A supernova is the biggest explosion that humans have ever seen.

Each blast was an extremely bright, powerful explosion of a star. And it was said that a star shined brightest the moment before it burned out.

So the sight before all of the mages present was met with a heavy heart. The final battle against Lucifero and the Zogratis siblings had come to an end. Any trace of rejoice or happiness immediately diminished when they set their eyes upon Asta's unmoving body.

When all hope was nearly gone, Asta surpassed his limits and achieved his ultimate devil form. His anti magic was the key to their victory. And with it, he was able to defeat Lucifero. But… at the cost of his own life.

All mages and onlookers from all four kingdoms bowed their heads in silence. Asta was a hero unparalleled.

From a little ways away, Julius gazed over his body with a pained expression. The energetic goofball everyone knew had become their saving grace. Asta truly embodied all his ideals.

He looked up at the sky and murmured to himself, "The Wizard King is the one who protects the entire kingdom, huh?" A humorless chuckle passed through him. "You protected the entire world, Asta… You would've been… the greatest Wizard King."

Yuno stood on shaky legs as the wind carrying him faded away.

He gazed upon Asta's body in anguish. "Asta! Wake up!" His screams of agony wrung painfully from his throat. "What happened to all that talk about becoming the Wizard King?! I'm still here, Asta! I don't want the title like this! Come back and fight me for it! You hear me?! Asta!"

This was his oldest friend, his rival, his brother who lay there. They'd been together since before they learned to talk and now he was gone. Bell had tried her best to console him, but it was to no avail. She'd never seen Yuno cry before. And she too could not help but be filled with sorrow.

The Black Bulls stood around Asta's motionless body, disbelief and tears marring their features. Yami clutched onto Charlotte's armored shoulder tightly and grit his teeth as his tears pricked his eyes. He barely even felt the pain of his broken leg or Charlotte's arm wrapped around his waist to keep him upright.

Asta was their hope, their shining star in a group full of miscreants.

Even the royalty and noble knights who despised peasants looked upon Asta's body with sadness. He was truly an amazing magic knight. Despite not having any magic, despite being a commoner, despite every single thing that fate had going against him, he overcame it all and never gave up.

Their sorrow grew worse listening to the cries of grief coming from the girl at his side.

Noelle had her teeth clenched as unrelenting tears flowed from her eyes. 'This can't be happening,' she thought desperately, feeling like someone was raking a hot knife across her heart.

"Asta," she whimpered. Her hands went up to frame his face, holding him so gently like he'd shatter at any moment. She forced a hesitant smile to her face. "This joke's gone on far enough… Wake up, baka," she pleaded softly, her smile falling. "You still need to become the Wizard King! You made me believe in you!"

Despair reeled within her in little waves and before she knew it, it swallowed her whole like the surge of a riptide. Like a tear in a thread of yarn, she was becoming detached from her surroundings. There was only blackness. It was as if her connection to the world had been severed.

She balled his torn shirt into her fist and cried against his chest. "Asta!" She wailed, her voice straining and thick with emotion. "Why?! Why?! Why do you always do this?! Putting yourself at risk no matter what… Why did you… why did you leave me?"

It took great effort to choke down her whimpers.

Slowly, Noelle closed the gap between them and pressed her lips lightly against his. Her lips quivered, salty and wet from her tears. There was no response. There couldn't have been. But that didn't stop her from pouring all her emotion into it.

"I never got to tell you how much I…"

Her voice cracked as the last of her defense crumbled away. She pressed her head down against his still warm corpse and sobbed uncontrollably.

Her heart constricted painfully and she felt like she could barely breathe. The tremors going through her were relentless. She hardly even reacted when a hand squeezed her shoulder.

"Noelle," someone said. She looked up to see her brother, Nozel, kneeling down and looking at her, worried, his purple eyes tinged with sadness. "We should get back to the Clover Kingdom. Give him a proper burial…"

The moment his hand touched Asta's body, the air around them flared as Noelle released her mana. Water began to swirl around them, protecting Asta and reflecting the towering rage coursing through her.

"Don't touch him!" Noelle screamed in fury.

