Dawn broke gently over the forest, golden sunlight creeping through the leaves, casting warm beams across the sleeping camp. Birds chirped softly in the canopy above. A cool breeze rustled the tents, carrying the earthy scent of pine and dew.
Peaceful. Serene.
Until something began to slither.
Unseen and silent, long, shadowy tendrils crept along the ground like eels through water, coiling gently under the edges of tents. They moved with uncanny precision slipping past zippers and flaps, winding around ankles and calves, cold and unyielding.
Kaminari was the first to stir, a confused groan leaving his throat just before he was yanked out of his tent with a startled yelp.
"WH-HEY! WHAT THE?!"
He hit the ground with a thud and slid several feet before being deposited in the middle of camp.
Then another scream echoed.
"GET OFF ME, YOU CREEPY WORM!" Mina shouted, flailing wildly as she was dragged from her tent like a cartoon character caught in a snare.
One by one, chaos erupted across the camp.
"Who's attacking!?" Todoroki blinked awake mid-pull, instantly icing the ground around him, only for the tendrils to adjust and keep going.
"WHY AM I UPSIDE DOWN?!" Iida shouted, legs kicking in the air as he was hauled out like a sack of potatoes.
"BAKUGO'S GONNA BLOW SOMEONE UP!" Sero yelled as Bakugo roared in fury, already preparing to detonate something only to find himself thoroughly entangled by several barbed, coiled tentacles.
In a matter of seconds, the entire class had been dragged into the center of the camp. Blankets, socks, bed hair, and groggy confusion mixed with screams and squawks as they were unceremoniously dropped in a heap of tangled limbs and half-awake complaints.
Hovering above them, looming like a great god of mischief, was Nyxia.
His golden eyes blinked slowly, and a few of his tendrils wagged in what almost looked like amusement.
Aizawa stepped into view moments later, coffee in hand, completely unfazed.
"You overslept," he said, sipping his mug. "I asked Nyxia to wake you."
"You could've shaken us!" Momo protested, clutching her pillow in disbelief.
"Too slow," Aizawa replied flatly. "Nyxia's method is faster. And effective."
"Effective?! I thought I was being abducted!" Kaminari shouted from beneath a blanket.
Bakugo snarled from the bottom of the pile. "I'm gonna kill someone."
Nyxia tilted his head innocently and gently patted Bakugo's spiky hair with a tentacle only to get blasted backward by a small explosion, though he hardly flinched.
Eri peeked from her tent, already dressed and brushing her hair. She blinked at the scene her friends sprawled in the middle of camp, tangled in blankets and shouting and then looked up at Nyxia, who gave her a small wave with one of his coiled limbs.
She giggled. "That was the best wake-up ever."
As the students untangled themselves and shouted at each other in a groggy mix of complaints and barely-contained embarrassment, Nyxia stood silently to the side, his tendrils slowly retracting into his body, casual and unbothered.
But unseen by the rest of Class 1-A, something subtle had happened.
When Nyxia had dragged them from their tents wrapping ankles, coiling around limbs, and slipping beneath shirts and sleeves he wasn't just waking them up.
With each contact, a small, nearly imperceptible fragment of his biomass had been left behind. A sliver of himself, as light as ash and thinner than a hair, now rested beneath collars, tucked in socks, or gently clung to exposed skin. They were invisible to the naked eye, giving off no sensation, no weight.
But he could feel them.
Each one pulsed softly in Nyxia's mind a gentle beacon, like a firefly in the dark. If anyone wandered too far, got lost, or vanished into the woods… he would know. He could find them. No matter where they went.
It wasn't a trap.
It was insurance.
Protection, in its strangest form.
The students laughed, grumbled, and began dusting themselves off, completely unaware that their monstrous classmate had just quietly tagged them like a guardian predator keeping track of its pack.
Only Aizawa noticed Nyxia's eyes flickering with calculated focus for just a moment.
He didn't comment on it.
He simply took another sip of his coffee and muttered under his breath, "Smart."
After the chaotic awakening, and after threats of revenge (mostly from Bakugo) died down, the camp returned to a sense of normalcy or at least as normal as Class 1-A could get.
With rumbling stomachs and tousled hair, the students gathered around the fire pit once again. Nyxia had already begun working with his usual silent efficiency. Tentacles stirred pots, flipped rice patties, and diced vegetables at rapid speed, while others handed out tasks without a single word.
