Stars. How bright they are. They can be seen lightyears away. They're bright, shiny, and never seem to dim.

...But what about dead stars?

Stars that no longer shine. Instead, they take. Forming a hole in space and draining the light from its surroundings.

Just like the core of a certain beast.

Rain dropped from the skies and hit a street in Japan. A girl with crimson eyes, black hair with red highlights, and light brown skin walked those empty streets without a care. A shadowy figure stood over her and blocked the drops of rain.

In front of her feet was a kitten bloody and whimpering as it struggled to move after being run over by a speeding car. No older than a few months. Its soft white fur had been painted a mix of black and red as its orange eyes stared into her own. …Such a pitiful way to die.

She got on to one knee and softly rubbed its fur. It winced a bit but gradually became numb to the world around it as smoke washed over it. Once it was calm, she wrapped her hands around its neck and began to squeeze. Its body stiffened as it looked into her eyes with fear. She didn’t stop though.

A snap echoed across the empty streets and its body became lifeless. Time seemed to slow down a bit as the world around the girl shifted. Hundreds of shadow creatures appeared around her, all kneeling.

A black fog that only she could see began rising from the kitten. One word instantly brought it back from death’s door.

“Ortum.”

It was a short, but effective command. The black mist grew and grew. The figure of a black kitten with white smoke rising from its body suddenly came into view. A smile appeared on her face while she held it up, letting it lick her face.

“Why do you keep on adding more useless creatures to your army Akako?” The world shifted back to normal. Dressed in a white hoodie and dark pants, the third candidate materialized in a burst of glass and ribbons. Just like his sister, his skin was an ebony tint but slightly darker. Curly black hair reached down to his shoulders and his eyes were whiter than snow.

She didn’t look up as the puppy danced around her feet. “…You know why I do it. So stop questioning it every time I revive something.”

His white eyes met her red eyes. A bit of annoyance flashed across his face before he sighed and tossed her a newspaper, which she caught with ease. On the front page was the image of Teka and Endeavor dancing across the skyline.

“Teka’s alive.”

The shadow creatures around her flinched a bit at the sound of her name. Akako’s face distorted a bit as she read the article, like some memories she didn’t want to remember resurfacing. “…Does this mean we’re going to stop looking for Erity?”

“Whichever one appears first is the one we’re taking back to the Aether,” Hato’s ribbons flowed around his hands as he formed an umbrella. “…All I need to do is to become King. And I don’t care if I have to drag one of them back to help me achieve that goal.”

*

A few months had passed since the Endeavor and Phoenix scuffle. Autumn had come and most of the news about the situation had died down, but Kori wasn’t taking any chances. Teka couldn’t leave the house to get ice cream or to hang out with Midoriya without him blowing up her phone or questioning where she was.

It had gotten on her nerves so much that she decided to leave her phone at home and roam the streets of Musutafu. The only problem was that she was terrible with directions, especially when she was on the ground.

A sigh escaped her lips once she realized she was lost. The sun had started to set, and she couldn’t use her flames because she was still wearing her school uniform. She sniffled a bit as she sat down and curled into a ball under a street light. “…Why do I have to deal with this?”

A cold gust of wind ran through the streets. Her body shook a bit as she formed some flames around her body as if to keep her safe. Kind of like a small shield. She tried to avoid doing anything too complex to avoid suspicion if anyone saw them. Why is he so protective all of a sudden?

She didn’t get to think about it very long before she heard the sound of footsteps and the rustling of plastic bags getting closer. Still, she didn’t look up and let the flames die down as the footsteps stopped in front of her.

“The fuck are you doing out here Firecracker?” She jumped a bit because she hadn’t expected whoever it was to talk to her. Looking up, red eyes met her sapphire eyes. Teka’s seemed tired with tears on the edges while Bakugo’s just seemed annoyed. “Well? You going to answer?”