She glared at him menacingly with fathomless, red rimmed eyes. Her piercing gaze burned into Nozel as he immediately took his hand away from Asta and paddled backward. The dangerous, blazing glower felt foreign coming from his normally respectful little sister.

And for the first time in his life, he was truly scared of her. Nozel's eyes widened when the silhouette of his mother, Acier, flashed before him in the same position as Noelle.

His sister truly embodied their mother's spirit in all qualities. Not only did they look the same, but their techniques were similar and now he'd come to realize so were their protectiveness for their loved ones.

A few hushed whispers rose from around them and sharply silenced. Nozel looked up when he felt the mana from the magic knights start to rise. Everyone stood on their haunches when the devil that possessed Asta made his way toward them.

"Looks like there's still one left," Nozel spit out, glaring daggers as his mercury magic formed floating bullets behind him.

With Asta's death, the white haired anti magic devil was free. Neither the grimoire nor the devil contract bound him any longer. There was no telling what he'd do despite the rest of his kind now locked back in the underworld.

He walked through the line of magic knights, focused solely on his former host. Blood was splattered across his weak, battered form. His black wings hung low and the sinister grin they'd seen before was nowhere in sight. Even red cragged markings along his right arm were dim.

"That's far enough, akuma!"

"Shut up, Nozel," Yami barked. "Let him through."

He rounded on the dark mage furiously. "What?!"

"Do as he says," Julius ordered calmly. "It's fine."

Nozel gritted his teeth and hesitantly stepped aside as the devil walked past him without a sparing glance. The deadly silence was pierced by the loudening scratch of his footsteps on the snow. They watched as he fell to his knees the moment he reached Asta's body, looking at his former host with an unreadable expression.

Noelle looked at him with furrowed brows, wary. "You're…"

He regarded her once as if just noticing her presence. "Liebe," he murmured.

Black storms clouds began to rumble overhead and flecks of rain began to come down on them. Fog rose and a chill passed through the area.

Liebe sat on his knees next to Asta and stayed silent for a long time. There was a contemplative look in his downtrodden red eyes.

"Asta…" he finally spoke. "I never thought I'd ever meet a human who would be so accepting of devils. So it came as a shock when I met not one, but two. The other one… you would've loved her."

A pause.

"She was… like the sun." A fond smile showed his sharp teeth. "She didn't care that I was a devil. And after spending so long with my own kind treating me like I was nothing because I had no magic… I was filled with so much malice. She taught me what love was, how it felt to have a parent, and slowly, I was letting go of my hate."

Noelle, the closest to him, listened to his words with a heavy heart. This Liebe character and Asta were so different yet she couldn't help see their similarities.

There are crossroads in life that everyone faces. One simple step can be the difference between good and evil—much like how most would assume Liebe to be. If it weren't for Asta's infallible sense of self, he could've easily lost himself to despair and chosen to live a life away from all this… from her.

They would've never met… but at least he'd be alive.

"I was truly happy for the first time in my life. But then… she was killed by Lucifero," Liebe spat the name and a round of tearing coughs ripped from his throat. "The same devil that we defeated. She even saved me even as she was dying." The memory clenched at his heart painfully. "I was so… overcome with grief and my hatred for devils grew worse than when they abused me."

His head hung low for a long time, but when he looked up there were tears falling from his eyes. A watery smile lifted the corners of his mouth as a choked laugh escaped him.

"We avenged her, Asta. And it's all because of you. So thank you… Because of Licita, I learned to see life differently. And also… something other than anti magic when I was sealed in that grimoire. I never thought I'd use it, but… it's the least I can do… to repay you… and her… So live… Live…"

Black and red energy erupted from his body. Two concentric magic circles with demonic markings lining its circumference surrounded Asta and Liebe, forcing Noelle to step back when she felt her mana begin to disappear at an alarming rate.

She watched with wide eyes when the same overflowing, impervious black energy Asta always used enveloped them, circling and flaring like a torrent of flames.

-xo-

Darkness.

He was surrounded by it, floating in a void of black.

Everything was louder in the dark. Every fleeting thought pounded in his mind. He didn't like it. His shouts drowned out with so much as an echo. And that's when he thought that this was hell.

