Magical Hero Equinox. Chapter 4.

Japan, Shizuoka Prefecture, Musutafu City, Takoba Beach, Year 2251.

While Hari did do everything correctly regarding Apparition, things felt different this time. Still felt like being squeezed through a rubber tube, but the tube was also filled with viscous molasses.

Unknown to either Hari or his unwanted hanger-on, it was the result of the latter's quirk doing its job. While 'stay put' was a sufficient command in terms of bodily movement, it wasn't when the victim simply translocated themselves from one place to another by bending space itself to make the points touch. All it could do in that case was make it as difficult as possible. Unable to act as an Anti-Apparition ward without Star actually knowing what it was supposed to counter.

Though, despite the difficulty Hari was still able to reach Japanese shores. And so both arrived at Musutafu with a deafening boom heard for hundreds of metres around and not a quiet pop. Thankfully no one was at the beach full of trash to hear it.

Star doubled over, barely holding the contents of her stomach inside and swallowing the acidic bile threatening to spill out. She heaved once, twice, before getting herself under control and looking around in confusion. "What happened?!" she exclaimed reflexively, followed by looking down at the boy strapped to her chest. "Or rather, what did you do?"

Harry sighed, wiggling around trying to escape but unable to extract himself. As such he did his best to stare at her incredulously, his raised eyebrows conveying the message clear enough as blood-specked emerald met deep brown. Finally he simply resorted to Legilimency. 'You're lucky I can answer you with my mouth full. As for your question, I don't plan to be classified as a villain. Thank you very much.'

The change in tone and manner of speaking, as well as being addressed in her mind startled the woman a little, but she rallied quickly. "Did you speak in my mind?"

'No, I'm a gifted ventriloquist beyond measure.' came the dry and sarcastically deadpan reply. 'While the cushions are soft and comfortable indeed, I'd prefer different accommodations nonetheless.' to emphasize the point he buried his head deeper into her cleavage and did the motor boat.

Not in the least bit embarrassed, Star peeled him off of her, asking. "You don't need to speak for your Quirk to work?" her cheeks had a red tint however. "And why did you sound different just then?"

The boy snorted, rolling his eyes as he was held aloft. "Prithee, noble hero, did you perchance divorce reason from your being? 'Tis your pre-surmise of my well-appointed powers. No lie left my lips." at her stare he crossed his arms, not breaking eye-contact. "As for your second query, the sum of all language is equal in the mind."

Star did not see fit to set him down and remove physical contact, lest she could no longer use her Quirk on him. Instead she held him firmly in her arms like the child he was, frowning. "Tell me the truth, Hari!" she commanded, activating her Quirk on him once more. "What was your purpose to visit Minami-Iwojima?"

Hari felt a foreign influence invade his mind, compelling him to tell the truth. While he was pants at Occlumency no matter what he did, he did have much experience with Veritaserum as a former Auror, or at least his memories of a past life granted him that boon. "An invitation reached my door, extending an offer to attend their institution of learning." he told her honestly, cheekily even. Some might say smugly.

Star's eyes narrowed at that, knowing her Quirk to be in effect but not truly believing the words coming out of his mouth. He could've gotten that invitation a hundred years ago when they were still alive, if what she suspected of his lifespan turned out to be true. "I see. Why were they all dead then?" long gone by the looks of it too.

"I do not know what transpired at that grizzly scene." came the honest reply. He only had assumptions and conjecture, but nothing concrete. "The ossuary you and I met in was not of my making, if that is your concern."

That she believed, if only because he didn't have all that much time alone on the island to cause such havoc and kill so many people without her hearing any kind of commotion or a fight. Didn't mean she wasn't still suspicious of him. Deciding to throw him a curveball, the muscular woman asked "How old are you?"

"I saw eleven winters in this life." he answered successfully. Barely managing to evade the urge to blurt out his real age or adding both lifespans together.

The more answers he gave the more confused grew the American hero. How could he receive an invitation if no one was alive to send it? She was missing something, Star knew. "Why then did you react so negatively to people long dead?" that should hopefully give her more of a clue.

"Heavy news of the long dead had planted the seed of sorrow in the grove of my heart." Hari claimed sombrely. "Bruised hope, bloody and beaten watered the seed plenty. An act orchestrated by happy misfortune, benevolent to me in all aspects. Gifting me with a feeling of sadness and longing not akin to pain, resembling sorrow only as mist resembles the rain."

