NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: Unknowns and Uncertainties.
The unconscious girl, who by all means, should have died long ago, was rushed to the hospital. Despite her severe injuries—one arm completely missing, the other shredded to unrecognition, slash wounds and blunt force wounds all over, chest caved in, and many punctured organs. — the doctors noticed something, she was regenerating. Slowly, but undeniably, her wounds were healing, which is a miracle to them, as without this. There would be no way she could be even alive, let alone walk after this. But, then, it did not explain why a shield was attached to her arm. . . a second quirk?
---
Meanwhile, back at the UA main building, a meeting was underway in a secured conference room. Present were Principal Nezu, All Might, Cementoss, and Izuku Midoriya, the only few people who had witnessed and experienced the strange phenomenon firsthand.
Nezu, seated at the head of the table, tapped his claws thoughtfully on the polished wood. With an ever-residing calmness over his features. His sharp, eyes gleamed with intrigue. as he calculated how this illogical event could have happened. But, to make sure.
"So…" Nezu began, tilting his head. "You're telling me… she fell out of a crack in the air?"
His tone was polite but piercing, dissecting their story with every word. Really, nezu found the story incredibly improbable, and would have likely not believed if it were someone else telling the story. But All Might, the number 1 hero. cementos, a staff member of his own. and Izuku, the next bearer of OFA. So despite his calculations telling him that it made no sense. he had to bear with it.
Izuku, still visibly shaken, nodded stiffly. "Y-Yes, sir. There was… a crack in space itself. Before it appeared, I heard... glass shattering. Then... time slowed down. At first, it was like moving through water, but then it... stopped entirely."
He clenched his fists, recalling the experience. "And then, as suddenly as it happened... time resumed. The crack... disappeared like it was never there." His voice lowered. "And then she... she fell through it. Mangled... and barely alive."
His mind flashed back to her face—cold, lifeless, yet somehow still breathing.
Nezu leaned forward, tapping his fingers thoughtfully. "Did she... say anything? React in any way before losing consciousness?"
Izuku shook his head. "No... she didn't even move when she hit the ground. It was like... she was already dead."
Nezu's claws tapped rhythmically against the table, his sharp mind dissecting every detail, and what was the most logical assumption, was concerning.
"Quirks involving time manipulation are virtually unheard of, anomalies even the HPSC struggles to control or even get their hands on." His voice held a grim undertone. But he continued "In my decades of research, I've cataloged only a handful of such quirks, and... none were capable of what you 3 have described."
He paused, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "what you've told me is that, For a brief moment... time itself was compromised, controlled, and halted, with none of you, being able to resist its effects."
The air in the room seemed heavier, the implications settling uncomfortably over the gathered heroes.
"If that girl was responsible for such a phenomenon," Nezu continued, "then her power exceeds even the most dangerous of Quirks. if either side got their hands on it, it would shift the balance of hero society." His claws stilled as his expression hardened. "we must be careful with her."
"We must learn more about her." Nezu's locked eyes with them. "Whether she is friend or foe... her existence cannot be ignored."
Izuku shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "B-But... she looked dead, sir... no one could survive wounds that severe."
All Might nodded grimly. "I've seen people on the brink of death before... but her injuries were far beyond that. There was no way someone could recover from that-"
Nezu raised a paw, cutting him off gently. "Usually, that would be the case, yes. But I've just been informed that the girl has high regenerative properties with durability and survivability that are on par, maybe even slightly higher than most defensive-type quirks. With this level of resilience, it's highly likely she will recover within the week."
The room fell silent for a moment, nezu giving them time to process the information before continuing.
"Regardless of how she arrived… we must ensure her survival," Nezu stated firmly, his voice cold with calculated authority. "If she possesses a power capable of manipulating time itself, she cannot be left unchecked—or worse… allowed to fall into the wrong hands."
nezu tapped his claws against the polished wood of the table, the sound echoing like a countdown. His sharp mind raced, already formulating contingency plans and fail-safes.
