Chapter Text

There are people born to power. They have connections and people that support them, they have the money to endorse ideas, they can buy all the resources needed. Then, there were people who were born to fail. Izuku Midoriya believed himself to be in the latter category of life. He desperately wanted to be a hero, but by the twists of fate, it seemed he was not destined to be one. Everyone around him made sure he knew that, too.

People seemed to get a real kick out of putting him down, telling him how stupid his dreams were and how pathetic he was for still believing in them. This had been going on for years. How long does it take to kill a child’s dream? Izuku would say about 10 years, and he was really stretching it. Many would have been defeated on day one. Let’s call him an outlier for making it this far, still grasping onto his dreams with torn and burned hands.

It all came down to one final blow.

His hero told him to “be realistic” about his dreams. Yeah, be realistic, Izuku. Being a hero is all about having a quirk. It's all about being special and showing the world your quirk can help save lives.

He almost burst out laughing when All Might, in his small shrunken form, left him with his thoughts. He would have…if his throat hadn't been so tight. If he hadn't felt like he was drowning right then and there, when his only lifeline had snapped.

The rose colored glasses that he had fought so hard to keep on - to view the world as a place of hope - were shattered by the very person who had inspired them.

That day, as his hero disappeared down the stairs, leaving him to drown under the weight of a life that now felt worthless, he wrote down his first true criticism of the ultimate hero.

He left a teen who had just been attacked by a villain and had his dreams shattered…on a roof.

Izuku turned to look out at the city, his eyes drawn to the sound of explosions and smoke. "Believe that you’ll be born with a Quirk in your next life and take a last-chance dive off the roof!" He took a half step toward the edge. He hadn't really thought about what Kacchan said. It had been mean like everything else he tended to say, but now… it held some kind of appeal.

He couldn't though.

Was he a coward, too afraid to get close to the edge? Did he have something to live for?

"I’m sorry, Izuku! I’m sorry. I’m sorry!"

He supposed he did have something to live for. His mother would be sad if he jumped. If she heard on the news they found someone on the sidewalk or if she worried for days while police identified him and contacted her.

He let out a bone deep sigh as he walked himself down from the building and away from the sounds of fighting. There was no point, anymore. Years of journals, empty pens, and analysis notes gone to waste. Not that they were any good to anyone but him. Everyone told him how creepy it was when he took notes on them.

The buzz of anxiety under his skin had him walking at a nervous pace back home. It ran through his head, asking a thousand questions he didn’t know the answers to.

You filled in the high school application yesterday, remember?

Are you going to change it?

What are you going to do with your notebooks?

What are you going to do now?

What was he going to do? Well, for that day… he was going to go to bed and pretend that Kacchan hadn’t told him to jump from a roof. Pretend that his hero hadn’t told him to stop dreaming of something unattainable. Pretend that the world didn't feel like it was falling away beneath him.

Like he could still see hope in front of him.

He had never thought his dream was unattainable. He thought if he tried hard enough, if he trained harder than anyone, he could make it, too. It was a lie he told himself. A lie that kept him seeing through those rosy glasses before they were ripped from him by the one person who could rip it away.

So he slept.

When he woke up, he barely had enough strength to get out of bed. His alarm blared beside him and yet he let the annoying noise continue as he looked at his ceiling. It wasn't until his mother called for him that he finally turned the alarm off and got ready for school.

"Izuku, I made—"

"Sorry, mom. I've got some things to do before school, so I'm going to leave early today," Izuku interrupted before she could talk him into sitting down for breakfast. He didn't look up. He didn't want to see that look she would give him. Even the look she gave him last night made his stomach churn. He didn’t want to talk or think or even look at anyone. She could probably see something was wrong and he didn't want to face the question or force a smile. He already knew what she would ask.

"Izuku, dear, what's wrong?"

What was wrong was everything.

Where would he even begin to answer that question?

If he looked for comfort in the wake of what All Might said, he knew it would be empty.
He knew his mother would agree with what he said. She had proven that she did not approve of his dream nor think it was possible.

He hurried into the bathroom to finish getting ready and closed the door behind him. As he brushed his teeth, he made a point to not look in the mirror too long. If he did, he would see the dark circles under his eyes from not being able to sleep and the deep hurt that haunted his gaze. The exhaustion went beyond sleep. It seeped from his very bones as he came to terms that all his efforts had been in vain.

