Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As her mother once said: 'Force the world to revolve around you. It's more fun to think that way'

Granted, her mother was an entitled woman, but she was a great person. Her crazy ass quotes made Inko the kind woman she is today. But she, and her kindness, has her own limit.

No one could even match her rage right now. Not even Mitsuki. Sure, she got angry before. She got angry back in 4th grade, where someone bullied her friend. She got angry when the police declared her dad as 'death' when they haven't even attempted to search for him when he went missing. She got angry when her husband was in another country, knowing damn well that she was 1 week into labor. She got angry when some doctor crushed Izuku's dream when he was diagnosed Quirkless. She got angry at herself when she couldn't support her son's dream. But nothing matches the angry she was feeling as she stared at the messages on her phone.

Her son-of-a-bitch husband wanted a divorce, because her baby was Quirkless.

The anger in her suppressed any slight tinge of sadness she felt. The hell fire that burnt in her eyes would make Endeavor's fire looks like one from a candle. That motherfucker, instead of caring about his son, decided to abandon Izuku for something that's not even his fault!? Well, fuck him! Inko would gladly sign that divorce paper if it means that asshole never got near Izuku ever again.

But that would mean Izuku will have to grow up without a father figure in his life.

Her baby already has it bad. His dream of becoming a hero is ruined. No other kids want to play with him. And now, his father has abandoned him.

'All just because he was Quirkless!' She gritted her teeth at the obvious discrimination her son faces.

Regardless, they're better off without Hisashi. It's better to have no Father than one that doesn't love him. Besides, the alimony could give Izuku a better life. A life he deserves. If there's no one, Inko will always be there for her son.

But, inside, she prayed to whatever deity out there that her son could have someone else he can rely on.

Little that she knows, her wish would soon become true.

For better or for worse, though?

5 years after his 'father' had 'left for overseas business' (Izuku was anything but stupid), Izuku, now 10 years old, was having a life that he would call 'suck as fuck'. Because he was Quirkless, no one wants to be his friend. Most people either try their best to interact with him as little as possible or outright just ignored him, and that's the better part. The rest found joy in pushing him down further than where he's already at. One most worth noting, is Bakugou Katsumi. His childhood friend, his first friend his Kacchan, and now, his bully.

Like usual, after she had beaten him black and blue along with her lackeys, she left Izuku alone with his injuries, not forgetting to throw insult and show him expressions that he still couldn't place.

"At least she didn't hit me in the face or anywhere noticeabl- Ouch!" Groaned Izuku as he tended to his injuries.

Sitting among the trash at Dagoba Beach, Izuku's favorite personal spot, he applied some liquid on the burnt marks and the bruises that Katsumi left him. Just like usual, he supposed.

After he has done with the injuries, Izuku took out his notebook and jotted down the Heroes and Quirks he saw today on the news. Quirk analysis is his own way of relaxing. Plus, he's good at it. Too good that his mother used to believe that Analysis was his Quirk. But, another trip to a Quirk doctor ruined any hope he had left as they reassured them that Izuku has no Quirk.

Like every time, Izuku finished his analysis just as the sun has finished its job for the day. Packing up his notebook, Izuku headed home.

Until something caught his eyes.

As he was walking, Izuku noticed among the trash, there was a book. At first glance, it has a look of an old book but as Izuku picked it up, he could tell that this was a well-preserved one. The front has no scratches, its empty cover without a title gave out a mysterious aura. Curious, Izuku opened the book. The pages were kept in perfect conditions, but its age was visible as there were yellow stains on the surfaces. Izuku flipped through the pages as he realized that just like his notebooks, this was an analysis book, or something similar.

Each pages contains a picture of creatures Izuku couldn't name. But he knew that these aren't animals that everyone can find in the zoo, considering that the first page that he flipped through already talks about FREAKING DRAGON!? Izuku stuffed his face into the book, figuratively and literally.

SPECIES: DRAGON

SIZE: 13' - 50'

DESCRIPTION: CRUEL, CUNNING AND VIOLENCE. WILL CRUSH AND DESTROY ANYTHING THAT STOOD IN THEIR PATH. DESPITE THEIR INSIDIOUS NATURE, THESE CREATURE LIVE BY A CODE THAT THEY RESPECT. LOYALTY TO PEOPLE THEY SEE AS SUPERIOR TO THEM, ALTHOUGH UP UNTIL THIS IS WRITTEN, THERE ARE NONE. THEY DISLIKE HUMAN, THUS EXPLAINS THE RARE TO NONE-EXISTANCE SIGHTINGS

POWER/ABILITIES: ELEMENTAL BREATHING, FLYING (MOST OF THEM), EXTREME INTELLIGENCE, PIERCING SCREAM, HUMONGOUS SIZE

HABITAT: UNKNOWN (I HAVE REASONS TO BELIEVE THAT THEY LIVE AMONG US, BUT NOTHING IS CONFIRM)

TIPS: IF YOU SEE ONE, JUST PRAY TO WHATEVER GOD THAT THEY DON'T SEE YOU

DANGEROUS LEVEL: DON'T EVEN TRY

CAPTURE POSSIBILITY: 3%

What the hell!? Doesn't this mean dragon exist? This is either an elaborated prank, or that this world is more than it seems.

Either way, Izuku stuffed the book into his backpack and headed home, unaware of the figure stood from far away watching him left.

After a dinner where Izuku dodged most of the question Inko asked him about school, he quickly took a shower before going inside his room and continue with the book.

Hours of reading through, Izuku learned more and more about creatures that may exist in this world but no one knows about.

SPECIES: TROLL

SIZE: 7' - 10'

DESCRIPTION: HUMANOID CREATURE THAT LIVES WITHIN THEIR OWN TERRITORY AND SOCIETY, AWAY FROM HUMAN. FEW ARE DESCRIBED AS DANGEROUS TO HUMAN BEING, BUT MOST OF THEM ARE FRIENDLY. KIND AND CARING. HOWEVER, DON'T ANGER AS YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT COMES NEXT

POWERS/ABILITIES: STRONGER THAN NORMAL HUMAN BEING, PERFECT TEAMWORK WITH ONE ANOTHER

HABITAT: VARIES. MOSTLY COMMON IN THE WOODS, BUT ALSO SPOTTED AT SWAMPS, MOUNTAINS, WATERFALL. AWAY FROM HUMAN BEING

TIPS: BE NICE TO THEM AND THEY WILL BE NICE TO YOU

DANGEROUS LEVEL: MEDIUM. WON'T ATTACK ON SIGHT BUT WILL IF TEMPTED

CAPTURE POSSIBILITY: 60%

SPECIES: FENRIR

SIZE: 6'

DESCRIPTION: A GIANT WOLF IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY. THEY'RE LIKE CERBERUS WITH ONE HEAD. DANGEROUS BUT LOYAL. JUST LIKE A HUGE DOG. ALSO CURIOUS

POWER/ABILITIES: AS FAST AS THE WIND, JAWS AND TEETHS THAT CAN SHRED ANY ARMOR

HABITAT: IN THE WOOD AND CAVE

TIPS: CURIOUS, SO THEY WILL INSPECT YOU BEFORE THEY DECIDE WHETHER TO ATTACK OR NOT. TRY TO ACT CALM AND FIERCE, BUT NOT DANGEROUS. IF YOU SUCCEED, THEY WILL SEE YOU AS THEIR MASTER

DANGEROUS LEVEL: MILDLY DANGEROUS, BUT IF THEY DECIDE TO ATTACK YOU, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY FUCKED

CAPTURE POSSIBILITY: 80%

The more Izuku read, the more he is enthralled to it. Things only got more interesting when Izuku found a note between the pages with the title: "SUMMON GUIDE"

Izuku pulled out the paper and started reading it.

