Chapter Text
Prologue
(...)
I must admit that for many generations, my world has only become stranger. At first, we were a society just beginning to enter the era of modernity in the 20th century, with our own customs and numerous historical conflicts among us. However, everything changed after the Great Chinese Miracle of Quig Quig in the middle of the century. It was during this event that the Quirks were born, practically the powers that every human being has from birth.
Over time, the society of heroes emerged, made up mostly of individuals with a Quirk. This is the reality in which I was born, grew up, and will probably die. It is well known that each person has a unique Quirk, practically unrepeatable, despite the beliefs of some. This situation has reached a point where no respectable individual in society cares at all. Despite the above, even after having the misfortune of being born without any Quirk and being despised by society, my fate never ceases to remind me how unique and strange I can be. And the truth is, I hold a secret that I have had since I was just a child, and it all happened shortly after I was diagnosed as Quirkless.
It turns out that one night, when I finally stopped feeling miserable after losing my friendship with my best friend Katsumi and accepting the fact that she had begun to treat me with contempt, I had a strange dream in which I woke up in a forest teeming with magical creatures I had never known. At that moment, what I experienced seemed so real that the fear I felt when some of those creatures pounced to devour me made me repeatedly doubt whether I had somehow awakened in another world. When I woke up the next day, being just a child, I couldn't fully comprehend it, and at the same time, I naively believed that it would be the last time I dreamed of something that seemed like a nightmare. Unfortunately, when I slept the next day, my dream began at the same tree where I had taken refuge to hide from what seemed like a giant bear with spikes.
Not receiving answers from my mother, father, or my school counselor at the elementary school I attended, I realized that the only way a child like me could access the information I needed was through the internet, easily and unsupervised. Mainly because of the guilt my parents felt for my condition, and to this day, I feel guilty for having taken advantage of that. Anyway, while browsing the internet and finding no answers, I was about to give up, but fortunately, I found an article from a psychology magazine on a scientific dissemination page. Although I was just beginning to study Kanji, I had learned enough to discover that Sigmund Freud claimed that dreams are a product of the unconscious, something like the digestive system of the mind, as they relieve it of multiple burdens. This led me to consider that my mind was responsible for conceiving this strange world in my dreams.
At that moment, I couldn't help but remember that I had just been diagnosed as Quirkless, and there was a possibility that this dream was a response from my mind to the harsh reality I had to live in, creating this fantasy. Even though I managed those terms beyond my age, I still couldn't understand how I could avoid feeling fear every time a goblin tried to rip out my guts while passing by a possible cave in which to take refuge. That's when I found an interesting video in which a Herotuber had published a video recommending that those of us with nightmares show bravery in front of them and find creative ways to face them to overcome them.
Although I hadn't recently felt particularly motivated since seeing how my dream of being like my hero faded, for the first time in a long time, I felt truly motivated. The strangest thing about all this was that this feeling emerged precisely at the moment when I had to face my own nightmares. What happened next was that I began to conduct an exhaustive investigation of the Isekai genre, in addition to spending my savings from my allowance given by my father on manga of the genre. Once I was clear about what was important to remember, I began to gather all the information in my notebooks, which I also bought with my allowances. Over time, my passion for writing in my notebooks became my life, not having friends to spend time with in a school that seemed to hate me for who I was.
Although the process of facing the creatures was arduous and involved both physical and mental torture, all that effort finally paid off. It turns out that all the magical techniques I was practicing and learning from certain works somehow worked in the other world. When I cast my first "Fire Bolt," it was one of the best experiences I've had in life, even when reality insisted on reminding me that all this was happening in a dream. It was only a matter of time before applying what I had learned with the creatures that had stalked me since I first dreamed of this. I must admit it was challenging, but I finally managed to defeat my first Goblin, my first Thunder Wolf, and my first Giant Slime. Afterward, I could only celebrate that I had finally conquered my nightmares and taken control of my mind. Honestly, it felt good to smile with joy again, as if my favorite hero was cheering me on with his words.
