Something felt off.
Not loud.
Not obvious.
Just… there.
Back to Routine (Kind Of)
Training went on like normal.
Weights.
Movement.
Portals.
Trying—really trying—to ignore everything else.
"Again!" Kirishima shouted.
I opened a portal—
Stepped through—
Reappeared behind him—
Tapped his shoulder—
"Nice!" he grinned.
"Your reaction time's improving," Izuku Midoriya added, scribbling notes again.
"…Yeah."
But I wasn't fully focused.
Because that feeling—
Was still there.
Watching Eyes
I stopped mid-step.
"…Do you guys feel that?"
Kaito glanced around.
"…Not Toga this time?"
"…No," I said slowly.
"…This is different."
No giggling.
No movement.
No presence that wanted to be seen.
This was quieter.
Hidden.
Far Away…
High above the training grounds—
On a distant building—
A figure stood behind a partially shattered window.
Watching.
Recording.
"…Subject confirmed," the man muttered quietly.
His eyes were sharp.
Cold.
Calculating.
Screens flickered around him—small devices projecting data in real time.
Spatial distortions.
Energy fluctuations.
Movement patterns.
"…So it's true…"
Back to Ren
I shook my head slightly.
"…Probably nothing."
"Don't say that," Mina said immediately. "That's how bad stuff starts."
"…Fair."
I raised my hand again—
Space warped—
A portal formed—
But this time—
It flickered.
Just slightly.
"…Huh."
Midoriya noticed instantly.
"…That wasn't as stable."
"…Yeah…"
I frowned.
"…That's weird."
The Scientist's Interest
From afar—
The man adjusted his glasses.
"…Instability under observation…"
He tapped something into a device.
"…Good."
A faint smile formed.
"…That means there's still room to push him further."
Connecting the Dots
I stepped back slightly.
"…No."
Everyone looked at me.
"…What?"
"…There's definitely someone watching."
Kaito's expression hardened instantly.
"…Where?"
I looked up.
Across buildings.
Windows.
Shadows.
"…I don't know yet."
The Observer Revealed (Briefly)
For just a second—
Our eyes met.
Through distance.
Through space.
Him.
Standing there.
Watching.
Not surprised.
Not worried.
Just… interested.
My heart dropped slightly.
"…Found him."
Gone Instantly
Before I could move—
Before I could open a portal—
He stepped back.
Vanished into the shadows.
Gone.
Aftermath
"…Ren?" Midoriya asked.
"…Yeah."
"…Who was it?"
I stared at the empty building.
"…I don't know."
But something about that look—
Was familiar.
Not in face.
Not in memory.
But in feeling.
Back in the ruined room—
The scientist stepped out of the darkness again.
Looking down at the device in his hand.
On the screen—
A recording of me.
Moving.
Teleporting.
Distorting space.
"…Fascinating…"
He adjusted his glasses again.
"…You've grown since the last one."
A pause.
"…Let's see how far you can go… Ren."
The screen flickered.
And somewhere deep within the data—
My spatial patterns…
Were being studied.
Learned.
And slowly—
Understood.