SUMMON GUIDE

SUMMON YOUR FIRST MONSTER! TOTALLY NOT RECOMMENDED DUE TO HIGH RISK OF DEATH. BUT, IF THAT DOESN'T STOP YOU, FOLLOW THIS GUIDE CAREFULLY AND THOROUGHLY TO INCREASE YOUR ALREADY SLIM SURVIVAL CHANCES!

PERFORM THE RITUAL DURING SUNSET FOR BETTER CHANCES OF SUCCEEDING

DO THIS ALONE

READ THE COMPENDIUM FIRST TO EASILY IDENTIFY THE MONSTER THAT YOU HAVE SUMMONED AND HOW TO CAPTURE IT

WRITE YOUR LAST WORDS AND WILL FIRST BEFORE ATTEMPT THIS. DON'T WANT TO DIE A QUIET DEATH, DO YOU?

DRAW A CIRCLE INSIDE A SQUARE ON THE GROUND. INSIDE THE CIRCLE, DRAW A STAR THAT FITS THE CIRCLE JUST RIGHT

SLIGHTLY CUT YOUR HAND FOR LITTLE DROPS OF BLOOD AND SPILL IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STAR

CLOSE YOUR EYES

CHANT THESE WORDS: UHMELAH JUSA KALU SHUPA HAULI KASA

CONTINUE CHANTING DESPITE WHATEVER IS HAPPENING AROUND YOU

DO NOT, FOR ANY REASON, OPEN YOUR EYES. EVEN IF IT IS SOMEONE YOU KNOW TELLING YOU TO BECAUSE IT IS NOT

ONLY STOP CHANTING WHEN YOU HEAR A STRANGE VOICE SAY YOUR NAME

ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE YOUR MONSTER

THERE IT IS! THE COMPLETE AND ONLY GUIDE TO CAPTURE A MONSTER! HOPE YOU WON'T DIE DOING THIS! ALL THE BEST!

Izuku stared at the note for a good while before the only thought came into his mind.

He needs to try this!

After powering through the usual bullshits happened to him with the sole purpose to attempt the summon, Izuku finally made it through the last period before he dashed out of class to go back home, earning a worry weird look from Katsumi.

Throwing the bag in his room, Izuku grabbed his jacket, a pocket knife and the compendium before he left the house, not forgetting to leave a note for his mother saying he'll be late and where he'll be. You know, in case something happened.

He arrived at Dagobah Beach 15 minutes before sunset. Upon arrival, Izuku quickly looked around for a stick to draw on the sand. Luckily, people thew a lot of stuff here. Picked up the baton he found, Izuku moved to an empty area, looked around for any sign of human. After confirming that there were none, Izuku proceeded to draw what the note told him to. Years of drawing allowed Izuku to perfectly replicate what the note told him to draw on first try. Izuku hastily read through the note, reminding himself not to miss out any important details.

10 minutes felt like hours to him. When finally saw the sunset, Izuku slid the notes into the book and walked towards the middle of the ring, the pocket knife in his hand. Bracing himself one final time, Izuku put the knife in his hand, grit his teeth and made the slash.

His eyes twitched from the pain as he felt the sting of cut and the wetness of blood dripping from his hand to the ring. Took in a deep breath, Izuku closed his eyes and chanted.

"UHMELAH JUSA KALU SHUPA HAULI KASA."

Although closing his eyes, Izuku could felt the ring started to shine. Human curious nature tempted him to open his eyes, but Izuku squinted his eyes shut and continued chanting.

"UHMELAH JUSA KALU SHUPA HAULI KASA."

This time, he heard a voice. A strange yet familiar voice.

"Young man, stop whatever you're doing and open your eyes." A deep voice he recognized as All Might, said to him.

'OHMYGODALLMIGHTISHEREHISIDOLISHEREANDTALKINGTOHIMHENEEDSTOOPENHISEYE-' Izuku's silent mumbling inside his head stopped as he remembered the note.

DO NOT, FOR ANY REASON, OPEN YOUR EYES. EVEN IF IT IS SOMEONE YOU KNOW TELLING YOU TO BECAUSE IT IS NOT

The warning echoed inside his mind stopped Izuku from doing something he regretted. Izuku continued chanting.

"UHMELAH JUSA KALU SHUPA HAULI KASA."

Another voice called out to him. This time, a ghost from the past that he thought he had already forgotten about.

"You useless child! Open your eyes right this instant!" The voice of Hisashi commanded him, which Izuku easily ignored and continued chanting.

"UHMELAH JUSA KALU SHUPA HAULI KASA."

This time, a very familiar voice came whispering into his ears.

"Deku, please... open your eyes!" Bakugou Katsumi pleaded him.

This made Izuku stopped for a quick second before he bit his lips and shouted.

"UHMELAH JUSA KALU SHUPA HAULI KASA!"

All of a sudden, it seems like everything stopped. The blinding light he felt became dimmer and dimmer. Katsumi's(?) voice stopped whispering inside his ears, leaving only a dead, ominous silence. Izuku felt his breath became heavier and heavier as the seconds flew by, afraid that he had botched the ritual. Until a voice called out to him.

"Midoriya Izuku, it's done."

Still fearing that the ritual was tricking him, Izuku's eyes remained shut.

"You did well, child. Open your eyes, Midoriya Izuku, and witness the creature you have summoned."

The 11th rule came into Izuku's mind as he slowly opened his eyes. In front of him, was an old man in a black sorcerer-like robe. The hood covered his face, but Izuku could felt his age through his tone. Plus, the white beard gave out a lot of info.

"Are you..."

The man tiredly chuckled. "No, child. I'm not what you have summoned. I am but a spirit of a man who had written that compendium you adopted yesterday."

"o-Oh, I-I didn't know. I-I'll return it to you immediately, sir!"

"Fret not, child. I have no use of it. Not anymore." The man assured. "You are now that compendium master. Use it wisely."

Izuku slowly nodded his head in shock. The man saw that as a sign to continue.

"I'm here to inform you that the ritual has succeeded. Usually, I would guide you through the process of capturing your first monster. However,..."

"D-Did I do something wrong?" Izuku timidly asked.

"No, child. It just... the creature you summoned, is beyond my understanding."

"B-Beyond your understanding?"

"I spent my life researching mythical creature that no one believes exist. Even in death, I assist my pupil's research. And yet, never have I seen a creature like this one." His eyes shifted to Izuku's leg.

The green-haired boy followed the man's curious look with his own and found a creature stuck to his leg.

It has an octopus-shaped head with sharp, brighten yellow eyes with no pupil stared at the ocean. It has a green body with small green wings on its back with hands and tentacles wrapped around Izuku's leg.

"Th-This is the mythical creature I summoned?"

"Apparently. And it already looks quite attached to you. I must say, this is quite an extraordinary case!" The man exclaimed, before he quickly shifted back to his serious manner. "Although, we only learnt about 5% of the ocean. Even with mythical creatures discovered, it is only a total of 20%. There are many things about the world not even us are aware of. Like this... Quirk, for example."

"Qui-Quirks are weird?"

"Maybe not to you, child. But when I was still alive, one possession of ability usually results of one being shunned for it. After all, us humans are afraid of things we don't understand." The man explained. "That is why we exist. We research what people think as mythical. We study what others think are legends. You, Midoriya Izuku, are our successor!"

"S-Successor? I don't know if I'm worthy enough..."

"I beg to differ, child! Not only have you survived the ritual, you summoned an unknown monster. That already qualifies you as a fellow researcher." He said. "That compendium is now yours. The only thing that could hinder your research, is your will and your imagination. Welcome and good luck, Researcher Midoriya."

With that declaration, the old man disappeared, leaving Izuku and the monster he summoned.

"N-Nice to meet you! My name is Midoriya Izuku! M-May I know your name? W-Wait, can you talk?"

"Cthull."

"Cthull?"

"Cthull!"

"So, your name is Cthull? That's a cool name!"

