Chapter 81: Struggle Against The Modified

Disclaimer:

Another very long chapter here but A LOT of things are happening. Most is canon but, of course, there are a lot of additions here and there. The second half though… Phew.

There are references to events in past chapters to help with foreshadowing and whatnot. Here they are:

Chapter 1, 3, 6, 15, 24, 35, 41, 66, 75, 77.

With that said, I hope you enjoy!


"I… remember…".

Fana said as a calm and sweet smile formed on her face. Clear tears were at the edge of her eyelids, dropping onto the dry floor. The shining sun made her skin glisten and her rosy red cheeks were blushing as she looked at the one opposite her.

Mars gasped as he heard Fana's words. It seemed like she finally addressed him properly for the first time and he couldn't contain his emotions. He brought her in for another tight hug. Tears fell from his face as well, mirroring his best friend's.

"We can finally… see the world together, Fana…", Mars said, sniffling.

Fana was slightly shocked at the amount of hugging that the Mineral mage was giving but she didn't protest it. In fact, she enjoyed how close they were as she put her two arms around his back.

"Yes. Let's do it!" She said, snuggling close.

Fanzell and the other mages looked at the two in the centre with smiles on their faces. The light from the warm sun illuminated the two Dual mages as if they were the only two in the world.

"Mars and Fana… I'm so glad that you're together again…", the red-haired fugitive said under his breath as he teared up. "Domina and I… should never abandon those two again".

It was the same for a lot of the others who were watching. Finral and Noelle had their hands to their mouths, trying to hide their emotional state but their cheeks were flushed a shade of red with how sweet the situation was.

Daisy and Vanessa, on the other hand, were smiling cheekily with their teeth out. They were elbowing each other's sides and giggling at what they saw. They exchanged a few words with each other as they looked on.

"Hehehe, look at those lovebirds".

"Now, what's going on between them?"

Asta just smiled, seeing that the fighting was over and that Mars was happy.

The only person that seemed indifferent was Lucas. He was in his own mind about what was happening, thinking deeply.

"This Fana… next to Mars… isn't the Fana that I seem to know. My Ki is telling me that the other Fana's presence is gone. I'm not sure how, but… it is".

He slowly backed away from the two that were embracing and joined up with Asta and the others

Daisy looked over and saw the small, but clearly sad look on the Golden Dawn member's face. "That's right. There was some kind of connection between the two, but… I get the feeling something's different now".

A few minutes passed but it seemed like an eternity for the group as all that was happening was Mars and Fana looking at each other and their continuous hugging. Eventually, the pink-haired mage spoke up.

"Um… Mars, I know that I'm hugging you as well but I'm finding it hard to breathe…".

Mars stopped the hug and stood to the side as the others walked over. His face was as if it was covered in flames because of how embarrassed he got but a look at Fana's smile calmed him down again.

"Hehe… Sorry about that, Fana", he said as he scratched the back of his neck.

She smiled again and turned her body towards the rest of the group. She noticed that two others looked similar to how Mars was and tilted her head.

"I sort of remember fighting you three but why is it that you don't have your shirts on?" Fana asked as she saw Lucas, Asta, and Mars with only half of their clothes on.

"You don't remember how crazy you got with your flames?!" Daisy asked, perplexed as to how something so important could be forgotten.

"M-Me? Crazy?!" Fana gasped, taken aback.

"Hm, I'm sure Lucas noticed it as well but her Ki is totally different now than it was before. It's not just that she's happier now but more like… a completely different person", Asta realised.

Noelle looked at Fana, seeing how confused she was. "Yeah, you were pretty strong and gave all of us trouble but the ones that saved you are those three there", she pointed.

"I see… Thank you". Fana said with a tinge of sadness but then shook her head. "I'm glad that you made friends though, Mars. Maybe I can be friends with you two as well?" She said, turning to Asta and then to Lucas.

"Of course, we can be friends! Just try not to attack me on sight next time, haha!" Asta smiled, pumping his fists.

"...", Lucas couldn't manage to say anything, or, rather his words weren't coming out properly.

Daisy saw this and interjected. "By the way, Fana, if you don't remember your fight against us then what do you remember? It seems like you were friends with Mars before but how did you end up with the Eye of the Midnight Sun?" She turned her head to look at the ginger-haired teen. "Don't worry, Lucas, I've got you".

Fana clutched her head and winced in pain ever so slightly. She traced her fingers over her forehead where the third eye used to be. "It's all so fuzzy and mixed up in my head but… after the final exam…".


FLASHBACK - MANY YEARS AGO:

There was a white blur all around as Fana tried opening her eyes. Her sight was disoriented as well as her hearing but all she could make out was the shadowy figure of a man staring down at her.

"H-Hel…p", she said as she tried raising her arm but she couldn't manage it since she had little-to-no strength left in her body. It plopped right down on the floor with a splash as there was blood all around her.

The man's greyed-out, circular glasses showed his eyes for the first time but they looked almost entranced as he stared at the dying teenager.

"I thought you were dead, little Fana, but maybe… you could be perfect for the Modification Phase. Your body is strong enough to survive death then maybe…!" His deep voice seemed to get crazier as he rubbed his hands together.

After a few days of experimenting…

"What a waste. The Mage Stone implant is failing and her vitals are dropping every second. I thought she could be our best Dual mage, second to Mars but… she's too weak", Morris slammed his hands on a desk.

"N-No… I'll be s-strong. I… want to be w-with M-M-Mars…", Fana said very weakly, crying.

The door slammed open, revealing another figure. His purple eyes looked at Fana with disgust and he made his decision not even a second later.

"Her surviving that day was a fluke. To think that she could live up to the name of the legendary Phoenix… Laughable. Get rid of her dying body".

"You snatched the words right out of my mouth, Ren", Morris replied before ordering the others to dispose of her.

"Goodbye, Fana".

After being disposed of by the Diamond Kingdom…

Fana lay almost lifeless on a pile of rubbish, inching closer to her death. Her head was filled with absolute fear as she felt her soul start to wither away. She was about to close her eyes for what would be the last time ever, until…

"You poor thing".

This time, another shadow came into the blurry light. This one, however, was covered in an illuminating aura. His voice was enough to pull you in and Fana opened her eyes once again.

