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"What..." Revchi began with a frightened look, stumbling back with widened eyes and quivering hands, "what the hell is that?!"
The darkened hues of his eyes reflected the spoiled state of the demon-dwelling grimoire, filled with bloodlust and another that he couldn't put his hands on. A presence so intense, so pressuring that he felt that death would come knocking on his door.
Revchi sent his snake-like chains to launch themselves at the limping boy, not noticing how Xierra ran behind him. Her hands reached out to the chains that trapped Yuno tightly, marking his skin red in the end. Inari followed behind her, keeping watch whilst his flaming tail got rid of any other chains that came flying their way.
When Xierra finally came into contact with the chains that bound Yuno, her eyes locked with his, the latter unwavering when they met.
A flash of his words from before was recalled into Xierra's mind, causing her to get flustered and clumsily freeing the wind user. Her cheeks flamed up, albeit her brain trying to convince her that it may or may not be the heat of the battle between Revchi's chains and Asta trying to fend for himself on the other side.
Calming herself, Xierra cleared her throat. I'm sure he was just being considerate—
"Considerate" doesn't... fully describe his intentions, Master.
Oh, shush!
Yuno's glistening amber orbs remained focused on Xierra's form, causing her to look anywhere but at him. Out of all the things in the world to see, she suddenly found the ground to be the most interesting thing. A faint smile took the place of his usual stoic expression, softening at the sight of a blushing Xierra. To him, the sight entertained him to no end.
Composing herself, Xierra cleared her throat inaudibly, looking around for Yuno's grimoire. Unfortunately for them, the blast of mana between Revchi and Asta clashed against one another, causing another quake from the earth below them. She stumbled, quietly voicing her apology to Yuno for being unable to retrieve his grimoire from the hands of the former magic knight.
Yuno glanced at her, shaking his head with a smile that widened only just a little for her to notice. "You shouldn't worry about it," he spoke with reassurance and his ever-so-calm voice, "let's get somewhere safe first."
Nodding, Xierra followed behind him, trying hard to get away from the large fight.
"You little twerp!"
Debris flew everywhere, waltzing with the winds in every possible direction there was. It didn't help when the ground below them was unstably shaking without an exact rhythm to the way they moved.
Yuno and Xierra scurried over to stand behind the nearest brick walls still standing, hearing the man yell those words at the top of his lungs. A pair of chrome eyes kept following Asta's running form and a foxlike creature unknown to him neared him.
Yuno kept his hand on Xierra's slender ones when they ran earlier, paying no notice to how the female beside him was muttering several words he couldn't make out. However, when he turned to look at her, he, himself, panicked.
Steam was emitted from the top of Xierra's head, alerting Yuno to her somewhat warmer state. "Xierra, are you all r—"
"I-I'm all right!" she managed to squeak out, looking away, suddenly finding the ground more interesting than anything else in the world. "Quite all right!"
If he knew any better, Xierra's reaction was probably because of his confession.
Yuno's lips curled up into a soft smile, finding the girl's reaction quite adorable. It was another ghostly smile, but it was there. He just witnessed a new side of her he had never seen before.
He always found it so endearing to witness her every response to his constant teasing. Although he had never done so with the children or any other that he grew up with, the mischievous side of him just wanted to come out whenever they were together.
The girl who was always composed and smiling, sending others' hearts to flutter whenever they saw her, was flustered before him. Not to mention her kindness, her ability to get along with basically anyone, and her fondness for the village's children.
He had always seen her read through the day, perhaps helping the villagers in need in her free time.
Cooking for the children had also become one of her habits recently, he noticed, since they would always complain about Father Orsi's food—not that he had any say in it.
There were things he overlooked.
And there were also many things he noticed that no other did.
—he admired every side of her.
It took him a decade to confess and a decade passed to admit his feelings.
It was an indirect one, but it was the only one he could give. If Yuno was to be blunter, he guessed that Xierra would possibly faint on the spot.
His hand didn't let go of hers.
Instead, he held her smaller hand tighter. The heat of his palm seeped into hers, warming her and alerting her to stay awake to reality. He wanted to comfort her—assure her that everything will be all right.
