𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘

CHAPTER 56

PART TWO
Written by the Cosmos

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Coughing and sputtering mixed with the crackle and pop of the trees set ablaze. A thick mist rolled through the forest, infecting those deeper along the route with a violent cough before taking their consciousness.

Midoriya led the way through the forest in search of his schoolmates, Kai step-for-step with him. As the fog had gotten thicker, they had to hold their shirts over their noses in fear that the mist was poisonous. After minutes of dodging blue flames and changing course to avoid the mist, the pair stumbled upon two class B students. Both out cold in the dirt, Midoriya instructed Kai to pick up the blonde boy with big teeth while he carried a girl with short black hair. But as she reached for the boy's arm, she felt out of her body. Since she recognized the flames, her world had turned slow. She could hear her breaths. Feel her heartbeat in her ears. And worst of all, a sudden flame of anxiety had begun to char her insides, making her want to rip out her organs.

Midoriya started to notice. Once he realized that Kai had fallen behind, he stopped and turned his head over his shoulder. "C'mon, Kai-san!" He called with a muffled voice.

But anxiety was winning. Its weight was greater than the boy strewn over her shoulder. Flashes from her childhood, moments from the Festival, and the night at the abandoned laboratory clouded her judgement. With every step she took, her legs grew weaker and her eyesight blurred. As they headed away from the forest, they ascended a slope that led to the training clearing they were in yesterday. But the first step up the hill made Kai collapse to her knees, dropping the boy onto the wet soil.

"KAI!" Midoriya yelled, quickly turning and running back down the hill. Crouching down to her level, he reached for her shoulders and shook her gently. "Kai—hey! We gotta go! I need you to get back on your feet!"

Wait... Kai's head slowly lifted, her eyes raising to meet Midoriya's eyes. All Might... he's not here but you... She blinked rapidly. She watched Midoriya's mouth move as he urged her to her feet, but her hearing was shot. Still, as if she was moving in slow motion, she scanned her surroundings. Why else would they be here?

"KAI!" Her head snapped to Midoriya and their eyes locked. "We have to—"

"They're after you!" She interrupted.

Midoriya's eyes rounded, creating dark shadows under his eyes.

"W...what do you..."

"I know," Kai exhaled, her world slowly reverting back to normal. "I know that you're All Might's successor, Midoriya."

The boy looked mortified. His brows furrowed and he looked at her like she shot him in the foot. "How do you know that?"

Kai's expression pinched and she looked away, blinking several times. She couldn't remember how she knew. She just... did.

"How do you know that?!" Midoriya repeated, only louder this time.

Kai's eyes darted back to him. "I don't remember." Midoriya's jaw clenched and he swallowed his disappointment. "But All For One has alwa—"

"What did you just say?" His eyes widened. Shit. Kai clamped her mouth shut and bit down on her bottom lip. "All For One is behind this? Wait, wait. You know All For One?"

Kai just stared at him, speechless.

"Answer me!" He yelled.

"YES!" Kai squeezed her eyes shut, fisting the dirt surrounding her hands. Exhaling, she opened her eyes again. "Technically, we're family. Technically." Midoriya's jaw dropped to the floor and he inched backward, tightening the girl's arms around his neck. "But, I swear," Kai looked up, "I didn't know about this."