The room felt heavier after Hana's confession, like the air itself thickened around them, pulling at their lungs. The sound of the air conditioner faded into the silence, overwhelmed by their heartbeats and the soft whirl of the traffic outside the window.
Grey took a small step closer, but cautiously, as though she were an injured animal who might flee. His voice became softer, conveying both relief and anxiety.
"So… you've felt it too."
Hana didn't look up at him immediately. Her hands dug into the sofa's fabric, her skin paling as she held her breath. She returned to the mirror to examine herself, her eyes distant and almost fearful, as if she expected to see another face staring back.
"I thought I was losing my mind," she whispered. "There were moments… flashes. Like someone else was pulling the strings. Thoughts that didn't feel like mine. Emotions I don't remember choosing." Her voice cracked.
"Like my body remembers a life I never lived."
Grey felt his chest tighten. He watched her, and in that moment, everything came together. He realized it was more of a past-life memory than possession. She wasn't haunted by someone else's memory; she was haunted by herself, by recollections of her past life.The flashes and emotions she couldn't explain were echoes of a past she had more deeply experienced than he.
He understood now why the betrayal had hit her so hard. It wasn't just the shock of deception; it was a reaction to memories she didn't want to remember. That was why her voice had cracked, why her calm had faltered. He felt a pang of empathy for her, knowing the weight of carrying memories that weren't entirely hers.
He took a soft breath, voice barely above a whisper. "It's the same for me," he said, his tone gentle and full of empathy. "Memories that don't belong here. Words coming out of my mouth before I even think them. As if the world… wants to keep us on a script."
Hana finally turned toward him, her gaze sharper now, an edge returning to her voice. "If that's true, then what exactly is this world? A story? A simulation? A prison?" Every word was filled with animosity. "Who writes the script? Who decides who we become?"
A silence fell over them.
Grey exhaled slowly, shaking his head. His voice remained soft but held a tremor of sorrow and understanding. "I don't know. But what I can say is that there are patterns everywhere, events that shouldn't happen, and characters acting… hollow, like placeholders. Heroes turning villain for no reason. Missions that end too neatly, like someone wanted them to. And then there's you."
Hana's brow furrowed, a flicker of confusion and something deeper passing across her features. "Me?"
Grey nodded, stepping forward. "You're different. You question, you resist, you seek answers," he continued, his eyes meeting hers with a mix of admiration and concern. "Maybe you're the key to unraveling this mystery, to breaking free from whatever force is controlling us."
Hana froze, eyes widening, breath trembling.
"What do you mean by that?"
Grey took a deep breath, his voice low and careful, as if speaking too loudly might shatter the fragile moment.
"In the 'story' I knew… in the world before I woke up here… there was no Hana. Not in any records, not in any arcs, not even in background notes."
He paused, choosing each word with deliberate care, his gaze flicking toward her with a mixture of awe and something like reverence.
"And yet… here you are alive, powerful, important. Like someone added you after everything else was already written."
The air between them seemed to still, charged with the weight of his confession. Hana's eyes softened, reflecting a flicker of wonder, confusion, and something deeper belonging.
"So I'm a mistake?" she whispered, horror creeping into her tone. "An accident? Something… overwritten?"
His eyes met hers, a mixture of regret and determination shining through. "No, not a mistake," he replied softly. "
"We can say something they're afraid of." Grey corrected gently. "Something unpredictable in a world built on predictability, just like me."
Hana's expression shifted, a glimmer of understanding breaking through the fear in her eyes. "Something unpredictable," she repeated, a sense of acceptance dawning on her features. "Just like you. Are you serious?" Hana's laughter broke the tension, her fear dissipating as she realized the absurdity of the situation.
"I guess we're in for an unpredictable ride," she said with a smile, feeling a newfound sense of camaraderie with Grey.
Grey continued, his voice soft but resonant with meaning.
"Maybe that's why the attack in the forest happened, not just because of some ambush, but because you stand for something the rest of the world perceives as threatening. Your very existence… it's a disruption."
His voice became steadier and more earnest. "And I want you to know… that forest attack the one in the fog-drenched woods, it wasn't planned by me. Whatever chaos that was, it came from somewhere else."
