Fractured Wings

"The eve approaches, clothed in gilded light, a night of remembrance, of honor, of triumph. The faithful gather, lifting voices to the heavens, hands clasped in prayer, in gratitude, in hope. They call upon the righteous, upon the sentinels, upon the mighty to stand unwavering against the tide. But the heavens are silent.

For in the quiet, something stirs. A prophecy unspoken, a fate unwritten—threads of destiny fray, not by the hands of gods, but by the will of men. A seer watches, his vision clouded by an ending he cannot rewrite. A titan stands, bearing the weight of a world that no longer belongs to him. In the void, a specter breathes life into a dream long denied, calling forth disciples not of faith, but of ruin. And from the shadows, a storm gathers—not to cleanse, but to consume.Tonight, the world bears witness to a revelation not of salvation, but of reckoning. The lanterns will burn, the people will sing, and the heroes will rise. But when the dawn breaks, they shall find their wings fractured, their altars desecrated, their prayers left unanswered.For the victors write the scriptures of tomorrow. And tomorrow… does not belong to the just."

________________

The office smelled of old leather and burnt tobacco. The walls were a deep shade of mahogany, adorned with relics of ideology—framed documents with bold declarations, old photographs of men who had long since turned to dust. A massive desk of polished black wood loomed at the center, it's surface pristine save for a single glass of amber liquor resting near the man seated behind it. 

Destro—Rikiya Yotsubashi—sat in the high-backed chair like a monarch upon his throne. He was a man who carried himself with the weight of generations, shoulders squared, hands folded together in a display of patient calculation. His tailored suit, a deep navy blue, contrasted against the sharp white of his gloves. 

His face was so calm yet his eyes flickered with curiosity. The only thing breaking the stillness was the distant hum of the city, lights sprawling endlessly beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. 

He finally spoke. "Tell me, how do you know Daiki Tenma?" 

The words rolled out smoothly, yet there was an edge to them, like a knife concealed between silk. The question had weight—it wasn't idle curiosity. 

I didn't flinch. I had already prepared a lie the moment I stepped into this office. I let out a breath and leaned back slightly in the leather chair across from him, feigning ease. "Daiki?" I exhaled, shaking my head with a half-hearted chuckle. "We weren't exactly close. Met him a few years back when I was in Okinawa. He wasn't a friend—just some guy who liked to push me around for kicks." 

A lie. A comfortable lie, seamless lie. One I had no intention of correcting. The truth was something that belonged to me and me alone. 

Destro's gaze lingered on me, measuring, weighing, my answer. He tapped a single finger against his glass, a rhythmic sound against the crystal. "Interesting."

His eyes flickered with something unreadable, but he didn't press further. Instead, he nodded, as if tucking my words away for later examination. 

"Do you know his quirk?" he asked me next. 

This, I didn't hesitate to answer. "Yeah. It's called Thunder." 

Destro raised a brow, his curiosity was piqued. I continued, letting my words shape the image of Daiki's power. 

"His quirk lets him control momentum." I shifted in my seat, my voice steady. "But it's not just speed, it's force, inertia, weight distribution. He can take a step forward and, if he wants, make it so that he moves three steps instead of one. He can redirect kinetic energy mid-motion, making it so that a fall turns into a slide, a punch becomes a strike ten times stronger." 

"He could be standing still, and then, in an instant, launch himself across a room like a bullet. But it goes further than that. If he touches something, he can shift it's momentum too. A falling object can suddenly stop mid-air. If he really wanted, he could take all the force in his own body and transfer it into something else, like a pebble thrown with the force of a bomb." 

Destro leaned forward slightly, intrigued. "A versatile quirk," he mused. "Momentum itself is an invisible force, an inevitability. To wield it, to dictate it... it changes the nature of any fight he is in." 

I nodded, watching him absorb the information. His fingers tapped against the desk, a thoughtful rhythm. I knew he was already envisioning the possibilities, already measuring the worth of such a quirk. 

A small, satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Thank you for the information," he said, his tone even. "It's always fascinating to learn of quirks that shape the world in ways most wouldn't consider." 

