Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump.

Saga 13: Welcome to the Black Parade

Black Bulls Base, Clover Kingdom (Afternoon)

After the meltdown between new recruits, Yuno, Jericho, and Noelle each went about their own businesses.

Yuno was outside, training his magic, mind, and body, relentlessly.

Jericho was in the library, seeking solace within the pages inscribed of ancient text.

And Noelle locked herself in her own room, crying underneath her sheets.

Feelings of despair, weakness, and self-reflection, permeated the three young minds.

For Yuno, it was his sanity.

For Jericho, it was his ignorance.

For Noelle, it was her acceptance.

Noelle's Quarters, Black Bulls Base Interior (Afternoon)

A knocking sound was heard from the door. Then a voice was heard.

"Noelle?" The voice then knocks on the door once again. "Can you let me in? I need to talk to you about a few things."

"GO AWAY!" Noelle then throws her pillow to the door.

The door just clicks open on its own, revealing Vanessa, now sober and with her clothes on, carrying a tray of food with a glass of juice.

"I thought I locked the door..." Noelle mumbled.

"[Thread Magic]." She plainly stated while pink magical threads float around her. "Lost my keys to my own room a few times whenever I got wasted. Got good at lockpicking over the past few years thanks to that."

The silver-haired girl just remains silent, dumbstruck.

"Mind if I sit next to you?" Vanessa asks Noelle.

"I don't care anymore. Do what you want." She droned.

Vanessa then sets down the tray of food onto Noelle's desk, with herself sitting next to Noelle on her bed.

The two then sit on the bed awkwardly.

"What do you want?" Noelle asked in a hostile tone. "If you're going to tell me that I've messed up, then you can go-"

"I'm not leaving." Vanessa sternly replied. "I'm not leaving me until you tell me about you."

Noelle then freezes upon hearing that.

"I'm nothing more then a failure tha-"

Her mouth is then pressed against by Vanessa's index finger.

"No." She replied. "No you're not."

"Th-Then why?" Noelle sniffles out. "Why can't I control my magic? Why is a peasant blessed with a four-leaf and and an ex-royal has to be stronger than me?"

"Because it takes time, sweetie." She answers. "No one in this world is created equal."

"B-B-But I'm a royal..." She sniffs out. "I-I should be above all others... and not at the bottom..."

"Pride hath a fall, Noelle." Vanessa solemnly states. "We are in no place to decide how we're born into this world, but its only after we set foot onto the earth that we become the masters of our own fate."

"THEN WHY DID MY MOTHER HAVE TO DIE!?" She screamed out. "She... She should've just let me die in her womb..."

"If she did that, do you think that she felt any better than you are right now?"

Noelle springs up from her bed, faces Vanessa forward, and slaps her face.

"JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY MOTHER!?"

"THAT SHE WAS A BETTER MOTHER THEN MINE COULD EVER HOPE TO BE!"

Noelle freezes in her place, dumbstruck.

"My mother only saw me as a tool." Vanessa spoke in a trembling tone. "From the moment I was created, not given birth, by her, she threw me into a cage until I could meet her absurdly high expectations."

"What were those expectations?" Noelle asked in a worried tone.

"The power to change fate."

"Fate?"

"I don't know what she ever meant nor I still haven't." She sighed out. "But even if I did somehow managed to meet her expectations, she would just then kill me where I stand, take the power that I worked hard for, and keep it all to herself."

"Oh God..." Noelle muttered. "Just what kind of a monster is your mother?"

"The kind that sees everything exists solely to her benefit." Vanessa stated bluntly. "True parents give the world to their children just so that they can live. Your mother gave up everything, including her own life, just so that you can live."

Noelle's eyes then begin to stream down tears.

"In spite all life not being created equal, it doesn't mean that no life is completely meaningless." Vanessa stated in a sincere tone. "That's what Captain Yami taught me ever since I joined his squad."

"VANESSA!" The silver-haired girl then breaks down, glomping her senior Magic Knight. "I'M SO SORRY! I'M SO SORRY!" She sobbed out into Vanessa's lap.

"There, there." Vanessa pats Noelle's head. "The Black Bulls are now your family now."

