The King of Heroes: Null/Virtue

Good Men

I'm not sure if it's necessary to say this or not, but this chapter and the worldbuilding describe fetuses/babies as having souls in the womb at a very specific point in their growth. So like, at some point before they are born, there is a certain point where they get a Soul. I didn't even realize how this chapter could be interpreted until I started writing it. Anyways, the point is that this is not intended to draw parallels between itself and the whole choice/life debate, trust me, that's a more complicated topic that I'll leave to better writers. I didn't want this chapter to feel politically/religiously charged in any way, as it wasn't my intention to tackle these topics, which is why I'm putting this note here. I just needed things to work this way for the plot, as well as a very important character moment later on, like crucial for an emotional scene. So, I'm sorry if it makes anyone uncomfortable!

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"Sometimes, in a pregnancy with 2 or more fetuses, the mother cannot sustain such stress. Her body doesn't have enough for 2, so one of the children sort of... absorbs the other to preserve resources. If the conditions are just right, and that absorption occurs at just the right time, both fetuses will have Souls. So when one absorbs another, they take in their Soul as well. The baby is born, and as it grows, it develops two senses of self, two egos, as Shifters put it." Goto explained it all as Melissa, the girl with blonde hair, glared at Izuku.

"I never thought I'd see the day where a Twin Soul was also a Lord..." Toshinori was breathless, his awe apparent. "Did Enja mean for this?"

Goto shrugged. "Unlike you, the Terran aren't very close to their God. In recent years, Shifter information has even started an atheistic movement."

"You... don't believe in the Gods?" He asked, incredulous to the fact.

"We have very little concrete evidence of their existence. And if there's one thing you and I will agree on, it's that the Eternal Lord cannot be trusted. Even if he really was there at the dawn of creation, there's a good chance he's made some stuff up. We can't trust a word out of his mouth about the Gods. And if the Gods do exist, it's not like they help out much anymore. They're not worth worshiping until they stop ignoring our problems and give us something to work with." Goto scoffed. "If Aeic really existed, and he really created all the species on this planet, then he should feel some guilt over how he created the Eternal Lord, a man who wishes to eliminate all other species. If Aeic created the Eternal Lord, then there are only two conclusions. Either he's really bad at making things and the Eternal Lord was just born with that mistake in his head, or..."

"Or Aeic doesn't really care about his other creations," Izuku finished.

"Yep. He's either incompetent, or downright evil. I don't like either conclusion, and I'd rather not think too much about it. So, let's get down to business. Mei will be on board with pretty much any idea you have as long as it's interesting, but Melissa-"

"Melissa doesn't like making weapons for people like you," Melissa herself finished the sentence, looking Izuku up and down.

In the blink of an eye, she shapeshifted back into Mei, clothes and all. "Don't mind my sister! She's just a buzzkill!"

"Uhh... if she doesn't have Shapeshifting Magic, how is she changing her shape?"

Goto shrugged. "Some Shifter said something about how the ego of consciousness, embedded in the Soul, might allow them to exert their own image onto a body with a Twin Soul. There's still a lot we don't understand about the Soul in general, but it seems powerful, like some sort of inner reserve of energy."

Izuku nodded, turning back just in time to see Melissa again. "So, why are you opposed to making weapons?" It was an obvious moral dilemma, and the only way Izuku would get through to her was by finding the source of her opposition and arguing against it.