Chapter 1
Heroes of Tomorrow
"Is humankind in control of their will? Are they truly free to choose their desires, their destiny, and their fate? Or are they simply following a script? Perhaps, we are driving by the rules of a higher entity, and we pretend to be free. It could simply be that the concept of "freedom" is simply an illusion. It could even be that we humans desire to be controlled. To be guided to where our journey takes us without worrying about how we get there. It is believed that humans are the only intelligent species due to the first humans making a deal with the devil.
A silhouette stood in the middle of an auditorium. Her female voice was the only identifiable trait that one could use to determine her gender. A group of silhouettes sat in the front seats, the dim light making it impossible to determine any facial features.
"The way we have to see this it's not what human beings have, but what we can have. You see, we are blessed. Blessed with the choice to carry out the will of the higher force. We have the opportunity to fight and prove ourselves for a noble cause." The woman splayed her hands dramatically."Our sole purpose is to follow their guidance to cleanse this world from filth. In return, we will be given a wish. Any wish your heart so desires. Rejoice! For you have been chosen to represent your kingdom and help change the world!"
The crowd of people stood up, hands behind their backs as they stood straight."Stand proud, Saviors. You have been given the chance to aid destiny and make this world a better place. For the sake of peace. For the sake of your noble desires. For the sake of a world without evil and temptation. Being accepted as a Savior is the highest honor in our kingdom and will allow you to better the lives of your families in exchange for your services. As for right now, you are the hope of humanity. Bring an end to this era of suffering and grasp the key for salvation. For the Fatherland!"
"For the Fatherland!" They all chanted simultaneously, their left hands going horizontally to their chest.
"You've been quiet ever since we began our adventure to the Capital." A tanned, tall man with a muscular physique said, his eyes fixed on the road in the middle of the forest ahead of them. He had brown pants with black shoes, a black tank top with a brown leather jacket with white feathers around the collar area. He had short grey hair, relaxed brown eyes, and a black piercing on his right ear. Around his torso, he had a big shield holstered around. It was purple, with the shape of a pull painted on it in white."I know you don't like much, but I'm a bit tired of hearing nothing but the wild animals around us. Come on, lighten up a bit."
"I'm not hungry if that's what you're wondering. Not really in the mood for bread again." The youth pretended to choke, earning a light slap on the back by the taller man. The young man in question was smaller than the taller man, but had a muscular build as well but was hidden in his clothes. He had short, messy onyx black hair with two bangs going down to the middle of his eyebrows, crossing each other. He had amber eyes and a mole on the right side of his cheek. He was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt underneath a crimson short-sleeved sweater alongside shoulder plates with spikes. He had black pants holding them in place with a white belt, and white combat boots. Unlike his partner, he had two blades holstered behind his back. Their material was painted in black, adorned with two red lines going across it and the handles were grey in color.
"Then? Are you nervous?" The taller male teased him with a cheeky grin."Come on, Raiden. It might be new to us, but this is just part of the experience. Joining a magic knight squad, I mean. Can't be worse than all the training with did back home to be prepared for the big day here."
"It's not that what I'm concerned about, Johan. It's just...I'm sorry..."
"Hmm?" Johan tilted his head, changing the hand in which he was carrying his bag."So, what's on your mind?"
"It's just...we're way past the due date for the entrance exams." Raiden sighed, lowering his gaze to the floor."At this rate, I doubt they'll accept us. If that happens, then all of this would have been for nothing."
Johan placed a hand on top of Raiden's head, ruffling it a bit."You worry too much, Raiden. I'm sure we can work something out. It's not like you to get so down with your own thoughts." He stopped, his hand making Raiden stop as well. He turned to him, glancing down at his eyes."I'm not upset we left a couple of days later. I understand. You were visiting her, right?"
Both young men stood there, silently with only the sound of the wind as their companion."Yeah..."
"Then I perfectly understand. I hope you said hi for me." With that, Johan resumed his walk, hands behind the back of his head as he leisurely continued walking ahead.