His bloodstained eyes stared off into the distance for a moment before he caught himself. Noticing Star's perplexed look, he elaborated. "In poison there is physic; and these news, had they been what I hoped for, would've made me sick in spirit." it would've tethered him to the past, to a life and society no longer his own. Chained to hope forever. "Being sick thus, has in some manner made me well."

"Alright, then." Star accepted his explanation, some confusion evident in her voice. Only partially understanding it after deciphering the meaning. Sure, he technically was a villain by Japan's rather strict and sometimes nonsensical rules, – a powerful villain even by the looks of it – however she had no jurisdiction to make any arrests, just being a simple hero in the end. She could notify the Japanese authorities, but the American Hero in her saw no issue with what he did. Outside of trespassing, on an empty island no less, he did nothing wrong. No matter how weird and suspicious it all looked to her eyes. Besides, she herself had a healthy disregard for the rules.

"How about you return me to base and I'll explain to the Major that it was just a bout of youthful transgression." Star proposed to the boy.

He nodded with a huff, promising. "Very well. I promise to keep riot and dishonour from my brow." evidently not happy about it, but also unwilling to change the outcome. Be it through words, action or magic.

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United States of America, New York City, Manhattan.

Thankfully things went relatively smoothly for Hari after that ordeal. No mark was added to his record, due to people seeing it as the innocent experimentation of a troublemaking child. So he got off with a stern warning not to do something like that again. The subtle employment of the Confundus Charm also helped to smooth things over. While Quirks were also seen under the law as a medical thing and treated similar to bodily autonomy, they were also recorded into a registry.

Fortunately not just anyone could demand access into these files willy nilly, much less a foreign government. A protection few people took advantage of in regards to their Quirks, preferring to shout the details from the rooftops instead. Not that Star and her people knew he was a Japanese citizen. Probably thinking him to be English or Australian due to being able to exclude American Quirk-users.

Still, Star and Stripe insisted to escort him home, intrigued and wary of him at the same time. Maybe even hoping he'd slip up and reveal his supposedly villainous nature to her. The huge and heavily muscled heroine now walking with the small form of Harry in her arms. Something she had now done for a whole day after landing in New York, refusing to be shaken off. By now waiting for the next flight tomorrow to Britain, so Hari could be escorted 'home'. Unfortunately she also had nullified his magic with a command from her Quirk. Not that he could've fled before that without cementing him as a villain in their eyes.

At least she did so in civilian attire, making it less of a PR stunt and only earning some photos from nearby busybodies.

Fortunately he had given her an English sounding name, so Britain as a destination wasn't out of the question. Though, they questioned why he had come from Japan, judging by his flightpath. A fact he explained away by claiming to having gotten lost. Now he only needed to lose that big ham following him. 'Where are the villains when you need them?' he lamented inside his mind.

The day so far had been entertaining, what with a visit to a Hero museum of all things. It covered the inception of superheroes with the blueprint of them all; Superman. Followed by the different eras, ranging from the Bronze, Silver and the Golden Age right through the Years of Shame and beyond. The latter being a time in comics – and media in general during the early 21st century – where the medium had been ideologically captured and produced nothing but steaming piles of garbage and propaganda nobody wanted to experience. Especially because beloved and iconic characters were mutilated by writers that had an obvious grudge and agenda against them and their successful creators.

At the time it had been less about the struggle of heroes and good stories, and more about bluntly beating people over the head with political opinions. Nearly all media or entertainment seemed to be ugly in those times, be it in soul or form. Something people quickly grey tired off and the medium of comics as a whole died out soon after. Only experiencing a revival with the advent of Quirks and the events that led to the inception of Pro-Heroes.

'While seemingly silly it did provide a bit of information and entertainment.' Hari mused, taking in the sights around him. Though he did notice something strange in comparison to the visits in his previous life.

"Contrary to my expectations, there are not many descendants of African-Americans present in this place." Hari commented idly while trying to adapt his English, having expected a bit more of those from the metropolis. There were quite a bit more people of Asian descent present though. While Quirks had twisted humanity physically in many different directions, most people still had a mundane skin colour corresponding to their place of origin. Like in Japan nearly all people here were fair-skinned, not just most of them.

