● Dabi ●

The neon lights of the city barely reached the depths of the alleyway as I sauntered through, hands tucked deep in my pockets. The air was thick with the scent of rain and secrets, a perfect night for trouble.

That's when I spotted her - a young girl with hair like spun gold, her plaid skirt swaying gently in the night breeze. But something was off. My eyes narrowed as I noticed the dark splatters on the ground beside her. Blood.

"Who are you?" I called out, my voice echoing off the brick walls.

The girl yelped, spinning around with inhuman grace. Her eyes, golden and catlike, locked onto mine. A shiver ran down my spine as I saw the unbridled joy dancing in those feline orbs.

"Oh, hello there!" she chirped, her voice dripping with a sweetness that felt all wrong. "You would look good bleeding."

My heart skipped a beat, but I didn't let it show. Instead, I raised my hand, summoning a vibrant blue flame that cast eerie shadows across the alley. The fire danced between my fingers, a warning and a promise.

"Try it," I said curtly, my voice low and dangerous, "and you'll be incinerated."

The girl's manic grin only widened, her golden eyes reflecting the azure flames. In that moment, standing in the dark alley with this strange, blood-spattered girl, I realized my quiet night had just become far more interesting... and deadly.

"Oh, you must be the one Shigaraki said I'd meet!" Her eyes lit up with a manic gleam. "I'm Himiko Toga, the League of Villains' newest recruit. You must be on your way there,

 too, aren't you?"

She hopped up and down, her skirt swaying dangerously, twin buns bouncing atop her head. I sighed, letting my flames die out. "I am. How come Shigaraki knew about that?"

Toga chuckled, a high-pitched sound that sent shivers down my spine. "Oh, he knows things. Now come on!"

Before I could protest, she reached out and grabbed my scarred hand. I flinched at the contact but allowed her to hold on as she dragged me through the neon-lit streets. We weaved through the crowd, two lost souls on a collision course with destiny.

Finally, we arrived at a dimly lit bar, its weathered sign barely visible in the gloom. Toga pushed open the door with a flourish, revealing a strange sight within.

A man - if you could call him that - greeted us. Yellow eyes gazed out from a swirling mass of dark, inky smoke where his head should have been.

"Ah, you must be the new ones that want to join us," he said, his voice smooth as velvet. "Come on, Tomura is this way."

With a wave of his misty hand, he beckoned us inside. The door creaked shut behind us, sealing off the outside world. There was no turning back now.

As we followed the smoky figure deeper into the bar, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was walking into the belly of the beast. But isn't that exactly where a villain should feel at home?

The interior of the bar was dimly lit, casting long shadows across worn floorboards. My eyes adjusted to the gloom, settling on a figure hunched over a stack of papers. Tufts of baby blue hair stuck out at odd angles as he muttered feverishly to himself.

"Tomura, the new recruits are here," the misty man announced.

The hunched figure turned, revealing a face that made my stomach churn. Dry, cracked skin stretched over sunken features, red eyes gleaming with barely contained malice. I crossed my arms and leaned against the door frame, affecting an air of nonchalance.

Toga, on the other hand, bounced around me like an overexcited puppy, her grin unsettlingly wide.

"Ah, yes," Tomura rasped, a creepy smile twisting his features. "Why don't you introduce yourselves, then?"

I dipped my head slightly, dark tendrils of hair falling into my blue eyes. "I'm Dabi," I said, voice low and gravelly.

Before I could continue, Toga cut in, practically vibrating with excitement. "I'm Toga Himiko! Ooh, I can't wait to make you bleed!"

I fought the urge to push her down, if only to keep her still for a moment. Shigaraki bristled at her words, his red eyes flashing dangerously.

"There will be no blood drawn from me, you maggot," he snapped. Then, shaking his head as if to clear it, he turned to the misty man. "Kurogiri, tell these new newbies what they're in for."

As Kurogiri began to speak, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of twisted family I'd just joined. The League of Villains – a group of misfits and monsters, each with their own dark desires. And now, I was one of them.

I focused on Kurogiri, the misty man, as he held up a photo. My breath caught in my throat. The image showed a girl of otherworldly beauty - (H/C) hair cascading to her hips, (E/C) eyes sparkling as she smiled at the camera. Beside her stood a green-haired boy I instantly wanted to crush like an insignificant bug.

"This is Echo L/N," Kurogiri explained, his yellow eyes gleaming. "Queen of the Hidden World and the dragons that roam there. She's been newly recruited into U.A., and we want her here with us. She's powerful beyond measure."

Something clicked in my mind. This girl... she was the one who had attacked the League at the USJ. I'd seen the reports, heard whispers of how many had died from fire burns and claw strikes across their throats. She was hard to crack and even harder to kill. Even Stain, the infamous Hero Killer, had only managed to begin gutting her before being forced to retreat. Dragon scales are tough, after all.

Toga's eyes lit up with a frightening intensity. "Ooh, her blood would be pretty, pretty, wouldn't it, Dabi?" she squealed, practically salivating at the thought. "Oh, when, when will she join us?"

I stayed silent, my mind racing. This Echo L/N was clearly a force to be reckoned with. A dragon in human form, with power that could tip the scales in our favor. But something about her eyes in that photo... there was a warmth there, a light that seemed at odds with the destruction she was capable of.

Shigaraki's raspy voice cut through my thoughts. "Soon," he promised, a manic glee in his red eyes. "We'll make her see the truth of this rotten society. She'll join us, or we'll break her trying."

As the others continued to discuss plans, I couldn't shake the image of Echo from my mind. A dragon queen among heroes... What would it take to make her fall?