“Be realistic…” he muttered in the mirror as he put his toothbrush down. “Fine…” he continued as he walked back to his room, pulled on his backpack, and headed to the door for his shoes.

“Do you want me to pack you breakfast for later?” His mother asked, but he didn’t turn around to face her.

“I’m not very hungry this morning, but thank you for thinking of me,” Izuku said more politely and detached than he intended to as he slipped on his shoes. Without much else, he left. There was only one thing he could do.

That day, he would withdraw his application to U.A. 's hero course to replace it with one for their general studies course. How’s that for realistic? Or perhaps he should just withdraw the application altogether.

Would his mother finally stop looking at him with that worried expression, like she knew he was destined to fail?

His chest ached from what he decided was necessary. It wasn’t easy to let go of everything he had dreamed of, but as he walked to school, he mentally prepared for it. He prepared to erase what he had written and face his classmates' ridicule. He figured he should be preparing for whatever Kacchan would say or do, too. He would probably be happy to see Izuku withdrawing.

Something burned in his chest at the thought of Katsuki smirking at him while withdrawing his application.

When he got to school, the idea of going straight to the principal made him feel ill. He just needed a few more hours. He’d do it after school. There was plenty of time. Why should he rush to end his dreams? So, he avoided it for the time being by going straight to his classroom.

He was among the first to arrive, and when more started to enter the room, they started their routine. Each one took a moment to throw him a hateful stare and whisper amongst their friends about the poor pitiful Deku.

It’s fine.

He was used to that. Even when he found his desk covered in vicious graffiti, he didn’t miss a beat in sitting down. In fact, he hardly noticed it anymore. Wiping it away was always more effort than it was worth. It was back the next day without fail.

Usually, he would have immediately started looking through his notes and bolstering what he had seen, fixing the suggestions after having more time to think on fighting styles and quirk usage. However, today…he stared at a blank page. He needed something to distract him so he closed his eyes for a moment, the sounds of feet falling to the background before he opened them and began to draw. It was something to do that wasn't a reminder of how quickly his life was falling apart.

He could have focused on his schoolwork, but with the next two weeks settled already, he didn't think it was much use. If he got too far ahead or continued bothering the teacher too much, he would get a lecture. Now that he felt a void in his thoughts, it was all too clear how…pointless everything felt. Nothing this school threw at him was challenging. In fact, he had finished those two weeks of work over a single weekend at the library.

Izuku felt his eye twitch as he thought about this stupid school. His pencil dug too deeply into the paper, tearing through to the other side. Izuku paused in his drawing, flipping the page to see what he had ruined.

It was a page for a hero who recently debuted just a few days prior with an interesting quirk. His eyes glazing over as he looked at the page. He flipped back another page. Splitzone, a hero active in the neigboring prefecture. He flipped again and again and again. His stomach churned when he landed on All Might’s signature.

Why was he going back to this?

Didn’t he decide to end his dream of being a hero?

Didn’t he say it was pointless?

It felt like a knife was twisting in his chest.

While people filed in, Izuku noticed one thing in particular that was wrong. Katsuki wasn’t there. Even when class started he hadn’t arrived, but no one mentioned it as the day began and class started. Izuku tried to ignore the worry in his gut and busied himself with doodling on a fresh page. He shouldn’t care so much about someone who made his life miserable. Yeah…he should just forget it. Kacchan-

…

Katsuki would never acknowledge him or be nice to him as long as he was quirkless.

Instead of listening to his lectures and paying attention like a good student, he doodled. He drew many mindless things. A flower, a hand, his own shoe, random art deco boarders for the page and more. Then he started drawing a design he had seen on a book in the library. He couldn’t remember it in detail, but he did his best. It felt good to be engrossed in the drawing, perfecting each circle, sharp line, and the small designs in them. There was no time to think about what he had to do that day.

By the time class was ending, he had a detailed arcane circle. There was only one thing missing. The twisted triangle at the very center was empty, and it felt like it needed something in it or that something belonged there really. As he put his pen to the paper, he felt a jolt run up his arm. That feeling he usually got when he hit his elbow wrong on a table.

He started to draw whatever came to mind, ending up with an odd F at the center. He wasn’t sure why he drew that, but it looked like it belonged among the other symbols so he left it. Izuku went to flip the page when a wave of unease hit him.

He looked up at his classmates, who were all packing up their things despite the teacher still talking. None of them were even looking at him. He looked to the window, but it was the same old view. What was that? It was like some deep primal instinct was warning him of danger—a danger far worse than Katsuki or his classmates. And why…why was that instinct telling him the problem was his stupid doodle?

