Summary:
Things are beginning to come to a close...
Chapter 16: End of the Nightmare
Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Magna's Dream
Magna, Luck, Finral, and Vanessa easily dispatched the enemies who attacked them. Way too easily for Magna's comfort. He didn't even break a sweat. Even Finral didn't break a sweat and Finral often freaked out in battle, even now after all this time and his experience. Magna crossed his arms and looked at Luck. "That was weird."
"Very weird," said Luck. "They didn't have regular mana. It felt like they were alive or real."
Vanessa hummed. "That's off-putting. Now what?"
Finral said, "We need to get out of here and back to Asta."
Magna shook his head. "We need to find out where these guys came from...wait, where did the guys go?" The enemies they had just defeated and knocked out cold were gone where they left them magically bound. Magna narrowed his eyes. "Not good." He glanced around the forest and wondered what was really going on here. He looked at his friends. "I guess we should head back to Asta and tell him what happened."
Finral moved to open a portal when a creepy figure stepped out of the forest and froze Finral with an ice spell.
"Finral!" Vanessa yelled. "Why didn't Rouge work?!"
Magna and Luck charged towards the enemy and then, suddenly, Luck was gone. So were Finral and Vanessa. And Magna wasn't in a forest anymore. It was just him and the man in a dark damp room together, where this man would have an advantage if he had ice magic. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"You really don't know, huh? What a moron!" The man said. "You probably don't remember, but you destroyed my shop in Lancaster! Well, it wasn't my shop, but I invested a lot of money! You and that devil boy Luck!"
Magna was confused. "Uhh, what are you talking about, man?"
The man said, "I'm Harvey Murano? Businessman of the year in Lancaster?"
"Sorry, don't know ya," said Magna, shrugging. He and Luck did have a lot of property damage on their records as Magic Knights, but those were actually accidental. They never did it on purpose. "What exactly is going on?"
"You're in a dream world, idiot," said Harvey. "You were given everything you wanted, and yet, you still can't be content to just follow the script."
Magna smirked and charged up a fireball. "Well, duh! I'm a Black Bull. We're all a bit nuts!"
"You're going to pay…!"
And that's when a tree sprung up from the water and captured the guy. Magna whipped around to find the former Captain of the Golden Dawn William Vangeance there. "Captain William?"
"Magna, you must wake up," said William. William took several steps towards Magna. "Please forgive me, but what I'm going to do is shock you awake. Your mother is waiting for you."
Magna blinked. Captain William, for all his faults, usually meant well. "Uhh, what?"
William stated, abruptly, "Klaus is in love with you."
Magna screamed, "WHAT?" His head felt like it was going to explode as a jolt of magic, familiar from his grimoire, shot through him.
His vision went dark but for a moment.
The Waking World
Clover Kingdom
Forsaken Realm
The Black Bulls' Base
Magna's Room
34 Hours and 45 Minutes Remaining
Magna's eyes shot open. He abruptly sat up and found himself in his room on his bed, startling his Ma, who had red-rimmed eyes. His grimoire floated down from above to land on his lap. He glanced around and found that Luck was in his bed, having what looked like a seizure. Ember and Lady Solace were there as well.
"Luck!? What's happening? I saw Captain William? Is everyone else okay?" Magna asked quickly. Magna grabbed Luck's hand. "WAKE UP LUCK!"
"That's not going to work," said Ma. "You and the Black Bulls' minds were trapped in the Nightmare Realm for a long while, Magna. You're the first one up, I think."
"Lady Solace, if you're fine here with Luck, I'll go attend another," said Ember, nodding at Magna. The dragon-man was a cool guy who Magna had to get used to his way of speaking to people. He left the room.
Magna looked at his Ma. "Oh, Ma, I didn't mean to make you cry."
Ma sniffled and hugged him. "Stupid kid, you're mine, so of course, I'm gonna cry. I almost lost you for real this time. You and Luck."
"If you saw William, it means that he, Dorothy and Patri have succeeded in finding a way to help you. I hope they hurry. The rest of the Bulls don't have a lot of time," said Lady Solace, frowning.
Magna frowned. He stood up. "Ma, Lady Solace, watch after Luck. I gotta check up on the others."
"Don't get in the way of the healers," said Ma. "And get some food. Your body hasn't eaten in more than a day."
"Yes, Ma."
Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Luck's Dream
Luck awoke in a dingy, dark room with no windows. He looked around very carefully and was confused. He sensed someone's mana presence. Luck used his mana to shoot a lightning bolt in their direction. "Come out, whoever you are!"
A man stepped forward. "My name is Barrett Lee and you destroyed my shop and left me bankrupt!"
Luck blinked a few times. "Oh, yeah, in Lancaster? Oops."
"Oops? Oops?! How dare you!? My livelihood was ruined because you're childish foolishness," the man roared at Luck.
"Um, what are you yelling for? Magna and I earned enough money to pay for the property damages. We always do," said Luck, annoyed. "You got the money to rebuild. I don't see why you're complaining."
"What?" The man asked, deflated.
"Yeah, when Magic Knights damage property, we have to earn money to pay the bill and we send the money to the accounting office which then sends the property owner the money," said Luck. "I have been doing this for a while."
"The property owner?" The man asked dumbfounded.
"Yep," said Luck.
