A/N: Hi guys! Short A/N. This chapter is pretty long and I hope you all enjoy it, its one I've had since the beginning hehe! It's mostly Miku and Yuno but it does give a bit of info but not much. Also this chapter contains Major Character Death and Blood so be warned!

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Miku awoke with a start, when had she fallen asleep? She frowned as she looked around her darkened bedroom, that was strange, she could have sworn it was mid afternoon when she had thrown herself into bed. She quickly stretched before rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She knew her teachers would be angry that she had missed her lessons but she didn't really care. She had been so angry at her parents earlier that school and studies were the last things on her mind.

She frowned as she suddenly listened, it was quiet, too quiet. She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and stood, usually you would hear the hustle and bustle of the Castle but not tonight. That wasn't normal. Suddenly as though the gods had read her mind, shrill screams and loud yells began to ring out, not only inside the Castle but outside as well. Miku felt her heart begin to pound in her chest as she continued hearing them, were they under attack? If so, by whom? The Spade Kingdom had good relations with its neighboring Kingdoms so it couldn't be any of them.

Miku froze in place as she heard soft 'thuds' hit the floor outside her room, it wasn't footsteps, but something much heavier. The only thing she could compare it to was when she or her siblings fell onto the floor. The girl's eyes widened and she quickly shook her head, no, there was no way it could be members of the Magic Defense falling, they were some of the strongest mages she knew! There was no way! Maybe…maybe it was furniture falling? Or maybe members of the enemy? The young girl nodded, yes that had to be it!

Miku quickly froze as she heard something approach her bedroom door, she could feel the malevolent mana radiating from the mage through the door. She quickly looked around for a place to hide, no matter what the mage would be able to find her, Miku knew this, but she still had to try! The girl's eyes landed on the wardrobe in her room and she quickly ran to it, opened the doors, climbed inside and shut them as softly as she could and waited.

Miku heard her bedroom door burst open with a loud crash and soft footsteps followed after. She could hear the person begin to throw things and pull out drawers as they searched for something, most likely her. She clasped her hands over her mouth to try and muffle her breathing, but she knew it was of no use, especially if the person in the room was good at sensing mana. The girl began to shake and tremble as the footsteps grew closer and closer to her hiding spot. She tried to come up with a plan if she was found, but her mind was completely blank. All she could focus on were the footsteps growing closer and closer, louder and louder, until they finally stopped.

She didn't blink, she didn't dare breathe for she was afraid to make any sound. She knew the person was just outside the wardrobe doors, she tried to keep herself from shaking but knew that was a fool's errand. She waited and waited, the doors would open any second. But they never did. She heard the footsteps softly begin to walk away. Moving her hands away from her mouth she let out a sigh of relief, one that had been much louder then she had intended, she gasped as she suddenly heard the footsteps quicken to her location.

Miku let out a terrified scream as the wardrobe doors had been thrown open, she didn't even look up and instinctively put her hands out and cast a wind spell. She quickly scrambled out of the wardrobe as she heard the mage's body slam into the wall and then onto the floor. As soon as her feet hit the floor she ran as quickly as she could out of her room. She had to get as far away from that person, or creature, or whatever it was, as quickly as possible. She ran as fast as she could down the hallway outside her room, she looked around hoping to see a familiar face. But it was completely empty.

Miku ran and ran, not knowing or caring where she was going, she was just letting her feet take her wherever they pleased. If she could just find her mom or her dad, then she knew she would be alright, they were the strongest mages in the country and, in her opinion, the entire world! If she could just find them, but she couldn't remember where the last place she saw them was. Maybe they were in the study? Or library? She suddenly slowed as she tried to remember how to get there, her mind was scattered and she didn't recognize the corridor she was in.

Miku was lost.

She looked around for anything that could possibly tell her where she was, but of course they didn't exactly keep maps around the Castle just in case someone were to get lost, no that would be too easy. She made a mental note to suggest this idea to her father once she found him. Before she could ponder on this new idea too long she instantly felt her blood run cold, she heard footsteps rushing in her direction and she felt that malevolent mana again. But this time it seemed very angry. She quickly picked up the pace again and began running.

Miku could hear her heart pounding in her ears as her mind screamed at her to keep running, to try and find her parents, to survive. She felt her lungs burn as they tried to get as much oxygen as they could. She could feel herself slowing down as she began to get tired, she had been running for who knows how long now, so it had been just a matter of time for her small body to begin to feel its effects.

The girl let out a small squeak as she tripped over the edge of a rug and fell flat onto her face. She tried to get up but her legs felt like jelly, she was tired, so completely exhausted. She just wanted to lay here and rest for a while. But she knew she couldn't. Her mind began to scream at her to get up, to keep going, to not give up. But as she tried to push herself off of the ground her arms would give out on her again. She could hear the malevolent mage quickly begin to approach her, this was it, she was done for. She quickly squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for her impending death.

