Lost in the Fog

Reinforced Resolve

Izuku's mood didn't improve at all over the next few... days? It was hard to keep track of time in the fog. Even so... it still worried those at the campfire. Without hope, survivors disappeared. They did everything they could, but it wasn't enough, so they gave him some space. Many trials occurred, none of which took him. It was as if it understood that he would break if pushed too far, but seemed to still sense some kind of hope in him, albeit buried deep. Laurie Strode, the one who felt the worst given the sheer brutality he faced because of her actions, walked up to him. "Izuku? Are you alright?"
"..." He didn't respond.

She sighed, speaking softly and empathetically, "I just want to help you." It almost sounded like begging when she asked, "Please open up to me."
Still silence. The blonde hugged him, pulling him close to her. She could almost hear his soul's anguish as he whispered a simple question: "How can I hope to be a hero in the heart of all of this... darkness?"
She understood him completely. His dream, as all survivors knew, was to be a hero. In his world, it was a job of high repute, and it was real. Nobody quite understood that, but Laurie could sympathize with the struggle against an indomitable evil. The crew from Raccoon knew how to win against them, while many others lived normal, peaceful lives. His world was very, very different to that. So... she started to speak: "When I arrived, the boogeyman followed me. He was evil incarnate, even above what the Entity does." She looked up at the starry sky, following the greenette's gaze.

It was fake, of course, as there were unknown and unknowable constellations peering down at them. "He followed me here, ignoring the rules, killing without restraint. His only limit is that he has a human form. The Entity is the same. It has limits. It drags nightmares, demons, and torment against us, but... it can't do everything. Think of it..." She struggled to find an appropriate comparison, before settling on the best example, "...like a wolf. It doesn't understand us, but knows that we are food. It hates light, it is weakened by faith, and our belief. But there are so many who despair and so it remains strong. You are different to the others, Izuku. Your ability to inspire, your pureness of heart allows you to inspire change. The others have given up, I always believed we could be trapped, but your hope inspired me. If anyone can free us, it's probably you. So please, let me help you."
Her speech didn't appear to work at first, but then Izuku looked up, into her eyes. There was a new fire. A determination he'd had when he first escaped against the Trapper. Sighing with relief, the blonde girl thought: It worked!

"You're... you're right. I can't despair when others need my help. I have something I need to do."
That surprised her, considering that he didn't know what to do a few minutes ago. "What?" She let him go, and got up. "If you want to follow, I won't stop you, but there is a place beyond the campfire I have to go."
She smiled, not confident at all, considering what lay beyond, but Laurie vowed to support him. "Sure. I'll follow. Just to make sure you don't get in trouble."

When Izuku led her way to the broken observatory, she was surprised by it. "When was this here?"

"It's been here as long as I have. But I think it has been here much longer."

"Wow..." she watched for a moment as debris floated around it, before noticing Izuku entering the tower. Rushing after, she called out, "Wait!"

The inside was dim, but she could still see, due to her eyes having adjusted to the constant darkness. Izuku was heading up the stairs, to the next level. She hurried after him, without needing to stop. The next room was what surprised her the most. A library of constantly moving books. A man sat in a chair facing the fire, a spinning apparatus floating above their right hand, and a glass of whiskey in his left. The man's voice was smooth, yet rough to listen to. An ancient being in his own right. "Izuku... I'd worried you had been taken to the void."
"I apologize, Observer." He bowed, "I couldn't process something I had seen, and the emotions I felt."
He, as Izuku remembered, seemed to know already, "Ah, that last trial with the Executioner? Every part of you fundamentally hates what happened there. I wouldn't be surprised by your breakdown. I see you have a friend."
Izuku nodded, gesturing to her, "Yes, Laurie helped me remember my purpose."
"I see." He stood up, and it was then that she could see his face. Aged with a large beard, his vibrant blue eyes radiating power. It reminded her of a lesson on the Greek gods, back when she was on Earth. He held the appearance... and the power of Zeus.

"Miss Strode." Izuku never said my last name! Tensing, she breathed a sigh of relief when he calmly gave his thanks, "Thank you for helping Young Izuku. He is the only one with the ability to wield this." He held forth the device. "It is the only thing that can potentially hold back the Entity."
"Wow..." She now knew... she was more correct about Izuku than even she knew... and completely shocked by the admission. "Just hold it back?"
The elder nodded, "And perhaps free those trapped here. But only time will tell. And now, I shall begin to teach him how to use it."

Laurie didn't understand its workings, but Izuku seemed to. His world was far more advanced, as it turns out, and his ability for analysis far exceeded most. The greenette hung onto every word, and it amazed her how he was able to create a new notebook from thin air. All survivors were able to manipulate the auric cells, but they were limited in use. Only clothes, food, and small items. And the cells were transformed. Laurie didn't trust them as much as the others, and so she kept her single outfit of blue jeans, a blue, long sleeved shirt, and simple shoes. However, Izuku created things out of nothing, from pure thought. By the time Izuku was done training, he was exhausted and fatigued.

The two witnesses applauded him, "Well done. You've grasped the fundamentals very quickly. Return when you can to practice, and try new things."

Izuku bowed slightly in respect. "Thank you, sensei."

The Observer smiled, and patted him on the back. To Laurie, he asked, "Can you keep him, well safe is too much to ask for here, but stable? Keep him on the right track?"

Smiling, she told him that she was already planning to: "Of course. He is too good a person to lose."