April 20th, 2404 — Durand Family Estate — Musutafu, Japan(Three weeks after Sage's Birthday)
Sage's feet hit the ground silently as he jumped out of bed, early morning sunlight casting long shadows across his room. Shaking off the last remnants of sleep, he began his morning stretches, mentally calling up his quest panel to check his progress.
[Side Quest — Swordsman
Goal: Spend 200 hours learning to wield the katana.
Progress: 64/200 hours
Reward: 10xp, Title — Amateur Swordsman, Skill — Sword Talent (C)]
[Side Quest — Basic Stretches
Goal: Spend 100 hours performing basic stretches to improve your flexibility.
Progress: 15/100 hours
Reward: 10xp, Skill - Flexibility]
A well-timed shift allowed her to transition into the second half of her stretches.
"...9, 10, 11, 12. Done!"
Shaking out her limbs, Sage hopped over to her cupboard, a soft green glow enveloping her body as she channelled her quirk, returning herself to peak condition. As she did, she felt the now-familiar drain of energy—the cost of using her powers that she'd grown accustomed to over these past weeks of practice.
She donned a pair of leggings and a simple shirt for her female form, then waited patiently for her curse to activate. When it did, he grabbed a pair of shorts and a black t-shirt more suitable for his male form – long since used to her clothes shifting all the time.
Yawning aloud, he walked toward the door, his steps janky as he glitched back and forth through space. Despite the erratic teleportation, he reached the door faster than normal movement would allow.
Pausing at the threshold, he turned back toward the room. "Hela, it's time to wake up."
A light beeping sound responded from the corner as the small robot came online, her screen displaying little Z's that gradually faded away.
"Good morning, Sage," Helena greeted. "What are we doing today?"
Tapping his chin thoughtfully, Sage shrugged. "I've got no idea. Let's just go with the flow and see where it takes us."
Helena's screen immediately shifted to display dark marks under her eyes as she emitted a mechanical groan. "Do we have to do that? Couldn't we, I don't know, not wander off for once?"
"You know it's more fun this way," Sage chuckled. "Besides, plans never last long anyway."
With that, he turned and walked out the door, the little robot reluctantly hovering behind.
As they moved down the hallway, Sage continued to teleport randomly back and forth, prompting Helena to interrupt his thoughts.
"Sage. You've got to focus on practicing your quirk properly. You can't just randomly teleport everywhere—it's dangerous."
Humming to himself, Sage spun on the spot while still moving forward, his body defying normal physics. "I don't see what's wrong with it."
Sighing, Helena flew forward and bonked him on the head with one of her small metal arms. Erupting into a puff of steam, Sage tumbled backward as normal physics reasserted themselves.
"Oww!" Wincing, she rubbed the back of her head with a pout.
"I told you so," Helena said, her digital expression smug.
Face flushing with embarrassment, Sage avoided eye contact as she hopped back to her feet. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Nothing happened."
The robot zipped past her head to hover slightly in front as they descended the stairs, the hearty aroma of breakfast beckoning them onward.
"Fine, you win for now," Helena conceded. "But Marcel asked me to remind you to attend your lessons later today."
Sage perked up at that, her tail beginning to swish back and forth eagerly. One thing she'd quickly noticed in this new life was how easily she absorbed knowledge. Information seemed to flow like water into her brain and stuck with perfect clarity. This newfound mental capacity had led to her actually enjoying lessons, as she struggled less and felt more confident in her abilities.
"Sure thing. I'll drop by after breakfast," she promised.
Ding
The system prompt momentarily distracted her. She mentally pulled up the screen to check the new quest.
[Side Quest — The Pursuit of Knowledge
Goal: Spend 1/1000 hours studying general knowledge.
Reward: 100xp, Skill — Enhanced Intellect]
Nodding to herself, Sage glanced at HLN-A, who showed a spinning wheel for barely a microsecond before smoothly continuing their conversation.
"Very well, I've messaged your father."
Sage chuckled at the robot's formality, which seemed to offend Helena, who swooped around her agitatedly.
"What's so funny? Why are you laughing? What did I do wrong?"
Reaching out, Sage gently stopped the little robot and tapped her casing affectionately. "It's okay, you're still learning. For future reference, you don't need to send a message to Dad if it's before breakfast—he ALWAYS shows up for breakfast, so I can tell him then."
