Chapter 72: To Help A Friend

Disclaimer:

A very, very, very, long chapter here but I really didn't want it spilling over into two. You'll see why it's long and since it's not battle-focused, everything is a bit easier to understand. I hope you enjoy this one as a lot of fun things happen!


Face first.

That was the painful way both Lucas and Daisy landed as they fell through the spatial portal. Though, perhaps falling through wasn't exactly the right term as Yami had actually thrown them through without much of a protest from the two since it happened so quickly.

"Ow, ow, owww…", both non Black Bulls winced as they tried getting up.

The two raised their heads and saw a massive building that stretched quite high up. However, it wasn't the shape or design of a normal building as it had different structures protruding all over. There were doors and windows where they otherwise shouldn't be, yet it looked strong, sturdy, and was standing perfectly well.

"This is… your base?" Lucas asked, finally getting up and brushing the dust away from his clothes.

"It certainly is… unique", Daisy awkwardly smiled as she stared at all the structure had to offer.

Yami walked up to the two, rustling both of their heads and laughed. "Haha! Well, don't run out of compliments so soon. More of that!" He pointed. It looked like he was having fun.

"Um, it looks really big!"

"Ah, and it sure seems strong!"

"Not to mention… unique!"

Yami's laughter slowly came to a halt as the compliments didn't seem to impress him anymore.

"You brats… Those sort of comments can be taken in a completely different way and they weren't even genuine in the first place. Besides, you used unique twice!" Yami shook his head.

Daisy tried to protest her innocence but it was ultimately useless as she forgot one key thing about the Black Bulls' captain.

"Daisy, he knows how to use Ki. I'd stop if I was you…", Lucas sighed.

"Oh, yeah, right he does", Daisy pouted.

The fun introduction didn't stop there though as Lucas met a new Black Bull almost immediately. However, the way he met them wasn't what you would call 'normal'.

"If I just take a step back… then I can really see the base for what i-!" He said before suddenly falling backwards on the grass below him. It seemed like he had tripped over but when he looked at what it was, he saw two dark-blue slippers sticking out of a bush to the side and they were very clearly attached to a pair of shivering legs.

"Lucas… you should really watch where you're going", Daisy tried not to laugh. She bent down and helped him up.

"It's not my fault there's someone hiding in a bush over there!" He protested, knowing this wasn't his fault.

Finral looked over and chuckled a bit, before pulling the bush's leaves back and revealing a cute, young woman. She had bobbed, light-blue hair with a few strands hanging out at the top.

It wasn't really easy to see what she looked like so the duo of Lucas and Daisy walked around to get a better look. The woman seemed scared as she would constantly hide her face from them or turn the opposite way when they got close.

"This here is Grey. As you can tell, she's a bit on the shy side but she really is a nice person once you get to know her", Finral introduced.

"You call that a bit on the shy side?!" Daisy exclaimed to herself.

Asta introduced the two. "Hi, Grey. These are my friends and they're here for dinner. This is Lucas", he turned to the right. "And this is Daisy", he turned to the left.

Grey, very slowly, raised her head and her light-grey eyes met the two new faces.

"H-H-Hello… the-there…", she waved like a stiff robot.

"Nice to meet you, Grey. I hope you don't mind us being here", Daisy smiled, leaning forwards and resting her hands on her knees.

Grey just nodded, trying to smile as best as she could. Then, she turned to Lucas who was already waving at her.

"S-Sorry to trip over your legs", Lucas said, sweating. He was a nervous person but speaking to someone who was like him but maxed out was a weird experience. "I hope I d-didn't hurt you", he apologised.

"Don't wo-wo-worry… ab-about it", Grey replied as she stood up.

Then, Lucas and Grey showed everyone why they were similar to one another in one way at least.

"S-Still, I am sorry...", he said, scratching the back of his head.

"N-No, I'm s-s-sorry. I shouldn't hav-have been h-h-hiding...",

"Don't apologise... I should've looked around...",

"It's my f-fault...",

"It was m-mine...",

The others had their faces frozen in place, wondering just what on earth was going on.

"Two peas in a pod, ay?" The lot of them thought together. Their eyes were just staring at the two and their weird actions and after another few seconds, they stopped.

Lucas and Daisy could clearly see what she was wearing now. Grey wore a white, sleeveless shirt and a pair of dark-blue, high-waisted pants with flower patterns around her waist.

"She'll be running away in… five, four, three, two, one, and… oh?" Yami was sure he knew what Grey was going to do but she stayed with the rest of them for some reason.

Still, it looked like she wanted to run away as she was fidgeting with the ends of her shirt like there was no tomorrow, but she was focusing on Lucas the entire time.

"I can t-tell he gets n-nervous a lot… with how he's swe-sweating… I do the same but… he's much b-better at deal-dealing with it…". Grey looked him in the eyes, quickly turning her gaze away, but still, she remained.

"Oh? This is new", Yami noted.

"Besides, Grey, why were you hiding here in the first place?" Lucas asked, perplexed as to who would hide in a bush at their squad's base. He had conveniently forgotten about him hiding in a bush when he first met Melody Schubert.

"B-B-B-Because G-Gauche was v-very ang-angry…", she whispered, sweating at the thought of the Mirror mage.

The rest that were around her didn't have much time to think about what she said as the door to the base flung open, revealing multiple other Black Bulls pouring out to greet the ones that returned from Kiten. It wasn't quite a normal greeting but the chaotic sequence of events had already started with the girl in the bushes.

"Ahaha, Asta, you came back! You took so long that I had to settle for trying to kill Magna!" Luck laughed as he flew around all over the huge building.

Luck Voltia was covered in his blue Lighting Magic and was using it to fly around, all while shooting out strong bullets of electricity out from his armoured palms.

"You think you can really kill me with magic like that, ya punk?!" An angry looking guy ran out of the building using Flame Magic. It was all around his legs and shoes and he used it to run really quickly, jumping around to get level with Luck who was sitting waiting for him at the top of the base.

Asta waved as well he could at them but it was hard since both of his hands were still in a sling. "Yo, Magna and Luck!" He shouted, getting their attention.

Both of the two fighting Black Bulls raced down and it looked like pillars of flame and lightning with how quickly they descended. It seemed like they reached the floor at the exact same time.

"I got here first!" Magna shouted as he used his black boots to skid to a stop. He pumped his chest as he felt proud. The Flame mage had raised, light-purple hair on most of his head with a black mohawk going through the middle. He sported some dark-purple shades that went well with his hair as well as the rest of his clothing that consisted of a white shirt, a navy leather jacket as well as the same colour of trousers.

"Hm, I guess you did. Let's shake on it". Luck smiled as he offered his hand, now that it wasn't armoured anymore.

Magna accepted the gesture, meeting Luck's hand with his own that had one of his two, fingerless gloves around. However, this turned out to be a mistake. Lucas and Daisy looked on with fear as they thought it was a simple handshake but it turned into much more than that. Two seconds later, Magna was on the floor and burnt to a crisp as he was electrocuted by Luck's magic.