"THAT BITCH WIFE OF MINE TOOK THE MONEY!" The man despaired.
Luck grimaced. "Tough break, man, but you know conspiracy and attacking a Magic Knight is a high offense crime right? So I'm going to have to arrest you."
"No! This is the witch's fault. Melantha Unsworth," said the man, backing away from Luck, quickly. "Besides, you're in a dream or nightmare or whatever. This isn't real."
"A dream huh?" Luck grinned. He clapped his hands together, producing lightning. "Well, that makes it more fun."
The man Barrett visibly gulped.
Unfortunately, Luck's fight was interrupted by World Tree Magic. William stepped out of a door and used his magic to bind up Luck's enemy. "Hello, Luck. You need to wake up now, or you will die."
Luck grinned, "I'm not dying today, Captain William!" And with that, Luck used his own magic to shock himself.
The Waking World
Clover Kingdom
Forsaken Realm
The Black Bulls' Base
Magna's Room
34 Hours Remaining
Luck bolted out of bed, grabbing his grimoire mid-air. He heard Ma Shula and Lady Solace screaming for him to get back in bed and rest a minute. Instead, he jumped out the window. He had a strange feeling that William and Dorothy would need help. He knew that they were far away but Luck could sense the Dread World Magic in the air. It would be his guide.
"LUCK, GET BACK HERE AND PUT PANTS AND SHOES ON!" Ma Shula yelled out of Magna's bedroom window, holding shoes and pants for Luck.
Luck looked down and realized that he was in his boxers and a t-shirt, which was what he usually slept in. "Oops!" He rushed back to the house and jumped up using his magic to grab the pants and shoes out of Ma Shula's hands. "Thanks, Ma." He kissed her on the cheek.
"Don't be reckless, Luck," Ma Shula scolded him. "We'll be waiting here for ya!"
"I'll be fine! I'll be back soon, promise" Luck said. He grinned at her. Using his magic, he jumped again and headed off into the forest toward the Dread World Magic and towards William and Dorothy.
Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Finral's Dream
Finra woke up to a slap in the face. He jolted up. His gaze landed on a familiar face. "Lord Calmreich? What are you doing here? Where's Finesse?"
Lord Calmreich scowled at Finral. "Once I kill you, I will get my daughter back. And she will marry Langris."
Real memories flooded back to the forefront of Finral's brain and he huffed in annoyance. Of course, it's a dream. Why would I have a dream without the Black Bulls? That's a nightmare. They're my family. Finral stood up and said, "Even if you kill me, my friends and Langris won't let you touch Finesse ever again."
"You stole her from me!" Lord Calmreich.
"She ran away with me. I didn't steal her. She's a person," said Finral, scowling. He tried to reach for his magic. He didn't know where he was but he needed to get home. Be brave like Asta. He didn't have his grimoire with me, obviously, because it was a dream realm or something like that. It's not Captain Dorothy. Does Captain Dorothy have a relative? "What is going on? What did you do? Is Finesse alright? Langris? My friends?"
If he kept Lord Calmreich talking, Finral could stall for time to figure a way out.
"Finesse is fine. I wouldn't let anything happen to her," said Lord Calmreich. "As far as I know, Langris is fine. The other Black Bulls, well, they ought to be dead by now. The others should have taken care of them."
Finral breathed in and out. The Black Bulls wouldn't die so easily. It was a lie. Finral knew it in his heart. "You are a liar. Who put you up to this?"
"Hah! If the Black Bulls just kept their heads down, none of this would have happened. Know your place!"
"You do realize that if the Black Bulls didn't do what we did, Zagred would have destroyed everything, right? Right? Why does no one remember Zagred? The world almost ended," Finral babbled. "The Elf Reincarnation rings a bell? Ungrateful jerks."
Lord Calmreich sneered. "The other noble Magic Knights would have done something."
"We'd all be dead without Captain Yami's Dark Magic and Asta's Anti-Magic," said Finral, defensively. How many times was he going to have this argument with people? Why did everyone see the need to disparage his squad?
"That's it. I'm done talking with you. Die already!"
Finral cringed and he ducked at a wind spell directed at him. But he didn't need to as a tree sprung up from the ground to shield Finral. "Captain William?"
"Finral! You need to wake up," said William. "You'll die in less than 34 hours otherwise."
Finral choked on air. "Die?!" He screamed. "I NEED TO WAKE UP!"
The Waking World
Clover Kingdom
Forsaken Realm
The Black Bulls' Base
Finral and Finesse's Room
33 Hours and 35 Minutes Remaining
Finral woke up screaming about not wanting to die. He felt the gentle hands of his beloved Finesse helping him sit up.
"Oh, Finral, Finral, calm down. You're okay now. You're okay," said Finesse. "Mother, please go get him some tea and food. And fetch Langris!"
Finral wearily looked at Finesse's pretty face. There was a hollow pang in his chest that he and Finesse weren't married yet and there was no baby on the way. His mother-in-law Mirinesse left the room. "Finesse? Are you okay? How's everyone else?"
"Magna and Luck are the only ones up. Magna is sitting with Asta while Sister Lily gets Yuno to calm down. Luck ran off already," said Finesse, smiling gently. She hugged him. "Oh, my dear Finral, I was so worried. I'm so glad. So glad that you came back to me."
Finral's eyes welled up with tears as he held her close in his arms. "Sorry, Finesse. It was your father."
