Astara hums brightly as she finally finishes putting out the clothes to dry. She wipes the sweat off of her forehead and grins brightly.
"Another day's work finished before noon once again!" Astara continues smiling when she suddenly becomes depressed. "This is all the same stuff I did at the church! What are Magic Knights supposed to do anyway?!"
Astara shakes her head with a sigh before she turns around to walk inside. A nice and filling breakfast–hopefully without Miz Charmy trying to suffocate her to death with food–is next before Astara starts her daily training!
She worked on her sit-ups and squats the past three days; 2000 of each, and she alternated between pull-ups and push-ups throughout the rest of the previous week. Sword training? And maybe some controlling exercises! But... Yuno isn't here to watch her in case things go wrong... and the rest of the Black Bulls don't know what to do in case her Anti Magic goes haywire... hm...
"Asta! Hurry, hurry! Breakfast is ready, la!" Charmy exclaims brightly, snapping Astara out of her thoughts. She barely has time to expect anything before the small woman is pushing her towards the cafeteria.
"H-hold on Miz Charmy! You're–you're going to make me faaAAALLL!" Astara trips over a crack in the stone floor and falls over onto her head, rolling to land on her back. She huffs out a breath and stares up at the ceiling for a moment.
"Asta! Are you okay?! I'm sorry! Here!" Astara almost chokes on the sweet food being shoved in her mouth. "Have a cookie! It tastes good, right? Right? This is chocolate chip! I gave it to you before, remember?"
"Mm!" Astara sits up while biting through the cookie. She nods her head with a small smile as she eats the almost unbearably sweet dessert.
"It's good. Very... sweet." She couldn't bear to upset the child-sized girl and tell her that this amount of sweetness gives her a headache.
"Great! Now, let's go!" Astara yelps as Charmy practically drags her across the ground and into the cafeteria. "You worked really hard again, la! You need a nice and filling breakfast!"
"Magna! Save some food for Asta! She hasn't eaten yet!" Charmy scolds loudly, already placing the teenager in the seat next to Noelle and filling her plate to the brim with food.
"It–it's okay, Miz Charmy! E-eh, good morning, Magna-senpai! And everyone else!" Astara smiles brightly before looking down at the overfilled plate placed in front of her. She beams at the sight of meat and vegetables. While she loves tatoes, it's great to be eating so many different kinds of food that weren't dried to last the winter or wilted.
Astara quickly dives in, glancing over at Noelle. "Mm. Noelle, why don't you help with the chores around the base?"
Noelle makes a slight face at her fellow recruit speaking with food still in her mouth before she swallows her own food. She glances over with an expression of superiority and a mana filled with apprehension.
"Chores? Like cleaning and such? Hmph. But I'm royalty," Noelle answers casually. Astara blinks before she turns to fully face Noelle.
"But you're a newbie just like me!"
Noelle shrugs nonchalantly. "I've never cleaned or done laundry before in my life."
"Never done cleaning? Or laundry? Well, she is royalty... don't they have specific people to do those things for them?" Astara takes a bite of her food as she thinks. "What other things does she not know? Cooking? Sewing?"
"...that's not something you should brag about, you know!" Astara eventually speaks up with a stern look. Noelle leans back instinctively as Astara points her fork at her.
"No matter if we are Magic Knights or if we're farmers, or merchants, or even maids... we have to work to earn our keep, or earn money! That's a fact of everyday life!" She continues before taking another bite of her food.
Astara hums thoughtfully before smiling at an apprehensive Noelle. "Don't worry! It's really easy to learn, and I'll teach you! We're in the same squad after all!"
Noelle slowly nods her head, still apprehensive about doing something she's never done before, but determined. Astara giggles quietly before she takes a few more bites of food.
Oh!
"Hey, Magna-senpai! What do Magic Knights do?" Astara asks the young man brightly.
"What? Are you seriously asking that?" Astara blinks as Magna stands up from his spot across from her. He walks around the table, like a normal human being, before grabbing Astara by the front of her robe.
"We protect the kingdom and handle security! It's the most manly job in the world, you dumbass!" Magna glances down and turns bright red before roughly shoving the teenager away. "M-most womanly job in the world too... dumbass! Why'd you decide to join when you knew nothing about it?!"
"E-eh... well..." Astara trails off, struggling to find the words to explain.
Magic Knights never appeared in Hage. Half of the children didn't even know they existed growing up. Not only was Hage in the Forsaken Realm... it is the farthest village from the Royal Capital. It sat on the very edge of the kingdom–the ancient demon skull that still sits there today isn't even in the Clover Kingdom... technically. It sits just past the border.
"S-sorry... Magic Knights have never been to Hage... I-I didn't even know the Magic Knights were real until Yuno was able to read the newspaper and read it to me... Sorry," The ash blonde says quickly, slightly flustered at her lack of knowledge.
Magna stares down at her before he grabs her by the shoulders and starts to shake her. "That's no excuse! I didn't know what they were either, but I still learned about them before I joined!"
"H-hold on, Magna-senpai! You–you're going to make me sick!" Astara exclaims through the harsh shaking.
"Damn it." Magna-senpai finally steps back and walks back to his seat. "Show 'em what Magic Knights do, you drunk witch."
Astara yelps loudly as she trips over her own feet, but makes it back to her seat without anymore problems. Vanessa finishes her glass of wine before resting her head on her palm.
"Well... we keep the citizens safe? Something like that. You might even be able to get closer to some noble when you're assigned to protect them," Vanessa slurs out in between another full glass of wine.
"I... see? What do you mean by getting closer with–"
"It's a super fun job where you get to fight with enemies all you want," Luck interrupts excitedly while punching the air in front of Astara. "If they're criminals, you can beat them up all you want and not get in trouble!"
"Th-that's nice..." Astara laughs nervously with Noelle.
