The hospital room was silent.
Not the kind of silence that brought peace—but the kind that sank into the chest, making even one's own heartbeat feel чуж foreign. Mark lay on his back, staring blankly at the flickering fluorescent light above him. It trembled softly, but his eyes did not move.
Only one name existed in his mind.
Maddie.
Her voice.
The tired yet gentle smile she always gave him.
And the moment she collapsed—
Mark's fingers twitched involuntarily. A sharp pain tightened in his chest. Breathing became difficult, yet no tears fell. There was no space left inside him to cry.
Then—
A familiar distortion rippled across his vision.
A translucent, burning blue screen appeared before him.
---
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
> Quirk limits exceeded.
User survived.
Growth threshold surpassed.
Reward:
> +20 System Points
Mark didn't blink.
He didn't hesitate.
He didn't think.
As if the decision had already been made long ago, he selected—
Blue.
Red.
Purple.
The instant the selections were confirmed—
A flood of information crashed into his mind.
Push and pull were no longer just force—they were direction, timing, balance. Vectors, momentum, distribution of energy, spatial anchoring—knowledge that felt alien and yet completely his burned itself into his brain.
His muscles tensed violently. His teeth clenched. Something surged through his veins that was no longer just blood.
This was not pain.
This was irreversible change.
The screen faded slowly.
The door opened.
"Mark," a cold voice said.
"You're being taken to court."
Metal cuffs closed around his wrists. The chill of steel made his body shudder. When he stood, he realized how strong his body had become—too strong. And yet, that strength offered no protection here.
He was led away like a criminal.
---
The moment he stepped into the courtroom—
The air changed.
Eyes fell upon him.
The first insult struck.
"Monster…"
Mark's shoulders flinched involuntarily.
For a split second, his heart seemed to stop.
The second voice was louder.
"My son still can't walk!"
His throat tightened. He swallowed hard.
A woman screamed through tears—
"My daughter died because of you!"
His eyes trembled. His gaze dropped to the floor.
For the first time, he truly felt the ground beneath his feet.
A man lunged forward.
"You're not human!"
Each word hit like a blow.
Each voice echoed violently in his mind.
The judge slammed the gavel.
"SILENCE!"
The voice was sharp—but emotionless.
He was restoring order, not justice.
The judge looked at Mark.
There was no anger in his eyes.
No sympathy.
Only distance.
He opened a file.
"Illegal use of a Quirk."
"Severe destruction of government property."
"Civilian injuries and fatalities."
The sentences were mechanical.
As if he were reading a report—not judging a child.
As Mark listened, he noticed something.
The criminal listed…
Was already dead.
But the hero—
No name.
No charge.
A license.
And because of that—
Nothing.
Something inside Mark shattered.
From the crowd, a woman screamed—
"Monster!"
Mark lifted his head.
And—
He laughed.
At first, it was quiet.
Then it grew.
A broken, hoarse, deeply unsettling laugh.
The courtroom froze.
Cameras shook.
Viewers across the country recoiled from their screens.
Some turned off their televisions without realizing it.
This was not a child's laughter.
This was the laughter of someone who had lost something irretrievable.
"He's insane…" someone whispered.
The gavel struck again.
"The court has reached its verdict."
The judge paused only briefly.
Then spoke without hesitation.
"Due to the damage caused to society and uncontrolled Quirk usage… you are hereby sentenced to juvenile detention."
The courtroom erupted.
The cuffs tightened.
Mark did not lower his head.
And among the crowd, a thin, blond man slowly stood.
All Might.
"This child…" he thought.
"He was left alone."
The doors closed.
And for the first time, Mark understood—
In this world, justice
does not always choose what is right.