Chapter Text
There was once a terrible ice age that devastated the land. A uniform season of tundra prevented any chance of crop growth, oceans froze over, and entire bloodlines perished in the glacial purgatory.
In the port village of Chiba, the people fasted in reverence of their gods and resounded their pleas of mercy to the sky. Begging to be saved.
January 20th, the coldest day of the year, their entreaties were answered.
A great beast descended from the sky and landed on the frozen ocean, demanding to know their exact plight. The deity was greater than any beast they had ever seen, with the body of a serpent, and vast wings made of hard rock, scales, and hide. Smoke escaped its nostrils with each breath, and its horns pointed straight to the heavens. It was larger than their entire village. The mortals prepared gold, rare gems, perfected fabrics, and even offered heirlooms to the celestial being until the harbor became a hoard of wealth.
Men, women, and children alike threw themselves to the ground in bowed prayer as they cried:
“There are no seasons, only death and ice. Our crops do not grow, our livestock do not survive, and our families starve. We beg the gods to provide more seasons and give us strength to weather the cold, and we are prepared to sacrifice anything that pleases you in exchange.”
The immortal beast hung silent momentarily, then replied: “As you wish.”
Suddenly, the dragon launched from the body of water and soared through the sky, its large wings sending harsh winds through the heavens with each flap as it hurled fire into the airspace. A flash of red extended throughout the clouds until the entire sky darkened with crimson.
Their deity flew off into the distance, and later that same day, five equally petrifying, but smaller dragons returned to the village. Their size was equivalent to that of a magnificent temple, and to think they were significantly downsized from the deity who came to them in the morning filled their souls with fear. However, the villagers were awe-stricken when the dragons took on a humanoid appearance that rivaled the beauty of even their fairest Omega. They were meant to form an everlasting bond to receive all of the blessings the deity was willing to bestow, and the immortals married into families and introduced a gene factor that caused the new generations to manifest unique abilities; Quirks, they called them. With that, came replete prosperity, and most importantly, spring. The seasons changed as they were meant, and even during winter, the Quirks were more than enough to push on.
After a hundred years, the dragons who assimilated among them shed their mortal bodies and tethered their spirits to the Chiba temple. Their presence would protect the land and continue the change of seasons as long as they gave back to the sky what was most precious to them:
Five young maidens at the age of twenty were to be offered back to their deities by a cycle of every twenty years. Beautiful Omegas of any gender adorned in gold and red flowers of farewell, full of only ambrosia, and perfectly healthy with chaste status. Five were to be offered, and five were to be taken. If the sacrifice pleases, then on the next cycle and each one proceeding, only one would be forever taken.
The sacrificial mortals were to be like a bride onto a groom; to worship a higher power. Just as the deity gave its own children to the people, so too would they give their precious sons and daughters to pay for halcyon days. That was their price, and likened to a century before, they were to prepare them that very day.
The sky bled over in a familiar crimson as distraught, reluctant Omegas were primed for what they viewed as slaughter. Inconsolable parents were forcibly moved from their offspring, the song of ritual tolling just as loud as the bells in the harbor and drowning out their cries.
In great parallel, a celestial dragon plummeted from the sky and snatched up the boats of all five offerings, carrying them away from Chiba village never to be seen again.
Spring came again that year, and thus started the tradition.
-
One would expect a bride to be happy on their wedding day, but Chiba was drowned in the devastated cries of dolorous Omegas and the families they belonged to. For thousands of years, they have honored their deities by giving back to the sky, yet, the “honor” felt more like a curse, or a terrible burden. At least to those who were offered up.
Eligible citizens seemed to be primed from birth, plagued with strict rules to ensure that there were as many sacrifices to choose from as possible. No fraternizing with other secondary genders was allowed when one presented as an Omega. Nor were they allowed to participate in activities that would harm or make them ill, or partake in certain foods that were suspected to do the same. To be exempt from the ritual, an Alpha would have to formally request the Omega’s hand in marriage with the approval of their parents, and given that no one wanted their child taken forever, the offer was rarely refused. Even then, they were not allowed to spend unsupervised time with their betrothed until they were officially married. The life of an Omega was one of rigid discipline and dull upbringing, but Tenya Iida never once complained. He felt that everyone must do their duty, no matter their slot in life.
Betas had five years of mandatory civil service, Alphas were assigned to military factions for three years, and Omegas were sacrificed– it was simply the hand they were dealt, no matter how dismal.
The stocky Omega was a stickler for the rules, and he never stepped out of line in his life, although it was never really that difficult. He wasn’t exactly “desirable” as an Omega with his tall stature and wide build, and with his family trade being in welding and blacksmithery, most Alphas were simply too intimidated to approach him, let alone cast a proposal. Still, his parents never expected that his fate would be placed into the hands of the dragon. Families were given immunity for a generation if their kin was chosen, and careful consideration just for being offered. His only brother, Tensei, had gone the cycle before him… at least he was supposed to.
The amount of eligible Omegas last cycle had been significantly low, and factoring in those who had immunity, there was absolutely no room for error. So when one of the sacrifices had been caught indecently with only a month until the deadline, it put stress on the entire village. The elders had been forced to make a difficult decision– the only Iida heir would have to make up for the deficit.
From the start, Tensei’s parents opposed the resolution on account of him being their only child and his periodic indisposition, but no amount of fighting could reverse the law; all they were given was the promise of immunity for any future children. The stroke of bad luck only continued however when Tensei fell ill with a horrible sickness the very next week. While it should have been an indication that only sacrifices up to the highest standard would be accepted, fear overrode wisdom. A grave error was made in choosing the eldest Todoroki child instead, and Touya, who had barely made seventeen, was selected by the Dragon.
