The next few days after this was exhausting. Globally, Russia and the U.S were condemned for what they had done. Some nations cut deals with them and hero projects were canceled. Even after they issued an apology, they forever ruined their relationship with one of the royals. Other countries distanced themselves from them so as to not be viewed negatively by Kori or the beasts.

To make matters even worse, what Kori said would happen did happen. But not in the way they were thinking.

Five massive gates, each well over fifty feet tall, had suddenly been erected in Moscow the next day. Or rather, lack of day. The sun didn’t rise. Because in the sun's place was a pocket of Umbra that blocked its glorious rays.

Across the ocean, in the Big Apple, also known as New York, the sun didn’t set. Ribbons full of the sun's energy formed themselves into one massive star above the city, casting it into an endless day.

But that was the extent of it. There was no shattering of hero’s shards, who had been placed under protection, or civilians. The gates and ribbons disappeared a few days later. After all, it was just a warning.

In lighter news, Teka had been spotted in multiple cities. From the reports of civilians and heroes alike, she was often seen eating in empty restaurants and stealing food or on top of buildings looking aimlessly in the distance.

The fall came to pass and winter had finally come. Kori talked to Midoriya and Inko about Kage. He said that those intense emotions he felt after the press conference was from when she had a little disagreement with her brother.

I don’t know where she is, but I guess she’s probably huddled up in the Aether. It’s a shame that you’re bonded with her. That power really doesn’t suit someone as nice as you.

That stung. A lot. Midoriya responded with a bit of annoyance. Kori was still surprised that he had it in him to release an aura like that. I know you don’t like Akako, but I’d appreciate you don’t insult someone who’s trying to repair a broken relationship.

For just a second then, he truly felt threatened by him. Eyes peered from under him and he could feel the hate coming off of the shadows. But it was for just a moment.

The months after were peaceful at the least. Of course, there were still sightings of Teka, but other than that, nothing much. The core remained purple and the healing process went smoothly.

Until a bar in southern Japan reported something much more sinister. Purple snow. Around midnight on a cool fall night, Erity drank at a bar. She’d been doing this for a while now. Drop in at a bar, drink till she passes out, and let it all repeat whenever she woke up.

It’s not like she didn’t have desires. She did, just like every beast and human. But she just didn’t care about doing anything else but drinking her problems away. How could you when you’re literally immortal?

Erity. The first princess. Also known as the forgotten princess. A mistake that was hidden from the world.

Her mother was an Ace. A weak one at that. Didn’t access her state until later in her life and was cast aside for being weak. Kaio was the father, who had fallen for her gentle appearance and personality.

They were bonded, but they hid it so as to not attract unwanted attention. Of course, it only lasted for so long before they were found out. Luckily though, Erity was brought back to reality before she had to think about it anymore.

“Oi! Lady.” A voice said. Erity squirmed a bit, pushing down the memories and returning to reality. “It’s thirty past closing. Time to go alright?”

The lights were dim, so they didn’t burn as much when she opened her eyes. But it still stung. “Just… give me another beer.” She rose her head up past the empty bottles of wine. “Or some wine.”

The bartender sighed and pulled out a water bottle. “You still owe us money. The card you usually use bounced this time.”

Of course, that bastard would find a way to cancel my card.

She shrugged a bit while downing the bottle. “Well, I can’t pay. Don’t know what you want me to do about that. This bar doesn’t accept tabs, right?”

The man sighed, thinking back to when she first stumbled in soon after the press conference. Drunk and looking for another drink without a care of her appearance. Loose clothing and a reddened face. It made the bartender’s heart skip a beat. “…Well since you can’t pay with cash, how about paying with something else?”

She raised an eyebrow at that. “And that would be?”

He nodded towards the back. “I could let it slip… just this once.”

Her eyes responded by glowing a harsh pink. “You trying to say you want to have sex with me?” She chuckled at that before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a flash of pink. “Ah, fucking humans have jokes now?”

She was laughing at this point and blew a puff of smoke in his face. “Come on now. Be smarter you dumbass.”