And then the lights flickered. Grey's eyes widened in surprise as he glanced around the room, a sudden tension filling the air. The floor lamp above them snapped with a harsh, electric crack, an abrupt, piercing sound that shattered the silence. Its glow sputtered and died for a heartbeat, plunging the room into near-darkness. When the light returned, it pulsed unevenly, flickering as though struggling to stay alive. Shadows slithered across the carpet in grotesque distortions, twisting at impossible angles as if the walls themselves were convulsing in pain.
Hana's breath caught in her throat. She stared at the lamp, her voice barely a rasp. "…Did you see that?"
Grey's body tensed, his posture rigid. He nodded, voice low and strained. "Yes." His eyes remained fixed on the wavering light, as though expecting it to erupt again. "It's getting worse…"
Hana exhaled, voice quiet but steady.
"It's... calming." She swallowed, glancing at Grey with a mixture of relief and lingering fear. Who answers, trying to lower the tension.
"Maybe... maybe reality is rejecting us. Don't you think?"
Grey met her gaze, voice soft and careful. With a small smile.
"Us?"
Hana repeated the word, her tone a fragile mix of confusion and dawning realization. The weight behind it carried more than just a question; it carried atomism to that stupid idea, as well as the terrifying realization of what that could mean.
Breaking the silence, Hana's voice trembled as she asked what had been gnawing at her.
"So, why now? Why is it happening all of a sudden? It never happened before."
Grey swallowed, his expression pensive and haunted. "It's hard to say," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
"But maybe… It's because I came," he said softly.
Hana's eyes narrowed, and shock flickered across her features. Her voice was slow, cold with realization.
"So it's you, not me, that the world is trying to reject."
Grey just gives her an awkward smile.
Suddenly, the air grew colder. Their breaths became faint, misty plumes before their lips. A chill crept over Hana's skin, prickling her nerves, her instincts screaming warnings she couldn't yet understand.
Then…
A voice.
It wasn't spoken aloud. It wasn't even heard. It felt like a whisper woven directly into the air, brushing against their consciousness.
Grey's eyes widened, his posture involuntarily tensing. Hana's heart thudded in her chest, her gaze darting around the room as though searching for the source of something unseen.
In that suspended moment, the world felt fragile, alive with something both ancient and sentient. The lamp's light flickered once more, and shadows danced along the walls as if responding to the unspoken presence.
"Found you."
Hana stood up, her voice barely above a whisper, "Who's there?" Grey reached out, his hand trembling slightly as he asked her to keep quiet. The air seemed to vibrate with an energy that was both exhilarating and frightening, as if they were on the brink of uncovering a long-buried secret.
Grey stiffened too, his expression darkening. "You heard it."
It wasn't a question.
Hana pressed a trembling hand to her temple, her heart hammering like a drum in her chest. "What was that? Who…what…?"
Grey took a step closer, placing a hand on the sofa beside her, not touching but supporting her.
"They're coming," he said quietly. "The ones who keep the story intact. The ones who erase… anomalies."
Meanwhile—In A Dark Basement
In the dimly lit subterranean chamber, all was still except for the low sounds of monitors and the faint scent of oil and ozone. All For One sat surrounded by cables and humming machinery, exuding an air of ancient menace.Shigaraki stood nearby, restless, fingers twitching, his impatience mirrored in the flickering lights above.
All For One tilted his head slightly, as though tuning in to a distant frequency. His voice cut through the silence, low and measured.
"It was forced," he said. "As though someone or something nudged me forward before the story was ready."
He paused, eyes narrowing as if recalling something half-remembered. The machinery's noise seemed to fade, replaced by the echo of a memory.
He was reminded of the earth-shattering clash with All Might. The moment of collision, the roar of power, the world shaking below their feet. He felt the burning heat of the explosion, the taste of dust and blood, and the crushing weight of inevitability. In the chaos, he had looked into the eyes of his greatest adversary when he whispered, "You're next." A promise laced with both triumph and dread.
All For One's breath caught. He exhaled slowly, his voice softer, haunted.
"Something else is coming. Something I did not create."
Shigaraki shifted, feeling uncomfortable in his eyes. The revelation floated in the air, heavy with ominousness: something beyond their machinations had breached their world, an anomaly powerful enough to rewrite the rules themselves.
"All For One," he said quietly, "Is he a quirk user?"
"No," All For One replied, voice deepening, resonating with a presence older than quirks or this world itself. "Something beyond them. A distortion. A presence. Something interfering."
Tomura's eyes widened, a flicker of confusion crossing his features.
