Chapter 3: Lesson gone wrong

"School is over," Izuku said to himself as he walked on a sidewalk through the outer streets of Mustafu City. His destination is 15 minutes away, that being Agatha's house. When he arrived at her house, an American-style house came into Izuku's view when he passed through the front gates. The steel gates were colored in a deep dark green color that welcomed anyone who came here; which wasn't a lot, just Izuku and the scared mailman.Through the neighborhood's only garden, Izuku approached the house. He stood in front of the door and pressed the doorbell. A few seconds passed before he heard a voice from the house. "Coming, just a minute," a voice shouted. After hearing this, Izuku thought, 'This always happens with her.' He took his backpack from his back and held it by the top with his hand.The door opened. There was a woman behind it that Izuku recognized-his mentor, Agatha. "Hiya hun." She greeted him as usual. "Tea before the lesson?" She always asked the same question before they started his training in magic. Izuku would usually accept the offer, but today he declined. "No, thank you," he started. "I don't have a lot of time today. Naoko and her husband are coming for dinner.""Oh, Naoko and Tsuruki are coming; say hi for me when you see them." Agatha said as she started walking through the house, making sharp sounds with her heels. Izuku followed her with no shoes on, making no sounds at all. "Then we must make haste before the time runs out. You want to make it, do you?" Agatha finished as they both stood in front of the door with carvings.Agatha stopped briefly before grabbing the door handle. "Today you won't be learning any new spells." Agatha opened the door. Passing through them, Izuku soon entered a few seconds later. "Today you'll do something you already knew, just different." Izuku looked at her, confused, thinking about what she could mean by that. 'Silent incantation?' Izuku thought, but soon after, he would change his mind. 'It is too early for that.' His thought process didn't distract him from the sudden change in the room. The circular room had books, artifacts, and animal remains suspended in glass bottles from all sides. Now, because of the missing items, he could see thick vines growing on the pitch-black bricks.The news and the sudden change in his surroundings surprised Izuku. "Then what are we going to do?" he asked, standing in the room's center. "I see you cleared quite a space for us." He said as he faced her, looking her in the eyes.Agatha didn't answer. She raised her hands in front as they started glowing with purple energy in a flowing pattern. In response, the brown book came flying in front of Agatha. It took some time before Izuku recognized that book. "Isn't that a book for the basic spells?"A grin appeared over Agatha's face, and Izuku knew too well what that grin meant. Trouble. "You are doing basics again." That simple answer confused Izuku more than it should have. "What do you mean by doing basics again?""You can't do silent incantation without going over spells again, can you?""I guess you are right." Izuku answered, not aware of what just had he said. Izuku's face warped with shock while Agatha's grin grew. "Silent incantations," he repeated. "Isn't that too early? I mean, I can barely do level 5 magic. I didn't even start level 6.""Truth is, your magical grade is low for starting silent incantations. The thing is, if you want to apply for the UA, you need to master at least one silent spell," she said in a calm tone, showing as much of her white teeth as possible while talking."I wasn't planning to go to the UA, Agatha. I changed my mind." Silence followed soon after, neither of them uttering a single word. It was awkward. "Why aren't you going Izuku? It would be a great learning opportunity. If money is an issue, I can assist in getting you a scholarship.""Being a hero was my dream when I was a kid. Now my dreams have changed." Izuku answered, knowing his answer carried a lot of weight, knowing that Agatha expected a lot from him."Why? How?" she questioned as her previous grin disappeared from her face."Let's just say that my hero dreams were crushed a long time ago and I couldn't piece them together.""You wanted to study," Agatha said, puzzled and shocked."I still want to study it. Found a good university-affiliated high school in Tokyo, and they have a secret magic program. That is perfect for me." Izuku took one step closer and grabbed the floating book. "I know being my teacher at UA meant a lot to you, but this is my future."He turned the brown book towards himself and started turning the pages towards the start. "You can still mentor me outside school like this." A few seconds passed."It is not just me," Agatha said. "What about Yaoyorozu, Izuna, your mother? It wasn't just my expectation, we all expected you to apply for the UA." Izuku didn't know what to say; he knew she was right but also this was his decision. "I already decided.""Can we start now? I think you have quite a lot to teach me and explain to me in a short time." Izuku said as he opened the first page and pressed the book with his hand so it wouldn't close on its own."Yes, we are doing a telekinesis spell." Her words weren't sad or disappointed; they were empty, maybe even frustrated.Izuku took his time before he asked, "Am I going to do the spell with the incantation first or are going silent from the start?""I just don't understand. UA has one of the best magic systems, something you always wanted to study. And heroes working at UA are aware of magic.""If heroes are aware of magic, why bother with silent incantations?""Because of the public, they can't learn magic exists just yet," Agatha answered, knowing well that Izuku knew the answer, and he was just provoking her."Believe me, Izuku, there is a lot more to being a hero than what you thought. Could you at least give it a chance? If you don't believe yourself, at least believe me.""Time is running out; let's start practicing," Izuku said as he decided that it would be best to avoid the subject."As you know, there are four main branches of magic, each with a unique concept of their power. Among those four witchcraft has the most delicate mana circulatory system. Also, we have closed the mana