Chapter 1

A Traveler

The taste of sand is what woke him up.

His eyes opened, scanning the area. Wondering just where he was the young man, no older than 18 tried to get up off the sandy floor. He was of short stature but had an incredibly muscular build. His green eyes blinked several times, trying to make sure he wasn't seeing things. When he realized that his vision worked fine and well he began shaking out all the sand from his ash-colored hair. He looked at himself and saw that his clothes were still intact. Brown boots, black pants, and a white sleeveless shirt. He looked to his right arm, which was covered in black with red cracks all over it. That looked fine. Everything seemed fine, which now begged the question.

Where in the hell did Asta end up at?

"What happened?" He tried to get up but simply could not. His body ached and cried out the moment he got on his knees. For just a very brief moment Asta wondered why he was in such bad shape and then he remembered.

He remembers going to the Spade kingdom to save Captin Yami. He remembers fighting against 2 devils and defeating them. He remembers fighting against Lucifero, his gravity powers almost killing them. He remembers him and Liebe joining to make a perfect Devil Union and finally defeating Lucifero. After that, everything went black. He doesn't remember anything.

Wait a minute…

Liebe!

"Liebe!? Are you here, can you hear me!"

"I can, stop shouting…ow, everything hurts…"

That pipsqueak voice came from behind Asta's shoulder. He turned his head to see a small figure climbing up to him. This tiny's figure body was completely covered in black except for his white hair and eyes. With 2 horns coming out of his head, tiny wings, and a tail Liebe would be considered terrifying if not for his current diminutive form.

"Liebe, do you know what's going on? I don't. We were fighting Lucifero and we won and then…and then…" Asta groaned as he felt a terrible headache coming on.

"And then we passed out," Liebe said as he rested himself upon Asta's comfy head. "I don't remember anything else, Asta. I just know that we got him. Right before he escaped you took him down with one last swing and then that's when everything went black."

Asta fell back down onto the floor, his body was killing him. Cuts, wounds, and bruises were all over his body. He needed medical attention that much was sure but that didn't seem like it was an option. Thankfully, nothing felt life-threatening. He's no doctor but Asta has suffered enough wounds during his time as a magic knight to know what's threatening and what isn't.

"Liebe do you-"

"No." The tiny figure said. "I don't know how long we've been here in this area. Your guess is as good as mine."

No time to just sit here and rest then. Asta got back up and scanned the area once again, nothing about it looked familiar and everything just felt different. So different…

He looked around and saw his grimoire lying on the floor. The young man breathed a sigh of relief, at least he had his weapons with him. But that relief did not last long. What about the Black Bulls? What about Yuno? Mimosa, Captain Yami. So many questions, he knew they were in rough shape after the fight was over. Are they okay? Both Captain Yami and Vice-Captain Nacht had holes in them! Did Mimosa or anyone else get to them in time!

"Stop." He told himself, remembering his training and past experiences. "Don't panic, calm your mind." He focused on himself and managed to calm down. He didn't know where he was at right now but Asta knew that panicking would get him nowhere. He took another look at his surroundings and saw that in the distance there were several mountains. Maybe he should start there, get a high point and just look around him. He got himself up on his feet despite the protest of his body.

Pulling out the Demon Slayer sword, Asta placed it on the ground before hopping on top of it. Soon after the blade was lifted off the ground and the young man began heading toward the mountains. Riding the blade through the air like a broom.

"None of this looks familiar," Liebe said, matching Asta's thoughts exactly. "Not the Clover Kingdom, not the Heart Kingdom, and not the Spade Kingdom."

"Your right," Asta said. "Which is why we need a vantage point, and the mountains sound like a good place to start. Take it easy Liebe, if something happens I'll wake you."

"I'm fine you idiot, you are in rougher shape than I am." The tiny figure said.

It didn't take long before Asta arrived at his destination. He quickly got off his sword and placed it back in his grimoire. "Okay…" He said to himself, Liebe had passed out again resting on the top of Asta's head. The young knight smirked to himself, I told you so was riding on his lips. That was fine, his brother needed rest. Taking it slow, Asta began to walk towards the edge of the mountain. Looking at the vast land that lay ahead of him the young man did not recognize a single landmark.

