It has been an epoch since I've written, and I really wanted to write a story about a green boy and a pink girl falling in love.

Unfortunately, my other idea right now would probably require more finesse than I can probably manage currently. So we're going to write something a bit easier to shake the rust off. Welcome to an original fantasy world that I'm dropping Class 1-A and a few others into.

As always, only saying this once: I don't own My Hero Academia.

Izuku Midoriya was not what most people would call a strong man.

The young scribe leaned backwards against the wall, panting raggedly, as he had finished an impossible task – loading a full chest of trinkets and baubles, almost all of them metal, onto a shelf higher than his head. While five years of constantly moving tomes thicker than his chest had left him with more muscle than one might expect, he still knew that his limits were only somewhat higher than an average man of eighteen years. His life possessed no great hardship to forge him into a muscled warrior, no eternal labor of wrestling with uncooperative animals to give him the lean strength of a shepherd.

With a final mighty gasp, he got to his feet and headed back out of the basement. He locked the metal gate behind him. The basement of the manor served as a storage area for Wizard Nighteye's riches, as well as any magical items not currently relevant to whatever work or research he may be performing. Keeping it tightly locked was required, for the theft of any of it was unthinkable. Quickly ascending the stairs, Izuku left the hallway he found himself in to make his way back to the library.

Izuku had originally petitioned to be accepted as an apprentice wizard. To unlock the secrets of the arcane was all he'd wanted since he was a child. Dreams of becoming someone on the tier of Nighteye filled his mind, the ultimate expression of intellect. It had seemed like such a fulfilling idea. Unfortunately, he was quickly found to be without a scrap of magical talent. It was a rare thing to have, but his world still crashed down around him when he found out that he'd never cast even the most minor spell.

It wasn't all bad, he had to admit. Nighteye had still recognized his sharp mind and saw potential in other work. Izuku was taught to read and write and now made a modest wage making copies, keeping the library organized, and occasionally doing menial tasks.

He opened the heavy door to his sanctum. The collection of knowledge in this room called to him, and if it wouldn't have worried his mother, he would have put his bed in here long ago. When he first learned to read and set foot into the room, he had promised himself that one day, he'd read every book on the shelves. While he was a long way off, he had made considerable progress. By his reckoning, Izuku had read nearly a quarter of them over the course of his employment with the wizard.

"Hello, Recollections on Ataran History: Volume IV. I'm back from the basement!" he proudly declared to the open book on the desk where he spent most of his days. "Sorry it took so long. Wizard Nighteye needed a really heavy chest moved, and I'm not great at that sort of stuff."

"Do you always talk to the books?"

Izuku screamed at the voice, not having been expecting its owner to be here at all, much less so near to him. He clutched a hand over his heart and turned to face her – Kaoruko Awata, Nighteye's only (current) apprentice. "A-Awata! I...I'm sorry, I d-didn't know you were there..." He breathed heavily, face red in embarrassment.

The young woman smiled slightly in amusement. "That wasn't exactly an answer."

He felt his ears burning. "Um...Y-yeah. Since, you know, I'm usually alone in here...um...since Wizard Nighteye does his research in the l-lab, and you're...doing, um, wizard apprentice things..." He looked away from her. It was an understandable thing, in his mind, to talk to the books. It wasn't like he'd be talking to anybody else.

"I suppose as long as they don't talk back, you should be fine." Awata came to lean over the chair and see what was on the pages – currently, a map of the nation of Atara, divided by county, and a brief summary of the economic difficulties suffered by each following a drought some seventy-five years ago. "I'd've thought that you'd be more interested in reading about heroes and battles than economies and farming troubles."

"...I...I mean, yeah, who w-wouldn't? But if I'm going to read everything...It makes sense to do it orderly, s-so I know where I'm at." He looked away. Awata was very attractive – as a Water Nymph (well, River Nymph, but the physiological differences between River Nymphs, Lake Nymphs, and Sea Nymphs were incredibly minor; while they'd certainly be upset at your for mixing them up, most of their traits were common between all subspecies) she trended more towards an ideal standard of beauty than most humans were capable of achieving. He had had a crush on her once, when he was younger and hadn't fully realized the sheer impossibility of that ever coming to fruition and given up on it. Still, he was bad at being around women at the best of times, much less one so supernaturally sculpted, feelings or no.

