Arata (My Hero Academia)

Arata is a student at the My Hero Academia.
== Appearance ==
Arata has blond hair that's cut at mid-length and rather messy, with one lock of hair sticking up like an antenna, and emerald green eyes. His face lacks masculinity, making his face seem almost feminine to other that might make that judgement. This is due to how he aged slightly slower, appearing younger than the norm.  
In school, he wears the normal school uniform. At other places, he wears some casual outfit consisting of jeans and shirts. 
However, he does prefer to wear his own outfit at times. It consists of a black full sleeve coat-like shirt with red outlines on it as well as on the wrist cuffs. The shirt is held by a rectangular badge at the top of the collar, and black pants. With the pants, he also wears a pair of leather boots that goes past the knees and has some black pads on the knees. He also sports a large white trench coat that he wears over the shirt.
== Personality ==
== History ==
==== Tragic Loss ====
Most Quirks awaken when one is five years old. However, Arata's Quirk was exceptionally powerful that, mere moments after his birth, his cries grew silent all of a sudden. This is because his Quirk was "Astral Projection," a Quirk that caused his consciousness to manifest in the form of a disembodied spirit, outside of his body. The sudden silence from the cries of a newborn alarmed both doctors and parents, and Arata's infant body was taken to emergency care. The body was still alive, but unresponsive. Eventually, Arata's spirit returned to his body and began crying once more, relieving the parents. 
Despite the relief, it became clear that Arata needed to be attended to closely. Understanding that Arata's Quirk manifested too early, if they weren't careful, his body would be in great danger should his Quirk activate again. Arata's parents made sure to always be ready to handle Arata in case he uses his Quirk again.
After the first few months, things seemed to calm down. Merely a few minor hiccups, but nothing Arata's parents couldn't sort out. But after nearly half a year, Arata's Quirk began to manifest more frequently, and many in the worst timings. Drinking, bathing, rolling in his sleep in a dangerous position, Arata was starting to actually endanger his own life greatly. After a few more months, Arata's Quirk began to rapidly activate and deactivate in rapid intervals that soon his parents began to fear that Arata's Quirk might actually kill him in a way they couldn't see. 
Consulting several doctors, they were eventually referred to Dr. Daruma Ujiko, who would be able to help them. Unaware, Dr. Ujiko was actually Dr. Kyudai Garaki, a mad scientist that worked for All For One. Impressed by the prospect of how a mere infant, not even a single year old, could actually manifest a Quirk and using it so many times. All For One was also intrigued by this, seeing potential not simply in the Quirk itself, but also the potential that lied within Arata's body. Seeing how All For One desired Arata, Dr. Garaki prepared to have Arata be given to All For One, and worked several weeks to prepare it. Once ready, he had faked Arata's death, labeling it as a result of how Arata's rapid usage of the Quirk was too much strain for Arata's brain, causing Arata to suffer a brain stroke. To sell the illusion, a body double of Arata was created for the parents to believe was their actual son. As a result, Arata's parents were devastated and believed that they had lost their son. 
As a result of this deception, Arata, little under a year old, came under the care of All For One. 
==== All For One's Care ====
All For One began to raise Arata, using his subordinates to assist in caring for the child. Arata's Quirk would continue to act out wildly. However, the doctor and All For One believed that there was a reason for why the Quirk seemed to activate. They began testing how the infant reacted to the environment, and after some results, Dr. Garaki hypothesized that Arata's Astral Projection activates on instinct toward any perceived danger. What Arata would perceive as a threat, it would cause his Quirk to activate on instinct to protect Arata's mind. Due to how infants have no object permanence, any sense of danger would disappear rather quickly. The other deduction was that Arata's Quirk had grown very strong from repeated usage. The combination of the two is likely what caused Arata's Quirk to grow out of control for his parents. 
Having understood the cause of Arata's Quirk growing out of control, All For One merely used that to his advantage, slowly molding Arata's infant mind and removing any belief that All For One was a threat. Slowly but surely, Arata began to recognize All For One as a non-threatening figure thanks to All For One's usage of Quirks to ease Arata's mind. Having been deprived of his true parents, yet still faintly yearning for the touch of the family that he could no longer remember, Arata began to associate "family" toward the only people around him and caring for him in order to fill in the void. 
A thing that was noted by Dr. Garaki was that Arata struggled greatly with motor functions, believed to be a result of Arata's Quirk usage. Due to separating himself from his body often, Arata struggled move his body the way his mind wished to. It was only when Arata was a year old that he could actually start to stand up. He was 21 months old when he finally began able to walk properly on his own. All of this was concerning whether Arata would become a worthy test subject in the future if his body didn't naturally grow stronger. However, what his body was slow with, his mind made up for it, something that All For One pointed out. Upon testing, it was revealed that Arata recognized words and sentences faster than the average toddler, and after a bit of practices with speaking, could answer simple problems quicker. All For One believes that Arata's continuous usage of his Quirk meant that Arata's consciousness has been exploring his surroundings and perhaps beyond his walls, constantly absorbing information and storing them, and thus had a great capacity to learn. 
Dr. Garaki and All For One continued to raise him, making sure that he was fit for a child his age, as All For One decided that Arata would be subject to be given a new Quirk once he turned five years old, the age when children would normally manifest Quirks.
=== Evolution through Death ===
The day Arata turned five, All For One told him that he would be prepped for a special procedure, and told Arata that whatever happened, he mustn't use his Quirk during the procedure and must suppress any desire to use it. Arata didn't understand why, but wanting to please his father, Arata agreed to it. For the next few weeks, Arata would keep those words in mind and had been actively suppressing his Quirk usage the entire time.
As the procedure would begin, All For One would place his hand onto Arata's head, a gesture he often did to Arata. However, this time was different, as he felt something suddenly be forcibly placed into him. All For One began to place a new Quirk into Arata, yet Arata's body attempted to try and reject it, causing incredible pain to rush through his body. His instincts screamed to activate his own Quirk and free Arata from the pain of the danger, yet the weeks of efforts to suppress his Quirk took effect and he attempted to endure the pain, especially when All For One reminded him to not use his Quirk. Arata couldn't understand why his father would hurt him, but didn't want to disappoint him. Yet the pain didn't cease. Instead, it grew worse and worse and slowly, Arata's mind began to slip away. Arata's body stopped rejecting and the Quirk was implanted...only Arata's body had grown limp. The loud noise that monitored his heart began to show that there was no response from his heart. 
Arata had died.
However, All For One knew. He immediately ordered Dr. Garaki to revive Arata, aware that in truth, Arata's Quirk activated at the last moment. No matter how much Arata could consciously suppress the Quirk, the moment that his body would give out, the Quirk would activate. 
Just as All For One predicted, Arata's consciousness had been ejected by his Quirk. Yet this was different. 
He couldn't see.
He couldn't hear.
He couldn't move. 
As if frozen in place, he could do nothing but remain suspended in animation. It almost felt as if he was suffocating in air that didn't exist for him. Suddenly, in a moment, his spirit had flickered out of existence. 
Yet in that moment, Arata felt himself die. 
Then another moment. And another. It kept happening as Arata's body was being revived by All For One. The moments accumulated to nothing more than nearly a few minutes. Yet for Arata, it felt as if had been much longer. Upon revival, his spirit would return to his body, and he would lose consciousness for several days. Yet when he would awaken, it would be abrupt, as he shot up screaming, questioning his own sense of reality at that moment, terrified immeasurably of what had happened. His mind couldn't even recall what happened, as if his mind had tried to block it out. 
Yet All For One would grin the entire time, assuring Arata that there was nothing wrong. For to All For One and Dr. Garaki, Arata's Astral Projection Quirk being as strong as it was gave rise to the possibility of experimenting on giving Arata Quirks without his mind being completely destroyed as it did with Nomus, without needing any body modifications. All For One also wanted to test the possibility that Arata could attain a form of evolution through multiple deaths through the new Quirks he would be given. 
Arata had survived and would be subject to further deaths at All For One's hand.
=== True Death ===
After attaining a new Quirk, Arata's mind and body gradually needed to re-synchronize itself and adult to the new Quirk. Though his Quirk preserved his mind, it was understood that Arata's body was strangely capable of handling multiple Quirks without needing to attain any body modifications from Dr. Garaki. It would take a few months before Arata had fully adjusted to the new Quirk that he could start to use it at will. 
Yet immediately after, Arata would be subjected to yet another Quirk implantation from All For One. And yet again, Arata's young body would die the moment the Quirk had been placed inside, with Arata's spirit flickering in and out of existence various times. Upon revival and recovery, Arata's mind would seal those memories away as he adjusted to the new Quirk once more, an effort to keep his mind stable. The cycle would repeat itself over and over throughout the next few years, with Arata not even sure how many Quirks he had implanted into him. However, with each new Quirk that Arata gained, Arata could slowly his body, mind, and spirit growing heavier, as if he was nearly reaching his breaking point and about to go to the point of no return. 
