…

…

…

Water. No… flames. An… ocean of flames? She… didn’t know where she was. All she could feel was the sea of blue flames and see the purple sky that never ended.

Why… am I here? What am I? I…?

In the distance, she could make out the faint sounds of children. Their cries of pain, agony, and confusion of being killed repeatedly.

…Me?

In the distance, a horn could suddenly be heard. It was faint, but it was enough to cause her and the sea to kick.

If not… then who?!

She was agitated now. The horns blasted again and the cries of the children became much closer.

Alone… Yes! Leave me alone!

The waves grew and grew. The flames became harsher and the skies became pitch black. She kicked and forced her way up to the surface, trying not to drown in flames but to also keep the sounds out.

Get away!

The flames around her spread out! She pushed them out in all angles to get rid of it! Even if it was just for a little. Her flames became red and she retaliated by letting off a scream of her own.

Loud… Loud! Stop it!

Lightning crackled across the skies. The children and the horns felt like they were right next to her. She let out scream after scream, trying to get away from it all. Lightning struck everywhere around her.

I said stop it! Please just leave me alone!

She could feel her eardrums ringing as she tried to stay afloat. To either drown or to cut off the sounds. Teka couldn’t even think as she let out another scream. The once calm sea turned into a raging ocean. She lashed out at the sounds, striking them down one by one. The air became electric and the sea became a force to be reckoned with.

…I warned you.

Suddenly, everything became calm. The horns of the ships were gone and the children had stopped. She used to chance to run. To run away from everything. To get as far away as possible. To get as…

What?

She stopped on the flaming sea and looked back. But with a much clearer vision. Instead of screams of pain, she heard cries for help.

…Nana… help them!!!!!

The flames went wild. Blue reached out to everyone. To everything! They wrapped around each one and placed them in a safe place.

Nana… Where is she?

A safe place… Nana’s arms. Her thrusters, still separated, materialized on her back as she took flight again.

Nana. Find her.

*

A disaster. No. You couldn’t even call it a disaster. A fucking catastrophe had occurred. Fifteen total ships had been sunk. Nine from the United States and six from Russia. Four Cruisers, three patrol ships, three destroyers, four frigates, and an aircraft carrier.

The drones had arrived just in time as the U.S and Russian navy approached. Just in time to see the wreckage that Teka had left. Sailors clung to the scraps of the ships. All while glaring at Kori and Mei, who didn’t even pay attention to them.

Ice formed at his hands and he began to move the wreckage out of the way. Despite the warnings to leave, he ignored them since he was in international waters. After moving a large piece of what used to be a runway, he found a small flower. Dyed a mix of blue and purple.

He encased it in ice and whispered for Luna to scan the area. A green light ran over the wreckage and a few drones dropped down into the ocean.

[…Searching…]

“…Kori?” Mei reached for his hand, feeling the anger he was emitting.

He patted his head while holding the iced flower. I’m alright Mei… I’m alright,” A few seconds later, Luna pinged as the drones rose up from the ocean.

[According to their files, all combatants are accounted for. Zero casualties! Traces of blue flames have been found among the sailors.]

“I’m sorry Mei…” He began to shake a bit as the anger was replaced by a bit of anguish. Kori pulled her in for a long-needed hug. “Looks like that promise will have to wait. Just a bit longer.”

“…” She wrapped her arms around him, taking in his cold aura and sweet scent. “…As long as I’m with you, then everything will be alright. I’ll wait for as long as I have to. Because I know she’s important to you too.”

It didn’t even take an hour before the first article appeared online. Soon, it was followed by news channels from both Russia and the United States. Then it was on nearly every major news channel. It spread like a wildfire. Fifteen ships had been obliterated by a beast who claimed to never hurt a human.

Outrage and confusion erupted among nations. Arrest warrants were issued but it was useless to think they'd surrender so easily. Once again, the eyes fell on Japan and the royals that had gone missing. Notably, the purple core hovering above Mount Fuji.

Questions flew nonstop and groups of reporters camped outside of both the Midoriya and Bakugo households. Security and heroes had to push them back to stop them from actually running to their very doors.

Three hours later, Kori put out a single message.

Musutafu. Seventy-Two Hours.

The beach that used to be empty became a sea of people. Reporters and officials of these nations alike camped outside just to have a good spot. The junk that had been covering the beautiful beach had been decayed away. Like it never existed in the first place.

At the same time though, a call between nations was occurring.