Where am I? He thought to himself. Asta sighed, realizing that this wasn't bringing the results that he had hoped. As he took a few more steps he felt his shoes get wet. Looking down he noticed that there was a pool of water right in the center. It looked clear and clean, which was good news to him. He removed his shirt and headband, He placed them in the water in hopes of cleaning some of the sweat and blood. Then he began cleaning his wounds the best he could.

Better than nothing.

As Asta did that he noticed something. This mountain seemed to have someone residing here. Right in the center along was a tree that provided ample shade. However, in the center of the said lake, underneath said tree there was a table with several chairs.

"Who would put a table up here?" Asta asked out loud. Granted, he knew some strange people back home and magic was capable of doing anything. Still, he found it a bit odd but didn't pursue it any further. If there was someone here then Asta could ask for directions and get some help. "Done!" He said after cleaning himself to the best of his abilities. Time like this he wished he had magic, would have been easier with Magic.

Asta gave one last look to the area around him. There was a feeling in his gut, a bad feeling. He felt like…he doesn't know. This just doesn't feel right. The area, the mountains, the air. All of it feels different but in a way that he couldn't explain. His body didn't seem to mind, as it scream at him to find a place to rest. He moved himself to the tree, where there was plenty of shade and a nice cool breeze. He closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep. His body is still wounded and tired, he'll continue looking around after getting some much-needed rest.

*Touch*

*Touch*

*Touch*

Asta woke up to the feeling of something poking his right arm. He opened his eyes, ready to tell this person off for poking and that it was a very rude thing to do. Imagine his surprise when the first thing he saw was a colorful-looking bird with bright feathers. Huh, turns out it wasn't a person poking him but just a curious bird.

"Oh, it's just a bird." He said to himself sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. "Wow, you're such a cool-looking bird."

"Hmph, mind your manners, young boy. One would not describe herself as a cool-looking bird." Said the bird.

"..." said Asta

"..." said the Bird.

"..." said Asta.

"..." said the Bird.

"WHAT THE HECK!" Screamed Asta as he realized that he was in fact not dreaming and that bird actually just spoke to him. He got up off his butt and onto his feet so fast that it woke up Liebe too.

"Asta, what the hell are you screaming about?" A groggy Liebe asked.

"One would assume it would be me that is cause for such loud noise." Said the bird with a feminine voice. "One felt a trespasser onto one's land and said trespasser had decided to stay here longer than they were welcomed to. One goes out to investigate and to remove said trespasser only to find something of a curiosity." The bird spoke fluently and clearly. With an old fashion and formal voice. Asta watched with caution as the bird began to gaze upon his right arm. "A young man that is beaten to the extreme with a curious-looking right arm and an even more curious-looking book. One does not know what to make of it. Young man, to what may one call you?"

"My name? My name is Asta, it's nice to meet you." Asta said politely. He said politely but on the inside, he was a bit cautious and for good reason. See the young man can read ki, which is the natural energy given off by people. It was taught to him by his Captin Yami and as time went on Asta was able to sharpen his ki senses. Every individual has their unique ki, no two are the same. Liebe, him, they all give off their ki. It was for that reason that Asta was acting cautiously. Because the ki this bird was giving him was odd…

This ki didn't feel human, but it didn't feel like a devil either. It was calm and yet there was something else in there that Asta really couldn't tell. One thing is sure, this isn't a human using magic to conceal themself nor a devil and Asta didn't know if that it was good or bad. It definitely put him on his toes.

"Manners one can see, that is good. One would assume that her name is common knowledge if you were able to make it here." She stated.

"Uh…I'm sorry Ma'am but I don't know your name." He said as sincerely and politely as possible.

"Oh…Well, you may call one such as me, Cloud Retainer."

"Woah, Cloud Retainer." Asta said with slight awe at the coolness of that name. Liebe simply rolled his eyes at his partner.

"Now, onto the pressing matters. One would like to inquire how your right arm came to be such as that. One would also like to inquire about your book and what you are doing here. This is not a place for humans to reside in. Doing so is very dangerous." Cloud Retainer asked right away as she moved closer to inspect her arm. Whatever this bird is, there was no subtlety at all as she pressed forward toward Asta.

"Um, it's kind of a long story Ms. Cloud Retainer." Asta said as he moved his right arm away, he was not really wanting it to be poked at by a talking bird. Nor did he want to answer these sudden questions from a talking bird when he didn't even know where the hell he was at.

"One has time…" She simply said, making clear that she wanted an answer. Asta and Liebe deadpanned at that type of response, not sure what to say. "Also, what is that little figure resting upon your head?"

