Ethereal ◆ Shoto Todoroki x Reader

41 | An Order

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"A secret message?"

"Yes," the freckled boy says, "Duke Callahan always liked mysteries, I suppose."

"Do any of you know how to decipher the message?" Shoto asks, not taking a second glance at the paper.

You take it from his hand, eyes scanning the paper, searching for a deeper meaning. 

"Shoto," you say, pointing to the paper, "some letters are . . . more emphasized?"

You and Shoto read it together.

"K. . .ill. . .m . .y. . . . .f . .a. . .m. .i . .l . . y. . ."

"What?" You say, puzzled, "Kill my family? That would explain the weird wording. . .who says 'take extravagantly good care' anyways? But why would he want his family. . . ?"

All eyes in the room are snapped to attention, like the sentence means something deeper to them. The freckled boy looks particularly interested.

"It doesn't sound like a message, though," Shoto points out, "It sounds like. . ."

". . .an order."

You look at Shoto, then at the confused faces of the men in the room. One face doesn't look confused at all, though.

"Hey, freckles," you say to him, "what's your name?"

He looks at you, his eyes void of any emotion, his voice like a robot: clipped, automated. Controlled. "Sobakasu, your Highness."

He sways on his feet, expression blank.

"Hello?" You ask, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Sobakasu? What's wrong?"

He leans against you, whispering something in your ear.

His body falls to the ground, and you sense a dreadful feeling growing in your stomach, like things are about to go very, very wrong. 

It's like time freezes, but then the six men jump to help their fallen comrade.

All you can do is stare at Sobakasu's body on the ground, his shortened sentence replaying in your mind.

"Kill. . .the. .pr--"

The what? The prince?

You look around the room.

Nobody heard him but you, it's clear from their faces.

What is going on?

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"Is he okay?"

"We're not sure," the doctor says, "he's always been a healthy person. Not just anything could cause him to collapse like this."

Your hands are shaking. Shoto insisted you talk to Sobakasu about what happened, even after you told him what the freckled boy said before he collapsed.

Someone's after Shoto? Again?

You hope the king is better soon. People are scared of him, and sometimes, reverence is more than power.

"It really seems like," the doctor explains, "another quirk."

"Really?" You say, "You think a quirk is controlling him or something?"

"Perhaps," the doctor states, "but there's no way to be sure. But the behavior you described sounded awfully familiar."

"Can I speak with him when he awakens?" 

"Of course, your Highness."

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You're back with the six men in the advisory room. They're all on edge: whispering, glancing at each other.

Thankfully Shoto is with you so you don't have to face them alone.

"First of all," you say, raising your voice, "who is the Duke's family? Do they live near the palace?"

The men all shift nervously, until one of them answers. 

"That's the thing," he says, "the Duke is a widower. His wife died long ago, and he has never spoken of a daughter before that note he gave us."

You glance at Shoto. He looks as perplexed as you. 

"Did he say anything strange before he . . . disappeared?" Shoto inquires, searching the faces of the men in the room. They avoid his eyes, looking everywhere but at the future king.

He sighs, turning to you. You nod.

You both leave, not sparing one look at the group of men. 

Needless to say, you both expected more from the king's advisory.

You go back to where Sobakasu is being treated, having gotten word he's awake. You remember what the doctor said earlier, about his behavior being familiar. And the more you think about it, the more you agree.

He's acting similar to how Takahashi acted a time ago. Thankfully, Takahashi hasn't done anything strange since Hitoka was captured, not to mention the fact that he barely remembers her at all.

You don't want to think about Hitoka and her betrayal, so instead you turn to Shoto who's walking beside you.

"I think the doctor is right," you tell him, "this has to be some quirk. Like a controlling type."

"I agree," he says, "but is it the Duke's quirk? We know he used something on me, although it doesn't seem similar to what's happening to the advisory boy."

"Speaking of Sobakasu," you say, "why did the king appoint such a young person to his advisory? He can't be any older than us."

"I don't know."

Now you're near the doctor, so you stop talking, instead waving him over.

"He is awake," the doctor tells you both, "he shouldn't be passing out anymore, I hope, although he requested there be guards in the room while you talked."

"Why?"

"I guess we'll find out."

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