"Ї Ԁөҋ't ҪДЯЄ ЇҒ ҰөҴ Ԁөҋ't tЄℓℓ ҴЅ ѠӉДt ҰөҴ'ЯЄ ҏℓДҋҋЇҋԌ, БҴt ҰөҴ ҜЄЄҏ ӉЄЯ ЅДҒЄ, Ԍөt Їt?"

"Ї ДℓЯЄДԀҰ ДӍ, ԀЄҜҴ-"

Bakugou looked over and saw everyone glaring at him, and sighed loudly, as if their concerns were an inconvenience.

"Ї Ԍөt Їt."

Mina tapped her foot and chimed in, her accent still broken, but thicker, now speaking in her native tongue.

"ЅӉЄ'Ѕ ҪℓЄДЯℓҰ ӉҴЯt, ДҋԀ Ѕө ЇЅ ҜЇЯЇЅӉЇӍД, Ї ЅҴԌԌЄЅt ҰөҴ ҏҴt ДѠДҰ ҰөҴЯ ҏЯЇԀЄ ДҋԀ ℓөөҜ ҒөЯ ӉЄℓҏ Їҋ tӉЄ ҪЇtҰ."

Midoriya stared Bakugou down as one by one, his friends left his side, heading back to the original path they were on. Todoroki stepped over to the girl, handing her a small golden coin, before turning and heading off with the others. He watched as (F/N) looked over at Bakugou, then at Kirishima, and then at him. Midoriya sighed and turned around, calling to Uraraka as she hesitated for a moment, quickly giving (F/N) a small stone and whispering in her ear, before quickly jogging over to catch up with him.

"Was this...really a good idea, Izuku?"

"It's what she wants to do. We can't argue against what her or Kacchan want, you know how that will turn out."

The brunette nodded and sighed, moving closer to Midoriya as they walked. He looked over and saw the sadness in her eyes, nudging his shoulder against hers.

"Come on Uraraka, I have faith in Kacchan, so have faith in me."

Uraraka smiled slightly and nudged him back, a blush dusting her cheeks as the two made it back to the road with their friends. Yaoyarozu was studying the land with Iida while Kaminari, Mina, and Sero discussed whether they should return the horses they had borrowed or not. Jirou rolled her eyes and scolded them, saying they had to return them. Todoroki stood off to the side, staring at his friends as they came closer.

"Do you think it was a good idea for me to give (F/N) one of the Kings Coins?"

"You did WHAT?"

Iida whipped his head around as Midoriya smiled weakly, shaking his head and waving his hands.

"I-I think it'll be okay, Iida. Kirishima wouldn't let them get in trouble with something like that."

Uraraka patted her cheeks and sighed, tilting her head as she added onto what Todoroki had said.

"And I gave her one of my communication stones. If they get into trouble, they can contact us."

After a bit more bickering about the horses, Sero finally waved goodbye as he, Jirou, and Kaminari went off down the road towards where they had gotten the animals. Iida thanked Yaoyarozu and she smiled, nodding and throwing her hood up, calling out to Mina. Mina was still looking off towards the city, muttering under her breath in her own language. Midoriya sighed, seeing her angered expression and waved to the pink tinted girl as she left. Eventually, the four travelers were left alone together, and Iida pointed off towards the capital.

"I don't want to make it seem like we're following them, but going to the capital wouldn't be such a bad idea."

"Yes it would."

Todoroki pouted slightly and looked away, pointing West.

"We haven't headed towards the Musutafu Peninsula, why don't we go that way? It's also closer to the mountain."

"Because we're still looking for information on the league, and all the reports are saying they're on this side of the Kingdom."

Todorokis eyes narrowed and he glared at Iida, letting his arm fall back to his side weakly. Iida sighed and ran his hand threw his dark blue hair.

"Todoroki, I know you don't w-"

"It's fine. Let's go to the capital then."

The others hesitated as Todoroki began the long trek towards their destination. Uraraka and Iida exchanged nervous glances, while Midoriya frowned in Todorokis direction. They knew exactly why he didn't want to go, but Iida had a point, and all four of them knew it. The four also knew that they were going to need to throw that knowledge away if they were going to want to get to their goal.

"It should only be a day and a half if we walk, it won't be long."

"I could go up ahead with one other person to prepare a place to stay!"

