"You shall bring honor to my name."

What did that mean? Osore really didn't know. It was honestly the only thing he could remember about his father; those words. His mother would tell him that he was a prince, but he never believed it. what kind of prince lived in the slums? At the age of 3 Osore's magic revealed itself. darkness and shadow magic. He was naturally skilled at it by 5 he could generate his own darkness and create weapons. Right now he was only confident in conjuring a pair of dual daggers and a bow. He never liked his life in the slums. It stunk like sewage and garbage and there were more thugs that came out of the woodwork than roaches when knights from the capital came for inspections. After a while it really did make Osore think about what his mother would tell him.

What if he really was a prince? And if he was, what could've happened to him and his mother to end up living in the slums?

Shortly after his 6th birthday he started hearing about the 9 squads of the Magic Knights of the Clover Kingdom. The captain of the worst squad, the Black Bulls' Captain Yami Sukehiro happened to share the same magic as him. His mom would tell him once he got his grimoire, he could go take the magic knights entrance exam in the Royal Capital and hopefully join a squad. At first he would laugh and smile at the idea, that was until now.

9 years later

Osore stood in front of his mother, who now had tears in her eyes. His black hair had grown down to his ears and he had a small bang over his right eye, his eyes were sky blue but would oddly subtly change to royal purple and back. At first glance, he looked thin or maybe even like he didn't eat enough, but upon closer inspection he was anything but so. He had lean muscular arms and calves. He was built like a panther, not a lion and had caramel colored skin. This didn't surprise her though. He got that very complexion from herself. And that strong lean structure from his father. She swept her long black hair behind her head and tied it into a ponytail and blinked the tears from her eyes.

"Ok Osore," his mom said as she tried to put on a brave smile. "This is the day we've been waiting for. You know the small village not too far from here, right?"

Osore nodded, causing his bang to bounce .

"Hage, right?"

"Yes, that's the one." his mother nodded. "Now that you're old enough, you can finally receive your grimoire!"

Osore sighed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

His mother frowned. "What's wrong?"

"You shall bring honor to my Name."

"Seriously, what does that even mean?!"

Confused his mother shuffled and tilted her head

"What does what….mean?" She asked. Osore shook his head. The wait was over. 9 years of developing his magic, 9 years of the slums that hated them, 9 years of isolation with his mother and 9 years of never knowing who the hell he was.

"What was my father like?"

His mother froze and took a step back Osore could see the sweat drops forming on her forehead. Osore smacked his lips.

"You never tell me anything other than I'm a prince." He started " but tell me mother am I really?" In the eyes of the upper class we aren't even considered people, much less nobles!" Osore looked his mother dead in the eyes. "What prince lives with his mother in the slums?"

His mother took a breath and centered herself. Her eyes became dead serious and her demeanor became stern.

"This was never my choice to make, Osore!" His mother said in a raised voice.

Osore began to laugh. "So then what? I'm Osore Shoto, Prince of Nothing, you were just filling my head with false dreams and hope?"

She shook her head. The absolute scoop of the true story was already enough but the oath she made with his father forbid her to tell him. He was to make his journey with his own name his father told her.

She put her head down and closed her eyes. Clearly Osore wasn't going to understand. How could she expect him to after everything they've been through?

"Just go get your grimoire." She said finally. Her voice was tight and she wouldn't meet Osore's eyes. "I'm sure you'll feel better afterward."

Osore walked away from his old run down of a home. The very wood from the house had started to fall apart, the roof was begging to cave in, the window cracked and battered And the house reeked of mildew and rodent feces. The surrounding area mimicking the same look. Osore turned and jumped in surprise at his childhood friend Phil standing right behind him flashing the windiest grin.

"Well look at you all grown up." Phil smirked

"Ready to go get your magic book?" Osore rolled his eyes. Phil was 17 But Osore had known him for pretty much his whole life. They used to go around beating up the slum thugs and built forts out of abandoned houses for the little ones. Phil's magic was aura which at a young age increased his 6th sense. When they were kids he would tell Osore that everything was connected in some way since all mana started as one or that's what his magic made him believe. Phil only Recently received his grimoire 2 years ago. Osore wondered why he didn't just take his grimoire and leave. Phil was more than talented enough to become a magic knight. Instead he would simply laugh whenever Osore brought it up.

