Chemical Reaction

Prologue - Lady Lucia Flurris

A/N: I do not own the Black Clover Franchise or any canon characters mentioned below.

I do own Lucia Flurris, and any other OCs mentioned.

WARNING: This story will contain death, violent, blood/gore, angst, loss, trauma and mentions of sexual themes.

I finally found the courage to start this story, and I'm really pleased with how it came out. I probably could have done better with the prologue, but I spent the past week just trying to write out the first sentence, so the fact that I got it done so quickly, and to a good standard has made me feel pretty good so far!

There should be more MereoxOC content, but since there isn't, I'm gonna create some instead!

Enjoy!

In the Clover Kingdom, magic was the do-all and end-all of many lives. Each person contained a certain level of magic power, and the air was filled with mana, which, when utilized expertly, could turn the tides of any situation to the user's favor. For many youths of said kingdom, March was a very significant month, and due to that, many teenagers rushed from their homes at the early hours of the morning and flew off on their broomsticks towards the Royal Capital; the most famous city in all of the Clover Kingdom.

One of these eager magicians in the making, was a woman who lived in the bustling city of Raquey, a community on the edge of the land, with brilliant beaches and a strong magic region just to the east of their well-known shores. Her name was Lady Lucia Flurris, the eldest daughter of the Flurris family. Though their status was not high in regards to other nobles within the city, they were praised for their strong magic capabilities and wisdom throughout the land.

Of course, every generation of the family had their differences, and it seemed Lucia was just a little more different than most. Despite the hustle and bustle of the many younger mages rushing out their doors to mount their broomsticks and set off for the capital, Lucia herself had done nothing to prepare for the day. In fact, she was bundled up in bed with her face buried in her pillow, only a small sliver of light peeking through the closed curtains, no where near enough to rouse her from sleep and help her realize just what kind of foolishness she had found herself in.

That was, until a man, about twenty-one in age, only three years older than herself, rushed into the room. "Oh dear, this isn't good, not good at all..." He muttered beneath his breath as he tugged at the tie in his dark brown hair, then pushed his glasses up his nose as he reached her closed curtains. Without really giving Lucia time to stir, or even so much as roll over, he tugged the cloth barriers open and the bright, hot sunlight flooded through Lucia's large room, illuminating every neat surface and almost blinding the poor young woman in the process.

With a groan, Lucia opened an eye and immediately hid herself within her covers when she was met with blinding light and the silhouette of the man she knew very well, someone she had grown up with throughout her life, and her cared for her from a very young age. "Piercely, what's the meaning of this?" She croaked out, sitting up as she covered her face with her hands, wiping away the remnants of sleep clinging to her consciousness.

"My apologies, Lady Lucia." Piercely said, bowing his torso with a hand on his chest, the gold frames on the bridge of his nose slipping down slightly from the action. "Pardon my rude entrance, however considering the significance of today, I suspected any form of being woken up would be appreciated."

Lucia's thin lilac brows knitted together as she tried to understand his words. However, after only a second, her features smoothed over as blank shock washed through her body. "Piercely, what day is it?"

The poor butler tried not to shift nervously where he stood. "Th-the third of March."

He only had a second to cover his eyes with his hands, effectively bruising his own face with his glasses in the process as he slammed his hand against them with the sudden motion. Lucia had given him no warning as she let out a silent hiss and tossed the sheets off her bed, revealing her light blue night shirt.

"Oh wonderful!" Lucia ground out as she yanked her closet open and sifted through the outfits she had hanging inside. "The one day I wanted to be up at the crack of dawn, and I somehow rest for far too long despite my rather strict sleep schedule!"

"It's understandable to fall into such a deep sleep after the day you had yesterday, Lady Lucia." Piercely started, blindly feeling his way through the room until he found the door he had previously entered from. "I'll get a maid to come in and assist you with your attire, if you'll excuse me."

Lucia managed a humming noise of approval and waved her hand at him rudely. However, Piercely did not see that due to his covered eyes and left at her grunt. Once he was out of the room, the young adult found the outfit she was looking for and quickly tossed it on the bed, yanking her night shirt over her head before the fresh garments even hit the sheets.

After a second of fumbling, the door opened and a maid rushed in, greeting Lucia in a flustered breath before the two got to work dressing her for the day. After many struggles, a lot of demands, several apologies and overly tightened laces, Lucia stood before a large mirror, admiring her appearance as the maid went about adjusting the final details of her clothing, whether it was tucking in a bit of shirt that had not been tackled yet, or securing her pants by tightening her belt.

