Black Clover - The Three Brothers
"...496...497...498...499...500!"
Blake held the tree over his head for a second before dropping it to the ground, finishing his 5th set of Tree Presses. He then turned his attention to one of the dozens of other trees he hadn't uprooted for his training.
"Alright. Take this!"
Blake pushed his hand towards a tree with his palm open, attempting to create some form of magic blast to damage the tree.
...Nothing comes out.
"Grrrr, maybe this time!" Blake shouts, repeating the action. Nothing happens again.
"Maybe this time!"
Nope
"How about now!"
Nah
"THIS TIME THIS TIME THIS TIME THIS TIME!"
Been out for more than 3 strikes buddy.
"Damn it!" Blake shouts frustrated, slamming his fist into the tree out of anger, creating a dent in it. Blake stares at the dent for a moment before looking at his fist. Blake sat on a tree stump, gulping down water from his canister.
11 years. 11 years have passed since I was left at the church with Asta and Yuno. Throughout all that time, I never manifested any type of magic. What's the most frustrating is that It's like I could always feel it there: around me, in my siblings, in pops, in almost everyone except me. It always felt like it was right there but I just couldn't reach it.
But then, Sister Lily came. Those words of hers still ring in my head, that's why I began training like this, pushing my body to its limits so that even if I couldn't attain magic, I could still be the strong older brother that can protect his family.
Although I guess I can't say I'm alone in this. Asta... didn't develop magic either. He's tried everything I've done and just like me, it produced no result. Unlike me, however, he never seemed to get down in the dumps about it. Sure he got disappointed, but he kept that big goofy smile on his face like he always does.
That's not it, though. About a year ago, I don't know what happened between the two, they never told me, but Yuno and Asta changed. I could always find him training nearby. I gave him a few pointers but besides that, he practically trained by himself, though we'd sometimes have competitions. I would usually win, but damn that kid improves fast, if I don't stay on top of my game, he'll surpass me in no time.
Blake takes another gulp of water before getting ready to continue training. At least till he was interrupted.
"Blake." Spoke the voice of a monotone boy.
Blake turned toward the voice, flashing a smile his way. "Yuno, what's up? Finally decided to work on your physical and not just magic?" he teased.
Yuno gave no acknowledgment of it. "It's almost time for the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony, you need to come back and get ready." Yuno stated, matter-of-factly.
Blake sighs, Asta wasn't the only one that had a big change, Yuno had always been so timid and cried a lot, yet since a year ago now he had always been so stoic. It was the last time I ever saw him cry. Not just that, Yuno's magic has been quite impressive for his age. His amount and power were unheard of by anyone who lived in Hage Village before.
Pops said he could even become a Magic Knight if this keeps up. ...I don't blame him, it's super impressive. Couldn't be anything but proud.
"Already? I was barely halfway done. Alright, alright, I'm coming."
Blake and Yuno walked through the forest, making their way to the church. On the way back, Blake posed a question.
"D'you think I'll actually get a grimoire, Yuno?"
Yuno was silent for a few moments, Blake almost thought he had ignored him, before answering. "Everyone gets a grimoire at 15, don't they? Why would you be any different?"
"Come on, you know exactly why. Have you ever once seen me use any kind of magic?"
"...No." Yuno answered
"And that's the problem. If I can't even produce the tiniest bit of magic, how can I expect to have a grimoire with spells?"
"You will get a grimoire."
"But how?!" Blake shouted, then widened his eyes. He was frustrated but he didn't mean to yell, especially at his brother. "I...I'm sorry, Yuno, I didn't..."
Yuno wasn't bothered. "It's fine." He then turned to face Blake. "You're our older brother and you're strong, of course, you'll get a grimoire. You'll have magic." He spoke without an ounce of uncertainty like anything else would be improbable.
"I..." Blake stopped and simply gave Yuno a big smile, before patting his head. "Thanks, Yuno. I'm glad you believe in me so much."
Yuno quickly turned away. "Don't do that."
"What, pat your head? But it's so soooooft." Blake continued to pat his brother's head even as they walked.
"It's embarrassing."
"No one's even here. Besides, Can't I show my brother some affection? Or are you too cool for that too?"
"Tch." Yuno then broke into a run. "Do it again and I'll blast you!"
Blake chased his brother, arms reaching for him. "Yuno, get back here so I can love you!"
"Stop that!"
Blake increased his pace and quickly reached Yuno without much effort, grabbing him by the sides.
"Got you!"
"Ah!" Yuno yelped, as he was hoisted into the air and placed on Blake's shoulders as he continued to run.
"Hey, put me down!" Yuno demanded but kept a tight grip on Blake's forearms that held his own.
"Oh come on, you really hate it that much, Yuno?" Blake looked up at Yuno and gave him puppy-dog eyes.