Chapter Text

"There have been many reports about a strange, ominous echo heard at the southern Pacific Ocean. Experts have yet given out any results, but they ass-"

The news became background noises to Inko as she sat on the couch, tapping her foot impatiently while glancing at the door every minute. After reading Izuku's note, she expected him to go nerding about heroes like usual and arrived home a little later than usual. Now, 3 hours away from the time he usual got back, Inko found herself about to call the police, until Izuku finally press the bell and called out to her.

"Mom! I'm home!" Izuku shouted loudly behind the door.

"Izu-chan!" Inko yelled out as she stumbled towards the door and unlocked it as fast as possible.

"Izu-chan, why are you out so late!? I know you're smart and can take of yourself, but it's not okay for a 10-years-old to be out at-"

Her rambling was stopped though, when she noticed what Izuku was holding carefully in his arms.

"Midoriya Izuku, why are you holding a green octopus in your arms?"

How long has it been? 10 million? 30 million? Or a 100?

The concept of time made by human is funny, he thought. The first time he arrived on this planet, those scaly creatures were still walking on this planet. One nap later, it felt a little colder than usual. Still, perfect for a long sleep.

A good sleep later, he woke up and these funny creatures called 'human' took over like a plague on this planet. A plague that he's determined to get rid of.

He doesn't hate human, per say. They are like ants to him. But, instead of working together to protect their nest, these ants commit war, genocide, destroying their planets from the inside little by little.

Simply put, human is annoying.

But his power isn't as strong as it once was. He could easily destroy the world with this much power though. Problem being that there are entities out there who are stupid enough to stop him, and being trapped under the ocean fucking sucks. Only thing he could do was to wait for some human to release him and to accel the process, he needs followers. What could be more perfect than humanity? Some of them already worshipped him as their god. He just needs to expand his followers. Conveniently, his power could easily manipulate mind of men.

Years after years, decades after decades, centuries after centuries, generations after generations, the number of people worshipping him rose nonstop, signaling his soon uprising. He just needs one last hibernation.

The next time he opened his eyes, human developed this stupid thing called Quirk. At this point, he expected human to be developed enough to create technologies that could traverse the stars. Instead, they focused their working brain cells on some tricks their kind could perform.

What makes matters worse, he lost most of his followers. They simply don't believe in their god anymore now that they have their own powers. The remaining are so little that it didn't worth that also the same for those that are like him...

Oh, well, let's just observe humanity a little while more for anything interesting before annihilating them! Call it some sort of entertainment.

Watching humanity from their dream, through their mind and listening at their whispers, he could tell that humanity has devolved lower than how they already are.

The concept of Quirk being what judging one place in society is just pure stupid. An idiot could have a powerful Quirk and would still stand higher in society than a genius with a weak Quirk. It even gets worse for those without one. To the eyes of the current society, Quirkless are nothing but waste of space. No matter how much of a prodigy one is, the lack of Quirk would result in one being treated as low as trash.

'Well, that just makes destroying humanity more satisfying!' Thought the Great Dreamer as he continued to observe. Maybe try to gain some followers in the process.

Until one day, he felt someone called out to him.

This is new. No one ever called out to him before. Simply because no one is able to. Looks like this is some kind of summoning ritual.

Interesting. A mind that strong enough to be able to call out to him on his own. He Who Is To Come decided to inspect this being. It could either be a great puppet, or a fearsome enemy.

Established a connection, he saw a child performing the Ritual Summon by himself. 'Does he seek power? Salvation? What could drive this child enough to summon Cthulhu?' The questions intrigue him. Nothing could for eons.

When he had discovered the reason this child summoned him, he found something better.

A perfect follower. Someone who actually has the ability to free him.

But the child needs much guidance, and this dump he lived in couldn't possibly give him one.

Fine, he'll just have to do it himself.

However, witnessing his true form could greatly damage the child's mind. And that's the last thing he needs.

…... Let's just summon a smaller version of himself.

"Midoriya Izuku, why are you holding a green octopus in your arms?"

"Mind your words, human. Do not compare me to those idiotic creatures."

Jolted in surprise, Inko took a quick look around for the source of the voice.

Only to find the creature her son was carrying stared straight into her eyes and mind, and it creeps her out more than anything!

"Are- Are you talking to me?" Thought Inko.

"Is it that hard to realize? I suppose I shouldn't expect much from a mere human."

Inko froze in her place as the voice answered her. Yep, it was definitely this... thing! Why the hell is her son still holding him? Couldn't he hear-

"Fret not, human. Your child knows not of our interaction. I am speaking through your mind; in case you still have not noticed."

Well, this thing is annoying, that's for sure!

"Mom, is something wrong?" Asked her baby boy.

"N- Nothing, Izu-chan! I'm just thing about... stuff! Yeah, stuff! Let's take you and your... little friend inside. It's cold out here."

Her son is her first priority. She'll deal with whatever this thing is later!

"... and that's how I got him! He said his name is Cthul." Izuku explained while digging his face inside the bowl of Katsudon.

As Izuku explained, Inko could only kept quiet. Mythical creature? Compendium? Summon ritual? And her son is now a researcher!?

All of this sounds like a plot of some dumb fanfiction that Inko would never bother reading!

However, the creature that was currently sitting on her couch watching television convinced her that all of this is nothing but the truth.

"So, you're saying that creatures like unicorn and dragon exist?"

Izuku nodded.

"And there are people who have been researching about them for centuries?"

Izuku nodded.

"And you are now one of them?"

Izuku nodded.

"Absolutely not." Inko declared.

Izuku widen his eyes in shock. The green octopus peeked over from the couch to listen in on the conversation. Really, how could it be creepy and cute at the same time? Doesn't matter. She needs to focus on the matter at hand first.

"B- But why not!?"

"It's too dangerous! They are literally asking a 10-years-old to research legendary monster! What happened if they attack you? Or- Or people who wants your research?"

"I-I'll think of a wa-"

"Unless there is an entity out there who willing to protect you, I won't let you do this and that's final, Midoriya Izuku."

Unable to find anything to retort, Izuku's tear leaked from his eyes as he tried to come up with something, before he stormed off to his bedroom and slammed the door closed.

Honestly, Izuku throwing a tantrum hurt her more than anything, but she needs to do this.

"Human, we need to talk." The creature called out to her.

"What is it?" Inko spatted back. Her mood wasn't great enough to have a conversation with this mythical creature her son brought home.

"Sit." The thing commanded.

There was something about how it spoke, but it made Inko complied. Sitting down on an opposite couch, Inko looked at the creature which for some reasons, looked more intimidating than anything she has ever seen before.

"You must let the child pursue this path."

"... Didn't you hear a word I said? It's too dangerous! He's-"

"What? Quirkless?"

Inko felt her word stuck at her throat, before she mustered up the courage to swallow it and speak again.

"I- It's not like that. I just... Look, Izuku is the only sunshine I have left in my, and I can't stand to witness him getting hurt. First, he wanted to be a hero and now this? I want to let him pursue his dream; I really do." Inko said, before her gaze sharpens on Cthulhu. "But I will also do anything to keep my baby safe."

"... It seems human are stupider than I thought." Said Cthulhu.

Inko was about to go crazy on the creature despite all her instincts told her not to. But before she could do anything, it spoke up again.

"You want the child to grow? Let him do what he wants. A dragon can't fly if all it does is getting carried by its mother. A unicorn can't gore anyone if all it gets is being protected by its parents. A child can't protect himself if all the mother does is keeps him in a shell."

Cthulhu's words seem to make Inko rethinks her decision as the woman spoke.

"I just... I don't know what I would do if he got hurt." Inko sobbed.

"He will not. My pride will not allow my follower to get hurt." Cthulhu stated.

Inko kept quiet for a long while. So long that Cthulhu almost resorted to use his power, until the woman spoke up.

"... If he does this, you make sure nothing bad happens to him."

"You have this Eldritch God's word."

God, she needs some alcohol to deal with all this.

That night, Izuku had the weirdest dream.

When his consciousness came back to him, he found himself at the bottom of the ocean. He didn't even know how it looks like but yet, he could recognize it.

