"Let's see...what kind of magic I can do."

The small smile that had formed on your face had contorted into a wide smirk, slowly placing your hands on the cool waters surface. Was this a good idea? Probably not, but it felt right. As soon as your fingertips hit the water, it began to glow, and when you pulled away, the light followed your hands, painting the air with flickering lights like it had with Tokoyami earlier.

"Okay...now what?"

Your smile faded and you pouted, unsure of what to do next. Shrugging in curiosity, you began to draw random symbols, putting your hands in the water again as if you were refilling an ink pen. You hummed, wondering if you would have to say any incantations, like how Uraraka would cast spells, and you tried repeating one of the many spells you remembered hearing from her.

"...Nothing?!"

You groaned and splashed at the water, hitting it again as light flashed everywhere the water had landed.

"Come on, work already!"

A lingering echo of whispers began to surround the cave as you shouted into nothing, hearing the incoherent voices around you. Were you simply...not able to do magic? How did you summon a God then? You put both your hands under the water as the whispering grew louder, squeezing your eyes shut in concentration.

"Just let something happen. Come on, do something, anything..."

Suddenly, the whispering stopped, and became replaced by a soft ringing. The air became lighter and your breathing grew quiet, and then, the room lit up. You looked up at the ceiling, seeing the dazzling colors erupt and dance around the room, little clouds forming as if the room had created its own environment. A tiny raindrop landed on your nose, and you smiled, feeling the immediate downpour as you laughed loudly, drawing more symbols and turning the rainstorm into snow. Shivering, you danced around the pool, your feet leaving a small trail in the soft snow.

"Weather! Amazing! Let's see..."

You put your hands into the water again, humming in thought. More and more light began to dance around the room, and you smiled widely, the comforting and peaceful aura warming your heart. Plants began to decorate the walls, vines and flowers sprouting here and there. You could hear birds chirping, the rushing of water, rustling of bushes from a deer running by. Did you create a whole world? You began to dance around the basin again, your fingers leaving behind bright trails of light as you continued to draw random squiggles and symbols, unsure if they really did anything.

"Could I...go back to Egaby?"

You threw your hands back into the water, smiling widely as images of your home village flashed in your mind. The ground became colder and the wind began to blow, the plants quickly dying out and the sounds of animals leaving your ears. You looked up from the water, glancing around as the houses, buildings, roads, and central square that you had grown up in came to life before your eyes. There were silhouettes of humans; no people you recognized, but it was like the cave had completely disappeared, replaced with the outside world of Egaby. You quickly pulled your hands from the pool, smiling happily as tears formed in your eyes. You...were you home? Taking a few steps forward, you reached out towards a small home, smoke coming from the chimney as the windows swung open in the wind. It was your home. You called out to your parents, praying they would hear you from the inside, but you stopped when a transparent wall formed in front of you.

"...huh?"

You knocked on the wall, gasping as the air rippled like the water in the basin. Your smile fell into a frown as it blocked you from moving forward, the world living on without you. The shadowed out Egabians ignored you, walking to and from, around the town, and around you, as if you weren't even there. You sighed, closing your eyes and leaning your head against the transparent barrier. You weren't really home, it was just a projection. Was this the present? The past? It looked familiar, but none of the people did, as if they weren't even real.

After a while you looked back at the water in thought, humming quietly as the room around you continued to reimagine your village. Midoriyas journal had mentioned that these caves were like portals that connected to the other caves around the country. Could they not take you to other places besides those? You thought about Bakugou, whispering out loud as the snow subsided and a warm, golden light shining over you and melting away the cold.

"Can this show me Katsuki? Or take me to him? What else can I do?"

Your eyes became half lidded as you felt comfort from the warmth. How amazing was this magic? Why did it make you feel so much better? The water began to whirlpool, spinning around as it's color went from transparent to black, smokey and colder than before. You stared at it, narrowing your eyes as the liquid clouded, turning lighter again as a hazy image formed under the surface. You gasped, leaning closer with widened eyes as the blurry silhouette of Bakugou came into view. He looked tired, angry, and irritated, and you realized why when Midoriya came into view behind him, making you laugh and shake your head.