As it did, the nightmares began to surface. There was only so much trauma that his mind could seal away from, and Arata's memories would begin to slip into his dreams, causing him to relive his many deaths in the form of nightmares. There were even a few times that his nightmares forced his Quirk to activate and his spirit had begun to simulate his deaths. Yet again, his spirit flickered out of existence multiple times, only this time, his body hadn't died first. This continued to happen every now and then throughout the months of his rehabilitation, and Arata became aware that something in his body, his Quirk, was beginning to change. 
Yet again the day would come where Arata's father would implant another Quirk. This particular one, All For One claimed, was exceptionally powerful, and expected great results from this experiment and they would see if Arata could truly evolve beyond. With All For One beginning the procedure, Arata felt the pain once more. No, it was far worse than before. There were no words to describe what Arata felt. All For One didn't merely force the powerful Quirk to go within Arata's body, but also used another Quirk to stimulate every Quirk within Arata. 
Just as before, Arata's body would ultimately take the Quirk in, only to die. However, this time, when All For One attempted to revive Arata's body...the body remained unresponsive. The accumulation of the constantly revivals, the Quirks, the strain of everything, Arata's body had finally given out, and seemingly ceased to be able to endure the burden.
In attempting to evolve Arata, All For One had truly killed Arata this time.
=== Attaining Quirk Singularity ===
Where the body had died, what became of Arata's mind? His spirt? Had Astral Projection also failed and caused Arata's spirit to vanish for good? 
No. 
Arata's spirit remained. 
Though would one be able to continue calling that? 
Having his body truly perish, the spirit began to die, in a way where Arata could feel himself slowly but surely disintegrating from every fiber of his being being pulled apart from the flesh, the muscle, and the bones. Yet Arata didn't even feel pain from it. He felt as if he could finally be at peace.
Just as he felt his very existence would be erased for good, a voice reached out to him and with it, Arata's mind seemed to slip into a realm of dreams, a domain where time no longer mattered. A realm where he felt himself watching various mirrors, all reflecting an image of himself stretching to what seemed to go forth infinitely. Every action he was made was mimicked with perhaps a split second lag. Every word was echoed unnaturally. As Arata reached toward his mirror image, he felt a force seeming to stop him. It was as if there was barrier that could not be seen. 
Or perhaps it was more accurate to consider it as a layer of infinity that separated him from the counterparts, so that no matter how close he got, he would never be able to touch. 
The voice, or perhaps they were voices, continued to resound within Arata. The words themselves could not be understood by Arata, as if all their words mixed and twisted with one another. Yet shards of their emotions seemed to carry within them, as if urging Arata to break through the veil of infinity and reach what could not be touched. Pushing on and on, Arata could feel the emotions and voices grow more powerful with each passing moment until at last, Arata's hand broke through and made contact with the mirror image beyond the veil. 
In but an instant, every copy seemed to vanished into shards of light before wrapped around him until they engulfed him. It was then that Arata understood those images were. 
They weren't reflections. 
They were him. 
His memories.
Every moment of his death, physically and spiritually, Arata he sealed those memories away. He had broken the very seal he had crafted and took them in, embracing his deaths, each and every one of them. Despite being so young, Arata had reached a form of enlightenment through this act, gradually understanding what happened, and truly coming to understand the nature of his Quirk. 
From every death he experienced, Arata held a primordial fear, the very core of his instinct, of his existence being erased. That fear had always been tied to his Quirk, and his Quirk would remember each and every sensation of death, and begin to respond to what the fear would respond to: the desire to survive. Arata's death was causing his Quirk to attempt to evolve as a means of aiding Arata in surviving. Yet evolution could not be possible on its own merit. However, All For One implanted Quirks, genetic materials of the Quirk Factors, into Arata's body. Arata's Quirk Factor, therefore, had all the materials needed to trigger Arata's evolution, taking them in and adapting until it would become a single Quirk that would stand above others. 
When Arata reclaimed his memories of death, he had also broke the barriers that separated his Quirk from taking in the other Quirks completely. 
Now, Arata's Quirk had achieved singularity.
And Arata's body, that had been dead for over a year, finally began to have a beating heart once more.
=== Return and Escape ===
What happened to Arata's body during the year after his death? 
Under normal circumstances, a dead subject no longer served any purpose other than disposal or dissection. However, All For One was far from the norm. Despite how revival simply wasn't possible, he still held a nigh-delusional belief that Arata had not truly perished and that sooner or later, Arata would return to life. Instead, he had Dr. Garaki create chamber to cryogenically freeze Arata's body to preserve it and monitor him at all costs for any responses. Should there be even the smallest hint or trace of any anomaly, All For One and Dr. Garaki would be informed. It was a trying task, but they were ensuring that there would be no malfunctions with devices or any chance that something could be missed. 
Sure enough, a little over a year after his death, the first response came in the form of a heartbeat. The moment he heard the news, both All For One and Dr. Garaki were ecstatic. They immediately began to unfreeze Arata and closely keep an eye on him for signs of consciousness. Despite how Arata brought himself back to life, regaining consciousness would take quite some time. Yet Arata would regain consciousness in less than a month. 
After awakening, he wouldbe struggling to regain motor functions once again. His mind and body had been apart for so long that it was a greater struggle than when he was an infant. However, something that All For One and Dr. Garaki noted was that Arata ceased to express any emotions or even speak. Considering this to be due to a deep psychological trauma of having been dead for over a year, they focused primarily on assisting him regain his ability to move and later planned to proceed to understand whether there would be any significant changes with his Quirk. 
However, as the weeks turned to months, Arata had not just been practicing regaining his strength and mobility, but also relearning how to speak again. Arata could feel it. Though his spirit returned to his body and all the memories, his emotions were sealed up under, waiting to burst open with his newfound sense of clarity. 
It would be roughly half a year after Arata returned to life that Arata finally regained all his strength and met with All For One within the facility with full intention of learning if Arata's Quirk had truly evolved. That would be when Arata would speak with All For One for the first time since his death. Arata thanked All For One for everything he had did to Arata, though what All For One hadn't expected was Arata thanking All For One for stealing him from his parents, for using his as an experiment, and for killing him so many times that he had lost count himself. Each word of thanks began to crack the wall of emotions he had built after reawakening, and All For One would spot energy beginning to emanate from him. Arata would then declare that All For One got more than they bargained for, and now he's done being used by them. 
The key component of Arata's newly evolved Quirk had not just been his original Astral Projection, but also the final Quirk All For One gave him, which involved the manipulation of energy itself, which had been the largest reason Arata had succeeded in returning from the dead despite having been dead and having been frozen for over a year. And throughout the months, Arata had been using it to absorb and store energy the entire time behind their backs within the facility. Before All For One could even respond to it, Arata caused a devastating explosion that destroyed the entire lab, greatly wounding All For One and causing the area to collapse on itself. Arata used that opening to escape, while All For One was not in a condition to follow him. 
Just before he escaped Arata said his final words to All For One:
"Goodbye, Fa... No... Goodbye, All For One."
Severing the ties he once held with the man he had once believed to be his parent, Arata had now freed himself, escaping out of his grasp.
=== Life in Solitude ===
Following his escape from All For One, Arata had gone off the grid. Arata made sure to not get in contact with other people due to the fear that All For One might find him had he lowered his guard even once. He had made his getaway through minor theft of food and clothing, making sure to never be within a single area for too long. 
As he had been on the run for several weeks, Arata slowly began to regain his emotions. He didn't understand why he was regaining them as he did, but the emotional pain he felt upon reclaiming them was immense. Even though he understood that All For One was a cruel and horrible monster that had stolen him away from his real parents, Arata couldn't held but feel immense pain at realizing that he had attacked and left the only person he had considered a "father" for so long. Recalling all his many deaths didn't help either. 
If anything, the moment he had reclaimed his emotions, the nightmares began yet again.
The memories, the feeling of death, the pain, they were all so vivid that Arata continued to wake up screaming every time he had gone to sleep. And screaming meant that his position was in danger, so Arata tried to leave the area the moment he regained his bearings. The nightmares would not stop plaguing him. Rather, they clung to him like a disease, seeking to eat away at him. It had grown so bad that Arata had soon developed insomnia and no longer could sleep at all. Any effort his body made would be mere moments, and those never helped. 
His insomnia began to drain his mental comprehension after several weeks of lacking any proper rest, to the point that he began to hallucinate every so often. His hallucinations only served to break apart his sanity, as they would be the belief that Arata was in his Astral Projection body and was vanishing as he had done. The feeling of death had been engraved so deeply into his psyche that now Arata needed to feel as if he was still alive, that he still existed. At first, he attempted to hold himself and press his hands against his own body to recall the feeling of touch, which helped at first. However, as his mental condition declined further and further, he needed more reassurance. 
Thus, Arata began to inflict harm to himself. Scraping, biting, or just straight cutting himself, Arata needed to feel some kind of pain to remind him that he was still there, that his existence hadn't been erased. 
He didn't care how much pain he was inflicting himself. He just needed the reminder. 
He was still here!
He was still alive! 
He still existed!