Once the two let out a breath and stepped back, Lucia took a true note of her appearance. The outfit she had opted to wear was a simple beige shirt and brown formal pants that hid the fluffy edges of her brown snow boots from view. On her hands were matching brown gloves with the same fur lining and around her neck was a bronze and black mask with an attached set of goggles. Overall, the woman with her lilac hair, burnt orange eyes and rather notable scar covering the right side of her face felt pretty confident that she was ready to tackle the events of the day to come.

Lucia turned to the maid who quickly bowed her torso with her hands linked in front of her. "Y-you look wonderful, Lady Lucia! I'm sure your parents will say the same!"

The noble woman let a tiny smile cross her features and huffed out a sound of amusement, before she sauntered over to her bedroom door, opening it, only to falter in her first step when she almost walked into Piercely stood on the other side, a basket in one hand, while the other was raised to knock on the wooden surface leading to her private chambers. "Ah." He stated simply, blushing with embarrassment as he held out the basket for her. "I assumed you'd be leaving immediately and prepared a quick breakfast for your trip, lest you forget to eat."

"Ah yes, thank you Piercely." Lucia said, taking the basket and peeking inside, a fresh, sweet, pastry, a sealed bottle of orange juice, and several pieces of fruit resided inside; all of which were her favorite, even when she was not in a rush. "I'll need all the energy I can get for my initiation."

"Your parents are waiting for you in the dining room, though Lord Flurris has asked that I hurry you along to meet them, he too doesn't want you to be late on your first day."

The icy woman, who had shown very little emotion to those around her even now, let her expressionless act slip into a grimace at the thought of her father's words. He and she were alike in one sense, they were both cold, blunt and straightforward. She knew once she was in his line of sight, he would scold her heavily for oversleeping during this important event. "Ah yes, I best make haste." She started, walking with a brisk pace towards the winding spiral staircase leading to the main dining room. "Father isn't one for tardiness, especially today of all days."

Piercely was heard jogging up behind her, before he matched her speed and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Might I say, on behalf of the staff, Lady Lucia, that you'll be sorely missed after your departure."

This caused the cold woman to falter and turn around, arching a brow as the man blushed again, he was the shy one of the two of them, so her icy gaze never really stopped startling him. When she said nothing, he cleared his throat and continued, hands linked behind his back professionally. "Though we are beneath you in our status as common staff, we're just as proud of you as your parents are. Your presence was always a comfort, and it will be missed dearly by everyone once you leave."

Lucia's hard features finally softened and she let out a sigh, smiling slightly as she opened up just a little bit. "How many years have we known each other, Piercely?"

"Since you were just learning to walk, Lady Lucia."

"Then you know as well as I do that I won't be gone forever, I will return as often as I can, not just for my parents, but for my siblings, and you as well. You're more than my butler, you've been my friend since before I can remember."

Piercely immediately snapped his gaze to her's, surprised by her soft sentiment, before he too smiled and bowed his chest, one hand on his collarbone while the other remained behind his back. "Then allow me to wish you the best of luck, and...As your friend, and not your butler, ask that you take care and avoid injury during the many duties that will be assigned to you."

"Thank you, Piercely." Lucia nodded, turning and descending the stairs as the man followed behind. "I will make sure that I do not fall under the thumb of an enemy...After all, I want to see my younger brother and sister grow up, and I can't do that in the face of death."

"Quite right." Piercely increased his momentum and stopped in front of the door before Lucia reached it, opening the large intricate wooden barrier to reveal a luxurious dining room where the four other family occupants resided, along with a handful of servants catering to them. Lucia's mother and father, Gracia and Wintre Flurris, were sat on one side enjoying a fruitful breakfast and coffee, while Hailan and Hailia Flurris; the newborn twins, and Lucia's younger siblings, sat in their high chairs on the other side, making a fuss and refusing to eat as many of the servants surrounded them and attempted to calm their tantrums.

Upon seeing her family, that cold facade she held melted away completely and she walked over to her baby brother and sister, pressing a kiss to each of their foreheads. "Morning, young ones~." She sang soothingly, her warm heart almost exploding when they giggled and almost immediately calmed down enough to be fed. Lucia then turned to her parents and her mother choked out a sob, standing and tackling the poor young woman in a hug.

"Oh, to think you would follow in our footsteps, after all." Gracia cried, stepping back and wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. "You've made this old woman proud."

