At first, it was just a whisper in my lungs.
A slight scratch beneath my ribs, like a flicker of pain too faint to ignore.
I chalked it up to the poison still coursing through me—the remnants of Ryah's toxin burning its way out.
But then the cough came.
Soft at first.
A dry rasp that scraped my throat raw.
I forced myself to breathe through it, telling myself I was fine.
I wasn't.
The cough grew harsher.
Each breath felt like shards of glass grinding deep inside my chest.
My vision blurred at the edges. I blinked hard, trying to clear the fog that crept in like a shadow.
"Anos?" Ryah's voice was close, concerned. "Are you alright?"
I shook my head, but the motion only made it worse.
A sharp stab flared behind my eyes, and suddenly the world tipped sideways.
I gripped the ground, teeth clenched, swallowing back a scream.
Darkness curled at the corners of my vision. I tasted copper—blood.
My throat tightened, and a choking cough burst forth, wet and ragged.
I tasted it again.
Blood.
Hot and metallic.
I coughed harder, staggering back.
"Anos!" Ryah reached for me, but I pushed her away, fear twisting my gut.
"No... stay back."
The pain was spreading—burning through my chest, racing down my arms.
My skin prickled with cold sweat, and a pounding headache exploded behind my skull.
I staggered toward the rubble, leaning heavily on a cracked wall.
"Not now," I gasped.
But the toxin was winning.
My breath came in ragged gasps.
My heart hammered like a drum in my chest—too fast, too wild.
A wave of nausea hit me, and I doubled over, dry heaving.
The battlefield around me blurred—voices muffled and distant.
Izuku's face floated into view, worry etched deep in his eyes.
"Anos, please…"
I tried to answer.
Tried to say I was fine.
But my mouth wouldn't obey.
Another cough tore through me, stronger this time.
And then—
Blood sprayed across my hand.
Hot. Thick.
I froze, panic clawing up my throat.
"No... no, this can't be happening."
Ryah was at my side in an instant, her hands trembling as she tried to assess the damage.
"This isn't normal," she whispered. "The toxin—it's reacting with your body... faster than expected."
I tried to stand, to push past it.
To be strong.
But my legs buckled.
The world tilted again, and I collapsed, chest heaving, every breath a battle.
A scream rose from the crowd behind me.
"I'm okay! I'm—"
The lie tasted bitter.
Because I wasn't.
Not anymore.
"Anos!" Izuku knelt beside me, eyes wide with terror.
I wanted to reach out, to tell him it was going to be okay.
But the pain stole my words.
My vision flickered, shadows creeping in.
I felt myself slipping—falling into a darkness colder than anything I'd ever known.
A storm inside me raging out of control.
And then—
My hand went limp.
Everything went silent.