The sound of bone scraping concrete echoed through the overgrown dome as Sable Vex drove his knee into Kael's chest, pinning him hard against the cracked floor. Every impact reverberated through Kael's rib cage, each jolt a fresh explosion of pain. The dome itself was a graveyard of memories: weeds crawling up shattered support beams, sunlight leaking in through spiderwebbed glass, motes of dust swirling like tiny ghosts.
Sable leaned in, his breath hot and metallic. The stench of old blood and sweat clung to him. His knee pressed harder, grinding into Kael's sternum until something deep inside threatened to snap. Dust kicked up with every movement, stinging Kael's eyes, making each blink feel like sandpaper.
Kael tried to twist free, but his arms wouldn't respond. He was trapped—struggling like a pinned insect.
Sable's gloved hand shot out, fingers clamping around Kael's throat. "Tell me again," he whispered, his voice low and venomous, "how you were going to save him. How Equinox was going to be the light in the dark. Say it again, Kael. Say it while you're choking on your own failure."
Kael could taste blood where his lip had split. It dribbled down his chin, hot and sticky, tracing a path through the dirt. He tried to swallow, but Sable's grip tightened, cutting off the air. Spots danced at the edges of his vision.
"Let… go," Kael rasped, but it came out as little more than a croak.
Sable smiled. There was nothing kind in it. "No. Not until you look me in the eye and admit it. You failed. Just like the rest of us. You're not a Hero. You're a child playing dress-up, and now everyone around you is paying the price."
Kael's mind reeled. Memories crashed over him in jagged waves: his aunts cooking, Yuto's laughter, Hana's smile, the cold press of the hospital bench when everyone came together just for his sake. All of it seemed so far away now, as if it belonged to someone else.
He tried to focus on Sable's face—the scar running from his temple to his jaw, the gleam of madness in his eyes. He wanted to fight back, to scream or punch or at least spit defiance, but his body wouldn't cooperate. Every nerve screamed. His thoughts grew thick and sluggish.
Sable's voice was a hiss in his ear. "Say it. Say you're nothing. Say Equinox is dead."
Kael squeezed his eyes shut. He could hear the world fading—the echoes of the dome, the distant calls of birds, the soft hum of the city outside. Even Sable's ranting became muffled, as if someone had thrown a thick blanket over the universe.
And then… everything went silent.
Kael blinked.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the dome. No more pain. No more dust. No more Sable.
Instead, he stood in a vast, black void. There was no up or down, no sense of time or gravity. Just emptiness stretching in every direction. Kael's heart hammered in his chest.
He tried to speak, but his voice was swallowed by the silence.
Then, out of the darkness, something materialized—a massive round table, ancient and cracked, its surface scorched by time and battles long forgotten. Ten stone chairs circled it, each one carved with strange, shifting symbols. Two of them were filled.
On Kael's left, Ryken sat slouched back, arms crossed over his chest, the same old scar still etched across his brow. His gaze was sharp, but there was something softer there, too—an unspoken respect, a recognition of battles fought and lost.
"Took you long enough," Ryken said, his voice flat but not unfriendly. "You look like hell."
Kael stared at him, still trying to catch his breath. "Ryken?! How—where am I?"
Ryken shrugged, mouth twitching in a half-smile. "A space between. You'd call it a vestige world, maybe. A leftover imprint. When you take a Quirk—especially from someone like us—pieces of us stick around, even after we're gone. We're ghosts, Kael. Shadows."
Across from them, a second figure sat with his face obscured by shadows. Only the faint white markings across his neck caught the light—a pattern Kael had seen before in battle. The original wielder of DarkBind.
The man's voice was smooth, regretful—like a lullaby for the damned. "So you're the one who's been making good on the Quirks we never deserved. Hmph. I guess someone had to do it."
Kael swallowed. "What is this place? Am I dead?"
Ryken shook his head. "No. Not yet atleast." He stood, arms dropping to his sides. "It's a limbo, I guess. A holding cell for old sins. When All for One took us down, he didn't just kill us—he erased us. But you… you kept a piece of us alive. Whether you wanted to or not."
Kael looked at his hands, and for a moment, they flickered—shifting between his own and the hands of strangers. He felt their weight, their histories pressing in.
He turned to DarkBind's user. "All for One killed you?"
