I do not own Black Clover or any of its characters.
Monsters
Dane sighed as Raya appeared beside him again, in her human form this time, and Dane's impulses began to quiet themselves.
"Well, that's a relief," Vanessa smiled.
"Thank goodness," Noelle smiled.
"How are you on mana?" Dane asked.
"I'm out," Raya said bitterly. "I won't be able to help when the Witch Queen betrays you."
"It's alright," Dane said. "She uses blood, and we have Mars. I can handle it. And I can always have Ko and Nue help me."
Raya nodded. "I'm sorry. I'm supposed to be your strongest spirit."
"You are," Dane smiled. "That's why you're so tired. I've had to rely on you to keep me alive for three horrible enemies in a row. If you weren't the strongest, you wouldn't be so exhausted now."
Raya nodded, smiling. "How're your burns?"
Dane grimaced. "I'll be glad to get this armor off, but I had to get rid of my clothes so they didn't catch fire, so that's going to be a minute."
Raya grimaced, then nodded. "Burns in any bad locations?"
"One on my back and one on my shoulder," Dane said. "Thankfully, my fun bits are okay."
Raya snorted. "Glad to know the most important parts are alright."
Dane smiled, shrugging.
"Why did the Eye of the Midnight Sun enter the Forest in the first place?" Vanessa asked.
"Because the Bitch Queen has a Magic Stone for an earring," Dane said, walking over as Raya went home. "We should go back and take it from her."
"That's a terrible idea!" Vanessa snapped.
"Hold on, first thing's first," Fanzell said. "Let's make sure everyone else is safe, first. Domina, Mariella, and all those witches."
"Yeah, about that," Dane growled. "We have bigger problems."
Just then, a monstrous amount of mana began to rage from off to the side, and before anyone could react, a dozen pale, blue lasers made of pure mana exploded into the air, then arced down at them.
"Everyone, run away!" Fanzel warned.
"Shit!" Dane swore, dropping and slamming his hands to the ground.
A wall of steel burst up in front of Dane, shielding him, but he hadn't had time to shield anyone else, and as the dust settled, everyone except him and Asta was down.
"You're right, that was an awful lot of magic you fed me," a cocky voice called out as the other Diamond General that had been chasing Mars and Fanzell earlier walked out of the trees, completely unscathed. "It took a few good minutes to absorb all of it! Thanks for the meal! For a second there, I was sure I was a goner!"
"It can't be!" Fanzell gaped. "You were out of power!"
"No, I just fired it all off then pulled it back in," the general explained. "You're pretty good at magic detection, Teach, but you rely on it way too much!"
"What're his abilities, Mars," Dane asked. "Besides absorbing magic."
"While we're on the subject," the general continued, "I have a question. Why are all of you softies so quick to throw your lives away to save somebody else's?"
He was staring past Dane at Mars, who had encased his body in crystal and tackled Fana to shield her from a blast.
"Mars?" Dane asked.
"Reinforcement Magic," Mars said. "And Ladros can discharge mana he's absorbed in blasts, like he just did."
"That's it?" Dane asked.
"Yes," Mars said, beginning to try and stand.
"No!" Fana gasped. "He'll kill you!"
"That's the smartest thing you've said all day," Ladros acknowledged.
Then, he unleashed a rapid series of blasts at Mars, only for Asta to step between them and begin deflecting the blasts, shielding Mars and Fana. As he did, Dane drew his own sword, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, wonderful," Ladros said sarcastically. "Now this little reject's trying to interfere. Step aside, Shorty! This doesn't concern you!"
"Of course it does!" Asta snapped. "I can't let you hurt him! He's my friend!"
"Asta!" Mars rasped, but then tried to stand and immediately passed out on top of Fana.
"Hang on, I'll heal you!" Fana said, only for nothing to happen. "Oh, no! I'm out of Magic Power!"
"You just stay there!" Asta called back to her.
"Leave this to us," Dane ordered the others.
Asta lunged, but Ladros leapt backward.
"Whoa!" Ladros called out. "Wait a second, kid! I think I recognize you! You're that magicless knight who fights using Anti-Magic, aren't you? Trust me, I know your pain! I was born without a magic attribute. Isn't that something? When I was growing up, all the other kids used to make fun of me and say that I was bland and boring! But, hey, at least I had magic, right? Unlike you!"
"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for ya!" Asta snapped.