"Best of luck with that. I'd say you're a few decades out." She turned to him and held out a small box. "Happy birthday."

His breath caught. "Y-you remembered?" Izuku tenderly took the box.

"Master Nighteye did. He asked me to let you know you're allowed to leave early for the day because of it, and I had bought this a few months back."

Izuku opened the box, revealing a small, curved dagger beside an intricate leather sheath. The hilt was bleached bone, the blade a blue-tinged metal. "S-Seaforged?! Awata, I-I-I can't accept this! This dagger is worth more than I make in a month!" A Seaforged blade was an incredible item. Crafted by Sea Nymphs in forges built over thermal vents on the ocean floor, the metal was impervious to rust, impressively sturdy, and kept an edge very well.

She shook her head. "I was able to trade a few potions that didn't make the cut for regular sale for it. They weren't going to any real use, and I remember how you gushed over mine when you first realized what it was."

He swallowed, feeling his face grow hot again. He had read several books about Nymphs in his early employment, when he still fantasized about wooing the blue skinned sorceress. Once he saw her carving a staff with her own dagger, he had lost his mind with excitement. The Sea Nymphs would happily trade Seaforged goods with their freshwater cousins, but it was much harder to acquire them as a human, since the Nymphs preferred to stay in their liquid habitats. "I...I can't..."

"Midoriya."

He sniffed and wiped his eyes. "O-okay. I'm...I don't have the words...Thank you so much, Awata." He set the box down on the desk and buckled the sheath to his belt, placing the blade within afterward.

"You're welcome." She smiled at him. Even though he'd long since accepted the reality of his situation, it still made his heart speed up. "I'll be gone for a few days. I've got to refill my vessel, so Master Nighteye will probably have you running the errands I usually take care of."

As a Nymph, Awata was bound to a location – a river, in her case – that she couldn't leave without slowly beginning to die. However, according to her and Nighteye, all that was strictly required was regular contact with the waters of that river. She'd nearly killed herself coming to present herself as an apprentice, and her dedication and latent magical talent had impressed him so much that he'd created her a magical bottle capable of holding vast quantities of liquid. She could be away from the river for months at a time with what was stored within.

"Oh! Well, u-um, thank you for...uh...delaying that for me? For my birthday, I mean? I...It really means a lot."

"It was mostly a matter of convenient timing," she admitted rather bluntly. "But I had originally planned to leave this morning rather than in the afternoon, so." She shrugged. Awata retrieved a bag and staff from the cranny she had been waiting for him in and headed for the door to the library. "Until then, Scribe Midoriya!"

He raised a hand to wave, even though she wasn't going to look back and see it. "Y-yeah. Have a, uh, safe trip." Once she had gone, Izuku went back to his desk and placed a bookmark in the history book before shutting it. "Guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Recollections." His ears burned once more, acutely aware of his odd habit. He had planned to say more, but Awata's observation of it made him self-conscious. Instead, he retrieved his own bag and quietly made his way out of the mansion.

Every story about powerful wizards talked about their home. Whether it was a tower, a mansion, a castle, or some manner of dungeon, the locale featured prominently in the decision. Nighteye was no exception. While Izuku's village was nothing significant, it was located along a cliff. For most places, this would mean nothing more than a healthy mining and/or quarrying industry, but the half-formed mountain jutting up from the earth had caught the wizard's eye. Thirty or so years ago, he came in with a legion of masons and carpenters. He paid the mayor a king's ransom for the land and the right to demand cancellation of any industrial activities that would threaten the stability of the home he would build. And so, Shizuoka saw a time of economic prosperity from the influx of workers who built the mansion. Many of them had actually stayed in and around the village, growing its size considerably.

