Spinner's Warning
Tomura crashed through the undergrowth, branches clawing at his coat as he sprinted deeper into the forest. His breath tore through his lungs, ragged and desperate. Every step felt heavier, every shadow sharper. He didn't look back; he didn't need to. He could feel her.
Hana.
Her presence was a blade at his spine, silent and merciless. She moved like a phantom between the trees, boots barely whispering against the moss. Her face was a mask of pure emptiness with no rage, no mercy, and no hesitation. Just inevitability.
Tomura snarled, forcing his legs to move faster. He raised his hand instinctively, fingers twitching, ready to unleash Decay, but nothing happened. His breath hitched. The power flickered, then sputtered out like a dying ember.
What…? Why can't I—
It wasn't fear. It wasn't exhaustion. It was her.
Hana's ability wasn't just physical; it bent probability and distorted intent. When she focused on someone, their will faltered, their instincts dulled, and even their quirks could stutter under the weight of her presence. It wasn't absolute control, but it was enough to make every move feel wrong and every thought heavy. Enough to make Tomura feel like his own power was betraying him.
He glanced back, and his stomach knotted. Hana's eyes locked on him, cold and hollow, like the world itself had stopped caring. That look seemed like it gnawed at him, clawed at his instincts, and made his quirk feel like dead weight.
"You think you can stop me?" His voice cracked, fury bleeding into fear. "You're nothing but a glitch!"
Hana didn't answer. She didn't need to. Her silence was louder than any threat. Her eyes said everything:
You're not running?
*****
The rhythmic whisper of her pursuit drowned out his curses, and the forest swallowed the sound of his boots pounding against the soggy ground. The distance between them shrank with every heartbeat. Tomura's mind clawed for options, for escape routes, but the trees closed in like bars, and Hana was relentless.
Then—
CRASH!
A figure burst through the clearing ahead. Spinner crashed into view, breathless, eyes wide with panic.
"Tomura! You're alive? No, no, now is not the moment," he shouted, voice cracking.
"All For One, he's gone!"
Tomura's heart raced as he processed Spinner's words. All For One, gone? Panic surged through him, realizing the magnitude of the situation. With Hana closing in, he knew he had to act fast.
"Gone?" His voice was low and dangerous. "What do you mean gone?"
Spinner swallowed hard, hands trembling. "I don't know. They say he just vanished. Like… it was like the world swallowed them whole." Tomura's mind raced, trying to come up with a plan. The disappearance of All For One meant chaos was imminent, and he needed to figure out his next move quickly. "We need to find him. Anything else?"
Spinner hesitated, then whispered, "I heard something. A voice. It said… 'Erase the anomalies.'"
The silence that followed was suffocating. Tomura's grin stretched, sharp and feral. "So… He was right." His laugh was hollow, echoing like broken glass. "Fine. Let's see how long their script lasts."
Before Spinner could speak again, the forest seemed to exhale, a cold breath crawling down his spine.
A voice sliced through the silence, sharp and mocking:
"Can I join your little discussion?"
Tomura froze. Spinner's head hit the ground. His eyes widened in shock.
Hana stood behind them.
Her silhouette bled out of the shadows like a phantom, blade humming with a low, murderous resonance. Her eyes were voids, swallowing the dim light, reflecting nothing but inevitability.
Tomura's breath hitched. He barely had time to turn before her blade moved.
One strike.
The world blurred. And then everything went black.
*****
Above the city, the sky tore open like a wound in existence.
Golden light bled across the clouds, cascading down in rivers of syntax as reality bent under an unseen weight. And then he appeared. The one they call :The Author.
Not hidden like the other time, not a whisper in the void, but a figure descending slowly, floating in the open air for all to see. His silhouette shone like fractured glass, glyphs spiraling around him in endless constellations. Every movement influenced gravity, turning streets and towers into warped reflections of themselves.
People stopped.
Heroes froze mid-patrol.
Civilians raised their necks, their voices trembling:
"What… is that?"
The Author's eyes glowed like a hot script, twin suns burning with judgment. His presence pressed against lungs, crushing breath into silence. Even from miles away, they felt the weight of something older than time, rewriting the rules of existence with every flicker of its gaze.
He hovered above the ruins where Grey and All For One had clashed, scanning the shattered ground with a calm that was almost surgical. His voice curled through the air, soft yet resonant, echoing in every mind:
"Grey… All For One… pawns who dared to edit the script. They will both learn the consequences of tampering with fate."
After saying that, he closed his eyes. Threads of golden script unraveled from his fingertips, reaching across spaces like veins of light, searching for anomalies. His tone was almost curious, almost amused: "Who could be so bold as to try and rewrite destiny?"
The glyphs pulsed violently, casting shadows that whispered in languages older than time.
"If anomalies can bend my design… then perhaps the script itself is flawed."
His voice dropped to a whisper, sharp as broken glass:
"Do I erase them… or rewrite everything?"
And then, his eyes snapped open, molten glyphs spiraling like blades.
"Found you."
