The argument had already been raging long before Reinhard realized his hands were shaking.
"You expect me to believe this," Sir Nighteye said sharply, his voice cutting through the room like glass, "that this child is from another world, and that monsters from that world are now bleeding into ours?"
He stood rigid beside the long conference table, one palm pressed flat against its polished surface as if grounding himself. His glasses caught the overhead lights, hiding his eyes but not the tension etched into every line of his posture. This was not simple disbelief. It was anger layered atop something far more personal.
"That's a hell of a leap," Snipe added, arms crossed tight over his chest. "Interdimensional worlds? Ancient calamities? We're heroes, not fairy tale characters."
From the shadows near the back of the room, Aizawa leaned against the wall, capture weapon draped loosely around his shoulders. His expression was tired, but his eyes were sharp. "Extraordinary claims require proof," he said flatly. "And so far, all we've heard is a bedtime story."
Reinhard stood near the far end of the table, small compared to the experienced hero's gathered around him. He could feel their gazes weighing him down, dissecting him. His throat felt tight, his chest hollow.
Nezu, seated calmly at the head of the table, folded his paws together. His tone was gentle, but carried quiet authority. "And yet," he said, "this 'story' aligns disturbingly well with events we can verify."
Nighteye scoffed. "Coincidence is not confirmation. For all we know he could've made up this story."
Nighteye let out a humorless laugh. "and the principal of U.A. is vouching for a bedtime story?"
Nezu didn't say anything. Unsure of what to say to convince them.
All Might shifted in his seat. Even weakened, his presence carried weight. "I am vouching for the boy," he said. "And for what he knows."
The room went still.
Nighteye's head snapped toward him. "And you trusted that knowledge enough to keep it from me?"
The room went still.
All Might did not look away. "Yes."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
"I stood beside you for years," Nighteye said, his voice tight now, restrained but shaking beneath the surface. "You trusted me with your life, your future, your very image as a symbol. And yet you didn't trust me with this?"
He paused.
"How," Nighteye said slowly, voice tight with restrained emotion, "can you ask me to trust you now, when you didn't trust me with something this important?"
Reinhard took a step forward, panic flaring in his chest. "This is my fault," he said quickly. "We did not want people to be afraid. It was for my self preservation."
Nighteye snapped his gaze toward Reinhard. "You don't get to keep that away from us."
The words hit harder than Reinhard expected. He flinched, fingers curling into his sleeves.
"I only wanted to protect—" Reinhard began.
"And now you want us to gamble the world and our lives on your story?" Snipe cut in. "That's not how hero society works."
Cementoss shifted uneasily, stone fingers tapping against the table. Gran Torino remained silent, but his sharp, assessing eyes never left Reinhard. Aizawa watched everything, unreadable.
Voices began overlapping, frustration feeding frustration. Logic clashed with the impossible. The room grew hotter, tighter.
Then a cane struck the floor.
"That's enough."
Recovery Girl's voice wasn't loud, but it carried weight earned through decades of command. She peered over her glasses at the room.
"You're all arguing around the same point," she said. "So I'll ask the question you keep avoiding. What made you believe him when you met him?"
The room quieted.
All Might inhaled, preparing to answer.
Reinhard spoke first.
"Because I showed them," he said.
Heads turned.
Aizawa straightened slightly. "Showed them what?"
Reinhard swallowed. His heart pounded so hard it felt painful. "I possess something called a Divine Protection," he said carefully. "One that allows me to read minds."
Several heroes stiffened instantly.
"And," Reinhard continued, voice softer, "I can reverse it. I can share my own memories."
Aizawa's eyes narrowed. "Not a quirk?"
"It isn't," Reinhard replied.
Silence fell again.
"Can you do it now?" Aizawa asked.
Reinhard hesitated, then nodded. "Yes."
Nezu's ears twitched. "Everyone," he said calmly, "please prepare yourselves."
Reinhard closed his eyes.
The world dissolved.
Suddenly, they stood beneath a vast sky unlike anything they had ever seen. Clouds drifted slowly, tinged faintly with gold and violet. A sprawling kingdom stretched before them, stone towers rising proudly above winding streets. Banners fluttered in the breeze, marked with unfamiliar crests. Knights patrolled the roads, their armor gleaming beneath the sun.
It was alive. Vibrant. Real.
They moved through the streets as silent observers. People laughed. Merchants called out to customers. Children ran between stalls, carefree and smiling.
Then the scene shifted.
A quiet room. Warm light spilling through a window.
A small boy sat cross-legged on the floor, barely four years old. His hair was bright, his eyes wide and trusting. He clutched a wooden toy sword with both hands.
Across from him sat a woman with scarlet hair and blue gentle eyes. She held a book in her hands, its cover worn from use.
"And so," she read softly, "the White Whale drifted through the sky, unseen yet ever present. Wherever its mist passed, names were forgotten, lives erased."
The boy's eyes widened. "Grandma," he whispered, voice trembling, "is it real?"
Theresia smiled gently, though there was something sad in her gaze. "It is," she said.
The boy hugged his toy sword to his chest. "Will it come for us?"
Theresia reached out, resting a hand on his head. "If it ever does," she said softly, "I will stand against it."
The memory lingered on the boy's frightened face.
Then it faded.
The conference room snapped back into existence.
Several heroes gasped. Snipe staggered back a step. Cementoss's stone skin cracked faintly along his knuckles. Gran Torino exhaled slowly, deeply.
Even Nighteye was silent.
"That," All Might said quietly, "is why we believe him."
Recovery Girl adjusted her glasses with unsteady fingers. "Incredible, that wasn't my imagination..."
Nezu nodded. "No. That was truth."
All Might straightened. "There will be a global meeting soon. Leaders, top heroes. We must convince them to act."
He looked around the room. "I can't do that without you."
"If we fail," Nezu added, voice calm but grave, "this world will follow the same path."
Reinhard stepped forward, bowing deeply. "I will fight," he said. "I know this calamity. And I will not run from it. Its my duty."
The heroes exchanged uncertain glances.
The weight of the impossible pressed down on them all.
Reinhard lifted his head, eyes shining with quiet resolve.
"Please."