I was nearly frozen in shock upon seeing the eyes and teeth appear on the goo; the fact that it spoke also didn't help.
"A villain!"
I tried to jump back and run away, but the warm, slimy green goo had already wrapped around my body. It had me in a vice-like grip, and it wouldn't release me no matter how hard I pulled.
"Let go of me!! Help!!! Hel….."
My yelling was interrupted when the living goo wrapped around my head. I tried fighting it, but when I opened my mouth, the villain tried to push green goo into my body. I quickly closed my mouth, but the villain began shoving goo into my nose and ears.
Breathing was impossible, and in seconds, I began to feel like I was going to die. The more that I fought, the worse things became. After fighting for what felt like hours, I became lightheaded, a tingly sensation spread throughout my body, and I could feel my consciousness fading.
'I... I can't die... Not here….. Not now…. My mom….. If only I…. had quirk….A quirk… A quirk!!!!'
When my sight had nearly become black, a sudden warm and golden light blinded me.
"Wha! Ahhhh! It Burns!!!! Stop it!!! Stop!!!!"
I felt like something pushed me. When I came to my senses, I found the slime-covered in a golden liquid that seemed to be melting the villain. After seconds, the living slime had become nothing but a puddle of green and golden liquid.
I looked around wildly, trying to find the person who saved me, but I couldn't see anyone. When I looked down at my body, I found that I was covered in a glowing golden liquid. Afraid that it would melt me like it did the villain, I quickly tried to wipe it off.
I stopped when I noticed that it wasn't burning me at all. This helped me come to a realization.
"This gold…. den liquid…. did I make it? Did I awaken a quirk!!!!"
I was excited about this possibility, but when I looked at the motionless puddle, I felt my world end.
'I just killed someone?! I killed someone with a quirk!.... Am I going to be labeled as a villain?'
I began imagining myself behind a cell while my mother slaved away at work all alone. Without thinking things clearly, my body started moving on its own.
After finding my backpack, which had been sent flying, I took out my school uniform and began putting it on.
Using my workout clothes, I tried my best to wipe the messy puddle of goo and put it inside a nearby trash can. I then grabbed my water bottle and poured the leftover water on the ground. Then, I quickly ran away from that place and began heading home.
As soon as I got home, I took off my clothes and placed them in the tub. I began hand-washing them while taking a shower. Once they were mostly clean, I put my clothes and backpack in the washing machine and locked myself in my room.
"Shit! What did I do?! I should have called the cops!!! But if I did, they might accuse me of being a villain. They won't care that I was defending myself. They will only care that I killed someone with my quirk. They will see me as a monster."
.
.
.
[Meanwhile, In The Underworld]
A man and teen spoke in a large, dark, cold throne room.
The young, orange-brown-haired teen looked up at the stern, black-haired man who sat on a black throne.
"Come on, Uncle Hades, pretty please. It's just a few more months."
Hades looked at his nephew and scuffed, "Hermes, making yourself look younger isn't going to accomplish anything. I have long grown from falling for such tricks. That mother-in-law of mine and I already have an agreement, and I will not stand idly by while she and my wife try to break it. What I'm more curious about is what you get out of this? The usual you would deliver the message and run off."
The young teen touched his chest and gave an offended expression, "Uncle Hades, how can you say such a thing? I'm only trying to help your marra–"
"Shhh"
Before Hermes could finish his sentence, Hades signaled for him to be quiet. The usually stern Hades had a surprised expression, which interested Hermes.
Hades closed his eyes and pointed at the stone floor. In the spot, he pointed a pool of black liquid materialized. From the black pool, a creature made out of green sludge emerged, looking from side to side. The creature was covered in a golden liquid.
"Where am I?! Who the hell—"
"Silence!!!"
The loud, low-pitched voice of Hades rang throughout the throne room, making the green creature freeze.
Hermes whistled as he circled around the creature. He looked closer at the golden liquid and nodded.
"This….. It's Divine Nectar!!! No, this concentration of divine energy, normal divine, can't possibly be comparable to this. It's been a long time since I had nectar, but even I can tell this. Uncle Hades, where does this creature come from?!"
Hades shrugged and looked at the creatures with his glowing purple eyes. After a few seconds, a smile appeared on his face.
"Hermes, how about you and I make a deal?"
Seeing his uncle smile made Hermes uncomfortable, but finding signs of Divine Nectar when the Tree Of The Hesperides had died was more important than anything else. With this nectar, the gods finally had a way to replenish their divinity. It had been an issue, especially since, over time, divinity provided by prayers had started to wane. Hermes had been working endlessly to travel through worlds and dimensions, trying to find an alternative.
Through his travels, he had even worked with other-worldly, other-dimensional gods and created the Godly Market System.
Hermes was engulfed in a golden glow for a few seconds, and when the light disappeared, a 5-year-old kid version of himself stood while innocently smiling.
"Tell me, Uncle Hades, what deal do you have in mind?"
Hades sighed and waved his hands dismissively, causing the slime creature to be reabsorbed by the black puddle.
"Didn't I already tell you I won't be swayed by that little trick?"
Hermes smiled and scratched his head, "Well, it was worth a shot. So what exactly do you want to propose?"
"Hermes, you can continue to scour worlds and dimensions as much as you want, but you still may end up not finding another source of the Divine Nectar. This makes this information very valuable, don't you think?"
"I don't know, uncle. I'm pretty lucky; I might find it soon if I continue trying. That said, this nephew wants to help you, so go ahead and tell me what you want in exchange for this information."
"Is that so? Well, then, good luck looking. Now, if you don't mind, I have lots to do."
Seeing that Hades was dismissing him, Hermes sighed, made a chair appear out of thin air, and sat down.
"Okay, okay, you win. So what are your demands, uncle?"