Going to school on Monday was its own kind of hell. His eyes held the kind of heaviness that seemed to press from his skull into his eyelids. He could already feel the migraine coming. The shadows surrounding them were a semi-permanent fixture to his features. His lack of sleep the last couple of days served to only deepen the dark color into an ugly purple.

Walking through the campus, he kept his head down, eyes trained on the red of his shoes. Thankfully, the halls weren't yet crowded at this hour.

Resisting the urge to book it out of there, he kept walking, hands flexing at the empty air in his palm. Oh, how he wished he had his sword. He missed the days when he could just equip his gear and weapons and head straight into the dungeons. Farming away at the monsters always felt somewhat cathartic.

Predictably, the classroom was empty when he entered. Allowing himself a moment of relief, he relaxed his shoulders, having not realized until now how stiff they'd gotten.

He'd barely crossed the threshold when he spotted a familiar yellow-clad figure peeking from behind the main desk. Of course, Aizawa would be here before everyone. He did always like to nap in the strangest of places. Izuku should've expected it.

Backtracking as slowly as he could, he contemplated turning on his stealth mode. Silent steps would be a godsend right about now.

Luck, however, was not on his side. Right as he was about to be out and free, a voice interrupted his escape, halting him in his tracks.

"Problem child." Aizawa's face materialized from within his sleeping bag. The man remained unfazed as he slipped out from his confines. His movements carried a kind of grace and elegance that no one ought to have while getting out of that yellow monstrosity.

"Aizawa! Didn't see you there!" He laughed rather awkwardly. "Had a nice nap I hope?"

The hero for his part only stared back blankly. Eyes narrowing considerably as he looked Izuku over. Searching and scanning him for any kind of injury.

"So... uh I'm going to- "He gestured toward the general direction of his seat. "Yeah-" He swallowed, already moving to his destination.

"Midoriya." The hero's hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. Izuku barely stifled the instinctual need to move. "Got a call this week about a certain vigilante arrest. Know anything about that?"

Averting his eyes, he nodded, knowing that Aizawa wouldn't be asking about it if he didn't already know the full story. "I couldn't stay out of it, Iida would have died."

The teacher regarded him for a long moment, as if looking for something in his eyes, finally he nodded, already slinking back towards his place behind his desk.

Izuku, taking that as a dismissal turned to head to his own seat. "Izuku." The man called out, once again preventing him from reaching his destination. Sighing, he turned to look at the hero. "We're glad your safe." And did that make him feel funny. He really should work on getting his feelings in order. He was starting to take out his emotions on the people that cared about him.

"Th- thanks...Zawa."

Whatever the man wanted to respond was interrupted as the class started to file into the room. The rest of the day was spent with relatively nothing of importance to note. The announcement for the final exams took him slightly off guard, he'd completely forgotten that exams were still a thing to worry about.

___________________________________________

Sword art online, 1 month into the game.

Shinsou wakes up suddenly, consciousness snapping back like a sturdy rubber band that's been stretched too far. His eyes take everything in high definition, like the lens of a camera, he watches the light rays of sunshine barely peeking through his curtains. The room is bathed in a cold blue that's slowly morphing into orange as the sun rose ever so slowly in the sky. It tells him that it's probably way too early for him to be awake.

It's funny how his insomnia seemed to follow him even into the game. He figures it's a psychological thing. His sleep schedule was fucked up then, so it is only fair for it to remain so now.

It doesn't change the tiredness he feels even if logically, he knows his body doesn't need more than a couple of hours of rest here. His HP is full and his energy is saturated. Nonetheless, the tiredness clings to him like a second skin, making his body feel heavy and slothful as he gets up. Limbs seemingly fighting against murky, sluggish waters, wading against the current of a metaphorical river. He pulls the covers off himself, shivering as the cold tiles touched his bare feet.