"That's not a bad idea Uraraka, I could-"

Midoriya stopped mid sentence, seeing something off in the forest to their right. He blinked and squinted, seeing the light twinkling off in the distance. Shit. He looked back at his friends and laughed nervously, pointing over to the two other boys.

"How uh, how about one of them go? I just realized I uh, have to go do something, over there. In the woods! Yeah...I'll be right back-"

With that terrible excuse, Midoriya bolted off into the grove of trees, disappearing from site. Uraraka shrugged as the others looked at her, Iida sighing as they began to discuss who should stay and who should go ahead.

Midoriya raced through the thick trees, chasing after the twinkling light that bounced from rock to log to branch. He panted and stumbled over a tree root, catching himself before he fell as the light bounced into another direction. He chased after, harshly whispering as if he was chasing after someone.

"H-Hey! Wait up!"

Eventually he came to a small pool, as beautiful as something you would see in a fairytale or children's book. Red and blue flowers adorned the area, a small waterfall being created from the ledge above. It looked like there was a small cave underneath, only big enough for a small child or an animal. Midoriya sighed and looked around, pulling out his journal to a large folded up map he had sketched. He made a small note south of the capital, landmarking the location of the small pool. He wasn't sure if they were always fixed, or if they only appeared when they were needed, but it was a good idea to write everything down nonetheless.

When he looked back up, the light bounced around the pool, finally glinting near the water and catching his eye. Drawing his sword, he dipped the tip of the blade into the water, closing his eyes as he whispered quietly.

"Please, I don't have time for tricky advice. I need your help...All Might."

The tiny light shrunk into the water, and then the entire pool began to glow, giving off an eerie but warm light. The sword began to shake in his hands, but Midoriya held it still, holding his breath as the light immediately went out.

"Huh?"

Midoriya leaned closer, removing the sword and glaring down at his own reflection. He blinked in confusion, listening to the wind whistle past his ears. Nothing? He removed one of his gloves and dipped his hand into the water, his eyes narrowing. Suddenly a shout came from behind him, and he shouted back, gasping and turning on his heel.

"I am here! Why are you in the water, young Midoriya?"

Midoriya had slipped, falling back on his butt into the small pool. A small rock on the waters bed cut his hand, and little splotches of blood began to appear in the water, but Midoriya was too focused on the sight before him. A man, well, a God, stood before him. All Might.

He was very tall, towering over Midoriya even as the boy got to his feet. His blonde hair was tied back except for two long bangs spiked up for aesthetic. He was well built, his muscular body was shown off through the skintight suit he wore, decorated in reds, whites, and blues. His cape covered more than half his body, with little armbands and jewelry embellishing a little piece of every culture and people within the country. His hands were on his hips, smiling widely as Midoriya beamed back up at him.

"It's so nice to see you again, All Might!"

"It is nice to be seen! But don't forget that I'll always be with you; you just can't always tell."

All Might laughed and slapped Midoriya on the back, making the boy stumble forward as they both made their way to a fallen tree, All Might sitting down as Midoriya paced back and forth.

"Why now of all times, All Might? There was no warning, no telling that you were close."

"I could feel the distress from the heavens, I couldn't help but come down as soon as I could."

All Might laughed again as Midoriya held back a sigh, letting his shoulders fall in defeat. Always so lighthearted. Finally the man quieted down and smiled more genuinely, looking over to the boy.

"So what is troubling you, young hero?"

"Well...a lot of things, and a lot of unanswered questions..."

Midoriya delved into the core of his problems, discussing how they had made no real developments on the league except for strange sightings along abandoned roads. He mentioned the rumoring whispers of the return of their greatest enemy, All For One, making All Might sigh quietly.

"It feels like we have made no progress. The more answers we solve, the more questions we have. Apparently over the last few years, there have been eyewitness accounts of All For One, especially South and Southeast. We were planning on going down there, before...getting sidetracked."

Midoriya paced back and forth, running his hands through his messy hair as the God thought to himself, thinking about his arch nemesis that he promised he would put an end to.

"I guess I should not surprised. I thought I had killed him in the last war, but real evil never truly dies."

"There's also rumors of another group, under the same name as his old League, I don't know if they're immediately connected or just influenced, but I feel like they are closer than I first assumed."

All Might nodded and thought carefully, trying to remember if he had ever seen or heard anything that could help his prodigy. Midoriya sighed and thought about some of the smaller, but more prominent issues at hand, snapping back to reality when All Might spoke up.

"You said sidetracked, earlier. What had happened?"

