Chapter 1: The Boy in the Shadows
The world blurred around me as I ran. My lungs burned, my chest heaved, and yet my feet refused to stop. Somewhere behind me, the sludge villain slithered and gurgled, its voice a grotesque whisper that echoed off the alley walls. The smell of sewage and decay mixed with the tang of fear, thick enough to choke on.
I'd only wanted to get home. To walk the same cracked streets between school and my apartment. But the universe had other plans.
The villain lunged again, its mass rippling like oil. I stumbled backward, slipping on the wet concrete. Its eyes, if they could be called that, glowed with cruel amusement.
"Got nowhere to run, kid," it crooned, voice bubbling. "You don't even have a quirk, do you?"
The words hit harder than any blow. He didn't know , couldn't know , but somehow he'd spoken the truth that ruled my entire life. That single word — quirkless — burned through my chest like acid. Every sneer, every laugh, every pitying glance from teachers and classmates flashed behind my eyes. My heart thundered in my ears, louder than the villain's laughter, louder than the world itself. Then he grabbed me, tried to pull me into his sludge.
Something inside me cracked, not like breaking, but like opening.
A pulse. Cold, steady, deep. The shadows around me thickened, stretching unnaturally long against the flickering light. I gasped, clutching my chest as the air grew heavy, like the world itself was holding its breath.
The villain didn't notice until it was too late.
Black tendrils erupted from the ground, coiling around its liquid form. Its laughter turned to a shriek as the shadows solidified like jagged, spectral claws tearing through the sludge like a knife through paper. The world tilted. My vision swam with black and blue motes of light, flickering like dying stars.
"W-what is this!?" the villain screamed, struggling as the shadows crushed, tore and pulled it apart. My fingers trembled, and I realized I was the one controlling them — no, they were responding to me. I didn't command them with words, just intent. Fear, rage, desperation, all poured out in waves, and the darkness answered.
Then… silence. The sludge villain collapsed in on itself, unconscious and bound in a cocoon of inky black. My knees gave out. I stared at my hands, still trembling, faintly glowing with a faint, fading blue light.
It felt like waking from a dream and a nightmare at once.
A rush of air split the stillness.
"All Might!" The name tore itself from my throat as the towering figure landed beside me, his cape billowing like the banner of a forgotten age. His eyes flicked from me to the subdued villain, and for the first time, I saw genuine surprise on the Symbol of Peace's face.
"Young man…" he said slowly, "did you do this?"
I tried to speak. My throat was dry. "I—I think so."
His gaze softened, just a little. "That's quite the ability. You managed to restrain a villain that even most pros would struggle with."
I looked at the puddle of shadows still writhing around the villain, unsure if they were alive or just… obeying. They seemed to notice All Might too, retreating slightly when his golden aura flared. I felt a strange pull in my chest, like a leash tightening.
"I didn't know I had a quirk," I whispered.
All Might frowned. "Did you just awaken it? That kind of manifestation isn't typical…" He studied me for a moment longer, then clapped a massive hand on my shoulder. "Whatever it is, young man, you've done well today. But for now, let's let the authorities handle this."
The news crews and police were showing so he hurried me along while he turned to leave, but his words rang hollow in my ears. I had done well — and yet, I didn't feel victorious. My hands still shook. My heart still pounded. The shadows around us writhed faintly, like restless creatures waiting for command.
I nodded numbly as he scooped up the villain's remains and leapt away into the clouds, leaving me in the dim glow of the late afternoon sun .
Narrator POV-
Little did he know that another news crew caught the whole situation and recorded it. By the time he got home it would be on multiple news channels and the internet. So a lot of eyes would be on him for a moment along with a worried mother waiting for his return.
To be continued…