NOVEL WEB My monochrome life.
Chapter 6
Year 2144, July 24
I felt the cold water drip down my face as I inspected my body for the thousandth day and millionth time. It felt so surreal every time I saw it.
It was me, but instead of normal pupils, I had vertical slits filled with malicious intent. A mouth full of sword-like teeth that could instill fear in men with just a smile, and a long tongue that split at the end, like a reptile’s.
On my head, I bore a crown of horns surrounded by flames. Two horns grew out of the back of my head, then curved forward in a zigzag. They almost resembled the horns of that Pokémon, Yveltal, except without the spikes at the back and with more ridges and sharp edges. My horns also shared similarities with Aldrakar’s, though his were more rounded and regal-looking. Mine were monstrous and brutal, growing from the back-top of my head, while his sprouted from the sides.
My horns were now, I think, fully grown compared to my current body size, which was 1.53 meters. I didn’t feel weird about my size since I had already been fully grown once, but then I thought about it: my body is nine years old, and I’m already taller than some adults.
Surrounding my horns was my flaming hair, tied into a man-bun like my grandfather’s. I discovered that my hair was linked to my emotions. If I disliked something, my hair would burn it like it was made of fire. But if I liked something or someone, they wouldn’t be harmed by the flames, which allowed me to tie my hair. Although my hair looked and felt like flames, it had strands like normal hair. Its appearance reminded me of Endeavor’s mustache and Burnin's hair.
After contemplating for a bit, I stepped back to inspect my full form in the mirror.
I noticed that with every breath I took, my throat and chest lit up in a warm orange glow, revealing the silhouette of my ribcage. This happened for two reasons: first, I could breathe fire, so naturally, it would be housed in my chest. Second, some body parts had changed due to my ash element. My lungs, among other organs, were now made of living, burning ash. This was also why my voice was a bit raspy and rough, even at a young age, as my vocal cords were affected.
On my forearms, hands, shins, and feet were Vantablack scales so dark that they stood out even in complete darkness. As I tested, my scales could withstand anything up to a 9mm bullet. It still hurt like hell to get shot, but that was it.
My fingers had become claws, which had already destroyed a few things accidentally. For example, when I was tapping my fingers on the table during dinner, I casually carved four holes into it.
Brutal, rough bone spikes protruded from each of my elbows and knees, resembling obsidian. Similar spikes grew in a row from my elbows to my wrists and from my knees to my ankles, each spike getting smaller as they went down. Surprisingly, they didn’t impair my movement at all.
What did impair my day-to-day movement, though, were the four absolutely gigantic wings on my back, each as tall as me when folded. They grew out of the same spot, and where not set under eachother but on top of eachother, although one on each side being angled a bit down when unfolded. When I had my wings closed they looked like one set, but when I start opening they would unfold and show four wings. When fully opened, they had a wingspan of 4.3 meters, with a single claw at the top of each wing. I could use these claws to climb and grab, though I rarely did. Despite being a nuisance in daily life, I still loved my wings more than any other change, as flying was the best feeling in the world. Soaring high among the clouds was the most freedom I had ever felt.
Another new limb I liked very much was my tail, which was subconsciously thumping on the ground in rhythm, something I apparently did when deep in thought. My tail was now 1.3 meters long and equipped with an extremely sharp, double-edged, straight blade at the end, making the full length 1.5 meters. From the blade up to my torso ran a row of spikes similar to those on my arms and legs. I had more control over this tail than any other part of my body—maybe because it was linked directly to my spine, or maybe for some other reason. What I did know was that it was mighty helpful. I could carry many things with it, and it was extremely strong, nearly double my arm strength. But that wasn’t really hard to achieve with this quirk. While my physical strength was greatly improved, it didn’t seem to be the main focus of my body. I thought I would be able to kick and punch like All Might and Midoriya, but that wasn't the case, at least not for now. Maybe someday, where my Primordial Hunger will allow me to get a strengh-based power, atleast if it worked the way I though it would. But that was for later, since my body excelled at defense and agility and possessed a variety of weapons, so excessive strength would be overkill.
