Rain hadn't stopped for two days. Tokyo's skyline vanished behind a curtain of mist, like the entire city was holding its breath.
Inside a nondescript government building six floors underground, Section Zero held its emergency meeting.
A group of men and women in black suits sat around a circular table. At the center was a holographic image: Kai Takamiya, age 15. Status: Quirkless. History: clean. Psychological profile: withdrawn, emotionally closed-off, potentially unstable.
A red icon flashed beside his name: Unknown Phenomenon Detected.
Agent Shinomiya clicked her pen twice. "I want answers. Now."
A man in a lab coat leaned forward. "We ran six separate tests. The subject doesn't possess any known Quirk Factor—no emitter traits, no transformation markers, no mutation signs. But his brain activity shows patterns consistent with fourth-stage Quirk overload—levels we've only seen in Pro Heroes during peak stress combat."
"Yet he was Quirkless two weeks ago."
"Officially, yes," the doctor replied. "Unofficially? He may be something entirely different."
"What about his eyes?" Shinomiya asked. "They match no Quirk-based ocular abilities on record. Even Eraserhead's or Neito Monoma's quirks pale in complexity."
The doctor hesitated. "We think it's not a Quirk at all."
Silence.
Everyone looked at him.
"Explain."
The doctor tapped his screen. "There's something in his bloodwork. A third helix strand. Dormant. Recessive. We've only seen it once before."
He paused.
Shinomiya's eyes narrowed. "Where?"
He swallowed.
"In a facility we shut down twelve years ago. Project Abyss."
The room went cold.
One agent dropped his pen.
Shinomiya sat back, eyes wide.
"That project was terminated."
"Yes. But someone must've survived the breeding program."
---
Meanwhile — Kai's Apartment
Kai woke up before sunrise. His head was pounding. He hadn't seen the hooded figure again since last night, but the words still echoed in his skull.
> You are your own weapon…
He staggered into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water onto his face.
When he looked into the mirror, his pupils twitched. The crimson glow flickered faintly under the surface like a sleeping volcano.
He blinked.
They were gone.
But not forgotten.
He dried his face and turned toward the window. It was still raining. The city felt… smaller now. Like everything he'd once feared had shriveled.
He remembered Riku's hand—how it crumbled like paper.
Should he feel guilty?
Part of him did.
The other part smiled when he remembered the sound Riku made.
That whimper.
That powerless whimper.
---
U.A. High School — Faculty Room
Inside the room, Aizawa Shota, aka Eraserhead, stood with his arms crossed. Beside him were Principal Nezu and Present Mic.
A hologram of Kai's attack played silently on repeat. A time-frozen image of Riku screaming, hand mid-decay.
Nezu tilted his head. "So… a Quirkless boy just develops an ability that defies every known classification? How curious."
Aizawa didn't blink. "It's not a Quirk."
"You sure?"
"I've erased a lot of Quirks in my career. What he used doesn't vanish when my Quirk activates. I watched the footage twice. That power isn't based in genetics—it's based in… something else."
Yamada, aka Present Mic, leaned forward. "Could it be a foreign tech enhancement? Or some hidden Nomu implant?"
Aizawa shook his head. "No. His body's clean. This is something older. More raw."
Nezu steepled his paws. "Regardless, we can't ignore him. A child wielding death in his eyes is a potential threat—or worse, a target."
"Target?" Aizawa asked.
Nezu nodded. "What if the villains find him first?"
---
Back in the City — Kai Walks Alone
Kai wandered through an empty alley, hood up, earbuds in. His school had closed for a week after the "incident." His classmates transferred or took remote classes. He was left in limbo—officially suspended, unofficially monitored.
He could feel it.
The stares. The glances from alley corners. The car that parked outside his building every night at 3 a.m.
They were watching.
But he wasn't afraid.
If anything… he welcomed it.
As he turned the corner into a forgotten underpass, a voice called out.
"Yo, dead-eyes."
He paused.
Three boys stepped out of the shadows. Gang types. All with Quirk tattoos glowing faintly on their arms.
"You the freak who rotted that kid's hand at Mizutaka High?"
Kai didn't answer.
"We don't like freaks like you in our sector," one of them growled. "People get… nervous."
Kai reached into his pocket and pulled out his earbuds.
"You don't scare me," he said.
"Oh yeah?"
The largest thug activated his Quirk—Stone Skin. His arms hardened into granite slabs.
He swung.
Kai dodged easily. The world slowed in his perception. His eyes shimmered red for a split second.
Another swing came—faster this time.
Kai didn't move.
He just looked.
Direct eye contact.
Three seconds.
The thug's skin began to peel.
Stone cracked.
Blood bubbled from beneath.
"WHAT THE—?!"
He screamed, stumbling back. His forearm split open like overcooked bread. His hardened skin crumbled into flakes, exposing red, rotting muscle.
Kai took one step forward.
The other two thugs backed away instantly.
"Hey—screw this!"
They ran.
The first thug fell to his knees, sobbing, clutching the remains of his arm.
Kai stared down at him. "You brought this on yourself."
Then he walked away.
---
Somewhere in the Villain Underground
Screens lit up in a dark chamber.
The League of Villains was no more. But many underground networks still thrived—smaller factions feeding off the chaos left behind.
One figure watched the footage from the alley camera. Zoomed in on Kai's eyes.
"Not a Quirk," the woman whispered. "But something stronger."
She turned to a man standing in the corner.
"Bring him in. Alive."
"And if he resists?"
Her lips curled.
"Then we see how much his rot can take before it devours him too."
---
Flashback — Project Abyss (12 Years Ago)
A child cried in the dark. He was strapped to a chair, dozens of electrodes stuck to his scalp.
Doctors watched through glass.
"He's not reacting."
"Increase the serum."
"We're going to kill him."
"Do it. We need results."
In the farthest corner of the lab, a cry shook the walls.
Not a scream of pain.
A scream of awakening.
One eye opened.
Crimson.
Cracked.
Alive.
---
Kai's Apartment — That Night
He sat on his mattress, staring at the ceiling.
He hadn't eaten all day. His fridge was empty. His credits were frozen by the school board. He had nothing.
But he didn't feel powerless.
In fact, he felt more aware than ever. Like the world had peeled back its mask.
His phone vibrated.
Unknown Number.
He hesitated… then answered.
A mechanical voice spoke.
"Kai Takamiya. We have answers to your questions."
He froze.
"Who are you?"
"A shadow. A remnant. A mirror of your blood."
"I don't want riddles. I want truth."
"Then come find it. Abandoned station, Line 6. Midnight."
Click.
Kai stared at the phone.
His fingers didn't shake.
He just whispered, "Fine."
---
Midnight — Line 6 Station
The train station had been shut down for years. Rust coated the rails. The air stank of mold and iron.
Kai stepped onto the platform, eyes scanning.
Nothing.
Then a whisper behind him.
"You came."
He turned fast.
The same hooded figure from before stood there, this time closer.
"Who are you?" Kai demanded.
The figure pulled back his hood.
He was older. Maybe 30. His eyes… matched Kai's.
Rotengan.
Fully active.
"You're like me," Kai breathed.
"I was the prototype," the man said. "You are the perfect result."
"What do you want from me?"
"Not want. Offer."
He held out a small vial of black liquid.
"This will awaken your second ability. But once you take it… you don't go back."
Kai stared at it.
"Second ability?"
"Decay of Memory."
Kai hesitated.
Then reached out.
---
End of Chapter 2