Chapter 9: Meet the Black Team
September 8th, 1630
In the dimly light halls of the Black Bulls base, a single ratty room holds one of the most powerful people in the squad. Hands behind his head, Asta stares at the ceiling, resting on what he should do next. A light tapping comes from his window and opening it reveals his closest friend, Secre.
"Good to see you in one piece Asta." She says as she steps in.
"You too, birdbrain." That prompts her to fly at his head and start pecking it. Playfully waving her off, he flops back on his bed.
"So, you're a Magic Knight now."
"Yeah, it was this or jail. And I didn't like my odds of escaping in one piece."
"Well, at least you have a place to stay." Secre rustles into his hair.
"Sure, but we won't be able to do anything else until we get find someone who sells mirrors that we can put in this room." She nods in agreement.
Knocking on his door interrupts their chat, as Secre flies out of the window. Asta answers the door and is met with two people. A short blond boy with a psychotic grin, and a delinquent with a pair of shades on.
"Up and at 'em newbie, initiation has come for you tonight!" The delinquent says.
"Come on Magna, lemme fight him already!" The boy bounds around in place.
Closing the door for a moment lets him grab his shirt and his grimoire. Opening the door again, he exits calmly but can feel his shoulders tense. Following the two boys out, they enter the main mess hall where the chaos he saw earlier has doubled.
Sheeps twice his size are cooking over open flames with a midget snacking on about half of everything available. A large figure sits on a couch without a word, smoke billowing from his mouth. Two fancy women and Finral sit on another couch, each doing their own thing. One is downing an entire bottle, another is reading, and the guy is tending to some flowers. Another is sitting in a corner, staring at a picture of a little girl.
Asta can feel his assumptions about Magic Knights being proven right by the second. These are the professionals behind closed doors? Maybe the Grey Deers would have been a better choice.
As that thought is interrupted by the guy named Magna, he is reminded why he was brought here in the first place.
"Alright, we've got fresh meat to initiate, so everyone outside!" Magna screams out.
Everyone perks up at that, and they scramble outside, jumping over couches. The short glutton makes the sheeps disappear, and Yami follows suit.
"Get moving newbie, it's your trial by fire!" Magna shouts with a large grin. Asta gives no response but starts moving anyways.
Strolling behind Magna, Asta watches as the others pull one of the couches out to sit on while watching. By the time Magna stops, they've all sat down and readied themselves for the show.
"Alright kid, for whatever reason, Captain Yami decided to take pity on you and invite you to our glorious abode! But that doesn't mean you're one of us yet! You have to prove yourself before you get a robe! Understand!?" Magna shouts, getting a few cheers from the spectators, while Asta is trying not to laugh at the fact that this guy thinks hazing the new knights will scare him. It took upwards of the three best magic knight squads and two of their captains to catch him.
"Yeah, sure. Understood." Asta answers calmly. Magna seems to be irritated at that answer.
"Alrighty then, it's time!" Magna's brings cheers from the onlookers.
"First off, this rock, right here!" He waves at the boulder they stand next to. "However you can, you need to break it, then the next trial will begin, got it!?"
With a calm nod, Asta heads towards the boulder. He shouldn't use his Personas' full powers around strangers so casually, but what he can do is use a Tarukaja skill and the large greatsword from his grimoire.
Nodding to himself, he calls a Persona from the depths of his soul to action. And in response, a being with turquoise skin and dozens of arms emerges. Hecatoncheires, the hundred-armed being who embodies nature's wrath.
A faint outline of red flows over his body, and his grimoire floats to his open hand, the handle of a sword emerging. With speed and strength that nobody expected from a boy his size, the rock is shattered into chunks, bested by Asta's greatsword.
Silence from everyone and a glance at the spectators lets him know that they're impressed. Magna interjects with a shrill "WHAT THE HELL!?", but doesn't say much else.
"Is that enough for the first trial?" Asta drones out. Regaining his sense, Magna nods in approval.
"Not bad, new kid. But this next trial won't be as easy." Magna walks towards a clearing while his grimoire floats to his side. A fireball emerges from his right hand, while his left is soon occupied by a flaming baseball bat.
"You ready?!" He shouts
"Yeah!" Asta shouts back.
With a roar, he sets the fireball in the air and starts striking it repeatedly, making tons of smaller fireballs fly at Asta. Problematic. With a sword this heavy, he won't be able to cut them down easily. Calling another Persona from his depths, this time, a reddish pink-colored bird with a spike on its head comes forth. Jatayu, the Hindu king of birds.
With a brief Sukukaja, Captain Yami is reminded of earlier, when Asta started to glow green and dodged things without even glancing over his shoulder. With that, he can tell that it's already over and Asta has won.