There were no warm hues or gilded pathways of heaven. Or unyielding flames burning all around him like hell. That's what he imagined those places to be like.

No, not hell, he thought.

A fleeting conversation passed through his mind. Father Orsi had tried to drill into him the intricacies of religion. He had listened with half an ear most of the time, but found the concept of heaven, hell, and purgatory rather interesting.

Purgatory, a space between heaven and hell where there is simply nothing. It might've been even worse than hell.

A small, minuscule light shone above him and his eyes immediately drew to it. A spark of hope flared in him when in an instant, the entire area around him turned white. His eyes shut tight at the sudden brightness.

"Sorry about that," a light, cheery voice sounded from behind him.

He quickly turned around and was surprised to see a slim woman smiling at him.

A flare of recognition rose in him as he took in her appearance. When Liebe's power took over and he lost control against Dante… for a moment, he saw a vision—a memory. Whether it was his or not, he didn't know. But it felt all too real for it to have been anything worth brushing off.

My beloved son…

The weight of the words barrelled into him with a crushing force as realization settled. His eyes ran over the tug of her smile, the curve of her jaw, and medium length ash blonde hair. And her green eyes… the same ones he'd see in the mirror every day.

He drank in the sight of her, over every line and shape of her face, engraving it to memory. He knew who this woman was now.

Asta struggled to breathe. "You…You're…"

"No, I'm not god," she laughed, a whimsical tune that made him feel warm inside. "I'm—"

In a flash, Asta crossed over to her and gathered her in a tight embrace. Her words fell short and she inhaled sharply. With trembling hands, she reached around his back and grasped at him, her vision blurring with tears.

"I've always wondered how it would be like if I ever met you," he murmured in a small voice. "Kaa-chan…"

Overwhelmed with emotion, she let a few tears slip and gripped his shirt tighter. They held each other for a long time, for the first time. When they pulled back, she held him at arm's length and took a good, long look at her boy, unable to believe how much time had passed.

"Asta-kun," she started, wiping her eyes. "How old are you now?"

"Seventeen."

Her eyes widened. "Seventeen…" she breathed, shaking her head as a new wave of tears threatened to escape her. "I'm sorry, Asta. I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I left you at that church seventeen years ago… But, baby, don't ever think I didn't love you! I wanted to raise you more than anything."

He sniffled and steeled himself. "Why exactly did you… leave?"

"Fate." She sighed and sat down, motioning for him to do the same. "Fate had it out for me since I was born. My body—I have this strange condition where I drain magic and life energy from things around me. And if I kept you with me… you would have died… leaving you—it was the hardest thing I've ever done…"

Asta blinked rapidly and took all of this in with a heavy heart. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. All this time, he'd thought his parents had abandoned him because they didn't want him. But now…

"Fate," he echoed, scoffing a little. He then looked at her with a wide grin. "I understand, Kaa-chan. I was born without any magic because of fate. But… I became strong. I became a Magic Knight through hard work and nothing else."

She returned his grin with one equally as wide. "That's my boy."

"This might be a weird question," Asta said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "But, um, what's your name?"

Laughing, she answered, "Licita."

Conversation came pretty easily after that. They talked and talked about anything and everything at the forefront of their minds. Asta told her about how he lived in the church, about all of his foster siblings, sister Lily, the father, and his journey thus far.

At a pause in their conversation, Asta looked up for the first time and gasped.

Despite having lived in the forsaken realm where the night sky was always a beautiful array of twinkling stars, Asta could have never prepared himself for the sight before him. It was like he was in space itself, everything in the universe laid bare before him.

He stared, transfixed at the entire galaxy splayed out, spanning in every direction, and the stars seemed like they were within grasp—all he had to do was reach for them. There were so many colors and hues—blue, purple, black, red, even traces of orange flowing with an endless amount of stars dotting its surface.

Its empyrean beauty was primordial.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Licita asked, looking at her son with a soft smile.

"Yeah…"

"This place is what's known as the crossroads."

"Crossroads… it's beautiful."

A shining light caught in his peripherals.

Asta looked at his mother in alarm when the bottom of her legs started to become translucent. A silver-white light started to emit from her as the rest of her body slowly began to vanish. Shining specks left her body and rose above her in a column.