'Wish I was as relaxed as he is.' Raiden thought, continued his slow pace and falling behind a few feet.
"Say, what squad do you think you'll be?" Johan glanced behind his shoulder."If we are given the choice."
"Does it matter?" The black-haired teen shrugged, not really invested in the chat."Whichever lets me in. Don't really care about their ranks and all that. As long as I can get in a squad, it doesn't matter to me."
"I heard the Black Bulls are the worst squad of them all. Or so goes the info we got from that village we just came from after resting for the night. You wouldn't be satisfied in a squad like that, right?"
"It's all the same to me, really." Raiden replied, cracking his neck."I don't like to stand out much anyway, so I guess it could work for me. Regardless, we will be likely in different squads, right?"
"Yeah, that's the idea. I know I said this already, and you're a pretty resourceful guy, but since we'll be in different squads you'll have to act by your own judgment. You can't always rely on me to tell you what to do and how you should do it. We work best when we're together, but I'm not always going to be there for you just as you won't always be there for me."
"I know." He muttered, folding his arms and looking away."You don't have to treat me like a kid all the time. I'm 17. I think a have a pretty good grasp on how to handle things."
"Oh, is that right?" Johan smirked, challenging him."Well, I'm six years older than you, not to mention your mentor. So I have somewhat of an idea of how you tend to function. Now, I don't mean nothing by it, but I just say it so you-"
"Yes, I got it." Raiden shot him an annoyed glare, silencing him. Johan chuckled, raising his arms in defense as they continued walking ahead."I came this far. No way in hell I'm going to screw it up."
"I hear ya." Johan nodded with determination."Everyone back home has high expectations from us. We can't let them down. But what we can do, is relax for a bit. Want to have a snack? I still got some homemade sandwiches that nice lady made for us."
"I..." He was about to argue, but his legs were feeling rather tired of walking all day."Sure. Let's sit down for a bit under a tree or something." Both aspirers to be magic knights went to the tallest tree with the biggest shade on the side of the road, sitting down and leaning against it. Setting their bags on the floor, they grabbed two wooden boxes and opened them, a loaf of bread in each of them.
"Got the butter?"
Raiden dipped his bread in the butter jar he had in his hands before tossing it to Johan next to him."Surprisingly, I've had worse than this."
"It's not that bad. Never had bread with butter before?" Johan asked, already halfway through his bread."I personally don't mind it. I'm not a picky eater so I eat anything available. Back at home, we didn't have the luxury to eat the best food, so I was forced to learn to make do with what I had."
"It didn't stop you from becoming a behemoth." He pointed accusatorily at his build."Too much protein?"
"Like you're one to talk." Johan guffawed in disbelief, glancing at Raiden's broad build. ."Given a few years, I'm sure you'll catch up to me in no time."
"I don't want to be as muscular as you, though. I'm okay with how I am now."
Before Johan could reply, they heard the sound of leaves being crushed around them. However, the duo continued enjoying their meal, ignoring the three men standing in front of them, wearing grey cloaks.
"Good evening, gentlemen." The one in the middle walked up to them, hands behind his back. He had slicked-back grey hair, brown eyes, and a villain-looking mustache and beard."My name is Richie, a member of the Raider of the Wind. Sorry to interrupt your picnic, but I'm afraid to ask you to give me your belongings. And if you would please make this fast, I would very much appreciate it. We're on a schedule here."
"Talk about a warm welcome." Raiden grumbled, taking the last bite of his bread and standing up."Anyway, I think we need the exercise anyway. We can't be held back another day."
"So it seems." Johan was putting everything back in his bag."So, we gonna do it?"
"Yeah." Raiden took a step, causing the man in front to take a step back."I'll be your sword and you'll be my shield." Without another word, Raiden unsheathed his blades, a small appearing on his lips."I won't even use my Grimoire. Only a...slight enhancement."
"Sounds good to me." Johan unsheathed his shield, standing behind Raiden."I'll provide support if need be. But they don't look like much, other than simple robbers."
"We're warning you!" The men took out their grimoires, shining in green energy.
