Director Magister

Four years. That's how long Rei had been in this world and the time he managed to learn Japanese, sign language, and lip-reading completely.

Because of this, his parents had no choice but to agree to his request to study at home and start school when he turned six. Rei wanted friends, but not friends who were barely 3 years old, so he made an effort to master the language.

Today was a special day, not only because it was his birthday, but also because there were gifts, and Rei knew exactly which one was his, as he had been asking for it for months.

A laptop.

Despite being deaf, he had spent four years in this life exploring the surroundings of his neighborhood, Musutafu, since he started going for walks to the park some time ago, so now he wanted to explore the virtual world.

He had been watching news reports about heroes that had recently emerged, and he realized that professional heroes had just started appearing, like Present Mic, Vlad King, Midnight, although whenever she appeared, Liria or Ren quickly turned off the TV.

So, at this moment, he was in the backyard, a small lawn where he was sitting on a wooden part before touching the grass, drawing a sketch of the house while waiting for his parents, who had asked him to wait outside for a moment while they organized something.

If you had to define the house, it would be as simple as saying that it was a conventional Japanese house with a garage similar to the one in Shin-Chan but without a shed and a slightly larger garden.

'It's coming along nicely... I hope they won't restrict my use of the laptop too much, but knowing Mom...'

Rei sighed and lowered his head to continue drawing while he thought about something that had been bothering him for some time: his appearance.

He didn't consider himself ugly at all; even if it sounded narcissistic, he considered that he had inherited the best features from both of his parents, like his mother's beautiful nose and his father's large eyes.

The problem was that his father had green hair and eyes, his mother had purple hair and eyes, but he didn't have any of those colors; instead, he had a dark jet-black color for both his hair and eyebrows.

He literally remembered the moment he was born and was a hundred percent sure they were his parents, but even so, he stood out, or rather, he wouldn't mind looking a bit more like them.

"Ah-AHHHHHHH!"

In the midst of his distraction, he suddenly brought his hands to his eyes, dropping the drawing pad to the ground, and shortly after, he fell himself onto the grass.

The scream was so loud that Ren heard it even from inside the house, and he quickly informed Liria, who rushed outside with a panicked expression that grew even larger when she found her son suffering on the ground.

She picked him up without a second thought and quickly turned to Ren, who, with a brief glance, went straight for the car keys.

︿︿︿︿︿︿︿

Rei's eyes flew open, and his head shook from side to side.

The world had turned dark again.

'N-No!'

A great sense of panic grew within him as he clutched his chest.

Suddenly, the space changed.

Before him rose a huge stage with a massive amount of instruments floating around it.

All his nervousness evaporated instantly as he took in his surroundings. It was as if each instrument had a connection to him, urging him to make them "speak."

In the center, a figure began to rise slowly.

He was dressed strangely, similar to a white bib with purple sleeves, and his face was covered by his strange hair cascading down to his shoulders, from which four arms emerged. His hair was connected by blue chains that linked the lower parts on both sides of his head. The top hands were covered by gloves, and the ones on the right held batons similar to those of a conductor.

'Isn't he the one from the soccer series Rafael used to watch?'

Rei stared at the man, who also seemed to be focused on him.

He set aside his fear due to the imposing figure before him and brought a hand to his chin, trying to remember his name, to the point of starting to walk in circles.

"Uh-Director Magister from Inazuma Eleven!"

The idea struck him like lightning, and he blurted it out without thinking, causing his voice to echo in the space, and he felt embarrassed for it.

"Wait..."

Rei's eyes widened for a moment, and he quickly screamed again.

"Aaaaah-

Rei fell silent instantly, covering his ears with his hands, his gaze lost, and tears began to fall down his cheeks.

"*sob* I can... I can hear."

It took several minutes for him to finally calm down and regain his composure as he wiped away the traces of tears from his face.

Rei's gaze settled on the man on the stage, who seemed to be patiently waiting for him, and gestured for him to approach.

He didn't hesitate and began to move forward, feeling the same connection with the man as with the instruments floating around him.

*STEP*

After taking a step, the floating instruments seemed to draw closer.

*STEP*

A pain shot through Rei's body, causing him to writhe in place, and the space began to vibrate with the sound similar to cries emitted by the instruments.

"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH"

Gripping his head with both hands, he began to feel as if thousands of red ants were biting his head and hundreds of needles were piercing his eyes.

He was afraid to take another step.

Every second, he could feel the pulsing of his eyes and how the pain from his head overlapped with his thoughts.

With all his strength, he lifted his head to find that the enormous figure of Director Magister seemed to be waiting for him in the same spot where he was.

'One more step.'

That's all Rei felt at that moment.

The instruments vibrated with excitement.

Clenching his teeth, he began to lift his foot, thinking about his parents, about the life he had achieved, about the feeling of having heard his own voice for first time.