Licita looked down at her body, puzzled, before coming to a realization.

"Looks like it's not time for you to go yet," she said, a broken laugh escaped her as tears fell down her face. "I'm glad. I'm so glad."

Distress was written all over him. "Kaa-chan..."

"Asta, my child, I'm glad I got to talk to you, even if it was for a short time," she said, cupping his cheek lovingly. "I'm glad you grew up with people who love you.

"I don't want to leave you!" He yelled, his voice strangled and his eyes frantic. "I finally got to meet you! There's so much more I wanted to say to you, so don't go… don't leave me!"

A shuddering sob left her lips. "We'll meet again, Asta. I promise."

Asta wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Her warmth, her love, it surrounded him, comforted him, and gave him strength like nothing else. He didn't ever want to say goodbye. It was too soon. They didn't get to spend enough time together.

"I'm sorry for abandoning you," she whispered, her body trembling. "You deserve so much better than what you—"

"I have everything I need." He squeezed her tighter, his heart tearing when he felt her diminishing. Even from their too short meeting, he knew just how strong a woman she was, but right now, she felt so small. "You have nothing to be sorry about. If it wasn't for fate, we could've…"

"I love you, Asta," she whispered tearfully into his shoulder. "Don't ever forget that."

A sob retched through his chest hearing those words for the first time. He buried his nose in her neck, greedily taking in all of the comfort he could from her. He couldn't help but wonder how many opportunities he'd get to hear those words if their circumstances were different.

"I love you," he murmured into her hair. "Please… watch over me, Kaa-chan. I'll become the Wizard King and I… I'll make you proud."

Licita shook her head and laughed a little. "I know you will, baby, but I'm already the proudest mother in the world." She clutched him one last time. "Take your time before coming back. I'll be waiting."

"Until then," he croaked out.

She hummed in contentment. "Until then."

A blinding white light filled their vision.

-xo-

A rough cough tore from Liebe's throat. He grimaced and doubled over as dry heaves sent tremors through him. Blood and spittle shot from his mouth and he felt like he was burning all over.

He panted heavily and mustered the final bit of his strength. "I don't know if devils go to the same place as humans when we die…" The dark energy surrounding him flickered and grew even stronger. "But I'd like to see Licita again. And thank her… Just once… Please… "

A few tears slipped down his face.

"Asta… I'm glad we were partners… friends…" he said with a gurgled, breathless whisper. A shaky, tired breath left him. "Brothers."

And suddenly his pain was no more.

He stared at his hands with wide eyes and watched as a celestial silver glow took over his body, embracing it with a welcoming smile. His signature giggle sounded and he looked up at the sky with a grin, closing his eyes for the final time.

Everyone surrounding them watched with bated breath as the devil deteriorated until there was no trace of him left.

And at first… there was simply nothing. No reaction or anything. It was like nothing had happened at all.

But then…

Asta's shoddy grimoire floated up, coated in a blazing red light. It rotated and slowly, the rustic, worn out pages flipping and turning until the red glow faded. With a soft thud, it landed next to Asta, restored to pristine condition. It sported a black cover with a gray five leaf clover.

A feminine gasp cut through the air.

Asta's eyes twitched. The world came into view through a blurry, almond shaped lens. Green eyes flashed red before the color dispersed and went back to normal. He stared upward, teetering on the edge of consciousness and sleep.

A silhouette of his mother flashed among the gray clouds in the sky and his eyes pricked. Heavy realization weighed on him as he recalled that one supernatural moment would be the only time he would see her face. He already missed her hugs, her voice, her laugh… everything.

With a weary groan, Asta forced himself to sit up and was immediately taken aback seeing so many mages gathered around him, their eyes wide in shock. Looking to his left, he was met with a pair of familiar pink eyes, staring at him in the same manner.

A smile formed on his face. "Hey there, Noelle."

The words were no more than an exhale of air on his lips, but it might as well have been a scream in the deadly silent field.

"Asta!"

A new wave of hot tears spilled down Noelle's cheeks before she clambered over to him and threw her arms around his neck. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck as immeasurable relief flooded in her chest.

