Not powerless

chapter 9:teacher

If there was one thing Izuku had learned these last couple of days, it was that stepping through a threshold could leave him literally anywhere. As he followed Koui through the silken door, he had visions of blazing infernos, of typhoons and earthquakes, of all sorts of horrific places.

It was therefore a surprise when they stepped out onto wooden decking. In front of him was a small lawn before a large and completely still lake. The sky was a collage of pink and orange as everything was bathed in the glow of the evening sun. This was a veranda of a traditional Japanese house. It was not at all what Izuku was expecting.

Koui allowed him a moment to take in the view before leading him around the house. Despite it being wood beneath his feet, it was surprisingly soft. As they walked, Izuku’s awe gave way to caution as he remembered where he was.

Right now, he was in a strange place, with a strange being he knew very little about. To top it all off, he was wearing barely any clothes, which apparently was the only way for him to be safe. It was very difficult to walk normally as he kept itching to cover himself up.

“I’m surprised you’ve not bombarded me with questions,” Koui said.

“I’ve been told people don’t like that,” Izuku said.

“Nothing wrong with questions, especially when you’re with someone as interesting as me,” Koui shot him a wink, then seemingly out of nowhere he asked, “what do you know about death?”

The question was so unexpected it brought Izuku to a halt.

“What’s there to know? You die and then that’s it,” Izuku said, “though you called me mortal earlier, so I’m guessing there’s more to it.”

“Indeed there is,” Koui said, “when a mortal dies, their spirit moves from one plane of existence to another, but most of the time they need a little help getting there.”

“Is that like the grim reaper or something?” Izuku asked.

It was ridiculous, but after finding out magic was real, he’d believe it. Koui stopped, tapping a finger to his chin.

“What did those hunky Greeks used to call it?” he thought for a moment, “a psychopomp! That’s it.”

“And that’s what you are? A psychopomp?”

“Indeed I am!” Koui said with a grin, “I am one of many. We all have different aspects to us, because there are so many ways in which people can die, so many ways they can leave the mortal plane behind.”

They rounded a corner. On the opposite side of the house to the lake was a field that stretched out far beyond the horizon. Spread out on the field were a series of ornately carved wooden gazebos set on slightly raised marble dais. Most had thin curtains, giving them the bare minimum privacy to what was inside but the one closest to them was open.

There was a man crouched in the centre of the gazebo. He looked up when Koui approached him, Izuku following at a careful distance. His brain was whirring, running through the possibilities and not entirely liking where he was being led. The man was naked and Koui only in a fundoshi. The man bit his lip when Koui entered the gazebo. He stood, reaching out for the other boy.

“Oh god that’s hot. A gorgeous babe all for me.”

He felt at Koui’s chest.

“Perfect tits. I want to rub my face in them while I wreck your pussy,” he groaned.

Koui seemed to let him, but Izuku saw the way his smile grew sharper and sharper. Those eyes, so vibrant and blue, were like daggers of ice. Alarms were going off in Izuku’s head, and somehow the man didn’t even see it.