Looking back at the page, he stared at the last thing he drew, and the feeling became more intense. In fact, if he concentrated hard enough he was sure the drawing was moving in a way that was so subtle he wasn’t sure if it was real or not.

ᛊᛈᛖᚨᚲ ᚦᛖ ᚹᛟᚱᛞᛊ

Everything felt like it screeched to a halt. His breath, his mind, his body, the murmurs of everyday life seemed to go silent as that voice penetrated his soul. He didn't recognize the language, but he knew what it was saying. Sparks ran under his skin as he forced his eyes to look around the room. Life had not stopped moving. Kids were still talking and the teacher was trying to reign them in. Most definitely no one was talking to him. So where did that voice come from? Was it his imagination?

And what words did this voice want him to respond with? Should he even listen?

Before he could think further about the meaning of the voice and what it was saying, a hand slammed down onto his desk. “Hey! How many more times do we have to kick your ass before you stop being a complete freak?” a boy asked. Izuku looked up and saw that it was one of Katsuki’s goon— friends. At the commotion, the class quieted down to look. With five minutes left, it seemed their teacher had given up and was focused on something in his binder. Izuku instinctively pulled his notebook closer and forced a tense smile.

“Sorry, was I talking out loud again?” he asked with a sheepish laugh, but for some reason, he looked a bit angrier than usual— it couldn’t be because Katsuki missed school, right? On any other day, he would put his head down and avoid confrontation, but it seemed more than one thing made today different.

“No, duh, who are you stalking today, freak?” the boy asked, snatching his notebook away despite Izuku’s tight grip. Izuku could not explain what this feeling was, but he felt a weird connection between his hand and the notebook. Like a tiny electric current was connecting the two.

The sound of tearing could have easily been Izuku’s will to live, but it was his notebook.

Izuku's eyes glazed over again as he watched on in stunned silence. All of these kids cheered and had dreams to be heroes…yet this is how they act to those who need protection?

Izuku realized something.

All of this was the law of nature.

The strong trample over the weak. They get eaten to further the stronger beast’s survival.

That was how life had always been, yet here he was—filled with a feeling he couldn’t name. It could have been rage, fueled by the ridicule he faced for simply being different–by being weak. It could have been sorrow, fueled by the fact his notebook had been torn, while people laughed– much like they laugh at his aspirations. It could be the feeling of helplessness fueled by his idol tearing apart the future he wanted for himself.

ᛊᛈᛖᚲ ᛒᛟᛁ

That voice again. That voice spoke so loudly to him, making everyone in front of him sound so distant. This time, however, he somehow knew what to say. “[I call To Yggdrasil].” Izuku said, but it didn’t feel like he was the one who had said them. It felt more like some unknown force had pulled the words from him. Before Izuku fully regained himself, the ground lit up beneath him, sending sparks of energy through his body.

At first, everyone froze in shock, including Izuku. What he was staring at looked like an arcane circle of some kind - pulsating and spinning around him.

Then, the chaos began.

A blast of energy rocketed forth from the light beneath him, swirling around him like he was in the eye of a massive storm. Everything outside the eye was flung away with enough force to break bones. Not that Izuku could tell, nor did he care enough to realize what was happening outside his sanctuary. The energy around him swirled in every color, bringing him far away from his classroom. It almost felt like he was flying before the lights dissipated, leaving him in a black void. “Hello?” Izuku called, but his voice echoed endlessly into the abyss.

“[Walk forward, boy],” the voice from before spoke, but it was less imposing this time. Izuku did as he was told and walked forward. The further we walked, the more he could see. Before him was a massive tree glowing with energy and ethereal in its own way. Soon, his feet touched grass, and he assumed this was where he was supposed to be.

“Um… Where am I?” Izuku asked, looking around. There was a high cliff to one side and a stream to the other, leaving only a small path toward the giant tree. Though, it was so damn dark that if he tried to walk it, he was sure he would end up wet or bruised.

“[Your given name is Izuku],” a male voice said. It was older and much clearer than before, but it was undoubtedly the one speaking to him this whole time.

“[Interesting boy for an interesting future].” a woman spoke right after.

Looking up to the cliff, he saw two people standing on the ledge, not that he could make out any details as it was far too dark, and behind them was the only light source.

