𝔸 𝔾𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕎𝕒𝕤 𝕆𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕖 💥𝔹𝕒𝕜𝕦𝔻𝕖𝕜𝕦💥

Reliving the past

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Chapter 56

Katsuki inhaled deeply, every breath pulling him back into the haunting depths of that underground nightmare. The memories were etched into his very soul, a visceral reel that played on a loop in the dark corners of his mind. His voice wavered slightly as he began to recount the horrors, and he felt Izuku shift against him, seeking refuge from the ghosts that still haunted him. Katsuki's gaze remained locked on Aizawa and All Might, who waited with unwavering attention.

"When we found him, Deku was trapped in a cell, restrained with two Iron Maiden devices around his arms and neck. He looked like... a fucking wreck, like he hadn't eaten in weeks, and the damn cuts and bruises..." Katsuki's voice trailed off.

Aizawa's brows furrowed in concern, his gaze never leaving Katsuki as he silently encouraged him to continue.

"He was... different. Almost aggressive, like a damn wild animal. The moment we finally got those chains off him, he didn't waste a second before trying to fight back, biting the hell out of me." He raised his casted arm, only to remember the stitches were covered. "It was as if he didn't even know us anymore, like he'd lost himself completely. He kept thinking we were just some damn illusion, something conjured up by Odd Eye." Katsuki's voice cracked with emotion, his hand pushed Izuku further into him.

"That goddamn bastard... he subjected Deku to unimaginable torture using his quirk. Deku told me, every single day, he just kept at it, relentlessly, trying to shatter him, trying to tear him apart. He... He gave Deku his memories back just to fucking make the pain that much more unbearable." Katsuki was so angry remembering how broken Izuku had been in that storage room, so guarded against the person he loved, attacking him out of fear because he couldn't tell how much was real. The desperation in those green eyes, clinging to him, praying he was real. And the sheer relief when Izuku had finally accepted that Katsuki had come to rescue him.

Katsuki snapped back to the present, his crimson eyes hardening as he shook off the nightmarish flashbacks.

"He remembers everything?" all Might asked shocked, " He remembers us? He remembers UA?" Katsuki gave a curt nod before he continued.

"After we busted him out, we fought our way back up through the hideout. We were damn close to making it, but that Jet Fuel bastard caught us by surprise. Turns out, he wasn't just some run-of-the-mill pyro quirk user; the fucker could transform into a goddamn fire-breathing dragon."

He deliberately sidestepped the part about what had transpired between him and Izuku in that cramped storage room. For one, it was personal as hell, and two, he sure as hell wasn't ready to open up about how they'd uncovered Shinsou's death.

Taking a deep breath, Katsuki continued with a somber tone, "Later on, we tried to make our escape, but it all went to shit. We ended up deeper in that damn underground labyrinth, in some godforsaken cavern.... and what happened next was nothing short of a goddamn massacre."

He tried not to delve into the gory details, but images flashed before his eyes: the sheer explosive power of Izuku's quirk shattering that iron maiden collar, the blinding light, and the gut-wrenching sound of Izuku's agonized scream, as if someone were tearing his soul apart. The aftermath, the hellish scene of carnage, and the ruthless way Izuku had taken vengeance on those villains—it all haunted Katsuki's thoughts.

"He was like someone else.... Something else. Unstoppable," Katsuki's voice turned colder, "and it was damn clear he'd endured hell down there. He made sure those bastards paid for what they did to him."