Raiden lowered his blades as a black aura began surrounding them, moving as if they were covered in flames."Bring it on." He moved fast, appearing in the middle of the men and striking two of them with the back of their blades, knocking them to the ground.
'This brat is fast!' Richie jumped back."Wind Creation Magic: Flying Sled!" A sled made out of wind was created from his grimoire, which he used to maneuver in the air. Raiden continued observing the man in the air, ignoring the pair of thugs preparing wind spells behind him.
"Wind Creation Magic: Twirl Daggers!" Two blades of wind formed behind the young man, firing at great speeds at the back of his body.
"Obsidian Creation Magic: Tracking Shield!"
A shield made out of obsidian rock appeared behind Raiden, magically redirecting the attacks to the shield. There was an "X" printed with magic in front of it, receiving the attacks.
"What was that?" Asked one of the goons, surprised at his spell being redirected.
Johan had his grimoire out, shining in an amethyst color while he remained in his spot."That spell is a tricky one. It'll protect the person I choose and redirect enemy attack's to the shield."
Before the men could retaliate, Raiden kicked them both to the ground, using one of them as a foothold to jump in the air.
"So, they aren't regular kids looking for adventure." Richie clicked his tongue, flipping pages through his grimoire."Try this spell on for size! Wind Creation Magic: Dispersing Spiral!"
A gust of wind came out of his Grimoire, surrounding Raiden in the air and dispersing the black-like flames surrounding his blades over to the trees.
"And with your little enhancement spell no longer powering you up, you're finished!" He created a javelin made from wind in his hand and went for a thrust.
Without missing a beat, Raiden swung his right blade against the tip of the javelin, cutting it down the middle and slashing Richie's chest. Before the man could scream for the pain, the raven-haired young man rose his foot, slamming it down on Richie's shoulder and sending him crashing against a tree branch. Raiden fell back down to the ground, sticking his swords in a tree trunk to reduce his fall, landing safely on the ground.
"What the hell..." Richie groaned in pain, holding his chest as blood began to soak his cloak."How...my spell was destroyed..."
Raiden, wordlessly, made his way towards him, raising his sword.
"Wait, Raiden!" Johan hollered at him."Don't do anything stupid, Raiden! Control yourself!"
Raiden glared at his friend for a few seconds, before sheathing his blades back. He waited for Johan to bring the other unconscious men, tossing them next to where Richie was."It's important to get as much information as we can. We don't know if there's more of them. Besides, we can't be killing left and right. If we want to be Magic Knights, we have to settle things peacefully."
"So...you aren't Magic Knights?" Richie inquired, checking over his wound and noticing he wasn't in any danger.'How can that be...? This boy took all three of us down without even using his Grimoire...and that fire of his...' He ran a finger through his wound, lighting wincing.'It appears he also didn't cut deep. He wasn't...'
"Johan."
"What?"
Raiden punched Johan in the face, a tick mark appearing on his forehead as he kept punching repeatedly, earning chuckles from the bulkier man."I wasn't going to kill him, just scare him. The hell do you take me for?"
"Hey, I was just trying to hype you up." Johan grabbed his fist, a bump forming on his head."Don't you think I made you sound mysterious and cool? I'd say I did a good job if I say so myself."
"If you're trying to make me look like a psychopath, sure." Raiden folded his arms."So, what are we going to do with them?"
Johan rubbed his chin in thought."I'll cast a binding spell to keep them in place. We'll head to the closest village, see if we can get someone to contact the Magic Knights. Who knows? With any luck, we might get recommended for our good deed."
"That's a good idea." He agreed, stepping aside so Johan could get to work.
Johan took out his Grimoire, allowing Richie to better take a look at it. It was amethyst, with a checker pattern of white and magenta colors. In the middle of it was a shield containing a clover of three leaves.
"Obsidian Magic: Sphere of Restraint!"
Obsidian rock began surrounding the men from the ground, forming spheres that surrounded them up to the neck, preventing any movements.