"Um…" Asta didn't know what to do. He didn't think it was a good idea to give out such info to a stranger when he also doesn't even know where he's at. "I'm sorry Ms. Cloud Retainer but I can't answer those questions." He said as politely as he could. Not wasting a beat Asta called upon his grimoire, pulled out his demon slayer sword, and hopped right on it. "Sorry for disturbing your home!" He said before flying away, completely baffling the mystic bird.

"Wait!" She yelled out. "One asks you to wait!"

Asta had no desire to be rude, but the more time he wastes here the more time he's away from his friends and squad. He needed to get back to them now. This mountain didn't provide any helpful landmarks, that's fine he'll just keep looking till he finds something…

Cloud Retainer watched with frustration as the odd boy flew away. There were so many things wrong as she watched that young man resting. First of all, his arm. In the centuries that she has lived here, Cloud Retainer has never seen such a thing in the land of Liyue. It looked corrupted, she knew no other word that would fit what she saw. Then there was the book lying next to the young man. Cloud Retainer simply thought it to be a normal book or a catalyst. When she opened it out of curiosity she soon found herself looking at a language that she could not read. It simply baffled her. Even more so when this young boy pulled a sword from it. Also, the odd flying creature next to him. What was that? It was no human that is for sure.

Finally, there was the boy himself. He did not waver, even when talking to her. A human, spending that long of a time with an Adepti? She only knows of one other human with such a high constitution that allows them to mingle with them and not suffer harm.

Yes, too many questions. She could not let this rest as it is. Cloud Retainer took flight and went off to find a certain someone that would help her.

"Asta, what was that all about?" Liebe asked as they moved through the air.

"I don't know, I just know that whatever that bird was not human." Asta seriously. "The Ki she was giving off. It felt weird…"

"Oh that Ki thing?" Liebe was familiar with the concept of Ki as he too heard the explanation from Yami while he was still in the grimoire. Though he could not perform the skill itself. "What did you get?"

"I don't know." The young man said with honesty. "She didn't give the ki of a human or a devil, not a spirit either. I don't what to make of it."

"Hmmm…well, it's not our problem." Liebe said with a blunt voice. "Whatever she is, doesn't concern us. We need to focus on getting back home and we can start by getting you more rest."

"Uh…"

"Asta, your wounds. A few hours of napping isn't going to fix that. I can tell by the way your arms are shaking. You need more rest."

"Haha…saw right through me." The young man could not argue against his brother. "Maybe find somewhere else to rest…"

Asta scanned the area, looking for a desolate place and making a point to avoid any more tall mountains. There are multiple devils, and multiple spirits, so he's not ruling out that there might be more whatever the heck cloud retainer is.

That looks like a safe spot.

Asta headed down to what looked like a large flat land with small puddles of water scattered around. What caught his attention was that large tree that looked to bew pointing in a general direction. This tree was almost as big as the cliffs next to it and had this blue magic-looking branch and roots growing out of it. It was quite a sight to see. Asta's eyes sparkled with both amazement and sadness.

"Man, I wish I could sense magic." Asta whined as he awed at the cool-looking tree.

"Don't start dude."

Taking a spot to rest right next to the big tree Asta relaxed his body with Liebe doing the same.

"No one here for now…good…maybe now I can…rest for…a…bit…." It didn't take long for sleep to take hold of the two young men with the sun starting to set in the distance.

"Wake up."

A sudden voice called out, waking Asta once again from his deep slumber.

"Wha-" The young man's eyes opened quickly as he looked around the area to see where this noise came from. Upon opening his eyes Asta saw that night had come, the full moon shined down on the land illuminating it with its peaceful glow. Asta got up and began looking for the source of the voice. He found his answer when he looked upon the branches and saw a figure standing above him.

She stood tall, in a full black bodysuit that hugged her body. She had incredibly long hair that was silver-white and fastened in a thick braid. She had a white cloth that covered the upper part of her body but the oddest thing that stood out to Asta was the red rope that seemed to tie around her. For what purpose would something like that serve?

The women jumped down to where Asta was at. She looked at him with an impassive expression.

"Come with me." That was all she said before she turned around and began walking. The young knight stood there, completely dumfounded over what was going on. Until finally his brain caught up with the situation.

"What the heck!" He shouted at the top of his energetic lungs. "Who wakes up a person and then says come with me and then just walks away!? What's with you lady!"