Step by step, he felt more pain in his body and more weight on his back.

By the time he realized it, he was already in front of Director Magister, and as he lifted his weary face, he met bright red eyes that looked at him with a proud smile.

"You are worthy to wield me. Take my hand and resonate with me, your will!"

Magister extended his hand, and Rei accepted it, causing all the pain to disappear, and the figure of the man began to be absorbed by him along with all the flying instruments that were now merging with Rei's body.

The entire space began to crumble, and before he knew it... 

"*GASP*"

He had awakened.

Just like the first time he arrived in this world, the first thing Rei saw upon waking up was a white ceiling above him. Before he could even process what was happening, he saw a figure with purple hair leaping over him, crushing his body.

"Kuh-"

Rei's eyes closed from the impact, and his body momentarily lost strength. When he felt the weight disappear and opened his eyes again, he saw his father holding Liria with all his strength.

'I can't hear again... But what was that?'

A woman approached Rei, dressed like a doctor, and began to move her mouth, but quickly closed it with a guilty expression as if she remembered something. She wrote something on the clipboard she carried and showed it to Rei shortly after.

[Are you okay?]

Rei read the message calmly as he leaned back on the bed, resting his back against the wall, and nodded. The doctor nodded back and started writing again while casting small glances at Liria for the commotion she was causing trying to free herself.

[Your fainting may have been due to your Quirk developing. Do you feel anything strange or different?]

Rei nodded again as he read and extended his right hand forward, palm facing the ceiling. Suddenly, he could feel an infinity of bodies within him, each with a will, a feeling, a voice urging him to come out and explore the world with him.

Closing his eyes, he focused on the two voices that sounded the strongest, and particles in the air materialized, taking the form of a white guitar and beside it, a drum kit of the same color.

{IMG's here}

'Wow.'

Rei had called upon the voices of those instruments he had played the most in his past life, and unconsciously his hands moved towards the sky, bringing the guitar closer to him.

*Strum*

'I can hear it...'

*STRUM* *STRUM* *STRUM*

His fingers danced across the guitar strings for a few seconds until Rei finally realized his situation and shifted his attention to the people around him, finding that everyone was staring at him in disbelief except for Liria, who instead of looking at him, gazed with surprise and confusion at the guitar in his hands.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed by the stares he was receiving, he raised the guitar above him, letting it float above him, and directed his gaze back to the people as he cleared his throat.

"I apologize."

Rei lowered his head for a second, and when he raised it again, he found that they were still looking at him strangely, so he frowned slightly, ready to ask what was going on, but stopped when he saw the doctor rummaging in her pockets.

His attention momentarily diverted from the doctor, he looked to his parents on his right, who were now both looking at him totally surprised, so he tilted his head, and strangely his eyes widened even more, bringing both hands to his chest.

'Are they sick?'

Rei raised an eyebrow, but his gaze shifted to his left as he felt a breeze near his face and found that the doctor had placed a small mirror in front of him, but his eyes could only be drawn to the reflection in the mirror.

"Wow..."

His hair had completely changed. Before, it was short, but now it had grown to his ears and become somewhat messy, but what really stood out was his hair color, which had changed from simple black to green on the left side and purple with a touch of white on the right side.

His eyes had also undergone a change and had become the same color as their respective parts of his hair.

{IMG here}

Rei averted his gaze with some embarrassment for being captivated by his own reflection and moved his head to the side to thank the doctor, but when his eyes met hers, she brought her hand to Rei's cheek and began to squeeze it. 

"?"

Rei tilted his head again and stared at the doctor, but he was surprised by the sudden appearance of a hand that delicately pushed the doctor's hand away.

When he looked to his side, he saw his mother with a hint of annoyance on her face as she glared at the doctor, who seemed to snap out of her trance and coughed, writing again.

{I apologize, it was part of the checkup, you're perfectly fine to go home.}

Rei responded with a grateful smile, but his expression clearly conveyed disbelief in her words.

'If it was just a checkup, why apologize? Haha.'

The doctor left the room embarrassed, leaving the family alone. As soon as she exited, Ren approached Rei to inspect him thoroughly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Dad, sorry for worrying you."

"Don't apologize, Reiki, I'm just glad you're okay. Although I have to say th-"

Ren's words were interrupted by a tug from Liria, and seeing the seriousness in her gaze, he fell silent with a nod, letting her speak.

"Reiki, could you play that guitar again?"

"Uh, sure."

Rei looked confusedly at his mother for a moment, but he didn't hesitate to bring the guitar closer and began to play again as soon as it was in his hands.

(-Shiloh Dynasty / Hesitations-)

*STRUM*

"..."