The emptiness, the fear, the anxious of being alone, being in the middle of unknown things that surrounded him, waiting to attack at any moments but were stopped by an unknow barrier created by green light that seems to come from something... from someone.

Even though his braincells screamed at him not to, the curious nature of a human seems to take control over his mind as he slowly turns his head around.

And found out how little he is.

Yes, he is shorter than Katsumi, but that's because the blonde somehow grows sooner than him.

Yes, he is shorter than the adults in his life. But that's because they're adults.

Obviously, he is shorter than All Might. The man is 2 meter high. How could a normal human reach that height? Maybe that's his Quirk.

No doubt, he's shorter than the tallest building in the world.

But even that tallest building couldn't even compared to what Izuku was looking at.

The... thing in front of him was simply too tall for him to look up. It felt like even if Izuku lay down and look up, he could never know how tall this thing is.

Only reason Izuku could saw its eyes was because it was looking at Izuku.

The monstrous figure silently towered over Izuku, its body not even moving in the slightest. The monster that surrounded Izuku must have felt the same as him, considering that none of them even made the slightest motion. As if even twitching could result in them disappearing from existence.

The scary part only happened when the monster let out a huge scream that seems to echo across the whole of planet Earth. Izuku could tell that even animal that can't hear could even feel the scream. It was a mixed of the most ominous, dark and terrifying noises in the world.

And it only ended when Izuku heard his name among them.

"Izu-chan, woke up!"

Izuku jolted awake. He could feel his panic breathing and sweating body. The chill and coldness he felt back there even though fading, he could still feel it. He asked with a shaking voice.

"M- Mom? W-Where am I?"

"Y- You're at home, honey. What's wrong?"

"I- I think it's a nightmare. But it felt so... real!"

"It's okay, honey. Mama's here. Nothing bad will happen to you. Although..."

Izuku became confused as his mother showed a teasing smile.

"You might need to take a shower and change your mattress, young man."

Izuku looked down and immediately understood what his mother was saying. He wet the bed.

That explains the ocean.

"S- Sorry, Mom..." Izuku said with a lit red face.

Inko chuckled. "It's fine, honey. Today is Saturday, anyway. Maybe this might finally be my chance to teach you how to clean your own mattress."

"Where's Cthul-chan?"

"He's watching the morning news. Never thought I'd see an ocean god seating on my couch watching the news..." Inko answered, although she muttered the last part so that Izuku couldn't hear it.

The weekend passed by relatively peaceful. Inko and Izuku gradually accommodated to Cthulhu's presence, although it still weirds how the creature always stick to Izuku whenever he went outside, even the smallest task like taking out the trash, the ocean god would still shrink itself and sit on Izuku's head. But if that means that he kept his end of the deal then Inko has no problem. Izuku seems to like it as well.

Speaking of Izuku, after he had gotten the compendium, his interest turned completely from watching hero's fight into finding creatures. He once came home with an ancient-looking jar full of ash inside, claiming it to be a mythical creature. Inko didn't question it, as it seems that her son is finally happy again. Although it did worry her more and more as she heard Izuku once muttered something about a Werewolf's hunt. But let's leave that to another time.

Izuku opened the door to his class and took a quick look around. Good, Kacchan and her crew aren't there yet. Let out a sigh of relief, Izuku put down his bag at his seat and pulled out the compendium. Izuku was glad whoever created this thing thought it through as the book has a self-shrining function to easily carry around. Otherwise, Izuku would have had to drag this thing around every day!

His good start of the day was immediately ruined though, as Izuku felt his collar being pulled from behind. Before he could realize what was happening, he felt himself lay flat on the floor, head first.

Grunting in pain, Izuku squinted his eyes opened to find his usual bullies, sans for Katsumi.

"You think you could escape that easily huh, Deku!?" One of the bullies said.

"E- Escape? I w- was just-"

"Reading your book like the useless thing you are? You ran home quite fast on Friday, Deku. Let us pay you back for what you missed out!" He raised his fist.

Izuku closed his eyes and raised his hands in front instinctively for defense.

Only to find that the attack didn't come.

Izuku slowly opened his eyes and saw the weirdest scene. Everyone in the room stared at Izuku in... fear? Some of them were even shaking and crying. The bullies who were about to hit Izuku fell and scrambled away from him, tear leaking from their eyes.

"W- What is going on? Are you guys alr-" Izuku hesitantly made a step towards the group.

"S- Stay back! Get away from me!" "M- Monster!" "Help! Somebody!" They yelled out, shocking Izuku.

Screaming and crying started as Izuku looked around the classroom for some, any confirmation from his classmates. His eyes landed on Katsumi, but the look on her face didn't calm him down at all.

Her brave, arrogant smile that always presented was nowhere to be found. Instead, fear was clearly written all over her face, and she flinched at eyes contact with Izuku as she made a step away from him.

Kacchan never stepped back from anything. Especially not with him.

Only when the teacher arrived did the situation was dealt with. All the students presented was sent home by the school.

From that day onwards, no one dared to touch Izuku again.

And he didn't know if he should be happy about it.

Chapter Text

The incident in Aldera Primary was a turning point. A ‘U-Turn’, one might say.  

Izuku’s status went from ‘the useless, Quirkless coward’ to ‘the Nightmare Child’. It sounds cool, not gonna lie. But to Izuku, it was a name that scar him for life. The pain that he felt from that name was even worse than what people called him. If no one left him alone before the incident, now, no one dared to stand 1 step near him. At school, anyone he tried to speak to ran away as soon as they spotted him. A few adults have the courage to speak to him a few sentences, but most of them broke down in tears at least once. His ‘reputation’ came to a point where children would scramble at his presence.  

He didn’t mind being ignored. Sure, he hated being bullied. But being afraid of?  

That killed him inside, bits by bits.  

Inko sighed, for the countless time this month, at the sight of her children coming home from school with a sadden face.   

She heard what happened at school from Mitsuki, and she was two fingers away from clawing that green octopus away from Izuku. But the creature only stated that ‘he did it to protect the child’.  

Inko was kind, but sure as hell not stupid. She knew about the bullies. Izuku tried to cover his wounds, but it was nonsense that he would fall off the stairs every single day. She tried talking to him about it, but the boy was too forgiving for his own good. Even went out of his way to protect his bullies. The only reason she didn’t move Izuku away was because she didn’t have the heart to tear him away from Katsumi. That would crush Izuku.  

Maybe that doesn’t matter now, considering little Katsumi was also afraid of Izuku. It didn’t matter how well she played it off, Inko and Mitsuki both knew that was just an act.  

What was worse is that little Izuku didn’t know why or how this was happening. Her poor little boy rationalized that was his Quirk finally manifested, a mutation from his parents. He insisted that Inko took him to a Quirk counsellor, trying to rationalize it as a Quirk, but the result came back only disappointed him. It became the final straw.  

……Maybe she really needs to consider moving. For Izuku.  

“Bu- but wouldn’t it cost us a lot of money?” Izuku looked at his mom confusingly.  

“It would. But it’s the best thing I could come up with and personally, I don’t want us to be near people who are afraid of you.” Inko replied with a kind smile as she ruffled Izuku’s head.  

“You- you don’t have to! I can deal- it’s okay, mom!”  

“It’s not okay, Izuku!” Inko quickly shut him down. “No one should have gone through what you did! They bullied you and now they’re afraid of you for things that aren’t even your fault! So don’t tell me you can handle it.”  

Seeing her son on the verge of tears, Inko sighed and hugged him. “I know it’s hard, honey, but it’s for the best. Besides, this apartment is becoming too small for all the stuff you brought back. We’re gonna need to move to a much bigger place, so you could bring back more stuff.”  

“It’s not stuff, mom. Those are for summoning mythical creatures.” Izuku smiled as he hugged his mom. “But can we really afford a big place?”  

“Of course, dear! Anything to make my green bean keeps this smile on his face.” Inko laughed as she squeezed Izuku’s cheeks, which prompted him to laugh as well.  

