Chapter Text
By the time Elias turned seven, the fear had started to whisper louder than the hope.
Most kids manifested their quirks by five. Six if their bodies were slow. Seven if their doctors made excuses. But Seven? Seven was supposed to be the finish line. By seven, everyone knew.
Elias didn’t know.
He still checked the mirror every morning for something new. He tried holding his breath until his fingers tingled. He scraped his knees and watched the bruises for signs. Nothing. Just freckles and aching silence.
His mom said nothing too. She didn’t ask him if it had shown up yet. She didn’t tell him to keep hoping.
The kids at school called him names. Baby. Defective. Broken. A speed bump. They ripped his uniform once trying to see if he was hiding something under his clothes. They laughed when they saw the soulmark on his shoulder and called it fake. Who would want a quirkless soulmate?
Only his dog, a Border Collie named Snuffles, loved him without needing proof. Only Snuffles didn’t care that he had a girl’s name, a girl's or boy’s voice, or no power at all.
He used to curl up with the dog and whisper, “What if I stay like this forever? Would you still stay?”
Snuffles would wag his tail, lick his cheek, and make the answer clear.
He lived in a quiet town, tucked between ocean cliffs and crowded train lines — the kind of place where everyone knew your name, and your quirk. Heroes flashed on TV screens in every window. Kids argued over rankings on the playground. Even the grocery store clerk wore merch from their favourite pro hero.
Here, quirks weren’t just superpowers. They were promises. Proof that you mattered. That you belonged.
Elias was still waiting.
Waiting, and slowly, starting to wonder if maybe his story had never really begun at all.
---
One day, before he could reach his eighth birthday, everything broke at once.
“Elane,” his mother called out, her voice slicing through the air. The boy looked up from the vibrant pages of the comic books he was engrossed in. Elias’s brain rattled, and the name given to him, Elane, never quite fit in his mind. It carried a weight of longing that tugged at him, a desire for a more masculine name like Luke or Max. Despite every ounce of his being urging him to rebel against his given name, he hesitated, not wanting to engage in yet another heated argument with his parents. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried to play the part of a devoted daughter, it never felt authentic. As he traced the mark on his shoulder, a mysterious symbol that seemed to have appeared there on the day of his birth, he found solace in the hope that it symbolised the unwavering support he could rely on, regardless of the path he chose to follow.
When the boy lifted his gaze, he noticed that his father's hands were coated with dried blood, and the front of his shirt was also stained. The dark, grimy smudges extended from his hands to fleck his neck, and his expression seemed distant as he stared down at his hands. His lips curved ever so slightly, revealing a faint, enigmatic smile that seemed to hold an air of mystery, barely perceptible yet leaving a haunting impression. It was a smile that held a secret that would soon unravel and change Elias's future. A secret that even Elias was not prepared for.
“Elane, sweetheart,” the boy's mother knelt before him. “I have some sad news about Snuffles. I’m so sorry, but he’s no longer with us. He was hit by a car this morning.” The words hung heavy in the air, carrying with them a wave of grief that engulfed Elias's heart. Unbeknownst to the boy, it was a sickly lie that even the mother was unaware of.
As tears streamed down the young boy’s face in disbelief, he grieved the loss of his closest companion — the family dog, a faithful friend named Snuffles. As his father stepped away to compose himself, the boy’s mother tenderly touched his shoulder, offering comfort and strength. The father's retreat was shrouded in sombre silence, evoking an unsettling unease that lingered beneath the surface, elusive and unidentifiable.
That night, as grief tore at his bones, Elias felt the weight of his loneliness. He didn’t have many friends, or any friends really, but Snuffles, a Border Collie, had been all he needed.
As he cried to sleep that night, he prayed and wished for the mark on his arm to guide him to the other half of his soul, to make everything better when he woke up.
Then, it was as if the universe was finally set in motion. It was as if the old gods looked at the poor boy, filled with so much sorrow and grief, set for a future that he was still unsure how it would go about, and decided to lend Elias a guiding hand. Shadows descended on the sleeping boy and wrapped up his being like a warm blanket; he was to be safe and protected at all costs.
Meanwhile, not too far away, another roughly ten-year-old boy sat at his window, rubbing his bruised cheek, wondering if the burning sensation on his hip brought him joy. The two boys wished for a future together, a future filled with safety, contentment, and, most importantly, each other.
---
A month later, on the morning of Elias’ eighth birthday, the skies had been blessed with his favourite overcast grey. He rubbed at his swollen eyes, and he hopped out of bed. As he walked to the bathroom to get ready for school, he looked at himself in the mirror; the grief struck him all the same. His tussle mop of brown hair with an unpigmented patch at his bangs. His unruly mess of hair went to his eyes, almost hiding the month’s worth of swollen eyes. Prominent freckles covered his being like an infection. Elias solemnly brushed his teeth and got dressed. As he was done in the bathroom, he left to catch up with the bus.