Astara leans back a bit when a picture is thrust into her face. "Most importantly, it's a wonderful job that my sister respects me for having. Isn't she an angel? I can buy her whatever she wants with my pay. But if you lay a finger on Marie, I'll kill you."
"You are such a... great big brother... G-Gauche-san..." And someone that needs to calm down just a bit!
"W-what about you, Finral-senpai?" Astara turns her head to focus on the spatial mage instead of the murderous mana coming from Gauche.
"It's the best job in the world, since I get to save girls and be popular," Finral says with a wink. Both Astara and Noelle sweatdrop and glance at Gordon.
"Of course I'll tell you. We're friends, after all." Noelle gulps in fear while Astara simply smiles nervously.
"Th-thank you, Gordon-senpai!" You're really nice, but still so creepy!
Charmy cries out, making Astara snap her head forward. "Miz Charmy, are you okay?!"
"I'm... out of food!" The child-sized girl cries out in despair before opening her grimoire. "I'm nowhere near full. Cotton Creation Magic: Sheep Cooks!"
Astara gasps in delight when three sheep appear from cotton. Stars fill her eyes when they start to cook.
"So cool! Miz Charmy, your magic is so cool! What else can you do? What does the food do? Can the sheep fight?!" Astara rambles excitedly as the sheep fill all of Charmy's plates.
"Thank you for the food! I have the best magic out there, la! Here! You need to eat, la!" Charmy states before shoving a full steak into Astara's mouth. Astara leans back and tries to chew it while the child-sized girl continues to eat.
"As long as you're a Magic Knight, you can eat plenty of food too! So, eat your breakfast, Asta!"
Astara finally manages to painfully eat the steak that had been forced into her mouth. She grabs her throat while glancing up when she hears giant footsteps.
Grey stood behind her in her menacing disguise. Astara tilts her head as Grey opens her grimoire and suddenly explodes into a cloud of smoke.
"Oh! So cool!" Astara exclaims before the smoke clears and she gasps. Astara stood right in front of Astara with a beaming grin on her face.
"Being a Magic Knight is a good job!" The Grey-Astara exclaims with a clap of her hands.
"He looks just like you..." Noelle mutters in shock.
"I'm looking forward to working with you on a mission, Astara-chan!" Grey-Astara states cheerfully.
"Right!" Astara grins up at her own face before Grey-Astara explodes into a cloud of smoke once more. The menacing disguise appears out of the clearing smoke before Grey slowly walks back to her seat.
"They're all weirdos!" Astara whispers in both nervousness and excitement. Noelle looks down at her plate in her own bout of nervousness.
Astara leans back when Charmy stands on top of her seat, holding a giant slab of meat covered in honey. "Try a bite? 'kay? You need to eat, Asta!"
"E-eh, no–no thanks Miz Charmy! I-I'm fmmll–Mmz Chmrmy!" Astara tries to hold back the older girl as her mouth is filled with even more food.
"Well? Do you understand what Magic Knights do now? Charmy! Stop trying to kill the newbie!" Magna exclaims with a glare.
"I still don't understand at all!" Astara feels her eyes water when her jaw pops. Her yelp is muffled by the food as something is kicked into a wall behind her. She sighs in relief when Charmy takes away most of the meat and chews what was left in her mouth, following everyone else to look over at the cafeteria entrance.
"Let's go, Magna!" Captain Yami calls out from the entrance.
Magna stands with a nod. "Yessir, Yami-san!"
"Ish someshin' goin' on?" Astara asks through the food still in her mouth. Her face pinches as she forcefully swallows it all.
"There's a mission," Magna says, completely serious.
"A Magic Knight's mission..." Astara turns around with a bright grin and waves. "Have fun! And come back safe, okay?"
So exciting! She wants to go on a mission too! But, she did say she would teach Noelle how to do chores, so she'll ask if she can come next time.
"Hey, Noelle! Are you finished eating? I've already finished the chores for the day and for the week... but I can still teach you!" The ash blonde asks with a head tilt.
Noelle turns pink before she crosses her arms and snaps her head in the opposite direction. "You shouldn't rush royalty, Astara! But, I suppose I can allow you to teach me now."
"Yes, yes. Let's go! We'll start on the laundry!" Astara grabs Noelle by her wrist and starts to rush out of the cafeteria, passing by Yami and Magna.
She quickly backtracks to poke her head out from the entrance. "Finral-senpai, I'm going to have Noelle rewash your clothes! So, they probably won't be dry until tomorrow, okay? Thanks!"
"Eh? Wait, why mine?!" Finral asks loudly, but Astara was already running back outside with Noelle right behind her.
He sweatdrops with tears falling down his face. "I'm your senior, though... why couldn't it have been someone else's?"
He won't be able to flirt with any girls now! His nicer clothes were the ones getting cleaned today!
"Alright! This is the last chore!" Astara holds up a slab of meat towards the cage. "They're super nice! But, they like to try and eat people. I haven't been able to get them to stop... yet. Here you go, sweethearts! Breakfast!"
The wolf beast pokes his head out of the bars this time, and carefully bites around the meat. Astara gasps dramatically and reaches up with her other hand to pet it.
"Good boy~! Oh, you are such a good boy when you're not eating my squad! Oh, look at you! So adorable and ferocious! You can eat the bad people though, okay? Good, good boy!" Astara gushes before making kissy faces at the beast. It wags its tail happily before licking Astara, making her laugh brightly.
"Do you want to feed the other two, Noelle?" Astara looks back to grin at the unnerved royal.
Noelle rolls her eyes and turns to face the hallway. "I'm royalty. You should be thankful I agreed to... cleaning and doing the laundry with you."
"If you say so. You'll have to wash the clothes all by yourself, then!" Astara states with a shrug. Noelle snaps her head back towards the shorter teenager with wide eyes at the statement.