“[He is too small],” another male voice said. He found the path toward the tree now blocked by a hulking figure.

“[You are too harsh; he is only mortal].” A new female voice spoke, and he found a figure standing across the stream. This one was a little different, as next to her stood a massive creature.

“[Silence, Frigga].” the eldest boomed, giving Izuku no place to speak up. Not that he could or wanted to. They all had a presence that took his words away. They radiated the same power that he felt when he stood before All Might— no, it may be greater. His jaw was locked in place, fearing or perhaps admiring the figures before him.

“[Yes, dear husband.]” Frigga, as Izuku now knew, answered with an audible smirk. Izuku could clearly see her eyes begin to glow. “[The choice is up to you and you alone, dear husband…but I see potential],” she said as the glow faded away.

“[Is that good or bad?]” the one blocking the path asked, but Frigga didn’t answer. “[Father?]”

“[It’s decided].” the eldest spoke sternly. “[Izuku, child of Midgard. Do you accept the gift of Yggdrasil? Do you accept all that comes with it?]”

He felt a sudden release from their overwhelming presence, enough to speak. “Yggdrasil?” Izuku mirrored, looking behind him at the giant tree. He couldn’t say he was well versed in mythology, but he knew enough that he understood that Yggdrasil was the actual name of the “tree of life” that people talk about in online fantasy forums. That giant tree couldn’t be the tree of myth, right? “I don’t understand… what gift?”

“[You are one of few who the tree has chosen to carry the knowledge of runes, but it is not charity. Trials must be overcome. To overcome them, you will be granted great power].” the elder explained, and another thing clicked. Odin…the leader of the gods of the Norse pantheon. The only thing he really knew about Odin was he was known as the wisest among Norse gods. No, now’s not the time.

“[Boy! Answer already!]” the one blocking the path yelled, snapping Izuku to his senses.

“I accept!” Izuku called out, and only seconds later, he snapped his mouth shut with regret. He should have asked what kind of trials he had to overcome, but taking his word back in front of gods wouldn’t have been good, right?

“[Good. And as a gift of my own],” he said, stamping his staff into the ground. Izuku’s chest began to glow blue around where his heart was.

“[A bit of advice, child of man].” the female with the giant beast next to her said, “[Master the old man’s gift quickly. The trials he speaks of are no easy feat].”

Izuku felt a sinking feeling, but somehow, he felt that if he asked about the trials, he would get no answers from them. “[Our time runs short].”

“[Don’t disappoint us now!]”

“[Until we meet again, child of Midgard].”

“[Farewell].”

“[Yes, I hope we meet again under less strict circumstances].” Izuku felt a chill run up his spine at the last voice. There had been someone standing behind him.

He spun around as the energy swirled but only caught sight of two stark green eyes before he was snatched away from the great tree and plopped right back where he had started.

Izuku was startled awake to find he was lying in a bed. He was lying in his bed, surrounded by All Might memorabilia. How did he get home? No, how long was he asleep? Had that been a crazy dream? No, don’t get ahead of yourself, Izuku.

The boy sat up and placed a hand on his chest. The glow had been right beneath his palm. Was that gift still there?

As if to answer his unvoiced question, the glow returned, though much weaker than when he had stood in front of Odin and the World tree itself. It had definitely been real. He had been in the presence of one— four–...five. Five gods, including the one that he hadn’t noticed until the last second…but who the hell were they? Odin and Frigga were the only ones he was sure he knew.

“I have... a lot of research to do,” he sighed with a breathy laugh. Once it faded away, he looked down at himself. “Knowledge of runes…” he muttered before a loud growl interrupted him. “Okay, food first and then research,” he nodded as he slipped out of bed. Immediately, he noticed he was also in his pajamas.

Exiting his room, he saw that everything was dark. Spooked for only a moment- he realized his mother was supposed to work the night shift tonight, so she must have already left. Now feeling a bit more at ease, he walked to the kitchen and turned the light on. As expected, there was a note on the counter and food in the microwave for him. The problem was that it was 4 in the morning. He had been unconscious for 13 hours!

Now, knowing this, he sat down and ate his curry with a healthy amount of rice mixed in. Since yesterday was Friday, that meant he had two days until he had to go back to school. That was perfect. He could figure out what Odin’s gift was. He hummed in excitement as he enjoyed his breakfast, all the while planning what he was supposed to do that day. The first was to do his research on Norse mythology for…obvious reasons, and the second was to do whatever he could to understand Odin’s gift. Yes, it was a short list, but he had a feeling it would take a lot longer than just a day to do.