“…Mr. Rin. I hope you that what that dragon has done will not be let go lightly,” The U.S president, UP from this point on, had a slight smirk on his face whilst on a video call. “Of course, you could hand over Luna and those drones and we could just let this go.”

The Russian President, RP, also had a slight grin on his face. “We’ve lost a lot. We were doing a simple military exercise when suddenly, a dragon appeared and wiped out our fleet. And as of now, there’s still a chance that some of our sailors have been killed. And that would lead to issues bigger than all of us.”

The two holograms in front of him let off a slight blue hue as Rin placed his head on top of his hands. Usually, the United States and Russia were on bad terms. With their different ways and life and their countries dealing with villains, it was an unexpected outcome. When they teamed up, they turned into a single force to be reckoned with. A copy of Luna sat on top of his head. After a few seconds, Rin opened his eyes and spoke. “Luna has provided me an explanation of what happened. Kori was kind enough to send out a private warning to every country about what happened and what to do if you see her. Not only did you approach her when she was sleeping, you actively blasted your horns and the sounds of children crying. It’s almost like you know about her past…”

The RP shrugged a bit before falling back in her chair. “By all means, of course, we don’t. We know some of it. Just a bit. But that bit was enough to tell us a lot.”

“Mhm. I guess that explains it. Well, it’s unfortunate to say, but I don’t have anything to say to you. Luna and these drones are not under my control. In fact, we don’t even have access to a majority of the files like David.”

The UP spoke this time. “Then get to it then. We’ll be waiting for your response.”

A beep filled the room and the holograms evaporated.

Rin let out a long sigh before falling back in his chair. The blinds behind him opened up and the light filled the room. “…Luna. Be honest with me. If Teka was to one day become a villain, would our current heroes be enough to stop her?”

[Maybe. I was curious about this too. So I ran some personal simulations. If she decided to become one day a villain, the only hero who I can see standing a chance is All Might. His strength is equal to that of a Joker and if he was pushed to his limits, he would be able to shatter her.]

“Joker?”

[A fourth rank. Since it’s rare for Ether to mix with another bonded beast, there aren’t many. Kori managed to enter this rank by bonding with Mei. Even though Mei’s shard was nothing special.]

Rin jumped at this news. “So as of now, he has two states?”

[Yes.]

He gave a nervous chuckle at this too. “So… since Teka and Kage have bonded to humans, does this mean that they too have ascended in power?

[…Unsure. Further scans and testing are required. But since Midoriya doesn’t have a registered shard, Kage’s power might have stayed the same. If true, a new rank might have to be created.]

“If you don’t mind, would it be alright if I spoke to Kori about this? We need to make a statement as soon as possible.”

[That isn’t the best idea. As of now, he’s teetering on the edge of being Lost.]

A hologram showed Kori silently meditating with purple icicles slowly rising above him. Mei was with him too, also pissed but not as much as Kori. She was keeping him from falling off the edge.

Rin gave a slight nod before letting out a deep breath in that empty room of his. “Just what the hell is going on?...”

*

“Aiko… I think it’s time you told me what happened to Teka,” Mitsuki peered out one of the many windows of the household. As usual, the flashes of the cameras picked up and she shut it just as quickly as she opened them. Aiko fiddled with a metallic statue of Teka’s beast form, letting it glow a mix of colors. “Aiko?”

Aiko let out a long breathe as her eyes glowed orange. “…Mitsuki. You’re a good person. A kind one too. ...Do you know why Teka stopped Luis from speaking?”

Mitsuki took a seat and shook her head.

“It’s because she doesn’t want the world to know. Doesn’t want them to know what each flower means. And I’m guessing from what Bakugo saw, he already knows. But he doesn’t want to believe it.”

The metal in her palms shifted to a copy of one of the flowers. “Each flower represents a death. I have no idea how many there are. Kori has no idea how many. No one knows the exact number. No one except for Teka.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Once again, the metal shifted again. Aiko continued. “I know you still don’t completely trust me because of little ol Bakugo here,” They shifted into a golden withering flower. “But… I’ll go back on my word if it’ll give you the peace of mind. So I’ll ask you. Are you absolutely certain you want to see why Teka has become the most hated beast?”

She nodded without any hesitation.

Aiko put out the golden flower. “Then touch this.”

Just like everyone else who had interacted with a beast and their power, the world around them collapsed. The colors merged together, causing Mitsuki to become dizzy for a moment.