The man had long, flowing, blond hair that was tied into thin strands. He had a red tattoo on his face and was wearing a long, white robe that flowed down towards the floor.

"My old friend. Even in this time, despite you not being one of us, you've been betrayed by humans. If you lend me your body, I will make you strong… and imbue you with the hatred to destroy your enemies!"

FLASHBACK - END


"After that, well… I don't remember anything. It was as if someone had been controlling me but I never felt it as much as I did today", Fana gulped.

"I can't believe you went through all that… If only I didn't…". Mars felt bad for the negative part he had in Fana's life but the pink-haired mage didn't see it like that.

"Mars, you don't have to blame yourself. The only thing that matters is that we're here, together", she smiled as she put her thumbs up.

"R-Right", Mars blushed.

"So, you don't remember specific events but remember the feelings you had when you went through them?" Finral asked, getting a notebook and pen out from his grimoire satchel.

Fana paused for a second, trying to recollect anything that could help. "I'm sorry… It's hard to explain but it's like the feelings of whatever was controlling me were so strong that I can't shake them, even now". She then turned towards Asta. "Seeing you made me feel immense hatred… b-b-but, of course, now that I'm me again I don't feel like that at all! It's just the lingering feeling of the person or whatever it was that… I-I can't really explain better than that…", she frowned.

"Don't worry, Asta has that kind of influence on people", Vanessa teased.

"What?! It's not as if I purposely make them want to kill me!" Asta protested.

Interrupting the others, Lucas finally spoke for the first time. "What about when you look at me, Fana? Can you tell me anything that you feel or did feel?"

"Oh… H-Hi", Fana smiled but since the question was so abrupt she tried focusing quickly on what he asked. "Wh-What did you say your name was again?"

"Earlier, wasn't she shouting his name out constantly?" The Magic Knights thought.

"It's Lucas", he said sternly, rolling his open palms into tight fists.

"Lucas, Lucas, Lucas…", she closed her eyes and a very faint image of him popped up in her head that was quickly fading away. There were no discerning characteristics about him except for his face being slightly less blurry than the rest of him as well as the scenery being all grassy with the shining sun behind him. Although, there was something that she noticed.

"Like I said, the thing that was controlling me… and the person that you see right now are two different things, but whatever it was had a very strong feeling towards you. I pictured your face in a setting that I had never seen before but there was one overwhelming feeling that I recognised underneath all the vicious feelings of hatred in my head. It wasn't anger or anything like that but more like… sadness".

"Sadness?I just don't get it though. We apparently knew each other but it wasn't this Fana I knew but another Fana? Is that even possible? The other Fana felt sadness for me?" Lucas clutched his head as his eyes were darting all the way around the area.

Daisy walked up and put a hand to his shoulder, trying to calm him down. "Lucas, it'll be alright. Don't try to force it", she said softly, trying to smile even though she was worried about her friend.

Unlike his usual positive outlook, he simply ignored his friend and opted to walk away for the time being. He shrugged Daisy's hand off his shoulder and separated from the group.

"Um, is it something I said? I know… that we were fighting and all so is it to do with that?" Fana asked, worried if Lucas's behaviour was because of her.

The other mages looked at each other with furrowed brows and odd looks of confusion. Daisy took the initiative and was the first to reply.

"It seems like he knew the person that was controlling you and it… may hold some important answers for him. It seemed like he would get them but, then again, you said it yourself - You're different to who was controlling you", she sighed.

"I see. Well, if I ever remember anything of note, I'll make sure to let him know", Fana said as she rolled her hands into fists, showing her determination.

After this, Daisy started walking over to where Lucas had gone. He was just out of earshot from the rest except for the Ice mage who was joining him. "I feel bad for him. I wonder if I can say anything to help?"

Lucas was in his own little world right now. He was so close to finding out answers about who he was and why his dreams continuously show things that are otherwise completely alien to him.

"I'm only met with more questions. Fana… is someone I know but not this Fana. I've been questioning it but there's no other explanation. Not with how connected we seemed to be since she was also having dreams. But… They call me Hybrid and that is something I need to find out. There was a Hybrid race but they died out. So, how am I one of them? I guess it all ties into who my parents are, right? They'd probably hold the biggest answers and just… Ugh, this is all way too much".

Back with the others, Fanzell addressed Fana. "There's something else that I wanted to know - Why did the Eye of the Midnight Sun come here?"

"There's probably a Magic Stone here", Asta answered. "It's been on my mind for a while and it's the only logical explanation, right?"

"That's right…", Fana agreed. "Even now, I have an intense feeling to retrieve a Magic Stone…", she said whilst touching her head and wincing in a slight pain.

"Fana, don't push yourself too much. You can relax now", Mars assured.

"I'll try not to", she smiled.

The group seemed set now and there were only a few things left to do before returning home. The current crop of mages were missing two key players and they also needed to see the Witch Queen again.

"I didn't know there would be one here, though", Finral wondered out loud.

"It's good. We can kill two birds with one stone whilst we're here. Get the Magic Stone as well as the cure from the queen", Vanessa said whilst slamming a fist into an open palm.

"Well, we need to find Domina and Mariella first, and the-!" Fanzell stopped talking as he suddenly felt a wave of powerful mana come from the distance.

Asta also turned around, feeling a cold shift in the air. Lucas felt it afterwards since his Ki detection wasn't as good as the Black Bull's as well as the fact that he wasn't concentrating.

"What kind of Ki is that?!" Asta asked as the hair on his neck stiffened up.

"This Ki is something I've never felt before!" Lucas sounded worried but right before any of them could decide on what to do, the source of the problem emerged and attacked.

An arm showed up from the distance with a white aura generating from its palm. Shortly after, a powerful beam of magic shot out at Lucas who got hit by it straight away.

"I wasn't paying attention and… someone came out of nowhere!" He thought as he was blasted far away. The Dual mage crashed into a tree and fell to the floor.

"How dare you-!" Daisy shouted as she tried to shoot her own magic but, lacking in her own speed and composure because of the previous fight, was blasted away identically to Lucas.

"Hahahahahahaha! You two were in my way so you got the full force of my… shall we say… stronger magic! No quarrel with you but I needed to test it out", a familiar-sounding voice cackled in the distance as he kept walking.

The person came into full view and his medium-length blond hair flowed with the wind. Just as the others were about to see who he was, he licked his lips.

