The storm over the shattered dome churned with apocalyptic fury, black clouds swirling like a vortex above the jagged peaks of the decommissioned Hero facility. Lightning forked across the sky, illuminating the scorched battlefield in stark flashes, where molten fissures glowed orange against the rain-soaked earth. The air was thick with the acrid tang of smoke, charred stone, and the metallic sting of blood.
Kael stood on trembling legs, his dark cloak tattered, blood streaming from a gash at his temple, matting his ash-streaked hair. His chest heaved, each breath a battle against the pain radiating from his bruised ribs and fractured leg, only partially mended by *Healing Aura*'s faint, flickering warmth. His emerald eyes, usually sharp with defiance, were wide with desperation as they locked on Voidflare.
Voidflare stood a dozen yards away, his silhouette framed against the roiling sky, his body radiating heat that warped the air like a mirage. His once-vibrant suit of fire-resistant weave was scorched and torn, blood seeping through gashes across his chest and arms.
His cosmic flames, once a brilliant golden-red, had shifted to an eerie, pale white laced with violet and gold flecks, like stars burning out in a dying galaxy. The flames licked upward from his arms, his shoulders, his hair, their intensity pulsing in time with his ragged breaths.
His face, weathered by years of battle and loss, was etched with a quiet resolve, but his dark eyes shimmered with a storm of guilt, love, and unyielding finality.
"Voidflare, stop!" Kael's voice cracked, raw with desperation as he stumbled forward, clutching his side where a claw swipe had torn through muscle. "Don't do this. Please—there's another way. We can still fight together!"
Voidflare didn't turn. His gaze was fixed on Blotshade, the monstrous creature born of All for One's twisted experiments, now crouched across the ruined battlefield. Its ashen skin glistened with absorbed energy, its massive wings twitching despite the cracked membranes.
Its red slit pupils glowed with murderous intent, and its claws scraped against the cracked stone floor, sending sparks flying. The beast's breathing was a guttural rasp, each exhale vibrating the air with menace. Its horns pulsed with dark energy, ready to unleash another devastating beam.
"I already failed once," Voidflare said, his voice hollow, barely audible over the storm's howl. "I let my team die. I was supposed to protect them—and I couldn't."
Kael shook his head, his boots slipping on the slick stone as he took another step. "That wasn't your fault!" he shouted, his voice breaking with emotion. "You can't carry that guilt because it wasn't your fault! The villains, All for One—they did that, not you! This doesn't have to be your end—Yumi still needs you! I still need you!"
At the mention of Yumi, his flames flickered, a fleeting crack in his resolve. He turned slowly, and Kael saw the storm in his eyes—guilt for the team he'd lost, love for the daughter he'd sworn to protect, hope for the hero Kael could become, and the unshakable certainty of what he had to do.
"You'll protect her now," Voidflare said quietly, his voice steady despite the tremble in his hands. "And I know you will."
He reached out, his calloused hand, still warm with fading flames, pressing against Kael's shoulder. The touch was firm but gentle, a mentor's reassurance, a father's farewell. "There was a technique my wife and I created," he said, his voice softening as he spoke of Her. "Only to be used if everything fell apart. We called it *Nova Requiem: The Infinite Flame*."
Kael's breath hitched, his eyes widening with dread. "No…" he whispered, shaking his head. "Don't do this. We can escape. You and I—we can find another way!"
Voidflare's lips curved into a sad smile, his flames flaring brighter, the heat pushing Kael back a step. "This thing won't stop unless I end it," he said, his voice resolute. "If I don't burn it all the way down to its core, it'll absorb my power, regenerate and come after you. After Yumi. After the world."
Kael's fists clenched, his knuckles white. "Then at least let me help!" he pleaded, his voice rising to a shout. "At least let me fight with you! We're a team, damn it! You don't have to do this alone!"
"No," Voidflare said firmly, his eyes locking onto Kael's with an intensity that silenced him. "This move… there's no surviving it. That's why I can only use it as a last resort."
Kael's heart pounded, his vision blurring with tears he refused to let fall. "You don't get to decide that!" he roared, surging forward. Deep blue tendrils erupted from his back—*DarkBind*, his quirk's shadowy chains—snaking through the air to wrap around Voidflare's legs and arms. "I won't let you throw your life away!"