"Join the magic knights and help the very ones who treat us like shit?" he would scoff. "I'm not the type to show off, I have not one thing to prove to the likes of them!"

"Besides the fact we exist" Osore would sigh.

Phil would laugh. "What more proof do they need besides that of our own existence?"

Phil walked with Osore through their nameless home. Under the awning of a large porch leaned Fi the leader of their little gang. She seemed to have been waiting. When she spotted Phil and Osore, she leapt from her spot on the porch landing and swiftly falling in step with the two boys.

"That time already?" Fi's gaze was on the ground. She was kicking a small rock as she walked.

"Y-you better come back, ok?"

Osore first met Fi when she was 3 years old. Back then she was a timid girl who would barely utter a word. But one day, something had happened and she was never the same again. She became the tomboy she is now and could belt out orders like a drill sergeant. She made Osore and Phil build all kinds of forts and hideouts. Then took the liberty of naming every single one.

"I don't know Fi," Osore responded finally. He found himself watching the small stone that Fi was kicking. It was obvious to Phil that Osore wasn't himself. He was even more gloomy than usual(and that's saying something).

"Say Fi, why don't you go get the others and meet us at the edge of town, ok?" Fi stopped and kicked the rock hard, sending it somewhere out of sight.

"Sure." she smiled, but her gaze seemed far away. "Better not be trying to ditch me." She then jumped onto the roof of a nearby house using a wall as a springboard.

Confused, Osore turned to Phil. "You're not about to ask me to bring all of them with me, right?" Osore said, eyeing Phil suspiciously. Osore's seriousness made Phil laugh.

"Aw, c'mon. lighten up, dude." he said, slapping his friend's back.

"Of course I'm not, they're all gonna see you off after we settle our score." Now Osore was really confused.

"Settle what score?"

Phil smiled and put his hands behind his back walking off. "You'll find out. Come on, don't just stand there. Don't you want that magic book?"

. .

When Osore and Phil reached the edge of town, they saw Fi waiting with everyone else. The gang had 7 kids in total. Besides Osore and Phil, there was Fi, the twins Austin and Carlos, and Crystal and Amira.

Fi was the youngest of the gang, despite being only 12, she was the most mature out of the group and had always gotten Osore and Phil out of big trouble with the knights during inspections. With her short stature and innocent demeanor, nobody would suspect that she was one of the most ruthless out of all of them. Her mousy, reddish brown hair was always cut short or pulled back into a ponytail. She had a splash of freckles across her cheeks like orange constellations. She had deep blue eyes that would turn stormy gray when she was really upset. The second oldest were the twins, Austin and Carlos. They had both turned 13 last March. The twins were practically the same and only those of us who spent a lot of time with the two could just barely manage to correctly identify them once every three tries. They both had glossy black hair that was greased and oiled to perfection. They always wore identical clothing right down to the shoes and socks. They were the pranksters of the village and would pull all kinds of stunts on any poor sap to fall into them. The last two were Crystal and Amira. They weren't related but they might as well have been. The two were inseparable. They were the most girly of the gang, since Fi was practically another guy. Crystal was small and petite. She had silky white hair that was just long enough to cover her ears. In her dainty hands she had held a little handmade doll. Next to her Amira was frantically waving at Osore and Phil. Amira was the gang's star athlete. She was faster than anyone, except maybe Phil and Osore who could use their magic to their advantage. Amira was energetic and lacked any form of seriousness or filter. If there was something she wanted to say she would say it without hesitation. And if she wanted to do something she would do it. Most of the time she got sidetracked and nobody would notice she was missing until someone noticed the strange silence she leaves behind. She was known as 'Amira 24/7', because she could talk nonstop if given the opportunity. She had long frizzy blonde hair that was never brushed and always looked like it needed to be cut and had bright gray eyes.