Financial wise, currently, they can afford a big place, but that’s going to put a dent on Inko’s savings. ‘Anything for Izuku.’ She thought.  

On the couch, a certain green creature looked at them.  

“What do you mean it has all been taken care of!?” Inko unintentionally raised her voice as she questioned.  

“It means exactly what it means, miss.” The real estate agent replied with a smile. “All the fees that are required have already been dealt with. Just have a look at the house and we’ll arrange for you to move in as soon as you like.”  

“But why- How- Who-!?”  

“I am as much in the dark as you, miss.” The agent smiled. “My boss called before you came in, saying that all the fees required for your new place and moving will be taken care of- Ooh, he did mention something about lord Kerto, Kehrtu something, I don’t know. Anyways, just have a look around at the house and the area.”   

“I’ll be around if you need me.” The agent kindly smiled.  

Inko stared off in shock as the agent walked back to her office, before she directed her stare at the green octopus on Izuku’s shoulder. Her son just smiled at her innocently while the green creature continued playing with Izuku’s hair.  

Afraid, hatred or appreciated? Inko couldn’t decide how she should feel about the octopus on her son’s head.  

It has been 1 week since they decided to move. The moving process was.... weirdly fast and efficient. The moving company treated them like royalty for some reason. Everything was moved quickly and carefully. Strangest of them all was the owner of the company even came down and helped. He even bowed to Izuku before he left, which just made the whole situation stranger, but Inko shrugged it off as one of those ‘things’ the octopus pulled.  

But that green gremlin did give them a new, better place to live in. The house was in a small town next to the ocean. It is an ordinary, 2-storey houses with a front yard that one could find anywhere in Japan but the atmosphere it's given, is unparallel. Inko couldn’t tell what, but the moment Izuku’s set his eyes on the house, it like he was drawn to it, as if it called out to him......  

‘Welp, at least he liked it. That’s all that matters.’ Inko thought.  

Back to the present, Izuku rushed to the door and opened it to be met with a huge figure towering above, staring down at him.  

But what was even more terrifying was that the position where a face was supposed to be....  

Was replaced by a blank white, featureless head and face.  

“W-W-W-W-Who are y-y-y-ou?” Izuku managed to blab out a question.  

The man(?) studied Izuku for a quick second before he slowly kneeled down, trying to match Izuku’s height but his unnaturally height made it impossible so even when kneeled, the man was much taller than the poor, scared boy.  

The man remain silence when he stared at Izuku with his blank face. Although the man outward appearance has the potential to cause severe trauma, for some reason, Izuku did not feel threaten by it. He was indeed scared, but it was because the man was a stranger, not because of his freakishly tall body and scary empty face.  

The silence continued for a short while before a voice jolted Izuku out of his thought.  

“Izuku? Are you still there, honey? Who is at the front door?”  

His mother’s voice woke him up from his thought. Just as he was about to call out to her, the man suddenly his fingers on Izuku’s eyes.  

And suddenly, Izuku found himself standing alone in the middle of a forest, with Cthul on his shoulder.  

This aura.... this presence....  

He found himself jolted awake from his slumber from the sheer pressure he felt.  

How long has it been since an entity this strong made him feel threatened appear? Could this be a sign that he will find a person that would accept him?  

Or would someone finally come and end him?  

Pondering on those thought, the man followed the direction of the aura. After walking nonstop towards it, he found himself standing in front of a small house.  

This is where that powerful aura emitted?  

Was such his thought as he pressed on the doorbell.  

Shortly after, in front of his eyes was a little boy. No doubt the aura came from this child, but something was different. That aura was from this child, but it wasn’t his.  

It was from another presence, a presence that resides within this child.  

But what intrigued him most was how the child reacted when he saw him.  

He, who was known across this planet. An urban legend, a myth, a monster notorious for what he did to his victim. Even in this superpower age and day, people are still afraid to enter the wood, for the fear of encountering him doesn’t matter how little the chances are.  

Even if the story about him was unknown, his outward appearance was so horrendous that a normal person would go crazy just by looking at him. If lucky, they would still be conscious enough to commit suicide to escape the nightmares that haunt them. The others, however, would spend the rest of their life being afraid. Afraid of the dark corners in their room, afraid of their friends and family, afraid of the death that will eventually catch up to them.  

But this child....  

This child continued looking at him with little fear in his eyes. His eyes spoke confusion, worry and curiosity, but he can’t see the glimpse of the fear that always present in others.  

Maybe if it’s him....  

Maybe this child will accept him for what he is....  

With those long-lost hope slowly appeared inside of him; the empty-face man put his fingers on the child eyes.  

The trial begins.  

Chapter Text

Careless.... 

A word he would kill others for even whispering it at him. 

But that’s the thing. He got careless. That’s why he and the child found themselves in this.... mess. 

The few peaceful months since the event he put in motion have made him complacent. He didn’t expect an entity at this level to approach the child. 

Truth is, he wasn’t even aware of its existence. An entity this strong, yet he knew nothing of it. No knowledge, no information, except for rumors and stories that he doubted even real. 

Yet, now, he could only blame himself for his own carelessness. ‘Anything that isn’t proven fiction could very well exist’. 

….. Put the blame game aside, now he needs to help the child get out of here. This could be an invaluable opportunity for the child’s growth. That’s why he won’t be taking any action and will only assist for the time being. 

Cthul thought to himself before looking at the withered forest that would be engulfed in darkness if not for the faint moonlight that shines upon them. 

Wherever the hell here is...... 

“HELLO! IS ANYONE HERE!? MOM? MISTER.... STRANGE MAN? ARE YOU HERE?”  

Izuku shouted at the top of his lungs for any sign of life. When he opened his eyes, Izuku only had the Compendium in his hand and Cthul on his back. His first course of action was summoning scouts. For sky scout, he summoned Ten-chan, an eagle-like creature he found and took in a few months back before he moved, and for land scout, he summoned Takkun, a racoon he also picked up not long ago. Izuku did not recognize them from any entry of the book but considered that the book was filled with angry-looking, scary creatures, Izuku thought maybe these were new beasts that no one knew of.  

(Well, both ARE in the book and Izuku HAS read their entries. He did not recognize them because they behaved differently than what was written, but Cthul decided to keep that information to himself)  

But it has already been half an hour since he sent his scouts and yet, nothing was heard from either of them. Realizing that standing still in one place will get him nowhere, Izuku decided to look for a way out himself. He followed the direction Cthul pointed at while yelling for attention. Normally, this is not advised as making loud noise in unknown places like this would only make you a target, but Izuku has Ten-chan, Takkun and Cthul by his side so he is confident that he could repel any attempt made on him.  

With that said, he’s been walking non-stop and yet, the scenery still looks the same. It’s like he’s been walking in a circle, except he’s not. He knew he’s been following Cthul’s direction and the sound Ten-chan made when she flew on the sky, so there’s no way he’s been walking in a circle. But for some reason, Izuku kept finding the same three rocks that lined up behind the gigantic tree with a rope dangling from one of the branches, and a skeleton that lied on the groun- Wait!  

“T-T-T-T-There's a s-s-s-s-s-skeleton!” Izuku yelled out before running away from the scene.  

‘Why is there a skeleton? Was it there before? Is this a murder scene? What is going on-?’  

Only questions flowed through Izuku’s head as he ran away in fear. He kept on running. Eyes closed and ran until his feet gave up on him. When he couldn’t anymore, Izuku flopped down the ground and rolled like tumble of weed before he slammed into a tree and stopped.  

Crying and snorting from the pain and fear, Izuku stood up, took a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief thinking that he was already away from the horrid scene.  

That is until he saw the three rocks that lined up behind the gigantic tree with a rope dangling from one of the branches despite there being no wind, and a skeleton that lay on ground, fingers pointing at the rope.  

Izuku was a smart kid. Smarter than most children his age. Too smart for his own good. Thus, he realized a horrifying reality. He did not run in a circle. He was not caught in a loop. No, this is far worse.  

