Chapter 1: The Last Ltraw
December 17th, 1621
In the village of Hage, on the outskirts of the forsaken realm, weights that should never be on the mind of a youth press down on the curled-up form of a boy. This child is named Asta, and all his life, he's only ever been seen as less than dirt for the simple reason that he was born without magic.
In a world where magic is everything, someone of the lower social class wouldn't be looked at twice for anything remarkable, but couple that with not having the one thing that would make him fit in with the rest of the world, the one thing that everyone has, then you have the recipe the existence of misery and inferiority.
He is one of the many orphans that have been given a stay in Hage Village. The second eldest of the orphans, yet nobody goes to him for anything. Even those younger than him see themselves as his superior. That goes double for his 'brother' Yuno. Asta has tried to get along with the only thing he could call a family, but it's easy to see that he's the black sheep of the orphanage and the village itself.
His 'brother' used to rely on him for many things, even being somewhat cowardly at one point, but after Asta saved him from getting mugged by some drunk, he can't say he remembers the last time he's seen Yuno smile at him. Yuno has become completely self-reliant, leaving Asta to feel even less wanted.
It's easy to say that this is the lowest point in his entire life, forcing Asta to a desperate conclusion. If he has NOTHING to live for in his orphanage of all places, then maybe this village isn't where his life is meant to be. Asta derails that train of thought by standing up and shaking his head and limbs to get the blood flowing again. An idea that stupid was probably brought on by freezing.
Making his way back inside, he is greeted with the sight of the younger orphans huddled around the nun of their Church, Sister Lily. She's reading them a story while they're by the fireplace, but he can't bring himself to join them. He feels like a complete outsider looking in. Instead, he simply makes his way to the room he shares with Yuno. Not even bothering to see if anyone is in the bed, he flops down and waits for sleep to take him.
One month later...
The thought of simply up and leaving Hage never left Asta that night, and it didn't help that he was pretty sure he was actually being forgotten. Meal portions weren't always there for him, the Father didn't get him for morning prayers, and one day, he came to his room to see that there was one of the older orphans in his bed. When he finally felt that his ludicrous idea of leaving wasn't as crazy as he thought at first, Asta settled it.
Under the cover of darkness, when all in the village slept, Asta snuck through the kitchen with a cloth that currently held a small blanket, a pair of clothes, and a small knife. After five or so minutes of rooting around the kitchen for some food he could make last for a few days, he exited the building with his chosen loot.
Walking down the street for what he felt would be the final time, he tries to fish around his own head for anything that could change his mind about his decision. Something to convince himself that staying is worth it. When he finally reaches the exit of the village, he realizes that he's come up empty.
With that settled, he walks out of the village, hours before the sun rises, unknowingly marching to where he will face his destiny head-on.
To be continued...
A.N.- So... this exists now. There's not much to say, but this idea came to me the same way my other fanfic did. I was just showering, and vibing on some anime, and this came. This is going to be short, and I'll get on making the next chapters longer, and have them somewhat follow a day-by-day thing, just more intricately than anything else. Funny thing, this was originally going to be a Naruto/persona crossover, but black clover seemed more interesting. Also, a world like Naruto is completely ok with using horrible tactics and stuff. Black Clover has a corrupt system, but there are plenty of people who can't fight back against their oppressors. it'd make much more sense for someone to come and try to change society. And on another matter, don't expect any other perspectives like Yuno's until after Asta gets his power.
Until next time :)