Yami is proven correct when the kid weaves through the barrage with no trouble. Afterward, the glow disappears from Asta.
"Huh, guess you've got some skill after all! But now..." He trails off, dismissing the bat. With a smile and a swipe, his grimoire flips pages until it lands on his choice.
"THE FINAL TEST BEGINS!" He shouts
A fireball appears in his hand and puffs up for a moment but then condenses into his palm. Taking up a pitcher's stance, Asta's mind recognizes that this is going to be a hard hitter.
"FLAME MAGIC:"
Heaving his sword over his shoulder and twisting his body to follow the tip, Asta takes a pretty large risk, bringing forth a grey and pink-colored woman with her hair in a bun. Kikuri-Hime, the Shinto goddess of negotiation and meditation. She naturally has a weakness to fire.
"EXPLODING FIREBALL!"
Asta can feel his defenses tighten up with one move, his skin getting a purple outline around it.
"DIE!"
The fireball is thrown, clearing the distance in a second's time and expanding in the air like a balloon. In the time it takes the fireball to reach Asta, a few things have listed themselves out to him.
One, he severely underestimated how fast this guy could throw his spell. Most of his fighting is done against shadows with attacks that remain at a consistent speed throughout, so this was a blunder on his part.
Two, he can not move his body fast enough to hit it now, and cutting it will just make things worse.
Three, there is a way out, but he'll have to cut some corners and show off a little bit more than he wanted to, regardless of how reluctant he may have been to do so.
When the fireball is five feet from him, Asta has already made his move. With a final call to the sea of souls, a statue with dark green skin and orange-lidded eyes has completed the task given. Arahakabi, believed to be the Shinto god of travels and calamity. At the three-foot mark, something collides with the fireball, and it's not Asta.
Some kind of glass wall flashes into existence for a second, but that second is all he needed. Using the time given to swing, Asta strikes the fireball with the flat of his blade, adding a second layer of power onto the reflection of the Makakarn. The fireball goes shooting back at Magna, tearing hell through the air. When the fireball is two feet from him, his brain finally caught up to what was happening.
"Eh?" Is all Magna can say before being engulfed in a sea of flames. As smoke billows upwards, the spectators are shocked at the display. Most can't remember the last time they've seen a show like this.
"Wooow, the new guy's got some power on him! I can't sense his magic though, so that's kinda strange!" Luck has a natural ability to sense mana better than others, so the fact that the new guy seems to be able to hide it so well is really promising for how strong he is. All the better to fight against!
"No kidding, he knocked Magna's fireball back at him! When's the last time that's happened?" Vanessa chuckles to herself, taking another swig of her bottle. Yami and Finral just watch the event go down, unsurprised that he was able to do such a thing.
"Yikes, guess he wouldn't be the legendary Phantom Thief if that's all it would take to beat him." Finral thinks to himself, silently promising to not piss off his new squadmate.
"He didn't do anything like that earlier during the chase, so how much is he really holding back?" Yami thinks back to what he and the other captains were talking about while Asta was unconscious. Jack was convinced that the kid didn't really try his best to escape, likely trying to use stealth alone to avoid his pursuers. Most everyone else assumed that he slipped up if Yami was able to catch him. Deciding to pry for more later, Yami chuckles, getting the attention of his subordinates.
"Well, Magna? Are you just going to take that?" Yami shouts to the pile of flames where Magna was. Harsh steps emerge from the flames, and Magna's injured form steps through. At most, half of his body is burnt and charred, with part of his robe simply hanging by threads. Heaving for breath, Magna coughs out some smoke and Yami considers what's happened.
"That fireball was sent back at him so fast, he didn't get the chance to fully nullify its effects, so he definitely got more than he bargained for out of that."
"NO I'M NOT, MR. YAMI!" Glaring at Asta, he tenses his body and grips his sword, readying himself for what he assumes will be an attempt at vengeance. Magna marches over to him, slamming his hands on Asta's shoulders.
"BUT THERE'S NO NEED TO! THAT WAS DAMN AMAZING!" With those words, the other members of the Black Bulls get up and come over to them, with Magna slapping his back hard. The only reason he doesn't move from the hits is because he has Arahakabi equipped, so the strikes just wash off with no effort. The other members start to comment and cheer at Asta's success.
Finral hates to be the one to break up the celebration, but he can't let them forget the point of initiation. Clapping his hands to get their attention, they all face him and Yami.
"Now now, isn't there something you're forgetting at the moment?"
"Ah, that's right!" Vanessa waves her finders in the air, and threads begin to spin themselves arond Asta. Weaving around his collarbone, Asta watches as a robe embroidered with the Black Bulls insignia creates itself on him. With the last of the threads tying themselves together, Asta watches as the robe sags over his shoulders. With that out of the way, Luck asks something that Asta knew would be coming soon.
