The room was so quiet it almost hurt. The kind of silence that makes your ears ring, where every breath feels like an intrusion. Kael sat hunched in his chair, hands knotted in his lap, his confession hanging in the air between him and the three figures across the table. All Might's eyes shone with something like sorrow, or maybe regret. Aizawa's face was so blank it almost looked brittle, and Detective Tsukauchi's lips pressed into a thin, unreadable line. None of them spoke. For a long moment, no one even seemed to breathe.
Kael could feel the weight of their judgment, heavier than the blanket on his knees, heavier than the cane he'd needed since the incident. He wished he could take the words back, or at least soften them, but it was too late. The truth had been spoken, and now it just sat there, pulsing with consequence.
Finally, Tsukauchi's voice cut through the stillness, careful and controlled. "You may return to your room for now," he said, as if those words weren't another sentence. "We need time to process everything you've told us."
Kael nodded, his mouth too dry to answer out loud. He pushed himself to his feet, legs shaky from weeks of forced idleness. The pain flared up his thigh and into his hip, but he managed to steady himself with the cane. "I understand," he murmured, though he doubted they could hear him.
No one moved to stop him, or even to open the door. He shuffled out alone, the click of his cane echoing down the deserted hallway. The lights overhead buzzed faintly, making the shadows seem darker, the emptiness more suffocating. Every step was a reminder of how much he'd lost—his strength, his certainty, his place in the world.
He reached his room to find Yumi waiting, perched on the edge of the couch near the window, sunlight throwing soft gold into her hair. She looked up the second he entered, and her face broke open with relief—a genuine, unguarded smile that made something in his chest ache.
"There you are," she said, her voice lighter than the mood could justify. She stood, holding out a plastic container. "They said you'd probably be hungry after… all that."
Kael tried to smile back, but it felt like a mask. He lowered himself onto the bed, careful to keep from wincing as his joints protested. "Is that—porridge?" he asked, trying for normalcy.
Yumi grinned, a little proud. "Homemade. Well, Aunt Nari made it, but I supervised. Quality control, you know?"
He managed a real laugh this time, short and brittle. He accepted the bowl and spoon from her, feeling the warmth seep into his palms. "Thanks, Yumi. I'm not sure I deserve this."
She rolled her eyes, sitting beside him on the edge of the mattress, legs swinging just above the floor. "Everyone deserves porridge. Especially after getting grilled by three of the scariest people in Japan."
Kael took a bite, the blandness grounding him. The TV murmured in the corner, some midday variety show—overly cheerful hosts, canned laughter, the kind of background noise that is supposed to make you feel less alone. Instead, it made the isolation sharper, the reality of the hospital room more inescapable.
Yumi tugged at her sleeve, glancing at him sideways. "You look awful," she said softly. "That meeting must have been rough."
He didn't answer. He didn't need to. He kept eating, slow and methodical, as if the act itself could keep the rest of the world at bay.
Then the television flickered. The laughter cut off mid-peal, replaced by a piercing electronic whine. The screen went black, then flashed back on—except now, the set was gone. Instead, there was a dimly lit room, bare except for a single metal chair.
Yumi frowned, leaning forward. "What…?"
Kael's spoon clattered to the floor.
Onscreen, Voidflare sat slumped, tied to the chair, his head lolling forward. Blood streaked his chest and arms, his hands limp and useless. A blindfold covered his eyes. His body jerked once, a spasm of life, before settling into a terrifying stillness. Shadows moved behind him—figures laughing, cruel and careless.
Yumi gasped, horror twisting her features. "Dad—!"
A voice crackled through the speakers—a man's voice, smooth and icy, sounding almost entertained. "Good evening, world. You're looking at what's left of the so-called hero, Voidflare. He was strong… once. A symbol, maybe. But now?"
The camera zoomed in, focusing on the Number 9 tattooed on the villain's forearm. The mark seemed to burn into the lens, into Kael's mind.
"Now he's bait."
Kael's heart hammered against his ribs. He felt the porridge rise in his throat, acid and fear churning together.
The villain stepped forward, letting the camera catch his face—a sneer so cold it made Kael shiver. "If Equinox is watching—and we know he is—this message is for you. You cost us everything. You took our comrades. Our Quirks. Our lives. So now, you get to lose something precious, too."
He leaned in, his gaze sharp and mocking. "If you want him to live however Equinox… come find us. Come get him."
And then the screen went black again. The silence that followed was deeper than before, pressed in on all sides.
Kael's breath came in short, shallow bursts. His vision tunneled, the world shrinking to the empty space between him and the dead TV. He gripped the sheets so tightly his knuckles blanched.
Yumi sat frozen, her hands trembling in her lap, her mouth open in a silent scream. For a moment, neither of them could move or speak. The fragility of the world had been exposed—one vicious act, and everything could crumble.
"They're going to kill him…" Kael whispered, barely audible. His voice cracked, the words splintering in his throat.