"I feel sorry for you!" Ladros taunted.
"Then gimme your magic!" Asta snapped.
"You know, I certainly would if I could," Ladros said, Asta snarling. "Aw, fine." He formed a sphere of concentrated mana in his hand and held it over his head. "Can you reach it?"
Asta began to shout in annoyance and stomp on the ground like a toddler.
"No, but I can reach you," Dane growled from behind Ladros, who hadn't even noticed him move.
"Hah!" Ladros scoffed. "You think getting up close means your attacks will work!?"
"Yes," Dane said, pressing a palm to Ladros's back. "Die."
Ladros spun away, escaping death by millimeters, but his cloak was transformed into air, as Dane had meant to do to Ladros himself as well. Ladros shouted in surprise and landed in a backward skid, glaring at Dane, who glared right back.
"Shit, you're pretty good," Ladros admitted. "How'd you do that?"
"I transformed your cloak to air," Dane said. "I'd have done the same to you, if you hadn't moved."
Ladros's smile slipped slightly as he realized the threat Dane actually posed. "I couldn't absorb that use of magic, either. You're scary. A lot more than the pipsqueak. Fine. I'll take you seriously, then." He stepped onto a branch broken off from a tree and flew it into the air like a broom. "Million Lasers!"
In an instant, lasers began to rain down at both Asta and Dane. Asta began to block them with his sword, bouncing others back at Ladros, only for him to absorb them and recycle the mana into more lasers. However, as Asta was struggling to hold his own, Dane took off, flipping, spinning and rolling around the lasers, his hands brushing the ground anywhere they could and sending enormous stone spikes flashing up at Ladros, who avoided them after the first grazed his side and tore through his skin.
"You're keeping your magic restricted to the second half of the spikes so that I can't absorb them!" Ladros laughed. "Not bad! You're doing a lot better than the pipsqueak! From this range, he's entirely useless on his own!"
"You may know somethings about me," Asta snarled, "but if you think you can hurt my friends and get away with it, then you don't know me at all!"
"Friends, huh?" Ladros asked. "There's no such thing as friends. This world has two types of people. Those who use and those who get used." He flipped over a stone spike, narrowly avoiding it and finally managing to blast Dane, sending him crashing into a tree. "I made it where I am by using the ones you'd call my friends."
"Boo hoo," Dane said, pushing himself up, his Diamond Metal skin glinting in the sun as he dusted himself off. "Poor Ladros. Are we supposed to feel bad for you because you're lonely? Sorry, I'm fresh out of pity. You hurt Vanessa, so I'm going to make you scream for mercy. And then I'm going to kill you!"
Ladros's eyes narrowed, and he began to fire his lasers again. Then, suddenly, Asta's smaller sword stabbed into his shoulder and Ladros's laugh halted as his magic all but vanished. He fell instantly, crashing down hard, and Dane walked forward. Dane's arm began to change shape, Dane shouting in pain through gritted teeth as his arm mutated into a barrel, as he'd used against Vetto, and he stopped with it held directly above Ladros's face.
"Any last words, insect?" Dane growled.
"Please!" Ladros shrieked. "Don't hurt me! I'm sorry!"
"That's right, vermin," Dane growled. "Beg. Plead for mercy."
Ladros's eyes widened as he remembered what Dane had promised to do.
"I said, plead!" Dane snapped, an explosion erupting from his arm, tiny spheres of Diamond Metal blasting into his abdomen and ripping his flesh apart, though Dane had restricted the power to make it non-lethal.
Ladros screamed in agony, flailing and begging for mercy. Dane's face split into a wicked grin.
"Louder!" Dane shouted over Ladros's screams, stomping on his newest wound.
Ladros's screams grew in volume.
"Dane, stop!" Asta shouted. "You don't need to torture him!"
"Stay out of this!" Dane snapped. "Time to die, Ladros!"
Then, just as Dane moved to aim at Ladros's face again, Ladros hurled himself to the side, avoiding the blast by inches before using Reinforcement Magic to rip the sword out. Then, he spun, a pair of blasts slamming into Asta and Dane, hurling both of them away.
"You piece of shit!" Dane roared in anger and agony as his arm returned to its normal form. "Fine, then! We'll do it the fun way!"
A tendril of sand dropped Dane's sword into his hand from where he'd left it with the others, and Dane stalked after Ladros. However, before he could reach him, Ladros grabbed Fana around the throat.