Yuno noticed the worried look she sent to Asta's injured self.
He was jealous, but he wouldn't admit it out loud.
He knew that the words he said about how he would make Xierra his, were set in stone, he knew full well of it.
But there was a slight feeling of envy whenever she would worry for Asta.
Whenever she would call out for his name and remind him about dinner.
Whenever she would come and approach him to make sure he was okay.
All those little things watered his feeling of jealousy more and more, even though he knew—he knew all too well.
Closing his eyes, Yuno took a deep breath, calming himself. He shouldn't feel these things, it wasn't the right time, and it never was. But in the end, he wanted her all for himself, even if there were no others that would possibly take her from him.
He was committed.
"Urk...! It's heavy...!" Asta's words woke Yuno out of his thoughts. His hand tightened around Xierra's causing her to glance at him in slight puzzlement.
Both looked at Asta swinging his broad sword towards the mage who could do nothing but send his chains. His screams were second to none, Yuno and Xierra agreed with each other, attempting to block out his shrilling screams and trying to find a way to get Yuno's grimoire back.
Asta grinned, swinging his sword to counter Revchi's attacks. "I didn't think my muscles would come in handy like this!!"
"Asta," the blue-eyed female said his name in a hushed voice, eyes following the latter's every move. "I think... he's able to obtain it because he doesn't have any magical powers."
Yuno knew what she meant.
The sword Asta wielded appeared to be something they could never touch. The grimoire of anti-magic was only someone like Asta would have.
At the swings of Asta's sword, the wielder charged toward Revchi, ignoring his terrified screams of incoherent words.
"H-He nullified my magic?!"
Shockingly, this time, he took a step back.
⠀
"Even with no magical powers, I'll become the wizard king!!!"
⠀
Asta's determination awoke something in his childhood friends, something they never thought would be remembered even after years of forging such a vow.
The gales were furious, raging along with the slings of Asta's anti-sword. The statement Asta announced sent both teens' blood to boil with excitement as to what was to come.
Inari then appeared out of thin air, ignoring how Xierra gave him a questioning look as to where he had been the entire time, and landed softly onto Yuno's head, surprising him. "Wh—?"
He was about to remove whatever it was off of his head until he saw that it was only the fox from earlier.
"Relax, Wind Kid. It's only me."
Inari grinned down at the soon-to-be-lover of his master, to which the latter blinked several times at the mention of Yuno's nickname escaping the fox's lips. Their chatters ceased when their lifelong rival was about to send the last blow to the chain user.
"My magic," with one last swing, Asta finished the man and his sentence, "is never giving up!!!"
The two teens smiled at Asta's never-changing phrase. They were always the ones he uttered out. They weren't surprised one bit.
It's Asta, after all. Asta has always done the unthinkable. He always had before and he's doing it now.
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⠀
It was years ago, but we
could still remember it clearly:
That one point in our lives
when everything turned
our views for the better.
⠀
"Asta...!" a child's scream echoed through the frigid air. One followed behind the scream, with another that was linked with holding hands.
Their footsteps seeped down into the blanket of snow so easily, despite their feather-light weight on top of a winter wonderland. One by one, they left footprints trailing behind them, marking their path as they made their way toward another that lay limply on top of Mother Nature's cold bed.
A boy, with stains of tears painting down his cheeks, and a girl who held his hand, concerned at the well-being of their friend.
Injured and bruised, their clothes were dirtied with impure snow. Minor scratches marked their skin everywhere, with several exposed parts tainted with red marks and faint bruises. Little Yuno began tearing up at the sight of Asta lying down on the snow cushion, unmoving with a small smile lining up his lips.
Xierra began to weep as well, fearing for Asta's state. The snow that rained on them danced slowly upon their uncovered skins, kissing them cold.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
Time passed by without a care in the world, letting the earth soak in the winter season's frozen rain unlike any other. Their clogs didn't even stop moving, unworried and uncaring of the children's cries hollowly sounding between snowflakes. Their cries slowly ceased into small sobs, yet to quiet down in the least.
"... I'm... going to become the wizard king..." Asta began with a somewhat hoarse voice, grinning idiotically at his weeping friends. "I'm going... to protect you two and everyone else!"
