Fractured Wings

"He's not here," Nagant said bluntly. "Daigo Kiyoshi isn't inside the game with us. He is able to run things from the outside." 

I frowned, running my fingers through my dreads, untangling the mess. "He can transport himself in and out of the game as long as it's active, and he also has to follow the same rules and restrictions that we do. The Bug ensures that." She finished.

I mulled that over. If he was bound by the game's parameters, then he couldn't just hide out in Tokyo or some other city. "Then he'd probably have to stick in Hosu." 

"Precisely," Nagant confirmed, her tone cool. "But finding him wouldn't be our job. That's for heroes and law enforcement outside. Our's is to do what we can here to end the game." 

Right. 

"How many points do you have?" I asked her. 

"One hundred and twelve." She replied, "Daigo gave me fifty from the start." 

I raised an eyebrow. "Well aren't you the teachers pet?" My tone was dry, but she smirked unbothered. 

"Call it insurance," she said. Insurance of what? 

She looked like she just came up with that, so I let it be. 

"We need to add a rule to the game that helps us find the artifacts. I was thinking you try to add one that reveals where the artifacts are." 

"I tried that," Nagant said. "When I first got the fifty points. The Bug said it would disrupt the balance of the game." 

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Of course." 

I got up and thought for a moment. There was probably no way to gain the exact locations of the last two artifacts. Maybe asking for a silly riddle to help. But then I thought on something better. 

"Add a rule that tells us if someone has found and still has the missing artifacts in their possession." 

Her Bug came out, it paused, and it's digital eyes were flickering. "{Rule accepted. New information will be broadcasted to all players.}" 

I then looked at the list of information that was being spread instead of the Bug announcing it for us. Both artifacts have been found. All Might's gauntlet... was found by Tomura Shigaraki. 

That's bad, I still hadn't met the man, but he was the one who broke into UA with his league and from what I know. Those Nomu were brought in by him. What a bother. Since he was known by UA, there was already a big enough chance that those in UA would plan on advancing on him anyway. 

The USB, had also been found. By the man named Nine. He was the one who added the earlier rule to expose people's quirks. His quirk was Weather Manipulation. 

"We should focus on this one." I said while pointing to Nine's name. 

"Why him?" She asked. Tomura Shigaraki was already known and his personality was there for everyone to see, but Nine was unknown, we don't know what we're looking for. 

But If we go for Shigaraki, then there's a chance we'd run into UA. If we run into UA, I could run into Kendo. And then she would ask about Yui.... I shook my head trying to disregard those thoughts. 

All of that would just slow me down from getting out of here. 

"Tomura Shigaraki is more known, and already has a big target on his back for attacking UA high, so they and the other heroes here will go. We should work on getting that USB instead." I told her. 

She gave a small nod, "Let's get out of here then. Staying in one place too long makes us a target." 

Soon, soon we'll be out of this long drawn game. 

____

The real Hosu city pulsed. Hawks perched silently atop a building, his sharp eyes scanning the bustling streets below. The lead on the four missing people had dragged him here. 

"Four victims, vanished without a trace," Endeavour had summarized before they split up. Hawks was still searching for Daigo Kiyoshi, and his search had led him to Hosu. Hawks took the eastern part of the city, knowing he could cover more ground faster. 

His wings twitched as he swung low. 

As he turned a corner, his gaze snagged on a boy sauntering out of an alley. The child's navy hair shimmered faintly under a streetlamp, and his striking orange eyes darted around with a nervous tension that screamed guilt. 

Hawks's curiosity piqued, and he hovered overhead, silently observing. The boy shifted his weight from foot to foot, biting his lip, glancing over his shoulder every few seconds. His small hands clenched. 

Hawks swooped down silently, landing right in front of the boy. The boy startled, nearly stumbling as Hawks landed in front of him. 

"Hey there kid." Hawks kept his voice gentle, raising his hands in a calming gesture. "Didn't mean to scare you. Just noticed you looked a bit... upset. Everything alright?" 

The boy froze, his orange eyes wide, panic radiating off him in waves. Hawks smiled, keeping his body language non-threatening. "Relax, I'm a hero you know... I'm here to help." 

The reassurance seemed to crack something within the boy. His lips trembled, and before Hawks could say another word, he burst into tears, collapsing onto his knees. 

"I didn't want to," the boy sobbed. "I didn't want to do it, but he made me." 

Hawks crouched, gently resting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. Just take a deep breath. Who made you do what?" 

"The man on the screen, Proxy!" the boy wailed. "He's been killing people I bring to him. He said if I didn't, he'd—" The boy's words dissolved into choked sobs. 

Hawks face darkened. His communicator, tuned to Endeavour, was active. "Endeavour, we've got a situation," He began in between the boys sobs, but the words caught in his throat as a voice cut through the alley. 

"Itsuki." 

