Fractured Wings

Miyu Ogawa reclined in her plush leather chair, a single manicured finger lazily tracing the rim of a wine glass she had took. Even without the need to eat or drink she still enjoyed the vice and the charm it seemed to give her. The room around her was decadent yet cold, a place with dark wood paneling, a crystal chandelier casting fractured light across the walls. 

Velvet curtains hung heavy over tall windows, obscuring the artificial sun of the Hosu city replica. The scent of lilies wafted faintly, clashing with the iron tang of blood still lingering in the air. 

Her ruby red eyes gleamed with detached amusement as she watched her "holy trinity" at work. Two stood by her side, still as statues, their gazes vacant. The third knelt before her, his back arched awkwardly as she rested her legs upon him like a footstool. 

His name was Yo Shindo, a young and promising hero student, now reduced to an object of her whimsy. She admired the irony: a would be hero, utterly subjugated after putting on quite the show for her. 

Miyu tilted her head, her crimson hair cascading over one shoulder like a silken flame. Her lips curled into a smile as she gazed at her reflection in the wine. "Perfection," she murmured, taking a deliberate sip. 

Her thoughts drifted, unbidden, to her childhood—a gilded cage of privilege and expectation. Born of a quirk marriage, she bore no resentment for the calculated union of her parents. Why would she? Their union had produced her, a masterpiece. Her father, Haruto Ogawa, was a man of unrelenting ambition. His quirk "Override," was an extension of his willpower, bending others to his control after four simple touches. She had inherited this power, refined it, perfected it. 

It can be used on all life forms. 

As a child she watched how her father wielded his quirk. The human trafficking rings he orchestrated were a machine, and he the engine. She remembered peeking into his office, where broken people were his obedient pawns. He never hid it from her; in fact, he welcomed her to this darker side of his business. 

"You'll inherit it someday Miyu" he had said, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. His voice brimmed with pride, "You have the potential to even surpass me." 

Her heart had soared at those words. It wasn't love—no, Haruto Ogawa did not "love." But he had a boundless amount of respect. And that was enough for Miyu, to know that he valued her as an heir to his empire. That was enough. 

As she grew, so did her appetites. Wealth, control, indulgence. All were hers for the taking. But she had been spoiled beyond reason, yet it never quenched her thirst. Always, there was a gnawing desire for more, for a stage grand enough to unleash her full potential. 

When she had randomly dropped in Game Hosu, she felt like the universe had finally conspired in her favour. A chance to dominate, to thrive in chaos, to elevate herself to divinity. 

Her gaze drifted to her captives. "My trinity," She mused aloud. "You are my hands, my voice and my will." 

Along with Shindo was his high school classmate, Tatami Nakagame, and another one she captured was the sand hero: Snatch. All looking like lifeless dolls. She savoured the memory of taking them in—the subtle dance of touches, the flicker of resistance extinguished. Her quirk was an art form, and they were just more art pieces. 

Tatami, the loyal shield. Snatch, the relentless enforcer. And Shindo, the steadfast foundation. Together, they formed a perfect unit, bending to her every whim without question. 

A flicker of movement caught her eye, an owl, perched by the windowsill. It's beady black eyes reflected the light of the chandelier, unblinking. She leaned forward, her lips curving into a predators grin. 

"So they've made friends," she purred, remembering the duo that she had tracked earlier. She identified them as Kobe Arakawa, Soryu, and Itsuka Kendo. They had joined forces with others, one she was sure was another hero. How quaint. 

Her mind raced, already crafting a plan. She set her wine glass down with deliberate care, the faint clink echoing in the quiet room. "Tatami, Snatch," she said, her voice sharp and commanding. 

The two snapped to attention. 

"Go..." she ordered, her tone honeyed yet cruel. "Introduce yourselves. Lure them out." her grin widened, baring her perfect teeth. 

As they turned to leave, she gestured to the bloodied corpse slumped against the far wall. "Oh, and clean that up before you go. This place may be a battleground but standards should be maintained." 

They obeyed without a word, dragging the body away as she watched with detached satisfaction. 

Miyu leaned back in her chair, one leg crossing elegantly over the other. Her fingers toyed with the edges of her ruby-red hair as she whispered to herself. "Let the games begin." 

____

Everything was bathed in a golden glow through the shopping center's glass dome. The sheer scale of this place was overwhelming. Multiple stories, with an array of shops, cafe's and an enormous aquarium at it's centerpiece stretching down to a lower level, 

The water inside shimmered, reflecting the sunlight and colourful fish that darted in between coral structures. A manta ray glided lazily near the glass, eliciting gasps from a group of children pressed against the barrier. 

Kendo's gaze softened as she spotted a young boy dragging his parents toward the aquarium, pointing excitedly at a cluster of jellyfish. "You'd think we weren't in a death game." she said, her voice tinged with wonder. 

I shrugged. "Maybe they're just trying to hold on to something normal." 

We stopped near the aquarium railing. The water's movement cast rippling patterns across the glossy floor, and a woman standing nearby caught our attention. She had a weary smile as she kept a watchful eye on her two kids. One was a toddler barely old enough to wobble, and the other was a little girl bouncing on her heels, her pigtails swaying as she squealed at the jellyfish. 