Yuno's pendant was on the ground. Although covered by snow, it was tightly held within its owner's small, pale hand, somewhat reddened by the dropping temperature. The snow didn't stop. It kept getting colder and colder every second.
"I'm... gonna make everyone happier! So, we can have nicer things! And I'm gonna prove to everyone..."
Yuno and Xierra stopped their wails, leaving only sniffles of their cries behind. Their eyes expectantly looked at their savior, having a vague hint of what he was about to say. Asta's grin widened, making him shine brighter even with bruises all over his face and body.
"... that even if you're poor... even if you're an orphan..."
Tears escape blue eyes at that moment. Xierra was reminded of the sad fact that they didn't have any parents, didn't have any money, didn't have anything.
She was reminded of the fact that they were possibly abandoned by their parents.
⠀
Perhaps, did they not want us?
Were we a burden to them?
Were we disappointing them?
Why hadn't they come looking for us yet?
⠀
Even with all the negative thoughts blurring their thoughts, Asta raised his fist high, albeit weakly. His grin only widened more, brightening in an attempt to cheer his friends away from all the nasty blues and grays.
⠀
"... you can still become Wizard King."
⠀
His voice was weak, yet it held such strength behind it. Asta's comforting words were what lit her life.
Father Orsi and Sister Lily were more than enough, she slowly realized. They were kinder than most parents, they were warmer than most guardians, and they were everything to the three children.
Looking at Yuno, Xierra's once saddened expression beamed into a brighter one. A smile curled the corners of her lips up, causing the amber-eyed boy to smile as well.
That's right, Xierra smiled to herself, we can still dream.
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⠀
It was a day like any other, at that time.
Ten years ago, we were no older than five.
And it was one of our fondest memory in
the time of our childhood, so full of dreams.
⠀
"W-Wait...!" a voice called out. It was easy to hear the exhausted pants and sharp inhales he took in between stutters.
The wind took over, dancing and weaving between leaves, tousling them softly. They giggled, whispering sweet-nothings to the plants that swayed around their movements, soft and gliding with the rest of the winds.
A field of a bright verdant color stretched out vast. The little white blossoms spread evenly all over and painted the swaying grasses. A few buds remained, yet to bloom within the spring they were looking forward to. The blue ceiling above unfurled across the horizon, with a few hills down below attempting to reach out to the skies.
Birds chirped here and there, one could even hear the farm animals not far in the village of Hage sounding at home. Hage was never a village suited to raise animals. They got their share of meat from trading their crops with the neighboring villages. So it was a rare sight to see animals roaming up and about in their fields.
On one of the few hills, a boy ran behind another, reaching out his hand in an attempt to close the gap between them with his little feet.
Yuno's amber eyes remained glued to the ground which distracted him from the road ahead. His footsteps slowly came to a halt as he clumsily stumbled and fell onto the surface of the earth he found so interesting lately.
"Yuno!" a young girl called out for the fallen boy, rushing behind him.
Her fair complexion contradicted Yuno's black strands of hair, including her moon-kissed tresses. Xierra smiled at him, trying to comfort the male who was about to cry.
"Are you all right? Does it hurt?" she asked gently, hovering over the spot where it seemed to hurt the most. She crouched to Yuno's level, offering a hand for him to take, which the latter accepted with tears brimming at the edges of his eyes.
Another one came running back, retracing the steps he had taken. Green eyes scanned the other boy for any injuries, only to find light ones scratching Yuno's knees.
"Don't run like that, Yuno!" Asta scolded with a pout, putting his small hands on his hips. Xierra glanced back at the boy and giggled.
"Well, you were the one who ran, Asta."
"Huh?! Why is it my fault?!" Asta screeched all of a sudden, causing the platinum-blonde girl to cover her ears in an instant.
"... Please, don't shout. And I didn't blame you," Xierra spoke calmly, trying not to frown, "since we're all at fault here."
Yuno looked at her with wide eyes, only to lower them to her other hand that continued to softly pat one of his scraped knees. His hand was held tightly in hers, even when it was no bigger than his.