He raised up a phone with the police on speed dial. “Look. I know you’re a beast. And I know you’re the one from Flaming Christmas. What would happen if I called the cops right now? The heroes would be here in a flash and would arrest you in a heartbeat.”

“…”

“Ah, quiet now are we?” The man pointed behind him to the room with a smirk on his face. “I’ll give you one more chance.”

Erity burned out the cigarette on the table, her eyes switching to purple. The only reason she didn’t respond before was that she couldn’t believe someone was threatening her.

The air around her shifted and distorted a bit. The bar itself began to rattle as a purple haze began to rise off of everything. But just before she could start her rampage, the sound of change hitting wood brought her back.

“That should cover it.” Another man said. Erity turned to meet a certain someone she’d seen on the news. She powered down since she was too drunk to deal with this.

“Hawks, right?” She burped, stood up, and eyed him up and down. “…Ya know, you’re a lot prettier in the magazines. Do they touch up your face? Or do you usually wear makeup?”

Hawks smiled and decided to play along. He was in casual clothes and he already told the police to clear out a part of the district in case things went south. “Both actually.”

“Hey! She’s a villain and a beast! The one from…” Bright red feathers covered his mouth and pushed him into the back. Hawks grabbed another bottle from over the counter and poured two drinks.

“Now that he’s gone, why don’t we have a few drinks?”

“…” Erity was cautious, but she was also a slut for alcohol. A hiccup escaped her lips, signaling for her to sit down. Even though she was a beast, she never handled alcohol the best. “So what does the bird hero want? I don’t think you’ve come here for just a drink.”

He smiled a bit while sipping on his own. “Hmm. Can’t say I have. Just in the market for one.”

Chuckling at that, she let a mix of pink feathers form in her palm. She took it, moved closer until Hawks could smell her breath, and tied it to his hair. His face lit up a bit, but she didn’t mind. “If you’re here because of my involvement with what happened last year, don’t bother trying to detain me.”

“Yea… we’re not here for that,” The earpiece he had rung. He pulled it out to focus on the conversation. “As of now, we have a vague idea of how strong your sister is. It wouldn’t be wise to attack a princess who we have no clue about.”

Erity suddenly became quiet. “…Half-sister.”

His feathers flickered from this new information. “Pardon?”

“Tch! I said she’s my half-sister!” She chugged the drink before reaching for Hawks’s and the bottle and downing those too. “Different parents damnit! Same bastard father and a bitch of a mother. What a disaster of a royal family.”

Another hiccup filled the empty bar. She shifted her empty cup to Hawks whilst placing her head down. Hawks sighed and floated to the other side, opting to pour a mix he learned a while back. “Hmm… how about something sweet? I’m guessing all that alcohol has burned your throat.

Erity hiccupped in response. “Just… anything to make me forget.”

He nodded and began the process. “So you and your siblings have a different mother?”

“…What’s it to you?”

Hawks grinned a bit, his feathers mixing all the ingredients. “Nothing much. I’d just thought we could talk a little.”

Their eyes made contact. Pink met yellow as a fury of pink rose from her. She spoke quietly. “You can tell those humans outside they’re free to come in.”

“It wouldn’t do much now, would it? You can teleport faster than we can track. And you have complete control of elements that we have no info on,” A ding rang out as his finger hit the glass rim. A soft blue filled the cup as he slid it over to her. “There’d be no point in having a bunch of people around ya, right? A Blue Hawaiian. Sweet but not overpowering.”

“Usually, I just down whatever I feel like.” She sniffed it before taking a sip of the blue drink. It was… sweet. But also refreshing. Usually, she just downed the nearest bottle to get drunk as fast as possible. To get rid of everything she remembered. To just stop existing for a bit. But this… was nice. “Hey, Hawks. You a virgin?”

Hawks’s face became a little red and a glass slipped from his hands. Erity chuckled a little before bursting out laughing. “You should see the look on your face! It was just a question, you birdbrain!”

“Well, let’s just say it caught me off guard.”