Little by little, Arata began to riddle himself in injuries and let the blood flow over his body while continuing to run. 
However, Arata began to question why he was running. From whom was he even running from? From All For One? From his father? Arata wondered why he should even run from All For One. The man might have been cruel, but all he did was inflict pain on Arata. Surely All For One never wanted to kill Arata. That had to be why All For One did all that. It was just All For One helping him validate his existence, right? 
Realizing what he was thinking, Arata tried to hurt himself more to snap out of such a dangerous line of thought. No matter what, he had to remember that he could never allow himself to return to All For One. Yet he would continue to hear a dark voice within the back of his mind whispering seductively into his ear, attempting to assure him that everything would be well should he return to his father. 
Arata's efforts to resist would herald upon a change within him.
=== The Companion and True Despair ===
It seemed as if the child's struggles would never end as Arata's dark thoughts haunted him everyday as the weeks went on. He would constantly feel the question of why he put up with his needless struggle when allowing himself to return to All For One would be the much simpler and safer choice. It seemed inevitable that Arata's mind would break before his body would. 
However, one day, when Arata had collapsed from the stress and exhaustion, he would awaken, not screaming, but rather feeling something wet run across his face. Light shining through the darkness, he would then make out the blurred shadow image before him and realize that it was a dog. The dog continued to lick Arata's face, and Arata would then notice no collar, understanding that it was merely a stray. From what he knew from his short education with All For One, the dog had nowhere else to go, and realizing that the dog had no one else to turn to, Arata felt a certain kinship with the animal. He decided to care for the dog, or perhaps it was actually the other way around. 
The first night with the dog, Arata felt a relaxing exhaustion take him, and for the first time since regaining his emotions following his escape, Arata slept peacefully, with his nightmares being warded away. Waking up with the dog snuggled to him, Arata felt at peace. This continued for the next few days, and Arata slowly came to the realization that so long as he had someone close to him, the nightmares would never touch him. The child never realized how it was simply having someone, a companion, by his side that seemed to be able to verify his existence. In but a few more days of well rest, Arata had regained most of his physical and mental health and the delirious dark voice he used to hear began to subside from then on. 
Continuing his travels, Arata began to interact with cities a bit more with his dog, still thieving every now and then, but also learning to pick up some new skills. He felt that eventually, stealing would become a major problem, and it would be better to instead make some legitimate money doing odd jobs. Though he was young, he managed to succeed in getting some light jobs where he began to learn many new skills, and even seemed to have a talent for various subjects that he progressed rather quickly. In but a few months, Arata began to make small trinkets and accessories that he sold at small prices that he used for legitimate purchases. The honest work he made helped Arata feel that life had gotten much brighter as of late. 
However, Arata made sure never to stay with other people for too long, assured that he needed to keep away for their sakes. It was rather saddening, as that meant that he could never make any lasting friends despite the various other kids he had met through his travels after interacting with the people. His one and only companion would be his dog, whom he named Kage for his black fur. 
Yet throughout the months, Arata noticed something rather...unnerving. 
Kage had grown thinner. 
It had nothing to do with his meals as Arata always made sure that Kage had been well fed, even more than Arata had, and yet it always felt as if the dog had been growing weaker. Arata couldn't legitimately visit a vet, so he tried to meet a vet outside of work, pleading with them to give Kage a check up. The vet would relent and accept the offer, perhaps feeling sympathy for the child and dog. Yet upon inspection, they'd find that there was nothing physically wrong with the dog. No actual diseases or problems, and it wasn't due to age as the dog seemed to still be in more of the middle range in regards to age. And yet there was an inexplicable indication that Kage was growing weaker. The vet offered to keep an eye on Kage for a few days, but Arata insisted that he stay with Kage, not wishing to be apart. After many arguments, Arata managed to prevail and stayed beside Kage for the next few days. 
Yet on the third day, Kage would pass away. 
There was no explanation. It seemed as if Kage had just passed away peacefully in his sleep out of old age. Arata would be silent the entire time as the corpse was taken away. For Arata, it was as if the world had suddenly grown cold and dark. Arata, who would normally have left town, ended up being in a daze and remaining within the town for an entire month, as if his body had been on auto-pilot while his mind had attempted to process Kage's death. 
By the time he had finally left town, the recent 11-year-old would find himself attacked. Several small-time villains hired by All For One had been hired to ambush Arata now that All For One's subordinate had managed to find him. The month Arata had stayed had allowed him to finally be located. The villains had even been told to not hold back on Arata simply because he was a child, with one of the villains stabbing Arata in the leg just to make sure he wouldn't run away. The pain had finally seemed to awaken Arata as he realized what position he was in. And as he bled within the small forest field, Arata felt anger beginning to bubble up within him. The nightmares, the dark voice within his mind, and Kage's death. He wanted to just take everything that happened and let it out. 
Power coursing through him, Arata pulled the blade out of his leg and attacked the villains. The villains attempted to fight back, but no matter how hard they hit Arata, he seemed to grow stronger and stronger and ultimately, the villains had been all beaten till they were bloodied up and unconscious did Arata start to relax. 
As the adrenaline calmed down, Arata began to notice something. There was no pain at all. He checked his injured leg and realized that there was no injury. Despite the blood that had spilled, there was no trace of an injury. A though occurred, or perhaps a memory. The child recalled how, no matter how many times he injured himself, he would always find that all his injuries would be healed in but a matter of hours, with no trace of even a scar left behind. 
He then began to see the forest and planets around him. It seemed to have been affected, yet the area outside of the fighting zone was perfectly fine. Yet what the plants he was seeing was odd. For the plants within the area he had fought looked...decayed. 
Leaves were shriveled. 
Flowers had wilted. 
Grass had turned brown.
...Almost as if the life had been sucked out of them.
The moment that thought entered Arata's mind, the image of Kage appeared, the pieces of the puzzle had finally come together. And the answer caused Arata's body to lurch and throw up.
Why had Kage grown weaker despite not being old or sick? Why had no cuts ever remained on Arata for long? Why was it possible for a mere 10-year-old child to have survived as long as he had despite having grown so weak because of the nightmares?
The answer was obvious... His Quirk. 
He had thought he needed to merely absorb energy consciously, and only from appliances. But that wasn't the extent. His powers was to take energy from all sources...including living beings. 
For the sake of preserving Arata's life, his Quirk would take life from others. 
It was him...
He was the one that killed Kage!
=== Creation of Hope ===
The next few weeks were a blur for Arata, as his body seemed to move on autopilot, moving toward the single purpose of running from All For One. Yet in his mind, Arata continued to replay every moment that he had spent with his faithful companion, who stayed and helped him in his time of need, and perished because of Arata's own power. 
The irony...
He desired to live. 
He yearned to survive. 
And his Quirk...his power...it granted him that wish. 
It was probably impossible for him to ever die now. So long as there was life, his Quirk would act to protect him and aid in his survival. Arata had never realized it, but his Quirk was constantly active. Even when he had regained his physical and mental health, the Quirk still drained the life out of others. Once Arata regained his awareness, he had began to experiment using plants. Regardless of how calm his mind was, regardless of how healthy he was, plants that he kept around him would inevitably die out around him, sooner than they were intended to. If he met any animal or human, Arata's very existence would kill them eventually. Worse, being calm kept the drain to a minimum. If he actually exerted himself, the drain was actually faster. 
The nightmares returned, and with them, so too did the dark thoughts with. They creeped in from the back of Arata's mind, questioning why he didn't just return to All For One.
Why didn't he?
At this point, it seemed so silly that a child with no resources could actually have run from All For One now that he began to think about it. Even if he had avoided detection at first, the moment he was found, why would All For One sent some lowly villains? Why had he not arrived himself? Everything felt as if he was merely dancing in the palm of All For One's hand. Perhaps the man could retrieve him when the time was right. Or perhaps even All For One feared the power of Arata's Quirk, as Arata could potentially kill even him simply by breathing.
So was that it...?
Was he now...unwanted? 
If so...then what was even the point of living...?
Yet another irony. His desire to survive has left him truly unable to even live. 
Due to his nightmares returning with a vengeance, Arata's insomnia struck once more and the child couldn't help but miss the warmth he felt when Kage had been still around. He could recall the shape of the dog's figure, the color of his fur, the and how it felt to hold him close. The memory would play in Arata's mind repeatedly throughout the nights, with one night, Arata felt like he could see a hallucination of the dog in front of him, yet it looked rather unusual to him, the color and figure bearing an unnatural glow. Yet when Arata reached out for it, the figure actually could be touched.
It was no illusion!
Gasping in shock, Arata rubbed his eyes and looked, and there it was, the form of the dog built near the image of Kage, yet it seemed to have an unearthly light emanating from it. And slowly, the dog began to fade away until it was gone. 
Common sense would try to insist that he was just making up a lifelike hallucination and even imagined the feeling, but Arata constantly could feel that the touch was far too real to be a mere illusion. No, even if it was an illusion, that feeling had made Arata feel a wellspring of hope burst forth anew. 