He felt a tug. Yuno looked up to see Xierra's smile reaching her eyes, so bright, yet so gentle to the eyes. Yuno's tears slowly ceased, only to be replaced with an astonished gaze, locking his amber hues with her calming blue ones.
"Let's go, Yuno. The others are waiting." Xierra's smile was brighter than the sun. For a mostly silent child, her smile was seemingly the only one that could warm Yuno and create butterflies whenever he saw it.
It got him smiling along.
He never thought that another's smile would be just what he needed to quell his worries.
Xierra chuckled at Yuno's listless gaze, the latter trying to register what was going on whilst keeping his beating heart calm. She stood up, pulling the boy with her to his feet, slow and steady. She cocked her head to the side, gesturing towards Asta who was ahead of them.
"Slowly, now," she warned, "we don't want you to slip again, Yuno."
"Jeez, Yuno, you're such a crybaby," Asta said bluntly through the crease of his eyebrows and the parting of his lips. His hands crossed behind his head, following without much effort when he climbed the hill, defying the force of gravity pulling him down.
Yuno somewhat blushed and wiped the remaining tears away with the long black sleeves of his clothes. Embarrassed, he quietly responded, "Well..."
"But it's okay!" Asta exclaimed with his usual booming voice, grinning ear to ear.
Xierra deadpanned at how loud he was being. It startled her most of the time, she admitted. The two boys then started chuckling at Xierra who unconsciously clutched onto Yuno's slightly taller form.
"Wh—don't laugh!"
"And you're such a scaredy-cat."
"Am not!"
The girl pouted, earning another laugh from the other two. She tried to defend herself with how loud she tried to be, but it failed when she was still holding onto Yuno's poor shirt. And the fact that her voice was not any louder than her usual way of speech only decreased her points.
"As I said, it's okay!" Asta loudly repeated. He pointed his thumb at himself, smiling with his bright green eyes. "Because I got both of your backs, Yuno, Xierra! Got that?!"
"Why am I involved...?" Xierra muttered under her breath, looking away from the cheerful grin Asta sent her.
"Because you're scared of everything."
"Huh?! Not true! And I can take care of myself!"
The girl stuck her tongue mockingly at Asta, pulling Yuno with her as they ascended the hill one step at a time. Asta laughed out loud, passing by the two quickly with his little feet.
Yuno found the time to insert the pats Xierra always loved. It comforted her and assured her that everything was going to be just fine.
"All right, let's get going, you two!" Asta shouted from in front of them, already a few feet ahead. The steep hill didn't stop him from running faster than he could.
⠀
"Everyone's waiting at the top!"
⠀
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"It's good, but..." Yuno said with a slightly muffled voice. He was chewing on his bread with a somewhat struggling face. "... it's hard as a rock," he admitted truthfully with a disappointed smile.
Tears were starting to form at the corners of his eyes, reflecting off the azure colors of the sky above them and the canopies of leaves shielding them from the blistering sun.
"That's our Sister Lily!" Asta beamed. "You're such an amazing cook!!"
Even though he was struggling to take a bite of the bread, he still praised the nun with a gleeful aura around him. Veins were visible on Asta's face when he tried to take a bite but to no avail.
A pause kicked in.
They all enjoyed the little picnic. It wasn't often that they got to climb up and down hills and sit beneath trees. Summer wasn't always their most-awaited season, seeing how the sun was merciless with its heat.
"Xierra, how did you finish yours?" Yuno queried almost immediately, seeing how the female beside him already finished hers. He was curious as to how she ate the bread without breaking a tooth.
"Hmm? I just ate it, that's all," she replied innocently while tilting her head, confused as to why Yuno asked such a question. The latter sweat-dropped and chuckled nervously, wondering why he even asked.
"When I grow up, will you marry me and cook for me?" Asta queried hopefully with the bread hanging out of his mouth. The other two figured that he couldn't bite through it and laughed.
Turning her head to the boy, the nun's beautiful teal eyes focused on the grinning boy beside her. "It was Father who baked those. Would you like to marry him?" Sister Lily asked casually, earning a rampage from the teary-eyed boy.
Xierra held back another laugh at the boy's failure, trying not to choke as she ate her second bread.