"I believe that makes it a win for me!" Luck licked his lips.

There was finally a break in the two Magic Knights' matchup which gave the time for them to say hi to the returning Black Bulls as well as the new faces.

"Ah, Asta, I thought you were going to get your arms all healed up. It doesn't look like we can fight to the death with you like that". Luck pointed at the injured mage with an indifferent expression.

"Hey! Healing takes time ya know. It's not like I can just get a new set of arms!" Asta replied, huffing and puffing.

After this, Luck turned and waved to Lucas. "Oh, hi again. Did you come here to fight me? Did you? Did you?" He asked repeatedly with his crazy, light-blue eyes.

"N-No, I didn't!" Lucas tried to say but it only fell on deaf ears as the Lightning mage quickly turned his focus towards the Blue Rose.

"Hello. I don't think I've seen you before. Are you the one who's going to fight me?" Luck asked, trying his luck, ironically, for the third time, impatience oozing out of him.

"Yeah, alright", Daisy replied prompting surprised looks from the rest that were around her. Though, none were as intense as Lucas's who was actually more impressed than only surprised.

"How can she just… do that? I know I've gotten better around people but this situation here is completely different. She seems so comfortable all the time", he praised but couldn't understand.

"Daisy, are you sure? Luck is pretty intense, you know", Asta said.

"Why not? I mean I've basically been kidnapped by your captain so might as well have some fun". She turned to Luck who also had a shocked look since he didn't really expect someone to go along with his request so easily. "It'd be cool to get to know the Black Bulls!"

Just then, the burnt-up Magna revived himself, standing up as if him getting hurt was some type of gimmick. "That was quite the reply from you. Luck is always asking whoever he thinks are strong to fight but usually they all say no. You're quite different, Little Miss. I like you!" He laughed as he put an arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, get off of her. She'll catch the severe case of weak from you", Luck teased.

"Why you little piece of- AHHHH!" Magna shouted as he was electrocuted once more by a pinch from the Lightning mage's hand.

"Lightning Creation Magic: Holy Lightning Boots!" Luck formed a pair of boots made out of his magic and jumped high up in the air. "I'd like to see what a Blue Rose can do!" He shouted, traversing the tall base.

"This might be fun!" Daisy followed as her grimoire began flicking through some pages.

Lucas, Asta, Yami, Finral, and Grey were left on the floor with a burnt-up Magna beside them. Yami watched the two start their spar and smiled.

"Oh… this is interesting", he said, turning back around to speak to the rest of the Black Bulls and Lucas.

But, since it was the Black Bulls, there was obviously going to be more mayhem to follow than just Luck and Magna's antics. The next two mages to cause a scene started with none other than one who belonged to one of the royal families of the Clover Kingdom.

"Bakasta, did you really goof off or something when you were out? I thought you'd be all healed up by now but I guess I expected too much of you!" Noelle entered, immediately insulting Asta who was speechless for the next few seconds.

"It's not like I can speed up Recovery Magic! You know how intense the fight with Vetto was!" He responded, jumping up and down.

"Huh?! Of course, I know how it was but I was just asking since this might put a stop to future missions! Yep, that was the reason I'm worried!" Noelle retorted, folding her arms.

As she turned her head away from Asta, she saw that there was a new face at the base but not quite a new face to her.

"Lucas, how come you're here?" She asked, confused as to why a Golden Dawn member was at their base.

"Hi, Noelle", Lucas greeted with a wave. "My captain suggested I have dinner with you lot and then your captain basically kidnapped me…", he explained.

"Sounds like Captain Yami, to be honest", she agreed with a nod.

"Oi, I'm right here. Anyway, it's not kidnapping if it was agreed upon beforehand", Yami added, staring down at Lucas.

"You didn't agree anything with me though…!" Lucas shook his head. He turned to Noelle, wanting to ask something that was on his mind for a while. "By the way, how was the fancy dress party you were preparing for?"

Noelle, not seeing what he meant, shook her head. "What do you mean? We've never had anything like that".

The ginger-haired teen tilted his head. "Really? I thought you said you were at the Dreavy Hinker back then to get the feel of a maid costu-!"

Noelle had brought out her wand in a quick flash, shooting a small water ball at Lucas, making him stop what he was saying.

"What was that for?!" Lucas shouted, now drenched.

"Nothing like that ever happened!" She screamed, her face completely red and her pinkish purple eyes now looking like swirls.

He stood up, wiping the water away from his face. "Twice now that she's attacked me… Back at the mixer and now here. Is there some sort of misunderstanding between us?"

After this, another pair of footsteps emerged after this with another Black Bull entering the fray. Everyone here had seen this one before.

"Asta, you idiot", was the first set of words that came from Gauche who arrived holding a picture of some sort.

Grey flinched, thinking back to how angry the light-brown and purple tinted hair mage was.

"Why am I getting abused one after another…", Asta asked, though it was entirely rhetorical as he's just come to expect it from the Mirror Magic user.

"G-G-Gauche… I don't think y-y-you should be saying something m-mean like th-th-that…", the same but a more quieter voice came from behind the Mirror mage. It looked like, despite her fear of his anger, she still decided to stand with him.

"She moved so quickly!" Everyone thought.

"Shut up, Grey. I'm mad at the magicless brat since Captain Yami specifically told us to watch the base while they went over to the Wizard King and to heal his arms", Gauche explained, still clutching onto the photo in his hands.

Yami turned to the 19-year-old and replied. "Are you complaining about the orders I gave you?"

Gauche, not realising the situation he put himself in since he was distracted, shrugged his shoulders. "You said to defend the base since you were gone. But Asta's still injured so that means I could've visited Marie which also means I wasted my time".

Lucas was gobsmacked. On the one hand, he couldn't imagine talking back to Yami, let alone a captain, of all people. Though, on the other hand, he also knew about Gauche and his obsession from his limited time around him in Nean.

"Man, this guy is the same as before", he rolled his eyes.

Yami walked over to the Mirror mage and only needed to say a few words that made his entire tone shift from his rude one. It was like Gauche was a different person with what he heard.

"That's it. Starting now, instead of once a month, you'll only be visiting your sister once every two months".

Gauche froze as he heard those horrible words come out of his captain's mouth. He fell down to his knees but for some reason his nose was now bleeding as the picture he was holding fell out of his startled hands. It landed face up and Lucas saw that it was a picture of Marie, his little sister.

"I apologise. Please… don't take away my happiness!" He begged.

As this was going on, Grey scooted over and tried whispering to Lucas which was out of character for her since he was a stranger to her. Yet, she felt like she had to defend Gauche a bit.

"Psst… P-P-Psst…!"

Lucas didn't really hear the quiet, young lady but he turned his head since he saw her move anyway.

