More of child Asta. Because it's cute
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Ten-year-old Asta stared out of the window. His chin resting on the arms he had layed on the edge of the window. Half lidded eyes looking out, a sad look inside them. The sun was shining in the distance, wind blowing through the trees.
He missed it so much.
Since the day he found that book and talked with the black man, he wasn't allowed to go outside anymore. At least not alone. But because his parents were busy all the time, and the members of the squad were all out, he was left alone in his room.
Gone were the days where he spent all his time in the trees or running around in the grass. He didn't understand why. No one told him about the book or about the man he had met.
He was nice. Sure, his mother always said not to go with strangers, but he didn't really go with him. He met him at the edge of the woods. He had just been standing there and even though he had weird black skin, Asta didn't feel threatened.
The man looked at him as if they had met before, but Asta couldn't remember him. He gave him the book, saying that it belonged to him and that he would be able to use it one day. When he was fifteen.
Well, since he still couldn't use any kind of magic, he supposed that this was going to be his Grimoire and that he would get his magic with it, even though he didn't know why.
His parents though, they had taken the book away from him, hiding it somewhere. He had been searching for it for years now, but wherever it was, he couldn't find it.
A few days after that, his mother left for good. He had been mad at her for quite some time, at his father too. But he gave up on it the first time his mother came back. It was month's after she had first left and he didn't even know how much he had missed her, until she came to visit.
She had promised it after all. Asta wouldn't let go of her for about an hour. She didn't seem to mind at all. But he was still mad at his father for years. Even now, his behavior was a bit off. He would avoid him as much as he could.
Why wouldn't they tell him about the book? What was wrong with it? Or was it him.
They were hiding something he just knew it. But he didn't know what it was. It wasn't like they knew what his magic was. He didn't even know himself.
And without anything to do, all alone in the house, he began running around inside. He figured, since he couldn't use magic, he might as well train his body, like his father.
Maybe it would make up for it and he could still become a magic knight. There had to be something he could do after all. He wouldn't sit around inside forever they couldn't make him.
At some point he would be gone, and they knew it. With each day passing by he was getting closer to his freedom. It wasn't a prison, no, but it felt like it. Not allowed to go out without someone watching. Of course, he could just ignore it and go out when no one was there.
But if he was caught, he would never hear the end of it. He wasn't stupid. Asta had noticed to worried looks in his mother's eyes, every time he went outside with her. She would look around nervously as if some big bird would snatch him off the ground and disappear.
Asta sighed, pushing himself away from the window. He had already done his training for the day. Sure, he could do it all day if he wanted. Nobody would stop him. But today he felt like exploring things in the house. There were many halls and doors he had yet to discover.
So, he walked out of his room and began roaming the halls. Most of the rooms he knew. The rooms were the others were sleeping in, the kitchen, bathroom, he knew it all. There was just one hallway he had never walked in.
It was the darkest one. It seemed like the light was never shining in there. Maybe it was just the way the house was placed. He remembered that his mother said something about the way the sun circled around the sky and that there was one place it never went. Was this how it worked?
But this time, and with a deep breath to strengthen his confidence, Asta went down the hallway. In this part of the house, there were no doors. Just empty hallways like a labyrinth.
Asta decided to just follow the left way. It had to lead him somewhere. He just had to patient. Something he wasn't very good at. The cold stone hurt against his hands as he tried to keep track of his way. It was wet in some places. The ceiling had holes in some places, allowing the rain to drop inside.
Asta tried to remember to tell his father. He had to get someone to repair this. There were even puddles forming in some places, getting his socks wet. The ash-blond grumbled. He should've worn shoes. But no, he was stubborn as always.
At one point he even tripped, drenching himself in cold rainwater. Great, now he would probably get sick. But he didn't complain. Instead, he pushed himself up again. He wanted to know what was down these halls. Maybe it was his book.
A smile crept onto his face at the thought. Maybe it was down here somewhere. The only place he had never been.
Asta began running down the hallway. He found a single door. Looking around he noticed that it was the only one around. He grinned, this had to be the place.
Reaching for the handle, the kid pushed the door open. What he found though, was not his book or anything for the matter. He found a someone.
A boy with long, pale blue hair sat on the bed that was pushed against the other side of the room. He looked pale and sick. And if Asta looked a bit closer, he also looked lonely.
He had never seen this man before, but it looked like he was living in this room. Asta was sure that his father knew about this guy living in their house. Maybe he was one of the new squad members. Just a few days ago the exam had taken place, a few new people entering the place.
