o/ Agrona speaks to MC through a telepathic bond, she is currently in his shadow, I will try to make it recognizable when she is summoned š
I woke up before the alarm went off. I just lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling. The morning light was filtering through the curtains, and the room was unusually quiet. Today was the day. Entrance exams.
After all these years, it was finally hereā¦ all these years of trying to get stronger. And now I had a test that would decide if I would get into U.A.
and honestly?
I didn't know if it was funny or ironic.
I killed Kerber a few days ago, survived a duel with Kaisel, and gained another shadow soldier. I have soldiers in my shadow that could probably slaughter most professional heroes. Still, I was nervous about high school entrance exams.
"Human logic is fascinating."
I sat on the bed and stretched. On the table was a letter confirming my registration for the exams. Next to it was my phone. I got up and went to check the time.
"It's been almost ten years... ten years spent in this world... it really went by fast, huh?" When I reached for my phone, there was a clock on its screen showing it was five.
"It's time to get ready" with that I slapped myself lightly on the cheek and went to the bathroom to do my morning hygiene. shower, brush my teeth and so on (š©)
I ate and got dressed and headed to the city to catch a bus that would take me to the train station.
The bus arrived right on time. I got in and sat by the window at the very back. There weren't many people there, most were still asleep or just getting ready for work. The engine roared and the vehicle slowly started along the familiar route towards the city.
I leaned my head against the glass and watched the landscape pass by.
Many thoughts were flying through my head at that moment, for example: And in a few hours I might find out that they won't take me.
The thought has come back to me several times. Not that I'm afraid of the exam itself. If I wanted to, I could beat most of the candidates with one hand behind their backs. The problem was somewhere else.
What if they don't take me for another reason? What if I do something stupid? What if someone notices something they shouldn't? What if the system does something again?
But the problem was that the system had a slightly different view of the whole situation, but I was given a task by the system... to get to U.A. At first glance, it sounded simple. But if I failed, there would be punishment... at that thought, I unconsciously clenched my hand into a fist. Loss of memories, loss of my original life, loss of everything I once was.
I had lived in this world for ten years, almost ten years. And even now, sometimes I couldn't remember some of the details of my old life.
Just little things.
some memories slowly faded on their own. What would happen if the system intervened? Would everything disappear? That thought scared me more than anything I could imagine.
"You're thinking too much." Agrona spoke up.
"And you have little empathy."
"Empathy doesn't solve the problem."
"Neither does your advice."
Agrona snorted. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't see a scenario where you wouldn't be able to pass today's exam."
"You said that before Cerberus."
"And I was right."
"I almost died."
"But he didn't die."
"That's not as reassuring as you think."
There was silence for a few seconds. Still, I managed a small smile. Maybe he was right, maybe I was panicking unnecessarily, but when my entire original life is at stakeā¦ I guess I have every right to be nervous.
The journey continued in silence for a while. The bus slowly drove along the country roads, passing villages, fields, and the occasional car coming the other way. I tried to stop thinking about the exams, the assignment, and what would happen if I failed. But it was harder than I wanted to admit.
Finally, I pulled out my phone and mindlessly scrolled through the news. Heroes rescued a cat from a tree. Some villain robbed a store. All Might showed up at a charity event. Just another day in this world.
Yet I was perhaps the only person in this country who was more afraid of failing a school exam than of bad guys.
When the bus finally arrived at the station, I got out and breathed in the cool morning air. The sun was slowly rising above the horizon and the city was starting to come alive. People were rushing to work, students to school, and I headed to the platform.
The train arrived a few minutes late, as is customary.
I got in and found a seat by the window. Surprisingly, there were about six of us in total.
Some were nervously repeating notes. Others were trying to activate their Quirky on small objects. One boy had blue flames instead of hair, which flared up on his head every few seconds. Two rows away, a girl with stone skin sat trying to read a textbook.
So competition.
Great.
"Are you going to the exams too?"
I looked up. Standing next to my seat was a tall boy with messy brown hair. He had a gym bag on his back and the look on his face of someone who hadn't slept in three days.
"Is that so obvious?" I asked.
"A little bit, yeah."
He sat down across from me. "My name is Erik."
āMephisto."
"Strange name."
"A lot of people say that."
"Fair."
There was silence for a while.
"So what's your Quirk?" he finally asked.
I almost laughed. How was I supposed to explain the shadow army, magic, the system, Kaisel, Agron, and half the other stuff to him?
"Energy manipulation." Technically, it wasn't a complete lie, it's my quirk, isn't it.
"That sounds strong."
"You could say that."
"I can strengthen my muscles."
"That sounds useful too."
Our conversation continued all the way, I found out that Erik was from Austria, and we eventually exchanged contacts.I didn't even notice how quickly time flew by.
"Next stop Prague Main Station."
The voice from the speakers echoed through the carriage, instantly raising the nervousness of almost everyone present. Several students sat up straighter in their seats, others checked their documents again.
So here it is. The train started to slow down and the first parts of the city appeared outside the windows. A few minutes later we stopped.
"Good luck then," Erik extended his hand to me.
"You too."
We shook hands.
"Maybe we'll see each other again."
"If they don't take us both, then maybe at some other school."
"That sounds optimistic."
"I'm trying."
We laughed briefly and then got off the train. The crowd of students immediately spread out onto the platform. Within seconds, I lost sight of Erik.
And so I was left alone. Well... almost alone.
"Nervous?" Agrona said.
"A little."
"You are lying."
I sighed. "Okay. A lot."
"That sounds more accurate."
I didn't answer.
Instead, I walked slowly through the station, observing the people around me. Some were laughing, some looked scared, and some were a little too sure of themselves.
And they all had the same goalā¦ to get to U.A.
But unlike them, I wasn't just playing for the school. That was the problem. If I didn't make it, I could have gone somewhere else. There were dozens of quality schools. Maybe I could have become a hero even without U.A.
But the system wasn't interested in alternatives. For it, there was only one correct answer.
U.A.
And failure. I unconsciously tightened my grip on the strap of my backpack. It was strange how much my life had changed. Ten years ago I was an ordinary person from a completely different world. I was dealing with school, the internet, video games, and things that seemed almost unreal to me today.
Then I woke up here.
And yet... yet I was still afraid of the same thing I had been afraid of back then, of losing everything. Maybe that was why I tried so desperately to hold on to my memories.
Because if they disappearedā¦ who would I be?
Mephisto? Or just an empty mailbox with a foreign name? I didn't know the answer to that question. And honestly, I didn't want to know. I stopped in front of the exit from the station and looked in the direction where today's rehearsals were located, somewhere behind the buildings.
I slowly took a breath and then exhaled. Whatever happens...
I didn't lose to Kasakou.
I didn't lose to KaĆsel.
And I won't lose today either.