From that moment, I was practically the master of my own world, my mind, and my reality, and I could be completely free to do what I couldn't do in the real world. At least, that was the feeling I experienced, being aware that my dreams probably weren't going to stop, despite having defeated the creatures that tried to devour me. However, I also didn't rule out the idea that I didn't want them to end either.
It was then that I understood that every human being seeks a way to escape their reality. Many take refuge in vices, others in their hobbies; for my part, I chose to keep moving forward with my dreams, where I could be free to be the Quirkless that society had decided to reject.
Over time, my dreams became my motivation to excel in various areas, such as improving at school. I knew that better grades would mean more opportunities to buy more manga, which in turn would provide me with more techniques to face more powerful monsters. They also motivated me to distance myself from the constant bullying of Katsumi by avoiding her enough to dedicate myself to my other hobbies, all aimed at enhancing my experience in my dreams. I was even encouraged to participate in camps with the Scouts to acquire survival skills in the forest, the same place where I used to camp in my dreams. All this contributed to my independence from the internet in terms of survival, as online advice often wasn't the most reliable. In the end, there was no creature, spirit, or ancestral being that could face me and win. As if that weren't enough, in search of real challenges, I decided to delve into the dungeons that I regularly discovered deep in the forest. However, my experience wasn't limited to epic battles I strove to imagine.
By the time I had been dreaming for a year, I finally met my first friend, although under unusual circumstances and with human blood on my hands, marking my first contact with humans in the world I had created in my mind. At that moment, I didn't think much of it, remembering that it was all just a dream, and the mere fact of having a friend filled me with joy, dispelling the growing sense of loneliness surrounding me in my school life.
As if that wasn't enough, it wasn't long before our new family grew in number, and I finally had the siblings I had always wished for, with all the advantages and disadvantages that came with it. I must admit that it bothered me that my mind always devised the same unorthodox and bloody beginning to meet each of them. There were even days when I couldn't stop thinking that my mind had created them due to my need for company and support in times of need. However, whenever I recalled the problems they caused me and the pleasant moments I treasured, I buried that thought deep in my mind.
As a good older brother, I strove to teach them how to hunt triple-tailed deer, cook, and clean the shelter we had created together. This daily routine inevitably forced me to adopt a paternal role with them. What's more, my concern for their safety reached such a point that, as their "Onii-chan," I found myself obliged to teach them the techniques I had learned from my Isekai genre readings. I feared that the ancient dragons, resentful, stupid, and above all, cranky old men, might take revenge on me through my siblings.
At first, I tried to teach them the basics of the training I had devised from memory, which turned out to be quite challenging for them. Many were clumsy or lacked sufficient magical abilities, so I spent about two and a half years teaching them the knowledge of magic I had acquired from my readings, fighting, and helping them rest as much as possible.
Of course, we put into practice what we learned many times, including hunting bandits hiding in our territory, although I had my reservations about killing humans, and the goblin nests. In the end, a proud smile appeared on my face as I watched my little siblings defeat their first adult dragon. This would be their first intermediate-level boss, according to the classification I taught them from my recent obsession with role-playing games (RPG).
After that victory, everyone felt motivated enough to venture into civilized lands and explore them. I must admit that at first, I hesitated to enter the civilized world, especially after the brutality experienced by all my little siblings at the hands of tribes and humanity, but in the end, curiosity about the world created in my mind overcame my insecurities about the safety of my little siblings. After all, I had been preparing them to face the world with the rigorous training I subjected them to.
It wasn't long before we set off for the nearest human city. I won't go into details, but our first encounter with the city wasn't as peaceful as we had hoped. The situation culminated in the death of a count, a massacred army, a quarter of the city in flames, and an invasion of savage goblins from the south, where we came from. The only positive thing I can take from that experience is that I was able to put into practice my theatrical skills, as I had been practicing with my little siblings, revealing part of my now wildly embarrassing personality known as chuunibyou, which emerged when I read popular manga with protagonists of a certain "cool" personality that made me want to impersonate them at the time.