"I'm gonna need you to cast that super strong spell, right now, or he dies!" Ladros said, blasting Mars and hurling him into the air. "It'll only take one more to kill him!"
"I won't let you!" Fana shrieked just as Salamander formed around her, this time entirely from flames.
"Bingo!" Ladros cheered.
"Oh no you don't!" Dane snarled. "Transmutation Magic, Ultimate Shield!"
A dome of Diamond Metal exploded out of the ground around Ladros, but it was too late. Salamander lunged into the opening just before it closed and was trapped inside with him.
"Shit!" Dane swore. "This is gonna be bad. Asta, be ready for-"
A beam of mana exploded through the dome, punching through Asta's left shoulder before anyone could react. The side of the dome facing them exploded apart, allowing Ladros to walk out of it with a wide grin, flames forming a large cloak behind him and formed around his hands like clawed gloves. Dane shouted in rage, charging, only for five beams to punch through Dane's torso easily, melting through his Diamond Metal skin like a raindrop through mist. Dane fell to his knees, his flesh returning to normal, and blood sprayed out of his wounds, splashing across the ground and pouring down his body.
Ladros cackled. "With a spell like this, I'm unstoppable!"
Dane grit his teeth, pressing his hand to his torso, but he stopped himself. He couldn't tend to these wounds himself. They were too severe. He'd die if he tried to heal himself with his magic. His head spun and he tipped to the side, crashing to the ground with a weak groan.
"Guess you're not quite as dangerous as I thought!" Ladros cackled. "Shame your magic doesn't allow for Recovery Spells! I can't wait to put the other Shining Generals to shame! And more than that, the entire kingdom will be mine for the taking! I'll make the world pay dearly for looking down on me! But before I do, guess I should finish what I started, huh?"
He blasted Asta again just as Asta managed to get back on his feet. Dane groaned, reaching for his sword, but he didn't have the strength to lift it, much less fight. And he was bleeding out rapidly. Then, he froze as something changed. Something broke. It was the same feeling as Dane had felt during Asta's final assault against Vetto. He turned his head, forced his vision to focus, and stared at Asta. Something was wrong. Horribly wrong. His right arm, his sword, the right side of his head, all of them were cloaked in some pitch black power, dark red lightning flashing off of him and a pitch black wing spread out behind his right shoulder. His right eye's iris had turned the color of blood, and his hair had turned black on the right side. Something was terribly, horribly wrong. But as Asta spoke, it was still him.
"My magic...is never giving up!" Asta declared.
Dane stared at the darkness. It wasn't magic, but it was powerful. Horrifyingly so. But even still, Ladros cackled, not grasping the gravity of the situation.
"So, you had this big, dramatic transformation!" Ladros mused. "Did you expect me to be impressed by that or something!?"
Ladros fired a blast at Asta, and Asta grunted as he slashed it, canceling it but also shattering the ground. Except, the reality of that was lost on Ladros as Ladros took to the sky, firing a massive barrage of blasts down at Asta.
"You're mine!" Ladros cackled.
Except, Asta was flying as well. None of the blasts could catch Asta, and with a slash of Asta's sword from more than a hundred meters away, the sword that didn't absorb and use magic, an arc of whatever the power was flashed across the distance, slicing cleanly through Ladros's power and splitting Ladros's cheek open. And then, the battle spread. The entirety of the Forest of Witches became their battlefield, and then the skies as they raced through the clouds. Dane's brain began to grow sluggish. He couldn't track their movements. Couldn't tell who was winning, who was losing. He couldn't even tell where they were for the majority of the fight. But as the fight amped up more and more, the destruction grew more and more devastating. One of Asta's strikes decimated a half mile of the ground. A barrage from Ladros leveled a massive swath of the Forest. A beam from Ladros leveled a mountain. Another blasted through one mountain and turned it into a tsunami of magma before doing the same to another. Dane watched as even the land around the Forest of Witches was rapidly remodeled. But as the fight dragged on, darkness began to encroach on his vision. It was too late. He was going to die. No one around them could heal him, due to either not having Recovery Magic or not having enough strength to use it. Raya didn't even have enough power left to return to his side.
