Authors note:
Speaking: "…"
Thinking: '…'
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Two weeks later
Anubis's POV
Japanese Black Market
"Why did we have to come here again? The black market is so boring," a red-haired woman complained, holding her hands behind her head.
"Haah, because our master ordered us to kill a certain slave trader and get info on a particular slave. How can you be this ignorant? Aren't you the one who's able to read minds?" Anubis replied nonchalantly, walking with his hands behind his back. They were in a long rock tunnel lined with shops selling various illegal goods carved into the walls, with small lanterns hanging from the ceiling.
"Yeah, I know that much, but the humans here aren't even strong, not even a little bit," she continued, still complaining, before noticing a small man with a gray beard and unkempt gray hair, wearing mostly rags.
"My, my, young man, you've got yourself a nice female slave. How much do you want for her?" the old man said, stroking his beard and looking at Shira with lust in his eyes.
‚Well, it seems like he just signed his death certificate. Can't say I'm sorry', Anubis thought, sensing his partner's fury beside him.
"Hey, Anubis, stand back, would ya? This rat's about to experience true fear," she instructed, barely containing her temper. She then took control of his mind, making him see things beyond his imagination, making him squeal and try to run, only to be held back by a large black tiger with red stripes, which slowly ripped off his limbs.
After he died, they continued on their way, with no one daring to approach them. Eventually, they arrived at their destination: the best human slave trader the black market had to offer. Entering, they were greeted by a man in a suit and tie, with a monocle on his right eye.
"Ah, customers! How can I help you today? What kind of product are you looking for? Our goods are the best this place has to offer," he greeted, rubbing his hands together with a manic grin.
"We'd like to see your boss and talk with him about this, servant," Anubis asked condescendingly, crossing his arms. This made the shopkeeper visibly angry, and he replied, "I'm sorry, but for rude folks like... you... I'll be glad to take you to him, good customers, if you'd follow me, please," with a faint red glow in his eyes.
They followed him to the top floor of the building and stopped in front of an elegant wooden door with the inscription 'Boss' in gold. The shopkeeper knocked on the door, and a voice told them to come in.
The office was mostly black with heteromorph heads mounted on the walls, two couches in the center, and a desk at the back. Behind the desk sat a man with long black hair and crimson red eyes, one of which was covered by a single diagonal scar.
He gestured for them to sit, and a man with a lion head brought in some tea. Taking his own seat, he began, "Since Laplace brought you in, it means you're good-paying customers, so let's get to it. What are you looking for in my establishment?"
"We're looking to buy a slave, a particular one. We heard you're renting a boy with a 'handy Quirk.' We'd like to get information on him," Anubis stated, closing his eyes and taking a sip of his tea.
"Ah, so we have a real collector here. But I'll have to disappoint you; he's not for sale. The best I can do is rent him to you for a specific period. You see, his Quirk is rather useful, so I'm not keen on giving him up," the red-eyed man explained, smiling as he sipped his tea.
"Well then, it can't be helped. We'll rent him for tomorrow," the gold-eyed man said, taking another sip.
"Ah, but I'll have to disappoint you again. You see, you're not the only ones interested in him." Snapping his fingers, the lion-headed man brought in a tablet and placed it in front of them. "Here's a list of when he'll be available for rent. If you pick a date, we'll be able to proceed without trouble."
Anubis scanned the document and found the exact places and dates the slave would be available. "Then place us for October 2nd to 3rd."
"Excellent! If you provide the first prepayment in cash, we'll finalize the date," the man said excitedly.
"Well, actually, we were hoping to use a different method of payment, if that would be possible," Anubis replied.
"And what would that be?" the man asked, a bit skeptical.
"Why, your life, of course," the golden-eyed ruler of souls declared, as skeletal soldiers emerged from the ground and walls, aiming their weapons at the slave trader. The lion servant attempted to fight back but was easily killed by the horde.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked, panic evident in his eyes as he saw his strongest guard slain.
"We are the Eighth Ring, and this was your last day on this earth," Anubis told him before ripping the soul from his body, killing him instantly and absorbing all the information within.
"Mission accomplished," Shira said after leaving their symbol etched into the wall of the building. It consisted of eight interlocking rings, six forming a circle and two in the center.
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A couple of weeks later
Izuku and Luna were walking down a street near their home. They'd gone on a lot of walks over the past few weeks, either to get to the university together or just for fun.
"The lecture today was really interesting! I didn't know there was a category of quirks different from the three major ones," the white-haired girl said excitedly, the constellations in her eyes shining brightly.