She gripped at him desperately as if to ground him to existence. Her words were choked from her sobs, mumbling her gratefulness to feel him breathing again.

Asta, too sore to move and hug her back, looked down at her with momentary surprise before smiling tiredly. He tilted his head down so his chin pressed against the crown of her head.

"Noelle… that hurts."

The death of a massive star can often trigger the birth of another star.

Or perhaps, a rebirth.

-xo-

10 Years Later

The early morning sun glittered in the sky and the sound of birds chirping filled the air.

Noelle walked through the forest at a relaxed pace, a small smile playing on her lips. She had on a royal purple dress and a black sash that had a bull insignia around her waist. Her long silver hair hung loose, flowing gently behind her with the breeze.

A tug on her hand drew her attention down to a small little boy with spiky ash blonde hair and bright green eyes. He was no more than four years old with the same facial features as herself. He looked up at her with a wide grin and stars in his eyes that were so much like his father.

"I can see it, Kaa-chan! I can see it! Let's hurry!"

"Hai, hai, I'm coming," she laughed, letting herself get pulled along by her child. He was so excited to be spending time with his friend.

Passing the line of the trees, the asymmetric structure of the Black Bulls headquarters came into view. The moment she entered the building, everyone greeted her with wide smiles and boisterous hello's.

Another little boy with messy black hair and blue eyes ran up to her son, an excited smile curving his cheeks. He was a few years older than her son at nine. Noelle couldn't help but shake her head adoringly seeing him dressed in a white tank top.

"Hey, Jira!"

"Shisui! Hi!"

Yami raised a hand in greeting. "Yo, Noelle-dancho," he teased with a relaxed smile. His ever present cigarette hung loosely from his lips. "What brings you by today? It's your day off."

She smiled happily and ran her fingers through Jira's hair. "I came to drop off my son. We have a captain's meeting today."

"Oh? I'm glad I made you take over."

She rolled her eyes. "At least now the Black Bulls captain will show up on time."

Yami threw his head back and laughed. "It's fun pissing the rest of them off. You should try it."

"Right…" she deadpanned. "Anyway, Vanessa, please watch Jira for me. I'll pick him up afterward."

"No problem!" The witch smiled happily and placed her hands on top of Jira and Shisui's heads. "I love playing with these two munchkins."

Yami smiled fondly at the boy talking to his son. "Jira is like a mini clone of the kid. It's kind of scary actually."

"It's adorable," Vanessa cooed, picking up the laughing child and hugging him tightly.

Noelle smiled and turned back to Yami. "You have plans too, Yami-dancho? You're dressed in something other than a tank top for once. A suit at that."

He tugged at his collar. "Tch, I'm not a captain anymore, dumbass. But yeah, I'm leaving Shisui with these idiots to—oh, there she is now," he said, smiling lightly at something behind her.

It turned out to be a someone. Specifically, Charlotte Sukehiro. The blonde beauty walked up to them with a friendly smile playing on her pink lips. Her long hair was out of its usual braid and she was wearing a loose light blue dress.

"It's nice to see you again, Noelle," she said, her smile brightening when Yami draped his arm around her shoulder in greeting.

The water mage nodded happily. "You too, Charlotte." Her gaze flicked down to Charlotte's stomach and a tender smile entered her expression. "How's baby number two doing?"

"He's doing well," she caressed her bump lovingly. "Kicks a lot more than Shisui did."

"Huh?" Yami frowned playfully and laid a hand on her pregnant belly. "You mean she's doing well."

Noelle watched them bicker with a fond look on her face. Who would've thought that her former ruffian captain would become such a domesticated husband?

"We'll have to catch up sometime soon," Noelle said. "The meeting will be starting soon."

"Yes, of course. Please tell Sol I said hello," Charlotte said.

Noelle affirmed she would and took a few steps back from them. Her grimoire floated beside her, coated in ethereal blue light as her Valkyrie Armor shimmered to the surface of her body. Just as she began to float, Yami's senses flared and a wide smirk formed on his lips. He knew that ki anywhere.

Like a bullet, a figure wrapped in black swooped in and barreled into Noelle, sweeping her off of her feet and into the air. The belt of Yami's laugh and the trickle of Charlotte's soft giggle drifted away against the wind as they watched Noelle being carried off.

