One Week Later
The world didn't explode in chaos after the whisper. Life continued on as normal, with people going about their daily routines and the sun rising and setting as it always had. However, a sense of unease lingered in the air, a feeling that something had shifted and was now lurking just beneath the surface.
But everything changed.
The Fraction's base had become colder, quieter, as if the walls themselves were listening. Grey had barely left Hana's side for more than a few hours at a time, not out of control, but out of caution. Something had found them once. It could find them again.
Hana pretended she wasn't bothered. She maintained her usual composure, but deep down, the unease gnawed at her, a constant reminder of the danger that lurked nearby. A new reality where vigilance was crucial had replaced the sense of normalcy.
Grey pretended he wasn't terrified. He kept up a facade of strength for Hana's sake, but the fear weighed heavily on him, a burden he couldn't shake. They both knew they had to stay alert, ready for whatever might come next in this unforgiving world.
Neither succeeded. And it all began the night when they heard the voice for the first time. It was a voice that seemed to echo from the shadows, sending shivers down their spines. From that moment on, their lives were forever changed, haunted by the unknown presence that seemed to be watching their every move.
****
On that day, following the voice's apparition, Grey asked Hana to accompany him to their base.
Hana broke the quiet.
"This isn't just a safe house," she said. "The villa is a mask. Everything that matters is underground."
Grey let out a slow breath, his eyes drifting upward, as if the ceiling were only another layer to peel away.
"And once we go down there," he said, "we stop playing our roles."
Hana turned to him.
"We go against the one who wrote them."
Grey's jaw tightened.
"The creator of this world," he said. "And nothing good happens to characters who realize they're not supposed to exist."
The implication landed hard.
Hana felt the blood drain from her face. This was bigger than they had anticipated. The stakes were higher than they had ever imagined. And the only answer to that implication was.
"Erase?"
"Yes. People who stray too far from the script," Grey answered, his jaw clenching further. "Or who were never meant to exist in the first place."
The villa shuddered, a low vibration rolling through the floor. The lights flickered, shadows bending and twisting in impossible directions, as if the room itself were reacting to the words.
Grey stepped closer, locking eyes with Hana, urgency burning through his carefully held composure.
"Hana… We don't have much time. If you want answers, if you want to know what you are and what *we* are to this world, we need to go to this basement. Now." He catches his breath and says, "And these documents we got from the doc can help us, so will you come with me?"
Hana stood slowly, her legs shaking beneath her but her resolve hardening like steel.
For the first time, she didn't look afraid.
She looked ready.
"Then show me," she said. "Show me everything you know."
Grey nodded, and the world glitched again.
But this time, something cracked in the mirror behind Hana's reflection. Not the glass, something deeper. Her reflection smiled a fraction too late, delayed by a heartbeat.
Her stomach dropped.
***
When they take the ascensory for the basement, something comes back to Grey.
He watched Hana carefully, the flicker of lamplight revealing the tension in her posture. Her calm, reserved gaze held something more than shock, something deeper, rooted in familiarity.
"So about another thing that I've not told you, with all the things that happen, I think that you intervene more actively than me in this world."
The declaration gives Grey some worries, causing him to hesitate before finally speaking up. "I think you have a special connection to this place, Hana. Maybe you're more involved in all of this than you realize," he said, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
"I can… intervene more actively than you," she said quietly, her voice steady but edged with an unspoken weight. "Maybe it's because I've been here longer."
Grey's expression shifted, curiosity mingling with uncertainty. "Longer? Since when have you had these memories?" He asked, voice gentle and questioning.
Hana paused, as though plucking fragments of memory from the air. "Ever since the mission when I… died, two years," she began, her tone measured. "I was an officer. A bullet… took my life. But I woke up here, and the memories just… stayed."
Grey's chest tightened. In that moment, he understood something crucial: she wasn't just another displaced person. She was like him but with more time to adapt, to imprint her influence on this world.
He swallowed. "I was hoping, you know, maybe we could… exclude the original hero. Let's see what happens if they're removed." Hana's eyes widened, a glimmer of hope shining through. "You think that could work?" she asked, her voice tinged with excitement. Grey nodded, a plan forming in his mind as he replied, "It's worth a shot. We have nothing to lose."
Then, after some hesitation, Hana asks about what was giving her a headache with a sarcastic voice. "What do you think will happen to us… to everyone… if we go back? Or if… or if we don't?"
Grey shook his head, his gaze dropping. "For my case, I can't go back. I died in a petroleum gas explosion. My body is still surely out there, in the ocean. Whatever this is… it's not a return. Not for me."
Hana's breath caught. She put a hand to her chest, steadying herself. "I… died on a mission too. A bullet when I was an officer. Maybe… that's why I feel this pull. Why I want to protect civilians. It's… part of me."