“Alright!” he exclaimed as he finished eating. He rushed to put his mess away before going to the computer room to start the long process. He paused at his mother’s bedroom and peered in. As he expected and already knew, she was gone.

For the next four hours, he engrossed himself in his research and note-taking—using a brand-new notebook for this purpose. By the time his mother came home, he was in the kitchen getting a snack. “Good morning, Mom!” he smiled as his mother rushed in and pulled him into a hug.

“I was so worried when I heard you collapsed at school!” she shouted as he was smothered in her embrace.

“I swear I’m fine!” He comforted his mother until she stopped crying. “So, what happened?” he asked, warily watching his mother as he took a bite out of an apple.

“They said a student had a quirk accident.” Of course they did. “I think there was one other child who was unconscious. The principal assured me that the student had a wind quirk of some kind.” Usually, Izuku wouldn’t appreciate the blatant lie, but after what he saw, he smiled and nodded.

“It’s bound to happen,” he stated with a cheery smile and a shrug.

“Are you alright? Yesterday you seemed a little despondent and now—”

“Of course! Actually, I gotta go.” he passed by her. “You worked hard, make sure you rest up!” he called as he decided to leave the house. He gathered up his materials from the computer room and put them in his backpack. He had a lot of notes already, but he could head to the library and continue his research, or maybe find an isolated location to figure out what Odin gave him. After all, while researching, he'd already found something interesting.

So, obviously, he chose the latter option.

And what better place to be alone than Takoba Beach?

“Runes were once thought to hold power to change the natural world and empower those of great knowledge. Divination…Foresight…reflections of life or cosmic principles.” Izuku reviewed his notes, which, he had to admit, were taken in a rush, so he practically wrote everything in shorthand. Even he could barely read it. “Did Odin give me…magic?” Izuku asked, but shook his head. Odin had said that Yggdrasil chose him, that means Yggdrasil was the one that gave him magic, so what did Odin give him? Everything he remembered of his rushed research was mostly magic, mythology, and divination….or very commonly used in Wicca rituals.

He turned the page to where he had written down all of the runes and their meanings. It was hard to figure out where to start. The different runes, compound runes, and more. How much of it was real, and how much was people making things up? How would he tell the difference?

As he studied the page, frustration growing, something strange happened. The entire page was rearranging itself. The normal Futhark runes he had written down were each replaced by runes he had not seen anywhere online. Wait, was this Odin’s gift? If so, it was amazingly helpful. Seeing as he is known to be wise, giving Izuku wisdom of runic magic was right up his alley.

Regardless of whatever happened, he was left with a nice, detailed page of runes, what they mean, and a small note about how to use them. “Mark the object with intention. Form an image in mind. Use.” Izuku read aloud and laughed a little. Small note indeed.

Despite that, he did as the note said. He tore out a page, chose a rune, and drew it out on a page. Now, he just needed to figure out how it should look. The rune he had chosen was called ‘spark’ though it was written in Norse. Silently, he thanked Odin for giving him an easier route to understanding runes.

Next: imagine what it should look like. Would it be a fire? electricity? Izuku decided to think of a magnesium fire starter. He closed his eyes. “[Spark],” he spoke and opened his eyes just in time for the paper to catch fire. He would have been impressed- if it hadn’t been the smallest spark and an equally small flame slowly burning the paper away.

Izuku began to think about his experiment a little. It was small, too small to be of much use outside of general utility, and it was limited to just objects he was able to draw on. It felt like two very big problems for someone who wanted to enroll in UA’s hero course.

Think about the note. It seems very straightforward, but he had to consider who might’ve written it. Not very many of the Norse gods he read about were known to be very truthful. By his guess, he had met with Odin, Frigga, and Thor. The other two were a bit of a mystery, but he had a feeling one might have been Freyja, who was known to associate with cats, and the beast that stood next to her had a vague cat-like outline.

Maybe one of the two giant cats that pull her chariot? That just leaves the last one. How could he even begin to guess when he only saw their eye color…though he could guess they were important. Could it be… Loki? They appear in many of the Norse myths and played a pivotal role overall. He couldn't confirm anything, but he felt he had met the most important figures so far, given that Odin was there. Loki was among the most important Norse gods, according to what he read.