She hiccupped again and stirred the drink, taking in his looks. The sharp golden eyes, blazing red feathers, and a smile that would make any girl go crazy. “I wouldn’t mind it though, doing it with a human. …I wonder if you would make a good bond. I’ve been looking for one. A human one since beasts are too troublesome.”

“…I’ve been wondering about bonds. Would you mind explaining?”

Erity smiled and let a pink haze rise from her body. They formed into a copy of Hawks’s shard and Teka’s core. She hiccupped again. “A bond is binding between two people for life. If I were to become your bond, your shard would become a core and you would be just as powerful as a Joker.”

“Can they be undone?”

Erity shook her head and gestured for him to make another Blue Hawaiian. “No. Once it’s done, then that’s it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

So that means Teka and Kage have both used their chances…

Hawks nodded again. “Mind if I ask about the past of the beast? Or did Teka order you not to say anything?”

Erity chuckled at that and leaned on the bar. “Teka’s the weakest among the royals. She can’t order any of the royals to do anything. But as for the past of the beast, I don’t mind sharing with a human like you,” A sudden rush of pink ran over his pocket, and pulled out his phone, which had been recording. She covered it in pink and tossed it to the side. “But let’s just say you shouldn’t record this like you have the rest of our conversation.”

Hawks nodded, eyeing the loose clothing that had begun slipping even more. He leaned across the bar, taking in her looks as she sipped on one of his own drinks. White hair that reached to her shoulders, ebony skin with freckles, and pink piercing eyes that seemed to stare into his soul. “I’m all ears.”

A smile crept upon her face as the pink began to engulf the duo. She pulled him close until they were inches from each other. “Then listen closely…. To the story of the 'Forgotten War.'”

A blue hue rose from her hands as she placed them on Hawks’s temples. The world around them collapsed.

When he opened his eyes again, he was on a prehistoric Earth. “Now that I think about it, it might have been around three thousand years ago. Or maybe more.”

He turned to a younger Erity, one who was around eight years old. Hundreds of thousands of beasts could be seen roaming the Earth. And humans were roaming with them. Cities greater and bigger than anything he could imagine decorated the landscape as far as he could see.

The skies were decorated with dragons and wyverns and just about any time of beast. Humans living and flying on beasts were as common as the grass on the ground.

“What is…”

“It’s the world humans and beasts built together. Ones far different than the ones we see on Earth. Everything was fine. Everything was peaceful. Seriously, everything was could be described as perfect."

The world collapsed and shifted to another scene. Deep in a forest, far away from the cities, was an abandoned city. Millions of people were isolated from this utopia because they were deemed ‘unfitting’ by the beasts. They wouldn’t bow down to them. So they were cast aside like unwanted puppies.

“Humans. Greedy creatures. These were the ones that refused to bow down to the beasts. They despised us and the humans that had bonded with them.” They rose up in the sky and the landscape shifted again. This time, to a few dozen beasts laughing and sitting on mountains of gold and other treasures. “But even though humans are greedy, the beasts were too. Even though everything was peaceful, there was a hidden conflict among us. Hawks… have you ever thought about why there is only one royal family?”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

He shook his head after thinking about it for a few seconds. “Can’t say I have…”

“Infighting. There used to be a total of three. Our bloodline was the weakest, so the other two didn’t even pay attention to us.”

Hawks gulped at the sudden realization. Just how strong is a royal beast?

“Extremely strong. Strong enough to influence the entire nation. Maybe even the world,” Erity replied, nodding off. “Ugh. I’m too tired for this.”

She snapped her fingers and they were back in the bar. They were still just inches from each other, their alcohol breath mixing with one another. “It was nice meeting you Keigo.” She gave him a quick peck on the lips before pulling away, enjoying Hawk’s stunned look.

One last hiccup escaped her lips as her body began to disperse into thin air. “Maybe next time, you can make me another drink. This time, without the mask.”

The door to the bar opened up as Endeavor looked in with angry eyes. Soon followed by Tsukauchi and police in riot gear. “…Where is she?”

Hawks shrugged, a bit stunned because no one knew his name. It bothered him even more that she knew that he was playing along. “She escaped. But I got a lot out of our little conversation.”

