"Is that... suitable for him?" Olivia, resting in a small chair in her apartment room, turned to Aizawa, who was already half-undressed.
The black-haired man sat on his bed as he looked towards Damien, who was heavily engrossed in a rather violent and frightening novel. The cover of the novel had a skull drawn on it, and it was black in color. It was a thick book, much more suitable for an audience much older than he was. Aizawa looked at the book for about two seconds before sighing softly, standing up and snatching the book away from Damien.
"Hey, I was reading that!" Damien's small hands clawed and grabbed at the book as it was taken away from him.
Aizawa looked down at the younger boy as he slid the book on top of the large wooden bookshelf. He then knelt down and scanned through the other books for a few more moments, before taking out a thinner, much more age-appropriate book for him to read. It told the story of a young girl who fell down a hole she found in the woods, ending up in a world of magic and wonder.
"Really?" Damien grumbled, pouting.
Aizawa groaned softly, but not in a way that elicited any annoyance. He glanced at the younger boy in the plump velvet armchair clad in pajamas, his expression softening slightly.
"I don't want you having nightmares, ok?"
The white-haired boy suddenly turned away, looking out the window which provided a view of the entire kingdom. It was slightly dark, only with a small number of kerosene-powered lamps providing light for the streets below. Otherwise, the snow seemed to reflect the crimson moon above, making the entire kingdom appear a ghastly red hue.
"I have nightmares all the time," He said softly, his voice carrying a slight edge of fear.
Aizawa paused in his tracks, turning back around to Damien. "You do?"
Damien ruffled his white hair and whimpered softly, sinking in the chair. "When will Isaac and Shinso be back?"
"That depends on if Aaron didn't leave them out to freeze somewhere," Aizawa replied with a little humor in his tone.
"Would Aaron really do that?" Damien's voice grew quiet, carrying a small tremble as he held the book close to his chest.
Seeing the genuine fear and concern in his eyes, Aizawa knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulders, clutching the loose fabric of his pajama top. He recalled the man's reaction upon finding out about Isaiah's horrible actions and his death. Any logical and emotionally fueled person wouldn't want to lose anyone closer to him again.
Aizawa pursed his lips, licking them as he spoke softly in a way that wouldn't worry the young boy.
"Aaron's a strong man; he wouldn't leave them alone, trust me."
"And if he does, they'll find their way back here," Olivia commented.
Both the adults' words sent a rush of relief through Damien's body. He slumped in his chair and his eyes drooped shut.
"I'm just grateful you're not a nuisance." Aizawa shifted his gaze back to his bed, climbing back into the sheets and rolling over to face the door.
Shortly after, he couldn't help but stifle a low, deprecating chuckle. "Don't get me started on the nightmares those kids have put me through."
Gradually, Aizawa's eyelids grew heavier, and he eventually succumbed to the peaceful abyss of slumber.
...
"Is sensei really sleeping again?" A low, muffled huff could be heard in the corners of Aizawa's consciousness, causing him to stir slightly. When he opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings, his heart leapt out of his chest the moment he felt the all-too familiar sensation of his body wrapped within his yellow sleeping bag.
He quickly unzipped it and stepped out, brushing off his black hero suit. With a hint of vigilance, Aizawa scanned his surroundings. Before him, he saw his class, the class he taught everyday—Class 1-A.
"What happened... Was I dreaming or something?" Aizawa rubbed his red, tired eyes.
"Yeah, but it's pretty common of you to do that, sensei," One of his students replied.
At this moment, Aizawa realized something, and he took a step back, almost falling over. Every student in the class's face was different, almost eerie. Their faces were blurred, contorted, and mixed.
"What the hell is this?" Aizawa's eyes widened as he looked over his class, which all sat in their seats with a neat posture, all glancing at him with rippled anticipation. Their expressions may not have been seen, but Aizawa could still imperceptibly read their emotions.
"You look troubled, sensei. Is everything all right?" Another student chimed in.
"I-I... I need to take a walk." Aizawa stuffed his hands into his pockets, swiftly making his way over to the door, pushing it open, and walking out.
