Eventually, the True Form of Bethany's Father did turn up using The PORTAL Card, and everyone left for the Card Mage's home once more. Naturally everyone wanted to know what had happened and if the danger had passed, but Yue (and Paul) were more worried about their daughter, and those who had been involved in the battle just wanted to rest. Those from the alternate future and those who had been summoned by Bethany to watch the future were now all in a room together, sitting quietly, even Asta. "It's really over now? You destroyed that Bastard for good?" the anti-magic boy asked. The Licht that he had met and inherited his Grimoire from nodded, "it's over, at last, this world can flourish, on the path it was meant to lead, had that Devil not interfered in our own. Now, these people can lead happy and hope-filled lives. Thank you, Asta" he said gratefully.
The boy looked confused, "but I barely did anything this time?" he asked. AF Licht shook his head, "you saved this worlds Patry from being corrupted and possessed, I'd say that's a great accomplishment" he replied with a grateful smile. "Yeah, well- he's just a kid like me. The one from our time ended up all messed up and hurt, I didn't want that to happen to this one too. I'm going to be the Wizard King after all. It'll be my job to protect and save people. What kind of Wizard King let's an innocent kid be tortured and possessed by a Devil when they can do something about it?" Asta replied. AF Licht chuckled slightly, "is that so?" he asked. The Elf Leader looked over at the inheritor of his Grimoire with a kind smile, "I knew I made the right choice leaving my old Grimoire with you. You've used it well- better than I could have hoped for even. You're the best successor I could have asked for Asta" he said.
"Yeah, well, I just did what was right- wait, did you say SUCCSESSOR!?" he yelled, eyes bugging out of his head in shock. The adult Elf smiled again, "well, you are the one my Grimoire chose after it became a Five-Leaf one after all" he replied. Asta seemed to be unable to comprehend the fact that the powerful Elf in front of him had just called him his successor of all things. HIM! A magicless orphan! The boy shook his head to clear it, "okay, no offence, but my brain is still having trouble processing the whole "successor" thing, so I'm just going to ignore that for the moment, if you don't mind" he replied. He sighed, "I still can't believe that we fought that bastard twice now. At least we managed to win easier this time" the grey-haired boy said. "Yes, and because we did destroy him, this worlds future can flourish. I really am grateful to you Asta" AF Licht replied with a smile. He bowed his head, "thank you". Asta blushed brightly, "okay, can you please stop thanking me before my head explodes!" he demanded.
A knock was heard from the other side of the door, "yes?" Licht asked. Paul opened the door, "hey, sorry if I interrupted your conversation, but my daughter is going to be unconscious for at least a few days with the amount of Magic she used up. Do you guys have any plan for what you're going to do while you're stuck here?" the man asked. The alternate future version of the Sword Mage stood, "I need to speak with my alternate self about this, please excuse me" he said politely, before leaving the room. The Temporary Form of Yue turned, and, after nodding to Asta, left the room as well. The boy sighed and decided to try and get some sleep himself while they were still there.
Black Clover
AF Licht managed to find his alternate past self helping his people to get food. The COOK Card was creating it, while Keroberos provided the Magic requirements, since she was under him after all. "Alright, no pushing, I promise, everyone will get their share of food" he worked to keep the tribe of around 100 Elves calm and taking turns so that there were no fights. One of the Elves came up to his leader, recognisable as Latry. "Is there something you need?" the adult Elf asked kindly. "I'm worried about Patry. He's still asleep right?" the teenage Elf asked in concern. "He went through a very traumatic experience. Right now, Patry needs to rest and he needs our support. He will be okay, but it may take some time, okay Latry?" Licht explained gently. The 15-year-old nodded in understanding, "okay, thank you for telling me" he replied, before heading to the back of the line to wait for his meal.