"Hey captain, why didn't this guy join sooner? The Magic Knight exams were last week!" Yami grins right at Luck, giving Asta a side-eye that he can translate. Without a doubt, this is where his anonymity dies.
"Good question Luck! Let me properly introduce our newest member!" Gesturing to Asta, all eyes follow.
"This kid's name is Asta! But I know that you've all heard of him by his other name since you talk about his actions every time he does something new!" Here it comes.
"The newest member of the Black Bulls is the Kingdom's very own living legend, the Phantom Thief!" His new squad's eyes widen in shock. Some stand there with their mouths gaping open, Charmy drops her snack, Luck begins to vibrate with electricity sparking, and Magna's glasses shatter outwards.
"We managed to catch him two or so hours ago in the Royal Capital, and only after the top three Magic Knight squads went after him. He escaped them all, and I had to follow him into the black market to actually catch him!" Yami chortles at the memory of watching the best of the best getting dodged by a short kid running across rooftops.
"YOU'RE THE PHANTOM THIEF?!" Magna gets up into Asta's face, shaking his shoulders. Back and forth, back and forth. Gauche shoves Magna to the side, pushing a pencil and paper into Asta's hands.
"Hey. Sign this. I will give this to my little sister, the greatest thing to ever grace the planet, and nothing short of a goddess. NOW!" His tone swaps from something reminiscent of Secre's tone, all the way to a threatening growl. Asta scribbles down a note on the paper, and Gauche swipes it away, wiping the blood from his nose. The dwarf comes forward and hands him a fresh cupcake that her sheeps made. Accepting it, he plans to split it with Secre when before heading to bed.
"Hey, hey! Fight me, fight me NOW!" Luck tackles Asta to the ground and looks like he's about to start swinging, but Asta twists his lower half to one side, then rolls to the other, protecting the cupcake as he does. Luck laughs at that, and they get up gracefully.
"Alright, there are a couple of things that need to be said first and foremost! There's been a suppression order on the Phantom Thief's identity, and so far, only Magic Knights are supposed to know. So that means no telling your families or anyone else you know." Asta is silently grateful for that but thinks that whoever did that will try and hold that over his head sometime.
"There's nothing else to deal with tonight, so I'm heading to bed. Try and wake me and I'll kill you." The squad gives a loud goodnight to Yami, and Asta decides to head to bed as well.
"Hey, where're you going Phantom Thief?!" Magna shouts after him.
"I'm going to sleep, I'm tired!" He shouts back. Not waiting for the conversation to continue, Asta makes his way back to his room. Just before entering the main gates of the base, Asta's eye is caught by the sight of a person looking down at him. A girl with silver hair and purple eyes, wearing a Black Bulls robe. Neither try to speak in the time that they look at each other, so Asta just walks forward, and the girl slinks back into the shadows.
(Take your Time)
Back in his room, Asta finds Secre sitting on his pillow, with a blanket pulled up halfway over her. Unsure if she's still awake, Asta takes the cupcake he's holding and waves it in front of her, hoping the smell will answer his question. When her eyes open with no struggle, he can tell that she was awake.
"Brought you something good, Secre!" Breaking the cupcake in half, Asta takes a seat on the middle edge of the bed and hands her a piece. The two marvel at how delicious the snack is. Once they finish, Asta tosses his jacket and pants off, swapping to some comfy shorts that he wears to bed. Secre flutters onto the dresser next to the bed, and Asta pulls out her custom blanket and tiny pillow, setting it up for her. Once she's all settled in, Asta makes himself comfy, curling up into the bed.
The two head to sleep, wondering what they'll do tomorrow.
(Take your Time)
September 9th, 1630
The hard thuds on his door drag Asta and Secre from their slumber, with Magna's shouting voice grates on their ears. Groaning, Asta pulls himself out of bed, pulling his jacket on while he answers the door. Magna stands before him, ramrod straight and wide-eyed.
"GOOD MORNING MISTER PHANTOM THIEF!" He shouts out before bending at the hip like he's been hyping himself up to say that for an hour. Asta rubs his eyes, trying to push the sleep out.
"It's Asta, got it?" Magna looks up at Asta, with the awe only a fanboy could have in his eyes.
"GOT IT MISTER ASTA!"
"No, not Mister Asta. Just Asta, ok?"
"UNDERSTOOD ASTA!" It doesn't seem like he's going to stop shouting anytime soon. Asta can feel a headache coming on already. After he gets over his shock, Magna remembers why he's here.
