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The human city of Northstar was at its peak activity for the day, the people of the town walking the streets between humble homes and places of business to do their errands or their jobs. The foot traffic was broken up by various wagons, transporting either goods or other people, or both. Every few meters in the crowds, an avian could be spotted, the bird-like humanoids attending to their own business away from their own hometown.
One of them was 18-year-old Fumikage Tokoyami, who stood out from the crowd with his sleek back wings. While not as feathered as other avians, he still had a head of plumage that matched his wings. The strangers that passed by him noticed these differences with passing glances and double takes, but he ignored them all as he had looked up to the skies. The clouds had been forebodingly dark for the past few days, but now the skies seemed more optimistic with the sun shining between the parting clouds.
That was too bad, but at least he wasn’t going to fly back home through rain.
Having finished his errands here in Northstar City, Tokoyami travelled further down the street, until he found somewhere spacious enough to spread his wings and take flight. The scabbard of his sword banged against his hip as he soared, and his clasp depicting the moon goddess’ crest gleamed on his cloak as it caught the sunlight.
With every beat of his wings, the city grew smaller beneath him, the chorus of footsteps, wagon wheels and idle gossip fading away to silence. The wind roared in his ears and tossed his feathers as he turned and set his sights on the forest that housed his home, the avian community of Raven’s Roost. It was deep within the forest—it was certainly easier for avians to travel there than it was for humans—but thinking ahead on his flight through the trees put his mind on alert. Tokoyami could recall all of the variations of the same sayings he had been hearing over the past couple of weeks, even right before he left home that morning.
“Don’t stay out too long,” the elders had warned.
“Flee at the first sign of danger,” the guard had cautioned.
“Come back home safe,” his parents had said before he left.
Fumikage Tokoyami kept those words in mind, just as he kept his hand on the hilt of his sword. His sleek black wings were spread in flight as he traversed the skies between Raven’s Roost, to the neighbouring city of Northstar and back. He was sent out to do a simple delivery, a trip he had made countless times between the two cities. But he couldn’t blame the tension that came with the warnings he had received.
For quite some time now, there had been rumours of strange creatures roaming through the woods, the trees that housed his hometown and bordered Northstar City. First people were hearing strange noises, and then people started going missing, and then bodies were being discovered. That prompted both communities into a high alert status as well as investigation, although nothing could be said of the source of the creatures’ origins. The fatal wounds left no clues as to what was harming people, and they seemed to disappear like ghosts in the night.
So the rumours about just what the monsters were came with their fair share of doubt, but that was not outweighed by the fear that lingered in the air the more word of these attacks came up. Most people were too afraid to travel alone anymore. It confused everyone, including Tokoyami. They were in times of peace right now. Why was this happening?
He had discussed it with his human friend, Izuku Midoriya, who lived in Northstar City. Despite his well-read intelligence, he had no clue either. But as aspiring heroes, they stayed optimistic, ready to defend other and fight for themselves if they ever found themselves against one of these mysterious killers.
“Maybe All Might will come back and help us too,” Midoriya said, stars in his eyes. “He just has to!”
He wasn’t the only one who felt that way, either. Heroes like All Might that had saved the world just two decades ago were being whispered of in words of prayer, people pleading for their valiant return. People also sought comfort in the older legends, the more prophetic heroes delivered by the gods in times of need.
Regardless of the dark times, Tokoyami didn’t let it stop him from living his life. Like many in Raven’s Roost, he had received combat training, and was deft with his sword as well as his flight. Maybe accepting company would have been a safer avenue, but he was confident in himself and his sword skills. And he wouldn’t fight a battle he knew he couldn’t win.
His wings took him into the forest, the lanky deciduous trees whizzing past him. The route was as familiar as always, but today Tokoyami kept a cautious eye out, a hand on the hilt of his sword. From what was being spread around, the monsters sounded exceptionally dangerous. His flying speed was pretty fast, but until he was safe back home he wasn’t going to let his guard down.
Mysterious perils… you will not claim me.