Wiggling his toes, he tries to get used to the temperature. He moves his right hand downwards, drawing up the menu and subsequently his inventory. Socks flash into existence on his feet and he feels vague satisfaction at their warmth.

He never stops marveling at the sensations simulated by the game. Because how could all this possibly be faked, how could this world be any less real than he was? He supposes that technically, he wasn't real either. At least not in the literal sense of the word.

Sighing heavily, he gets to his feet, waking towards his bathroom to freshen up for the vigorous day ahead of him.

When he finally steps outside, the streets are relatively empty except for a few stragglers, mostly NPCS. He's been staying in a tiny town near the town of beginnings. He knows this place has long since been ransacked from all its possible rewards and quests. However, there's a small, almost unnoticeable grass field just beyond the forest that he's been going to for days now. The monsters spawning there were perfect for training. Its relative emptiness also meant that he was not likely to be interrupted.

By now, dawn has painted its hues on the earth around him, bathing the streets in a beautiful red tint. He feels loneliness creep into his chest. These days it sticks to him like the dirt underneath his fingernails and the eye bags permanently etched into his skin.

Diving into the game had been the last-ditch effort of his foster parents at getting him to make friends despite his quirk. Yet, his plans seemed less and less feasible with every passing day.

He'd heard rumors of a player helping out greenies train and level up. A beta player who hadn't run off and chosen to help instead. However, it seemed too far-fetched for him to go through the effort of checking it out. Especially since it is said that the player remained anonymous.

Shinsou scoffed at the idea. Because, really, in this kill-or-be-killed new virtual world they were stuck in, who had the time to play at being a hero.

Guilt and shame clawed at his heart at his own thoughts. He'd once wanted to become a hero. Even yearned for it. Yet, these days, it seemed like a hazy dream, too far out of his reach. He needed to focus on ending this stupid game first.

Maybe if he fought enough monsters on his own, he could die fighting.

Something shriveled tight in his chest and he decided to try and keep his mind occupied on other things.

For now, he just had to train and then maybe, tomorrow, he would go explore the deeper towns for higher leveled monsters.

_____________________________

Dodging another vine, he skidded across the dirt, arms stinging as he stumbled back to his feet just in time to dodge a thorn aiming right for his head. His breathing was labored. Panic flooded his nerves and kicked every sensible thought straight out of his head. He'd foolishly hit the nepenthes with the red flower on top of its head. Ignorance, it seems, would be the death of him.

Hundreds of the level three monsters were flooding the field. Seemingly spawning out of nowhere as they surrounded him. His HP was dwindling with each hit, now an alarming yellow.

He's only ever seen it go down to red once. He'd just started the game and he'd let a wild boar get the best of him in his panic and his frantic rush to escape. However, he'd made sure to be extra careful in every monster encounter after that. Slowly learning the ins and out of the attacking and defending system.

His rapier was getting heavier in his hold with each hit he dealt. His muscles and lungs screamed in protest as he tried and failed to find a way out.

A vine grazed his side, making him hiss out instinctively despite the dimly noticeable pain. His HP was red now.

Breathing in a sharp breath he jumped over a charging plant, flipping his body over the snarling teeth and stabbing into its back. One more thrust of his blade made the creature explode in a shower of crystals. He didn't have time to celebrate, already moving under a thorned leaf and diving into a system-assisted attack.

Despite the aid of the skills he had, he had to rely pretty heavily on his body's reflexes in order to get out of this alive. He was learning it the hard way. His linear skill was a godsend, however. Having developed it early enough in the game for it to be quite effective now.

Ducking under two incoming nepenthes, he stabbed through both in quick succession, taking a moment to breathe before dodging another one. His next actions were a blur of movements, barely pausing between slashes as he killed one monster after the other.

He- he didn't want to die.

He doesn't know how long he's been at it. Doesn't know if it's been minutes or hours. But the sun had risen high in the sky. His hair clung to his sweat-matted forehead, purple strands blocking his vision occasionally as he lowered his head and mimicked a somewhat sturdy battle stance. Still unsure if he was doing any of this right. His actions weren't unproductive. To his relief, he found that the number of monsters had decreased considerably.