But it didn’t matter because just a few seconds after, the world around them completely shifted. When she opened her eyes, what she saw made her hold their breath. Hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions, of beasts gathered silently around a castle. Murmurs could be heard among them, all in the natural forms, as they silently waited for the birth of the royals.

“It started on the day she was born,” Aiko, much younger and around the age of a little girl, sat on a metallic cloud. She, like every other beast there, looked onwards at the castle. Except she was anxious. “Probably what’s considered the worst day in the beast’s history.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Aiko pointed ahead. “Take a look.”

The clear sky suddenly became black and a Thick tension filled the air. Mitsuki couldn’t even breathe as the beasts broke into a panic. What was going on? Did something happen to the King and Queen? It was a question that every beast was thinking. And it would be answered very soon.

“You see, there are ways to tell how many kids a beast would have. You can read the ether flow of the babies in the womb. Akako and Hato were there. ” A piercing, heart-aching scream reached out across the Aether, sending beasts to the ground and destroying their eardrums. It didn’t affect them though. Because the world was already shifting again. “Teka was not.”

Letting colors cover her face again, the world collapsed to a much more gruesome scene. Kaio, the king of the beasts was standing over a body covered with a thin blanket. The room reeked of an awful smell of a burnt corpse that could only be pinpointed to the corpse the King was standing over. Next to him were three crying children, one of which was unplanned and leaking blue embers. Unwanted. A mistake. An accident.

Aiko signaled for them to hush and moved them out of the way. Just as a fury of purple smashed where they were just standing.

“This damn child,” Kaio's voice was low and his eyes were lifeless. He twirled a purple blade in his hands, letting it reflect off the wet surface.

Aiko spoke again. “Teka was never planned. Her ether didn’t show up. As a result, the proper precautions weren’t made for their birth and Haru ended up burning to death. Cooked from the inside out.”

“…” Mitsuki silently looked on. “But… Katsuki was brought back. Why not Haru?”

“Because Kaio already had a bond. I don’t know the details, but she ended up shattering herself, leaving behind the first royal,” Aiko pointed to a child, glaring past them and at Kaio. She hid behind a beautiful woman that would make anyone’s heart stop. “She’s the one behind the attack on Flaming Christmas. But back to the topic at hand, you can only bond to one person in a lifetime.”

Nana Shimura held her closely before ushering her away, closing the door behind her.

Nana spoke calmly to him, a golden light rising off her body. Her eyes were red and puffy, evidence that she too had been crying. “Kaio…”

“…” He didn’t reply. Opting to look down at the dead queen. His dark brown skin glowed a little as the moonlight from the dual moons shone down on them. “Haru… I still remember the first time I saw her.”

Nana placed a hand on his back as tears began forming again. “Yes. And you’ve told it a thousand times.” She made three golden flowers and placed them over each child, silencing their cries and putting them to sleep. A tear fell off her face and landed on the closest one. “I’m sure that… she would’ve… loved to tell them all about it.”

It was Nana’s turn to break down. Because of her duty as a hero and being chased by All for One, she put her two kids in foster care and off the family registry. It was singlehandedly the hardest thing she had to do in her life. But she knew it was necessary. So when she nearly died and was face to face with one of her children, she knew she could never leave this chance behind. But for it to happen so quickly…

Kaio looked down at the knife, a gift from him to her when they first met. Love at first sight. He came down because he was a bit curious and ended up falling in love with her.

The beasts were wary of Haru at first. She was the first human they’d seen since… the war. Eventually though, after hearing her story, they took her in and treated her like one of their own.

“…There’s a way.” His deep voice echoed over the top of the castle. Kaio’s eyes fell on the third child and his grip on the dagger tightened. His dark blue eyes that used to shine so brightly focused on Teka. “This cursed child… I’ll use her core.”

“Kaio?” Nana moved in front of the babies and spread her arms out, still crying. “Kaio. Don’t you even think about it. You swore you would never do that. That you would love all of your children!"

“But it has to be done!” His eyes became wild as he moved towards her. A haze of purple energy rose from above and he swung the dagger down. “I can bring her back if I give her that cursed child’s core!”

Nana quickly grabbed Teka and materialized at the entrance. Her gray eyes became golden. Multiple copies of her surrounded Kaio from all sides. “Kaio! Stop this!”

His body began to shake, and he turned towards Nana. Tears hit the floor. “I just… want my queen back. It’s because of that child…”

The purple haze began to slow down. He started to walk over to her before collapsing to his knees.