For some time, it was just Tokoyami and the beat of his wings breaking the silence of the forest. His grip on his sword relaxed, although his speed didn’t slow. In just a little while, he would be back at home without so much a scratch. But the silence of the forest began to unnerve him. There was no birdsong, or the chatter of small animals, or the chirping of insects. It was almost as though every living thing in the forest had vacated it.
It put him on edge, but before he could ponder it a moment longer, a loud cracking noise sounded in the distance. He gasped, startled, and instinctively halted, turning to the direction of the noise. It was followed by a series of quieter cracks and crashing noises, like something barreling through the trees.
Something large.
And then he saw the movement between the trees. Something flying—no, falling down, careening to the earth. He thought he saw wings. Even from so far away, Tokoyami thought he saw a person, but they disappeared from his sight so fast that he couldn’t be sure.
And then there was silence. One heartbeat in his ears. Two heartbeats. Three.
Nothing.
Tokoyami realized he had frozen completely, save for his wings keeping him suspended in the air. His grip was tight on his weapon, but he made neither a move to draw his sword or to retreat, the latter idea probably the smarter one. His instincts told him that those crashing noises only bore bad news, and yet the silhouette of a person continued to flash behind his eyes, his brain trying to process what he saw.
Was that the monster? Or had someone been attacked?
Tokoyami couldn’t ignore the second possibility. He trained in the way of the sword so that he could protect others, and the worrying rumours only reinforced his will. If he let someone die while he fled, what good would that make him?
Without thinking, he flew forward. The trees were dense, and he weaved slowly between the branches and the leaves. Stealth was more imperative than ever. While the canopy of the forest was pretty thick, he could see where the sun broke though it up ahead. He placed his free hand over his clasp and whispered a quick prayer to the moon goddess.
Please don’t let this be my undoing.
Once he was close enough, Tokoyami gently lowered himself onto one of the larger branches amidst the last wall of trees, and looked down.
There, in the center of the clearing, the sunlight shone down over someone lying crumpled on the ground. At first, Tokoyami thought they were an avian, the body obscured by layers of feathers. But upon dropping to the ground, and with every trepid step he took closer, the truth continued to appall him. This person—this man—had not one pair of wings, but three, every feather a beautiful ivory. But beneath the wings he could see flesh with a closed fist extended out from under him. Nearing closer, he could see a head of white hair, and a face mostly obscured by a mask, save for his eyes.
About a foot away from him now, Tokoyami wasn’t sure what to do next. Who was this person? Was he a threat? With everything going on, that thought couldn’t help but cross his mind, but the longer Tokoyami observed, his instincts told him otherwise. The circumstances were a little strange, but in the moment the man appeared to just be sleeping. He looked up through the trees, and saw a series of busted branches. The trail through which the stranger must have fallen.
Maybe he’s just a traveller who had an accident… Tokoyami couldn’t tell if he was armed. Gently slipping his fingers under one of the wings, he lifted it to see, only to jump back with a gasp. Afraid his eyes were deceiving him, Tokoyami approached and checked again, but he saw what he did before. The mysterious man did not just have six wings, but six arms, almost as if to match. He had a very muscular build, and his arms were connected with a web of flesh. Upon closer inspection, he could see scars, faded and newer, running scattered from his knuckles up to his elbows. The clothes he wore were tattered; his scarf was ragged, his long vest was frayed at the edges and kept together by a simple rope belt, and his trousers were stained and dirty. A man with so much wear clearly had many stories to tell.
Thinking about stories, Tokoyami could recall a legend, passed down through the generations of avians. In every era, in times of dire need, the gods blessed a hero with six wings and divine power to save the world from evil. While it wasn’t that Tokoyami never believed those stories, he found it hard to believe that a divine hero could being lying in front of him, completely helpless. And during times of tension, no less?
It must just be a coincidence, and yet… well, there’s only one way to find out.
Tokoyami tentatively reached out and nudged the man’s shoulder.
“Hello?” He called quietly, shaking him gently. “Can you hear me? Are you awake?”
He watched his face carefully for any sign of life, and after a moment, he heard a groan from the man. An unexpected relief washed over Tokoyami to see him responsive.