"You–but there's so much clothes!" Noelle exclaims loudly. Astara hides a smile by facing the beast she was still petting and shrugs once more.
"And these beautiful beasts prefer human flesh over beef and pork. If we're not sharing all of the chores, then you have to do one of the chores... by yourself!" Astara retorts with a raised eyebrow pointed at the silver haired teenager.
Noelle opens and closes her mouth, shocked at the unspoken rule that comes with all chores. She's about to finally speak when two barking laughs echo through the hallway.
Astara and Noelle look down the hallway as the beast pops its head back into the cage. Astara smiles brightly when she realizes that it's Yami and Magna.
"Captain Yami and Magna-senpai!" Astara calls out loudly before waving. She suddenly freezes when they get closer.
"Oh! Stupidsta, Lady Noe, we're back!" Magna calls back.
"I wonder if they're finished with their–mission?!" Noelle's voice tapers off into a high-pitch when she notices what Astara had first spotted.
Astara covers her eyes with an almost scream while Noelle covers her mouth in her shocked embarrassment. Noelle quickly turns her head to avoid looking any longer.
"Where are your clothes?! What in a devil's name happened?!" Astara asks heatedly with her eyes still covered.
"Eh? Be happy! You two are going on your first mission as Magic Knights," Magna states, causing both teenagers to look at him and Yami.
"Really?!" Astara asks excitedly before she quickly covers her eyes again. "Can you tell us after you put on something to cover yourselves?! Please? By the Gods and the Merciful Stars, I pray for the Good Faith, Hope, and Love of thy patience and thy fortune."
Astara claps her hands as she bounces from foot to foot. Stars fill her eyes and would have surrounded her if it had been physically possible.
"This is so exciting! Don't you think so, Noelle?!" Astara exclaims brightly, still jumping around.
"...how are you so excited for such a lame mission?" Noelle asks bluntly.
"What are you calling lame?!" Magna shouts angrily.
Astara claps her hands and beams up at her fellow newbie. "Well, it is lame, but I've hunted wild boar before! And this is our first mission! How can I not be excited?!"
"...I suppose I can agree with that sentiment," Noelle says slowly with a slight incline of her head. Her face flushes pink before she scrambles to look away with her arms crossed.
"But don't think I'm going along with you and your excitement! I have an image to uphold, after all! I'm royalty!"
"Just because you've hunted wild boar before doesn't mean you should underestimate them!" Magna focuses his shouting at the ash blonde. "They come charging outta nowhere! Haven't you ever heard of the phrase "rushing into things"?!"
"Nope!" Astara answers brightly before Yami takes out the cigarette from his mouth to blow out smoke.
"We both ended up losing to the mayor of Saussy Village," He states offhandedly, making Astara and Noelle blink.
"C-Captain Yami and Magna-senpai lost?"
"How strong is he?" Noelle continues the question seamlessly.
"It was cards," Yami answers simply.
"Cards?!" Noelle and Astara repeat in their shock. As in poker? Gambling?
"He basically stripped us of all we had," Yami continues.
"No kidding." Astara sweatdrops at the reminder of them coming back to the base completely naked.
"And six months worth of pay, too!" Magna continues cheerfully, like it was something good.
"Why..."
"...are you bragging?" Astara and Noelle think at the same time.
"And we ended up promising we'd do anything if we lost, so he asked us to take care of some wild boars for him." Yami is way too nonchalant about this entire thing.
"Apparently, a herd showed near the village, and they're ruining the fields," Magna continues for their captain once more.
Astara gasps and covers her mouth. "Oh no... it's already fall... have they managed to save at least some of their harvests? Winter is predicted to be harsh this year."
"Don't worry, girlie. Saussy Village mainly sells wood and stone," Magna states, smiling somehow. Astara nods her head with a sigh. That's an immense relief.
"Why are you so worried? If the fields are ruined, can't they just plant more food?" Noelle asks curiously in her confusion.
Astara immediately shakes her head, her brightness dimming at the thought of winter. "Most villages in the Forsaken Realm have their farming seasons after the first thaw and finish up the last crop harvest by the time the leaves die. Only the towns and villages in the Common Realm have multiple farming seasons throughout the year. And that's only because the soil is good."
"Did I forage and hunt enough for the winter? I mean... Yuno and I aren't living there anymore, so the church should have more than enough to last..." Astara shakes her head to dissipate the worries and doubts and smiles towards Noelle.
"Peasant villages usually only have one or two sources of income, at most. Hage only has one source of income, which is farming, and Hage can only trade with nearby villages. Magna-senpai says that Saussy Village has three sources of income. Wood, stone, and farming. With the wood and stone, Saussy will be able to trade for food with other villages if they run out. Even then, we'll be saving many lives by hunting the boar. Winter always takes life and hardly ever gives something back," Astara continues, her normal brightness returning once more. She blinks when she realizes all three people were staring at her.
She tilts her head questioningly, making Yami close his eyes with an amused huff. He stands up and blows out smoke.
"Magna is going with you two so you don't get yourselves or anyone else killed. Don't get anyone hurt, or I'll kill you, got it?" Yami glares down at the two teenagers.
"Yes sir!" They both speak quickly before Yami leaves the common room. Astara sighs quietly in relief before she fist pumps the air.
"This really is so exciting!" Astara exclaims loudly.
Noelle looks off to the side, her mana filled with self-doubt. "I'm supposed to get rid of wild boars?"
"What? You're still complaining?" Magna accuses angrily, making Noelle quickly turn her head away.
"I'm not complaining, but... I was just wondering if I should go, since I can't control my magical powers," Noelle admits quietly, looking down at the ground.
"You idiot!" Magna states, making Astara giggle behind her hand. Noelle snaps her head towards him with wide eyes.
