The heavens wept without mercy.
Torrential rain lashed against a sea of black umbrellas, each droplet a cold, piercing echo of the day's sorrow. The earth, softened by the deluge, drank deeply as the ceremonial casket—empty, a hollow monument to loss—descended into the grave. It sank slowly, as if the ground resisted claiming it, swallowed by mud and the weight of collective grief. Murmured prayers and farewells drifted through the mist, fragile and fleeting, their words drowned by the storm's relentless roar.
Voidflare's funeral had summoned a tide of mourners, all clad in somber funeral attire.
Pro Heroes stood in disciplined ranks, their black suits and dresses drenched, their faces etched with resolve though their eyes betrayed the sting of loss. UA faculty, in formal black coats and ties or elegant black dresses, bowed their heads in silence, their usual vigor extinguished.
Students, past and present, lined the cemetery, their tailored suits and dresses clinging to their frames, their youth clashing with the heavy air. Families, friends, and political figures stood shoulder to shoulder, their dark formal attire—suits, dresses, and overcoats—unified in reverence for Kenichi Hoshino—Voidflare, the Hero whose cosmic flames had burned brightest in his final hour, consuming both himself and the monstrous Blotshade to save the world.
But one absence carved a wound deeper than the rest.
Yumi Hoshino stood at the forefront, her black funeral dress—a simple, elegant garment chosen by her mother—saturated by the rain, clinging to her trembling frame. The dress, with its high collar and long sleeves, was meant to convey dignity, but it only amplified her fragility, the dark fabric mirroring the grief in her heart.
Her dark hair, plastered to her face, framed eyes red and swollen, brimming with tears she could no longer hold back. Beside her, her mother sobbed quietly, her black mourning dress, adorned with subtle lace, trembling as she clutched Yumi's arm, as if her daughter were the only tether keeping her upright.
Her veiled hat, a traditional funeral accessory, drooped under the rain's weight, its black netting obscuring her tear-streaked face.
A high-ranking official, in a crisp black suit and tie, spoke from beneath a large umbrella, his voice steady but distant, weaving a tapestry of Voidflare's legacy—sacrifice, courage, hope. The words were meant to soothe, to honor, but to Yumi, they were empty. They couldn't fill the chasm in her chest, the void left by her father's absence.
Her father was gone.
And Kael… wasn't there either
She hadn't seen him since the hospital, the clearest memory being where he'd sat in silence, his face bloodied and bruised, his eyes hollow with a pain she couldn't reach.
No messages. No letters. No trace of the boy who'd been her best friend, her confidant, her partner in dreams of heroism. Her fingers tightened around her umbrella's handle, the black lacquered wood biting into her palm as tears mingled with the rain streaming down her cheeks.
'You were there when he died,' she thought, her heart twisting. 'Why aren't you here now?'
…
Far from the mourners, hidden within the dense, dripping trees at the cemetery's edge, stood Kael.
His black funeral suit, tailored but now soaked, blended into the shadows, the rain pattering against the simple black umbrella he held aloft. The suit, chosen hastily but with care, was a stark contrast to his usual tattered cloak, its dark fabric pressed and formal, a nod to the mentor he'd lost. His tie, loosened slightly at the collar, hung heavy with water, and his polished shoes sank into the mud.
Beside him, Mira stood in silence, her plain black funeral dress—floor-length, unadorned, with long sleeves—reflecting the solemnity of the occasion. Her attire was understated, respectful, chosen to blend into the background, her presence a quiet support for Kael, the boy teetering on the edge of an abyss.
His eyes, once sharp with defiance, were now clouded with anguish, locked on the grave. From this distance, he was invisible to the crowd, a ghost haunting the fringes. But he saw everything.
The faces, carved with grief, their black attire a uniform of mourning.
The pain, raw and unrelenting, etched into every posture.
The loss, a wound pulsing in every heart present.
He swallowed, his throat raw, as if the sorrow had lodged there and refused to budge. His hand trembled, the umbrella wavering. Rain or tears trailed down his cheeks—he couldn't tell anymore. Maybe it didn't matter.
"I'm sorry~," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the storm, his black suit jacket clinging to his shoulders.
Mira remained still, her black dress swaying slightly in the wind, her presence steady but unobtrusive. She didn't speak, didn't question. This wasn't her moment to intrude. She was here to bear witness, to stand by the boy whose heart was breaking under the weight of his mentor's sacrifice.
Voidflare's final words echoed in Kael's mind, a wound that refused to close: '"I'm leaving the rest to you. I know you won't disappoint me."'
The memory was a blade, slicing through scar tissue, each syllable a fresh cut. Kael's jaw clenched, his teeth grinding as he fought to keep his composure. His *Quickcode* quirk flickered unbidden, analyzing the scene with cold precision—the mourners' movements, the grave's dimensions, the rain's trajectory—but it couldn't parse the chaos in his heart.
"I won't," he whispered, his voice trembling with resolve, his black tie fluttering in the wind. "I'll make them pay. I swear it."
…
The ceremony drew to a close. Mourners began to disperse, their black umbrellas and dark funeral attire—suits, dresses, and coats—bobbing like shadows retreating from the shore. People embraced, their arms heavy with shared grief, their black clothing soaked through.