“Are you alright?” Tokoyami pressed. “Are you hurt?”
He was just wondering how he’d be able to help—if he could help—when a guttural growling sounded behind him. The ground began to shake more and more with the approach of heavy footsteps. Tokoyami’s blade was out in an instant as he whirled to face the source of the noise, and the sight that he was met with struck fear right through him.
Parting through the gentle greens and the towering trees was a beast of make unlike anything Tokoyami had ever seen or heard of. The creature was easily twice his size, larger and more muscular than the average human, clad in only a modest pair of torn pants. Its face, however, had no trace of any mortal resemblance, with bulging eyes set in its exposed brain, and an unnaturally wide, long mouth. It continued to growl, the menacing sound sending chills down Tokoyami’s spine.
It was in his instinct to fly away. Everyone in the village had been warned to flee if a monster showed up. But the man lying at his heels behind him still hadn’t moved, and Tokoyami wasn’t going to just leave him.
But I can’t just carry him either…! Tokoyami thought, panic rising in his chest as the monster loomed forward, its bulging eyes trained on him. Its freakish mouth twisted into a crazed smile, and its growling shuddered as if it was going to laugh.
Tokoyami readied his battle stance, his sword pointed forward. He had his combat training, and this monster only had its arms and teeth to strike with. If he kept a level head, he should be able to beat this thing, or at least outsmart it long enough before the stranger was able to move. Glancing down behind him, Tokoyami saw him stirring, and then he focused back on the foe in front of him.
All I have to do is hold on.
The beast crouched, ready to lunge. Tokoyami leapt to the side, his wings flapping to give him an upwards boost in an attempt to draw the creature away from the stranger. It snarled as it lunged at speeds far faster than its size would suggest; milliseconds passed like molasses as Tokoyami felt the scrape of its fingers against his boot, and he yanked his leg out of the way with just a hair’s breadth to spare from the monster’s grasp.
That was close!! With hasty retaliation, Tokoyami slashed downwards, aiming for its exposed head, but it ducked its head just in time. It didn’t appear to be of great intelligence at first glance, but Tokoyami was quickly learning that it had dangerously high battle instincts. Maybe he was in over his head even without trying to actively fell the beast.
He stayed on his toes, keeping the monster focused on him as he darted from side to side. He heard another groan from the fallen person, and saw the shifting of his shoulders, but that was all Tokoyami could catch for the moment as the monster charged again. It swung its arms, punching rapidly and relentlessly. Tokoyami’s breath escaped him in quick gasps as he ducked and swerved away. When its side was opened up, Tokoyami lunged forward, running his sword along the creature’s ribs. It side-stepped away from him, but the blade still tore flesh, and it led out an ungodly screech of pain.
Before he could follow-up, the monster’s fist latched onto Tokoyami’s arm, almost breaking it in its grip. He had no time to react as he was yanked up, spun around and thrown at the nearest tree. His back hit the bark, a yelp of pain escaping as the wind was knocked out of him, and he fell to the ground completely dazed. He sucked in a breath, blinking away the stars that danced in his vision.
Get up. Get up. He commanded himself as he coughed, using his sword as a crutch, wings flapping with some effort to push himself up. He gritted his teeth as he shook his head to gather himself.
The ground shook as the monster ran at him, the horrifying howling filling Tokoyami’s ears. It charged at him headfirst; with a push from his wings, Tokoyami rolled out of the way, and there was a sickening crunch as it plunged itself into the trunk of the tree that he had stood in front of just moments before.
Heaving, Tokoyami watched as it struggled to pry itself free of the splintered bark, screeching with frustration and kicking up dirt behind it. Now was his chance. He wasn’t going to catch it this vulnerable again.
And then another horrible screeching came from within the trees. Tokoyami hesitated, turning to the source, as a second, similar creature burst into view. But this one had large, membranous wings, and it was flying straight towards him.
