POV – Izuku Midoriya
Morning sunlight filtered through the slats of Izuku's window, warm and golden, a reminder that despite the darkness they sometimes faced at night, the world still turned. He sat cross-legged on the floor of his room, deep in concentration. A small glowing rune floated above his palms—flickering, imperfect, but stable. Barely.
He let out a breath and released the rune, watching it flicker and dissipate in a wisp of golden-red mist.
"I'm getting closer," he muttered to himself.
His grimoire lay open beside him, its pages filled with a growing collection of symbols and notes, half drawn in chalk and half written in a mixture of old Japanese kanji and the mystic script that still gave him a headache to read. He had compiled much of it from memory, trial-and-error, and whispered encouragements from the shadows of dreams.
His fingertips burned faintly from overuse, but it was worth it. The purification runes were beginning to take form—enchanted symbols designed to sense and deter negative intent. He'd been placing smaller ones discreetly around Mustafu, near alleyways and common crime spots. According to the local news, petty crimes had dropped by nearly 20% in the last month.
People were starting to notice. Not the magic, but the change.
The public murmured quietly. It's them again, they'd say. The ones helping when no one else does.
"Izuku!" his mother called from the hallway, her voice gentle. "Don't forget to stretch and eat. You've been at it for hours."
"Okay, Mom!" he called back.
Inko didn't ask what he was doing anymore. She knew. She accepted it with a wary heart and a mother's steadfast love.
Izuku stood, his knees popping slightly. As he walked toward the small kitchen, he passed a chalk sigil drawn in the baseboard of the hallway. It pulsed once as he neared—reacting to his presence—and went still again. Protection. Detection. One of dozens placed across their apartment.
He didn't consider himself powerful yet. But the seeds were taking root.
And time was running out.
POV – Momo Yaoyorozu
Momo wiped sweat from her brow and crouched behind the hedgerow of her family's estate, dressed in sleek black training attire. The outdoor obstacle course her family had set up had been modified to include light surveillance—thermal sensors, motion triggers, pressure pads—all non-lethal. And she was working her way through it with a growing sense of finesse.
Tasers, smoke bombs, binding cuffs—all non-lethal tools, each one produced from her body through her quirk. She was experimenting with new compact designs—smaller, more efficient.
Izuku's notes had helped immensely. His studies on Black Widow, in particular, had fascinated her.
"She was trained as an assassin, but became a symbol of infiltration and heroism. Her tools weren't just weapons—they were precise, subtle. Her most powerful weapon was anonymity."
Momo had absorbed that insight like scripture.
And it had begun to shape her training.
She dashed to the side, dropped a flash pellet, rolled across a pressure pad without triggering it, and emerged at the end of the course in under 90 seconds.
"Not bad," she murmured.
But her mind was split. After all this, she still had to prepare for the U.A. recommendation exam—an even higher bar than Izuku's written and physical testing. And tonight, she had a virtual business meeting. Her family's company had opened an experimental materials division, and as heir, she was expected to be briefed.
Magic. Combat. Business.
She was juggling them all. And she wasn't sure if she was doing any of them perfectly.
But when she thought of Izuku—his smile when they tested spells together, the awkward way he offered his notes, and the gentle encouragement he always gave her when she failed—she found the strength to keep going.
POV – Izuku and Momo (Shared)
That Evening – Abandoned Rooftop Garden, Mustafu District
They met under the soft glow of starlight on one of the rooftops they had purified together. A neglected garden had begun to bloom again—runes etched in the stone planters keeping weeds at bay and encouraging healthy growth.
"I've been working on modifying the healing circle," Izuku said, offering her a parchment. "Smaller, tighter radius. Could fit under your footgear."
Momo examined the paper, nodding. "This could work… And I brought something too."
She handed him a small glass orb she'd created. Inside shimmered a trace of starlight and faint red energy.
"I tried to imbue it with the spell we talked about—the light burst. It fizzled before activating."
Izuku took the orb carefully. "You're getting closer. It responded to your intent."
She smiled softly, then turned her gaze to the city.
"People are starting to notice the change, you know," she said. "Cleaner streets. Less fear."
"But not less mystery," Izuku said. "They don't know it's us."
"They don't want to know," Momo replied, and her smile turned thoughtful. "It's them again, they say."
And both of them knew that was enough—for now.
POV – Unknown Civilian
Across town, a shopkeeper closed up for the night, noticing that once again the alley behind his store—which used to be plagued with loiterers and shady deals—was empty. Peaceful. He placed a flower in a little pot where a symbol had appeared days ago.
"Whoever you are," he murmured, "thank you."
POV – Brief Cutaway: Pro Hero & Politician (Private Office, Mustafu City Hall)
"I'm telling you," the hero said, crossing their arms. "Crime rates have dropped, and it isn't All Might."
The city official leaned back, sighing. "Then who?"
"We don't know. But… they're good. Methodical. Trained."
The politician looked out the window, down over the lights of Mustafu.
"All Might can't protect everywhere at once," he said quietly.
POV – Izuku Midoriya (Later That Night)
He hovered two feet above his mattress, a faint blue-green glow surrounding him. His spell circle etched on the ceiling above him reflected the same energy.
Levitation. For a few seconds at a time now. It was unstable, but he was getting there.
He landed with a soft thud and rolled onto his back.
The ceiling swirled faintly in his vision. The magic drained him faster than expected. But he smiled.
Then… something stirred.
He sat up sharply. Shadows moved on the edge of the room—just slightly. Just enough to know it wasn't his imagination.
A voice, calm and low, like velvet over iron, echoed faintly:
"The sparks have begun to rise. When the fire comes, do not stand alone."
The shadows were gone.
Izuku didn't breathe for a moment. He didn't sense danger… just presence. Like someone had stepped out of a place between worlds.
A mentor? A watcher?
He didn't know.
But one thing was certain: the path ahead wouldn't be walked alone.
POV – News Broadcast (Mustafu Late Night Report)
"…the recent uptick in bizarre phenomena across Japan continues. Last week's mass escape from a low-security prison facility remains unexplained. Investigations are ongoing, but reports mention the presence of individuals with unknown quirk variations…"
"While officials assure the public there is no threat, some experts suggest this may be a new evolutionary surge in latent quirk expressions."
"The Hero Safety Commission has declined to comment."
Final Scene – Momo Yaoyorozu
Momo sat at her desk, reviewing a file from her family's company in one window, her spellcraft notes in another.
She glanced to the side—at a photo she and Izuku had taken on her phone, both smiling awkwardly after one of their missions. She touched the screen lightly.
They weren't there yet. But they were getting closer.
And soon, the entrance exams would be here.
Tomorrow would mark the final month.
They would be ready.