Arata considered the nature of his Quirk. His original Quirk absorbed and evolved from taking in various Quirks. All this time, he had focused more toward the last Quirk he had been given, that allowed him to manipulate energy. However, perhaps there were aspects of other Quirks that he hadn't yet considered. Arata's imagination began to open up to the possibilities as he asked himself questions. 
If he could take life, perhaps he could also put it in reverse? 
Could he perhaps possibly even create life? 
Whether it was possible or not didn't matter. For the first time since meeting Kage, Arata had a conscious desire to attain something, and he would attain it no matter what. 
Arata would then dedicate himself into using his Quirk to try and recreate what he had seen before without rest. However, he would meet with several failures at first, as he would get something to appear, only for it to fade almost instantly. Yet it was this failure that motivated Arata to realize that it was possible. That he could create a creature. He continued to practice and would concentrate in further use of his Quirk, and though it would only last for mere moments at first, eventually, he could actually create the perfect image that he could touch and feel. He felt such relief. 
However, that respite would be short lived as he would awaken the next morning cold and fearful once again, realizing that upon falling asleep, the image of Kage had faded away. He needed conscious exertion of his Quirk to actually create it. Yet that wasn't what he wanted. No, he wanted, no, he needed a companion once more. 
It wasn't enough just to think or imagine it. No, he needed to truly to go beyond and fully bring the creature into being. 
There was no rest. He would draw out every last moment he he spent with Kage. Not a single memory or emotion would be spared. HIs joys, sorrows, hope, and despair. Nothing would be left out. He needed to embrace everything and pour them all into the creation of the creature he intended to bring forth. Pushing himself physically for days without rest, he would draw out as much power as he could until he completely collapsed from the exertion. 
...Yet he would not sleep alone that night. 
=== Training to Limit Potential ===
Awakening to the feeling of his face getting licked, Arata arose comfortably from his slumber, only to realize the nature of his waking. Taking in the entity that was before him, it was truly incredible. What was before him was a creature that resembled similarly to the dog formally known as Kage, yet there were notable differences, such as the fur extending beyond the body almost as if it were a coat, the longer ears, and most notably, the hand-like claw at the end of its tail. Perhaps because Arata had placed not merely his memories, but his emotions and possibly a part of his own essence, the form of the creature came out differently. Either way, Arata didn't care, and embraced the creature. He could feel the softness of the fur, the warmth of the body, and the wetness from the dog licking his face. 
The creature was a living being. And with it, Arata bestowed a new name onto it. Rather than name him Kage as Arata's previous companion, Arata desired a different name. Yet to maintain a connection to Kage, Arata considered his options and thought of various names he had read through books. In the end, he decided to name the creature "Tenebrae", which held a similar meaning to Kage's name. 
With a new companion that Arata no longer needed to fear dying by his own power, Arata began to travel around once more, continuing to experiment and test his new Quirk to understand what he could do with them. Until then, he would stay away from civilization except for short moments, as a means of protecting innocents from his power. 
Through his experimentations, Arata learned that he could still continue to create creatures in the shape of animals similar to Tenebrae, but none would truly be alive as Tenebrae was. He also learned that he could actually share his senses with his animals, including Tenebrae, which meant that Arata could virtually had no blind spots any longer. Tenebrae, despite being alive, didn't require any food or sustenance to survive, nor did it need any sleep, and would keep watch over the nights while being by Arata's side. After a few weeks, Arata would then begin to note an oddity. The plants he cared for as a means of experimenting in controlling his power seemed to remain completely healthy now. In fact, even if Arata actually tried to drain life, he seemed to no longer be able to able to absorb their energy any longer. 
Mulling over the nature of the sudden loss of his life drain ability, Arata theorized that perhaps as a result of creating Tenebrae, Arata had likely split the power of his own Quirk, and thus could no longer utilize it to its full extent. 
If that were the case, then it filled Arata with elation, If Tenebrae acted as a means of restraining the danger of Arata's Quirk, then he would no longer need to cut himself away from civilization. 
Yet this would also mean putting himself in danger of being taken by All For One. By this point, however, Arata really considered the idea of running from him pointless. If he continued to run, he would not truly get far, and only Arata would end up suffering in misery. No matter how much he enjoyed being with Tenebrae, Arata also yearned to have more people around himself and have actual meaningful connections. He even missed his biological parents and wondered if he would ever reunite with them somehow one day. 
Even if he did rejoin society, where would he go? What kind of job would he even want? One thing he was absolutely sure of. 
He would never become a Hero. 
It wasn't that he personally hated them, but being on the run for so long, he preferred not to take anything that would put him on the spotlight. And nothing shone more limelight than Heroes. Arata decided that he couldn't figure things out immediately, and decided instead to just learn as he traveled around.
Upon entering a city by the time Arata had turned 12 years old would be when Arata finally make a choice about what he would like to do with himself.
=== To Help Another ===
It had been a coincidence, or perhaps even fate, but the door to possibilities opened when he encountered a young girl. She was around his age, with beautiful blonde hair that shone brighter than his platinum blond, and bright sky blue eyes. Her appearance was very unique for a country like Japan, so Arata could tell that she had to be of foreign origins. Yet she was very pretty. Arata couldn't help but feel creeped out by her prettiness, as if her beauty gave him an ill foreboding feeling about. Didn't help that she wore rather unusual clothing for a mere child to wear, and seemed like it was made to given a sickening pretty look for a doll. 
The only positive trait he could remark about her were the wings that sprouted from her back. The pure white wings were still rather small, but they were truly a lovely sight to behold. Yet upon closer look, Arata could make out a sad gray hue at the edge of her feathers. The mere sight of those gray colors filled Arata with a deep sadness. Perhaps that was why the girl seemed to emanate a deep sadness as she stared into the waters at the harbor. 
Curious, Arata spoke to her, drawing her attention. Yet she didn't reply immediately. So Arata had Tenebrae wrap himself around her legs to gather her attention, which seemed to break her out of her trance. She might be pretty, but Tenebrae's fur was too majestic and he was overall too adorable to ever hope to compete with. Arata began to interact with the rather quiet girl, who called herself Lena. 
At first it was smalltalk, but Arata could tell that something was troubling the girl a lot. He wanted to know, but figured Lena would not admit it easily. So, counting the sum of money as savings he had made for himself from selling trinkets and performing odd jobs throughout the months, Arata decided to take Lena out to play in the city. The first step was actually buying Lena some new clothes and getting her out of the weird outfit that she wore. Posing as Lena's brother due to their hair color, Arata bought her some more simple clothes and let Lena wear them for their outing. Despite wanting to throw Lena's old outfit in the trash, Lena pleaded to Arata to not do that, and after some convincing, Arata relented, letting Tenebrae hold onto the clothing stored into a bag. 
Afterwards, he began to take Lena to various places around that might be even remotely entertaining and enjoyable, while buying any kind of snacks or meals for the two to enjoy eating together, eventually getting Lena to smile at long last. Seeing the feathers in her wings being a bit ruffled, Arata purchased a brush for grooming feathers on those with winged mutations. After examining how her feathers felt and the type of brush would be needed to tend to them, Arata found the perfect one and would use it to groom Lena's wings, which he noticed Lena seemed to enjoy a great deal. 
As he continued his play date, he eventually stopped at a music shop that had various musical instruments, and he would conclude that that had been undeniably the best spot, as that was where he witnessed an incredible phenomenon with Lena. Any instrument that Lena would be allowed to use, she seemed to get the hang of it almost instantly. From something as small as a harmonica to as large as a piano, Lena could play any type of music using them with little to no flaw. She had almost no limits in regards to her talent for music. Between grooming her wings and bringing her to the music shop, those were the moments that Arata could see that Lena would smile the brightest. 
Yet at the same time, Arata could see a look in her eyes. 
It was faint, but still there, a look that Arata could recognize as familiar. Faintas it was, the look was one that was distant, as if attempting to detach themselves from reality. As if all the joy she had felt during that day was already becoming some faraway land in her mind. That she had been merely living a dream which would inevitably end. Curious as he might have been, Arata decided to withhold questioning her of her circumstances for another time. Instead, the preteen was filled with a desire to ensure that whatever happiness the girl in front of him felt was genuine, Mulling it over for a moment, Arata thought of an idea, and immediately began to purchase materials from various shops before he began to use his skills that he had honed in the time he had been on the run to create a personal gift for her. 
That night, Lena thanked Arata for everything, and wanted to repay him in some way. Arata responded that he didn't need any thanks, but mentioned that he wished he could have bought her an instrument from the music shop, but didn't have enough money to buy anything. Lena didn't mind, but offered to sing for Arata if he was okay with it. That peaked Arata's curiosity and Arata accepted. Once again, Arata was floored by how incredible Lena's singing was. She sang multiple songs from various genres, some that Arata recognized, and others Arata never heard of. Yet each one felt impactful to him that multiple times, Arata felt his emotions well up that he would have tears coming out of his eyes, though Arata tried to cover it up and deny any questions Lena might ask regarding them. Lena would continue to sing until exhaustion finally hit her and she would drift to sleep. Arata would let Lena sleep with Tenebrae to give her some comfort and peace as she fell into dreamland. As the night went by, Arata began to use the materials to create an accessory for her, a ribbon of a gentle violet shade to use to tie her hair up. He didn't want anything too extravagant, and this would be usable for her all the time. Honestly, it was the most effort he had given for an accessory, but for the first time, he had a genuine want to. 