In a split second, Tokoyami was skidding across the dirt, leaving a trench in the ground with his back and his wings, as the second foe pinned him down. He couldn’t remember lifting his sword, but he had raised it in defense, the blade the only thing stopping the beast from biting his face off. It’s eerily human teeth bit down on the metal ferociously, its bloodlust not slowing even as its mouth started tearing on the edge. It pushed its face down against it, the flat of the blade against Tokoyami’s hand drawing his blood as well.
Tokoyami grit his teeth, enduring the piercing of his skin and the crushing pain forced on him by the monster’s two giant hands. Already small in build, it was all Tokoyami could do to keep the sword up when the monster was probably going to break his bones in its grip. His mind scrambled with panic, trying to think of something, anything he could do to escape.
But what could he do? There was no punching or kicking or flying his way out of this. His wings beat subconsciously, desperately, against the ground, but all it succeeded in doing was tossing up dust. The monster’s hands closed around his neck. The only hope he had was with his sword.
The monster bit down, snapping the blade in two.
Tokoyami gasped, and it came out strangled. There was no mercy in this monster’s eyes as his throat was forced closed. Dropping the broken weapon, he scrabbled frantically against its arms, but his fingernails did no harm to it. As his vision blurred, he only felt fear and regret, and could only think of his family back home.
And then the deadly weight… was lifted.
Tokoyami gasped for air, for life, coiling up on the ground as it shook beneath him. Before his vision cleared, he felt himself being lifted up and feared for his life again.
“Are you alright?” The hands were not hostile, instead supporting him as he found his footing to stand. Tokoyami blinked rapidly, and the masked face of the six-winged stranger was all he saw. He looked down rather drunkenly to see that he was being grabbed by not just two but four of his hands. One of the other two was still clenched into a fist behind him.
“What…?”
A loud snarling from behind them caught both their attention, as the winged monster picked itself up off the ground, wings giving a forceful flap. The other one had freed its head from the impromptu knothole it had made, wood splinters falling off its head. The sunlight illuminated their sinister features as they crossed the clearing, the bloodlust in their eyes, the hungry gleam of their teeth. They snarled with renewed animosity, approaching Tokoyami and the stranger slowly, cornering their prey.
It was two versus two now. Or maybe two versus one, as the stranger spread his grand arms and his equally grand white wings, completely blocking their foes from view of Tokoyami.
“Go,” the stranger said, so quiet and fast that Tokoyami almost missed it. “I’ll hold them off. Leave while you still can.”
Yeah right. As if there was any way that was happening after Tokoyami almost died for this guy. “I’m not going to leave you behind with them!”
“You should have fled in the first place,” the stranger said firmly.
Tokoyami’s jaw dropped at that. “You could have been killed!”
The stranger glanced over his shoulder back at Tokoyami, then seemed to do a double-take. He gaze scrutinized him, or rather, what was on his person. The smaller avian followed his sight down to the crest of the moon goddess still clasped to his cloak.
“That’s…” He didn’t finish. He reached backwards between two of his wings and opened his hand. “Take this.”
Tokoyami looked down. In his palm was a silver ring, the crest of the moon goddess glowing inside the obsidian gem embedded into it. “What…?”
The monsters loomed closer. The six-winged man shook his hand, insisting.
“Hurry. It may be our last chance.”
Not fully understanding what he was about to do, Tokoyami heeded his word and grabbed the ring. His left hand winced from the pain of his cuts, so he put the ring on his right middle finger. For an agonizing second, nothing happened, and Tokoyami wondered how exactly this ring was supposed to help him.
And then the crest inside the gem glowed a bright purple. And then the whole ring began to glow. Tokoyami felt immense power coming from within it, but didn’t expect spectral chains to come shooting out of it. Alarmed, he gasped as the chains coiled up his hand, wrist, then forearm, binding his limb to the item, the power coursing through his body.
The winged monster flew to them, but Shouji raised his fists, catching the monster by its own fists and arms and holding it at bay. The other followed suit, feet pounding the dirt as it charged.
Tokoyami’s entire body trembled, his black wings outstretched behind him. He clutched at his wrist desperately, the power flowing through him so intense and immense that he feared it would cause him to burst. He almost felt as though it was lifting him off the ground, only to feel air beneath the soles of his boots.
