Chapter Fourteen: The Gathering Storm
Still don't own My Hero Academia
The forge's hum was louder that night.
Izuku lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling of his dorm room, his fingers clutching the pendant tightly. It felt alive—its warmth pulsing faintly, in rhythm with his own heartbeat. Something was coming. He didn't know what, but the forge knew. And it was trying to prepare him.
Across the room, his notebook sat open on his desk, filled with diagrams and ideas for the Harmony Suit. But his thoughts weren't on their project anymore. They were on the shadows. The whispers. The feeling of being watched.
A knock on his door startled him out of his thoughts. He sat up quickly, the pendant slipping back beneath his shirt. "C-come in," he called.
The door opened, and Momo stepped inside, her expression calm but tinged with concern. She held a small flashlight in her hand, and her hair was loosely tied back, giving her a casual, approachable air. "I'm sorry to disturb you so late," she said softly. "But… I couldn't sleep. I've been thinking about what you said earlier. About the forge."
Izuku swung his legs over the side of the bed, his heart racing. "Momo… you didn't have to come all the way here."
She closed the door behind her and approached his desk, glancing down at his notes. "I know. But I wanted to. If you're carrying this kind of burden, then the least I can do is help you carry it."
Her words hit him like a wave, and he felt his grip on the pendant tighten. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. But then, quietly, he nodded. "Thank you."
Momo sat down in the chair beside his desk, her gaze steady. "Whatever this forge is—whatever it's trying to tell you—we'll figure it out. Together."
Izuku smiled faintly, her presence easing some of the tension in his chest. "Together," he repeated.
But as the night deepened, and the shadows outside his window seemed to stretch farther than they should, Izuku couldn't help but wonder how much time they had left before the storm arrived.
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To be continued.