No one present would ever be able to forget the way he screamed in terror while being dragged to the dock, calling out for his mother as the dragon took him away.
The grief was overwhelming for Rei, who offered up herself previously for the sole purpose of ensuring that all of her children would be protected. Nothing could make the Todoroki household content with their loss, who responded by using their status to deprive the rest of the village of the resources they provided. People were unsure of where to place the blame– the Iidas? The village elders? The promiscuous Omega who started it all? And just when things couldn’t get worse, the dragon returned later that year to claim a random woman who had already been married as compensation for the improper sacrifice. It served as a lesson to them all about breaking tradition, even by a fraction, and since then, the interaction between unwed Omegas and Alphas has become harsher than one could ever imagine.
Immunity in any circumstance was lifted, and now the selection was entirely luck of the draw.
The subtle sweetness of the delicate ambrosia tea flooded his mouth with a melancholy aftertaste; the first thing he had consumed in the last twenty-four hours. There was a possibility he’d never see his family again, and still, he did not cry. His mother already was, and Tensei was too weak to even attend the ceremony, he had to be strong.
A bath was drawn for each of them, filled with fragrant essential oils and the highest-grade soaps in the village. Their hair was done in a traditional style as they were cleaned, and after, dressed in provocative white garments. Each bride’s waist was layered in bead bands of gold and fitted for an overabundance of pure gold jewelry and precious gems, something sure to please the dragon and catch their eye.
They were permitted a final goodbye to their loved ones before the mark of a complete sacrifice was painted on their exposed backs in dark ink, soon paraded through the entire village where people offered more riches to sit amongst the dragon’s hoard. At the harbor, five shamans led each bride to their boat and commenced the summoning song for the dragon as the Omegas and their boats were littered with red camellias and spider lilies. The toll of the bell grew louder than their parent’s cries, and for a moment, that made it a bit more bearable, but the chanting of the summons song passed down for generations only served to remind them all of their fate.
Even with comfortable fur lining the bottom of the boat, it still felt cold against Tenya’s back, though it was the warmest he had been all day with so much skin exposed to the gelid winter air. He could see each exhale of breath, and it only got more pronounced the further their boats floated away from the dock after being released. It made the pipes on his engines feel frozen solid, and he wondered why the candle was placed toward their head instead of their feet, it gave off much-needed heat, even if only a little. They were meant to stay lit even with the high winds that would whip around due to the dragon’s presence, and if it went out, that meant you were the one to be taken.
The stocky Omega wasn’t able to make out the features of the other sacrifices even as they were led to the boats. Although his head hung low since that morning, the death march made his head sink even lower. He couldn’t see things that were further than a few inches from his face, and it’s been that way since birth. It wasn’t something that considered him unfit, he was perfectly healthy besides that…
Special glass lenses were required for him to see like everyone else, but they were such a rarity that he’s only ever had one pair in his life– a pair that he kept in pristine condition. They were packed with a few of his things on the boat, but his parents felt it best that he didn’t wear them during the ceremony.
So he didn’t know who else was chosen until his boat drifted close to another, and they called, “Iida?”
That despondent voice belonged to the youngest Todoroki child, Shoto, a voice he’d recognize anywhere. They were what some might consider best friends ever since childhood, though at one point, Tenya wanted it to be more.
The friction between their families was palpable before the two were even born, and despite it, they were always close. It wasn’t his, or Tensei’s fault what happened to Touya, the blame didn’t fall on them, but he couldn't help but feel scrutinized under the crushing anguish that Shoto’s parents always gave off, especially when he was around. It was a tragic situation, but he always felt that he must atone for it in some way. He partially did this by looking out for Shoto and protecting him, as much as he could. But he always knew that nothing could really make up for the loss of a child.
“I may not be the best sacrifice…” Shoto started, his voice carried over the frosted water even if his volume was barely audible. However, due to the rising number of villagers that bellowed the song, it was dead long before it reached anyone else’s ears. “I just wanted someone to know, before this was all over. My heart belongs to another.”
Tenya was slow to compute what that meant, and even then, he tried asking. “What… do you mean by that Todoroki-”
“I was deflowered by Bakugou, on many occasions– I’m not… I haven’t been celibate for… a while. ”
All Tenya could see as he looked over was the steady burning of Shoto’s candle as he contemplated what to say. He had long given up on the hope of something more with another Omega, much less Shoto, so he was truly glad hearing those words didn’t hurt. However, he figured now was as good a time as any to come clean about it since they were sharing, but before he got the chance, a loud, paralyzing screech could be heard in the sky. Another gust of wind roared their way, and Shoto’s candle blew out.
He felt that somehow he was to blame, that maybe if he had been more appealing, he could have saved his friend from such a fate.
Yet another Todoroki would be claimed by the dragon, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He’d never see his dearest friend again.
Shoto gasped, taking another glance at his candle to affirm his reality. “It’s scary, how much one could love someone else, scarier than this, but I still…” he clammed up, hardly able to get any noise past the lump in his throat. A single tear rolled down his pale, porcelain cheek, “Please tell him that I love him… and that my answer would’ve been yes.”
The dragon descended from the sky on a steep slope, fully intent on sinking its claws under Shoto’s boat and staking an everlasting claim on the heterochromatic Omega. But there was a sudden howl of pain from Tenya, shortly followed by one from his parents.
His body just moved on its own, he didn’t think, he just moved. The sharp talons dug into his side as he jumped out of his boat and over Shoto at the last possible second. It hurt, badly, but he tried not to show it after the initial yelp. He just couldn’t let his friend suffer the same fate as Touya, he didn’t deserve it. Shoto deserved to have all of the happiness in the world.
“Fear not, tell him yourself,” he forcibly grinned as they flew away, and in the dragon’s tight grasp, he finally atoned.