Didn't write alot of chapters with Asta as a kid, cause now we're at the point where he's 15. Gonna see Yuno for the first time (kind of) and his first talk with Noelle
Asta paced outside of the door. He could hear two voices arguing about something. He didn't really know what it was. Only muffled sounds reaching his ears.
But he knew who it was. His mother had come over and instantly dragged his father away. She didn't even notice him, it seemed. And that on his birthday. He would've thought that she remembered.
If he was being honest with himself, he was a bit disappointed that she had ignored him, especially today.
Asta wasn't a little kid anymore, he knew that. And he had long gotten over the fact that he wouldn't see his mother often anymore. She had her own squad to worry about after all. And he was old enough.
Fifteen years had passed by and Asta hoped he would finally get his Grimoire. He knew it was somewhere in the house. He could somehow feel it.
For a long time now, Asta wanted to join the magic knights. It had become his dream years ago, but he needed his Grimoire for that. Without any magic, what good would he be? What else was he supposed to do if he had no magic?
Sure there were many jobs that didn't require magic, but it wasn't what he wanted. Asta wanted to help others, just like his parents. If they would let him, that was another thing.
While his mother was worried for him all the time and didn't want him in any danger, his father was different.
Yami was rough and didn't seem to care about anything or anyone. But every time Asta was out, be it just a short trip to town with others or even days, he could see the worry in his eyes.
Yami was a strange person, he decided.
A slight glance towards the door, Asta wondered if he should knock or wait. If he should ask his parents what was wrong, or not.
The teen bit his lip. He knew how heated the conversation of his parents could be. But today there was no yelling. It was more of a whisper that he couldn't make out.
He wished that they would talk to him for once. Since the day he met that man they had been acting strange. Constantly watching him and sometimes even being distant. He noticed it, of course he did.
He knew how much it seemed to bother them what happened that day, but he just couldn't figure out why. It wasn't like someone got hurt. He had been fine, like everyone else.
After an hour of pacing in front of the door, Asta decided to sit down on the couch in the main room. He crossed his arms.
"Now boy, what got you so troubled?"
Asta turned his head to see Vanessa beside him. Even at 11am she was already drunk. Well, if she was even able to get drunk anymore. By the amount she was drinking every day, Asta doubted that she had the ability to get drunk anymore.
"Mom and Dad are talking" he muttered.
"Talking? Now that doesn't sound bad. I'm more used to them screaming at each other" she laughed.
Asta huffed. Yes, he was too. His mother had been right. Sometimes people just don't get along anymore. Maybe they just decided to try to be nice to each other for once.
"But Mom didn't even acknowledge me" he said.
"And?" the witch raised an eyebrow.
"She always does. Even if just for a second. Something is wrong." Asta meant.
Vanessa hummed, taking a sip from her wine bottle. She had long learned to never offer the kid some. Yami was furious the last ten times. She doubted it would be different this time.
"Do you think it's bad?" she asked.
"Yes. If she drags Dad away without saying a word it is. But I don't know what it is" he glanced towards the hallway.
"Maybe they're just discussing what squad you will join" Luck grinned, jumping onto the couch.
Asta had learned that Luck was a maniac. And even though his father had forbidden them from training together, due to Asta not having any magic to defend himself, they still did it.
Luck was surprisingly careful when sparing with him. They only did simple stuff. Like Luck trying to hit more precisely. Usually, it meant that Asta would stand beside a small tree.
"No, that choice is to easy. You know Mom only allows woman in her squad. That's tradition or something" the teen waved him off.
"Whatever it is, I'm sure they will tell you" Vanessa smiled.
"We can't do that" Charlotte grumbled. Her arms were crossed over her chest.
"What do you expect me to do? I can't hide it from him forever. I don't even know why I'm keeping it when he can find it here. Charlotte, his ambition is too strong to be held back" Yami crossed his own arms.