And then, just as Dane felt himself starting to slip, the fight ended. Asta landed in the crater a second before Ladros crashed down behind him, and Dane stared at Asta, and the horn the dark energy had formed on the right side of his head. Asta had become a monster. Then, Dane's vision darkened and he began to slip. He sighed. Maybe it was better this way. If he died, he wouldn't hurt Vanessa or Charmy. He wouldn't kill them. Charmy would be hurt by him dying, Vanessa too, probably, but they'd live. And Raya would get her power back. She wouldn't have to limit herself by keeping him alive anymore. Yes, this was the best option.
"Dane! Hold on! You have to stay awake! Please!"
That voice. That was Vanessa's voice. He tried to move, to speak. He wanted to apologize and say goodbye before he died, but he didn't have the strength left. He'd lost too much blood. He sighed internally. It was for the best. Maybe. Probably. He didn't have the heart to see her crying.
"Please, Dane! You can't leave me! You promised we would talk after this! You can't die!"
That was true. He had promised to talk to them about their relationship. He chuckled in his head as he realized he was too tired to pretend it was anything else. Too tired to pretend they weren't in a three-way relationship. Too tired to pretend he didn't have feelings for them. But then, he was also too tired to be scared by that truth. He wanted to tell her. To be able to see it at least once. But he was so tired. He couldn't move. Couldn't feel anything but cold. He'd lost too much blood.
And then, he was warm. Something washed over him in a flood. It was warm, and thick, and sticky. And it smelled coppery. Blood. It was blood. The Witch Queen. That was right. He still hadn't protected them from the most dangerous enemy. The Witch Queen was betraying them. But he didn't have the strength left to stop her. He'd lost too much blood. But then, a though occurred to him. If he had lost too much blood, and she was so helpfully supplying a flood of it, why not take her up on her offer? He let out an exhausted groan, fighting against the exhaustion. Forcing his eyes to work, to open. His vision was blurry, and it was a struggle to keep them open, but as he looked around, he saw that he wasn't lying on the ground anymore. He was trapped, suspended on a cross made from the Witch Queen's blood with it wrapped around his forearms and abdomen. A tired smile slowly formed on his lips, and he turned his hand, pressing it to the cross. The spell didn't block his magic like most Binding Spells. It was only a physical restraint. At least, for right now.
"Perfect," Dane rasped. "Thank you."
In a wave starting at his hands, the blood cross flowed inward, breaking down on a molecular level and reforming, restructuring itself from the Witch Queen's blood into his own. It flooded into his wounds, joining what little blood he had left. And as he felt his strength returning, he fell to the ground, splashing down in the pool of blood below, and drew from that as well.
"What are you doing!?" the Witch Queen shrieked.
"Helping myself to your generous offering," Dane grinned. "You're too kind."
And then, the blood joined his flesh and bones, repairing the damage almost seamlessly, though bonding the new flesh to his skin left five fresh scars. But it worked. He felt his strength returning, albeit not fully, as his body pumped its freshly resupplied blood through his body. He stood, picking up the sword his hand had landed on by pure coincidence.
"Now, then," Dane smirked. "I believe this is the part where I kill you for double-crossing us."
"Imperfect!" the Witch Queen snarled just as Asta began to scream, clutching at his head in agony. "My magic allows me to manipulate blood as I please. Ever since I cast that healing spell on-"
A spike of iron burst out of the blood below the Queen, missing her by inches, but tearing the side of her dress's skirt and skewering her hat.
"You pathetic worm!" the Queen seethed. "I am the Queen here! You will die screaming in agony! Blood Magic, Puppet's Blood!"
Dane looked over at Asta, who had pulled his larger sword from his Grimoire, branches of blood reaching out of his skin, controlling him. Dane narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on his sword. As Asta's sword swung down beside him, the branches of blood broke apart and faded, but Asta was still under the queen's control.
"You think controlling Asta will save you?" Dane asked. "I can fight a puppet and attack you at the same time."
"Don't be so sure," the Queen said. "Blood Recovery Magic, Curse-Breaking Blood-Filled Cocoon."
Dane smirked, allowing the Queen to heal Asta. He was seriously injured, so this was the perfect opportunity for Asta to be treated before Dane killed the Queen.
"Stay by me, and you may wreak all the havoc you like," the Witch Queen said as the spell began to fade. "As for that sword, if I cannot wield it myself, I simply need to be the master of the one who can, and you've just demonstrated how you use it. So for as long as you live, you're going to carry this weapon as though it were mine."