The robot seemed to process this information before returning to her usual spot hovering behind Sage as they entered the kitchen. Morning light streamed through the windows, illuminating the steam rising from a fresh plate of bacon and eggs.
Inari slinked from countertop to countertop arranging breakfast, her fox ears flickering slightly as she looked up. "Good morning, sweetie. Breakfast will be ready in just a few seconds."
Sage nodded and moved to grab cutlery, setting the table before getting a glass of water and her food. After enjoying the delicious meal, she cleaned her dishes and wandered off to find wherever her father wandered off to for lessons, slowly getting lost in thought as she walked.
'I should really try to complete one of these quests soon. Maybe I should make a friend—though that would mean leaving the house.'
So deep was she in her thoughts that she failed to notice when they shifted back to their male form. As he walked, he teleported around the hallway randomly, oblivious to the changes in space around him.
Suddenly and unexpectedly, the space in front of him seemed to darken. With his next step, he disappeared entirely from the hallway.
Following behind, HLN-A was shocked by his sudden vanishing. Acting quickly, she zipped into nearby rooms, searching frantically for the missing child. Room after room yielded nothing, her concern growing with each empty space.
Reaching the last room with no sign of Sage, she stopped and accessed the compound's security system. Scanning through camera feeds from top to bottom, her search revealed nothing.
"Where did you go, Sage?" Her screen turned grey with worry.
Realizing she needed help, she changed course and sped through the hallway back to the kitchen where Inari was still happily cooking.
"Mistress Inari—Sage has disappeared from the estate, and I'm unable to locate them."
Inari spun around, her eyes boring into the floating robot with intense focus. "Repeat that. Where is my child?!"
Helena's screen displayed a sweating emoticon as she angled away slightly. Noticing a nearby TV, she quickly hacked into it to replay the last moments before Sage's disappearance.
Inari dashed forward to scrutinize the video, waving Helena closer. "Robot, contact my husband immediately. You have permission to hack every camera in the vicinity—find my child."
***************************
Meanwhile, Sage continued walking, lost in thought. Around him, the world had shifted unnaturally—he was moving through what seemed like a higher dimension, where buildings appeared as infinitely thin planes like paper cutouts, every part of his surroundings visible at once to anyone who might focus.
'I should talk to Mom about going out to a public park or somewhere similar. Maybe I can go to school? No, that seems like a horrible idea. I'm mentally far older than other kids despite lacking many of my memories...'
As he continued walking, space distorted once more. Sage stepped back into three-dimensional reality, his foot catching on a rock.
"Huh? Where am I?"
Snapping back to awareness, Sage finally realized he was no longer at home. Spinning in place, he surveyed his surroundings.
A concrete path extended in both directions, with thick trees providing cooling shade over lush green grass. To his left, the path crossed a wooden bridge spanning a small river. To his right, it continued for about a hundred meters before ending at a brick archway covered in vines. Beyond the arch, tall buildings dotted the skyline—vaguely familiar but somehow off.
"Those buildings look different. I think I normally see them from the opposite side," he muttered. "That means I'm on the other side of the city."
Looking around more carefully, he continued talking to himself. "I should find a phone to call Mom so I can go home... though maybe I should look around first."
Turning away from the park exit, he wandered toward the bridge, the sound of arguing children echoing from deeper within the park. Curious, Sage crossed over and followed a small dirt path worn by years of footsteps, enjoying the pleasant morning air.
Breaking through the tree line, he spotted a small group of children. Four stood on one side while two were positioned against a large tree. One child lay on the dusty ground, blood dripping from his nose, while another—a boy with bright green hair—stood protectively between the fallen child and the four antagonists.
The green-haired boy was shouting something about protecting the injured child.
'Wait, that kid looks familiar... Isn't that Izuku? Which means the blonde kid over there must be Katsuki Bakugo.'
As Sage watched, the blonde boy dashed forward with small explosions popping around his hands. With a menacing grin, he swung his fist in a wide arc toward the green-haired defender.
Frowning, Sage stepped forward. Space shifted as he disappeared and reappeared between them. Moving quickly, he caught the blonde's wrist, twisted him around, and pushed him back toward his cronies.
The boy stumbled, tripping over his feet and falling face-first into the dirt. The other children stared in shock, unsure where Sage had come from.