The hallways of U.A were silent, say for the occasional chatter within the classrooms and skipping students rushing away to avoid Aizawa's gaze. He rounded the corner, coming face-to-face with a group of students leaning on the lockers, their heads in their cellphones. The man slowly took a deep breath, collecting himself from the eerie incident.
He snapped his fingers, barking with authority. "Shouldn't you be getting to class?"
The students all looked up, their faces also blurry. One of them, a girl with a reptilian appearance, turned on her cellphone to show Aizawa. The screen was opened to a news page, with a headline written in bold, red lettering.
TRIO OF STUDENTS FOUND DEAD OUTSIDE U.A HIGH SCHOOL!
Below the headline were three photos. One of them showed Shinso, his features forming his trademark indifferent expression. Next to him was a girl with a slightly round face, circular nose, and eccentric eyes behind a pair of rounded glasses—Ayumi. And the last one, a boy with medium-length brown hair, glasses, and clad in a regular school uniform. It was Isaac.
"Gimmie that!" Aizawa snatched the phone from the girl, who didn't bother to protest. He scrolled through the news article, reading the circumstances and details.
When Aizawa began to scroll, he didn't see any details or descriptions regarding the scene. All he saw was a blank page with their profiles on them. Feeling a surge of interest, he tapped the students' profiles.
Hitoshi Shinso
DOB: 7/1
Age: 16
Height: 5'10
Occupation: None
School: U.A High
Course: General Studies
Quirk: Brainwashing
Hitoshi Shinso, U.A student, found dead in front of school at the fifteenth hour.
He looked through the profile for a few more moments, his eyes narrowing in deliberation to scan for possible clues. Aizawa came to a dead end after looking over all the given information; there was nothing that correlated to a possible cause of death.
Next, Aizawa darted to Ayumi's profile.
Ayumi Tagasuri
DOB: 6/7
Age: 15
Height: 5'5
Occupation: None
School: Okuran Middle School
Course: None
Quirk: None
Ayumi Tagasuri, middle school student, found dead in front of school at the fifteenth hour.
There was also nothing regarding Ayumi's cause of death. In a flurry, Aizawa moved to the last profile.
Isaac
DOB: Unknown to him
Age: 15
Height: 5'5
Occupation: None
School: Hosu Middle School
Course: Quirkless Program
Quirk: TBD
Aizawa scrolled in a flurry through the boy's profile, running over the current information. What put his profile aside from the others was the different statement.
IN ORDER TO PROTECT THOSE YOU WISH TO PROTECT, YOU MUST GAIN THE POWER TO DO SO.
At this moment, the cellphone exploded with radiant purple light. The light condensed and collected to form a dense, illusory shape. The shape was a small wooden disk with a symbol on it. The symbol was a seal guarded behind chains suspended from above. The chains crossed to make what looked like a crown, one that would be worn by royalty.
Seeing this peculiar happening, Aizawa arched an eyebrow. He held the wooden disk in his hand, flipping it up and down.
"What is this?"
Before he could respond, the environment around him suddenly changed. The dream-like school around him suddenly faded, the lockers and walls shrinking back into nothingness. Around him, a thick, dense, whitish smoke permeated the air. White and black tiles appeared beneath his feet, and a strange, omnipresent sensation of refinement and solemnity filled the air.
Above him the ceiling bent backwards, arching to form a spherical, oriel ceiling. Glass gradually replaced a portion of the stone ceiling, forming a window that gazed outwards at a torrent of purplish energy. A sudden surge of information surged into his mind.
This was called a mindscape, a realm where anyone could be safe and protected from the outside world. Being in contact with fellow Seekers could enable this, or it could happen on its own. Aizawa looked back down at the wooden disk in his hand, the symbol now glowing with ethereal purple energy. His eyes widened as the wooden disk expanded and contorted, taking the form of a humanoid figure.
The glowing humanoid swiftly gained human features, the light shrinking back to be replaced by pale skin, black hair, crimson eyes, and a slight stubble. It was a figure that looked awfully like him, but it wasn't him.
"Who are you?" Aizawa asked defensively, his guard habitually raising.
