Dark Hero

Chapter 25 Dark Hero

POV Hawks

**** Play Kamado Tanjirou no Uta (From "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba") ****

~ I can't help but remember ~

~ The voice that brought me to this place ~

~ I can't go back, I don't know how to return ~

~I can only see this darkness~

A nostalgic melody reaches my ears as I slowly open my eyes. This melody… My mother used to sing it to me on cold nights when we lived on the streets.

I find myself standing in the middle of a large dimly lit room with a mirror not far from me as I continue to listen to the nostalgic melody. Where the hell am I?

"The last thing I remember was being surrounded by many robots and then the melody…" I whisper, however my eyes widen at the sound of my voice… This is the voice of a little boy and it's not just my voice. I look at my little hands which are holding a little Endeavor doll. Given this, I quickly approach the mirror in the room and my eyes widen at what they see.

"I'm a kid again!" I exclaim with my hands on my head looking at myself in the mirror in a state of confusion. I must look about 5 years old… Age I was when I was separated from my mother and sent to the Hero Commission to be trained.

"A good hero always follows orders." A male voice whispers in my ears causing my body to tense up, yet I'm the only person in the room.

Damn, I have to find a way out of here!

Then, as if it were a signal, a door in the room opens slowly, revealing a wonderful landscape on the other side as if it were a fairy tale. Without thinking twice, I crossed to the other side in search of some way out of this strange place.

Now I am in some kind of field, with flowers blooming, trees, and a beautiful blue sky… This place is so peaceful and for some reason, I keep hearing the sad melody in my ears along with some whispers.

"The Hero Commission is now your new home, from this moment you will abandon the name Takami… You are the chosen one who will lead the Hero Commission to glory. Remember it well." A female voice whispers in my ears causing my body to tense up again as I don't see anyone around me.

"You failed your training, you won't get any sleep or food until you successfully complete the training. Use the force of your wings! Use the force…!" Another voice whispers.

"The board of directors decided that you will not be able to see your mother again, she is a distraction for your training. Heroes do not cry! Repress your emotions!" Another voice whispers.

"Your mother has died, don't ask any more questions about it." Another whisper reaches my ears.

At this, I cover my ears with my small hands as my breathing quickens and I begin to run to the other side of the field where the voices grow quieter and the sky grows darker. "Everyone shut up and leave me alone." I whisper unconsciously squeezing the Endeavor doll against me.

Shortly after, I approach a strange tree in what seems to be some kind of border between two fields. Behind me is the beautiful field full of greenery with a blue sky while in front of me is a completely desolate field with a dark sky.

I tried to cross to the other side to escape the whispers in my head, however, an invisible barrier prevented me.

Then a winged figure descends from the dark sky and lands right in front of me with his hands in his pockets and looking at me with a slightly sad smile on his face as my small eyes widen.

"You look lost, kid."

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"Who are you?" I ask narrowing my eyes suspiciously at the figure in front of me. He looks exactly like me in my adult form.

"I am you." He says vaguely eliciting a confused look from me. "A part of you to be more specific." He says scratching his head.

"Where I am?" I ask looking around. "This whole place seems so real." I whisper.

"We found us here." He says trying to touch my head, however, the barrier prevents him from crossing to this side of the field so he simply points to my head. "This is all the product of our head, our repressed traumas, our depressing childhood, and all the expectations placed on us by the Hero Commission." He sighs touching the strange invisible barrier between us.

"The little brat, Child Emperor, is directly or indirectly making us face our demons." He whispers looking at me attentively. "We both know he's not a bad boy…he's just a little weird." He says chuckling slightly.

"The Hero Commission commissioned me to kill Child Emperor… A good hero always follows orders…" I stammered clenching my fists and averting my eyes.

"They never gave us a choice." He whispers.

At those words, a strange feeling settles in my chest while the sound of glass beginning to crack reaches my ears.

"I'm a hero…I mean, we're…" I whisper, but I'm quickly interrupted.

"What is really a hero?" He quickly asks, crossing his arms. "Because let me break the bad news...we're not heroes." He whispers looking at the sky in a specific direction. Given this, I follow his gaze and observe with my eyes wide open how enormous bars are visible behind the clouds as if it were a giant bird cage.

In that, the sensation in my chest increases while the sound of something cracking reaches my ears again.

All my life I have lived locked in a cage...

I'm just a weapon for the Hero Commission...

Because of them my mother...

"You did notice, didn't you?" He whispers slowly.

Deep down I knew it… however, I didn't want to accept the painful truth.

Then multiple emotions invade my little body while I clench my fists and look down, dropping my Endeavor doll, shortly after, some tears fall to the ground. I had not shed any tears since the day I was separated from my mother.

The feeling in my chest intensifies as the barrier between us begins to crack and eventually crumble into many pieces like glass. "Crying shows that we are still human." The other me says with a beaming smile on his face.

"What am I supposed to do now?" I ask quickly wiping my face with my small hands, that was embarrassing but…somehow it made me feel better.

"Spread your wings and fly towards the freedom we so desire." He says pointing to the sky with his hand while all the clouds dissipate instantly revealing a huge giant cage that covers both fields and at the top of this cage is the exit.

At that moment, he walks over to me and crouches down to be level with me before placing his hand on top of my head and ruffling my hair. "Be the hero I wanted to be." He whispers placing his other hand right where my heart is before starting to disappear with a smile on his face. "Be the hero I was never able to be."

I slowly nodded my head as a determined look begins to spread across my face before spreading my little wings and looking up at the sky.