"Uh…what's going on?" Liebe asked, also waking from the loud shouting.

The slivery-haired woman turned around to face Asta her eyes narrowing. The impassive face was gone, instead, there was an expression of annoyance and…anger?

"My Master, Cloud Retainer, asked that I bring you back to her. She wishes to discuss things with you after you rudely came to her home. Now, come with me." Again the woman turned and began to walk away in the opposite direction, leaving the young knight completely dumbfounded and slightly annoyed. He usually isn't quick to anger, but the damage to his body, the events that happened, and the fact that he doesn't know how his friends are doing are starting to weigh on Asta's patience.

"Hey! If you want someone to come to you then maybe you should work on your manners!" Blame the fact that Asta was still very much in pain from his fight at the Spade Kingdom but he was very short-fused right now. He did not have time to deal with a stranger who also had a short fuse. "And also, I already apologized for bothering her! Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere!" He said, crossing his arms and stomping his foot down.

The two locked eyes for a brief moment before Asta realized that he was in fact acting ridiculous and explosive. He needed to leave, he wasn't going to get any rest here. He moved to pull his sword out of his grimoire when he saw from the corner of his eye something coming at him fast.

He dodged quickly and saw that an ice shard was thrown at him. Liebe coming on high alert over what just happened. The two brothers turned to see the woman, with an angry expression on her face. "I will not ask again. You are to come with me. If you refuse then I will smash your face to the ground repeatedly and then drag you with me."

Whoa, her ki wasn't lying…he knows he's not one to talk right now but she got angry rather fast.

"Asta, we should get out of here…"

"I don't think she's going to let us." He whispered to his partner. "I'm not going anywhere with you! And if it's a fight you want…" Asta reached out from his Grimore and pulled out the Demon Slasher Katana. "Then come at me!" The woman looked curiously at his grimoire and then to his sword. Odd, does she not know what a grimoire is? Whatever, Asta was fully ready for this woman to pull out her grimoire and unleash some type of ice magic. That's what she fired at him earlier, it was an ice shard so she must have some type of ice magic. That was fine, he's dealt with water, wind, and fire, so he can handle some ice magic. He stood there ready for her to pull out her grimoire.

Imagine his surprise when instead she grasped at the air and a spear came out.

"What? Where's her grimoire?" He asked aloud, getting a nod from his brother.

The young knight did not get an answer, what he did get was said angry woman blazing right at him at a surprising speed! He raised his katana and blocked the attack that came right at him.

"Whoa!"

And with that came a 2nd surprise, her strength. Asta took pride in his strength. Not having any magic the young man has devoted himself to strength training. Having developed an impressive physique and incredible super-strength from the results of his training Asta felt confident that he could stop this blow. Yet, he found his knees buckling and his arms shaking as this woman pressed on him. It didn't help that his body was still wounded. Regardless, this woman is strong. Either she's using magic to reinforce herself or she has one hell of a strength training routine.

He steeled himself and pushed back, determined to not lose this battle in strength. He tried to press forward and pushed the girl slightly back, he ended up doing just that but not by much. For a few moments, the two were locked in a struggle. That struggle came to an end when the woman broke the struggle and leaped away.

She stomped her foot into the ground and ice began to come straight toward Asta. Shards began to erupt, getting larger and coming right at him. He panicked not and instead swiped with his demon slasher katana, in doing so he fired an energy slash of anti-magic. Now it was the woman's turn to be surprised as she watch with wide eyes as the ice she created came undone by the slash. Not destroyed, but undone, it was negated completely and the ground didn't have any trace of ice or water.

"What?" That was all she said as the slash made contact with her sternum and hit her at full force, knocking her off her feet and the wind of out her. She quickly recovered and took her stance, though she showed more caution now towards her opponent after that.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Yeah, like I'm going to tell you." said Asta. Deja Vu, he remembered fighting other magic knights at the clover kingdom and them being surprised by his abilities. Seems' like it's the same case here. Perfect for him, he's going to use it to his advantage. He fired more anti-magic slashes toward his opponent, forcing her to move quickly. They came fast but she was able to dodge them for the most part. Asta watched her with caution as she pulled this weird-looking type of paper that looked to be made of ice.