For once, Yuno stammered in his words. "I...w-well...no, I suppose not." He signed and resigned himself to his fate. He rested his head on top of Blake, his arms around Blake's chin for him to hold. "Just...don't let go."
Blake smiled. "Never."
"Blake, Blake! What kind of magic do you think you'll get?!" Asta hopped excitingly around him as the group made their way to the tower.
Every March, that is the time when those who've become 15 are taken in order to acquire their grimoire from the tower in Hage.
Blake lightly chuckled at Asta's enthusiasm as he walked, hands in the pockets of his black collared long coat. It's the only thing he could consider his own, having saved up any money he earned to buy it. It was of decent material and felt he should look his best on a day like this, wearing a white shirt underneath and dark pants, with brown boots as well.
"I don't know, I haven't put much thought into it." He lied as naturally as he breathed.
"If you had Flame Magic, it'd be like we were truly father and son!" Orfai suggested, carrying Arlu in his arms, another infant girl who was left at the church not long ago.
Nash agreed, "I...think it would be cool if you had it too..."
"I want him to have Water Magic! Then him, me, and Sister Lily could have a bunch more fun together!" Recca shouted.
Asta spoke, "Maybe you could get Wind Magic like Yuno! *Gasp* What if I get Wind Magic when I get my grimoire?! Asta, Yuno, and Blake, the Wind Brothers!" Asta dramatically posed for effect.
"I don't think that's how magic works." Yuno responded offhandedly.
Blake couldn't help but have a big smile, being surrounded by all his siblings brought no better feeling.
"Ah, we're just about at the entrance. Get excited!" Orfai announced.
The family walked through the pathway up to the castle, surrounded by the couple dozens of others ready to accept their grimoire. They entered the tower and what likely took everyone by surprise was just how many grimoires lined up the walls on their shelves, almost reaching the tippy-top of the building.
"That's...a lot." Blake spoke.
"One of them has to be for you." Yuno said.
"I bet it'll be huuuuuge! And at least this big!" Asta said, stretching his arms as far apart as he could.
"That'd be a pain to carry around, don't ya think?" Blake retorted.
"Blake, the Master of this tower is getting ready, go to the center with everyone else." Orfai said.
"Got it."
Being surrounded by so many people felt uncomfortable for Blake, he hoped he wouldn't have to be around for long.
The old man in the robe and big pointy hat with a long beard began his speech, using some kind of Communication Magic to help carry his voice.
"Welcome, young men and women. As of today, you all will journey a new path in life. I wish you Faith, Hope, and Love, and may Luck be on your side. Of the 28 Mages who've achieved the title of Wizard King, not a single one has come from Hage. This fact also applies to the many who have served in the Magic Knights for the protection of our Kingdom. I sincerely believe any one of you could achieve those feats with tremendous hard work and determination."
"May the awarding of Grimoires..." The elder raises his arms and brings them forward. "Commence!"
At his command, dozens of the grimoires began to fly in the air, auras radiating from each one of them, almost all a different color for an individual. The sight would've left Blake in amazement if he weren't so focused on whichever one would soon make its way to him.
He waits.
"So this is my grimoire!"
He waits
"Of course, a grimoire of this caliber would be reserved for someone like me!"
He waits
"I guess taking over my pop's shop is my fate after all."
He waits
"That guy's been waiting a long time, hasn't he?"
He waits
"Is he not getting one?"
"Would...that mean he doesn't have magic?"
He grits his teeth. He waits.
"Would it? Isn't that impossible? Kinda freaky."
"We should probably get away from him."
He clenches his fist. He waits.
"How pathetic, should've expected it from someone in the slums."
"What a shame, he was cute too."
His fingernails dig into his palm. He waits.
"Young one? I'm sorry, but the ceremony has finished. I...advise you to come again next year."
He breaks the skin of his palm. He begins to bleed. He waits.
"Blake!"
He jolts at the shout and turns to see Sister Lily holding his wrist. Behind her are his pops and little siblings, looking concerned for him.
"You're bleeding." She speaks softly.
"O-Oh, I guess I am."
She pulls both of Blake's hands towards her, palm up and open, and uses her Water Recovery Magic to heal the wounds.
"S-Sorry." He whispers.
"Let's go home, we're gonna begin cooking supper."
Blake is silent and nods.
Blake and the others make their way out of the tower. As they walk along the pathway, suddenly Blake moves in front of all of them, displaying an apologetic smile on his face.
"Ha, I guess I didn't get grimoire after all, sorry for making you guys come all this way for nothing." He rubbed the back of his head.
Sister Lily tried to speak up. "Blake-
"You know, I didn't notice it before, but this forest looks like a pretty good place to get some training in!" Blake began to stretch out his arms and legs, still with a smile.
Orfai spoke. "Son-
"Gotta train even harder now that magic's a definite no-go! I'll get back to the church in a little bit, see you around!"