Star chuckled weakly. "You've watched much older media then?" she asked, glancing at him to see his nod. It was understandable, after all most countries focussed on their own histories and didn't teach much but the basics from other places not connected to them.

She grew sombre then, remembering the happenings that had led to today's circumstances. "It had been the case in the past. However, before and during the appearance of Quirks racial tension had been at an all-time high in America. So much so that there were talks and even demands from large groups for bringing segregation back from both sides." it had been madness in Star's opinion, not quite comprehending what the people at the time had been thinking. "Faced with that, on top of all the other problems, an extreme solution for an extreme time was born. Every person with African heritage was offered a one-way flight ticket to Liberia."

The country was the logical and sensible destination, considering the history and reason for its inception and the state language being English. In a way Quirks had alleviated the race problems and made them worse at the same time. After all Quirks clearly showcased that people were not born equal no matter what anyone said or claimed. So it was seen today as self-evident that races had been and still were different as well, such was just common sense. Though, the lines today were further blurred due to heteromorphic Quirks.

"A great pity, to have so many turncoats amongst ones number." he said slightly perplexed, unable to understand wanting to leave their homeland behind. Never, not even at the worst points in his past life did Hari contemplate abandoning Britain to Voldemort, despite having much incentive to do so. "Did their hearts not pump the ichor of red, white and blue?"

"No, they viewed themselves as African-American and hated America for wrongs real and imagined." Star explained. "Today African-American, Asian-American or any variation thereof are antiquated terms seen in a more negative light due to their inherently segregative nature." that had been just the tip of the iceberg during that time. "Though, Africa was also beginning to prosper at the time and most probably viewed it as their chance for a better life. Those that stayed weren't enough to live separately and mixed with the rest until the features associated with them were mostly gone." its presence was still there, of course. Mostly in a minority of people possessing brown skin and some leftover features of that phenotype.

"Oh." was all Hari could say as they walked through the bustling city.

Star then said. "Fortunately it wasn't as bad as for you guys in Europe." her brown eyes wandered over his form, looking for something neither of them knew to define well. "Makes our internal conflicts look like a schoolyard scuffle. What with regular wars against Muslim invaders being on the tamer side of things."

"At least the emergence of Quirks and more led to the eviction of the Cult of Pisslam from Europe." a nearby passer-by spat with an Greek accent, having overheard their conversation. She was quite an old but dusky woman, her sun-kissed skin possessed many wrinkles and her hair a shocking white. The woman was normal from the waist up and wore a simple dress, while below the waist she had a snake tail with white scales instead of legs, giving her the appearance of a Lamia. Pure venom laced her every word as she spat them out. Evidently possessing strong feelings over the matter, and probably remembering uncomfortable things.

Star simply walked further, a little embarrassed at the vitriol in the woman's voice. "Yeah, that too."

Hari shrugged, not mourning the removal of a violent religion one way or another, be it Islam or Christianity. "You may hold your tongue, 'tis no less proven true for your silence." after all he had lived in Britain during the early 21st century, where immigration was so unregulated it was more akin to an invasion. "A more inherently incompatible religion than Islam in regards to Europe, there was not."

Otherwise there wouldn't have been so many terrorist organizations with that ideology at their centre. Nor that many places where trouble started due to it, even in Asian countries such as Pakistan, India or China. Not to mention the widespread and accepted practise of slavery for more than a millennium. Also enslaving their European neighbours heavily. Of course it took two to make a conflict, but the heavy difference in values and social customs made a co-existence largely impossible at the time.

Hari remembered that London hat been unrecognizable in his later years, making him feel like a stranger in his own damn homeland. Luckily, nearly all Muslim sects had apparently viewed Quirks as curses judging by the history reports, and the strong tendency towards marriage between cousins from the extremists also didn't help. Due to that not more than around 10 percent of their number possessed the weak Quirks of that time, while the rest of the world accumulated that power. Adding their own internal strife, they were in time overwhelmed and driven out of Europe and Asia.

"Of the multitude of mistakes Europe committed during that time, tolerance of the intolerant was the most heinous. Utterly betraying the innocent to protect the guilty." Something that wasn't just limited to religion or Europe for that matter. Most people had been culpable for that as well. Only waking up to the danger in their society once it threatened their existence or way of life. Even then some had been too blind or ignorant to see the truth.

