Even as Luke fell into a stupor after hearing Yoichi's declaration, a scene blurred into existence around him.
Nyx nervously shuffled on his shoulder, keeping quiet.
It was a dark, broken room, high up in a multi-story building, with one of its walls shattered, revealing an incredibly large full moon hanging in the sky outside.
A gust of wind ca dancing into the room and tiptoed around a teen Yoichi with long white hair, his green eyes engrossed in the comic in his hand.
Even more comics were strewn in the room, their pages flapping noisily with the wind.
Suddenly, from outside, a suffused golden glow, with the moon in the background, attracted the teen Yoichi's attention.
An outline began taking shape in the sky.
Soon, the outline beca solid, revealing Zen Shigaraki in his teenage years, glowing with a golden hue.
"So much fuss about the Golden Baby… just because he registered as the first ta," Zen said, flying inside. "I stole his golden glow… and killed him."
The young Yoichi's eyes shook. "… Why?"
"Wasn't it ntioned in your comic books?" Zen said sarcastically, a sadistic smile blooming across his glowing face. "The Hero fights alone for people who don't even care about him. While the Villain? Everybody submits to him in fear. Everybody worships him. Haha… What was that? A Hero is one for everybody, and everybody is one for the Villain. One For All. All For One. I… took those words personally."
The scene paused.
"Sothing tells that you knew about the glowing baby not being the first Quirk user," Yoichi said, looking at his younger self and his older brother's crazed look. "Anyway, it is true. Even before the glowing baby, before our mother, there were cases of tas… just not prevalent and apparent enough to be noticed as sothing more than… physical and ntal quirks. Ironic, isn't it?"
Luke's eyes narrowed. "What are you getting at?"
"There's a theory…" Yoichi looked at Luke over his shoulder. "Quirk Singularity."
Nyx almost cawed out a gasp.
This ti, it was Luke who shuffled on his feet, not expecting to hear these words at this mont, this place, and… from a Vestige so old.
"We learn from our users," Yoichi said with a smile. "It wasn't so… clear before Midoriya, but we were still there. Anyway, Quirk Singularity. Quirks blend and evolve across generations, producing stronger and more complex Quirks.
"However, with this increase in power, the Quirks will also beco more difficult to control, since the human body doesn't evolve quickly enough to keep up. Eventually, there will co a point when Quirks will beco too overpowered and complicated, and no one will be able to control them anymore."
Luke was the last person who needed to be told about Quirk Singularity, as he had studied it for years in isolation.
His entire life, his marriage, and then… his daughter's existence had revolved around it.
Still, as Yoichi said those words, Luke couldn't help but think of the theory he had co up with himself — Quirk Conformity — which stated that all Quirks shared an origin and had a natural tendency to converge, i.e., the birth of a Quirk like All For One's was not only inevitable, but also repetitive.
It was only later, after death, that Luke finally unraveled more about these theories with the help of a God.
Mr. Fool had told Luke that Singularity was about Uniqueness, and Quirk Singularity was nothing but Conformity's attempt to restrictthat unique status.
Similarly, He had also guessed that Conformity was about Convergence, and Quirk Conformity was nothing but Singularity's attempt to restrict the sa.
Coincidentally, or not-so-coincidentally, both Quirk Singularity and Quirk Conformity resulted in mutations, corrupting not only the body but also the soul.
Luke didn't share Mr. Fool's theories with the Vestige, though.
Instead, he asked, "What of it?"
Yoichi looked back at his brother. "My brother is a living testant to Quirk Singularity," he said. "He suffers… from the combined backlash of all stolen Quirks. His body isn't evolved enough to hold a Quirk like All For One. The question is… why?"
If there had been anyone else in Luke's place, even a Quirk scientist, he might not have understood Yoichi's why.
But Luke was a Cryptologist.
In only a mont, he decrypted what the Vestige ant.
The only thing that kept his face from distorting under a shocked realization was the fact that he was also a Faceless.
"Oi…" Nyx hissed in his ear, concerned. "… What's going on? You look horrible!"
"When Quirks were supposed to beco overpowered and overcomplicated across generations," Yoichi explained himself, "then… why was my brother born with such a powerful Quirk? Quirks had begun appearing only months around our birth in a more… obvious manner, enough for soone to tell tas and non-tas apart. Then why was my brother born with an ability to steal Quirks, when my mother's Quirk was nothing but ordinary? Also, Zen tracked down our father and killed him… and he was Quirkless. So, yes. Why?"
This ti, when Yoichi returned to him and put his hand on Luke's shoulder, he knew that the ti had co.
His heart was pounding in his chest.
As his surroundings lted, Luke had a feeling that whatever lay on the other side was going to be… a secret that must never be known.
And so, Luke also asked a question to himself.
Why?
Why was Yoichi Shigaraki, a Vestige, revealing it to him?
Was it just because of gratitude? Luke scoffed, rejecting that. Was it because he was the only one who could freely enter Deku's mind and converse with the Vestiges? Or was it because they thought the sa ability could help them against All For One?
When Luke failed to decrypt an answer, he looked toward the Vestige and… found him smiling back.
Fuck! He cursed within.
"Fucking ghost with main character syndro!" Nyx cursed openly.
In the next mont, their surroundings began taking on colors, revealing the grown Yoichi and All For One… facing off with each other.
"Watch it closely," the Radiant of Hope said, his fingers tightening on Luke's shoulder. "It's happening."
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