Where's My Grimoire? || Black Clover

13 - MEMORIES

Asta had finished washing off and took a peak at the clothes provided for him. Noelle had left a little after he told her he'd be okay, but not after pretty much bribing her out of the room with nothing but pretty words. The alcohol in his system felt like nothing more than a light buzz. Not as strong as he had thought it would be so he could at least function as if he hadn't gotten much sleep.

The clothes looked... Really expensive. Though it was just a long sleeved tunic with a white button up underneath and fleece lined pants, he cringed at how this place reminded him of how poor he used to be. Now that he has money galore he'd usually buy those cheap thick long sleeved shirts. So, the clothes were a bit similar to what he'd normally wear but way higher quality.

Noelle had said he looked very nice in the outfit they gave him when she saw him in the kitchen hall, so he didn't complain. Her compliments were always really nice. He enjoyed them. They weren't creepy at all like Erotika's was when he saw them just now, and they weren't shallow, either.

While the creep was working though, he wondered where Alixote was.

"Shouldn't Alixote be working as well?" Asta quietly asked Noelle.

"I heard she went to the library. Since we have a bit until they're serving dinner, I was going to go to the dining area for some tea." Noelle placed a hand on her hip. "You always seem to not feel well when you're by yourself. If you want to come with me, now's the prime time," Noelle offered.

Asta smiled at her. "That's okay. I was gonna go try to talk to her or walk around to get my thoughts together."

"Will you be fine? It's a bit of a walk from here to the dining rooms, so I thought we might as well go now."

"I'll be okay, but thanks. Alixote'll probably be coming back around that time. See you, Noelle."

"Alright. See you then."

Asta sighed with relief as he left that room. Without his friend watching him, he could have some time to himself to think.

Not that thinking by himself ever does him any good. Usually it makes things worse, because of course it does. When there's nothing left that keeps the dark at bay, what else does he have to fend it off?

Nothing.

The walls between him and the world were quite thick. The walls between him and himself couldn't be any thinner.

Asta didn't know when his walking had turned into running, but whatever he was running from was nipping at the heels of his feet. Aching, burning, agonizing - the freezing sensation continued until it felt like jagged claws were digging into the meat of his calves.

There were many sets of doors in the halls but all of the rooms were empty. All of them except for one. And, in that specific room, a darkness that he couldn't help but run toward manifested. The voice in his head nearly commanded him to do so.

He's horrified, and he's so tired of it.

The light pooling in from the huge glass windows in some areas had blinded him, but he used the dread he felt as a map to the room he was looking for.

There was another set of rooms in the hall of the corner he just passed.

⁺˚⋆｡°✩

"Yuno, did you see it?"

"See what, Asta?"

"It was behind me. I felt it, but then you appeared and it left..."
The two children were a bit unnerved as they spoke to one another. Yuno placed some bread and some of his old clothes onto a rock beside Asta.