Phil smirked.

"OK everyone, here's the deal. He started. "You all know it's Osore's big day right?"

"Duh" the twins answered in unison.

"Of course '' Crystal answered softly.

"Why wouldn't we know? Do you think we don't pay attention to our friends? phil I should-

"OK OK" Phil cut in waving his hand, cutting Amira short before she could ramble off.

Phil cleared his throat. "Well guys before he goes to get his book," he turned to Osore. "I want to first ask…what do you wish to accomplish?"

Osore was confused about the statement. Before he could think about it anymore, he saw Phil's right fist in his peripheral vision. He quickly swatted his fist away and jumped back. Everyone else was just as surprised as he was.

Amira was the first to respond.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Phil!? Amira said, taking a step forward as a small fire formed around the outline of her foot with fire literally burning in her left eye. The twins each grabbed each arm holding her in place. Phil glanced over at Amira who was so hot that twins were wincing from the heat.

"Cool it hot stuff, you're giving the twins a sunburn."

He turned back to Osore. "Listen Osore." Phil started "you have the potential to be even stronger than me, i refuse for you to be stuck here!" Osore took two steps back. The look in Phil's eyes was oddly serious. The last time he saw him like this was when Fi had almost gotten herself killed back when she was younger. He couldn't understand his reasoning. He shook his head.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

A blue aura began to radiate off of Phil and a blue book with a 3 leaf clover appeared. The pages flipped open and came to a stop.

"Aura creation magic intent seeking lances." blue energy swirled in front of Phil then sifted into five six foot long lances. They flew off in all directions pointing at Osore, simmering then vanishing. Phils lips played into a sly smirk.

"Trust me Osore you don't have to hold back." he said this waving his finger at him. Osore smacked his lips. Same old tricks. It was clear Phil was baiting him but he had put him in a position where he couldn't refuse. Dragging the kids into this was a dirty move Osore thought. There was no way he was going to look weak in front of everyone. Not today, not ever. In a flash a swirl of darkness formed into a dagger landing in his hand. He pointed it at Phil and prepared for his assault. But, right as he had the thought to attack the air 7 feet behind him simmered. A blue lance shot towards Osore so fast he barely had time to react.. Smoke was sent into the air. Crystal was squeezing the life outta here doll. She clearly wasn't built for this type of stuff yet. The twins weren't paying much attention anymore. Instead they had decided to torture bugs in a tree stump. The only one who wasn't phased by everything was Fi. Instead she kept her eyes trained upon the two boys like she was spectating two masters give a demonstration. When the smoke cleared everyone was relieved to see that Osore was okay. He had managed to deflect it towards the ground but that didn't mean it was easy. Osore only pulled that off because of instinct alone. He looked at his dagger then at Phil who was still smirking at Osore.

"Don't you see, Osore?" Phil started.

"You're wasting your time here rotting in these slums." he started to pace, his grimoire still floating and the aura around him never leaving.

"Phil, what are you talking about!? You brought me here because you said we had a score to settle!"

Phil snickered. "Yeah we do and we'll settle it right now." The air around Osore began to shimmer as the other four spears appeared. They surrounded him. Each point 4 inches from piercing him. Osore couldn't move. He couldn't tell exactly how those spears worked yet. From what he could tell as long as he thought about attacking they would hone in on him faster than a second thought. That alone was enough to deal with. Now they surrounded him.

"Okay Osore!" Phil said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"You better dodge this or you'll die."

Osore caught his breath. Phil was dead serious. The look in his eyes changed and his mana turned ice cold. The lances closed in at supersonic speed. What happened next, Osore couldn't really understand. All he remembered was feeling really hopeless. His body turned weightless then everything went black. But he was moving. Everything around him was dark but he could tell he was moving. It was like swimming through darkness. He popped up behind Phil from his shadow. Bursting into the air, his dagger still in his hand. He could see the smoke from the attack from Phil. Once again it seemed his instinct saved him. If it wasn't for whatever just happened he would have died.