Quickly opening his inventory he cringed as he pulled out his last healing potion. The liquid tumbled down his throat before exploding out of existence. His HP rose back up to a yellowish green as he felt his body energizing itself.

Breathing in deeply, he turned to face the last stragglers, only two left.

However, just as he was about to charge at them, the ground seemed to split from under them. An all-mighty roar resounded through the forest, echoing in his ears as a hulking monster burst out of the dirt and foliage.

Blood running cold, heart dropping low in his stomach, he could do nothing but stagger back. His feet tripped over themselves in his haste to get away. A soundless scream getting stuck in his throat as he urged his body to move.

In a burst of shimmering light, the two nepenthes exploded. Leaving in their wake the very large, very angry blue monster.

Its mouth alone was bigger than Hitoshi's body thrice over. It's teeth were sharp and menacing as it howled at the sky, as if initiating what was supposed to be a battle cry.

Scrambling back, his fingers fumbled with the hilt of his sword. His hands trembling despite his best effort to keep himself centered.

Oh god, he was going to die here, wasn't he? This was it. This was how it ended for him.

Despite his trembling, he held his ground, knowing he couldn't outrun the beast even if he wanted to.

A giant clawed arm swiped at him from the side, swatting at him as if he was merely a fly in the monster's pass. Shinsou figures he might as well have been. Jumping away, he doesn't get away unscathed. The claws dig into his side, grazing him slightly, the force strong enough to throw him bodily to the ground. His HP was back to red with only one hit.

This wasn't a level-one monster, was it? His mind reeled as it tried to focus itself. Trying futilely to form a plan. Any plan.

His body and mind itched to reach for his quirk, even if he knew he didn't have it anymore.

The monster wasn't letting him catch his breath, already charging at him.

He tried to meet it head-on, but the moment his sword made contact with its skin, he knew it was over.

To his rising terror, his rapier, the precious blade he'd bought through hard-earned money, cracked. A thin but deep fracture formed in the metal before it exploded right in his palm. His eyes widened, fingers reaching for the floating crystals as if to halt their journey. Stop them from fading out of reality. Knowing deep down that he would soon be following their lead.

His mind conjured the horrifying image of his own body cracking and splintering out of existence.

His vision was suddenly blocked as a large animal leg, kicked into his side, sending him skidding across the floor onto his back. The monster's jaw unhinged itself wide before diving down to his fallen form.

Its roar vibrated his very skin, making the pebbles around him tremble not unlike his own body. The sound was so loud and yet it seemed to be overshadowed by the beating of his own heart. Thumping harshly in his head, making his ears ring.

Screwing his eyes shut, he resigned himself to this cruel, gruesome fate.

At least- At least there wouldn't be any pain.

He tried to think of something, anything else but the gnarly teeth digging into the earth around him, trying to rip him to shreds.

His mind flashed to his foster family. The sweet couple that had taken him in, barely a few months ago. They'd been so nice, so accepting, it hadn't felt real.

He hoped they'd move on okay, that they'd get to raise a child even if it wasn't him.

Squeezing his eyes tighter he braced himself for it.

Another hulking snarl echoed around him, hot disgusting air being blown into his face as the teeth finally broke through the dirt and forest floor blocking its way from its prized prey.

However, instead of closing in on him, the monster backed away. Opening his eyes, pupils wide with fear and confusion, he was met with the red shining liquid exploding out of its shoulder.

It was injured? But how-

There, right above him, a dark figure was leaping at the creature. Sword poised in between steady fingers as he charged at the monster. Barely faltering between his attacks.

Eyes finally adjusting, he noticed that the figure was that of another boy. One with dark, green curly hair.