Despite having partly preserved their cultural heritage in form of churches and cathedrals – not to mention the Eternal City of the Vatican – Europe only now slowly got back into Christianity. The real centre of the religion in this day and age was in China of all places. Apparently it had returned to its roots there as an Anti-Government religion, helping overthrow the Chinese Communist Party as well. With the first child born with a recorded Quirk proclaimed as their leader, being seen as a kind of prophet, blessed or herald of a new age. A stark contrast to what Christianity unsuccessfully tried to brand Quirks as in Europe during that time.

It was funny, the consequences someone lying about being Jesus Christ's brother can have down the line. Even Japan had some pretty big congregations, but was still largely atheist with most worship being done privately.

At least Islam's retreat began to make the Middle East once more into a place of learning and progress, like it had been before and during the Middle Ages. The religion did not die out but adapted to the times for the first time in centuries, because despite popular opinion, people needed things to believe in. If one religion fell either another replaced it, or something else did that was then treated with the fervour of religious dogma. Politics and atheism – ironically enough – were only two, as well as a multitude of different ideologies. Not due to starting as a religion or claiming to be one, but being treated as one anyway.

The latter 21st and nearly the full 22nd century had been a pretty wild time in history, all things considered.

Star blinked at his words, having somehow expected him to be more innocent in those matters, for some reason. "Oh, so you do know about that dreadful history. I guess I'm surprised that you know about such things at your age. Perhaps I shouldn't have been." It was Europe's history after all and they weren't very charitable towards Islam, now or in their history books.

Hari snorted at that, countering. "Is it not natural to cheer for the defeat of evil and make merry afterward?" he shook his head in dismay. Tradition and culture were all well and good, but shouldn't be blindly followed without examining their value to society. Neither should such things be thrown away for no reason at all, just because the reason for their existence was forgotten. "A Hero should understand such most of all."

At that point they arrived at the Woolworth building, which surprisingly still stood today. One of the few surviving landmarks of his time that wasn't one of the ugly skyscrapers of glass and concrete. Hari hoped that the MACUSA headquarters hadn't changed locations during the centuries. Though, considering that it had changed often before his birth didn't fill him with much hope in that regard.

The owl carved over the entrance hopefully still marking the secret location to this day. All he needed to do was push a bit of magic into it to activate the enchantment for transporting them into the MACUSA headquarters. By now he was resigned to having to explain his 'Quirk' to Star, else his lies and excuses would all come crashing down anyway once they arrived in Britain. Not to mention that she had neatly negated his magic with a command from her Quirk.

'At least I'll do it safely tucked away where no one can overhear us. Employing the Fidelius to protect my secret is probably a good idea for the talk as well.' the small wizard thought resignedly.

Just as he was about to ask Star to release her Quirk's power over him so he could open the doorway, the ground quaked beneath their feet. The might of it nearly sent Star to the ground in a heap, but she managed to stay upright and balanced. A nearby tower block began to tip over, crumbling to the ground and threatening to crush the screaming pedestrians. Nearby drivers panicked while trying to evade, running people over accidentally.

Without hesitation Hari's body moved towards the commotion, or tried to at least. Unable to do anything to escape Star or her Quirk's grip on him. The woman in question noticed his instinctual movement, but set him quickly down in favour of helping out. "Are you coming or not?" she asked with a grin, seizing the chance by the throat. Instead of her bulk receding she instead removed the command from her charge, her limit being two orders at a time.

Hari, briefly stunned by the reckless display of trust, – he could just teleport away right now after all – simply nodded and went after her.

Star immediately used her Quirk to catch the falling building seemingly with telekinesis, but in truth with a construct of solid air resembling herself.

The wizard meanwhile made as if to grab the air before pulling both hands back with a quick jerk. That action summoned all the endangered people to himself, depositing them safely beside him on the walkway. Without confirming any injuries he instead conjured pillars of earth that burst forth from beneath the concrete to catch the seemingly levitating building and make Star's hands free.

With that cleared Star grabbed him and ran towards the commotion.

