Entwined | 𝘠𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘤

Conquest

Yami's lips were moving, but Asta couldn't hear anything. Not over the roar of the wind, that was. He could barely see anything either, with the waves of black sand whipping around the group. They huddled as close together as possible, protected by a shell of Yuno's wind that battled with the desert's natural storm.

Gritting his teeth as pieces of sand crunched in his mouth, Asta pressed on, determined to not let Yuno show him up. This time he'd stay at the front lines; he'd be ready to draw his sword before Yuno could even cast an offensive spell.

Mimosa clung to his arm with both of hers, burying her petite face in his shoulder. It hardly made a difference to him if he had to pull her along, so he let their bodies press closer as if they were one.

Just a little more.

We're coming. He sent a plea to the missing captains: to William who had always stood by the Wizard King, to Nozel who'd always be stuck up even after he was rescued, to Fuegoleon who lit a fire in anyone in his presence, and to Charlotte, the woman that Yami would put his life on the line to save and who now lead their squad as fearlessly as Yami had.

Asta wasn't sure what would be required of him in the battle, but he'd prove to everyone—to his squad, to his fellow Magic Knights, and to the enemy—that he was worthy of becoming the next wizard king.

A call to action had summoned the youth to rise to the challenge, and Asta had accepted it many years ago. But he was also angry. Angry that they could dismiss the Captains, angry that they would dishonor his teacher, and angry that so many innocents had gotten hurt in the first attack.

Heroes did not need to be born from suffering. Growing up in an orphanage taught him that much. The world had enough hardship as it was without dimwits like these causing more.

Straining to maintain a straight path through the storm, he planted his foot as firmly as he could in the torrent of sand and shielded his eyes, when all of the sudden the intense pressure from the wind that held him back vanished.

He tumbled forward, slamming into Yuno as the whole group nearly fell face first. They had reached the calm center of the cyclone—the eye of the storm. In the next moment, Asta regained his footing, drew his sword, and took in their surroundings. He readied an attack, but no one was waiting.

In the still and now humid air, an open space the size of a football field sparkled in mild sunlight. A dark barrier from the storm cloud around them whirred silently, a cylindrical wall that kept this paradise hidden and protected.

Four tall pillars, towering rectangles carved from black stone, that cast dark shadows, formed a diamond between which lay an oasis of blue water that sat at the foot of a mansion. A perfect camp for anyone who wanted to law low and out of sight from travelers passing by.

His hand clenched harder on the hilt of the sword. So the enemy was here—or they had been.

May the devils help them if these fools thought they could attack his comrades and kidnap his Captain without backlash.

They wanted a strong opponent?

Someone to be a hero?

Well they got one.

"Who challenges?" the same voice that had accompanied the attack at the entrance exam called down from the sky.

Asta narrowed his eyes, searching for the speaker, but there was no one in sight. The only place left for them to be was in the mansion.

"Cowards!" Yami shouted. "This is not an answer to your challenge, but a declaration of justice and retribution."

"Face us now or burn in that hideout of yours." Mereoleona cackled, her eyes burning with the passion of battle. "It makes no difference to me how you are defeated."

"Foolish Lion," the voice mocked. "We will only listen to the voice of the youth!"

Mereoleona leapt to the side, narrowly missing a claw that swiped at her from the shadows, then twisted mid-air to dodge a portal that had opened up beneath her. As she landed, a pile of sand shifted into a trap set by Zora. "Nice teamwork, kid," she called.

Blinding light burst throughout the area just as Asta felt a tug at his ankle. He slashed, his blade easily slicing through the magic.

"Keep off the ground!" Yuno called out, lifting the group into the air with wind magic.

"Look!" Mimosa gasped, pointing to one of the tall pillars. Vines—briars to be precise—had begin to wrap around the stone, from which red roses bloomed.

A/n: Lights...camera...