"G-G-G-Gauche isn't re-really a b-bad g-g-guy!" She tried to say but her voice was straining as she spoke, so less and less sound was being made.

Lucas didn't hear her at all and it just looked like she was moving her mouth for no reason. He turned to the royal and asked her about it.

"Is Grey trying to tell me something?" He wondered, grabbing Noelle's attention.

At this moment, now that Lucas was fully focused, Grey ended up running away.

"Oh my God, he s-s-saw me…! I was way too out of m-my com-comfort z-zone there! Ac-Actually… we d-d-d-did speak earlier b-but I can't maintain that th-the whole time…!"

She left a trail of dust as she ran away, kicking up a small storm with her dark-blue slippers going into overdrive. It seemed like even though the two were similar, it would take a lot more than that to get a proper conversation going between them.

Lucas poker-faced seeing this. "Just what is happening here…?"


A few minutes after this, Yami walked to the front of the group and dropped the large, brown bag he was holding right on the floor.

"Right, now that everyone's here, let's get down to business", Yami spoke, gathering all the Black Bulls in a group and sitting them down in front of him. Of course, this included Lucas and Daisy who also sat down, behind the rest. The latter having briefly paused her spar with Luck.

"Me, Me!" Asta shouted, trying to raise his hands to ask a question.

"This isn't a classroom, kid", the tank top-wearing captain stressed, about to carry on.

"It's an important question! I was wondering where Vanessa and Gordon are!" He still asked, much to Yami's annoyance.

"Hm, you have a point actually but I don't know where they are-", he tried to say but was cut off by another Black Bull.

"Gordon was right behind me when I came out. Maybe he's doing something in the base?" Noelle thought.

"Okay, now that we-", Yami tried to carry on but yet again, there was another voice piping up.

"Vanessa was right behind us. She's probably passed out, the drunkard", Gauche expressed.

"Everyone, shut the h-!" This was the third time the Dark mage was interrupted and it wasn't looking good for the one who spoke out.

"Where's Nero?!" Asta looked around frantically for the Anti-Bird, seeing as he hadn't been around this whole time.

"He's on top of your head, Asta", Luck pointed as the bird started pecking down at his skull.

"All of you goddamn idiots… Shut the HELL UP!" Yami slammed his fist against one of the base's walls, completely destroying it. This definitely made everyone listen to what he said and made sure no one interrupted him for the rest of the time he was talking.

"We've got a celebration on our hands tonight. The Wizard King awarded us quite a few stars for our last mission - way more than what we usually get", he started to say but then said the following words under his breath; "... or lose…", though no one heard this. "I'm proud of all of you and with those stars… it means we're finally out of our negative star count".

Silence followed for a second or too as it took a short time to process but then the Black Bulls erupted. There was even the sound of a woman yelling from inside the base, confirming that there were other members in there.

"Hooray!" They all cheered.

Lucas and Daisy exchanged quick glances with another but then took a double take as they processed what was said.

"Negative…",

"Star…",

"Count?!"

Magna turned around, laughing. "Yeah, we're the only squad with a negative star count, or should I say were! Seems like having a certain someone join our squad was the catalyst!" He wrapped his arm around Asta, shaking him.

"You really do like doing that, don't you?" Daisy giggled seeing Magna acting so friendly with everyone.

A cough came from the mage next to Asta. "Um, don't you think I also had something to do with it?" Noelle asked, taking quick looks around to see if anyone would praise her.

"Noelle joined the same time as I did so I think you have just as much to do with this! Actually, all of us are responsible for this!" Asta praised, much to Noelle's satisfaction, though her ears were all red getting a compliment from him.

"Oh?" Daisy noticed Noelle's peculiar actions, giving one of her classic sly smiles.

"But how… on earth can a squad be at negative stars?" Lucas asked, confused since this was all so new to him.

"Well…",

"It's because we're the Black Bulls!" All of them shouted, celebrating.

The Dual mage looked around and replayed the last few, very interesting minutes in his mind since meeting the squad. "Yeah, I guess that's a suitable explanation", he nodded.

"How come those two are here though?" Gauche asked, probably wondering the same thing as a lot of others but was the only one to ask. The others didn't have a problem with them being here at all.

Yami squinted, not understanding the reason he asked. "I like the two so I grabbed them. Is that not a good enough reason?"

The Golden Dawn and the Blue Rose were silent but inside they felt a surprised joy. Perhaps it was to do with their exploits at Nean or maybe it was just because Yami decided to take them because he wanted to. Nevertheless, it was nice to hear.

"Anyway, since we're moving up in the world, I thought we'd have a party", he said. "I'm surprised you didn't notice the massive grill that was just lying here outside this whole time".

"HUH?!" All of them exclaimed, so sure that there wasn't an entire grill here a few seconds ago.

"Nah, I'm kidding. Charmy just brought it out as you can see", he pointed.

The Cotton mage was busy at work, preparing all the ingredients, the meat, and even drinks to be served later. She was wearing a huge chef's hat on her head as well as a white apron around the rest of her small body. There was also a set of three sheep right next to her, helping her cook.

"Chef Charmy says that dinner will be served in an hour or so. For now, let me do all the preparations!" Charmy shouted, rushing around the flaming, hot grill. However, even doing this, she still had the time to walk over to Lucas who wasn't expecting her to come over.

"I. Have. Not. Forgotten. My. Muffins", she said sternly.

"I forgot! I promise to get you them some other time!" Lucas pleaded, putting his hands together.

"Hmph", is all she replied with as she returned to the grill.

Grey scooted over, closer to Gauche and hiding behind his back once again. "C-Captain… wh-wh-where did you get all this m-meat fr-from?"

"I'm glad you asked. I won it gambling", he said proudly. "Usually I play for money since I'm always running low but I happened to battle against a chef of all people. He offered up some juicy meat and in exchange I offered him my grimoire. Thankfully, I didn't have to lose my offering".

"Your grimoire?!" All of them mentally screamed.

"But enough about me. We've an hour before we eat and we need to get ready - The brat here and the orange-haired boy there in particular", Yami pointed.

"Us?" Asta and Lucas asked in unison.

"Yeah, you two. You stink like a donkey's ass. Go to the bath, right now", he ushered with his thumb behind him and into the base.


Lucas and Asta were now in the hot bath deep in the Black Bull's base. Surprisingly, contrary to how the base looked from the outside, it was actually quite cosy inside with everything as it should be.

In the room, there were shiny, blackstone tiles plastered all around giving it a feeling that it really was separate from the base itself, even though it really wasn't. There were two big tubs opposite each other. One was with cold water that helped after a long day of training or after a mission, whereas the other one was for cleaning and relaxation. This side was only for the boys, with the girls' section being somewhere down the hall, though it seemed like getting there was its own can of worms since you could swear there were some kind of traps to stop peeking.

It was only the two of Lucas and Asta in the bath which gave both of them time to relax, especially since there was no one asking for a battle, insulting one another, or threatening to kill you.