To Shinsou's amazement, the monster's HP had dropped to a satisfying yellow. A blur of movements, too fast for his eyes to keep up with, swiftly dealt the beast with blow after blow. Its HP dropped considerably with each new hit. The boy was showing skills and techniques Shinsou has only ever read about.

The stranger's eyes were hard and trained on the monster, expression not faltering from its calm, seriousness as he thrust his sword from the bottom of its stomach right into the base of its skull.

With a burst of red crystals, the beast disappeared, a chiming sound announcing the XP and item drop it produced.

His mind barely registered it, however, still stuck on the fact that he was still there, alive and breathing.

His wide, lavender eyes looked at the boy's figure, gulping as he tried to get his mouth to work. His tongue felt like lead in his mouth, heavy and unresponsive.

The boy, a teenager, probably no older than he was, turned to face him then. His arm rose to strap his sword back in the scabbard attached to his back. The movement was practiced and graceful. It spoke of experience and skill and it made Shinsou's blood boil with envy.

A small, hesitant smile rested on his face. His eyes as green as his hair, if not brighter, seemed to hold some kind of cautious, tentative kindness in them. His gaze was trained towards Shinsou's own, still round, panicked eyes.

"Are you okay?" His voice was soft, softer than he'd expected for a fighter of his skill, and yet it fit almost perfectly with his short disarmingly innocent stature. "Oh, I'm sorry! Of course, you're not." He muttered, cursing himself under his breath, probably thinking Shinsou wouldn't hear him. "How's your HP? I've got some healing potions if you need some?" He hurried to say as if the words would disappear if he didn't get them out fast enough.

Shinsou for his part could only stare at the teen. Voice once again failing him as he looked at the boy in front of him. Wondering if this was all real, or just another fabricated figment of his imagination.

He expected the boy to take his silence as rejection, but to his added surprise, the kid proceeded to take out two healing potions and some kind of parchment.

"H-here," He held them out, arm reaching halfway to the distance between them. "You need them a-and I have plenty." Realizing he was a little far, the teen scooted a couple of steps towards him, hand shaking slightly as if to urge him to take the offered items. "And here's a map to get back to town, I-if you need it, I mean- Not that you wouldn't know how to- I'm sure you do but s-sometimes it's ah- it's can be hard to recover after- I mean- yeah..." He scratched the back of his neck and Shinsou found himself wanting to laugh. Was this real?

Yet, despite the urge to thank the boy in front of him, all he could manage to do was reach out, movements slow and tentative. As if he was afraid the teen would withdraw his offer at the last second. However, his hand grasped at the items and retreated with them in his hold with no fanfare. Breathing in deeply, he sighed, only now realizing that the danger was over. He was, despite all odds, safe.

Despite the newly acquired potions in his possession, he made no move to drink them. He wasn't sure why. The items were clearly labeled in his inventory now, there was no way to tamper with game-acquired substances. Furthermore, the boy in front of him had been nothing but kind to him, he had saved his life.

His rising guilt was interrupted as the teen seemed to startle out of some kind of daze. Looking away with something akin to embarrassment as he shuffled on his feet. "Ah- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push myself onto you like this, and you're probably really tired..." He started, voice softer than it was before. "I'll be going the, and uhm, don't hesitate to use the map, it's pretty accurate and easily understandable. I hope you get home safe." Without letting Shinsou get a word in edgewise, the boy was off, running faster than Shinsou thought possible this early in the game.

As he walked to the inn he'd rented out the night prior, he found himself going over the entire interaction, cursing himself for being so pathetic.

It seemed that even when he was training his hardest, he was bound to be a weakling. In need of someone else's saving.

He promised himself then and there that he wouldn't stop until he got stronger. Maybe one day, he would be the one doing the saving.

That night, as he lay tossing and turning within the rough, worn sheets of his bed, he dreamed of roaring beasts and soft smiles.

Hope you guys like this one,

chapter 21 posted on my patreon, link in my bio