"Asta, it's not possible," Yuno chimed in. Asta stopped after Sister Lily showed her grimoire to the boy. A sleeping Rekka was by the tree and a baby was in the nun's arms.
"Sister is a woman of the cloth," Xierra added, finishing her second bread in mere minutes. "And you're not old enough," she finally finished with closed eyes, wondering why and how Asta hadn't given up on such an unchanging fact.
Asta suddenly turned his head towards the two, "I'm not done yet, Yuno! Xierra! I won't give up until I'm an adult, no matter what!" His green eyes were full of determination.
Sister Lily just watched them interact with a smile on her face.
"Well, good luck with that."
"Uh-huh. Though I don't think luck will be needed."
"Hey!"
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"'... And then, the world was covered in deep, deep darkness. Just when the demon tried to destroy the world...'"
"He's not gonna get away with that!" Asta exclaimed abruptly. Yuno was beside him covering his ears, while Xierra's colors were just drained away the moment she heard the word "demon".
"'... a very brave mage appeared,'" Sister Lily finished her sentence, flipping the storybook onto a new page. "'The brave mage fought the demon to bring the dawn back to the world.'"
Hearing the nun's words, Yuno glanced back for a beat or two at her. Xierra came back to life as she stood on the stool, peeking from the woman's shoulder in curiosity. Her little hands held onto Sister Lily's form, trying not to put too much of her weight onto the nun.
"'Finally, he defeated the demon. The mage's light shone ever so brightly upon the whole world. The long, long night had come to an end. This was the dawn of our world.'"
Sister Lily kept the book open for the younger girl beside her to look at. Xierra had always been fascinated by the illustrations of the book rather than the story it held. Although, she wouldn't dare dismiss that most stories she read had rather unruly pictures that left a bitter taste in her mouth, daring her to care more for the written tales than the drawings.
Xierra was about to borrow the storybook when Asta's loud yell startled her poor heart.
"Yes!"
A sudden realization dawned upon Asta when he saw Yuno marveling at the story and a shaking Xierra who was comforted by Sister Lily. The latter was trying hard to fight off the monsters that caused her to tear up, ending in a hug from the beloved nun.
"'The mage was dubbed the wizard king afterward and became a legend.'"
Sister Lily finished the story without a second look at the book that had already been seized by Asta. It was a story she had been told so many times that it engraved itself in her head.
"The wizard king..." Asta and Yuno muttered at the same time while looking at the storybook that Asta held onto.
Xierra remained silent even after hearing the tale. Something about it felt off to her—which caused her to frown a little without anyone noticing. The nun finally added a few words of her own, all the while stroking Xierra's head softly, "'... and they all lived happily ever after.'"
Their eyes widened a bit when Sister Lily closed the book and placed it on her lap. Xierra, who was beside her, stared at it with confusion and asked innocently, "Sister, why did the demon want to destroy the world?"
Smiling, the nun softened her gaze and looked Xierra in the eyes. "Well, that's because—"
"—because he's evil, of course!"
Asta's answer cut off the nun, as his words surprised the girl. Xierra and Asta bantered back and forth about the demon and the wizard king whilst Yuno just smiled softly at their warming interactions.
"But that isn't fair! We never heard their side of the story, yet! That can't be the only reason!"
"But it doesn't change the fact that they're mean," Asta retaliated, crossing his arms. Both children were stubborn, and they weren't going to back down anytime soon, Yuno figured with a crooked smile.
"That is not a valid reason!"
"What do you mean 'valid'?! Of course, it is!"
"And I'm pretty sure you don't even know the meaning of that."
"Huh?!"
Chuckling nervously, Yuno and Sister Lily looked at each other before letting out peals of laughter.
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The mellow chirps of birds filled the silent air. Grayish and gloomy clouds filled the look of the dimly lit sky—it was quite strange for Xierra, considering that the recent days were so bright and blue.
Not far from where the village of Hage was, a giant skull of a three-eyed demon was placed at the end of the village. A statue stood tall and proud at the very top of it: A sign of a past victory in a battle that went into history.