"Phew. I needed this…", Asta said as he leaned his head back against the edge of the bath. His body was fully submerged in the water with only his head above it.

"Tell me about it. It's been a long day and so many people have been telling me I stink because of that old man's Mucus Magic", Lucas explained, also fully relaxing.

"By the way, how did the doctor's treatment go anyway? You haven't really spoken about it", he asked, still having his eyes closed.

Asta was the one to open his eyes. They slowly started to droop but his voice didn't match the seemingly sad look in them. "Ah, he said it'll be a while before I can use my arms again but he did everything he could!"

"Hm, that's good", he replied. "I guess that look in his eyes was probably because it was a difficult process". Lucas yawned as he scooted around, trying to sit at just the right place.

After this exchange, the both of them spoke about their Magic Knight duties and what they had been doing since the last time they met. Asta spoke about the Underwater Temple as well as fighting Vetto, whereas Lucas described the Forgotten Forest as well as the fight with Rhya.

"Wow, your captain really sacrificed a Magic Stone to keep you safe? That's really quite amazing", Asta said with starry eyes. "I guess our captains are similar".

"To think he showed up to save the day against Vetto", Lucas gasped, getting excited imagining how the whole battle panned out for Asta.

He turned to the Anti-Magic user. "Our captains really are the best. They show it in their own ways but their actions definitely make you go, 'yep, that's why their captains'!" Lucas smiled.

"Of course!" Asta said, propping himself up further since the water was rising due to both mage's movements in the bath. "Oh, have you got any better with those weapons of yours - the Dual Blades - were they called?"

The Dual mage nodded. "I think so. At one time, I didn't even know how to use them but after a while I've gotten used to it".

"That's good. Do you have any sort of fighting style you use with them?" Asta asked, prompting Lucas to wonder what this meant.

"Style?" He asked.

"Yeah, like I use the Demon-Slayer for hard-hitting attacks or to reflect magic. The Demon-Dweller is for quick slashes but then using them together is when it gets fun!" He said, standing up and flailing around with his legs. It looked like if someone was trying to shadow box but failing really hard since you'd need working arms for that…

"I guess I just use them physically, really. I use my Time Magic with them but other than I don't really do much else…", he answered. Now he was having second thoughts about his own fighting style.

"I see. Well, if it works for you then that should be alright", Asta yawned, getting really comfortable in the bubbling bath.

"Captain Yami must really be quite the swordsman to teach you how to use Anti-Magic weapons like that", Lucas addressed.

"Nah, it wasn't him that taught me how to use them. I had another teacher way before I even became a Magic Knight. He's always moving around so I hardly ever get to see him", the Bull replied.

"Another swordsman then? I wonder if he'd be able to teach me about different fighting styles. I guess I'll ask his name". Lucas reached out, tapping Asta on the shoulder to ask but as he was about to open his mouth, something made them jump.

"AHHH!"

"WHAT?!"

"DID YOU FEEL IT TOO?!"

"YEAH, SOMEONE ELSE IS HERE!"

The two mages from the Forsaken Realm swam around the hot bath, trying to see who the culprit was but it was no use. They spent about five minutes on this but when they were about to give up, they felt a spine-chilling breath go down their necks.

Slowly, they turned their heads around and saw the monster that was with them. The two were about to scream but instead of two scared shouts, only Lucas was afraid now that Asta saw who it actually was.

"... This right here… is Gordon - Another Black Bull", he sighed, introducing him with a wave of his hand.

"Gordon? Oh, I think you and Noelle mentioned him earlier", Lucas realised, calming down. "Still, what the hell is he doing sneaking around like this?!"

The culprit didn't turn out to be a monster at all. "Hello there, Asta. Who is this new addition?" He asked, smiling wide at the two with his teeth on display.

"Not a new addition but… I guess a guest? His name is Lucas and he's from the Golden Dawn. Captain Yami had him over for dinner", Asta explained.

Gordon reached his hand out to greet him which Lucas accepted. As they got closer, he saw what he actually looked like and it wasn't farfetched to say he was kind of scared.

Gordon's slender body was completely pale or rather white. It looked like it was some sort of paint but seeing as they were in a hot bath and it wasn't coming off, it showed it was completely real. His short, black hair was slicked back and it looked like he wore black eyeshadow in large circles around his eyes as well as wearing black lipstick which also wasn't coming off, confusing Lucas but now he knew not to question most things about the Black Bulls.

"Nice to meet you, Lucas. If you're a friend of Asta's then you're a friend of mine", he smiled, talking very quietly. Surprisingly enough, or perhaps because the two were in such close proximity, Lucas just barely managed to make out what the man was saying.

"S-Sure…", Lucas replied but didn't say much since he was still a bit creeped out.

Asta now jumped out of the bath, wrapping a towel around himself. "Gordon", he turned around. "How long were you even here? We didn't hear you come in".

This time, Gordon's voice was a complete whisper. "I was here the whole time. I was in my room earlier and when I walked down to say hi to everyone, I saw the Captain talk about the stars and I cheered but I don't think anyone heard me. That was when I saw the two guests so I thought I'd clean up a bit and I've been in here since", he replied.

Lucas noted that Gordon acted a bit like Grey but a bit differently. One seemed like he loves talking while the other has problems with it. There was just one similarity and it was that…

"I can't really hear this guy either!"


"Lightning Magic: Thunder Fiend!" Luck called out, surrounding himself in concentrated lightning. It was almost as if he became his magic as he sped through Daisy's ice attacks, blitzing past and meeting her face-to-face. He was about to swipe her with his magic.

"Ice Creation Magic: Crystalised Barrier!" Daisy blocked Luck's incoming attack by creating a light-blue construct in front of her that was the shape of a hexagon.

The lightning hit the barrier but failed to pass through, dissipating as Luck got ready for his next move.

Daisy also jumped down to the floor and got ready for the next phase. The two were sparring away from the base to not get in the way of anyone else or specifically Charmy's cooking.

"I'll go on the offensive this time. Luck is really battle-crazy so it's quite tiring!" Daisy admitted. She eyed the Cheery Berserker and when he closed in using his Thunder Fiend, she reacted.

"Ice Magic: Skater's Heaven!" She shouted as she stomped down on the floor, creating a wave of ice that stayed in place for her to use.

"Hm, what's that going to do? I can battle in the air so a spell like that isn't going to bother me", Luck thought to himself as he closed in.

The Black Bull was inches away from Daisy who seemed to just stand still. He reached for her and used a spell. "Lightning Creation Magic: Holy Lightning Gloves!" He was going for the hand-to-hand combat as he felt like he had her beat in that department and he might have been right if Daisy didn't call out her next spell.

"Ice Magic: Frozen Quake!" She bent forwards, just missing Luck's attack. Quickly, she pressed both arms around the ice on the floor which caused it to crack in various places. This made pillars of sharp ice point out from the holes, towering up high in the air.