At her emotional apex, Noelle then sees the image of her mother's face.

Even at her deathbed, the mother's pained smile wishes for the child to live.

Not only for her sake.

But for Noelle's sake.

Library, Black Bulls Base Interior (Late Afternoon)

Ever since Jericho was a child, he always had a fascination with books.

For they were almost like people.

There were truths, there were also lies, but it didn't change the fact that it was someone's mental expression.

As he was finished reading through one of the ancient texts, Jericho then puts the finished text back into its shelf. In the gap between the bookshelves, he sees Gordon's face.

"Oh, hello there, Gordon." Jericho greeted.

"(Oh hey. Didn't know you were gonna be here.)" Gordon mumbled out.

"Well, I might as well adhere to the 'newbies doing the chores around the base' rule, so I excused myself down here to dust out this place." Jericho stated.

"(Well, take your time.)" He mumbles out. "(Almost no one comes down here, anyway. Kind of a shame, though.)"

"Indeed it is..." Jericho sighs out. "So tell me, Gordon."

"(I'm listening.)" The man addressed.

"What are the reasons for the Black Bull's horrid reputation?" Jericho asks. "And I don't mean it in a insensitive way. It's just out of legitimate curiosity."

"(Well, for public reasons, it has to do with the fact we apparently cause the most property damage in our missions.)" Gordon mumbled out.

"Is that statement true?" Jericho asked.

"(About that...)" Gordon trails off for a moment. "(It's... complicated.)"

"Are the reports of the damages caused by your squad happened to be exaggerated fabrications?" Jericho retorts.

"(Hit the nail right where it really hurts.)" He replied in a soft tone. "(Sure, I'm not pointing fingers or anything, but we do occasionally destroy a stall or a two when we're chasing a ne'er do wells in our missions, but even then, we're not crooks.)"

"Then what are the reasons for such slander?" Jericho asks while dusting a tower of books.

"(Captain Yami.)" He replied. "(And such reasons for it are beyond petty that it hurts to think about it.)"

"Oh my god." Jericho stops dusting for a moment. "That bad?"

"(Very.)" He replied. "(Mainly the fact that no one would ever stand up for a foreigner. Especially when he became captain.)"

"I knew from the start that the Clover Kingdom is rather... wary when it comes to foreigners." Jericho sighs out. "So, I kinda had a hunch relating to such stigma. I should know, I saw that play out myself."

"(You did?)"

"I have an adopted brother who's also Hanafudan."

"(Hanafudan?)"

"His name is Taro." He recalled. "My parents found him in the shipwreck around his dead mother's arms. Since then, they raised us like brothers and once he learned our language, he told us that he was from a far-off kingdom called Hanafuda, hypothetically the same kingdom where Captain Yami might've hailed from." He then smiles nostalgically. "Upon learning that, me and my family began looking deep into Hanafundan culture through texts found on that ship. Taro's knowledge on it was very limited, and we barely managed to translate only 2% of the text. But through that struggle, me and Taro bonded, as well as the rest of my family and servants."

"(Was it hard for him to fit into the Clover Kingdom?)" Gordon asked.

"Do you know the reasons why my family cut ties with the Clover Kingdom royalties and all of its nobles?" Jericho stated in a venomous tone.

The duster in his hand snaps in his tightening grip.

"Taro was almost killed by the other noble children just because he was not from the Clover Kingdom." Jericho gritted through his teeth. "I was ten at that time, taro was only seven. And upon seeing such an act of cruelty, I threw my very first punch and me and Taro fought for our lives using only our bare fists against their magic." He then places his hands onto his temple, while sitting on the dusty stone floor. "I told my parents what happened, and upon hearing such act, we made an unanimous agreement to leave our estate, rescind our title as royalty, and moved to the Forbidden Realm to protect my adopted brother."

"(Then, the observatory is really...)" Gordon trails off.

"Let's just say that the feelings of letting my brother see Clover Kingdom without getting maimed every second was unanimous. Until my ambitions are fulfilled, my brother is kept safeguarded in the observatory. And for an extra layer of protection, our observatory is Clover Kingdom-approved private property, so interlopers other than bandits or rouge mages cannot attack the place." Jericho solemnly stated. "As for my dreams of being a diplomat, it's for the sake of my brother. So that he won't be harmed by people plagued by ignorance. I don't hate the people that tried to kill Taro. I just pity their ignorance." Jericho sighs out.