"Million Lasers!"

Large bursts of energy fired out from the distance and landed right where the mages stood, destroying the ground and creating several, deep craters.

The first ones to be hit consisted of Finral, Noelle, and Vanessa. Although they stayed where they were, they still fell unconscious with the mix of the attack's power and the fact that they weren't expecting something like this.

"Argh! That's way too powerful and my magic is weak right now! The only thing I can do in such a short time is…!" Mars thought in a split-second and his body moved to do the one thing he could.

He stood in front of Fana who had fallen to the ground and faced her whilst simultaneously protecting his back. He created some armour made out of his minerals but they weren't strong enough as his bare back was exposed after being hit with the attack.

The spellcaster put his hand to his mouth, hiding his gaping mouth as he seemed to be surprised. "Oh, maybe firing that spell at random was a bit too much? I was a bit out of control but hey… What can you do?" The enemy then focused on who was in front of him and his crazy eyes widened even more. "Hehe, what do we have here? Mars, it seems like you really have had a change of heart in such a short amount of time. I never figured you were such a ladies man as you seem to be right now".

"That voice…!" Mars and Fana recognised as they turned their heads to face the man. "Ladros?!"

"Yes, that is my name. I'm sure the Million Lasers gave it away but I guess you're pretty surprised as to how I survived your rather interesting fireball attack from earlier", Ladros shrugged.

Near the two Dual mages, the dust around Fanzell settled and he was just as surprised as the two next to him. "Ladros… but how? Spirit Magic should've been too much for you to handle!" He questioned as he lay injured and wounded on the floor. "And... what about Lucas and Daisy? Surely they're not...".

"Oh, come on, Teach. You think I would just take the strongest attack I'd ever seen and not try to overcome it? Please", he chuckled. "It took a while and, as I was getting injured, I eventually absorbed the attack and it… powered me up quite a bit, don't you think? Or… If you want another demonstration then…", he smirked as he lifted his right arm and pointed it at the injured Mars once again.

"Take another blast of my magic. This time… for the new fugitive! I doubt I killed those two just now but I might just do so for this one!"

Ladros fired his powered-up magic at the Mineral mage as he laughed. Mars still protected Fana as best as he could but his defence couldn't withstand the full force of the attack and he fell on top of Fana.

"Mars!" Fana screamed as she saw her saviour fall face-first on her, fainting from his injuries.

"Hm, actually, why not have another beam of my magic?" Ladros licked his lips in anticipation and fired another attack but a grey flash in the corner of his eye came into full view, deflecting the magical bullets.

Asta rushed in to protect Mars and Fana from Ladros's magic. In his hand was the large Demon-Slayer sword that he swung side-to-side to make sure nothing got past him.

"Hoho… I didn't realise that you'd be here as well, Magic Knight". Ladros stared at the Bull.

"How do you know me?"

"We've heard reports of someone who can negate magic from the Clover Kingdom as well as hearing that you beat one of the old Shining Generals in Kiten. I thought your magical powers would be insane! I mean, to be able to counter other magics but… I sense no mana in you. Could it be that you're just lucky?" Ladros mocked.

"I'm far from lucky, you weirdo!" Asta protested. "As far as I know, I'm the only one in this world without magic and you're calling me lucky?!

"Only one in this world?" He repeated and then put his hands up. "Woah, I guess we're similar then. I'm the only one without a magical attribute and if what you're saying is true… then we've been made fun of our entire lives".

"That's true. The world is cruel when you think about things like that", the magicless mage agreed.

"Haha. It seems like I've got this idiot on my side already! Now, if I play my cards right, I can kill you all with no problem!" Ladros plotted. "Look, why don't you join me? The people that hurt us need to be taught a lesson. You said it yourself - the world is cruel. So, why don't we take revenge?!"

Asta was silent.

"It's working…!" Ladros smiled.

"No".

"No?"

"Yeah, no. I'm not joining you. I'm going to become the Wizard King and change the country that way! You think that I'm going to resort to cheap tricks to get ahead in life?" Asta responded, clutching at his Anti-Magic weapon.

"Well, that didn't work…", Ladros deadpanned. He breathed in and out before smiling once again. "Million Lasers!"

More magic beams started firing out but were all directed at Asta this time. Ladros covered himself in a translucent sphere and he started floating.

"I know you fight with your sword so if I move far enough, you can't get me! But… my magic can get you!" He laughed.

Asta repeated his strategy by swinging the Demon-Slayer around. Meanwhile, Fana looked to be useful in her own way but needed to help Mars first as he was injured quite badly.

"I'll need to use my flames, so here I g-?!" She paused as she realised something was wrong. "My spells… they're not in my grimoire anymore?! Even the ones I used back in the Diamond Kingdom?!" As she realised this, her spellbook fell to the floor and didn't respond to her at all even when she tried to bring it back towards her.

Asta was busy with Ladros' barrage of beams but he realised something about the attacker that was floating overhead.

"He's in some orb-like barrier that it weirdly similar to Fuh-ha!" He remembered Sekke's Sekke Magnum Cannonball from the Entrance Exam. "Last time, I used the Demon-Slayer sword to slash through his barrier but if I do that to Ladros, I'll be defenceless. Instead, I'll have to…", he thought as his grimoire came closer to him.

Ladros was seeing Asta's silence as a positive for himself. "The idiot seems to be in a rut. As long as I can tire him out from afar, I can win. It's annoying that it's taking this long to beat him, but… Oh well. I have all day!"

His Million Lasers were increasing in speed and destruction, leaving a smoke of debris and dust all around. It obscured both Asta's and Ladros's vision but the latter didn't really care. Instead, he was just laughing all the while. As for Asta, his Ki detection kicked in and he could easily pinpoint where the enemy was. Once he locked on…

"Yoohoo, are you dead yet?" Ladros put a hand to cup his ear. "It seems like you are, so-!" Suddenly, he gave a loud scream as he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He slowly turned his eyes towards the cause.

The smoke around Asta lifted and the attributeless enemy saw what had happened with the stance that Asta was in. During the time he wasn't paying attention, Asta had taken his Demon-Dweller sword out and launched it at the enemy, removing the orb around him and lodging the weapon in his right shoulder.