"Who are you?" Asta asked, raising an eyebrow.
Normally his father introduced the new members to him, letting them know who he was too. He thought it was better to let them know who he was, before they would stumble upon him, asking tons of questions.
The man leaned his head to the side. He seemed confused about Asta's presence. Or maybe it was something else he couldn't figure out.
"You….are….different" the pale man said.
Asta didn't know what to say to that. Yeah, he knew how different he was, but this man seemed to notice it himself in mere seconds.
"Who are you? And what's wrong with your voice" he asked again.
The fact that he was speaking so slowly kind of concerned him. It didn't sound right in his mind. Maybe his first thought about the man being sick was right.
"Henry….Legolant" Henry answered.
"Are you new here?" Asta leaned his head to the side.
Henry slowly shook his head. No, he had been in the hose for a long time now. How long exactly though, he didn't know.
"Been…here….for….a….long…time. You're….not….getting….tired" he observed.
"So? Am I supposed to? Is that your magic" the thought exited the kid. A magic type that could tire people out at a rapid speed. He imagined that being useful.
But Henry shook his head. "Cursed. Makes…..people…..lose…..mana…quickly…."he explained.
Asta's face fell. A curse, he knew what that was. It was bad, but he had never seen someone with a curse. But the way he said it….
"So, if I'm not losing any mana….."he trailed off.
"You….don't…..have…any…." he saw the pained smile on Henry's face. He felt a lot of sympathy for the kid. He was cursed to take people's mana, forcing him to stay away from people. But this kid didn't have any to begin with.
"You must be pretty lonely then" Henry nodded.
"Then I'll visit you from time to time. I don't lose mana, so I can stay as long as I want" the ten-year-old grinned. Henry smiled.
"But does my father know you're here?" he suddenly asked.
"Father…?"
"Yeah, my father. Yami, the squad captain"
Henry's eyes would've widened if he had the strength to do it. He had met Yami, yes. He sometimes stopped by to check on him. He told him about the kid he was looking after. That he wasn't his child, but he was looking after him. He had also told him why, and, if he ever met him, to never tell him that he wasn't really his father.
He was a bit scared of the things the kid could do if he knew about it. Under his hair, his eyes briefly flickered to his nightstand. In it was the book Yami was hiding from the kid. He said to never, under any circumstances to give it to the boy.
He hid his terror with a smile though. "Yes…he…knows…."
Asta beamed. "Great. I don't know why he told no one about you though."
"Asked….him….not…to" Henry replied.
Asta let it go at that moment. Sometimes, he learned, it was better no to ask too many questions. But he decided not to leave to other already. He dragged a chair over to the bed, sitting down and talking with Henry.
He quickly decided that he liked the other. He was nice and very patient. Even if it took time to talk with him, since he was talking so slowly. Asta didn't mind though. He finally had someone to talk to when the others were out.
And Henry didn't seem to mind the fact that Asta talked a lot. The kid imagined him being lonely, being alone all the time.
After a few hours, he heard a voice calling through the halls.
"Asta! Where are you kid!?" Yami screamed down the halls.
Asta grinned. He ran out of the room and shouted into the hallway himself. "I'm here dad. I'm with-" he quickly stopped himself. Henry didn't want others to know that he was living in the house. If the others came back with him, then they would know.
"I'm a bit further down the hall" he called instead.
Henry smiled at the kid. Even though Yami told him everything about the boy, he was nothing like he had expected. He thought that he would be different, dangerous even. But nothing like that happened. He was different, yes, but not bad.
Footsteps were heard and Yami appeared in the doorway.
"What are you doing here kid?" he asked.
Asta smiled, shuffling his feet, and twisting his fingers. "I was bored" he said sheepishly.
The larger man ruffled the kid's hair, making him laugh a bit.
"Discovered Henry, huh? I'm actually surprised you didn't find him sooner" he smiled. He looked over at Henry.
"I bet you took good care of him"
Henry nodded slowly. Yes, he made sure that the boy didn't find he book in his nightstand. He knew that this was what Yami meant. Aside from the fact that he was glad Asta found someone to entertain him.
"Of….course"
"Good. Come on Asta. Time for dinner" Yami took the kids hand in his own, leading him outside.
"Bye Henry" Asta waved, following the other.
Asta smiled brightly, green eyes shining. "Dad, can I visit Henry more often when I'm alone?" he asked, looking up at his father.
"Sure, I'm sure he wont mind"