"I guess they're stuck together...hm."

You noticed something weighing Bakugou down, and you waved the water around, gasping when you realized it was Kirishima, passed out and slung over Bakugous shoulders. Was he okay?! Was this the present, the past? Has he woken up yet? You frowned as you noticed Uraraka was also being carried by Midoriya, comforted in his arms as the green haired knight spoke with Bakugou. Their mouths moved, but it was muffled and in whispers, and you sighed, unable to hear anything. You leaned closer, your face almost hitting the water as you spoke loudly.

"Katsuki? Katsuki, can you hear me? It's (F/N), I'm here!"

Bakugou froze and whipped his head to the side, glaring right at you. You smiled widely and went to speak again, but stopped when Midoriya called his attention away, the prince shrugging you off and turning away. You hung your head down and sighed, mumbling under your breath.

"Of course it isn't that easy..."

The image faded away and the water slowly melted back into its original clear, cool form, rippling as you pulled your hands away to think. There is a method to the madness, but what is it? Looking around the room again, you sighed and dipped one finger back into the water, drawing random lines in front of your face boredly.

"If I knew what I was doing, maybe I could actually do something amazing..."

You thought back to Tokoyami, shaking your head as the room once again filled with rain, a light drizzle rather than a heavy storm. He said not to mess with this stuff, but you seem to be doing fine. Was something bad going to happen? The rain felt nice on your skin, and you felt warm, even in the cool weather. You removed your hand from the water, shaking it off and stepping back towards the exit, crossing your arms and biting your thumbnail. Was the magic only working because of the cave and the pool? Could you do magic outside of it? You need to talk to Toshinori again, he might have the answers.

Before you could step out of the cave, you froze, feeling a hot warmth radiate from behind you. Slowly, you turned around, frowning as the soft, light water in the center of the room turned a deep red, emitting a hazy fog and bubbling in its basin. What was that? You backed away even further, gasping when the heat from the room made you begin to sweat. How hot was it?! Images formed along the walls, visions and visuals of your journey played out in the fog as your breath grew faster.

"Pray to whatever Gods you worship, and pray that your life after death will cause you less suffering."

"No-"

"ԌЄt ЯЇԀ өҒ tӉЄ ѠЇtҪӉ!"

"Stop!"

"I want...that damn sword. I want that sword before anyone else, before Deku, before the league, and I need your help to get it!"

"Shut up!!"

The voices grew louder as the fog enveloped you, the nightmares filling the air and thickening the already hot and humid space. You gasped for breath and tried to get out of the cave, shouting as the fog blinded you from finding the exit. Idiot! You could hear Bakugous voice, threatening you and asking for your sacrificial help. You swung your bag in the air towards where his voice echoed from, waving away a large portion of the fog for a moment, only for it to fill in faster than before.

"(F/N)?!"

"Huh? Shoto?!"

"(F/N)!"

The princes voice was off in the distance, and you staggered towards it, the voices of the Mirag mob deafening in your ears. You could hear Setsuna speaking to you with a smile on her lips, saying words you couldn't understand. Todoroki continued to shout, but was overwhelmed when a screech came from behind you, hidden in the cave. Suddenly, the fog disappeared, and you gasped for air as Todoroki and Tokoyami came into view.

"Shoto!"

"(F/N), what is th-"

The screech was louder, and you covered your ears as you turned around, seeing the basin that was once filled with calming water, now erupted in a bonfire, the flames reaching the ceiling. Your eyes widened and you shouted, stumbling back and falling into Todorokis arms. Tokoyami shouted out to whatever Dark Shadow was, glaring at you as the darkness in the far corners of the room began to close in on the fire.

"What on Earth did you do?!"

"M-Magic?! What the hell is going on?!"

