Chapter 2: Eggs and Echoes
The city was a labyrinth of dark alleys and neon-lit avenues. Toga and Twice, fueled by sugar and manic energy, were a blur of chaotic motion, their laughter echoing through the night. Shigaraki, his frustration mounting with each passing minute, stalked the streets, disintegrating any obstacle that stood in his way. Spinner, a loyal follower of Stain's ideology, searched with a grim determination, hoping to find an egg containing a weapon worthy of his hero-killing idol.
Dabi, however, found himself drawn to the outskirts of the city. He wasn't particularly interested in the prizes. He was more interested in avoiding the forced festivities. He wandered aimlessly, his thoughts as charred and fragmented as his skin.
He found himself near a wooded area, bordering a modest mountain. The air was crisp and cool, a welcome respite from the stifling atmosphere of the city. He could hear the faint sounds of laughter and chatter in the distance. Curiosity, a rare and unsettling emotion, nudged him forward.
He peered through the trees, and his breath hitched in his throat.
It was a scene straight out of a saccharine, idealistic fantasy. Class 1-A, the hero students of UA High, were engaged in their own Easter egg hunt. The air was filled with the cheerful sounds of their camaraderie, their youthful energy radiating outwards.
And there, amidst the brightly colored eggs and the beaming faces, was Shoto Todoroki.
Dabi watched, unseen, as his younger brother carefully plucked a bright blue egg from the branch of a tree. He turned, a gentle smile gracing his lips, and presented the egg to a small girl with silver hair and a single horn - Eri.
Eri's face lit up, a rare and precious smile blossoming on her face. Shoto ruffled her hair, his eyes filled with a genuine warmth that Dabi had never seen directed towards him.
He observed the scene with a strange mixture of emotions. Resentment, of course, burned in his chest, a familiar ache that had been festering for years. Resentment towards his father, Endeavor, for the years of brutal training and emotional neglect. Resentment towards his siblings, who had escaped the worst of their father's wrath. Resentment towards Shoto, who was now everything their father had wanted him to be - a powerful, controlled hero.
But there was something else there, too. A flicker of… pride? He watched as Shoto, without the slightest hint of arrogance, interacted with his classmates, his quirk used to light pathways for others, to help them reach higher places. He was everything Endeavor had failed to be - a hero who inspired hope and compassion, not fear and obedience.
Dabi, a villain consumed by hatred and vengeance, found himself begrudgingly impressed. Shoto was becoming the hero their father could never be. He was breaking the cycle.
A small part of him, a buried ember of hope that he thought had long been extinguished, flickered to life. But it was quickly snuffed out by the cold reality of his own choices. He had walked a different path, a path paved with fire and destruction. There was no turning back.
He forced himself to tear his gaze away from the idyllic scene. He couldn't linger here, dwelling on what could have been, on what he had irrevocably lost.
He turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the trees. He didn't need an Easter egg. He didn't need candy or money or any of the trinkets All For One had promised. He had seen what he needed to see. A glimpse into a life he could never have.
He emerged from the woods and found himself in a deserted alleyway. The city lights glittered around him, but he saw only darkness. He pulled out a cigarette, the flame momentarily illuminating his scarred face.
He inhaled deeply, the smoke stinging his lungs, a bitter reminder of his burning past.
He had a mission to fulfill. A promise to keep. He would burn the world down, one flame at a time. And he wouldn't let anything, not even the sight of his brother becoming a hero, deter him from his path.
He crushed the cigarette beneath his heel and disappeared into the night, a lone figure swallowed by the shadows, his heart a cold and desolate wasteland. The League of Villains' bizarre Easter egg hunt would continue without him. He was already lost in a different kind of hunt - a hunt for vengeance that would consume everything in its path. And that, he realized, was the only prize he truly desired.