" Mom, dad, please save me!" The girl shouted as loudly as she could, hoping beyond all hope one of her parents would hear her.

As if on cue she felt a blast of cool air fly past her, she heard it make contact with the person chasing her and their body landed on the ground with a 'thud'. Miku opened her eyes slowly as she heard heavy, labored breathing from above her. She saw a pair of feet in front of her and she quickly followed them up to their owner.

" Dad!" Miku shouted in relief, she watched as her father, King Yuno Grinberryall, lowered his hand before looking down at his daughter.

" Mi-Miku," he said slightly out of breath before he knelt down in front of her. Miku jumped up and wrapped her arms around her father, which he returned. Yuno had never been so relieved to see his daughter in his life, knowing now that she was alright made him feel like a small ounce of weight had fallen from his shoulders.

" Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Let me look at your hands." Yuno said quickly as he pulled away from his daughter slightly to inspect her, she appeared to be completely unharmed except for her hands, which had gotten injured from the fall she just took.

" I'm fine, don't worry, but dad. What's going on? Where is everyone?" Miku asked in confusion, she frowned a bit as she studied her fathers face. He was paler than usual, she could see beads of sweat on his face, he was breathing heavily, and there was many different emotions swirling in his eyes even though his face remained neutral.

" Honestly, I'm not too sure myself. We were discussing an important matter when it suddenly grew dark outside, and the next thing we knew it became complete chaos." Yuno quickly explained, but he could see a suspicious look on his daughter's face. One his wife wore many times, he felt a sharp pang in his chest at the thought of his wife Neva, but he quickly pushed it out of his mind. " I'm sorry dear, but that's all I can tell you for now." He added, trying to pacify her suspicions for now. He suddenly watched as his daughter's eyes grew wide and she began to look around.

" Where's mom? And Kito and Kya?" Miku asked. It was very rare to see her father without her mother and vice versa, when you saw one the other wasn't too far behind. She suddenly saw pain flash across her fathers face as he looked at her and then looked away. This caused her frown to deepen. " Dad?"

" They're fine, your mother, brother, and sister are all fine. We'll meet up with them soon I promise." Miku could tell her father was lying, he was just too honest. So when he lied you could easily see through it. Miku felt her throat go dry and tears well up in her eyes.

" They're…they're all dead. Aren't they?" She felt her voice crack at the end of her sentence. She watched her father wince at her words before he let out a soft sigh.

" Your brother and sister are missing but," Yuno paused for a brief moment, clearing his throat before continuing. " yes, your mother…is dead." He admitted so softly she almost missed it. As her father looked at her again she saw tears running down his face, pain and heartbreak in his eyes. He wasn't lying to her now.

Yuno quickly enveloped his daughter into a tight hug, yes he was in pain but right now so was she and in his opinion, her pain was worse than his. He held his sobbing 12 year old daughter in his arms and tried his best to comfort her. This used to be very awkward for him, especially when she was a baby, but as they both got older it slowly became easier and easier for him. After another few moments Yuno pulled away and began to wipe his daughters' tears.

" I know this hard Miku, but we need to go. It isn't safe here anymore." Yuno told her softly as he continued wiping away her tears. The girl nodded as her sobs became quiet sniffles. He patted her gently on the head before standing, he let out a small grunt as the pain in his abdomen and across his chest came roaring back. He pulled his hand away and saw fresh blood.

" You're hurt!" Miku nearly shouted as she saw the fresh blood soaking through her father's clothes. Yuno quickly shook his head and tried to wave away her concern.

" I'll be fine. C'mon, we're going to the basement." Yuno said firmly before picking up his daughter, which only caused his wounds to ache more, and he used his wind magic to create a small vortex to carry the two down into the basement.

On their way there they encountered more and more of the enemy. Yuno had instructed Miku to keep her eyes closed no matter what and not to open them until he said, but Miku was not known to be a very good listener. She opened her eyes a smidge and noticed something as she looked at the enemy more and more.

They were wearing the Magical Defense uniforms. Some of the 'enemies' she recognized as members of the Magical Defense. But they all…looked different. They were all still using their magical affinities, but they looked hollow. Their eyes were completely devoid of any emotion. It was like they were dead, but their bodies were still moving. The only word Miku could use to describe them were 'puppets'.

Soon, after her father took down a few more enemies, they finally made it to the basement. Yuno quickly slammed the door shut and locked it before leaning against the wall, a hand clutching his side.