A pale woman stepped out of the shadows, her expression cold and unyielding. Her alabaster features seemed almost otherworldly—pale skin, pale blonde hair, and pale eyes that were void of pupils. Her lips, a soft pink, pressed into a thin line. 

Hawks's instincts screamed danger. 

"Itsuki, run!" the woman commanded. She locked eyes with Hawks, and without hesitation, vines erupted from her outstretched hands, twisting through the air like living chains. 

Hawks leaped backwards, wings snapping open as he soared into the sky. "Nice try, lady," he called, keeping his tone light despite the tense situation. 

The woman, Lyra the boy called him, didn't waste time. She turned to the boy Itsuki, her voice urgent, "Go!" 

Before the boy could move, the alley lit up with the intense glow of fire. Endeavour strode into the scene with a young man over his shoulder. The man was unconscious, his head lolling to the side. 

"Found this one on the way." Endeavour mumbled. "Looks like he was about to be Daigo's next victim." 

As if summoned by his name, a man stepped into view, a calm and composed figure with a childish smile on his face. He held a revolver in one hand, it's barrel gleaming in the dim light. His expression was serene, almost disconcertedly so. 

"You're faster than I expected." His voice, it wasn't the complete same as what was overlayed on through the speakers that Hawks remembers. Daigo Kiyoshi sounded much more real. "But I should have expected that from the number 2." 

Hawks narrowed his eyes, his feathers bristling. "The entire nation's been searching for you. Don't know why it took so long for us to find you here." 

Daigo's eyes flickered to Hawks and then he looked back to the boy, Itsuki, who cowered behind Lyra. "Everyone plays their part. And I just know how to play mine well." he said simply, as though discussing a weather report. 

The tension snapped like a wire. Daigo raised his free hand, and with a flick of his fingers, the air shimmered. Suddenly, debris materialized out of thin air, crashing down toward the heroes. 

Hawks darted upward, wings wrapping around the unconscious man Endeavour had been carrying. He flew him to safety before diving back into the fray. 

Endeavour ignited, flames roaring as he turned to face Lyra hoping to take the woman out early. She retaliated with a surge of vines, the tendrils snaking through the air, crackling as they burned against his flames. Daigo, meanwhile, conjured larger objects. 

Given the weird artistic and glitchy flair they had to them as they were coming out, Hawks theorized that Daigo just pulls them out from his game world and uses them as a form of attack. 

A rusted car dropped from above, forcing Endeavour to roll to the side. 

"Stay focused," Endeavour barked, slamming his fist into the ground to unleash a fiery wave that forced Lyra to retreat. 

"Trying," Hawks replied, weaving through the chaos. He sent razor-sharp feathers flying toward Daigo, who dodged with an unnerving calmness. "This guy's like a walking glitch," Hawks muttered under his breath. 

Civilians screamed as the heroes were pushed further inward to the city. Debris was scorched by flames and turned to ash before they could hit the ground. Hawks and Endeavour held back, mindful of the collateral damage. But it was a precarious balance, their movements limited by the need to protect the people around them. 

Daigo's calm demeanour never wavered. "You're clinging to a flawed reality." he said, his voice cutting through the chaos. "A world ruled by randomness and chance. My vision is one of order. Perfection. A digitalized essence where suffering is obsolete." 

"Sounds like a fancy way to play God." Hawks shot back, launching another flurry of feathers. 

Daigo smirks. "If that's what it takes for you all to see it how I see it." 

Hawks kept his eyes on Lyra, who was now weaving chaos with vines and plant life she had dug up from beneath the surface of the city. 

Lyra thrust her hands forward, pale tendrils of plant life erupting from cracks in the pavement, twisting like serpents. Thick veins coiled around nearby lampposts, cars, and even street signs, creating an organic barricade that boxed in Hawks and Endeavour. Thorned blossoms sprouted along the vines, their sharp tips glinting menacingly under the city lights. 

Hawks darted skyward, wings beating rapid bursts to gain height, but Lyra anticipated the move. She raised one hand, and a cluster of thorny tendrils shot upward like a whip. The thorns gleamed as they slashed through the air. Hawks narrowly avoided them, but his focus wavered as screams erupted from a nearby bus trapped in her thorny barricade. Civilians inside pounded against the windows, their terror wide and painted on their face. 

"Hawks!" Endeavour roared, flames billowing around his fists as he slammed them into the barricade. The vines sizzled and burned, releasing thick clouds of smoke. "Keep them off the civilians!" 

"On it," Hawks dove low, sending feathers slicing through the vines binding the bus. They cut with surgical precision, freeing the passengers, who scrambled and ran for safety. 

Lyra's cold gaze followed their retreat. With her arms raised up, more vines erupted from the asphalt, this time coiling around a nearby building. They tightened with a groan, and cracks began to spread across the structure's facade. 

