In the plane's compartment, under All Might's expectant gaze, Luke and Midoriya sat facing each other.
They were seated on the floor, crossing their legs and holding their hands to their elbows.
"Are you sure this will work, Luke?" Midoriya asked.
"Don't worry," Luke said, holding back a smile. "If Uraraka sees us, I will make it clear that there's nothing between us…"
Toshinori's mouth twitched as Midoriya's face went red.
"OK." Luke took a deep breath. "Let's go over it again. Here's what you have to do, step by step.
"First, you must resist the chilling sensation you might feel right after I simulate the feeling from the Sports Festival. Then, you must concentrate on calming your mind, thoughts, and worries by focusing on an object. Have you already decided on it?"
Midoriya remembered the All Might figurine he had when he was a child and nodded.
Luke looked up at All Might over his shoulder. "That's what Grandma Shimura told me…"
Don't… call her that… All Might almost facepalmed.
"Ready?" Luke asked.
Midoriya nodded.
Then, the Magician activated the Spirit Vision.
…
Surrounded by patches of blackness, Luke stepped into the hall within Midoriya's consciousness.
The high-back chairs where Vestiges had been sitting during his first visit were still here.
However, there was no sign of the past users of One For All — only pure emptiness and absolute silence.
Whack!
Luke fell face-first on the floor with the blow.
Even before his head struck the floor, every fiber of his muscles tightened.
With his two visits and Nyx's several ones, he had already confirmed that he couldn't leave this place by simply canceling the Spirit Vision.
The only ways to leave the Vestige Hall were if his Spirituality ran out or the Vestiges themselves sent him back.
Not only that, but Shimura had confirmed that the Vestiges couldn't manifest in this place all the time.
That's why every use of Spirit Vision didn't result in Luke getting pulled into this space.
Luke had just hoped that with everything that happened at the I-Island, the Vestiges would be on alert for him making a move, especially after his little talk with Midoriya later.
But this… getting attacked the moment he arrived here… hadn't even crossed his mind.
Gritting his teeth and ready to use everything within his power to stand his ground, Luke looked over his shoulder at the enemy.
Nana Shimura was staring down at him, slamming her fist into the palm of her other hand.
"…?"
"… Grandma?!" Shimura hissed, grinning. "That's a bold word…"
Luke had never been so dumbfounded before. "Have you gone insane?!" he asked, holding the back of his head, which was throbbing with pain. "You almost killed me!"
"You deserved that," Shimura said, lifting Luke by grabbing the back of his neck. "If that fire brat couldn't kill you, then one light punch won't either."
Luke's heart skipped a beat.
"What do you mean?" he asked. "What fire brat…"
Shimura ignored the question and looked around. "Where's Nyx?"
"… She was injured," Luke explained. "Because of ice. She can't come here for some time…"
Nana's eyes narrowed. "Nyx was right," she said, a smile surfacing on her lips. "You do hate lying…"
Luke gaped.
"Nyx won't miss a chance to throw herself between my boobs," Shimura said confidently. "Mere icing can't hold her back. She must be truly injured… more than you letting on… How is she?"
Nyx… you dumb boob-psycho! Luke cursed within his mind. "She's OK. She will be."
Shimura nodded, her gaze resting on the vast blackness behind Luke. "It happened two days ago," she told him. "The boy was too injured to move. The emotions within him were stronger than ever. One more second — and he would have arrived here by himself."
Luke remembered seeing Midoriya lying unconscious under a thin sheet of ice with both of his legs and one hand turned blue and black.
"We all were excited," Shimura said, bringing her eyes back to Luke. "But then we saw someone coming to their rescue — a man in a white suit and black mask, who froze the entire world."
For a moment, everything stilled around the two of them.
Luke and Shimura's gazes met as the silence became tangible, weighing their shoulders.
Then, suddenly, the Vestige burst out with a peal of laughter. "Haha!" she slammed Luke's shoulder, making his knees wobble. "What happened — happened for good, I guess. Who knew how it would have played out otherwise? We can't be too hasty. So… can you do it?"
Letting out a sigh of relief, Luke nodded.
If Midoriya had followed the exact steps, then…
Luke Cogitated while simultaneously looking at the vast blackness, activating Spirit Vision.
For a moment, he couldn't see anything. Then, slowly, as if suddenly he could see the wind, tiny golden particles appeared in his vision.
Taking a deep breath, focusing harder than ever, Luke reached out toward them.
...
Outside, All Might stared at the boys with a queasy feeling in his heart.
Every day, he felt like All For One was getting stronger, and the doom could descend on the world anytime. Every day, he felt like he was becoming weaker, unable to carry on the legacy of being the Symbol of Peace.
And every day, he came closer to losing everything, just when people expected him to stand the tallest, winning against all odds with a wide smile on his face.
All he could truly do was to hope that he would buy Midoriya enough time to stand in his place.
But that morning, when his students were about to be burned right in front of his eyes, All Might realized that the little time he was buying was negligible compared to what young Midoriya needed.
Just as he had lost all hope, the same person came to save him as she had done years ago, sacrificing herself against All For One.
"… Master…" All Might mumbled, his vision blurring. "… I am sorry, but… I need your help… again…"
Hissss….
A gust of wind answered All Might, lifting his blond hair.
Then, with shocked eyes, he saw a scene that made him stumble back.
One moment, Luke and Midoriya were still seated on the floor, holding each other's hands.
In the other, slowly, as if the boy had lost all weight, Midoriya's entire body lifted — and began hovering midair.
*****************
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