He looked over his shoulder as he made his way down the path to the village proper, carved straight from the rock by Nighteye's magic. The four-story manor loomed over the horizon, coated in plain colors and sporting a small fifth and sixth story by way of a tower that jutted out of the building, nearing the very edge of the cliff. Despite coming up here nearly every day for the past half a decade, looking at it still filled him with a sense of awe and wonder. While Shizuoka wasn't a tiny village, no other building even approached its grandeur. The mayor's home sported a third story and would have seemed an opulent display otherwise. Izuku had to wonder about cities like the capital, where buildings like this –

The sound of heavy breathing tore him from his architectural musings. Izuku's head snapped around to acquire the source, and he saw a man sleeping dangerously close to the edge of the path at one of its switchbacks. He was long and lean, all sharp angles and sinewy flesh. Skeletal was almost an appropriate word for him. A mop of messy blonde hair framed his face. In a panic, he dashed forward and grabbed the man's wrist with one hand, shaking his shoulder with the other.

"S-sir! Excuse me, sir, I'm sorry – I'm sorry for waking you, but this isn't a safe place to sleep!"

The man's sunken eyes opened, revealing a startling blue hidden in the shadows cast by his brow. "What's that, now?" he asked groggily.

"You shouldn't sleep here! If you'd rolled over, or something bumped you..." Izuku swallowed. "You'd have fallen off!"

Those eyes...They didn't look half as delirious as the man sounded. They were sharp and calculating. "Well, it's not like I've got anywhere else to go... Can't very well sleep in the woods and be eaten, and I've already been told I can't sleep on the streets. Don't have a penny to pay for a room." He pulled his arm free of Izuku's grasp with startling strength. "What's it matter to you, anyways? Why would you care if a stranger sleeps on a mountain path?"

Izuku grabbed the man's hand again and pulled. To his surprise, the stranger didn't resist and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "It doesn't matter why. Come on, I'll...You can come to my house. We don't have an extra bed, but we can spare a pillow and some blankets, and my mother can make some food for you. It'll be better than..." His eyes wandered to the edge of the path, where the man had been sitting. "Um. Better than sleeping somewhere dangerous like this. Warmer, too." The summer air wasn't exactly biting, but the nights could still be uncomfortably cool if you spent too long under the stars.

The man's mouth turned up in a smile. "And you'd take a strange man into your home just like that?"

Izuku nodded, pulling a little farther towards the center of the path. "Come on. We have to make it to the bottom of the cliff, but my house isn't far from there."

The blonde man nodded twice. "I knew that I was choosing well."

Izuku blinked and hesitated. "Choosing? What?"

The stranger's frame swelled. Spindly arms rippled with muscle, his chest ballooned from a stray twig into an oaken trunk, and his legs grew to match. Even his face became rounder as a heavy laugh came from his chest. "Izuku Midoriya! Your prayers are answered, FOR I AM HERE!"

He recognized the man now. How could he not? He'd seen the statues every time he'd gone into his temple. Izuku let go of the hand and immediately fell to his knees, pressing his nose and hands to the ground. His body shook with barely contained fear, for he was before the King of the Gods, the All Mighty. "L-Lord Yagi! Forgive me f-f-for being so presumptuous to –"

"Young Midoriya, if I had not expected that you would attempt to pull me away from the ledge, I would not have sat there! Rise, and look me in the eye!"

Rise? Look him in the eye? The very notion that he would look a god, much less the King of the Gods, in the eye was unthinkable. How could he do that? Moreover, why would he do that? What possible reason could Yagi the All Mighty have to not only talk to him, but ask him to do such things? Was he about to be smited? Or was it smitten? Smote? Whatever the correct word was, he couldn't see another option. He hadn't prayed to the All Mighty more than a handful of times in recent years, but it wasn't out of disregard! He just didn't have much cause for needing Strength or Justice! Most of his prayers went to Nezu! Was he being punished for not praying to the King enough?

"You're mumbling, young man," the god said. There was a note of impatience in his voice. It made Izuku stand rigid. Regardless of what was about to happen, nothing good was to be gained by trying the All Mighty's patience. With another hearty laugh, Yagi's thumb brushed dirt off the tip of Izuku's nose. "Sit with me, my boy!" He turned and strode to the cliff face. With five swift strikes, he carved a pair of chairs from the wall itself.

