Entwined | 𝘠𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘤

No Return

Date #Seven

Yami's fingers played across the delicate skin at the nape of Charlotte's neck. He breathed in her floral scent, and everything outside of them faded away as he let himself be consumed in her. If anything, living together had made him want her more.

Every fucking minute of every fucking day.

But the rest of the world decided to keep on having their meetings and problems, and he couldn't bottle Charlotte up and keep her for himself. He had tried.

Slipping the tip of his finger pads into her hair, he traced the groove of her spine where it connected to her head. His ears strained to hear the breathy moan he was trying to coax from her lips, but instead, she turned with a stern look on her face.

"Stop distracting me."

Damn, her eyes were beautiful.

And dilated. He smirked, she was so turned on right now.

"Yami, I'm serious. Are you listening?"

"Of course." He wiped the smile off his face as her eyes narrowed. "Maybe you're the one who should stop being distracted, as the squad Capitan and all. Or maybe I should have taken over."

She wiped her head back around, focusing on the potential recruits as they went through the Magic Knights Entrance Exam. He liked this game.

Leaning down so his chest was flush with the back of her chair, his lips brushed her ear and he whispered, "What are you thinking about, Prickly Queen?"

A vine suddenly yanked at his angle and almost sent him flying. Having to grip onto the armrest for support, he straightened with a chuckle.

"Pay attention or I will have someone escort you out," Charlotte hissed.

"Harsh much?"

He knew she wouldn't respond, and left her alone for a while. Sighing, he turned his attention to where it was supposed to be.

A hundred or so wannabe Magic Knights showed off their skills below, some with friends cheering them on, and others struggling to stand out. Though, none had much of a hard time as Asta had, and Yami chuckled at the memory. The kid was a dork, but the investment paid off.

For the most part, he trusted Charlotte's intuition when it came to recruiting members. They didn't have room for many more in their new squad, but he kept his eyes peeled for any outliers. The ones he always saw potential in, but no one else did.

Competition among the squads was rough this year, with many looking for fresh and young members to reignite passion of the veterans. The most skilled applicants would be swooped up by the Golden Dawn or the Silver Eagles, as usual, but this time his squad stood a chance at pulling in more talent. One look at Charlotte, and any young mage would acknowledge her worth as a leader and master.

Yami pulled out his magic communication device, checking when the next break would be. He need a drink, or ten.

Then the training stadium grew abnormally dark. He had barely read the time when a crack resounded from the sky and malicious mana bore down, the weight suffocating. Snagging Charlotte with an arm around her waist, he leapt back as a volley of what looked like comets hurled down on them from the sky.

"The applicants!" she shouted, struggling in his grip.

But it was too late. Most of the young mages hadn't developed their senses enough to anticipate the attack, and were either knocked unconscious or trapped under the rubble.

The rest of the squad captains jumped into action, Dorothy taking several of the injured into her dream world while Willian, Nozel, and Fuegoleon launched into the sky. Still, no presence of the attackers could be detected.

What the hell was going on?

Charlotte broke free from his grip and used her vines to carry the rest of the youth to safety, while Yami readied his sword.

Who had been foolish enough to attack when all the Captains were present? At least they had enough sense to not reveal themselves. But what could be their objective? Casting his eyes around, all he saw was the mess, not a battle.

A cracking voice sounded from the sky, as if cast from far away. "You see, young ones? Your Captains cannot protect all of you. They parade like they are strong, relying on your powers due to their laziness. I will provide you all with the chance to shine. No need for a selection. All must rise to be a hero."

"Dark Cloaked Dimensional Slash!" Yami interrupted the speech with his attack, aiming for the sky. If the wizard was using a concealment spell, this would fish them out.

The voice cackled. "Ha, you seek to destroy me with brute force? Not so, for it isn't you who will defeat me. I will only fall to the new generation, if they so wish to face me in battle."

Another crack split the sky, dark clouds billowing as another rain of rumble smashed what was left of the area to pieces.

"CHAR," he shouted, gripping one of her vines and flinging her out of the way, an injured girl clutched in her arms.

She turned toward him, then her eyes tore open. The vine bit into his skin and pulled tight, but he didn't budge. Something else had held him in place. His body wouldn't respond. He tried to call out to Charlotte, but his voice was silenced.

As her feet made contact with the ground, she set the girl down and raced toward him as a crackling noise deafened him. Fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword, he cursed over and over and tried to get a read on nearby ki, but there was nothing. Only that dark mana. Everywhere.

Charlotte raced toward him, determination and what looked like fear in her eyes. What would make the Briar Queen afraid? As she approached, she whizzed past him and reeled in her vines.

At once whatever spell had been cast on him broke, and he spun just in him to see her disappear through a portal.

A/n: Dun dun dun...

but on another note Yami's thoughts are my favorite to write 🖤