Denki was tasked with cracking eggs he dropped three.
Mina and Uraraka argued over which herbs to use in the stew before Yaoyorozu sighed and took over.
Shoto heated the tea kettle with precision, his left hand chilling the fruit nearby.
Eri sat on a stump, once again sorting ingredients and proudly pointing out which ones were "ready now!" Nyxia gently nudged a plate toward her as thanks, a thin ribbon of shadow curling around her small fingers like a pat on the head.
The smell of miso, grilled fish, fresh rice, and herbs filled the camp. Their efforts came together quickly surprisingly quickly given the sleep-deprived mess they started as and within half an hour, breakfast was served.
They barely had time to enjoy it.
Halfway through their first bites, Aizawa appeared with the same deadpan expression that crushed dreams.
"Eat fast," he said. "You're back in the field in fifteen minutes. Today's training will be harder. More endurance, more Quirk synergy, more pressure."
Groans erupted like a synchronized choir.
"But we just !" Kaminari started.
"Do it," Aizawa said, and walked away.
Bakugo snarled, scarfed down the rest of her food in one bite, and stood. "Tch. Fine. You extras better not slow me down."
"I didn't even get a full bowl," Sero muttered, clutching his half-eaten breakfast like it was gold.
Nyxia, already finished, packed up the cooking gear with multiple tendrils while handing out sealed leftovers for later. His movements were quiet, decisive. Efficient. His golden eyes blinked, scanning the students not with annoyance, but as if memorizing their states, calculating how they'd handle what was to come.
Eri waved at them from the camp edge, cheering them on. "Good luck!"
The students began heading into the forest again, armed with food in their bellies, sore muscles, and maybe a bit of lingering dread.
Elsewhere…
Far from the laughter and focus of the U.A. training camp, deep within a forest where even birds feared to sing, a hidden base pulsed with low, unnatural energy.
The trees here were dead or dying, bark flaking like old scabs. Thick mist rolled through the undergrowth, coiling around rocks like claws. Amidst the skeletal branches and jagged stone outcroppings, a circle of figures stood beneath the half-light of a crooked moon.
The League of Villains had gathered.
A warped campfire crackled with green-blue flame. Around it stood chaos given form.
Dabi leaned against a moss-covered boulder, arms crossed, blue flames idly licking his palm. His tone was calm too calm as he laid out the mission.
"We create chaos. We separate them. Then we take the targets: Katsumi Bakugo and Nyxia. Bakugo's unstable, full of fire they'll think we want her for recruitment. Let them believe that."
His gaze darkened, voice dropping.
"As for Nyxia… he's more than a weapon. He's a wildcard. A monster. And monsters belong in cages."
Toga twirled a dagger in her fingers, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"New friends~!" she sang, skipping around the fire. "I can't wait to get close. Really close. I wonder how Katsumi screams. I bet she tastes like fire and fury~!"
Muscular, shirtless, muscles twitching with manic energy, let out a low, feral chuckle. He cracked his knuckles, the sound like splitting bone.
"Long as I get to smash something, I don't care who it is. Heroes. Kids. Doesn't matter. I've been starving."
Mr. Compress adjusted his mask, his voice theatrical and crisp.
"Ah, the stage is set. Our audience? None other than the heroes of tomorrow. And for our finale…"
He spun a small black marble between his fingers."We vanish with the stars of the show."
Spinner sharpened his makeshift sword silently, glaring toward the horizon with religious focus.
Moonfish, restrained with a muzzle, drooled slightly as his long, blade-like teeth twitched with anticipation.
Mustard checked his gas canister, already smirking behind his mask.
"The air here's too clean. Let's fix that."
And finally, Twice, pacing back and forth with jittery energy, mumbled to himself.
"Two targets. Two targets. That's two problems. But if I split into two, that's one for each problem. But if one of me dies, which one is the real me? Ha! Trick question we're both crazy!"
Dabi stepped forward, flame dancing up his arm.
"Move. We hit them when they're deep in the woods. When their guard's down. When the fake peace makes them think they're safe."
As night settled over the camp, a cool breeze swept through the trees, carrying whispers of rustling leaves and distant owl calls. The fading light painted the forest in deep blues and grays, shadows stretching long and twisting strangely beneath the moon.