Grey's eyes softened, a realization blooming in his mind: that was why she resisted cruelty, why empathy guided her even when logic didn't. She carried her old life's values like armor.
The Lab – Restricted Sector
After they arrived at the lab, the atmosphere changed instantly.
The room was brighter than before, washed in cold white light. Screens covered the walls, alive with shifting data neural maps, quirk resonance fields, and a newly unlocked section labeled
Psycho-Memetic Contamination Patterns – Project Stain
Sato typed rapidly at a central console, running simulations one after another. The stain-controlling technology had reached its first stable prototype. Not perfect. But functional.
Grey stood a few steps back, arms folded, eyes fixed on the screens, his face tight.
"His ideology is the core infection vector," Sato explained, pulling up Stain's brainwave distortion. "Control the drive, and the body follows."
Grey nodded, understanding the importance of targeting the root cause of the contamination. He knew that with Sato's technology, they were one step closer to having Stain under their control once and for all.
Hana watched with unease, arms crossed, leaning on the far wall.
"So we're not brainwashing him," she clarified, her voice hard. Sato shook his head.
"No, we're reprogramming his subconscious to eliminate some unnecessary beliefs." Hana's expression softened slightly as she processed the information, realizing the delicate balance they were trying to achieve in order to controlol Stain.
"So we're regulating his compulsions?"
Sato nodded, relieved she understood.
"Exactly. More like… redirecting a river, not poisoning it."
Hana exhaled. She still didn't like it, but she accepted it.
Grey turned to her with a faint, reassuring smile.
"See? Nobody's being turned into a monster."
Hana shot him a glare.
"That's still up for debate."
Grey chuckled.
The tension between them felt lighter than a week ago, even amid growing danger. Their shared experience in dealing with Stain had brought them closer together, forming an unspoken bond of trust. Despite the uncertainty ahead, they found comfort in each other's presence.
Time Skip – Operation Briefing Room
Maps of the city, decrypted signals, and reconstructed doctor data filled the holographic table. At its center, Eri's small profile pulsed in red, blinking intermittently as the system struggled to triangulate possible sightings.
Taiko stood at the edge of the projection, fingers already moving through the light. She was a searcher, part analyst, part tracker, someone who lived in patterns rather than places. Years of chasing ghosts through data had sharpened her instincts.
She zoomed in on the western industrial district, layers of noise stripping away to reveal movement corridors, dead zones, and signal echoes.
"There," Taiko said quietly. "If she's still in the city, that's where the trail breathes."
"Her signature appeared twice in the last forty-eight hours," he said. "Someone's moving her fast."
Grey's eyes sharpened.
"And what about All For One? Did he change his pattern?"
"No," Hana corrected softly. "From what you told me, he's still sticking to his usual routine. But if he's awakening much earlier than what it was meant to, it means he's playing a different game this time," she added, her voice tinged with concern.
She had stepped closer to him without realizing it.
"He's hiding something."
Grey's expression tightened.
"Yes. You may be right."
"We need to be prepared for the unexpected," Hana stated, her eyes meeting Grey's with determination. "All For One is up to something big."
Hana's breath hitched for a millisecond. She knew they were about to face their biggest challenge yet, and she couldn't afford to let her guard down.
Grey noticed. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure it out together," he said, his gaze unwavering. "No matter what comes our way."
"So stay close to me for today," he murmured quietly, almost only for her to hear. "We'll watch each other's backs," Hana replied, a sense of trust forming between them. With a nod, they both turned towards the looming threat ahead, ready to face it head-on.
She tried to scoff.
"Tch. I can take care of myself."
Grey chuckled softly. "I know you can, but it doesn't hurt to have backup," he said with a smile. The fact that he was still able to be so happy despite knowing what was about to happen made Hana a little irate.
"And that's why I'd like to keep you around," he adds with a smile.
"Besides, I've grown quite fond of you," Grey added, his eyes softening.
Her heart skipped, but she turned away before he could see it. Hana felt a warmth spreading through her chest, but she quickly composed herself. "Let's focus on the task at hand," she said, trying to push down the fluttering feeling in her stomach.
Operation: Stain Deployment
Biometric restraints surrounded Stain, who was standing in the middle of the lab. His eyes were sharp as blades even now, though he looked calmer, disturbingly calm.
Grey held the interface in hand, the device glowing faintly.
"This won't control your mind," Grey told him. "Just your… impulses."
Stain smirked. "Impulses are what make life interesting," he replied, his voice low and dangerous. "But go ahead, do your worst." Grey hesitated for a moment, unsure of what would happen next.
"Then perhaps you finally understood my purpose."
Hana scoffed.
"You're being sent into U.A., not into a crusade."
Stain's gaze flicked to her, respectful, wary, and curious.
"You're not from this world either."
Grey stiffened.