"Wait!" Sister Lily outstretched her arm to stop him, but Blake had taken a mad dash into the forest, barely an outline by the time they realized.
She feels a hand tug at her sleeve and looks down to see Recca with a somber face. "Is Blake okay?"
Sister Lily tries to keep a comforting smile on her lips. "I think he just needs some time with himself, I'm sure he'll be okay when he gets back to the church." She spoke. They continued the walk back.
"I'm sure Big Bro's just fine. You heard him, he's just extra motivated now!" Asta spoke.
Nash glared at him. "You can never read between the lines, idiot."
"What was that, you little punk?! I'm still older than you, you know!"
"Surprisingly."
"You brat!"
Orfai whispered to Sister Lily. "I feared that this was the case. I just hoped that it didn't come true, I didn't want to see him so...pained."
Sister Lily heard but was silent. Blake, your smile. You didn't want them to see their older brother like that, dejected and ashamed. It's not hard to see how much you tried to keep behind it. That's the only smile I've ever seen you have that wasn't genuine.
Please, just come home soon
WHAM
Blake slammed his fist into the dense tree, breaking through the outer layer of the bark. The pain barely registered.
Damn it
WHAM
He slammed his fist into it again.
Damn it
WHAM
And again
WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM
And again.
DAAAAAAAMN IT!
With one last blow, he punctured a hole right in the center of the tree. He pulled his arm out and simply kept it there, laying his head on it.
"I was...supposed to finally get it, after all this time, and yet..."
Blake barely noticed he was beginning to weep.
"I couldn't even gain a little bit..."
Once he notice the tears begin to fall, he quickly tried to wipe them away with his jacket sleeve, even though they just kept coming one after another.
He tried, oh how hard he tried to let it go, to not let it bother him, to not show how much having no magic killed him inside every day, every minute, every FUCKING second of his living. It messed him up even more having this feeling of envy and even jealousy towards Yuno for his magic, how he can feel it radiate from him whenever he's around.
He's my little brother, I'm supposed to be proud of him, proud of how strong his magic is, but this decrepit feeling in my body hates it, why can't it just go away?!
And Asta...I can feel the same thing within him, that he has no magic whatsoever. He can't even sense it. And why must a part of me take comfort in that? That someone else is forced to feel like this, maybe even worse? For what reason?! Yet...Asta's never once wallowed in his misery, never once did I see him ever truly cry over it, he carried on. In that, he's so much better than me.
All my siblings look up to me, how am I supposed to face them like this? So fucking pathetic
Damn it, Blake, what the hell are you doing? Stop all this whining. The tears had finally stopped. Enough of this moping about, they're probably worried about you now. "I should go."
"Can't you take your sulking somewhere else?"
Blake turned back to look at the person who said that. Turns out, it was a group of three boys, likely his age. The one who spoke was one who was about his height, with blue hair in a bob-cut style. On the right, the boy was bulkier with slicked-back brown hair, and on the left, he had short unkempt black hair falling just above his ear and was rather thin. These guys were at the ceremony if I'm remembering right. Why are their faces so punchable? Their clothes are quite fine, nobles maybe?
"Look, this is one of the very few locations in this ugly village I find to be somewhat nice. I and my compadres are trying to enjoy a little walk in nature and you being here is really killing our mood. So if you'd kindly, get out of our eyesight." The boy made a shooing action, as the two behind him snickered, as expected.
Frankly, Blake couldn't find it in himself to care enough about whatever the dude was saying, but since he planned on leaving anyways, he figured he'd just go along and make him think he had control of the situation.
Half-heartedly, he responded. "My deepest apologies, sir. I'll be out of your hair now." Blake walked past the three, not paying them any more mind.
"Although, I guess I can't blame you. I'd probably be ashamed of myself if I lived without magic."
Blake stops dead in his tracks.
"I don't think I could live my life knowing I couldn't even acquire a grimoire, and doing so would be such a disgrace to my family. Oh, apologies, you must not know that feeling. You know, family?"
Blake slowly turned his head back to stare at the blue-haired boy. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I saw that priest and all those little snot-nosed brats around you. You are an orphan, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I am. So?"
"A family like that is patchwork at best, discarded goods that nobody cared for and handed off to the sap stupid enough to deal with it."
Blake almost pounced the bastard right then and there. Memories of his pops guiding him to "Turn the other cheek" to conflicts, the moral high ground he says. He never really cared for all the religious talk, but he always tried to follow what his father said. But oh boy, was this guy really pushing it.
"They're a better family than whatever inbred marriage you were made from!" He'd try not to use his fists, his mouth was a different story.
"Woooah, scary. Did I touch a nerve?" The boy sneered. The boy then placed a hand under his chin, looking off somewhere. "Although, if I recall correctly, you also had that nun with you, right?"
Blake tensed up.