"But we don't know what will happen. This is his Grimoire, I know, but what magic does he even have? Nothing happened the last fifteen years" she nibbled on her thumb.
"Today he is finally fifteen. We knew this day would come. We don't have to tell him just yet, but he needs to get his Grimoire. If he finds it on his own who knows what will happen" Yami said.
"What guaranty do we have that nothing happens when we give it to him? What difference would that make? He needs to be protected. That thing hasn't shown itself since that day. No one knows where it went and when it will come back" she began to pace.
"Charlotte" Yami sighed. "I'll take care of the kid. He gets into my squad. He won't participate like others. This way I can keep an eye on him" he suggested.
Charlotte thought about it. This was probably the best way. She knew how much Asta wanted to help others. How much he wanted to be a magic knight. And she knew that he wouldn't give up on it. It just wasn't his thing.
"Fine. You get the book, I'll get Asta"
"How much longer do you think they will take?" Finral asked.
Asta shrugged. "Normally when they argue it can take hours. But today they're not arguing, so who knows."
"They have to come out at some point" Magna said.
Asta hummed, looking at the hallway. Yes, they had to come out at some point. But why not now? Why not an hour ago? What was so important that they took so long?
But his thoughts came to a stop when he heard a door open.
"Asta" his mother called.
"Yeah?" he called back.
"Would you come in here please?"
The teen glanced at the others. They just shrugged. An hour of talking and now they wanted to speak with him? Was it something good or bad? Judging by the sound of her voice, she didn't seem to be so sure about it herself.
But he still stood up and went down the hallway. Inside, both of his parents were waiting for him. And suddenly he felt like hiding.
"Now dear we have two surprises for you" his mother started. He raised an eyebrow. Two? And why didn't she sound happy about it?
With a deep breath, Charlotte brought her hands out behind her back. She was holding a book with a black/red color. A five-leave clover on the cover. Asta felt his eyes widen as he slowly took it.
"Since you're finally fifteen, you are old enough to have it" she smiled.
"Oh!" the teen exclaimed. "So that's why you didn't want me to have it. I was to young" he grinned.
"Yeah. Usually, one gets their Grimoire when fifteen. You were still to young and we didn't know what would happen if you used it. We thought it would be better to hide it until you were old enough" Yami rubbed his neck. And obvious lie, but Asta didn't need to know that.
"And what's the other surprise?" he leaned his head to the side.
"Well, since it's that time of the year again, you'll come with me when new mages are trying to get into a squad. It's still some time until then, so you can practice whatever you can do" his father grinned.
Asta smiled brightly. "So you'll let me compete with the others?"
"Ah, no" Charlotte chuckled.
"You'll stay in my squad, kid. Your mother will kill me if I don't look after you properly" Yami meant.
It earned him a glare from Charlotte. But he was right. Even though both of them knew that Asta wasn't their own child, they had grown very fond of the troublemaker. They both saw him as their own child. And maybe, just maybe, Charlotte would tell Yami about her true feelings one day.
"Now take one of the others and try to find out what you can do" she smiled.
Asta huffed. "You still want me to take others with me?"
"Just for now" Yami hummed. "We don't want you to blow yourself up" he laughed.
"But please don't take Luck. All hell will break lose when he knows he can properly fight with you" Charlotte begged.
"Nonsense!" Yami boomed. "Let the kids have fun!"
Charlotte glared at him. He didn't seriously thing she would allow that maniac to get to close without her boy being able to get to know his powers first, did he? In the end she would have to call Owen to patch him back up.
Over the past weeks Asta had found out that he could use the sword that was inside his Grimoire to make every other magic useless. Well, if it hit his sword. All magic was meaningless around him. He guessed it made sense, since he had no magic at all.
He decided to call it Anti-magic. But without the sword, he could do nothing. He had tried to undo spells without his sword, but nothing would happen. If he could do something like that with his bare hands at all, he had still to find out.
And finally, the day had come. He was allowed to come with his father. Watch the people walk into the colosseum, wanting to join the magic knights.
