Chapter 8: The Thieves' Debut
December 23rd, 1621, Rustwallow Village.
Finally returning to the village, Secre flutters down to Asta's sleeping form, rustling beneath his blanket for some warmth. Finally going to sleep, the pair rest until the sun is up in the sky, leaving them with around another 14 hours before the Treasure is lost forever. After they wake up and gobble down the last of the apples, Asta finds some extra rations at the bottom of the bag that he didn't notice when he was given this bag.
Not bothering to wonder how he got them, he digs in, soon finding himself full for the first time since he left Hage. Once he's finished with his pre-game meal, he double-checks that his chainmail shirt is hidden beneath the clothes he got from the general store, Asta knows there's no time to waste. He marches to the inn's bathroom, enters the stall, and pulls out the Crimson Key.
"Ready for this Secre?"
"Let's do this Asta."
(Play Life Will Change: Royale Version for the vibe to go hard)
The pair waste no time in opening the door to Revchi's Inversion. Stepping through the veil between realities, Asta can feel the air around him electrify, as if it's alive. He knows in his heart that the card worked. Finding himself in the fields of gold stalks, Asta wastes no time in sprinting through the crops. He leaps from the top of a lantern-post to the roof of the barn, watching the shadows beneath him scurry around looking for him. From there, he dives to the roof of the main house, taking the time to sneak to the chimeny, thereafter following the route he took to reach the basement.
Now back in the basement, he kicks the hallway door open, finding nothing in his way. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, he sprints for the end, glancing at the nametags on the doors lining the walls. Soon, all those villages and everyone in them will be avenged! Slamming the door to the treasure room open, Asta finds a bundle of chains made out of some kind of gems hovering where the white haze was yesterday. That must be the Treasure!
"God, this guy just loves his chains, doesn't he?" Secre mutters sarcastically.
"No kidding, everything's about chains with this guy." Walking over to the pedestal, Asta swipes the chain out of the air, shoving it into his pocket. Assuming that he's got what he's after, he turns to leave. Only to hear the door slam shut, and see the figure of a man standing at the door. With bright yellow eyes screaming sadistic joy, Revchi's shadow stands between Asta and victory.
"Well well, you just can't help yourself, causing all sorts of problems. I hoped that you would grow a brain after I slaughtered those slaves in the basement, but I guess I was wrong! And now you come here to steal my Treasure, 'Phantom Thief'?!" Revchi snarls and holds out his hand. The chain on Asta's belt snaps into Revchi's awaiting hands.
"Once I'm done with you, I'm going to take my subordinates and tear through the Forsaken Realm for all it's worth! And nobody will be able to stand up to me, because their hopes will die with YOU!" Once he's finished his piece, Revchi starts to twitch. His body starts to contort before Asta and Secre's eyes, suddenly arching backward, with the familiar fountain of black and red spewing from his stomach.
As his body melts into the puddle beneath him, chains fly out of the puddle and begin to curl. More and more follow, joining the mass floating above the puddle until five areas begin to lengthen into the shape of an animal. Specifically, a bear. When the chains finally finished sprouting, the mass thuds onto the ground, growling at Asta, its chain jaw gnashing and scraping against each other.
That's one big bastard, honestly. Asta decides to push Secre off his head, and she gets the message, flapping off so he can go all out. Revchi's new form gives a thunderous roar and charges at Asta with a speed that's hidden by his size. Quickly swapping to Obariyon, Asta braces for the strike. He was smart to do so, as the strike that comes from one swipe of Revchi's paws throws him right back into the pedestal where the treasure was held. Taking a moment to catch his breath from the sledgehammer that just hit him in the gut, Asta manages to get up and decided to try out one of Obariyon's new moves.
With the snap of chains, Obariyon flares into existence, following Asta's command.
"Sukunda!"
Tiny orbs of black, outlined by green, begin to meld into Revchi's form. The change is noticeable, as his pacing begins to include him dragging his feet every few steps. After Obariyon disappears, Revchi charges at Asta once more, this time at a speed that's far more manageable. Pushing himself up off the ground with the pedestal, he gets an idea and simply stares down the charging bear. Waiting until almost in his face, Asta jumps backward over the pedestal, leaving Revchi to slam into the solid structure.