"Shows what I know about this world. People are never born wise, but that's why knowledge exists in the first place."

"(It probably has to do with the war between the Clover/Diamond Wars that caused the populace to be wary of foreigners.)" Gordon points out. "(But even then, I heard people were still hostile to non-Clovers.)"

"You may have a point, but that's why I want to be a diplomat so I can end this ceaseless cycle of paranoia, hatred, and bigotry." Jericho answers firmly. "Or at least stop the people from killing other people from other nations."

Gordon then kneels down and places his hand onto his shoulder. "I believe in you." He speaks in an audible tone.

Jericho smiles back as he stands back onto his feet. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The two then go back to reading and dusting the books respectively.

Black Bull's Base Exterior (Early Evening)

"... 489... 490... 491..." Yuno was in a push-up position, training his body after relentlessly training his body.

In terms of physical and mental strength, Asta was still a whole world ahead of him.

He wasn't Asta, but sure as hell he'll try, dammit.

Even if he can hear his bones crunching under their own weight.

Even if his vision is starting get really blurry.

"... 497... 498.. 499..."

He'll make the one final push.

"... 500!" Yuno then plops onto the dirt below, with his muscles screaming in agony, and his breath struggling to take in oxygen.

"Not yet... not yet..." Yuno heaved out.

"WAHH! LOOK OUT!"

Yuno opens his eyes, barely seeing a basket full of various fruits falling towards him.

His fight or flight instincts kick in immediately.

"[Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble]...!" A ball of wind surrounds the falling fruit and basket, catching it mid-air.

"Hey!" A female voice called out from the distance.

Yuno looks toward where the voice was coming from.

"Hey... Charmy." The youth spoke out in a tired tone.

"Ah!?" The female Magic Knight exclaimed. "Is that you, newbie?" She then runs toward the collapsed youth.

"Can you... hurry up and... put the fruits back?" He moaned. "... I'm almost spent here."

The squat lady than proceeds to do as such.

"So... tell me..."

"La?" She exclaimed.

"What the actual hell... were you planning to do with... all that, anyway?"

"For tonight's dessert, of course!" She replied.

"You do know... that not all of us... are voracious as... you, right?" He moaned.

"I know, most of the quantity is for me anyway." She replied plainly. "But that aside, you look awful right now. I get whetting your appetite before dinner through working out, but you're practically ground yourself right down to your skeleton!"

"Wait... do I?" Yuno tries to get up, but he tumbles back down to his knees and his face on the dusty earth below.

"Geez, I expected Magna or Luck to tire themselves out like this, but you, good sir, just took that cake and ate it whole." She then opens her grimoire. "[Cotton Creation Magic: Shepherd's Sheep]." Three humanoid sheeps appear before Yuno, helping him up back to his feet. "Please take him back into base and clean him up before dinner starts." Charmy orders the sheep.

The sheep then carries Yuno back into the base under his arms, with one making sure that he's still alive.

"Oh, my meal-saving prince..." Charmy sighed out as she carried her basket towards the base. "He tries so hard, but it'll all be in vain if he dies..." She sighs out once again before slapping herself out of her funk. "Nope! Nope! Bad Charmy! Bad things will only happen if you think about them!" She reassures herself. "Right. Once Yuno is cleaned up and awake, I'll spoil him like a banana and stuff him like a turkey, or else he'll shrivel up into a skeleton by tomorrow!" She then hustles toward the open door, sets the basket down near the kitchen, and casts [Cotton Creation Magic: Sheep Cooks] to summon sheep cooks to prep-cook tonight's dinner. "Not on my watch!"

Charmy then hears a pair of boisterous laughing coming from the entrance.

She looks out the kitchen, sees Magna and Captain Yami, walking together, in arm and arm, in the backdrop of a setting sun,

NAKED.

"AGGAHH! CAPTAIN!?" She exclaimed with her eyes covered.

"Oi Charmy." He spoke out. "What's cookin'?"

