"I choose the Silver Eagles."

Magna stopped in his tracks; the voice sounded nervous yet defiant. His neck craned back for the source and was not too surprised to find that it was the girl that had fought against the silver-haired jerk. He frowned as he took in the consequences of her decision, to have to choose a squad meant that more than one offer had been made.

He had seen the bullying water mage that had treated her so poorly in their fight, opt into the Silver Eagles. It had been that moment that his true identity had clicked into place. The resemblance between the snot-nosed toff and the equally sour-looking Captain was evident.

Magna was relieved that he had held on to his composure rather than deciding to knock the boy's teeth in earlier. He didn't wish to think too much on what the punishment might be, for what would likely be played as an unprovoked attack on a royal.

So why would she pick the same squad as him, wouldn't it be like trying to sleep in the heart of the lion's den?

She must have her reasoning for such a move, yet Magna could not think of one plausible reason himself. Surely there was no magic knight squad to be considered a grave insult to be a part of. Although he did wonder for a moment if the Black Bulls might fulfil that role, he dismissed it quickly. Captain Yami was awesome, if not a little fearsome – okay, maybe he was a lot fearsome. He couldn't understand why anyone would be ashamed to be a Black Bull.

As if the thought of his new squad was enough to summon their presence, a portal glowed on the wall ahead of him. A hand poked through and gestured him closer with a wave. Magna neared it cautiously, unsure if this was some kind of prank. He could only see the arm that dangled as if waiting for him to approach, the rest was swirling silver mist.

Suddenly, a head thrust forward, and Magna fell against the opposite wall in fright. A young man that he had seen on a few occasions had the thought to look contrite as he took in Magna's ashen face.

"What the hell did ya do that for? You trying to scare people to death?" Magna demanded, anger overcoming the momentary fright.

The young man tousled his scruffy chest-nut locks, looking sheepish but not at all fazed by the yelling or the vein that was popping from the boy's forehead.

"Ah – yeah. Sorry about that. I've a message from Captain Yami, he says you've to wait by the entrance area until we are ready to go."

That made sense, there were still dozens of hopefuls left to be judged so he had expected to have to hang around. Magna nodded his understanding before letting his curiosity run rampant.

"Sorry for yelling. You know, I've never seen someone use portals like this, ain't you worried you'll lose concentration and chop yourself in half?"

The spatial mage wore an expression that slid from embarrassed delight to utter dread in the blink of an eye. His lavender eyes darted from side to side as if processing this idea for the very first time. To say he looked uncomfortable would be an understatement.

"I think I best be go-," his attempt at exiting the conversation was cut short as Magna pressed himself closer and spoke once more. Clearly, he was excited to speak with someone that would be his fellow squad mate. A mixture of excitement and low-key nerves were evident in both his tone and expression as he studied the portal carefully.

"You're a Black Bull ain'tcha? I've seen you transporting Yami. Have you been a member long? I'm Magna, by the way."

"I'm Finral, it's nice to meet you and yeah, I'm a Black Bull," this was said with a certain degree of a rush to the man's voice as if he wanted to wrap this up quickly, "oh – the Captain is calling for me, I better go. See ya soon!"

With that, the arm and head disappeared seconds before the portal closed, and the wall once more is only a wall. Magna slid his glasses down the bridge of his nose, looking around him to see if anyone else had witnessed that exchange but found the area empty. His fingers danced across the stones that had formed the portal, they felt rough, as he had expected yet a smile curled his lips.

"Cool."

~.~

Finral straightened and dispelled the portal he had used to converse with the newest recruit. With the ominous words of Magna still ringing in his ears, he noticed the audible muttering and hubbub that spoke of something he had missed. His eyes fell on his Captain that watched from the balcony, a curl of smoke drifting upwards past his head. He was immediately suspicious – what had he missed?

"What happened?" he asked with a sigh.

Yami turned with a grin on his face, his eyes sparkled with dark humour and Finral did not like it – not one little bit.

