(HOLD) 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕣𝕪𝕡𝕥𝕚𝕔 ℂ𝕣𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕝 | 𝙱𝙽𝙷𝙰 𝙵𝙵

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕀𝕀𝕀

꧁Gore Warning꧂

The heat of the fire stung. Katsuki snarled as the castle had come crashing down on top of everyone, smothering the atmosphere with thick smoke and ash.

He'd made it back to the Dining Hall after Deku had gone, when the kingdom became the victim of a siege.

Guards had rushed into the hall, terrified and panic-ridden, shouting about there being invaders breaking through the land's borders. The royals and the Familiars all ran to the nearest window in a rush to assess the damage before they summoned the proper military dispatches.

It all happened so fast; one moment they were rushing down the halls to charge towards battle, and the next, the building's ceiling was collapsing in on them. Eijiro and Denki had transformed, instinctively using their own bodies as sacrificial shields, and the others conjured whatever protective barrier magic they could.

The whimsical power of the magic was strong, but an outside force was pushing against it, and it wasn't that of the falling beams. There was another magical force, and it was trying to break down their barriers with its powerful, harsh stabs.

The Bakugo's all pushed harder, releasing their strength and willing the barrier to withhold and protect, but the moment ended almost as soon as it started. The opposing magic pierced the shield, collapsing it onto itself before retreating, almost as if the essence of the magic had a mind of its own.

Black clouded their vision as their magic faded and rubble crashed upon them. The reptilian screams of Denki and Eijiro could be heard as Katsuki's vision blacked out and he fell to the ground, powerless. The blackouts were sudden, and the complete and utter helplessness he felt as he lost consciousness and power were all that remained on his mind.

Minutes later he'd been awoken by the soreness of his body. Cobble lay askew across the ruins and across his limbs and back. He was once again aware of the flames scorching and licking at him as if he were being roasted alive. As quickly as his pain-ridden body could, he heaved the stones from his body. He needed to get up and fight the intruders who dared to attack and slaughter his people.

"Mom! Dad!" He called out but there was no response. A rare moment of panic rose within himself at the endless amounts of possibilities. "Eijiro! Denki!"

The dragons, where were they? He peered to the smoke-filled sky to see the distressed beasts. They were flying and looking down to the kingdom helplessly. Eijiro and Denki weren't among them. Of course they weren't. They'd used their bodies to shield him and his parents. Curses spilled from his mouth.

He brought his attention back to the rubble; he still felt enough strength within him to draw out magic. He'd be able to remove some of the fallen stone, but not much.

It would be risky. His magic was relatively explosive, it took loads of concentration, and control over it was taxing. Even then, the magic could cause harm to his family if they were alive under it all. It was even worse now that his power level had mysteriously diminished. Using it for simple protection was hard enough as it was.

"Fuck it." Katsuki shakily stood up, legs sore and weak from the compression of weight on them. He wasn't concerned with the pain. He couldn't be concerned with it, let alone allow it to hinder him.

He stood straight and breathed. Control of his minuscule amount of magic meant control over his body. His breathing, his heart, his mind. He let the magic run its course until it was tingling at his fingertips.

Sparks erupted from his fingers. He put his hands out in front of him and released his explosive magic. It sprung in sharp wisps towards the rubble before making contact. It surged and exploded, sending shards, boulders, and chips of the stone debris flying paces away.