" Miku, do me a favor and go down the stairs. See if you can find us a way out?" He asked with a small smile. He watched as the dark haired girl nodded before doing as he asked. Yuno slid down the wall and winced as his body began to feel all the pain the adrenaline was masking. He wasn't going to last much longer, this he knew, especially since he had used up most of his mana earlier before he found Miku. But he was determined to live long enough to make sure his daughter was safe. He had to get her to Clover, to Asta. That was the only person he trusted would keep her safe.

" Dad! I found something! Come look!" Miku shouted. Yuno groaned a bit as his tired body protested against him moving. But he slowly made his way down the stairs, his body hugging the wall the entire time. When did he become so old? He almost wanted to laugh at the thought. Miku quickly ran over and helped her father.

" I found this gate? Portal looking thing. Maybe this will help us get out of here!" Miku suggested happily as she showed her father. Yuno frowned a bit as he looked it over, it was nothing but an empty archway in the shape of a circle. There was a small podium with a flat pad on it that was next to the empty circle. He frowned as he studied it. Of course there were no instructions, that would be too easy.

" How do we work it?" Miku asked as she studied the empty archway herself. Yuno opened his mouth to speak when he suddenly inhaled sharply, his eyes widened and a chill went down his spine. He glanced down at his daughter as she stared at him curiously. She couldn't feel it yet, this dark, heavy, evil mana that was coming towards them. It was much stronger than any of the previous ones, and much more sinister. It must be the leader.

Yuno quickly walked closer to the pad, if he wanted to save his daughter he needed to figure this out quickly. He didn't see any texts or ruins. Nothing even remotely hinting at what he should do. He let out a sigh before placing a hand on it to steady himself as he began to grow light headed.

" Dad, look!" Miku shouted excitedly as the pad began to glow under his touch, he frowned a bit. He took his hand off and watched as the glow died out, when he placed his hand back on it the pad began to glow. The longer he kept his hand there, the more mana he began to feel drain from his body. So that's how this thing worked, it needed mana in order to activate.

Yuno and Miku watched as a portal began to form in the once empty circle, it almost looked like a spatial mages portal but the mana radiating off of it felt different. It felt older somehow. Yuno and Miku's attention was suddenly drawn towards the staircase as the door was blown off its hinges. Miku gasped as she now felt the mana her father felt minutes ago. It was much more evil than any she had ever felt before.

" Miku, listen to me, once that portal completely opens I need you to walk through it." Yuno instructed seriously as he kept his eyes on the staircase, you could hear the clicking of shoes against the stone floor echo off the walls.

" No! Not without you!" Miku shouted as she grabbed her fathers arm tightly. She watched as he glanced down at her for a moment before shaking his head.

" I'm sorry Miku, but I can't. The minute I let go of this pad the portal will close. It requires mana in order to work, lots of it, and it needs to be constant. So I have to stay behind." He told her softly as the footsteps grew ever closer. Yuno quickly looked down at the talisman he wore around his neck at all times, he yanked it off and quickly put it in his daughter's hands.

" Here, this will keep you safe. Anytime you're scared or nervous, just hold this pendant and close your eyes and you'll see me, mom, Kito, and Kya all there with you." He told her before patting her head again, she opened her mouth to ask about her siblings but he cut her off. " As soon as I find them I will send your brother and sister after you I promise. Now go."

" But-." Miku didn't even get to finish her sentence before a blast of cool air she recognized as her fathers magic pushed her into the portal. " No! Wait! Dad please, please don't leave me!" She shouted as she tried to reach for her father.

Miku fought and fought against the portal, it almost felt like arms were reaching out and pulling her further and further in. She watched as her father looked over his shoulder and smiled sadly at her, she could have sworn she saw tears running down his face as well. He mouthed a quick 'I love you Miku' before he turned away to face the enemy.

" No! Dad please!" The girl continued to cry, the 'arms' inside the portal wrapped around her legs and right arm. The more she fought the harder they pulled. She heard her father gasp as he faced down the leader of the enemy, Miku frowned as couldn't see who, or what, it was.

" Y-You…but," she heard her father stammer in surprise, Miku saw his hand hesitate over his grimoire. That was unlike, very unlike him. " Why…why you?" Suddenly, Miku heard her father gasp and her eyes widened in shock.

Blood splattered across the room and across her face as something sharp pierced her fathers chest. She heard him inhale sharply before falling to his knees, she watched as blood poured out in front of him and onto the floor. Miku's eyes were wide in horror, her face completely pale.

" Dad…? N-No…get up…" Miku shook her head as the portal began to close, an 'arm' wrapped around her chest and neck before pulling her completely into the portal.

The last thing Miku saw before the portal closed, was her father's lifeless body, falling onto the floor beneath him.