*Ding!*
[System Initializing: ERROR!]
[System Awakening Time Limit: 43790 Hours Remaining]
[Override Requested]
[DENIED]
["C%r^e of *******" acquired]
[ERROR!]
[Host Body Not Compatible]
[ERROR!]
[ERROR!]
[Searching For Solution]
Mira didn't have time to process the various words appearing in front of her as a searing pain unlike anything she's ever experienced shot through her body. Her blood felt like it was boiling, which it might have been seeing as her skin started turning slightly red.
She wanted to scream in pain, but only a soundless cry escaped her lips.
"Hmm? That also wasn't supposed to happen? It was only supposed to be a small prank…" The shadowy figure said with genuine concern in her eyes and lacing her voice, all prior mirth having vanished.
Mira knelt down and clutched the spot on her neck that was bitten as she curled up into the fetal position as tears rolled down her eyes. It terrified her. She was in pain. She wanted to cry out, but only sad whimpers could be heard from the small girl.
[ERROR!]
[Solution Found. Transporting Host]
"Hey, are you alright little one? Can you explain what's-" The shadowy figure tried to reach out to the girl she had been intending on playing with a bit, but her words were cut off as Mira suddenly vanished in a flash of light.
XXX
Back with Mira's family, things were getting just as hectic.
After Mira had closed her eyes and started focusing, she went into a trancelike state for a few minutes. No one had interrupted her since both siblings had done something similar, though it happened in Elfman's sleep, so they knew she was just accessing her quirk.
What none of them expected however was for Mira to suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream as she clutched her neck!
"Mira!" Elfman although startled immediately tried to grab her but recoiled and pulled back as her skin felt like touching a furnace.
"Mira-chan! What's wrong!" Lisa also tried to get closer but her instincts suddenly flared and she jumped away from her sister as her eyes dilated and she entered a low crouch as if ready to pounce or flee at a moment's notice.
Elfman didn't notice this as he was too busy trying to calm his sister, no longer reeling from the heat seeing as he was prepared for it this time.
"Move out of the way! Let me see her!" The voice of the lazy doctor broke both of them out of their actions, having once again completely forgotten he was in the room.
Dr. Tsubasa approached Mira and checked her over as she had stopped screaming by now and was only clutching her neck. He pulled her hand away only to see two fang bite marks show briefly before a change started happening to Mira.
"We heard screaming, is everything alright!?" Just before anything happened a familiar and concerned voice cut through the tense atmosphere.
At the door stood Rei with visible concern on her face. There were two others that accompanied her as well. One being a small child with hair evenly split between two colors: white on their right-side and crimson red on their left. Their eyes were also kind of unusual with the left eye's iris appearing turquoise, while their right is a somewhat brownish dark gray.
There was also a tall, sturdily built man with a very muscular physique behind her. He has short crimson hair, which he wears spiked up around his head, and sharp turquoise eyes. His beard and mustache appear to be made of fire, with the flames currently raging as he scanned the surroundings looking for any sign of a threat.
The two accompanying Rei was her youngest child, Shoto Todoroki, and her husband Enji, also known as the number 2 hero Endeavor.
Shoto had already finished being tested, so they were waiting outside the Strauss's exam room so they could celebrate, though Enji seemed to want to leave now that Shoto's quirk was identified. Which contrasted in earlier attitude when Rei first arrived and he asked about them.
"Is Mira alright?" Shoto asked worriedly and came closer to Mira, but before anyone could answer, Mira was suddenly wrapped in a bright light that made them shield their eyes. Once the light died down, everyone was shocked by what they saw.
Mira, or at least who they assumed to be Mira, was now unconscious on the floor with the chair she was sitting on having been destroyed during the light show. What was strange about her however is that she was switching between multiple forms not too quickly but very steadily?
Sometimes she'd suddenly have her legs replaced by a snake tail. Sometimes ears would randomly grow on her head before suddenly disappearing, replaced by a fresh pair from a different species. Her hands would shift between various shapes and sizes, sometimes with the number of fingers varying.
She'd change colors, sizes, shapes, everything. At times, it looked like she was melting, only to suddenly solidify. She grew fur only for it to recede as soon as it was time for the next transformation.
No one knew what to make of the situation, but Elfman and Lisa were the most terrified at the moment because they knew the strain transforming put on the body, especially rapid transformations like this. They also knew each transformation required a certain amount of energy, so if she kept up like this she might die of exhaustion!
"This doesn't look good. We need to get her to the ER immediately!" Dr. Tsubasa broke everyone out of their confusion and ordered Elfman to pick up the girl and make their way to the emergency center. Time was not on their side at the moment, and neither was information. If things continued, there could be serious damage to the girl in the long term.
XXX
Mira was afraid. She felt like she was being burned and also frozen over at the same time. She wanted her family. She wanted her…
Who was it again?
Her Siblings! That's who! How could she forget! Her brother, Elfman! And her sister… her sister…
Lisana! She wanted her sister, Lisana. And her brother…
She wanted her brother... No; it was a sister, right? She wanted-
Who was it again? In the first place,
Who was she?
The girl was confused and scared. She couldn't remember anything or anyone.
She was cold and lonely.
"Mira-chan,"
Suddenly a soft and maternal voice rang out from behind her. The girl-
No, Mira, she remembered, uncurled herself from holding onto her knees and looked in front of her. There stood a person she didn't know but couldn't help but felt like she knew. Deep down in her heart.