Luck saw this and was impressed but it still meant nothing since he was still going to fight in the air. That was when he saw Daisy get up in the air herself.

"Ice Magic: Skater's Heaven!" She shouted once more as she began jumping from pillar to pillar. Her feet were encased in their own ice which made traversal possible but the only downside to this new strategy was just that. It was completely new.

"Oh my God, oh my God, what am I doing?!" She panicked internally whilst trying to remain calm externally. So far she was doing well and was getting closer to Luck who was just watching at this point. "I can do this. I see him just past this last pillar and if I use an attack spell right… now-!"

She reached out, about to summon a Shard Barrage but she quickly lost her footing on the towers of ice she was skating around, making her plummet towards the ground.

"Oof, this is gonna hurt!" She braced for impact but a quick surge of lighting in the corner of her eyes made it so she was unhurt as she landed on her two feet.

Looking around, she saw Luck right next to her. It seemed like he saved her but this also meant that he won the sparring match.

"Ah, I guess I lost that", she sighed as she stretched her arms. "Thanks for the save", she smiled.

"That was an interesting move. I've thought about a lot of different strategies and that one was impressive", he praised.

"Really? I've been thinking of ways to get stronger recently. I've trained against Flame Magic which I have a bad affinity with but I've also thought about different battle styles as well. This was actually the first time I put that specific one into practice", she explained.

"Wow", Luck answered back with a wide grin. "I'd never say this to Magna but the way he fights is perfect to help train my magic since he's unpredictable so I always try new things when I'm with him. I've got some pointers about what you just did if you want to listen".

Daisy turned and her eyes widened with an intense flare to them. "I sure will!"

"Okay, so first, when you're in the air like that you need to focus your body weight somewhere. People with air-based magic have it easy since they can use that to float while not really worrying about their own weight. Though, with us, we need to think quite hard about it but, then again, with my magic, I don't need to think about it too much since my speed greatly surpasses the need to do that. I'll zip around quickly but then land which helps refocus my weight. For you, however, you'll need to do that as you're skating around", Luck analysed.

Daisy had a finger to her chin and was nodding. "But focusing my weight like that means I'll be a bit slower as I skate which might not help in fast-paced battles".

"There's the catch. You can always increase speed with practice but you have to start somewhere. Why don't we go again and I'll show you?" The Bull pointed up, suggesting that an air battle is going to be underway once again.

"I'm up for another one!" Daisy pumped her fists.

However, the second sparring section wouldn't come to be as Yami appeared out of nowhere all of a sudden. A large presence loomed over the two but it wasn't as menacing as it usually was.

"Dinner time, you two. I saw what you were doing as I was walking up and well, it's something alright", he praised.

"Aw, do we have to?" Luck groaned, putting his grimoire back in his satchel.

"Yeah, it's not like these two are going to stay over or anything so it'll be dinner and off they go afterwards", he explained.

"It's fine, Luck. I'm sure we can practice again some other time!" She smiled, as she started to walk in the base's direction.

"I'll race you!" Luck shouted, catching up.

The two quickly disappeared with Yami following behind, though he was going at his own leisurely pace.

"That kid with the ribbon is something alright. It seems like the Prickly Princess has her squad in check", he said to himself.


The sky's light, orange colour was now starting to be replaced by a dark, purple as the day had almost transitioned into darkness. It was light enough to be out but there was only an hour or two to go before it was time to go. Though, fortunately for the Black Bulls and their guests, there was still a celebration to go through.

"Dinner is served", Charmy bowed and the sheep cooks revealed what they had made.

There were two grills in front of everyone and the amount of food that was there made everyone drool. Their eyes were steaming with the heat that was coming off the freshly-cooked meat and vegetables.

In a drink cooler in the middle, there was a selection of beverages - mostly non-alcoholic - that were all chilled, ready to give the maximum amount of enjoyment.

Lucas and Daisy sat on one side of the grill on the right, whereas Asta and Noelle sat opposite them. The rest of the Black Bulls were either around the other, larger grill, or were just switching between places since there were different selections on both.

All of a sudden, as if there wasn't enough to focus on, the doors to the base flung open once more revealing a scantily-clad woman with long, flowing pink hair, walking out with a big bottle of red wine in one hand and the other with a glass ready for pouring.

"Vanessa, where have you been?" Noelle asked, looking over.

"Last night was heavy…", she burped. "I was drinking a lot and when I came to, you lot were having some speech about stars. I thought it was something good so I celebrated from inside the base…", she smiled.

"What?! That means you only just woke up an hour ago!" Noelle screamed.

"Well, I did need my beauty sleep", Vanessa winked. "Anyway, let's get this dinner started!"

Magna shouted from the other grill, chowing down on one of the burgers he grabbed. "It's already started, you drunk woman. Sit down and eat up before it disappears!"

"Aw, it looks like I'll have to eat quickly", she pouted. The young woman turned around to Noelle but then saw Asta, Lucas, and Daisy with the latter two being completely new to her.

First, she spoke to the ashen-haired teenager. "Asta, what happened with your arms? Didn't you go to heal them up?"

"Yeah, we had Doctor Owen look at them and he did what he could", he said as he gobbled up a sausage in one bite, though he did it in the hardest way possible which was to stretch his neck out and grab it from his own plate.

"As long as they've been looked at", Vanessa replied. After this, she focused on the guests who just had their mouths wide open the whole time the almost-naked woman appeared.

They saw the tall lady wearing barely anything but dark-coloured lingerie in the most important of places. She wore the Black Bulls squad robe which counted as another piece of clothing along with her dark-purple stockings and dark-red boots with garter belts connecting to her miniskirt.

Lucas was of course embarrassed but shocked that she was walking around like this and this was much the same for Daisy despite her tendency to tease and trick others about things like kissing and whatnot.

"Oh, who are these two lovelies?" She sat down next to Lucas, cupping his chin with her left hand and stretching across to cup Daisy's with her right.

"H-H-Hi, my name is L-Lucas! I'm from the Golden Dawn!" He answered, his voice getting high-pitched due to his nerves.

"My name's Daisy. Nice to meet you", she smiled. It seemed like she had calmed herself down but internally she was screaming with her own subconscious voice high-pitched as well.

"Nice to see you too", she giggled but then realised how they were acting. "Why are you two all fidgety?" She asked, letting go of their chins.

With a sigh, an answer came from Finral who was actually sat between Daisy and Noelle, opposite Vanessa. He hadn't said much the whole time since he came back from the hospital with the others for some unknown reason but it looked like he was just getting bored now with keeping to himself.

"It's probably because of the way you dress, Vanessa. We're all used to it but you wear more clothing when you're out and about so people who have never been here would act like…", he turned to face Lucas and Daisy with their slowly-fading red faces. "... well, like that".