"And my mother," interjected Langris, entering the room. "Brother. You aren't allowed to die before me."
Finral sniffled. They were going to unpack all the Vaude family drama with Liliane in league with Lord Calmreich to attack the Black Bulls, but not right now. "I'm sorry about Liliane, Langris. Can I have a hug?"
Finesse motioned for Langris to come over and join their hug. Langris made a disgruntled look on his face, but he still walked over to the bed and allowed Finral and Finesse to hug him.
"I love you both so much," said Finral.
"I love you too," said Finesse. "And you too Langris."
Langris grumbled. "You're both such saps."
"You love us," said Finesse, giggling gently.
"Admit it, little brother," said Finral.
"Yeah, I do," said Langris, reluctantly.
"Awww," said Finral and Finesse.
"I'll take it back."
Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Secre's Dream
"Who are you?" Secre asked, confused at the elderly woman before her. Her memories were blurry but she began to understand that her life with Lumiere had been a dream or a nightmare. The Black Bulls. Are they alright?
"I am Lady Swallow of the Swallow Noble House. Married to a descendant of yours," said Lady Swallow.
Secre remained stoic. Her brother, her perfect brother, had children. The Swallowtail Family became the Swallow Family. Isn't there a Golden Dawn member with the last name of Swallow? "You're David's grandmother?"
"My David is the heir. And you would ruin it with your reputation and take his birthright," said Lady Swallow.
Secre blinked. "But I don't want anything. I have a home. I have a family. I had been exiled from the Swallowtail family, stricken from the records, to serve Prince Lumiere. Whatever is yours is yours."
"I can't take the risk," said Lady Swallow. "You must die."
"I cannot die by normal means," said Secre. Believe me, I've thought about it. "Please, let's not do this, Lady Swallow. I promise I won't do anything to you or your family."
"Not possible," said Lady Swallow. "I'm very sorry, dear, but you are an abomination and must die."
Secre sighed. "What about David? The rest of your family? What do they think? How would they react to you doing this?"
"What they don't know can't hurt them."
Secre didn't need her grimoire to perform magic, so she created an array with her magic to bind the old woman. "Then, I am the one that's sorry."
"LADY SECRE, WAKE UP!"
"William?"
"Hurry! There's not much time. I don't know how long Melantha will be out!" William shouted from off in the distance.
Secre raised an eyebrow. She changed her array and slammed it into her stomach.
The Waking World
Clover Kingdom
Forsaken Realm
The Black Bulls' Base
Secre's Room
33 Hours Remaining
"Secre, you're awake!" Uncle Styles yelped. "Thank goodness."
"Asta? Noelle? The others?" Secre asked, getting out of bed and her grimoire fell into her hands. She shook the dizziness off.
"All but Finral, Luck and Magna are still out. Where are you going? You need to rest and get checked out by a medic," said Styles, helping to steady her on her feet.
"Asta needs me," said Secre. She breathed in and out and turned herself back into an Anti-Magic bird. In her bird form, she flew out of the room. She heard singing from Noelle's room and knew that Kahono was at Noelle's side and sensed Mimosa's mana in the room. Noelle was in good hands with them. She flew through the air and found Asta's room. Magna sat on Asta's bed, holding him and using a small healing spell.
She transformed back into a woman. "Magna, let me try some things."
"Nero! It's good to see you up," said Magna. "Our little Rasta is looking a bit rough. Asta's grimoire didn't react like the rest of ours."
Secre grimaced. She went over to the nightstand where Bell sat on the five-leaf clover grimoire. "Bell, I need rouse Nelchael."
"You had better. Maybe they can do something with their Anti-Magic." Bell said worriedly.
Secre picked up Asta's grimoire, which had been originally Licht's, and opened it. She unsealed a small bit of the prison that kept Nelchael in it.
Anti-Magic oozed out of the grimoire. Nelchael's voice said, "Well, well, it's about time. What's happening?"
Magna and Secre took turns explaining what they knew, which was very minimal.
"Without Asta, I'm not as strong but put the grimoire on his chest and I can try to undo the spell." Nelchael asked. Secre placed the grimoire on Asta's chest. The Anti-Magic enveloped Asta. "Well, that's...interesting.
"Interesting?" Secre and Magna asked.
"This will take a while."
Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Yami's Dream
Yami crashed and landed in a hole. He cursed loudly. "You son of a bitch! You get down here and fight me like a man!" He drew his sword and eyed the distance back up. He was in a literal hole in the ground. He touched the sides of the hole and felt nothing but smoothness. "Glass?" In theory, he could use his Dark Magic to fly out of here, but somehow he doubted that it'd work.
"My daughter killed herself because of you," said a voice.
"And I don't know who you are. And if you're talking about Charlotte, she'd never kill herself over a lug like me," said Yami.
"Heh, the Roselei bitch is the least of my worries," said the voice.
"Watch it," said Yami, growling. "That's not a nice word directed at a lady, even one as prickly as Charlotte. You had better explain yourself." He needed information before he used his "Dark Cloaked Dimension Slash." If he was in another dimension like the Shadow Palace or Glamour World, he could get out that way.
"I'm the Lord of Ford City, east of Raque. The place you washed up on your fishing boat? You beguiled my daughter and broke her heart," said the Lord of Ford City.