"This… is wh-what Anti-Magic feels like? It's like a leech sucking blood from your body and it… hurts like hell!" He panicked as he descended and fell to the ground.

Slowly, Asta walked over to the fallen mage. He put his hand on top of the lodged weapon's handle and just rested it there.

"You're not gonna… kill me, are you?" Ladros asked, worried.

"Will you promise to leave everyone alone?" Asta asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Of course!" Ladros shouted. "Ha. This guy seems like a nice person so he'll probably believe me. Once he takes the sword out, I'll blast his face point-blank!"

Instead, Asta took a step backwards and crossed his arms. "You think I'm stupid? I know you're lying. Ki is useful in knowing what your enemy is thinking or feeling and your thought was to attack me!"

"Another surprise! This kid is something, alright!" Ladros was silent as he looked around. He saw the other Magic Knights slowly awaken and if he didn't do something drastic, he'd be captured. Then, his eyes stopped at Fana who couldn't move at all. "I'm feeling the Flame Spirit from her. So, does that mean I could… Ha, score!"

Quickly, Ladros blasted his magic underneath him which propelled his body upwards and away from Asta. "I'll use Reinforcement Magic to get this damn sword out of me…!" He increased the strength in his arm for a brief moment and removed the weapon, throwing it away from him. He then ran over to where Mars and Fana were and kicked the Mineral mage out of the way.

"Mars!" Fana screamed and flailed as she was forcefully picked up by Ladros. He had his right arm tight around her neck.

"Now, give me y-! Fana? Is that you?" Ladros asked, bewildered. "I thought you died way back when!"

"L-Ladros, please… We were friends back then so can you please… just stop?!" She begged but he only brought her closer.

"You of all people should know why this… is important to me, Fana!" He shouted, getting angry at her all of a sudden. "I confided in you about my problems back when we were training for the final exam and you said you understood me. So, you shouldn't be resisting!"

"But this isn't the way to get stronger. Trying to kill your friends for power? That's not who you are!" She shouted back, trying to get through to him.

"I'll show you exactly who I am! Give me your power, right now!" Ladros demanded as he shot a magical blast at the unconscious Mars. His body went flying up and then crashed back down again.

"I don't have access to my magic!" Fana said as she teared up.

"Leave her alone!" Asta ordered as he pointed his sword.

"Don't do anything, Asta!" Fanzell asked in a panic. "If you make one wrong move, he'll kill her!"

"Gah, I know that. I can feel his murderous intent but… what else am I supposed to do?!" Asta tensed up, frustrated.

"You're not going to give me that power? Fine. Say bye-bye to your boyfriend there!" Ladros pointed his free arm out and was about to shoot again. His focus was broken, however, by an ear-piercing scream from the person trapped by his right arm.

"Don't you dare!" Fana screamed as her body turned a bright, red colour. The silhouette of Salamander emerged from her but it wasn't whole. It was more like a blob with eyes and a mouth instead of a solid spirit. However, it was exactly what Ladros needed.

"Look at that. I knew you had it in you!" He threw Fana to the side and the partial Flame Spirit shot down at him, trying to attack. "I could feel her mana fading away. If I was any second later, then this power… would've disappeared".

Ladros opened up his body with his arms to the side. He looked up at the incoming spirit and licked his lips. It surrounded him and his body started to glow white as he absorbed the immense magical power. Eventually, an explosion of red and white light occurred, sending the three Diamond natives away from him. Asta used his Demon-Slayer and stuck it into the ground to hold on so he could stay where he was.

Soon after this, the smoke and debris from the explosion died down, revealing a sight that made everyone gasp.

Ladros took a step forward but he looked very different. There was an overwhelming, red aura around him that looked like flames flowing outwards in every direction. His hair had a red outline to it as it flowed around in the intense heat. He had a pair of small, red wings attached to his back as well as his hands looking like gauntlets but they were pure fire. His injuries had also healed and the mage looked stronger than ever.

"That… was delicious!"

The transformed mage licked his lips and admired his new power. He didn't notice that some of the Magic Knights were awake now but he didn't care about them at all. He only had his eyes set on the magicless one in front of him.

"It doesn't matter what you look like right now. All I know is that I need to defeat you!" Asta shouted as he charged with the Demon-Slayer in his two hands.

With a raise of his right hand, Ladros shot a flaming bullet which went straight through Asta's left shoulder. "Payback time".

"I tracked his movements with Ki and he's still too quick!" Asta realised as he stumbled back.

Though, just like Ladros, he fired another bullet but this one was even stronger. He blasted Asta away this time and he fell on his front with his face slamming against the ground. His hand was still holding onto his weapon but his consciousness was fading.

The tree right beside Asta housed a small, black crow and its eyes sparkled a faint, purple and pink colour as it observed the scene.

"I'm not… giving up. My friends are here and they're all hurt. If I can't fight for them… then I can't… become the Wizard King!"


Lucas was on the floor in a heap. His body was covered in more wounds than before, courtesy of Ladros's surprise attack. He slowly opened his eyes and all he could see was a blur. Turning his head to the side, he saw something else but he couldn't quite make it out.

"I need to… sort my sight out…", he thought to himself as he shook his head. Eventually, the surroundings became clearer and he realised that he was quite far away from the rest of the group since this particular area didn't look like anyone had been through it.

He turned back to the strange thing he saw earlier and realised that it was Daisy who had just woken up. She was very injured and there was blood coming out of the side of her head.

"Daisy!" Lucas shouted, kneeling down and trying to pick the Ice mage up.

"Are you… okay, Lucas?" She asked with one eye open and the other forced shut.

"You're… worried about me when you're… injured like that?" He asked, feeling bad.

"Well, it didn't seem like you… were yourself back there. Acting all mopey, haha… I get that you're annoyed but… it won't kill you to keep a cool head, yeah?" She stuck her tongue out. "Oh, I guess I'm already winking, aha…", she said before passing out again.

Lucas stood up and just looked at the unconscious Blue Rose. "If I was more aware, then this… could've been avoided. Nothing is… working out for me today, huh?" He bit his lip, drawing blood.

Suddenly, another immense presence entered the area. It was one that he had felt before but this time it was extreme. Even Lucas's Ki could tell him what the feeling was, despite him not being very good with it yet.

"You… You're back?" He asked as he turned to the side.