"After you've finished here, we need to talk about something important" AF Licht said, his alternate self nodding in understanding, "right. Since we have to wait until afterwards to talk anyway, why don't you help me serve the food?" he suggested. The other Licht nodded, picking up an extra serving spoon, "alright, if everyone could split into two lines please, we'll be able to serve everyone faster" he asked. As everyone was getting their food, AF Licht was thinking about ways to possibly deal with this situation. Even with her magic, surly Bethany couldn't support all of them for too much longer? There were about one hundred of them, they couldn't ask the human woman to look after them all for the whole time, it wasn't possible with her situation. The alternate future Elf Leader frowned in worry. She'd already done so much for them, it would be selfish to ask more of her. "Should we get both Lemiel's, Tettia, Raya, Fana and Vetto for this conversation?" Licht asked. "Probably, they were the others who were with you for the Veiwings after all" his spiritually older counterpart agreed.
"I should go make sure none of them forget to eat either" Licht decided, before turning back to his other self, "would you mind taking care of this for yourself for a moment? I'll be back soon" he asked. "Of course" the Licht from the original timeline replied with a smile. "Thank you very much" the Sword Mage replied, before leaving.
Black Clover
After everyone had eaten, the Elves and humans who had future knowledge, aside from Patry and Asta, who were still unconscious, gathered in a separate room, "and so that's basically it, we need to decide what we're going to do about everything for the next few days" AF Licht finished. "Are you sure we can't just ask that Moon Guardian to send us home? After all, he can use The PORTAL Card too, right? Because it's under him?" Raya asked. Licht thought about it, "well, I suppose he could. It depends on if he would be okay with it though" he replied. "Don't forget about us, we'd still have to wait here, even if Yue was able to use The PORTAL to return you to the Clover Kingdom and your time period" AF Patry added. "And if we were to stay here until Bethany woke up, who knows how long it would be until we ran out of food, or someone ended up accidentally revealing themselves to the public?" AF Lemiel said.
The current Lemiel sighed, "yes, but we still have to get back home. With both myself and Tettia missing, my family would be in a panic, not to mention the members of my family who were manipulated by the Devil into attacking the Elves. Even if that monster is gone now, that doesn't mean that they might not still have the ideas he filled their heads with and end up trying to take over the Kingdom" the Light Magic user said. "Don't forget though, that our village was completely destroyed by the Devil. Even if we returned, we'd have nowhere to stay until we rebuilt it" Fana pointed out. "That is true" Vetto agreed. "So?" a gruff voice asked. Everyone looked to find Yami leaning against the wall. "So what if your town was totalled? It's still your home, right? So you'd have to go back and fix it anyway." He took a draw from his cigarette and sighed out the smoke, "it's your mess, so go fix it. And as for all those royal idiots, who gives a damn about them? They specifically betrayed you, right, Prince? Tryin' ta kill your friends and sister? The sooner you deal with those idiots, the sooner you can start makin' yur future better" the Japanese man said.
Everyone there blinked in surprise, but Lemiel closed his eyes, "you're right Mr Yami, dealing with my family should take priority. We'll never be able to create the future we want to if I don't stand up to them and do what's right" the Light Mage and Prince replied. Licht nodded and placed his hand on the blond young man's shoulder, "and you can stand firm knowing that I will be right there by your side," he smiled warmly, "brother". Lemiel beamed at the Elf, before Raya interrupted the moment, "hey, uh, not to interrupt or anything, but, are we gonna make a decision anytime soon? Or just stand here talking about it all day?" he asked before yawning, "cause if we're not leaving yet, I might go take a nap" the Copy Mage replied. "Yes I agree that a rest might be a good idea after everything that happened today" Licht stood up, "I'll have a rest with my betrothed, I've been meaning to check on her and Yuno for a while now, but it was never the right time" he added.