A small, terrified noise escaped Izuku's mouth. With great effort, he forced his legs to move to the smaller chair. The only one that could really be considered a chair, actually. The other more resembled a throne. "Y-yes, sir. My Lord. My god? King? Uhm."

The king of all creation sat in the throne. It seemed appropriate, in Izuku's mind. "I would tell you to call me Yagi, but I already know that you would never. Sir will be fine. Tell me, how would you like to be a god?"

There was no preamble. No buildup to such a massive question. It could only be a joke. Did gods joke? "S-sir?" The All Mighty was smiling, but it was the same smile he had been wearing since Izuku looked up. When no response was given, he took it to mean he was supposed to answer, joke or no. "I don't..." He swallowed. "I don't think I'd be very good at it, My L – um. Sir."

"A humble attitude will take you far, young man. Tell me, in all of the books you've read during your days in Nighteye's library, have you ever heard of the Cycle of the Gods?"

Izuku shook his head. "N-no, never."

"I am not surprised! It's a most obscure piece of lore. Allow me to enlighten you." He lounged in his throne of stone. "We are not the first Gods, me and my siblings. In truth, none of us are even related. There is talk in the holy texts of brothers and sisters, but no common blood binds us. Certainly not with Nezu, ha! No, the only brothers I have among the Gods are my brothers in arms. Friends who I have fought and bled beside, beginning in the Great Game and stretching out to now. We all came from disparate walks of life, counting Man, Nymph, and animal-kind alike amongst our number. I was a farmer when I was young." Yagi chuckled at the incredulous face Izuku was making. "It's true, I promise. Swear on my throne. The big one, not this one." He knocked on the armrest. There was a light quaking in the cliff. "The previous God of Justice saw me defending complete strangers from soldiers with a hoe. She was impressed, and she chose me, much in the same way that I'm choosing you."

"Previous God...? C-choosing me? I...I don't understand..."

An amused smile. "Yes you do, Young Midoriya. You just haven't managed to accept it yet." He shifted in his seat. "Gods aren't eternal, you know. Even we must die. And every three thousand years or so, we do. The time is upon us, and the Great Game is begun. And, as is tradition, the King must choose his Godling last." He leans forward. "That Godling is you."

"G-Godling? But I'm a human!"

"Nobody is born a Godling. That is something you become. I take a portion of my Godly mantle and bestow it unto you, and you become something more than human. And once I give it to you, you seek out the Palace of the Gods. To enter with a vestige of a god within you is to become a god yourself, but to win the Great Game is to be the first to open the doors, for whomever does so becomes the ruler of the Gods in the coming Cycle."

Izuku's vision was blurring. His breaths came in in rapid gasps. This couldn't be real. Yagi the All Mighty was here, telling him that he was to become a god? The God of Strength and Justice? The next King of the Gods? It was too much. He clutched at his chest, feeling sweat drip down his face.

This couldn't be real.

A massive force snapped his head to the side, leaving a sharp sting on his cheek. His vision focused back in, and he saw a single hair floating to his lap. He blinked and turned his head back, seeing the All Mighty settling back into his throne. "Calm yourself, young man. There is more to discuss, yet, and I'll not have you passing out until we're done."

"Um...Yes, sir. S-sorry. I...I just...This is so much, I can...hardly believe what you're telling me..."

"It is much to learn, and more to bear. For someone who has never set foot outside of Shizuoka, in particular, I understand the struggle. But you must also understand that this knowledge is nothing compared to the struggle to come. You must bring all your wit to bear and identify which of the Godlings you will count as allies and which you will count as enemies. You must find the Palace of the Gods and be the first to enter it. Most importantly, you must prove yourself worthy of both the titles God of Strength and Justice and King of the Gods along the way.