*STRUM*

♫ When it's dark out, I'm the one you need, yeah

Listen to the beating of your heart's song, hearth's song

When it's dark out, I'm the one you need, yeah

Listen to the beating of your heart's song, song~ ♫

Rei's hands stopped, feeling an indescribable happiness at being able to hear again a melody he had sung so many times, yet sadly still unable to hear his own voice.

A smile spread across his face, and when he looked back at his parents, he found them still gaping at him, but his mother seemed to be trembling slightly, her head bowed. Concerned, he approached her, shaking her.

"Mom?"

Liria grabbed his hands tightly as she lifted her head, revealing a smile radiating pure happiness, and for the first time, she spoke to him in her own voice.

"I could hear you along with the sound of your guitar. For the first time in my life, I could hear something... And I'm so glad that something was your voice. Thank you, my dear."

Rei didn't even have time to be surprised or respond before he felt two arms enveloping him in a tight hug. In total confusion and surprise, he looked to his father, who alternated between pointing at Liria and the instruments floating above them.

"Awesome... Where did you learn English? And how did you know how to play the guitar? And where does that song come from?"

"Uh, I learned by watching Mom, and I played on instinct. It was like my fingers moved on their own."

Ren nodded suspicious at his explanation and looked at both of them with happiness, joining in the hug.

Rei felt a slight fatigue in his body, and the instruments began to disappear. They seemed to make a sound as Ren looked up and then at Rei, his eyes widening in surprise.

"You're back to normal."

"Maybe the change activates when the ability does."

Ren nodded for a moment but then showed a smile and began to slightly elbow Rei.

"I see, by the way Reiki... when you use your Quirk, you become quite the handsome young man. Ha ha, I wish something like that happened when I activated my Quirk."

"Mmm, now that I think about it, what's your Quirk, Dad? And Mom's?"

"We'll talk about that at home, okay?"

Rei smiled and nodded as Liria started moving her hands with a slight panic.

"I can't hear you anymore, is something wrong?"

Rei also began to move his hands, pointing to the ceiling and his hair.

"I couldn't hold the Quirk anymore, and it vanished. I think when it's active, my instruments must allow you to hear my voice."

Liria's hands lowered slowly, and she put on a sad expression for a moment, but then raised them again with a smile.

"Reiki! You know English! I knew I was an incredible teacher, but to teach you a language without even trying... I'm truly amazing! Hehe~"

Rei's smile turned into one of disbelief as he turned his head to his father, who shared the same incredulous look.

︿︿︿︿︿︿︿

The family's car finally pulled up near home after a twenty-minute drive through the streets, and both parents exchanged a glance upon seeing Rei summoning various instruments in the back seat.

It seemed that Rei had been unconscious for a couple of hours, as the early morning that was there before he passed out had now turned into an early evening.

Liria turned in the passenger seat and waved her hand to get Rei's attention. Seeing that she was calling him, Rei dismissed the drum in his hand with a smile and turned his gaze towards his mother as his hair returned to its normal state.

"When we arrive, could you wait at the entrance?"

Liria asked with a smile, which Rei assumed was related to his birthday party. He felt a bit guilty for making them worry when they were so busy organizing everything.

Rei nodded with a smile, understanding his role, and feeling appreciative of his parents' efforts. Liria turned to Ren and smiled, to which he responded with another smile, before stopping the car as they had reached the garage of the house.

"Let's go in."

After making sure the car was locked, they entered the house. Rei waited at the entrance, summoning some instruments again.

On the way, he discovered two things: one pleasant and the other incredibly surprising.

The pleasant one was that the instruments didn't have a duration limit; the only condition for them to remain "summoned" was that Rei stayed focused on them, and there seemed to be no limit to how many he could summon.

The other thing was something he could hardly believe himself. Sure, there were conditions, but it seemed too powerful even with those conditions, as they were relatively easy to overcome.

Rei had a connection with all the instruments, but the connection with each instrument was different, and he could tell by the "voice" that called out to him.

He theorized that the connection was actually the consciousness of the instruments and depended on the degree of understanding he had of them, making that connection stronger.

This was demonstrated when he summoned only the guitar and the drums, the instruments he had played the most in his past life.

Now, this was the really surprising part. When he played the guitar, it gave him the feeling that its sound and his voice could be transmitted to everyone who could hear it.

But when he played the drums in the car, he felt a mysterious vitality invading his body, feeling less tired and with more energy.

Seems that each of his connections had an ability, and the condition to unlock it was basically to play the instrument more until he understood its essence.

Crazy.

The downside was that he couldn't discern an instrument's ability without understanding it, so he had to live with the hope of someday finding that connection that would allow him to hear again.

Rei looked at the next instrument in his hand that he decided to practice, and with a smile, he unsummoned it when he saw his parents approaching him.

"Everything ready, Reiki. Excited~?"

Before Rei could answer Liria's question, Ren approached him, lowering his arms to cover his eyes while gently pushing him forward from behind.

'Uh, I guess I am?'