Outside, a different conversation was taking place.

“Even Erity is getting used to human drinks…” Axel and Rei eyed the bar. Police and the two heroes exited it. He stirred a bottle he snatched a few days ago. “But I have to admit, it’s quite good.”

“We aren’t supposed to be using human stuff,” She looked at his neck and noticed some lipstick. “And we definitely shouldn’t be fucking with human girls too.”

“Aw, you jealous Rei?”

She scoffed and sat up. “Have you gotten any news from Hato yet? That anomaly… the queen must’ve sensed it right?”

“Nope. They both went back to the Aether after. Hato is probably laying low.”

“Which gives us the free time to do human things! Speaking of human things… do you know where Riza is?”

“No clue Axel. No clue.”

*

“That’s a bold statement, huh Ryukyu?” Aiko said, tinkering with an artifact in her shop. She’d been getting flooded with requests around the world to make a weapon of the beasts, but she stuck strictly to support items. Artifacts were a hell no for humans. A replay of Kori telling the United States and Russia to fuck off played in the corner of the workshop. Christmas was just a few days away. “But I mean, he could definitely back it up. With that core and bond, he’s a damn powerhouse.”

Ryuku let out a sigh while leaning against a workbench, ignoring the camera flashes from the windows. “Aiko. They’re children. Barely older than a child about to enter high school.”

“Yea, But they act like adults.” Aiko shot back and put up a wall of metal in front of her shop. “It’s not like they had the chance to act like children when they came down here.”

The Jack stayed silent for a bit. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of rumbling outside.

It’s quite loud…

Memories in her head raced back to the day they two left the Aether. “…Do you regret running away?”

The Ace scoffed and took a seat next to her. “Sometimes. Sometimes I wish we could’ve taken Kori and Teka with us. Maybe even Nana too. …But then I think back to what Haru would do if she found out.”

“Teka didn’t even say anything when she saw us. Didn’t even bring up the fact that we left her there.”

“Ryukyu. There was nothing we could’ve done dearie. We saw a chance and we took it. That’s all that matters.”

“Damnit. It’s so unfair. It wasn’t even her fault at yet… she had been killed thousands of times for something she had no say in.” Ryukyu’s body shook and her eyes began to wet. “And yet, she still smiled every day because she didn’t want to hurt anyone. Not even me, a Jack, was treated that badly.”

“…”

“If we had just done more to protect her, then maybe we wouldn’t have had to ever see Teka become Lost again.”

Aiko put Ryukyu’s head on her arm. “This time… it’s alright. She never attacks without reason. Please, don’t cry anymore.”

The sound of metal banging filled her shop. The muffled voice of a bird hero came through. “Hello? Is anyone home? It’s Hawks! Would you mind putting down this wall? Don’t think my feathers can cut this thing down.”

“…Remember. You’re a hero. And heroes need to be strong.” She quickly placed their foreheads together before turning to the wall, which quickly fell down with just a thought. She expected it to be only Hawks. But was shocked to see another person.

The doorbell rang as Hawks and Endeavor walked in. “Excuse us! Endeavor over here asked me to introduce you,” He quickly noticed Ryukyu had been crying and stopped, fishing out a handkerchief and handing it to her. “Is… this a bad time?”

They both shook their heads as they took a seat near the front of the shop. Aiko eyed the flaming beard and why he still had his hero costume on under his clothing. She didn’t question it though. “It’s alright. We just finished having a private talk about… private things. What is it that you two needed?”

“Well… we had a little run-in with Erity.”

Ryuku jumped up with a shocked expression. “And you left me out of it? Are you out of your damn mind? What did she do? Who did she hurt?”

“Whoa! Calm down,” Hawk’s face reddened a bit as he thought back to the experience. “I uh. Just got to know her a bit. That’s all!”

Ryuku wasn’t buying it. “What did she tell you?”

“Lots of things. Like she’s the half-sister of the other royals.” Aiko and Ryuku flinched at that. “What else.”