The chains that make up his face cave in on themselves, and he starts to stumble around. His face slowly begins to put itself back in place, but Asta notices the visible damage dealt to each link making up his face. Realizing that he can do something with that, Asta swaps over to Jack-O-Lantern.
"Jack-O-Lantern, AGI!" The floating pumpkin shoots a sparking ball of flame at Asta's desired target. Striking right at the spot that would make up his left eye. Revchi howls in pain, the chains making up that spot of his face burning a hot pale red. With a snarl, Revchi gets back up onto his feet and throws one of his paws at Asta, treating it like a spiky ball on a string. Jumping over the wide attack, Asta charges forward at the bear, preparing to strike while the iron is hot. Literally.
Swapping back over to Obariyon, Asta takes aim at the glowing part of Revchi's face and takes the shot.
"SNAP!" Obariyon blasts the invisible attack right at Revchi, and the area of chains bends and distorts under the heat and pressure. Finally snapping out of the pain, Revchi charges at Asta and opens his maw. With the effects of the Sukunda finally having worn off, Asta was unprepared for the speed of his assault. Being thrown around like a dog's chew toy sucks, is all Asta can think about as Revchi snarls before throwing him away.
Finally done with that, Asta counts his blessings that Revchi's form doesn't have any sharp teeth, just strong discomfort. As the two face off against each other, Asta takes a closer look at something he just noticed inside Revchi's chains. The Treasure, making up what would be his spine. Deciding that going after that would be his best shot at stopping Revchi, Asta swaps to Pixie.
"Pixie, Zio!" She takes her best shot, but Revchi saw it coming and dodged to the side, rolling back to his feet, and throwing out both his front paws. The chains connecting the balls to Revchi give Asta an idea. Jumping back out of range, Asta takes some time to use Dia, healing up the strike he took earlier when the fight started.
Revchi pulls his front paws back, going for a ranged slam while Asta is stationary. Planning for this kind of attack, Asta rolls out of the way at the last second, watching as the balls get jammed into the ground, leaving Asta with the perfect opportunity.
"DO IT PIXIE!" With his command, Pixie charges a Zio right into Revchi's jammed paws, and Asta watches as the attack flows right up his arms, allowing Asta the one moment he needs to make this count. While Revchi continues twitching from the attack, Asta charges up to him, sticking his foot right into the half-melted eye. Revchi lets out some kind of croak, but can't get anything else to work how he wants it to.
Using his foothold as a step, Asta lifts himself up to the back of the bear and jams his knife into the wiggling chains. Rooting it around for a moment, Asta can feel that Revchi is recovering from his plan. If he can't get this now, he might not be able to again! But finally, he strikes gold. The golden studded chain is finally exposed, and Asta wastes no time in ripping it out of Revchi.
Feeling the bear beneath him start to thrash around, Asta knows that it's time he got off. Jumping in a random direction, Asta rolls on the ground, turning his body back towards Revchi. Revchi's form throws itself around until it finally gives one last roar, collapsing onto its belly. The bear begins to turn black and melt into a puddle. For a moment, Asta was terrified that he might have just killed him, but his fears are put to rest when the normal form of Revchi emerged from the miasma.
Both gasping, Asta rises first, keeping a tight grip on the chain so that Revchi can't take it again. Standing over the prone and beaten form of Revchi, Asta puts his leg against his side and shoves Revchi onto his back. It's only around this moment that he realizes that he didn't come out unscathed. Revchi's left eye, the one that he put the most damage on, now has a freshly made burn scar. Shaking his head to get his mind back on track, Asta doesn't even get to speak before Revchi begins to beg.
"No please, kid, I'm begging you, don't take that! I need it! Without it, everything I've done will have been for nothing!" His words spark rage in Asta. Grabbing his collar, Asta goes in on shouting at him.
"Everything will have been for nothing?! YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN DOING IT IN THE FIRST PLACE! YOU'VE RUINED SO MANY LIVES, ALL FOR YOUR OWN SELFISH WANTS!" Asta's shouts make Revchi cower back, scared of the boy who holds his life in his hands.
"O-ok ok, please just don't kill me!"
"I won't, as long as you swear to turn yourself, and apologize to the village you were in a few days ago!"