The man nodded, his eyes lost in shadow. "He did. Took us out one by one while we rotted in prison. Thought we were liabilities. And maybe we were. We made you too strong, too soon, and seeing as though All for One thought we wasted the power he gave us on you, he finished us off for good."
Kael's throat tightened. "Then why are you helping me? Why not just let me fail?"
Ryken snorted. "Because you've done more with our powers than we ever did. You've protected people. Given others a second chance. And despite everything… you're still standing. That counts for something. And we see that now."
Kael lowered his head, shame burning in his cheeks. "I tried to use your Quirk once, Ryken. It didn't work. It kept clashing with Darkbind and the other Quirks I accumulated."
Ryken shrugged. "I know. I wasn't ready to give it to you. Not then, not to the guy who put me down like a dog. But now… things are different. You've earned it. You've sacrificed so much for others that I had to admire your willpower. Defeating that Nomu was no joke, man, seriously. I almost wanted to help you then, but you were so ready to sacrifice yourself, so I felt like I should've honored that and let you do what you had to do."
He stepped forward and placed a hand on Kael's shoulder. Kael could feel the warmth, the solid weight of it—more real than anything else in this place.
"You're a real Hero, whether you believe it or not. The kind I used to aspire to be. From now on, I've got your back."
DarkBind's user leaned forward in his seat, voice quieter, almost a whisper. "I wish I'd grown up around people like you, Kael. If I had… maybe I wouldn't have turned out the way I did. Maybe I could've overcame Darkbinds desire to capture and enslave. Looks like I just didn't have enough strength and courage seeing as you did it."
Kael felt something twist inside him. He saw flashes—memories that weren't his own. A boy running from bullies, a teenager locked in a cell, a man begging for forgiveness that would never come. It was overwhelming.
"I'm not perfect," Kael said, voice raw. "I've made mistakes. I've let people down. Hell, I'm letting down the one person who gave me everything."
Ryken squeezed his shoulder. "That's what makes you different from Sable. He can't admit it. You can. That's why you'll win and save your teacher."
DarkBind's user looked up, eyes shining in the darkness. "Go, Kael. Beat him. Show Sable Vex what Equinox really is."
Ryken smirked, his voice sharp with fire. "Time to wake up, Hero."
⸻
Kael gasped.
Pain shot through every nerve, dragging him back into the world. His ribs ached, his throat burned, but the darkness of unconsciousness had receded. He could hear Sable's voice, ranting, echoing off every crumbling wall.
"You thought you could play Hero, huh? Thought hiding your identity made you strong? Pathetic. You're no different from the rest of us."
Kael's hand twitched.
A memory of Ryken's grip lingered on his shoulder, warm and anchoring. He took a ragged breath and forced his arm to move, then his leg. Every inch was agony, but he welcomed it—pain meant he was still alive.
Sable's boot pressed into him again. "Stay down, Kael. I'm not finished with you."
Kael's eyes fluttered open. The dome was a blur of light and shadow, but he could see Sable's outline—hulking, monstrous, hungry for victory.
"Not… yet," Kael whispered, his voice little more than a rasp.
Sable crouched, face inches from Kael's. "What's that? Got something to say? I thought you were done playing martyr."
Kael coughed, blood spattering the concrete. He pushed himself up on trembling arms, ignoring the sharp stab in his side. His vision swam, but he focused on Sable's sneer.
"Equinox…" Kael said, blood dripping from his chin, "isn't someone you get to lecture."
Sable's grin twitched, just for a second. He hesitated—maybe he saw something different in Kael's eyes now. Something alive.
Kael forced himself to his feet, every muscle screaming in protest. He swayed, but Ryken's words echoed in his mind, steadying him.
Sable's voice faltered. "You don't know when to quit, do you? That's always been your problem."
Kael wiped blood from his mouth and spat it at Sable's feet. "I'm not quitting. Not now. Not ever."
The dome seemed to pause, the air thick with anticipation.
Sable circled him, fists clenched. "You think you're a Hero? You're just a kid with a death wish. You're weak—always have been."
Kael shook his head, chest heaving. "Maybe I was. But I'm not alone anymore."
Sable barked a laugh. "No one's coming to save you, Kael. All your friends are dead or gone. You're the last one left."
Kael felt the weight of the vestige, the presence of Ryken and the others pressing close. For the first time, it didn't feel like a burden. It felt like strength.