"It's not exactly a restraining spell." Johan confessed rubbing the back of his neck."Anyway, let's start heading to that village."
"Okay. But how exactly do we get there?"
"Y-you're looking for a village, right?" Richie stammered, clearly uncomfortable in his small prison."There's actually one close by, just east from here...just hurry up and call the damn Magic Knights so we can get out of here...it's hot..."
Both boys glanced at each other, shrugging, before heading in the direction they were told. Unbeknown to them, Richie had a sinister smile on his face.
"Fools...just you wait until you meet our leader..."
After walking for some time, Johan and Raiden came across what looked to be a huge building. It looked to be some kind of school, given the number of windows it had. The gate was opened, but no one was around to greet them.
"Doesn't seem like a village to me," Johan muttered, going past the gate and glancing at the various trees and flowers around the green grass. They followed a small path made of cobble leading to the main doors. Before they could knock on the door, the door opened up, revealing a woman with black hair, dressed in a sister outfit.
"Oh, goodness. I thought you'd come tomorrow." She gasped, taking a step back."Please...just...don't do anything to the children..."
"Huh?" The friends furrowed their brows, confused."Sorry, ma'am, but I think you're mistaken. We're just travelers looking for the nearest village. You see, we have to contact the Magic Knights. We ran into some thugs who tried to steal from us."
"Did those men happen to have wind magic?" The woman asked, her voice low. Her brow furrowed upon seeing them nod."I was afraid of that. Did you...take them down?" A long sigh escaped her lips."This...this is bad..."
"What's going on? Do you know them?" Johan asked, his interest piqued."We met them West from here. Found them and came looking for the nearest village or town."
"Well...they call themselves the Band in the Wind. They came here earlier today and starting wrecking the place." She began explaining, letting the young men inside. They were welcomed by a spacious room, suited for such a huge place. It was a lobby of sorts. It had a wooden desk with all sorts of writing tools. Chairs were spread through the room, lined up together neatly surrounding a table. Pods were holding different types of plans and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There was a cross painted in the middle of the floor. Raiden assumed it was made by infants at best due to the sloppy work. They took a seat on a couch, waiting for the woman to sit opposite of them on a chair.
"They came here demanding me to hand the kids over. You see, this is a school. An orphanage, really. I try to teach the kids here as best as I can along with the other sisters. They should be with the children on the third floor, which is where we have our gymnastics equipment. It's gym time for them."
"I see. But why would they want children?" Raiden asked, not noticing the grim expressions on the two others."What?"
"So they're after the children..." Johan muttered, rubbing his chin."May I ask why?"
The Sister took a deep breath before explaining, composing herself."They're interested in harnessing their magic power. That and..."
"Human trafficking." Johan finished for her, concluding after she lowered her gaze.
"Makes sense I guess." Raiden replied, crossing his legs."Children are usually an easy target for stuff like that. Sick fucks...Why haven't you got to the village then?"
"It's impossible." The Sister met his gaze."They are divided into different groups, circling the school. They told us they were waiting for their leader, and until then, we can't leave. One of the younger kids, Steven, left a while ago, hoping to be lucky enough to miss them while they were on their rounds. But I'm worried he got caught..."
"And if what you're saying is correct, one of their group will soon enough find their find friends." Johan folded his arms, eyes closed in thought."If we go out now, we'll probably encounter them. Even if we leave, those bandits will probably come here in a rush and take the kids before their leader gets here. They'll get in some much heat for our fault."
"If I didn't know you any better, you want to stay and help." Raiden deduced, raising a brow.
"Yup. That kid that left to the village is our only hope in getting the Magic Knights involved. Not to mention this is kind of our fault, so we should stick around to clean up our mess and not get other people involved." Johan wrapped an arm around his shoulder, bringing him close."Also, if we can do some good here, maybe whatever Magic Knight shows up can recommend us to the Wizard King and we can get in on a squad regardless if we take the exam or not."
Raiden pondered for this for a moment, not really having any other plan."Sure. I'm down. We can't let evil keep spreading through the world, right? I say this is a good start as any. Besides, we happen to be believers of the Lord, so helping is what any good samaritan would do."