"One… last chance…", the enemy muttered to themselves before their grimoire came up to them. Without even waiting a second since reappearing, they were on the attack. "Illusion Magic: Fake Bomber!"

A purple arm proceeded to shoot out of Mystic's grimoire and grabbed Lucas, lifting him up into the air. Mystic looked at him with a dead pair of eyes and her face was expressionless. Quickly, she went to slam the mage down onto the ground and the purple arm started to light up into a yellow colour.

"FakeBomber… so, I guess there's going to be some kind of explosion?" Lucas analysed as he was being thrown. The effect of the spell started to manifest but, thanks to his knowledge on how her magic worked, he could counter the enemy. "I know how to beat your illusions, Mystic! Don't think that I'm going to fall into your trap again!" Lucas shouted and the purple arm disappeared. Instead of being thrown to the floor, he landed gently on his two feet.

"Hm, well, I should've known. I don't only have the one magic, though, as you know", she replied with a cold voice. "One… last chance".

Lucas remembered the last time she used her second attribute against him and it was during the dungeon mission towards the start of his days as a Magic Knight. "I know she used some of her Memory Magic earlier in that illusion with Mariella, but it wasn't like the first time she used it, though… That time was…", he shook his head.

Mystic raised her arms and a few white orbs emerged from her palms, getting closer towards Lucas. They displayed two different images in them that only he recognised.

On the right, was the image of the church back in his original village, Missbrauch. The Father and Mother of the church were beating a child up which was a younger Lucas. It was a scene that always weighed on his mind but seeing it again was hard for him and he turned away.

"You're showing me that again? The first time was surprising but now it's just… annoying", he said which made Mystic raise her eyebrow.

Lucas looked away but it was towards the left which was the other orb, showing the cave near Nean where he met the Eye of the Midnight Sun. Lucas and Daisy were opposite two of the enemy group.

One of them was very muscular with his sleeves rolled up. He wore a white robe with a few eyes plastered around, much in line with the terrorist group's symbolism. He had short, black hair and was constantly smiling.

The other was slightly shorter than the first. He wore the average robe and cloak that any other regular member would wear but his long, black hair flowed down towards his shoulders. The main, distinct feature about this guy was his two, deep scars that were underneath his dull, brown eyes.

"Draien and Max? No…", Lucas muttered under his breath as his eyes widened.

"I guess you pick this one", Mystic noted. She got rid of the orb on the right and made the left one bigger so that the entire area was a replica of the cave that they were in a few months ago.

Now, Lucas was placed in the same scenario as last time but Daisy was still on the floor. Though, she had started to wake up from her unconscious state and began to take in what was happening.

"We're… back here? That's impossible", Daisy realised. She then looked towards Mystic who was watching the entire scene in the distance. "Another enemy? She looks similar to the other Diamond Kingdom soldiers so… Urgh, this will be a pain", she sighed as she tried to get up.

"Mystic, stop", Lucas demanded.

"I thought you said you knew the way around my illusions? Why don't you do what you did earlier unless… there's something preventing you from doing so?" She smirked as she commanded her Memory Magic with a snap of her fingers.

The scene started playing and Draien was right next to Max. The two started talking and it was identical to what happened before.

Draien moved his brother's arm off from his shoulder and stood to his side. "I'm sorry but I need to fight this guy. Do you think you can back me up?"

A light then seemed to shine in Max's eyes. They were devoid of light before but, now, they were full of hope.

"Are you sure? You never want me to interfere like this", Max asked.

"I mean… you already interfered so what's the harm?" Darien replied, still smiling.

Lucas covered his mouth as he knew what he was about to see. "Stop it, Mystic!"

By this point, Daisy had stood up and joined up with Lucas, still confused as to why this was playing out. Though, she remembered exactly what happened and Lucas's reaction back then was haunting. Even her own was saddening but it seemed like the Dual mage had taken it even worse than her.

"Are you ready?" Draien asked as he got into his battle stance. His arm started to glow a bright, orange colour with his Kinetic Magic starting to activate.

"Y-Yes!" Max readied up as well.

Lucas started to reach his hand out towards Max, trying to grab him. It seemed like he had forgotten that it was only an illusion at this point. Daisy tried to shake him to bring him back to reality, but it was no use.

Then, it happened.

"NOOOOO!" Lucas screamed.

The reaction right now was identical to the one before.

Max's chest exploded with Draien's powered-up arm going through the middle of him. His smile was extreme and the veins in his face were throbbing as he felt a rush of excitement.

Then, the illusion ended and they were back in the Witches' Forest.

"Why did you show that?!" Daisy shouted. She was shaken quite badly at seeing that again.

"Oh, you're awake now. You'll see why I did that in a few seconds", she replied snarkily. The enemy then looked at Lucas who had fallen to his knees. His blue eyes were pulsating and his breathing had become slightly irregular. "That was the first death you experienced, right? You couldn't prevent it from happening because you're too weak. Even I'm shocked that I've lost to you twice if that's the kind of Magic Knight you are", she mocked.

"Hey…", Daisy said angrily as her grimoire came up to her. "Take that back".

"Now, now… You're involved in this too. I'll get to your part soon enough", Mystic barked back. She continued with Lucas again. "What was it you thought back then?" She clicked her fingers again and a close-up of the Golden Dawn mage popped up in the middle.

His thoughts were audible in this illusion and he started talking.

"I hate unnecessary violence and I want to change all that to make the world more peaceful. I'd like to face these problems and fix them… and save these people".

The illusionary Lucas disappeared and the real Lucas was still in the state that he was in.

"... Those were… my thoughts…", he muttered and gasped.

"Ice Magic: Shard Bar-!"

"Your turn, Daisy", Mystic interrupted and stopped the spell from being cast as she presented her with another illusion.

Nean showed up and her house was pictured in the middle. It was night time and it looked like snowfall was imminent with how cold it was all around. The illusion then warped towards the back of the house and showed a small park that was on top of a hill.

"My… house? Was this… after we found my siblings?" Daisy asked.

Getting no response, Mystic played the scene out for the two to look at.

Lucas and Daisy were going back and forth on the swingset and the latter had been crying. Her blue skirt started to darken with her falling tears and her face was already stained with them.

"My mom is dead, Lucas-san…".