Vanessa, not really seeing a problem with it, just shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her red wine. "Well, I can't help with how you feel but I assure you that I'm a friendly person. It really is great so see you guys be with us!" She cheered.

Now that all the Black Bulls had finally been introduced, everyone was having a great time. The food was amazing and now that Lucas and Daisy were more than acquainted with the Black Bulls, they began to ease up. The Blue Rose was already getting close with Vanessa as they kept on chatting about anything they could think about so it showed how comfortable she was. Lucas was getting better but he wasn't all the way there just yet.

"Hey, Lucas…", Daisy whispered as she moved closer, after ending her conversation with Vanessa.

"Hm?" He said with a mouthful of food.

"Is everything alright? You haven't been saying much", she asked.

Lucas, finishing the last bite of the food he was eating, turned and smiled. "You're quite amazing, you know…".

"H-Huh?" Daisy was startled by the random compliment.

"You're so comfortable around everyone. Most of these guys were basically strangers to us but instead of worrying about it like I do, you just charged right in with getting to know them", he said.

"I see the problem", she recognised. "So, what? Don't compare yourself to me. You have your own charms and you definitely show that to everyone you talk to". The mage raised her thumb, smiling toothily.

"I do?" He asked, not understanding.

"Of course! Take as long as you want to get used to others. When we first met, I could tell you were a bit jittery but look at you now. You're not still nervous, are you?" She asked.

"No, but that's because we know each other well", he replied.

"Exactly. If other people get to know you like I do, that problem will sort itself out. If you're genuine, then the right people will see that!" She giggled. Daisy lightly placed her right fist on Lucas's chest, beaming brightly as she closed her eyes.

Lucas leaned back, his hands placed against the grass beneath him. He stared at the sky and nodded with a look of determination in his blue eyes. "You're right. I don't know what I was worrying about. Thank you, Daisy".

"What a turn of events, though", she sighed. "Who'd have thought we'd be with the Black Bulls at the end of the day".

"You can say that again. My day started with me getting ready in my room and just before I opened the door, I…", he paused, realising what he had forgotten about.

Daisy, not noticing this, spoke about her own start of the day. "Yeah, it was much the same for me but I started a bit late because of oversleeping. Now that you mention it, I…", she also paused.

The Golden Dawn and the Blue Rose had their minds align for the first time as they thought about the exact same thing.

"I…",

"... forgot…",

"The silver-chained bracelet!" They screamed internally.

It was such a coincidence that they both forgot the very same present they had for each other on the same day and that very day had them meet up in Kiten of all places.

"Y-You can go first…", Daisy waved, stopping her surprised realisation.

"N-Nevermind. It wasn't anything that important…!" He responded. He didn't want to lie but he also didn't want her knowing that he had a present for her otherwise it wouldn't be a surprise. "What about you? Were you about to say something?"

"I think so but it just slipped my mind, woo", she cheered, trying to mask her blunder. She also didn't want to ruin the surprise present for Lucas.

A moment of silence. Not for anything bad but only because the two had wound up in an awkward corner, not really knowing what to say since they were still thinking about their own blunder. Lucas was stuffing his mouth and this, thankfully, made way for the topic to switch.

The Ice mage pointed at the food Lucas had in his hand. "You… uh, enjoying the meal?" She giggled as it was very clear he was with his mouth full.

"I sure am! It's a shame that Charmy doesn't know about our favourite food. Imagine if she'd prepared something like that! I'm definitely not complaining though". He exclaimed as his mouth started watering just by thinking about it.

Daisy was confused by this. "What do you mean our favourite food? Did we have something like that?"

"Sure we did! Remember when we met in Nean and had lunch at Rebecca's family restaurant? You requested custom-made meals and it was a huge beef burger!" Lucas explained.

The two looked up, picturing the thick, juicy beef burger. The buns were covered in sesame seeds and around the meat was melted cheese, mini tomatoes, large cucumbers, and crunchy lettuce.

"Ohhhh, that's right", she replied with a broken chuckle. "How did I forget such a thing…", she smiled.

"I still wonder how you knew it was my favourite. I didn't even know you that well back then", he pondered.

"I told you! I said I had a hunch and, well, I can read people", she winked.

Intrigued by this, Lucas asked her to explain. "Read people?" He repeated.

"Of course. See here". The Ice mage pointed at Asta and Noelle with her eyes and Lucas followed. The two saw them eating, or rather saw Noelle eating whereas Asta was struggling to even have a bite of his own food unless he wanted to spend ages trying.

Noelle saw the struggling teen and it looked like she was trying to do something as she squirmed around the edge of the grill, seeing what food she should pick up.

"H-Hey, Asta… you can't eat with your injuries, right? Since you're so helpless, why don't I feed you? You know, since I wouldn't want you complaining on an empty stomach". She said, not looking at the mage in question this whole time. Her pink eyes looked down at the floor near him.

Daisy whispered again. "So, you saw Noelle ask to help Asta, right? What else do you notice?"

Lucas thought for a second or two. "Her face…", he replied, preparing to answer further.

"Yes, yes. It's clear that she's blush-", she stopped as Lucas quickly turned around to face her.

"Is she burning up? I mean, we are close to the hot grill and everything!" He answered, getting a bit worried.

Daisy poker-faced, realising just who she was talking to. It wasn't like he didn't know about things like crushes and whatnot but he still couldn't recognise them at face-value.

"N-No… Don't tell them this but she clearly likes him", she sighed.

Lucas paused, really trying to analyse the situation. "She does? Do you mean a crush? Why doesn't she just tell him then?" He asked, plainly.

"Oh, Lucas. Do you not know the art of the tsundere?" Daisy asked, now with round glasses over her eyes all of a sudden, looking almost like a professor.

"Where did you get those glasses from?!" Lucas then focused on what his friend said. "Huh, a tsundere? What's th-!"

"AHAHA! Look at what I figured out. Since my arms are injured… I can eat… with these!" Asta shouted, stars in his eyes.

What the mages saw was unexplainable but it was very much the type of thing the Anti-Magic user would end up doing. He had a few skewers of meat in between his toes and was, quite skillfully, eating them with this newfound method.

"What the…", Daisy said before falling to the floor comedically.

Noelle's face slowly transformed. One from worry about how to feed the teen into one of disgust. Lucas saw her change in real-time as she instinctively brought out her wand.

"You are disgusting!" She shouted, shooting a stream of water right at Asta, sending him flying. She chased after him as she wasn't done just yet.

Now with those two Black Bulls out of the picture for now, Vanessa made her move. She was just watching Lucas and Daisy for a few minutes, thinking about something and this was the perfect opportunity to act it out.

"Ah, why isn't Gauche eating anything…?" Vanessa asked with a raised voice, directing it specifically at the two new faces.

Daisy was the first to focus on the Mirror mage's name and looked over at where he was sitting. The older teen was by the other grill but sat a bit further away from the others with nothing in his hands except the picture of his little sister.