He was walking (more like jumping) behind his father. Following him to his seat. Finral came with them too, mostly because Yami was too lazy to take another way to get to the Colosseum. But he didn't complain about it.
Yami sat down on his seat, carefully watching the people below. He didn't really plan to get any other mages. He already got two new ones to take care of. His own kid and well….
He tried not to think about it too much. He would get the girl to show her true power at some point. And he knew Asta would too. He had the strange ability to make everyone try their best. And she would be no exception.
One person caught Asta's eye. He stopped caring about anyone else in the Colosseum. He was tall, maybe a head taller than himself. Dark hair and piercing honey eyes. If someone asked him, Asta had to admit that he was pretty handsome. With that sharp jaw and just perfect face. Perfect everything.
He shook his head. He didn't even know him. But he wanted to get to know him. A small part of him hoped that his father would pick the boy. Asta couldn't sense the mana that came from people, but his father had taught him how to read Ki. It was similar, he had said.
A way to feel where a person was, feeling where a spell came from. And sometimes even emotions. He tried to read the other boy's emotion he really did. But he was like a stone wall. Hard and cold.
It only made him more interesting. But he could kind of read the amount of magic he had. Even if he was bad with that, he could feel how strong it was. He really wanted to get to know him.
In the end though, he wouldn't get the chance. The teen had joined the golden dawn after impressing everyone with his wind magic.
Asta was disappointed all the way back to the hideout. But he tried not to show it.
He was surprised however, when he saw a girl his age at the entrance. Her silver hair was tied into long pigtails. She looked very confident in herself. She even ignored Yami as he walked past her. It didn't look like she really cared.
Asta was still confident to get to know who she was. So, he approached her.
"Hey, you must be the new girl, right? I'm Asta" he extended his hand towards her, smiling.
The girl raised an eyebrow, one hand on her hip. She didn't move one bit, as if she was thinking.
"And who are you to think you can just talk to me like this?" she asked, her voice full of venom.
The teen raised an eyebrow himself. Why would she ask that? Why did it matter who he was? In the squad it didn't matter where you came from.
"What's with you?" he asked.
She 'tsked'. "I am Noelle Silva. I am a royal and you address me as such" she demanded.
Silva? Asta had heard that name before. Ah, right. The Captain of the Silver Eagles was named Silva as well. So they must be related. But that still didn't give her the right to talk to him like that, right?
He didn't have time for this though.
"Great you're a royal. I don't care. In the magic knights the only thing that matters is teamwork, get it? If you're not interested in that and demand some special treatment, then forget it. We don't have time for such things. I don't go bragging around about my parents either" he rolled his eyes.
Noelle looked at him closer. Well, she had to admit that he didn't look bad. Shinning green eyes and muscles everywhere she looked. But his hair was still a mess.
"Your parents?" she repeated. The young Silva would never admit it, but it interested her when he said it. His parents must be well known.
"Yeah, they aren't together anymore though. I don't get to see Mom often" he muttered the last part.
Asta quickly scolded himself for showing weakness so easily. By the way she was acting, she would laugh at him for such a thing. But she didn't.
"And who are your parents?" she finally asked.
"Oh, my Mom is Charlotte Roselei and my Dad is your new boss" he laughed.
"Eh!?" Noelle squeaked, but quickly coughed herself. "You're the kid of the Captain?"
"That I am" he nodded.
Noelle raised an eyebrow. She couldn't sense any mana from the other. How could the child of two powerful mages have none at all? She would've guessed that he would have a lot. Did that mean he was a noble? When his mother was?
"Interesting" she hummed.
"Whatever" he shrugged. "Now, do you still insist on being treated better? Or will you act like a normal person?"
Noelle shivered. For a second she could've sworn that, out of his anger, his eyes were shining red. Just one second, but it was there. Or had she imagined it? She chose to ignore it for now.
"Would you teach me?"