"Thank you so much, both of you. Oh, goodness! I didn't even ask for your names! My name is Sister Rika, a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Johan Axebreeze and this is Raiden Zareth. We're from Suke Village." Johan introduced themselves, pointing at his friend.
Sister Rika covered her mouth in shock."All the way from Suke Village?! You boys must have had quite a walk! You must be exhausted."
"We're quite alright. Compare to our gruesome training to get strong, this walk was a piece of cake. But anyway, we were on our way to go to the entrance exam, but something happened on our end, so we're going two days late. We were just going now until this whole thing happened."
"I'm sorry to hear that. In exchange for your troubles, would you like to stay for dinner? It's getting late and I think some rest would do you good. I believe it's best to get as much rest as possible before those ruffians come back."
"A meal and some rest sound good." Johan spoke for them."I hope we don't intrude. What do you think, Raiden?"
"If you say so." Raided nodded, standing up and following the sister in the empty hallways of the school. Raiden noticed that the classrooms' doors had small windows, but they were covered up by paper. The drawings on the walls were also eery as well. Disfigured faces, weird objects, and the color black used too much.'Seems like this part of the Clover Kingdom has pretty weird kids. Then again, we were also an odd bunch...'
Eventually, they reached the dining hall, which was one big table with a lot of chairs. The table was covered in one giant white cloth, covered with plates, utensils, and cups. Sister Rika guided them to the chairs in the middle of the table, offering some tea in the meantime.
"I'm not a very big fan of tea." Raiden rejected politely, comforting with a cup of apple juice instead. Once they took a sip of their drinks, they gasped."This is so good."
"Yeah, no kidding." Johan nodded in agreement."It's really...fresh..."
Sister Rika giggled at their words, sitting on the opposite side."Why, of course. Here in the Garden of Eden, we plant our vegetables and fruits ourselves. It's how we make enough money to put food on everyone's table. We all cooperate and once we got everything ready, some of the sisters go to the village and sell as much as they can or trade for supplies."
"Garden of Eden?" Johan repeated, eyes widening."That's quite a name. But if you make your own vegetables, then it must have quite a garden outside."
"Oh, yes! We have gardening classes so the children are capable. Speaking of which..."
On cue, the door to the dining hall opened, revealing a large crowd of children pouring into the area followed by a sister with tanned skin, brown eyes, and long, grey-haired tied up. The kids seemed to wear a similar outfit consisting of long-sleeved grey shirts, gray shorts for the boys and gray skirts for the girls, and black, leather shoes. The children noticed the unfamiliar faces and rushed over to hide behind Rika. After explaining the situation, the children seemed less hesitant to get near them, though they did keep a few chairs of space between them.
"Thank God you two young men are here." The tanned woman, Sister Lucia, gave a respectful bow."Did you happen to meet a child with short, red hair? His name is Steven and-"
"They haven't seen him, Sister Lucia." Rika interjected, much to the other Sister's dismay."However, they are capable young men, aspiring to be Magic Knights. They demonstrated to be strong since they took down some of the bandits surrounding the forest. They'll help us fend them off until Steven comes back with the Magic Knights."
"Oh! They have Grimoires!" A little girl next to Raiden shouted, pointing at his Grimoire."Can I see it?"
"Angela, it's not like you've never seen a Grimoire before. Brother Abel had one too!"
The girl with the dusty blonde hair, tied up in pigtails hummed to herself, closing her emerald-colored eyes."You're right. But it's kind of plain. Theirs look a lot cooler."
"Now, now." Rika earned their attention by hitting her cup with her spoon."We are about to have dinner. Our guests of honor need to eat too if they want to be big and strong. Just like all of you. Now, let us pray to thank the Lord for giving us another meal today."
"Okay!" They all responded as they began closing their eyes, grabbing each other's hands as they began to pray. After they were done, everyone began immediately digging into their meals. Raiden spared a look over to Johan then down to his plate. It was all vegetables along with some potatoes cut up in slices along with a piece of bread. To wash it down, a cup of apple juice. Raiden cringed at the veggies. He didn't hate them or anything like that, but he was a picky eater and would prefer to avoid them if possible.
