[[Pov: Takahashi]]
The forest was certainly interesting , it was a forest with trees bearing no leaves , the creatures that crawled this area were oddly familiar yet something i had never imagined.
The sky was of a purple tint and misty the same as the occasional cracks in the grounds with no bottom.
The whole place made me remeber the vestiges of one for all scene in the original anime.
The set up certainly felt that way and since i was using the quirk to dive into Helga's mind it would make sense i would end up in a similar place.
The orphanage building was adorned with cracks and filth , the only source of light visible being a flickering yellow light coming from the windows on the 1st floor.
[IMAGE]
My walk towards the orphanage was slow and silent accompanied by the occasional breaking of a twig and growling of some kind of creature
After some time , i reached the front wooden gate which had dry vines all over it the sound of a girl whimpering was echoing from within.
The reason was unknown to me, but my objective was certainly here and not some other place for which i would have to search harder for.
Me diving this deep into Helga's mind was for two purpose one to sate my curiosity over her missing memories and two test the theory of "vestiges".
*Creak*
I pushed the door with my foot and with a small crunching sound the wines snapped as the door creaked open.
*Thud*
The sound of the door hitting something echoed in the entrance and a but of dust kicked up , the room had absolutely no light inside.
Concentrating a bit i conjure a small flame from my imagination.
The room is covered in dust and cobwebs as if it has been left untouched for decades.
The floor board isn't visble at all .
Done with looking around i decided to cut to the chase and conclude this probe as soon as possible.
Flying through the building within minutes , i reach the room from where the crying and whimpering could be heard the loudest.
Upon entering i was met with the sight of a little girl wearing a white dress about 8 year old of age with a face that's been badly ruined , bits of her skull flesh flaming blue the wounds continuing to her hands and legs.
[IMAGE]
My sudden barging in seems to have scared her as she atrempted to run away from me by crawling from her fetal position towards the underside of the bed.
But her weak body disagreed as she quickly fell down with her body shaking all over with fear.
I was momentarily stunned by the sudden adverse reaction and also a bit lost on the situation.
I had a possibly emotionally hyperactive kid in my hands and i had never even interacted properly with children in my whole two lives.
I kinda didn't know how to handle one ?
"Hey,you're name's Helga Right"
I am greeted by silence and the stiffening of the girls body as she turned to look at me with fear.
" I, uh, I'm really sorry for scaring you like that. Are you okay?"
My stupid attempt at making her feel comfortable have no effect as Helga huddles into herself, visibly trembling.
"I know you're scared, Helga. And I don't blame you for being cautious around me. But I want you to know I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to help."
I went with the cliche line of reassurance since it is a cliche for a reason and it seems to be working as Helga while still avoiding eye contact doesn't try torun away from me.
"I... I don't really know how to do his okay, but I want to try. Can I sit here with you for a bit?"
Trying to appear vulnerable and genuine i decided to speak the truth and get into a more comfortable position with her and perhaps due to her childish Naivety or my godlike negotiation skills she nods slightly, still on edge.
" Thanks, Helga. um I have medicine . Do you... do you need any help with your injuries?"
Focusing a bit i conjured a hypothetical medicine in this world and asked her about it.
She hesitated a bit , then nodded again, relaxing a bit so i could easily come close to her.
"Okay, let me, uh, let me help you with that." , as i started cleaning her wounds and bandaging them i gave her the pills i conjured.
She winced at my touch but relaxed after a bit of time passed
"It must've been rough being in here all alone ,You're really brave, Helga. I know it's scary, but you're not alone anymore. I'll stay with you until you feel safe again."
I paused a bit drawing her full attention
"You must have a lot to tell right "
I held her hand in mine in a comforting way and patted her head smiling the best i can.
"We'll take it one step at a time, okay? I'm here to listen to whatever you have to stay"
As i said that she looked in my eyes , with eyes tinged with tears , gratitude.
She hugs me with her face on my abdomen she starts sobbing.
"I-I can't... I can't do this anymore... I'm so scared..." , she speaks in between sobs
"Helga, listen to me. You don't have to be scared anymore. I'm here, and I won't let anything happen to you. You can trust me." ,vI asked for her trust because i could feel a different kind of feedback from my quirk when she opened up to me.
*chokes back a sob*
Her voice barely a whisper
"Th-they came out of the forest... these... these creatures... they grabbed me... dragged me into this old building..."
her voice cracks as she pushes her face deeper unto me hugging me with all her strength.
" They... they hurt me... and they laughed... they laughed at me... when i begged them to stop..."
Feeling a surge of direcrives from my quirk , I gently wipe away her tears" I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Helga. But I promise, I'll keep you safe from now on. You can let go of all your worries. I'll carry them for you."
The words were not something i thought of it was that nagging feedback talling me to make her leave everything to me.
As she tries to continue ,she bursts into tears, her whole body shaking with the weight of her fear and pain.
" I don't want to go back there... I can't... what if they come back for me? What if they... "
"Helga, you don't have to face this alone. You can trust me to protect you. I'll make sure those creatures never come near you again. You can leave all your fears with me. I'll carry them so you can find peace."
*sniffles*
She looked up at me and continued "And... and Olivia... my mom... I miss her so much"
Overwhelmed by emotion, her mind shifted , memories spilling out from deep within her slowly transforming her body and the surroundings as she let out all her regrets.
"And... and my family... my son... I pushed him away broke him... I hurt them..."
" It's okay, Helga. You can't change the past, your actions will forever beat least you have the will to admit fault , you can leave it all to me for me to continue making amends for me to carry your will"
as she rants, her body begins to age and become translucent, memories flashing before her eyes , changing the surroundings
" I regret... I regret so much... not eating those candies when I was ten... leaving Olivia behind... hurting my family... "her voice breaking with each admission
"It's okay, Helga. You don't have to carry these regrets and burdens anymore ,Leave them to me."
My words seem to do wonder as she smiles at me mirthfully and start fading away, her surroundings transforming into a lively place, she looked at me with gratitude
"Thank you... Takahashi... for accepting me..." her voice fades, and she disappears
I watch her fade away, a sense of peace washing over me "You're welcome, Helga. Rest now. I'll carry your will"
I mutter knowing fullwell what i just did ,myquirk may have absolute control over the fire aspects of the quirl but the vestiges remain in all of them.
Helga was such a brolen person that her soul itself had slithered down into herself my interference caused her vestige to find peace and the final bits of her soul to be freed from her body.
The moment she faded i felt a fundamental change in my quirkas unlike the other quirks i took it became part of [Pyro Sovereignty] rather than remain a separate quirk.
Just like in one for all how the vestiges hold power despite being part of a collective quirk.
As she vanishes completely, the world around me falls apart, getting ripped apart by a raging star with very small dark lights orbiting around it in a vast universal expanse ,the representation of my quirk in my mindscape.
Unlikee the others Helga's would enter the sun rather than become its subsidiary planet.
The scene fades as i open my eyes back to the real world catching a glimpse of how Helga's biomass merged with my body leaving behind nothing.
The memories hit like a truck as i go into contemplation about what i witness completely ignoring anything else.
While a prt of me felt pity i was mostly happy for her since unlike me she at least found peace with herself.
The unexpected incident with Helga Eldursson truly opened my eyes to new prospects and solved my problems without looling for answers .
======><[Chapter End]><======< strong>
#1649 words
This marks the end of Volume-1.
Pretty short i know ,but it was meant to be that way.
I'll be busy till 28 due to a really important exam so only expect one chapter in this timeframe