After the whole incident on the first day of school, they’d kept their distance from each other. He stuck to his group of followers while she stuck with Midoriya. But he still kept a close eye on Teka. Like he knew something.

“Nothing,” Her eyes looked down at the bags full of food and her stomach rumbled a bit. “Ok, I’m lost. And I don’t know how to get home.” She crossed her legs and avoided looking at him, trying to find a way out of this situation. “Sorry about blasting fire in your face.”

“…” He turned and started walking down the street before suddenly stopping about halfway down a block and turned back. “Follow me. Get inside, call your family, and get out.”

It was only for a second, but a tiny hint of worry flashed across his face. Only for a second though. They walked in silence as they reached the Bakugo residency. A house that was almost the same size as Teka’s, but much nicer. She stopped for a second to take it in before Bakugo dragged her to the front door. “Ignore my parents. They’ll probably interrogate you or something like that. Got it?”

“Yea.”

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Not a second after she walked into the kitchen, the sound of glass shattering filled her ears. Mitsuki stared as she’d just seen a ghost. Masaru had to take off his glasses to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.

“There’s no way…” Mitsuki whispered over to Masaru. “Our son brought a girl home?”

“Oi, hurry up and call them,” Bakugo moved past her and started to prepare dinner. “Then you get out.”

“Katsuki! How dare you say that to a guest?” Mitsuki yelled back. She made her way over to Teka, who hadn’t said a word. She placed her hands on her cold cheeks and looked at her with a serious look. “Did he threaten you? Bribe you? Make you come here against your will?”

“N-No!” Teka quickly cleared up the situation by explaining what happened. “I just…” Her expression turned sour and she averted her gaze. “Just had a small disagreement with my family.”

Bakugo just clicked his lips as he started cooking. Her stomach rumbled. “…Sorry. I’ll just go.” Without thinking, she unconsciously let blue ember flow off her body as she walked to the door. Just like Phoenix did during the Endeavor scuffle.

“Come on Teka where are you?” Kori lept from building to building around Musutafu looking for just a flicker of blue. Ice platforms formed under his feet with every jump. He was becoming more and more worried with each second. That was until his phone rang.

Ice slowed his speed until he came to a stop. He hurriedly picked up the phone that had only been ringing for a few seconds. Multiple holograms appeared around him and quickly tracked the call to its location.

“…Hey Kori.” Teka’s voice came through the phone as Kori started moving again. This time, with less worry.

“Teka, where are you? And why haven’t you been picking up your phone?” It was obvious from the tone of his voice that he was worried.

Some shifting could be heard in the background before she spoke again. “I left it at home. And do you know the kid that was messing with Midoriya? I’m at his house…”

“…What? Teka, do you remember why you lost your memories? Because of people like him!” Memories of what happened to Teka resurfaced in his mind. He gritted his teeth as he sped up to Teka’s location. “I’m coming to your location right now. We’re going back home alright?”

“Why do you keep on bringing up my memories?” Her voice shook through the phone. “So what if I forgot them! That doesn’t give you the right to protect me from every little thing Kori!”

“What matters is that we don’t let the same thing occur again. Why can’t you understand that?” His feet touched down on the soft grass of the Bakugo residency.

“Neither you nor grandma will even mention what I was like before I lost them!” He could hear her raised voice from inside the house. The phone clicked as Teka made her way outside with tears streaming down her face. Blue embers flew off her body while she continued the yelling. “Or do you think that I’m so foolish that I can’t even handle remembering something that I’ve forgotten?!”

“I never said you were! Teka, you’ll find out one day. But today is not the day!”

“And why is that? Even though I’m older you still treat me like a fucking child!” Both of them were screaming at each other at this point. All for the Bakugo’s to see.

Kori grabbed onto her arm before it could hit him. “Damnit, will you stop acting like a spoiled child Teka! We’re doing this for your own good!”

