***Prologue: The Chiefâs Son
The skies above Berk were painted with fire again.
Another dragon raid. Another night of chaos, steel, and screams. And in the middle of it all, hidden behind a boulder near the forge, crouched Izuku, son of Chief Toshinori Midoriya, known to all as âAll Might,â the strongest Viking on the island.
Unlike his father, Izuku had never slain a dragon.
Not for lack of trying. He trained with the others, took the beatings, lifted the swords far too heavy for his lean frame. But when the time cameâwhen the opportunity presented itselfâhis hands would shake, his breath would catch, and the dragon in front of him⌠he saw something else. Fear. Curiosity. Intelligence.
Not a monster.
So they called him weak. Coward. Disappointment.***
***A chiefâs son who couldnât kill.***
**Berk was loud, rough, and proud. And Izuku felt like a cracked shield in a hall of warriors. His fatherâtowering, golden-haired, larger-than-lifeâstill believed heâd find his strength. That Izuku just hadnât âawakened his inner fire.â
But Izuku wasnât sure he had one.
Until the night he shot down a *Night Fury.*
No one had ever seen one, let alone hit one. He hadnât even meant to. But the trap had worked.
And when he followed the trail of scorched trees and broken branches into the forest and found itâblack scales, wounded wing, eyes burning with mistrust and painâhe didnât raise his blade.
He couldnât.
Just like his mother.
And something deep inside him whispered:
This is where it begins.**
*Toshinori:âToday, my son earns his name as a warrior! Face the dragon, Izuku! Show Berk your fire!â*