Quirk: Oblivion Stare
They whispered about it in the underworld, traded stories about battlefields where hardened veterans froze up and fell, trembling. Some said Oblivion Stare was a mutation Quirk gone wrong. Others claimed it was pure design—built for one purpose and one alone: to unmake a person from the inside out.
The effect was always the same. Direct eye contact, and the world unraveled. It didn't wipe the mind blank, didn't just steal memories. It carved out a chunk of your very self, left you hollow. Skills, Quirks, reflexes, even the bedrock instincts you'd trusted since childhood—gone. Not erased, but locked away, unreachable. The mind knew something was missing. The body panicked. Strategy fell apart. Even the best fighters, the legends, would hesitate. That hesitation was all Sable Vex needed.
He was using it now, standing in the stifling dome, the air so thick with humidity it felt like breathing underwater. Sweat beaded on Kael Ishiro's brow, sliding past the dark blue tendrils that curled around his shoulders and neck, coiling and uncoiling in time with his heart. The roots beneath his feet pulsed—alive, aware. Kael's breaths came slow, controlled, but tension sang beneath every muscle. This wasn't comfort. This was a wire drawn tight and ready to snap.
Across from him, Sable Vex circled. The man moved with the easy confidence of someone who'd never lost a fight. His black coat brushed the ground, the number 9 etched in harsh red on his forearm—part badge, part curse. His smile was razor-thin, and it never touched his eyes.
"You healed before you came in here, right?" Sable's voice was soft, conversational, almost friendly. He moved like a shark, always circling—never quite letting Kael settle. "The girl's Quirk. Ten seconds of complete stillness. Must have felt like a century for you, I know. Her Quirk was hard to master but once she did, she became a valuable asset."
Kael said nothing. His mind was dissecting every flicker of movement, every twitch of Sable's fingers or tilt of his head. The real fight hadn't begun, but he knew he was already playing catch-up.
"I needed to be ready," Kael finally replied, his voice low. "You're not like the others."
Sable grinned, spreading his arms. "Now you're making me blush."
Behind Sable, in the gnarled, reaching roots of the dome's ancient tree, Voidflare hung limp—suspended, battered, but alive. Kael's gaze flickered just once to the unconscious figure. That was all it took.
"Forget."
Pain. Not the pain of a blow—something stranger. Kael's mind hiccuped, stumbled. The plan he'd memorized, the sequence of Quirks and counters, vanished. In its place: a blankness, a stuttering static. Sable was already moving.
Kael twisted aside, barely evading the first strike—a boot aimed for his ribs. He snapped into Flashstep, vanishing and reappearing ten paces away, knees bent, muscles screaming. Sable was on him again, faster than before, a blur of motion. Kael swung an arm, and his tendrils shot out, lashing at Sable's legs. Sable spun, a hidden blade glinting as he sliced through one, never breaking stride.
Kael's mind raced. He reached for his next Quirk—nothing. The slot was empty, the memory gone.
Oblivion Stare. It doesn't just attack you mentally. It makes you doubt yourself.
Sable pressed the attack, every movement purposeful. Kael dodged and countered, each exchange faster, rougher than the last. The grass shredded beneath their feet, dirt and roots torn up with every impact. Kael tried to anchor himself, but Sable was relentless, never letting him recover, never giving him ground.
"How many Quirks do YOU have, huh? Seems like everyone in this place has multiple Quirks." Kael gasped, feinting left then right, tendrils snapping at empty air.
Sable's smile widened, cruel. "We were blessed by All for One after all. Trust me I have enough to silence a prodigy like you."
Kael bared his teeth and lunged. Flexweave activated, his limbs twisting, joints bending at impossible angles as he flowed around Sable's defenses. He fired off Sound Spike—a shriek of disorienting noise—but Sable anticipated, hands clamping over his ears as he rushed through the attack. Kael backpedaled, firing a burst of Smokescreen. The air filled with choking gray, vision blurring.
Still, he felt Sable in the haze. A presence, cutting through the fog.
They clashed in the gloom, fists and tendrils blurring together. Kael activated Kinetic Forge, redirecting force into his legs, and kicked Sable in his side, sending him flying across the room.
Before he could react, Kael was already there.
His heel came down at his head, but Sable caught it, grabbed his other leg, flipped him, and slammed him to the dirt. Kael's head snapped back, vision bursting with stars. Blood filled his mouth as he bit down hard on his tounge.
He tried to rise, pushing up with one hand. Sable was there however, hand on Kaels jaw, forcing his eyes to meet with his."
"Forget."
The pain vanished. Or rather, Kael forgot what pain was. The entire concept of it gone just like that.