"Mother...!" Lucia started, about to protest over the 'old' comment, when her father cleared his throat and she straightened up almost instantly. The tall, bearded man stood from his chair and stormed over to them, looming over them with a height neither she, nor her siblings would inherit. His burnt orange eyes glared daggers into her own fearful ones as he assessed her form.

After a second of silence, he yanked her into a tight bear-hug, almost crushing the young woman in the process. "F-father!" She started, grunting as she flailed her arms for a moment, then gave into her fate, wrapping them as far around him as she could, hiding her face in his shoulder as the weight of her departure started to weight heavily upon her.

If her father was hugging her as his goodbye, she knew it meant she was finally leaving the safety of their arms and making her own way in the world. This realization, and the knowledge that she would not see her siblings grow up day-by-day hurt her more than any spell could.

"Do your family proud. I know you have it in you..." Wintre stated strongly, before pulling away, his eyes glassy with unshed tears, despite his cold expression.

Lucia cleared her throat and slammed her hand into her chest with three fingers pointing to the side, the Clover Kingdom's honorable salute. "Yes, sir!"

"Now go, you're already late to leave, I don't want you late to your initiation as well."

With a nod, the lilac-haired noble looked at her younger siblings, then her parents, then Piercely before gritting her teeth behind closed lips and turning to leave at long last. She hastily made her way down the halls and out of the front double doors into the blinding sunlight she had tried so hard to avoid only half an hour prior.

She lifted her hand to her forehead to block out some of the beams and spotted many other young mages, most younger than herself, flying overhead on their brooms towards a large castle in the distance, the center-piece of the Royal Capital, the Clover Castle. With a deep breath, Lucia grabbed her well-kept broom and tied the ribbon of the basket to the wooden shaft right near its tied on bristles, where one or two other bags had been secured by Piercely and the other servants. After that, she settled down, as if riding side-saddle on a horse, and lifted off into the air and at high speeds towards her destination, the same one as the many others flying before her.

The reason for her travel, the sorrowful goodbyes and the frantic rushing on her end? That day happened to be the first day of the rest of her life. The day prior, she had taken part in the Magic Knights Entrance Exam and had been accepted into the Magic Knight squad known as the Gray Deer lead by Julius Novachronos, the esteemed captain in charge of her peers. Now she was on her way to the Royal Capital to meet said captain, along with the other rookies who had passed the exams with flying colors, to be initiated into the Gray Deer squad and collect her Magic Knights robe, the symbol of her new role as a protector of the Clover Kingdom.

Her heart soared with excitement, though her face remained expressionless, and she slipped a grape from the basket on the end of her broom, popping it in her mouth as she eagerly watched the castle grow closer. Despite the trip being relatively short, she could not help but let her mind wander back to the events of the exam and the final hurdle she faced.

Lucia stood on the opposite side of a vast arena within a large Colosseum. Surrounding her and her opponent were many other young mages, all watching with bated breath as the esteemed daughter of the Flurris Family took on another noble of a higher status, who had done nothing but mock her since he had sought her out for their battle. While he was laughing and taunting, she merely stood there, glaring daggers into him without a word, not falling for his many sharp, yet petty comments.

On the stands above them, the Magic Knight captains sat, watching over their battles, assessing and evaluating their performances to choose whether they would accept them into their squad or not. Only those of a noble status were granted the ability to become good Magic Knights, therefore most, if not all of the mages trying out that day were of a noble status. However, due to one captain; Julius Novachronos, several common folk from the forbidden realm were also allowed to try out, though they were disadvantaged by the stigma they faced being those born with weaker magic.

Everyone hushed as the knight who played referee to their battle stepped forward. "We're ready for the final bout!" He stated, raising his hand, palm forward. "Let's go!" He then dropped said hand quickly, and both sides began the battle, raising their magical tomes, known as Grimoires from their holsters and opening them up to their designated pages.

Lucia was faster than the younger opponent though, tossing the book into the air, where it floated within a veil of magical power while she thrust her hand outwards towards her enemy. "Dry-Ice Magic: Shard Barrage!" Suddenly, just as those words left her lips, the earth beneath them rumbled, and the noble, shocked by the sudden tremors, watched as large daggers of frigid ice shot out from the ground towards him.

However, the mage in charge of this spell, let out a cry as one of those same shards pierced her outstretched arm, and she was forced to stop the attack just before it could hit, since her enemy had froze in his fear. She stood there, taking deep breaths as she held her arm, the gaping wound already sealed by the ice burns her magic caused. This blunder on her part caused the Magic Knight captains to mutter among themselves, wondering if she was truly Wintre Flurris' daughter, as he had impeccable control of his magic, despite its well-known unpredictable nature.