"Ah, well, actually, as we were heading down South, we met up with Kacchan! Apparently a while back he had gotten kidnapped and ended up in the Southern Sea. I wish I could've asked who it was or what had happened, but it definitely had to do with the new League."

All Might hummed quietly, bringing his hand up to his chin.

"The Southern Sea and its oldest villages were once hideouts for the league of villains, I'm not surprised."

"And now, now Kacchan has this girl, this...Egabian, and I think he's going to use her for the sword."

An Egabian? Interesting. All Might laughed and attempted to lighten the mood, trying to hide his sudden change in expression over hearing Midoriyas words.

"Ah, but young Kacchan, it's nice to hear about him again! You've mentioned him quite a few times, I feel as if I've known him as long as I've known you!"

All Might laughed again and Midoriya shook his head, trying to get serious.

"This isn't a laughing matter, All Might! Kacchan is more determined than anyone I know, and this old prophecy is making him do things none of us can really fathom!"

Midoriya groaned and sat down next to All Might, feeling the lightweight hand on his back. The God was powerful, but he was still just an illusion, making his strength more dull than it had once previously been.

"Do you believe in this Kacchan, Midoriya Izuku?"

Midoriya hesitated for a moment, his green iris' shaking as he contemplated the question.

"I...I do. Kacchan may be straightforward and hostile, but I don't believe he would really kill someone in that fashion for his goal...I think."

He sighed and removed his other glove, running his hands through his messy hair. This journey had turned from an adventurous path of heroism and growing up to something darker, something more sinister with bloodshed that Midoriya didn't expect. It was changing the people around him, people he didn't think could change, and for better or worse. He knew deep down that a war meant death, but not like this, and not through people he was so close to.

"I'm just worried that he's going to get pushed to the point of no return. I can't imagine he would do something like that, but there's still that...doubt. Kacchan has always followed the traditions of our tribe, it feels impossible to think that he would question the prophecy."

"Do you know for sure that he's following the traditions?"

Midoriya froze and blinked in confusion, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yes! I mean, I'm almost certain..."

The boy bit down on his thumbnail, mumbling to himself.

"At least, he appears that way. He does what his parents tell him. He hasn't broken any serious rules until just recently. We're childhood friends, but I'm not really the first person he comes to for conversation, so I have no idea how he feels...why would he suddenly change?"

"I knew people from my time as a mortal that changed the path their ancestors destined for them whilst hiding behind a facade. There will always be those that break the wheel of fate, and this Kacchan, seems like one of those people. He might be genuine, but he could also be hiding his true intentions."

But why? Why would Bakugou lie to his parents and his tribe? Midoriyas eyes lowered as he thought about his childhood friend, realizing they had grown so far apart, that he couldn't even tell who Bakugou was anymore.

"Maybe he is..."

"This Kacchan, is your friend, but in this time of war, his choices aren't your burden to bare, Young Midoriya. Maybe he'd rather bare them alone."

The boy hesitated for a moment before letting out a quiet exhale, closing his eyes.

"He has his dragon, Kirishima, and this girl. I know he isn't alone, and I'm glad he isn't. I just wish he would work with us...or rather, I wish we could work with him. We would do better as a team, the lot of us."

"Do you think he thinks that way?"

"Gods no."

Midoriya chuckled before sighing again and nodding in defeat, forcing himself to agree with the God. All Might was right. No matter what Midoriya did or said, Bakugou was never going to listen to him; he was never going to work with him. Bakugou was near impossible to work with for anyone-

However...

Midoriya wasn't exactly perfect either; it wasn't just Bakugous fault that they couldn't get along. He knew that was true, he knew he had changed over time as well, and it showed. Deep down, though, he also knew that they were both reaching for the same goal, and were going about the same way, which only irritated both of them. Bakugou was a good person, a trustworthy person, someone others could put their faith in, just like Midoriya, but Bakugou wasn't someone to try and match speeds with; his beliefs and his morals were as intense as his ego and levels of self worth.

But would all of that morale be challenged by a prophecy? If Kacchan didn't believe in it...maybe it wouldn't? Thinking about the prophecy again made Midoriya mumble quietly, his voice growing louder as he questioned All Might.

"All Might...why does your sword require a sacrifice? Why would someone like you have a mythology...like that?"

Midoriya looked to the mentor he respected so much, and his eyes widened. All Mights smile was gone, instead replaced with a look of regret, or guilt; something that clearly pained him. The man let out a quiet groan, sighing as he felt Midoriyas eyes on him.