And then, the same dark power as Asta had used to fight Ladros formed over Asta's right side again, and Dane's eyes narrowed. That complicated matters. This he wasn't sure he could face, and certainly not while splitting his attention. He'd have to incapacitate Asta first. As the sphere of darkness around Asta faded and left him in the same form as against Ladros, the Witch Queen chuckled.
"And now for your first order," she intoned. "I want you to kill every one of these pathetic weaklings with your own hands. Do a perfect job and leave none alive."
Asta crouched, letting out a feral snarl as his muscles tensed in preparation to strike.
"Asta, no!" Noelle whimpered.
"Asta!" vanessa shouted. "Don't do this!"
"Wake up!" Fanzell shouted.
"Now, which one of them would I like to slaughter first?" the Witch Queen mused. "Ah yes. It's only proper to start with royalty."
Dane stepped between Asta and Noelle, holding his sword in front of him with both hands. He grit his teeth. He wasn't a trained sword fighter. Asta's skill with a sword, even while not impressive on its own, surpassed his. Dane would have to fight dirty for this.
"Oh, a volunteer," the Queen noted. "Very well, yes. Let's start with the vermin who refuses to sit in its cage. Kill him."
"Don't hurt him!" Vanessa pleaded.
"Hey, get a hold of yourself!" Fanzell shouted. "This isn't you, Asta!"
"Asta!" Noelle called out. "It's me, Noelle! I know you remember!"
"It's no use," Dane said. "He's not in control right now. I'll be as gentle as I can."
Then, Asta charged. Dane focused, dulling his sword until it was closer to a club shaped like a sword, and struck. Their blades clashed twice before Asta's enhanced speed won out. Except, Asta's left hand caught his right, halting the strike.
"So, even after all this, she still doesn't have full control of him," Fanzell sighed.
"Take a nap, Asta!" Dane roared, striking.
And then, Asta was fighting again. He deflected a series of strikes before striking back, though Dane knew in an instant that Asta fighting for control, even while losing, was keeping the strikes non-fatal. Even so, Asta's blade tore a gash in his cheek, in his left shoulder, his right thigh. Dane swore as he struggled to fend off Asta. He had failed to account for Asta's enhanced abilities. As he deflected Asta's sword, he turned his foot sharply and an iron fist exploded out of the blood behind Asta, only for him to slash it off and continue his spin, striking at Dane. Dane blocked it but was hurled backward. He slammed down on his upper shoulders and rolled backward to his feet, gritting his teeth.
"I'll make you a deal!" Vanessa shrieked. "I'll stay here! I will never disobey you again! Just let him go! Just don't hurt Dane!"
"No," the Witch Queen refused flatly. "He's going to kill each of them perfectly here and now, so that I can put an end to your defiance."
Dane charged back into battle with Asta, using more and more iron fists from the blood, only for Asta to fend them and Dane off perfectly.
"Vanessa, my scrying foretold that you would someday come back here alive with something I wanted," the Witch Queen continued, even as she forced Asta to fight Dane. "That's why I didn't search for you. However, I must admit I had not anticipated that this 'something I wanted' would reveal itself to be a human boy wielding an Anti-Magic weapon. What did you gain by fleeing this forest?"
Dane grunted in pain as Asta kicked him, throwing him backward just in time to get him out of the way of a slash that would have split him in half, instead only slicing a shallow gash in his abdomen.
"You may have shared a fleeting bond with these imperfect worms, but in the end, it only led them to their deaths," the Queen said cruelly. "No matter where you run, your ties to me cannot be broken."
"To you?" Vanessa breathed.
"You are my daughter, after all, and family lasts forever," the Witch Queen said.
"We're family?" Vanessa asked. "What do you mean by that?"
"I'm saying that you belong to me," the Queen said coldly."
Dane ducked under Asta's blade, striking for Asta's head at the same time as sending a half dozen iron fists to do the same. However, Asta spun, the flat of his blade sending Dane crashing away from him before he slashed all of the arms, destroying them all. Dane growled as he pushed himself back up, wiping blood from a split in his lip and licking the cut to use his saliva to stem the bleeding. And then, he charged back in. He just needed one good hit. Just enough to stop Asta from attacking for a minute so he could target the Queen. He just needed one good strike.
"You wanted to know what I gained from the outside world," Vanessa said as Dane struggled to get his attacks past Asta's blade. "Well, I learned something."
"Which is?" the Queen asked as Asta's blade grazed Dane's back, Dane's own cracking against Asta's.