"What did you do?" Finral asked again, almost tripping over his feet as he too approached the balcony to look down into the space containing the remaining applicants.

"Found us another new recruit, don't sweat it. Honestly, will you ever stop cramping my style?"

His black-haired Captain waved a dismissive hand as if that was enough to explain why everyone else appeared to be up in arms about the decision. Finral scoured the heads below, frowning as he failed to see what could be causing the commotion. Finral pointedly ignored the jab from Yami, he was used to that comment, and the answer would be, never, but he wasn't stupid enough to say it aloud. He didn't have a death wish.

"If it's as simple as that, then tell me why it sounds like a riot is about to break out?"

A thick, tanned finger pointed towards the left. Finral followed it to find a space almost entirely devoid of people, it was as if they were too scared to approach, and there in the dead centre was the blonde-haired lightning kid. He groaned audibly, feeling his heart sink right down into the toes of his boots.

"Are you nuts? He nearly killed his opponent! What if he slaughters us all in our sleep? Did you even think about that? Look, he is still smiling even though people are booing him," Finral whisper yelled, he desperately wished they weren't surrounded by the respective Captains of the other Magic Knight squads.

He could already feel their stares on the back of his neck, it was unpleasant, and he could sense himself dancing from foot to foot in his agitation. Finral hated to be caught in the centre of attention, there was no reason they should pay him any mind, but Yami made it impossible to remain unseen.

"Finral!" Yami snapped, his voice low and menacing.

"I thought more of you, kid. Yes, I see the smile, but do you?"

The spatial mage gulped. He felt like he had been scolded, although it hit differently from how he had been scolded at home. There was no building trepidation of an incoming physical strike, although Yami could knock him flying with a simple swat of his hand, it wasn't the man's style. Instead, he felt the disappointment lace his every word and it tasted bitter in his mouth.

Finral looked again at the grinning boy down below. The smile was wide, almost crazed in appearance but then he realised. He slid guilty eyes towards Yami who observed him with one brow quirked – waiting. He nodded and some of the tension from Yami's aura dissipated along with the smoke from his cigarette.

This young boy, who looked as if he had only just turned fifteen, was masking something with this permanent smile. It didn't reach his eyes, the blue irises almost seemed to scream 'help' when you truly looked into them. His clothes appeared ill-fitting despite the fact that they were clearly well made, and his hair was more dishevelled than he first thought.

It was a hard pill to swallow, but the picture that was painted before his eyes was one of a boy that had been forced to take care of himself for longer than should be probable. Finral disliked this train of thought, sure, he had had a less than happy upbringing – truly an understatement – but at least he was fed and clothed. He might have been the family failure, but he was never kicked out. Finral had chosen to leave when Yami saw the potential within him, although he still denied that fact.

He wondered what had brought this kid to this point in life. It was evident that he didn't know how to interact with others out with fighting. What had caused him to veil himself behind the ever-present smile?

"Never saw you as a sentimental man, Captain," Finral dared to mutter aloud.

"What makes you say that I am?"

The brown-haired boy chuckled, letting his eyes close for a second before he met Yami's intense gaze once more.

"He needs a family, that much is evident to me now. You think we can fill that role for him? Help him to dial back the craziness?" he asked quietly.

There was a stretch of silence in which Finral thought that Yami was never going to answer him. They continued to watch as the blonde boy headed for the same exit that Magna had passed through. Once he was out of sight, Yami turned to Finral with a meaty hand falling to his shoulder.

"You tell anyone about this, and I'll kill ya, got it?" he said with a growl.

Finral nodded and tried to hide his own smile that was spreading unbidden. He followed the hulking man as he passed by a few of the other Captains to make his excuses and say his goodbyes. Two new recruits would be more than enough for one year. He wondered what would be in store for them, it was both an interesting and a scary prospect and he didn't know which side he fell on.

