The world returned in silence.
Grey hit the ground hard, sliding through soft soil rather than concrete. Pebbles scattered. His ears rang. The sky above him was not Musutafu's fractured skyline; it was open, impossibly wide, and painted with swirling shades of lilac and silver.
He gasped.
And then he heard footsteps.
All For One rose beside him, brushing dust off his mask. There were no cities, no ruins, no distant fires, only a vast green valley stretching endlessly in all directions. Rivers glowed faintly with bioluminescence. Mountains floated, suspended by invisible forces.
The air was warm, breathable, and strangely serene.
Not home.
Not anywhere known.
Grey stood, unease crawling up his spine. "…Where are we?"
All For One scanned the horizon in silence, his voice strangely quiet. He tried summoning his power, but only a flicker of energy tingled through his fingertips. Nothing. His tendrils refused to form; glyphs remained dormant.
Then he says with a low and uncertain voice. "This place… it's unlike anything I've ever seen before."
Grey felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized they were truly in uncharted territory, with no way to tap into their usual abilities for guidance or protection. He finally decided to check his power.His fractal rewrite sputtered and died like static.
He flexed his fingers once more, testing them. Still nothing. He inhaled deeply and steadied his voice.
"…Whatever this place is, it's interfering with my quirk."
All For One let out a cold breath. "It seems this place does not tolerate… anomalies."
For a heartbeat, they both considered fighting again. But the unknown nature of their surroundings made them hesitant to make any sudden moves. All For One glanced at Grey, a silent agreement passing between them that they needed to proceed with caution in this strange place.
Then— A low growl echoed from the distant tree line.
Both turned sharply. A sense of unease settled in the pit of Grey's stomach as they realized they were not alone in this mysterious place.
Something enormous moved beneath the tall, shimmering grass. Slow. Deliberate. Watching them with predatory patience. The grass parted in rhythmic waves as the creature circled.
Grey swallowed hard. "All For One… truce?"
The masked titan didn't even hesitate.
"For now."
The moment the words left his mouth—
The creature struck.
A blur of motion ripped through the grass, faster than either of them could react. A massive beast, a thin panther-shaped predator with metallic fur that reflected the odd colors of the valley, leaped forward, causing the ground to erupt. Its jaw opened, revealing rows of crystalline teeth that vibrated with energy.
Grey barely dove aside as it crashed between them, claws carving trenches in the soil.
All For One staggered back, instinctively trying to summon a quirk, but nothing.
Grey shouted, "MOVE!"
The creature turned around with unnatural speed, its eyeless head locking onto Grey. It lunged again, its roar like grinding metal.
Grey rolled, grabbing a rock and smashing it into the creature's flank; the stone shattered on contact.
Its skin was harder than steel.
"Fantastic," Grey muttered, scrambling backwards. "Exactly what I needed today, a titanium murder‑cat."
All For One stepped forward despite their weakened state. "Keep it distracted."
"What part of distracted do you want me to get eaten for!?"
Before either could plan, the creature crouched low, muscles coiling, then launched itself at Grey with terrifying force.
Its core glowed bright blue.
Its claws extended like blades.
And the survival game truly began.
Hours passed. They saw no villages, no roads, no ruins, only an untouched wilderness, breathtaking but alien. Strange animals grazed in the distance; clouds spiraled in perfect circles above floating cliffs. Every step made them feel small and hunted.
By dusk, they were exhausted. Powers weak. No food. No map. No allies.
Just survival.
Grey whispered: "We're really alone here."
All For One's voice, oddly human, answered:
"For the first time… I think we are."
The night began.
And something howled from inside the valley.
Steel cracked. Earth shuddered. Trees tore apart with every collision.
Hana lunged at Shigaraki again, rage and desperation blurring her vision. But halfway through a strike, something inside her froze.
Her heartbeat stuttered. A cold, hollow void opened in her chest.
Grey. Something happened to him.
Her blade flickered, destabilizing for an instant. Memory. Presence. Connection. All of it snapped.
Shigaraki seized the opening.
Decay surged.
Hana leapt back, boots skidding across soil. Her breath hitched. Her mind screamed. She felt a sudden hole in reality.
"What… was that…?" she whispered.
Shigaraki wiped blood from his chin, grinning wide.
"You felt it too, didn't you?"
She charged him again, reckless and furious.
This time, it wasn't a fight. It was an execution.
Hana smashed him through three trees, her blade carving through Decay, forcing him back. Her movements sharpened with terrifying precision a soldier realizing she must end the battle now, because someone she cared about might already be lost forever.
Then her comm crackled.
"Sato to Hana, DO YOU COPY?!"
She didn't stop fighting. "I'm busy!" The urgency in Sato's voice made her heart race even faster. Hana knew she had to finish this quickly before it was too late.
"GREY IS GONE!"
Her blade froze mid-swing. Shigaraki takes the opportunity to launch a counterattack. Hana's mind raced as she processed the news of Grey's disappearance, her focus momentarily shattered. She quickly regained her composure. She countered so violently the ground exploded beneath them.
"What do you mean gone!?" she screamed, voice breaking.
Sato's breath shook through the comm.
"He vanished. Mid-battle. Something appeared, a being we've never detected before. Hana… it took him."
Hana's eyes went wide. Her blade pulsed. Rage and fear twisted inside her.
Shigaraki staggered up, trembling not from pain but recognition.
"That thing… wasn't from this world."
Hana's voice cracked.
"Where did it take him? We need to find him," she demanded, her hands clenched into fists. Sato's expression was grim as he replied.
"We don't know. But we're going to do everything we can to bring him back."
Hana's determination burned brightly in her eyes as she spoke, her resolve unwavering.
"Then I'll just have to tear this world apart until I find him."
She raised her blade.
The forest shook.
She was done holding back.
Shadows stretched long over Ground Beta.
Stain stood atop an abandoned watchtower, blade sheathed, his gaze locked on U.A. in the distance. He was supposed to be preparing his next infiltration, his next act to "break the hero façade."
But for once… he was still.
Because something cold had just crawled across his spine.
He felt it. A shift in the script. A tear in the world's logic. A ripple of power so alien it made even his bloodlust freeze.
"…What was that?" he whispered.
The night wind whispered back, tense and unnatural.
The air itself seemed to pulse as if reality had hiccuped.
Stain's fingers curled around his blade.
"That wasn't a hero," he murmured. "Nor a villain."
A presence brushed past him, cold, intangible, yet unmistakably aware.
Stain spun, blade flashing.
Nothing.
Only a whisper, a voice so soft it felt like a thought:
"You don't belong here."
Stain's breath hitched. His muscles locked. His instincts screamed.
"…Who's there?"
Silence.
Then a second whisper:
"Watch the anomalies."
Stain froze.
His eyes widened.
"…Anomalies?"
A slow grin crept across his excited, fearful, unstable face.
"Grey… Hana… What are you two?"
The shadows around him rippled.
And Stain realized with a sick twist of thrill:
Whatever moved tonight wasn't human. And it had noticed him, too.