"Really? You'll spare me?"
"SWEAR IT!"
"I WILL, I WILL!"
Finally letting go of his collar, Asta feels relieved that he got all that out. When Revchi starts to glow, Asta has to look away from the blinding light.
"I swear, I'll make things better... But promise me something." He looks at Asta in earnest, so he responds in kind.
"Don't turn out like me. Be better." And with that, Revchi bursts into a glow of white and gold. Blinking out the dots in his eyes, Asta looks back to where Revchi was. A weight sets itself on his head, and Asta can tell that she wants to talk. Before they can do anything, a rumble shakes the room they're in. Remembering Igor's description of what doing this would do, Asta high-tails it down the hall as the room he fought Revchi in collapsed. As the hallway around him begins to break as well, Asta can feel his heart about to beat out of his chest.
Kicking down the door to the room that would spin the chains, Asta grabs tries to grab the Crimson key as fast as possible, but stumbles and drops it. The room around him is starting to collapse, so he has to hurry. Finally grabbing the key and shoving it into the lock, Asta watches as the door creates itself, even as half the room he's in is already destroyed. When the door finally opens, the rest of the roof begins to fall, so Asta grabs Secre and shoves her into the veil first.
She realizes what he's doing as well and cries for him to hurry. By the time he manages to get his upper half in, the rest of the room had finally reached the ground, catching one of Asta's legs in the process. Crying out into the veil between worlds, Asta collapses onto the ground in a heap, trying to deal with the pain of his leg being crushed. A few minutes pass before he can finally stop crying in pain, and only then does he decide to see if he made a stupid bet.
Reaching into his soul, Asta pulls Pixie to the forefront and tries to cast Dia, praying to anyone that will listen for this to work. And to both his and Secre's astonishment, it does, and they watch Asta's mangled leg heal before their eyes. They stay quiet, staring at his leg until Secre flies onto his head and begins to peck him.
"OW, CAN YOU NOT DO THAT?!" Shaking his head in an effort to get her off, he misses how infuriated she is until she spells it out for him.
"Why did you do that?! If you were any slower, then you would have died!"
"If I was any slower, you would've been crushed before I was! I chose to protect you first because I was banking on the chance that I could heal myself!"
"That doesn't make it okay for you to be so reckless with your own safety!"
"Well, I'm sorry, but I didn't want to see my friend die before my eyes! It was bad enough watching that cognitive woman die in my arms, if YOU were the one to die, I don't know what I would do!"
Secre has nothing to say to that, understanding that the sight of death would be traumatizing to someone his age. Left without words to say, Asta takes a tentative step on the leg that was deformed and bloody only a minute ago. When he feels no pain, he continues forward for a few more steps, coming to accept that he's really back to normal. Grabbing his bag, Asta offers Secre a lift, an offer she declines by setting herself on his head silently.
Not knowing what to say, he decided to just make his way into town and wait. Wait and see if Revchi really is going to change.
(Take your Time)
It's been several hours since Asta defeated Revchi's shadow and stole his Treasure, which was actually a First Class Junior Magic Knight badge. Wanting to ask Igor more about it later, he pushes it into his pocket and continues staring at the horizon. Without a clue as to which direction Revchi might come from, Asta is left with his thoughts and a lovely view of the early evening sky. With lovely shades of orange, yellow, and pink melding into one, it's very helpful in bringing a sense of peace.
This peace is shattered when he notices some of the villagers running down the streets from the east side. Assuming this might be him, Asta summons John-Ball's ship and rides it above the streets, only to get shouted at by a familiar voice.
"KID, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! REVCHI IS COMING THIS WAY!" The shopkeep's words confirm Asta's thoughts, and he flies past the man, landing on the ground. As he stares down at the lone figure walking toward him, he can hear the sound of footsteps dashing toward him. Turning to the shopkeep that's trying to take him away from Revchi, he holds up his hands in an effort to stop him. The man catches on but doesn't leave. He stays only about three yards away from Asta.
Turning back to the approaching Revchi, Asta stares him down without fear. As he gets closer, he realizes that he's putting a lot of faith into this whole 'changing hearts' idea, but decides he needs to put bravery first if the villagers watching want to have any hope. When Revchi is five feet away, he stops. The town is silent. Observers from windows and houses around them hold their breaths, waiting for something to happen. The shopkeep looks to be struggling to stay composed.
