Asta breathed in and out with a deeply conflicted expression on his face.
"I'm-"
"No, you can't be Asta. Asta's short, bratty, and he doesn't sound anything like you. Can't believe I even thought you were Asta for a second. Now, where did you get that grimoire? Give it back," said Nero, interrupting, again in her trademark monotone.
Asta took the chance and tried to lie his way out.
"Who's this… Asta… that you're talking about? And this grimoire? Well, it's mine, what are you on about?"
"Bullshit. I know that grimoire like the back of my hand. And there's no way that you wouldn't know who Asta is if you have that grimoire with you."
"Sealing Magic: Bind."
A blue light came from Nero's hands, binding Asta's feet together and his hands behind his back, causing him to flop over like a fish on dry land.
"I'm bringing you back to the Bulls for questioning.", said Nero in a tone even flatter than usual.
"Oh, come on, don't do this. I swear I'm telling the truth."
"I'm pretty good at catching lies. And you were lying."
"Sealing Magic: Floating Prison."
A transparent blue cube formed around Asta, trapping him and lifting him off the ground.
Asta sighed.
"Well, damn, didn't think it'd get to this. Screw it."
"Anti-Magic: Null Order"
A strong wave of Anti-Magic shot out of Asta's body, shattering both of Nero's spells and depleting most of her mana pool, causing her to collapse on one knee, gasping frantically for air. Asta righted himself as he fell so he could land on his feet.
"Was that… an Anti-Magic spell?", Nero coughed out.
"Sharp eye."
"...From that grimoire? So you were lying… You're.. Asta…?"
Nero flopped to the ground, unconscious.
Nero woke with a start. She was sitting at the base of a tree, with dim rays of sunlight filtering in through the leaves above. She must have been out for a while.
"Good morning. Don't worry, all you missed was the sunrise- you weren't out for all that long." said the large man sitting under the tree in front of her, who she thought to be Asta.
"So you are Asta, right?"
The large man made a somewhat troubled expression.
"Well, maybe since it's you I can tell you… uh… yeah, but it's a bit complicated, ya see… Uh… firstly… um, I'm from the future- ya know, time travel and all that..." He closed his eyes and sighed, collecting himself.
"Yes. I'm Asta but from the future. Just don't tell the rest of them that you saw me.", said Asta, finally, after much collecting.
Nero blanked out more than usual.
"Asta but from the future. That's what you said, right?"
"Yep, that's what I said."
"From the future."
"Yeah."
Nero didn't really know what to think- time travel was something outlandish at best, even in the world of magic, but all evidence pointed to (probably) Asta's statement being true. So she didn't think and simply asked the thing that she wanted to know most in the best way she knew how to. Directly.
"I won't ask any other questions… just… just tell me this… what the hell happened to you, for you, Asta… to become like this?"
The way that she said this was so very emotional, so very uncharacteristic of Nero that even Asta was taken by surprise.
Asta laughed.
"What do you mean by 'like this'? You've gotta be more specific- you mean how I got this tall? Is it that? Well, ya see-"
"Just the way you seem so… shallow-" interrupted Nero, her usual flat voice now slightly quivering, "everything that I know that Asta isn't… yet you claim yourself to be Asta, and… I know that somehow it's the truth. I just want to know what happened to you."
He slouched and looked at Nero with a shallow, almost tragic grin. Her usual blank face was now a mess of emotion, an open book that Asta could easily read.
"Nero, you really got a lot from talking to me for just a few seconds, huh," Asta paused and started to laugh. "Maybe 'cause you used to sit on my head all the time?"
Nero recognized that grin. It was the exact same smile that she had the last time that she saw Prince Clover, the same smile she had painted on herself as the last remaining piece of her past life crumbled away. The pain was unimaginable, and for Asta, sweet, sweet Asta to be feeling this? It was just too much to bear.
"What happened?"
Asta's smile faded, replaced by a somber expression. He looked down at his hands as if searching for the right words amidst a sea of memories. "Now where do I even start?"
Nero waited patiently, her usual calm demeanor returning as she listened intently. The man in front of her was indeed Asta, she could feel it in her core. There was a connection that transcended even the years that separated them.
"I lost my dream," Asta continued, his voice carrying a tinge of sadness. "After that, I can't say anything was the same. I saw the people I cared about suffer, and I couldn't protect them. The Clover Kingdom fell, and this world and the Underworld became one. The structure of the world was reformed into something unrecognizable. I tried to do what I could from the inside, but I was just playing into the hands of the devils the whole time."
Nero's eyes softened. She herself had endured immense pain and loss, so she understood a little of what Asta went through.
"So you came here, to change history."
Asta nodded in response but said nothing else.
"You don't have to go into detail about anything else… just tell me this. What happened to us?"
"By us, you mean…?"
"All of us- you know, the Black Bulls."
Asta's gaze turned distant as he recalled the memories of a future that seemed like a nightmare.
At this, Nero's calm expression quickly turned into a slight panic.
"Don't tell me- you seriously mean that-"
"Yeah. By the end, I was the only one left."
Author's note: Shit dude, it's been 2 years since I touched this thing. I told myself I would get to it at some point, but just never did.
Thanks to those who followed the original even with the shitty writing. Don't forget to leave a review on this one!
Non-Canon Spells List:
Anti Magic: Null Order
A spell used by Future Asta, Null Order is an Anti-Magic spell that sends a wave of anti-magic energy out of the caster's body. The Anti-Magic wave is especially effective against enemy magicians, as it shatters both their spells and their mana reserves. The wave causes no physical damage to the environment or other organisms.
Sealing Magic: Bind
A simple binding spell, but also the most mana-efficient possible, as there is no intermediary magic attribute.
Sealing Magic: Floating Prison
Creates a tough, transparent box. The size of the box is controlled by the caster, and the smaller the box, the more abuse it can take without breaking. The caster can manipulate the box along three spatial axes at will.