1Prologue: Violet
I sat at the control surface adjusting sliders as the young popstar wannabe in the recording room bounced around like an idiot singing along to a melody she'd paid me for. She was alright, could sing on key and probably had the face for a relatively good career, but she was...an idiot. I wondered how long this late night session would go, I was tired from all the actual work I'd done earlier. She stopped suddenly and shook her head with a frown, her crystal like blue eyes looked at me. I pressed the intercom button after a sigh.
"What is it?" I asked her in a tired tone. She pursed her lips and placed her thin hands on her equally thin hips.
"I think I'd like more of the synthesizer you put in the Miya song." She said before nodding her head, like she was agreeing with herself. Miya was an actual popstar, a huge international star, and a hero. She composed her own music on the daily, I only helped once. I sighed again ready for a drink and nodded.
"Sure thing just give me a moment." It was simple to pull from the sound file library and slightly change a few notes. She smiled a million watt smile, much to my annoyance, and gave a happy little giggle.
Thirty more minutes and I was done, finally. She popped out of the room with a flourish and held out a well manicured hand. Into which I deposited a thumb drive.
"Thank you so much Miss Kodai." She said sliding it into her purse. I checked my phone as she put on her obviously expensive jacket.
"No problem, thank you for your business." I said noting that my mother had called and that it was just past midnight. She gave a little wave before leaving the studio. I scrolled through my messages, no one had invited me out tonight and that was just fine with me. I'd rather be alone right now. I was bad company when annoyed.
After gathering my bag, and shutting all the equipment down I stopped to check myself in the mirror. An average body type, pale skin that never really saw daylight, and a rather angular face stared back. My chin length black hair was cut recently, I'd never had bangs before and I was second guessing them. The black fringe sat just above my violet eyes. I had a lip piercing that was a simple ring on the left, and one above my right eyebrow, aside from that I was rather plain to look at. Nothing like the girl who'd just walked out. I wore black leggings under an oversized grey sweatshirt that hung to mid thigh, and over that I shrugged into a black bomber jacket.
As I walked up the studio steps to get to the street I stuffed my headphones over my head and turned on my usual playlist. The walk to the bar was a short one and I wanted it to be without speaking to another person. I was by nature antisocial, contact was annoying for the most part. There were other reasons but human's annoyed the piss out of me.
The bar was nearly empty as per usual, and I took my normal seat at the very end. The bartender was the owner here and he never asked anything other than what you wanted to drink. I liked him
"Asahi please." I said pulling my headphones down to my neck. The other person in the bar was the old man who almost never left. How did he pay? I wondered. This place was a real hole in the wall, it could seat maybe ten people, but it was well kept. The red brick was all the wall decoration needed, the bar was probably an expensive mahogany, and the liquors behind the counter were rare and expensive. To drink the beer I'd asked for was probably sacrilege to the man behind the counter. He'd never said anything though. As I sipped on the perfectly cold beer I browsed through my emails, social media, news and of course my Jcloud. Where all my original work was posted for anonymous review. Mostly it was other artists and composers who did the reviewing, although now and then an idiot would pretend their opinion mattered.
This was how I spent most days, working a nine to five job in the studio and then freelancing for extra cash after. Day in day out, always boring, always the same. At least I found joy in the music and occasionally in a collaboration with actual talent. I stopped at the news of the ultra exclusive high school U. A. in the news again. I usually wasn't very concerned with what when on in that world, I wasn't part of it, but apparently a student had been kidnapped at their summer camp.
"That blows." I whispered. Poor kid, to be kidnapped by villains. I moved on to the next story and asked for another beer. The kid would probably be rescued with relative ease since those with the real powers were 'Heros' if that word even fit. How could you call yourself a hero if you were paid to do it? Didn't that take the heroism out of the act? Well maybe I was a bit biased since my quirk was useless in comparison.
By the time I'd finished my second beer, paid and gathered all my stuff it was nearing two. The trains wouldn't be running, but luckily it was only a twenty minute walk to my apartment.
"Thanks." I said leaving the door. I heard a similar reply as the door swung closed. I crossed the street and began my trek to the hovel I called home. A one bedroom apartment meant for a college student. I'd just never left, the landlord never cared and that was that. The street I took was well lit and bordered a relatively well used road so I never worried about anything dangerous happening. However my luck was about to turn.
As fate would have it the one alley in one of the safer neighborhoods had three tall men arguing in it. I had to pass right by. Fantastic. One of the men had some sort of quirk that made his face look reptilian, the other two just looked like big brutes with their muscles. Maybe they wouldn't notice me, or so I thought as I quickened my pace. I couldn't hear what they were arguing about and I didn't care enough to listen, but I did hear when one of them whistled.
