Dungeons And Heroes

A New Life

Izuku was already having a terrible day before he saw the dragon.
Granted, in Izuku's life, he made sure that every terrible moment was given an optimistic approach to, so in that case, he rather liked dragons.
...Particularly when they weren't trying to set his house on fire.
     Dragons were becoming a more and more common sight in the local villages. It was quite troublesome, especially for the local knights and questers, who took it upon themselves to put the fires they caused. Particularly the best of the best, reveled upon All Knight.
     Ever since he vanquished his first foe and rescued several lads and ladies, All Knight was a legend. Izuku's hero. Izuku begged his mom to tell him stories about All Knight every waking second of every day. He knew he tired her out, but nothing got him more excited than All Knight. He was more than just a legend. He was real. And Izuku had adored him all his life.
     Albeit his belief that All Knight was totally real and not just some fairytale, he extremely doubted to be meeting him today, even when his house was in flames, he being still inside of it. Izuku had been too intrigued by the dragon in the window to do anything other than oogle at it, watching a nearby mage jab a wand in its general direction. Izuku took notes on it all, barely taking notice of the growing heat surrounding him. He hardly ever got this much excitement in a single day, even if the circumstances were rotten.
     "YOUNG LAD!" A powerful roar resounded through the house. Izuku turned to see what he never thought he would. Outrageously dazzled with a background of flames stood All Knight, clad in shining armor, his sword pitched high in the air.
     Izuku's jaw dropped, and he still made no effort to moved.
     All Knight. Was in. His house.
     His house... was burning.
     Oh.
He didn't get a step in toward the door before he was swept up into the arms of his idol. Even through the heat, the sweat, and the peril of the situation, that moment left Izuku in complete bliss.
By the time he was carried out, the fire brigade had already arrived and was already beginning to get a handle on the flames. When Izuku was put down, he realized that his clothing was ashy and he smelled strongly of smoke. Looking up at his bedtime stories brought to life, he stammered, "Th-Thank you."
     The knight laughed heartily. "ANYTIME, MY BOY!" He slapped Izuku on the shoulder. The teen had to do everything in his will not to collapse from the strength behind it. "Just be more aware of your surroundings next time!"
     "Yes, s-sir." And as soon as he arrived, All Knight was gone.
     "IZUKU!" Izuku heard the shriek coming down from the cobblestone road. Looking in the direction, he saw his distressed mother running toward him with outstretched arms. She ran into him, firmly wrapping her arms around his waist. "B-Baby!" she sobbed, her voice muffled. She looked up into his face, brushing back his damp, blackened hair. "Are you okay?!"
     "I'm fine, Mother," he laughed sheepishly. "I'm fine. All Knight saved me. And look- our house is doing pretty okay!"
Crash! There went another beam.
     "Oh... well, I'm sure it'll get fixed up in no time!" Izuku exclaimed, smiling.
     "I love you, Izuku," his mother smiled back, her voice full of relief as she grasped his hands.
     "I love you too, Mother," he replied, kissing her cheek, but his mind was still fully enraptured with All Knight.
     Was this all to his life? Would he spend life in a cottage with his mother forever, or would he actually do something?
     Now was probably a bad time, but Izuku's mother was so relieved that he was okay that she couldn't refuse him anything, right? Besides, he'd been wanting this for a long time.
     "Mother, I want to go on a campaign," he mumbled quickly, his words so fast that they were slurring together.
     His mother's content smile wavered. "What?"
     "A campaign, Mother. I want to see the world! Make some friends! I don't know, maybe even slay a few dragons or something..." His voice got dimmer and trailed off on that last bit. He didn't want his mother worrying about him.
     "Oh, Izuku... I don't know..." His mother looked away.
     "Please, Mother!" Izuku exclaimed desperately. "I'm grown now! I've aspired to be like All Knight all my life. Why aspire now when I can actually do something! It's time to live my life. Maybe I can even help the village from these attacks while I'm at it." When his mother still wouldn't look up, he put in, "I promise to stay safe and not go looking for trouble. And I'll come home to visit you. A lot, okay?" He put in a lopsided grin for good measure.
     His mother sighed, looking up with tears in her eyes. "You can go, Izuku. I love you too much to keep you here. I know this means a lot to you, and I want you to be happy. Just don't forget about your mother, hear that, Izuku?"
     He was so overjoyed that he threw his arms around her, squeezing her tight. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mother! I promise I'll make you proud!"
     "You've always made me proud, son." She then wrinkled her nose. "Though, I would appreciate it if you'd get cleaned up. You're sure you're not hurt, right, Izuku?"
     He laughed, pressing his forehead to hers. "I swear I'm not hurt, mother."
     His mother watched the waning flames. "We may be able to get our home repaired within the month. I know a small cottage we could rent out until then."
     "And I can leave...whenever?"
     She beamed, though her lips quivered. "Yes, little one." She put a finger to her chin in thought. "Though, at least wait a day or two."
     Izuku giggled, taking his mother's hand in his. "Okay. Let's see what they can salvage from the house, and we'll start a new life. Both of us."
     Izuku's mother rested her head on her son's shoulder. "That sounds absolutely grand."