A Dragon's Heart // Shoto Todoroki x Reader

Chapter 22: Wake Up

When I awoke, I quickly learned that my wrists and ankles were bound by metal chains. The room around me was stark white, with white walls and white flooring. The only exit was a single door several meters away from me.

Where am I?

My muscles groaned as I struggled against the chains. I hardened my skin and pulled hard against them. The metal whined in retaliation, but it was stubborn and wouldn't snap. A sigh escaped my lips as I gave up. Maybe I could melt them away? My heart froze when I heard distant footsteps. Two people made their way to the door. I saw their shadows peak from the crack under the door before the handle twisted slowly. The door creaked open, revealing two figures. They wore thick white padded armor that covered every inch of skin. The white masks they wore hid any semblance of humanity within them; the only shred of humanity embedded into them was the sound of their erratic heartbeats.

"Hold her still," one of the faceless men commanded the other. Fear choked me. My mind felt scrambled, but I summoned my fire despite that. I hastily sent a fiery blast toward the faceless beings. My fire seemed to have no effect; I deduced it was because of the armor they wore. They inched toward me, and one of them grabbed me. Their fingers dug painfully into my shoulders, and they shoved my head to the side, exposing my neck.

The other masked figure drew a needle and quickly injected it into my neck. Tears of frustration and confusion welled in my dark eyes. The needle stung as the liquid seeped into my muscle fibers. Nausea writhed inside my stomach as they silently left like nothing had happened. I couldn't control the tears that rolled down my cheeks. I didn't know where I was, what that needle was, or what would happen to me. I let myself slouch as I curled into a ball of self-despair.

"Amara Aizawa." A smooth masculine voice reverberated from a distance I couldn't place. Soon, a figure materialized from the floor up, a tall man with a heavily deformed face. Scar tissue began from his upper lip and circled to the back parts of his head and neck. He had no eyes, but I could feel his gaze. "Do you remember me?" he asked.

"Who are you? Where am I? What did those creeps inject into my neck?" I rambled manically. I swallowed the lump in my throat and held my gaze on the man before me.

"The injection inhibits the use of your quirk, my dear. I ordered them to inject you with a mild dose so that we could chat without you trying to kill me," he explained.

"I'm a 16-year-old girl bound in chains. Am I really that scary?" I asked, my voice wavering. My eyes skimmed over the man's features. He wore a fancy black suit with a white undershirt.

"Must I really answer?" He raised a crooked hand to his scar-lathered face. "My name is All For One. It's surprising that you don't remember me, considering I'm the one who made you who you are today."

"What?"

"I'm basically like a third parent to you," he chided.

"My parents are dead," I spat.

"Is that the lie Shota Aizawa shoved down your throat? Honestly, my dear, I thought you would've been smarter than this," he replied.

I felt my eyebrows furrow. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Shota Aizawa is your father," he sighed, unreadable.

"Don't lie to me," I growled with narrowed eyes.

"I have no reason to lie, my dear. Your mother was a disciple of mine. When you were born, you tore a hole through her that the doctors couldn't fix. She died giving birth to you." His words were cold and emotionless, but for some reason, I found myself believing him.

"That can't be right..." I trailed off.

"She died because of you, and Shota Aizawa blamed you. He couldn't bear to look at you. He never loved you. He put you up for adoption without a second thought."