Yami sighed. "I didn't. I really don't know what you're talking about...Oh wait, you had the poor girl locked in a tower? Didn't she jump?"
"Because you-"
"Woah, woah, man, I ain't never met your daughter and it sounds like she needed some help and not to be locked in a tower like a prisoner because she was ill," said Yami. "That's on you. Don't blame me."
The man roared and Yami heard glass breaking.
A light appeared on the left side, where a door appeared. Yami saw a familiar face. "William!" William had his hand out for Yami to take and Yami wasted no time. William pulled Yami through the door.
"What the fuck is going on?"
William sighed. "A lot." William launched into the story where the Black Bulls were put under a spell by Melantha Unsworth, Dorothy's twin sister, and everything else in between. "You need to wake up and get back to your body."
"This is so weird," said Yami. "Are you doing okay? Where's Dorothy? Looks like she did the heavy lifting."
"She's chasing down the rest of yours," said William. "I'm going to find either her or Patri to help them wake the rest up."
Yami patted William on the shoulder. "Thanks."
"I wouldn't want to lose you, Yami," said William. "You're important to me."
Yami shoved William. "Don't be a sap, Mask Loser. I'll see you in the waking world. Get the rest of my idiots up."
"I will."
The Waking World
Clover Kingdom
Forsaken Realm
The Black Bulls' Base
Yami's Room
32 Hours and 40 Minutes Remaining
"You're back, Yami," said Julius.
"About time," said Old Lady Ruth.
Yami groaned. "UGh, I need a smoke. William told me what's happening." He grabbed his pack of cigarettes and climbed out of bed. "Henry up yet?"
"No. Luck ran off," said Julius. "We heard Shula yelling at him to put pants on."
"For fuck's sake," said Yami, rolling his eyes. "Charlotte out investigating?"
"Yes, leaving a couple of her girls here to watch you," said Ruth, sternly. "Making my niece worry like this, asshole, you had better make it up to her."
"Believe me, I will," said Yami. He lit a cigarette and inhaled the smoke. "Welp, I had better check up on the idiots."
"Yami," said Julius, mildly, as if Yami was still a teenager, "please eat and drink and then take a shower, so that Ruth can medically clear you. Reckless."
"I'm not a kid, Julius."
"Yami."
"Julius."
"You can't help everyone if you're dead on your feet. Look you're wobbly," said Julius.
Yami groaned. He hated when Julius went all "father-mode" on him. "I'm fine."
"Oh, sit down, you stubborn fool," said Ruth. "Men."
Nightmare Realm
Dread World
32 Hours Remaining
William sighed in relief. Five out of the fourteen Black Bulls were awake. He hadn't seen Patri and Dorothy and he hoped that they weren't having any trouble. Dorothy didn't rest. He knew she didn't and he worried about her more than he worried about Patri. Patri was an elf and loved by mana. Dorothy had an emotionally trying time seeing her mother and fighting her sister, on top of using her mana to protect him and Patri from falling victim to the Dread World's sleeping death curse.
He closed his eyes and thought of Vanessa, who would be the first person that Dorothy would go to save. Vanessa had control of fate with her Thread Magic and the Black Bulls needed her protection. The door appeared and he stepped through it.
William hoped he wasn't too late.
Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Gordon's Dream
"Wake up, freak."
Gordon squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them. "Where? Who?"
"Brandon. Do you remember me? Your family cursed my father?"
"Your father had pneumonia," said Gordon. He remembered every complaint against his family. They weren't true. Once pneumonia got to a certain state, especially in an old, overweight, chain-smoker, it was fatal. Gordon realized that his father had been trying to treat the man, but failed. There was a lot of blame aimed at the Agrippa family that was unwarranted. "There was nothing that could be done."
"He died because of some freaky curse magic your old man did!"
"No. Magic can't fix everything," said Gordon. "Sometimes, it made things worse."
But Gordon knew that there was no reasoning with people like this, who held their prejudices and unrelenting beliefs close to their hearts without ever changing their minds, even when presented with new information.
A fist came towards him from Brandon, but light filled the room.
"Patri?"
"Come on, Gordon, wake up. Your friends will die if you don't," Patri stated.
"What?"
The Waking World
Clover Kingdom
Forsaken Realm
The Black Bulls' Base
Gordon's Room
30 Hours Remaining
"Gordon," cried Roxanne.
"Son!" His father cried.
And suddenly, Gordon was being hugged by his sister and his father. His mother must be home with Grandmother. "Where are my friends?"
"Some are still out, but everyone is slowly waking up," said his father. His father gave him a glass of water. "Here's some water. Drink. There's food downstairs and then the medics will look over you. Yami is getting ready for whenever Henry wakes up to move the house to wherever Luck ran off, chasing Captain Dorothy and Captain William."
"Oh," said Gordon. Gordon felt a little panicked that some of his friends were still in danger. "What can I do to help?"
"Nothing! You had a stressful time," said Roxanne. "Drink."
Gordon took a drink, feeling the water hit his dry mouth. "I need to see my friends."
"Food first."
Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Henry's Dream
"Cousin...Thomas, what...are...you...doing?" Henry asked.
"Making sure I get my money," said Thomas Legolant, Henry's younger cousin, sneering at Henry, but making sure not to get too close to Henry.
"I was abandoned."