Teka recoiled a bit from shock, registering from what she just heard. “When did I ever ask you to do that?...” Her face became a distorted mess of anger and tears. She slapped Kori across the face, spread her thrusters, and took off into the sky.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

*

Blue filled the skies of Musutafu as she blasted herself across Japan. Her vision was fuzzy as she crashed into the sand before smashing into a pile of trash. She didn’t let that stop her as she moved inside the house, got dressed into her Phoenix clothes, and stormed outside again. She didn’t even think about her grandma.

A blue mist gathered around the ends which was soon replaced by massive blue flames. She blasted herself into the air, the air flowing past her face. it looked like a blue comet climbing higher and higher from the ground. Her thrusters hissed as she sped up, pumping more energy into each one.

Diving and climbing repeatedly, she turned towards the ocean. Her hands skimmed the top of the water as she dived down for a bit. Even though it didn't seem like she could handle it, her body definitely could. Her lungs could hold air for much longer than a human and her eyes could see through the water as if it was glass.

She broke through the surface every fifteen minutes or so, taking in breaths before diving down again. Her thrusters hissed from the water cooling down the ends. She took one more dive before switching course. The ocean changed to land as she blasted past city after city. Before she knew it, hours had passed, and she was nowhere near Musutafu.

It wasn’t until she reached Kyoto City that something caught her attention. A soft hiss filled her ears as she landed on the Kyoto Tower. …Why do they treat me like a fucking child?

She collapsed on the tower while looking up at the sky and took off her mask, still a bit wet from her little dip. Just as she started to drift to sleep, she was rudely awoken.

A scream caught her attention causing her to jump up. Her sapphire eyes turned towards it. In the distance, she could make out a girl with pink hair running away from three men in suits.

She didn’t waste any time and blasted herself across the skyline. Her white hair broke out of her hoodie as she crashed down just before their hands landed on the girl. Blue flames erupted from her body as she grabbed her and moved a few dozen feet away from them.

Teka froze for a second as she examined her body. Bloodied clothes and an arm that was twisted the wrong way. “…I would ask if you’re alright, but that clearly isn’t the case.”

A giant hand emerged and reached for the duo. With a lot more care than last time, she blasted them into the air and placed the whimpering girl on a platform of fire. One of the men called up to her. “Oi, Phoenix. That bitch owes us a lot,” She touched down and the three men circled her. “It’d be best if you’d just place her back on the ground, alright?”

Under her hoodie, blue flames gathered around her body. One of them reached into their pockets like they were grabbing a gun. “I’m not in the best mood today. So let’s get this over with.”

“Big mistake little girl.” One of them pulled out what seemed to be a modified pistol and fired. Another one attempted to use his quirk to restrict her movements. She quickly pulled her thrusters to cover her and let go of the flames under her hoodie. The bullets smacked into them but left no major damage. Instantly, the area around them was engulfed in blue flames. She used this chance to grab onto the girl and blast the two into the clouds.

With a sense of adrenaline running through her, she flew at high speeds. A bit of guilt ran through her once she heard her grunts of pain and slowed down a bit. Once they were far enough, she touched down on a roof a few buildings away from a hospital. “No… no hospitals,” She gasped out. Teka made a blue orb of light and realized how bad the wounds were. Three deep gashes on her right side along with a bullet wound. Not to mention, her arm was crooked and bent in the wrong way.

“You do realize that you’re seriously injured right? I can see one of her ribs and your arm ain’t looking too good.” She adjusted her mask before reaching to pick her up again. Her unbroken arm reached out and stopped her.

“You’re the Phoenix right?” Her voice was shaky and desperate, and the telescope-shaped eyes seemed to be pleading with her. “Please. Just heal me. I’m… not a big fan of hospitals.”

The people Teka had healed were people on the verge of a death they didn’t deserve. Like children in car crashes or a surgery gone wrong. It was because she felt she had to do this. But this time, she wanted to. And she didn’t deny a good feeling. Especially after last night’s events. “…Alright.”

Placing the girl back on the ground, she placed her palm over her chest. “Before I do it though, what’s your name?”