To this day, despite remembering this with some embarrassment, I can't help but feel satisfied with myself, at least in my dreams, where I had the opportunity to embody the boy with the personality of several protagonists of various works that many wished to be, and could only achieve by dressing up. I even have to admit that I always tried to portray my hero "All Might" as best as possible when the situation warranted it.
After the incident in the border city, we spent another six months traveling the world as best we could and living so many adventures that they could have been written into a light novel over time. Now, I only treasure those memories in my mind whenever the opportunity arises. Of course, this doesn't mean that I didn't record some of those experiences in my notebooks. It was then that I discovered what it was like to have a life full of endless experiences, where adventure was the only purpose to achieve.
Unfortunately, as one grows up, one realizes that nothing is eternal, which I learned around my eleventh birthday. It was then that my right hand, my first friend in this world, along with the others, decided to continue their path without me. The reason for this was that they expressed their need to continue on their own, to explore the world on their own and gain experience on their own merits. It was then that I understood that I couldn't protect them forever and that sooner or later this had to happen. Unfortunately, I was forced to hold back my tears as I had to part from my friends and face the reality of the loneliness I experienced in real life.
I still vividly remember the words she spoke to me before boarding that ship at the wreck bay, heading to an undisclosed destination: "We will meet again, and I hope that by then, you will once again delight us with your Katsudon so that we can be a family again."
At the moment when their ship was no longer visible on the eastern sea horizon, I realized that I had shared three years of my life with them, and suddenly, they were gone. I could never explain why my mind suddenly took my little siblings/friends away from me, and to this day, I still ask myself that question.
As expected, in the end, I was left alone and had to explore the world on my own. The first month without them was tough, as the roles I assigned to many of my little siblings sometimes helped me avoid certain responsibilities, but I kept going, even if I had to adapt to this new routine.
In the following months, I did not experience more difficulties as I continued exploring the new kingdoms I visited, mingling with the people of each village, and cherishing the brief friendships I managed to make. However, there were times when I stayed in a kingdom for long periods due to entanglements in political conspiracies or because they needed my help with advice I provided based on my knowledge acquired online. In fact, I remember once when I almost spent an entire year in a northern kingdom of the world, supporting the overthrow of a corrupt prince and collaborating in reforms to improve the administration of the territory, something I later deeply regretted.
The particular difficulty lay in that, being only a 12-year-old child at the time, I was forced to study a variety of books with complex subjects that were out of reach for my age, all in order to help my mind make that kingdom a more stable place, despite the complications of the intricate political plot that kept me involved.
When I finally managed to escape the naming ceremony as Grand Duke, which I had as a "reward," and saw that the kingdom continued to prosper without my intervention, I had already reached the age of thirteen. At that age, when puberty caused quite uncomfortable, if not humiliating, changes in real life, I found it comforting to cling to the belief that in that other world, trivialities related to my physical development were irrelevant, while the liberation of my soul from the infernal political work in which I had immersed myself was truly important. This simply fueled my desire to live freely, just as many of my favorite manga protagonists did.
That's why it seemed like a great idea to start a life as an adventurer in the south of the world, with no worries beyond the simple task of surviving.
Unfortunately, it is well known that fate often leads us down unexpected paths in this world. It turns out that traveling by ship was the only way to get to the south of the continent, so I was forced to embark on a journey that lasted more than three months. To make matters worse, upon reaching the only city with a bay near my destination, I found it under attack due to the country it belonged to being embroiled in a war, in which I unfortunately became involved in some way or another. I prefer not to go into details on this aspect either; I'll just mention that I spent over eight months immersed in a bloody conflict, making difficult decisions that culminated with the enemy king's head in my hands and a huge castle in flames.
