Izuku trudged through the bridge, a being made of some kind of ore laid behind him. Its head was missing, as well as one of its legs. In its hand, it clasped a long pole easily three times as long as Izuku's height.

'A little further…'

After having defeated said being, Izuku continued. An area previously unexplored awaited him. A bonfire in his mind, hoping to catch even a glimpse of it so he could rest.

Lost Izalith was a dangerous place after all, and right now, he is running out of Estus.

'A little more…'

His steps echoed through the bridge, gouts of flame occasionally sputtering from beneath the stone passage. Ahead of him lies a huge entrance to a cave.

'Further…'

He slashed at a parasite who was running away from him, rendering it dead and sucking in the souls it had.

'More…'

He killed another one as he descended the steps, huge roots from a giant tree sometimes impeding his advance.

'Almost there…'

His clunky footsteps echoed reverberated through the dimly lit passageway. A few more steps and he heard a voice.

"… Hrgg… Argghhh… … Finally… I have found it, I have! My very own sun…!"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"… Ahh… It's over… My sun… It's settling…"

…

…

…

"It's dark… So dark…"

…

…

..

…

…

…

Izuku screamed.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Izuku was brought out of his memories by a poke to his head.

"Oi, what you standing around like a statue for?" Patches poked him with the sharp end of his spear again. "Come on, we don't have all day."

"While I appreciate you making an effort to stay at the topic at hand," Tsukauchi glared at the bald merchant. "I'd rather you not unintentionally wound him with that weapon of yours."

"Like my weapon could do squat against him, eh, ol' buddy?" Patches grinned as he brought his spear back, bringing it to his side. Izuku deadpanned at the antics of the undead merchant. Humorous he may be, it still rubbed him the wrong way sometimes…

Actually, scratch that, if it weren't for his lawful good alignment that somehow survived Lordran, Izuku would be extremely annoyed with Patches.

"Anyway, where was I…? Ah right," Tsukauchi tapped his chin then snapped his fingers. "Principal Nezu was calling for you. You can thank the media for that. Your classmates are also waiting for you back at U.A."

Izuku nodded and glanced at Patches and Siegward.

"They're coming with, right?" Tsukauchi nodded at his question, causing Izuku to relax, his expression was unshifting.

The four of them left the jailing area, causing most of the police on duty to tense at the sudden sight of the suddenly armed Patches.

"At ease, they're innocent," Tsukauchi made good use of his current power, which he knew would be taken away for some time after this is all over. "That said, the hero who apprehended these men," Tsukauchi pointed at Patches and Siegward, "please give me their names and place them on my desk. I'll be looking through them later."

The officers in the station relaxed and saluted. His subordinate, a feline officer quickly moved about to take care of the task he was given.

"Alright, let's go," the four of them continued on and into a parked car just outside the station, then drove off towards U.A.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Nezu was annoyed. In all of his years as the principal of U.A. High, this year was the most migraine-inducing. I mean, come on, villain deaths during their raid against their STUDENTS! If that wasn't a massive scandal waiting to be unboxed, then there's another one. This one though was streaming to the public through a news station.

[U.A. Student caught defending a villain!]

[U.A. Student arrested for vigilantism!]

And worst of all, the general populace was eating it up like honey. Nezu glanced at the monitor displaying a live feed from the entrance gates. Dozens and dozens of reporters were waging war to get the scoop, pushing, pulling, charging, hell, some of them were using their quirks in inconspicuous ways just to get a lead.

"Oh, dear…" Nezu sighed, eyes closed in contemplation. He wanted to sic the heroes and police on them, he really did, but it wasn't worth the infamy it would garner. He was already in debt due to pulling strings about the USJ incident, he didn't need more.

"Principal," All Might in his skinny form piped up from the couch in front of him. Nezu opened an eye and stared at the skinny blonde. "Tsukauchi called, he's bringing Midoriya here, as well as two more like him."

Nezu faceplanted on the desk, earning a shock from his employee. Nezu has never done said faceplanting in the entirety of his career teaching.

'High Spec, you better work…'

"… Alright, bring them in through the back door. Contact all available personnel in case hostilities ensue, and All Might," All Might stood up and looked at Nezu, awaiting his orders. "I think it's time for you to pass the torch. Our society will no doubt be upheaved by the incoming events."

All Might grimly nods and heads outside the room. Nezu closed his eyes once again, his brain going into overdrive to lower the negative results of the false information scandal the press has caused yet again.

'I guess it's time to pull the skeletons out of their closets,' Nezu smiled sadistically as he grabbed the phone.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

"We're here," Tsukauchi called out from the front seat, Izuku seating beside him in the passenger seat, while Siegward and Patches were both arguing at the backseat. What they were arguing about wasn't due to the past they shared, no, it was pettier than that.

"Oh, come on! My body is getting squished to the door! Your fat armor is literally killing me right now! Was it really necessary to wear that inside here, you bumbling onion!"

"Well, if it wasn't for you who stole my armor in the first place, I wouldn't be wary of you from the start! And the Armor of Catarina is designed like this for a purpose!"