Tokoyami wanted to answer, but was pushed back, forcing to focus on the flames ahead of him. Suddenly, it died down, and the screams and cries that you had been hearing turned to silence. You stared in horror as Todoroki whipped you around to glare at you, also checking to see if you were okay, but your eyes stayed glued to the basin of water. It was still blood.

"(F/N)."

"Sh-Shoto I'm sorry, I don't know what happened but-"

You were cut off when a noise came from the basin. It was low and quiet; a deep growl rising to the surface of the water as a bloody claw lifted above the basin. Your eyes widened as Tokoyami yelled for you to get away, before being thrown against the wall. Todoroki pulled you towards the exit, trying to pull your attention away, but your eyes were frozen in fear, staring down the monster that clawed it's way out of the basin.

"Go, outside! Now!"

Todoroki helped you out of the cave and into the afternoon light, apologizing as he touched one of the many new burns on your arms. You shook your head to brush him off, flinching as the ground began to rumble. An earthquake? It felt like when you were at the Temple of All Might in your dream. Suddenly Todoroki was thrown back away from you, gasping loudly as his entire torso became covered in blood. You screamed for the prince, feeling yourself be pushed back and onto the ground. Your throat closed up as the wind was knocked out of you, paralyzing you as you curled up in pain.

Something was hovering over you, but you couldn't look up to see it. It shadowed out the sun, blood dripping from whatever was above you onto your face and body. What is this thing? You gasped as you finally got your breath back, slowly opening one eye and glancing up at the thing keeping you on the ground.

"G-Gods..."

It was a dragon, or rather, it looked like a dragon. A demonic form, smaller than Kirishima, was covered in blood and scales as red as the fire it came from. Its teeth were barred and its large, red eyes were staring back down at you, its breath hitting you each time it exhaled. Your body felt so numb from the pain, groaning quietly as some of the blood dripped near your eye, making you squeeze them shut again.

"

(F.../N)."

What...that voice-

"It's...y..your fault."

"...No-"

"You...did this...to me."

You felt your body shake as your eyes shot open, the blood spilling down your face like tears. This monster, this...dragon-

"Kirishima..."

Your eyes welled with tears as you stared at the haunting visual above you, stuck in eye contact with the bloodied red dragon as it whispered.

"It's true-"

"It's not true!"

"I will die...because of you."

"I-I'm sorry!"

You felt the monsters claw slam into your shoulder, pinning you further against the ground and forcing you to face it. You shouted in pain as it's scales burned you at the touch, it's claws only pressing further into you as it continued to break you down.

"Bakugou will hate you...for what you did."

"I didn't mean to get them hurt! K-Kirishima knows that-"

"I didn't know that, and I never will."

You begged for the creature to shut up, pleaded for it to stop talking as you began to sob, feeling the heat of the dragons breath as it inched closer. It snarled at you, barring it's fangs again as everything grew darker.

"Blame yourself further...you killed me."

"I...I didn't- I didn't mean for this to happen!"

You were cut off as another shout came from beside you, feeling the weight of the dragon off of you as you gasped and sat up, looking over to see that same dark figure in front of you.

"Shoto-"

"Get back (F/N)!"

You scrambled to your feet and felt yourself be pulled away by the shadowed claw that had grabbed you the other day. Dark Shadow. You were yanked towards Tokoyami, quickly hidden behind his cloak. You peeked over the makeshift wall anyways, seeing Todoroki in his cursed form, but it was different. He looked in control. The prince panted and looked over to you and Tokoyami, his orange eye glowing within his own shadows surrounding him. The bloodied demon that had come from the cave was screaming like a dying animal as Todoroki cornered it, hitting it over and over again as it fought back weakly. The dragon screeched in his face, knocking him aside and scrambling towards you and Tokoyami in rage.

"This...you will never, forget this!"

Todoroki jumped forward and tackled the monster, shoving it into the ground, his own animalistic sounds coming from him.

"Leave. Us. Alone!"