"Yeah, it's a lesser-known fact that accumulation-type quirks exist, given how rare they are," Izuku explained, smiling at her as he carefully placed his cane with each step. Suddenly, they heard a commotion ahead of them.
"Help! He stole my purse, stop that thief!" a young office woman shouted, pointing to a bull-headed man running toward them.
Continuing their conversation, Izuku reversed his grip on his cane, hooking the robber's foot and saying, "And almost all accumulation-type quirks are a force to be reckoned with if the right conditions are met." He then flipped his cane, hitting the robber in the neck and rendering him unconscious. Izuku retrieved the purse and handed it to the woman, who took his hand, thanking him profusely. Moments later, two police officers arrived, tied the bull-headed man up, and thanked Izuku for his help.
Turning back to his friend, Izuku noticed a slight pout on her face, and her constellations had turned black. Sighing, he reassured the woman it was all right and that she could carry on with her day. Then, with a slight smirk, he turned to Luna.
"Is someone jealous?" he teased, getting a blush out of his friend.
"No, you idiot. Why would I be jealous?" she said defensively, crossing her arms.
"Well, your eyes are telling me something different," the space master replied, making her even more annoyed as they resumed their walk.
"I've been meaning to ask you this since it's happened a lot in the past couple of weeks, but are you actually allowed to stop criminals like that? Shouldn't the heroes or the police handle it?" she asked curiously, placing her hands behind her back.
"Well, the cops around here already know me, and as long as I'm not using my quirk, I'm not technically breaking any laws. So the police are generally pretty happy with me since I make their jobs easier," Izuku explained, walking ahead to open the gate to their apartment building and letting her in.
"Oh, I see. I guess that makes sense. By the way, do you want to watch a movie at my place tonight? I got some new ones, and I'd rather not watch them alone, sooo...?" she asked with a hint of playfulness.
"Sure. Does eight work for you?" he asked.
"Perfect! I'll prepare everything," she said excitedly before heading into her apartment and closing the door behind her.
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Luna's POV
8:00 p.m.
'Good, everything's ready, and knowing him he's...' Ding dong, 'already here.' Straightening her clothes, she opened the door, revealing the familiar green-haired teen with two bags of chips in his hands.
"Good evening. I hope you're well, milady," he joked sarcastically, bowing slightly.
"Save the sarcasm and just come in," she said, motioning for him to enter. After taking off his shoes and coat, they both settled onto her couch and took out the snacks. They quickly decided on a movie, ending up with a fantasy film.
As the movie progressed, they remained mostly quiet, but as it neared its end, their conversation picked up.
"Let me guess, he's going to get some kind of miraculous power-up and defeat the villain, right?" Izuku remarked, analyzing the plot.
And, as he predicted, the hero gained a boost and saved the world. "You're no fun! Stop spoiling the plot; it was just getting good," Luna playfully complained, giving him a light slap on the shoulder.
"Well, it's hardly a spoiler if it's that obvious. Just your typical hero movie," Izuku clarified, taking a chip from the bag and eating it with satisfaction.
"It's still more interesting to see it unfold yourself, don't you think?" the white-haired girl retorted, pouting as she grabbed the bag of chips from him and began eating.
"Hey, those are mine, you know!" he said with a light smile.
"Well, that's what you get for... haa, hot hot!" she cried out, running to the kitchen for water. "You should know I like my chips spicy," he teased.
"Ha ha, you're such a dummy," she muttered, returning to the couch and handing the chips back to Izuku. "Thank you."
"After watching a movie like that, I sometimes wish I could live in a fantasy world with magic and swords. It seems so fun. How about you?" she asked.
"Well, I can tell you I do prefer living in a world like that. There's no government, and people respect strength over social status," Izuku replied, munching on a chip.
"You sound like you've already been there," she joked, not really thinking much of it.
"You know," he said, "I think now's as good a time as any to show you. Promise me that what I'm about to tell you stays a secret, okay?"
"Sure, I guess," she replied, only half-interested.
"You know my quirk and how I've told you it occasionally gives me loot and such? Well, that wasn't the full truth. My quirk's main ability is to transport people who touch me to another world called Aincrad. There, quirks disappear and are replaced by magic, swords, and martial arts. The world has 100 floors, each one you can climb to level up, defeat monsters, and earn rewards," he explained enthusiastically.
"You know you don't have to make up stories for me," she said, not entirely believing him.
"If you don't believe me, I'll just show you. One thing before we go, don't spend too much time on avatar customization. Link start," he said, touching her shoulder. Then they both began to disappear.