"...Ha..." The opponent weakly huffed out, looking at the destructive crevices left by the ice, then the woman's wound. "Ha ha ha!" He held his stomach as he fell into a fit of mocking laughter, pointing at her while others began to join in. "You are the esteemed daughter of the Flurris family? Don't make me laugh!"

Lucia gritted her teeth, her cold outer shell only cracking to reveal her anger beneath the surface. She remembered how her father had trained her specifically for this chance, how she had spent many months honing her skills so she could get to this point. She was not about to let some arrogant little insect take that away from her.

The noble flicked open his book and smirked, pushing his hair away from his face. "I should put you out of your misery, you're nothing but a blight to your family name, I wouldn't want their reputation tarnished because you're nothing more than a defect."

Those words caused something inside her to snap, and she ground out a snarl, crouching down as a well-executed lighting attack was sent her way. However, without really thinking too hard about it, the Grimoire at her side glowed and a new spell was revealed to her. "Dry-Ice Creation Magic!" She started, slamming her hands on the ground, dodging the bolt of electrically charged mana in the process. "Suffocating Stronghold!"

Suddenly, the ground shook again and instead of the spires the higher ranking noble had seen prior, he was surprised when four walls emerged one at a time, then a fifth wall seemed to grow from the front one, sealing him within a box of pure, hardened ice. Lucia crouched there, breathing heavily, as this new spell was a little more strenuous than she was used to.

"I..." The young noble woman ground out, standing up as her enemy cried out, having touched the walls of the ice, burning his hands in the process. "Am no mere shadow of my father..." She lifted her head and looked down her nose at the almost impenetrable container. "My name is Lucia Flurris, and yes, while I may be the daughter of Wintre Flurris...My strength is mine alone!"

Silence passed for a second, and once the complaints from the box subsided, Lucia relaxed and waved the spell away. Slowly, the walls of the ice crumbled and dissipated in the air, leaving a gaseous cloud behind, which caused many to cough and cover their mouths to avoid the toxic fumes. Once the open Colosseum cleared up, the referee went over to the unconscious man and crouched down, checking his pulse.

Once a pulse was found, the ref raised his hand and gestured to Lucia. "The winner is Lucia Flurris!"

Slowly, clapping could be heard from within the crowd of people around her, before cheers erupted from nearly everyone, especially those of a lower status than her own. Lucia looked towards the captains, and unlike most who seemed genuinely terrified of their strength, she met each of their gazes with a cold, hard glare. No words had to be spoken for them to know how deep her resolve ran.

This girl, despite her weakened control, would be valuable to any one of them with the right amount of training. Though she would be seen as weak by many of those within whichever squad accepted her. Julius watched her walk away and back into the crowd of people, where she was praised, despite her lack of a reaction to her victory.

She was definitely not her father.

Lucia broke away from her memory as she heard many of the other mages cheering as they finally flew over the wall of the Royal Capital, officially entering the place where their dreams would become a reality. She let a small smile cross her lips as she flew towards the headquarters of her own Magic Knight squad, the only one willing to give her a chance despite her lack of control.

The headquarters of the Gray Deer, lead by Captain Julius Novachronos, hailed as the captain closest to becoming the next Wizard King.

Lucia descended before the stairs leading up to the grand entrance of the large mansion used to house and operate the squad. She settled her feet on the stone pavement and got off her broom, looking up at the building with the same steel resolve she had shown the captains the day prior. Though, the moment was broken when suddenly, she was tackled from behind, stumbling forward with a startled cry as someone rushed past her.

"Ah damn! Sorry 'bout that!" The male voice called out, footsteps heard as Lucia looked up to see a shock of spiky bronze tinted hair dart out of sight, before she could even vocalize her disgust and anger towards his rude actions.

"Tch..." Lucia sneered, straightening up and dusting off her beige shirt. "Filthy commoner..." She took a deep breath and started the ascension into the Gray Deer headquarters. Today, was the day she started her life, and the day she would learn just what it meant to be a Magic Knight.

Whether she was ready for that honor or not...had yet to be determined.

A/N: Thank you guys for reading! Please review, as your comments really help motivate me and aid me in becoming a better writer!

Please give Lucia a chance, she may seem like a bit of a...well, a bitch, but she does get better as the story progresses!

I hope you enjoyed my first chapter!