Class 1-A and Class 1-B gathered around the central fire pit, the glow of the flames flickering against their eager, slightly nervous faces. The day's grueling training had given way to something… different.
Aizawa's voice cut through the quiet. "Tonight, you'll put your fears to the test."
The students exchanged curious glances.
"It's a test of courage," he explained. "You'll take turns going into the forest, alone or in pairs, and try to scare each other. It's a chance to face your fears under pressure and to practice staying calm when you're startled."
Midway through the test of courage, laughter and playful screams echoed through the forest, blending with the rustling leaves and flickering torchlight. Students darted between trees, hearts pounding not just from fear, but excitement.
Suddenly, a sinister hiss sliced through the night air.
Mustard stepped forward from the shadows, releasing a thick, creeping cloud of poisonous gas that curled through the underbrush like a living fog. Its acrid smell stung eyes and filled lungs with burning poison.
Before anyone could react, Dabi appeared, his blue flames flickering to life with a cruel grin. With a sharp snap of his fingers, the gas ignited into roaring pillars of fire that burst through the forest, painting the night sky with orange and black smoke.
The combined assault of poison and flame sent the students into disarray. Eyes watered, breaths grew shallow, and screams turned from playful to panicked as the forest turned from a training ground into a blazing trap.
But the attack was only beginning.
Muscular charged into the fray, his massive fists smashing trees and sending debris flying as he lunged toward the nearest students. His raw power seemed unstoppable until his foot caught in a nearly invisible filament. With a roar, he was yanked off balance and ensnared by one of Nyxia's cleverly laid traps. Barbed tendrils coiled tightly, slowing his furious thrashing and buying precious seconds for the students to regroup.
Meanwhile, Toga darted between the flames, her eyes gleaming as she sought out targets especially Katsumi Bakugo and others she fancied "new friends." Her movements were erratic, playful, but deadly. Yet, each time she closed in, a sharp snap of hidden traps or a sudden shadowy lash forced her back, disrupting her carefully planned ambush.
Dabi himself was forced into defensive flames, wary of the glowing eyes hidden in the darkness detached fragments of Nyxia watching his every move. Each step forward was met with bursts of shadow and snapping tendrils, making even his fiery dominance cautious.
Mr. Compress tried to seize the advantage, aiming to capture key students with his illusionary spheres. But every attempt was met with disruption shadows tangled his limbs, and the sting of Nyxia's traps forced him to constantly dodge and retreat.
Amid the chaos, the students began to fall into battle rhythm, their training kicking in as they coordinated to evade the gas and fire, avoid the traps, and counterattack the villains.
With a roar of frustration and pain, Muscular tore free from Nyxia's initial traps, muscles bulging as he surged through the burning forest. His eyes burned with fury and desperation, searching for a way to break the chaos.
Spying the cliff where Kota stood watching quietly, the massive villain saw an opportunity a vantage point, a chance to intimidate. Without hesitation, he vaulted toward the rocky ledge, clearing the distance in a brutal, powerful leap.
As he landed with a ground-shaking thud, Muscular's cloak fell away, revealing a cruelly scarred face and a gleaming prosthetic left eye that shimmered ominously in the moonlight. The mechanical eye scanned the surroundings, flickering with cold calculation.
He fixed his gaze on Kota.
"You think you're safe up here?" Muscular snarled, voice dripping with menace. "Your parents are gone because of people like me. What are you gonna do about it, kid?"
The words were venomous, meant to break the boy's spirit.
Kota's eyes flickered with a mix of fear and determination, but before he could respond, a soft click sounded beneath Muscular's massive foot.
The villain's sneer twisted into surprise as Nyxia's hidden trap suddenly activated. Black tendrils burst from the earth, expanding rapidly, coiling around Muscular's legs and torso like living chains forged from shadow and sinew.
Muscular struggled, muscles bulging even more, but the tendrils tightened with unrelenting strength, restraining him in place.
Just as the villain roared in frustration, a figure stepped between him and Kota.
Izumi.
Her presence was calm but fierce, eyes locked on Muscular's snarling form.
"I won't let you hurt him," she said firmly, raising her hands, ready to protect.
As the poisonous gas thickened the air and flames danced menacingly through the trees, Nyxia's golden eyes narrowed with grim determination. The chaos unfolding around him was unlike any simple training exercise this was war.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward, his monstrous form blurring at the edges as shadows rippled from his body like a living tide.