More tears started to fall from her face and the only thing Lucas could do now was to pull her in for a warm and lengthy embrace. Lucas pondered for a bit but then decided to say something to his friend.

"I'll be here for your siblings as well. Don't you worry… about a single thing, Daisy". He had her rest her head on his right shoulder.

"I… I can't trouble you with that…!" Daisy sobbed.

Then, all of a sudden, the illusion ended and Mystic stepped forwards. She stared down at Lucas who was still trying to recover from the previous illusion.

"You never did trouble your friend, Daisy, did you?" Mystic asked. "That was a few months ago and how many times did you go to see her after that declaration? A total of zero times!" She laughed and then turned to Daisy. "That's the sort of Magic Knight you're friends with. A no-good liar!"

"Hey, he's been busy! After Nean, he was in the hospital for two weeks and then his squad duties came along!" Daisy protested.

"True, true… but do you want to hear his thoughts again?" Mystic asked rhetorically.

Another close-up of Lucas popped up with his thoughts being audible once again. However, this Lucas was his eight-year-old self.

"I want to teach love and h-happiness to every family in the Kingdom so th-that ch-children like me will never h-have to g-go through what I did…!"

"You really didn't stick to any of your promises, did you, Lucas?" Mystic asked, getting rid of the illusion. She paced back and forth with her hands behind her back, judging the mage that was on the floor as he breathed heavily, in and out.

"He was just a kid back then!" The Ice mage shouted as loud as she could, prompting Mystic to stop and look at her.

"Does that matter? I would've thought that being abused as a child and then declaring something so bold after that would have some importance to it… but I guess it was all just a hollow promise!"

"Ab… Abused?!" Daisy gasped, turning to look at Lucas who was silent this whole time. "Wait…", she thought as she cast her mind back to the Entrance Exam. "The stuff that bastard, Richard Kira, said…".

"I mean, what the hell are those stupid scars on your face? Did you get beat as a kid or something?"

"Then…", Daisy thought of something else. Her mind went back to when she and Lucas met Max for the first time in the Royal Capital. "I remember his reaction to Max's scars and I had my suspicions but… Did I just choose to ignore it?!"

She shook her head, snapping back to reality. Her face was pale as if she had realised something grave and she couldn't get her eyes off Lucas. Still, Mystic wasn't done with her mental tormenting.

"And… you admire Asta and Yuno. I mean, who wouldn't? The two can proudly repeat their goal, and their determination to become the Wizard King is nothing short of extraordinary but… where's your own determination?" She laughed again. "You keep failing and failing… lying to your friend who was pouring her heart out at you… seeing someone die in front of you even though your self-imposed ideals were so high and mighty… Pathetic!"

Daisy ran in front of Lucas and held her arms out, becoming a metaphorical shield of some sort. Her eyes were crazed and her face was now flushed red with anger. "Not another word out of you!"

"Oh, but I'm not d-!"

"Oh, you're done, alright!" she interrupted. "Ice Magic: Skater's Heaven Shard Barrage!" The teen went on the offensive, casting two spells at the same time to attack the enemy.

Daisy started skating as the ground turned to ice, speeding herself up. Shards of ice formed out of her palms and went towards Mystic who had reacted with her own magic.

"Illusion Magic: Dragon's Roar!" A red dragon materialised and its wings flapped causing the wind to hurl towards the angered Daisy. It opened its mouth and an ear-piercing scream echoed out, disturbing the incoming mage and causing her to stop.

"Apologise to Lucas, right now!" She shouted, jumping up and casting Frozen Quake down below which made pillars of ice shoot up from the ground, getting rid of the dragon.

"Ha! That waste of space only heard the truth! Why are you defending him - he lied to you!" Mystic retorted, trying to dodge the ice pillars. She formed a solid ceiling in the way of some of the rising pillars, stopping them from moving upwards. "It seems like she doesn't know the trick to my illusions. That's good…".

Lucas was still kneeling on the floor, half in his own world but half seeing what was in front of him. "I'm… no Magic Knight…".

"He didn't lie at all! I believe in what he promised, 100%! And… I don't mind if he can't do what he said immediately since… he's definitely going to be the Wizard King!" Daisy shouted back, now casting Frozen Storm from her palms which pushed Mystic to the side.

"Everything that I… promised or… declared… has been a lie…", Lucas thought, losing the colour in his eyes.

"He can't protect anyone! Max was the first to die in front of him and you'll be the next if you stay with him!" The violet-haired mage screamed. She then threw a blob of purple magic at the Ice mage which played another memory. This time, it was the one that Lucas first rejected.

A little boy's screams were ringing around as the Father and Mother of the Missbrauch church abused him. Then, the image multiplied, surrounding the two Magic Knights. The sounds of slaps, smacks, and crashes were all around them and the Light mage took it all in.

"Was I… cursed from the start?" Lucas asked himself.

Daisy closed her eyes, telling herself not to look. She started casting spells at random, still knowing that they were going in Mystic's direction. "You disgusting piece of shit! How dare you treat another human being like… this! Ice Magic: Shard Barrage!" She summoned more shards of ice and fired them at Mystic but, since it looked like she had the hang of defending herself against this spell, she decided to do something different.

The girl with the green ribbon held onto some shards for a while and then dropped them to her side to which she proceeded to kick at. "I learned this in Kiten so… take this!" Daisy started kicking the pieces of ice with her boots that she had reinforced with some Ice Magic. She used them as a ball and her mind went back to playing that game of Kick-and-Score and used that to fight.

Daisy was now using Shard Barrage with her hands and feet, causing more and more confusion with the enemy.

"What kind of fighting style is that?" The enemy teased, seeing it as immature but she was made to eat her words, quite literally, as the shards of ice hit her in the face since she was so distracted with what was happening.

Mystic stopped moving and fell to one knee. However, instead of focusing only on Daisy, she still looked at Lucas behind her since he was the one she had all of her anger and frustration on.

"His ideals are flawed! You're friends with a guy like that?! A useless waste of space that only dreams big but can't back his goals up!"

All of a sudden, Daisy stopped attacking and, instead, opted to turn back to face Lucas. Her bright blue and violet-tinted eyes only saw her friend and she just had to say what was on her mind. She opened her mouth and what she said made the depressed Magic Knight finally react as he lifted his head for the first time in a while.

