Chapter Text
Pain. All life is, and will ever be. At least, what Izuku Midoriya understands life to be. It was why he... tried to escape this cycle. Unfortunately... it proved that was impossible, as the green haired boy woke up to it, finding himself still... and sprawled, laying on the street. Every bump and grove of the asphalt below him... he could feel it all. Izuku could also feel his bones... fractured and splintered, and he couldn't feel anything but the flare of his nerves as they responded to the pain. There was also a warm sensation... most likely his blood. The pain began to fade, miraculously, but not at a fast rate. How... am I alive?
I took Kacchan's advice... how am I alive? I don't...
Horror dripped into his thoughts as the greenette considered all options. No... don't tell me that my quirk had to have a trigger this extreme.
Ragged breaths escaped his lungs, becoming more even as moments passed by. I... have a quirk... but there's no point in a quirk like this... right? After all, it's wasted on a useless Deku like me.
Sighing, he thought about what to do. I... I have nothing to return to. Why can't I die? I can't be a hero, I can't do anything right...
Quietly, he reached forwards, and clutched the ground, slippery as it was with his own blood. Clawing his way up... he got to his feet. Looking around, he felt his muscles ache as splinters of bone wove their way through his muscle fibers, before resetting themselves into his reforming bones. The pain wouldn't go away, but it was lessening.
However, he was distracted from the sensations of his quirk... by sounds going on around him. Looking down, he saw that his clothes were absolutely drenched in his own blood. Oh no... imagine what they would think if they found me like this! Nobody would believe me...
Helicopters flew low among the buildings, spotlights going into alleyways... and Izuku didn't stop to think that they wouldn't be after him. After all, after just having tried to... well... rational thought wasn't on the docket right now. And, he didn't want to be found, by anyone. Looking around for cover, he the greenette entered a building, and hid. By the sign outside, it was an old gym. Even with the lights off, the strobing helicopter's lights shined through the building's windows, revealing a boxing ring in the middle, sets of weights... and everything one would need to get fit. Even those built for strength and durability quirks.
He rested against the wall, exhausted, still bleeding from the forehead. He didn't notice that he was staining the wall with the blood on his back, nor that he tracked blood inside the building.
However, any potential thoughts he had were yet again interrupted by footsteps, running outside the door he was right next to... and they opened. A ragged man with a long white beard closed the door and barred it with a nearby gym mat, the best he could find, given the circumstances. It seems that Izuku wasn't the only one wanting to hide right now...
He sat against the door out of breath, just like Izuku. When he realized the boy was there, he stiffened, and turned to see him. A quick glance over his uniform with his wizened eyes elucidated something... different about the boy. Of course being covered in blood was suspicious and surprising, but there was something in the boy's eyes which he recognized. A similar look to his own, that look of despair in a cruel world. They both wished for nothing but for the pain to end. To move on.
An understanding that, predictably, had awkward moment of silence pass between the two. A moment which ended as the man sighed, smiling amicably. "What's your name, young man?"
Suspicious, Izuku asked. "Why would I tell a stranger like you?"
He nodded, understanding the boy's viewpoint, with a wisdom far beyond the boy's. "Right... I'll tell you my name first. I am Dr. Jack Bright."
After another few moments, the greenette decided, that, yes, he could trust this person. Feeling like a fugitive just like the other man... he placed his faith into him. "Izuku Midoriya."
Another few breaths, only for the man to cough, blood splattering onto his hand. Grunting in pain, he found that he had a massive wound in his chest. It was clear that it was too much for his old body. Turning back to Izuku, he asked, "Izuku... Can you grant a dying man's wish?"
While he looked over, and saw the wound. The use of his first name was odd... but it was clear that the man was not from Japan, either. His name alone indicated an English based country. For being a foreigner, his Japanese had been quite good. "Sure...?"
The man took off a necklace, with a heavy, large amulet. It had a large red jewel at the center, with intricate gold surrounding it, lined with small, well cut diamonds. Wrapping it in cloth, and placing it in a glasses case, he stated. "Take this amulet, and keep it away from everyone. It's cursed."
Now that didn't make any sense. Quirks made sense... to a degree. They were based in biology. Curses? Magic? Those were just superstition. "Cursed?!"