"Disappearing into the shadows won't help you when you're within my aura field!"

Osore had forgotten about the blue aura surrounding him. He was literally inside the aura encompassing his body. If this was a trap he fell directly into it Phil quickly turned.

"Aura creation magic crushing objective!'. Blue aura swirled around Phil's right arm taking the form of giant knight armor. Osore half blocked with his dagger and was blown back crashing to the ground. He coughed. His vision was slightly blurry but Osore could see Phil step towards him.

"What do you wish to accomplish, Osore?" Phil asked again. His aura field rippled like a hot flame. "Once you receive your grimoire, what exactly do you plan to do?" Osore staggered back to his feet. That attack really hurt. He didn't break anything which surprised Osore but he differently would be feeling that tomorrow. He struggled back to his feet still clenching his dagger. Before he could fall back to one knee, Crystal ran to his side to catch him.

"Damnit." he muttered. When the hell did Phil get so strong? Osore's hands were shaking and his forehead was sweating. This was just embarssing. Within the span of two years they went from almost equals to Osore being comeplty out matched. And the saltiest part of the wound was the fact he actually thought he was going to die. He smacked his lips and put on a small smile.

'So that's the power of a grimoire huh?" he asked, pushing Crystal away standing to his feet. Phil's grimoire disappreaded as did the aura around him as he smiled at his childhood friend. He could see the look in Osore's eyes; he didn't mean to shatter his best friend but Osore could be stubborn and this was the only way he would pay attention.

"Listen Osore, I can handle things here, go out and find yourself." Go find yourself. Something about those words made Osore sad. Maybe it was because his whole life that's all he really wanted. He spent his whole life wondering exactly who he was and what he was supposed to be doing. Maybe leaving would give him some form of insight on his path. All of that could be true so why was there something holding him back. Why was there a part of him not willing to leave all this behind if he knew he hated it so much?

Osore found himself staring into the grass. He hadn't realized how little he thought about his life. He felt Phil place his hand upon his shoulder. Phil's grip was firm and tight. In fact his grip was so tight white lines started to form on his knuckles.

"To find your future you must not hold on to your past." he told Osore softly.

Osore was consumed by many emotions at one time. Eagerness, grief hell maybe relief but the biggest of all was confusion.

"So you really plan to stay here by yourself?!" Osore yelled. He really didn't know why he was so angry. Phil was telling him to do the very thing he always wanted but still.

"You can't just waste your own life, what do YOU wish to accomplish?!"

There was a small smile on Phil's face but Osore could swear he saw sadness behind his eyes.

"I've accomplished what I want. 'I've become strong enough to protect my friends." he turned to face the others who were suddenly over their shock and smiling and waving once again. Then turned his gaze back to Osore, his grip tightening once again.

"And strong enough to keep my friend from being trapped by his need for responsibility." Osore snatched his shoulder away. As angry as he may have been, he knew Phil was only telling the truth. He did feel responsible for the little one. He did feel it was his duty to get these kids out of the slums. Deep down he even accepted it was his obligation. His hair fell over his eyes as he looked up at his friend. Even though he was right in front of him Phil seemed far away. inaccessible from the emotions that Osore so desperately needed help understanding. He wiped his eyes.

"Phil, if I leave, what will you all do?" he asked motioning at his friends who were now roughhousing and running around. The scene seemed to make Phil smile. Osore could see the worry and stress line visibly fade from his face.

"We'll do what we always do Osore." he smiled. He turned from Osore and joined the group who all turned in return. It happened in a flash but to Osore it was like watching a movie. He could literally see how each one of them would turn out once they trained and improved. The scene was almost enough to make osore's eyes tear up. Phil

'Now gloom king, go get that book

A/N: so osore is a character from another fanfic i did with my friend on here called highschool azxd. i wanted to do a story with him in black clover. so if you really enjoyed this you would enjoy the original pls leave a like and follow and leave a review so i know that you guys liked it dont forget to check out my other stories see ya