Nevertheless, he was tired of eating the canned food they brought along and tired of eating bread covered with butter. He grabbed a fork, and begrudgingly, he began to dig in. Johan nodded in approval, resuming his meal which he found really good.
"I apologize for asking, but I am curious." Johan cleaned his mouth with a napkin."But just now, this little one mentioned someone named Abel. Is he an orphan here as well?"
"Oh, Lordy. That little scoundrel Abel." Sister Lucia sighed, her expression softening."He was a trouble maker through and through, but that boy was a diamond in the rough as well. He left a few days ago to join the Magic Knights. Said he would send us a letter, but I assume he's been busy ever since."
"Abel was the oldest orphan here. He was living here ever since he was just a baby..." Sister Rika trailed off."Anyway, every one of the children aspires to be Magic Knights one day. The older ones want to help the youngest ones live a happy life and also help us by providing funds to improve the school. In fact, Abel promised he'd send enough money so we can remodel the place, and give all the kids new uniforms. Among other things, of course."
"Sounds like he's a pretty nice person. He seems like he holds all of you in your hearts." Johan commented with a smile."Heck, you guys will probably see him soon." With a grin, he eyed the kids playfully."Maybe he's the Magic Knight that will come here to protect you."
"Yay! Brother Abel is coming!" All kids began cheering in unison but were quickly hushed by Lucia, who reminded them to keep their manners on the table.
"What is your reason to become a Magic Knight?" The girl named Angela tugged Raiden's sleeve.
The raven-haired young man looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, then watched as everyone was staring at him."I...it's complicated, kid. Nothing exciting as you might think."
Johan, however, rose a finger."How about I tell you my reason instead?" He was delighted to hear their cheers, so he proceeded to tell his tale."Well, back in my hometown, I live with my dad. He's all the family I had. Never met my mom, so he was the only person there for me. He really liked to play baseball and he taught me everything he knew about the sport. He used to host games for everyone to participate in. But...sadly, his legs...well, let's just say he can't use them anymore. Regular healing magic doesn't work, so I'm in the search of finding something to give my father the ability to enjoy life again, doing the thing he loves the most."
The children were too shocked to say anything. The young ones broke into tears and the Sisters were flabbergasted.
"Johan..." Raiden narrowed his eyes at his friend, who simply waved him off with a smile.
"It's fine." Johan ruffled his hair, much to his annoyance."It doesn't bother me as much as it did before. Because I know I will be able to help my father soon. Just gotta keep going forward, right?"
"That's a great mentality to have." Rika gave them a warm smile."I'll be praying for your dad's recovery and your success as Magic Knights."
Nightime had come, and with that, the pair of travelers prepared for bedtime. Sister Rika had been kind enough to lend them a room with two beds. The room itself was not small nor big. It had two beds and in the middle of them was a night table with a candle. The window had a curtain covering up the moonlight, but Johan assumed it would allow the sunlight to let them know it was daytime.
"So, what do you think of this place?" Johan asked as he began removing his jacket and sitting down on his bed, touching the pillow."I think everyone here is great. The kids are lucky to have such loving parental figures to look up to."
"Yeah." Raiden trailed off, hands behind his head as he laid on his bed. He had other things in mind, so he wasn't very much invested in the conversation. Johan, however, continued to ramble on.
"It's too bad we didn't get to explore more of that school. I really wanted to see that garden they had. If they have a self-sufficient garden that produces enough crops to sell them in the village, it must be something else. Considering kids are the ones who made it."
"I didn't know you were into agriculture" Raiden turned on his side, hand supporting his head as he scanned over the room lazily.
"Well, I always wanted to just live a quiet life." Johan sat on his bed, removing his boots."I was thinking of maybe live on a farm in the future, you know? Enjoy a peaceful life with the animals with nothing to worry about. Who knows? Maybe raise a family there and everything."