He explained, the best he could. His time was running short, after all. "If someone touches it, they will die. One way or another. I... have been the only one to keep it in check." That last part seemed... inconsistent. Why was he immune? Was it because of his quirk? If that was the case, then why was he dying from a mere gunshot?
With nothing else to do... he respected the man's final wish. "Ok..." Taking the cloth, the man died as soon as it left his possession. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything... even now I am a failure. He heard rushed footsteps at the door, clicking sounds, metal, and authoritative people giving orders. Panicking, with nowhere to go... the greenette was about to move when a commander shouted, "Breach!"
A second later, the door exploded with a lot of force, knocking the amulet out of his hand. Eyes wide, Izuku moved to intercept it. In the ensuing panic, while still wanting to fulfill his goal, Izuku quickly grabbed it from the floor, his hand directly touching the metal chain. As soon as it did so, the greenette felt his body seize, and subsequently blacked out.
Midoriya awoke in a black void. All around, in every direction, there was nothing to focus on. Well, all but one direction, in particular. For a ginger haired man in his 20s sat on a foldable metal chair in the middle, not looking at him. Looking at a screen, which seemed to contain... wait, was that a record of his day, from his perspective? Walking closer, while rubbing his arm out of nervous habit, he asked quietly... "Hello?"
He fell over backwards, shouting, all the while. "What the hell?!" Hitting the floor with a THUD, Izuku couldn't help but cringe at the sound of the impact. The man turned to look at him from the floor. "I'm not going to lie, I'm amazed, Izuku Midoriya... how did you even get here?"
Shaking his head in confusion, Izuku asked, "I'm sorry, but who are you?"
Getting to his feet, the man dusted himself off, before smiling at him. "We met earlier. I'm Dr. Bright." He held out his hand. Izuku took it, unsure of what was going on. First a curse about death, now? What did this mean?
Tentatively, he started with the obvious. "You look so... different..."
He shrugged, letting go before explaining, "That old man was the latest in the hosts I've had."
Wait... was he the amulet itself? "Hosts?"
And, the answer he sought was given right to him. "My soul is attached to that amulet..." However, he seemed to look at himself, with incredulity, continuing, as if circumstances had changed. "...but for some reason, I won't be for much longer..."
Panic set in, he didn't want to be responsible for murder! Especially not that of a soul, if that was what this was in the first place. "Why not?!"
The doctor explained what he noted. "Your soul is much stronger. I didn't realize you tried to commit earlier, I wouldn't have told you that it would kill you. I just didn't want you to wear it, but to keep it away from them. Although, I suppose that's impossible at this point." Pausing his verbal notation, a trait very similar to Izuku's own muttering, he stated, "I don't have much time left, but you are now entering a new world, and you'll be in over your head."
Fear coursed through his veins, freezing him in place. "What do you mean?"
He confused the boy with his next question. It seemed completely different than the previous question. "Your quirk, what is it?"
Izuku's voice was soft, not wanting to admit his failings again. But, the man trusted him with a secret, and there was little time. "I don't have one..."
However, instead of dismissing him, he heard something that was completely unheard of. "Well, that's not true. Your quirk is quite strong, after all, to survive the 963-1. As I'm sure you've figured out, your quirk allows you to survive lethal blows. It seemed to heal you after your attempt."
"That would mean..."
"Yeah, death was your quirk trigger. As sorry as it is to find out that way, the Amulet also gives immortality, albeit a different kind. You definitely won't be able to die now."
Tearing up, Izuku stated, "Why would life give me that? I have nobody, nothing..."
It was then that Jack did something unexpected, and walked forward to give him a hug. It felt warm... comforting, in a way that he hadn't experienced for a long, long time. "If only I knew my freedom from my curse was you... I'm sorry about this, I just hope you're ready..."
He started to fade, becoming translucent. Izuku gripped tighter, not wanting to let go of the only kind man in the world. "Ah, to experience death properly. It's been so long... I hope I can join my family..." He closed his eyes as he vanished for good, the greenette's arms collapsing into a self hug. Kneeling to the floor, Izuku cried. I'm so sorry... I mean to hurt you, Dr. Bright...
After letting loose his emotions... the boy sighed, wiping away tears. He had a whole new life to begin, if Dr. Bright was correct. Carefully picking up the metal folding chair, he put it back on its four legs. Sitting on it, he closed his eyes...
And awoke to blinding light.