Summary: Within the world exists a variety of realms. To bridge those realms take powerful magic. To one newly made Magic Knight, it only takes a friendship. Araceli is as odd as she is cheerful and brings to the Black Bulls a truly unique magic unlike any other. With her special "friends", she's determined to defend all.

Kyandi: Hello everyone! For those of you who already know me, welcome to a new series that I've been working on for a while. To those of you new to me, buckle up for a crazy ride. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated, as is constructive criticism. Please do not flame me. If you don't like the story, stop reading. Don't insist on telling me how horrible you think I am. I will report all who flame me. Please and thank you. Please, enjoy and review. I do not own Black Clover.

Chapter 1 Like Recognizes Like

The hardest thing about being an outcast isn't the love you don't receive. Its' the love you long to give that nobody wants.

Yuno and Asta had long since forgotten who it was who had originally told them that. The deep insight into the heart of outcasts had faded to the back of their minds years ago; always there, but rarely accessed. It resounded with them, but with their makeshift family at the church, they didn't truly understand the depth of it.

Not until they met her.

The Magic Knight exams were closing in quick and Yuno and Asta set out on their trip to the castle town where they would test themselves to see if they were Magic Knight material. The trip was a long one, the two having to travel from the far reaches of the Forsake Realm. It was half way through this trek that Asta, in one of his competitions to out run Yuno, ran right into the very girl that would become one of their greatest friends.

Rounding a large rock formation, just a step or two ahead of Yuno, a yelp sounded as Asta crashed right into someone. Yuno came to a stop before he could join the tangle of limbs on the ground. There, tangled with Asta, was a young girl about their age.

Hair as white as snow barely skimmed thin shoulders. She was slight, fair-skinned, with generous curves fitted into a backless, purple dress that fit her like a glove down to her thighs. The bottom half was looser, allowing for unrestricted movement. A strip of flesh could be seen between the hem and the toe-less and heel-less black stockings she wore. Boots in the same toe-less and heel-less fashion took over at her knees. Fingerless gloves in the same color reached up to her biceps.

Standing over them, Yuno had the perfect view of the large, horribly vivid scar that encompassed the majority of her small back as a whole. It spread between her shoulder blades, reaching from her nap down to the small of her back. He couldn't imagine what kind of wound could result in such a horrid scar.

"Ow..." The girl shifted as Asta finally realized he was sitting on someone and jumped off, apology after apology leaving him. Reaching back, she rubbed her scarred back as she turned to look up at them. The two boys were greeted by an adorable, imp-like, heart-shaped face with doe-eyed eyes of a pretty lavender color, a button nose, and cupid bow lips.

"I'm sorry!" Asta yelled, never able to talk at a normal range.

A soft smile curled the girl's lips and she waved him off as she climbed to her feet, dusting herself off. "It's fine. No harm, no foul."

Standing, they caught sight of the simple, silver link belt around her waist from which hung the black holster pouch that held her crystal blue and crimson red grimoire. They couldn't see the clover, but Yuno could sense the well of mana in and around her, clinging to her skin in a beloved caress.

"Are you alright?" Yuno asked.

"Perfectly fine. A few aches, but those will pass." The girl, done with dusting off her clothes, turned bejeweled eyes on the two boys. "I'm Araceli. You can call me Celi if you want. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Asta!"

"Yuno."

Araceli nodded, filing away the names. "A pleasure."

"I apologize for him. He doesn't always think," Yuno told her.

"Hey!"

Araceli stifled a laugh when Asta turned on his foster brother. "You're fine, really. I was kind of spacing out, anyway. I spotted an albino bird and was distracted watching it. I'm just as much to blame." She awkwardly scratched one plump cheek. "I hope you're alright."

"I'm fine!" Asta declared, banging a hand against his chest.

"You couldn't hurt this muscle-head if you tried," Yuno assured her, getting an air-headed agreement from Asta.