AF Licht smiled sadly, "I'm a little jealous of you, after all, you and the others will get to have the lives we never did" he said. "But weren't you, Tettia and little Yuno able to be together again in the afterlife?" Fana asked in confusion. "Yes, but living alongside your family, watching your son grow up, teaching him, being at his Grimoire acceptance Ceremony and being able to hold your living, breathing beloved in your arms is a lot different than being with everyone as a Spirit. Maybe we're able to all be together again, but we'll still never get to live like you all can now. Well, except for the Patry, Vetto, Raya and Fana of my timeline. They were able to be fully revived, and are now living their lives to the fullest. Don't take your life for granted, treasure every moment. Because these are the best days of your life, and they can all be taken away so easily" AF Licht placed a hand on his younger counterparts shoulder, "okay?" he asked softly. The other Sword Mage nodded solemnly, "I understand, and after seeing what our future could, no- would have been, I fully intend to treasure each and every moment" he replied in unwavering determination.
AF Licht smiled warmly at the man he wished he could have been, "good" he replied, before turning and walking away.
Black Clover
Licht sighed softly as he entered the bedroom that Bethany had given him and Tettia. The whole day had just been one thing after another. He was looking forwards to resting beside his future wife. The Elf carefully climbed into the bed where the human Princess was laying on her back, breathing slowly and evenly in her sleep. Licht smiled lovingly at her, before he placed a hand gently on Tettia's slightly rounded stomach, rubbing it softly. "I know it will still be a long while until you're big enough to hear my voice little one, but I just want you to know that I love you and your Mother so much. Today was a big day for your Father, but with a lot of help, everyone we care about is safe now, and we were able to make a better future for you and everyone else.
I know you won't be exactly like the Yuno we saw in the future, especially since you won't be raised as an orphan or grow up alongside Asta, but I promise that I will protect you and love you always. Yuno, you don't need to be a prodigy or even get a Four-Leaf Clover Grimoire. No matter who you grow up to be, you will grow surrounded by love. And that's all I want for you. Of course, if you were to be a prodigy and gain a Four-Leaf Grimoire like your Father, I wouldn't complain about that either. As long as you grow up happy, healthy and safe, that's all we could ever ask. We will always love you, no matter who you end up being. Goodnight my precious Son" Licht whispered, kissing Tettia's stomach and closing his eyes with a content smile on his face. Tettia, who had woken up shortly after her betrothed had entered the room, smiled with happy tears in her eyes. This was their future now, and the next step would be all their own. The Human Princess closed her eyes again and soon fell asleep, dreaming, alongside Licht, about the future that they would create.
Black Clover
The next day everyone was surprised to find Bethany sitting at the dinning room table and groggily eating breakfast. Or, at least the people who knew her were surprised. "I thought you'd still be sleeping?" Tettia asked in maternal concern. "Eh, sleep helps to recover my Magic, but food does too, remember? The more I eat, the faster I regain my Magic." Vetto nodded, "oh, that's right I'd almost forgotten" he replied. "So, how has everyone been since I passed put?" the Card Mage asked. "We've been talking about what we should do next. One of the big problems is my family. That Devil may be gone now, but they were still manipulated far too easily. Which means at least some of what they did in the alternate timeline was of their own volition. And that also means that they might be plotting against us in this timeline too, even with that monster dead.
We have to get back as soon as possible, before my family takes over the whole Kingdom. I hate to say this, but I may have to be extremely harsh with them." Lemiel explained. "Not too harsh though, right Lemiel?" Tettia asked worriedly. The blond young man sighed, "they directly betrayed us, tried to kill you, Licht, all the Elves and would have even put me on deaths door if things had played out like they did in the original timeline. I'm sorry Tettia, but practically every member of our family are traitors to, not just the Crown, but the entire Kingdom" her brother replied. Tettia frowned deeply and placed a hand on her stomach, while Licht wrapped an arm around her comfortingly. Everyone was silent for a moment, before Bethany placed down her huge bowl of rice and took out her Key. "What are you doing?" Raya asked, "I thought you said you were low on Magic still?" After transforming it, the young woman pulled out The COOK, "I am, but your people do need to eat. I can regain my Magic through food, sleep or directly from the moon. I won't have people starving just to save up my Magic" the Yuki replied.