"Stand up." Sable's voice was soft, almost approving. "You're more durable than that, c'mon. Maybe you are worthy of fighting me."
Kael spat blood, eyes narrowed. "You don't get to decide that."
He rolled, activating Floating, twisting midair, Flexweave turning his body into a spinning blur. He slammed his hands down, a electric Quirk crackling through his fingers as he drove them into Sable's temple. The impact sizzled—Sable grunted, staggering, the skin on his face blistering.
Kael landed, chest heaving. He forced his gaze away. 'Don't look in his eyes. Don't give him another opening.'
"Don't lose focus," he muttered aloud. "Remember who you are. Remember why you're here."
Sable straightened, rolling his neck. His skin had been scorched from where he was hit with electricity.
"You're adapting. That's dangerous, Equinox."
"Are you afraid.." Kael rasped. "Of what's coming next?"
They moved at once, the fight erupting into a blur of violence. The dome shook with each impact, roots splintering, dust and debris whirling in the air. Kael ducked a punch, twisted around Sable's guard, tendrils lashing for his throat. Sable dropped, sweeping Kael's legs. Kael floated, hung for a split second, then blasted downward with Kinetic Forge, sending shockwaves through the ground.
Sable grinned, eyes glinting. "You think you understand how my power works."
Kael didn't answer. He pressed the attack, memory flickering in and out—sometimes he'd reach for a Quirk, only to find emptiness. Sometimes his own name felt distant, like a word he'd heard once long ago.
Sable was everywhere at once, his own Quirks flickering—one moment he was a blur, the next, stone-skinned and immovable, the next, radiating frost that crackled Kael's tendrils to ice. Kael countered as best he could, using Smokescreen to break line of sight, using Sound Spike to keep Vex off-balance.
But Sable adapted, always a half-step ahead.
Kael found himself pressed back, forced into the roots of the great tree. Sable's blows hammered at his guard. Kael blocked, parried, twisted. But each time he locked eyes, even for a heartbeat, he lost something. A trick. A counter. A movement. His own style was being stripped from him, piece by piece.
He bit down, tasting even more blood, and forced himself to think. 'Am I forgetting not to look at him? Damn it..'
He lashed out, tendrils wrapping around hanging roots, swinging himself up and over Sable's head. He hurled himself through the air, firing bursts of kinetic energy to ricochet off the dome's walls. Sable followed, leaping from root to root, blade flashing.
Kael landed hard, rolling. He grabbed at the earth, pulled, and the roots responded—his Quirk fusing with the tree, forcing massive tendrils to erupt between him and Sable. For a moment, the line of sight was gone.
He breathed. Tried to remember his plan.
Sable's laughter echoed through the dome, low and mocking. "Hiding? That's new."
Kael ignored him. He focused. Flexweave, Kinetic Forge, Smokescreen—he cycled through his Quirks, trying to knit together a new plan. Every time his mind snagged on a gap, a blank spot where a move should be.
'I can't afford to use Quirks that damage myself. I need every ounce of strength right now. The Quirks I've taken so far are too weak to even think about using against this piece of shit. Damn it, damn it, damn it..'
A shadow flickered—Sable, moving through the roots, blade flashing. Kael ducked, rolled, fired a volley of Sound Spikes. Sable twisted, dodged, closed the distance in a heartbeat. Kael caught his wrist, tried to twist it—Sable's skin flickered to stone, unbreakable.
Kael lashed out with a knee, but Sable caught it, turned, and threw Kael across the dome. Kael crashed into the ground, gasping.
He tried to stand. Sable was there, eyes locked on his, smile cruel.
"Forget."
The world blinked out for a second. Kael was on his knees, not sure how he'd gotten there. His hands shook.
"You're losing yourself," Sable murmured. "How long before there's nothing left?"
Kael gritted his teeth. "This ain't nothin.."
He pushed to his feet, vision swimming. He couldn't remember the last move he'd made, couldn't remember the plan. But he remembered something deeper—a voice, a promise.
'I will not leave Voidflare behind.'
Sable lunged. Kael ducked, rolled, used Floating to hover just above the ground. He lashed out, tendrils grabbing at Sable's ankles. Sable sliced through them, but Kael was already moving, firing off a cloud of smoke, slipping through the haze.
Sable pressed the attack, striking from above, below, every angle. The fight became a dance, both men moving in perfect, brutal rhythm. Sable's blade flashed, always inches from Kael's throat. Kael's tendrils lashed, always a heartbeat from Sable's heart.
They clashed again, the impact echoing through the dome. Kael landed a solid blow, electricity crackling. Sable staggered, but only for a second. He spun, kicked, sent Kael flying.
