I'm new to writing, and English is not my first language.I use AI to help with translation, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes you might find.
You can find this story translated into Spanish on Wattpad under the name: "Izuku: Ten Shadows."
Izuku Midoriya.A normal boy...In a world where "normal" died a long time ago.
Once upon a time, having a power was a young person's wildest dream.Now, it's the standard.
A quirk decides your fate.It defines your place in society.It determines how far you'll go.And when you don't have one... the world decides for you.
Discrimination. Humiliation. Violence. Silence.That's what the weak receive.
But why? For what?
To feel strong?To forget how miserable they are inside?
That's what they did to me.I only had one dream. As big as my heart:To become the Number One Hero.
But I was born as part of the powerless 20%. A quirkless.A mistake.
I trained.I fought.I studied.I gave it my all. 200%.I tried to catch up to the rest.
But the bodies of those with quirks are already beyond human.Denser muscles. Enhanced reflexes. Accelerated healing.Even the most useless of them outclassed me just by existing.
I was everyone's shadow.Not even that... even their shadow was stronger than me.
But I didn't give up.
Just an ordinary day.Nothing special.
I woke up after a good night's sleep. I'd fallen asleep looking at my phone, and for some reason, I felt... calm.I went to the bathroom. Took a cold shower.
Routine. All the same.
"Son! Come down for breakfast! I made katsudon!" my mother shouted from the kitchen.
I ran down the stairs with a smile, only to find rice and fish on the table.
"Where's the katsudon...?" I asked, confused.
"We ran out of ingredients," she laughed. "Grab them from the store on your way back, okay?"
I sighed but nodded.
My mother, Inko, was everything to me. She wasn't like the others... She didn't give up on me.She believed in me when no one else did.She trained with me. Fed me right. Took care of me.And that... that was enough.
After breakfast, I grabbed my bag, said goodbye with a smile, and walked to school.
In class.The same routine. Everyone talking about their quirks. About which hero school they would apply to.
The teacher came in with a stack of forms.
"Today, you'll decide which high school you'll attend. Hand me your applications and you're free to go."
I looked at the paper. I thought.UA or Shiketsu?Doesn't matter... UA is closer.
I wrote, stood up, turned it in, and left.
I walked under a bridge on the way to the store. The sun was setting, and as on any normal evening, the streetlights were turning on.
I enjoyed the unnecessarily bright path until I arrived at the small shop Mom and I usually visit.
I greeted old Jūbei, always smiling behind his newspaper at the counter.
"Jūbei, can I get the usual for katsudon, please? And a soda — I'm dying of thirst."
He lowered the paper casually.
"Of course, young Izuku. What flavor do you want?"
"Grape, please," I said, unsure.
"All right then, Izuku. That'll be 1600 yen."
I left the money on the counter, thanked him, and walked out.
To my surprise, it was already night. I must've taken too long picking ingredients.Hope Mom doesn't get mad today, I thought as I rushed through the crowd heading home from work.
After almost fifteen minutes, I got home. But as I approached... something felt off.A strange weight in the air. A sense of danger.
I ignored it and went inside.
I left my shoes next to Mom's and, as always, called out:
"Mom, I'm home!"
But today, her voice didn't answer me.Instead, I heard a desperate scream.
"Run, Izuku!"
A scream that brought the full weight of that atmosphere down on me — like a truth I didn't want to accept.
I followed her voice.And I wish I had just run... but the scene in front of me wouldn't let me.
A mass of human faces, radiating terror, pierced my mother with its arm just as I entered the room.Her blood splashed onto me.
I didn't care.
Seeing her wounded, while that thing made grotesque sounds, like it was mocking my existence...I felt something new.
The world lost its color.The kitchen light barely lit the room, making everything feel heavier. Less real.
My world collapsed.And I fell with it.
Time slowed as I processed the scene.And something inside me broke.
Like a wall crumbling.
And something emerged from me.
A shadow. Not a normal one.It was heavier. It had shape.A dog of black ink, formed by my own shadow.It had white spots that twisted with the rhythm of my heartbeat.
It approached me during my shock, until... my shadow spoke.
"I am what fate separated from your soul. A shadow clinging to our destiny.But I don't want to be incomplete.I offer you a choice: I will merge with you again, you will deny the fate that divides us,and we will reverse reality.Are you willing?"
Still in shock, slowly returning to reality, I said something I never regretted:
"I accept."
With a muted voice, I stood from my kneeling position.I felt a strange warmth rise from my head, and I guided it — not with control, but with instinct — toward my shadow.
It felt natural.
I touched it... and felt ten fragments. Of what? I didn't know.I didn't care.
I clung to the one that looked like a dog... and it emerged.
It rose from my shadow like living ink.Before I could process what I was doing, I ran with it and charged at that thing.
I felt so fast.
The creature barely managed a wail. It tossed my mother's body aside and tried to escape.
But we caught it.
My shadow clamped onto its head with a bite.And I...One punch to the chest.
The creature twisted under the touch of my fist, now covered in that strange power.Before it could react, the dog's jaw snapped shut — and its head exploded.
The monster began to disintegrate.
I ran to my mother.
She looked at me... but said nothing.Blood flowed from her mouth, and she smiled... faintly.
She closed her eyes.
When I finally reached her, all I could do was scream:
"Moooom!!"
"Please don't leave me," I sobbed, kneeling at her side.
No response.Driven by instinct, I tried to channel that energy into her.
My heart was pounding so fast I thought it would explode — when I saw her wound heal.
She was whole.Just like when she said goodbye this morning.
"Mom..." I whispered, shaking her. "Mom, get up."
My hands trembled. My eyes burned.
"M-Mom, don't joke... please get up..."
My voice cracked.Tears fell uncontrollably.And then, I understood.
I couldn't save her.
Her body — cold.Her soul — gone.
A dull sound.I collapsed backward.
My heart... shattered.
I refused to accept her death.
But the silence screamed the truth.
And staring at the ceiling, crushed by pain...
I blacked out.
"I hope you liked the chapter. Any mistakes or doubts, please leave them in the comments."
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