"Right! I'm here to show you around what you're going to be doing while we wait for missions! So come on, we've got a base to tour!" Magna turns down the hall and starts to march stiffly. Asta follows, silently jealous of Secre for getting to sleep more while he's got to take a tour. The next hour is spent wandering the base, with Magna having to guess whatever's behind the doors he opens.
Apparently, this base has a gimmick in that it moves around randomly every night, so consistency is not present in finding a specific room. Finally ending in the mess hall, Asta and Magna settle down for breakfast prepared by the senior member, Charmy. The one with the sheep magic that gave him a cupcake last night. Asta gorges himself on the food, thinking to himself that Charmy is his favorite senior member so far.
"So, what'dya think of the base Rasta?"
"It's lively at least." Finishing off his plate, Asta puts together one more to take to Secre, giving Magna one last question.
"Is there anything else that I outta know about with the base?"
"Nope! We're just waiting for missions, so until then, feel free to do whatever!" Magna waves goodbye as Asta leaves the mess hall. Arriving in his room, Asta wakes Secre and sets her on his head, climbing out of the window while summoning his ship. Letting the ship raise him up another two floors, Asta sets himself down on a balcony connected to a hallway that leads downstairs.
Finally in a space he feels he can relax in, Asta sets the plate down on the ground, plopping down next to it. Secre flutters down and begins to munch on the goods.
"So, what're you thinking about our plan so far?"
"It's not terrible, but you need to get better at sneaking if you're actually going to be pilfering through a Magic Knight captain's office. Especially one like Poizot."
Yes, their next target is in fact the captain of the Purple Orcas. It's like anyone that's even involved with that squad is a scumbag beneath the skin. First it was Revchi, now it's Poizot, but at least he'll go the same way that Revchi did.
"I know that. I just wasn't expecting the entire squad to be there in less than a minute after an alarm went off."
"True, that was an unfortunate outcome. But my question stands, what's your thought process right now?"
"Well, we got what we needed, even if we did get caught. So assuming that nothing's gone wrong, we should have access to the Treasure room now. After that, we just send the card and carry out the final job."
"Oh, and what final job are you on about?" A female voice not belonging to Secre demands. Flinching for a moment, Asta turns back to see that girl from the night prior standing three meters or so away from him.
"And for that matter, who were you talking too?" Her demands continue, even as Asta says nothing.
"I know who you are, you lousy thief. Your better is asking you a question, so you should be smart enough to answer me."
"You? Better than me? What makes you think that you're better than me in any way?" Asta snarks.
"Because I am Noelle Silva, a member of the royal house of Silva, proving by birthright that I am better than you. Now answer my questions." She huffs out, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Silva? Would you happen to have an older brother named Nozel, the leader of the Silver Eagles?" Oh, this was great! She seems slightly surprised that he made the connection so quickly, regaining her haughty attitude in a moment.
"Yes, my elder brother is the respected and honored captain of the Silver Eagles, so answer my questions before I make him force the answers out of you!"
"Sorry, you spoiled child, but your brother already tried to do that last night, after I escaped his entire squad! What can you do that he couldn't?" Asta laughs out of amusement at the sight of a girl that seemed out of her depths. Simultaneously paling and blushing at his words, Asta watches as she raises her hand and summons a ball of water.
"This is what I can do to you." With her piece said, Asta watches as the ball shoots right at him, having Arahakabi pull out a Makakarn to reflect the girl's magic right back at her. But to his surprise, there was no need to, as the ball of water veers to his right, missing him entirely while bursting on the balcony rails behind him. Raising an eyebrow at her ploy and using his experience to read her expression, Asta can tell that she didn't want that to happen.
"That was just a taste of what I could do to you, but I'll choose to be the better person here and withdraw. If you know what's good for you, you will tell me sooner or later. Goodbye for now, insect." Not wanting to let her have the last laugh, Asta calls after her as she heads down the hall.
"See ya, brat!" She stutters on a step before she continues walking, not looking back. Asta redirects his body to the view from the balcony. Secre has just about finished what she could on the plate, turning her attention back to him.
"Well, that was an interesting interaction. The youngest member of the Silva family, a member of the Black Bulls. I wonder why she's not with her family's squad."
"Good question. Maybe there's something to check out there."
"Remember, she's your squadmate now. That could be a bit too personal for us to deal with right now. If things get worse, then sure, we could check it out. For now though, if she's got issues with her siblings, that's for her to deal with." Nodding at her thoughts, Asta and Secre continue on with their discussion of how to deal with Gueldre Poizot till the sun goes down.
(Take your Time)
September 10th, 1630
In the later hours of the morning, just before noon, Asta finally steps out of his room with Secre on his head. Making his way to the mess hall, he snacks on what's on the table, even as Charmy gobbles down on the majority. Afterward, Asta steps out into the common room, looking for Finral. He finds him sitting next to Vanessa, reading a book on the best flirting techniques and how to pick up women. Ignoring his choice of literature, Asta approaches him with his request.