"If his ideals are flawed then that means… I am as well. Lucas is the one that's given me the strength to carry on no matter what. Things about me that he has no idea about… by picturing his face, he's helped me overcome so much. From the moment I met him and got to know him… and then… when we saw each other again, I knew what I felt wasn't wrong", she paused and smiled, tilting her head ever so slightly. "Lucas… is my ideal!"

Lucas's mouth opened up, gasping as a reaction to what Daisy said. His blue eyes sparkled with the sun's rays shining down at him.

"I'm… your ideal?" He repeated, finding the strength in his legs once again. He started to tear up as he watched on.

The sun was also right behind and above Daisy and her skin started to glisten against the warmth of the bright star. Her orange hair seemed to dance with the shimmering rays and she seemed almost holy.

She smiled softly, closing her eyes. It wasn't like her signature tease with a wink and, instead, was genuine.

"Yeah, that's great and all but you have no way to back your claim up. That sorry excuse for a Magic Knight is your ideal? How stupid", Mystic retorted, finding no meaning in the words that Daisy said.

The one the enemy addressed slowly turned around and her smile left her face but the awe-inspiring feeling she was giving off stayed with her. Her crystal-clear grimoire came up next to her and slowly opened, scribbling a new spell within.

Her eyes lit up and she smiled again. "If this isn't enough proof for you to show what I was saying isn't the truth, then you have no hope", she said as she addressed Mystic. "I'll use this spell… to really show you that the crap you spew means nothing to me, and that Lucas… will grow past it!"

"Ice Creation Magic: Fenrir Blizzard!"

Daisy's grimoire started to shake violently and, at her call, a monstrous being emerged from its pages, leaving huge footprints in the ground of ice below it. A large, grey wolf bore its fangs as it looked down at the soldier from the Diamond Kingdom, growling as it did. Its eyes were glowing red. The ends of its fur were a bright, blue colour as little snowflakes continuously came off from them. Its four legs looked strong but its paws were even tougher with hard armour around them. Its tail had a triangular dagger at the end that was glowing a bright blue as well. One of the main focuses was that, from its neck, towards its hind legs was a golden chain for some reason that seemed to restrict it in some, unknown way.

Lucas was starstruck at what he was seeing whereas Mystic was terrified. The contrasting emotions worked wonders for the spellcaster and she jumped right back towards Lucas.

"Your goal to be the Wizard King - don't you dare give up on it".

Right after, the wolf that formed stood on its hind legs and its front two slashed downwards, creating a large tornado of ice on the ground which spiralled, sucking Mystic right into it. The ice made her faint immediately. The wolf was careful not to kill the enemy so most of its strength was still to be shown.

"Fenrir, huh?" Daisy read her grimoire, focusing on the wolf's name. She started to feel lightheaded all of a sudden, seeing a blur as she looked at the spellbook. "Ooh, this spell... takes a lot out of you...".

"Daisy!" Lucas shouted, causing her to turn around.

Instead of waiting for an answer, the mage just hugged her, embracing her for a short while before letting go.

"I… I'm sorry for acting like I did! I… it hurt what she said about me and… maybe I was close to giving up but you- you brought me right back!"

"D-Don't mention… it…", she said as she started to slur her words. Lucas didn't notice at first but what he did notice was the wolf right behind her.

Apart from the savage beast's power and strength, there was also a constant about it and it was that it had been fading away since Daisy summoned it. As Lucas saw this, it fully disappeared and Daisy fainted.

Lucas held her in his arms as she dropped and he gently put her against a tree that was beside them.

"It seems like that spell really packed a punch for the enemy and you. But… you can definitely master it!"

He looked in the distance at the unconscious Mystic and started walking towards her. He had a multitude of things on his mind and none of them were pleasant. However, he knew what he needed to do.

"She's coming right back with us to the Magic Knights HQ…".


Right before Mystic had started to fight Lucas and Daisy, she had been recovering from the fight against Lucas and Mariella a few minutes before.

"Wha… What just… happened…?"

Mystic's eyes slowly opened as she looked around. Her body was injured, blood was around on the floor, and behind her, a collapsed tree.

"Urgh…", she said groggily, trying to remember what happened. "Oh, that's right… I lost… again".

"Time Magic: Heaven's Time!"

"Ice Magic: Frozen Mist!"

"Ice Creation Magic: Shadow Puppet Cluster!"

The injured Dual mage didn't remember everything but knew that she lost because of Time Magic and Ice Magic. Then, after a few seconds, it dawned on her.

"Right. I lost to Lucas and Mariella and they sent me flying… all the way here. Me, Mystic of the Diamond Kingdom - A Dual mage and a Shining General… with more losses than wins to my name… I can never compare to prodigies like Mars or Ladros. I can't win anymore… not as I am right now but… there is a way forward…!"

Mystic slowly got up and her hand reached the inside of her grimoire satchel, revealing a syringe of some kind. It contained a red, bubbling liquid inside which seemed to be giving off some kind of dark power.

She looked at it for a few seconds before putting the needle to her neck. Her purple eyes widened and then her hands started to shake. Tears welled up and she remembered what she was told before.

Every time she thought about using this drug, she had stopped herself.


FLASHBACK - DUNGEON EXPLORATION:

Back at the newly-opened dungeon on the border between the Clover Kingdom and the Diamond Kingdom, Mystic lay unconscious in Lucas's Coils of Trapped Light and was right next to Mars who was trapped in Klaus's Steel Magic. She woke up a short while after and before the Mineral mage nearby.

Right after Mars broke her out with his Jagged Dagger spell, she debated something in her head.

"Should I use the drug that Ren gave me before leaving the kingdom?" Mystic cast her mind a few hours ago when she was face-to-face with the crazed professor.

"Since you're going to the dungeon with Mars and Lotus, take this. You're not strong enough so you may well need a boost".

"If I use this, then…". She quickly shook her head, getting rid of the thought. Her mind pictured Mariella soon after with her cold eyes staring down at her. "Yeah, I definitely won't use such a cheap trick. I can win with my own strength!"

A few minutes later, after confronting Lucas and the other Magic Knights, she lost.


FLASHBACK - BEFORE FIGHTING LUCAS AND MARIELLA:

"No way… Lucas from the dungeon and… Little Mari? They're both here…?" Mystic exclaimed as she recognised the two that were having an argument.