Once around the corner they saw what caused it all, much to their confusion. Instead of a villain proclaiming their might, there was just a rampage of various civilians by the looks of things. Their Quirks used in a haphazard and dangerous manner to attack anyone nearby, as if they had no control over themselves anymore. Nearly each of them transformed into some hideous and inhuman beast, their Quirks pushed to the limit.

"Not the Humarise again!" the heroine growled, taking in the sight before them.

One hulking man with bluish skin and a single eye on his face, similar to a Cyclops, and two large horns grown on either side of his head attacked anything nearby. His clothing in form of a black sleeveless shirt, greyish brown pants, and a large white belt across his body were in tatters. The clothes destroyed by his recent transformation.

The ogre lookalike clashed with a hulking, obese man that now wore nothing but a gas mask. His large frame was a pudgy and rotting mass of stitched pale green skin that hung off him, thankfully concealing his junk. Three bovine-like horns were protruding out of his skull. All over the fat man's form flies were buzzing around as if swarming a carcass. The fumes he exhaled potent enough to melt steel and concrete easily.

People were brawling and attacking all over the place. Luckily with no higher brain functions active subduing them should prove easy for the duo.

Hari banished one attacker into another, both flying further and impacting a nearby car, upending it and knocking them out. Another female attacker spewed a violent torrent of flames his way. Almost negligently Hari simply took control of the fire, compressed it into a ball and chucked it back. The following explosion incapacitated her. From behind a violent gust of wind picked him up and upended the boy ass over kettle, with Hari just so able to catch himself by levitating. Before he could retaliate Star had already knocked the creature out herself.

On and on it went, both working surprisingly well in tandem to make their way through the horde. Both incapacitating opponents and binding them in various ways, be it conjured rope or road signs bent and used as shackles.

Star dealt with the corpulent stinker by neutralizing his poisonous fumes, easily transforming it into simple air and allowing her to come near to knock him out.

"Prithee, Star, may I inquire what Humarise is?" Hari asked as he levitated beside the heroine, observing as all of the opponents were captured and restrained. His head tilted to the side as he looked at the mess.

Seeing that everything was under control with the authorities in the process of arriving and taking over, she told him. "It's a terrorist organisation with cult-like undertones that views Quirks as evil and users of ones as diseased or sick." she snorted at that. "Of course they don't waste time exposing their hypocrisy by most members being Quirk-users themselves, as well as using a modified version of Trigger to 'demonstrate' how dangerous Quirks are. Despite the people only going out of control due to their actions."

Hari scowled at that self-fulfilling prophecy. No further contemplation was possible as he heard a high-pitched noise come from below. Without conscious thought Hari banished the heroine at his side away to protect her, heedless of the fact that she could protect herself just fine.

A second later something exploded beneath him, blowing a nearby manhole cover up and away from which a virulent green gas spread all over the place that enveloped him in an instant. A gasp later and it was too late, the gaseous Trigger already in his system. Hari hacked and coughed, feeling liquid fire burning through his body that spread from his lungs.

His palms and forearms felt like tiny needles were pushing into every inch as the drug made its way through his system. Hari closed his eyes in pain, making him miss what happened to him.

"Hari!" Star cried out in concern, immediately back at his side after vanishing the gas with her Quirk, simply changing it to clean air. Once at this side she picked the boy up, inspecting him closely. Noticing the veins protruding from his arms, the woman gripped his wrist and took a closer look. She gasped as a thin thread-like tentacle with an equally thin barb at the tip came shooting out of the holes in his palm with the speed of a striking snake.

Already surprised and too close, Star couldn't evade or stop both and so one managed to sting her neck. 'Hopefully its poison and not something more esoteric.' The heroine thought troubled, having absolutely no idea just what his Quirk was by now. An ability similar to hers wasn't out of the question, but the physical mutation was new and she didn't know what role it played, if any. With a quick mental command she made herself immune to poisons, before purging the Trigger from her self-appointed charges body with another command of her Quirk New Order.

Hari groaned at the uncomfortable experience of rapidly detoxing, quickly coming back to his senses. "My most sincere thanks for purging that air of pestilence." he coughed out, shivering as the after-effects began in earnest.

"What did you do?" Star asked him, not really all that bothered but also not wanting to suffer the potential consequences of whatever happened. To make sure that was not the case she commanded her Quirk to purge her body of all foreign and harmful elements, but not feeling any different from before, thankfully.

