Ghost Magic

XLII

Izayoi Pov.

The silence that followed Shinso's words felt like a storm held back by nothing more than breath.

Izayoi stood still, eyes lowered, fists clenched, the chill of guilt crawling under his skin. Ninetales — Ahri — watched him carefully, her nine tails slowly waving behind her like flames caught in slow motion. She had seen this before: power born from pain, and regret born from power misused.

"Come with me," she finally said. "There's something I need to show you." Ninetales said

Without waiting for a response, she turned, walking deeper into the misted forest path behind her shrine. The others hesitated, then followed. Izayoi moved slowly, head down, his usual confidence swallowed by the truth he now carried.

They reached an ancient torii gate, weathered and marked with sacred etchings. Beyond it was a hidden garden  a circle of stones surrounding a large fox statue, its eyes glowing faintly under the moonlight. The air here felt... different. Heavier. Older.

Ahri knelt in front of the statue and placed her hand on it. The ground responded, a soft hum vibrating beneath their feet.

"This is the Cursed Stone Circle," she said. "Only shamans or cursed beings can step inside without being harmed. This place is where curses are born... or broken." Ninetales said

Izayoi looked at the glowing runes, his heart pounding.

"You brought me here... to try?" He asked.

"No," Ahri said softly. "I brought you here to understand."

She turned to face him, her orange eyes piercing. "Izayoi, you are no longer just a student with abilities. You're something far older now. Something far more dangerous. The curse you placed wasn't fueled by logic it was born from raw pain, and pain never fades quietly." Ninetales said

The wind picked up, and with it came fragments of whispers  memories, regrets, voices from the past all swirling together.

Tenya took a step forward. "If this is a place of understanding... can it show him what truly happened?" Tenya said

Ahri gave a slight nod. "But the truth may hurt more than the guilt." Ninetales said

Izayoi didn't wait. He stepped into the circle.

Within the Circle...

The world around him blurred. Cold wind rushed past his ears. Then  silence.

He stood in a memory. It was the day everything broke. The day Katsuki Bakugo spat the final cruel words. The day Izayoi's hands trembled with rage, with betrayal, with something darker that had waited patiently inside him for years.

He watched his younger self  broken, shaking, on his knees in the schoolyard  surrounded by whispers, laughter, judgement. Bakugo's face was twisted with arrogance, unknowing of the seed he had just planted in a boy's fractured heart.

And then... it changed.

The scene faded. Another memory appeared not his.

Bakugo's.

A hospital room. His mother, Mitsuki, crying beside his bed. His father silently praying. Machines beeping slowly, indicating a fading pulse. Bakugo's expression not rage, not arrogance. Just pain. Just guilt.

"What have I done?" Bakugo whispered. His voice trembled, weak. "Izuku... I'm sorry." Bakugo finally said it.

Izayoi stepped back, stunned. He hadn't known.