This forest.... this scenery.... the rock.... the tree.... the skeleton.... the rope.... he did not coincidentally run into them over and over again, no.  

They followed him, wherever he went.  

And they will not stop, unless he finds a way out.  

He is smart.... 

The tall man thought to himself. 

Unknown to Izuku, from a corner, he has been watching Izuku’s every moves. The shouting, screaming, crying, running.... the summoning. 

The book in Izuku’s hand piques his curiosity a bit, considering the two creatures that were summoned from it. Especially the one that has been sitting on his shoulder since they arrived here. 

It was not summoned, yet it is here.... in this realm. And the threat he felt looking at it.... This is no doubt the source of the child’s power but for some reason, he’s not taking any action except for pointing directions. 

For a Tengu, a Tanuki and this unknown creature to follow him like this.... 

The trial drove many to insanity before they committed suicide. For those who were fortunate enough, they died from exhaustion. 

But him.... 

Maybe he could overcome this. 

The Slender Man Curse. 

[COMPENDIUM]  

SPECIES: TENGU  

SIZE: CAN CHANGE AS WILL  

DESCRIPTION: A TYPE OF YOKAI FOUND IN SHINTO BELIEF. CONSIDERED DISRUPTIVE DEMONS AND HARBINGER OF WARS. CAME IN TWO DIFFERENT FORMS: A LARGE, MONTROUS BIRD OR A  WHOLLY ANTHROPOMOR PHIZED  BEING, OFTEN WITH A RED FACE OR AN UNUSUALLY LARGE OR LONG NOSE .  

POWERS/ABILITIES: HOLDS A MAGICAL FEATHER FAN THAT CAN STIRRED UP WINDS, SOMETIMES TORNADOES OR SHRINK/GROW NOSES. WINGS THAT CAN FLY FASTER THAN HUMAN’S ABILITY TO SEE AND TALONS SHARPER THAN SWORDS.  

HABITAT: MOUNTAINS AND SHRINES.  

TIPS: NO, JUST NO. IF YOU SEE ONE, IT MEANS YOU’RE ABOUT TO DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH. IF YOU’RE USING YOUR WHOLE LIFE’S LUCK THEN MAYBE IT’S THERE FOR SOMEONE ELSE, NOT YOU. EITHER WAY, IF YOU SEE IT, WRITE YOUR OWN WILL.  

DANGEROUS LEVEL: PRAY ON SIGHT AS THERE IS NOTHING ELSE YOU CAN DO.  

CAPTURE POSSIBILITY: WHY BOTHER?  

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SPECIES: BAKE-DANUKI  

SIZE: SMALLER THAN A BIG DOG BUT BIGGER THAN A BIG CAT  

DESCRIPTION: LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE A TANUKI. THERE ARE NO WAYS TO DIFFERENTIATE THEM. YOU EITHER FIND A TANUKI OR A BAKE-DANUKI.  

POWERS/ABILITIES: SHAPE-SHIFT INTO ANYTHING, ANYONE IT LIKES. POSSESS HUMAN BEINGS.  

HABITAT: MOUNTAINS, HILLS, HOUSES, SOMETIMES DISGUISE AS STATUES.  

TIPS: THEIR DISGUISES ARE GOOD, BUT THEY ARRE GLUTTONS. IF YOU’RE CONVINCED WHATEVER IN FRONT OF YOU IS A BAKE-DANUKI, SHOW IT SOME SWEET AT IT’LL TURN INTO ITS TRUE FORM.  

DANGEROUS LEVEL: NO DANGER, JUST FRUSTRATING TO CATCH.  

CAPTURE POSSIBILITY: 90% IF YOU GIVE IT FOOD.  

[IZUKU’S JOURNAL]  

SPECIES: UNKNOWN  

NAME: TEN-CHAN  

SIZE: AS BIG AS AN EAGLE BUT CAN SHRINK TO PIGEON-SIZE INDOORS.  

DESCRIPTION: MADE A LOT OF NOISE WHEN WE FIRST MET, BUT NOW HE’S CALM DOWN ALOT. WHEN SUMMONED, HE’LL SNUGGLE YOUR NECK FOR A WHILE BEFORE FLYING OFF. LOOKS LIKE AN EAGLE BUT UNSURE. NEEDS MORE RESEARCH.  

POWERS/ ABILITIES: CAN FLY REALLY FAST, SCRATCH REALLY HURTS AND EATS REALLY FAST. NEEDS MORE RESEARCH.  

HABITAT: FOUND ON A TREE, SO POSSIBLY IT’S HIS HABITAT. SPENDS A LOT OF TIME IN THE BATH THOUGH SO MAYBE HE LIKES WATER? NEEDS MORE RESEARCH.  

TIPS: HE LIKES POPCORN AND FRUITS.  

DANGEROUS LEVEL: SCREAMS AT MY FACE WHEN WE FIRST MET BUT DIDN’T ATTACK. LOVES SNUGGLE AND NEVER HURTS ME. ALTHOUGH I SAW HIM SCRATCHED A VILLAIN’S EYES OUT ONCE.  

CAPTURE POSSIBILITY: HE SNIFFED AT ME AND THEN FOLLOWED. REALLY EASY, NO DANGER.  

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SPECIES: UNKNOWN  

NAME: TAKKUN  

SIZE: A RACOON  

DESCRIPTION: EATS A LOT. ESPECIALLY SWEET. WASH HIS FOOD BEFORE HE EATS.  

POWERS/ABILITIES: A GOOD THIEF. STEALS A LOT OF SWEET FROM MOM IF I AGREE TO SHARE THEM WITH HIM. NEEDS MORE RESEARCH.  

HABITAT: FOUND EATING MOM’S BIRTHDAY CAKE. STAY WITH US WHEN I SHARED WITH HIM MY PORTIONS. NEEDS MORE RESEARCH.  

TIPS: HE LIKES SWEET.  

DANGEROUS LEVEL: HISSED WHEN I TRIED TAKING HIS APPLE AWAY FROM HIM BUT DIDN’T ATTACK.  

CAPTURE POSSIBILITY: JUST SHARE YOUR SWEET WITH HIM?  

Chapter Text

This place.... 

“Fucking sucks!” 

Channeling his inner Katsumi (God, it’s weird not calling her Kacchan), Izuku yelled at the top of his lung, ignoring the tears and snots as kept running away from this.... loop that he has been caught in. Still that same place. Three same rocks lined up behind the same gigantic tree with a rope dangling despite there being no winds, and a skeleton on the ground pointing at the rope. 

Izuku kept on running, with Cthul on his shoulder, Ten-chan and Takkun speeding in front of him. It doesn’t matter how fast, how slow, how far or consistently they ran, the moment Izuku stopped, that scenery will always appear in front of his eyes. This cycle continued until Izuku eventually couldn’t take another step and tumbled down to the ground. The Tengu and Tanuki turned around and checked up on him, making sure he was alright. 

Laying with his back on the ground, Izuku gasped for air with his eyes squinted shut, trying to ignore the pain he felt in his chest. After regaining enough energy, Izuku muttered out a summoning spell for a Fairy. A small green dot appeared and frantically flew around Izuku as sparkly sprinkles fell onto him. The greenette could feel his strength coming back as the sprinkles disappeared when they touched his skin. The Fairy continued her work until Izuku got enough strength to sit up. He whispered thanks to her, which gained him a peck on the cheek from her before she disappeared.  

Looking around, this time, Izuku finally accepted that he is currently trapped in this scenery. Sensing the fear in him, the Tanuki cuddled into his chest while the Tengu kept watch on the gigantic tree as if to assure him that they’ll watch over him. Cthul, though, he just stayed on Izuku’s shoulder, his neutral expression kept on while he only looked over to the empty woods behind Izuku. 