Thinking about my Primordial Hunger, I remembered a certain character with a similar power: Suneater, aka Tamaki Amajiki. From what I understood, the powers I acquired were permanent, but the chance to acquire them was random. He, on the other hand, didn’t get permanent upgrades but could choose what to use:“Heh.” A smile crept onto my face at the thought of him. He would definitely be fun to play with... in many ways, but that was something for another time. I shifted my focus to another part of my body.
The weirdest change, in my opinion, was my feet. They were beastly, monstrous, and simply inhuman. Instead of five toes, I had four, each with a claw at the end, and a claw protruding from my heel, allowing me to grip the ground better than a normal human. Running felt strange but manageable, though these feet were clearly not designed for it. They, like most of my other body parts, were built for battle.
I was pulled out of my thoughts by a new scent entering my nose, followed shortly by a knock:“Young master, your family is waiting for you at dinner.”
Turning my head, I replied:“Tell them I’ll be there in a minute.”
After receiving confirmation and hearing the footsteps fade away, I got dressed and headed to dinner.
After walking for a bit, I entered a room where three familiar faces sat at a table: my grandfather at the head, my father to his right, and my mother across from him.
As soon as I entered, my grandfather let out his usual hearty laugh:“HAHAHA, finally deciding to join us, little knight? Awakening from your eternal slumber?” My parents chuckled as well.
I could only grimace. I knew exactly what they were talking about. After gaining my powers, I realized that my body required much more food than a normal person my age. If I didn’t get enough food, my body would just go to sleep for a while. That’s what happened yesterday. I spent too much time training my tail and flying, and I forgot to eat. So, I slept from around 11:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Still grimacing, I responded:“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m sorry. I couldn’t get any food yesterday. After my flight, I just landed in my room and fell on the bed.”
My mother chimed in:“Dear, you know your grandpa just wants to tease you. Besides, he has a surprise for you.”
This piqued my interest.
Grandpa straightened his chest:“Yes, since you will basically be responsible for our company in Japan, I will grant you full rights to our assets there. You may build, develop, or sponsor anything you see fit. But we thought you might need some experience in addition to your intellect. So, tomorrow and every future Tuesday and Thursday, you, along with either me or your father, will visit different places to learn what you may need.”
This news came as a surprise, but a welcome one:“That sounds logical. Life has been a bit monochrome lately. All I do is learn Japanese, train with the sword and shield, hit the gym, and train my quirk. Doing some work sounds pleasant. I mean, I don’t even have any friends, except for Victor.”
My father responded:“That does sound pretty boring, but it’s good that you’re still doing it to better yourself. Always.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
As I sat down at my obviously larger-than-everyone-else’s plate, across from Grandpa, I remembered to ask:“Have you guys already planned how I’ll live in Japan? If not, I just want to say this: I don’t plan on living luxuriously. I want to live in an average apartment—no maids, no butlers, nothing. I want to learn some responsibility and not have maids and butlers constantly breathing down my neck, asking if I need anything.”
I was surprised when Grandpa replied:“Funny, Victor mentioned something similar yesterday. Since he’ll also be going to Japan with you, we’ll respect your wish. However, Victor will live nearby, and if anything arises, he’ll be just a five-minute walk away—or, for you, a few seconds if you fly. And we’ll make sure the place has enough safety measures. To be honest, I expected you to ask for the most luxurious thing ever, but you asking for something so humble truly warms my heart. I do wonder how your future fiancée will react to this, though.”
After thinking for a while, I replied:“Alright, that’s a good compromise.” I was still curious about who my fiancée would be. Whenever I asked, I was told, “It’s a secret” or “You’ll meet her when the time is right.”
