True Prologue (1) | The Masked Rider Hero Has Arrived

[13 years later]

[Musutafu City, Musutafu Commuter Train Station at 23:50]

A woman stepped off the last commuter train of the day, her short-heeled sandals clicking softly against the platform.

As she moved away from the train, she carefully checked her belongings, ensuring she hadn't forgotten anything: her small lady's purse, her souvenir bag with a cute cat-like mascot, and especially her square-framed glasses. The lenses framed her beautiful visage, accentuating her striking white hair interwoven with a few strands of red hair.

"Finally..." She breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly glad to have caught the last train and arrived at her intended destination.

She checked the souvenir bag in her hand, making sure the item she had brought from Tokyo was still with her. She relaxed a bit, muttering, "Shoko will love this~," referring to someone she most likely held dear to her.

As she made her way toward the exit of the train station, she pulled out her smartphone to check something. The glowing screen confirmed her suspicion—it was 23:51, almost midnight. She sighed again, this time in annoyance. "Better get home fast. I don't want to get scolded by Dad."

With determined strides, she exited the train station and headed toward the familiar path that would lead her home.

As she walked through the streets of Musutafu towards her home... the white-haired woman couldn't shake the strange feeling creeping into her...

The streets were eerily quiet... far less crowded than usual. It felt strange to her because the streets of Musutafu were typically bustling with activity, even at this hour nearing midnight. After all, it had become a major urban center since the founding and establishment of UA University almost half a century ago.

But then, a memory surfaced. "Ah... Dad mentioned something before...!"

She recalled her father speaking of rumors about people disappearing at midnight when the chilly fog rolled in. The rumors had gained traction due to the recent foggy weather in Musutafu, especially during the night. Because of that, people were avoiding being out past midnight...

She didn't want to believe in such rumors... but this came from her father... who was a Pro-Hero. Her father was connected to reliable sources all around Japan, especially concerning mass disappearances of individuals. He wouldn't mention something to her without reason... would he?

The woman shook her head, denying the negative thoughts in her mind. 'What if it is all just an empty rumor?' she thought. Perhaps the fog made it easy for people to get lost, and they were exaggerating the disappearances...

Seemingly lost in her thoughts, she continued walking the nearly empty streets of Musutafu.

'Maybe I should have taken a taxi instead of walking...' She lamented silently, regret starting to etch across her expression.

The white-haired woman continued on her way toward the path to her home, but her steps became faster... as did her heartbeat. She didn't know why... but she felt something was off—something was wrong with her surroundings...! The city streets, usually vibrant even at this late hour, seemed unusually desolate and quiet...

Then she finally realized... a thick fog was starting to envelop the streets. It swirled and thickened around her, shrouding the familiar path in an eerie, white veil...! It became thicker... and thicker by the second, swallowing the streetlights and buildings in its dense embrace...!

Now... she was starting to panic, as her vision was being hindered by the fog. The once-clear route home was now a murky labyrinth of shadows and mist!

Out of panic, her fast walk turned into a sprint. She ran along the path she remembered as leading toward her home, her mind racing with thoughts of safety and warmth... but...

She was stopped in her tracks when the fog suddenly became solid!

"Kyaah!" the woman screamed in both surprise and panic as she crashed into the solid wall of fog. She stumbled and dropped to the ground, her purse and souvenir bag scattering on the asphalt street. The impact left her disoriented, and she struggled to gather her belongings... but her hands... they were trembling from fear... something was coming-!

"What's the matter, young lady?"

She suddenly heard someone's voice. The source of the voice came from behind her, from where she had run off. She looked back and saw a middle-aged man in a white formal shirt approaching her. His appearance was oddly pristine, untouched by the dampness of the fog.

"Ah! Thank goodness!" She was glad that there was someone else in this thick fog who, like her, had become trapped in it... but then she noticed something unsettling about the man...

The man approaching her had fog constantly emanating from the nooks and crannies of his clothes and even the orifices of his own body. The fog seeped out of his sleeves, his collar, even his eyes and mouth... like a living fog generator...!

"N-no...! Stay back...!" She warned the fog-inducing man. She quickly realized that this fog was his doing—his Quirk! And he had used it to trap her...!

"What's the matter, young lady~?" The man asked her the same question as he showed her a wicked smile, fog pouring from his mouth in thick, sinister tendrils. "Don't worry... I'll guide you to the correct path... the salvation path..."

She stumbled back in fear from the terrifying and creepy sight. Out of desperation, she used her own Quirk... and gathered shards of icicles in her hands! The air around her hands crackled with cold energy as the icicles formed on her palms.

"Stay back!" she screamed at the man, launching shards of icicles toward him. But the fog-man had already anticipated her attack. His body turned into a swirling mist, creating holes through which the icy projectiles passed harmlessly, leaving him unscathed.

"Whoa! Calm down, ice lady~." The fog-man mocked her attempt, his wicked smile widening.

The woman's breath quickened; her eyes wide with terror. Her attempt at self-defense had failed. She backed away, her mind racing for a way out of this foggy nightmare.

"Hehehe~. Now, now, don't be afraid... Everything is going to be okay... You will never be lost again with me as your guide..." The fog-man intoned, his voice dripping with an unsettling, almost cult-like fervor, as he drew closer and closer. She tried to retreat further, but her back pressed against the same fog wall she had crashed into earlier.

"S-stay back...! I'm warning you...!" she cried out, desperation edging her voice. But the fog-man didn't heed her plea or threat. He just kept getting closer and closer, his form looming ominously through the thickening fog. "S-someone! Anyone! Help...! Any heroes out there, please help...!"

She kept screaming toward the outside of the fog wall, desperately hoping for a savior to rescue her from this terrifying fog-man... but nobody came to her aid. The fog-man just kept inching closer and closer as the fog around them grew thicker by the second, slowly enveloping her. Tears streamed down her face as she dreaded her fate...

"Dad... Dad, please... help..." she muttered her father's name in a last bid of hope as she was completely engulfed by the fog—

Broom, broom, broom!

Suddenly, the roaring sound of an engine echoed through the fog—a motorcycle's engine...!

"Huh?" The fog-man muttered in surprise. The sound grew louder, coming from the thick fog behind him. Lights pierced through the dense fog, and a mysterious figure on a motorcycle emerged, speeding towards him! The motorcycle burst through the dense fog, cutting a clear path as it advanced, the thick mist swirling away in its wake.

"What!?" The fog-man was caught off guard by the sudden intruder, but the motorcycle didn't slow down, barreling towards him at high speed! Unable to react in time, he was struck by the motorcycle's advance before his body could dissipate quickly enough. He was sent flying through the air, crashing into the previously impenetrable fog wall behind the white-haired woman.

The motorcycle's advance came to a halt, right in front of the stunned white-haired woman, and as it did, the fog that had enveloped the streets blew away, clearing the fog from the street... and revealing the person riding the motorcycle itself.

The woman was struck with a mix of awe and confusion at the sight before her—the man on the motorcycle, the hero who had rescued her from the clutches of the fog-man...!

Clad in green armor with a full-face helmet. His visors—no, his large glowing red eyes—pierced through the swirling mist, casting an eerie glow that shone through the lingering mist of the night...

The masked rider hero had arrived.

~~~~~

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Author Note (December 17th, 2024):

I made a slight edit to the timeskip years from 15 to 13 because I wanted to make it so that it's closer to them being 18 years old for Izuku and his peers.