Voidflare exhaled slowly, his flames intensifying. The air around him shimmered, the heat climbing to unbearable levels. The *DarkBind* tendrils hissed, their edges fraying as they burned, crumbling into glowing embers that drifted upward like fireflies.
Kael stumbled back, shielding his face with his arm, the heat searing his skin even through *Iron Resilience*. The ground beneath Voidflare cracked, molten fissures spiderwebbing outward, steam rising as rain evaporated on contact.
Behind them, Blotshade's wings unfurled with a thunderous snap, its roar shattering the few remaining glass panels in the dome's wreckage. Its claws dug into the stone, muscles rippling as it prepared to charge, faster than ever, its *Essence Devour* pulsing with stolen energy. Kael's *Quickcode* quirk flickered in his mind, analyzing the beast's movements, but even his enhanced perception couldn't keep up with its blinding speed.
"No!" Kael screamed, lunging forward.
Voidflare moved in a blur, his flames surging as he kicked Kael with a burst of cosmic energy. The force launched Kael across the battlefield, his body tumbling through ash and debris, pain exploding in his chest as he hit the ground. Smoke stung his lungs, his ears ringing with the aftermath of the blast. He scrambled to his feet, coughing, his voice raw as he screamed, "Voidflare!"
But Blotshade was already upon him. The beast collided with Voidflare like a meteor, a deafening crash of flesh and flame. They skidded across the scorched stone, sparks and embers flying, the impact sending shockwaves that cracked the facility's walls. Kael sprinted toward them, his *Flashstep* carrying him forward in bursts of speed, his heart hammering as he called Voidflare's name through the chaos.
A golden blur suddenly swept in from the sky.
All Might.
He landed with a quake that shook the earth, catching Kael mid-run and holding him tightly in his iron grip. "Easy, young man!" All Might's voice was a low rumble, his blue eyes blazing with urgency despite the strain etched into his weathered face.
"No! Put me down!" Kael thrashed wildly, his *Titan Strength* flaring as he fought against All Might's hold. "Voidflare—he's still out there! He's going to—"
"I know," All Might said, his voice heavy with grief, his grip unyielding. "But you can't you feel it? The heat? All the metal around him is melting and it's only getting hotter. You wouldn't survive standing within 100 feet of him right now."
Kael's struggles slowed, his eyes darting to the battlefield. Voidflare was on his knees, pinned beneath Blotshade's massive claw, his flames dimming as blood pooled beneath him. The beast's horns glowed, charging another beam, its red eyes gleaming with triumph. Kael's heart sank, his voice breaking. "He can't… he can't do this…"
Voidflare's head lifted, his gaze meeting Kael's across the distance. Despite the pain, despite the blood, he smiled—a smile of pride, of trust. "Kael," he said, his voice carrying over the storm, steady and clear. "I'm leaving the rest to you. I'm counting on you to make this world better. I know you won't disappoint me."
The air shifted. A deep, otherworldly hum filled the battlefield, resonating in Kael's bones. Voidflare's body ignited, his flames erupting into a vortex of celestial fire—white, violet, and gold swirling together, a supernova in miniature. His silhouette became the eye of the storm, radiant and untouchable. Even Blotshade paused, its red eyes narrowing as it stared into the blinding light.
"No!" Kael screamed, his voice raw, tears streaming down his face as he fought against All Might's hold. "Voidflare, don't!"
Through the rising flames, Voidflare looked upward, toward the sky, toward something beyond the storm. His lips moved, a whisper lost to the wind. "Everyone… I'm coming."
The sky cracked.
A thunderous explosion rocked the dome, the sound so loud it felt like the earth itself cried out. Heat and light devoured the battlefield in a sphere of radiance, a blinding wave that swallowed Blotshade's roar and Kael's screams. The shockwave hurled All Might and Kael backward, the ground trembling as the facility's walls buckled, monitors inside shattering, villains diving for cover.
When the light faded, silence descended.
The battlefield was a wasteland of ash and smoldering stone. Where Voidflare and Blotshade had stood, there was nothing—no beast, no hero, only a faint shimmer of cosmic embers drifting upward, dissolving into the rain. The air was still, the storm's fury muted, as if the world itself mourned.
Kael collapsed to his knees, All Might's arms loosening as he sank beside him. "No…" Kael whispered, his hands clawing at the ash, his voice breaking into sobs. "No, no, no… Voidflare…"
All Might's hand rested on his shoulder, heavy and steady, but his own eyes glistened with unshed tears. "He made his choice, young Ishiro," he said softly, his voice thick with emotion. "He gave everything to protect you. To protect his daughter. To protect the world. His sacrifice becomes our oath."