By that point in my experience, any doubts I might have felt about taking human lives in my dreams had completely disappeared, and over time I had stopped seeking coherence in my mind in those moments. Anyway, once the enemy king was defeated, I was to be granted another noble title in a luxurious ceremony, similar to the one the northern kingdom had planned for me. Luckily, I managed to escape easily when the maid who was dressing me and preparing me for the ceremony got distracted handing me the moccasins to complete my outfit so outdated and boring, typical of someone who had lived in the 19th century. However, this time my escape wasn't as successful as in the previous kingdom since, through a friend in the order of the knights, I found out that the king had offered a reward for my capture, intending to enforce the royal law by forcibly marrying me to the princess.
Although I knew the princess well enough to consider her a good friend, I found it excessive that she wanted me to marry her just for a reward that I rejected in the first place. Fortunately, I was able to deliver a letter that clarified everything to avoid misunderstandings. I just hoped that with that, the reward her father offered would finally be stopped.
After fleeing the kingdom like a proud coward, several "interesting" situations occurred until I finally reached my destination to become an adventurer and earn a living temporarily in the southern continent, where there were more dungeons to explore. Specifically, I decided to settle in a city called "Nowhere," where there was a labyrinth where the pay was supposed to be good and the dangers greater. It didn't take long for me to realize that I needed a good rest after my experiences of the past few years, so I decided to settle, at least temporarily, in that place.
It didn't take long for me to adapt to that place, make more friends, and take an interest in the opposite sex, though only superficially, glancing at the pretty barmaids in the adventurers' guild, among other things that had become routine at this point. The tranquility I experienced hunting only simple creatures compared to those that inhabited the forest where everything practically began was comforting. It was the peace I longed for after the hectic life I had led in the other world for the past few years.
So time passed, a year and a half exactly, and few "interesting" things happened in that period worthy of mention. Except perhaps for what happened when I turned 15, but I'd rather not recall it, more out of embarrassment than anything else. Unfortunately, the truly interesting thing happened in my real life.
It turns out that despite all the incredible experiences in my dreams, I continued to have problems with Katsumi and her henchmen, who kept harassing me and making me feel miserable as always. Unfortunately, my other classmates in secondary school also contributed to making my school life a real mess. However, I had ignored them enough to prevent my life from becoming even more miserable than it already was, but nothing had prepared me for what I experienced one day when I returned after running away to avoid a beating from Katsumi's bully group.
I remember that, taking my usual route to the station to catch my train home, a sludge villain tried to take over my body to go unnoticed by the heroes and the police. I tried to resist with all my strength, and fortunately, my good athletic condition allowed me to avoid being caught easily, but without the fictional power I had in my dreams, there was little I could do to defend myself. Was it pathetic? From my perspective, it was, as in my dreams, I was capable of anything, and reality hit me so hard that it left me unmotivated to keep fighting that damn bastard.
When I thought I was finally on the brink of death, I heard a phrase that quickly brought me back to my senses.
"Everything is fine, why? Because I am here!"
What I truly didn't expect was to be saved by All Might, the hero I had portrayed in my dreams for so many years. In the end, with just a few moves, that muddy substance of shit ended up trapped in a bottle, and I couldn't stop thanking him for saving my life.
"Thank you very much!" I repeated, bowing repeatedly.
"You're welcome, kid! It's what a hero does!"
In the end, he didn't stay long, as he needed to meet his student, but he stayed just long enough to give me a moment to talk. For my part, I couldn't help but ask him something I had wanted to ask a hero for a long time, even knowing the answer already. I knew beforehand that this was a bad idea, but I needed to hear the truth to finally free myself from the burden I had carried since my dreams began. I know I can only be a hero in my dreams, but I needed a reality check.
"Can I become a hero without any Quirk?"
As I expected, his answer was blunt.
"No, unfortunately, you can't..."
However, what he said next was something that didn't completely discourage me. It was as if he had guessed part of what I was feeling.
"...but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do good, even with your circumstances. The world underestimates the Quirkless, and at some point, I did too, but curiously someone opened my eyes and made me understand that, after all, they are also human beings. Nothing I say or do will change the fact that there will always be people who will shut us up when we least expect it. The question I ask you now is, will you be one of them? Believe me, kid, when I was heading to save you, I never saw a civilian with so much courage to face the attacks of this thing," he said while holding the bottle with the villain in front of me. "I hope someday, one way or another, you will be the one to shut me up, with or without your powers."