Kendo leaned over slightly, catching the woman's attention. "It's nice to see them happy." she said warmly. 

The woman gave a small, tired laugh. "They don't know any better. And I'd like to keep it that way. They'll have enough to worry about when they grow up." 

The kids were mutants, took after their mother, they had features that reminded me of a bear. Mutants still get discriminated against today, long after they have even been accepted as regular members of society. 

I studied the woman's expression. It was a balance of exhaustion and a quiet determination. 

"You're brave," Kendo said. "Not boarding yourself and them up, giving them this kind of experience." 

The woman shook her head. "It's not bravery, not really. If we hide, we'll just fall apart in fear. At least this way, the kids have memories worth keeping." 

Her tone carried an unshakeable sincerity, and even I found myself nodding in approval. Kendo however, wore a wistful smile. 

"Have you noticed anything unusual?" I asked, cutting to the reason I was searching for a crowd of people anyway. "Fights, disturbances, anything like that?" 

The woman shook her head, but before she could answer, a boy, no older than ten stepped forward. Another mutant kid, his greenish skin shimmered faintly under the sunlight, and his bat-like ears twitched with every sound. His wide eyes and toothy grin gave him a predator's appearance, but his curiosity made him seem harmless. 

"I heard fighting yesterday." he said confidently, stepping between the woman and Kendo. "It was over by the eastern plaza. There was also that little rumbling, like an earthquake." 

The woman looked as if she had just remembered and nodded along. 

Kendo crouched to his level, her smile warm. "An earthquake? Are you sure?" 

The boy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! It shook the ground, and then it got real quiet. And then we came here so I forgot about it." 

He grinned, his sharp teeth glinting in the light, before darting back to the mama bear. Kendo rose, her expression hinted at relief. 

"Guess we've got a lead," she said. 

"For now," I replied, my tone dry. We turned to leave but the woman's voice stopped us. 

"Good luck," she said, her gaze sincere. "And thank you." 

Kendo gave a small wave, and I simply nodded before we headed for the eastern plaza. 

***

The eastern plaza was not withing the shopping mall like I had believed. Instead it was another separate shopping mall that housed mainly the cinema and other relaxing recreational activities like that. Out journey there was quiet, 

And then suddenly interrupted. By a hero. One with a hulking frame and a shimmering presence. 

"Isn't that Snatch?" Kendo asked. Her tone was delight and confusion, the sand hero was quite well-known. He had a strong quirk and mainly focused on localized areas so he had a good reputation for helping them out. 

He looked a little weird in person, "Yeah, that does look like him." but something was off. His movements were stilted, there was no greeting, and his eyes, they were glassy and vacant. It was as if he wasn't there. 

Kendo took a hesitant step forward, but I grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Hold it." 

I had to pull her further back as Snatch raised his arm. His hand dissolved into a torrent of sand that surged toward us with incredible speed. Kendo barely dodged, the attack missing her by a few inches and leaving a deep gouge in the pavement. 

"Definitely not hero like of him." I muttered stepping in front of her. 

"What's wrong with him?" She asked. "Does he think we're villains?" 

"No, probably some form of manipulation he's under." I said while watching Snatch, he reformed so easily. "Someone's probably controlling him." 

Kendo's eyes widened and her voice lowered. "How do we stop it?" 

"Pretty sure the most common way is to hit him. Hit him hard enough to break the connection." 

Snatch moved before she could reply, his face dissolving into a swirling storm of sand that rushed towards us like a tidal wave. Kendo reacted first, her fists enlarging as she slammed them into the ground, creating a shockwave that scattered the sand momentarily. I followed up, creating a fan of paper that was as big as a four seater car. 

I waved my hand in motion and a gust of wind pushed the sand back along with the hero dissolving to move with it. 

"Let's keep him busy!" I shouted, leaping to the side as Snatch reformed. He swung his massive arm of sand toward Kendo, who ducked and retaliated with a powerful uppercut, her enlarged fist colliding with the heroes chest and sent him staggering back. 

The fight became relentless. Kendo's raw power kept Snatch and his mechanical moves on the defensive, while my paper constructs harassed from every angle. But it wasn't enough. Snatch's control over his quirk was too precise, his attacks too fluid. 

"We need to restrain him!" Kendo called out, dodging another strike. 

"Working on it!" I replied. My hands moved in a flurry as I folded my paper into a massive net. I launched it at Snatch, the reinforced fibers wrapped around the hero, pinning him to the ground. 

I noticed that he only dissolves into sand from his upper body, or at least from his upper body it is more instantaneous. His lower half stays the same, so even if he tries to dissolve and leave, his lower half would most likely drag him back. 

"Now!" I shouted. 

Kendo didn't hesitate. She charged forward, her fists growing to an enormous size as she delivered a devastating blow to Snatch's head. The force of the impact caused his sand wafting in the air to collapse around him. 

For a moment everything was still. Then the hero groaned, his eyes blinking as clarity returned between them. 

"What... happened?" he muttered, his voice hoarse. 

"You were being controlled." Kendo explained, her voice compassionate. 

Snatch sat up slowly, his grim expression palpable. "Controlled? Damn it!" 

I clapped my hands alerting them both to my presence again. "Kendo, the two hours are up," I told her. "Snatch can explain himself and what happened when we get back to Fat Gum and the rest of them."