Asta stares down the now scarred face of Revchi, just as Revchi stares down the brave face of Asta. Neither move.
Until Revchi gets on his knees, planting his forehead into the dirt.
"I will never be able to apologize enough for everything I've done, not just to you or this village, but to everyone I've ever wronged." The observers gasp at what they're seeing. The man who terrorized them, bowing before the child who swore he would fix things.
"I have not only extorted this village but twenty-three other villages, full of people who never did anything wrong and were unable to defend themselves. I am here to apologize and return the riches that I have stolen, before taking myself and my collaborators into the custody of the Royal Capital's courts." He says loud enough for everyone to hear, prompting them to come out of hiding. The sight of Asta standing tall above Revchi's bowing form is almost ethereal.
"I am truly sorry for everything I have done to you all, including you, young man." Revchi says, glancing up at Asta. He gives no reaction, so Revchi continues, pulling out a bag.
"In this bag is at least double the amount of funds my subordinates and I extorted from this village. I will now return to my squads and bring us before the courts." Revchi rises, tears in his eyes. As he turns away, everyone is too stunned to speak. Most are in disbelief at what's happening, expecting Revchi to turn around and say he was kidding. The rest are looking at Asta, who has turned back toward them, with his arms on his hips.
"I swore to you all, that I would solve your problem! I am here to tell you that I did it!" His childish voice does nothing to weaken the message he delivers to the villagers, as he watches the light return to their eyes. The looming aura of fear and misery he felt when Revchi's Inversion existed here has faded away at last.
It only takes another moment for the villagers to begin cheering, celebrating what just happened. The joy spreads to the rest of the village, who come out and learn about what happened. They all converge in the middle of the town, picking Asta up onto their shoulders and tossing him in the air. Three cheers to the savior of the town!
Asta can't believe that it worked, he really did it! As he revels in the joy that everyone is showing, he watches as some of the villagers head inside their homes, yanking out bottles and barrels of alcohol, likely wine. Kegs are opened, bottles are popped, the wine flows, and the people celebrate at their newfound freedom. When the sun finally goes down, the overwhelming cheers stop, replaced by ambient conversation.
Everywhere he walks, he's met with a smile and a wave, most food stalls offering him free goods. One even gives him a headband, helping him tie it on. It's not long after that he makes his way out of the public eye, using his ship to float up to the roof. Flopping down onto the tiles, Asta lets the adrenaline die down. A small weight lands on his chest, making him look down to see Secre, who he now recalls hasn't said anything since this morning.
"So, what's wrong?"
"Why did you help this village?"
"Because they were suffering at the hands of a vicious bastard."
"Is that truly the only reason?"
"...It's the main one."
"What were your other reasons? I want to know."
"I helped because those who were supposed to protect them were actually the ones hurting them. I helped because I could actually make a difference. I helped because I had no reason not to."
"You could've died. That's a valid reason not to help."
"...I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I left these people to their suffering."
"...So what will you do now?"
"What do you mean?"
"I doubt that Revchi and his cronies were the only horrible people in this kingdom. Do you plan on stopping them because they're causing pain and suffering?"
"..."
"..."
"If I did, would you be there to help me?"
"..Yes, but only if you promise to not throw yourself into a death trap because you think it'll help someone. I'm still upset at how reckless you were earlier."
"I'll try, but I will probably choose your safety first because I can actually fix myself."
"We're going to need to work on that, but ok."
"So, we're cool?"
"Yes Asta, we're cool."
Secre gets a wide grin at the confirmation that she's not pissed anymore. The two dig out the blanket from Asta's bag, curling up in it, and heading to sleep after such an eventful day.
(Take your Time)
The opening notes of the Velvet Room's theme are almost therapeutic to Asta. When the haze clears from his eyes, he can see the smile of Igor and Angelica watching him with pride.
"Congratulations on your success with Revchi. We are delighted to see that you've overcome such a hurdle in your journey." Asta doesn't know what to say, so he just smiles and waits for Igor to continue.
"Now, I assume you have some questions to ask, yes?"
"Yeah, the Treasure I took from Revchi's Inversion, why did it turn into a Magic Knight badge?"