"You already know the tales. That sword was giving to me by my master, created and empowered by her, so that I could save the world from the villains that plagued my time."

Midoriya nodded, thinking back to the stories the God had told him during their other meetings and training. He had told him about the man named All For One, who's magic put him on the level of the lesser Gods, and cultivated an army for hundreds of years before almost bringing destruction to the entire country.

"Losing my mentor was the hardest thing for me to overcome. Even now, as a ghost of the past, I'm still haunted by it."

All Might stood up and made his way over to the water, staring down at the pool. He had no reflection, but the water gave off a shining light where it would've been if he did.

"I didn't...I don't, want anyone ever going through what I went through. That sword was too powerful to destroy, even if I was able to, I don't think I could; she is still in it."

"You never told me much about your mentor, All Might."

His quiet voice echoed through the wind of the woods as Midoriya leaned forward, gripping onto the log for support. The trees rustled, the leaves blowing by and carrying a soft females voice that called All Mights name. His smile began to return, and he was surprised to feel tears welling in his eyes, even in this state. How soft can a God grow over a thousand years?

"Shimura Nana; She was a beautiful goddess. We would have conversations like this, her and I. She trained me, made me who I was back then, and who I still am today."

Midoriya stood up and he held onto the strap of his bag, a chill running down his body as he stepped closer. The small clearing had been so welcoming before, now it was cold; the air felt heavy with a heartbreaking sadness.

"I felt as if I had lost everything that day, but I kept going, for her, and for everyone that depended on me. I couldn't just give up when hundreds of thousands of souls cried for my help."

Midoriya came up to All Mights side, glancing down in the water before fully turning his head. His reflection was there, but the Gods wasn't, making him quickly remember that he was still talking to an illusion.

"After All For One was defeated, and the league was pushed back into nothing, I realized my purpose had been fulfilled. I was no longer needed and was able to move on as what I am today."

"A God?"

"A memory, in the hearts of everyone who remember me."

Midoriya felt a stinging pain in his heart, staring down at his own reflection. He could see his expression contorted with concern, and he quickly shook his head, trying to hide the sadness. He looked back up at All Might, seeing the God slowly begin to crumble away in the light.

"But that doesn't change the fact that I- that we can't get to the sword. There can't just be only one path, one prophecy; there has to be some other way, right?"

All Might listened to the boys voice as it cracked, forcing a smile and looking back down at the boy. He put his hand on his hip and slapped the other onto Midoriyas shoulder, his touch almost intangible and going through the boys body.

"Only a villain deals in absolutes, young Midoriya. If there is another way, I'm sure you would be the one to find it. Besides, if you think there is another way, I'm sure this Kacchan does as well. It would be good to try and talk to him about it the next time you see him."

If only it would be that easy. Midoriya closed his eyes and exhaled, knowing any minute their time together would end once again. He was never certain of the next time he would get to see his mentor, but he knew he couldn't get upset about the temporary goodbye. He looked up at the illusion and smiled, seeing the man smile back down at him.

"You'll have to look out for your friends, Midoriya Izuku. There's a long, bloodied path ahead of you, and the further you travel down it, the harder the decisions will get."

"Can we talk again, sooner? I don't know what will happen the next time we meet, I might have so much more to tell you."

All Might kept his smile, shrugging weakly as he faded faster and faster, eventually becoming nothing more than a weak silhouette.

"We will both know when the time comes, young Midoriya. Keep your mind sharp, and don't lose sight of what you're after..."

Suddenly the voice echoed out, disappearing into the woods. A gust of wind blew through the area, causing the water to ripple and Midoriya to stumble a bit in place. The green haired boy blinked and looked around, sighing and kicking a stone down into the water. He balled his hands into fists and hissed, opening his hand to see the cut across his palm. Midoriya crouched down and dipped his hand into the water, waiting for the blood to wash away before putting his gloves back on, mumbling to himself once more.

"Don't lose sight of what you're after."

Standing back up, Midoriya glanced around, readjusting his bag and heading back off in the direction he came from. All Might was good help, but every now and then, it seemed like even he didn't have the answers. Soon the open field came into view, and finally Midoriya made it back onto the road. Todoroki was sitting on a small rock nearby, staring at his hand in boredom. Midoriya called the boys name, jogging over to his friend.

Don't lose sight.