"You'll be able to fix that in no time with some missions under your belt! And... I'll be sure to clean up any of you newbies' mistakes, since I'm your senior," The young man continues with a nonchalant shrug.
Astara nods her head quickly before she pokes Noelle in the head. "Yep! Yep! And I'm sure I can start giving you some pointers while we hunt the boar! So, stop with the bad thoughts, okay?"
Noelle turns a bright red before she turns away with her arms crossed. "I-if you insist, I guess I could accompany you."
"Thank you very much!" Magna bows deeply before he realizes what Noelle was doing. "Wait. Why are you always looking down on us?!"
"I'm not. It's just that you're always below me," Noelle states without a hint of remorse or expression on her face. Astara stifles a giggle by biting the inside of her cheek.
"What kind of reasoning is that?!" Magna shouts angrily, finally cracking Astara's half-hearted resolve to not laugh.
"Eh?! Stupidsta, why're you laughing?!"
"Why are you laughing for no reason? You look weird, insect."
The two statements just make Astara laugh harder.
"You can customize brooms like this?! So cool!" Astara exclaims brightly as she looks at Magna's personal broomstick. She looks down at the broomstick that had been thrown at her earlier–which caused her to trip into a shelf, which then caused three glasses to fall and shatter–and tightens her grip around it.
"I know, right?! Isn't she a beaut?" Magna questions with a grin. Astara rapidly nods her head while Noelle just looks at the gaudy broom with a blank expression.
She turns her head to avoid looking at it any longer. "Lame."
"What?! Are you not able to comprehend her majestic form?" Magna points accusingly at the silver haired teenager.
Noelle faces him before tilting her head up with her eyes closed. She thinks for a few moments before glaring at Magna with a frown.
"So lame!"
Astara blinks before she stifles a laugh and looks back down at her broom. She takes a deep breath and moves the broom to hold it beneath her arm, so that she could take off her gloves.
"I can do this. I can do this. It'll be easier now, since this is the second time I'm flying. Got it!" Astara mentally hypes herself up as she holds out the broom with one hand and sits most of her weight on top.
She slowly breathes in and holds out her hand. Anti Magic appears around her shoulders before it appears below the broom. Astara narrows her eyes as she begins to slowly make the broom lift off of the ground and quickly adjusts her weight to be sitting securely on the broom.
"Yes! I did it!" Astara cheers, careful not to lose her focus this time.
Astara grins brightly before she makes her Anti Magic form behind the broom, making it zoom off. She yelps loudly and scrambles to tighten her grip around the broom handle as she goes way too fast.
"Nice going, girlie! Alright, Lady Noe. Let's go before Asta beats us!" Magna states with a grin, sitting on top of his broom. Noelle stays still for a hesitant moment before she walks over and sits behind her senior.
Magna screams loudly, pouring his magic into his broom. It rockets across the ground, making him and Noelle scream. He quickly pulls up and flies straight into the sky.
"How do you like that? Crazy Cyclone can even handle two riders at this speed!" Magna boasts with sweat dripping from his forehead. Astara smiles over at him before she hugs the broom to her chest when it falls a few feet.
"Be careful, Stupidsta! And slow down a bit!" Noelle cries out, making Astara jump.
Astara looks up with a scowl. "You'll make me lose my focus again! And this is the second time I've ever flown a broom myself this way! I don't even know–"
Astara cuts herself off with a loud scream when the broom falls through her Anti Magic. She struggles and fails to regain her focus to catch herself.
"Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap!" Astara clenches her eyes shut, waiting for the hit before something suddenly tugs at the back of her robe. She releases the broom from her grip as whatever caught her flies back up into the sky.
"Stupidsta! You're being even more stupid! What the hell were you thinking?!" Magna shouts loudly in his frustration and anger. Astara tilts her head up to stare at him with tears falling from her eyes.
"Magna-senpai, you saved me~! Thank you so much... I thought I was a goner!" Astara cries out, making Magna sigh heavily with a slight smile.
"Stupid Stupidsta! What did you even do?! You could have died!" Noelle scolds harshly as Astara continues to cry.
"I didn't realize most brooms had little mana in them compared to the brooms Captain Vangeance made at the exam! I siphoned it all... sorry..."
"Well, be thankful we caught you in time!" Noelle turns her head with bright red cheeks. "It's not like I would actually care if you fell to your death or anything!"
"Thank you..." Astara says pathetically through her tears. She has such good squad mates!
"NOELLE! TRY IT AGAIN!" Astara screams at the top of her lungs, currently sprinting for her life as a wild boar chases after her.
"These are not wild boars! These are beasts! Why are they so huge?!" Astara is thrown back into the boar from a giant ball of water. She couldn't even scream as the boar kicked her up high into the air.
"Why do all of the water balls hit me when they miss?" Astara mentally cries before she starts to fall. She leans her head back to flip herself around and outstretches one of her ungloved hands.
Her eyes narrow as she focuses on the tree line. "Anti Magic: Carving Ribbon Dulled!"
A ribbon of Anti Magic shoots out of her hand before tightly wrapping itself around a tree branch. Astara pulls it tight as she falls through the trees, swinging towards the giant boar.
"Take this, you beast!" Astara cries out before her feet slam into the side of the boar. The boar makes a noise of pain before it's thrown through three trees.
Astara releases her spell and holds out her hand towards her grimoire to grab the handle of her great sword. She releases a war cry as she swings it down, landing a blunt hit on the boar's head.
CRACK!
Astara flips over with her momentum and lands in a crouch. She releases a giant breath before standing up and rests her great sword on her shoulder.
"Nice going, girlie! But it ain't over yet," Magna says from behind the teenager. Astara looks to her right and notices the four other boars. She sweatdrops with a small laugh.
"Yay..." She weakly states before readying her sword and charges forward.
