IV. Worlds Apart

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Uraraka stumbled, her feet hitting solid ground as the colors around her spun and faded, leaving her dizzy and breathless. She blinked, willing her mind to steady as the world cleared. Overhead, a canopy of strange, silvery leaves partially shielded the sky, casting her surroundings in an eerie glow. Through the leaves, an orange sky peeked down at her, three pale pink moons suspended in the distance like distant guardians. The ground was soft beneath her shoes, and when she looked down, she realized she was standing on sand, leading to a crystalline forest that bordered a beach.

Taking a steadying breath, she scanned her surroundings. The bushes around her were peculiar—made of what looked like pulsating scarlet crystals, shifting in color with every beat as if they had their own lifeforce. The quiet was almost surreal, interrupted only by the faint rustle of leaves and the hum of distant, foreign creatures. She could hear the soft crashing of waves somewhere nearby, deepening her sense of being somewhere vastly different from her own world.

Uraraka's mind flashed to Liora, her captor. She remembered Liora's low voice in her ear just before the rift had swallowed her: "Go left, into the forest." Uraraka's instincts told her to be cautious, to stay alert—yet something about Liora's instruction gave her pause. If Liora had meant her harm, surely she could have sent her somewhere far worse than this place. Why send me here?

With her hands tied and mouth still gagged, she was vulnerable, yet curiosity tugged at her. Deciding to follow Liora's strange advice, she set off to her left, moving carefully through the crystalline brush toward the dense forest beyond.

After a few moments of careful stepping, she suddenly collided with someone. She stumbled back, startled, her heart racing.

"Oh, sorry!" a familiar voice stammered, surprised. "Wait, aren't you Ochako—no..." A messy head of green hair leaned into view, revealing a pair of curious, kind green eyes studying her face intently. "You're... another version of her."

Uraraka's gaze widened, taking in the sight of the young man before her

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Uraraka's gaze widened, taking in the sight of the young man before her. He looked familiar, yet subtly different. This version of Midoriya Izuku was slightly older, maybe by a year or two, and his face had a calm, almost wise air that hadn't fully developed in her Izuku yet. His hand was unmarked by scars as he reached out to help her stand, his eyes warm with recognition. Her heart leapt slightly with hope. Even in this strange, unfamiliar world, his gentle presence felt like a tether to home.

As he pulled her up, she noted the freckles dotting his cheeks, a detail she'd always found endearing. His expression softened with a mixture of curiosity and relief as he took in her appearance. "Another Ochako... just when I thought this world couldn't surprise me any more," he murmured with a slight smile.

Uraraka's expression softened as she took a shaky breath, gesturing to her bindings with a slight incline of her head. "Could you... help me out here?" she asked through her muffled voice, feeling a bit embarrassed.

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