"Yes! To make other kingdoms assume that all of you knights beneath that armor are obese pigs!"

"Don't you dare bring up that topic, thief!"

Izuku deadpanned at the other two behind him. It's been going on for as long as the trip has continued. Tsukauchi had a vein popping in his forehead, but was maintaining a stoic appearance. Izuku however, felt refreshed at their actions, discounting Siegward since he didn't know the man.

To Patches, however – who kicked him down the cliff in Tomb of the Giants, and almost got him killed by rotating the bridge in The Catacombs – a man who lives for the sake of punishing greedy bastards, his words, not Izuku's, to banter against a former victim of his crusade of kicking people on their asses to make them fall off ledges, was a refreshing breath of air.

Though, he could really do without them bumping into his seat, causing his body to rock back and forth as they argued.

"We're almost there," Tsukauchi murmured as his stoic face was beginning to slip, his eyes beginning to dilate from the anger he was experiencing.

'This is my car… And they're wrecking the back seat…' let it be known the Tsukauchi will never let those two on the same ride… Again… Ever…

Izuku kept silent during the whole debacle, his thoughts wandering to his past in Lordran, which he immediately closed off. He may be mostly unaffected by now, but the memories still hurt.

The car came to a stop, another gate – this one for personnel only – just ahead of them. In front of the said gate was Aizawa who was sporting a very irritated scowl. The passengers of the car got off and Tsukauchi bid them farewell as he drove in the opposite direction, finally free from the two monsters who desecrated the back seats of his precious car.

"Problem child."

"Aizawa-Sensei…" Izuku replied in greeting with a nod. Aizawa then settled his irritated gaze on the two Undead.

"Come in, Principal Nezu's waiting."

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Ochako and friends, who were waiting with Principal Nezu after they got through the damned press, heaved a sigh of relief as they saw Izuku enter the gates. Ochako not minding the other people ran and glomped down Izuku.

"Deku! I was so worried!" their friends had the urge to whistle, but controlled it because some of the teachers and principal were present.

"As much as we would like to celebrate your reunion and Izuku's bail from captivity," Nezu snickered a bit at the words. "If you would all enter the building?"

The teachers consisting of Ectoplasm, Midnight, Eraserhead, and Present Mic surrounded the trio of undead while Ochaco was separated from them and back into the group of U.A. students. Nezu led the group inside of the building and directed them towards an unused room with soundproofing walls to make sure their conversation does not reach unwanted ears.

"Now then, all of you take a seat," Nezu said from his chair which was provided by the staff and himself. Quick notice, it was a high chair because of his short stature. The others were given normal chairs, even the undead, while the 1-A students barring Izuku were left sitting on some chairs away from the round table.

"I assume all of you has some kind of inkling as to why this meeting has come to pass?" Nezu glanced around the room, starting from the teachers, to the students, then to the Undead. All of them nodded, except for Izuku and the other Undead, which prompted a sigh from Nezu. "As you can see from this live feed," Nezu pressed a button from his controller, the television hung on the wall booting up and displaying the present news, "your actions, Midoriya, is leaving a bad reputation for U.A High as a whole, and as principal, it is my duty to ensure that your actions do not cause further unrest."

Izuku nodded in agreement, while the teachers observed the emerald teen. His classmates, however, had horrified looks on their faces. They were about to complain, but a look from Eraserhead prevented that mishap.

"That said, Midoriya, you will be punished because of this incident," Nezu stoically stated with his hands clamped together and his elbows propped up on the table. "As for your punishment, we have decided that you will not be able to attend internships after the Sports Festival, and instead, be applied to a supplementary class with Eraserhead for the duration of the week."

Eraserhead shrugged while the 1-A students looked more horrified. Ochaco, in particular, was very, VERY, upset that the damned media costed Izuku's internships. Izuku, however, looked nonplussed at the declaration.

"Now that your punishment has been decided, I think it is time for the main topic of this meeting," Nezu brought his eyes towards the two Undead who were sitting beside Izuku, a scowl on the bald Undead, and a still Onion Knight. All of those present in the meeting perked their heads up in curiosity at the two Undead, some in minor hostility, others with just plain interest.

"I may assume that you two are from Lordran?" Nezu questioned with a narrowed gaze, but the reactions from the two Undead were not what he was expecting, nor the others.

"Lordran? You mean that Kingdom where the first Undead linked the flame?" Siegward scratched his chin while recalling the teachings back in Catarina. Patches, however, had a smirk on his face.

"Now ain't this a surprise," Patches continued to chuckle to only himself, garnering the attention of everybody within the room. "I guess that you all would be focused on that time era, seeing that the first Undead that linked the flame," Patches pointed at Izuku, causing Siegward to instantly direct his gaze at Izuku, while the 1-A students who heard his story about burning alive for who knows how long blanched, "was the one who gave you the information about that unforgiving world."

Izuku tilted his head at Patches.

"What do you mean by that?" Patches smirk grew even further.

"It's just that the cycle has been repeated for numerous times already," Patches sighed exaggeratedly. "If I'm not mistaken, it would be… About 5… Maybe 6 millennia since this guy right here linked the first flame."

