Koichi looked at the massive blackness, surrounded by a hazy blue radiance, again.
He was suspended right in front of it, like a dust particle in space.
Yet, there was a warmth about it as well.
Like a mother's embrace…
[… and that's what your purpose will be, Koichi,] the voice—who had introduced herself as Singularity—said. [If you are willing to stand for something more than you already do, then you must make a choice now. You can either keep being a Hero or… become my Radiant and protect not only innocents, but the entire world. You already know the harsher difficulties of the latter choice.]
Koichi didn't know what to say.
The last thing he remembered was standing in the Control Room of ORIGIN next to Star.
Then, just as they had been looking at the video feed of the camera pointed toward The Boundary, while discussing what to do next, everything had gone black.
All Koichi had felt then was a sensation that could only be described as… horrible.
It was like all that could go wrong had gone wrong at that time.
And when the blackness finally receded, after who knew how much time, Koichi found himself facing another type of blackness. Not horrible, but definitely not pleasant, either. It had taken time for him to sense the pleasantness. Time in which Singularity had explained to him the cause behind his loss of consciousness, and everything else that had happened at ORIGIN.
From Mr. Alexander being a Radiant—the Radiant of Gravity—to the matter of Corruption; from ORIGIN's crew turning into Rampagers to an Apostle of Mr. Fool saving him and Star from meeting a similar fate; from the Apostles of Mr. Fool to the Monocles and the evil God behind their creation, trying to corrupt the entire planet.
And, more than anything, she had told him about herself and her brother—Conformity!
That had rung a bell in Koichi's mind like never before, forcing him to believe in her earlier words somewhat.
In this blackness, Singularity had told him more than he could have ever figured out by himself.
Yet…
What she asked him in return…
Was he capable of being someone like that? A Radiant?
Koichi remembered Mr. Alexander fighting All For One, shoulder to shoulder with All Might.
Was he strong enough to be a person like that?
All he could do was push or pull…
The enemies Singularity mentioned he would be facing, though, possessed powers from literal Gods!
[And so will you, if you agree, Koichi.] The mighty voice rang in his ears again. [Your Quirk holds immense potential. It has already gone through an Awakening. Still, you do not have full control over it. Not yet. As my Radiant, you will have the opportunity to go beyond with your Quirk… for a grander cause. Beware, though. Such Awakenings do not come without touching the strings of Fate.]
Koichi did not know about the strings of Fate.
He did know about going beyond with his Quirk.
A stronger Quirk would mean he would be able to take down stronger Villains, saving many more lives.
That was simple and much easier to understand.
What he couldn't understand…
"Why me?" Koichi asked. "Why not Star? Or is she already a…"
[… Radiant?] Singularity finished the question for him. [No. She is not. Cathleen's Quirk is… special. Neither my brother nor I can tamper with it. I cannot share the reason behind it. What I can tell you is that you meet all the conditions I look for in a Radiant, Koichi. And… I need you. I need Radiants. The Evil is knocking at the door. It's best to act now, instead of waiting for it to enter our home first.]
Koichi fell into another bout of contemplation.
What would becoming a Radiant signify?
But then, he remembered all the people he had met at ORIGIN. Good people. They were dead now. Killed by something he didn't understand; nor did he dare to. Not as he was now.
Koichi looked at the blue-rimmed blackness, making up his mind.
And he nodded.
…
Overhaul, led by Twice, entered the warehouse.
He looked at the Claws of Conformity, his eyes briefly pausing on Shigaraki. It was easy to single him out, what with the hands on his face, the back of his head, and his neck. The rest… were as unimpressive as he had sketched them out to be.
"It's him, Tomura!" Twice said excitedly. "He saved my life!"
"Overhaul…" Shigaraki said, leaning against a large box as if sleeping. "Our thanks for the… generous deed."
Overhaul narrowed his eyes.
There was something disturbing about Shigaraki.
But the Claws of Conformity was a force that he had been ignoring for a long time.
Much of it had to do with All For One—the boss of the Claws, when they still used to go by the name of the League of Villains.
With the old man gone, it was best to take care of these crazy bastards before he proceeded with his plans to shape the future.
"Tomura Shigaraki," Overhaul said. "I come with a proposal."
Shigaraki straightened and looked up, carrying a strange redness in his pupils. "… I see… Haha…" he laughed. "I've heard about them, you know. Your Quirk-Erasing Drugs… Far from perfect, though, aren't they? I will think about it when the drug actually does what it's marketed as…"
Overhaul sighed under his mask and shook his head. "Right now, after the loss of All For One," he said, noticing the sudden twitch in Shigaraki's eyes, "the Villains do not have a leader."
"… You are looking at the leader," Shigaraki said, cutting him off.
"Leader of what? Laziness?" Overhaul scoffed. "No plan. No strategy. No substantial numbers. Isn't that why you have holed yourself up here?"
Shigaraki scratched his neck, the Claws rising to their feet behind him.
"I have a plan," Overhaul said. "And I have a place for you in this plan, Shigaraki."
"And here I thought you came to join us…" Shigaraki said, drawing blood from his neck. "Leave. Before I change my mind…"
"Monocle—" Overhaul said, "—I have…"
And, before he could say another word, the Claws charged at him…
… their gazes flashing bloody red like starving beasts!