"Manifest!" She waved the ice-looking paper and what resulted was a much larger and wider ice attack that was quickly engulfing the ground beneath him. Thinking quickly Asta thrust his katana into the floor preventing any ice from creeping onto his feet and trapping him. He then pulled out his demon dweller sword and readied for the next attack. He looked to where his opponent would be only to see she disappeared, kind of. An icy mist began to surround him, with that and being nighttime meant it was very difficult to see his surroundings. That was fine, after all, Asta knows how to read ki.

He closed his eyes and calmed his mind, waiting and focusing…

Then…

There!

He sliced to his left and struck, not his opponent, but an icy silhouette that resembled her. So she can create ice clones of herself that can fight? That was so cool!

"Asta." said Liebe in his mind.

"Sorry." He said before focusing back on the fight. More clones came at him, Asta relied on ki and dodged the moves with incredible flexibility. He struck each and everyone one of them, destroying them with ease thanks to his sword. "C'mon on out already!" He yelled out, not out of frustration but in hopes of goading his enemy into acting foolishly. Asta received no verbal response but he did have to dodge a strike above. Pulling his 2nd sword out from the ground Asta pressed on and began to give multiple strikes at his opponent, the woman did not back away but met him with strikes of her own. Sparks began to fly as metal clashed against metal. Her skill with the spear and his skill with swords are shown perfectly.

"Wow, you really are incredible!" Asta blurted out of the blue, his eyes sparkling in amazement.

"What?" For once, the woman's blank expression actually showed a bit of confusion.

"I've never fought someone like this! You use your ice magic and your spear so well together! And you're really strong too! Oh man, this is awesome! Can you please teach me your strength training regime?" He said those words with genuine honesty and amazement. The two stopped their strikes, with Asta breathing heavily. His body was reaching his limits, but that only meant it was time to surpass them!

"You are a strange one." She simply said. "But I am going to end this now." She took a step forward and ice began to form around her feet. Again, another ice paper came to her fingers. Her eyes begin to shine an icy blue and the air around her began to glint. Asta couldn't sense the magic but even he can tell by her ki that something big is about to happen.

That was fine.

She waved her hand through the air and what came forth was a large blast of a condensed ice storm coming right at him. Asta made no move to dodge, instead, he quickly placed his 2 swords back in his grimoire and pulled out the demon slayer sword. He turned the sword so the flat surface was facing his enemy. This action confused the woman, wondering if this man had lost his mind in swinging at this attack. For a second time, her eyes became wide as Asta struck the ice attack with the flat surface and fired her own attack right back at her. Only it was a lot stronger and moving twice as fast. Again, she was unprepared for this and could not dodge in time before her entire body was covered in ice.

Asta stayed still for just a few moments before cheering in victory. "Yes!" He was glad that he won, cause his body was just about ready to collapse. He looked at the frozen body with a victory smile before realizing something.

"Holy crap!" Asta shouted. "Hold on miss, I'm coming!" Asta just wanted to defeat her, not kill anyone. The attack didn't seem that strong but Asta did double its strength when he reflected it back, for all he knew he could have frozen her completely both inside and out! "Please be okay, please be okay…" He moved and, being as careful as possible, lightly tapped the woman's head, chest, and arms with his sword. The ice came undone as soon as he did that and the woman seemed okay. Asta breathed a sigh of relief.

"W-What happened?" She asked in genuine confusion.

"Man that's a relief, I thought I completely froze you. Sorry about that." Asta said as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes I'm fine. Angry and cold, but fine." She said. "How did you do that?" She asked again, her eyes trailing to the sword he held in his hand.

"I would like to know as well."

A familiar voice reached his ears as he turned to see Cloud Retainer behind him. Asta was about to say something before…

"Master, forgive me."

"Wait, what?" Asta blurted out, turning towards the woman and then to Cloud Retainer and then back to the woman. "She's your master?" He asked and she nodded. "Whoa…that's incredible." Asta could not help but picture this bird wielding a spear like his opponent just did. Liebe could only sigh in annoyance over his sometimes idiot brother.

"Don't worry Shenhe, you did fine."

Shenhe? So that's her name.

"Asta, that was quite an impressive display." The bird said in honest praise. "One has trained Shenhe in the adepti arts since she was a young girl. Her high constitution, skill, and vision would make her a strong opponent. One is quite curious to find out how you did what you did."