The figure across from him laughed, something deeply uncharacteristic of the original predecessor. They were clad in white and purple robes, and atop their head was a small purple jewel. This Aizawa took a step back, spreading his arms slightly.
"I'm your spiritual projection, an amalgamation of all your desires."
"My... desires?" Aizawa felt a little skeptical upon hearing the man's statement.
The other Aizawa, wearing his robe, scoffed and smirked. "You made it home, you saved Oboro, you did everything you wanted to do."
Hearing this, the black-haired man slowly let out a low sigh. "Who exactly are you, and why did you randomly appear in my dream?"
He paused, looking around the environment. It carried traces of purple and gold, the themes and aesthetic of this chamber seemed to resemble some sort of judicial house. At the edge of the room, situated in between two statues of large cats, was a chair made of gold and iron, with the same symbol on the disk inscribed on the surface of the chair's back.
"I already answered that question. I'm what you want."
The spiritual Aizawa took a step forward, meeting his gaze. "You're wondering if your 'students' are safe, right?"
"Students?" Aizawa scoffed, shaking his head. "Only one of them are a student of mine."
"In a sense, they're all your students; they look to you for guidance in this vast and terrifying world."
Aizawa swiftly recalled the contents of the dream cell phone. It had shown that they had died in some unknown way. Was this a mental projection of his fears, losing them due to unknown circumstances? Upon realizing this, Aizawa's breath quickened.
"Damn... you're right."
"Of course I'm right—I'm you!"
"Alright, alright." Aizawa began to pace back and forth considering countless possibilities in his mind.
"I know Shinso and Ayumi consumed some kind of potion that gave them power, and Isaac suddenly has horns and wings out of nowhere. No wonder they've survived so long, they have powers linked to this world! I just have my quirk."
He turned back to the spiritual Aizawa and asked a question. "Where can I get my own potion?"
The spiritual Aizawa ascended into the air, his bare feet hovering meters above the cold, tiled floor. He let out a low laugh and pointed to the ceiling. Suddenly, an image appeared—the Mother Nature cathedral.
"Of course." Aizawa clenched his fists, making a logical deduction.
"You can either go now and disrupt them, or wait until dawn to receive it," The spiritual Aizawa's form quickly turned illusory, dissipating alongside any trace of his presence. After verifying he was completely alone, Aizawa quickly closed his eyes and took in a deep sigh. Due to the previous informational torrent, he knew how to ascend and descend from his mindscape.
The bedroom was silent, with Olivia and Damien both asleep. Crimson moonlight filtered in through the windows, illuminating his own features. When he looked into the mirror, his own features seemed to flicker with radiant, illusory energy.
He looked towards the door, approached it, and stepped into the hallway. Both ends were dreary and dimly lit. Aaron suddenly appeared in the hallway, walking over to Aizawa's door. Before he could speak, Aizawa took a hold of his collar, gently yanking him forward.
"Where are the kids?"
"Shinso and Ayumi ran off elsewhere, while Isaac ...uhm." Aaron was unable to recount the other details, his cheeks noticeably heating.
"What?" Aizawa's voice lowered to a deathly growl, a no-nonsense expression playing with his features.
"He came back here I believe. When I checked his room, he was nowhere to be seen."
Aaron's recount of the night deeply agitated Aizawa, causing his brows to furrow. His fingers rubbed his glabella as he spoke again.
"Should we look for them?"
"No, we shouldn't." Aaron replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"W-why?"
Hearing Aizawa's troubled tone, Aaron smiled softly, taking Aizawa by the shoulder. "We'll wait instead."
He led the man downstairs, prompting him into an armchair nestled near the door. Outside, they could both see the snow-peppered streets and lamps illuminating the cobblestone sidewalks.
"Wait for them?" Aizawa's hands trembled as Aaron handed him a cup of scalding tea.
"You didn't trust them over one experience; they're all Seekers, they'll be fine, I assure you."
"You seem awfully careless for someone who just lost his friend," Aizawa noted, looking directly at Aaron.
Aaron suddenly fell silent, bringing his lips to his drink, sipping softly. "Grief isn't forever, bud. Y'gotta move on eventually, right?"