Kael's fists pounded the ground, ash rising in clouds. "He didn't have to!" he shouted, his voice raw with anguish. "I could've fought with him! I could've saved him!"
All Might's grip tightened, his voice firm but gentle. "Sometimes, the hardest part of being a hero isn't the fight. It's accepting the sacrifices others make for you. Voidflare believed in you, Kael. He saw the hero you're becoming—the hero you already are."
Kael's sobs quieted, his head bowing as the weight of All Might's words sank in. The rain fell harder, washing the blood and ash from his face, but it couldn't wash away the ache in his chest, the void left by Voidflare's absence.
Inside the facility, the villains emerged from the wreckage, shaken but alive. Razorfang spat a curse, his claws retracting as he surveyed the monitors, now dark.
"That crazy bastard took out Blotshade," he muttered, a mix of awe and irritation in his voice. Gearlock's cybernetic arm whirred as he rebooted the system, his face pale. "And half the damn facility. We need to move before more heroes show up."
Crushbone grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Let 'em come. I'm itching to break something."
Lumora's glowing eyes narrowed, her voice cold. "You idiots.." She turned, her form shimmering as she activated her quirk, vanishing into a ripple of light.
The storm raged on, its howling winds carrying the scent of ash and scorched earth across the ruined battlefield. Rain fell in relentless sheets, mingling with the blood and embers that stained the cracked stone where Voidflare's *Nova Requiem* had consumed both him and Blotshade in a blaze of celestial fire.
The silence that followed was oppressive, broken only by the distant rumble of thunder and the faint groans of the crumbling Hero facility. Kael knelt in the ash, his tattered clothes clinging to his battered frame, his eyes staring blankly at the scorched ground where his mentor had stood mere moments ago.
His *Healing Aura* flickered weakly, knitting the superficial wounds on his body—gashes across his arms, a fractured leg, bruised ribs—but it offered no solace for the gaping wound in his heart.
All Might stood beside him, his towering figure a pillar of strength despite the strain etched into his weathered face. His blue eyes, usually a beacon of hope, were clouded with grief. The last embers of *One For All* glowed faintly in his clenched fist, a reminder of his waning power, but his presence was unwavering. He placed a heavy hand on Kael's shoulder, his voice soft but firm. "Young Ishiro, I know it can be hard, losing someone so dear, but please don't-.."
Kael's head snapped up, his eyes blazing with a fire that rivaled the storm above. His hands trembled, not from pain or cold, but from a fury so raw it seemed to burn through his veins. He rose slowly, his *Healing Aura* flaring brighter for a moment, then dimming as if overwhelmed by the intensity of his emotions.
His voice, when he spoke, was low and jagged, each word laced with venom. "This isn't over," he said, his gaze fixed on the facility's crumbling silhouette against the storm-lit sky. "The villains in there—they're part of this. All for One… he's behind it all."
Kael's jaw tightened, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles cracked. His *Quickcode* quirk sparked in his mind, analyzing the facility's layout with cold precision—entrances, corridors, the faint heat signatures of the villains moving within.
His *Eagle Hunting* sharpened his vision, cutting through the rain to track their movements, their panicked footsteps echoing in his heightened senses. "They're moving," he said, his voice hard, almost mechanical. "They think they can escape."
All Might's fist tightened, the embers of *One For All* glowing brighter. "Young Ishiro," he said, his voice a low rumble of resolve. "We must get you to safety first and deal with them later. Us Heroes will take care of it-"
"Like how you took care of this, strongest Hero on earth?"
Kael's eyes narrowed, but the words that came next were not an echo of All Might's. They erupted from him like a volcano, raw and unfiltered, shaking the air with their ferocity. "No," he snarled, his voice rising to a scream that cut through the storm's roar. "I'm going to kill All for One! Him, his villain lackeys, every last one of them! I'll drag them all out. Kill them with my bare hands! DO YOU HEAR ME ALL FOR ONE!"
The words exploded from him, reverberating across the battlefield, so loud they seemed to shake the very foundations of the facility. Inside, the villains froze, their heads snapping toward the sound. Razorfang's claws flexed, his yellow eyes glinting with unease. "What the hell was that?" he muttered, glancing at the flickering monitors.