“Is that important?”

“…No. But I guess you could say you’ve caught my attention.”

A blue hue filled her palms. She forced the energy into her body and directed it to the wounds. Color returned to her face and the wounds began to heal. “Mei. Mei Hatsume.” Her arm cracked back to its original shape. Flesh wrapped itself around the bone and the bullet that was lodged in her was ejected onto the roof.

Embers rose from both of them as she pulled her hand away. Teka let her body fall next to Hatsume. Healing a person always drained her, no matter how much little or how much she healed. This time was especially bad because she also flew for hours before. Her eyes became heavy along with her body. The edges of her vision became darker as what seemed to be a massive jet descended from the sky. “Just call me Teka.” Then she blacked out.

*

Tap Tap Tap

Kori tapped his foot on the metal floor of a deserted airbase deep in Japan. He’d done his best to erase the fact that it even existed.

The tapping didn’t stop, and he groaned again. The monitors all came back with that dreaded sign he’d been seeing ever since he’d left the Aether. Simulation Failure. Reasoning: Unknown. It couldn’t be helped though. Trying to apply human technology to something that went beyond that was insane.

To his right side was a small laptop that was connected to Nana’s room. His hands ran through his hair as Nana watched. Her expression was calm as she smiled. The skin on her cheeks was wrinkled and her grey eyes began to match her dulling hair color.

“Kori… you need to let her live. She’s still a child.” She managed to sit up from the bed. Her once black hair had become grey and her body had become just a skeleton of what it once was. “Running around just like she did when she was younger.”

He sighed a bit and grabbed another fistful of hair. “I know! It’s just that I’m worried about her. What if she regains her memories before the operation is ready? Or, what if her core suddenly cracks even more in your void? The nanites aren’t even cooperating with a simulation of her core and to make matters even worse, your vitals are getting worse each day!” His voice was frantic. This was the only time he could show his true self without worry Teka. But he already failed at that.

“You worry too much. My illusions might be weaker than when I was in my prime, but even her mother couldn’t escape them.” Kori stared at his holograms, still worried about where Teka was heading. “Kori. Everything will be fine. You’ve spent the last four years cooped up in your void studying the technology of this world.”

“…”

“Maybe it’s time to ask for help Kori.”

He shook his head and began another simulation, letting his fingers dance across the keyboard. The pit in his stomach grew with each passing second. “Even if I could, the only person who could help me with this disappeared. I don’t think this is something that humans can do. We both know that.”

*

White. White roses as far as the eye could see. Teka didn’t know how long she’d been here, but it wasn’t a place she wanted to be any longer. So she walked. Not because she wanted to, but because she didn’t know what else to do. Where… am I? It wasn’t anywhere in Japan or the world. And the more she rattled her brain for a place like it, the more it throbbed. Her feet stopped. Everything came to a standstill. Maybe this is a lucid dream?

She tried to imagine something, but nothing came. After a few minutes of this, she groaned in frustration and attempted to make flames. Nothing came though. Fucking flames! Her frustration grew and the roses at her feet reacted.

White shifted to purple. It started with one but spread across the entire area. Before she could even register what was going on, all the roses as far as her eyes could see had completely changed color.

“What the hell is this place?” Her voice was shaky as purple embers began to rise from all around her. She could only watch in shock as they gathered in the white sky. A purple star silently hovered in the air. Massive cracks spread out across the surface like it was on the verge of shattering. A voice suddenly filled the void.

See? I told you that I’d always protect…

She jumped back once she realized that was her voice. But much younger. The star repeated it, along with even more phrases that she had no memory of saying. “These are my… memories?”

The voices stopped and the star switched to a deep blue. It seemed to beckon her close, to reclaim what she’d lost. Her arm reached out with a type of desperation that she had never felt.

Then it all collapsed.

Teka jumped up in a panic, gasping for breath. Sweat dripped down her face as she controlled her breathing. What the fuck was that? Her eyes were wet as she wiped away at the tears. It was then that she realized that she wasn’t at home. She racked her brain of the previous night and quickly remembered everything.