“A bit of the past of the beasts. But that’s all!” Hawks took a seat at the workbench. “But on another note, I’m not here to talk about Erity. Endeavor here is the reason.”

Aiko fell back while Ryuku silently pinched her nose. “Well, what is it you need?”

His eyes glowed just like Teka’s. Except they contained a fury of anger and hunger. Honestly, it pissed her off a bit. “An Artifact. Make me one. I’ll pay whatever you want.”

Her eyes land on Hawks, who was avoiding her gaze. “I thought you said you didn’t tell anyone about them.”

“That… was the plan. But when Endeavor visited the HPSC HQ, he read some files I left out on accident.”

Aiko turned to Endeavor again. “The best I can do for you is making support items.”

“And why is that?” Endeavor responded.

“Because it’s too risky. A human shard, just like human life, is fragile. For an artifact to work properly, they need to be directly tied to cores. And I doubt that your shard can handle it. Properly at least.”

Endeavor’s face darkened. “I didn’t come here for you to talk about my quirk.”

“And you didn’t come here for an artifact. I’ll stand my ground. I won’t make an artifact for a human.”

Ryukyu tugged at Aiko and thought about it for a second. “Actually Aiko, let’s try it.”

“Huh? Why’s that!”

“With the beasts like the Chimera that attacked Teka, The royals fighting one another, Erity causing trouble from behind the scenes, and Flaming Christmas, we might as well give it a shot. It will also show that we’re willing to fight crime to keep this peaceful era going.”

“But still…”

“I know you don’t like the idea of humans using our tech. But let’s just try it with Endeavor. Alright, Aiko?”

She groaned a bit at the thought of it. To be honest, she still wasn’t completely over what the humans had done all those centuries ago. So she was hesitant to create artifacts that could give trouble to beasts. Ryukyu gave a smile and Aiko’s heart jumped a bit. She quickly turned away to hide her reddening face.

“Then… just this once. And you have to stop doing that face. You know I can’t say no. But Endeavor. I have two conditions before I do.”

Endeavor nodded. “Name them.”

She raised five fingers. “One. You need to get the required materials. And two. Samples of your skin and blood. Three. I take payment upfront. Four. You cannot and won’t use it excessively. Five. If I find out you’ve broken the previous, I won’t hesitate to shatter the artifact in front of your face.”

Aiko put out a hand with glowing orange eyes. “Do we have a deal?”

He grinned and shook her hand, returning the strength of her grip. “Deal.”

*

A black hoodie with red highlights matched her eyes. A shadow that seemed to have a will of its own. A girl whose guilt was killing her from the inside out. A girl was sitting in the park where Teka once fought with Endeavor.

People passed by without a second thought. To them, she was just another person they shouldn’t get involved with. That isn’t her, is it?

I wonder what she did…

That beast must have done something awful.

Should we call the police?

She and her brother threatened countries…

One look from her eyes instantly told them to walk away. The guilt increased as she grabbed at her pounding head. Then suddenly, the park was full of surprises. The light from the lamppost was covered as a man, well over seven feet, stopped in front of her.

“Hello, young Kage! Would you mind if I took a seat here?” All Might said confidently. His aura blasted away the guilt she was feeling but it came back just as fast. Those piercing sapphire eyes of his reminded her of Teka. The guilt increased again and she faced the other way.

“…Do whatever you want,” Kage whispered.

All Might took a seat next to her, eyeing the shadow at her feet. He handed her a coffee. “Would you like a coffee? As an apology for spilling your other one.”

Her red eyes gazed over it but her expression didn’t change. Still, she reached for it. After a few moments, she sniffed it. Her stomach rumbled a bit in response. Still, no response.

Taking a sip of it, her eyes lightened a bit. All Might noticed and took a sip of his too. They watched as people walked by, wondering why he was sitting next to a beast. The snow fell down and the cold washed over her again. “Does it bother you?”

“Pardon?” All Might sipped again and gave his signature grin. “I’m fine just sitting right here! You seemed like you wanted to talk, so I’ll be right here if you want to talk.”

Useless. Coward. Do something!