"Bakasta!" She complained, hiding an affectionate smile and shoving her husband's chest in mock anger. "I can fly too, you know."

They've had countless spars over the years to keep their skills sharp. Most of them tended to get a little out of hand as they battled on both land and in the sky.

He smirked. "Believe me, I know."

Noelle rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her closer to his body. He bore her in a bridal carry, his arms under her knees and behind her back. She could feel the warmth radiating from him and leaned further into it.

They zipped through the air like a black sonic boom, ascending far higher and moving much faster than necessary, but it was all part of the fun.

She watched as he smiled out at the clear blue sky in front of them, his skin taking on a slight golden tinge from the sun's rays. His head was tilted forward, the wind buffeting his hair and ruffling his black robe.

His midnight wings were a stark contrast to the bright colors surrounding them. A pang went through her when she recalled how Liebe's sacrifice had saved Asta's life, but at the cost of his own. Asta had made a vow that day.

Every so often she'd see her husband wearing a melancholic smile. She could guess at what he was thinking about.

In his final hour, Liebe transferred his life force and his powers to Asta in an unforeseen devil ritual. And now, it was as if Asta had magic of his own, or rather anti magic.

His black form was nearly identical save for his eyes. They remained the same. It was a good thing too. She'd always loved those green eyes of his.

Feeling her gaze, he looked down at her face and grinned, the sun brightening his smile. His eyes sparkled, the morning light dancing in them, the corners crinkling. That was her favorite expression of his; it felt clandestine, a smile that wasn't as wide, but filled with more soft emotion than he was known for—a look he'd reserved only for her.

He taught her how to love when nobody ever could.

It had been over a decade since they met. At that time, if anyone had told her that she, Noelle Silva, one of the princesses of the Clover Kingdom, would end up marrying Asta, she'd scoff in their face and tell them off.

But it was because of him and the Black Bulls that she'd finally realized that status was meaningless. He had proved that whether someone was poor, or an orphan, or a peasant, or even someone who didn't have an ounce of magic in a world where magic was everything, they could do anything.

They'd been on countless adventures and with each one, he'd proved how reliable and caring he was. Towards her and all of his friends. Over two years, her schoolgirl crush had developed into something akin to love.

And after the battle of Spade, there was no questioning her feelings any longer.

The fields of green below them passed by quickly and soon they were approaching the royal capital. Abruptly, he came to a stop and hovered upright.

A startled yelp left her lips when Asta shifted his hands around her body so he was now holding her with his hands on her butt. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, molding perfectly into him.

"H-Hey, where are you putting your hands?!" She stammered out, heat rising up her neck.

He smirked and squeezed her butt. "You weren't complaining earlier when—"

"Shut up!"

She clamped a hand over his mouth and looked around as if someone would hear or see them this high in the air. Though a smile began to form on her lips when she felt his grin against her palm.

"Remember when you said you can fly too?" He asked, his green eyes darkening when it flicked down to her lips and back up to her eyes.

"Yes," she breathed from the heat of his gaze, not knowing where he was going with this.

Asta leaned forward and whispered a few words into her ear. Leaning back, he grinned and took in the contortion of her beautiful face as she slowly lost her composure, a pretty shade of pink blossoming on her creamy pallor. Her pink eyes were wide and her pink lips parted, imagining what he had just told her.

Pink was easily his favorite color.

"And maybe in your mermaid form too…"

Before she could say a word in retaliation, Asta captured her lips with his, smiling at the way she stopped breathing when he licked into her mouth. But soon she hummed in rapture and her hands went up to hold the sides of his jaw.

Her fingers soon slid up threaded through his hair as they kissed and kissed, feeling the beating of her heart, of his, soaking in each other's warmth as a gentle breeze fanned against them, wishing moments like these could last forever.

"B-Baka!" She scolded breathlessly when they pulled away, making futile attempts to calm her blush. "We're going to be late! You're the one who called this meeting!"

"That's the beauty of being the Wizard King," he murmured, keeping just enough room between them so their lips were brushing. "The meeting can't start until I'm there."

The trickle of their laughter faded away as Asta sped off again.

Fin