Elias maintained composure despite the crowded bus and his peers’ mocking. He met their jeers with a steely glare and a cold shoulder, refusing to let their words wound him as deeply as they hoped. His resilience was a testament to his inner strength. His troubles continued at school, as they typically do, as he was the last in his grade to develop his quirk and was perceived as quirkless. He stared blankly at the front of the classroom.
Why hasn’t it come yet? What if it never does?
Whistles and intrusive voices invaded his brain, and everything disgusted him. Elias wished people would look away or leave him alone, but they never did. His classmates' cruelty was bitter, but he withstood the resentment.
Despite the challenges he faced, Elias was undeniably intelligent. His peers’ jealousy often manifested in cruel words, but he knew his worth and refused to let their insults diminish his intellect.
“I bet you will end up quirkless, you baby.”
“You are a speed bump for my tricycle, midget.”
Elias would frequently find himself subjected to cruel taunts and physical aggression from his classmates. They would aggressively rip at his clothing in a morbid attempt to ascertain whether he possessed any female attributes. Despite resisting and defending himself, Elias, one of the smallest and youngest students in the class, was overpowered and left defenceless.
---
He made his way home, sullen and scuffed shoes that the ground marked up. Elias went to the house, but no one was home. This was not uncommon, and both of his parents had demanding jobs. They were often away or would come back at odd night hours.
He kicked off his shoes by the door and shrugged out of his coat. His gaze drifted towards the living room, and he placed a hand over his heart. The thought of never seeing his best friend again weighed heavily on him. He shuffled to his room and yanked off his school uniform in frustration.
I hate this uniform. I hate the teachers. I hate my peers. I HATE school. I hate that Snuffles is gone. I hate that no one is ever around.
Tears blurred his vision. He had changed into a shirt but had yet to wear any pants. He fell to his knees, his body convulsing with sobs that erupted from his throat. As he knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the carpet, Elias cried out into the empty walls of his house.
After what felt like an eternity, his tears finally ceased, his breathing gradually steadied, and a sense of clarity emerged in the aftermath of his emotional breakdown. A strange, haunting yet familiar sound reached his ears as he took deep breaths.
“WOOF”
The bark rattled through the house. Tense like stone, Elias’ heart hammered in his chest. Cerulean eyes peaked in the direction where the sound came from.
Picking himself up like a block tower — “WOOF” — the sound repeated. Something fluttered in his ribcage. Hope? Fear? At this moment, he couldn't care less. Elias threw on a pair of shorts and followed the familiar sound out of his room and down the hallway. As he padded down the hall, the bark continued through the house. The sound led him to the backyard, where they had buried their beloved dog the month prior. With shaky hands, he slid the glass door to the yard open.
The searing pain behind his eyes caught him off guard. The sunlight seemed unusually intense, especially compared to the dimness of the school environment and the morning forecast. As his eyes gradually adapted to the brightness, a perplexed, “WHAT?” escaped his lips.
---
Elias gazed out beyond the wooden railing of the back deck and spotted a mysterious figure. It wasn’t a foreboding and eerie presence but a diminutive, almost enthusiastic form composed of bones and pitch-black darkness. Perplexed and oddly unafraid, Elias observed this diminutive creature, which appeared resolute in its determination to approach him.
Is that a dog? Elias stared with childlike wonder at the skeletal dog wagging its bony tail and somehow carrying a stick in its mouth.
As the dog came right up to him, Elias reached out to take the stick. His hand brushed against a familiar blue collar with a round tag dangling from it.
That’s Snuffles’ collar. His eyes widen with realisation.
Elias gently took the tag, and the dog happily let him. His suspicions were correct. This was Snuffles. Alive but dead? He was too pleased to be concerned about the logistics of how his deceased dog was before him or to notice that his skin looked strange.
Elias sobbed a laugh of relief as he slumped down to give Snuffles an encompassing hug. All the grief he had contained within him for the past month had settled and made him elated by his friend's return.
Snuffles bonked his cheek gently with his skull and showed him the large stick in his mouth once more, demanding it be thrown. Giggling, Elias grabbed the stick and chucked it across the yard. Snuffles chased it and ran back to him. As Elias tried to grab it from the dog, Snuffles decided to play tug of war. They continued to play for hours. Happiness, joy, and comfort flooded Elias’ system. There was no place he would rather be than playing with his dog in the sun, no matter what shape the Border Collie might be in.
---
The unsuspecting parents returned home to find their child playing in the yard, seemingly unaware of their presence. As the mother gazed out into the yard, she was horrified to see her child, Elane, covered in dirt, emitting an unsettling darkness. Strange, black streaks seemed to run through his veins from his hands to his cheeks, visible through his skin. His cerulean eyes glowed in stark contrast to the darkness seeping into his corneas, giving him an almost demonic appearance. A smile spread across Elane's face as he played with the upright skeleton, further adding to the unsettling scene. At that moment, the mother couldn’t shake the feeling that her child had become the embodiment of something unnatural.
Just then, her husband entered the room, and she noticed a dangerous glint in his eyes, directed straight at Elane. The tension in the air was palpable as the parents processed the disturbing sight before them.