Hana froze.
Stain's words hung in the air, a reminder of the unknown dangers that lay ahead. Grey exchanged a knowing glance with Hana, silently acknowledging the unpredictable nature of their mission.
Stain shrugged.
"I can smell it. Your resolve isn't shaped by this world. Your morality isn't built in it."
Hana swallowed. Grey stepped forward, meeting Stain's gaze head-on. "We may not be from this world, but we're here to make a difference," he declared firmly. Stain's expression softened slightly, a hint of understanding in his eyes.
Sato activated the restraint release. Hana and Grey shared a brief nod before turning their attention back to Stain, ready to face whatever challenges came their way. With a deep breath, they prepared themselves for the next phase of their mission.
"You're under strict surveillance," Sato cautioned. "One misstep and—"
"I know."
Stain interrupted.
"And I intend to fulfill my purpose. Hero Society won't understand until it bleeds a little truth."
Hana flinched.
Grey placed a hand on her shoulder, subtle and grounding.
"Go," Grey said.
And Stain vanished into the city like a phantom.
Tartarus – Special Interrogation Wing
Dabi sat chained to the chair, burns exposed, breathing ragged. The metal room smelled of disinfectant and old fire.
Endeavor stood in front of him, silent.
The scars between them were louder than any words.
"I didn't run this time," Dabi rasped.
"Why is that, old man? Afraid of the truth?"
Endeavor didn't answer.
Behind the one-way glass, principal authorities watched in grim silence.
One whispered:
"Why did he surrender?" Another official responded, "Perhaps he finally realized there was no escape." The tension in the room was palpable as they waited for Endeavor's next move.
Another:
"He didn't. All Might forced his hand."
A third:
"No… the doctor's data mentioned anomalies. Maybe he knows something." The officials exchanged worried glances, unsure of what the future held. As the seconds ticked by, it became clear that the truth was far more complicated than they had anticipated.
Dabi looked up suddenly, smiling an unhinged smile.
"You think I'm scared of dying? No. I'm scared of what's coming."
His blue eyes gleamed with terror, not insanity.
"You all should be too."
The room fell silent.
All For One's Alternative Base – Unknown Location
The chamber buzzed with slow, pulsing power. Tomura stood in the shadows, touching his wrist anxiously.
All For One observed a hologram, their old base's destruction, their failed operations, and recent reports of "irregularities."
"We wait," All For One ordered calmly.
Tomura clenched his jaw.
"I can fight—"
"No."
The answer was sharp. "We must be patient," All For One continued, their voice firm. "
"Your faces are exposed. Your movements watched. And something new has entered the world."
He closed his hand slowly.
"Something not written by me."
Tomura felt the air chill.
"What is it?"
All For One smiled faintly, and for once, Tomura saw genuine uncertainty in him.
"A threat."
Fraction's Base – Midnight
Hana sat alone in the hallway, staring at the ceiling vents. The silence felt too empty. Too expectant.
Grey approached quietly, stopping beside her without asking permission.
"You're thinking too loudly," he murmured.
She didn't look at him.
"Is it always going to be like this?"
Her voice cracked, just barely.
"Running? Fighting shadows? Listening for whispers?"
Grey sat next to her, his arms resting on his knees.
"I don't know."
She finally looked at him.
"Do you think… we'll ever go back home?"
Grey inhaled deeply.
"Hana… I died in a petroleum explosion. My body's probably in the ocean by now."
Her eyes widened softly. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Grey reached out and took her hand in his, offering a silent gesture of comfort.
"And you—"
"I died on a mission," she admitted.
"Gunshot. I was an officer."
Grey blinked, realizing. "We're both dead," he said softly. "Maybe this is our new home." Hana nodded, a sense of peace washing over her as she squeezed Grey's hand.
The silence between them turned warm and understanding. They both knew they were no longer alone in their shared afterlife, finding solace in each other's company as they embraced the unknown together. The bond that formed between them in death was unbreakable, a connection that transcended time and space.
Hana looked down.
"So… what happens to us?"
Grey gave her a small, gentle smile.
"We survive. Together. Until we make our own ending."
Her breath hitched, but she nodded.
And then…
Sato burst into the corridor, breathless. "Guys, you won't believe what I found!" he exclaimed, holding up a dusty old journal. The others gathered around, eager to uncover the secrets hidden within its pages.
"Boss—Hana—come quick!"
They sprinted to the lab.
On the main screen, the doctor's encrypted file had finally decrypted.
A message flashed.
"Pattern breach detected."
"Origin: Unknown."
"Subject Identified: Hana."
"Additional anomaly detected: Grey."
"They found you."
The room fell silent.
Hana's heart stopped.
Grey's expression hardened, pupils shrinking.
And then—
A whisper cut through the air, cold as steel:
"Found you."