"You had a point in your earlier mumblings, Young Midoriya, and it was one I had already considered. I have watched you for some time now. You are correct in that your life has had little need for my aid. You have encountered no insurmountable obstacle, no great injustice. Some might argue that you've had it easy. Whether or not they are correct, you have done nothing to earn my power. Normally, when the Mantle is bestowed, it brings with it a measure of the God's might and ability. You will not find this to be the case. The Mantle may as well be a thin cloak for all it will do, but with each step you take closer to my Throne, I will grant a further measure of my power."

Izuku's voice had never been smaller. "But...if...if that's the case...Why give me your mantle at all? I don't understand."

The god's face softened. "Because you are good and kind, Izuku Midoriya. I have watched you show nothing but compassion consistently over your entire life, and compassion is one of the best traits that could ever be had by a god of either Strength or Justice, much less both. I've been alive for a long time, young man, and I have seen what happens when an untested person is given power. So, you will be tested. If you are found worthy, you will be given the power that you have earned. If you are found wanting..." He sighs. "When a Godling is killed, their killer takes the mantle. Not ideal for one as powerful as mine, but these rules have been set in stone for far longer than I've been alive."

Izuku already had to work to keep his breathing measured and avoid another reprimand. The addition of (what felt like) certain death into the equation did not make that task easier. "But why me? I... There have got to be other compassionate people... People who have been tested."

"Because you are already the kind of person that I would like to see bearing my power. I suspect that, once you tread the path, your greatness will exceed what any other could hope to achieve. I have chosen you because I believe that when you step across the Palace threshold, you will be the best of us."

That was it. The final blow to his composure. To hear such a thing from a god...

Izuku wept.

It was obvious that Yagi the All Mighty had no idea how to handle someone crying in front of him. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing; he was clearly trying, and Izuku appreciated it. Still, despite (or perhaps because of) his awkward comforting, it was far too long before Izuku was able to pull himself back together. The sleeves of his tunic were soaked through with tears, his eyes were red, and his voice hoarse.

"You're, ah...done, then?" the god asked warily.

He nodded. "I, um...I'm really s-sorry, My Lord."

The correction was quiet and uncomfortable. "Sir."

"Sir. Right. Sorry." The air between them hung heavy for several moments. The young man's emotional outburst had completely destroyed the flow of the conversation. He was the first to speak again. "What about my mom?"

"What about her?"

"I...I'm just worried about her. It's not like she can't take care of herself or anything, but...Since my father died, it's...just been us. I mean, I always knew that I'd leave someday...probably whenever I got m-married, but...It's so sudden. And... honestly, would she even believe me when I tell her why?"

"That will not be a concern. You are not to tell anyone about your nature as a Godling."

His head snapped up. "W-what? So, I'm just supposed to abandon her?"

"You may tell her whatever you like when she asks why you must go. However, the trials before you include anonymity. You will keep your semidivine status a secret under all circumstances, even from the other Godlings. You will not be known for your mantle, but for your actions."

"But My – sir, how am I supposed to even start tracking down the Palace of the Gods?! If nobody can know I'm a Godling, how do I ask the questions I need to ask?"

"I took you for a follower of Nezu, Young Midoriya. Are you trying to tell me you're without intellect and cunning?"

The jab caught him entirely off guard. A challenge? Goading him to action. The restriction he placed was going to be difficult. Part of the tests, certainly, that much was obvious from the moment the All Mighty stated it. Besides, it's not like many people would just have information about the Palace of the Gods; if its location were common knowledge, wouldn't everyone know about it? That meant that Izuku didn't need to ask questions to find it. Probably. Maybe some questions, but smart ones. The rest of the information can probably be found somewhere. But a good point was raised; why the King, and not Nezu? The answer seemed obvious, there was someone smarter and more cunning. That wasn't important, though. What was important –

"Mumbling!" Yagi chastised again.

A small 'eep' escaped his lips, despite his best efforts. "R-right. Sorry. Uhm. But...still...I can't just leave without saying anything to my mom."

"Then I suggest you discover a reason to leave that doesn't involve becoming a god." He shrugged. "Or you could spend the rest of your life in this little village, squandering the mantle placed upon you. There's no time restriction on reaching the Palace but the natural end of your life, if you aren't up to the challenge of being there first."

"...Sir, you're...you keep taunting me."