Nana put the baby behind her and dropped down to his level. “I… miss her too. So much Kaio. I had to give up everything I cared about to protect her and her brother. But that doesn’t give us a right to sacrifice a child who we didn’t know about.”

“…” Looking down at the dagger one more time, his face tightened. But before he could say anything, the world around them exploded into color.

Then, the Bakugo household came into view.

“…” They watched as the golden flower began breaking down. Mitsuki tried to swallow what they’d just witnessed. “So she was to blame for the King’s death?”

Aiko nodded. “Correct.”

A part of her didn’t want to ask. But she knew she had to. “So all of those deaths?”

“…Correct.”

Aiko sighed and wiped away at the tears that had formed on her face. “After that, the King and some of his guards ended up sacrificing themselves to save Haru. He said that if he can’t have her, then he doesn’t need to be alive anymore."

At this point, she couldn’t hold back the tears. Aiko moved next to her and placed a hand on her back. “Listen. Teka is a beast that has refused to fight for fear of hurting others with her power. She only used the bare minimum for others. Now, she’s different than before. So please, the next time you see her, welcome her with a hug.”

The two were caught up in their conversation that they didn’t notice Katsuki eavesdropping.

*

"Hmm. Hmmmmm. Hmm." Kori hummed a song that Nana would always sing to them. A song that would always calm them. Blue and purple ice circled around his body as Mei sat in the drone above him. "It's almost time, right?"

Opening his eyes, they gave off a purple glow. He was seething with anger and annoyance at what these two countries have set up. If someone didn't know any better, they'd think it was Sora dressed a bit differently. "...A few more minutes." Mei dropped from the drone, circuits following right behind her, and hugged him from behind. "Please, don't do anything too reckless. I've seen how protective you are about those you care about."

The purple died down a bit. He turned towards her and embraced her in a hug. "As long as I have you by my side, then I'll stay under control. But if I ever become Lost..."

Mei cut him off. "I won't kill you. No, I'll never have to kill you because you'll never become Lost."

"...It's almost time."

[She's correct. It was time approximately five minutes ago but I decided to let you two have your moment.]

Luna looked on from a drone and pointed to the Tokyo Police Headquarters, which was swarming with Nationals from Russia, The United States, and reporters from across the entire world.

[They're waiting for your response Kori.]

He moved in and gave her a quick kiss. "We'll finish this once this is over. So just wait for me."

With that said and done, Kori exploded into ice and reformed on top of the Police Department. Not even a second later, cameras flared up.

It seemed like he was interrupting something. With some of the nationals glaring at him from where the reporters were stationed, he guessed that they were in the middle of saying their side of the story.

So he came down, propped up an icy chair, and took a seat.

"..."

This was odd. From what the heroes stationed around the station, they feared Kori would lash out at them. Maybe even worse from what Luna was telling them. Shit, there were even some beasts that blended into the crowd and protested far in the distance.

It died down a few seconds later though. Under his icy eyes, it seemed like everything froze over. "...It seemed like I was interrupting something. So, please. Don't mind me. I'll just let these little shits continue to run their mouths."

Some of the beasts chuckled a bit. Including Ryukyu and Aiko. The Captains though, one from America and another from Russia, were not happy. Kori, of course, didn't care. They approached with high tensions.

The Russian, Captain Adrian stopped and glared at the beast. "...That dragon friend of yours has certainly caused a lot of trouble for us."

"Ah, yes. Please do tell me all about it. I'd love to hear all the bullshit that comes out of your mouth." He snapped back.

"I would prefer to handle this in a civil manner,” He put out one of his four arms for a handshake.

Kori simply looked at it with disgust and chuckled. “Civil? Is it civil to blast the sounds of children crying at a sleeping beast? Is it civil to suddenly increase hero patrols in cities mentioned by that French Rep? Is it civil to secretly start a nationwide manhunt for beasts in your country?”

Murmurs broke out in the crowd. Adrian had been prepared for this and held his ground. “I’m sorry, I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about. In fact, we’ve been trying to reach each beast in Russia to assimilate them into our society. We would never hurt another race with human-level intelligence.”

“Oh? Is that so?” A drone suddenly appeared in the air with a drake with pink fur on top of it. Black particles rushed out of it whilst carrying an orange box. The air around them changed. Kori picked up on a bit of nervousness creeping up his face. “Then you won’t mind me playing this black box, right? I was lucky enough to recover a few after I sent out a few probes to see if there were sailors MIA.”

“That is Russian property. I would suggest not interfering with it and to hand it over to the Russian Government.”