Araceli giggled before offering her hand to the two. "Either way, it's nice to meet you two." Yuno took her hand, surprised by the firmness of her grip. "Are you two on your way to the Magic Knight exam?"

"Yeah! How'd you know?" Asta asked.

"I suppose like can recognize like. I'm heading there myself." Araceli released Yuno's hand, laying her hand on her grimoire.

"Cool! What kind of magic do you have?" Asta asked curiously, his eyes dropping to the holster her grimoire sat in.

"Oh, Araceli sheepishly smiled, her hands folding together. "It's really an unorthodox magic and I would rather show then tell. If you don't mind, I'd like to leave that for the exams."

"We can keep a secret!" Asta insisted, crossing his heart.

"Asta, leave her alone." Araceli smiled as Yuno scolded him.

"I've been judged harshly for my magic, so I would really rather let you get to know me before you see my magic," she told them, a sad smile on her face.

Asta could understand that, so he dropped the subject and switched to another one, the three continuing down the road. "Where are you from?"

"Do you know where Bernat Village is?" Araceli asked.

"It's at the base of the Barret Mountains. Just on the edge of the Forsaken Realm," Yuno answered.

Araceli nodded. "I live at the top of the mountain that the village sits at the base of."

"The top?" Yuno glanced up at her. "Isn't the mountain range a grand magic zone?"

Araceli nodded. "It is. The weather throughout the mountain swing from one extreme to the other. Those of us who live on and around the mountains know the cycle and when it's safe to travel up and down the trails."

"And you actually travel it?!" Asta asked in awe.

"I do." Araceli smiled. "My adopted father has a garden up there where he grows herbs for oils and spice mixtures. He supplies the whole kingdom with both. The soil at the top of the mountains is exceptionally good for cultivating the herbs."

Asta blinked at her. "You're adopted?"

"Not legally. I'm an orphan. Julian took me in and raised me after my mother died." A smile curled her lips. "I take if from you reaction that you're orphans, too?"

Yuno nodded. "Yes. We grew up at the church in Hage Village."

"Well, at least you have each other and those who raised you." Araceli's expression turned fond. "Julian is great and I love him like he was my real father. That said, I'm not really welcomed in Bernat, so its usually just the two of us up on the mountain."

Asta turned a confused look on her. "Why aren't you welcome?"

"There's this old...fable in Bernat about this race of white-haired people who supposedly lived in the area during the time of the first Wizard King. They were said to be demons and were thought to be the cause of the large demon that attacked the kingdom." Araceli clasped her hands behind her back. "The fable said that all of them had white hair and pointed ears." Reaching up, Araceli tucked her hair behind one ear, revealing the slightly pointed tip before she flattened her hair over her ear once more. "Because of that fable, people born with white hair and pointed ears, like me, are considered bad omens, demon children. I have never been accepted in the village."

Asta sputtered over his words, outraged. "That's not fair!"

Araceli merely smiled at him. "Sadly, life isn't fair. There are a lot of odd things about me, Asta. Seeing who sticks around after finding out about them, and who doesn't, makes it easy for me to tell who truly is my friends. The white hair and freaky ears are only the start of it."

"You certainly have a lot of optimism," Yuno remarked.

Araceli smiled brightly. "A smile a day keeps the dark clouds away. Julian told me that that was something my mother used to say before she passed away."

Yuno glanced at her smiling face. She wasn't as loud or obnoxious as Asta, but she seemed to have the same bright out look as him. He had a feeling that both he and Asta would get along well with her. "Well, I don't think you should hide your ears. They're cute."

Just when he didn't think her smile could get any bigger, it did. Gratitude shown in her lavender eyes as she looked at him. "Thank you."

Having made a new friend, the three decided to travel the rest of the way together.

END

Kyandi: It's a short chapter, but the next one should be a bit longer. I'll also start my usual character interactions with the next chapter. I shall be right back with the next chapter, so I hope you all enjoy and review. Bye!