The filtration mask sat on his face for the twelfth hour as Hanamichi walked through the lane of District Seven. He looked up at the sky, which was black due to pollution. It had been that color for as long as he could remember.
He arrived at his apartment complex and started walking to his room, which was Unit 1114 on the eleventh floor. He took the stairs as the elevator was broken and hadn't been fixed since he got his keys to his room.
His unit was three hundred and twenty square feet and had one small window. He unlatched the mask and set it on the hook by the door; the air inside was filtered through the building's recycled system, which was not as effective as his personal mask but was better than the air outside.
He sat on the edge of the sleeping mat and pulled off his work boots. As he set the boots down, he started coughing, and when he pulled his hand away, there was blood on the back of it.
He already knew why he coughed up blood, which was due to the chemicals at his workplace; he had a mask, but it wasn't that effective due to the large amount of chemicals. He could have quit, but there were just no other jobs available due to a work shortage. He let out a slow sigh and went to wash his hands.
-----
The four volumes of My Hero Academia were still sitting on the shelves, collecting dust, and still arranged the same way his mother had left them. Both of his parents were gone. His father died three years ago from cumulative lung degradation, and his mother died fourteen months after that, the same cause.
He picked up volume one, sat down on the floor with his back against the sleeping mat frame, and opened the first page, reading. He read through volume four, and as he closed the book, tears started coming from his eyes
He wished he lived in a world like My Hero Academia. A world where people were born with abilities, and they chose what to do with them instead of listening to some corporations.
He stood and started walking to the bathroom, until suddenly he started coughing hard. His vision went blurry, and he fell to the ground. He knew the time of his death was near as he slowly fell into unconsciousness; he thought about his parents and died with a smile on his face.
---
When he woke up, he was at the bottom of a staircase in a room that was fully white. He understood immediately that he was dead, which he wasn't saddened by. He took a deep breath, and for the first time, he was able to breathe without feeling like he was inhaling smoke.
He ran up the stairs laughing and excited to hopefully see his parents. He had heard things growing up, rumors that some type of afterlife that was white existed; they called it heaven. His district owner had banned religious practice as they were atheists, so he barely heard anything about it.
He eventually got to the top, after it felt like he had been running for eternity. In front of him was a giant golden door; he pushed it open, and in the middle of the large room stood a figure.
He was tall, young-looking, dark-haired, with red and green eyes. He was dressed in a black and red toga, decorated with bone white belts leading to triple-headed hound skulls on his shoulder. His arms were adorned with red ribbons and bracelets, and on his head was a burning laurel crown.
"Hanamichi," the figure said.
"My parents," Hanamichi said. "Are they here?"
"They were resurrected some time ago; now they're in another world, but they're okay."
Hanamichi let out a sigh of relief, glad that his parents were okay, but he was disappointed that he couldn't meet them.
"I'm Zagreus," the figure continued. "God of resurrection. I know that means something different to you than it does to someone who grew up with religion, so I'll say it plainly: you're dead, and I have an offer for you."
"What kind of offer?" Hanamichi asked.
Zagreus gestured toward the far side of the room, where a red door was. "Through that door is what most people are looking for when they get here. Eternal happiness and peace, but the other option is resurrection to a new world entirely."
It didn't take Hanamichi long to decide, sure, he would like eternal happiness and peace, but after living in a apolcapltic world, why wouldn't he want to explore another one? Especially after reading My Hero Academia, the options of what type of adventure he might have were practically endless.
"I want the last option," Hanamichi said with certainty.
Zagreus lifted one hand and snapped his fingers, and an enormous wheel appeared with millions of words all over it.
"This wheel will land on your deepest desire," Zagreus said.
The wheel spun until it slowed down and landed on a word he recognized.
'My Hero Academia.' Hanamichi thought as he smiled.
A second door appeared to the right of Zagreus, and he gestured Hanamichi towards the door. As Hanamichi walked towards the door, he looked back to see Zagrues waving. He waved back and closed the door.
---
As soon as he walked out the door, he landed in a dark red water with millions of spirit-like humans around, which were translucent. They didn't talk and were swimming, not wanting to be left behind. Hanamichi started swimming as well.
He got in the lead, swimming as fast as he could, and then he saw a faint light in front of him towards the end of the water. He kept swimming and went through the light, closing his eyes as it was blinding. He then heard multiple loud voices, and his vision was very blurry; his body also felt smaller.
'Am I a baby now?' Hanamichi thought.
Then he heard a feminine voice that was very close to him; he felt a peck on his cheek, and then the voice said a name, which was Izanagi.
---
A/N: Yes, were starting a Power Stone goal in the first chapter...
Powerstone goal:
100 Power Stone- 1 bonus chapter
250- 2 bonus chapter
Advance chapters on patreon.com/Khrollo