It looks like she still wanted answers. At this point, Asta was willing to give it to her. He was going too, in hopes that this would finally end this matter. Now that he's let some steam out is should be easy. Huh, his body feels really heavy all of a sudden. The adrenaline must be wearing off…yeah that's it. His eyes too…it's fine…he just needed to speak with them and then he can go. That's all he had to do…just…speak to her…

*Thud!*

Shenhe watched with an impassive expression as her opponent passed out and fell to the floor. That was no surprise, during their fight she could see the wounds he had and his arms were shaking to hold his swords. This young man was at his limit, whatever he did before had taken its toll on him.

"Well, one can not say she is surprised. It will take more than a few hours of rest to recover from this set of injuries." Her master stated. "Shenhe, are you able to escape out of the ice?"

"Yes master, give me just a moment…"

"Good, please carry the young man back into our abode. Perhaps after we treat his wounds he will be more inclined to answer one's questions." With that Cloud Retainer flew away, leaving a slightly annoyed Shenhe all alone with her opponent passed out on the ground. She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself, she could feel her temper coming out. The tall woman sighed, knowing that she had a long way to go if she ever wished to rejoin society back in Liyue. Well…enough about that. The ice will soon be melting and soon she will be carrying this strange young man back.

It was surprising to hear her master say this. While Cloud Retainer is sentimental she does not have the patience for guests and does not tolerate them in her home. The fact that she is wanting to bring this young man over piques Shenhe's curiosity. Shenhe looked at his right arm, how it looked cracked with black and red all over, and the strange writing on his left wrist. She looked to her red ropes and wondered…if this person has a similar curse…

Bah, she disappeared those thoughts quickly and began to focus on escaping this ice. Honestly, her master could have at least helped her with this.

He awoke to the feel of the sun hitting on his skin.

"Huh…" Asta's eyes open slowly trying to get his bearings in place. He turned around to look at his surroundings. He wasn't in the forest anymore but rather in a well-kept room. Speaking of which, he was also in a very soft bed and…!

"WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO MY CLOTHES!" He shouted at the top of his lungs only to regret it later after his body cried out in pain for straining himself, but he had a good reason. For Asta was completely nude underneath his blanket.

"Holy crap, your awake Asta!" shouted Liebe, still in his diminutive form.

"Liebe! What's going on!? Where are my clothes? Where are we? " He half asked and half cried out in tears.

"First of all, calm down. Second of all, we're at that bird's home. They brought us here after you passed out. Third, they changed your clothes hence why you're naked." Liebe explained as best he could to his brother. "I'm not sure how long we've been here. This place is weird to say the least."

"What do you mean?" Asked Asta.

"Take a look outside." Said Liebe as he pointed to the window next to Asta's bed. The young knight did just so and his jaw dropped at what he saw. He expected to see a lawn or other homes for a neighborhood or something. What he did see were clouds, lots of clouds below him. "Wha-" and not just that, there were also floating rock platforms that seemed to be connected through these light bridges or something. Just where in the world are they?!

"Um…Okay…well has Cloud Retainer shown up?" Asta asked as he tried to get his bearings together.

"No, but the lady that attacked us has been sitting there for the past couple of hours." Liebe casually pointed to his right and true to his word was the young man from before. Sitting there and keeping an impassive eye on Asta. Asta and the woman kept their eyes locked for a brief moment before the energetic young man did what he did best, shout.

"What the heck?! How long have you been standing there!?" He said while pointing his finger at his attacker.

"For a few hours." She said calmly, her eyes fixated on Asta's arm.

"Uh, why?"

"Don't bother Asta." Interrupted Liebe. "I've tried asking her questions but she keeps threatening to silence me if I keep annoying her." There was no fear or anger in the words of the diminutive Liebe, just an annoyance at their unwanted roommate.

What? Asta thought to himself before focusing back on the sliver-haired woman. She didn't say anything to him, nor did Asta try to start up a conversation. He didn't have to, he focused on her instead. He focused on her breathing, the sounds and movements she made, however small or little it might be Asta took a deep breath and just focused on her. It's easy to read someone's ki whenever they're moving around like crazy during a fight but having them still like this makes it difficult. Liebe said nothing as he understood what his partner was trying to do. He simply rested himself upon Asta's head, keeping a watchful eye on the sliver-haired woman as well.

"What are you doing?" She finally asked.

Asta said nothing, he didn't have to for he was able to get a read on the woman's ki.

And it was weird.