Kael crashed into the ground, rolled, came up on one knee. He spat blood, wiped his mouth.
Sable stalked forward, eyes cold. "You're slowing down."
Kael laughed, hoarse. "You're getting predictable."
Sable's smile flickered. "Am I? Damn, back in my hay day, I could even have All Might looking like an amateur."
He lunged, faster than before. Kael barely dodged, felt the blade graze his arm. Pain flared, but Kael didn't falter. He twisted, grabbed Sable's coat, yanking him off balance. Sable rolled, came up swinging. Kael blocked, countered, tendrils snapping.
They fought through the dome, over and under roots, onto branches that creaked and snapped beneath their weight. Each exchange was faster, harder, more desperate. Kael felt his strength waning, his mind fraying. Every time he met Sable's eyes, he lost another piece of himself.
But he kept going. He had to.
Sable pressed him back, blow after blow, blade flashing. Kael blocked, parried, ducked. He felt his own style breaking down, instinct turning to confusion, moves coming slower, sloppier.
Sable's voice was in his ear, soft and taunting. "You're running out of tricks."
Kael gritted his teeth. "Maybe. But when it comes to how I operate, I always have a Quirk up my sleeve."
He feinted right, then left, then fired a Sound Spike point-blank. Sable staggered, just enough for Kael to slip past him. He sprinted for the tree, for Voidflare.
Sable was on him in a second, tackling him to the ground. They rolled, grappling, each trying to gain the upper hand. Kael felt Sable's hand clamp on his jaw, forcing his gaze up.
"Forget."
Kael blinked. The world swam. He was on his back, Sable's blade at his throat.
"You're a fighter, I will admit," Sable said softly. "But when it comes down to what really matters, you lack in everything."
Kael stared up at him, mind blank, pain distant. Then, somewhere deep inside, a memory sparked. Not a plan, not a Quirk—just a promise.
'I will not leave Voidflare behind.'
He surged up, grabbing Sable's arm, twisting. Floating activated, lifting them both off the ground. They spun, suspended, Kael's tendrils lashing out, wrapping around Sable's waist. Sable struggled, blade flashing, but Kael held on, driving them both back into the ground.
They crashed, dust and debris flying. Kael rolled clear, came up on one knee, gasping for breath.
Sable rose, brushing dust from his coat. "You're stubborn."
Kael wiped blood from his mouth. "You have no idea."
Sable lunged again. Kael met him head-on. Fists, blades, tendrils, Quirks—everything collided in a storm of violence. The dome shook, roots cracking, branches snapping. Kael fought with everything he had, every scrap of memory, every shred of instinct.
He knew he was losing. Knew he was fading. But he wouldn't stop.
Sable's blade caught him across the chest. Kael staggered, blood pouring. He dropped to one knee.
Sable stood over him, triumphant. "It's over."
Kael looked up, eyes blazing. "No. It's just beginning."
He surged up, all his remaining strength in a single blow. Tendrils lashed, electricity crackled, kinetic force exploded. Sable staggered, for the first time truly off-balance.
Kael pressed the attack, driving Sable back, blow after blow. He didn't think, didn't plan—he just moved, pure instinct, pure will.
Sable caught his arm, twisted. Kael felt the world spin, then he was on his back again, Sable's blade at his throat.
"Forget."
Kael's mind went blank. For a second, he was nothing.
Then, slowly, the memories returned. The promise, the purpose.
'I will not leave Voidflare behind.'
He grabbed Sable's wrist, forced the blade aside. They grappled, rolling, each struggling for control.
Kael's vision blurred. He felt himself slipping. But he held on.
Sable's voice was soft, almost sad. "Let go."
Kael shook his head. "Never."
They struggled, locked together, neither willing to yield.
Around them, the dome trembled. Roots cracked, branches fell. The world seemed to shrink down to this—two men, fighting for everything.
Kael felt himself fading, memories slipping away. But one thing remained.
'I will not leave Voidflare behind.'
With a final surge, he twisted, breaking Sable's grip. He rolled clear, came up on one knee, gasping.
Sable rose, watching him. For the first time, there was uncertainty in his eyes.
Kael smiled, bloody and battered. "You can take my memories. You can take away my skills. But you can never take my resolve, my will power."
Sable hesitated, just for a second.
Kael lunged.
The fight wasn't over. Not yet. Not while he could still remember who he was fighting for.
And somewhere, in the chaos, Kael knew—if he could just hold on to that one thing, he might just win.
Not by out-fighting Sable Vex.
But by refusing to forget.
…