Yumi turned to him, her eyes shining with tears she hadn't realized were falling. "Kael…"
But he didn't look at her. He was staring at the TV, as though willing it to turn back on, to undo what they'd just seen.
He didn't notice the tears in his own eyes until one slipped down his cheek, hot and bitter. All the guilt, the helplessness, the rage—boiled together inside him, threatening to consume everything.
The screen flickered again, cruelly. Voidflare appeared once more, body limp, mouth gagged, twitching with pain. Blood matted his hair, his breaths shallow and jagged. That cursed number—9—stood out like a scar.
Yumi staggered to her feet, pressing both hands to her mouth to muffle a sob. She sank into the chair beside Kael, her knees buckling. "Dad… Dad, please… Why are they showing this to us? Why would anyone—?"
Kael set the bowl aside, reaching for her out of instinct. She didn't move—her eyes were glued to the screen, wide and shining.
"I have to go," Kael whispered, voice hoarse.
Yumi jerked her head toward him, disbelief and terror mingling in her gaze. "Go? Go?! No—you can't! I won't let you, Kael. You're still hurt. You barely just started walking again! It's out of the question!"
He shook his head, jaw set. "That's not stopping them. They'll keep hurting him—keep torturing him until I show up. Or until he dies. I can't—I won't let that happen."
Yumi's grip on his wrist tightened, her desperation bleeding through her words. "But if you go, they'll kill you. That's what they want. Don't you see? They'll have every trap set, every exit covered. Please… I can't lose you, too."
He didn't answer, couldn't. The rage inside him was molten, burning away reason and fear. Voidflare wasn't just a teacher—he was the man who'd saved Kael's life, over and over, who'd seen something worth saving in a kid who didn't understand his worth. Now he was being beaten to death on live television, all to lure Kael out.
Kael's hands shook as he tried to find words. "He's the reason I became the person I am today. He trained me. He believed in me when I couldn't believe in myself. I owe him everything."
"And I'm supposed to just watch you die?" Yumi's voice broke, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You think I can just sit here while they take both of you away from me?"
He looked away, the guilt threatening to drown him. "Yumi…"
She grabbed his hospital gown, pressing her forehead to his chest, her sobs shaking both of them. "Why does it always have to be you? Why do you always have to be the one to carry everything on your shoulders, Kael? For once, I-I just want peace. That's it~.."
He hesitated, then wrapped his arms around her, holding on as if she was the only thing anchoring him to the earth. The tremble in her body seeped into his bones, making him feel both impossibly weak and fiercely protective.
"Because my power makes it possible," he whispered, voice rough. "And if I don't… who will?"
The TV flickered again—a final act of cruelty. Voidflare screamed, the sound muffled but unmistakable, as electricity surged through his body. The villain with the Number 9 stared into the camera, his eyes burning with hatred and triumph.
"Come and get him, Equinox. If you don't… he dies. You know exactly where to find us."
Kael's eyes narrowed, his entire body coiling with resolve.
"Then I'm coming," he said, so quietly it was almost a prayer.
"And you better be prepared to pay for what you've done."
He shocked Yumi to sleep as he got up, using Darkbind to puppeteer himself.
He moved through the hospital's endless hallways, the shadows closing in around him. Every doorway looked like a portal to another world, every nurse and doctor a reminder of the life he was leaving behind.
He kept his head down, cane tapping a slow rhythm, trying to project an air of calm he didn't feel. The weight of purpose pressed on his shoulders—heavy, but not unbearable. Not when someone he loved was suffering.
On the same floor on the opposite end, footsteps thundered. Voices called his name—All Might's low, worried shout, Aizawa's sharp warning, Tsukauchi's urgent plea. But when they reached his room, there was only emptiness.
Yumi sat on the bed, curling into herself, clutching Kael's blanket. Her face was blotchy, streaked with tears that hadn't stopped since the broadcast.
"He… he was here," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. She just woke up, realizing he put her to sleep. "He's gone."
The three men exchanged a look—a grim, silent understanding passing between them. Kael's absence wasn't an accident, or a cry for help. It was a choice. A sacrifice.
Outside the hospital, Kael's resolve hardened with every step. He wasn't running away. He was running toward something—toward hope, toward justice, toward a chance to save the man who had saved him.
Back in the room, All Might's voice was softer than anyone had ever heard it. "He's more than a student. More than a vigilante. He's a hero, through and through. Crossing borders, risking everything for someone else—that's what defines him."
Aizawa nodded, exhaustion etched deep into the lines of his face. "He's done what most of us couldn't even imagine. We need to be ready for what happens next."
Detective Tsukauchi added, "If Kael's willing to cross that line, things won't ever be the same. The world needs to see him for who he really is."
Far away, Kael's silhouette vanished into the night, swallowed by darkness and the unknown. Fear and hope warred inside him, but the promise he'd made—to Voidflare, to Yumi, to himself—burned brighter than either. He carried their hopes, their pain, their future.
He would not let Voidflare die alone.
And no matter the cost, he would not let darkness win.
…