"Quite a cutie indeed, I have no clue why'd she bother staying in rubbish like this." Then he looked back at Blake with a disgusting smirk. "Maybe I'll take her and make her one of my servants, how does that sound?"
Instantly, Blake made a mad dash at the bastard and slam his fist into their face, sending him back a good foot or two.
"Forgive me father, for I have sinned." That's what it was, right?
The two other nobles stood there, shocked and barely able to register what happened.
Surprising to Blake, Blue had actually recovered from the punch. He wiped the blood from his nose, then began to chuckle.
"That was all I needed to get rid of you, lowlife." Blue then opened his grimoire, a grey aura coming from it.
"[Steel Creation Magic: Knight's Twin Blades!]"
Two large daggers protruded out of his grimoire. Blue grabbed them, then sprinted at Blake.
Blake was caught off-guard by the boy's speed but was quick enough to dodge a hit to the stomach. He's faster than I thought! Blue was quick and precise in his movements, barely giving Blake time to breathe, but he continued to dodge.
"I've had formal training with weapons since I could walk! Just try to beat me!"
Blake grunted. How has he already learned a spell?! he's barely had it for a few hours! This asshole ain't giving me an opening and those damn daggers are a pain with the reach he has. Fuck up already!
Blake thought he definitely had the advantage in physical strength, but it seemed this guy had the speed and reflexes to counter it, any shot he could land was parried and deflected.
And then, he saw it, what appeared to be an overextension as Blue tried to strike him down. Blake seized it, twisting to the side, aiming for a direct blow to the ribs.
"Got ya, fucker!"
But then he saw it, and Blue smirked.
"[Earth Creation Magic: Nature's Spikes!]"
Spoke the brown-haired one as he slammed his fist into the ground, causing spikes to form from the ground, aiming directly for Blake and Blue.
As Blake was distracted, Blue took advantage of it and quickly tripped up Blake, making him fall to the ground, before leaping back away. The spikes came closer and closer as Blake scrambled to get up. Blake found his footing and leaped away in hope of avoiding the attack. However...
"GAH!" One of the spikes manages to pierce through Blake's upper thigh. "FUCK! SHIT! FUCK!" He screamed out in agony, he never had something this bad happen to his body.
The spikes didn't last much longer and dissipated, now leaving Blake with a hole in his leg, blood spewing out. Blake tried to calm his breathing, barely being able to stand. Fuckfuckfuckfuck, this is really fucking bad, these guys are fucking psychos!
"Oh come on, that isn't all you got, is there? Last a little longer!" Blue lunged at him again.
Blake could barely move around, let alone dodge Blue's daggers. Now it was cut after cut, slicing up his body with each graze. Blue finished his assault with a kick to the gut, pushing Blake away a few inches, dropping him to his still whole knee.
"With that punch you gave me, I thought you would've been a more challenging prey. I shouldn't have expected much from an urchin like you."
"Cheating bastard, using your lackey on a 1v1." I muttered.
"Hey, you attacked me first, I had to defend myself somehow, my friends were just doing their best to help keep me safe, as they should." Blue was already feigning his story.
Shit, is this it? I really didn't think ahead, did I? Blake pictured all of his family at the dinner table, his seat emptied as they wait for him. I'm sorry your big bro's such a dumb-dumb.
"Even if I was impressed by that punch, It still thoroughly pissed me off having to let someone like you lay their hands on me for any reason! I'll make sure that "family" of yours pays dearly for it."
Blake's eyes widened more than he ever thought they could. "Stay the hell away from them!" He shouted. He tried to lunge at him again but fell down, his other leg was too weak. As he fell, he got a kick to the face by blue.
"Who the hell are you to order me around, goddamned orphan!" He slammed his foot on the back of Blake's head repeatedly. "Worthless street urchin! Garbage in human flesh!" Then delivered one last kick to the chin. "I'll make that geezer a beggar! He can take the gremlins with him. However, as I said, I'll make that pretty little nun there into one of my servants, one way or another. Buh Bye."
Blue walked away from the sight of Blake, proud of himself for today. Making his way back to the other two.
...Get up
Blake pressed his hand against the ground.
Can't let them hurt my family
He dug his fingers into the dirt.
Need to protect them all, no matter what
Blake weakly pushed himself up, stumbling as he tried to stand.
Blue looked back to see what he was doing. "Does this guy ever take a hint? Oh, Damien, you didn't get a chance to have some fun. I was gonna leave him but if you wish..." Blue motioned towards Blake.
The black-haired boy smiled. "I would like that, Kaden. Thank you." Damien began to walk towards Blake.
Just please, whoever's listening out there...
Damien opens his grimoire
Give me the strength. Give me the power I need.
"What a sad existence." Damien sneered.
TO PROTECT THEM!
"It's your time."
Suddenly, an intense wave of mana emanated across the area, pressuring the 3 boys to almost fall to their knees. Blake did.