"Hey, Finral. Could you open a portal to the Royal Capital for me?" All eyes subtly shoot to him at his words, even as he tries to ignore them. A voice breaks through the brief silence before things could get more awkward.
"Oh, heading back to the Capital so soon, eh?" Yami's boisterous voice asks. Asta faces his captain and doesn't elaborate.
"What're you planning on doing there? Not sure how certain you are about your power, but now that you're known to the rest of the Knights, I'd bet there are some takers who'd want to get some payback for the humiliation you shoved their way during the chase."
"Thanks for the concern captain, but I'm just going out so shop, so I doubt there'll be any trouble-makers I'll need to worry about."
"Well, lucky for you, I've got some things to grab in the Capital today, so I'll be sure to watch your back." That's a blatant lie if he's ever heard one. He definitely just wants to keep an eye on him. Deciding that having an extra shopping buddy in exchange for finally getting a new mirror is a good deal, Asta accepts Yami's proposal. Finral goes ahead and opens a portal, and the trio steps through.
(Take your Time)
Now in the Royal Capital, Asta takes a look around where Finral brought them. As far as he can tell, he's somewhere on the eastern side of the Capital, so he should be able to make decent time walking to his destination, as using his ship would bring a bit of unwanted attention. Finral leaves, saying he's going to get a date. Asta halfheartedly tries to convince Yami to go shopping on his own, getting thoroughly rejected, along with a death threat similar to the one he gave when he went to bed after initiation.
Reluctantly accepting that he's going to have a follower for now, Asta makes his walk to the nearest furnishing shop he remembers. Twenty minutes pass before they bump into a familiar face. Charlotte Roselei and her subordinate/sister-in-arms, Sol Marron. Watching as her eyes widen for a moment at the sight of Yami before schooling them into her usual glare, Asta waits for someone to say something, as he's not going to break the silence.
Neither party speaks, waiting for the other to initiate conversation until Asta decided that he's wasting daylight, and walks past the two. Since his back is facing them, Asta doesn't notice Yami's eyes spark with mirth, just as Captain Charlotte's eyes narrow. Before he realizes what's happened, Asta finds himself wrapped in thorns with blue roses sprouting from them.
"It's considered rude not to greet a superior captain when crossing their path, Phantom Thief." Her words are quiet enough not to be heard by passersby, even as Yami and Sol watch on in surprise. Asta looks over his shoulder and narrows his eyes, followed by him smirking. The three watches as his grimoire floats out of his belt case and opens, followed by his greatsword falling out and cutting straight through the thorn vines that bound him.
Shaking off the thorns, Asta pulls his greatsword out of the ground, holding it almost lazily as he gives an unimpressed look to the captain of the Blue Roses. Not giving her the satisfaction of seeing him lose his cool, Asta just returns his sword to his grimoire.
"And I consider it rude to be harassed in the street by strangers. So let's call it even and go our separate ways, yeah?" His smug attitude infuriates Charlotte, and Sol glares at the man with the audacity to disrespect her sister like this. Just before she can go on a rant about his tone towards her sister, she's pulled away by Charlotte.
"Let him be Sol. It was my mistake to start a confrontation because I was wrong to assume he had manners."
"But sis-!"
"Sol. I am ordering you as your captain to let it be." Sol sighs in defeat, and when Charlotte turns to give her greetings and goodbyes to Yami, Sol glares down at Asta.
"Better watch your back, thief. You'll get what's coming to you someday." Asta chuckles at that.
"Maybe someday dear, but not today." With that, he turns back to continue onwards, and Yami has to cut his chat with Charlotte short to follow Asta. She sighs at her own cowardice to ask him out to dinner or something, and Sol just watches as they walk away.
"Sis is that really THE Phantom Thief? The one that outran the top squads a few days ago?"
"Call me captain, and yes, that's the same boy that was tied up in the interrogation room and managed to deny Marx's memory magic." That boy was an enigma, one that she didn't like near the object of her affection.
Back with Asta and Yami, they finally reach their destination, a store filled with items meant for decorating rooms. Passing everything else, Asta beelines for the mirrors and begins browsing. Secre offers her thoughts on what they should buy and where they should put it, but stops when she sees Yami give her a funny look. Finally finding what he's after, Asta calls the clerk over and asks him to wrap it for travel. The clerk leaves to do so, and Yami fills the silence left.
"So we came all this way for a mirror? Of all things for a Phantom Thief to want, he wants a mirror?"