"...you sure you can handle that many? I can take one more," Magna calls over his shoulder with one boar secured on his other shoulder.
Astara smiles brightly through her slightly heavy pants as she adjusts the four boars she was carrying on her own shoulders. "I'm okay, Magna-senpai! This is nothing compared to my normal workout! Hey Noelle, you did great!"
"You did all the work, insect! And I... just kept missing..." Noelle vehemently denies with her head turned to glare off to the side. Astara giggles before she speeds up to walk in step with the royal.
"Well, yeah. But, it's because you're trying too hard to contain your magic. Let your mana and magic flow within you. Control it, don't contain it," Astara says cheerfully before shrugging. "And besides! You still helped me with the first boar! I mean, look at this haul!"
"You have crazy brute strength for a girl–ah, I mean for a kid like you! This should make Old Man Seihi happy. Let's have ourselves a wild boar party!" Magna states with a wide grin.
"Yessir!" Astara cheers loudly.
"This mayor of Saussy Village... Seihi... You know him?" Noelle asks curiously.
"Yeah. I've known him for a long time. I'm from Rayaka Village, which is just past here, but I used to be a bit of a handful when I was a kid."
"Used to be?"
"Like you aren't now?" Noelle and Astara think at the same time seamlessly.
"I got a big head after I got my grimoire and went into Saussy Village with the intent of taking over too." Magna begins his tale of childhood delinquency and the inspiration one old man had given him to become a Magic Knight.
Astara smiles softly at the amount of respect and admiration for the old mayor of Saussy surrounding the fire mage. She glances up at the sky and sighs quietly. She's starting to miss everyone back at the church...
"–showed me what a real man should be. I wanted to be like him, the person I respect the most after Yami-san..." Astara tenses up at the same exact moment Magna cuts himself off.
"What... what is this mana..." Astara drops the four boars onto the ground as Magna drops his.
Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Calm. Ruthless. Like an ice storm. Loyal to death and death alone.
"The hell is that?!" Magna runs forward, quickly followed by Noelle and Astara.
"What's going on with you two?" Noelle asks before they come to stop behind Magna.
Astara winces at how blinding the mana was surrounding the village. What is that?
"The village..." Magna growls in his worry.
"It's covered in mist." Noelle swallows nervously.
"It's someone's magic–it's so bright from the mana," Astara mutters rubbing one of her eyes as they begin to throb.
"None of the villagers have magic this strong–and this isn't Old Man Seihi's magic. Let's go!" Magna starts running down the path towards the village. Astara sprints after with Noelle not far behind her.
"Hey, Asta! Can your Anti Magic get rid of all of the mist?"
Astara nods her head, but scowls. "It can, but it might hurt anyone who gets caught in it. Especially children."
"Damn! What about your sword?" Magna asks again. Astara reaches a hand back and grabs the hilt of her great sword from her open grimoire as they continue to run.
"I can cut the way in front of us," Astara states before they all stop in front of the mist covered village. She winces again and clenches her eyes shut at the blinding light of the mana.
"Cut straight ahead!"
"Right!" Astara lifts her sword above her head and cuts through the magic mist like butter. She continues to swing her sword as her senior gives her directions. She squints through the throbbing pain behind her eyes and the blinding light a sthey make it to the town square.
Astara breathes harshly when a wave of frost washes over her. This mana... this mana feels strong.
"Did you feel that?" Magna asks as Astara swings her sword down right in front of her.
"Yes. Powerful magic," Noelle answers, clearly unnerved. Astara couldn't blame her. There really is only one reason for powerful magic to be in a peasant village.
"Straight ahead, Asta. Be careful," Magna calls out.
The teenager lifts her great sword above her head and swings down. They make it a few more feet when Astara feels her knees buckle. There's a fluctuation of mana right in front of them... an entire group of people.
"We should end up in the square." Astara widens her stance and releases a war cry, swinging her sword once more.
FEARDEATHDEATHFEARFEARFEARFEARFEARFEARDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATH.
Astara stumbles backwards with a sharp gasp. Gentle hands carefully press against her shoulders to help her balance.
"Astara?" Noelle questions quietly, but she calmly shakes her off. She's okay.
Peasants were kneeling in the town square, surrounded by terror and death and ice. Ice... Ice!
"No!" Astara takes a step forward when she notices the spikes of ice hanging above the crowd of peasants like a guillotine.
"This is your execution," A monotonous voice echoes through the most, striking through Astara's heart with a spike of ice of its own.
The ice falls and Magna races forward with his grimoire out. "Explosive Scattershot!"
Astara blocks her face with one arm as her entire world lights up with the fiery inferno that is Magna's magic. She breathes a sigh of relief when she feels the deadly ice disappear.
"Astara, are you okay?" Noelle asks when she notices her fellow teenager wince when the fire dissipates. Astara glances at her before nodding her head and walks towards Magna.
Astara stumbles again when the fluctuating mana glares brighter in relief and shock. Noelle quickly catches her and gives her a narrowed look.
Astara smiles weakly. "It's just the mana. There's a lot of people here..."
Magna, it's you!" Some man exclaims in shock and relief.
Magna stops walking in front of a boy. "Nick! What the heck's going on?"
Astara squints through the blinding mana once more and gasps loudly when she sees the body. No...
She runs forward with wide eyes, falling to her knees next to the old man. Astara rips off one of her gloves with her teeth and presses her fingers against his pulse. Even though she can already feel his mana gone. He can't be dead... he can't!
VOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOID.
"M-Magna-senpai..." Astara looks up, only to lean back when crouches over the old man.
"Old man! Hey!" Magna shakes the old man's–Seihi's–shoulders. "Wake up! Old man..."
"M-Magna-senpai... Magna-senpai," Astara speaks softly and places her hand on his shoulder.
"The mayor..."