"I was about to get started, but WAIT, WHY ARE YOU TWO NAKED!?"

"Captain Yami and I gambled literally everything we had on us except for our grimoires and Magic Knight robes!"

"I swear! Over one million yuls! Disappeared! In an instant! And I'm not even mad!"

The two then let out another barrage of boisterous laughter, until they stop.

"Alright, enough chitchat, where the hell are the newbies?" Captain Yami asked Charmy.

"I just took Yuno back in after he had gone training himself to near-death, as for Jericho and Noelle, well..." She trails off.

"They're still in the base, right?" The Captain stated.

Charmy nods.

"Well once they get out of their funk, tell them this:"

Captain Yami then inhales his cigarette, causing the tip to glow.

"Tell them that their first mission as Magic Knights starts tomorrow." He then blows out a cloud of smoke. "And also Charmy,"

"Yes Captain?" She still covers her eyes while responding.

"Can you stop covering your eyes? You're turning my face red."

"I'M THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE TELLING YOU THAT!"

Demon's Hideout, Clover Kingdom (Evening)

"... 9987... 9988... 9989..." Astaroth's collective sweats has formed a pond beneath him for the past 2 hours.

Claudius meanwhile, was still grilling Leif with questions about how the possible alliance will work, what to expect from the dark elves, and above all, how the they survived.

It was as successful as a squirrel trying to dig into a rock for nuts.

Made even more fitting with Claudius sitting upon a rock that Astaroth had on his back, with the Prince himself trying to go for ten-thousand push-ups.

"So..." Claudius drones while nursing his headache.

"You never planned this far, haven't you?" Leif commented.

"To be fair, I should point out that we've both did nothing but hide, loot off dead humans, and survive." Claudius sighed out.

The two negotiators let out a sigh.

"This... is all new to me." Leif addressed.

"Tell me about it..." Claudius groaned. "Until last night, I thought we were the only ones that are left that are not of a human race."

"Same here." Leif stated.

The just stare at each other in awkward silence.

"Umm. Claudius?"

"Yes milord?"

"Can you please get off of me? I'm done with my ten-thousand."

Claudius gets himself off of Astaroth's back.

"FREEDOM!" Astaroth bolts out of the cave like a bat out of hell.

"Now then..." Claudius sees that the cave is clear of any eavesdroppers. "It's just us now."

Claudius then turns back to the boy.

"So tell me, why humans pass by your forest, despite clearly being know as 'Gallows Forest'?" Claudius stated. "I mean, you stated that you ate humans, so that means that you implied that it happened more than once."

"Even funnier, we clearly put a sign saying 'forfeit your life should you enter', but despite countless blatant warnings, the humans came in droves." Leif remarked. "Either they took that statement as a challenge, or our founder Vidar was right about magic the whole time."

"Stupidity or vanity?" The Demon asked.

"Would you believe me that it was both? At the same time?" Leif answered.

"... I do not blame you for being mad at humanity's stupidity."

"Don't be. In fact, that fact alone actually helped my kind in the long run." Leif smirked. "But I gotta ask, why didn't the humans find you guys out?"

"Like this."

Claudius jumps up into the air, magically transforming himself into an anti-bird.

"... Holy shit." Leif commented. "Hidden in plain sight, huh?"

The anti-bird transforms back into Claudius.

"Exactly." The Fallen Angel remarked. "And for context, we were able to access into that form long before we were locked out of Hell."

"Wait, so does that mean-"

"Every anti-bird in the continent being a possible Demon in disguise?" Claudius remarks. "Maybe."

Leif goes silent in awe.

"So, about the alliance?" Claudius stated.

"Yeah, I got nothing."

The two groan in frustration.

"Yo guys." A voice comes from the entrance.

Claudius and Leif look toward the entrance, revealing Astaroth.

"Milord..." Claudius speaks. "About the alliance, I-"

"Look." Astaroth cuts him off. "I don't know how the whole alliance thing works, but instead of thinking too hard on it right now between the two of you only, why don't we worry about it until we actually meet Leif's friends?"

The two blink.

"That's... why didn't we think of that in the first place?" Claudius stated.

