My Hero Academia: Nightfall

A Single Spark

The door creaked open slowly, shocking Dabi and Nightscorch. The man inside was dirty, wrinkled, and looked older than he possibly could be considering his age. His brown hair had grey patches, and was horribly unkempt. He had been dead for eight years, and it definitely showed. If a zombie could exist, this man looked exactly like one.

He wore a faded navy blue suit, with a short tie and black pants. His yellow eyes were still brighter than ever, but didn't quite overshadow his decaying skin. There was a red mark on the man's forehead, as well as on both of his hands.

Nightscorch stared at the man for a few seconds before walking up to him, unsure what to say or think. He stood a few inches taller than his father, who was 5'7.

"I told you my son, it worked."

Nightscorch remembered his father explaining the master plan to him several times, and was extremely proud of it. His death eight years ago was completely purposeful, and was necessary for the scheme to work.

The man turned to Dabi, who was also beaming at him like Nightscorch. He extended his arm for a handshake, grinning at the villain.

"You're Dabi I presume, and Jikshour's brother?"

Dabi shook his head in disbelief, as there was no way this man could have known either of those things. "How did you know I was his brother? We decided that a few days ago!"

"I've predicted lots of things, Dabi. My death was a stepping stone in the eventual finish of my plan that started when Jikshour was born. When you have such big ambitions, it's not a bad idea to plan them out in advance."

"Father, what happened to your face? Why do you have decaying skin and so many wrinkles?" questioned Nightscorch, referring to the man's appearance.

"I suppose Shexor chose to revive me without care. He must've recognized me after all, but that doesn't matter now. It will revert to its normal state in a matter of days."

Dabi wanted to ask why he knew that, but Nightscorch stopped him before he even opened his mouth. "Brother, don't ask my father how he knows these things. His intelligence far surpasses mine and anyone I've met. He's been planning ever since I was born. My father, Benjamin Phoenix, is the greatest man I've ever known."

27 YEARS AGO

Benjamin Phoenix and Rei Todoroki had Jikshour when the former was sixteen and the latter was twenty. Rei named the child after her grandfather, who was one of the most successful heroes in existence. She had told her new husband Endeavor that she was on many family trips during the eleven months her and Ben spent together, and already resented Endeavor for marrying her just for a quirk alone. Phoenix's ambitions were unknown to Rei, and wouldn't find out about them until over twenty years later.

She was forced to abandon Jikshour to keep her marriage intact, as she did not want to abandon her children with Endeavor. Rei wanted the best for all of her kids, and regularly sent Jikshour letters and pictures of scenery near the Todoroki household and herself. Jikshour treasured the letters dearly, and from then on, appreciated the effort Rei put in to keep the two close together.

Jikshour's early years were very peaceful, as his father was caring and kind to him. Without two parents, raising the young child was difficult, but Ben did what he needed to keep his offspring healthy and ready for the next step. Ben always had two sides of his brain, which consisted of an active side that processed events that were currently happening, and a side that never stopped plotting his every move.