A great power awaits you, Fumikage Tokoyami, a voice sounded in his head, clear between the magical intensity clouding his mind. Will you accept?
The flightless monster rammed into the stranger’s side, grabbing him around the waist. A panicked grunt escaped his throat as the monsters quickly overwhelmed him.
“Yes, please!!” Tokoyami screamed. “I accept!!”
And then darkness burst out of the ring. A new voice rang out, roaring in his mind and all around him, shaking the surrounding forest. The power continued to intensify to such extremes that Tokoyami’s eyes squeezed shut, watering. His emotions went rabid in his chest, as if something was tearing them all up until they were raw and exposed.
Tokoyami had no idea what was happening to him, what power he had been given, but all he could think was, I’m begging you, save him, please!!
That was all he wanted, for neither of them to die in vain against these abominations. But he didn’t understand what was taking over him. The inkling of fear that bled from that amplified tenfold in his chest, and it was all he could do to even form a coherent thought. He could barely hear the roars of the monsters and the tearing of flesh over his own screams, his nails piercing his sleeve between the chains of the ring.
And then a strong hand grabbed his, closing over it. It held fast, determined… comforting. A gesture that said we’re in this together.
Still afraid for his life, Tokoyami anchored himself to it, the only lifeline stopping him from losing himself completely.
The chirping of birds glided to Tokoyami’s ears, harmonizing with the gentle rustle of the wind through the branches. It was all so familiar to Tokoyami, the sounds he had been waking up to his whole life. But the exhaustion that weighed down his bones was not part of that. He groaned, trying to move.
“Are you awake?”
Tokoyami jumped, eyes wide open. The masked face watched him carefully, inches away from his own, his white hair haloed by the sunlight above them. He was holding Tokoyami, a hand cradling the back of his neck, an arm around his waist. The strong arms that had kept the monsters at bay were now holding him gently, safely.
The monsters.
Tokoyami lurched forward to stand, only for the throbbing of his head to sap his energy. With another groan, he fell back into the stranger’s arms again.
“Careful,” the man above him whispered. “You must have lost a lot of energy after what happened.”
After what happened? What had even happened to begin with? Tokoyami grabbed his head, only to feel cool metal pressed between his skin and his plumage. He drew his hand back, and the sight of the ring—still chained to his arm—was a quick reminder to what had happened.
He lifted his other arm, letting out a small ‘ah’ when his palm twitched with pain. He looked down at it too; a piece of fabric had been tied around his palm to stop the bleeding cut.
“Sorry, it’s poor work.” Tokoyami looked over as the stranger held up the hem of his vest, now featuring an even larger tear. “But I don’t have any bandages.”
The injury reminded him that his sword was now in pieces, and the rest of the battle came back to him, little by little. Tokoyami slowly took in the clearing around them. A lot of the trees had been carved through and toppled over. And the bodies of the monsters lay, to his horror, in portions. They were already huge and fearsome creatures, but at first glance it appeared as though something even bigger and more terrifying had made mincemeat out of them.
Tokoyami swallowed thickly. He forced his voice out. “What… what happened?” He looked down at the ring in awe, in fear. “What did I do?”
“It was the shadow being,” the other man said. “From the ring.”
“The… shadow being?”
The stranger paused for a moment, deep in thought. His legs shifted underneath them as he moved to stand up without letting go of the smaller avian.
“Here… can you stand?”
Tokoyami was going to try. The six-winged man slowly straightened up until he was standing, and then tipped him down until his soles met dirt. Still quite weak and shaken, Tokoyami grabbed him by the bicep for support. He was let go of, arm by arm, until it was just Tokoyami holding onto him.
“Thank you,” he said quietly, waiting a bit longer for his strength to return, wings inching open for balance, until he let go as well, standing apart from him. Now that they were both on their feet with no threat of imminent danger around them, Tokoyami got a more proper look at his unexpected battle partner.