"Because that was the root of his distorted desires. That is what started his descent into depravity. The badge you stole, was worth that entire farm to Revchi."
"Woah...It's so small though. This little thing did all of that?"
"Little things can have a great impact on some people, as I'm sure you know." Igor gestures to Asta and he gets the joke.
"So, now what do I do?"
"That is for you to decide. This is your journey after all. However you choose to lead it, remember to abide by your contracts."
"Got it. Well, I'm going to go rest Igor. Good night you two!" He hops down from the chair and heads to the exit. When he's finally left the room, Igor shares his own thoughts.
"I believe he will go far, don't you?"
"Yes, he seems to be adjusting well."
"Let us hope for his success."
(Take your Time)
Waking up in the morning, Asta stares out into the fields of the Clover Kingdom, thinking about some things. If the Magic Knights were the ones causing the problems, then who were the ones solving them? Were there others like him out there, fighting a losing battle?
Can he be better than them?
Asta thinks back to the last words of Revchi's shadow, and his request that Asta 'be better than him.' Now that it's in his head, it starts to click for him.
Tons of people across this kingdom don't get any help when they need it, god knows he didn't back in Hage. So, maybe he could become the one that helps the people. A Phantom Thief, who goes around the kingdom and helps those who can't help themselves.
Shaking in excitement, Asta holds himself back from waking Secre. That'd be mean.
After she finally wakes up, he gets back to her with his plan from the night before and asks if she'd like to come. She reiterates her words and the two begin to pack up their stuff. Getting ready to leave, Asta secures the headband he was gifted last night and summons his ship. Stepping onboard almost feels like him taking a leap of faith, but he couldn't be happier, as the sails drop and catch their own wind.
Passing over the crowds of bustling villagers, Asta waves goodbye to the people he saw, and those he didn't. As he begins to pick up speed, he flies out of the village and toward the rising sun. Excited to continue his journey, he decides to let the winds guide him.
(Take your Time)
September 8th, 1630
Exiting the portal made by his new 'teammate', Asta observes where he's going to be staying for now. A rickety, very cubical tower, with windows at random points. Following Yami and Finral into the main lobby, Asta watches as chaos unfolds around him. At the moment, he's tired so he makes his opinion known to the captain, who points him in the direction of the men's rooms. Finral offers to show him to an empty room, one which the captain accepts. The two walk to down the dark halls until Finral stops at a door.
"This room should be empty, so if you need anything else, just come back to the main living room and I'll help you as best I can. Do you need anything else at the moment?"
"No, I'm good for now."
"Alright, but let me be the first to tell you. One of the senior members of the squad is very big on having new members prove themselves, so don't be too surprised if he comes knocking at your door before the evening's up." Asta raises an eyebrow and decides to just head into his new room, while Finral takes the hint and makes his way back to the living room.
An empty room with a stone desk, a single bed with a relatively thin mattress, and a single window aimed right at some trees with no view to see. So this is what it's come to. God, he should've fought back in the black market. He probably could've escaped too.
Flopping down on his new bed, Asta sighs and yanks out a notebook from his bag. Thankfully it doesn't seem like it was pilfered while he was in that little room. With nothing else to do, Asta kicks off his shoes, pulls his grimoire holder off his belt, and closes his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him.
To Be Continued in Chapter 9...
A.N: So, this marks the end of the Revchi arc. I hope you enjoyed it for what it was, as well as what it means for canon. In my story, Asta was the reason Revchi has his burn scar on his face, and since Revchi turned himself in, he wasn't there to try and steal Yuno's grimoire. So that ties itself up nicely. Not much else to talk about except maybe Asta's resolve to become a Phantom Thief. That was its own thing because seriously, he's a good kid who threw hands with a grown man because he took something from his orphan brother. Of course, he was going to put his neck out to help some innocent people. And he'll continue to do so since he got away with it once. As for him and Secre, I feel that collapsing the roof helps show that he can heal himself in reality with Dia skills while also showing how he'll put the well-being of others before himself. Secre was mad because of his recklessness but is happy that he was willing o put her first. Now I really have nothing else to talk about, so boop-de-boop.
Please Review, I want to hear your thoughts and criticisms.
Until Next Time :)