"All the money is in the house and the lands, stupid," said Thomas, growling. "Can't you die yet?"
Henry smiled sadly. "No...I...have...too...much...to...live...for." Henry knew that his dream about having his curse broken and being able to hug the people he loves was too good to be true. Maybe one day. Henry took several steps towards Thomas. "Please...forgive...me...cousin...I...don't...mean...to...hurt...you."
Thomas collapsed once Henry was in his range. Henry felt the mana being absorbed into his body and he sniffled.
A door opened and Patri appeared. He sneered at Thomas on the ground. "Come, Henry, you must wake up. Your friends need you to move the house. They're in danger!"
Henry gasped. "No!"
"Yes! Wake up! Wake up!" Patri said.
The Waking World
Clover Kingdom
Forsaken Realm
The Black Bulls' Base
Henry's Room
29 Hours and 35 Minutes Remaining
Henry woke up to weight on his chest. It was a person. "Wha?"
"Mr. Henry, you're awake. Oh, thank goodness. No, don't try to sit up. I'll get you food and water and oh, boy, this is great," said the young woman, hugging him tightly. "I'm Wainsley, remember? From the Blue Rose squad? You're the seventh one to wake up! Captain Yami will need you soon. Oh, how are you feeling?"
"How...are...you...close...to...me?" Henry asked, baffled. Only Asta was able to get into the radius around Henry and give him hugs. Charmy could sometimes if she had her mana-restoring food with her.
"It's weird. I don't know, but I'm okay," said Wainsley. "This is wonderful."
"I'm...fine...still...tired….How...are...my...friends?"
"Everyone's slowly coming back," said Wainsley, squeezing Henry in a hug.
Henry was too stunned to have another person that was able to give him hugs without hurting them to say anything.
Wainsley didn't seem to mind and continued speaking, "Oh! I'll get you food."
Henry watched Wainsley run out of the room and wondered what the heck he missed.
Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Noelle's Dream
Noelle called him "Uncle" but he was really a Great-Uncle. Her grandfather Nerio's brother, Barron, glared at Noelle. And suddenly it was like she was the family disappointment again. Noelle bit the inside of her mouth and stood her ground. She wasn't a scared little girl anymore.
"Hello, disappointment," said Great-Uncle Barron. "Why couldn't you just lay down and die like you were supposed to?"
Noelle sneered. "As if. When my brother and my friends find out what you did, you're in big trouble. And it's not like I'm going to let you bully me. I have a name. And it's Noelle Silva, the daughter of the Steel Princess Acier Silva and a Black Bull Magic Knight!"
"Bold words," Uncle Barron said, rolling his eyes. "You're still weak. The Black Bulls."
"The best squad in the kingdom."
"With the worst reputation."
"Hey, I helped save the world and the kingdom more times than you," said Noelle, flipping her hair over her shoulder and placing her hand on her hip. "Loser."
Her Great-Uncle launched himself at her.
Noelle grinned and moved to use her Water Magic to stop him when swords made of light pinned her great-uncle to the ground. "Patri?!"
"Rude royal girl," said Patri, sniffing. They had never learned to get along, but they didn't hate each other anymore. "Let's go."
Noelle quickly looked behind her at her great-uncle and sighed. She walked forward to walk through the door towards Patri. She landed in a dark version of Glamour World. "Uhh, so Dorothy has a sister?"
"Good guess," said Patri. "You need to wake yourself up."
Noelle groaned. "Fine. How?"
"Jolt yourself awake. I have to get to Asta now," said Patri, as a door appeared with Asta's dumb grinning face on it. You have to wake up or you will die, rude royal girl."
Noelle grimaced, as Patri disappeared into the door.
"Well, I suppose, I could," said Noelle, humming. "Break my finger? Hit myself with a water attack?"
She decided to go with hitting herself with her Sea Dragon's Roar attack. And it worked.
The Waking World
Clover Kingdom
Forsaken Realm
The Black Bulls' Base
Noelle's Room
29 Hours Remaining
Noelle woke up gasping for air.
"Noelle, oh, Noelle," Kahono cried, sobbing and pulling Noelle into a hug.
"Let her breathe," Mimosa said. "You gave me a scare, Noelle."
"Kahono? Mimosa? Kiato? Wha?" Noelle said woozily. "Where's my brother? Vanessa? And Asta? And everyone?"
"Noelle," cheered Magna, running into the room to hug Noelle. "Thank God."
"Magna!" Noelle said, hugging Magna. "I think I need a rundown on what happened, but I feel a little sick. Someone needs to take me to the bathroom. I feel like I'm gonna vomit." Magna wasted no time and picked Noelle up and took her to the women's private bathroom. He got her to the toilet just in time for her to vomit up nothing but water.
Noelle groaned. "This sucks."
"Language, Princess," said Magna, mildly.
Mimosa was at her side. "Let's get some food for you. And Doc Owen to check you out." Mimosa patted her back gently, while Magna held back her hair.
Noelle nodded. "Let me know everything, anyway."
"Stubborn," said Magna and Mimosa at the same time.
Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Asta's Dream
Asta managed to catch Yuno before he fell to the ground. Yuno bled in his arms. Asta's heart felt like it was in his mouth. He felt woozy and his stomach hurt. Not Yuno. Not Yuno. Please. Not Yuno. "Hang on!"
