[Content Warning: This AU contains graphic themes involving self-surgery, body modification, and psychological TRAUMA, enjoy❤️😊]
All artwork/fanart is drawn by me
Down the rabbit hole: https://www.reddit.com/r/BokuNoHeroAcademia/s/VGcZiq8960
--- My Hero: The Birth of a Cyborg ---
The Frozen Philosopher
"Listen up, Shoto.
You were born with a great curse.
The curse of the Todoroki name."
Endeavor's final words before his disappearance.
In this world, the Todoroki clan was not created through a hero's ambition, but through survival.
A rare bloodline born with the ability to manipulate both extreme cold and heat became one of the most hunted families in the world.
Their Quirks, considered priceless due to their immense power, made them a favorite among rulers. Leading to generations of trafficking, exploitation, and fear.
"You don't try to tame a tiger when it's fully grown; you steal the cubs from its mother's breast and raise them as your own." - Stein Richtor
"You will recognize me, you will obey me, you will serve ruthlessly... and if needed, you will die for me." - Stein Richtor
After witnessing the suffering of his own family, Shoto developed an eating disorder and slowly isolated himself from the world. His body became frail, his emotions became numb, and he spent most of his time buried in philosophy books, trying to understand a world that had taken everything from him. Despite his broken state, his power was terrifying.
"Peace cannot exist without war and violence. One cannot be true without the other, and if the universe was created out of destruction... what is there to make of my past?" - Shoto
His signature technique, Ice Age, allows him to flash freeze entire sections of a city into a frozen battlefield, turning the environment itself into his weapon.
Many underestimate him because of his detached personality and fragile appearance.
They shouldn't.
Along his journey, he meets Larissa, a friend of the Kaminari family and the creator of Water Dancing: a sword art built around adaptation, balance, and finding one's own rhythm.
Larissa: "A rapier is a weapon meant for speed and agility, yet you swing it as if it were a claymore. Tell me, what weighs on you so?"
"Nothing. I already told you... that's enough training for today." Shoto
"I decide when you've had enough." Larissa points her sword to his neck.
"It makes you angry, doesn't it? I'm sure someone like you has known it for a very long time." Larissa
"What are you talking about..." Shoto
"Powerlessness." Larissa
Shoto's father's words ring in his ears, and his eyes flash before he finally speaks:
"...How can I fight like you?"
Larissa: "I can't teach you how to fight like me, but I can teach you how to fight like you."
"Like me? If that worked I wouldn't be here." Shoto
"If you were honest with yourself, you'd never have to come back." Larissa