Death Paradox 💥BAKUDEKU💥

Chapter 6

Part 1
The Fool

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Chapter 6

Izuku stood frozen in place, his breath catching in his throat as he stared at the shimmering card hovering just beyond them. The pulsing red and gold hues seemed to intensify with each passing second, casting strange, distorted shadows on the ruined concrete below, as if the card itself was alive, drawing them in with an invisible force.

The weight of all his research, their late-night talk, and his long sleepless nights all led to this.

This was it—the first of the Major Arcana. The Fool.

Without thinking, Izuku's foot lifted from the ground, his body moving on instinct toward the card down the block, his hand half-extended as if to reach and claim it.

But before he could take a single step, a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder, gripping him with enough force to stop him in his tracks. Izuku winced slightly from the pressure, glancing back over his shoulder to see Katsuki standing there, "Don't."

Izuku blinked, startled out of his trance. He turned to look at Katsuki, confusion furrowing his brow. "K-Kacchan?"

"Hold up, Deku," Katsuki muttered through gritted teeth, his eyes never leaving the card. Izuku blinked, his mind still half-entranced by the sight of the card. "But, Kacchan—"

"I said hold up," Katsuki snapped, tightening his grip on Izuku's shoulder for emphasis. His eyes darted around, scanning the surrounding area with that sharp, predatory intensity he was known for. "Think for a second, dumbass. There ain't no way it's just sitting here, waiting for us to grab it. That doesn't make any sense, it shouldn't be this easy."

The air around them was eerily still, an unsettling quiet settling over the street. Izuku's breath seemed loud in the oppressive silence, and even Katsuki's usual brash presence felt muted. There were no birds singing from the rooftops, no distant sounds of the city, not even the whisper of a breeze through the shattered windows of nearby buildings. The ground beneath their feet felt unnaturally solid, as though it held its breath, waiting—too quiet

"This reeks of a trap," Katsuki continued, still assessing. "Look around. You don't think it's weird? A damn card just floating here, all pretty and perfect, no strings attached? No security measures? No one else around? Doesn't sit right with me, Deku."

Izuku hesitated, glancing back at the card. Now that Katsuki mentioned it, there was something off about the whole situation. It was almost too easy. After everything they had gone through, after the cryptic riddle and the sleepless nights, this—finding the card like this—felt wrong. Like a baited hook waiting for them to bite.

Izuku took a slow breath, his voice quieter than usual, still on edge from the intensity of the moment. "You really think it's a trap?"

Katsuki's grip tightened, and he gave a sharp nod. "Damn right it is."

For a long while they stood there and just watched. The ruined concrete of Ground Beta, the jagged steel beams, and the scorched earth from countless training exercises lay before them, too quiet, too still.

"Look around," Katsuki muttered, his voice sharp but controlled. "This place isn't right. It's too still, too perfect. Whoever set this up wants us to walk right into it."

Izuku's gaze followed Katsuki's, his brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to sense anything out of place—pressure plates, hidden sensors, anything. But the longer he looked, the more he began to doubt. The card just hovered there, unmoving, the whispers still faint in his mind, coaxing him forward. It was hard to focus when the first major piece of the puzzle they'd been hunting for was right in front of them.