"What can I say, I'm dashing and I love knowing it." Yami snorts at that, but says nothing. Not long after and the clerk returns with the mirror all wrapped up. Asta pulls out his coin pouch and pays the man, wasting no time in leaving to head back to base. On his way back, he remembers something he should ask his captain.
"How long will Finral be on his date?"
"Finral? Actually getting a date? Don't worry about that, he's probably just waiting for us around the area we left." Asta raises an eyebrow at Yami's lack of belief in Finral's ability to flirt but holds his tongue to see if he was right. Lo and behold, he was, and Finral was leaning on a lantern post not that far from where they arrived, visibly crestfallen. When he notices them arrive, he opens a portal and waves them in with a dismayed grin.
Exiting the portal back to the base, Asta can firmly say that whatever he was expecting to see upon arrival, it wasn't this. The whole of the Black Bulls are out front, staring at a rapidly swelling ball of water floating a distance from them. Yami pulls out another cigarette and lights it before he asks anything.
"So. What the hell happened, we were gone for an hour at most." All eyes fall on Luck, who just laughs with a smile.
"It might've been my bad, I wanted to see how strong Noelle was so I followed her into the forest, and she started to freak out and do this when she saw I was there." Yami walks up to the still smiling Luck and picks him up off the ground by his head with one hand.
"So if you caused this, how the fuck are you going to fix it?!" Yami growls out, even as everyone looks dismayed at their lack of ability to help. All except Asta, who just sighs. He walks over to Magna and hands him the mirror he bought, not even asking for him to hold it and instead silently expecting him to do so.
"Eh? What're you doing Rasta?"
"It's Asta, and I'm going to fix this." With that said, the squad watches as the tattoos on his arms begin to coil and glow, before detaching and shattering. The shards and flames that now surround him begin to condense into a ship that he wastes no time boarding. Magna begins to tremble in excitement, the realization that he's about to see one of his childhood heroes in action for the first time almost overwhelming. The rest look on, ready for a good show.
With his ship summoned, Asta blasts his ship skyward. Beside him, his grimoire flips open and the handle of his sword emerges. Drawing it out, Asta begins to lean to one side, rotating the ship upside-down. Almost to the top of the ball, Asta waits for the best moment to do his thing. Finally, at the top, he lets go of the mast and drops, spearing through the water, drawn to the strongest source of magic by his sword. The water's structure begins to collapse around him, so he lets go of his sword, instead choosing to grab onto Noelle before the water finishes losing collapsing.
Securely grabbing the girl, Asta can see the water finish breaking down under the power of his 'Anti-Magic', so with no time to waste he resummons his ship to him. Twisting in midair so that he takes the brunt of the fall, Asta crashes on the tiny deck of his ship and wills it to pull up. With heavy, water-logged coughs, Noelle wakes up and meets the eyes of the Phantom Thief she argued and attacked the other day. Looking around, she can see the rest of the Black Bulls watching them and tries to remember what happened.
At first, she remembers being upset at her inability to hit a single person with a close-range water ball, so she swore to herself that she would get her power under control. In doing so, she stormed out of the base ignoring whatever anyone was saying to her, even though she vaguely remembers Luck trying to get her attention. An hour or so passes, and she finds herself failing again and again, losing hope but thankful that nobody was there to see it. That turned out to not be true, as Luck called out to her, asking what she was doing.
She felt overwhelmed with shame, fear, and despair. She was a Silva, she was ROYALTY! How was she incapable of doing something as simple as controlling her own magic?! The next thing she remembers was the feeling of drowning, of being surrounded by a darkness she couldn't escape. But when the light shined through, she saw the visage of her savior, the very man she berated and tried to hurt not even a full day ago. She was soaked, scared, and laying in his arms on a flying ship.
They remain silent until the ship carries them to the ground before the Black Bulls. Off to the side, Asta's sword flies through the air and re-enters itself into his grimoire. When the ship finally slows to a halt, Asta sits up, raising Noelle as well. Sliding his feet out from under her, he steps off the ship and holds out a hand for her. Not trusting her own body at the moment, she takes his hand to step off, and her legs give out beneath her as she does. She can feel an onslaught of tears welling up behind her eyes and gives it everything she has to hold them back.
Asta watches her for a minute, trying to find the words to fix this. With a sigh, he kneels down in front of the girl, getting her attention. She looks up at him with a frown and tears in her eyes. The entire squad listens to what he has to say.
"I'm not going to pretend I know what kind of life you've lived, and I'm not going to act like I know what's best for you."
"But from everything I've learned in life, you place yourself on a pedestal of perfection and expect everything to go how you want because you don't want to imagine a life that ends in failure. And because of that, you've removed everything to possibly fall back on when you fail."
"And, it's just my assumption, but I think you missed something." He can see that she's enraptured with his words.