"He tried to protect us."
The little boy wipes away his tears, his face crumbled. "Grandpa, they came. The Magic Knights... your prayers were answered."
Astara's throat starts to burn and her jaw clenches. She bites the inside of her cheek and looks back down at the mayor who died protecting his village.
Astara forces back the tears with a swallow and carefully reaches over to position the mayor's arm over her stomach. She breathes softly and clasps her hands in front of her, centered over the old man's heart.
"By the Gods and the Merciful Stars, I pray for the Good Faith, Hope, and Love of thy benevolence and thy peace to put Seihi of Saussy to rest and release his soul to thine Heavens. By the Gods and the Merciful Stars, I pray for the Good Faith, Hope, and Love of thy fortune and thy generosity for Saussy's continued survival." Astara opens her eyes at the end of her silent prayer.
TICK.
Astara snaps her head towards the sound and scowls. A man sat on some stone wall as if it was a front row seat to this village's death. She almost snarls at the icy mana coming off of him in waves.
Magna growls and stands up. "Are you the bastard that did this?!"
The man stays silent before looking down. He stares at the pocket watch in his hands before slowly looking back up.
"How dare you put me behind schedule? You'll be executed in ten seconds," The man states in cold indifference while opening his grimoire.
Astara grabs the hilt of her great sword and stands up, now snarling at the man. She races forward to stand in front of her senior and the crowd of peasants as the man–the enemy shoots out a larger boulder of ice. She thrusts her sword into the ground and grips the cross guard.
"Anti Magic: Binding Barrier!" Astara suddenly spreads her hands out, activating her Anti Magic to sprout from her hands and sword and suddenly expand into a giant netting in front of her.
The boulder slams into the netting, only to be sliced through into tiny pieces the size of pebbles from the holes. The peasants gasp behind her as the pebbles fall like hail.
A shaky breath quietly leaves Astara's mouth as her headache twists into a migraine. The blinding mana throbs in time with her heartbeat.
She lifts her sword from the ground and walks past her dissipating barrier. "You... asshole. I won't forgive this! How can you do something so cruel? Who the heck are you guys?!"
"I don't recall hearing anything about Magic Knights showing up," One of the cloaked men behind the man sitting states, completely ignoring Astara.
"Could they be out on some unofficial mission?" Another cloaked man comments like they weren't just about to massacre an entire village. "And how did they get into the village through our mist barrier?"
"The Black Bulls... Crude heretics that don't fit in with the rest of the Magic Knights. Dealing with them would be a waste of time," The enemy states without so much as a glance away from his pocket watch.
"Five minutes... We'll get rid of the useless villagers that didn't know anything and seek what we came here for."
"We'll get rid of the useless villagers..."
BA-DUM
"We'll get rid of the useless villagers..."
BA-DUM
"We'll get rid of the useless girl. That's why she's even alive, the damn beast. To have someone end her worthless existence!"
BA-DUM
Astara tightens her grip around her sword, faintly realizing she had tilted her head towards the ground. She breathes shakily before slowly lifting her head, eyes wide in her fury.
"You..." Astara's voice cracks from the icy rage she feels beating against the cage in her heart. She grits her teeth and almost cracks one from the pressure.
"You... I won't let you..." Astara slides back her foot and holds out her great sword in front of her. "I won't let you kill a single villager. As long as I'm alive!"
Astara leaps forward and raises her sword above her head. She narrows her eyes when mana suddenly surrounds her and becomes even brighter. She spins in the air and holds her sword behind her.
One. Two. Three... Four. There he is!
"That won't work on me!" Astara cries out before she slams her foot down with all of her strength, shattering the cobblestone street. The mana dissipates from her sudden spin with her sword as she suddenly twists her body, lifting her other leg and leveraging her weight with the sword.
Ice blocks her kick to the enemy's head. "Physical strength will get you nowhere against my–"
The ice cracks once before suddenly shattering into dozens of pieces. Astara leaps backwards to gain some distance, landing in a wide stance.
"Why... why are you even trying to massacre this village? Have they done anything to you?!" Astara barks out her question, absolutely seething.
The enemy stays silent, staring down at his shattered ice shield. He slowly looks back up, appearing completely unfazed, but Astara can feel the irritation and confusion from his mana.
"Those who live in the Forsaken Realm are simply mindless beasts. They do not deserve to live when they only have enough magic to do simple daily tasks. You three have enough magic to join the Magic Knights, do you not? Why do you protect something worthless?"
"Beasts?!" Astara steps forward as her Anti Magic starts to flicker around her shoulders and arms. "These people–these humans are not beasts! It's you that shouldn't be worthy to live! You have less worth than this entire village!"
"Impudent girl. I'll show you that these beasts will die with or without your protection," The enemy sneers before forming ice spikes around him. The mages behind him open up their own grimoires and surround them all in a large ball of mist.
"Ice and Mist Compound Magic: Endless Ice Cage. I'm not very partial to the term "gradually", but this seems like it'll be the most effective," The man states before the ice spikes shoot towards the Magic Knights and the peasants they are protecting.
Astara holds out her ungloved hand behind her and grits her teeth. "Anti Magic: Binding Barrier!"
She chokes on a gasp when one of the ice spikes impales her shoulder. She keeps her focus on building the barrier behind the peasants.
Astara leaps forward and hits back a few of the ice spikes aimed at Noelle. She lands on one knee and takes out the spike still impaled in her shoulder. It's a horrible idea, but she needs the mobility of her arm!
"Astara!" Noelle cries out in worry. Astara stands back up with only a stumble, feeling the barrier drain her energy.
"I can only keep it up for three minutes. Five if I want to pass out afterwards or risk hurting people with my Anti Magic." Astara hits back a few more of the ice spikes and cuts through a dozen. "These bastards clearly have a lot of control over their abundant magic. They can last longer than that..."