Words of comfort were exchanged, promises to carry on Voidflare's legacy. The crowd thinned, leaving only the drizzle and the mournful sigh of the wind.
Only one figure remained.
Yumi.
She stood at the edge of the grave, the casket now buried beneath wet earth. Her black funeral dress, now heavy with rain, clung to her like a second skin, its high collar framing her pale, tear-streaked face. Her umbrella lay discarded in the mud, forgotten. Rain soaked her hair, her dress, her skin, but she didn't care. She was beyond caring.
Her voice was a broken whisper, barely louder than the rain.
"Why, Dad…?"
Tears dripped from her chin, falling to the muddy soil, indistinguishable from the downpour. She stared at the grave, her hands clenched into fists, her shoulders trembling beneath the sodden fabric of her dress.
"You promised you'd come home…" Her voice cracked, a sob escaping her lips. "You said you'd always be there for me. Why did you leave me alone?"
Her words dissolved into quiet sobs, her body curling inward as if she could shield herself from the pain. The rain fell harder, as if the heavens mourned with her.
Behind the trees, Kael lowered his umbrella slightly, his eyes fixed on her trembling form.
"Is anyone around?" he asked, his voice low, almost swallowed by the storm.
Mira scanned the graveyard, her sharp eyes cutting through the mist. "No. Just her. You can go. I'll keep watch."
Kael nodded, his expression unreadable. He stepped forward, each step heavier than the last, his polished funeral shoes sinking into the muddy grass.
The air was thick with grief, with silence, with truths too heavy to speak. His heart pounded, a drumbeat of guilt and rage, as he descended the hill toward her, his suit jacket flapping in the wind.
He stopped just behind her, his umbrella tilted to shield her from the rain, though she didn't seem to notice. For a long moment, there was only the sound of water hitting the ground, the soft rhythm of their breathing, the faint rustle of his soaked funeral attire.
Yumi didn't look at him. She felt his presence, the shift in the air, the weight of his silence. Her voice was hoarse, raw from crying. "Why are you here, Kael?" she asked, her black dress trembling with her sobs.
Kael's throat tightened. He crouched beside her, his black suit pants sinking into the mud, his umbrella still held over them both, the rain dripping from its edges like a curtain. "I had to come," he said softly, his voice steady despite the tremor in his hands. "For him. For you."
"For me?"
Yumi's head snapped up, her eyes blazing through her tears, the black fabric of her dress stark against her pale skin. "Don't you dare say that!" she spat, her voice cracking with fury. "You were there, Kael! You saw him die! You let him—" Her voice broke, and she pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling a sob. "You let him burn himself away with *Nova Requiem*."
Kael's face tightened, but he didn't look away. He couldn't. "I tried to stop him," he said, his voice raw, his black tie swaying as he leaned closer. "I begged him, Yumi. I fought to keep him here. My *DarkBind* burned away, all my other Quirks were useless against the beast too. He chose to use *Nova Requiem*. He knew it would kill him and the beast. It was-.."
"And you let him!" Yumi cried, her fists pounding the muddy ground, her black dress streaked with dirt. "You were his student! His favorite! He trusted you, and you couldn't save him!"
Her words cut deeper than any blade, slicing through the guilt Kael had carried since that night. He wanted to argue, to explain—the heat that had melted metal, the beast that wouldn't stop, Voidflare's unshakable resolve—but what could he say? That he'd been too weak? That his screams of "with my bare hands" had been empty rage against an unstoppable fate?
"I failed him," Kael admitted, his voice barely above a whisper, his black suit jacket heavy with rain. "I failed you. And I'll carry that every day for the rest of my life."
Yumi stared at him, her eyes searching his face for something—truth, anything to make sense of the void in her heart. "Why didn't you come back sooner?" she demanded, her voice trembling, her black dress clinging to her like a shroud. "Why did you leave me alone? I waited for you, Kael. At the hospital, at home, every day since he died. You were the only person I had to lean on. And you disappeared."
Kael's chest ached, her words echoing the rage he'd unleashed that night—"I'll kill them with my bare hands!"—the fury that had driven him into the shadows. "I couldn't face you," he said, his voice breaking, his black tie fluttering in the wind. "Not after I let him die. I thought… I thought you'd hate me."
"I do hate you!" Yumi shouted, her voice raw with pain, her black funeral dress trembling with her sobs. "I hate you for not saving him! I hate you for leaving me! But…" Her voice softened, cracking with a sob. "But I needed you, Kael. I needed my best friend. And you weren't there."
Kael's eyes burned, tears mixing with the rain, his black suit jacket glistening. He reached out, hesitating, then rested a hand on her shoulder, his touch tentative but warm through the wet fabric of her dress. "I'm here now," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "And I'm going to make this right."
Yumi flinched at his touch but didn't pull away. "How?" she whispered, her voice barely audible, her black dress heavy with rain. "How can you make this right? He's gone, Kael. Nothing is going to bring him back."
