The conference hall felt less like a place of diplomacy and more like a courtroom awaiting a verdict.
Rows of seats curved outward in a wide semicircle, each marked with a nation's flag and guarded by layers of security. Heroes sat beside generals. Presidents beside prime ministers. Some wore formal suits, others unmistakable hero costumes, their masks and insignias clashing strangely with polished marble floors and cold LED lighting. Translators murmured softly into headsets. Cameras hovered, but none were broadcasting. This meeting was sealed tighter than any classified operation in recent history.
At the center of it all, Reinhard stood between Nezu and Sir Nighteye, hands clasped in front of him. He could feel the weight of the room pressing down on his chest. So many eyes. So much doubt. These people commanded armies and symbols. And yet, none of them knew what true calamity looked like.
All Might sat several rows ahead, his posture upright but rigid. Even at rest, he radiated presence. Reinhard drew comfort from that, just a little.
Stars and Stripes sat with the American delegation, shoulders squared, jaw clenched so tightly Reinhard wondered if it hurt. She hadn't looked away from the screen once since the meeting began.
The President of the United States stood at the podium, both hands resting against the polished surface as if grounding himself.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he said, his voice amplified but controlled. "I will not waste your time with pleasantries. What you are about to see represents the greatest threat humanity has faced since the dawn of the quirk era."
He pressed a button.
The lights dimmed further. The massive screen behind him flickered to life.
The image was unmistakable.
New York City.
Or what should have been New York City.
A vast, rolling wall of white mist swallowed entire districts. Skyscrapers vanished halfway up their spines. Bridges dissolved into nothingness. Helicopter footage trembled violently as the camera operator struggled to keep focus.
"This event has been designated the White Whale Incident," the President continued. "It began with the sudden manifestation of an unknown entity above Manhattan at approximately 12:47 p.m."
The footage rewound.
The sky was clear. Bright. Ordinary.
Then it wasn't.
A colossal shape emerged from nothing, blotting out the sun like a moving continent. Civilians filled the streets below, pointing upward. Laughing at first. Filming. Confused.
Reinhard's fingers tightened.
The camera zoomed in.
The Whale's vast, pale body drifted silently, impossibly large. Its eye, vast and empty, stared down at the city like it didn't even recognize the lives beneath it.
"At first," the President said, "it was assumed to be the result of a quirk accident related to mutation, projection, or mass illusion."
The footage cut to Captain Celebrity's arrival.
The American number one hero landed amid cheers, cape fluttering, grin wide and confident. He waved to the crowd, struck a pose, and flew upward toward the Whale.
Stars and Stripes' breathing hitched.
Then the roar came.
The audio was muted, replaced with a flat tone and visual indicators, but the effect was undeniable. People dropped instantly. Some screamed. Others clutched their heads and collapsed. Several began scratching at their own faces in blind panic.
Captain Celebrity screamed.
The hero clawed at his own skin midair, expression twisting into something feral before the footage cut away.
A wave of unease rippled through the room. Some leaders shifted uncomfortably. Others stared, pale and silent.
"We estimate," the President continued, voice growing heavier, "that within the first thirty minutes, over eight million civilians experienced acute psychological collapse."
The screen changed again.
White mist poured from the Whale's body like a living thing, spilling across the city.
"This fog," the President said, "is the most dangerous aspect of the entity."
The footage showed emergency workers approaching in hazmat suits. One turned to the camera, giving a shaky thumbs up before stepping inside.
The next frame was empty.
"Anyone fully engulfed by the mist ceases to exist," the President said bluntly. "No physical remains. No biological trace. No quirk signature."
A sharp inhale passed through the hall.
"Worse," he added, "their existence is erased from memory. Friends forget them. Families forget them. Only records remain. Paper. Digital data. No emotional connection."
Reinhard's stomach twisted. He knew that horror intimately.
The footage shifted once more.
Stars and Stripes' counteroffensive.
Jets screamed through the sky. Her massive air construct clashed against the Whale, shockwaves rippling through the clouds. Explosions lit the horizon. The Tiamat missiles detonated in a blinding cascade of light.
Stars' shoulders tensed as the screen showed the second Whale descending from above, eclipsing everything.
The footage cut to static.
"The subjugation mission was partially successful," the President said carefully. "Hero Stars and Stripes successfully eliminated one entity."
Stars exhaled shakily.
Then the President pressed another button.
Two silhouettes appeared on screen.
"However," he continued, "this information was withheld from the public to prevent mass hysteria. There were three entities present."
A stunned silence fell over the room.
Reinhard froze.
Three.
"There are currently two remaining White Whales unaccounted for," the President said. "Their locations still in New York."
Murmurs erupted instantly.
"This is impossible..."
"The heroes barely handle even one."
"Is this the quirk singularity manifesting?"
"This could wipe out entire nations."
The President raised a hand. "Which is why the United States is formally requesting immediate international cooperation. Hero deployment. Military assets. Research divisions. This is no longer a localized crisis."
He leaned forward, eyes sharp. "If left unchecked, this will become an extinction-level event."
Nations murmured. None of the leaders wanted to apart of this.
All Might stood.
The room quieted instinctively.
"As the Symbol of Peace," he said, voice firm and resonant, "I will participate in the next subjugation."
Dozens of eyes turned toward him.
"I will not allow fear to paralyze us."
The room erupted.
"All Might! its too dangerous" some of the diplomats argued.
"That thing is almost unbeatable"
"You going to lead hero's into their deaths!"
Before the murmurs could worsen, a chair scraped loudly against the floor.
Reinhard stood.
All Might turned sharply. "Reinhard—"
Reinhard stepped forward, heart hammering, but his voice carried as he leaned against the podium.
"This threat cannot be understood through quirks alone," he said. "Because it is not from this world."
The reaction was immediate and explosive.
"What did he say?"
"Another world?"
"Who is this child?"
"This is absurd."
Reinhard clenched his fists. "The White Whale is a Witchbeast. A calamity. It feeds on existence itself. It is not human. It cannot be reasoned with."
He swallowed hard. "It will move beyond New York City if it does not feed soon."
The President's gaze locked onto him. "And how would you know that?"
An official from another country stood abruptly. "With respect, how does this boy possess supposed information that our intelligence agencies do not?"
Reinhard faltered.
The words caught in his throat.
He couldn't explain without sounding insane.
Silence stretched.
Then Sir Nighteye stood.
"It's true," he said simply.
The room froze.
The President blinked. "Sir Nighteye. Your reputation is... extensive."
"You are aware," Nighteye said calmly, "that my quirk allows me to see the future."
Unease rippled through the diplomats.
"Everything this boy has said," Nighteye continued, choosing each word with precision, "Everything he said comes from what I have witnessed in the future."
Reinhard turned to him, stunned.
Sir Night Eye had lied in front of the world for him.
The President leaned forward. "I see... but who is he?"
Nighteye paused, eyes flicking briefly toward Reinhard.
Then he spoke with conviction.
"In the future, he is the one who will slay the White Whale!"
Gasps echoed across the chamber.
Reinhard's breath caught.
A/N: Whose is excited? The world wide whale subjugation arc is coming!