For it had been the first time that Arata had begun to want to help another. 
After working tirelessly on the ribbon, Arata felt his own exhaustion hit and curled up beside Lena, while Tenebrae would grow a bit larger to be able to wrap around both Arata and Lena. Soon, Arata would drift into slumber while the two subconsciously pulling toward each other for comfort, feeling completely at peace. 
Upon waking up the next morning, and prepared for the day by cleaning up and having some breakfast, Arata had to talk about Lena about what she had been hiding. It was difficult, but Arata pushed through and questioned Lena about the truth about what she was involved with. Lena seemed afraid to express it, but she relented and explained as best as she could. Based on what he could learn from her, she was made to meet with "bad people" often that would often do "mean things" to her, and what those were, Lena seemed unable or unwilling to even utter them. The more she spoke, the more Arata could see that she wanted to stop thinking about it. Eventually, Arata culdn't take the look Lena had on her face and stopped her from speaking any further, which seemed to relieve her. Arata then asked her a simple question as to where the "bad people" were at. Despite being fearful, Lena would relent after some assurance from Arata and told him. Arata would smile and ruffle her hair. He'd then part some words to her:
"If you don't like being here, you should just run away from it. You have the option, if you ask me." 
He would then try to leave her at a safe place and promise to try and come back for her the in a day or two. But if he couldn't, then she should head toward the nearest Pro Hero or police for help. He then asked her to close her eyes, saying that he has something to give her. When she would comply, he would then tie the ribbon up onto her hair. After, he'd guide her toa mirror and tell her to open her eyes and she would then see her hair tied with the new ribbon, which Arata expressed that he wanted to give her a present to remember the fun day they had, and thought that it would look great on her. Lena looked almost as if she wanted to cry, but couldn't, yet would give him a strong embrace before thanking him. 
Difficult as it was to part ways, Arata knew he had to. He would leave the remainder of his savings to Lena before splitting ways with her, carrying on the hope that he could meet her again after he finished. 
Arata used his thieving skills to swipe a cellphone from someone before learning the numbers within the city. Arata would then begin to scout out the area that the "bad people" were in using the spiritual animals that he created, a technique he had now called "Phantasms", while he considered Tenebrae a "Phantom Beast". Using his phantasms, he began to observe the ground with mice or other small animals, while birds to observe from the air. Arata had gotten a good idea over how the bad people worked within the territory, before he used the cellphone to call the hero agency and the police using a distressed voice about spotting villains with weapons and other illegal items. Being a child, his voice would alert everyone into trying their best to hurry with everything they've got. 
However, the child would let his guard down by getting too close, and would be spotted by one of the villains before getting ambushed and captured. Taken to the boss, the villains quickly realized that they were in trouble and would pack things in to escape before the heroes arrived. They had considered killing Arata, but the boss took a close look at Arata's face and realized that he had good potential to be merchandise to replace the one that had run away. As they were on the move, none noticed that Arata had been making small phantasms around the place as he was being escorted. And now that Arata realized that these men had actually meant Lena as their merchandise, Arata felt a great deal of anger well up. 
Before they could try anything, there started to be a commotion outside. A small group of police actually moved ahead of the rest of the force and already launched their attack once they noticed the movement of the group attempting to ready themselves to escape. There were already gunshots and other loud noises ringing through the area as chaos started to set in. Before they could take Arata away, Arata summoned larger phantasms while Tenebrae crashed through a window, attacking the guards, while Arata broke free and knocked the man down, before beginning to punch the chubby man repeatedly in the face with his strengthened punches before the man passed out. Arata quickly escaped the room through the broken window that Tenebrae made before backup arrived. 
He guessed that within a few minutes, there would be heroes and cops crawling everywhere, but Arata had to find out if there were anymore "merchandise" like he had nearly become. Arata tried to avoid any direct confrontation while raising the chaos so that none of the criminals could coordinate themselves, sabotaging weapons or any drugs they might have. 
Just as he found the room where all the children roughly around his age, or even younger, were being kept, Arata was confronted by a large guard, who was there when Arata had been caught the first time. Arata tried to attack him using larger phantasms and Tenebrae, but the guard was particularly strong without his Quirk, and even stronger when using his Quirk, having been a more high ranking villain that was trusted a lot by the boss. Before he knew it, Arata's phantasms were destroyed, while Tenebrae was injured, and soon enough, Arata found himself gasping for air as he was lifted by the throat. Struggling to breathe, Arata kicked but succeeded in doing nothing but flailing helplessly. 
As he was slowly blacking out, Tenebrae rose once more, and attacked the villain from behind. Yet rather than land any injury, Tenebrae transformed into pure energy and merged with the villain, before Arata's mind issued a single command: Stop. 
Immediately after, the man ceased to move and released Arata, who fell down and gasped for air. Slowly regaining his senses, Arata realized another ability he hadn't yet realized was possible. Using whatever remained of his strength, Arata stood up and ordered the controlled villain to open the gates before walking out the door and knocking himself out. Arata felt great relief when Tenebrae would return immediately after the villain was knocked out. However, realizing the chaos outside, Arata would tell the kids to wait there while he would get a hero to help them out. He left Tenebrae to guard them, while he summoned up another phantasm to take him to a Hero. Though rather than a Hero, he found a police officer, whom he told about the kids and tried to hurry. 
Yet Arata never saw the stray bullet that had been fired in the ensuing chaos, and would pierce right through Arata's shoulder, causing him to lose a lot of blood in a matter of seconds, despite his efforts to stop the bleeding. 
As his consciousness faded, Arata muttered a silent apology to Lena. 
He wouldn't be able to make it back to her.
=== Feeling the Touch of Evil ===
Arata would wake up in merely a few hours later, an astonishing feat for a child, according to the doctors, as the bullet that had shot him so dangerously close to the heart that it was touch and go. Yet they noticed that Arata had healed at an incredible rate and woke up even faster. However, none of that mattered as Arata began to notice something...eeriely familiar. The sensation of energy coursing through him. It was the same sensation he had from before Tenebrae had been created. He asked if there was any black dog that looked strange near him or around nearby, only to be met with no such remark. 
Arata realized that it meant that Tenebrae had returned to him. As a result of Arata's life being in grave danger, Tenebrae acted to save Arata's life by restoring the full power of his original Quirk. 
He had to get out of here. Yet the doctors annoyingly refused to let him leave as a result of him being under police custody. Knowing the danger he posed to people that were dangerously close to death themselves, Arata had to get away. Patience growing wearily thin fast, anxiety over the danger he was putting everyone, Arata resorted to slowly and privately creating phantasms that would merge with some of the staff members and even police officers that attempted to ask him questions. Memories of what he had done with Tenebrae during the raid on the criminals made him understand his ability to exert his will through his phantasms when they merged with others. His will would override the ones his phantasms merged with and place them under his control. Unaware of how far his control extended, he gave commands for them all to follow: to help him escape the hospital, to erase all record of him that they had collected, and to forget him. 
Once he escaped, he waited until the phantasms faded out of the people he had controlled. He didn't know if his orders and commands even worked. Either way, he realized he wouldn't be able to stay in the city.
In his fear and anxiety, he had forgotten to meet up with Lena as he left the city behind and was on the run again. 
Immediately after escaping the city, Arata worked once more to recreate Tenebrae. Arata worried that it would be a difficult task, but simply recalling the feeling he had and the training he had put into creating ordinary phantasms, Arata managed to recreate Tenebrae in a few hours after. Relaxing once more, Arata realized that his Quirk had more abilities that he hadn't even known. The ability to merge with others was something he now had to test out. 
Arata would lay low for several weeks, just in case that there remained any buzz about him. So far as he knew, there was no news or pictures of him going around, so perhaps his commands were performed. It would be when he reached the third town following his escape that Arata began to test out his abilities. He began to covertly spread some of his phantasms to take control of some random civilians and understand the limits of his control. He also tested if even heroes were able to be controlled, and sent them out when the heroes fought against villains. He realized that some heroes could be controlled. 
It would through many trials and errors that Arata began to understand how he influenced others.
* The amount of energy he put into each phantasm mixed with his own determined how strong his will could be used to influence them. If they had a will too strong, as certain heroes did, they wouldn't be affected. Working in tandem, Arata theorized that if he merged with Tenebrae and had his full power, there would be little to no limit to his control, as he could keep drawing energy.
* Without exerting any will onto them, those that merged with his phantasms would actually gain a boost themselves, actually receiving enhanced abilities, particularly Quirk enhancement.
* Depending on Arata's control, Arata discovered that he could actually tap into people's memories and emotions, therefore allowing him to actually know the person he is controlling.
