HEROES ENTER THE CHAMBER
Aizawa, Midoriya, Mirio, and several pros rush forward the moment Vega disappears.
Mirio kicks down the final reinforced door—
Mirio:
"Ren!! Eri!!"
Inside, they find:
Eri, trembling but unharmed, curled up in a blanketRen, unconscious on a cot, breathing shallow but steady
Midoriya kneels instantly.
Midoriya:
"He's alive! He's alive!"
Aizawa checks the room quickly.
No traps.
No villains.
Just two kids who needed help.
Aizawa turns Ren gently onto his back, checking his pulse.
He sighs in relief.
Aizawa:
"He's stable. Just sedated. They must've kept him under for months…"
Eri clutches Mirio's sleeve, tears in her eyes.
Eri:
"M-Mirio… are we safe now?"
Mirio smiles softly, lifting her into his arms.
Mirio:
"Yeah. You're safe. We're taking you home."
HEROES REFLECT — CONFUSED BY EVERYTHING
Midoriya glances around the room—
Black embers still float in the air.
Purple scorchmarks twist across the walls like cosmic flowers.
Midoriya (thinking):
What kind of fire… was that?
That wasn't Dabi's normal quirk.
And why didn't it hurt Ren or Eri at all…?
Aizawa stands in silence.
The black flame residue drifts like smoke from another world.
Aizawa:
"…Vega wasn't here for the bullets.
They were here for something—or someone—else."
He glances at Ren's unconscious face.
But he doesn't say it out loud.
RESCUE
Medics arrive through the broken entrance.
Ren is placed carefully onto a stretcher, oxygen mask on, IV line ready.
Eri stays in Mirio's arms the whole time.
Medic:
"Ren's vitals are stable. He'll wake up soon once the sedatives clear."
Midoriya exhales in relief.
Midoriya:
"You did it, Ren… you really held on."
As the medic team carries Ren out, the black embers fade behind them.
Like a signal ending a long, terrible night.
CLOSING SCENE
Outside, dawn begins to rise.
Light shines across the debris and quiet streets.
The heroes walk out carrying:
Ren, unconscious but safeEri, finally free
A soft breeze blows.
The last lingering speck of black flame floats upward—
harmless, fading into the morning sky.
Later that day — U.A. Hospital Wing
The hallway was quiet in the way only hospitals could manage.
Too clean.Too still.
Midoriya stood near the wall, hands clenched at his sides, staring at the closed door at the end of the corridor. A red light above it glowed steadily, marking an ongoing procedure.
Inside that room lay Ren.
Still unconscious.
Uraraka hovered nearby, arms wrapped around herself, eyes flicking to the door every few seconds as if willing it to open. Tsuyu stood beside her, unusually silent, fingers laced together.
Bakugo leaned against the opposite wall, arms crossed hard, jaw tight. He hadn't spoken once since they arrived.
Todoroki's gaze was fixed on the floor, heterochromatic eyes distant, replaying the fight over and over in his mind. Kirishima stood rigid, trying—and failing—to look confident.
Iida adjusted his glasses with mechanical precision, posture straight but tense. Denki shifted his weight nervously, the usual humor completely gone. Tokoyami stood apart from the group, Dark Shadow unusually subdued, wings folded close.
Mirio was there too.
Lemillion.
Standing closest to the door.
His fists were clenched, knuckles white. He had faced villains, death, and loss—but this silence weighed heavier than any battlefield.
Down the hall, the pro heroes gathered quietly.
Aizawa leaned against the wall, scarf loose around his neck, eyes half-lidded but sharp. Recovery Girl spoke in hushed tones with another doctor nearby. Present Mic stood unusually quiet, arms folded. Even Endeavor kept his distance, flame subdued to a faint glow.
No one joked.No one argued.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
The light above the door finally clicked off.
Every head snapped up.
The door slid open with a soft hiss, and a doctor stepped out, removing his mask slowly.
Midoriya took a step forward without realizing it.
"How is he?" he asked, voice strained.
The doctor paused, choosing his words carefully.
"He's stable," he said. "Physically."
A collective breath released down the hallway.
"But," the doctor continued, "he hasn't regained consciousness yet. Whatever he was exposed to… it wasn't just physical trauma. His body reacted as if it was being protected from something overwhelming."