What happened after he said goodbye was that he jumped very high to an unknown place, and I stayed reflecting on what I had experienced in my dreams, questioning whether they were real or not, whether it was necessary to keep living a fantasy like the one I had been experiencing.
The following days did not stop my existential doubts, adding to also asking myself, "What would I do with the powers I have in my dreams if they were real?" or "Can I do something without any Quirk?" The worst part is that these doubts didn't disappear even when I was a hero to the guild members in the city where I had stayed as an adventurer, and I couldn't help but question whether this was real or not.
Unfortunately, despite believing that my existential doubts would persist for many more years, one of the "interesting" and unfortunate things I mentioned earlier finally happened when one night, an ancestral dragon attacked "Nowhere" for no apparent reason, and I was forced to fight to stop it.
It was the first time I experienced uncertainty about the outcome of a battle in which I participated.
To this day, I cannot remember exactly what happened, nor understand it. Just before defeating the dragon, I abruptly woke up in the hospital. I found myself bandaged, injured, and just extubated. It turns out that I had come out of a coma of about two weeks, following an accident related to a drunk driver near my secondary school, according to what the police told my mother. This seemed strange to me, considering that just a few hours earlier, I had been fighting the dragon in my dreams, without understanding that in my real life, I was on the brink of death.
Nothing that happened made sense; I didn't even have memories of the day of the accident. The strangest thing of all was that Katsumi herself had given me flowers while I was in a coma, despite our evident mutual hatred over the years. Not wanting to think of theories beyond that she felt empathy for my accident, I decided to leave this enigma aside for the moment, and just be grateful for the gesture, although I never had the opportunity to do so, since a few days after waking up, she left for Los Angeles with my aunt Mitsuki.
On the other hand, the most devastating thing of all was that, when trying to sleep again to return to Nowhere and reunite with my friends, nothing happened. Day after day, I tried to fall asleep to return to the world where I had lived since I was seven years old, but in vain. There was only a feeling of rest when sleeping, without managing to recover that fantasy world that I cherished despite everything.
In the end, I understood, after long nights of taking refuge in my misery as I did when I was a child, that reality, as always, put me in my place, telling me that this fantasy had to end at some point. Practically, I had to live in reality, and that meant accepting that I was a boy with no Quirk or magical powers, depending solely on my own luck and the circumstances of my life. Certainly, it wasn't easy, and I don't think I have completely overcome it if you ask me.
Literally, nothing I had before in my life was present: neither the annoying presence of Katsumi, nor my fantasy dreams, nor my hope of being a hero. Now, only my hero's words remained to keep moving forward.
It was a task that seemed impossible, especially if I couldn't stop focusing on what I had lost or on what I never had the chance to achieve. Fortunately, despite spending years with those negative thoughts, I never gave up to honor my hero's words.
But as they say, "when one door closes, another opens." At least in my case, fate gave me the opportunity to do good when my future seemed purposeless, reduced to being the "Quirkless Boy." That opportunity presented itself when I met a good friend while studying in high school. Over time, thanks to my innate talent for analysis and the details I discovered I had due to my freaky past, along with my friend's unlimited money, his short experience at U.A. Academy, and his rough vision for doing things, we founded our own detective agency together when we were both 19 years old.
More than five years after the founding of our small company, we have had relative success that we still struggle to maintain to this day.
Was that the right way to do good? Honestly, I wasn't sure, but I'd like to believe that All Might, who is now retired, would like to see what I've become. Now we conduct investigations as collaborators with the police and, sometimes, with the Commission itself.
That's how I thought I would live my life, from one case to another, from one financial problem to another in our agency, but what I didn't know was that my destiny was going to play another game on me.
A game where my past finally came to collect the consequences of my actions.