Was he limiting himself? Imagine what should happen. Spark may seem insignificant and small, but was that true? Was he the limiting factor? He imagined Katsuki's sparks. Strong, bold, one after another— pops threatening violence.

He picked through his bag and grabbed a sharpie, drawing the rune on his own hand. He hesitated as he finished. What were the odds he was about to set his own hand on fire? The thought seemed to open every pore as he felt sweat seeping onto his skin. If he were to imagine it like Katsuki's explosions, would it obey him?

…

It was worth a shot. At worst, he was next to the ocean and would throw himself in. He took a few tentative steps closer to the water as he held out his hand.

“[Spark]!” Izuku yelled, maybe more for himself than for the benefit of the spell. He could feel…something. It felt like the warmth traveling from his core, through his arms, and pooling at his palms. Then he saw the small sparks which stuttered to life into small explosions, popping like Katsuki used to use as a child. His hand felt the hot spots with each pop, but it was not unbearable. Almost as soon as it started, he squashed those little pops between his hands, his chest heaving.

A wobbly grin grew across his face as he registered what he had done. Was runic magic limited only by his own imagination? By the lines he drew rather than any set limit on a rune? He used a water spell next, drawing it on his other hand and letting water form in his palm. This one felt cold but calming compared to the hot anger from before. He pushed the rune further and the water started to bubble— no, he had his hand palm up. Turning his hand the other way he realized that the water came raining down. Yeah, the spell was called drizzle. He felt stupid for not doing this sooner. Though, while it was called drizzle, he wondered…

Izuku focused on the water raining down, willing it to stop and collect. When he did that, the water did. It rained down and collected into a ball below his hand. The ball of water dropped as Izuku's mind wandered to further applications and faced his palm out toward the ocean. "'come on…" he muttered focusing on the effect he wanted, and the water did cooperate. The rain from his hand was projected outward…like someone wanting to water their garden. Trying to push forward had him wobbling as a wave of dizziness wash over him, so he stopped the spell.

So there were limits on runes, but it had wiggle room on power and application. Spark could create sparks, as well as a flame. Drizzle could project water down from his hand, as well as let him control the water that came from him. He raced back to his notebook to take new notes based on his experiments. Wait… drizzle… summons a light rain- which implies casting a rune in the…sky… He would have to save that idea for another day,

But he was far from finished.

He waited a bit to recover after using those spells, then he moved on to experimenting with the wind spell called ‘breeze’. Its general use was to cause a localized breeze, but delving further into it, he realized he could control its direction and intensity to some extent. It was intense enough to whisk him up into the air briefly, and only by a few inches. It would take a lot more practice for it to become useful. However, it was strong enough for Izuku to fly his notebook to him— or rather, smack him in the face with his notebook.

By the time noon came around, Izuku had found, after experimenting with a total of four runes, that he was beyond exhausted and starved; there were times he had gotten dizzy, too. He assumed that magic was the same as quirks in that the energy used as fuel for the rune’s effect and, of course, it was taken out of his own body’s energy. This meant…he was going to have to get stronger so he could cast more runes at one time without refueling. That said, what would happen if he overused runes? Quirks vary in effects, but runes weren’t technically a quirk…what if he ran out of all stamina? Would he pass out before anything bad happened, or would something more dire happen?

Izuku sighed as he made his way toward a convenience store to get himself sustenance, though his mind was much too worked up to stop thinking about more applications for the runes. Even when he was eating, he continued to take notes and make educated guesses about how to use the magic to his advantage and figure out more powerful applications.

He continued to think while he browsed the ready foods at the store, his mind circulating thoughts for each word he read on the spell page. There seemed to be different categories for the spells.

He grabbed a few things; he wasn't even looking as he grabbed a random bento, an onigiri, and an anpan. As a special treat, he snagged a dorayaki for after training.

On his walk back, and surprisingly without running into anyone, he organized all the spells into three categories.

First were the elemental runes. This included the each of the four elements and compound elements, like electricity, ice, and plants.

Then there were the physical runes which enhanced physical presences, if he based it all on the spell descriptions— thank you for that, Odin. Mend is able to seal cracks but he was curious if he could push the boundaries of that one as well and make cracked objects stronger. They do say when you break a bone, it comes back stronger than before. Of course, there were also things that were supposed to be applied to people like balance and focus too. Both very useful things for him.

The third he was sure were made of concepts; in that it dealt with illusions and influence. Spells like Whisper for telepathic talking (how well he wasn't sure), and Veil of Illusion.