Long ago I promised a child that I would save him, however, this time I definitely...

"I will definitely keep my promise!" I exclaim in my small childish voice gathering all my courage as everything around me begins to shake and the ground begins to crack before I take off at full speed into the sky. This causes everything below me to be destroyed by an invisible force.

I need to fly higher, much higher...

I will fly to my freedom!

At that moment, numerous memories flood my head as I continue to fly at full speed with my hands outstretched forward, getting closer and closer to freedom while the melody my mother sang to me grows stronger and stronger.

I will continue, I will continue, I will arrive...

The anguish I will cut

Even if I came to lose, even if I came to fail...

"I'll do it by being free!" I exclaim with all my might causing a shock wave behind me as I fly through the exit.

At this, the cage begins to crumble behind me, and shortly after I land on a piece of floating land where I suppose the exit from this place is.

It was then that I felt a gentle hand touch my cheek and a voice that I thought I had forgotten many years ago reached my ears stopping me in my tracks.

"Wake up, Keigo, a child needs your help... Please, at this rate... He too will die."

My body freezes for a few seconds before a determined look settles on my face and I begin to walk toward the exit as my body begins to return to normal. "Hai." I whisper getting closer and closer to the exit while a white light begins to cover me. "Okaasan…"

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"Now wake up and become a true hero! Keigo!

I then woke up with a new purpose.

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POV Isamu

"Full Power!" I exclaimed with a predatory grin on my face before being engulfed in blinding light.

Then a huge explosion rises towards the roof of the amphitheater destroying everything in its path while the Tower of Chaos shakes violently.

My protective barrier is redirecting most of the resulting energy skyward. Thus preventing the tower from collapsing and causing the death of all the people inside. However, this causes the barrier to begin to crack.

"What happens when one immovable force collides with another immovable force?!" I exclaimed looking at Captain Celebrity with his fist extended on the other side of my protective barrier as electricity spreads through his entire body.

"Both give in!" I exclaimed happily throwing both hands into the air before a powerful shock wave destroyed my protective barrier as well as Captain Celebrity's aerodynamic barriers. This causes both of us to be violently pushed in opposite directions.

"Shit." Captain Celebrity grunts rolling across the ground at high speed before crashing hard into a pile of rubble. You deserve it!

Meanwhile, I am propelled into the air at a great height. However, I lost my backpack in the process and my rocket shoes have run out of energy so now I'm falling to the ground while enjoying the moment. "Woohoo!" I exclaim pulling a small red marble from my pockets before throwing it on the ground.

Always be prepared for the unexpected.

As the marble hits the ground, a trampoline magically appears just below me, slowing my fall considerably before I bounce off in another direction. "Whoa!" I exclaim crashing to the ground and rolling a few feet before coming to a stop.

"Another Perfect Landing!" I exclaimed laughing out loud lying face up on the ground and watching the clouds... The roof of the amphitheater completely disappeared so now the sky is completely visible.

"And you said that carrying a trampoline in my pocket was crazy, Mr. Compress." I whisper cheekily starting to slowly get up off the ground as my little heart beats furiously.

As I stand up, my eyes light up as I observe the destruction around me, much of the amphitheater is destroyed while an out-of-control fire begins to spread around me. The damage in the amphitheater was more extensive than I had estimated and I have to find my backpack before Captain Celebrity comes for me.

The speakers in the amphitheater still continue to play the tune as the song begins to near its climax. The world is watching me right now, I mustn't look pathetic… I just need a little more time.

At that moment, a holographic screen materializes from my watch showing the exact location of my backpack. However, there is a small problem… The backpack is fast approaching me. "Shit…" I whisper, drawing and activating my lightsaber as fire and smoke block my vision.

Coming from the front! I look at the holographic screen while I squeeze my lightsaber tightly and prepare to face Captain Celebrity again. However, a slight movement behind me causes my body to tense and a shiver runs down my spine as my body turns instinctively.

Then a hand full of burns grabs me by the neck and suspends me in the air causing my lightsaber to fall to the ground and roll towards the flames. "Now I understand why Endeavor was defeated by you." Captain Celebrity whispers with a slight hint of respect. "Any last words?" He says with a slight smile on his face.

I was deceived? Unless… At that moment, a shitty smile spreads across my face before I start laughing. Turns out I have the best available front-row seat.

At that moment, Hawks goes through the fierce flames, dropping my backpack to the ground while holding my red lightsaber with both hands before the flames begin to envelop his wings like a phoenix.

At this, my eyes shine brightly and I couldn't help but resist exclaiming with all my might. "Chaos Breathing, Sixth Stance, Chaos Phoenix!"

Captain Celebrity's eyes widen as he watches Hawks fly towards him, swinging a lightsaber at full speed as his hand dangles me in the air by holding my neck.

"No one will ever control my destiny again!" Hawks exclaims in fury as his lightsaber slams into an aerodynamic barrier causing sparks to fly epically around him as I fall to the ground and Captain Celebrity's hand flies through the air.

Then a proud smile spreads across my face as I watch Hawks standing protectively in front of me swinging a red lightsaber with a determined look on his face as the tune in the amphitheater comes to a close.

I'll definitely gift him an epic black cape after this.

"Child Emperor… I will protect you at all costs."

The Dark Hero Has Been Born!

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In The Next Chapters...

Chapter 26 All Might Bizarre Adventure

Chapter 27 Team Hydra

Chapter 28 You Win or You Die