"Bethany" Licht said softly. "COOK would you mind making a small meal for each of the Elves and humans here?" Bethany asked when the Card Spirit appeared. The COOK was a woman dressed in a chief's outfit and holding a spoon in one hand and a whisk in the other. "Of course not Mother, if they're hungry, I'll make all your guests something yummy to eat" the Card Spirit replied with a smile, before waving her whisk and making enough bowls and plates appear for all the Elves and humans from the Clover Kingdom. Then she paused in thought for a moment, before smiling again and this time waving her spoon. Each of the bowls filled with soup and the plates with bread. As everyone gaped at the Spirit's work, she turned to the human's and Elves already in the room, "I sincerely hope all of you enjoy your meal" The COOK said cheerfully, before returning to Card form.
Bethany sighed and turned to her friends, "well, there's enough here for everyone to eat, so would you mind asking your people to come in here please? They can come and take their meal and find a spot to eat. And can you wake Patry and Asta too? they both need to eat something" the Yuki asked Licht. "I'll go help him" AF Licht decided, before both Elf Leaders left the room. The remaining Elves and humans in the room went to take their seats. Slowly Elves began to enter the room and find seats. The ones who missed out on a chair, took their food to eat in other rooms, after giving the Card Mage respectful nods. Eventually Asta and Patry entered the room sleepily, "where's the food?" the Black Bull asked. "Took 'ya long enough to wake up ya brats! Even Bethany woke up by herself!" Yami admonished. Patry shrank back slightly, "s-sorry Sir" he muttered, still rubbing his eyes and yawning as he moved to a seat that still had food in front of it. The two Licht's entered the room to get their own breakfast. The current Licht smiled at seeing the two boys up and eating, "good morning you two. Are you both feeling better this morning?" he asked, moving to sit with his Fiancé.
AF Licht decided to sit beside his timelines Lemiel, and he also smiled at the two boys who were slowly beginning to wake up now with food in their stomachs. "Yeah, we're feeling better, it's just that that spiritual battle we fought against that bastard Devil took a lot out of us. He is dead, right?" Asta asked, almost positive, but it never hurt to check- "yeah, he's dead, and you missed the whole thing. You were too busy sleepin' the whole time, dumbass!" Yami admonished his rookie. "Hey Captain, that was mean!" Asta moaned, "we fought hard against him too don't forget! Fighting him in the mind is almost as hard as fighting that monster in real life! Because it takes a lot of concentration and strength of will to empower ourselves in the mind! If we'd lost concentration for even a second, we could have died! Or Patry would have been possessed! We were both pushing our limits in our battle too, so even if we couldn't help in the real life one, we fought as hard as we could!" The anti-magic boy exclaimed, staring the Dark Magic user down with a glare.
Patry looked between the two Magic Knight's in worry. Suddenly Yami burst out laughing, "ha! Ha! Ha! Is that right?!" he demanded, turning his attention to the Teenage Elf, who tried very hard not to flinch, before looking back at his Squad Member "well, good for you! If ya hadn't pushed past your limits, I woulda throttled ya, dumbass!" Yami laughed again, making most of the people their sweat-drop. Bethany ignored most of this exchange, too busy stuffing herself to try and restore her Magic. "Um, anyway, I'm very proud of you Patry. You were scared, but you stood your ground and fought as hard as you could, even if the two of you couldn't destroy Zagred, you still managed to drive him out of your body, and forced him to retreat. If you hadn't managed that, the other versions of us never would have been able to destroy him. Well done" Licht smiled. The future Light Magic user blushed but tried to hide it, "I- I couldn't just let him take over my body. Not when it would put all of you in danger too" the 15-year-old replied. Everyone smiled at the boy, "you've grown up a lot Patry, you really have" the Sword Mage beamed.