His friends haven’t lost hope yet.... And he shouldn’t either! Feeling determination rose and pushed the fear inside him aside, Izuku patted Tecchan's head, set him down and approached the skeleton warily. He didn’t notice it before due to the fear he felt, but Izuku now noticed the skeleton.... wasn’t of an adult. 

Cthul reads a lot of books, a hobby which Izuku also picked up from the creature anytime Izuku’s not out looking for mythical creatures. The things that Cthul read.... weren’t exactly family-friendly, but it was helpful. Helpful enough for Izuku to be able to perform a quick autopsy.  

The skeleton laying on the ground has visibly more bones, not to mention the obvious size differences compared to an adult skeleton, something Izuku couldn’t unseen when he was out finding a Gashadokuro (or at least confirm its existence, anyway). The total height of the skeleton was only a little higher than him. What stood out the most was its snapped neck that was barely hanging on and the same pointing finger in the direction Cthul was looking at. Izuku hesitantly looked over his shoulder and let out a sigh of relief as he found nothing there. Before he moved away from the skeleton, he noticed the other hand, the one that wasn’t pointing, curled up into a fist like it was holding onto something important. Something so important that even in death, the person refused to let go despite Izuku’s struggle to pry their hand open. 

‘Only In Death Shall You See the Truth’  

A young, feminine voice whispered into Izuku’s right ear. He jumped away and looked over to the direction where he heard the voice, only to find the same empty woods. Swallowing his saliva, Izuku’s called out with clear tinge of fear in his voice. 

“I- Is someone there?” 

“Boo.” The voice appeared again, this time from behind. Izuku let out a loud yelp and turned around, only to find a blonde girl snickering at his reaction. 

“If only you could see your face!” 

After calming down, Izuku once again took in the appearance of the girl in front of him. The blondie’s hair was tight in a ponytail that reached below her shoulder with a slight curling style. The white dress she was wearing matched her pale, white skin nicely along with the cheerful smile she had on her face. Her bright yellow iris shone in the dark so clearly, so beautifully that Izuku got captured in them. He only realized he was staring when the girl snapped her finger in front of his face. Realizing that he was doing something inappropriate, Izuku sputtered in embarrassment. “Imsosorryididntmeantostarepleasedontgetmad-” 

“Calm down, greenie! I’m not mad.” She smiled. Strangely, her smile quickly calmed Izuku’s down from his panic. Too quick. It was like an enchanting spell, immediately captures its target. 

“I didn’t think there’d be someone else here.” She spoke softly. “What are you doing here, greenie? More importantly, how are you here?” 

“M- My name is Midoriya Izuku, not greenie....” He muttered shyly. 

“Cool, but I’ll keep calling you Greenie.” She showed a teasing grin. “For my name.... you might call me, Ela!” 

“Ela-san?” Izuku tilted his head at the strange name. 

“Ela. Just Ela.” She smiled brightly. “Now, about the other question?” 

“O- Oh, right! I- I was helping my mom unpacking in our new houses, right? Then I heard someone ring our doorbell, so I came down and checked. I opened the door and found a tall man, he was like, really tall, maybe even taller than All Might! No one’s taller than All Might! Well, expect people with Mutant or Size Quirks, but that is also really rare! Speaking of Quirks, what’s yours anyway? Oh, right, the tall man I talked about kneeled down, touched my eyes and suddenly, I was here! Where is here, anyway? You’re here, too! Does that mean you also met the tall man? Do you know who he is? Why did he send me, or us, here?” 

Izuku’s over-excitement and eagerness bombarded Ela with his infamous muttering. At his previous school, his classmates and Katsumi didn’t like it and always yelled at him whenever he did it, but after he got Cthul, anyone who complaint about Izuku’s muttering always ended up screaming in agony for some reason so Izuku figured it was fine if he does it now. Mom did send a glare at Cthul when she heard about it though, but Izuku didn’t think it was his friend’s fault. 

Strangely enough, Ela didn’t even blink at his muttering. It got even stranger when the girl just nodded like she understood everything he said. No one understood all of that before! Not even his mother! 

“I think I have met your ‘tall man’ before.” Ela nodded. “He didn’t bring me here, but he is the reason why I’m here.” 

“W- What do you mean?” Izuku tilted his head. 

“.... You’re cute, Greenie.” She pinched his cheek. “The tall man you mentioned.... did he have a black suit and a blank face?” 

Izuku nodded in confirmation. 

“He has many names: The Tall One , The Thin Man , White King or Master of The Forrest. ” Ela whispered to him. “But the most famous, or infamous, was Slenderman .” 

Maybe it is because he has heard, or seen this name from somewhere, it could be the compendium, it could be an article he glanced at while Cthul and his mother were reading the newspaper, or it could be something he head the pretty lady on the TV mentioned. But whatever it was, Izuku felt a chill running down his spine. 

“S- S- S- Slenderman? W- W- Who is that?” Although the name was of a stranger, Izuku couldn’t help his teeth from clattering together as he spoke. 

“.... You don’t know Slenderman?” Ela’s disbelief voice made him shake even more. “Damn, Greenie, which era are you from?” 

“.... The All Might Peace Era?” Izuku smiled awkwardly. 

Ela looked at him confusingly before she showed a smile. “Well, whatever that is, you clearly aren’t informed enough to end up here. This is the Dark Realm, but it’s easier if we refer to it as The Forrest. This is Slenderman’s domain. Here, he could control anything he sees fits. This is also where he brings his ‘victims’ moments before they are killed.” Izuku couldn’t help but feel the snide remark at the word ‘victim’, but he decided to ignore it and move on.  

“T- T- Then the skeleton here is-” “She’s dead, yes. Buuuuuut not exactly his victim.” Ela cut in and answered his question before continuing. “The real question here is: What do you plan to do now?” 

Unable to understand the meaning behind the question, Izuku asked. “I- I- I don’t underst-” 

“You, WE, are trapped here, I-zu-ku. So, unless that cute head of you can think of a way.” She pointed at the skeleton. “That, will be our fate. Forever and ever, pointing at and staring into the unending darkness of the woods.” 

“W- What about you? Have you tried anything?” 

“Honey, why would I be here if I could get out. This is like.... being stuck inside your house while your friends are calling out to you from the outside!” She flicked Izuku’s forehead slightly. “Besides, I have a feeling that this has to be you.” 

“M- Me? Why me?” Izuku caressed the spot on his forehead that was flicked. Back then, when someone, or more specifically, Katsumi, hurt him, it hurt. Badly. But when Ela flicked him, it felt.... good. Funny. Affectionate. 

“Dunno.” She laughed. “I just have a good feeling about you.” 

“B- But I’m just a.... Quirkless. A.... Deku.” Saying his nickname left a sour taste in his own mouth. 

“.... Listen, Greenie.” Ela cupped Izuku’s cheeks in her hands, an action that made the poor boy’s face went bright red. “I can’t even pretend to know what that means, but when someone has a good feeling about you, shouldn’t you try to at least live up to it before disregarding yourself like that.” 

“I- Isn’t that a little selfish? E- Expecting someone to do something? Would then that make them m- mad?” Izuku mumbled, feeling tears leaking out of his eyes. 

“Yes. But!” Ela showed a bright smile. “I have a good feeling that I could believe in you.” 

Her words, although sounded selfish, made Izuku smile. 

Even if Izuku hasn’t realized it yet, he has always needed.... validation. After the day he was diagnosed as Quirkless, nothing went well in his life. His father, left. Katsumi, hated him (she didn’t say why, but Izuku always assumed it was because he was Quirkless). And even though Inko always told him that she loves him, he knew that she was.... afraid.  

He knew she was still afraid of him becoming a researcher. And he always brings nothing but trouble for her. They had to move because of him. He tore his mother away from her life. All because of him. He couldn’t even apologize or thank her. And now he’s afraid that he won’t even have the chance to. 

But for the first time, someone believed in him. This stranger, this girl who he had just met at this God forsaken place told him she trusted him with his life. She didn’t even say why. 

Yet, Izuku couldn’t help but let the tears and snots came out. 