With a subtle but commanding motion, Nyxia summoned his shadow soldiers hundreds, then thousands, pouring from the depths of the forest floor and the folds of darkness itself. They spread like ink spilled across parchment, engulfing every inch of the woods.
Some shadow soldiers took the form of towering knights, their blades glinting with obsidian sharpness; others morphed into mythological beasts hydras with writhing heads, sphinxes poised and watchful, cyclopes with burning eyes scanning relentlessly. Their monstrous forms flickered between solid and spectral, able to slip through the trees like ghosts.
Every shadow soldier moved with singular purpose: to protect, to hunt, to push back the invading forces.
They surged forward, cutting off escape routes, intercepting attacks, and surrounding the League of Villains' forces.
Where Muscular thrashed, shadow tendrils coiled tighter, reinforcing Nyxia's traps.
Where Toga lunged, ghostly serpents slipped through the air, wrapping around her arms and legs, slowing her reckless strikes.
Where Dabi unleashed his fire, shadow warriors absorbed and deflected the flames, using their own darkness to smother the inferno.
Where Mr. Compress tried to vanish with captured students, illusions of shadow duplicates confused and distracted him, breaking his focus.
Muscular's restrained fury turned to raw determination as he flexed his trapped muscles, breaking free with a brutal surge of strength that tore through Nyxia's shadowy bindings like paper. His eyes burned hotter than ever wild, unstoppable.
Without hesitation, he charged forward, fists clenched and roaring a primal battle cry. His target was clear: Izumi, standing defiantly between him and Kota.
The massive villain swung a devastating blow, aiming to crush both protector and child in one overwhelming strike.
But before his fist could connect, the forest seemed to darken.
From the swirling shadows stepped a towering figure one of Nyxia's shadow soldiers, a colossal knight clad in obsidian armor that gleamed faintly in the moonlight. Twice the size of Muscular, the knight carried an enormous shield in one hand and a greatsword in the other, both etched with glowing, ancient runes.
With a thunderous slam, the knight planted his shield firmly in front of Izumi and Kota, blocking Muscular's blow with an earth-shaking clang.
The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the clearing, forcing Muscular to stagger back, his roar turning into a frustrated growl.
The shadow knight stood unwavering, the light from his runes casting long, spectral shadows across the scorched earth.
His voice, deep and resonant, echoed through the trees:
"You shall not harm the innocent."
Muscular bared his teeth, muscles twitching, and lunged again but the knight raised his greatsword with practiced precision, ready to defend the camp and those who could not fight for themselves.
Muscular snarled, the rage in his eyes flaring like wildfire. His massive fists pounded the greatshield again and again, each blow sending vibrations through the knight's sturdy frame. But the shadow soldier held firm unyielding, unshaken.
With a powerful shove, the knight forced Muscular backward several steps, the runes along his armor glowing brighter with every movement.
Muscular roared in frustration and charged again, this time feinting a swing with his right arm but delivering a brutal knee strike to the knight's midsection.
The knight staggered, his armor creaking under the impact, but he quickly recovered, pivoting to slash with his greatsword.
Muscular barely managed to dodge, feeling the razor-sharp blade whistle past his arm, slicing a shallow cut that burned with shadowy cold.
Blood mixed with soot on his scarred skin as he clenched his teeth, refusing to give ground.
The battle turned into a brutal dance of strength and precision Muscular's overwhelming raw power crashing against the knight's disciplined defense and spectral agility.
With a sudden roar, Muscular grabbed a fallen branch nearby, swinging it like a massive club. The knight raised his shield just in time, the branch splintering into shards on impact.
Seizing the moment, the knight counterattacked his greatsword arcing in a wide, glowing slash that forced Muscular to leap back, narrowly avoiding a crippling strike.
Izumi and Kota watched from behind the safety of nearby trees, hearts pounding with a mixture of fear and hope.
"Stay back!" Izumi whispered urgently. "This fight isn't over yet."
Muscular's breath came heavy and ragged, but a savage grin spread across his face.
"This… isn't the end," he snarled.
The shadow knight's eyes gleamed brighter, unwavering.
"Then fight with honor," the knight replied, raising his sword for the next strike.
Each clash between Muscular and the shadow knight was like thunder made flesh bone-shaking strikes, savage roars, and shimmering trails of light and darkness lighting up the clearing. Branches splintered. Stones cracked. The forest itself seemed to recoil from their fury.