Astara bites her cheek until it bleeds when another ice spike slices deep into her side. She jumps up to destroy the ice spikes coming above, only to wince when she feels her barrier drain a good amount of her energy at once.
"It won't last long under this constant attack. Magna-senpai is low on magic... and Noelle only has one attack spell... shit," Astara thinks, struggling to find a way out of this where no one dies.
"Damn you!" Magna uses his fire to protect the entire left side of the peasants, but Astara can tell he's running low.
"I can't use my bindings from this distance. They're too slow right now... and I can't get closer without risking these people's lives..." Astara hears the mana screaming in fear and grief and death.
There has to be something... anything! What can she do? What can she do?!
This... this isn't how she expected this mission to go. Noelle's first mission–her and Astara's first mission.
Is every mission like this? Is there a chance that a simple boar hunting mission turns into a mission to protect a village from being massacred?! Can a mission turn from a simple border patrol into the beginning of a war?
Why is she here? Why did she even bother to try and be a Magic Knight? She can't even control her magic!
Noelle has her grimoire open, but she doesn't cast any spells. She looks down at her shaking hands, the screaming and the crying overcoming even the sound of her rapid heartbeat. She shouldn't even be here... not when she can't control her magic!
"–you're trying too hard to contain your magic. Let your mana and magic flow within you. Control it, don't contain it." Noelle blinks at the memory. She frowns in concentration and glares up at the enemies attacking them in the first place.
She has to try her hardest! Not only are the villagers in danger, but Magna and Astara are too!
Noelle holds out her hands and takes a deep breath. She focuses all of her attention on her magic and shoots out a ball of water. It wasn't round, and looked like it could burst at any moment... but its aim holds true. The spell doesn't even manage to hit the enemies though. It simply gets frozen and dissolved.
"It worked, but... I'm still too weak. I still can't hold any power behind it..." Noelle mentally curses herself as the enemy focuses on her.
"The Black Bulls are truly desperate for members if they have someone so weak in their squad. You may be worth less than these beasts." Noelle balls up her fists at the insult.
She can't do anything! She's just a failure. Why couldn't she be able to control her magic in the first place?
"These frail little beasts who can't even protect themselves... If you abandon them, I'll let you live, Magic Knights."
"Like hell I'll abandon them, you asshole!" Astara almost screams in her rage. Noelle feels herself flinching at this side of the normally irritatingly bright teenager.
"A real man doesn't abandon anybody!" Magna declares in his own anger.
"I'm... royalty." Noelle looks down in complete helplessness. "I have more magical power than anyone else here. So why..."
"Stand back, Lady Noe!" Magna shouts before creating a large wall of fire from his spell.
Noelle watches the backs of her squad mates, her bottom lip trembling. "I'm royalty and yet I'm holding them back! Why... why am I here?"
"If you abandon them, I'll let you live." Noelle slowly takes a step back at the memory.
"That's right. I'm royalty. I'm not supposed to die in a village like this... I should just run–" Someone grabs the end of her tailcoat.
"Miss Magic Knight..." A little girl cries weakly, looking up with tears falling from her eyes and an acceptance no child should ever have to realize. "Save us!"
Time freezes as Noelle stares at a child, an innocent child–someone's baby beg for life. A little girl–a baby–no. Her citizen. Her citizens are asking for help. Her people are asking for help.
"Protect them. I have to protect them!" Noelle stands up straighter as the realizing solidifies her resolve. Her grimoire explodes into a gleaming light as a new spell is written.
"There's no way I can ever run..." Noelle kneels and places both of her hands on the ground "...from my people! Until the day I die!"
A large water dome surrounds them all as Noelle stands back up. "I'll protect my people. I'm royalty, and a member of the Black Bulls! Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Lair!"
"Let your mana and magic flow within you. Control it, don't contain it."
"Hey, Lady Noe! What'd I tell you? You can do it if you try!" Magna exclaims with a large grin.
Astara doesn't focus on it though. Her eyes stay pinpointed on the bastard attacking them. Now's her chance.
"Thanks, Noelle," Astara says over her shoulder before she leaps out of the shield.
"Stupidsta!"
Astara barely lets her feet touch the ground before she darts forward. She snarls with all of the fury she feels and jumps high into the air, aiming her sword down towards the enemy.
"I don't have a lick of mana!" Astara declares loudly as she releases some of her restraints over her Anti Magic. It explodes from her shoulders and arms, quickly slithering around her great sword. Astara doesn't dodge the large ice spike that pierces through the hole in her shoulder, but uses the sudden stop in her motion to throw the sword towards the group.
"But I have something else, and I'm going to kick your fucking ass with it!" She roars right before her sword slams into the ground. She outstretches her hands as the Anti Magic explodes.
"Anti Magic: First Binding!" The Anti Magic braids itself into ribbons before tightly wrapping around three of the mages. Astara falls to the ground as the ice spike dissolves, landing harshly on her back, knocking the air out of her lungs.
"Keep the binding up. Keep the binding up. Keep the binding up. Keep the binding up. Keep the binding up. Keep the binding up," Astara repeats the words over and over as her vision goes in and out. She has to hold on. She can't pass out. If she passes out, the bindings disappear.
"Asta!"
"Astara!"
Hands pull her up into a sitting position and another set gently rubs her back. Astara blinks away the stars in her eyes and tries to look past them.
The sun was beaming down on them and Magna was crouched right in front of her. Astara clenches her eyes shut as her migraine gets worse. The screaming doesn't help.
"What did you do, you impudent girl?! What did you do to my magic?! I'll kill you!" The bastard leader screams in rage and terror.
"Asta, are you okay?" Magna asks softly, still holding Astara's shoulders.