"That is correct, Young Midoriya! You're complacent. You like your simple life. Reading books all day, twisting your mind around events long since passed and knowledge that will never matter if you never leave this sleepy town. Ambition for ambition's sake is dangerous, but sloth is every bit as much. After all, nobody ever became a god without aiming high!"

He looked down. "You...you keep saying that l-like...like I'm just going to agree. What if I wanted to stay here? I mean...from the sounds of it, being a Godling is pretty dangerous already...if I'm going into it without anything, it sounds like I'm the most likely to die in an, um, already lethal line of work..."

"Because you never really stopped wanting to be a wizard, Young Midoriya. I can't give you magic, but I can give you the greatest adventure you'll ever have the chance to embark upon. You'll have a chance to do something that will change the face of the world and better the lives of all the people you cross paths with. Make no mistake, this line of work is very lethal, but you must consider the caliber of people that have been chosen by the other Gods. Many are fine folk, but already among them walk a murderer, a warrior with no regard for people, and a man who walks with monsters. Should any of them have their way, or the worst come about for unrelated reasons, the next Cycle of Gods could be an undesirable bunch."

It was probably intentional that Izuku's first thought was what kind of a world that would be. What kind of a world his mother would have to live in. Countless other innocents crushed underfoot by the will of uncaring gods. And then the idea of him, standing against the tide of darkness... Even though it was an unsubtle manipulation on the part of the All Mighty, he felt it. Walking up the cliff that first time, wearing his dreams of wizardry on his shoulders, imagining how being Nighteye's apprentice would be...

That thirteen-year-old boy was the flint, and Yagi was the steel.

Izuku caught fire.

The God beamed. "There it is!" .

"All right. So, I can't tell anyone I'm a Godling, and I don't get my powers until I earn them." He took a deep breath. "I can do that. There's probably something I can use to point me in the right direction in Wizard Nighteye's library. The problem is finding it, though...I'll have to check against the index, see if I can find something relevant. It won't be perfect, not all of the books are in there, but it'll be a start. Once I find whatever it is, I pack my bags and set off...After giving the Wizard my resignation and saying goodbye to mom." Izuku punched his hand. "Okay. I can do this."

The All Mighty's smile was bigger, now, almost ear-to-ear. "One last thing before you go." He reached into a belt pouch and withdrew a key of simple design, wrought from what looked like silver.

The scribe took it with a puzzled look. "A key? For the Palace Gates?"

"No, the Gates will open to your will. This is a key to Grandmother's house."

He gasped, nearly dropping the key in the process. He snatched it from the air before it could tumble down the cliff and stowed it in his bag. The ring holding various keys to Nighteye's palace would be too obvious a place to keep such an important item. He'd secure it more properly later, maybe with the box that Awata's gift had come in once he could retrieve it from his desk. "Grandmother's house? Why?"

"You're already starting far behind everyone else, between the restrictions placed on me by the rules of the Great Game and those I have placed on you. It's only fair that I provide you with an edge to make up for some of that loss." Much more quietly, he whispered, "And do be polite. Grandmother is a very old goddess, but that doesn't mean she isn't keen, and she's always watching."

Izuku nodded. "Thank you, sir. Your trust in me won't be misplaced, I promise."

"Then go forth and become, Godling." Yagi the All Mighty placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder. A chill ran through his body, and then...

Nothing. But that was almost to be expected, since the mantle wasn't coming with any power.

"And happy birthday. Enjoy it with your mother." It was a strange thing to hear from a god, but perhaps no stranger than anything else that had happened since he had come down the cliff.

"Yes, sir! Goodbye!" He turned to leave, before hesitating and facing back. "And...and thank you! I can't thank you enough!"

There was nobody there. In that briefest of moments, the god had made his departure, silent as a cat.

Izuku didn't need the lantern to see his way up the cliff. He'd walked the path twice a day, almost every day, for just under five years. It wasn't an exaggeration to say he could have made the trip in his sleep. Still, the sun wouldn't be up for some time yet, and he wasn't about to be the first Godling out of the Great Game because he slipped and broke his neck.