"She's bringing the building down!" Hawks shouted, flaring his wings to send a concentrated gust of air towards the vines. The short burst only slowed them, but it gave Endeavour enough time to rush in. His flames roared to life, incinerating the tendrils before they could finish their destructive work. 

Lyra's expression remained stoic, but their was a flicker of frustration that crossed her face. She raised both hands, and the ground beneath Endeavour erupted with a snarl of roots. They wrapped around his legs pulling him off balance. 

"I've had enough of this!" Endeavour bellowed, igniting his entire body in a fiery blaze. The roots burned away, but not before Lyra directed another wave of vines toward a fleeing group of civilians. 

Hawks intercepted the attack, his feathers forming a protective barrier around the group. "Do you even care about the damage your causing?" he snapped. 

"I care for me, and my safety." Lyra replied, her voice icy. Her movements were fluid, almost dance-like, as she manipulated the vines to strike again and again, forcing the heroes to split their focus between protecting the civilians and countering her attacks. 

Meanwhile Daigo stood calmly in the center of the chaos, watching with a detached curiosity, and he also looked as if he were waiting for someone. With a wave of his hand, another car appeared out of thin air, dropping from above like a guillotine. Endeavour blasted it with a stream a fire, melting it midair before it could crash into the street. 

Daigo smirk widened. "Predictable. Let's see how you handle this." He raised his other hand, and a torrent of objects began to materialize a mailbox, a streetlight and even chunks of concrete. They hurled towards the heroes with relentless force, forcing them to dodge. 

Hawks's feathers darted like arrows, intercepting some of the projectiles, while Endeavour blasted others apart. But the sheer volume was overwhelming, and Daigo used the chaos to his advantage. He moved through the battlefield like a ghost, his revolver in hand, firing precise shots that forced the heroes to stay on the defensive. 

The fight was reaching a fever pitch when a new figure entered the fray. The crowd's screams turned to cheers as a booming voice echoed through the streets. 

"Fear not citizens. I am here!" 

All Might landed with a resounding impact, the force of his arrival sending shockwaves through the battlefield. He immediately assessed the situation, his sharp eyes locking onto Daigo and Lyra. 

"Endeavour, Hawks! Focus on the civilians. I'll handle these two." 

Endeavour scoffed, but seeing how fragile the situation was followed along with the order. Daigo's calm demeanour didn't waiver as All Might advanced. "Ah, the Symbol of Peace. I was wondering when you'd show up." 

Lyra sent another wave of vines surging toward All Might, but he countered with a single, devastating punch that shattered them into splinters. She stumbled back, her normally composed expression faltering as All Might closed the distance. 

"Enough games!" All Might bellowed, his voice resonating authority. He lunged at Daigo, it was finally a moment he had to reaching out to his student again, to Midoriya. Not just him, but everyone trapped inside that game.

Daigo raised both his hands, summoning a massive chunk of debris to block the attack. All Might shattered it with ease, his fist connecting with Daigo's chest, sending him sprawling. 

Lyra rushed to Daigo's side, her vines forming a protective cocoon around them. But All Might's strength was overwhelming. With a series of precise strikes, he dismantled her defenses and knocked her unconscious. 

Daigo, pinned beneath All Might's iron grip, looked up with a faint smile. "Impressive. But you're just another fool missing the bigger picture." 

"What are you talking about?" All Might commanded. "End your foolish game and release everyone at once!" All Might's grip tightened and the air was charged with a heavy tension of pressure that seemed to crush Daigo under even more. 

Daigo's eyes gleamed with an unsettling confidence. "My quirk doesn't just create the game world as I'm sure you've figured out. Every tag I place gathers data. Data on everything it touches, and then I can replicate it to my world. Objects, places, people." 

The words hung in the air. They had slowly put those pieces together already. But now with the look of pure glee on his face there was something deep in their guts that was telling them something wrong was going on. 

He didn't mention transporting them, though they believed he most certainly could. 

It was only then All Might noticed that his side was being grabbed by Proxy, at first he believed he was trying to fight back, but then he gripped the arm and crushed it. 

"What have you done?" All Might asked looking horrified. 

"I was waiting for you number 1." Daigo laughed out ignoring the pain to his dominant arm. "I placed four tags on you, twice when you first hit me, and another two when you pin me down." 

Hawks was the first one to understand what Proxy was getting at. "Oh no!" 

"I thought the games were getting a bit stale. So I wanted to add in the All MIght DLC!" Proxy laughed in a manic tone that shook the very core of the people that heard it. "An unsurmountable force that obviously can't be beaten by normal people, how will the players get past this!!!" 

Proxy disappeared in a flash, leaving Lyra and the kid huddled up in a ball by the entrance of the alley. 

The heroes gave each other a look. All Might ripped the tags that he could find off of him. 

Daigo's words weighed over them like a storm cloud. What he had in store for his games was going to result in much casualty.