Then there was the fourth category. He was thinking of calling it theoretical, but it didn't feel right. These spells dealt with abstract concepts. One that caught his eye immediately had been Foresight. In itself, he thought about Nighteye. Of course, he would. It was the same name his quirk went by and he really wanted to know if this rune could do the same as his quirk could.

Izuku nearly tripped onto the beach, as he had hardly been paying attention to his surroundings while thinking so hard about all these spells and possible effects. He sat himself down and tried to think of anything else to give his mind a break as he ate his lunch.

Unfortunately, he ate it so fast it was hardly a break. He was simply too enamored with all the possibilities. What kind of hero could he be when he could do it all? The next thought he had snuck up on him like a snake coiling around him.

I could surpass All Might.

It was such an absurd thought. Surpassing All Might?

However, it was a possibility. He had been given this power by beings beyond this world.

Gods. Plain and simple. This was the power of the gods he was playing with.

He shook his head to get that thought out of his mind and clapped his hands together to confirm his change in thoughts. "I should try out as many as possible." he muttered to himself.

Little did he realize how big of a mistake that had been. He would rename a special few spells 'heroic spells,' because one would need that kind of strength to use them. There was a very clear distinction in power and ability. Not that Izuku had thought peeking into the future would be easy, but the searing pain and spinning vision was sobering in a way. He was weak. Far too weak to use one of those spells, or at least this spell in particular. He should have known it was advanced compared to the rest, and he was hardly even a beginner.

It hadn’t even been him who cancelled the spell, but he was thankful it ended when it did. The fact that it felt like something else canceled out his spell was unnerving; he could hardly think about it. What parts of him were not focused on the pain were focused on what he had seen.

He wasn't sure where, or when, the spell had taken him. All he knew was that he saw a broken vase. His mother's heirloom vase. That in itself felt like a bad omen.

He collapsed onto his knees and opened his eyes through the lingering pain. “Holy…hell…” he muttered as something warm dripped onto his lip. He reached up and wiped it away to find it was blood. “Oh…goodie.” There was a backlash to note down. So far, the most any of the other spells had done was make him dizzy. This one had surpassed that with a nosebleed and migraine.

He was going to need to do some hardcore stamina training in order to get a hold of each category of runes. He closed his eyes again, finding the evening sun too harsh for his headache. When he opened them again, there was a wolf before him– well, it was more like leaning over him, with a kind of curiosity or worry.

Izuku’s immediate thought was danger, but when it licked his face, that feeling dissipated quickly. “I’m sorry… but who are you?” he asked, wondering if this was a shape-shifted god coming to check on him or something, not that he would think he was important enough for that.

The wolf turned toward the sea, exposing the necklace around its neck. It wore the sign of Valknut, the three interconnected triangles. “Are you…Odin?” he asked, but he could tell the wolf gave him a skeptical side-eye in response. “Probably not.” Odin is most well known for having two ravens, but his research also revealed that he had two wolves. “Geri?” he asked, and the wolf did not respond. “Freki?” he asked again, and this time it noticed. The wolf almost bowed to him. Did Odin send out his wolf to watch him?

The thought put Izuku’s stomach in knots. The fact that it was possible Odin was watching him struggle and decided he had to step in…? Izuku held his stomach and tried to keep himself calm. He looked at the wolf again, this time taking in more of its appearance. The wolf had a beautiful white coat that looked incredibly soft. Izuku reached out to the wolf carefully, stopping when the wolf looked back at him. The wolf didn’t seem like it minded when he continued to reach out, so Izuku figured he would be fine.

When his fingers made contact with the fur, he noticed three things: the first was that the fur was really was soft somehow, and the second was that underneath the white coat, there was a soft blue glow reminiscent of the one that came from his chest when he received Odin’s gift. The last thing he noticed was the relief. His pain ebbed away enough for him to sit up.

“Are you going to stay?” he asked, wondering if the wolf was there to just momentarily get him back on his feet, or if he had a new companion. Again, he did think that perhaps they were sent to watch him, but it was worth asking.

The wolf looked at him, seemingly assessing his condition, before it pawed off the necklace from around its neck. It was…heavier than it looked as it landed in his lap. “You’re giving this to me?” Izuku asked as he picked up the necklace.

A spark of energy jolted up his arm, and some part of him thought:

That felt… permanent.

Thank you Bbunny37 for the chapter art!