Wilted Bloom

Maya paced the length of the teachers' dorms, her wings twitching with restless energy as her mind spiraled with unanswered questions. It had been days since Shota had started acting strangely—short conversations, distant glances, and late nights spent away from their shared room. Normally, she could handle his occasional bouts of distance, knowing they came with the territory of his work as a hero and teacher. But this was different. This time, her gut twisted with the unmistakable feeling that something was wrong.

Her quirk, as if sensing her growing anxiety, began to pulse faintly beneath her skin. It wasn't painful—more like a low hum of energy simmering just beneath the surface. The sensation was familiar, but the intensity was new. It felt like her quirk was trying to pull her somewhere, as though the energy within her was attuned to something—or someone—far beyond the walls of the dorms.

"Where are you, Shota?" she whispered to the empty room, her fingers curling into fists at her sides.

As if in answer, her wings flared slightly, the glow along their edges flickering with restless urgency. Her heart skipped a beat. It wasn't a coincidence—she could feel it now. Her quirk was trying to lead her to him.

Without a second thought, Maya darted toward the nearest window, throwing it open with a burst of cool night air. The wind caught her wings as she leapt into the night sky, her body lifting effortlessly as she followed the invisible pull deep in her chest. The city lights blurred beneath her as she flew, faster than she ever had before, the urgency of her quirk fueling every beat of her wings. Her heart pounded in her chest as a growing sense of dread coiled tightly around her ribcage.

The further she flew, the stronger the pull became until it was almost unbearable—a magnetic force urging her onward, guiding her with an instinct she couldn't ignore. It wasn't long before she spotted the telltale flashes of battle below—the distant crackle of quirks, the faint glint of weapons, and the unmistakable hum of chaos. Smoke curled into the air from a demolished building, and the faint echo of shouting reached her ears as she approached.

Maya's wings faltered mid-flight as her gaze locked onto the scene below—a massive, grotesque thing that defied all sense of reason. Its distorted form twisted unnaturally, with limbs and muscle mass that seemed to pulse and grow without limit. The air around it crackled with unstable energy as it lashed out wildly, sending debris flying in every direction. And standing near the heart of the chaos was Shota, his scarf whipping through the air as he dodged the creature's attacks with practiced precision.

But Maya's gaze wasn't on Shota—it was on the child clutched tightly in the monster's grasp.

A little girl with pale hair and wide, terrified eyes.

Something inside Maya snapped.

Her wings blazed with light as she dove toward the creature, her quirk surging wildly as if it had been waiting for this exact moment. The air around her seemed to bend as she moved, her glowing butterflies materializing in swarms around her as she hit the ground with enough force to crack the pavement beneath her boots.

"Let her go!" she shouted, her voice ringing out like a thunderclap through the chaos.

The creature's head twisted toward her, its malformed eyes locking onto her with predatory interest. Its grip on the girl tightened, drawing a sharp cry from the child.

Maya didn't hesitate.

Her quirk surged forward in a torrent of nature and light—vines erupted from the cracked pavement beneath her feet, coiling around the monster's limbs and pulling it back with enough force to shatter the nearby walls. Glowing butterflies swarmed the creature's face, disorienting it with bursts of light that exploded like miniature fireworks against its skin. Her wings flared behind her as she advanced, every step forward sending another pulse of energy through the air.