"To be fair, you seem like the type of guy who would literally plan for every single thing." Leif commented. "Hell, I wouldn't be surprised of the fact that you would forget a few things just for the fact that you were focused on one thing too hard."

"... You got me." Claudius sputtered.

"So, what we should've done in the first place is that we shouldn't have questioned this whole ordeal in the first place." Claudius stated.

"Exactly." Astaroth bluntly stated.

Claudius and Leif look at each other.

"Dead of night?"

"Hell yeah."

The two shake hands on mutual agreement. Tonight, they make their flight towards the Gallows Forest.

"So milord."

"Yeah?" Astaroth replied.

"You still know how to transform into your bird form, correct?"

Astaroth jumps up and transforms into an anti-bird. The bird then transforms back into its Fallen Angel form

"Good. Now keep doing that until we leave for Leif's home."

(Several Hours Later...)

Daylight has died down beneath twilight, and now the dark elf and two Fallen Angels-disguised as anti-birds roam the dark of the night.

The group hops from tree branch to tree branch, above the unsuspecting fauna and occasional bandit.

With the dark elf boy leading the way, the two Fallen Angels/anti-birds converse telepathically, in secret from the boy.

"So milord, how's the link treating you?" Claudius asked.

"I still don't know how we're doing this in the first place." Astaroth stated.

"Well, for starters, link is established as a default method of communication when we're in out anti-bird forms."

"Okay, but how did you communicate telepathically back at the Eye of the Midnight Sun base raid? I recall you being in your Fallen Angel form at that time."

"True, but I'll let you off with one thing."

"Which is?"

"Demons don't learn."

"Huh?"

"We adapt."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You'll know when you get there."

"And when will I get there?"

"I would recommend Hell, but as of now, we'll simply have to make do."

"Now that I think about it, why did you day that you were marooned in this world?"

"You know that the gates of Hell were sealed away, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Do you know where the gate itself is at, right now?"

"No, not really."

"Here's a hint: it's buried under a mile-thick layer of mortar, cobblestone, dirt, architecture, and people's footsteps."

"Don't tell me..."

"The gates of Hell directly under the Clover Kingdom's Capital City. Courtesy of that blasted Sephira, the damned burning BITCH!"

"Um, Claudius? Who's Sephira?"

"An Angel, our opposites. Where as we rise from the depths of Hell, the Angel descend from the advent of Heaven. Unlike us Demons, they don't need to develop. From the moment they are created, they are infinite, where as us Demons have to break limits endlessly."

"So if the two meet..."

"Armageddon."

"... What's that?"

"The end of all creation, heralded by the two forces beyond the boundaries of life and death clashing endlessly. Sephira, being the naive and foolhardy greenhorn she is, decides to intervene upon the living to rig the odds to her kind's favor."

"So you're saying that a single Angel somehow managed to screw you all over. How?"

"In our defense, we were too by-the-book."

"By the book?"

"We're evil in nature, but we are reasonable enough to play by the rules of the Origin, the creator of all, since day one. But one of the angels decides to implant the knowledge of magic and the damned Sefirot to the mortals. In essence, not only magic, which it shouldn't have existed in the minds of mortals, but the ultimate cheatsheet of life, death, and rebirth, effectively committing a taboo so great, that it pretty much destroyed the balance of this whole mortal plane, IS NOW IN THE HANDS OF THE LIVING!"

"So that's why we're here..."

"We're effective cleaning up the mess that a single greenhorn Angel made. Now, I don't hate the fact that my kind has been reduced to menial laborers, in fact, that's what we've done since day one of creation, tempting sin everywhere we go. I JUST HATE THE FACT THAT ONE OF US BROKE THE RULES AND CAUSING THIS WHOLE SHITSTORM IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"Wow... This is gonna be a lot harder then I thought."

"Its fortunate that us Demons were made for this."

"In what way?"

"The Angels are the purveyors of knowledge. We're damage control, insurance, and counterbalance. We're only classified as evil out of a greater necessity."

"So in the grand scheme of things, you're not out to end all magic. You guys just want your jobs back."

"Everybody within the whims of the Origin work for a living, you know. To not work means a fate worse than death."

"We're here." Leif breathed out.