Heavens. He was huge. He had to be a whole foot taller than Tokoyami, and twice as wide before even taking the wings into account. Behind his flop of white hair were piercing graphite eyes. He was at peak athletic build with his broad shoulders, muscular chest and beautiful arms. Suffice to say, the entirety of his wondrous appearance could be summed up in one word.
Nice.
“Hello?”
Uh oh. He had said something while Tokoyami was ogling him. The smaller boy snapped out of it. “I’m sorry. Pardon?”
“I said my name is Shouji Mezou,” he repeated. “What’s your name?”
His name. What was his name again? His mind tripped over itself before he introduced himself. “I-I am Tokoyami Fumikage of Raven’s Roost.” He placed a hand over his chest and bowed. Shouji reciprocated the gesture. Now that names were out of the way, questions upon questions flooded into Tokoyami’s mind. He realized he barely knew anything about… anything.
“Shouji… what is all this? What were they?” He gestured at the scattered remains of the monsters staining the ground. “Are they the things that have been killing everyone? And what’s with the ring?” He held up his hand, brandishing the item. “What did it do to them? What did it do to me? Where did you even--?!”
“Tokoyami.” Shouji reached out, grabbing his shoulder. An action meant to calm. His voice was steady as he said, “I can answer all of your questions, but let me do it one at a time, alright?”
Sheepishly closing his beak, Tokoyami nodded. Shouji let go, and began clearing up the battle’s many mysteries.
He pointed to their fallen enemies. “Those are beings called Nomus. Abominations made with dark magic for the sole intent of causing chaos and killing. They’re…” He trailed off, and his next words carried weight. “They’re assembled from multiple victims and creatures, all to give them a powerful assortment of strengths and abilities.”
Tokoyami gaped at the Nomus’ remains in horror, blood turning to ice in his veins after hearing that. As if they weren’t horrific enough as it was.
“They were chasing me,” Shouji continued, “because I stole that.” He pointed down at the ring.
The smaller boy’s jaw dropped. “You stole it?” Tokoyami repeated in disbelief. “From whom…?”
“…what I say next may be hard to take in, but do you know of the wizard All for One?”
“…yes,” Tokoyami replied warily. “He wreaked havoc on the world long ago, almost destroying it. Some say he is a thousand years old. Other claim immortality. But the legendary hero All Might put a stop to him for good two decades ago.” It was just before Tokoyami was born. His parents often spoke about what dark times those were, until All Might’s strength pulled the world from darkness. Tales of him are one of the reasons that Tokoyami wanted to become a hero to protect others himself. But after All for One was defeated, All Might mysteriously faded into obscurity too.
But the fact that Shouji was bringing up long-dead villains was foreboding, and Tokoyami was right to feel that way when the six-winged man shook his head. “All for One was never killed. He has merely been dormant all this time, but recently he has been rising to power again. Gathering new allies… and creating havoc.” Another look to the dead Nomus. “My own friends and I, as well as some former heroes, have been working to try and stop him again before it’s too late. We got our hands on a few magical artifacts… including that.”
The implications of that blew Tokoyami’s mind. He didn’t know who Shouji’s friends were, but the notion of stealing precious artifacts from a wizard so powerful he hadn’t died in the last hundred—or was it thousand?—years was… unfathomable.
But apparently it wasn’t that simple. “We were found out before we could escape, and then separated. I’m still not sure how… but in a split second, I was being chased by three Nomus.”
“Three?”
Shouji nodded. “I managed to fend one off myself… killing it, actually." He didn't sound like he enjoyed it. "But it was a mid-air struggle, and I lost control of my flight. I must have hit my head, because I woke up, and you were…”
“…fighting the Nomus.” Dying, actually. He became acutely aware of the stinging pain in his hand. “And then you gave me this ring, and…”
Tokoyami shuddered; just the thought of the severe intensity of his emotions, of the power he wielded, almost made him feel ill. He still couldn’t believe he didn’t lose his mind in the midst of it all.