"Until we know who she is… and why she appeared here... she is to be considered a classified entity," Nezu continued, his piercing gaze sweeping across the room. "All details concerning her existence, powers, and current state are strictly confidential. What has been discussed here remains within these walls. Is that understood?"
Izuku, All Might, and Cementoss nodded quickly without hesitation, fully understanding the potential consequences of any information being breached.
Nezu's eyes softened, though only a minute amount. "We will proceed cautiously. The hospital staff has already been briefed to monitor her recovery discreetly. When she wakes up, UA must be her first point of contact. Establishing trust will be crucial… for her safety and for ours."
Izuku hesitated, concern on his face. "But... what if, when she wakes up, she's hostile"
The room fell silent. Thinking about the plausibility of that happening.
Nezu's gaze darkened, his tone cold and deliberate. "Then we must be prepared for the worst."
Cementoss folded his arms thoughtfully "We know nothing about her mental state. She could lash out if she believes she's in danger." His tone turned grim. "When she emerged from that rift... her injuries were catastrophic, far worse than anything from a typical battle."
Nezu nodded. "Which suggests she may have been fleeing something, or someone."
Nezu straightened his posture returning to its usual composed demeanor. He glanced at each of them in turn before speaking "Thank you for your time, and my apologies for the inconvenience, Midoriya. But I believe this discussion is concluded as you have given more than enough information about the situation. Izuku midoriya, you're excused."
Izuku nodded silently, his mind racing as he stood to leave. The weight of what had been discussed settled heavily on his shoulders. he stepped through the door as it clicked softly behind him. he let out a sigh, as he knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. he would be too busy thinking about the villain attack and the girl, wondering if she survived like how nezu predicted. He hoped nezu was right but the lingering thought of her injuries and her body bouncing off the ground replaying in his mind kept him from fully believing it.
nezu, all might and Cementoss watched as the door opened and closed behind the moss-headed student before turning back to converse. "now, let's bring the rest of the UA staff to discuss the security breach."
Once the door had closed, Nezu turned back to face All Might and Cementoss. His expression remained focused, a silent acknowledgment passing between the three of them.
"Now, let's turn our attention to the villains that infiltrated the USJ. But we'll hold off on the discussion until the rest of the staff has arrived. In the meantime, a reminder, the girl's way of appearing must remain confidential. Only the 3 of us including izuku, will be privy to that information. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," they responded in unison with a small nod to their boss, "good," he responded in kind. "tea?" he offered, giving a small shake to the pot that had suddenly gotten into his grasp. All might not having any reason to refuse the offer, accepted a cup.
---
homura, laid on the bed, now with most of her fatal wounds gone (well, entire arm still gone but not important) sound asleep with a peaceful expression. The sound of a heart rate monitor being the dominating background noise with a rhythmic beat every second or so. Then that tranquility broke as the heart rate spiked.
Homura's eyes shot open, wide and filled with panic. Her breath hitched as her body jolted upright, her hands gripping the edge of the bed for support.
"Madoka!" Homura's voice cracked with panic and despair, the weight of her failure crashing down on her. She hadn't been able to protect her, hadn't been good enough again. The feeling of worthlessness crept through her body. At the thought that she had failed Madoka again.
.
But then she realized, she wasn't in that street anymore.
.
"what...?" she asked, voice trembling with confusion at the sight of where she was, it was what seemed to be a hospital but . . . not the usual hospital at the start of every loop.
she simply stared around, at the unfamiliar room. Her last memory was of, the building collapsing, shielding Madoka... the sound of glass shattering... and then... and then. . . what?
A sense of nagging fogginess filled her mind, but she ignored it to think about her situation.
She didn't know after that, so she might've fallen unconscious. but, how could she be at a hospital if, if walperguistnaught destroyed almost the entire city, no one would have stayed? But if nobody had found her and brought her here, then how could she have gotten here?
A/N decided to just ship this shit out, and I might clean it up but. I'm fucking exhausted with flights and shit. So here, it's finished, just might have untidy shit. i bid you adew. also, I have acquired an addiction to hot coco so, blaming that.