"You're a part of the Black Bulls now, a team declared to be the worst Magic Knight squad in history. Not a single person here is perfect, and nobody is expecting anything remotely close to it."
"So stop trying to be Noelle Silva, a perfect member of the royal family, and start trying to be Noelle, the Magic Knight who just wants to become better." Silence follows his words, and he prays that this was what she wanted to hear. The tears that begin to fall without stopping scare him, but the shaky grin she gives him gives him hope in believing that he was right.
Rising up to his feet, he holds out a hand to her and hopes she will take it. And to his joy, she does. Back on her feet, Asta steps to the side and pushes her lightly towards the group, watching her be embraced in a hug by Vanessa, getting a back pat from Magna, and a lighthearted apology from Luck. It's relieving to Asta, to know that even outside the Inversion, he can still change hearts. Noelle turns to him and smiles, tears still in her eyes.
"Thank you, Phantom Thief." He chuckles a bit, as Secre flutters over and lands on his head.
"Call me Asta."
(Take your Time)
Yuno likes to believe that he's a reasonable person. He doesn't ask for much, he plans to give half of his earnings to his family back in Hage when he finally gets paid, and he wants to become the Wizard King to make his nation a better place. So, is it really that bad that he's pissed when his simple request is denied?
"I'm sorry Yuno, but there are no missions that have the Phantom Thief acting as a member. And even if there were, none of the missions in recent days have needed the assistance of more than one team from other squads." Captain Vangeance gently denies Yuno's request to be put on a mission with the Phantom Thief...for the third time. Yuno grimaces but says nothing.
"If you don't mind me asking, why are you so determined to work with him? I could understand why some nobles or aristocrats might want to, but what reason would you?"
"...He's simply a legend I grew up hearing about, and I want to see if those legends are true." His curt answer doesn't convince Vangeance, or a particular presence unknown to Yuno.
"Well, I'll see if I can find one for you two to go on, but I won't make any promises." Yuno thanks his captain and bows to him before exiting. With Yuno gone, William's face turns pensive.
Yuno, an orphan and peasant from the forsaken realm, blessed with the power of a four-leaf grimoire. A very competent person, easily being the top player during the Magic Knight exams, surpassing everyone in his way. He was also chosen for another reason, but those are the obvious ones. Taking in the expression on his face, he was definitely lying about just wanting to see a legend from his childhood.
Could it be personal? Could Yuno actually know the Phantom Thief? Making a mental note to go check out the Kingdom's landmark records for anything on Yuno's village in the future, William can feel the slightest tinge of satisfaction from the presence in the back of his head.
(Take your Time)
September 18th, 1630
Dragging a bag of meat down the stairs, Asta laments not having the rouge freedom to steal hearts on a whim anymore. Days of methodical planning have begun to take their toll on his mind. But he can say that at the least, his new squad isn't actually terrible, they're just a chaotically rowdy bunch who have their hearts in the right place, even if the execution of their kindness leaves much to be desired.
In the basement, Asta pulls out his sword and stabs it into the bag of meat, pulling it out, and presenting it to the dark cage he stands before. A low rustling sound emerges from the cage before a giant jaw snaps around the meat-skewered end of his sword. The visage of a massive dog reminds him that the real world and the Inversion are two sides of the same crazy coin.
Boisterous laughing echoes down the hall, turning to see his captain and senior member walking towards him...wearing nothing but their robes. Yanking the sword out of the dog's mouth, Asta holds it sideways to cover the sight of their junk, slightly gagging at the brief sight he was exposed to.
"Not bad, kid! I was half-expecting you to be the one they tried to eat!"
"Yeah Rasta, those things took Mister Yami days to get down here!" They chuckle at the memory, but Asta doesn't want to be in the presence of two buff and naked men for long.
"So, what're you doing here? More chores to do?"
"Not today. Today is going to be the new members' first mission! We got it while we were out earlier." Asta raises an eyebrow at that. The three head back upstairs, with Asta keeping his head tilted downwards to not look up at their bare asses. The two break off to their rooms to get dressed again leaving Asta with the decision to head to the mess hall for lunch.
After he's cleaned off three plates of Charmy's delicious food, Yami and Magna finally enter the dining room, followed by Noelle. Standing up to meet them halfway, Yami begins to debrief them on what they're doing.
"Wild boars?"
"This lame job is our first mission as Magic Knights?"
"WHAT'RE YOU CALLING LAME?! THOSE THINGS ARE HARD TO KILL! THEY GET YOU WHEN YOU AREN'T LOOKING!"
"Listen, we lost to the mayor of Saussy village at cards, and he said that there were some boars going around tearing hell through the crops. Since they can't stop them, you're going to."