"What the hell's going on?!" The bulky boy questioned.
"The hell if I know, Tristyn!" Kaden retorted.
"This is the key."
Did...Did I just hear a voice in my head? Or wait, were there two?
Then he saw it, something beginning to materialize in front of him out of the mana that covered the area, the pressure beginning to lessen as the object continued to slowly materialize.
A book? No...a Grimoire!
Though he couldn't see the cover, the creation radiated incredible magical power, the most he ever felt from anything in his life. The pages flipped endlessly, like a cycle, written in a language Blake had no idea of what it could be.
"This is the power you seek. Grab ahold of it, protect what you hold dear."
The voices again!
"I thought he didn't have a grimoire!" Tristan spoke.
"He didn't! We saw it! Damien, what the hell are you doing? Kill him already!" Kaden demanded.
"O-Okay!" Damien activated his grimoire.
The only reason that Blake didn't grab ahold of the book immediately was that he still hadn't completely processed what was happening around him. Who could?
"Flame Magic:...
But once he did?
"INFERNO FIRE BLAST!" A large ball of black and red flames shot toward Blake.
He pulled the Grimoire and held it to his chest, just as the attack was about to reach him.
A burst of mana released, setting a series of shockwaves in motion, causing the nearby trees in the forest to be nearly ripped from their roots. The nobles were able to grab ahold of some branches to keep them from flying off, unfortunately.
The reach of the shockwaves was quite large, those in nearby villages felt the intense vibrations of it, and took it as a sign to go inside and huddle down, scared.
Farther away, Drouot, the master of the Grimoire Tower, almost collapsed, grabbing ahold of his desk for support against the sudden magical pressure.
"Dear me. I...have never felt this level of magical power in all my years, it's almost otherworldly! What could that have possibly been?" He would've attempted to leave and search for it, had his legs not become stiff with fear.
As the waves of mana stop, Kaden, Tristyn, and Damien look around in shock.
"What the hell caused that?" Tristyn wondered
"It had to have been that freak. I don't know what he did, must have been some trick or something." Kaden suggested.
"Trick?! The forest almost got blown apart! You call that a trick?!"
"Well how do you expect me to explain it?! I don't fucking know!"
"Guys!" Damien shouted
"What?!"
Shaking, Damien pointed his finger towards the spot Blake was.
"What the hell happened to him?!"
Standing in Blake's spot was still Blake, at least it looked like it, but much different. The Black and Midnight Blue magic aura that had engulfed the area was now radiating solely from him. Some of his features kept changing, flipping between White and Black hair. Red and Blue eyes.
Most importantly, the fireball that Damian sent his way was now being held in one arm by "Blake", having left not a mark on him.
"How...How is he doing that?" Damian couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The person in front of them looked at the fireball with interest and confusion.
"Has magic gotten so much weaker?" He asked. He sighed. "That may be my fault, I suppose." Immediately, He takes the fireball and turns it into...mana. Pure magical energy. It flows into him, as he does with a small smile. Doing so causes the gaping wound in his leg and the cuts along his body to be fully regenerated, becoming good as new.
Kaden and the two became bewildered, muttering. "W-Wait Wha? Huh? What the fu-?"
"Blake" then sharply turns and glares at the three. The presence of whoever this is is enough to activate their flight-or-fight, but it's so overwhelming that the only option they can do is simply freeze in fear.
"You three. You dare attempt to take what he loves away from him?!"
"Is this the same guy we were dealing with earlier?!" Tristyn questioned.
"No, it can't be! But, something's definitely wrong here!"
"And you're of noble blood?! You bring disgrace to the ones before you!"
"This guy's lost it! Just attack him!"
"R-Right!"
"You think your magic holds any danger to me?" He questioned, almost laughing as he speaks.
"Earth Creation Magic: Nature's Spikes!" " Flame Magic: Inferno Fire Blast"
"Blake's" eyes shined. As the Fireball flew and the spikes came towards him, "Blake" crossed his arms, and opened his Grimoire, words inscribing themselves upon the papers.
"Allow me to show you a drop of True Magic. With a spell you're familiar with..."
"[FLAME MAGIC: INFERNO FIRE BLAST]"
With his command, a sphere of Black and Blue Flames manifested in front of him. Dwarfing the size of the one he held in his hand moments ago. It burned through the spikes and overpowered the opposing fireball, engulfing it.
"More Spikes, damn it!"
Tristyn threw up dozens of more Ground Spikes, but they barely made a difference. On the last spike, the fireball exploded upon contact, blasting the three away, flames beginning to spread across their clothing and the forest quickly.
"I'm on fire, I'm on fire!"
"Help, someone! Get this off me!"
"It hurts!"
