The cool river breeze was blowing gently over the shore, slowly causing clothing to sway and little dust particles to dance amongst themselves.
With each passing day, the weather had been becoming colder, the biting cold of the approaching winter slowly trickling in.
A woman was walking alongside a child down the stream, holding her tiny hand in hers, a bright smile on her face as she stared down at her.
By her side was another adult who held her hand as well, the child being guided by both parents.
But unlike her mother, the man's face was wary, he had bags underneath his eyes, his hair was messy, and he would limp whenever he would take a step.
Yet, whenever little Solvane would look at him, his face would brighten up with a smile that never reached his eyes.
"Soli, what do you want to be when you grow up?" asked her mother, staring ahead as they enjoyed their walk.
Solvane unhooked her hand from her father's and placed it on her lip as she considered her mother's words.
"Hmmm… I want to be a hero, just like dad!"
Immediately she said those words, her father froze, his teeth clattering as he stared into empty space.
While her mother gasped, placing her hands over her mouth, she tried to smile but failed, eventually looking away from her daughter.
And then her father turned to Solvane and placed his hands on her shoulders.
He caressed her hair as softly as he could, his dexterity nothing like it used to be after years of hero work.
"My dear," he smiled. "Give up on being a hero."
At that time, Solvane couldn't understand what her parents meant by that, or what caused such a reaction from them.
To her, heroes were the light of the world, the only reason they could smile and go out as they did every day.
She was not wrong.
But she wasn't entirely right either.
Solvane would come to know that although the shimmering heroes masqueraded around as heroes of justice in broad daylight,
Those who really kept the peace were the ones who operated at the dead of night.
The time when no one would notice when one or two bodies went missing, the time when no one would think anything about a blood-gurgled scream.
Her father was a member of that group, a group whose name was meant to be kept a secret.
His quirk was perfectly suited for espionage and assassination, so he was worked by them like a horse, gaining multiple scars both mentally and physically.
And when he died…
They came for the next best thing.
Solvane.
Kyle and Himiko shared a look as they watched Solvane nearly break into tears as she retold her story.
He took in a long, tired breath and massaged his temples as he thought it through.
'Hero Public Safety Commission huh…'
They were a nasty set of people. Kyle was no hypocrite, he knew that their methods, although questionable, were highly effective.
But for people who called themselves heroes and preached a righteous gospel, it was purely hypocritical.
Himiko placed her hand on Solvane's shoulder to calm her, her eyes softening as she watched the girl.
After Solvane managed to regain her composure, she continued speaking.
At first, the Hero Public Safety Commission came to her with a well-disguised offer, a lie blanketed in truths.
She was offered admission into U.A. as a 'special' student, and her family was placed under a hefty allowance.
They convinced her and her mother that they were just trying to repay her father for his classified service.
And Solvane, who had dreamt of being a hero for so long, fell headlong.
Solvane's dual quirks, Shadow Step that she inherited from her father, and Beast Transformation that she earned from her mother.
With these quirks, she quickly rose to becoming one of the top students in U.A. at the time.
And that level attracted unwanted attention in the form of a highly classified villain, a man who took interest in her quirk.
Seeing that they were not only at risk of losing an asset but having such a dangerous quirk in the hands of that man, the Public Safety Commission spun into action.
It was a rainy day just like this, each drop of water was like fire on her hot skin as she breathlessly stood in front of that man.
An impossibility.
No matter how much she fought, no matter how much skill she used, he always had a quirk to counter. The top U.A. student was reduced to a mere punching bag.
Solvane remembered that feeling of being helpless, weak, and afraid.
But thanks to the Public Safety Commission, she managed to get out of there with her quirk intact.
The hero in charge of her moved as fast as she could, navigating the city like she knew each nook and cranny of the place.
Still, they could only go so far before they were caught by that man…
Solvane and the hero were hiding in an abandoned building, their backs pressed to the wall as they tried to remain as silent as they could.
She was breathing heavily from the chase, her heart hammering in her chest and legs shaking from overexertion.
The hero, on the other hand, was calm as she calculated her next move.
Strangely, after they were cornered, something about her seemed to shift, and she wore a pained expression as the man was minutes away from reaching them.
She had risked her life to save Solvane, and just for the sake of one child, multiple heroes were already dead.
'I was right about heroes all along…' Solvane thought, her heart breaking at the thought of how many people had died trying to save her.
She grabbed the woman's arm, her gaze downcast. "Thank you, for everything…"
The woman flinched, her eyes widening slightly as tears glistened in her eyes.
Then she sucked in a sharp breath, her features twisting into one of cold, ruthless composure.
"I'm sorry…" she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper as…
She lifted her gun.
Since there was no way of stopping the man from taking her quirk, she had chosen the most logical option she had left.
Eliminate the quirk altogether.
Her logic was sound, flawless, and efficient.
But it was far from being heroic.
It was then her father's words rang in her ears, with more clarity than it ever had.
"Give up on being a hero."
Her father had lived this life, he had borne uncountable burdens…
How did he feel each time she would call him a hero?
The thought of it made her heart ache.
The barrel flared, the explosive roar of the gun filled the room, and Solvane collapsed, her blood forming a pool around her petite frame.
..
..
A/N
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