Chapter 48

The next few weeks have been a blur. Meetings, debriefings, near-constant monitoring of threats, and the lingering pressure of two worlds colliding. I've been hopping back and forth, coordinating with the top heroes from my old life – Hulk, Supergirl, Flash, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Wonder Woman, and Black Widow. Every time we got together, it was a storm of frantic theories, panicked glances, and useless data. The disappearances…the dimension hopping…it was chaos, and we were all just trying to keep our heads above water.

On top of that, I was also trying to track down the League of Villains in this world, hoping to piece together some kind of strategy, some way to protect everyone. My classes are on hiatus, so at least I have some free time, but it feels like I'm the only one doing anything. I never understood why the weight of the world always seemed to fall onto my shoulders. Maybe… maybe it wasn't meant to. Maybe it's one of the burdens I can pass on.

It was around 2 AM, and I was out patrolling, a quiet hum of Kryptonian power radiating beneath my skin. The city was hushed, the only sounds the distant siren and the rustling of wind through the alleyways. I was tracing the edges of the underworld, hoping to pick up a stray whisper, a forgotten clue.

That's when I heard it. Voices, low and laced with malice, bleeding out from a darkened alley. I knew those voices. Shigaraki and Dabi.

I floated closer, a shadow against a building, listening intently.

"…how the hell do you know that Midoriya kid?" Shigaraki's voice was as grating as ever.

Dabi laughed, a dry, rasping sound. "Which one? They're both annoying as hell."

Shigaraki stopped abruptly. "The one with white hair." He glanced at Dabi, his expression unreadable in the dim light.

Dabi scoffed, lighting a cigarette. "Let's just say we have history."

My stomach plummeted. History? With Dabi? I'd encountered him before, a few rough-and-tumble fights during my patrols, but that was it. What history could we possibly have?

Shigaraki's face darkened, a strange mix of curiosity and jealousy flickering across his features. Dabi, sensing the shift in atmosphere, smirked, took a drag from his cigarette, and then pinned Shigaraki against the wall.

"Jealous, boss?" he taunted, his voice low and suggestive.

Shigaraki pushed back, a growl rumbling in his throat, but I could tell he wasn't really trying to escape. The air in the alley crackled with an unsettling tension.

Dabi pressed closer, teasing Shigaraki by kissing his neck, his hand moving to his waist. The sight was… unexpected. To say the least.

Then, Dabi grinned, and kissed Shigaraki, slow at first, then harder, more demanding. I was stunned. Dabi and Shigaraki? What was going on?

Dabi pulled back, grinning at Shigaraki's shocked expression. "Don't worry, it's not that type of history. We used to be friends, I guess. But then I got burned, and the rest is history."

Shigaraki nodded slowly, a strange understanding dawning in his eyes.

But I wasn't understanding anything. I was frozen, my mind reeling. Burned? Friends?

It couldn't be…

Dabi… Touya?

My Touya? My best friend from my first life, the one who I was told that was dead…the one who had died himself. He was alive? And he was Dabi?

My body shook, a wave of nausea washing over me. It was too much to process. The boy I had grown up with, laughed with, shared secrets with, was now a villain, a monster.

I needed to get out of there.

Ignoring the burning in my lungs, I rocketed upwards, breaking the sound barrier as I flew to the top of the tallest building in the district. The wind howled around me, but it couldn't drown out the chaos in my head.

I finally let go. Tears streamed down my face, hot and raw. It had been so long since I'd cried. Too long. The weight of everything – the fate of two worlds, the constant battles, the crushing loneliness – finally broke me.

It felt like I was drowning.

Suddenly, a hand landed on my shoulder.

"Anos? What's wrong?" Peter's voice was laced with concern. He must have picked up on my distress through the watch he gave me.

I turned around, relief flooding through me. Peter knew me better than anyone, even better than my family in this world.

"Peter," I choked out, unable to form coherent sentences.

He pulled me into a hug, a silent offer of comfort. I clung to him, sobbing into his shoulder.

After a few moments, the storm began to recede. I pulled back, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.

"I… I saw Dabi talking to Shigaraki," I managed to say, my voice thick with emotion.

Peter frowned. "And? What's so upsetting about that? They're villains, aren't they?"

I took a deep breath and told him everything – the conversation, the connection between them, and the devastating realization that Dabi was Touya, my lost best friend.

Peter listened in stunned silence, his eyes widening as the story unfolded. When I finished, he shook his head in disbelief.

"Touya? But... He was dead. I remember you telling me… "

"I know," I whispered. "But he's alive. And he's a villain."

We stood there for a long moment, the silence broken only by the city's distant hum. The world felt like it was tilting on its axis.

"What are you going to do?" Peter finally asked.

The question hung in the air, heavy and unresolved. I had no idea. Do I confront Touya? Do I try to save him? Do I just let him go, let him fade into the darkness?

"I don't know," I confessed, my voice barely a whisper.

"You have to think this through, Anos," Peter said, his voice gentle but firm. "This is a huge decision. It could change everything."

He was right. This wasn't just about Dabi, the villain. This was about Touya, my friend. The person I thought I had lost forever.

But he was a villain.

Could I really try to redeem someone who had embraced the darkness so completely? Could I risk everything, including the safety of this world, for a ghost from my past?

The possibilities swirled in my head, a dizzying vortex of hope and despair.

"Do I confront Dabi on my own, or let him go?" I asked, more to myself than to Peter. "Let my best friend since we where kids go… after I found him again… or do I tell him I know? What shouldI do…"

I turned to Peter, my eyes pleading for guidance. "I don't know if it's wrong or right…."

Peter placed a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm and reassuring. "There's no right or wrong answer, Anos. You have to follow your heart. But be careful. This could be dangerous."

I looked out at the city, the twinkling lights a mocking reminder of the innocent lives at stake. The weight of the world settled back onto my shoulders, heavier than ever.

I had a choice to make. And the fate of my past, and perhaps the future was depending on it.