He squared his shoulders. "That's where you're wrong. They're with me. Every single one."
Sable lunged, fist flying. Kael ducked, the movement instinctive—guided by memories that weren't his own. Ryken's training, DarkBind's precision, a dozen other tricks flickering at the edge of thought.
He caught Sable's arm and twisted, driving his elbow into Sable's gut. The bigger man grunted, staggering back.
Kael pressed the advantage, each step fueled by the ghosts at his side. "You want to talk about failure? You're the one who gave up. You're the one letting All for One win."
Sable snarled, swinging wildly. Kael dodged, barely—pain flaring with every movement.
"You don't know what it was like," Sable spat. "Watching everyone fall. Seeing the world turn its back on us."
Kael's voice was quiet, steady. "I do. But I'm still fighting. That's the difference."
Sable hesitated, rage flickering in his eyes. "Shut up."
Kael took a shaky step forward. "You can break my bones. You can make me bleed. But I won't stop. Not while there's still someone left to protect."
Sable's fist crashed into Kael's jaw, sending him sprawling. For a moment, the world spun.
But Kael pushed himself up again, teeth gritted against the pain.
Memories surged—Aunt Nari's lullaby's, Yuto's pranks, Hana's playdates with him, the faces of every person he'd saved, every life he'd touched. The weight of it all threatened to crush him, but he refused to bow.
Sable growled, voice cracking. "Why won't you just stay down?"
Kael wiped blood from his lips, eyes blazing. "Because I'm not alone. Because I believe in something bigger than myself. And because you can't kill hope, Sable. No matter how hard you try."
The dome trembled, dust raining down from the rafters. Sable hesitated, uncertainty flickering across his face.
Kael advanced, slow but relentless. "Equinox isn't just a name. It's a promise. A new beginning. And I'm not letting you take that away."
Sable lashed out again, but Kael caught his wrist, twisting until Sable cried out.
"Let go!" Sable shouted, desperation creeping in.
Kael's grip tightened. "Not until you understand. I'm not fighting for myself. I'm fighting for everyone who ever believed we could be better."
Sable wrenched free, stumbling back. For the first time, he looked afraid.
Kael stood tall, battered but unbroken. "You can't win, Sable. Not this time."
Sable glared at him, chest heaving. "We'll see about that."
They circled each other, two titans locked in a dance of pain and memory. Every blow, every dodge, every gasp for breath was a testament to the lives they'd lived—and the ones they'd lost.
Kael's mind raced. He could visibly remembered Ryken's training, the lessons burned into his bones by Heroes and villains alike.
He sidestepped a punch and landed a blow to Sable's ribs. Sable grunted, stumbling.
Kael pressed on, voice steady. "It doesn't have to be this way. You could help me. We could fix what's broken."
Sable bared his teeth. "There's nothing left to fix."
Kael shook his head. "You're wrong. There's always something worth saving."
Sable roared, charging. Kael braced himself, drawing on every ounce of strength he had left.
The impact was brutal. They crashed to the ground, grappling, fists flying. Kael tasted blood, felt bones shift, but he refused to let go.
In the chaos, Sable's mask slipped—a flicker of the boy he used to be, lost and scared.
Kael seized the moment. "I know you're hurting. I know what it's like to lose everything. But this isn't the answer."
Sable hesitated, just for a heartbeat.
Kael rolled them over, pinning Sable. "Let it go, Sable. You don't have to be a monster."
Sable thrashed, but his strength was fading. "Shut up! You don't know anything!"
Kael leaned in, voice gentle. "I know enough. I know you're not beyond saving."
Sable's eyes filled with tears, fury and grief warring inside him. "Why are you doing this? Why won't you just end it?"
Kael's grip softened. "Because someone believed in me when I couldn't believe in myself. Now it's my turn."
For a long moment, they lay there—two broken men, bound by pain and hope.
Sable finally went limp, tears streaming down his face. "I'm so tired, Kael."
Kael nodded, exhaustion washing over him. "Me too."
The dome was silent, the battle done. Kael helped Sable to his feet, supporting his weight.
"You don't have to carry this alone," Kael said softly.
Sable nodded, broken but alive.
Kael looked up at the ruined ceiling, sunlight pouring in.
For the first time in a long time, he felt hope.
He was still standing.
And so was Equinox.
…