"Hey, Sister," Asta called out while swinging under a fence with his legs out from between each plank of wood. "The wizard king still exists, right?"
"Yes," the said woman answered simply. Sister Lily looked back at the boy. "The title of 'wizard king' has been passed down through many generations. All along, they've been protecting us with their magic. It's because of the wizard king that the Clover Kingdom is so peaceful."
"That's awesome!!!" Asta's yell once again startled the girl beside the nun who was reading a book.
"... Asta, please, stop yelling." Xierra placed down her book and swung her legs to the side, letting them sway back and forth. Marking the last page she was on, she closed her book and glared at Asta, to which it was returned with a slap-deserving grin.
"Hahaha! I can't help it! Also, don't be a scaredy-cat—"
"—I am not!"
"Are too!"
Veins were popping on Xierra's forehead as she was held back by the nun from charging at Asta, who was grinning ever-so-cheekily at her.
"Is the wizard king really important?" Yuno chimed in from behind, calming down Xierra's rampage and turning Asta's focus to him.
Xierra then huffed and dropped her hands to the sides, glancing at Yuno, and smiled. "He's the most important after the king," she explained.
Asta was grinning brightly with determination towards the direction of the statue of the Wizard King. His eyes glistened with an emotion they saw ever since day one—"Okay, I've made up my mind!"
Yuno and a calmed Xierra were watching Asta from behind, with the latter tilting her head in a genuinely puzzled manner.
"About what, Asta?"
The other two eyed the boy, daring to stand on top of the fence with his back against them and his hands on his hips.
"I'm..." Slowly turning around, his eyes met with theirs, "... gonna become the wizard king!"
Silence took over.
Sister Lily stared at Asta with wide eyes and her mouth slightly agape. Xierra stayed quiet, but her widened eyes said otherwise. Yuno had the same reaction as the nun, looking at Asta with shock and surprise at his sudden declaration.
"... Sister?"
"I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting that." Resting her head on her palm, Sister Lily asked the boy with a small unnoticeable frown, "What brought this on?"
Yuno started to curl up his lips and lower his eyelids. Xierra noticed his small gesture, smiling in return, and continued to listen to Asta.
"Well, he defeated the demon, right? That means he's super strong! And that's so cool!" Asta's energetic voice caused Xierra to chuckle a little at his antics. "And I wanna be cool too! And..."
A small pause followed behind, making Yuno and Xierra turn their focus completely to Asta. His gaze was determined and his smile disappeared, replaced with a solemn look.
"If I become important... If I become the wizard king, I'll be able to make everyone even happier, right?"
Yuno and Xierra stared at Asta with wide eyes and the former with his mouth slightly agape. Something tugged the girl's heart, causing her to clutch her beige-tinged dress and purse her lips.
"You'll be able to wear nice clothes and eat all the good food you want! And I'm gonna make this crappy little church huge and amazing!"
"'Crappy'...?" Sister Lily and Xierra chuckled at Asta's opinion on the small church they were living in.
"I'll get you whatever you want too, Sister!"
"I'll look forward to it," Sister Lily smiled while sweat-dropping, looking away from Asta. "Right? Yuno, Xierra?"
Xierra only gave a grin and a nod, while Yuno was beside her smiling softly. "Yeah," Yuno nodded as well, still keeping his eyes on Asta while holding onto his pendant.
"I'm gonna become the wizard king! So, Sister! Marry me—!"
"That's a completely different subject," the nun sweat-dropped at Asta. Her response caused the colors to be drained out of him. His hands and fingers twitched in disbelief at the nun's response.
Xierra laughed heartily in amusement at Asta's somewhat dejected response with Yuno giving them a closed-eye smile.
"Not yet! I won't give up!"
They stared at Asta with fondness in their eyes.
"No! Not yet, yet, yet, yet!!! No!!!"
Yuno stifled a small laugh at Asta's usual routine. The girl sitting beside him glanced at him with wide eyes for a second before smiling as well.
"Some things will just never change."
"That's Asta for you."
"Hey, are you talking behind my back?!"
"No, we're in front of you, Asta."
"Huh?!"
To Be Continued...
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
•⠀Thank you for all the love and support, as usual!