* Even if Arata cannot override the will of a person, unless the person has enough power to expel Arata's will, Arata can shut down the Quirk of anyone his beasts would merge with. 
* If Arata wanted, he could actually form a telepathic link with anyone that he merged his beasts with. 
Even though he was no longer in full power thanks to Tenebrae, Arata realized that his Quirk still held such phenomenal powers and abilities, all from merely a few months of experimentation and training of his Quirk as he continued to travel. With this much power, even when held back, there were actually very little he couldn't do. Arata began to think about the way criminals would hurt people, and knew how people like All For One used their vast money and power to commit these crimes. 
With Arata's abilities, he could actually begin to take down these criminals little by little. Heroes and police are bound by a code. Arata's powers meant that he needed to be free to use them. He didn't need a code. He just needed results. He would be a vigilante that would act far above any law that would hold him back. 
The thought of bringing down people that would hurt himself and Lena brought a smile to his face.
A smile that slowly transformed into a grin that resembled a man that Arata once called father.
=== Vigilante Work ===
Upon reaching his decision to act as a vigilante to help people with his incredible abilities, Arata began to strategize how to harness information into a network using his Quirk. Arata had not merely been used as an experiment by All For One. The man had actually educated the child himself and taught him in many subjects, in hopes of aiding Arata's well-developed mind to be able to handle excessive stress for the experiments he would undertake. It truly aided Arata in his survival skills throughout his escape, as well as training and experimenting with his Quirk. 
With all the knowledge and experience Arata had accumulated in his short life, he began to spread his phantasms across the section of the city, spying on people's movements, studying terrain, and understanding the layout of the city. As a result, Arata singlehandedly had eyes almost everywhere within the city that he would enter during his travels. Using the network, Arata began to learn much about the structures of society as well as the cracks. Areas where even the police never touched or would overlook where criminals would use as a result. The more he learned, the more Arata began to understand how to navigate through. He knew what kind of people to talk to, who tended to know information, and even those who were too dangerous to approach. 
Having learned from his last encounter with criminals, Arata understood that he's still too young and inexperienced to jump toward higher leveled criminals. Due to that, Arata began to ambush lower criminals when they were alone or in a small enough group. He would place his phantasms onto them or Tenebrae if need be, taking control of them and reading their memories to learn any information to know about larger crime organizations. After that, Arata would ensure that they are apprehended by the police. He would then proceed to work his way up in the coming months slowly going after larger villain groups, as well as assisting heroes from within the shadows. 
On the side, Arata "collected" some of the money some of the criminals had, though he never took too much. Any money he earned or took would be deposited into an account under a false name. 
However, Arata would soon earn the notice of a certain villain and his group. 
It would be when Arata was nearly 13 years of age that Arata would attempt to ambush yet another villain that was known to be mid-tier. The near teen had no idea what type of Quirk the man had, yet felt that it was of no consequence. However, on the ambush spot that he had set up, upon the villain's arrival, Arata suddenly felt great unease, as he felt several of his phantasms being destroyed at once, all without any awareness of what was happening. It was then that Arata saw the villain look directly at him with a grin filled with such malice that Arata froze on the spot. Before he could get himself to escape, several other villains surrounded him from his blindspots and struck him with brute force that sent him crashing onto the ground right in front of the villain that had seen him. Tenebrae attempted to aid Arata, only to be ensnared by another villain's Quirk, immobilizing him. 
As Arata wondered how his network of phantasms could be compromised, the villain spoke, telling Arata that a network of information can easily be seen through if they already know what they're thinking. Arata realized from that response that this villain's Quirk involved reading minds. The villain confirmed it before kick Arata's face and rendering him unconscious. 
Arata would wake up hours later tied into a chair dazed. He would be asked various questions by the person in front of him, yet at first, Arata couldn't understand due to the dizziness. However, upon awakening, he would realize that he was face to face with the villain that could read his mind. The villain contiunued to ask questions, and Arata realized what the purpose of the questions were. It didn't matter whether Arata would answer him, as Arata would think it, and the man would read his mind for the answer.
Who he was. Where he came from. What his Quirk could do. Nothing was beyond this man's ability to learn, simply from asking questions while using his Quirk. Arata had no idea how to prevent the man from reading his thoughts, let alone divert his thoughts from the truth being read. The man learned everything, from about Arata's connection with All For One, as well as the power of his Quirk. 
The man had a malicious grin on his face before bursting out into a hysteric laughter, shouting that at long last, he finally had a weapon to use against All For One. The man suddenly stopped laughing and began to explain to Arata about how, with his mindreading abilities, he could get anything he wants. No government scared him as all he had to do was get dirty on officials and blackmail them into his service. 
However, there were only two people that always terrified him: All Might and All For One. Now with All Might, he could well hide from and keep away, but All For One was a different story. All For One was so dangerous and powerful that he feared rising up in fear of being targeted by All For One. It was for this reason that he would stay only at mid-level as villains, waiting for the chance for when he could finally oppose the titan that was All For One. Learning of the potential in Arata's Quirk, the man, who called himself DeMask, asked Arata to join him. 
Arata refused, yet DeMask replied that there was no choice. He then began talking about how he and Arata are not that different and that they both enjoy the thrill of being able to take control of other people. Arata scoffed at that notion, but became silent when DeMask pointed out how Arata would take control of people's minds. DeMask would then point out the numerous times that he enforced his own will onto other poeple, overtaking their minds and bodies and using them like puppets. He asked Arata if it felt good to be able to use people for his own ends like that. Arata tried to defend himself, pointing out how he helped people with his abilities, only to be cut off before he could continue by DeMask. DeMask would then remark about how Arata also used them selfishly when he had escaped and even abandoned poor Lena, a name that caused Arata to freeze. No cease to momentum, the list continued in how Arata had used his phantasms to spy on other people, learning how they live their lives, and would use that knowledge to ambush people and take advantage of their will. And then DeMask would bring up about Kage and how Arata had killed him. 
No matter how much Arata tried to put it behind him, Arata's guilt over Kage's death never faded. And that was what DeMask would bring about, pointing out how in the end, Arata was, at heart, a villain. He was no hero, and hardly a good hearted vigilante either. His life was filled with crime and using other people to make himself feel better. 
Arata screamed at him to shut up, and repeated those words over and over again, thrashing about from his bindings, and then felt DeMask cup his face before giving a sadistic grin. DeMask declared that this had been nothing more than a little playtime, as he had ways to breaking people's minds with more than mere words, just before punching Arata so hard that the pre-teen passed out with a broken nose. 
=== To be Taken ===
Upon waking, Arata would find himself in what appeared to be a large arena cage that was surrounded by transparent dome, perhaps made of solidified air. Hearing the sound of DeMask's voice, Arata would turn to see a crowd of people that varied from teens to adults, all of whom had a rather erratic look, as their eyes seemed almost devoid of consciousness. 
Hearing DeMask's voice once more, the villain would state that this was his own favorite way of dealing with people he wished to make into his personal weapons, which he found the process to not only be faster, but spared him the need to deal with those of annoying thoughts. With a snap of his fingers, the people within the cage all began to frothing the mouth before they began to use their Quirks, varying from several types, all of whom began to focus on Arata. In but an instnat, the many Quirk users attacked Arata. Arata moved quickly and tried to call for Tenebrae, only to be informed by some of the other villains that the dog was at the other side of the city, plenty far enough away to be called for. Arata then attempted to use phantasms, but the people that attacked him were quite strong in their own right, as they quickly destroyed his phantasms rather quickly. The precision and ability they had seemed unnatural, as if they were under the control of another, and noticed that their Quirks abnormally powerful. Before Arata could think anymore, Arata felt one of the users send electric shocks through his body before another punched him in the stomach with enough force to send him painfully against the cage, and causing the child to vomit, with some blood mixed into it. 
Despite his vulnerability, Arata's attackers ceased their onslaught to give Arata chance to get back up. Though it was a difficult thing to do, as Arata struggled to even breathe from having the wind knocked out of him. All he could hear was DeMask's voice speaking out over how Arata had no reason to fear being killed, due to being aware from the earlier questioning that Arata would merely come back to life afterward. As if loving the sound of his own voice, DeMask began to monologue about how he had been gathering many useful pawns and weapons to use for going to war against All For One. He had especially been desperate to find the one weapon that could rival even All Might that would enable him to truly challenge All For One. Yet he had no such luck until now. Once Arata would be molded into the perfect mind slave like the enemies taht stood before him, DeMask would be able to start making preparations immediately to amass power until he can finally challenge All For One for control. 
Yet it was from this remark that Arata couldn't help but start to laugh, his own laughter beginning to suppress the pain. This caught DeMask off guard, while Arata expressed that from all the things he had learned from All For One, it was that the man knew people and how to use them. With All For One, his "pawns" acted on their own free will. All For One was a man that didn't rely solely on fear and intimidation. For DeMask, he subjugated a person's will through force. If they desired control, in the long run, they are far more likely to fail at the end. Had it been All For One, he wouldn't try such a pathetic stunt as DeMask did to force Arata to submit. The man had patience, while DeMask clearly had little. 
