The city slept uneasily beneath the ash-colored sky. It had been days since the last major confrontation, yet the tension hung in the air like the aftermath of a storm that refused to fade. Kuro sat on the edge of a collapsed overpass, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The wind whispered through the ruins, carrying faint echoes of sirens, cries, and life that continued despite the scars.
The Veil of Origins — that strange cosmic phenomenon Hiroshi had mentioned — lingered in Kuro's thoughts. He could feel it now, pulsing faintly in the back of his mind, a presence that resonated with his quirk. It was as though All Fiction was being called to something beyond reality itself.
He closed his eyes. "The world isn't just breaking," he murmured to himself. "It's rewriting itself."
Footsteps approached from behind. Hiroshi stood a few meters away, his tone measured. "You've felt it too, haven't you?"
Kuro turned slightly. "The Veil. It's more than energy. It's… memory. The world's way of remembering what I erase."
Hiroshi's expression tightened. "Then that means everything you've ever erased might still exist—just beyond the edge of reality."
Kuro's crimson eyes gleamed faintly in the dull light. "A graveyard of forgotten things."
For a moment, neither spoke. The silence was heavy, filled only by the soft hum of the wind through twisted metal.
Aizawa's voice came from the shadows below. "And you plan to go there, don't you?"
Kuro didn't respond immediately. "If the Veil is where reality hides what I destroy, then it's the only place left for me to understand the truth about my power."
Deku climbed up beside him, his face set with concern. "Kuro, every time you've pushed your quirk, it's destabilized something. The weather, time, even people's memories. If this Veil is real, you might not come back from it."
Kuro's gaze remained steady. "If I don't try, the world will keep breaking itself anyway."
Aizawa folded his arms. "And if you do, you could take us all with you."
Kuro stood, turning toward them. "Maybe that's what has to happen. Maybe the system needs to break before it can rebuild."
Deku took a step forward, his voice trembling with conviction. "You sound like Shigaraki. You're talking about destruction as if it's the only path left."
Kuro looked at him, his expression unreadable. "Destruction is only half of creation, Deku. You, of all people, should understand that."
Deku clenched his fists, struggling to find words. "Then let us come with you. If the Veil is where truth lies, we'll face it together."
Kuro hesitated. "The Veil doesn't welcome the living. It's a place for what's been erased, not what still exists."
Aizawa's tone sharpened. "You're not walking into oblivion alone. If you disappear, everything we've done will fall apart."
Kuro's voice was low. "Maybe that's what needs to happen."
Hiroshi stepped forward. "Enough, both of you." His tone carried authority, cutting through the tension. "We don't even know what the Veil truly is. But we know it's calling to Kuro, and if it's reacting to All Fiction, then maybe he's the only one who can face it safely."
Aizawa frowned but didn't argue. Deku looked down, jaw tight. "Then at least let us anchor you. If something happens, if you start to fade, we'll pull you back."
Kuro's eyes softened, just slightly. "You'd risk that?"
Deku nodded. "You once told me hope and truth can't survive alone. Let's see if they can survive together."
For the first time, Kuro smiled faintly. "Fine. But remember—whatever happens in there, it won't be the same world that greets us when we return."
Hours later, the group stood at the edge of a desolate canyon outside the city. The air shimmered faintly, like heat waves rising from sand, except it wasn't warmth—it was distortion. Space itself seemed to ripple, as if reality were breathing.
"This is it," Hiroshi said quietly. "The Veil of Origins."
The ground beneath them pulsed, a low hum vibrating through their bones. Kuro stepped forward, feeling his quirk respond instinctively. The faint blue glow around his hands grew brighter. The barrier in front of him twisted, revealing flashes of light and darkness—visions of faces, cities, and memories that didn't exist anymore.
Aizawa's scarf tightened around his neck, his instincts on edge. "This isn't just a dimensional rift. It's a reflection of everything All Fiction has erased."
Kuro reached out, his fingertips grazing the surface of the Veil. It was cold, like touching ice that remembered warmth. The moment he made contact, whispers filled the air—voices of those long forgotten, merging into a single echo.
"Why did you erase us…?"
Kuro flinched, his body trembling as the voices surrounded him. Images flashed in his mind—villains he had erased, heroes who had fallen, civilians caught in the chaos. All of them existed here, within the folds of the Veil.
Deku shouted from behind, "Kuro! Let go!"
But Kuro didn't. "They're still here," he whispered. "Everything I erased—it never vanished. It was just waiting."
The light grew blinding. Aizawa grabbed Deku's shoulder. "Now! Anchor him before he's pulled in completely!"
Hiroshi began chanting an energy stabilizer sequence, his quirk flaring to life. Threads of energy lashed out, connecting to Kuro's body, grounding him in the present. The Veil roared in response, as if trying to claim him.
Kuro's body shook violently. "I can see it now," he gasped. "This world… it's rewriting itself because I forced it to forget. Every erasure created a fracture, and the Veil filled it with illusion. That's why the balance never holds. Reality's trying to fix itself!"
"Then stop before it breaks completely!" Deku yelled.
Kuro turned his head slightly, his crimson eyes glowing brighter than ever. "If I stop now, it'll collapse anyway. The only way to fix this… is to finish it."
Before anyone could react, Kuro stepped fully into the Veil. The barrier shimmered violently, the air splitting with a deafening sound. A blinding flash engulfed the canyon, forcing Aizawa, Deku, and Hiroshi to shield their eyes.
When the light faded, Kuro was gone.
The Veil pulsed once, as if taking a breath, then went silent.
Deku lowered his hands slowly, his heart pounding. "He's gone…"
Aizawa's expression was grim. "No. He's not gone. He's somewhere inside that… thing."
Hiroshi knelt beside the ground where Kuro had stood. The air still shimmered faintly with energy. "If he's right, then what he finds in there might decide whether this world survives or disappears."
Deku's fists tightened. "Then we're not leaving him behind."
Aizawa looked up at the fading glow of the Veil. "Let's hope there's still a world left when he comes back."
Far beyond the barrier, in the depths of unreality, Kuro opened his eyes. Around him stretched an endless void of shifting colors and broken echoes. Voices whispered, memories screamed, and time itself seemed uncertain.
He took a slow breath. "So this… is the world I tried to erase."
The Veil pulsed again, and the echoes answered him, their tone neither kind nor cruel—only honest.
"Welcome home, Kuro."