He'd left early for two reasons. The first, obviously, being an early start to his day in the library. With Awata gone, it's likely he'd have many more tasks than normal to complete, which meant less time scouring the wizard's collection for hints about the Palace of the Gods. The faster he found what he needed, the sooner he could resign and get moving. All Izuku knew was that he was the last Godling picked, which didn't inform him how much longer the other Godlings had been on the task or how much headway they'd made in that time.

The second reason was a bit harder to stomach. He was avoiding his mother. While celebrating his eighteenth birthday with her had been great, the lie was always in the back of his mind. It wasn't even an overt lie. He was never asked if anything significant had happened, or if he had learned anything interesting that day, or if he had casual conversation with any gods lately. It was just a day to celebrate another passed year. But the lie that this was a normal day, that this was how things were going to continue to be, that nothing was about to change... The fact that he didn't say anything ate at him. He couldn't, but that didn't matter. Inko thought that everything was the same, and it couldn't have been more different.

The throne and chair drew him out of his mind. They looked different in the pre-morning light. Or lack of light, really. The shadows cast by the lantern's light made the larger seat seem even more imposing than it was, the dim visage of its back seeming to stretch until it found the cliff again. Izuku's place, in contrast, still maintained its modest size. The darkness almost made it look smaller, but the whole of its bulk was still clearly there, like it was kneeling before its superior.

In a strange way, seeing them scared Izuku. Before now, it could have all been some weird dream, maybe induced by mixed potion fumes. It would be ridiculous to think that, of course, but there was something there that could have cast doubt. Seeing the rock-hewn chairs was definitive. What happened yesterday was real.

He was a Godling.

He swallowed his fear and diverted from the path. He placed a hand on the throne. "I'm not afraid of you," he said to it. "I'm not afraid of what you represent. I'm going to find the Palace of the Gods, and when I do, I'm going to come back and sit here. You'll see how afraid I'm not."

The throne looked at him menacingly, its face shrouded by the shadow of Izuku's arm interposed between it and the lantern.

"Today is the first day of the rest of my life. A long, strenuous life full of...challenges fit for a god." He swallowed. "Gotta get out of my head. I'm not afraid. I'm not."

It laughed at him silently.

He turned and began following the path once more.

The windows of the mansion were all dark. Wizard Nighteye hadn't risen from sleep yet. It was impossible to tell whether that was because he simply hadn't woken yet or because he had stayed up far later than normal working on some arcane project. Izuku had known both to be the case in his time working for the man. Once or twice, he'd left and come back the next day only to find the wizard exactly where Izuku had left him. On another day, this might have made him ponder what odd traits and behaviors he would have developed as a wizard. Today, he retrieved his keyring and opened the heavy front door. He locked it again behind him and hurried across the hall to the library.

The lantern was placed on his desk. Grandmother's key was put in the dagger box and tucked safely back into Izuku's satchel. Recollections on Ataran History: Volume IV was returned to its location on the bookshelves, and Izuku went to the great lectern at the center of the room. A book that looked as thick as Izuku was tall rested upon it. This was the index, the tome that Wizard Nighteye used to document and organize his library. Most of its pages were empty, leaving room for more entries to be added as the collection was expanded. It wasn't complete; some books had escaped cataloging, even the wizard knew that. With a collection this large and a dedicated library staff of one man who only just reached the age of majority, it was almost impossible that everything would be properly documented.

"Okay...where to start...? Well, let's check under 'gods.'" With great effort, the book was turned back to the G section, and the word 'gods' was found. Several dozen books and their approximate location in the library were listed, and Izuku got to work.

Several hours, and not nearly enough books, later the sun shone brightly through the windows. Izuku knew he wouldn't have found the answer by now – he actually didn't expect to find even a hint of it for several days – but it was still frustrating to try to move through a thick book with expedience, while also absorbing enough information that he'd know whether or not it might contain a sliver of knowledge about the Palace, and then make no noticeable headway towards his objective.