"That guy is so weird", Daisy sighed. She picked up a plate of food and stood up. "I'll bring some over to him since it looks like everyone else is occupied", she skipped forwards.


"Marie…", Gauche said with blood trickling down one of his nostrils. He was sat, leaning against a tree and doing nothing else but his average staring.

Suddenly, a hot plate of food was shoved in his face which made him flinch as it touched his face ever so slightly.

"What the hell?! That plate is way too hot!" He shouted, rubbing his face. He looked up and saw the culprit. "Get outta here".

Daisy, putting her hands to her waist, started nagging. "You can't give your siscon tendencies a rest even when there's such delicious food around?"

"What do you want?" He groaned, accepting the plate and placing it down next to him.

"Huh?" She raised her voice. "I just saw you not eating and thought I'd get you some food. There really is nothing else to it". The mage then walked away, shaking her head.

Gauche, still staring at the picture and not making eye contact, sighed. "You don't even like me so I don't understand the gesture. Regardless, I'm not hungry".

Daisy stopped and started to massage the sides of her head as if something was going to burst just by talking with this specific guy.

"Man, what on earth is your problem? You can't let anyone do nice things for you, can you? Marie told me about your upbringing and whatever happened but you're letting it tie you down way too much", she huffed. "I can't believe I tried to be nice to this guy…".

The picture was now on the ground next to him and the sound of something being moved was made.

"Ah, I get it!" Gauche shouted. "I don't know how to talk with others and, to be honest, I don't really care. I'm not one to think about those things…", he answered, biting into a leg of meat.

"It's not about me liking you… I just wanted to be nice", Daisy said before turning back around again.

"You wanted to be nice to others…? Marie is always telling me to act nice around other people but I don't get it. Am I supposed to say a compliment or something? I don't even know this girl properly. The last time we saw each other was when…".

Gauche said something that immediately changed Daisy's frustrated energy.

"Alice, your sister… how is she?"

The Blue Rose's eyes widened but quickly rested. "I don't have time for this. It's not like you care about her anyway".

"I try a conversation starter and she says all that?!" Gauche sighed. He couldn't do this nice people stuff. "Whatever. Marie and Alice have been getting closer ever since then. Just… ugh, I don't know, don't try to put a burden like that all on your own. You people tried to tell me back then about helping others and well… it's tough. But Marie is there for your sister and I'm there for Marie and I'll help her. Take that however you want", he scratched his hair in a flood of nerves. "Is that nice enough?"

Daisy didn't turn around but a little giggle left her mouth which the Mirror Magic user heard. As she walked away, her eyes were open wide as if she realised something insane.

"That guy can be nice… or at least try to be".


During the time Daisy left, Vanessa finally made her move.

"Little boy… I was wondering when your friend would leave. I wanted to ask you something…!" She burped but still kept focus.

"You wanted… Daisy to leave? How come?" Lucas replied, confused at the witch's words.

Vanessa turned around to face the Dual mage and the two were now sitting opposite each other. She slammed down her drink in front of her.

"What do you think of Daisy?" She asked, cheeks blushing from the alcohol.

He tilted his head. "I don't know what to say? I like her and she's really cool".

The Thread mage dropped her head in defeat. "I didn't mean like that. What if you two were going out. You know, like a couple?"

"What?!" Lucas raised his voice, though no one else heard as they were busy with whatever. "Why does everyone go on about dating and kissing and boyfriend and girlfriend stuff with me?"

"I didn't mention anything about kissing, boy", Vanessa giggled with her hand covering her mouth. "You two just seem so comfortable with each other. Are you telling me you never thought about her differently?"

Lucas blew air out of his mouth as he hunched over. His head looked at the ground and his brain was trying to understand.

"Look, I don't even know what a couple really is. I know about relationships and stuff but other than that, I'm clueless. Seeing Daisy in a different way? How would I even do that? Isn't liking someone as a friend miles away from liking someone as a partner?" He asked himself.

"My, you really try to think hard about things. Other people usually charge right in or ignore the suggestion but you're different. I like that about you", Vanessa slapped his back repeatedly.

Lucas, now sore from the extensive back slaps, raised his head. "... I thought I said that all in my head. Ah, this is why these topics are so hard to understand!" He groaned. "Wait. So, do you just ask this to everyone?"

"Uh, I hint at some things as a joke but when the shoe fits, as they say…", she said as she took another sip of her red wine.

"I don't really understand. David is always telling me about things like this and I guess Klaus too since he told me about his potential engagement. But… seeing Daisy like that? I've never given it a thought. Though, I guess it's not too far-fetched, I mean… we get along…", he paused, realising exactly what he just thought. "NO WAY!"


The moon was now up. Without much of a heads up, stopping everyone's conversations, Yami started laughing after a drunken burp. He was sitting near the other grill on the only chair that was around. "Come on, guys, let's make things interesting. Why don't we all entertain each other?" He turned to Finral who was quietly munching on his food. "Go first and show us a party trick you've been quiet!"

Asta, now back from Noelle's attack, yawned quite loudly. "Actually… I think I'm gonna call it a night. I'm so tired", he said with a beaming smile.

This made everyone pause as they just watched him walk towards the base. Sure, it was nearly night and time for people to pack up, but Asta would usually be the last to stop the fun. There was silence all around and it was as if the fun disappeared from the celebration.

"Was it something I did? He usually shouts back at me but he wasn't here…", Noelle worried with concern on her face. "Did I go too far?"

"I don't think it was you, Noelle. He's been quiet with us as well", Vanessa mentioned, now a bit serious.

With a silent whisper; "now that I think about it. The angle of his smile was three degrees off from normal. This is a problem", Gordon mentioned.

Yami put down his alcoholic drink and spoke up. "Finral. You know what's up, don't you?"

The Spatial mage sighed heavily before going to address the rest of the people that were sitting around. All eyes were on him, waiting for some clarification.

"It's because of what Doctor Owen said to him when we were at the hospital…", he gulped.

"That his arms will take a while to heal, right? But that can't be why he's so under the weather since it's something to look forward to", Luck added.

"Yeah, he said that Owen guy did all he could so that isn't the reason", Vanessa said.

Finral shook his head. "That's just it. He did all he could but that doesn't mean it's all going to be fine…". He rolled his hands into fistshe sighed one last time before revealing what Owen actually said to Asta.

"Asta, the healing process isn't going to work at all. I can't even get it started due to some kind of ancient curse on your arms. On top of that, your bones are completely shattered, I'm afraid you'll never be able to use your arms ever again".

Yami and the rest of the Black Bulls, not to mention Lucas and Daisy, were stunned at this revelation. All of their faces painted a full story and it was one of tragedy.

"That… is impossible…", Noelle's lips quivered, taking a step back.

"No way", Magna said with wide eyes.

"To someone as g-good as Asta?" Grey bit her nails.