There…he didn't know how to describe it. It felt like there was this animosity, this calamity underneath in this person. Yet…there was also this loneliness? Was that it? This was all so weird, Asta simply could not get a read on her ki. He was hoping to do so in case he needed to predict her move if she tried to attack them again. In any case, she's definitely human-like him and not like whatever that talking bird is. Asta sighed, knowing that his wounds were taken care of doesn't mean he's out of the danger zone yet.

Asta also noticed that she's been staring at his right arm this entire time. She probably had questions about it, just like the talking bird did. He wasn't going to answer any questions, at least not right now, however, there was something that he needed to say and that was thanks.

"Thank you for treating my wounds!" Asta yelled with formality while giving a quick bow to the woman. His action actually did surprise her, as she broke her attention away from his arm. "Are you doing okay?"

"Hm…no apology necessary." The woman actually began conversing back. "I attacked you, and you fought back."

"Speaking of which…" Asta's eyes began to sparkle with amazement. "You fought so coolly! Can I ask you something?!"

She nodded with a bit of confusion.

"How did you get so strong?!" The young knight pulled out his arms and began to flex them. "I do a bunch of strength training like push-ups and sit-ups, what do you do?"

The honesty in his words only made the poor woman even more confused, it looked like she didn't expect these types of questions.

"I underwent Adeptus training, I've also been told I have a high constitution which I believe attributes to my strength." and yet surprisingly she was answering them with honesty.

"Wow…" Asta said, his eyes still sparkling. "I don't know what Adeptus training is but it sounds cool! And the way you made those ice clones was also super cool too! You were fighting with a spear and using so many cool attacks, I've never fought anyone like that before!"

Liebe only groaned in embarrassment at his brother's actions.

"Thank you, I can say that I've never fought anyone like you before either. Your attacks surprised me, tell me. What is your vision? Are you some type of anemo user? I don't see the pendant anywhere one you."

"Vision?" The young knight asked with a confused expression. "I don't know what this is. By the way, where was your grimoire? I saw you do all these types of attacks without your grimoire anywhere."

"Grimoire? What is that?"

The 2 exchanged questions yet neither of them was getting the answers they were hoping for. Words were being thrown around that did not make sense to the other party. Which resulted in a bunch of head-scratching from the young knight and confused looks from the silver-haired woman.

"I don't know what a grimoire is, if your asking as to how I use my cyro attacks it's because of my vision." The woman stood up and turned around, showing Asta and Liebe an icy blue colored pendant that was attached to the back of her hair. Asta looked at it with wide eyes, confused by what he was seeing and for a good reason.

Grimoire is the source of power for any mage back in Asta's home. While the kingdoms had their own specific design for the grimoire, such as the clover kingdom's 3-leaf clover, anyone who could use magic needed a grimoire to perform specific attacks. It was impossible without it, or at least that's what Asta knew but seeing this completely turned that upside down.

"Hold on…" He said to himself, while the silver-haired woman and Liebe looked upon him. His mind began to turn. He remembered stories from his Captain, how in his land in the east grimoires were not a thing. It wasn't until he came to clover kingdom did Yami discover what a grimoire was. However, his captain was still born with magic. Everyone in the land of the east was born with magic. They just didn't have access to a grimoire because grimoires weren't a thing there. Which means…

"Excuse me, Miss?" Asta asked his eyes in disbelief over what he may have realized. "I should have asked this sooner but…where am I? I don't mean this area. I mean, what kingdom are we in?"

"Kingdom? I have no idea what you're referring to but to answer your question, you are in Liyue."

Liyue? What's a Liyue? Where is Liyue?

…it took some time for the realization to sink in but when it did it hit Asta hard.

"Liebe, this isn't our home." Asta said solemnly as he stared out the window.

"Yeah...it's not." His brother agreed as he to was also able to piece everything together.

No memory, he has no memory of what happened. All Asta remembered was passing out as they dealt the final blow to Lucifero. How? Just how on earth did he and Liebe land in a completely different area? Did Lucifero do some kind of final magic attack with his dying breath? Was Finral trying to get them home with his spatial only for something to go wrong? Did his squad even know he was gone?

So many questions too much to take in and Asta did not know how to sort through them all. He took a deep breath and did his best to keep his mind as calm as possible. It wasn't exactly working…

"Miss, you said your master was Cloud Retainer." It was then that Asta realized that perhaps talking to this strange bird may not be such a bad idea after all.