A large room that resembled a hanger with a massive bed at the center. Even though it was dark, she could make out the mysterious objects scattered around the room from the lights coming through the windows on top. Where am I?

In the corner of her eye, a bright color caught her attention. The same girl from last night was sleeping next to her. It was then that she realized they barely had any clothes on. Her mask was nowhere to be seen too as she ran her hands over her body. Don’t tell me…

“We didn’t do anything if that’s what you’re thinking,” She jumped a bit as the girl got up, half-naked like her, and proceeded to get dressed like it was just another day. “Once I dragged you here, you demanded that I crawl into bed with you because you didn’t want to be alone. I declined, but you literally forced me into bed with your flames.”

She wanted to die from embarrassment at that point. “…Did I do anything else?”

“Well, you were saying things like ‘don’t go’ and held me while shaking. I didn’t move, enough though I had a lot of work to do.”

“…Just kill me now.” She groaned and wanted to sink into the ground.

The girl just smiled and passed her a cup of fresh instant ramen. “You seem like fun. How about you stay for a bit?” It’s been a long time since I’ve chatted with someone my age.”

Teka cupped it as the steam rose in her face. “What did you say your name was again? And why were you running from those guys last night?”

“You’re memory ain’t so good huh? Mei Hatsume, but just call me Mei. Also, I don’t want to talk about them. I’m just happy that I never had to see those people again,” She slurped down a mouthful of ramen before continuing. “But what about you? Why are you going around Japan healing people?”

She devoured the entire ramen cup in one big gulp. Mei just stared as if she’d just seen a ghost. “I’m not sure actually. I just feel that somewhere inside me, I just have to do this.” Her hands let off a slight blue. The blue of her eyes responded by lighting up. “It’s just that, I enjoy healing people.”

Mei eyed her body with a curious look. Teka quickly covered it with a blanket, but it wasn’t enough to stop her gaze. “There’s another thing I want to ask you. That scar above your chest, where is it from?”

“…I’m not sure. To be honest, I can only remember stuff up to a few years ago. Apparently, I was bullied at my previous school and lost a large part of my memory after a serious incident.”

Mei instantly regretted asking and started to apologize, but Teka just shook it off. “Don’t worry about it. The doctors said that I’d probably gain my memories back if I experience a major event!”

They chatted for a few more minutes before a buzz filled the room. “Ah, I guess that’s my cue to leave.” Teka stood up, stretched, and put the rest of her clothes on.

“Ah, it wouldn’t be the best time too…”

She didn’t hear it in time as the door swung open to reveal a sight that should’ve only belonged in a movie. Massive robots moved massive crates. And at least twenty different drones decorated the skies.

Mei eventually came out while stretching too. A green fairy suddenly landed on her head. Holograms just like Kori’s appeared in front of her with all sorts of information.

[Moving is 92% done. Deletion of I.D and former online footprints has been completed. The deletion of base location from online records is 86% complete.]

It turned to the stunned Teka and a green light ran over her. […Anomalous properties detected. Name: Teka Kai. Age: 14. Sex: Female.]

At this point, Teka was too shocked that she didn’t pick up on the first part. “Is… is this a fully functional A.I? Like it works all by itself? One of my friends has mentioned it a few times, but I never really understood what he was getting at.”

“Is your friend interested in this sort of stuff?”

“…Yea. He is.”

Teka shifted for a moment before her mind landed on something she thought of in her dream. “Um, Mei. Would it be alright if I could make a request?”

She smirked a bit before nodding. “Depends on what it is.”

“Well, I had a dream last night. And ever since then, all I can think about are dragons.”

“…Huh?”

“Yea, it sounds ridiculous.”

“Well, isn’t Ryuku a dragon?”

“I know, but I just feel as if there is more to my dream. Could you… do your hacking thing to help me?”