Muscular's muscles bulged unnaturally now, pushing his Quirk to its limit. Veins like cables bulged across his arms and neck. His prosthetic eye glowed red as he gritted his teeth and barreled toward the knight with a final, frenzied rush.
"JUST DIE ALREADY!"
The knight met him head-on, slamming his massive shield forward in a shockwave of force. The ground beneath them cratered. Muscular reeled but then twisted, arms whipping around the knight's shield, aiming to rip it free.
For a heartbeat, it looked like he might overpower him.
But that's when the knight's free hand struck.
With inhuman precision, he brought the greatsword upward in a tight arc, right across Muscular's chest.
Shadow energy erupted with the impact.
The force of the slash sent Muscular flying backward, crashing through a tree and landing hard, groaning in the dirt. Blood gushed from a deep wound across his chest, steaming where the blade had sliced through his enhanced muscles.
His breathing was ragged now. The fire in his eyes flickered.
Still, he tried to stand.
But the knight calmly approached, sword raised, then brought the flat of the blade down on Muscular's chest slamming him into unconsciousness.
Izumi exhaled, stepping forward to check on Kota, who had been frozen in place with wide, terrified eyes.
"You're safe," she whispered. "He won't hurt you again."
Elsewhere in the forest…
The battle had reached its crescendo.
Despite the chaos of fire and poison, Nyxia's shadow army had turned the tide, making the forest a deathtrap for the League of Villains. Each member had been delayed, harassed, blocked, or injured by relentless waves of mythic beasts and warriors.
But amidst it all, one moment of vulnerability had been exploited.
Bakugo Katsumi, separated from the others during a skirmish with Dabi and Toga, had fought like a demon blasting, dodging, roaring with fury. But in a split second of disorientation, Mr. Compress finally succeeded.
In a flicker of light, she vanished into a swirling marble clutched in his gloved hand.
"We have the explosive one!" he called out. "Forget Nyxia! He's too well defended!"
Dabi, scorched and bleeding from a dozen lash wounds, snarled. "Tch. Fine. He's not worth the entire squad."
Toga pouted but nodded, dragging a shadowy scratch across her cheek. "I wanted to dance with him, though~!"
Mr. Compress chuckled darkly. "You can dream later. Let's go."
With a crack of teleportation smoke and vanishing footfalls, the League of Villains retreated, the forest still burning behind them but the capture of Bakugo a bitter success.
Dawn came slow.
The sky turned from soot-gray to a weary orange, streaks of sunlight struggling to cut through the thick columns of smoke still rising from the forest. Trees once vibrant and green now stood half-charred, blackened silhouettes clawing at the sky.
What remained of the peaceful training camp had been scarred twisted by battle, stained by violence.
Police sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder as they snaked up the mountain path. Flashing red-and-blue lights cast haunting reflections against the haze.
Heroes and first responders flooded the area, guiding stretchers, assessing wounds, and trying to reestablish some semblance of order.
Dozens of students sat on the ground or leaned against trees, their uniforms singed, their bodies bruised, scraped, and wrapped in emergency bandages. Some were quiet, others were trembling. The joy and youthful pride they'd carried the day before had been replaced by shock and exhaustion.
Izumi sat beside Kota, still holding his hand. Her arms were scraped, one ankle swollen. Yet her eyes never left the burnt trail Muscular had carved through the forest, or the broken tree where he'd fallen.
She didn't speak.
She didn't need to.
Nearby, Aizawa stood with bloodshot eyes and clenched fists, trying to keep himself together as he spoke to the authorities. He listed names, confirmed injuries, and one name missing.
"Katsumi Bakugo… still unaccounted for."
Those words, spoken quietly to a police officer, were enough to make everyone in earshot still.
Nyxia stood alone, massive and unmoving at the edge of the burned cliff, his monstrous form slowly rippling back to his more humanoid shape. His tentacles curled tightly around his body not in defense, but in grief. Hundreds of golden eyes blinked erratically across his form, as if searching for something that had already been taken.
He had failed to protect one of his own.
He had fought with everything, laid every trap, deployed every soldier and still, they got her.
Eri, safe in Mandalay's arms, looked around in confusion and rising panic.
"Where's Bakugo?" she asked softly.
"Why is everyone so sad?"
No one answered.