In the maternity ward of the hospital, a mother cradled her newborn carefully in her arms while a nurse tended to them nearby.
"Mrs. Midoriya, you'll be able to leave the hospital tomorrow," the nurse said softly, deliberately lowering her voice so as not to startle the tiny life resting in the mother's embrace.
"Thank you so much," Inko Midoriya replied just as quietly. She lowered her gaze to the baby in her arms, her eyes filled with affection and tenderness.
"Has your husband still not come back to visit little Izuku?" the nurse asked as she packed away her things.
"He's still very busy," Inko said gently. "It's probably better not to disturb him."
She was beginning to feel a little tired. Holding the small, warm body against her chest, Inko leaned back against the headboard.
"Little Izuku will definitely grow up to be a hero one day," she murmured. "Just like that symbol of peace."
"I only hope he can grow up safely," she added after a pause. "Becoming a hero… that's something for later."
The baby smacked his lips softly in his sleep and continued resting peacefully.
Little Izuku slept soundly—so soundly that even the two souls within him did not dare disturb him. They crouched at the very edge of Izuku's soul, speaking to one another in hushed voices.
"Well?" asked the more mature soul. "Do you like this body?"
"It's very good," replied the younger soul, gazing at the tiny soul sleeping before him, pure and serene like an angel. "But if this child's soul were to completely dissipate because of me… then I would rather have died back there."
"It's because of pushovers like you that my work went wrong," the mature soul snapped, his voice warping strangely. The vibration of it nearly woke the sleeping soul. "Now I have to be punished by compensating you with something."
"Heh… well, I am a good person, after all," the younger soul said awkwardly. "If someone's in trouble, of course I have to help."
"That child wasn't supposed to die in the first place!"
"Hey, hey—relax, relax."
"Huff… huff…" The mature soul took a moment before finally calming himself. When he spoke again, his tone was steadier."So. What do you want?"
"Can my soul be merged with that child's soul?" the younger soul asked.
"It's possible," the mature soul replied. "But doing so will completely erase all of your previous memories. I'll shrink your soul and his into the same shape, then fuse them together. Are you sure you want this?"
"Absolutely."
"You don't have any attachments left from your previous life?"
"In my previous life, I barely had anyone to play with," the younger soul said calmly. "After my parents passed away, there was even less. Naturally, I have no lingering attachments. Please… begin."
"..."
The mature soul began chanting an obscure, ancient incantation. As the words echoed, the younger soul gradually shrank—smaller and smaller—until it was no larger than Izuku's own soul.
When the younger soul had shrunk to a certain point, he spoke one final sentence.
"Thank you very much… newly appointed God of Life."
Three years later.
Little Izuku stood in front of a child who had collapsed to the ground, kneeling and crying.
"You're not allowed to bully him!" Izuku shouted, raising his small fist toward the three troublemaking children standing opposite him.
"Oh?" sneered the boy at the front. "What, you little nerd—are you trying to protect him?"
The leader's fists were half-open, popping sounds and small sparks bursting from his palms from time to time. One of his lackeys had wings and hovered in the air, while the other possessed unnaturally long fingers. They wielded powers that Izuku did not have.
"Bakugo Katsuki, you've gone too far!" Izuku's legs trembled uncontrollably.
"You've already made him cry, and you still want to keep bullying him?" Izuku's voice shook as well. "Then I won't be polite!"
"He's obviously just a useless piece of trash without a Quirk," Bakugo scoffed. "What's he pretending to be a hero for?"
That day, little Izuku was beaten badly. His clothes were torn, and his body was covered in pain.