"Shenhe."

"Huh?"

"My name, it's Shenhe. You may call me that."

"Oh!" Asta realized and blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry about that! My name is Asta, and this is my brother Liebe."

"Hi." Waved the diminutive devil.

"It's really nice to meet you Ms. Shenhe." Asta said as both brothers gave a thankful bow. "I'm sorry to ask this but can I please meet with Cloud Retainer? She must have questions for me and I think I'm ready to answer them."

"Yes, she did want to speak with you. Unfortunately, she went out and I do not know when my master will be back."

"What?!" Aw man, and Asta is all fired up to talk to her now! So much for that…

"Um…Ms. Shenhe, do you have any spare clothes for me?" The young knight said nervously as he was still very much naked underneath this blanket. The poor kid's heart was starting to beat now that it was sinking in, especially in front of a girl as well.

"Yes, my master repaired your clothes for you. She stated that they were completely torn apart and covered in filth." Such bluntness from her mouth did nothing to affect Asta's mood. She pointed to where the clothes and Asta was just about to get up and get them.

"She did? I need to give her my thanks then." He stopped when he realized that Shene was still there in the room.

Asta and Liebe started at her and she stared back at them.

"Um…Ms. Shene…can you please leave the room so I can change?" the young knight asked.

"Why?"

Her blunt answer and calm tone were like a brick shattering a window for Asta and Liebe.

"B-Because I need to change and I'm naked underneath…" Asta tried to explain…

"I know, I helped master undress you to treat your wounds."

Her answer caused Asta's face to heat up in embarrassment.

"Right." Liebe suddenly said. "But now that he's okay, he needs to change into his clothes. Can you give him some privacy?"

"I will keep silent, but I don't see how that requires me to leave the room."

Asta and Liebe had the biggest blank expression as they stared at this woman. Her tone was completely calm and she spoke in the same tone she has been this entire time.

"M-Ms. Shenhe." Asta began, the poor young man's face redder than a tomato. "C-Can you please let me change by myself? Where I come from, it's not right for a guy and girl to be in the same room while changing." He said with the tone of a nervous wreck.

"Really? I had no idea that was a custom."

WHAT

"I shall wait outside the door. Let me know when you are done changing so that we can wait for my master's arrival." with that, Ms. Shenhe got up and out of the room. Leaving a red-faced Asta and a flabbergasted Liebe all by themselves.

"Liebe…"

"Yeah, Asta?"

"The people here are weird."

"Yeah, yeah they are."

Asta got up off the bed and made his way to the clothes provided to him. The young woman wasn't lying, there completely repaired to look like new. His pants, boots, belt, shirt, and headband! Yes, he was so happy to see that was fixed, that headband showed that he was part of the black bulls and he's proud of it. With a smile on his face, he got dressed and felt good as new. He stepped out of the doors with Liebe riding on his shoulder, upon exiting he sees Shenhe waiting for him.

"Ready to go Ms. Shenhe." He said with a smile on his face.

"Good, let's go find my master and see if you can both help each other out."

To be continued.

Hello, welcome to my new story that I wanted to wright cause I was getting a bit bored with my last one. This time I'm writing a Black Clover x Genshin Impact cross-over. I've been playing Genshin for the past year and I've been watching black clover and got so into it that when the anime ended I started reading the manga. It's awesome and I love Asta and his attitude, he's my favorite character of that show. So I wanted to write this story with him and here I am. This takes places after chapter 330 of the manga so for those whose only watched the anime you might be lost. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it. Had a lot of fun writing the interactions with Shene and Asta both the fighting and the comedy part. See you next time.

Also, I wanted to answer some questions that may come up in the messages.

Will Asta get a vision?

-Can't answer that, you'll have to see if I give him one or not.

Will there be pairings?

-Yes, this will a harem story just to let you know now. Asta will be meeting various female characters throughout the game. I have a few mind that I would like to pair with him. You'll have to see which ones though, it's not gonna be every single female. 3-4 if you need a number to speculate and guess.

Is Asta replacing the traveler?

-Asta will not be replacing the traveler. The traveler is in the world doing their thing.

Will his anti-magic work the same here?

-Yes, this is a work of fiction. Writers can do whatever they want. Both visions and the archon's powers will be affected the same way magic is when going up against Anti-magic. That is how I will write this story.

That's all I can think of for now. Again, thanks for reading!