This little light of mine

Chapter 3

Quest: Return of the Light

Quest step: A Step in the Right Direction

<<<<◯>>>>

"How much longer?"

"There is no time limit. Just keep going."

"It hurts."

"That is the point."

"I hate you."

" A shame, now get back to work."

Izuku groaned before complying. He lifted the dumbbell ignoring the way his muscles screamed. Keisuke had come up with an ingenious solution to Izuku's problem with the Light. Until the Traveler sends them something to help them, Izuku will prepare himself for all three classes. He would train for all three until they could figure out if he was a Titan, Hunter, or Warlock. He would gain the strength of a titan, the agility of a hunter, and the intellect of a warlock. 

This was why Izuku could be seen lifting hundred-pound weights while doing the splits and reading four different college-level textbooks. While Izuku couldn't utilize the Light as a weapon, his ghost could still heal him with it. Keisuke had the bright idea to abuse it to the max. Since building muscle was all about destroying muscle to build it back stronger, Izuku was purposely overworking his muscles and destroying them, so Keisuke could repair them stronger than before. It seemed to be working as Izuku had gone from lifting forty pounds (18.14 kilograms) to lifting 100 pounds (45.35 kilograms) in just a day. 

Let it be known that Izuku hated Keisuke right now. 

After an hour of strenuous exercise, Izuku finally collapsed. He glared at the floating ghost with tired contempt. His ghost stared at him with a faintly amused eye before a glitchy sigh came for it. "Fine, I guess that's enough for today. A walk to the store and back should help cool your muscles down. Besides, your mother mentioned needing a few groceries." He said, bringing a sigh of relief from Izuku's limp body. 

A few minutes passed, and Izuku found himself leisurely walking the crowded afternoon streets of Musutafu. As he was weaving through the crowds, a thought came to Izuku. "Hey, Keisuke?" Izuku mumbled to himself so that the masses around him wouldn't hear. "Yes?" His digital voice said in Izuku's head. "What happened to the Guardians and the Traveler? You never told me why they aren't here anymore." 

Keisuke paused for a long while, long enough for Izuku to think he didn't hear him before he finally responded. "We lost our way," he said solemnly. Izuku wisely stayed quiet, waiting for Keisuke to collect himself. 

"The black fleet returned, and it brought the darkness with it." His ghost started. "The fleet was unstoppable, relentless, and many worlds were lost to it." He said, the digital glitching in his voice forcing him to pause. 

"It was looking like the Light may not be enough to stop the fleet this time, so the guardians took drastic measures. They began to wield the Darkness too." 

Izuku's eyes widened, and he had to clamp down on his urge to gasp out loud. Looking around to see if anyone thought he was insane, Izuku found everyone going about their business. Turning his attention back to Keisuke, Izuku allowed his ghost to continue. 

Keisuke spoke again, his digital voice containing a hint of sadness, "At first, everything was good. The guardians were able to use the Darkness with no problems, balancing it with the Light and remaining true to the Traveler." Keisuke paused before continuing. 

"But Darkness corrupts." 

Izuku felt a shiver run down his spine at the tone of finality in his voice. "Slowly, the Darkness started to corrupt the guardians. It poisoned their minds and pulled them away from the Light. One by one, guardians fell to the deep, becoming mindless slaves to its ambition."