"Blake" looked down at the three, and couldn't help but have a smile from seeing them in agony, until suddenly he felt a pain of his own. "Agh!" He looked at his arms, and along his palm to his forearm appeared burn marks. "Damn, it looks like this body can't handle that amount of magic yet, I should've been more careful." He notices the fire spreading around. "Didn't mean to do this either, should fix this quickly." Once again, words inscribed themselves upon the pages of the grimoire, as he raised his hand in the air.
"[Water Creation Magic: Holy Fist of Love]"
Dropping his hand, dozens of large fists made of water descended upon the forest, drenching the trees and putting out the flames, including the ones on the nobles. "Blake" is drenched as well, but quickly uses Wind Magic to dry himself off.
"I wasn't planning on inhabiting this body, but he wasn't in good shape. His control on his body is beginning to weaken, I can't stay in it for long. Shouldn't do it unless absolutely necessary. The rest is on you, Blake." He closes his eyes.
Opening his eyes, Blake can feel himself back in his body. It felt really weird the past couple of minutes, it was like an out-of-body experience and it was kind of a blur but he could still make sense of what happened. Whoever that was, Blake had to make sure to thank them for the healing sometime.
His eyes widen as he takes in what has happened. Magic...It's actually there! He can feel it within himself! And so much of it as well! The spells he cast were so powerful! Then he was reminded of the burn marks on his arms, though he felt pained, it was outmatched by his pure joy. Even if it left him with some injuries, he couldn't care less, they were signs that he had it!
Not only that but there was also what he held in his hand, the Grimoire.
A beautifully simple Grimoire. A rough but lovely texture of the blue. Outlined by what was almost like a black casing for the grimoire. But what intrigued Blake was the center.
6 clovers? How is that possible? Most people hold 3 leaf grimoires, Faith, Hope, and Love. Very few hold 4 leaf grimoires, signifying luck to be on their side. 5 leaf... didn't pops say something about that involving the devil or something? But 6 leaf, I have no clue what that can mean.
Blake then thought about it for a moment. Psssh. As if I care if it's caused by the devil or not, this thing is awesome! Blake then opened the grimoire and took a look inside, seeing what spells he now held. Blake's eyes widen in amazement, "This is..." He broke his focus after hearing the incessant cries of the 3 noble boys.
He walked closer to the three, and though the fire was put out, clear burn marks could be seen on their clothes and faces.
"Y-You damn orphan! Look what you did to my face!" Kaden shouted at him, covering his face with one hand, his rage still visible.
"Yikes. Yeah, gonna need more than just recovery magic for that one."
Kaden opened his grimoire. "You damn freak, you're gonna regret this! Steel Creation Magic: Knight's D-" Kaden's spell was interrupted as Blake suddenly backhanded him, sending Kaden a couple of feet of distance.
Blake was taken by surprise by how strong that was but understood once he realized it. I unconsciously used my magic to enhance my strength...Awesome!
Blake closed the distance between himself and Kaden, then grabbed and pulled him up by his shirt, before he begins to just start wailing into him. Jab, Jab, Uppercut, Backhand, Uppercut, Jab, Backhand, Hook, Jab, Uppercut. It went on for a while
"S-Stop it, please! I give up, I give up, you win! Just let us go!" Kaden pleaded though it was a bit hard to understand after the first few teeth got knocked out.
Blake dropped Kaden and looked down upon him.
"Insulting my family? Threatening to hurt them? You can't just take that all back once you've been given the short end of the stick." A part of Blake felt giddy seeing a snobbish noble on the ground, beaten and bloodied.
He'd say something about how the mighty had fallen, but that'd be giving the creep too much credit.
"I'm s-sorry, okay?! I leave them alone, I'll leave you alone! Just fucking let us go!" Kaden shouted and was met with a kick to the chin by Blake, sending him back down on the floor.
Oh damn, I think I heard a pop, may have dislocated his jaw.
Blake didn't retort with anything this time. Instead, he simply opened his grimoire, and the words naturally flowed from his lips.
[Copy Magic: Knight's Twin Blades]
From his grimoire manifested two daggers, the same size as what Kaden had made, with a different appearance, black steel with the blade having a blue shine to it. He held them in a reverse grip and sauntered over to Kaden, standing right above him, gazing into his horrified blue eyes.
"N-No, p-please!"
Blake raises his blades...and brings them down.
The knives pierce through the ground so easily, Kaden can only imagine how they could've pierced through his head. He looks back at Blake, who has now leaned much closer, face to face.
"Run. Run far away. Keep your filthy paws away from my family and from Sister Lily. If this isn't the last time I see your face, the next time will surely be." Blake pulled away and got off of Kaden, who didn't waste a second scrambling to his feet and running over to his lackeys, pulling them away and running off, far out of Blake's sight.
Blake heaved a heavy sigh, the daggers dissipating.
Then it hit him. "Pops and the others! Dinner! I gotta go!" Blake ran, returning to his home.