This upset DeMask, who declared that play time was over and snapped his fingers once again, before the immobile enemies charged once again on the now recovered Arata. 
Desperate to turn the situation around, Arata made sure to toss aside all needless thoughts and focus only toward the fight itself. His mind began to ascertain that victory would be his if he got his phantasms into his opponents. As several more charged, Arata moved at the very last second with all his strength and placed small phantasms that he created, who would then immediately merge with them and take control. Their minds were in such disarray that their own wills were far too weak to resist Arata's will. Arata immediately used them as his tools to fight for him, issuing commands to protect him as he continued to try and plant more phantasms. DeMask would praise Arata for his prowess in taking control of the others as his puppets, once more citing that Arata is no different from them, making people do the dirty work and even suffer pain and suffering just to get an edge on the others. Arata tried to block out the words, as he continued to try and take control of everyone in the cage. In mere moments, Arata turned the battle around and took control of each and every last one of them. 
DeMask merely applauded Arata, much to the child's annoyance. Arata intended to break free from the cage using everyone that he put under his control, only for DeMask to make a gesture that made another villain outside the dome to press a button on a remote. Before Arata could react, a gaseous substance had been released from the floors. Arata, in his own exhaustion, hadn't been able to avoid breathing it in. 
Upon inhalation, Arata suddenly felt his body begin to convulse and suddenly feel his Quirk acting out beyond his control, and to his horror, everyone else reacted the same way as well. Arata suddenly felt his mind assailed with countless mass of information all at once, as if he was struck by a tidal wave of thoughts and memories. Completely immobilized, Arata couldn't even speak as his eyes practically buldged while staring at DeMask, who would laugh hysterically and clap even louder. 
Arata realized what the gas he was inhaling was: Trigger, a Quirk enhancement drug. DeMask wanted Arata to take control of the people he had been fighting. Arata's Quirk getting enhanced and out of his control meant that everyone that he took control would...have their memories and thoughts connected to his own. 
Every thought!
Every emotion! 
Every memory! 
He could see and feel everything! The cries of the young woman that needed money to raise her child. The despair of the man that lost his wife and child. The screams of the naive teens that had been bullied all the time at school while teachers looked the other way. 
Too much! It was too much!
Arata could do nothing as the dome dissipated and the villains approached the immobilized victims, and Arata was injected with something that caused his Quirk to continue digging into the memories of the people he took control of. DeMask stood before him and asked Arata how it feels to have the thoughts of so many people suddenly rushing into his head as he did, and if it was maddening. DeMask then stated that this was how he feels his entire life, ever since his Quirk first manifested. Always stuck hearing the thoughts of people around him. But now, the torrent of noise no longer bothered him as he just learned to deal with it. 
The man would have his villain underlings take Arata and all the other victims away, and there was nothing Arata could do to retaliate.
=== Braving the Storm of Torment ===
Time seemed to once more be distant, as Arata was confined to an area of darkness with the others, little light ever being given. Everyday, he and the others were subjected to being fed just enough to survive, while constantly being given Trigger that had been mixed with various other drugs. Arata was subjected to the mental torture of being wide awake and assaulted by the mental pain and suffering of every other victim with him. The many drugs mixed with Trigger ensured that Arata wouldn't have any control over his Quirk to remove his phantasms. 
His mind was engulfed in a tempest of sorrow and grief, and slowly, the sensation similar to when he had truly died the first time began to near him. Perhaps that was DeMask's strategy. His body would live and survive, yet his mind would submerge so deeply into the madness that Arata's consciousness would never again surface. A true puppet for the man to use, one without thought. That had to be why DeMask would constantly visit Arata often, perhaps to check if there are any thoughts left within the teen. 
That must be what happened to all the people. 
Was he...going to be like them? 
Slowly, Arata's mind began to detach from reality and fell deeper into his own subconsciousness, away from the all the memories of the other people that were overwhelming him. His only means of escape, yet the screams never faded. 
The vestige of Arata's form began to regress in age until he was but a mere child, curling into a fetal position, wishing that everything could just end. Arata wished he could have met his parents. Maybe they could have helped him. No... they couldn't even save him from being taken by All For One. In fact, if he was with All For One, then DeMask could have done nothing to him. 
Why did everything have to go so wrong? Nothing ever went right ever since he tried to take on villains. So what if his Quirk was strong when he was always beaten so easily? He never used his full strength because he wanted to ensure he didn't kill, yet without it, he was utterly powerless, no matter how much potential his Quirk had. Why did he ever think he could make any difference? 
Why did he even bother trying to help others in the first place?! 
He couldn't even help himself! 
What was the point of all his efforts?!
Nothing mattered! 
Everything he did was...pointless, in the end...
Arata just felt so...tired...
Slowly, he felt his consciousness being slowly consumed by complete blackness. 
Yet he would stir from the sensation of something licking his face. Taking a glance glance, and to his bewilderment, Arata would see Kage sitting right by his side. Then he would feel someone take his hand from the other side, causing Arata to turn his head to see Lena. The teen was confused, yet just seeing the two caused Arata to feel himself shed tears. 
Kage and Lena... 
Yes...he remembered now. The only two friends he had ever made in the three years of freedom he had from All For One. He couldn't stop himself. The sadness was overwhelming. Yet neither would utter a sound, but give expressions of happiness toward him as the two embraced him, spreading their warmth through him. 
Were they an apparition? A figment of his imagination in his time of need? It didn't matter. Arata held them close tightly, wishing to feel the warmth that he felt when he had spent time with them, however short. 
Yet the memories began to flow through him. The memories of how Kage was the first to light the way through the darkness. He couldn't let the dog down. Not after dying to Arata's power. Arata owed it to his savior from solitude. 
And Lena... Arata knew her for but a single day, and yet that day would always be so vivid. Just remembering it made him want to relive it. The way the two goofed around the city together as he made her try on new clothes over those creepy doll clothes. The hard work he put into making that ribbon for her, and the smile she gave him in return. It still made such an impression. The way he called himself her big brother when asked by the store clerk of their relation. The way she cuddled up to Tenebrae. It was seeing how happy he had been able to make that he wanted to keep her safe... 
Lena... He wanted to see Lena again. 
He wanted to brush her wings again. He wanted to eat junk food with her. He wanted to play more instruments with her. He wanted to hear her sing again. He wanted to make her more presents. He wanted to sleep together with her in embrace alongside Tenebrae again. He wanted to be her big brother again. 
He wanted to help her again! 
Ah...it all became clear. It was Lena. It was always Lena. He wanted to help because she inspired him to want to help... 
And he...didn't want to give that up. He wanted to help...if only a little more... 
He didn't know how long he held the two in his arms, but eventually, the two would separate themselves from him and gaze toward the storm that continued to torment him. Yet they held no look of anger, but rather sadness. They would gaze at Arata one last time before fading into an orb of light that would merge with him. Arata now stared into the storm, a sensation welling up within him. He felt so many things from the torrent of memories of the peoples' grief and misery, yet he had wallowed in his own. He had not been the only to suffer. Perhaps that was why Lena and Kage reached out to him. 
For the first time, within the deepest regions of his consciousness, a layer that even DeMask's Quirk could never penetrate, Arata spoke to the storm. He would scream and shout as he would venture into the tempest, focusing as much as he could to try and hear anyone to respond. In hopes to find a single soul within the vortex to reach out to his hand. He would fail to receive any answer, yet Arata persisted. No matter how vicious the typhoon was, how much the it attempted to tear him apart, to shred his consciousness to pieces, Arata would not waver and continued to reach out until finally, he would grab hold of another consciousness and hear a faint voice. 
With a response at last, Arata continued to talk to the person, a young woman that he recognized to be named Susato, and spoke to her. Even though he knew of the abuse Susato suffered at her house, how her own family never cared for her, and the grief caused her to run away and fall prey to DeMask's Quirk, using her grief against her to bring her to him. Arata spoke to her of her experiences, wishing to help her remember whom she was. Though reminding her of the pain was difficult, he also reminded her of the true friends that stood up for her and hadn't given up her. Arata continued to recount the moments in Susato's life, the joys, few they might have been, still must mean much to her as the small moments of joy his life had meant to him. Feeling his emotions resonate with Susato's, Arata managed to pull the girl out of the storm and finally free to regain her individuality. With Susato removed, Arata could feel the rage of the twister weaken slightly. 
He could see hope in the distance. 
After some rest from the strenuous trial, Arata slowly attempted to march back, only for Susato to take his hand, stopping him. At first befuddled, he was then pleaded by Susato to allow her to help him. Together, they may be able to individualize the others much faster. She also DeMask may at some point become aware of what is happening and would attempt to do something to stop them, so they had to work fast. Realizing the dangerous struggle they had, both within their minds and outside, Arata accepted Susato's aid. The duo would brave the storm and attempt to reach out to the other lost souls, each of them gaining a connection with another and with great determination, they managed to pull them out of the tempest, and gain their assistance to pull even more out. 