As for why I wanted to live in an apartment, even though I could probably afford the biggest mansion Japan has to offer, I enjoy simplicity. I like money and luxury, but a small apartment, a motorcycle, and maybe a dog—these small things bring me more happiness. I didn't know why.
After finishing my meal, I said my goodbyes and returned to my monochrome lifestyle of training until I couldn't anymore. I didn't know why I wanted to train; it just felt logical. It’s not that I really hate it, since it's all I can do, really. No fun activities like driving around, going to bars with friends, or anything like that. So I just kept training and training. It’s not as if it doesn’t bring progress—my flame breath can probably fill an Olympic swimming pool, as can my ash breath. My flight was nearly unlimited, my tail was under perfect control, and even acted subconsciously.
Soon, night came, and with it, my bed. I lay there, looking at the ceiling and thinking about tomorrow, when I would finally do something different from my training. Before long, my vision darkened, and I fell asleep.
Year 2144, July 25
I felt the wind flow through my hair and across my body as I sat beside my grandpa in his old-school pickup truck with the window down. I often asked him why he drove this car, and he always gave the same answer: "Oh, this thing? I drive it to remind me of my past. Unlike you or your father, I wasn't born into a rich environment. No, I came from humble beginnings and ended up at the top. But to remind me of my journey to the top, I drive this. This is also why I love your decision to live in an average apartment. Another reason is this: who doesn’t want to drive a nice, well-functioning pickup? Of course, it's not the fastest or the best looking (at least in the eyes of someone uncultured), but it’s the best functioning. It does what I ask of it, and it does it well. That's why."
I loved this answer every time I heard it. It, along with him, seemed to radiate a certain calmness and wisdom. Soon, though, we were in front of a huge bank with the words StahlBlut written on it.
The moment my grandpa parked, a man came running out, ready to greet him. He showered him with compliments, which was disgusting. How could someone be such a snake? Well, comparing him to a snake would be unkind to the race of snakes. And I shouldn’t speak ill of snakes, since I’m now kind of related to them? I don’t know. What I do know, though, is that this man is trash of the worst kind.
My dislike for him must have shown on my face, as my grandpa asked why I was looking so stern and why my tail was in a battle position. After being notified of my behavior, I regained control and showed a neutral face. I followed the insincere man and my grandpa to a room filled with documents as I heard my grandpa say, “You see, Malthael, this here is just a fraction of the documentation of all our workers, as well as people, firms, and companies that owe us money. What we will be doing is looking through some of those who owe us money, and you will give your opinion on what we should do, all right?”
After nodding, I began searching through the documents. After a while, I found a name that truly shook me. It was so surprising to read about the things this man had done, knowing who he was. Hisashi Midoriya, Izuku’s father. The man who was absent throughout most of My Hero Academia—at least, up to where I had watched. My memories are already starting to fade a bit. I remember most things up to the fight against AFO in Season 3. After that, I just remember bits and pieces. It’s something I’ve noticed since I arrived in this world. My knowledge of this world is slowly fading. I know this because I remember watching up to Season 6, but my mind only registers up to Season 3 and a few bits after. I remember the villain Overhaul, but not his quirk. I remember Mirko—oh, I remember her more vividly than any other character. I also recall her losing her arm through something, something I will not allow in this version of the story. After that? Nothingness. It’s weird. I know I have memories of events that happened, but when I try to recall them, it’s as if I’m walking through smoke. But maybe that’s good in a way. Many things will likely have changed with my arrival alone. I mean, through me, one person from Class 1-A will disappear, at least if I manage to enter Class 1-A. But I’m confident.
Back to Hisashi: from what I understand, he went to work overseas for his company, then lost a lot of money to gambling, took a loan from our bank, and lost that too, to gambling. Now he can’t pay back the money and is stuck in a mess. This is interesting and gives me a few ideas.
I asked for a copy of his file and for updates if anything changes. After a few more hours of work, I left with my grandpa. And life went on, with only one year remaining until I go to Japan.