Or the smile that he himself didn’t even realize was on his face. 

Bringing Izuku into a hug, Ela kept her smile as she patted his head. 

A kind smile that hasn’t left since the moment she laid her eyes on him. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

After he had calmed down, Izuku, now with a bright red face, was doing a perfect 90-degrees angle bow. 

“I’m- I’m so sorry I hugged and cried on you! I- I don’t have any tissues with me but you can absolutely wipe the tears and snots onto my shirt!” 

“Would you calm down, Greenie?” Ela spoke in an amusing tone. “You didn’t hug me. I hugged you.” 

“But-” 

“No ‘Buts’! If you really want to apologize, get yourself out of here first!” Ela slapped his shoulder, 

Nodded with determination, Izuku looked around. 

Only in Death Shall you See the Truth. 

Izuku’s eyes stopped at the rope dangling on the gigantic tree. 

Now he has a terrible idea. 

Izuku walked over to the three rocks that lined up behind the tree, starting to pick them up. 

He didn’t even realize his friends weren’t with him. 

“Why do you follow the child, Eldritch Being ?” 

Cthulhu remained quiet at the question directed at him. 

Not at ‘smol’ him. Not now. Not in this situation. 

The Eldritch God towered over the woods, his reef-covered head covered the sky, leaving the only source of light being his shining eyes, glaring at the being standing in front of him. His giant tentacles slowly waving in the air, threatening the very realm that was holding them inside. 

Beside Cthulhu was a humanoid being staying afloat with its giant, bright red wings flapping in the air. The bird-hybrid being wore a distorted human face mask with an oddly long nose and grey facial hair along with a murderous expression being shown. Sharp talon claws on its feet raised, ready to attack. 

On the ground was an absurdly giant bear. Although its size couldn’t be compared to the humongous being behind it, the killing pressure exerted by it was enough to make any army in the world shivered in fear. Its sharp claws directed at the being in front. 

Opposing to the two mythical beasts and an Eldritch God was a humanoid being in a black suit. The last time they met, the last time Izuku met him, was just a judge of character. He approached the boy without inducing fear. This time.... 

It’s different. 

“ What did you do to him?” 

The question this time came from the deep-sea god. His tone, the usual uninterested attitude, was nowhere to be found. Slenderman can clearly sense the threats, anger and murderous intent in it.  

“I’m not.” Slenderman replied without a hint of change. The dark tentacles behind eerily wiggling like they have their own minds. 

Cthulhu squinted his eyes, as did the two mythic beings who were with him. The intense killing pressure they exerted did not faze Slenderman at all as the tentacles behind him did not show any sudden movement. But in return, those tentacles expanded. They kept on expanding until they covered up the rest of the realm that wasn’t occupied by Cthulhu. 

The four being kept their sight on one another, none made a single move. 

The loudest silence anything has ever heard. 

All because of a boy lying unconscious. 

Still the three same rocks lined up behind the same gigantic tree with a rope dangling despite there being no winds, and a skeleton on the ground pointing at the rope. 

But something changed. 

This time, the unconscious body of Izuku laid under the gigantic tree, his right-hand held on tight to the skeleton other hand. 

After all, only in death shall you see the truth . 

[COMPENDIUM]  

SPECIES: FAIRY  

SIZE: HUMAN WITH NORMAL EYESIGHT CAN’T SEE THEM. THEY ONLY REVEALED THEMSELVES WITH A DOT OF LIGHT USUALLY MISTAKEN WITH FIREFLIES.  

DESCRIPTION: COMMONLY FOUND IN EUROPEAN FOLKLORES AND FAIRYTALES. CAUTION NOT TO MISTAKE THEM WITH PIXIE. THEY ARE TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SPECIES. HAVE HUMAN APPEARANCES (ACCORDING TO THAT ONE RESEARCHER WHO CLAIMS HE COULD SEE THEM). HIGH CHANCES THEY HAVE WINGS ON THEIR BACK DUE TO THEIR FLYING ABILITY. THERE ARE RUMORS THAT MOST OF THEM ARE FEMALES. NOT CONFIRMED YET.  

POWERS/ ABILITIES: HIGHLY INTELLIGENT BEING WITH MAGICAL POWERS. ALTHOUGH THAT IS LIMITED TO MINOR PRANKS, THEIR HEALING ABILITIES ARE AT THE TOP LEVEL.  

HABITAT: ANY PEACEFUL, NATURY PLACE THAT THEY COULD MAKE A HOME OUT OF.  

TIPS: THEY USUALLY KEEP TO THEMSELVES, EXCEPT FOR WHEN THEY ARE PLAYING HARMLESS PRANKS. EVEN IF THEY DECIDED TO SHOW THEMSELVES, THEY COULD EASILY BE MISTAKEN FOR FIREFLIES. IF YOU WANT TO CAPTURE THEM, LURE THEM IN WITH BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS, LIKE ROSES AND LILIES. THEIR BEHAVIOURS AFTER BEING CAPTURED COULD DETERMINED WHETHER THEY ARE FAIRIES OR FIREFLIES.  

DANGEROUS LEVEL: NONE. BUT THEIR PRANKS ARE ANNOYING!  

CAPTURE POSSIBILTY: 95%  

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[IZUKU’S JOURNAL]  

SPECIES; FAIRY! AS IN ‘FAIRY TALES’ FAIRY!  

SIZE: I MISTOOK HER FOR A FIREFLY AT FIRST SO.... REALLY SMALL?  

DESCRIPTION: KIND AND AFFECTIONATE. CHEERFUL TOO BUT SHE’S A LITTLE SCARY SOMETIMES. ONCE, I SAW HER CHASED A GOBLIN AWAY FROM STEALING MY SHOES. STILL ALSO REALLY MADE THAT I HAVEN’T GIVEN HER A NAME YET, BUT IT’S HARD WHEN I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW SHE LOOKS, OKAY! I PEELED A SMALL PIECE OFF MY PENCIL AND GAVE IT TO HER BUT SHE COULDN’T DRAW.  

POWERS/ ABILITIES: CAN FLY REALLY FAST, BUT STILL SLOWER THAN TEN-CHAN BUT CONSIDERING THE SIZE DIFFERENCES, I THINK SHE’S ONE OF THE FASTEST. I ALWAYS RELY ON HER HEALING ABILITIES WHENEVER I’M INJURED, AND SHE ALWAYS TREATED ME BACK TO FULL HEALTH.  

HABITAT: SHE APPROACHED AND HEALED ME WHEN I WAS INJURED FROM SEARCHING AROUND, CONFIRMING A RUMOR INSIDE A SMALL FORREST BEHIND THE PARK. HER LIKES AND DISLIKES REVOLVE AROUND PLANTS SO IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY THAT SHE PREFERS NATURE. NOTE TO SELF: BUILD HER A TERRARIUM.  

TIPS: DON’T PISS HER OFF TOO MUCH. AS MENTIONED ABOVE, SHE ONCE CHASED AWAY A GOBLIN THAT IS HUNDRED TIMES HER SIZE FOR STEALING MY SHOES.  

DANGEROUS LEVEL: NONE, TO ME. GOBLIN, ON THE OTHER HAND.....  

CAPTURE POSSIBILITY: I DIDN’T ADOPT HER. SHE ADOPT ME. KINDA REMINDS ME OF CTHUL.  

Next chapter tease (or spoiler, depends on who you ask):  

“T-Takkun!? T- Ten-chan!? Even Cthul, too!”  

Izuku yelled in surprise, looking at his friends blocking him away from Slenderman.  

“.... Did you see her?” Slenderman whispered. Izuku’s grip tightened on the badge in his hand. Taking this as an answer, the man spoke. “.... How is Ela?”  

The question genuinely surprised Izuku this time. His glares soften.  

“So, you really are him?” Izuku asked, for the first time since they’ve met.  

Slenderman only stayed quiet as he took out a badge.  

The same one that was given to Izuku by Ela.