The more he managed to individualize the minds of the people with the help of Susato and the others, the more he started to become more and more aware of himself and what was happening, as well as the storm beginning to die down until it was reduced to merely being a mere gust. As he neared the last of the people to individualize, Arata realized began to realize what had happened. 
DeMask made a grave miscalculation. In constantly pumping Trigger into Arata repeatedly, the villain had inadvertedly caused Arata's Quirk, which had been weakened from Tenebrae's creation, to maintain it's temporary growth in strength for an extended period of time. So strong, in fact, that Arata reached dangerously close to the full extent of his powers without needing to merge with Tenebrae. Meaning that Arata began to absorb energy the entire time that he had been held in captivity and slowly gaining in strength. Furthermore, his phantasms, that connected him to Susato and the others, began to link to him so that Arata's Quirk wouldn't drain them, but actually allow him to share the energy with them all. While mentally, he had been individualizing their identities, his Quirk was attempting to establish a strong enough connection to help them as well physically as he spread the link further, until each and every last one of them not only free, but would actually have hope of rehabilitation thanks to the recovery abilities being granted energy. 
This realization made Arata feel...joyous. 
His power, the very power that killed Kage, the power that he cursed...actually could be used to help. 
DeMask had attempted to break Arata's will, but all the villain accomplished was helping Arata find hope for himself.
=== Discovering the Collective Will ===
By the time DeMask arrived to perform another check up, he would freeze, hearing Arata's thoughts as Arata would emerge with every victim from their confinements. Despite how Susato and the others had hope for rehabilitation, they would need to reach a hospital and be cared for, and thus had to have their bodies be under Arata's control. Before DeMask could even question what happened, Arata called out Tenebrae's name, and for the first time, willingly had the Phantom Beast merge with him. No matter how far Tenebrae had been, or confined, Arata could summon Tenebrae back upon using his Quirk to merge together. What stopped Arata before had only been a case of fear of using his Quirk at its best. Yet now, he would not falter, and the drainage of energy became understandable to all the enemies around, who could feel the strength in their bodies beginning to wane. 
To call what happened after a battle would be a fallacy, for none of DeMask's men could ever hope to face against the many Quirk users that were all empowered by Arata's Quirk now that it was at full power. Several attempted escape, yet Arata ensured that not a single one escaped using the others. Arata had no intention of prolonging the fight and would ensure that it would be swift and decisive. 
With DeMask alone and powerless, he pleaded with Arata to spare him, coming up with excuse after excuse, and even attempted to bargain with Arata. Yet Arata would gently clasp the man's face while the villain would immediately be taken by a phantasm, his memories scanned, with Arata taking all the information he needed from him as well as learning of his past. As the villain said, Arata learned that he never had been able to shut off his Quirk. For years ever since his childhood, he had been unable to ever connect with others and grew insane from the overflow of thoughts that he could not stop. 
Truly a pitiful past. 
Yet Arata, driven by the collective will of sorrow, anger, and resentment of all of DeMask's victims that DeMask had foolishly forced Arata to link to, would tell DeMask that regardless of how sympathetic his life had been, the man had chosen to ultimately, and sadistically, prey on and hurt countless innocent people, ruining too many lives. Every memory Arata recalled from everyone he had linked with always ended upon meeting DeMask, and how he made them suffer and be put into their current state, and all of them collectively held bitter feelings toward DeMask for what he did. The emotions were maddening that Arata could barely contain it all. For all of DeMask's choices were ultimately his own, and he had chosen to hurt others rather than help. Arata declared that for that, he would ensure that the man would never again harm anyone.
DeMask was helpless as Arata began to drain his energy slowly, with DeMask aware of every moment. The energy sapped from his body began to actually cause the villain's body to slowly shrivel up as if he were malnourished, his hair follicles to grow weaker until every strand of hair turned white, and soon, DeMask wouldn't even be capable of speech any longer. By the time he was done, DeMask was withered old man that would never again be able to move of his own will or speak. However, before DeMask lost his ability to speak, in one last act of spite, DeMask mocked Arata, stating that he had never "saved Lena," the information DeMask discovered from reading Arata's mind. The words hit their mark, as Arata became deeply disturbed, and many questions filled his head. However, there was no time for that, and DeMask could no longer answer his questions. 
Taking a fallen cellphone, Arata immediately called the proper authorities to hurry on over. Criminal though DeMask might have been, both the police and heroes would attempt to save the man's life, even though the man would never again recover. DeMask would live the rest of his days confined to a hospital bed, unable to ever move or speak, while his Quirk would remain active as it always had been, forcing him to hear the thoughts of others until the day he breathed his last. Arata had consigned the man to a living Hell and knew it. Along with DeMask and his group, every victim that was found would also be taken into the hospital for immediate treatment. 
Arata proceeded to spend the next few days restlessly working to withdraw all of DeMask's assets and secretly wiring them into Arata's own account before the police could even begin to try getting their hands on it, due to having made use of the memories that he had scanned from DeMask. With it, Arata had amassed DeMask's entire fortune for himself, though he had no intention of spending a single yen for his own sake. The blood money had to be used for the sake of the victims and their loved ones. Along with taking DeMask's vast fortune, Arata collected any pieces of evidence pertaining to blackmailing others as insurance. 
After he accomplished that, Arata began to notice a change within him. The Trigger and other drugs were now completely out of his system, but he felt as if the strength of his Quirk had grown far stronger than they should. Arata didn't want to entertain it, but the possibility remained. Due to having been doped on Trigger for an extended period of time while Tenebrae was around allowed him to nearly access his full power, and upon merging with Tenebrae, his Quirk may very well have memorized the new height of his power and was steadily growing to reach it despite Tenebrae's presence. Even if abstained from using his Quirk completely, his Quirk would very likely still grow stronger on its own. The day might come when Arata could not rely on a single Phantom Beast to suppress his power. However, Arata didn't feel the overwhelming fear he once did back then, perhaps due to his experiences within the mind scape he had helped the others during their captivity. 
Upon crossing multiple sleepless nights, Arata's exhaustion caught up to him the instant he allowed his body to relax at an inn from the sense of satisfaction of having accomplished his first goals. However, the moment he allowed himself to sleep, Arata's mind began to slowly adjust to the vast amount of information that he had absorbed and forced the teen to remain slumbering for nearly an entire day. The memories of DeMask, and all the victims that Arata befriended, were recognized to be a threat to Arata's sense of identity. So long as those memories could be drawn upon, Arata would no longer be able to recognize himself as "Arata". His memories would begin to meld with the other memories and would inevitably begin to see himself as other people. In an effort to preserve Arata's identity, his brain began to move the memories away from his conscious mind before storing them into the deeper layers of his subconscious mind. By the time Arata had awoken, the many memories now felt distant, reminiscent to that of a dream that he would struggle to remember. 
Realizing he could no longer draw on the memories, a grave feeling rose from Arata: he had lost his chance to examine DeMask's memory in regards to Lena. His chance potentially learn her whereabouts, the information lost to him and impossible to reach. The revelation made Arata feel incredible shame and guilt, as he had been so close to finding a lead on her, only to fail. He couldn't even find DeMask, as the criminal would likely have been moved, and even if Arata did locate him, there would undeniably be a security that was too strong for someone like him to move past. Having been left no choice, Arata would give a silent prayer of apology to Lena as he had to continue moving forward, but vowed that he would locate her one day. 
Arata would decide to pay a visit to the friends he had liberated, all of whom were sadly still in a coma due to the many drug abuse done to them by DeMask. However, treatment would proceed and they were sure to recover. Sending his phantasms into the hospitals that held his friends, Arata entered each of their minds and began to speak with them. For over a week, Arata spent time talking to each individual tirelessly, trying to understand how things will move forward for them once they awaken from their comas. Though they were all freed from DeMask's prison and are safe once more, the damage to their lives was not something that could easily be fixed. Many were confined for a long time and didn't know if they even had a live to go back to. Others had family that were left behind and their status was as of yet unknown. 
Yet none had fully given up on themselves or their future. When Arata had connected with each of them and they all felt each others minds and feelings, they each carried a strength of the other within them and no longer felt alone, and wanted to believe they could strive for a future. This notion was not lost to Arata, as he began to realize that he too carried a part of each of the friends he made inside him. A shard of their strength that would always reside within. Arata could not help but shed tears, feeling immense love and empathy for them all, and vowed to each of them that he would ensure that he helps them all have the support to move forward in life, and that he would do his best to locate each of their loved ones or help them have a new life ready. 
Having made his resolve, Arata finally set forth to his new mission.
=== Supporting Friends ===
The first person was the closest with the hospital, and by a coincidence, the first friend he met: Susato. 
Susato struggled with how to move forward, as she had been abused by her family, yet she stayed with them because they were all she knew from a family, yet understood that she might have to cut them out of her life. Understanding how much it burdened her, Arata asked her if she would be willing to trust him to make a decision for her? Arata expressed an understanding of what she had gone through, despite how the memories felt like a dream now,