"Sounds good," Raiden replied, absentmindedly.
Johan offered a smile to his friend."Raiden, listen. I know that you don't know what you want to do in life. And that's perfectly fine. Sometimes, we don't know what we want to do."
"I know what I want."
"Yes, I know what you want right now. But what about the future?" Johan leaned back on his bed, groaning as the soft and comfortable pillow provided his head a place to rest."What about the long term?"
"Does it really matter?" Raiden grumbled, shifting on his bed and laying on his back, glaring at the ceiling."Right now what we need to focus on is getting accepted into a Magic Knight squad."
Johan hummed in response, not wanting to press him further."By the way, you never answer my question."
"What do I think of this place? It doesn't matter. Not like we'll be here for long." Raiden simply stated."There is no need for us to build any significant relationships with the people here if we're never going to see them again. We're here...simply to stop those bandits from taking their kids. To exterminate evil. And once we becoming Magic Knights, if this place comes to be in danger again by evil, I'll be here without a doubt."
"Raiden..." Johan grinned, standing up to blow the candle off."We'll do it together."
"Hmmm." Raiden hummed, closing his eyes and turning on his side."Wake me up if something happens."
"I think you'll be the one to wake me up." Johan chuckled, laying back down on his bed and getting ready to sleep. Both exhausted adventures enjoyed the silence of the night, listening to nothing but their own breathing. Their tired bodies sunk on the bed, relieved to finally get a decent rest. For once, since a few days ago, they were sleeping on beds.
Pitch blackness. Pure and absolute darkness was all that Raiden could see. He tried reaching for his grimoire, but he couldn't find it.
'What the hell is going on?' Raiden pondered, hugging himself at the sudden drop in temperature. Slowly, green lights began turning inside of glass filled with some kind of weird liquid. Raiden watched in awe as the lights kept going and going, forming a path. Raiden stood up, unsheathing his blades to comfort himself in the eerie darkness. He began walking down the metal path, observing the huge tubes shining in green. Each of them contained something weird inside of them. It was hard to tell due to how thick the liquid looked. Out of curiosity, he approached one of them, trying to look inside.
THUD
A black hand pressed against the glass, causing the raven-haired teen to backpedal and fall on his rear."What the fuck?!"
On cue, every cube showcased a hand pressed against the glass. Raiden breathed heavily, startled and confused at what this all was.
"Raiden..."
He froze in place, the hairs at the back of his neck immediately standing up.
"RAIDEN..."
Slowly, he shifted on his heel, glancing back to where he came from. A giant pair of eyes stared back at him as if they were staring into his very soul. A set of sharp teeth revealed themselves, easily towering over him.
"RAIDEN!" A distorted yet monstrous voice called out to him as the face began moving towards him at great speed. Raiden yelped, ditching his blades and running away as fast as he could. He dared not to look over his shoulder, but he knew the head was getting closer and closer upon hearing its teeth clacking against each other as it opened and closed its mouth in anticipation.
'This is nothing!' Raiden screamed in his mind, sprinting as fast as he could in the endless path.'This is nothing!"
His breathing became erratic, and his legs started to burn. It felt like he had run for hours, but perhaps it was minutes? Seconds? Nothing at all? He couldn't tell.
"THIS IS NOTHING!"
Raiden forced himself to stop, challenging whatever hellspawn was chasing after him."Compare to..."
Before he could finish, the head opened its jaw and everything went black."RAID-"
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"WOAH!"
A loud thud followed by something falling on the floor followed as Raiden screamed, sitting up."J-Johan?"
Johan, perplexed, could only blink before responding."Yo."
With a sigh of relief, Raiden rubbed his head."What..."
"Another nightmare?" Johan asked, grabbing his jacket and putting it on."What was it about this time?"
Raiden sighed, squinting his eyes at the bright candle."Does it matter? It's nonsensical stuff like always. Anyway, is it morning already? I'm still pretty damn tir-" His voice was cut off when he felt a pillow hit his face."The hell, Johan?!"