Patry ducked his head to hide his face in embarrassment, but still smiled happily. "Okay, once I finish eating, I should have enough Magic to at least send all of you back to the Clover Kingdom. You though, will be a different story." Bethany began, before gesturing to the people she had summoned from the alternate future Clover Kingdom, or from the afterlife, "Sorry, guys, but everyone I summoned from the alternate future timeline, or the afterlife will have to wait here. I won't have enough Magic left to take every Elf and human from the current timeline back to their world and open portal's to the afterlife or the other Clover Kingdom. As it was, the only reason I was able to do everything one after the other during that whole crisis was because I'd had a huge breakfast right before that, and I used up all the Magic I'd stored in my battery for emergency use" the young woman explained, lifting her staff and gesturing to the half sun on the bottom of it. Bethany continued eating, "so you should start getting ready to leave, go let your people know, okay Licht?" she asked.
The younger Elf Leader nodded, leaving to go tell everyone the news. As much as being in a new world excited them, he knew that his people were beginning to become restless after being stuck in this, admittedly large, house. He was a bit too. All of them were used to wide open fields, forests, being able to go outside and run around. So being stuck inside the whole time was making them all a bit stir-crazy. Even if they all had a lot of work to do: rebuilding their village, dealing with the human Royal Family, coming to terms with everything that had happened and trying to move past it all- the Clover Kingdom, or what would become the Clover Kingdom, was still their home, and they owed it to the home that they loved to try and sort out the mess that Zagred had made of it. After all- the whole reason they all worked so hard to change their future was because they wanted to make a better one, a brighter one. And to do that, they all had to return home.
Black Clover
It took nearly a whole hour to get everyone ready to go, not because there was a lot to do, but because there were just so many Elves to tell the news to and have them all gather in somewhat of a group. But, finally, everyone from the current timeline was together. "Okay everyone, I thank you for your patience! You've been much calmer than I would be if I were in your place!" Bethany called over the crowd. "I am about to open the portal that will take you all back to your world and time period. I hope you all work hard to build a better future than what could have been!" Bethany called. Everyone chattered happily, and a lot of grateful words were heard over the din. The Human Mage smiled, "it won't be easy, but I've found that many things worth doing in life aren't," she paused, looking down at her stack of Tsukuyomi Cards that were in her bag, "I bid you all farewell and the best of luck. I hope we'll get a chance to see each other again and perhaps get to know each other better in the future. But for now, take care of yourselves" Bethany beamed out at all of the Elves and humans in the crowd, before pulling out a single Tsukuyomi Card.
"PORTAL! Open a portal to Clover Kingdom, if you would?" she asked with a smile at her child. The Card glowed, before the by now familiar swirling vortex appeared in the air and the young woman stepped to the side to allow the Elves to leave. Licht was the first to step up, and he smiled gratefully at the young woman, before wrapping her in a hug. Bethany blinked, before smiling too and hugging the Elf back. After releasing the Card Mage, Licht took Tettia's hand and they entered the portal together. After them went Lemiel, then Patry and Licht's close friends. Soon there was a line of Elves entering the portal back to their world, with the alternate future people watching from the side. Eventually, after the last Elf from that timeline had left her world, Bethany sighed, The PORTAL closing behind them and returning to Card form, which floated back to her hand. "Are you going to be okay?" the other Licht asked, as many of the people from the Alternate Future timeline looked at the young woman with worry. "Ah, I'll be fine, now if you'll excuse me, I need a nap" Bethany replied breathlessly.
"You guys don't mind waiting a bit for me to send you back?" she asked, wobbling slightly. Asta steadied her, "you sure you're okay Bethany?" the ash-haired boy asked. "Yep, please, excuse me" she replied, making her way to her bedroom again. The small group that was left looked at each other, and Yami sighed, "geez, she reminds me of Julius- really powerful, but takes too much onto herself and ends up wearing herself out" he muttered, rubbing the back of his head, "well, we may as well get some more rest until she can send us back home" the Dark Magic user said, heading back to the bedroom he'd been given. The others looked at each other, before Asta grinned, "hey, now that all the Elves from that timeline are back home and we have some time to ourselves, why don't we explore this house a bit more? I didn't get a chance to see much of it, since I was dealing with that Devil and then I was unconscious for a while" he suggested. Licht, Lemiel, and Patry looked at each other and shrugged, why not?
To Be Continued