Chapter Text
Captain Eijirou Kirishima, in a letter to his sister,
November 9th, 1793
We were stuck, frozen in place, just north of the Arctic Circle. Our ship unable to sail from how thick the ice surrounding us was. I ordered my men to stop hacking at it with their axes, as it had done no good. It was pointless to tire them needlessly. We could only hope that the ice would break soon so we would be able to continue sailing.
It was then, as my crew rested solemnly above deck, that a figure emerged from the white nothingness of the still landscape. A man, trembling, exhausted, and alone. A slay drawn by a single dog before him. The dog's corpse laid motionless by his feet. My men and I called to him. The man ignored their pleas.
"Climb aboard," I'd said, "You'll freeze out here." He must have recognized I held authority on this ship, as he addressed me and me alone.
"Where is this boat headed?"
"The North Pole."
"Then I will join you."
It was strange. A lone man so far from civilization. How did he get there? And why? I could never have imagined the answer. And for as long as I live, I shall never forget.
I led him to my quarters. His shaking had not gone down, even with being in a warmer environment. It was then that I realized he was sick. Pneumonia, most likely. Now, looking back, I know that he would never have spoken to us if he had not been at deaths door. He would not have put us in that kind of danger.
I laid him down on my bed as a coughing fit hit him. He would die mere days later.
“Why are you here? Who are you?” I asked.
“My name,” he said with a pause to catch his breath, “is Izuku Midoriya. And my story is long and horrible.”
He looked me in the eyes, then. His were cold, full of sorrow and hatred. What toward, I could not have known. He asked me why my crew and I were going to the North Pole. What could we possibly be doing so far north that there was nothing on the horizon but white and blue. I thought it was a good question for me to be asking him, and told him as much. Still, I answered.
”I have recruited the manliest team to sail with me to find the hidden forest that lay undiscovered at the Poles. I believe that magnetism is what controls the world. If I could only learn how it works, I would be crossing into the territory of god. Generations from now children with hear our story and it will inspire them to do great things.”
"Gods territory is best left to God." Midoriya sounded so sure. What could he possibly know? Was he like Icarus?
"What is science but understanding and applying God's rules?"
“And if you fail?”
“That won’t happen,” I said, unhappy at the insinuation.
“Your men look tired.” Midoriya’s eyes were unfocused. It was as if he was reliving a part of his own live.
“Who will remember your names if you die here?”
“Who will remember us if we turn back now? A manly life is one lived without regrets.” Who was this man to belittle my dream when I was so close to reaching it? He knows nothing of what I’m doing and therefore had no right to speak to me as if he understood. At least, that is what I thought at the time. I soon proved to be wrong.
“Your family,” Midoriya answered, “They are worth far more than you realize. You should go to them, before it is too late.”
Irritated, I asked my original question once more:
“Why are you here?”
”I have come to pay for my sins. I shall die here and he will come for me.”
“Who?” I asked. “God?”
“If only I were that lucky. No, God is not so forgiving. I shall be taken by a creature of my own creation. He is so vengeful and angry and he has caused such pain and sorrow. It is all because of me and my foolishness.”
“What did you do? What is your sin?”
The winds picked up, thunder clapped. A storm was coming as if it was foreshadowing what I was about to hear. Prepare yourself, dear sister. You will never be able to unread what is written in this letter. I'm sorry to have cursed you with this knowledge. I pray that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.