The room went silent. Everybody inside the room was busy staring at the declaration of Patches with wide eyes.

"… Ugh… I knew that linking the flame to prolong the Age of Fire wasn't the solution to their problems…" Izuku facepalmed, just realizing that all his efforts were for naught. He didn't save jack squat during his time in Lordran, nor did he save anybody because of his decision. It would've eaten him up inside, if not for him already being too scarred to even care anymore.

That said, if he had the power to save someone in front of him, he would still do it with a heartbeat.

"I… See…" Nezu hummed in thought. "May I ask what Kingdom is it called now?"

"If you must know, it is called Lothric," this time, it was Siegward who piped up from his seat.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

After the meeting was finished, every occupant was on their way home, except for the students and the Undead. The Undead were not to exit the school boundaries because of damned media and glory-seeking heroes, at the same time being monitored by the faculty of the school.

The two of them separated from the rest and were given jobs for the duration of their stay by Principal Nezu. It took quite a bit of pressuring… actually, not quite a bit, make it a mountain load of pressuring from Nezu and Izuku to make them finally cave into their offers.

Siegward was a little hesitant to agree, but since Yhorm wasn't in this realm yet, he had nothing to do but accept. Patches, however, was a different story.

Patches lived for the sole reason of punishing greedy fools, as well as maybe try to rehabilitate them, as seen by him kicking Izuku off in the Tomb of the giants and into corpses with a Skull Lantern. So, requesting him to pause his crusade in favor of teaching brats on how to fight was a load of work.

At least he accepted at the end since he didn't want to be confined in a cell again, and this time, there was no Greyrat to help bail him out.

Currently, Izuku was walking alongside the other students on their way home. Ochaco has been very clingy these past few minutes, and it didn't take Izuku a lot to see that Ochaco had feelings for him.

At least he didn't know about the budding feelings of the other females, but that's for the future, not the present.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

In an undisclosed location, a man with a damaged face covered with an iron mask in a business suit could be seen walking along the various human-sized tubes housing various types of Nomus.

"How is the research going, Doctor?" the man, All for One, directed his gaze at the man wearing a lab coat and goggles with a green tint on them.

"It is proceeding slowly, sir, but that specimen your underlings caught for me is incredibly splendid!" the Doctor, Kyudai Garaki, a.k.a. Daruma Ujiko, glanced at the tube housing a specific dried-up corpse that refuses to die. It kept on banging on the glass without stopping with no results to show for it. "It has no Quirk, that I can say for sure, but even when dead, it still comes back to life, no matter how it was killed!"

"Hmm… Interesting," AFO strolled over the glass. He has a quirk that can sense emotions from the years of gathering them, so without further ado, he reached out to it. What he felt made him shudder in excitement, as well as dread.

"KILL! HUMANITY! GATHER! PROTECT! LORDS!"

"Interesting… Very interesting…" AFO walked away from the still banging on the glass Undead, noticing some kind of symbol etched on its stomach.

'I think it's time to move, the era's shifting again,' AFO hummed in his thoughts.

"Doctor, have some Nomus prepared, we might be needing them sooner than I thought," the Doctor nodded in response.

"Of course, sir."

AFO teleported from the underground facility and back into his hideout, grabbing the phone from his pocket to make a call.

"Giran, tell me everything about the Shie Hassaikai and the Quirk of their leader, Overhaul."

'Soon, the Age of Heroes will come to a close, and your dream of equality will come,' AFO glanced at the armor that was propped up by a stand, a logo of a sun decorating its chest piece.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Izuku cried and cried at the death of Solaire. The man that he made a friend with, the man that was slowly going into a cycle of madness, the man that he failed to save.

'Why!? WHY!? Why does it always end like this!?' Izuku screamed from the bottom of his heart, his pain, his anguish, his frustration at the cruelness of Lordran breaking him over and over.

'I SAVED SIEGMEYER! I SAVED ANASTACIA! I SAVED REAH! I SAVED LAURENTIUS! I SAVED LOGAN! AND YET, WHY ARE ALL OF THEIR FATES SO CRUEL!?'

Izuku slumped on the ground. His tears not welling up. His thoughts recalled every person he saved, yet failed them.

Siegmeyer, dead by his daughter's hands…

Anastacia, forever trapped in a cell to be a firekeeper…

Reah, kidnapped by Seath's underlings and hollowed in the Grand Archives, dead by his hand…

Laurentius, hollowed in the swamps of Blighttown, dead by his hand…

Logan, driven insane in Seath's lair, dead by his hand…

And now… Solaire… the man who wanted to find his own sun, yet failed and driven insane by a parasite…

Dead by his hand, as well…

It wasn't fair… Everything here… It didn't matter how long… Fate would always find a way to destroy Izuku's hopes…

Izuku stood up, finished wallowing in his despair and frustration. What remained, was a broken vessel, forever doomed to continue this cycle of saving and killing those he saves until the fire is linked.

He turned around, and trudged, his mind broken into a million pieces. His goal, to link the fire and be done with it.

He never noticed a black portal consuming the corpse of the dead Solaire…