_____________________
Avatar Customization Menu
Opening her eyes, she found herself in a white void. After freaking out for a solid ten minutes, she accepted her fate and moved on, typing in her name and creating her avatar. The only change was that she made her hair purple.
__________________________
Floor 1 { Town of Beginnings }
Looking around, she found herself in some standard beginner adventurer gear with a customary sword on her hip.
"You sure took your sweet time, considering you only made your hair purple," a familiar voice stated from behind. Turning around, she saw a twenty-year-old version of Izuku standing there in green baggy pants, with a seaweed strap over one shoulder and a blue mussel on it.
"Well, believe it or not, this was my original hair color before it turned white when my quirk manifested. And wow, you certainly look... older," she observed, surprised not only by his clothes.
"Well, long story short, everyone who comes here gets a sixteen-year-old body. I first entered when I was four, so there's that," he clarified.
"Wait, but shouldn't your body be thirty then?" she asked, confused.
"True, but Kacchan and I used his time skills to stop the aging process," he replied nonchalantly.
"Wait, so you're immortal?" the purple-haired girl asked, even more confused.
"You're getting off track. Look around, we're in a fantasy world. Don't you want to explore and fight monsters?" the green-haired man asked her.
"Oh, right, I forgot about that! You owe me an explanation, mister!" she stormed at him, demanding answers.
________________________
Four Hours and a Lot of Explaining Later
Luna and Izuku were sitting on a mountain range on the first floor, admiring the sunset.
"You were right; this is beautiful," she said, leaning on his shoulder.
"I know, right? In our world, a view like this is almost impossible to find. And I haven't even shown you the best places yet," the green-haired hero said.
"I'm sure you have, but I've been meaning to ask, what's going on with that tattoo you have?" she asked.
Looking at his shoulder where Anubis' mark was, he began, "This? I got it by bonding with my familiar," he clarified, pointing to the ankh symbol on his left shoulder.
"No, not that one. I mean the wave tattoo on the right side of your back that looks like it's growing," Luna said, pointing to his back.
"Huh, what are you talking about? I don't have...." But after opening a portal behind him to look at his back, he realized there was indeed a wave-like tattoo growing there.
"Shit, how the heck is that there? I shouldn't be able to get the Na'ari markings. Damnit. Luna, we're going to my house," he said with a concerned look before opening a portal beneath them, taking them to the 40th floor, where his beach house was.
"Whoa, where are we?" Luna questioned, looking out at the ocean in awe.
"My house. Now, I hope that bastard has an explanation for why that mark is growing on my back," Izuku said before opening another portal, through which a blue-skinned elf with webbed fingers and toes fell out, marked with similar designs.
"What the hell, Kaeleen? Why are tribe markings growing on me? I'm human, not a Na'ari!" the green-haired man demanded.
Standing up and brushing the dust off his clothes, the elf spoke. "I noticed them a couple of weeks ago at the meeting, but I have no clue why you have them. Why are you so worked up? It's not bad, you know. It shows you're one of us," Kaeleen explained.
"That might be, but it also means I bear the risk of a bond, and I have absolutely no interest in getting my soul bonded to Kacchan," he said, frustrated.
"Look, we can't remove it, and who said you're going to be bonded to him? Besides, all the Na'ari will love this, as it shows you're one of us," the elf told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait a moment, Kaeleen, do you and the rest of the Na'ari see me as a member of your tribe?"
"I mean, I guess so, yes. The people respect you, almost more than me, at that."
"Fuck, it's because of Incarnation! The universe thinks I'm a Na'ari because the entire tribe believes it," he said, as if it were obvious.
"Wait, Incarnation? Isn't that what you use to cast spells without incantations...? Ahh!" Kaeleen tried to speak but fell into another portal, disappearing from the house. After that, Izuku walked towards the dock and sat down, letting his feet soak in the water.
"I understood almost none of that, but if it helps, it doesn't look that bad. If anything, it looks way better than the scars I got from when I was kidnapped as a child," she told him, sitting beside him and looking at the night sky and the glowing coral city beneath them.
"Thanks, but that's not—" he paused, thinking, 'Wait a minute... a girl with purple hair kidnapped as a child in America? That can't be right...?'
"Luna, does the name Ashford sound familiar?" he asked, already guessing the answer.
"Yeah, it's my father's name, but how do you...?" And then it clicked for both of them.
"You're the purple-haired girl I saved 12 years ago—" but before he could finish, she took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply. At the same time, the mark on Izuku's back began to glow green and rapidly expand, and on Luna's left thigh, a purple energy began to glow, taking on a shape similar to his markings.