circulatory system, which makes controlling mana harder. Witches and wizards use mana to manipulate already existing things. Our magic concept being manipulation. We give instructions to mana by using incantations. With those instructions, we can manipulate objects, space, cause, etc.""I get all of that; that was the first lesson you taught me; I just don't understand why you are telling me that again.""Do you remember how we learned the basics? With each spell, there was a thought you needed to think of, a sensation, a feeling you needed to feel when you uttered the incantation. We are doing all of that again. Say the incantation internally this time. It takes way more control and concentration than usual," Agatha said as she put her finger on the page. Sliding in a different direction until it came to its destination. "Telekinesis charm. The first one you learned normally, and the first one we are going to try casting with the silent incantation.""Let's first do the spell with an incantation," Agatha said as she read the word her finger was pointing at."Volits."A small brick in front of her started floating and moving around in the same direction and manner as her hands would, now covered in purple energy with a signature flowing pattern. After some showcasing, the brick dropped down and her hands were back to normal."Now you do it.""Volits." Izuku repeated as he picked the same brick as Agatha did. He mimicking every movement Agatha did just moments before."Now you do it again, but don't do it mechanically; think what are you doing and do it step by step."Izuku took a deep breath. He forced all his thoughts, will and concentration to think about making the same brick float again. His body feeling the same chilly feeling that it always felt before using magic, filtering all unwanted ones and leaving just the one that is used for the telekinesis spell. For Izuku, the only thing that was left was to utter the specific words.The brick raised and moved again until Izuku decided to let it down to look at Agatha for further instructions.Agatha pulled out a small, empty glass vial and put it down on the floor in front of them. "Do it again without saying anything.""What is the vial for?" Izuku asked as he stared at the small glass object."You are going to perform the telekinesis charm on that vial," Agatha said with grin and teasing tone. "I think that is too much for you, but I couldn't find anything smaller.""Please, I once moved a boulder the size of a house with next to no problem. I think I can raise a glass vial.""Knock yourself out."And Izuku did so, he did the same process in the same order, breaking it where it should be, incantation. Thought, feeling, filling his head and body, and Agatha's words came to his head. Out of the sudden same process he did, every day stopped. It came to a minor problem. It was becoming harder, more difficult than normal. He closed his eyes, hoping to increase his concentration.When everything came to its place, he whispered the word, 'Volits.' Opening his eyes, he noticed that there was less energy around his hands, where there were usually energy orbs that would hide the user's hands. Now there were tiny light energy blue strands. His gaze moved towards the glass vial that should've floated high in the air. It barely rose a few inches from floor. It shook in the air for a few seconds before it fell to the ground. The vial didn't break upon impact. It wasn't even high enough to break."It is going to be easy, huh?" Agatha teased him as she circled around him, performing the same spell with ease that Izuku had tried moments before."You may have better mana control than your average witch or wizard. But for silent incantation, the mana control required for it is so rare that some witches don't live the day to witness it. That doesn't mean it's impossible," Agatha said as Izuku was coming back to his senses. "You have the potential to use incantationless magic someday, but that doesn't exclude you from training and practicing. The actual reason are we are doing silent incantation is because you are achieving too many things and that is getting to your head. We need to bring you back to the ground.""What do you mean?""Izuku honey, you have been aware of your magical abilities for three years now. What you achieved in three years a normal person would in thirty.""What do y-""Even not knowing how important and big that is, it got to your head," Agatha said, looking at Izuku's hair, not being able to look him in the eyes because he was looking at the floor. "Why am I saying this to you? It would make the situation worse, right?" Agatha stopped. They stood in silence for a few seconds before she continued. "It won't be a problem. I will break you down and build you up, not giving you a chance to think you are some hot stuff.""Shall we continue?" Izuku asked in a low tone, not knowing what to feel after Agatha's talk. He rose up, but he didn't raise his head until he closed his eyes to start the same spell, going over the process again. Knowing that he would fail.Izuku tried multiple times after that talk, each time failing more than the last time. It got to the point where the vial wasn't even moving."Izuku, are my words getting to you?" she asked in a teasing tone. "I didn't expect that from you. I expected that from Bakugo, and you were always talking about how better you are than him. But I guess you are the same at the end of the day.""Shut up.""You are just proving my point.""We are not having this conversation again, and you know it." Izuku's voice was shaking. It was breaking apart faster than his spirit. "Don't ever compare me to that idiot.""Prove me wrong then." Agatha's voice was cold and deep, filled with indifference. "Prove to me that nothing can get in your head-not me, you, him, anyone. Prove to me that you are better than Bakugo, better than therm.""Practice is over. I don't want to be late," Izuku said as he rushed from the room, grabbing his backpack and other belongings that were laying on the floor. Rushing through house, garden and gates, he didn't stop, he rushed through the streets as well. When he stopped, he found himself on a familiar street. He was a few blocks away from the house. He decided to keep walking to his house at slower pace. Walking, he