Ignoring him, he stood up and faced the crowd. “When Teka’s memory was still sealed, she went around Japan and healed a total of ninety-three people. She passed out flaming crafts because she wanted to help people. Sure, she broke the law whilst doing so, but I don’t recall her ever hurting another human.”

Adrian tried to butt in but an Icy purple dagger flew towards him, stopping a few inches from his neck. “Even in the Aether, when we were still children, she’d rather find a way to de-escalate a situation than use her powers to attack another person.” He pointed to Jack and Ace standing with the heroes. “If you don’t believe me, you can go ahead and ask Ryukyu and Aiko over here.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that she willingly and knowingly attacked and sunk out ships.”

He smirked a bit, looking at his bond who was staring with the same expression. “Dumbass humans. Guess that means they didn’t read the reports I sent.” The purple flashed a bit more, covering more of his ice. “Since your stupid leaders ignored the report I sent, I’ll explain it to you. Teka is Lost.”

“Lost?” A reporter called out. She pushed through the security and put the mic as close as he could. “Please, could you explain that term?”

He took the mic from her. “Her own ether has consumed her. It stems from when a beast is in a life-or-death situation, when their emotions go haywire, or when their bond is in danger. I don’t know what you saw firsthand, but I do know that she would never attack another human unwarranted.”

“Is that what’s happening to you right now? With your ice becoming purple?”

He nodded again. “As of now, I’m teetering on the edge of deciding whether or not to fuck up their entire navy. But I’m holding back for the beasts' sake on Earth.”

“I feel as if there is more to this. There is, isn’t there?!”

“That’s for another time.”

Two more black boxes dropped from the sky. He kicked them off his ice and in front of the entire crowd. Now Adrian was getting nervous. “Now back to the topic at hand. Please. Raise your hand if you think Teka would honestly give two shits about a few metal ships that she just happened to attack out of nowhere.”

Dragons were told to be scary creatures that attacked because they felt like it. With their massive bodies and wings that could blow anything away, it seemed possible. But at the same time, it’s been proven that she’d saved lives on Flaming Christmas and even risked her life to bond herself to Bakugo. It was like she was a natural-born hero.

Slowly, hands were raised. Luna counted each one with blinding speed.

[Done! Out of the 3,521 three-thousand-twenty-one people present, five hundred have raised their hands.]

“Huh. Well, would you look at that? It’s actually a lot smaller than I thought,” Another black box dropped from the sky. This one belonged to the United States. His eyes met the United States General, General Jackson, who also had a nervous look. “Ah, General Jackson! Next time you speak, be sure to speak with a clean mouth next time. It’s very rude to call us animals when we go beyond human capabilities."

“Wait.” Adrian moved between him and the black boxes. “Like I said before. These black boxes are Russian and United States equipment. I’ll give you one more chance to end this in a civil matter. Think twice before making Russia your enemy.”

Kori placed a palm over his lips and looked away from the cameras. He started to shake and a few seconds later, he broke out in laughter. Some of the beasts in the crowd laughed. Mei just let out a huff.

“You… You seriously don’t understand how much shit you’re in.” Purple ice shot out and wrapped tightly around the generals. “Listen closely. That includes everyone watching because I’ll only say it once. I sent out the message to save your asses. Not from me, but from them.”

Some ice around him shifted and pointed to a building in the distance. A black wyvern and a white amphiptere watched closely. Ribbons and shadows flowed off them as they spread their wings and flew into the night. That was when they knew they fucked up. Horribly.

“You come in contact with a princess of the beast and instead of helping, caused her to sink your ships in the hopes that some of your crew would die. The Second Princess has the ability to raise the dead and make them fight for her. The Third Prince has the ability to absorb ether from any source and fire it back at you with five times the amount of power.” He dropped them on the ground as wires fell from the drones and interjected themselves into the black boxes. Holograms filled the skies of satellite images of what they did to Teka filled the skies of Tokyo.

He crouched down with purple eyes and put the mic close to his lips. “You saw how much The Second wanted to get close to Teka and you know how dangerous The Third is from his message. So you better pray to whatever god you serve that they only shatter a few of your hero’s shards.”

Kori tossed the mic back to the reporter, got in a drone, flipped them off, and let the audio of their planning play out for everyone.

[Accessing Black Box 1: ID: U.S #1193749. Accessing Black Box 2. ID: R-9902485. Playing data logs from the most recent date. Providing automatic translations into the correct languages.]