But, before he could move, a squad of heroes burst into the clearing, Endeavor at the front, flames roaring like a war drum, Hawks slicing through the air with a storm of feathers. Their voices cracked with urgency:
"Stand down! Whoever you are—"
The Author didn't even look at them. A single gesture of his hand sent a shockwave rippling through the air, knocking the heroes off balance and silencing their voices. With a smirk, he replied, "I am the creator of this world, and you are merely characters in my story. So, know your place."
Then he stopped his gesture, seeing the heroes struggled to regain their footing, their eyes wide with disbelief and defiance. Endeavor's flames stop, and Hawks' feathers remain down, knowing what will happen to them if they try to clash against the all-powerful Author.
The Author floated lower, his presence blotting out the sky. His voice rolled through the broken streets, calm and absolute:
"Yes, more like that."
And then, softer, almost intimate, as his gaze locked on Hana across the fractured city:
"There we go."
****
The forest was silent now, broken only by the ragged breath of two fallen figures.
Tomura lay sprawled against the roots, his coat torn, blood streaking his jaw. Spinner was unconscious beside him, his scaled arm twitching faintly. Hana stood over them, blade humming with residual energy, her expression carved from steel.
She tapped her comm, voice sharp and commanding:
"Tomo. Send a team. I want these two secured. Alive."
Static crackled, then Tomo's voice came through, tense and urgent:
"Hana… wait. Something's wrong. I'm picking up a surge—" Hana's eyes widened at the unexpected interruption.
In another place, Tomura's lips curled into a faint, broken smile. His crimson eyes glimmered with something almost serene.
"So, he was all right." he rasped, voice trembling with bitter amusement.
"Defeated by a ghost. Funny… I almost like it."
Hana didn't flinch. She turned slightly, scanning the treeline.
"Tomo, speak clearly. What surge?" She tried to recall Tomo, but the answer never came.
Then the air changed, turning chilly, heavy, and oppressive.
The forest exhaled a breath that wasn't wind, and the sky above tore open like a wound bleeding gold. Glyphs spiraled downward, rivers of syntax dripping through the canopy as reality bent under an unseen weight.
And then, the Author appeared.
Floating above shattered roots, his silhouette shimmered like fractured glass, glyphs orbiting him in endless constellations. His eyes on Hana. Her heart raced as she realized the power that he held in his very being. At that moment Hana had only one thought in mind.
"What now?" She had never felt so small and insignificant before.
The Author's voice rolled through the clearing, calm and absolute, echoing in every mind:
"Hana Fujikawa."
She stiffened, blade trembling in her grip.
"You've gone far." The Author continued, his tone almost admiring.
"Farther than any anomaly I've ever seen. Even I… do not know the full extent of your power."
The glyphs pulsed violently, casting shadows that whispered in languages older than time. His voice softened, curling like smoke:
"Grey. Hana. Two typos rewriting my perfect story. I tried to use All For One to retake control, to force the narrative back into its proper shape… and yet, even that didn't go the way I wanted."
He floated lower, his presence blotting out the sky, his tone sharpening with curiosity:
"Was it your influence? Or his hunger? Or something deeper in the frame? How did a pawn rise so far beyond its setting?"
The Author's eyes burned brighter, molten glyphs spiraling like galaxies.
"If my design can fracture this easily… then perhaps the script itself is flawed." The Author whispered, a revelation dawning upon their mind.
"I've thought long about this. Erasing you would be simple. But where's the art in that? Where's the spectacle?"
The Author's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.
"The spectators love chaos. They crave blood after seeing what you're doing. So let's give them what they want." The Author's eyes gleamed with a sinister glint.
The glyphs spiraled faster, slicing the air like blades. His voice thundered, layered and infinite:
"So, I've decided. I will not erase you. I will make you run. I will make you fight. And I will make the world watch."
The ground convulsed, trees bending like paper as golden syntax carved symbols into the soil.
"The Deadly Hunt begins."
Hana's breath hitched.
"What…?"
"Five rulers," The Author declared, his voice echoing like a verdict carved in stone.
"Five predators chosen by my hand will hunt you and the key, Eri."
His eyes burned brighter, molten glyphs spiraling like galaxies.
"Find her before they do. Or die trying."
The forest trembled as the rules etched themselves into reality, glowing like scars across the earth:
"No safe zones. No mercy. No rewinds. Only blood. Only survival. Only the hunt."
The Author's laughter rippled through the broken sky, a sound like tearing paper.
"Run, Hana. Make it spectacular."
And then, with a flick of his hand, the world shattered into shards of golden light.
Across the city, reality cracked.
Screens erupted from thin air, hovering above streets, rooftops, and shattered towers like shards of golden glass. Every surface pulsed with glyphs before stabilizing into a single, chilling broadcast: the Author's face, serene and merciless, framed by spiraling syntax.
His voice rolled through every speaker, every frequency, every mind:
"Attention, players. The Deadly Hunt has begun."
The rules blazed across the screens in jagged letters of molten gold:
FIVE RULERS.