Aizawa's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Protected?" he repeated.
The doctor nodded. "Almost like a barrier response. As if someone—or something—absorbed the worst of it."
Silence fell again.
Mirio exhaled slowly, shoulders dropping just a fraction.
"So… he'll wake up?" Uraraka asked quietly.
"Yes," the doctor replied. "Eventually."
He glanced back at the door.
"When he does… he's going to have questions."
The doctor stepped aside.
The door to Ren's room stood open now.
Inside, machines hummed softly. Ren lay still on the bed, bandaged but peaceful, chest rising and falling steadily.
Unaware of the storm that had nearly swallowed the world for his sake.
Midoriya stared at him, heart pounding.
Bakugo clicked his tongue quietly, looking away.
Todoroki clenched his fist.
Aizawa watched from the doorway, eyes heavy with thoughts.
The hallway didn't stay quiet for long.
Soft footsteps echoed from the far end.
Midoriya noticed first.
"Someone's coming…"
They all turned.
A girl stood at the end of the corridor, hands clenched tightly in front of her hospital jacket. Her hair was slightly messy, eyes red—not from panic, but from hours of holding something in.
Akira.
She hesitated when she saw them.
So many heroes.So many eyes.
Mirio stepped aside instinctively, giving her a clear path to the door.
"She's with him," he said simply.
Akira nodded once, swallowing hard, and walked past them. Her steps slowed as she reached Ren's room, the open doorway framing him—still unconscious, still silent.
She stopped just inside.
For a long moment, she didn't move.
Then she walked to his bedside and sat down carefully, as if afraid even the sound of the chair might wake him—or break him.
The machines hummed softly.
Akira reached out and took Ren's hand.
It was warm.
Steady.
She let out a breath she'd been holding for hours.
"I knew you'd do something stupid," she whispered, voice trembling but controlled. "You always do."
Outside the room—
Midoriya froze.
Uraraka's eyes widened.
Denki leaned closer without realizing it.
Bakugo scowled. "Oi… are we really doing this right now?"
No one answered him.
Inside the room, Akira leaned closer, resting her forehead lightly against Ren's knuckles.
"You promised me you wouldn't play hero," she murmured. "And I promised I wouldn't pretend I didn't care anymore."
Her grip tightened.
"So… I'm saying it now. Even if you can't hear it."
She took a shaky breath.
"I like you. I've liked you for a long time."
The words were quiet.Honest.Unpolished.
Midoriya's heart dropped into his stomach.
Uraraka looked away, giving them privacy even while standing frozen.
Tsuyu blinked slowly. "…So that's what was going on."
Inside the room, Akira straightened, wiping her eyes quickly with her sleeve.
"We're together now," she said softly, more to herself than to him. "So wake up, okay? You don't get to leave me hanging after that."
She squeezed Ren's hand once.
Outside—
Denki whispered, "Wait… did she just—?"
"Yes," Iida said stiffly, adjusting his glasses. "She did."
Bakugo clicked his tongue sharply and turned his back to the door. "Tch. Idiots. Both of them."
Todoroki watched silently, expression unreadable.
Mirio smiled faintly.
"…Good," he said. "He's got someone waiting for him."
Akira stood, casting one last look at Ren—gentle, protective, resolved.
When she stepped back into the hallway, she noticed them all staring.
Her ears turned red.
"…You heard that, didn't you."
Midoriya scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh—w-we weren't trying to—"
She sighed, then straightened.
"It's fine," she said quietly. "I'm not taking it back."
Aizawa watched her carefully, then spoke.
"He's lucky," he said. "Don't waste that."
Akira nodded once.
"I won't."
She walked down the hall
Somewhere Else — A Mental Realm
White.
Not bright.Not blinding.
Just… endless.
Ren stood alone on an infinite white floor, the horizon stretching forever in every direction. No sky. No walls. No shadows.
No pain.
He looked down at his hands. They were whole. Untrembling.
"…Huh," he muttered. "So this is death?"
A voice answered immediately.
Calm.Close.Everywhere.
"No. You're not dead."
Ren stiffened.
His head snapped up. "Then where am I?"
Silence lingered for a fraction too long.