"For now," All For One continued, "you must stay back and observe. I won't risk you until I understand this… anomaly."
The flickering lights cast long shadows, the low hum of the machinery almost drowning out the weight of his words.
Fraction's Base — Midday
Somewhere deep in the Fraction's base, the lab lights blazed harshly, illuminating screens filled with data from the doctor's experiments, code, brainwave patterns, quirk analyses, and lines of information spinning rapidly, as if the room itself were alive.
Sato burst through the door, breathless. His voice shook as he called out:
"Boss." But he stopped for a moment after seeing Hana, who was with Grey, before continuing.
"We finished analyzing the doctor's data," Sato continued, barely catching his breath.
Grey took a step forward. He glanced at Hana, her expression taut with apprehension, before turning back to Sato.
"And?"
Sato swallowed hard and held out a tablet.
"What we found… it's not natural. Not a quirk. Not a mutation."
Hana approached slowly, her eyes widening in comprehension.
"What do you mean?"
she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Sato looked at Grey, his eyes filled with fear.
"It's something else entirely," he said, his voice trembling.
Sato's voice dropped, dread flickering in his eyes.
"There's a pattern. Something influencing the world. Something that can rewrite memories."
Hana's blood ran cold, her breath catching in her throat. The implication of those words settled over her like a shadow.
Sato met her gaze, voice heavy with fear.
"And Hana… What are you doing here?" But Hana and Grey just ignored him. The discovery of a force capable of altering reality itself consumed them too much. Hana's mind raced with the implications.
"So it was that." Grey watched him for a moment, the weight of the revelation sinking in. He swallowed, searching for the right words, then spoke quietly, deliberately:
"Can you use that technology?"
Sato looked to Grey, cautious and curious. "I can, but it comes with great risk," Sato finally replied, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. Grey and Hana exchanged a knowing glance, realizing the dangerous path they were about to embark on.
"If you give us time to work with the material, we can. But... can you tell me what you want to use it for?
Hana, feeling uneasy, asks Grey in an angry voice, "Don't even think of using that on my people or civil; don't even think of turning them into monsters."
Grey then said, "Hey, don't worry, I'm not going to turn anyone into a monster," he assured her, trying to ease her fears. Before returning to Sato.
"What I want is a way to control stain." Hana's eyes narrowed as she studied Grey, unsure if she could trust his words. She decided to keep a close eye on him as they continued their conversation with Sato.
Sato's gaze flickered between them, nervousness written across his features. There was something about the way they talked between them, something that unsettled him.
He took a small step back, as if the space between them had shifted. His voice trembled slightly when he spoke.
"I… see." He swallowed, trying to steady himself. "I understand what you mean by controlling the stain, but…"
In search of a solution to his issue, he gives it all: "this connection between you two…" His words trailed off, leaving unspoken implications.
Hana's posture remained rigid, her eyes narrowing, but she didn't flinch. Grey, however, noticed the tension in Sato's voice and the quiet shift in the air. He met Sato's gaze, steady and calm, offering a reassuring smile without words.
Sato exhaled, struggling to refocus. He lifted the tablet, his voice regaining some of its earlier resolve.
"I'll begin running simulations of ethical boundaries, fail-safes, anything to ensure the technology isn't misused." He cleared his throat, glancing at Hana again, then back at the screens.
"Just… let me know what parameters you want me to follow."
Grey nodded, appreciating the cautious professionalism in Sato's tone.
"Don't worry, we'll figure them out together."
Hana's shoulders tensed. Her eyes narrowed, and a flicker of frustration crossed her face. She took a sharp breath, then turned away, her resolve hardening.
"I can't…" she started, voice tight. "I can't stay here anymore."
Without another word, she moved toward the door.
Grey's expression softened. Despite the tension, he allowed himself a small, understanding smile. He rose smoothly and followed her, giving her the space she needed. It wasn't a gesture of indifference; it was trust.
Sato watched them go, uncertainty still lingering in his eyes. The screens behind him continued their steady dance of rising data graphs, shifting lines, and reconfiguring matrices in real time. However, the emotional current between Grey and Hana had irreversibly changed the mood.
The lab felt both lighter and more charged, with trust, tension, and purpose coexisting in a fragile balance.
Sato swallowed, gathering his courage. With a tremor in his voice, he asked the question that had been circling in his mind:
"What… what did I just walk into?"