They had almost left the seating area when another hand landed on his shoulder, but this one was quickly withdrawn, almost in disgust. He swung around to come face to face with his younger brother, his throat tightened, and his mouth ran dry.

Langris looked perfectly furious, all his anger and hatred directed squarely upon Finral's head. His aquamarine eyes blazed with cold fire that snapped and crackled.

"We need to talk, dear brother."

~.~

Boredom was kicking in; there was only so long that Magna could occupy himself by watching the applicants trailing out, wondering by their expressions if they had been successful or not. He kicked at the dirt, scuffing his shoe in the process.

He more felt the presence before he saw him. The hairs on his arms lifted as the sensation of electricity crackled along his skin, this could only be one person he mused. Magna looked up and stepped away from the wall he was leaning against. A blonde-haired boy sauntered towards him, almost merrily skipping with that unnerving smile still bright on his face.

"You look strong, wanna fight?" the kid said by way of greeting.

Magna scoffed, taken aback by the brazen words of this tiny little pipsqueak. His mouth was half-open with an agreement to a fight before his brain finally kicked in. The image of the bloodied body of his opponent flashed in warning, and he grimaced. He wasn't one for stepping away from a challenge, but he had a feeling that his new Captain would be less than impressed if he got himself grievously wounded so soon.

"Another time," he grunted.

He frowned as the blonde boy shrugged and came to stand by his side. His body seemed full of restless energy, he rocked incessantly on the balls of his feet and his fingers fidgeted as he played with small arcs of lightning over his bare knuckles.

"Look kid, I'm waiting for someone."

"I know. You're gonna be a Black Bull too, aren't you?" the boy enthused.

Magna wasn't sure, but it seemed like he had trouble maintaining eye contact. His blue eyes would dart away from Magna's stare, coming back every few seconds only to dart away once again. Noticing this meant that the words took longer to filter into his consciousness.

"Whaddya mean too? Did Yami pick you to join his squad?" the fire mage demanded, absolutely flabbergasted that he had been selected for any squad after his brutal performance.

"If you mean that scary mountain of a man with the black hair and the cigarette, then yeah! I'm so excited! Do you think this means I'll get to fight loads of powerful enemies?"

His blonde hair bounced excitedly as the kid practically danced in glee. Magna tried his best not to think of the evident bloodlust in his youthful voice, he was far too young to be this bloodthirsty. He couldn't quite believe that Yami was taking such a gamble on this lunatic, it didn't make any sense.

"Uh – I dunno kid, maybe?" he shrugged nonchalantly. He tried to shift away from him without notice but the bright blue eyes followed his every movement like a bird of prey.

"Why do you keep calling me kid? My name is Luck, and I bet you aren't that much older than me. Do you think that the glasses and leather jacket make you look older?" the boy quipped with a light chuckle.

"Magna," he huffed sullenly, ignoring the jab at his appearance. He recognised bait when he saw it, and he had thought his flair for picking fights was impressive, it was nothing on this one.

"Well, Magna, I bet I could beat you in a fight. You sure you don't wanna try, might improve your mood?" Luck chirped.

This kid doesn't give up!

He was saved by approaching footsteps and voices that carried toward them. Yami and the young man from the portal were approaching whilst deep in conversation.

"Shuddup kid!" he hissed to the boy. He gave him a slight push, which was definitely a mistake that would come back to bite him on the ass.

The portal-making male looked sad and harassed, his frown was prominent as he murmured to Yami. Magna tried to focus his hearing and as they came closer, he could hear hints of their conversation and one part stuck in his mind.

"So, thunder face thinks you told Alina not to join the Golden Dawn, huh? I gotta say, I was surprised when she picked the Silver Eagles, it was a bold move."

"I don't know what she was thinking, and yeah, Langris is convinced it is my doing. Even though I haven't spoken to Alina for almost a year. I've no wish for her to be punished for continuing to associate with me."

"You sure you don't want me to pay your dear old dad a visit with my katana? I could make it look like an accident, a gruesome blood-soaked accident, but I'd like to see them try to pin it on me."