ONE KEY.
NO SAFE ZONES.
NO MERCY.
NO REWINDS.
SURVIVE OR BE ERASED.
Then came the details.
"Listen carefully. These are the laws of the Hunt."
Duration:
"The game will last two weeks. When the final hour strikes, only one truth will remain: survival or erasure."
Participants:
"Every soul within the barriers is now a player. Heroes, villains, anomalies. Here, your titles mean nothing. You are prey. You cannot opt out. Refusal is erasure."
Barriers:
"Five zones, each ruled by one predator. These barriers twist reality itself, so if you don't want to end up in another world, just follow your instincts. And don't forget, escape is impossible. The only way forward… is through blood."
Point System:
"Every kill earns points. Slay monsters from beyond this world, creatures I've imported for your entertainment, and you gain more. Eliminate other players, and your score climbs higher. The cumulative tally will decide who rises… and who vanishes."
Victory Conditions:
"There are three paths to triumph:
Defeat all five rulers. Tear down the predators I've chosen.
Accumulate the highest score. Let blood be your currency.
Find the key, Eri and protect her until the end. She is the prize. Hold her, and you hold dominion over the script itself."
The Gain:
"Victory grants the ultimate reward: the power to rewrite reality. Erase your enemies. Reshape the world. Become the author of your own story."
The glyphs burned brighter, carving the final decree into the sky:
No safe zones. No mercy. No rewinds.
Only blood. Only survival. Only the hunt.
The Author's tone shifted, dripping with cruel amusement:
"Run. Make it spectacular. Let the world see what chaos truly looks like."
****
Far from the chaos, the safe house pulsed with tension.
Screens flickered as Tomo hammered at the keyboard, Miyako paced like a caged wolf, and Sato hunched over decrypted files.
"Pattern Breach Detected," Miyako read aloud, her voice tight. "Narrative Override Active. Subject: Hana."
Tomo cursed under his breath. "Override? What the hell does that mean?"
Before anyone could answer, the door slammed open. Kaori strode in, her coat torn, blood streaking her cheek. Over her shoulder hung Toga, cuffed and unconscious.
"She talked before passing out," Kaori said, voice sharp. "Something about Eri… and an eraser or something."
The room froze.
Sato's breath hitched. "Eri? The girl with the rewind quirk?"
Kaori nodded grimly. "Oh, I just thought of something." Do you remember the announcement about the hunt? They refer to her as the key. I'm just curious about what that could mean."
Sato's eyes widened in realization. "If Eri is the key, then maybe they're trying to use her quirk to erase other quirks," he said slowly. Kaori's expression darkened. "We need to find her before they do."
Silence fell like a blade. Then Miyako whispered, voice trembling:
"What if they're planning to use her? What would happen to us then?" The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on the group as they realized the potential danger Eri was in.
Before anyone could speak, the lights died.
Screens flickered, glyphs crawling across their surfaces like veins of molten gold. The air thickened, cold and heavy, pressing against lungs like iron. And then, she appeared.
A woman stepped through the distortion, her silhouette draped in flowing strands of code that shimmered like silk. Her eyes glowed faintly, not with malice but with an unsettling calm. Her voice was soft yet layered, carrying the weight of something older than time:
"You misunderstand her power."
Tomo staggered back, his breath catching.
"Who… who are you?"
She tilted her head, glyphs orbiting her like constellations.
"Please to meet you. I am the lattice, the spine of this world. And I am here because I think you must know the truth."
Her tone sharpened, curling like smoke:
"Eri is not merely a child with a rewind quirk. She is like a seed of authorship. If she awakens, if she gains knowledge of what she truly is, then she will become the new ruler of this world."
Miyako's voice cracked.
"A… ruler?"
"Yes, a ruler that will shape destinies and forge new worlds." The woman said, stepping closer, her presence bending the air.
"The rules of the world forbid the Author from killing her directly. But he will send his minions to do the job for him. You must protect her at all costs, for she holds the power to change everything." Miyako's heart raced as she realized the weight of the responsibility that had been placed upon her shoulders.
Kaori's grip tightened on her blade.
"Why does the Author fear her?"
The woman's eyes burned brighter, glyphs spiraling faster:
"Because she is the one who brought Grey and Hana into this world."
The words detonated like a bomb. Silence shattered under the weight of revelation.
Tomo's voice trembled:
"What… what do you mean?"
"She accomplished it unknowingly." she remarked gently, continuing with her thoughts.
"Eri's latent power reached beyond the lattice. She was able to pull two souls from death, Grey and Hana, and put them into this reality. They are anomalies because she made them. And now, the Author wants to erase her before she realizes what she is."
Sato staggered back, his breath ragged.
"So… Grey and Hana… They're here because of her? They're not from this world."
"Yes," The woman whispered, her voice like a blade against the throat.
"And if she survives the Hunt, if she claims her right, she will not just be able to rewrite the story. She will become the architect of everything."
The glyphs flared, carving a single phrase into the air:
Protect her. Or lose the world.