"Asta, I'm sorry. This was my mess." Yuno said it softly.
"Shut up, stupid," Asta snapped. "I'm always there for you. Always. You know that."
Yuno said, "Can you take care of Astra? She's a good baby."
Asta said, "You're not dying today. I won't let you. She'll have her Papa." He looked around the field for any medic, but Mimosa would be best. He flew as fast as he could as Yuno held him close to his chest. "Come on, medic, medic, I need a medic."
"Stop." Yuno demanded.
"Never."
Yuno demanded again. "Please, Asta, we need to protect everyone else!"
Asta argued, "I love you too much and we have time."
"There's never enough time," said Yuno, sadly.
And that's when Asta felt his Anti-Magic surge through him. But something was wrong. Was the spell disappearing? Asta's vision shattered and things became dark as he heard Nelchael yelling for him.
"ASTA, WAKE UP! IT'S A NIGHTMARE!"
A nightmare?
Asta breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a nightmare. Yuno hadn't left him. He still had Yuno. Thank God.
He was ready to wake up now.
The Waking World
Clover Kingdom
Forsaken Realm
The Black Bulls' Base
Asta's Room
28 Hours and 15 Minutes Remaining
Asta flung his grimoire across the room and jumped up on his bed, shocking Sister Lily and Yuno who were both in his room. Asta looked around wildly. "Holy Mother of God. That was something."
His heart pounded in his chest. It just felt like waking up from a regular nightmare. He grinned at Yuno and Sister Lily. "Thanks, Sister Lily. Bell. Nelchael."
And then, Asta launched himself at Yuno, knocking him over to the ground to kiss him senseless.
"Asta!" Sister Lily scolded.
"Gross." Bell said.
"I'm taking a nap now." Nelchael said, bored. "Try not to die on me anymore, kid."
Asta didn't really hear them as he was far too busy kissing Yuno.
Yuno broke away. "I'll kill you if you die."
Asta laughed, kissing Yuno on the cheek. "Where's everyone else? I wanna help them."
Yuno and Asta stood up and held hands.
"It's just Zora, Gauche, Grey, Charmy and Vanessa now," said Sister Lily.
Asta nodded. "Let's go to Grey and Gauche!"
The Nightmare Realm
Dread World
28 Hours Remaining
Asta didn't need help after all. Patri was ready to leave, but he saw William in the main area of the Dread World, pacing. "What?"
"I can't get to Zora, Vanessa, Grey, Gauche or Charmy," said William. "And Melantha is gone."
"That bodes ill," said Patri. "Maybe we should try to get out of here. Dorothy will be fine."
"I won't leave her," said William, sternly. "I've done her great harm before, so I will not leave her again."
Patri sighed. "Yeah, let's figure something out. Asta's awake so he might be able to wake up everyone else."
"That's good. Let's hope."
The Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Gauche's Dream
Gauche attacked instantly when he saw his father's asshole murdering cousin. "I'll kill you!"
"Never change, Gauche!" Roger Adlai sneered.
They clashed using Mirror Magic against Mirror Magic. He hated that he had the same type of magic as his parents' murderer. Gauche felt the anger in him. This man, this man took his and Marie's home. Betrayed them. They were children. How did they possibly deserve any of it? The backstabbing assholes didn't deserve any of the Aldai fortunes.
"Murderer!"
"Convict!"
"Well, who's fault is that? Huh? How else was I supposed to feed my precious Marie?!" Gauche yelled back. He really could use his friends right about now. He really wanted to kill this man, but he knew that it wasn't the right thing to do.
What would Asta do?
"Why can't you just leave us alone?" Gauche asked, moving away from the man and he stopped fighting. "Just leave us alone. Keep the money and the lands and whatever. I don't need it. Or want it."
"You being alive is a risk to my money. You and that little girl-"
"Touch Marie and die," snarled Gauche.
"I won't let you leave here…" Roger said, trailing off, as Anti-Magic enveloped Gauche.
"Asta?"
The Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Grey's Dream
"Alice, p-lease l-l-leave me a-a-alone," said Grey. "I'm n-n-not y-your p-punching b-bag anymore."
Alice sneered. "Momma wants you dead so we can get the money. When you ran away, we found out your stupid father had a provision in the will that you had to be living with us so we can get the money."
Grey shook her head. "I-I d-d-don't want the money. B-but I won't g-g-give it to you." She wouldn't hand over her father's hard-earned money to people who'd squander it. Grey knew that she'd have to deal with her step-family sooner or later, but she never guessed they'd go this far. She wondered if Fragil's father or Leopold's father would help her with the law stuff.
Alice lunged for her, but Grey transformed into her hulking Grey form and Alice bounced off of her. Grey transformed into Gauche. "I won't let you bully me."
"How'd you get a boyfriend? He must be a real weirdo."
Grey as Gauche smiled. "Yeah, but he's my weirdo."
Anti-Magic sprung up and enveloped Grey. Grey turned back into herself and said, "Ah, Asta has come to save me."
The Waking World
Clover Kingdom
Forsaken Realm
The Black Bulls' Base
Gauche and Grey's Room
27 Hours and 50 Minutes Remaining
Marie cried in relief after Asta used his Anti-Magic on Gauche and Grey. She climbed onto their bed, while Gauche and Grey were wearily getting themselves in order and hugged them both. "I was so worried. Big Brother! Grey!" She sobbed.