His scaly hand lifted the dragons head, slamming it down and crushing its skull, sending the shadows into a rampage. The wind picked up and nothing but screams could be heard, until silence. Your legs gave out from underneath you and you fell back on your butt as the body of the now decapitated dragon burnt to ash, floating away in the wind. Todoroki panted quietly, looking down at his hand as he slowly shrunk, the obsidian scales retreating back as glowing orange eye became replaced by its normal, sky blue color.

"Prince, are you okay?"

"I...Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't mean to kill it, I-"

"You did what was necessary. You are fine, as you said."

Tokoyami sighed and put his hand on the princes shoulder, looking over at his friend.

"You had complete control over your curse, until the very end, that is. You have been here but one day, and look at the progress you have made."

Todoroki smiled softly at Tokoyami before glancing over at you, leaving his friends side to crouch down near you. Your eyes didn't leave the pile of ashes, Kirishimas dying voice still ringing in your ears.

"...you killed me."

"(F/N)?"

You gasped, realizing you had been holding your breath as you looked Todoroki up and down. As soon as you felt control come back over your body, you pulled the prince into a hug, panting and wrapping your arms around his neck.

"Shoto, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't...I'm sorry-"

"It's okay, we're fine. Tokoyami, you're okay, right?"

He glared down at you from where he stood, listening to your wavering voice as you continued to sob, apologizing and stumbling over your own words, before sighing to himself.

"Yes, we are both fine. Dark Shadow appears to be traumatized, but he has always been afraid of his own shadow."

Tokoyami moved closer and sat down next to you, waiting as the wind died down. The three of you sat in silence for a good while, you eventually calming down while still holding onto Todoroki. After a while, you poked at the princes bloodied clothes, whispering from how hoarse your voice had become.

"Is this...your blood?"

"No, it seems to just be from the demon, I didn't get hurt."

"Come, I will make a fire. We should eat."

Tokoyami stood back up slowly, trying to hide the obvious limp in his gait as he moved towards the cave. You watched and stood up with Todoroki, grabbing both of your bags and carrying them into his home. The cave had a different feel now; before it had been enticing and mysterious, but now it was just cold, and uninviting. Tokoyami stoked the small fire he had set up, helping it grow further as he whispered to his Dark Shadow.

"Um, Tokoyami. I have some medicine from the capital, it could help with your-"

"My ankle is fine. It will heal over time. I am not one for the capitals medicines."

You hummed quietly and pulled out your journal, turning to a page that described a natural medicine for internal pain.

"Could I make you something, not from the capital? It's natural, and won't be hard to make."

Tokoyami studied the page, looking at the pictures before shrugging weakly.

"If you would like. Those words mean nothing to me, but I will take your word for it."

You glanced back at your journal in shock, apologizing and leaving the cave for the ingredients you needed. Could he not read in your language? Could he read...at all? You slowly made your way back to the spring you had gone to twice now, carefully dipping a bottle into the water without letting it touch your skin. You...didn't deserve to have these wounds healed so easily. You stared at your reflection and sighed, standing back up and making your way back to Tokoyami and Todoroki, collecting the plants and other ingredients needed along the way.

Weren't you lucky? To have these medicines be universal? You thanked the Gods for making just one thing in your path easy, crouching down next to Todoroki as he stirred the hot water in the pot over the fire. You pulled out your medicinal items, your mortar and pestle, your measuring tools, and your knife, working the ingredients into a thin paste. Tokoyami studied your hands as they worked, watching your expression as you fought to ignore his stare. You knew he was mad, and for good reason, but you couldn't bare the scolding just yet; you needed to do something to at least try to make up for it-

"You are not the type to listen to others, are you, Egabian?"

There it was. You sighed and nodded, crawling over and apologizing as you lifted Tokoyamis cloak and removed his boot carefully, grimacing at the dirt that caked his skin. He probably never bathed either, like Bakugou. Gods. You apologized again as the cold paste hit his skin, making him wince.

"I...guess not. I thought that I could do something useful, or that I could discover something new. Tosh- Someone told me I had magic blood, I thought that meant something."

"You are Egabian, are you not?"