Hari frowned. "Huh?" he uttered perplexed, his eyes unfocussed. Only then noticing the wildly wiggling protrusion from the palms of his hands. Both of his eyes widened comically. "What the bloody devil?!" he exclaimed utterly shocked. With an act of supreme will he managed to retract these things back into himself.

"I take it that's a new development?" the heroine inquired, equally amused and confused at his reaction. Usually Quirks manifested at the age of 4 or 6 at the latest and to do so now was nearly unheard of. 'Maybe the Trigger caused it?' she mused, that not being out of the question completely.

The boy nodded, hopped from her arms and motioned her to follow him. He didn't want to caught up in the press or be broadcasted on TV. Reporters were already appearing like the insatiable vultures they were. "I shan't comfort you with chance. However, I shall do as you did and as hope and courage once taught me. Lest I only choke on memories before I run out of days."

"What's that?" she asked once she stood back before the Woolworth building with him floating beside her.

"Trusting you." he told her, putting a hand on the owl and pushing a little magic through. Immediately the entrance shimmered slightly and the revolving door moved on its own.

Both stepped through, with Hari leading the way.

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Inside Star beheld something that defied reality and physics more than anything she'd thought possible, counting her own Quirk. Instead of the entrance she expected and had visited a few times herself, what greeted her was madness. She now stood in a grand lobby more fit for royalty than anything else. The ceiling easily as high as the entire building from the outside, which boggled the mind.

They were standing at one end of a very long and splendid hall with a highly polished, dark wood floor. The peacock-blue ceiling was inlaid with gleaming golden symbols that were continually moving and changing like some enormous heavenly notice board. The walls on each side were panelled in shiny dark wood and had many gilded fireplaces set into them.

In the middle of the room was a type of monument. It was comprised of a majestic Art Deco-influenced monument, flanked by four large golden statues of phoenixes, one on each corner. On the dais beneath the stone canopy, stood life-sized stone statues - three women, one man and a child - holding hands in a circle. All of it was vast and grand, an ominous grandeur that was covered in gold, emerald, maroon and obsidian.

Adding to that was the fact that all of it was covered in a thick layer of dust and corpses.

"Why do you always take me to places with dead people?" Star asked aloud, a grim countenance to her features as she looked at the deceased. It seemed quite similar that what killed the people on Minami-Iwojima occurred here also. Judging by the skeletal structures of some corpses, there were more than a few people with a Mutant-type Quirk lying around.

Hari saw the same thing, assuming they were able to get in through traitors or turncoats. He sighed, letting despair and exasperation mingle briefly. "To show you a truth I scarcely believed myself." he replied in Japanese, knowing she could speak it from her ramblings about All Might. He never thought there was anyone as big a fan as Izuku, much less a Pro-Hero.

"So you are from Japan, I knew it!" she exclaimed in Japanese, her eyes narrowed in renewed suspicion. "Why tell the truth now?"

He shrugged and countered. "Why did you took the chance with me earlier? I could've been gone in the blink of an eye."

Star grinned at that, crossing her arms triumphantly. "Why didn't you?" she countered, an eyebrow raised expectantly. Only to be met with silence by the little wizard. "I tell you why, because your body was moving to help before your brain could tell you otherwise." the words said with a surety that no other outcome could've possibly happened. "Only the best heroes have that quality."

That got a blush from the little wizard at the sheer belief behind that conviction. "There is that, I suppose." he allowed reluctantly. "I guess it's time to explain then."

Which is exactly what he did, with some unbelievable details left out or slightly changed; like his supposed reincarnation.

"So, let me get this straight." Star said after nearly half an hour of explanation, now standing up. "You" she pointed at a nodding Hari sitting before her. "thought you were Quirkless and nothing pointed towards the opposite." she paced now, processing the information. "That was until memories not your own surfaced in dreams, showing a fantastical and hidden world of magic. At first you thought it to be just that; a particularly vivid figment of your imagination. That was until you tried out one of these spells and it worked."

"Indeed," Harry confirmed with a nod, leaning against the back of the bench he sat on. "then at my eleventh birthday I got various letters of invitation from schools of magic. Something my mother said had been a prank of some kind in the past. Seeing evidence of that world I went on my way to confirm its existence, after training with some spells sufficiently to allow me to reach it!"