Sister Lily stood at the entrance of the church, waiting for Blake to return. Asta and Yuno stood beside her as well, watching for any figures that could be him.
The church door opened behind her, it was Orfai. "Sister, Yuno, Asta, supper's just about done, you should come inside now."
Sister Lily turned to him with a smile. "Just a moment, Father. I'm sure Blake will be returning any minute." Orfai breathed a sigh and simply nodded before returning inside.
"Yeah, no way would Blake miss dinner!" Asta spoke, optimistic as ever.
"That wave of mana we felt earlier, I wonder if he was involved in some way..." Yuno pondered.
"You don't think he got hurt, do you?" Sister Lily asked, a somber tone in her voice.
"What?! No way, big bro's super tough! He trains all the time! I don't know what the big boom was all about but ain't no way did that take him down! I'm sure he's just fine, Sister Lily."
Sister Lily giggled and patted Asta's head. "Yes, you're right, Asta." Sister Lily couldn't help but be comforted by Asta's unwavering belief in his brother.
She couldn't help but praise how Asta had matured in a such short time as well. When she first arrived he would always, again and again, ask her for marriage. She found it adorable but never took them seriously, and though it could get on her nerves after the 80th time or so, it never made her dislike the young boy, she had merely hoped he would grow out of his fixation for her and set eyes on a girl who could actually be with him and provide him the love he deserves.
Color her surprise when, since that incident from 1 year ago, he hadn't once asked her to marry him. She hadn't noticed at first but after so much time it just hit her that the constant barrage of proposals stopped. Asta seemed to be so deadset on something other than her, and she couldn't be more glad of the boy she sees as a little brother.
"Look, over there." Yuno pointed over at a direction westside of the church.
Asta and Sister Lily looked where Yuno pointed and could see there was a figure almost barreling towards.
"Is that...?!" Sister Lily's eyes widened.
"I'd recognize that white hair anywhere!" Asta spoke
"Did he get even faster?" Yuno questioned.
"ASTAAAA! YUNOOOO! SISTERRRR!" He yelled. Only seconds later reaching the three, hopping over the fence effortlessly.
"Blake, you're finally ba—Ah!" She wasn't given a chance to finish as she was suddenly lifted into the air by her hips, being twirled in the air by an ecstatic Blake. Just as quickly as he picked her up, he put her down and ran to Asta and Yuno, embracing them and spinning around with them in his arms as well.
"WoooooooWeeeeeee, so fun!" Asta exclaimed.
"Getting...sort of dizzy." Yuno whispered.
The doors to the church opened: Father Orfai, Recca, Nash, and Arlu came out.
Father Orfai shakes his head. "What's all this noise about?!" He then sees Blake with Asta and Yuno, a large smile on his face.
"Pops!" Blake set his brothers down and ran at Orfai, giving him a very tight hug.
"W-Woah, son, what's this all about? A-Also, very tight, you might break my back." Orfai wheezed.
"Recca! Nash!" Blake shifts from hugging Orfai to his other two siblings in the blink of an eye.
"Hey, let go, you're being gross!" Nash tried to get out of his Big Brother's hold, to no avail.
Recca laughed, "Oh, come on Nash, stop being so bashful."
He grumbled in return, "Whatever."
Blake let go of them and went to Arlu. He lifted her up into the air and caught her again and again, to her absolute delight, a torrent of giggles coming from the little baby.
"Be careful, Blake! It's good to see you with so much energy, but could you please tell me what brought this up?" Father Orfai asked.
"Oh, right, sorry." Blake gently set Arlu back down, who continued giggling, before reaching for the inside pocket of his coat and quickly pulling out-
"My Grimoire! Look at it!" Blake beamed with joy and anticipation.
Orfai was speechless, taking in the sight before him. "I...I can't believe it. Blake, you've received a 4-Leaf Clover Grimoire?!"
Blake became confused, turning the front of the Grimoire back to him. "What are you...What the?!" To Blake's absolute bewilderment, there were now only four clovers on the front of his grimoire instead of the six that were there before. When the hell did that-
Orfai now returned a tight hug of his own. "Oh my son, I'm so happy for you! I don't know why it took longer for you to receive it, but I'm just glad you have one now. A 4-leaf grimoire is amazing! That may be the first one in the history of Hage!"
Blake was still distracted by his Grimoire changing but nodded, "Right, yeah, 4-Leaf is sweet." But what's sweeter than four? SIX!
Asta had stars in his eyes as he snatched the grimoire and looked at its design. "This is super awesome! So cool!"
"Hey, give me that back!" Blake grabbed and pulled the grimoire, but ended up pulling Asta up with it.
"Hey, come on, I wanna look at it some more! Don't be a jerk!" Asta pleaded
"Later, let go of it!" Blake pulled Asta's arms off his grimoire one by one with some effort. Christ that kid's grip strength is impressive.