"You're not my family, and you never were!" Vanessa snapped. "'Cause the Black Bulls are my family!"
Then, just as Dane and Asta both exploded forward again, Vanessa's Grimoire shone, her threads flailing through the air before her. And then, just as a red cat landed on Dane's shoulder, both struck.
"It's time to pay for underestimating the Queen of Witches," the Witch Queen intoned.
Then, Asta's blade exploded through Dane's only to deflect off of what remained on the hilt, missing Dane by an inch. The Queen snarled in rage, forcing Asta to strike again, only for Asta the little red cat to land on Asta's shoulder, Asta's sword driving itself into the ground beside Dane's head.
"Is it...throwing off his swings?" Dane breathed. "No, this is something else."
By all rights, when Dane's sword broke, Asta should have split him in two. It would have taken a miracle for Asta's strike to miss, and yet, it had. The cat was doing something. Dane glanced at Vanessa, who watched in shock as Asta charged Finral. The cat caught up to Asta, brushing its front paws against Asta's leg, and a moment later, the strike missed Finral by millimeters as well. The Queen sent him after Noelle, but as the cat tagged Asta's back, Asta's strike swept down and severed the cross she was bound to.
Dane's eyes widened. The cat was altering Asta's fate, and had altered Dane's when his sword broke. Vanessa had found the spell to control fate, just as the Queen of Witches had claimed she could. She'd done it.
Dane looked back to Asta as he slashed the cat, but the cat's body merely stitched itself back together before tapping Asta in the head. And a moment later, Asta's crossguard smacked Asta in the side of the head, breaking the Witch Queen's control over him. Dane's eyes widened before he grinned wickedly, turning his gaze on the Queen. Her best weapon was no longer in her control. She was his.
"Well, how about that?" the Queen smirked. "I'm impressed that you realized this power. Vanessa, you've done so well! How I've waited for this day!" She reached out toward Vanessa, making a fist. "Blood Magic, Puppet Blood!"
Vanessa began to spasm, crying out in pain through gritted teeth as thick red veins began to spread from her eyes, as they had done around Asta's eyes while he was under the Witch Queen's control.
"Vanessa!" Noelle shrieked.
Then, the Witch Queen exploded forward, holding a blood scythe. However, before Dane could intervene, the red catch's paws connected with the Witch Queen's forehead, and the blood pool below them exploded, sending everyone flying as the Binding Spell holding everyone else ended. Dane sprinted over to Vanessa instantly, lifting her into his lap and wiping the blood off of her face for her. Fanzell's two companions both ran over, but Dane ignored them, feeling Vanessa's neck for a pulse.
"You did it, Vanessa," Dane smiled as he found it. "You saved us all. You're incredible."
"Well, I couldn't let you die," Vanessa smiled, sitting up, then staring at the Witch Queen, who was on her hands and knees, panting, her pink hair hanging loosely around her, having originally been in a twisted bun after Dane removed her hat when he stabbed it with the first iron spike but knocked loose by the blood explosion.
"So, uh...what'd you do to her?" Dane asked.
"I'm...not sure," Vanessa admitted.
She stood, Dane helping her up, then together they walked over to the Witch Queen. The cat jumped up onto Vanessa's shoulder, and she rubbed its head lightly, the cat purring.
"So, this is what you meant when you said that I could control destiny," Vanessa mused. "I don't know too much yet about this power or how to use it, but one thing's for certain. I can already tell it'll always side with me and those I hold dear. Which means you and I don't have any ties."
Dane smiled, taking Vanessa's hand.
"She's become perfect," the Queen said.
"What'd you just say?" Dane growled, preparing to attack as the Queen stood, only for her to raise her hands placatingly.
"Do as you see fit," the Witch Queen said. "It seems I must admit defeat. Blood Recovery Magic, Curse-Breaking Blood-Filled Cocoon!"
The spell spread beyond the crater, filling the entirety of the Forest of Witches. Dane's jaw dropped as the spell rapidly began to heal everyone in the forest, hundreds of people all at once. Then, it faded, and everyone began to scrape themselves up off of the ground. Dane looked down at his torso, but his scars were still there, though his wounds were healed into scars. All of them were jagged and ridged, however, so he'd have to ask Mimosa to see if she could fade them like she had the one on his back.
"Did we...win?" Noelle asked as the Witch Queen began to walk away.