The two anti-birds perches onto his shoulders. The two look over the dim settlement nested between the thick tree branches above the muddy swamp below.

Leif then jumps off of the branch he was on, and lands onto a wooden platform.

"Nalkriuk'uk avhere!? (Who's there!?)" A masculine voice cried out.

"Iav'uk alnej, leif! (It's me, Leif!)" The boy cried out.

"Milord, why are they speaking in fluent Daemontongue!?"

"Dunno, nor I want to find out."

The figure descends, revealing an adult-looking dark elf. Similar ash-gray hair, reddish-dark brown skin, dusty gray and brown garbs cover his form, and a bow and arrow in his hands.

"Nalkramal avhe skator were lat? lat were gone for avhe whole dautas! (Where the hell were you? You were gone for the whole day!)" The man chastised.

"Jiak found help! (I found help!)" Leif enthusiastically stated. "Agh don'av worry! they're noav shara, like uuk! (And don't worry! They're not human, like us!)"

The two birds then flutter off of the boy's shoulder and in front of the man.

"Leif. They're juukav anavi-birduk. (Leif. They're just anti-birds.)" The man deadpanned.

The two anti-birds transform back into their Fallen Angel forms.

"Hello." Claudius spoke out.

"INTRUDERS!" The man draws his bow and arrow in front of the Demon.

Astaroth then looks around the surrounding branches, seeing other dark elves drawing their bows.

They all fire upon the two.

"Milord."

"Way ahead of you." Astaroth draws Reject out of his five-leaf grimoire and parries every single arrow shot at them and back to their respective archer's bows, knocking them out of their hands.

"Waiav! they're noav humanuk! (Wait! They're not humans!)" Leif cried out as he wildly waved both of his hands.

The other dark elves then notice the two gigantic pairs of wings on their backs.

"Then nalkriuk avhe skator ayh avhey!? (Then who the hell are they!?)" The man then draws an iron short sword from his belt.

Every other dark elf then draws their own weapons.

"He wasn't kidding about the iron." Astaroth commented.

"Milord, later." Claudius then steps up toward the lead male dark elf. "Jiak bebefori avhaav jiak gelnaj clear up avhiuk liavavle miukunderukavandaumn. (I believe that I could clear up this little misunderstanding.)"

"Waiav, lat ukpeak our language!? (Wait, you speak our language!?)" The man exclaimed.

"Now avhen... (Now then...)" Claudius then sits down on the wooden floor, cross-legged, in front of the leader.

"Shall kulknej avalk? (Shall we talk?)"

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Info-dump, the chapter, ladies and gentlemen.

My creative stamina is starting to stall on me after roughly two weeks of nonstop brainstorming, writing, and checking e-mails for any crap related to college.

I need a break.

BTW: The name Sephira is mentioned in chapter 182 in the canon manga, and the name somehow connects to the elves and their reincarnation ritual. I'm claiming that Angels are a thing here.

And if the Elves that we've seen claim that they're loved by mana, what's stopping the claim that Sephira was the origin of all magic in the Black Clover universe?

Also creator deity is called Origin.

Basically the speechless omnipotent concept where literally everything traces back to.

So now, onto the recap:

Noelle lets it all out on Vanessa after her meltdown.

Jericho is lamenting the world's ignorance as the source of everyone's mutual suffering.

Gordon and Jericho bond over their love of benevolent knowledge.

Yuno's physical conditioning is slowly becoming self-destructive.

And the Black Bull's first mission is on their next day.

As for the Demons, Astaroth, Claudius, and Leif make their way towards the Gallows Forest.

Claudius reveals the existence of Angels to Astaroth.

Claudius also gets super-pissed on even mentioning Sephira.

And the Dark Elves were even more hostile and the Demons anticipated, but fortunately, no one was badly hurt.

And now the discussion of the possible alliance begins...

... Also there are plans to flesh out the Black Bull members's personalities.

Question of the chapter: What name do you think the Dark Elf Leader has? (Hint: Name every Norse god that you possibly can.)

Answers will be revealed in the next chapter.

So what do you guys think of this chapter?

Should I take a break and focus on school until my creative side recuperates?

Let comment or a review, for I like to know what my audience is thinking.