Kael's hand tightened, his jaw clenching as the rage from that night surged within him. "By ending it," he said, his voice low and dangerous, his black suit pants streaked with mud. "By killing every villain tied to All for One. Every last one. And then I'll kill him. I'll take his Quirk, Yumi, and I'll use it to reset the world."
Yumi's breath caught, her eyes widening with shock, the black fabric of her dress stark against her pale face. "What… what are you saying?"
"I'm saying I'm done letting power destroy us," Kael said, his voice steady but laced with a chilling intensity, his black tie swaying as he stood. "I'll strip every Quirk from this world. Everyone—equal, powerless. No heroes, no villains. No 'strong' or 'weak.' Just people. No one will suffer like we did."
Yumi staggered back, pulling free of his grasp, her face pale with horror, her black funeral dress clinging to her trembling frame. "Kael, that's insane," she said, her voice trembling. "You'd take away everyone's Quirks? Children, innocents—people who've done nothing wrong? You think that'll stop all the worlds pain? Stop all the loss?"
Kael's gaze didn't waver, his eyes burning with a fire that scared her. "Your father died because of power," he said. "Because of Quirks. Because of a system that lets monsters like Blotshade exist. All for One created that thing, Yumi. He's the root of it all. If I destroy him and erase Quirks, no one else will lose what we lost."
"It won't work!" Yumi cried, her voice breaking, her black dress streaked with mud. "My dad died protecting people, Kael! He used his Quirk to save you, to save me, to save the world! Taking away Quirks won't stop grief. It won't stop love. It won't stop people from hurting each other. You can't fix this by destroying who we are!"
Kael's expression hardened, but a flicker of pain crossed his face. "I have to try," he said quietly, his black suit pants sinking deeper into the mud. "I have to believe I can make it right. For him. For you."
Yumi's hands trembled, tears streaming down her face, her black funeral dress trembling with her sobs. "This isn't what he wanted," she said, her voice steady despite the tears. "He believed in you, Kael. He saw your heart, not your power. He wanted you to protect people, not control them."
Kael's jaw tightened, his *DarkBind* tendrils stirring faintly at his back, unbidden, their edges crackling with shadowy energy, a stark contrast to his formal black suit. "With me at the top of the world," he said, his voice low, "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. Even if I have to kill those who resist. I'll build a world where no one suffers like we did."
Yumi stepped forward, her eyes blazing with defiance, her black dress swaying in the wind. "You're talking about becoming a tyrant," she said, her voice shaking but firm. "You're talking about vengeance, not justice. That's not the hero my dad trained you to be. That's not the Kael I—" Her voice caught, and she looked away, tears falling faster. "That's not the Kael I loved.."
Kael froze, her words striking him like a blow. For a moment, the rage in his eyes wavered, replaced by a raw, aching vulnerability. He remembered their childhood—training under Voidflare's watchful eye, laughing over shared dreams, promising to become Heroes together.
He remembered the warmth of her smile, the trust in her eyes. And now, standing in the rain, his black funeral suit soaked through, he saw only pain, pain he'd caused.
"I don't want to lose you, too," Yumi whispered, her voice breaking, her black dress trembling. "I've already lost my dad. Don't make me lose you to this… this darkness."
Kael's breath hitched, and for a moment, he looked like he might break. He stepped closer, his hand reaching out, then stopping short. "I love you, Yumi," he said, his voice soft but fierce. "I love you too much to let this world keep hurting you. That's why I have to do this."
Yumi's eyes widened, her heart pounding. She reached for him, her fingers brushing the sleeve of his suit. "Kael, please," she pleaded, her voice raw. "Don't do this. Stay with me. We can fight together, like we always said we would. We can honor him together."
For a moment, Kael didn't move. Her touch anchored him, pulling him back from the edge of the abyss. His eyes softened, and he looked at her—not as the boy consumed by vengeance, but as the friend she'd known since childhood, the boy who'd shared her dreams, her pain, her hope.
But then he stepped back, pulling free of her grasp, his black suit retreating into the rain. The downpour filled the space between them, a cold, unyielding barrier. "I can't," he said, his voice barely audible. "I have to end this. For him. For you. For everyone."
He turned, his silhouette blurring in the rain, his black suit a somber shadow against the storm. "Please, Yumi," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Grow strong. Become the Hero your father knew you could be. Protect the ones who suffer like we did. Be the light he was. Be better than me."
Before she could respond, Kael walked up the hill, his steps heavy but resolute, his black suit jacket flapping in the wind. Mira was waiting, her black funeral dress swaying slightly, her expression unreadable as she fell into step beside him. They vanished into the shadows of the trees, swallowed by the storm.
Yumi collapsed to her knees by the grave, her hands sinking into the muddy earth, her black funeral dress streaked with dirt. The rain poured down, relentless, soaking her to the bone. She was alone again, the weight of her grief pressing her into the ground.
"Why…" she whispered, her voice lost to the storm, her black dress trembling. "Why does everyone keep leaving me?~"
She pressed her forehead to the wet soil, her tears mixing with the rain. The echoes of Kael's words lingered—his vow, his rage, his descent into a darkness she couldn't follow.
The boy she'd once thought she knew was slipping away, consumed by the same fire that had taken her father.
And above her, the skies raged on, mourning with her.
…