The U.A. campus was quiet as the moon bathed the buildings in silver light. But inside the dormitory lounge, the air buzzed with tension.
Sabo sat alone by the window, pipe resting across his knees, eyes fixed on the stars. His mind replayed Nezu's words over and over.
You may not have come here alone.
Who else had crossed the rift? And why now?
He closed his eyes, trying to feel it—that strange ripple in the air he'd sensed during his arrival. If others had followed… were they friend or foe?
Footsteps approached. This time, it was Todoroki.
"You're thinking too loud," Todoroki said quietly, standing nearby with a cup of tea in hand.
Sabo chuckled softly. "You can tell?"
"Yeah." Todoroki took a sip. "I know what it's like to carry fire. And questions."
Sabo turned to look at him. "You fought Dabi before, right?"
Todoroki's grip on the mug tightened slightly. "Yes."
Sabo didn't push. "There's something about him. His flames aren't just dangerous—they're haunted."
Todoroki sat down across from him, the light casting shadows over his red-and-white hair.
"They are," Todoroki said after a long silence. "He has pain behind them. But pain doesn't excuse what he's done."
Sabo nodded slowly. "I agree. I'll stop him next time. No matter what."
Todoroki studied him. "You're strong. And not just in power."
Before Sabo could respond, a sharp buzzing rang out.
The emergency alarm.
A moment later, Yaoyorozu's voice rang through the intercom: "All available students, report to the common room immediately. Emergency reconnaissance detected unidentified movement near Kamino Ward!"
Sabo was on his feet instantly.
Within minutes, the Class 1-A students gathered, dressed in their provisional hero gear. Aizawa stood in front of them, grave-faced.
"This is a recon mission only. We've detected two unidentified signatures moving near the ruins of the Kamino district. Both are unregistered in our database, and their presence is similar to the energy we traced during Sabo's arrival."
Gasps spread through the group.
"Two?" Midoriya asked. "Could they be villains?"
"We don't know," Aizawa replied. "Which is why Sabo is joining us. His connection might be the key."
Bakugo grunted. "Tch. Great. Now we're dealing with more weirdo fire guys."
"Enough," Aizawa said sternly. "Team Alpha—Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, and Sabo—you're with me."
The team launched into motion, racing toward Kamino in stealth gear under the cover of darkness.
As they approached the ruined district, a strange chill filled the air.
Sabo felt it before anyone else.
The air shimmered. The ground pulsed with an unnatural warmth—like a heartbeat buried under stone.
Then they saw them.
Two figures stood amid the rubble. One wore sleek, black armor with a jagged crimson visor. The other hovered slightly off the ground, cloaked in misty shadows, their body rippling as if made of smoke.
They turned as the group arrived.
The armored one stepped forward.
"Sabo…"
Sabo's eyes widened.
He didn't recognize the face—but the voice…
It was familiar.
"Who are you?" he asked, flames flickering on his fingertips.
The armored figure tilted their head. "You don't remember? You left us behind."
The shadowy figure chuckled, voice ethereal. "The fire may have saved you, but it cursed us."
Todoroki stepped forward, readying his ice.
"Don't move," he warned.
The mist figure ignored him. "We followed your trail across dimensions, through the rift. And now that we're here… we have unfinished business."
Sabo's heart pounded.
"Who are you really?" he demanded.
The armored figure reached up and removed their helmet—revealing a scarred face, eyes glowing faintly with embers.
"Name's Kael," he said. "Back home, we were brothers in arms. Until the fire chose you."
Sabo staggered slightly.
The memory came rushing back—faint, blurred—but real.
A burning village. Kael by his side. Both of them fighting for revolution.
But something had gone wrong. Sabo had been pulled into the sky—while Kael had burned.
"You survived…"
Kael nodded grimly. "Barely. But not unchanged."
The mist figure's form sharpened slightly. "And now that we're here… we're going to finish what we started."
Suddenly, Kael raised his hand—and fire exploded outward, streaked with black smoke and violet energy.
Sabo barely blocked it, fire bursting from his palms as the team scattered.
"They're hostile!" Aizawa shouted. "Engage defensively!"
The air lit up with flame, ice, and shadow as the battle began.
And Sabo realized, in that moment:
He hadn't just come to this world by accident.
He had brought something with him.
Something dangerous.
Something from his past.