The heroine nodded in understanding, some misconceptions about him cleared up by his explanation. As well as why he spoke English the way he did. After all, he apparently learned it straight from another century. She was aware that he left out some big things, but it seemed painful enough for him to talk about. Not to mention that he was entitled to his secrets. "Only for everyone to be dead already." came the sombre reply, one of her comparably big hands resting on his tiny shoulders. "But how did anyone send the letters then?"

"I don't know," he lied. "but I think it was an automated system. Much like those spam e-mails people always complain about." Hari briefly remembered the ridiculous storm of letters from his memories.

Star frowned at that, despite it being as logical as anything else right now. "Do you think the government could have some information on all of this?"

"NO!" Hari scowled, his words echoing in the large and empty chamber. "Why do you think they were hidden?!" he asked. "We don't know who killed them all or why, and I'm not putting a target on my back!"

She didn't miss the implication of his words, causing her frown to deepen. "I don't..."

"Promise me to not tell anyone!" he pleaded, his big eyes enhancing the innocence of his childish face. Already planning to coax her into an Unbreakable Vow of some kind.

"I can't promise that." Star answered slowly, visibly struggling to get the words out. "We don't know what happened here, true. However, that also means we don't know who the aggressor was in this conflict."

Hari repressed a growl at that, little fists clenching in anger. "Than at least let me make a secret out of it." he proposed. Seeing her confused gaze, the wizard elaborated. "I have a spell that stores a secret inside a person. It can be a location, but it works with information as well. It needs two people, the caster and the so called Secret-Keeper. Only the latter can pass the secret on, not even the caster or those told later are able to do so." it also worked better the fewer people were already aware of it, obviously. So hiding a national monument was quite impossible to do, as well as doing so to general information or simple truths.

"And I'd be the Secret-Keeper, then?" she pondered aloud, brow furrowed in concentration. So she could still tell someone, but those same people couldn't do much with it all things considered.

The boy nodded reluctantly, clearly displeased. "Yes, you could shout it from the rooftops or declare it on Social Media."

Star snorted, grinning at him. "If anyone would believe me and not declare me a lunatic." she looked around and waved her right hand to the picture of decay that was the lobby. "If no one has found this place for this long then I'm gonna assume there are protections in place to only grant access to certain people. A theory supported by whatever you did before we entered. So it'd be quite impossible for me to show other people what's here."

Hari nodded at that, knowing that it was done with runes which wee able to hide tombs for thousands of years. His was head bowed and shoulders hunched in defeat, feeling resigned and thinking she'd decline his offer. His mind forming a plan to deal with her, it wasn't a pretty or easy one.

"Alright then."

Startled, Hari gaped at her smiling face in disbelief.

"What, did you think I'd decline?" she asked rhetorically, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "You wound me, Hari. I'm a hero, you know. Not to mention that you seem much too confused about a great many things yourself to have planned this." then she grew more serious. "Besides, you instinctually pushed me away from danger before or could've escaped as you mentioned. Trust is a two-way street is it not?"

"It is." he confirmed solemnly.

"How do we do this?"

"Just give me your hand."

With trust established a secret was created.

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Back outside.

As a point of goodbye the Statue of Liberty was chosen by Star, the monument below them looked over New York in all her splendour. Star and Hari were sitting beside each other on a floating cloud – courtesy of Hari – as the sun set behind them, sinking beneath the city. They had talked about anything and nothing, killing time and wasting it by munching on burgers with fries and coke. Most importantly Harry even put Star's own Quirk under the Fidelius, with her as a secret-keeper once more, due to her being unable to cast the spell. The woman having felt it only fair to tell him a secret on the same level as his own. Though she'd probably get in trouble for explaining her Quirk to an outsider, not that anyone knew of it.

"Why do you waste one of your commands for something like buffing yourself up to look like that buffoon All Might?" he questioned. Once explained it seemed her Quirk was the closest thing to magic you could come today. Resembling the school of Charms the most, with being able to impart properties onto objects and people. As well as being capable of some limited transfiguration.

"He's not a buffoon, but my Idol!" she delivered strongly and hotly. "He rescued me when I was little and inspired me to be a hero." she recounted the tale, clearly a cherished memory from her nostalgic and reverent tone alone.

