Morning in this mansion was… quiet.
Too quiet sometimes.
Not that I was complaining — peace was a rare thing in most lives — but when your house was so big that your footsteps echoed like you were walking through a museum, the quiet could feel heavy.
I was six years old now. And even though six-year-olds were supposed to be busy running around making a mess, I preferred mornings like this. Slow. Calm.
Breakfast was already waiting for me by the time I walked into the dining room — eggs, toast, fresh juice. The maids didn't hover, but they always seemed to know exactly when to appear and disappear. I ate quietly, mind already drifting elsewhere.
---
I'd been testing my quirk in secret for months now.
The family knew about it, of course. The doctors had seen enough to confirm I had a "shadow manipulation" type quirk. But they didn't know what it could do.
Neither did I. Until recently.
At first, it was just… a trick.
The shadows around me felt denser when I focused. Sometimes I could nudge them a little, make them shift in ways they shouldn't. It was like trying to flex a muscle I'd never used before — awkward and exhausting.
But lately… it was changing.
Growing.
---
After breakfast, I excused myself. Nobody questioned where I went during the day — one of the perks of being a quiet, well-behaved rich kid.
The door to my little "practice room" clicked shut behind me. Curtains drawn. Room dim. The perfect place to work.
I took a deep breath, feeling the stillness settle around me.
Okay. Time to try again.
---
I focused.
Not just looking at the shadows — feeling them.
They responded instantly now. The dark corners thickened, almost like liquid. It didn't creep me out anymore. If anything, it felt familiar. Like it belonged to me.
I reached out with my mind and willed it to move.
From the shadow under the chair, something rose. Not smoke. Not fog. A solid, inky tendril.
It swayed in the air like a snake, waiting for a command.
---
My lips twitched upward.
"Come here," I murmured.
It obeyed.
Slid across the floor, curled gently around my ankle, then uncurled again.
I crouched and picked up a small box from the floor. "Grab this."
The tendril wrapped around it easily, lifting it off the ground. Wobbly at first, but still — it worked.
Months ago, I could barely make a shadow twitch. Now I was moving objects.
---
I tried something new.
I imagined the tendril flattening, sharpening at the tip.
It rippled, then formed a crude blade. Still soft, but the shape was there.
My chest tightened with excitement. This wasn't just "shadow manipulation." This was shaping darkness itself. Giving it form.
And then I noticed something else.
When I concentrated, the air around me seemed… different.
Like the light bent slightly, the edges of my hands blurred for a split second. Almost like I could vanish if I pushed harder.
So it wasn't just darkness. It was light, too.
Two sides of the same coin.
---
"Eclipse," I whispered to myself.
It fit perfectly.
Not just shadow. Not just light. Both, in balance.
"Shadow" would've been too cliché anyway. And "Darkness Master" sounded like something a 13-year-old chuunibyou would shout on a rooftop. Eclipse was clean. Powerful.
I let the shadows fade back into place, breathing slowly.
This quirk… it wasn't just for hiding. It wasn't just for scaring people. It could be anything I wanted it to be.
And I planned to make it unstoppable.
---
That afternoon, my father called me to his study.
It was a big room — polished wood, shelves of old books, the faint smell of expensive coffee lingering in the air.
"Akihiro," he said, folding his hands in front of him, "I've been thinking about your future."
I tilted my head. "Oh?"
"You're growing fast. Your quirk is strong. And… we should be realistic — it's going to get even stronger."
I didn't argue.
---
He leaned back in his chair, studying me.
"Power opens doors, Akihiro. Real power… lets you walk into places other people can't even approach. The hero industry isn't just about saving lives. It's about influence. Connections. If you're strong enough, even politicians will come to you."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"I have no doubt you can become that strong. And if you do… it benefits you. And it benefits our family."
I stayed quiet for a moment.
Then: "So… you want me to be a hero?"
"I want you to be someone no one can ignore," he said simply.
"Whether you wear a cape or not — that's up to you. But strength will give you the freedom to choose."
I couldn't help the small smirk that tugged at my lips. "That works for me."
---
He chuckled. "Good. In that case… come with me."
We went down through a part of the mansion I'd never been to before. Past a secure door. Down a long hallway. The air grew cooler as we descended.
And then…
It opened up into a massive underground chamber.
I froze.
Smooth reinforced flooring. Adjustable lighting rigs overhead. Target dummies lined up in neat rows. Padded sparring zones in one section, obstacle courses in another.
This wasn't just a training area. This was an arena.
"This," my father said, "is yours. I had it built for you to train without limits. Lighting can be changed to simulate different environments. The flooring is reinforced to withstand heavy impact. And if you need specialized equipment… We'll have it installed."
I stepped forward slowly, taking it in.
Even my breathing sounded louder here.
He continued: "I'll also look into hiring a quirk specialist to help refine your control. The best ones are hard to get — but I'll find one."
I glanced at him. "Thank you."
He placed a hand on my shoulder. "Make good use of it, Akihiro. In this world, the one who controls the battlefield… controls the game."
When he left, I stood alone in the massive room.
The shadows here were perfect — plenty of space to work, plenty of corners to draw from. I didn't waste a second.
---
A/N: If you have any suggestions, please comment on it. It will help me to make the story better