Test of Courage

21

Midoriya's POV
"Only one of us can solve the riddles?" I asked, my nervousness bubbling inside me. The Sphinx gave me a small nod.

"You should do it," Todoroki said. I wanted to protest but he continued. "You figured out the last riddle, with the four doors. I think you have the best chance out of the four of us." I knew he was right and I had no argument.

"I'll do it," I said with a nod. Then I turned to the Sphinx, mustering up as much confidence as I could.

"You measure my life in hours and I serve you by expiring. I'm quick when I am thin and slow when I am fat. The wind is my enemy," It spoke. My mind raced, looking for possibilities. What doesn't do well in the wind? Fire? No, the bigger the fire the faster it moves. Maybe it has to do with fire? I decided to look at a different part of the riddle. What expires when I use it? Explosives? That wouldn't explain the quick and slow part. A candle? When candles are used they only have hours and when it's used the wax is melted and can't be used again unless molded into another candle. Thinner candles melt faster and thicker candle melt slower. Wind blows out the flame.

"A candle," I finally said.

"Well done," The Sphinx nodded in approval. It continued, "I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water but no fish. What am I?" I figured the words had some double meaning, like pianos and keys.

"Cites, but no houses. Mountains, but no trees. Water, but no fish," I muttered the words to myself in hopes they would make sense. What has cities, mountains, and water? The earth? Maybe something to do with the earth? Like a picture or... a map!

"A map," I answered.

"Your answer was quicker this time," It noted, "Perhaps my riddles are too easy." I gulped. It paused, seeming to try to think of a harder riddle. "How many letters are in the alphabet?" The simpleness of the riddle made me pause. It wasn't a riddle it was a question.

I opened my mouth to say the obvious answer, but I stopped myself before the words left my mouth. It was too simple, too easy. Maybe there was a double meaning in the question? Maybe it was literal? In 'The alphabet' there was eleven letters. Is that what the Sphinx meant? Possibilities swirled around in my mind as I second guessed myself. Finally I made my decision.

"Eleven?" I heard the confusion from my friends. The Sphinx' face didn't change and I couldn't tell if I was right or not. My heart pounded in anticipation. The seconds seemed to pass in hours. Our entire adventure could have been in vain if I was wrong.

"You may pass," It said, folding it's wings to it's side. The sphinx sat in it's spot resuming it's position from before we came. I sighed in relief, rubbing my face with my hand.

"How'd you get eleven?" Mina asked.

"The question had a double meaning. It meant the words 'the alphabet'," I explained. Mina nodded thoughtfully. So Todoroki, Kaminari, Mina, and I crossed the room to the wooden door. Some how the door seemed more important than the others. I hesitated before pulled the door open.

I gasped at the giant space in front of us. There was a huge pit in the middle, twenty feet across. It seemed to go down forever, leading to blackness. The walls of the space were made of uneven rock, creating a dome as a ceiling. Around the pit ran a seven foot ledge.

"Provorago," I breathed. Adrenaline surged through me a I realized I finally could get rid of this burden. I took a step towards the edge of the pit, my sword drawn. Then a wave of dizziness over came me. I stumbled, putting a hand to my head. Immediately I felt a hand on my back and shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Todoroki asked, his eyebrows furrowed. I tried to answer but All for One's voice seemed to scream in my ears. Do you realize what your doing?! Destroying my sword means you could lose everything you ever wanted and needed! It's not too late to turn back. I let out a sharp gasp and it felt it someone was hitting my skull with a hammer. I could tell Todoroki was staying something but my hearing was dulled. I could feel All for one taking over as I tried to resist.

Todoroki's POV
My worried spiked when Midoriya didn't answer my question. I heard him gasp, like he was in pain. I frantically asked if he was okay but I got not response. I heard Mina and Kaminari ask about him but I ignored them. I was more concerned about Midoriya. His eyes were squeezed shut and a hand clutched the side of his head. The other hand grasped the sword, his knuckles were turning white.

Before I could find a way to help him, his eyes snapped open. He jumped away from me raising his sword. He got the look in his eyes from when he fought the monsters. Only this time they were trained on me.

"Uh, Midoriya?" I asked carefully, taking a step back, "Are you okay?" He swung his sword at me and I barely had time to dodge. I fell to the ground and Mina and Kaminari rushed to help me, drawing their swords. "Try not to hurt him!" The two from Nedzu stood in front of me, giving me time to scramble up off the ground and draw my own sword.

"What do we do? How can we get him to snap out of it?" Kaminari asked blocked Midoriya's sword. "How'd he do it before?"

"He came out of it himself," I replied trying to think of something, anything that could work. "Snap out of it, Midoriya. We're so close!" Desperation was evident in my voice. As we fought I noticed he seemed less calm and collected, unlike the other times he fought like this. Now his actions were more violent and angry.

Even though he was badly outnumbered, three to one, he made good progress in blocking and attacking us. As I fought him I searched his eyes, looking for any chance All for One wasn't completely in control. Angry, determined eyes stared back at me, making his eyes lose the beauty I saw in them before.

"Please, Midoriya," I begged, "You need to fight him. I believe your strong enough, we've been through so much hard stuff and it can end once the sword is gone." In one swift movement my sword was knocked out of my hands. I grabbed his wrist before he could swing his sword at me. His other hand came up but I grabbed it too. Mina and Kaminari came to help but I stopped them, "Wait." Midoriya struggled against my hold but he seemed weaker than before.

"You can fight him, Midoriya," I continued, "Think of all the things we can do once the sword is gone. You can see your mother again. We can go on adventures with Iida, Bakugou, and Kirishima like we used to. We can sneak snacks from the castle's kitchens and you can read all the books you want." I hoped my words were enough. His struggling was becoming weaker and weaker and I could see conflict in his eyes.

It looked like Midoriya was winning the battle in his mind when the door burst open. Shigaraki, Dabi, and Toga were there with their swords and knifes raised. They looked disheveled. Toga's buns were messy and frizzy. Shigaraki's hair was tangled and a mess. Each of them sported a variety of injures, most likely a mixture of fight the other four and the traps. My stomach dropped at the thought of Kirishima, Bakugou, Iida, and Sero. Were they okay? Did these three spare them?

It was quiet, then chaos broke out. Midoriya used the surprise to his advantage and yanked his wrists out of my grip. All for One won the fight. Shigaraki ordered Toga and Dabi to kill Midoriya, who decided to attack them in return. Kaminari, Mina, and I went to help Midoriya, seeing as we both had a common enemy at the moment.