"I told you, didn't I, Blake?" Yuno said with a smile on his face. "There was no chance of you not getting a grimoire."
"Alright, alright, I get it, Mr. Told You So." He then pats Yuno's head. "I shouldn't have doubted you."
Sister Lily joins the conversation. "So, Blake, what magic did you gain from your Grimoire?" Being able to focus now, she noted there was definitely a difference in him, she didn't have the best capabilities of Mana detection but it'd be hardto not notice how much now exuded from Blake.
"I'll show you!" Blake spoke happily. He pondered how to do it for a moment, before snapping his fingers, a metaphorical lightbulb going off in his head.
Focusing his magic, he caused a little twisting of wind to occur underneath Arlu's feet, causing the baby girl to begin hovering in the air. He increased the power slightly, making it a little larger, and began manipulating it, guiding it around him.
"F-Fly! Flying! Wheeeee!" The baby flapped her arms like a bird, pure joy on her face.
Asta was the first to speak. "Ah! So you got Wind Magic like Yuno! We're so close to being the Wind Brothers!"
"Not exactly, Asta." Blake said, a small smirk. Controlling the Wind with one hand, he opened his other and begins to form a sphere of Flames, to the amazement of everyone else. He then releases the ball of flames into the air, setting off sparks a second later, like fireworks.
Orfai gasped. "Flame Magic as well?!"
"So you have two kinds of magic? I didn't think that was possible." Yuno said
"Big Bro's so cool!" Recca Cheered.
"Not just those two."
Blake then begins to display the other types of Magic he found inscribed in his grimoire. Water Magic, Earth Magic, and Steel Magic.
"My Magic is Copy Magic. I think I'm able to use the types of magic I've seen before, like from you guys. That's how I figured it at least."
Asta looked like his mind had exploded.
"THAT'S SERIOUSLY SUPER AMAZING!" He shouted once he finished his reset.
Blake couldn't help but laugh. "I'm glad you like it so much."
Orfai placed his hands on Blake's shoulders, giving him a serious look.
"Blake, this is a rare type of magic and from the sounds of it, it's quite powerful as well. You may have never put much thought into it, but I think you have what it takes to become a Magic Knight! Think of how much you could grow, you'd be able to learn so much more magic being surrounded by all those powerful magic users. I mean you may even be able to become the Wizard King! Doesn't that sound amazing?!"
Blake was silent for a moment, thinking of how to respond.
"I would like to be one of the Magic Knights, it's something I would love to do. Maybe even becoming a Captain." Blake lightly brushed his pop's hands off. "But I have no interest in becoming the Wizard King."
Blake steps toward Yuno and Asta, kneeling down. "Yuno, Asta, that's your dream, right? That's the rivalry you two have, I ain't getting in the way of that. I'd rather support both of you in any way I can."
Asta rubbed the back of his head. "Aw shucks, big bro. That's so sweet."
Yuno didn't speak, but he didn't need to. Blake understood everything with his small smile.
"And...I don't want to leave you guys just yet. It may sound dumb but...I want to be right beside you guys when you get your grimoires when you go to join the Magic Knights." Blake then turns back to look at Orfai. "Sorry, pops. Looks like you'll have to wait a few more years." He said with an apologetic smile.
Father Orfai breathed an exhaustive sigh but can't help but give Blake a proud smile. He cares so much for those two, it's almost unbelievable. I guess it can't be helped.
"Besides, I'll need a bit more time than others to train up to that anyways. Everyone else has had at least half their life to get a grasp of their magic. I just got mine and with the way it works, I got a whole bunch of different ones to work on." Blake reasoned.
"I suppose you're right, very well then. I think you've received enough praise for tonight, Blake, the food is going to get cold if we don't hurry, come on come on." Orfai beckoned everyone to come in to enjoy the food.
Sister Lily walks behind the kids, then see's Blake hasn't moved, his eyes on the pages of his grimoire. "Blake, is something wrong?"
"Oh nothing, I just wanna look over my grimoire again, be inside in a sec."
Sister Lily nodded and continued to walk.
"Oh, and Sister Lily. S-Sorry for earlier, you know, lifting you in the air like that so suddenly."
Sister Lily had a small laugh and gave Blake a smile. "It's okay, Blake, it was an amazing thing what happened to you and you were excited, don't worry about it at all." She enters the church.
Blake places his grimoire in his inner jacket pocket, now pulling up his sleeves and looking at the burn marks caused by whatever took over his body before. A good thing they didn't see these, would've been hard trying to explain it. I'm gonna need to start dressing like Yuno now, all his damn long sleeve shirts.
As he's about to enter the church, he takes a look around, seeing that no one's nearby, then snatches his grimoire back out and looks at the front cover.
And there it was, the 6-leaf clover returned.
"WHAT THE FU-
Black Clover - The Three Brothers
NOTES
A/N: Feedback is always appreciated!