She shakes her head, biting back the nausea that hits her from how agonizing her migraine was. "R-restrain... Can't–can't hol' it for too long... restrain them..."
"...alright. Lady Noe, stay with Stupidsta," Magna eventually says before he stands up to go restrain the furious mages. Not before he ruffles Astara's hair.
"Keep the binding up. Keep the binding up. Keep the binding up. Keep the binding up." Astara chokes on a gag and presses her face into her knees to a bruising degree. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
The moment Astara hears the familiar sound of a grimoire flipping pages, she releases her own binding spell. "Fire Restraining Magic: Flame Rope Solid Binding Formation!"
"Astara!" Noelle quickly catches Astara before she could fall backwards, her eyes momentarily rolling into the back of her head. She forces her eyelids close and lifts a trembling hand up to her eyes.
"...'m fine. Need rest," Her words come out short, but she manages to give the silver haired teenager a thumbs up. She moves her shoulder when she feels something move across it.
"Oh? An Anti Magic bird?" Noelle's soft question makes Astara confused, but she couldn't ask any questions because the enraged screaming finally stops.
"Are you finally done screaming, you jerk?" Magna states, clearly done with this entire situation. "Once we patch up Asta's shoulder, I'm going to escort you to the Royal Capital on my Crazy Cyclone."
Astara hisses quietly at the sunlight stabbing into her eyes when she slides her hand up to shade her eyes, but she keeps them open to glare at the mages who started this entire thing.
"Spend the rest of your life atoning for what you did to those villagers, you bastards," Magna continues, glaring down at the three mages. Right! Where is the fourth?
"Did one–one escape?" Astara asks, pointing over at the restrained mages.
Noelle nods her head, still supporting Astara with her arms. "He managed to use his magic to run away before your... Anti... Magic could hit him."
"You're going to spill everything to the Magic Knights, including who you guys are and what your motives are!" Magna continues loudly, getting more and more heated. Astara can't help the small twitch of her lips.
"I refuse," The leader denies indifferently. "It appears the end has come."
DEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATHDEATH.
"WAIT–" Astara lurches forward and tries to stand, only to collapse on the ground. She claws at the ground as concentrated mana surrounds the three mages.
"Ice Magic: Ice Burial."
VOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOID.
Astara cries out in agony as ice suddenly explodes out from the three mages. She presses her forehead against the ground with a loud sob.
Why? Why did they do that? Why did they kill themselves? Their mana. She can't feel it anymore. She can't, she can't, she can't!
Anti Magic surrounds her shoulders and back, reacting to the sudden loss of mana. It shoots when someone tries to grab her shoulder, making them release a faint curse.
"Asta?! Hey, hey! Asta–Astara, you need to calm down," Magna speaks quickly, making Astara cry harder.
Is she crying? Why is she crying? Her chest feels weird. It burns. Why is it burning? Tears don't make it burn. Not breathing does. Oh. Is that why Magna-senpai is telling her to calm down? Maybe she should breathe.
Astara sucks in air until she coughs. She takes in another breath before it leaves just as quickly, getting faster and faster. She doesn't pay attention to the dirt getting up into her nose and mouth.
Someone's hand touches her ungloved one and her Anti Magic sharpens into points, attacking whoever touched her. The pained cry that leaves Noelle's lips rings through her ears. Everything freezes as realization sits heavy in Astara's stomach. Her Anti Magic is lashing out.
"Calm, calm, calm, calm, calm, calm, calm, calm, calm, calm, calm." Astara grips her hair and pulls, trying to contain her Anti Magic.
"A-Astara. I'm okay! It's okay. Everything–everything is okay," Noelle speaks quickly and unsurely. Astara flinches when the royal grabs her ungloved hand again and almost rips her hand away. The hand holds strong.
She's a danger. She can hurt them! They can't touch her skin! Not when she's like this! Not ever! Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!
"E-eighty–eighty-eight. S-sixteen. Four a-and four. Fourteen. E-eight," Astara mentally recounts the long list of one of her favorite things in the world.
Astara continues to wheeze for air as her Anti Magic retracts to hover close to her body. "S-seven. Four. Five. Ten. Four and four. Five. Two. Twelve... two."
Astara turns her hand and grips Noelle's tightly, grounding herself to where they are and what's left. The mages' mana is still gone, but the natural mana around them is here.
"N-nine... and nine... five. Fifteen. Five," Astara whispers into the ground. She lets go of her hair, ignoring her aching scalp, and slides her hand across the ground. She digs her nails in and breathes in deeply, her wheezing calming into gasps.
"...Astara?" Noelle's voice is soft as Astara slowly lifts her head. The ash blonde presses the back of her hand to her mouth when nausea slams into her.
She slowly nods her hand and lets go of Noelle's. "S-sorry... I... their mana..."
Astara winces at her hoarse voice before she closes her eyes. She can still feel that void. Why can't it just go away? Just go–
"I... I can feel when mana... dies. I didn't know–had I expected–I..." Astara cuts off her thoughts and looks down at her trembling hands. She clenches them around her skirt and snaps her head up despite her horrible migraine.
"I am so sorry! Did my ability hurt either of you? I should have had better control... I'm sorry," Astara speaks quickly, glancing between her two squad mates. She never wanted to hurt them... she will never want to hurt them...
"We're okay, girlie. You gave us quite the scare though." Magna stands up with a small smile. "Let's go and check on the villagers before we leave."
Astara blinks before she smiles, exhausted and in pain, but content. "Yes, Magna-senpai."
Hey! Hope you all like the new chapter! A really long one this time! Sorry for the slowish updates. Life is still really busy... and my new hyperfixation on Black Clover is giving me new ideas by the dozen, lmao.
Astara and Yuno will have a purely sibling/best friendship/platonic relationship. I have yet to decide who, or if, I will pair these two with.
I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Bye.
WhovianWhoudini