Before she continued, she thought hard about how to play this. Her hand reached into her grimoire satchel and felt the glass syringe that had the red liquid in.

"I lost to Lucas last time and back then I could've used this. I opted not to but maybe this time…! Mari is here as well and I know she's strong, but…", she tensed as she focused on the ice assassin's face.

"Use this if you want to be on the others' level. You're weak but with the drug that I've concocted… You can stand at the top".

She pictured Ren's face in her head and his voice sent chills down her spine. Then, she looked at Mariella again.

"No. I can't take the drug… even now. I don't want to disappoint her. Perhaps… if I beat her, then maybe she could respect me again? I know I keep messing up, but I want to believe that I can be better than relying on this!"

After coming up against Lucas and Mariella, she lost.

FLASHBACKS - END


This time, instead of taking the time to think things through, she shook her head to get rid of the Ice mage's image which had popped up in her head again.

"Sorry…", she whimpered but still… Mariella reappeared and she couldn't shake the image of her away. She dropped the syringe to the floor and fell to the floor, scurrying away from it.

"I… don't want to use it!" She screamed, going back for it and trying to throw it away. She was about to toss it into the distance but, for some reason, stopped herself. "I… don't want to use it but… if I can't win here, then…", she shook her head once more before standing up.

She put the syringe back in her grimoire satchel and turned around, tears forming around her eyes. "I'm not losing… this time! I'm going to give myself one last chance!"


After coming up against Daisy, she lost.

Mystic started to move her fingers ever so slightly and Lucas noticed this straight away since he was so focused on her. He ran towards her, bringing his grimoire up beside him to try and stop her.

Despite his concentration, he was too late. Mystic immediately went for the syringe and injected herself in the neck with it. The red, bubbling liquid squeezed through the hollow needle and filled up her body as a dark aura surrounded her.

"What is going on?!" Lucas shouted, backing away and defending Daisy since she was defenceless.

Mystic's body started to shake violently as the dark power consumed her. Her appearance started to change and the intense wave of mana that she gave off sent Lucas to his knees. She wriggled her neck as her veins throbbed. Her arms tensed up and her eyes were pulsating as they slowly shifted from purple to pure black. The falling tears that fell from the newly-changed eyes stopped and her transformation was done.

Or was it?

"Illusion Magic: Dragon!" She summoned a huge dragon in front of her. It was red with black scales, much like her Dragon's Roar spell but instead of the ear-piercing scream that spell would create, this one just stood still.

Instead of the dragon doing anything, Mystic jumped through the illusion and it burst apart with a purple and black colour. As the enemy landed, there was a change that she started to undergo. The shoulder blades on her back were moving unnaturally and, within seconds, a pair of wings sprouted, extending to each side and flapping against the wind. Behind her, a red tail formed with sharp spikes around it.

"I thought… your illusions were just that! What am I even looking at?!" Lucas couldn't believe what he was seeing. The facts he knew about her primary attribute seemed to be wrong as it looked like her magic's capabilities had changed.

"Die", she said as she picked up Lucas and slammed him into the ground, identical to how she had been courtesy of Fenrir.

The tree that was nearest to Lucas housed a small, black crow and it had been observing this battle since the start. Its eyes sparkled a faint purple and pink glow while looking at the injured Magic Knight.

Lucas was heavily injured with many broken bones. He was fading in and out of consciousness but he didn't want to give up at all.

"I can't give up. Daisy… gave me the courage when I… lacked it so… please, get up… body…

Pl…e…a…se".


In the Witch Queen's throne room, she observed both battles as they happened, intrigued at the sights she was seeing.

In front of her were two, large orbs that showed Asta in one and Lucas in the other.

"Some… interesting battles from these two humans. Originally, I was only intrigued with the human that uses Anti-Magic but the Hybrid has shown he can hold his own. Unfortunately for the latter, the despicable girl had to save him… how troublesome".

The Witch Queen sent the orb with Lucas away as she motioned her hand away. She chose to focus only on Asta.

"The one with no magic - Asta, I think? He uses the Demon-Slayer and the Demon-Dweller sword so I presumed he would be their descendant, but… it appears that I was mistaken. Fortunately, I believed something like this would happen so I gained control of your blood during the time I healed you with my cocoon".

She stared at the Anti-mage for a few seconds before raising her right hand. "Your power is a mystery and I need to know more. For now… show me exactly what you can do!"

Her hand started to glow purple and pink as she activated her magic on Asta. Although the Black Bull was her target, her magic triggered something else as well. She turned her head and gasped.

"The orb with the Hybrid…! How are those two connected?"


Asta was seconds away from darkness as his unconscious state was arriving. However, just before he passed out, he felt a beating in his chest. A few seconds went by and the speed increased until his body started to be surrounded in a pitch-black aura.

Asta opened his right eye as a reaction to the change, but, instead of his usual green colour, it was a red.

At the exact same time, a similar change occurred with Lucas who was far away from Asta. He was close to fainting but his heartbeat suddenly started to increase. Slowly, the pages in his grimoire turned and the Dual Blades popped out, landing near his right hand. A dark, blue aura emerged from his body and when he opened his eyes, they were glowing a brighter blue than normal.


NOTES:

Again, and it seems like I'm always saying this but, I did think to make this chapter into two parts but since it's two battles that end similarly, I eventually opted for them to be together.

I want to write shorter chapters like between 5-6K words but recently I just keep writing and writing to get everything I want in. I could always do a Part 1, Part 2 etc, but that also needs to be written in a specific way, I think.

I also had formatted the main fight(s) of this chapter in a different way in the first place. I had Ladros and Mystic together as they fought Asta and Lucas but it was all so confusing and just too much to do so I had to separate them. I really want to do a big convoluted battle but I need to learn how to write it properly before having it in like I was planning to.

I had the idea for Daisy's new spell since a few chapters ago but I didn't know where to fit it in. Seeing how things developed with Lucas and Mystic, I felt it was the good choice to have it here.

Speaking of Daisy, she is one of my favourite characters to write so far and I hope you guys like her just as much as I do! She was quite cute with Lucas here if I do say so myself, hehe :P.

By the way, the 'ideal' bit with Lucas and Daisy is NOT a confession in the way some people may think. It's more just a respect type of thing.

Onto the next chapter!