didn't give himself permission to think about what had happened a few minutes before with Agatha. He knew that he screwed up, and he also knew that thinking about it would make him do something even worse and he couldn't afford it.He was checking his phone every few steps, expecting messages from different people. From his mother, if he needed to buy something she forgot. From Izuna to bug him. The third person he hoped would make contact with him was Momo; she was his friend and the only person he could relate to.After walking towards his home, being just being a block away from it and checking his phone for the fourth time, he finally received a message."Can you get some snacks from the store on the way home?"Disappointed, he replied that it would take him five minutes.After taking some detours to get to the store and buy the snacks, it took him around ten minutes to get back to his apartment complex.After opening the front door of the apartment building, he passed by a broken elevator that didn't get almost any attention from others, so Izuku didn't bother to give any either.He climbed the narrow staircase until he reached the sixth floor. Walking through the hallway, he didn't hear a sound through the thick walls. It was rare for Izuku to relax in this silence. Because of that, he always tried to walk slower when the hallways were empty.He took out his keys from the pocket when he found himself in front of his apartment. After he found the right key, he inserted it in the keyhole. Turning it once in the opposite direction of the wall, he opened the door."Mom, let me help you.""Inko-san, I can help as well."He was greeted with a lot of mixed sounds. He caught two voices. Naoko and Tsuruki were here.Naoko was Izuku's overprotective and serious sister. She was sometimes annoying to him, but the two of them got along. Tsuruki was Naoko's husband and Izuku's brother-in-law. He was the complete opposite. He was laid back and he would usually joke around. There was only one thing that they had in common: both of them were kind."Oh Izuku, you're here."Izuna said as she jumped out at him from her room."What did you bring us?" she asked in a curious tone."Where is mom?" he said, not startled by her."No hi sis? Izuna?" she continued in a teasing tone. "It's always where is mum.""Stop goofing around. Where is she?" he asked as he took off his shoes to enter."In the kitchen," she answered as she pointed her finger towards it."How long have Naoko and Tsuruki been here?""About half an hour."Izuku took his backpack and threw it in front of the door of his room. He took a few steps before opening the door before him. He was met with the sight of his mother preparing a small coffee table in the living room. Two figures were sitting on the sofa. Izuku recognized both of them, Naoko and Tsuruki."Little bro, you're here."Izuku answered with a smile and nod, not paying too much attention to his new nickname given by Tsuruki."Here is what you asked for," Izuku said as he handed over the plastic bag to his mother. "Hey Naoko, how is the coffee shop going?""You are more similar to your mother every day. Both of you asked the same question." Naoko said as she flashed a smile towards him. "It is going well. We set up most of the things. The only thing that is left are minor details and staff."Naoko had wanted to set up a coffee shop for some time now, despite being the one with most of the talents and the best looks of all Izuku's siblings. She was built like a model, thin long limbs, an athletic build with a face that most men would describe as perfect. She had long blonde hair with some green spots, and to complement those green spots she had deep sea-green eyes."We have a family discount, right?" their mother asked with a smile as she interrupted the conversation."Don't hope for it. She didn't want to give one to her husband," Tsuruki was now teasing their mother."Well, I am her mother. She loves me more," Inko teased back until Naoko broke the interaction. "Izuku is the only who is getting the discount.""Harsh!" both of them said in union and with a smile. Naoko shrugged playfully, her green eyes sparkling mischievously. "Sorry, guys, but Izuku is my favorite," she declared, earning a mock gasp from her husband and mother. They all burst into laughter. Theirs laughter brought warm and playful ambience to the room.After the laughter came to an end, Inko called Izuku to the kitchen to help her, hiding her actual reasons through brief signals. It took quite some time for Izuku to receive the signals and when he did, he followed her to the kitchen immediately."Hey mom, I wanted to ask you something. Where is Morio?" Morio was Naoko's son, Izuku's nephew. Even though he was just a month old, he already looked like his parents - well, one of them. He had brown hair, a sharp jaw and dark skin for Japanese, and he also had sea-green eyes. Izuku only saw him once but remembered him well."They found him a babysitter," Inko said, observing Izuku as it became clear was disappointed. "Also, I wanted to notify you in private about she high school enrollment paper that I received from your school. I won't be able to attend the meeting. I will just fill out the paper. I also suggest we do this privately because of your situation.""What situation? What do you mean?""UA?" Inko questioned."Oh, that," Izuku nervously answered. "I'm not going to the UA.""This isn't the time to discuss this and there won't be any soon, but we will talk about it." Inko said in a calm tone while picking up a tray from the kitchen counter, filled with food and drinks. She left Izuku in the kitchen questioning 'his' choices.The rest of the night went smoothly; even Izuna decided to join them after a few moments. They mainly talked and joked around until late in the night, when Naoko and Tsuruki finally left. The evening had surpassed their expectations, filled with laughter and shared stories that had forged a deeper bond between them. Walking side by side, they strolled through the quiet streets, the moon casting a gentle glow upon their path as they walked to their hotel. They didn't want to be late for the train tomorrow.A/NWhat's your opinion on this chapter, favorite quote?If you liked this chapter, please leave a vote. It means a lot to me.