Then—
"Inside."
Ren's jaw tightened. "Inside what?"
The white space rippled.
A figure stepped forward from nothing.
Same height.Same build.Same face.
Same eyes—but colder. Older. Sharper.
Ren took a step back.
"…Who are you?"
The other him stopped a few feet away.
Expression unreadable.
"I am Ren," the figure said evenly."The real one."
Ren laughed once, short and disbelieving. "Yeah, right. I've had hallucinations before, but this—"
"You're borrowing a body," the other Ren interrupted.Not angry.Not mocking.Just factual.
"Borrowing my life."
The white floor beneath them pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat.
Ren's smile faded.
"…What do you mean 'borrowing'?"
The other Ren looked at him carefully—like someone examining a crack in glass.
"You woke up in this body," he said."You lived. You fought. You cared."
A pause.
"But you were never supposed to be the one in control."
Ren's chest felt tight.
"…So what," he said quietly. "You're saying I'm a mistake?"
The other Ren didn't answer immediately.
Then—
"No."
He stepped closer.
"You're a replacement."
The word landed heavier than any blow.
Ren clenched his fists. "Then why am I still here?"
The white space darkened slightly—not black, just… less forgiving.
The other Ren's eyes narrowed.
"Because the body accepted you."
Ren's breath hitched.
"…Accepted me?"
"You protected it," the other Ren continued."You endured pain I couldn't. You made choices I wouldn't."
A faint ripple of emotion crossed his face. Something like resentment. Something like relief.
"And now," he said, "we're both awake."
Ren swallowed.
"…What happens next?"
The other Ren met his gaze.
For the first time, his voice wavered—just a little.
"That," he said, "depends on whether you're willing to let go."
The white space began to fracture—thin lines spreading like cracks in glass.
Mental Realm — White Expanse
The cracks in the white space slowed.
Time felt thin—stretched, fragile.
The other Ren stepped closer. His presence weighed heavier now, as if the realm itself was straining to keep him there.
He looked directly at Ren.
At Ken.
"Your real name," he said quietly, "is Ken Takahashi."
Ren's breath caught.
"…What?"
"You're not from this world," the other Ren continued."You came from a place with no quirks. No heroes. No villains."
The white around them flickered, briefly reflecting images—blurred cities, unfamiliar skylines, screens glowing with news feeds Ken had once watched.
"You knew how this world would unfold," he said."The disasters. The wars. The names that would fall into history."
Ken shook his head slowly. "That's… that's just knowledge. Stories. I didn't—"
"You changed things anyway," the other Ren cut in.Not accusing.Stating fact.
A sharp pulse ran through the realm.
He pressed a hand to his chest, wincing slightly.
"I don't have much time," he admitted."But I can at least tell you the truth. About you. About me."
He straightened, forcing himself to remain standing.
"I was born in this body," he said."This life was supposed to be mine. But I broke."
Ken's eyes widened. "…Broke?"
"Fear," the other Ren said simply."The kind that freezes you when it matters most."
The white floor dimmed.
"When the moment came—when pain and loss demanded a choice—I couldn't move."
He looked at Ken again.
"You did."
Ken clenched his fists. "So what—this is some kind of replacement system? You failed, so I took over?"
The other Ren shook his head.
"No."
A pause.
"You were pulled in because you already knew how this story ends."
The cracks in the realm spread again, faster now.
"This world needed someone who would act even knowing the cost."
Ken swallowed. "…And you?"
The other Ren's expression softened—not with sadness, but acceptance.
"I'm what's left behind."
A distant heartbeat thundered through the void—louder now.
The realm trembled.
"Soon," he said, "only one of us will remain awake."
Ken stepped forward instinctively. "Wait—are you saying you're going to disappear?"
The other Ren met his eyes.
"No," he replied."I'm saying you need to decide."
The white space began to collapse inward, light folding like paper.
"Live as Ken Takahashi," he said, "a man who knows the future and chooses to change it—"
His voice strained.
"—or give this body back… and let the original Ren carry the weight instead."
The heartbeat was deafening now.
Ken felt himself being dragged backward, toward waking.
"One more thing," he said urgently. "Why tell me now?"
The other Ren smiled faintly.
"Because you finally stopped running from the truth."