He had stopped to take a brief break. His eyes were sore from reading small writing by lanternlight, and the change in ambient light by the sunrise wasn't helping terribly much while his eyes were trying to adjust and continue reading at the same time. Even though he wasn't engrossed in text when it happened, he still jumped when the library door opened.

He turned to see Wizard Nighteye staring at him, brows furrowed. "When did you arrive?"

The question made Izuku's hair stand on end. He'd never been asked that question before. Not here. "Um... I... I came in a little before sunrise. Did...Why didn't you know that?"

The wizard scowled. "I don't know. You are remarkably difficult to see today. Awata, however, remains clear as day. Do you know why that might be?"

He definitely had a theory. "N-no, sir."

Nighteye's gaze remained on him for a long moment. "You aren't the only thing clouded. All visions of my home are dark and uncertain. You've not disturbed the reliquary?"

Izuku shook his head furiously. "No! I haven't been in there since y-yesterday afternoon! And even then, I didn't touch anything! I just put up the chest like you told me and I left!"

His expression became doubtful, but no response was given. Nighteye turned from the door and strode away, letting it fall closed behind him. Izuku wasn't sure to make of the behavior but decided against doing anything else. He was certainly under scrutiny now, and to continue rummaging through the library at random would only invite more suspicion.

It did seem unfair. Izuku hadn't done anything wrong. He had a strong suspicion that something about the mantle he'd been given was what was interfering with his master's foresight, but that wasn't his fault. It wasn't a decision he'd – Well, he had made the decision, but it's entirely likely that the All Mighty would have given him the mantle regardless, based on how that conversation had been going. Besides that, however, he'd taken no action against the man. But then, who – or what – else could have caused such a thing to occur? Especially if Awata was still visible to his divinations, he did seem the most likely culprit.

It wasn't long before the robed form of the wizard returned to the doorway. "It is as you have said. The reliquary is undisturbed save for the addition of the chest, which is where I instructed you to place it. What have you done here today? Take me through each action you have made."

This was a line of questioning that was likely to become quickly uncomfortable, but he couldn't very well rally against it. Not a word had gotten out of Izuku's mouth, however, before he heard a sharp knock from the front door. Nighteye's head whipped around, his eyes narrowing. It made the scribe's blood run cold.

Wizard Nighteye had never failed to foresee a visitor.

That's a wrap for chapter one. I believe it mostly speaks for itself, but I currently plan to have some notes at the end of each chapter going over some facet of lore in the world. It might be addressed at some point in the story (or have been already), but I want to make sure that certain things will be covered and understood so that readers can be as immersed in the story as I am writing it. Today, we're going to start with the most important thing you can know about this story. Feel free to make predictions about who each God's Godling will be! Some will be more obvious than others, but I'm hoping I'll throw a few of you for a loop. I hope to start on chapter two soon!

List of Gods by purview:

Yagi, the All Mighty (All Might): God of Strength and Justice

Hellflame (Endeavor): God of the Sun and Fire

Neya, Lady of Frost (Rei Todoroki): Goddess of Winter

The Great Whale (Gang Orca): God of The Sea

The Lord of the Loom (Best Jeanist): God of Creation

The Thirteenth (Thirteen): Goddess of Magic and the Moon

Crimson (Crimson Riot): God of Stone and The Mountains

Nara the Snipe (Snipe): God of War

Lady Midnight: Goddess of Revelry

Grandmother (Recovery Girl): Goddess of Healing

Kamui of the Woods (Kamui Woods): God of Nature

Torino (Gran Torino): God of Speed

Nezu: God of Cunning and Intellect

Nosferatu (Vlad King): God of Death

Yamada the Bard (Present Mic): God of Song

Takeyama of Crossed Roads (Mt. Lady): Goddess of Change

Maijima the Smith (Power Loader): God of the Forge

Uwabami: Goddess of Beauty

Mirko: Goddess of the Hunt

The Great Devourer (All for One): God of Destruction

Lord Hawk (Hawks): God of the Sky

The Council of Shades (Ectoplasm): God of Secrets and Deception

The Beast (Hound Dog): God of Beasts

Hundred-Legged Juzo (Centipeder): God of Prisons