"What do you mean, shattered? If that was the case then why isn't the doctor checking it over again. It's his profession for crying out loud". Gauche was the one to confidently voice his anger and frustration which was surprising for some. They knew he cared deep down but wasn't one to show it so this really showed the emotions they all felt.

"If Owen is the one to give that prognosis then he definitely tried everything he could", Yami explained, not liking it anymore than the rest. "To think that Vetto did something like this to him. Mythical Beast Magic, was it?" He said, taking a strong puff of his cigarette.

"Mythical Beast Magic? Vetto from the Third Eye…? Then does that mean that this ancient curse is a form of Forbidden Magic, just like what Rhya was using?" Lucas remembered, reassessing the danger that the enemy group posed.

"Wasn't he the best Recovery mage in the kingdom? If that's the case and Asta can't be healed… then wh-what now?" Charmy said with tremor in her voice.

"He can't even use magic and now fate has taken away the boy's only weapon?" Vanessa's eyes showed anger. "This… can't be".

Finral was taking this very hard. He stared at the ground with water bubbling up in his eyes.

"Just when I thought I found the ultimate partner…", he said softly, trembling at the thought of losing his bond with the ashen-haired mage.

Daisy thought about this for a few seconds, rummaging around her brain for anything that could help. She covered her mouth and shook her head. "There's nothing that I know that can help…".

Lucas stood up abruptly, all eyes now cast towards him. His hands were curled into fists and he suggested something that may work in helping Asta.

"My Time Magic. I have spells that can speed up and slow down things I fully focus on like other spells or objects. What if I use it on Asta's arms?" He asked, frantically hoping such a thing would work.

Yami walked over. "That's good and all but if you could do that, we'd need a spell to reverse time as if the injury and the curse never happened. Can you do that?" He asked, already knowing the answer as he read Lucas's Ki.

"... No, I have no idea on how to reverse a person's time…", Lucas shook.

"I appreciate the suggestion, kid", he put his hand on the Dual mage's head.

Vanessa was the one to stand up this time. After listening to everyone voice their opinions and whatnot, the group had forgotten the most important thing.

"We should see what Asta is doing right now. He can't be in the best place mentally… I wouldn't be, that's for sure", the witch addressed.

Noelle raised her voice, perhaps knowing where Asta would go. "Sometimes, we train at a place just around here. It looks over a cliff and well, if I had to guess, he'd be there. Usually, I find myself there if I want some peace and quiet so…".

"That's where we'll go".


The moon was out shining down on everything its light managed to hit. There were multiple, grey clouds in the sky but they all cleared around the natural satellite. One teenager, sitting on a lone rock, looked up as if he was the only person in the world.

His green eyes met the sky above and then he closed them, shutting his sight from the world for a brief moment.

"...I'm afraid you'll never be able to use your arms ever again".

His mind went through all of the experiences he's had, the enemies he'd faced, the lesson he'd learned. All of them with his swords in tow as if they had become a part of him. The fight with Rades, Licht, Vetto - he was reliving those moments as he thought about them.

Then, a single silhouette of a person he knew like the back of his hand appeared.

"Yuno…", he whispered.

The only one that was with him right now was Nero who was sat perched in the middle of Asta's head. It slowly brushed the mage's hair, trying to comfort him.

Behind him, a few yards away so that he wouldn't notice, were the entire group that he was with before. They were all huddled together but their focus was only on the Anti-mage.

"Poor guy. He's always been unlucky with the cards he's been dealt and now he's thinking of one of the only people he had a fighting chance against, surpass him…", Magna said as he took his shades off.

However, that was when Asta seemingly did a 180 with what he did next.

"LIKE HELL I'LL GIVE UP! NO ONE'S GONNA DECIDE FOR ME WHEN I QUIT! NOT THE ENEMY, NOT THE WORLD, AND DEFINITELY NOT YOU, FATE!"

The following scream that was boiling up inside him for the longest time finally exploded out. Just like that, he was jumping up and down, kicking the air with all his strength.

"WHEN THINGS JUST DON'T GO MY WAY, I STILL FIND A WAY! I'LL FIX THESE ARMS AND SURPASS EVERYTHING THAT COMES MY WAY!"

The ones who were watching him had also changed. Their faces switched to more positive ones and it looked like the light had returned to all of their eyes. Everyone was smiling but a few were even crying like Magna and Grey, though she was in her more comfortable form - the big guy.

"Looks like I picked a real fighter", Yami smiled.

"I can't wait for him to recover. Who else but me to kill Asta when he's stronger than ever?" Luck nodded.

"He's a manly man. Us peasants are always going to stick together!" Magna cried once more.

"Hm. Well, I suppose I see why Marie is fond of the idiot", Gauche appreciated.

"That's my best friend. Don't worry, Asta, your best friend, Gordon, will always be here for you", Gordon mouthed, or very quietly whispered.

"G-G-Go, Ast-Asta…", Grey pumped her fists upwards.

"I'll be cooking up the biggest feast for you after this, la!" Charmy put her chef's hat on once again, standing tall.

"That's what I like about you, Bakasta. That never give up attitude you've always had!" Noelle smiled. "I didn't mean like as in that kind of like, you know? I meant as a friend!"

Asta sat down, breathing heavily before one more scene played in his head. It was when he first received his grimoire and fought Revchi, the ex-Magic Knight and criminal.

"That one time was the very last time I'm ever going to feel depressed!" He shouted again, this time with a determined smile as he looked in the distance.

Lucas was in awe. "Wow, Asta. Just… wow. Your determination and your will to overcome the odds. I… I'm going to help you in any way that I can!"

He turned his gaze towards the silent Daisy who wasn't saying anything. It looked like she was focused but there was a sense that she was thinking about something else entirely. However, the one thing that made her talk was what Vanessa said to the side.

"That's right, boy. You can't give up now", she lowered her head and said to herself. "Maybe magic from the other country can save you… in theory, it can heal anything you desire!"

Daisy perked up. Those words made the Ice mage think of two very important people in her life. She pictured her little sister, Alice, who is without mana, and Emilia, whose mother is dying.

"If I can help them then…!"

She walked up to Vanessa and spoke with great sincerity. Her blue and violent-tinted eyes strained and she looked almost angry but it was more hope and determination than a negative emotion.

"Vanessa. Please, you have to tell me more".


NOTES:

Originally, I had this chapter end around when Noelle and Finral would go off to Fanzel's but that would make the word count much higher than it already was. It was such a long chapter anyway due to all the activities with the Black Bulls that I didn't feel right in having it go on longer than here. But we'll see that next chapter anyway so I don't know why I'm saying all this…

Anyway, this chapter was really fun to write as I could virtually do anything with the Black Bulls since they're so crazy and everything fits. With the Golden Dawn, I can do a lot, but I also want to stay true to their characterisations so that's why it's slightly more difficult - Fun, nonetheless!

I have some big, big plans for the Witches Forest Arc and I hope you will enjoy what I have in store!