"...As I said, lame." Noelle deadpans. Yami decides to convince them in a way he believes to be more efficient. Rising to his feet, he walks towards them, his menacing stature only enhanced by the smoke wafting their way and the glare in his eyes.
"You going to do this mission, or are you going to die here?" Noelle pales, but Asta grins. He takes two steps forward, putting him face to face with Yami. Except he's only around five feet tall compared to his 6' captain, so he has to smirk upwards to achieve a similar effect to calling him out. The same magical pressure he felt back in the black market before being captured returns, but not nearly as potent as before.
Asta says nothing, and simply crosses his arm over his chest, showing off the now glowing and coiling chain tattoos on his arms. Before the situation can escalate any further, Noelle pulls him back by his shoulder, prompting him to turn and face her. Her visage is visibly shaken, pale, and sweaty. Not wanting to expose his squadmate to further intimidation like that, he relents and they accept the mission.
Yami grins and exits the building, leaving Magna to explain that they're going to be taking broomsticks to Saussy since Finral is back in the Royal Capital.
"Alright, let's get going already!"
"There is a problem though, Magna." Noelle raises her hand.
"Yeah, Noelle?"
"I can't control my magic, so I can't fly a broomstick."
"..."
"..."
"COME ON, THAT'S THE MOST BASIC OF THINGS TO DO! RASTA, YOU CAN FLY ON ONE, CAN'T YOU?!"
"I've got my own ride!" Asta gestures toward one of his arms.
"GOOD ENOUGH! NOELLE, DO YOU WANT TO RIDE TO SAUSSY WITH ME OR WITH RASTA?"
"Asta."
"ALRIGHT!" With that strange interaction over, Magna sprints to his room to grab his precious 'baby', reminding Asta that he needs to go grab Secre. Hurrying down the hall, Asta slides on the ground until he's in front of his door. Throwing it open, Asta gently wakes Secre up and explains what happening. She understands and takes a seat on his head.
"ASTA, HURRY UP ALREADY!" Noelle's voice manages to pierce his ears, even from all the way to his room. Deciding to take a shortcut, he opens his window and jumps out, summoning his ship on the way down. Cruising through the air toward Noelle's voice, Asta comes upon the team heading to Saussy, Noelle watches him fly over, while Magna tends to a broomstick with a horned bull skull mounted on the front upside down.
Stopping in front of Noelle, he holds out an arm and helps her up. She tries to remain balanced, so she grabs the mast for support. Once Magna's finished working on his broom, he revs it up and takes off, with Asta following behind. Asta and Noelle's ride is spent enjoying the views of the passing fields and wondering what will be waiting for them as Magic Knights.
Magna is just looking forward to seeing old man Seihei again.
To Be Continued in Chapter 10...
A.N: So, here we are. Back to the current canon time. There's some things to be said about Asta, first and foremost. He's obviously different from canon Asta. But I don't think enough people understand that Asta isn't actually stupid, he's just ignorant to common sense because of how he was raised in canon. If he was raised in somewhere like the common realm, he'd be a completely different person than canon. So since he basically raised himself for over nine years, along with growing up with Secre as a companion, on top of choosing to be a Phantom Thief, it's easy to believe that this is what Asta could end up as. Next is his attitude to the Black bulls at the beginning of this chapter. It's obvious that it was written in a way to show that he was tired and annoyed, so it reflects in how he acted. His opinion of Magic Knights isn't very high, considering that over his many years, he's seen Magic Knights being corrupt and power-hungry. The Black Bulls were a great place to begin altering his perception of Magic Knights on masse. Next is Vangeance, and on that matter, Patri. Their dual soul thing is strange and even stranger to write, but what I could find from the anime and some synopsis's online, William was actively helping Patri with finding information because he grew up with Patri being asleep inside him and felt responsible to look out for his well-being. And up on top of all things is the Silva girl herself, Noelle. This version of Asta is confident in his power off-rip, so he's got no issue with taking charge whenever the hell he wants, bet even more so, he's had years of experience working up-close and personal with people and their true selves. If he never bothered to learn anything from it, he'd be dead within a year of trying to be the Phantom Thief. So in this case, Asta is the best damn choice for being Noelle's unlicensed therapist, and it shows. She needed to hear someone believe in her ability to improve, even if she's at her lowest right now, and I think Asta knows that sort of feeling better than anyone. Also Magna is a bit of a fanboy here, because from what Magna believes in, the stuff Asta does would put him on the top of his list, easily contesting with Yami. There will be more on his overall power level in the coming chapters, and no spoilers, but he's no slouch at fighting.
That's all there really is to say right now, so Please Review, I love hearing your thoughts and criticisms.
So shine on, you crazy diamonds :)