The first thing Ren noticed was the silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The kind that comes after something terrible.
His eyelids felt heavy, like someone had placed weights on them. Every breath burned slightly in his chest. His body felt like it had been stitched back together piece by piece.
The faint beeping of medical machines echoed in the room.
Ren slowly opened his eyes.
White ceiling.
Bright lights.
The sterile smell of disinfectant.
He blinked slowly.
"…medical wing…?"
His voice came out rough and dry.
Memories flickered faintly—like broken glass reflecting light.
The scientist.
The battle.
Kaito screaming.
The colors on the ground.
Then—
Nothing.
Ren tried to sit up.
Pain shot through his ribs immediately.
"OW—!"
"Don't."
The calm but firm voice came from beside him.
Ren turned his head slowly.
Standing there with his arms folded and tired eyes was Aizawa.
His capture weapon scarf hung loosely around his shoulders, and his hair looked more disheveled than usual.
"…Sensei?"
Aizawa sighed slightly.
"You've been unconscious for two days."
Ren froze.
"…two…?"
"Days," Aizawa repeated.
Ren's heart skipped.
"K-Kaito—"
"He's alive."
The tension in Ren's body loosened immediately.
Aizawa continued.
"Everyone is."
Ren's eyes widened.
Everyone?
"…everyone?"
Aizawa gave a small nod.
"Recovery Girl and several pro heroes worked nonstop."
Ren stared at the blanket covering him.
"…I remember… blood…"
Aizawa didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he pulled a chair closer and sat down.
Then he spoke carefully.
"You nearly killed yourself."
Ren blinked.
"…what?"
Aizawa's gaze hardened slightly.
"You pushed your quirk past anything we've seen."
Ren looked confused.
"I… don't remember using my quirk."
Aizawa's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's the problem."
Silence filled the room.
Then the door burst open.
"REN!"
Kaito ran inside.
His eyes were red like he hadn't slept in days.
Before anyone could react, he slammed into Ren and hugged him tightly.
"YOU IDIOT!!"
Ren winced in pain.
"Ow—ow—Kaito—ribs—!"
Kaito immediately pulled back.
"Sorry! Sorry!"
But tears were already falling down his face.
"You… you idiot…"
Ren blinked softly.
"…are you okay?"
Kaito stared at him like he'd just asked the dumbest question in existence.
"AM I OKAY?!"
He pointed at Ren dramatically.
"YOU TURNED INTO A ONE-MAN NATURAL DISASTER!"
Ren blinked again.
"…I did?"
Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose.
Kaito paced around the room wildly.
"You don't remember?!"
Ren shook his head slowly.
Kaito groaned.
"You kicked that scientist through THREE BUILDINGS!"
Ren's jaw slowly dropped.
"You used fire, shadows, water—SOMETHING THAT LOOKED LIKE LIGHTNING—"
Ren looked horrified.
"I can't even USE half those things—"
Kaito pointed at him dramatically.
"WELL YOU DID!!"
Aizawa finally spoke.
"You entered something similar to a berserk quirk state."
Ren blinked.
"…that's a thing?"
"It is now."
Ren looked down at his hands.
They were wrapped in bandages.
"…did I hurt anyone?"
Kaito immediately shook his head.
"No."
Aizawa answered more honestly.
"You nearly did."
Ren froze.
Aizawa leaned forward.
"But you stopped yourself."
Ren looked up.
"…I did?"
Kaito nodded.
"You crushed the scientist… but when he tried to make you kill us…"
His voice shook slightly.
"…you refused."
Ren's chest tightened.
The memory flickered faintly.
Someone yelling.
His friends on the ground.
The scientist laughing.
And rage.
So much rage.
Ren looked down again.
"…I killed him."
Aizawa didn't sugarcoat it.
"Yes."
Silence filled the room again.
Then Kaito sat beside him.
"…he deserved it."
Aizawa didn't respond to that.
Instead, he changed the subject slightly.
"The bigger issue is something else."
Ren looked up.
"What?"
Aizawa's eyes were serious now.
"That scientist knew exactly who you were."
Ren's stomach dropped.
"…how?"
Aizawa didn't answer immediately.
Instead he said something that made the room feel colder.
"Nezu found something."
Ren blinked.
"…about me?"
Aizawa nodded slowly.
"And it might explain everything."
Kaito looked confused.
"What do you mean everything?"
Aizawa stood up.
"…we're going to find out."
Ren's heart started beating faster.
The mystery of his past.
The experiments.
The scientist.
Everything suddenly felt like pieces of a much bigger puzzle.
A puzzle that had just started to move.
And somewhere in the school…
Principal Nezu was waiting.
With answers.