Gearlock's cybernetic arm whirred as he scanned the feeds, his voice tense. "It's the kid… he sounds unhinged." Crushbone laughed, a guttural sound, but even his bravado faltered at the raw hatred in Kael's voice.
Lumora, already halfway across the facility, paused, her glowing eyes narrowing. "He's lost it," she whispered, then shimmered out of sight.
Kael's scream echoed again, each word a blade driven into the night. "With my bare hands!" His *DarkBind* tendrils erupted from his back, writhing like living shadows, their edges crackling with energy.
His face was a mask of rage, tears mixing with the rain as they streamed down his cheeks, his eyes burning with a hatred so fierce it seemed to consume the light around him. His chest heaved, his breaths coming in sharp, ragged bursts, as if the fury within him was too vast to contain.
All Might staggered back a step, his hand dropping from Kael's shoulder. His blue eyes widened, a flicker of shock breaking through his stoic facade. He had seen Kael's determination, his courage, his heart—but this was something else.
This was a darkness he hadn't anticipated, a rage that teetered on the edge of vengeance. "Young Ishiro…" he began, his voice low, almost pleading. "This isn't what Voidflare would—"
"Don't!" Kael snapped, whirling to face him, his *DarkBind* tendrils lashing the air like whips. "Don't tell me what he would've wanted! He's gone! Because of them! Because of All for One and his monsters!"
His voice broke, a sob choking through the anger, but his eyes never wavered, locked on All Might with an intensity that made the Symbol of Peace flinch. "I'm going to tear them apart. Every last one. And then I'm gonna… I'm gonna.."
All Might's heart sank. He had seen heroes walk this path before—consumed by grief, driven by rage, crossing the line from justice to vengeance. He had seen it in himself, in his darkest moments, when All for One's shadow loomed largest.
But Kael… Kael was different. He was young, brilliant, a beacon of hope Voidflare had believed in. Yet now, standing in the rain, his face twisted with fury, All Might saw a truth that chilled him: Kael was on the line, teetering on the edge of a precipice, and those words—"with my bare hands"—were a declaration that he was too far gone.
"Kael," All Might said, stepping forward, his voice steady despite the ache in his chest. "You're stronger than this. You're better than this. Voidflare believed in you, not to destroy, but to protect—"
"Protect?" Kael laughed, a bitter, hollow sound that cut deeper than his screams. "What good is protecting everyone when I couldn't even save one person? One of the few people that even mattered to me."
His *DarkBind* tendrils coiled tighter, their tips sharpening into jagged points. "I'm done protecting others. I'm going to end this. All of this."
Before All Might could respond, Kael's *Cloak* quirk activated, his form shimmering as he vanished into the shadows. The air rippled where he'd stood, the rain parting around an invisible figure, and then he was gone, swallowed by the darkness.
All Might stood frozen, the storm's roar filling the void left by Kael's departure. His fists clenched, his heart heavy with a realization that struck like a blow: with resolve like that, there was no going back.
Inside the facility, the villains scrambled, their plans unraveling in the wake of Kael's scream. Razorfang paced, his claws scraping the floor, his scarred face twisted with irritation. "That kid's coming for us," he growled. "He's not just some hero brat anymore." Gearlock's fingers flew across the console, his cybernetic arm sparking as he tried to lock down the facility's exits. "He's got All Might with him, too," he said, his voice tight. "We need to move now."
Crushbone cracked his knuckles, his grin returning. "Let him come. I'll crush his skull before he gets close." But his bravado was hollow, his eyes darting to the shadows creeping across the walls, as if Kael's *DarkBind* tendrils were already there, waiting.
All Might stood alone in the rain, his cape heavy with water, his eyes fixed on the facility's entrance. He could still hear the echo of Kael's rage, the raw pain in his words—"with my bare hands"—reverberating in his mind. He had trained Kael, seen his potential, his heart, but now he saw the danger—a hero consumed by vengeance was no hero at all.
His heart ached with the weight of Voidflare's loss and the fear that Kael was slipping into a darkness from which he might never return. Yet All Might's fists unclenched, his shoulders sagging as he faced the truth: Kael had chosen his path, and no words, no strength, could pull him back now.
The Symbol of Peace stood silent, the storm washing over him, as the shadows of the facility loomed like a grave for the boy he'd failed to save.
…