Two pairs of strong arms held her. She placed her head on her brother's shoulder.
"My sweet Marie, don't cry," said Gauche, softly. He patted her on the back and Grey stroked her hair. "We're here. Grey, are you okay?"
"I'm f-f-fine. You?"
"Could be better," said Gauche.
Marie said, "Thank Asta! He woke up and woke you guys up!"
"Thank you, Asta," said Gauche.
"Th-thank you-you, Asta," said Grey.
"Good, I'm glad. Listen to Sister Theresa. I gotta go wake up Charmy," said Asta, running out of the room with his sword at the ready.
Marie smiled happily. "Brother, Grey, I'll get you food. Sister, please make sure they're okay. Noelle's still throwing up."
"I will," said Sister Theresa. She had her arms crossed. "Gave me quite a fright, you delinquent. Grey, I'm glad you're better."
"Oh shut up, old hag," said Gauche, but Marie knew that he was happy that Sister Theresa was here.
Marie was so happy to have Gauche and Grey back and awake. She just wondered why they got attacked in the first place. Henry was busy moving the house, following Luck's trail with help from Julius' mana sense. The Black Bulls were almost back together again!
The Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Charmy's Dream
Charmy hummed as she finished up another buffet, but she still hadn't figured out how to get out of this mysterious forest. She spoke out loud to herself. "A Dream? A Nightmare? Another Dimension? A Bit of Both?"
Another chocolate cake appeared in front of her and Charmy sighed. She wasn't really hungry, which was a scary thought, even though she continued to eat. There was no joy in eating without sharing food with others.
"La. I miss my friends."
Then, she smelled something. Anti-Magic? Charmy jumped up on the table and cheered. "ASTA!"
The Waking World
Clover Kingdom
Forsaken Realm
The Black Bulls' Base
Charmy's Room
27 Hours and 45 Minutes Remaining
Charmy fell out of bed. "I'm hungry!"
"Oh, Miss Charmy, never change," said Asta, helping her up. "Your parents are here! They're making your favorite foods. I have to go get Miss Vanessa and Zora up, but you stay here and rest and listen to the medic."
Charmy grabbed Asta's hands and said, "Thank you, Asta. We can always count on you."
Asta flushed. "I appreciate it, Miss Charmy."
"La! MAMA, PAPA, where's my food?" Charmy yelled.
Asta laughed. The medic sighed. "Good luck." Asta left the room for Vanessa's room and she hoped that she would be able to eat dinner with all her friends soon.
Good Luck yourself, Asta. Charmy got up and skipped around the room, dodging the medic to get downstairs to the kitchen. Her nom-noms were waiting.
The Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Vanessa's Dream
"This is unbelievable," said Vanessa, hiding behind a big tree with Dorothy. They've been fighting Melantha and Vanessa's father (a dubious claim) for the last several hours. It felt much longer. Dorothy had come to Vanessa first and found Vanessa fighting her father. Then, Melantha appeared. Dorothy gave Vanessa the rundown of what happened. Two witches against a witch and a warlock (a male witch, apparently) went into clashing magic. Dream Magic v. Nightmare Magic. String Magic Again Thread Magic.
And they were losing. Not badly but Vanessa didn't have access to her full powers and Dorothy's magic was spread thin already.
"Melantha blocked the way, so you won't be able to wake up," said Dorothy. "We're trapped."
Vanessa laughed. "Of all the luck in the world, huh? Well, if we're going down, I'm glad it's with you, Dorothy."
Dorothy smiled tightly. "You and me both, Vanessa."
"Union Magic?" Vanessa asked, hesitantly.
"Fate and Dream? That's scary. Maybe your mother was right to fear us," said Dorothy, holding her hand out to Vanessa. Vanessa grasped Dorothy's hand.
"Union Magic: Dreams of Fate!"
Melantha and Vanessa's possible father froze as red strings sprung from the ground and grabbed them, while clouds of dreams covered their heads.
"Weird," said Vanessa. "You think we can get the heck outta here?"
"Let's go," said Dorothy.
They hurried as a door appeared and they ran through it. Vanessa and Dorothy ran into William and Patri in the main area of Dread World.
Dorothy let go of Vanessa's hand. "I'm sending you three home. All who's left is Zora?"
William and Patri nodded.
"I'm not leaving you," said William.
"William, I'll be fine," said Dorothy, stubbornly. "You and Patri need to get back to the Black Bulls and tell them what happened. Vanessa, sweetie, wake yourself up."
Vanessa nodded. "You had better come back okay, Dorothy."
"I will."
Vanessa said, trying to think of something shocking to say to wake herself up. "I have a crush on Nozel."
"Oh my," said Dorothy, giggling.
The Waking World
Clover Kingdom
Forsaken Realm
The Black Bulls' Base - Moved
Vanessa's Room
23 Hours Remaining
Vanessa woke up to Nozel and his wonderfully handsome face. "Hey, honey. You look like you haven't slept in a few days."
Nozel wasn't very expressive, but there was relief in his eyes. "You're the second to the last to awaken. We're waiting for Zora."
Vanessa flung the covers off of her, watching Nozel's face turn cherry red because she slept in her bra and underwear. She rolled her eyes. She grabbed her Black Bull robe and her witch hat. "The base moved?"