Vanessa smiled, winking at Noelle, and Noelle began to cry, throwing her arms around her.
"You were so amazing, Vanessa!" Noelle cried. "Your new spell saved all of us!"
Vanessa smiled, hugging Noelle back, and Dane sighed. Everyone began to celebrate, and Dane smiled. It was finally over.
"All this is thanks to you!" Noelle smiled, wiping her eyes.
"No, it isn't," Vanessa said, smiling. "It was everyone here. My friends are the reason I could use that spell. Thank you all."
"Guess you're right," Noelle smiled.
Just then, Asta realized that all of his pain was gone, so he began to work out to celebrate.
"That's our Asta," Vanessa smiled. "Knock him down and he just gets right back up."
"And in case you haven't noticed, you need to put a shirt on!" Noelle shrieked at Asta, blushing.
"Crap!" Asta shrieked. "You're right!"
Dane shook his head, chuckling. Then, as Noelle slapped Asta, Dane tugged Vanessa's hand. She turned, and he met her with a kiss, Vanessa sighing and kissing him back, looping her arms around his shoulders as his hands came to rest on the small of her back. They stayed there for several seconds before finally separating.
"Thank you for saving me at the end," Dane smiled. "I'm still going to have to have that talk."
"I know," Vanessa nodded.
Dane smiled, kissing her again. "But the talk's not going to be what I expected."
"It's not?" Vanessa frowned.
Dane shook his head. "I love you, Vanessa. And even though that still scares me, I'm not going to let myself run away anymore."
Vanessa's eyes watered, and she lunged forward, kissing him again. He smiled, kissing her back, and all of the others grinned, walking away to give them some semblance of privacy. After several minutes, Dane finally pulled back, and they headed to the Witch Queen's palace together, walking in as Fanzell was asking her about the Magic Stone the Eye of the Midnight Sun had been looking for.
"The Magic Stone you speak of is most likely this," the Witch Queen said, pointing at her earring before pulling the stone out of it. "However, it's of no use to me. You may take it."
"Are you serious?" Asta asked, catching the stone. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty! Wow! Okay, so we know that this is what the Eye of the Midnight Sun was after, but do you know why they would want it? Who are those guys and what are they trying to do? Got any info?"
"That stone is a type of magic item that enhances the magic power of the individual who wears it," the Queen explained. "But only a member of the Elf Tribe is able to use it effectively."
"Elf tribe?" Asta asked.
"They're quite gifted in magic," the Witch Queen explained. "Many centuries ago, their kind resided in the place that is now known as the Forsaken Realm. Every member of the Elf Tribe was blessed with unbelievable magical prowess. Some even had capabilities that rivaled my own strength. Sadly, they fell into war with the humans, who outnumbered them, and the elves were annihilated. The Third Eye that appeared on Fana's head before she came to her senses is a kind of Forbidden Magic. However, Fana was not the one who unleashed its power. She was merely a vessel controlled by another entity. Forbidden Magic is beyond the reach of humans, you see."
"Okay, now you've lost me," Asta said.
"She was possessed," Dane explained. "By an Elf who was able to use an incredibly powerful but evil type of magic."
"Oh," Asta blinked.
"The casting of Forbidden Magic requires extraordinary magic," the Witch Queen continued. "As well as some sort of sacrifice. For example, the ancient demon was summoned with the highest rank of Forbidden Magic by the leader of the elves."
"You mean that demon?" Asta asked.
"This Midnight Sun is a curious lot," the Queen mused. "I wonder if they might be descended from the Elf Tribe."
"Hold on, so the clan of evil monsters in the storybook my grandmother read to me," Noelle realized. "Does this mean they were the elves all along?"
"They weren't evil," Dane said. "No one is ever truly evil, even monsters like Vetto. The Elf Tribe went to war over humans and lost, so they were painted as evil in human history, but think about the Eye of the Midnight Sun's reactions to us. They hate us because we're human, and they constantly reference something horrible that humans did. They're probably talking about the war between humans and elves, and it's probably not as simple as humans are good and elves are evil. I'm sure both sides thought the others were evil."
"That's fair," Vanessa agreed.
"Listen well, Asta," the Witch Queen said. "The two weapons you carry are all that remain of the pair of magic swords once wielded by the leader of the Elf Tribe."
"I don't get it!" Asta shrieked, collapsing.
Dane sighed, shaking his head. As usual, Asta couldn't keep up with important conversations.
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