"Huh? Wait, who are you?" The green-haired boy looked confused before his attention snapped back. "Wait—Kacchan, are you okay?"
He dashed past Sage to crouch beside the blonde, who growled angrily as small explosions crackled around his hands. Shrugging off the concerned boy, the blonde launched a point-blank explosion at his face, sending him tumbling backward with painful burns.
Blasting back to his feet, the blonde spun toward Sage, growling like a rabid dog. "What the fuck! Who are you, you extra?! I'm gonna kill you!"
He charged forward, rage in his eyes, small explosions blasting apart the ground beneath him. As he came within range, he swung his fist, explosions crackling in his palm.
Sage frowned and smoothly sidestepped, pushing the boy as he passed and sending him tumbling into the tree as he lost balance.
"What is your deal, kid? Why'd you attack Broccoli when he tried to help you?"
Though Sage already knew the answer, he voiced the question, hoping to make Katsuki reflect on his actions.
Pushing off the tree, the blonde spun around, teeth gritted as sparks flew from his hands, pure rage evident in his eyes.
"Fuck you, extra! I'm going to be the number one hero! I don't need anyone's help, especially from that quirkless nobody! Now die!"
Sighing, Sage watched as Bakugo blasted toward him again. A burst of steam suddenly engulfed Sage, obscuring him from view. Bakugo charged through the cloud, swinging wildly and dispersing the steam with his explosions.
Stepping aside, Sage watched one of her least favourite characters from the anime threw what amounted to a tantrum, his attitude resembling that of a spoiled child.
As the last wisps of steam dissipated, Bakugo spun around, mouth frothing with anger. When he locked eyes with her, his rage momentarily gave way to confusion.
"Hey! Where did that obnoxious bastard go?!" he demanded of the girl now standing before him.
Sage sighed, giving him a scalding yet analytical look. "I didn't go anywhere. You seem to have gotten yourself confused, Mister 'Number One Hero.'"
Hearing the sarcasm in her voice, Bakugo's anger flared again. He dashed toward her, but her gaze hardened as she met him head-on. She swept his blow aside, spun in place, and launched him over her shoulder.
He hit the ground hard, the air knocked from his lungs, leaving him wheezing.
Scoffing, Sage walked toward the injured green-haired boy who was silently sobbing to the side.
"You're never going to be the number one hero with an attitude like that," she called back to Bakugo. "Take a proper look at yourself—your actions are closer to a villain's than a hero's."
Growling, Bakugo propped himself up on his hands and knees, coughing violently. His furious gaze burned into her back, but she ignored it, kneeling next to Izuku and gently placing her hand on his shoulder. She channelled healing energy into him, his wounds knitting back together under a soft green glow.
The tears stopped streaming from his eyes as he looked up at her in amazement. Smiling, she offered him a hand up.
"Nice to meet you, Broccoli Boy. My name is Sage. What's yours?"
He looked conflicted for a moment, his gaze flickering between her offered hand, her smiling face, and the angry boy behind them. Tentatively, he reached out and grasped her hand, allowing her to pull him to his feet.
Immediately after standing, he moved toward Bakugo and offered his hand, barely hesitating. Bakugo's scowl deepened as more sparks burst against his skin while he stared at the outstretched hand.
Sage stepped closer to watch the awkward exchange, her gaze fixed firmly on the volatile child.
"Are you okay, Kacchan?" Izuku asked softly.
Bakugo seemed to calm slightly, thinking briefly before clicking his tongue dismissively. He stood up on his own, slapping away the offered hand and positioning himself in front of Sage.
"This isn't over, extra!" he declared before walking away, his followers trailing behind.
"What's with the villain dialogue, Chihuahua?" Sage called after him, smirking as sparks popped in his hands. Still, he didn't turn around, continuing to sulk away.
Sighing, Sage turned back to the downcast boy who stood staring at his rejected hand.
"So what's your name, Broccoli? You got distracted by Explosion Boy."
He turned slowly; his posture diminutive as he began to tremble. "Um... um... um... MynameisIzuku," he stammered, weakly waving his hands.
Chuckling, Sage patted the nervous kid's shoulder. "Nice to meet you properly, Izuku," she said with a genuine smile.
'This looks like it's going to be fun.'