The woman in front of her had bubblegum pink skin and pointed ears. Her white hair had a slight pink hue to it and was styled in a familiar controlled messiness she had grown accustomed to seeing every morning. She also noticed the same soft blue eyes she had gazing at her with an endless affection that made Mira feel warm inside. She also noticed a long tail, the same color as her skin, made itself known from behind her and it waved back and forth.
Mira felt like she knew who this person was. She felt like it couldn't be anyone else, and large tears bubbled from her eyes as she slowly stood up and slowly toddled in the woman's direction.
"Mira-chan, I didn't expect to meet you so soon. I'm-"
"MAMA!" Mira pounced forward hugging the woman in front of her, not noticing said woman freeze in place, smile still on her face, completely unable to process what just happened.
"Mama, I've always wanted to meet you! Onii-chan and Onee-chan always talk about you, but I've never even seen any pictures of you. Both of them take real good care of me too, you know? And onii-chan is a pro hero. And onee-chan is almost in middle school now. And and-" Mira started going on and on about her life and her siblings after finally meeting who she thought to be her mother, not noticing the woman's slowly growing uncomfortableness and helplessly smiling at the situation.
"Mira-chan, slow down. Slow down" The woman, knowing they didn't have much time, interrupted the girl in front of her. Even though her motherly instincts were going haywire, wanting to spoil the small girl.
"What's wrong, Mama? You aren't upset, are you?" Mira clutched onto the woman tighter as she felt afraid she made the wrong impression on her mother. Just before more tears started pooling for her eyes the woman continued on, ignoring her desire to cheer up the crying girl.
"Sadly, I'm not your mother, Mira-chan. At least not exactly. In a way, I could be since it was my wish that gave birth to you, but that's unimportant at the moment. We don't have a lot of time left and your life is in danger, Mira-chan." The mysterious woman burst Mira's bubble and then dumped cold water on her on top of that.
"What do you mean, and who are you then? We look so much alike, don't we?" Mira, although she heard her life was in danger, she was far more concerned about the identity of the woman before her. Maybe it was because she was still young, but the endangerment of her life isn't really something that registers with her just yet.
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you who I am just yet, I'm sorry. But more importantly, you are still in danger. You weren't supposed to be here just yet, and that caused a lot of problems you wouldn't quite understand. On top of that, you ended up getting that troublesome curse attached to you without actually being able to handle it yet. The curse is usually rather harmless in normal circumstances, but right now, It's currently putting your life in danger and if nothing is done, you might die of exhaustion," The woman explained carefully trying not to scare the girl and waste more time, but her worries were unfounded.
Although Mira is young, and she's certainly afraid, she is still a smart girl. She knew when it was time to ask questions and when it was time to act. Hearing the seriousness in the woman's tone, she had now given her full attention to the matter.
"So what am I supposed to do? I assume you can help in some way if you say there's little time, right?" Mira asked with a tilt of the head.
"Un. That's right, I can help in a way, but really all you need to do is what you came here for in the first place." The woman smiled at Mira and her maturity.
"You need to complete your soul take over so you can save yourself. Once you do, you need to stay in that form for a while until the curse runs its course," The woman explained while lowering herself to Mira's height.
"But, I don't know how to do that. Onii-chan and Onee-chan didn't really explain how taking over something even works very well." Mira was beginning to panic a little but tried to keep calm, an amazing feat for a 5-year-old.
"To take over something is actually rather simple, but at the same time, it can be a bit complicated. The only requirement to take over something is to actually truly "know" that entity. How you get to know them really depends on how you perceive getting to know something should be. Elfman once said the best way to get to know someone is through a fight, right? That's why he can use take over after fighting a strong animal. While Lisana is much more normal in that regard, befriending something to get to know them. However, if she is afraid of it deep down, it might not work either." The woman said while patting Mira on the head, trying to calm her down a little.
"Of course, each of you has different variations of take over as they explained earlier. Yours is a little special from those two, however. Yours would be "Demon Soul" or maybe "Monster Soul" would fit better?" The woman said while tilting her head to the side with a finger on her chin in a familiar manner.
"But, I don't know any monsters…" Mira was feeling a little helpless. But the woman just smiled at her warmly and continued to pet her head. It bought Mira a lot of comfort, as it felt like the woman knew all of her good spots.
"Don't worry. The first transformation comes for the soul itself. It's the form that represents you and grows and changes with you. Even Lisana's cat form has the potential to be extremely powerful. Fufu, if she ever stops lazing around in it, that is." The woman said, giving a small chuckle.
"Just close your eyes and try one more time like before to feel it out."
"B-but what if-" Mira was actually scared to try again, remembering the shadowy figure she met the first time she tried and the fear that was ingrained into her body. But she was cut off before she could carry on, as the woman pulled her close and wrapped Mira in her arms.
"Don't worry. I'll be right here with you" She said, giving the small girl a tight squeeze.
Mira breathed a sigh of relief and sank into the woman's arms while closing her eyes again. She felt the boundless warmth the woman gave off, and it calmed her at her core. She already knew the form her soul wanted to take, but it made her kind of afraid to try. She didn't want to say goodbye to the woman in front of her just yet.
"We'll meet again someday soon, Mira-chan. I'm not going anywhere" Maybe having sensed her thoughts, the woman reassured Mira one final time. Only getting a small nod in return before a bright light enveloped them both.