"You know, sometimes I really can't tell if you're joking or not."

"Lighten up chuckles. You've got yourself a real ballsy little cousin. I'm still pissed you wouldn't let me offer her a place with the Bulls."

Magna focused on the name that was mentioned, Alina, it was pretty sounding and matched the girl who owned it perfectly. He scowled at that thought and shook it away, just in time for a small fist to connect with his jaw.

For such a spry boy, he packed a hell of a punch, and it was enough to send Magna tumbling sideways into the dirt. Luck was sitting on his chest in no time, he weighed nothing, but lightning raced into every part which connected their bodies. Magna jolted from the energy that spasmed his muscles and made his legs jerk uncontrollably. It might have looked funny if it didn't hurt so damn much.

Laughter filled his ears as he tried to bring his own hands up to strike the smiling boy. A well-aimed blow almost dislodged his attacker, but the blonde kid clung on as his fist pulled back to land another blow on Magna's face. He scrunched his eyes closed and waited for the impact, but it didn't come.

The feather-light weight lifted from his chest, and Magna peeked through one eye.

Yami stood with Luck held aloft by the back of his tunic. His legs kicked but not as if he were trying to escape, it was more like he enjoyed what was happening. Blood trickled from his nose, likely from Magna's punch and he was laughing almost hysterically.

"Alright sparky, that's more than enough outta you," Yami growled before placing Luck back on his feet and giving the boy a death glare.

Magna swallowed at the intimidating look even though it was not aimed at him. Their new Captain was terrifying, his dark aura pulsated from his frame and only a fool would dare to defy him.

"Behave yourself, kid," he added with a pointed finger.

"Why does everyone keep calling me kid? My name is Luck, Luck Voltia and I could beat all of you if I wanted!"

Magna took the hand that was offered from Yami and regained his footing, trying not to show the wobble from his shaky legs. Of course, Luck would be fool enough to argue with this man. He was deranged if he truly thought he could best their Captain.

"Yeah, yeah kid. I know," Yami waved a dismissive hand before clicking his fingers in the direction of the brown-haired male that had watched the entire exchange with a bemused expression.

He stepped forward and offered Magna and Luck a small smile.

"Finral," he said in greeting, lifting his hand in a wave, "I'm the official transportation mage of the Black Bulls."

Yami snorted loudly, "he's my ride."

"I prefer," he said, giving the Captain a rather stern and pointed look, "transportation mage. I will remember this the next time you are desperate to locate the restroom facilities."

"Low blow, Finral." The hulking man-mountain visibly winced at the threat levelled at him. "C'mon let's get outta here before these two morons blow a hole in something important."

Luck appeared as if he were ready to argue some more, but it was silenced when Yami took a grip of both his and Magna's head. He turned them just in time to see Finral's grimoire float above his outstretched hand and a large portal appear. The same swirling silver mist formed the centre, and without warning, Magna was tossed through it.

He braced for the impact on instinct but was met with no resistance. There was only the sound of someone yelling "wheeee", which he assumed to be Luck and then there was nothing but solid ground as they both crashed into a jumble of limbs.

It took a minute to untangle himself from the lightning mage, the boy appeared frozen on the ground with his head staring at something behind Magna. He watched as Captain Yami and Finral strolled through the portal before turning to discover what had managed to captivate the bundle of crazed energy.

Magna whistled low as he eyed the impressive-looking stone building. He wasn't sure what to call it, it appeared to be a mishmash of different buildings lumped together to form a uniquely weird-looking structure. He wondered idly if several houses might have been caught in some kind of freak hurricane with the end result being this monster house. Whatever it was, he liked it.

"Welcome to your new home boys, this is the hideout of the Black Bulls."

Dusting off his knees, he looked to Luck who still had not moved from the ground. He was extending his hand with an exaggerated roll of his eyes when the boy finally spoke.

"Home," he whispered quietly.

For the first time, the exuberant smile reached his eyes.