“…” Under her, the chibis began to peak out. She shut her eyes and put a hand over her eyes, enough to stop them. “What do you want to talk about?”

He raised a hand. “I don’t want to seem like I’m prying, but I would like to talk with you. About anything.”

She opened her eyes to see some of her chibis staring back at her. Sighing, she patted one on its head. “…All Might. What was Nana to you?”

He let out a sigh, his breath visible in the winter air. “Nana was a nice person. She taught me a lot of things. Like how to use this power of mine. She taught me how to see the good in everyone, no matter how far they’ve fallen. Nana Shimura… she was my master who sacrificed herself to save me. I... I thought of her as my own mother."

Silence filled the air. Kage slowed and started to look up, reeling in her shadow that had begun spreading. “Have… you opened that envelope yet?”

He shook his head and flexed one of his arms. “I can’t even get it to budge. Even with all of my strength.”

“Ah, Nana always had a way with these,” She reached out for it and All Might handed it to her. Kage whispered something and three black orbs began to orbit here. A few seconds later, two more pairs of eyes closely inspected it. “For this, you need to do something to unlock it."

“Would it be alright if I ask why you and your brother didn’t attack those countries?”

She shrugged. “A warning is all it was. No need to lash out at them after all.”

He nodded and accepted the envelope back. “If it’s alright with you, could we talk for a bit longer? About Nana?”

Kage turned her head a bit towards him. “I thought you said you didn’t want to pry?”

He gave a loud nervous laugh before exploding into a fit of coughs. “Sorry… It’s just that I care deeply about her. And to find out she’s been alive this entire time… It’s shocking.”

Kage watched as his expression died down. His smile was still there, but you could tell something was missing. For a second her thoughts…

Remember what you did? How she smiled every day despite the pain?!

She pushed it down. “I… get how you feel. Kind of.”

“With Teka right?”

“…Yea.” She nodded and looked into the skies. “Would you hate me if I said the reason why Teka is cracked right now is that I stood by and did nothing?”

He didn’t say anything.

Your fault! All you do is watch!

Her eyes began to water as actual tears, not umbra, began to drip out the edges. “Just once All Might. Just a single time. If I had just reached out once, then… then maybe?”

The smoke rising off her body increased. Quickly, All Might moved in and crouched in front of her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. Much to her shadows disapproval. “I don’t know much about beasts. But I know that the guilt your feeling is real.”

He wiped one of the tears away with a true smile on his face. For just a second… no. For less than a second, Nana flashed in front of her. “All Might. Do you mind if I ask something of you?”

Shaking his head, he stood up. “Not at all.”

The three eyes turned to him and he froze. “Then why… why did. Why do you smell like Nana?”

He jumped back as the five eyes stared at him. With just a single look, he felt like death was staring him in the face.

“…” She stopped and let the eyes disappear. All Might instantly gasped at what just happened and grabbed at his side. She stood up and stared into his eyes. “That power of yours… it’s destroying you.”

Kage stopped him and explained the eyes. “These eyes allow me to see just about anything about someone. Sorry, but I took a peek into your void and body.”

He spoke low as to avoid caution. “Wait. So you know…”

Nodding, she pointed at his side. “I would say pass that power to another human, but it would destroy them faster than it's destroying you.”

He gulped. “Then… what do you think I should do?”

Smoke rose off her body and engulfed the two, making them nearly invisible to the outside world. “I know this seems sketchy, but you should probably look for a beast to pass that power on to.”

The smoke around them dispersed and began to converge on Kage’s back. Two black wings, decaying and dripping umbra, spread out across the path. She gulped down the coffee, wiped away the tears, and tossed the empty cup to him. “It’s almost Midnight, right? Go spend Christmas with someone you care about. And I’ll do the same.”

A cold and bitter smell filled the park and she blasted herself into the sky, transforming into her Wyvern form and disappearing into the night.

Gran Torino entered the park a few seconds later. “She’s a quiet one… I don’t see a bit of Nana in her. But I do see a bit of Haru.”

“…Yea.”

“She also seems to know about it too.”