“I was told that the ring had great power, but I had no idea about what it was really capable of,” Shouji said quietly, almost mournfully. “It was… some kind of shadowy being overtook you and just went rampant. The Nomus didn’t stand a chance, and I… the sunlight seemed to dwindle its strength, and it went back into the ring.” They both looked up between the leafy canopies of the forest to the sky that was now dimming with twilight before looking back to each other. “I think I got lucky.”
Tokoyami’s hands clenched with regret. He had accepted the ring’s power to protect Shouji, but had no idea he came so close to doing the opposite of that. “I’m sorry. I had no idea I had endangered you.”
Shouji shook his head, his bangs tossing as he did. “I’m the one who should apologize. I got you involved in this, and you suffered because of it.”
Tokoyami remembered the hand that held his through the peak of his agony, before he had lost consciousness. The hand that was determined not to let go. That must have been Shouji, and he risked his life to stay by Tokoyami’s side.
“You should have fled,” Tokoyami said, a funny sense of déjà vu coming out with the words.
Shouji must have felt it too, because there was a smile in his voice as he replied, “I wasn’t going to leave you behind.”
In a moment of shared levity, they both laughed, Tokoyami feeling lighter than he had since before venturing back home from the city. Thinking of home again, Tokoyami sobered at the thought of his parents. He was surely expected home long ago; they must be worried sick for him. And yet, he couldn’t just part ways with Shouji. Not after everything he’s learned, everything that’s happened. That was going to stick with him as surely as the ring bound to his hand.
“Where… what are you going to do now?” Tokoyami asked. “Where are you going to go?”
Shouji shook his head. “I don’t know… I don’t even know where I am right now. I suppose I’ll have to find my friends again.”
Tokoyami was saddened by the notion of Shouji leaving, so soon after meeting him. But the light dimming between the trees gave him an idea. “Why don’t you come with me back to my home tonight? I don’t know how far you have to travel, but it’s going to be dark soon. You could rest, and leave tomorrow. It’ll be safer too.”
Maybe it was selfish to suggest such a thing. Despite just meeting, Tokoyami felt so drawn to this man, his mission, what he was fighting for. And he was still clouded with so much mystery. As many questions as he had about Shouji’s appearance—the mask, the six arms and six wings—he couldn’t bring himself to ask about those things. But Tokoyami still wanted to learn all about him. He was even starting to consider travelling with Shouji and joining the fight against All for One. Sure, he hadn’t been able to control his new power, but he could surely learn, couldn’t he? If it was the moon goddess’ blessing, it had to have been given to him for a reason.
But Shouji hesitated at his suggestion. “I… don’t know if that’s a good idea…”
“Why not?” Tokoyami asked. Sure, Shouji was a stranger, but the people of his village wouldn’t be so cruel as to turn him away. Especially once they heard what Shouji had to share. Heck, he might even be welcomed as a hero, like the six-winged saviour in the legends.
Tokoyami beheld him again, his divine resemblance. He wasn’t… shy because of that, was he? And yet, the six-winged man wasn’t able to meet his eyes.
“I tend to attract attention wherever I go,” Shouji replied, “as well as danger most of the time, as you can see. I don’t… want to endanger your home.”
“…I will not force you to come back with me,” Tokoyami said, “but my home has already been endangered for some time now. Your presence would actually help us greatly. I’d be grateful for you to share your story, and impart on what you know about the Nomus so we can start to do something too.”
Shouji still seemed reluctant. Tokoyami was starting to sense that maybe his reasons ran deeper than that, but maybe he was imagining that too.
“I… suppose it couldn’t hurt, for one night,” Shouji said. His gaze drew back up, meeting Tokoyami’s eyes as he added softly, “besides, I’d like to see your home. I’d like to learn… more about you.”
As if winged itself, Tokoyami’s heart soared at that, giddy that Shouji felt the same way. He kept his cool composure, but couldn’t help the smile on his beak. He had a feeling that his life was going to change in ways that he never would have dreamed of.
“I promise to be a good host,” Tokoyami said. “Now, shall we be off?”
Shouji nodded. They stepped apart, and then side-by-side, they ran a few steps before leaping up, and with a beat of their magnificent wings, they took flight.