behind a passing bus.