All Might nodded and turned to his teacher. He spoke quietly and with a bit of tears in his eyes. “Why don’t we visit Nana? We should spend time with the ones we care about, right?”

It was Gran Torino’s turn to have emotions fuck with him. He raised a bottle of sake he bought. “Was already planning on it.”

*

Ching. Ching. Ching.

The sounds of Christmas echoed across Tokyo. Bright lights and happiness filled the streets as the clock hit midnight. Everyone cheered and the streets became consumed in brightness. Some shards could even be seen going off in the distance.

But, it was different for the fourth princess.

Teka stood in the center of it all, a hoodie with blue markings covering her body and horns peeking from just under. It’s… bright.

A warm feeling filled her up and she shook the thoughts away. But… Nana. Snow fell on her nose. She eyed it as it melted and as another one took its place.

Rubbing it off, she walked down the streets and followed the scent. She’d been doing this for a while now. It’d always be on the move. Whether it was too far or too close. But now, she felt as if she could reach it.

She stopped just in front of a park. Plenty of people were there, but she could tell out of the dozens of scents, two stood up. Recoiling from the disgusting one, she jumped a few meters back and the embers turned purple. Her hood had flown back to reveal three horns from her head and people began to panic.

Suddenly, she felt something from behind rushing towards her. She blasted herself into the air just as a person smashed into the ground. Her thrusters erupted from her back and she hovered in the air, watching the figure look up at her. Bunny?

“Oi, you’re a beast, right? Then fight me!” The bunny hero, also known as Mirko, directly challenged her in the middle of the street. Confused, Teka came face to face with her. Her nose twitched as she circled her, curious about her smell.

A few seconds later, she moved past her and followed the scent that was in the park. “…” Mirko, who was thrown off by this, lept from building to building to follow her. Just like last year, the skies became full of blue and purple embers. Mirko hated to admit it, but she was actually having a hard time keeping up. The only reason she was able to follow her was that Teka had stopped a few times before taking flight again. Some other heroes like Best Jeans and Ryuko, who explained what she was looking for joined in too. It was odd. Even though she was lost, and could easily kill everyone in her sight, she actively avoided them whilst still keeping track of a scent.

Eventually, the flames calmed down and she crashed down in front of a cemetery. She didn’t hesitate to rush in. The heroes were about to follow but a wave of ice stopped them. Mei materialized along with a couple of drones in the sky.

The gauntlets that had been restraining Teka for the past half-year had begun to crack from excessive use. One had become essentially useless already.

The lights that lit up the graves were dim, barely visible compared to the city in the distance. Her purple eyes ran over the stones as she dashed across the cemetery, still not knowing her true fate.

Nana! I’m coming! I’m… here…

She suddenly stopped. A few meters away from where she thought Nana was. The smell was there… but it wasn’t her smell. Just the remnants of her with a new one mixed in.

Where…

She started to panic, freaking out before falling to her knees. In front of her sat a skinny All Might and Gran Torino. It was then that she realized it.

For the first time in months, she made an expression besides her focused look. Her eyes began to dilate and the purple began to disappear.

The nanites on her skin flared up and synced back to the main system. “Na…Na,” She croaked out as pain flared up her neck, causing embers to rise from her body. The purple increased again when suddenly, she passed out. Exhausted. Everything that happened in the last 6 months hit her all at once.

The pain. The memories. The taste of her endless greed. The happiness she felt when she wiped away the ships…

Her vision began to blur again and the horns began to glow a bright purple. Electricity crackled off her skin and she stood up… only to collapse again. This time, lifeless. Gran Torino and All Might looked back.

Kori held a bloody stalagmite as he stood over Teka’s body, her horns no longer plastered on her head. His icy eyes met the duos. A long breath escaped his lips as he wiped away the tears forming on his face. “So she wanted to see Nana again too.”

The flower he found from the wreckage materialized. A drone dropped from the sky and picked up Teka as the core in the distance became light blue. Kori placed the flower among the rest of the offerings left by her former friends. “You two… are really something else. Thanks for keeping her grave clean. I mean it.”