"Followed Luck. William and Patri just arrived out of a portal. Can't you sense them?" Nozel asked.
"Ahh, take me to my team," said Vanessa. She wobbled a bit, but Nozel caught her and helped her walk. They walked out of the room and headed downstairs.
"Would you like me to carry you?" Nozel asked.
Vanessa laughed. "No, I'm good."
They managed, somehow, to get down the stairs and outside where the Black Bulls and all their guests were outside. The only ones not there were Zora, Kirsch, and Mimosa. William and Patri were speaking to Fuegoleon and Sal, who had just arrived since Cob was there. Vanessa waved at Finral, who sighed in relief when he saw her.
"I'm awake, everyone," said Vanessa.
"Miss Vanessa, we don't mean to rush you, but we're going to need Rouge. Captain William said that Dorothy is going to send the people Melantha had been working for," said Asta.
Vanessa nodded, summoning her Fate cat. "Alright, Silva House Head, you had better hold me up."
Nozel's mouth quivered a little bit, almost smiling. "Just tell me when you're too tired. Don't overextend yourself."
"I have food," cheered Charmy. "Zora had better hurry up. He's missing all the fun."
The Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Zora's Dream
Zora knew it was wrong of him to spend hours talking to a ghost of his father, but it was both his father and not. But Zora still needed his dad. "Dad, I think I need to go soon."
"I know," said Zara. "I know you think that I'm not real, but I will always live with you, Zora. I'm a part of your heart."
Zora snorted. "Cheesy."
"Yeah, but you don't mind the sappiness," said Zara. "After all, Kirsch looks at you with big golden eyes and you cave quickly."
"Shut up," said Zora, ears feeling warm. "I need to get back to him. He's waited long enough. He's probably cried, not eaten or showered. So I gotta scold him."
Zara laughed. "Sounds familiar. Your Ma often did the same to me. And Zora, a bit of advice. Make sure you are all in with Kirsch. It's scary to give your entire heart to someone, but you know that you do keep him at arm's length sometimes. He doesn't deserve that."
Zora said, softly, "I know."
"Bye, Zora," said Zara. "You have a guest."
A fuming mad Prudence Esmond appeared before him. Zara disappeared.
Zora sighed. "Lady, really, what is your deal? He don't want ya. Get your thoughts away from using my man, yeah?"
"You're just a peasant," said Prudence, sneering. "He's a Prince."
"Yeah, and?" Zora asked. He created a magic circle. "I don't care about any of that shit. I gotta get back to him. And in the real world, you had better watch it. You made me an enemy. I let it go last time because Kirsch asked me not to, but this time, you tried to kill me and my friends." Zora slammed his magic circle into his chest.
"Wha?" Prudence screamed.
Zora gestured rudely at her before his consciousness faded.
The Waking World
Clover Kingdom
Forsaken Realm
The Black Bulls' Base - Moved
Zora's Room
22 Hours Remained
Zora's eyes opened. He felt a warm body holding him. Zora knew exactly who it was. He croaked out. "Hey, pretty boy. Sorry I'm late."
Kirsch choked back a sob. "Zora, my love."
Zora felt Kirsch press a kiss on his head. Sitting up, Zora got a good look at Kirsch, who was an absolute mess, but he still was beautiful no matter what. Kirsch looked at him with unshed tears in his eyes and all the love in the world. And Zora knew that he was home. He smiled and reached to cup Kirsch's face. "I'm so sorry."
"Zora, I love you so-"
He didn't waste any more time and crashed their mouths together. Kirsch's soft lips molded against his. Zora never got tired of kissing Kirsch. He avoided kissing Kirsch too much because he wanted him too badly all the time. Zora poured all his love and desire and devotion into the kiss.
Kirsch moaned against his mouth, his hands tangled in Zora's hair.
"Hello? I'm still here!" Mimosa screeched.
Zora pulled away very reluctantly. Well, he didn't pull away that far from Kirsch.
Kirsch smiled goofily at him. "Sorry, Mimosa."
"Honestly. Zora, release my brother. I have to check you over. You have to eat before you can go outside with the others," said Mimosa, sternly.
"Fine, squirt. Kirsch, don't go too far," said Zora, grinning.
Kirsch, with pink cheeks and a happy smile on his face, said, "Of course, my love."
"Gross," said Mimosa, deadpan.
The Nightmare Realm
Dread World
Dorothy felt things back to normal when she didn't sense Zora anymore. She sighed in relief. Dorothy proceeded to collect up the enemies the Black Bulls faced. One by one, she threw them out of the Nightmare Realm. When she went to find Vanessa's so-called father (who was still bound up from earlier), she found that Melantha escaped again. She'd have to deal with her another time. Once she threw Vanessa's so-called father out of the realm, she stepped forward to leave, when a hand caught her by the neck.
"Not so fast, Dotty." Melantha said, sneering.
"Mel." Dorothy said, softly.
The portal closed and finally, the sisters were alone.
Dorothy breathed out and flung her head back and headbutted her sister in the face. "Don't forget, Mel. I've been training with the best warriors in the Clover Kingdom. You think I don't know more than one way to fight?"
Melantha hissed, holding her face. "Bitch."
"Takes one to know one." Dorothy had her grimoire at the ready. "Let's finish this, Melantha."
~to be continued