"It's about four in the morning or so. Get ready. The bandits are here and outside. Well, their leader is right at the doorstep, really. The others are surrounding the school, hiding by the trees. Probably around 20 or so, it's hard to reach any concrete solution. One of the kids woke me up. Sister Rika is in trouble. I was gonna wake you up, but I guess you woke yourself up, huh?"
"Oh, shit." Raiden literally jumped out of his bed and grabbed his belt, putting it on quickly and grabbing his Grimoire."So, what's the plan? I wasn't expecting them to get here so soon. I was thinking of setting a few traps in the morning, but I guess that's not happening now, is it?"
"Unfortunately, we don't have time to plan anything. Guess we'll improvise." Johan offered him a fist bump."So, how about it? You'll be my sword and I'll be your shield?"
"Always." Raiden returned the gesture, heading for the door with a determined look on his face.
Sister Rukia fidgeted uncomfortably but her expression was serious."I told you this many times now. You are not getting any of the children here."
In front of her was a man wearing brown pants, brown cowboy style boots, and a checkered pattern shirt colored in blue and black. He was wearing a robe similar to his companions, except his was opened up and slightly shorter, reaching his waist. He had long, wavy grey hair and chocolate-colored eyes.
"I understand, Sister." The man scratched his chin, looking over her shoulder and noting that Sister Lucia was protecting the children."But we don't always get what we wanted in life, do we? Besides, I can only imagine the type of burden it is to look after so many children. So many mouths to feed. So many worries."
"The children are not a burden!" The sister shouted in defiance."And will never be! They are my children and I'm their mother! You wouldn't understand the first thing about a mother's love for her child! If I must fight you and your friends, then so be it."
A chorus of laughter could be heard all around the forest. The leader hushed them with a wave of his hand, although he himself was holding back a few giggles."All right now. I guess we just have to go through you and the other sister first. Though, I must pray for "God" to forgive me." He leaned closer, his hands getting dangerously closer to the Sister's chest."Defiling a nun is probably a sin, ri-"
The man was quick to react, raising his forearm and using it to block the powerful kick Raiden had delivered. Sister Rika gasped in shock, watching the man skid back to the main road. Raiden landed in front of her, unsheathing his blades out.
"Actually, defiling a Sister is a guaranteed ticket straight to hell." He proclaimed, a small smirk forming on his face."But don't worry. I'll spare you from that destiny by taking you down before you even get the chance, scum."
"Well, well. Look what we have here. A Magic Kni-No, you don't have one of those fancy robes. Who are you?"
"Name's Raiden. Just a passing soon-to-be Magic Knight." Raiden paced around idly."I don't people like you. It's because of people like you that the world is filled with rotten people. I can't let evil keep tormenting innocents."
"So, we got a little hero then? Fine. Since you've introduced yourself, I suppose it's only fair for me to do the same. My name is Thomas Cornwell, leader of the Bandits of the Wind. You looked like a regular kid, but I know you've taken down some of my men. And if that kick told me anything about you, you're strong."
"Oh? And I haven't used my Grimoire yet." Raiden chuckled, his thin but long Grimoire floating out of his pouch. The spine of it was black with two thick golden lines going horizontally, spaced out from each other. The bottom and top part of his Grimoire was clad in black in the shapes of flames encompassing a three-leaf Clover in a crimson background. Behind the clover were two blades going across each other."But here's what everything counts. Sisters! Protect the children! I'll take care of this!"
Sister Rika was about to protest, but a small child clung onto her leg, closing his eyes in fear."Okay. But please, don't do anything reckless!"
With her blessing, Raiden had no strings that attached to him."Thomas, I hope you're ready to lose. This is where we claim victory! Inferno Magic: Dark Hollow!"
Thank you everyone for reading the first chapter of my Black Clover fanfic. I'll be writing this every other week or whenever possible since I am also writing a MHA at the moment. Please feel free to leave a review or any suggestions. Not only does it motivate me but also helps me improve the story as it goes. If you got any questions, dm me at any time and I'll get back to you. Enjoy.