Hari let her tell it all before saying. "That's nice, but you're not All Might and never will be." the way Star nearly wilted at those words made him question if All Might set the standard for heroes a little too high. "That's a good thing!" he assured her honestly, patting her on the arm in consolation. He felt a weird deja-vu come over him at comforting another All Might fanboy – girl in this case – in roughly the same amount of days.

"How can that be a good thing?" she pouted, some wetness in her soulful brown eyes. "He's so strong and powerful and I'm..."

The little wizard scowled at her self-depreciating words. "Incredible!" he pointed to her, ignoring her surprised face. "You're Quirk is much more versatile and powerful than the one of All Might." sure the man could punch clouds away, but it was in essence just a simple strength enhancer from the looks of it. "The problem is you're limiting yourself by trying to be like him and not yourself. That's what I meant with my earlier words."

"How so?"

Satisfied that she was listening and not hung up about not being like All Might, he conjured a flame and held it out to her. "Grab it!"

Not quite comprehending what he was getting at Star nonetheless did as instructed. One command later and she cupped the small flame in her hands. "What now?"

Hari rolled his eyes, sighing in exasperation. "Play with your imagination." he told her, demonstrating. Fiery particles swiftly began to light his palm, converging soon after into a ball of flame as big as Star's fist. With a sudden flourish, he hurled the blazing missile at a nearby cloud, the size and intensity growing as it speed toward the huge target.

The red seed sipped through the air faster than Star could blink, but what happened next surprised even her. Instead of bursting through the cloud or evaporating it, the fluffy white vapour ignited instead. Now aflame like it was wood and not something intangible. The breathtaking spectacle did not stop there, instead the ball of flames produced a simmering heat, both painful and profound. Possessing such an intensity it extended to her limbs and fingers; the flames were red and orange and searing. Hari made a flourished motion, and the furious warmth erupted in sheets of roaring fire in front of them.

Soon a snake of fire sixty feet long towered in the sky, coiled and hissing. With a negligent wave of his hand it was reduced to smoke in the wind.

"Make air solid or fire liquid. Hide things in dreams or make them become reality." he declared grandly. "I believe that you will find that your gift is not just a profound duty, – which it is – but also a delight – which it is! It must be managed and controlled. However, it must also be appreciated and cherished. Such is the contradiction you must deal with."

Star could only gape at the display before her, experiencing something she hadn't in a long time. That someone could teach her something new about her Quirk. It hadn't been passed down to her, but was an aberrant Quirk, a random mutation. It had taken much trial and error and assumptions to learn anything about it.

"I will." she promised before things settled back into a peaceful silence. Both simply sitting beside each other on the cloud.

It was broken by the heroine after a while. "What are you gonna do now?" Star asked, still using Japanese for ease of communication. "Go to a doctor and have your Quirk examined? Looks like a Mutant-type to me."

Hari shrugged his shoulders, sighing. "Maybe, even if I don't know what it's effect could possibly be." he shook his head slightly. "Before any of that I'll contact my friend and see what's going on back home." he owed that much to Himiko for putting her in such a situation and making her cover for him. "Can I borrow your phone?"

Star nodded, reached into her pockets and gave it to him.

After a bit of waiting through the ringing the call was picked up. "Hey, Himiko..." Hari began to say.

"Who's this?" came the voice from a man, decidedly not sounding like Himiko.

"Very funny, Himiko-chan." he added the suffix, thinking she was simply being playful to get him to do so. "Who is that you're imitating?"

"So you're friend of our freakish daughter." came the cold reply, making Hari's stomach plummet through his body to dangle between his knees.

Deciding to ignore the increasing feeling of unease, Hari tried to keep calm. There was no point in flying off the handle for something like that. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk about her like that, sir" he put all the force he could behind the words. "Now, can you bring her on the phone or tell me where she is?"

"How should I know?" came the apathetic reply, making Hari practically hear the unconcerned shrug. Another voice came on then, a female one this time, spitting with vitriol. "We kicked that little freak out." the words unknowingly all but triggering every single of Hari's buttons. "She drank blood and imitated her classmate..."

That was the last straw before he hung up, gave Star the phone back and said. "I've got to go!"

A loud bang was the only warning Star got before he vanished.