I gave him a small nod, offering nothing more. Destro reclined in his chair, swirling the liquor in his glass. The clinked softly against the sides, the only sound in the room for a long moment. Then his gaze settled back on me, sharper now, more deliberate. 

"Before we continue," he began, voice measured, "I want to ask you something. Proxy is dead. Your deal with us was contingent on his capture or his death. Now that it's over, do you intend to keep working with the Meta Liberation Army?" 

I didn't react outwardly, but the weight of his question settled in my chest. The way he phrased it—like I had a choice. I doubted Destro would simply let me walk out the door because I decided I was done. That wasn't how men like him operated. In some regards he was quite a lot like Overhaul. 

Internally, my thoughts shifted to Hawks, he had jumped on to the hero scene seemingly out of nowhere and was one of if not the youngest to be in the top ten at his age. Most people, me included, have come to the conclusion that he had received some special training from the hero commission, this was only confirmed by Nagant when I asked her. 

I had already passed information along about my current position, about the things I had uncovered. The League of Villains and the MLA were planning an attack on Hero's Eve. With that already sent I predict that within two days they will try reaching out to me, I just needed to be in a position where they could find me. 

But beyond that, I thought of something else. 

Overhaul's group had been a test run. A group rooted in control and order, fractured from the inside by me, because I seen it's weakness behind the evil veil. The MLA, though they were different. Much larger. More deeply embedded. Taking them down would be harder if I wanted a slow approach, but I could always just stomp the head. 

With Re-Destro dying that would lead all the legs of the spider scurrying around not knowing what to do. But if I did that, then I would have to go for many of the leaders too, there are many capable to keep the organization steady. 

I met Destro's gaze, my expression neutral. "You still haven't given me a reason to stay," I said, watching Destro's expression carefully. "Proxy is dead. My part in all of this was supposed to end there." 

Destro tilted his head, studying me. "And yet, you haven't walked away when you certainly could have." 

"Maybe I just wanted to hear an offer." I replied. 

A chuckle rumbled from his throat. "Kobe, you're not the type to sit around waiting for an offer unless you've already made your decision." He swirled the glass in his hand, the amber liquid catching the light. "You want to see this through." 

I let the silence stretch before giving a small shrug. "Maybe. But that still doesn't mean I'm convinced." 

Destro exhaled through his nose, as if amused by the exchange. "Fine. Let me be clear, then. The MLA is bigger than any one person. If you stay, you won't be playing the role of an errand boy. You'll be leading. Making choices that shape the future . Does that sound like something you want?" 

I studied him for a moment. I wasn't foolish enough to believe he'd just let me walk away. And truth be told, I didn't want to—not yet. But being in the middle of such big plans to come would probably work in my favour. 

"Alright," I said, "I'll stay." 

Destro's smile widened, pleased. "Then lets deepen this conversation." 

He set his glass down and straightened, his tone shifting into something more official. "From this point forward, you're not just an associate—you're a leader within the MLA's structure. You're rank places you closer to our most trusted members. You'll have more autonomy, missions that you'll execute alone. And, most importantly, you'll be working closely with the League." 

I didn't expect that. Ranking up, was a nice surprise, I didn't think it would go that high but I was fine with that. But working closely with the League, I didn't know how I felt about that, I didn't really want the chance to be so close to Daiki anymore. 

And unlike the people of the MLA, the League are actual villains. I would describe many members of the MLA as somewhat in the gray area when it came to crimes and acts of goodness. The League didn't seem to have any of that. 

"I'll be working with the League?" 

"That surprises you?" Destro's smirk didn't fade. "You should've seen it coming. You have a mind for strategy where many of them do not, for dismantling organizations from within. You did it with Overhaul. You have great worth." 

I processed that. And I was figuring out what he was saying. Now that I really have no reason to stick with the MLA, he thinks that what I had done with the eight precepts is what I'll do with the MLA, that was the plan but I kind of believed he was just someone an ego driven leader like Overhaul and many more people in power. 

So him placing me closer to the League has more than one purpose from what I can tell. The League, or more specifically, All For One came to him, not the other way round. And he wants me closer to the League so that when the whole collaboration is over I can start to dismantle the League like I had done Overhaul's crew. 