Your eye twitched and you nodded again, glancing over to Todoroki as he watched you both, quickly looking away when you caught him staring.

"Yes, I am. Does that mean something?"

Tokoyami blinked and stared down at you in confusion, looking over to Todoroki. He scoffed and looked back down at you, bending his foot to see how much he could move his ankle after you had applied the medicine, before covering his body once more with his cloak.

"Egabians have incredibly powerful blood. I am surprised you are unaware."

"How powerful?"

"Well, enough to fight Gods among men."

Tokoyami stood up, thanking you as he was able to put his full weight on his ankle again, the medicine already numbing his pain.

"I do not know if you know of your history, but Egabians are incredibly sensitive to magic. They were close with the League of Villains, and were able to teach and be taught plenty of-"

"Fumikage."

"...I am saying too much."

Todoroki shook his head and offered you a bowl of soup, cutting off his friend. Reminiscent of when you had eaten this meal with him and Sero, Iida, Yaoyarozu, and the others, you thanked Todoroki and ate slowly, sitting in silence once again. The soup was good, better than the spiced rabbit meat you had been eating, but not anywhere compared to the food you would eat at home, or the food you had had in Mirag. Tokoyami broke the silence, his words making both you and Todoroki freeze up.

"You both should leave before the moon rises tonight."

"Tokoyami-"

He held his hand up to silence Todoroki, shaking his head.

"There is much you need to learn, but I am not the one to teach you. I suggest you go home, Prince. And you-"

He glared at you, making you shrink back in your spot.

"The magic you used was not weak. It is a great power, and I do not know why you decided to do what you did-"

He sighed and stood up, setting his bowl aside and readjusting his cloak. You moved further into the darkness of the cave, most of his face becoming hidden in the shadows.

"-but it is in the past. I am disappointed, but all we can do now is move forward in the darkness."

"Tokoyami-"

You stared at him, slowly putting your things away before throwing your bags over your shoulder.

"What was that thing?"

You mumbled quietly before looking back over to Todoroki, before looking down at the ground in shame.

"Before all of that happened, I was creating snow, and rain, and I saw Egaby, and Katsuki, but it went so bad...so fast-"

"The water in these caves focuses on your inner demons. Whatever you saw in the cave, were things you wanted to see; they are enticing to keep you from straying back into the light."

Tokoyami stood taller and stared off towards the cave, his shadow growing and pulsing along the walls and ceiling.

"The longer you stay within the cave, and the longer you keep touch with the water, the more it learns your darkness."

Todoroki put his hand on your shoulder, nodding for you to come with him, but you called back out to Tokoyami, asking what you knew you were going to need again in the future.

"How do you keep it away? The darkness?"

You swore you could see him smirk, watching him turn around as he stepped out into the afternoon light, looking up to the sky.

"I do not keep it away. I learn to live with it as the moon passes overhead. Dark Shadow, take your physical form."

The shadows around Tokoyami began to dance once more, spiraling up and into a hazy silhouette. You gasped as the shadows formed a figure, before melting away and revealing a large, purple bird. It screeched for a moment, before stretching its wings and darting its eyes over to you, staring at you as you stared back in shock.

"Th-That's Dark Shadow?!"

"Yes. He is a part of my curse. He is also one of the only good things to come from it."

Tokoyami reached up and pet the massive bird, smiling softly before nodding to you and Todoroki, hopping up onto the birds back and petting it again as it readied to take off. You spoke up again to ask where he was going, your voice growing louder as the wind picked up.

"I have to travel to another cave, to help purify this one. Like I said, the magic you used was not weak, it was as powerful as the creatures that lurk in the night. Farewell, and good luck, My Prince, (F/N), of Egaby."

Tokoyami flew off, disappearing into the sky and once again, you were left alone with Todoroki. You sighed, looking over to the prince with a soft smile, before looking away in regret. Todoroki sighed and smiled back, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he grabbed his belt and wrapped it around his waist.

"Well?"

"Now...we'll go to the capital."