"You're out late little bird." The reptilian one said by the sound of his raspy voice. I sped up to nearly running. I was almost passed them when I felt something cold slide around my ankle and give a light tug. I lost balance then much to my irritation and fell to my knees.
"Dammit." I hissed as the sting from the concrete bruised my usually delicate skin. I bruised at the drop of a hat.
"S'not polite to ignore people." One man said coming to kneel next to me with a grin. I glared at him and kicked the cold lizard like tail away from me. I made to stand up but a big hand pulled me up with a jolt.
"Let go moron." I said with more confidence than I actually felt. If this turned into a physical brawl I was done for. I was weak in nearly all areas; I hated running and a mile was out of the question, punching would be a joke I could barely to a push up and actual technique? Ha. At my insult his eyebrows raised and he chuckled darkly.
"This one has a bit of fire." He said before licking his lips. The lizard and the other man moved to stand behind me. I gripped my bag tighter and took a calming breath.
"We're in the middle of a busy street with all the lights exposing you, should anyone drive by you're sure to be seen. What do you think will happen then? Do you know how many heros live here?" They all seemed to pause and look at each other and in that moment of hesitation I shouldered passed the man in front of me. I was nearly an arms length away, almost hopeful I gotten away when those huge hands caught the back of my jacket. I felt my eyes widen and almost wanted to laugh at my idiotic self. Of course I was just this unlucky.
"No one around now, and since you make such a good point about being exposed I think we'll move location." He turned me around like I weighed nothing and then lifted me by my collar into the air till my legs swung back and forth helplessly.
"Put me down!" I yelled swinging my purse at his face which seemed to instantly turn a steel grey color. My bag hit and it sounded like hitting metal. I stared at him with my mouth agape.
"Shit." I heard myself say and they all laughed at my pathetic attempt to escape. This was going to get bad, really bad. I'd heard of terrible things happening lately; rape, murder, trafficking. I retreated into myself and closed my eyes, I had one shot and only one to get away. I'd definitely kill them, not that they didn't deserve it, but I felt sick at the thought. My quirk was useless in the sense that if I used it I would help no one. Except myself, at least for this moment. The repercussions would probably suck.
"I'll give you one last chance, so please put me down." Again they laughed and began to discuss where to go and...I stopped listening after that. I had to focus on this one area. I imagined a sphere in my mind with me and the three stooges inside. If I couldn't contain it to that sphere I'd be in even more trouble, and more people could get hurt. This was a residential area after all. My concentration was rusty, my anxiety was making it hard to control my breathing, I'd not done this since I was twelve. Fifteen years ago.
I felt my hand crackle with a dark energy, I knew there would be a purple light beginning to incase us in that sphere, but it began to grow too large and I had to squeeze my eyes closed harder to stop it. This power that, once awake, had a mind of its own. I just had to say the words quickly and this would be over. I opened my eyes to see them all staring at me with a mix of fear and fascination. My eyes would be aglow by this point and purple would be the last thing these men ever saw.
" Use Saru*" I hated these words, but I shouted them all the same. The feeling that I knew was about to come next was the worst in the universe. All at once the space inside my sphere began to converge into the middle smaller and smaller to a pinpoint, compressing until the men began to grow smaller their atoms disappearing. As the sphere grew unbearably tight I could hear screaming I felt like I was being torn into a million pieces all at once. Then with a deafening silence the sphere was gone, the men were gone, the sidewalk that had been inside the sphere was gone. It looked like someone had taken a giant ice cream scoop and taken part of the road, sidewalk and a bit of the alleyway wall with it. I sat there for a moment trying to catch my breath, examining the damage. I could feel the shame I'd known in my youth creep up my spine as the tingling reminded of the promise I'd just broken.
I staggered to my feet more tired now then I had been in a long time. The sphere had only been a small one but even that had taken everything I could muster. Grabbing my bag I laid a hand on the wall and used it to support my numb legs as I trudged home trying and nearly failing to keep myself from crying. I hadn't cried in a years. I unlocked my door, threw my bag on the floor and collapsed onto my bed where I almost instantly fell asleep. I dreamed of all the destruction I had onced caused.
Little did I know that it was this incident in my life when everything really did go to shit. There had been one more pair of eyes watching my struggle that night. One more person who knew what I was.
My name is Izanami Kodai, and my perk is called annihilation.
*Use Saru literally means to dissappear.