And if I were to fail, they would kill me or deal with me in their own way while he would wipe his hands of me without ever touching the MLA in a negative way. 

'This bastard is much smarter than Overhaul.' 

"So what exactly are these future plans?" I asked. 

Destro leaned forward slightly. "We are attacking Hero's Eve. An attack that will shake society to it's core. A rift that will allow us to take the forefront." He gestured subtly. "With the Ministry of Justice's head dead, Koku Hanabata, one of our own, is in position, we have the opportunity to claim our place in this world. To take more power." 

I nodded slowly, keeping my thoughts guarded. This was a big power move, something that would then lead to a complete restructuring of society. He has incredibly big plans. He's happily putting me in the middle of two organizations, something Overhaul wouldn't be willing to do. 

More specifically, he wants to keep me at an arms far but close enough to pull back when necessary. 

I should be alarmed, maybe feel stressed out for what's to come. But bubbling inside me is a strange feeling of excitement. 

***

The hospital room was sterile. Quiet murmurs of hospital staff was just beyond the door, all of them were hired privately by the principal of UA, Nezu as well as the hero Recovery Girl. All Might was seated against a propped pillow, his gaunt frame barely filling out the hospital gown draped over him. His breathing was steady, but the weight in his eyes betrayed the battle within his soul. 

Before him stood a cluster of UA faculty—Aizawa, Recovery Girl, and Nezu—Detective Tsukauchi was also there. Their faces, some masked in exhaustion, others in muted sorrow, only added to the suffocating atmosphere. No one spoke immediately, as if dreading the moment he would ask the question that hung in the air. 

"Bakugou..." The name escaped in a whisper, barely holding onto the strength it had carried. 

Aizawa's expression darkened. "The League has him. They were able to create clones to distract most of us heroes on the scene and the only ones near were Vlad King." 

All Might clenched his fists, the remnants of his former strength barely registering in his weakened body. He shut his eyes, a tremor running through him. "I wasn't there. I should have been there. I failed him. I failed all of them." 

Memories of the plane falling on UA flashed through his mind, he was struck thinking of the League using that time of misery to sneak in and take one of his students. While he was out struggling against a villain that still shook his soul with terror a student was taken and now he can't even imagine what is happening to him. 

"Blame will not change the past, All Might. Besides you were one of the only heroes capable of fighting Proxy, and look how damaged you came back to us." Nezu stepped up and told him. 

All Might shook his head, his mind refusing to latch on to logic. "And Midoriya? How is he?" His eyes searched the room, he doesn't want to admit it but he certainly has a bias, but how could he not, the boy not only holds his power, but he has been guiding him since he was on the cusp of his teens. 

Recovery Girl sighed, her aged but kind face betraying her concern. "He was hurt, but when we were all transported to the game all his injuries started to disappear, like we were all given a reset. He's alright now." 

All Might exhaled heavily, a fragile relief settling in his chest. "At least he's safe." 

The relief was short-lived. He remembered the news, students from UA had died. None from the hero course, two from the business course and one each from the support course and the general education course. The school had shut down and there were complaints. 

There were calls for the school to be shut down permanently since it seems to be the target of major villain attacks. There wasn't a lack of reasoning. 

Many of the top ten heroes came from that school, organized crime just hadn't ever thought to nip the progress of heroes so early on like that back then. Add on the fact that a lot of these villains have a strong hate for All Might, not even a third of the villains he has locked up in countless prisons like Tartarus and more have been reclaimed. 

And he only has so much time left. 

His fingers tightened around the hospital blanket as the news settled in, pressing against his chest like an iron weight. He felt as though the olden days where a heavy darkness loomed over all was coming back, not slowly either, with a big bang. 

After all that work he put in. All Might. The number 1 hero. The symbol of piece. 

He wanted to be a hero so that he can bring peace, to stop the dark ages. And he did that, he succeeded in his goal and was just about to end his career with a successor he has so much faith in. And now, just at the end of his career everything is falling back to how it started. 

'No!' 

He won't allow it. He will do all he can to make sure that does not happen, even if he can no longer see the future he envisions Midoriya having. 

He is still the Symbol of Peace. And there is much work to be done. 

Starting with finding Bakugou.