WALKING TOWARDS ASTA, Yoshiko wrapped her arms around his torso from behind and buried her head in his shoulder. Asta, who was cheering at the time, stopped and looked over at her.
"Oh, Yoshiko! Are you okay now?" Asta asked her as he patted her head.
"Hm..." Yoshiko replied as she propped her chin onto his shoulder.
"Asta," Mars called to him. "This couldn't have been done without your help, thank you,"
Asta remembered him from before. When they met in the dungeon. Back then, Mars was a cruel and cold person. Now, he's the opposite; a kind and warm person.
"Heh heh! That was all your strength, man!" Asta said, giving him a manly handshake. "I'm psyched you saved your childhood friend!"
Yoshiko rubbed her cheek against Asta's. The short boy smiled happily.
"You're cheering me on too huh, Yoshiko?" Asta said. "Thanks!"
"This person... is your friend, Mars?" Fana asked. "Wow! You made a friend in the real world!"
"No, 'friend' isn't really the..." Mars said but stopped when Asta started smacking his shoulder.
"Yeah, sure! He's a friend! We've fought once and he did hurt Yoshiko but whatever!" Asta shouted.
"And you... I feel like I've seen you from somewhere... somewhere long ago..." Fana said, looking over at Yoshiko who tilted her head in confusion.
I feel like I know her as well...
"How can the two of you know each other?" Mars asked. "This is your first time meeting each other,"
"Yoshiko's met her twice before but..." Asta trailed of as he too, was confused.
"I don't know but it feels like I've known her since birth. It's kind of like Mars and I but different. Like Yoshiko and I were close friends," Fana said.
"Mh..." Yoshiko seemed confused as well.
I know I know her but from when and where? Yoshiko thought. Maybe from... 500 years ago...?
"Well, regardless, I'm glad you calmed down," Asta told her. "But what on Earth hap-"
Asta was suddenly attacked by Noelle, Finral and Vanessa.
"You just keep pushing yourself every single time! Are you an idiot?!" Noelle demanded.
"Were you born to be reckless or something?!" Finral asked.
"You're practically naked now!" Vanessa pointed out.
Yoshiko stood to the side with Fana. The two looked at each other. They both were confused. They knew each other, they were sure of that. But when did they meet?
Regardless, the two shrugged with small smiles on their faces.
"You really are a terrific student!" Franzel told them with Mahiro to the side.
"Thank you very much, teacher!" Mars said.
"! Master Franzel! Sir Mahiro!" Fana shouted upon noticing the two familiar adults.
"I'm so glad you survived!" Franzel said, hugging them both.
Yoshiko stared at Mahiro. The man looked familiar. Way too familiar for some reason. Then she realised something.
From the first vision I saw... I saw a man with silver hair... Is he him?
"Yoshiko," Mahiro called. "Are you okay?"
Yoshiko nodded.
"Good. If anything happened to you or your brother, I wouldn't be able to face my sister in the afterlife," he said with a small, weary smile.
His sister?
"I'm guessing you don't know," Mahiro said. Then he bowed down to her. "My name is Mahiro Konno. I'm your mother's older brother and your uncle,"
-&-
"You remember almost nothing?!" Asta shouted as Fana finished explaining everything that happened to her.
"That's right. After the drill, I..."
"Incredible! To think she'd start breathing again! Is this the power that bears the name phoenix's name then? Maybe it's the power that one of the Isberts possessed. Or could it be..." The researcher named Morris said. "Fascinating! We'll fit Fana with mage stones as well!"
"What a disappointment. Not only did it fail to increase her magic, there's hardly any left left at all. To think, I was a fool for believing that an Isbert was amongst us," Morris had said after attempting to embed Fana with the stones. "Get rid of her. She doesn't interest me anymore,"
"Poor thing. My old friend... a friend of him... It's just the same as it was long ago. Humans even hurt other humans. I'm afraid our dear Yoshiko will be suffering as much as her brother is..." Someone said. "As you wish, I'll destroy them and save those two. However, I will need your body! You will live on!"
"I don't have any memories after that point. It was as if somebody else had entered my body. As if I was being controlled," Fana said. "All I remember is that person's fierce hatred..."
Fana then remembered something.
"Even though I don't remember anything, I still recall one thing though! It was whenever Yoshiko's name was mentioned. I would feel this warm feeling but I don't know why," she said.
"Why would you know Yoshiko? I still don't understand..." Yuna said. Then, she faced Yoshiko. "Do you know anything, sweetie?"
Yoshiko shook her head. She knew absolutely nothing just like everyone else. She was glad in a sense. Usually, everyone else knew what was going on but her. She was glad to fit in even if there were no answers.
"What about the three eyes and pointy ears?!" Asta asked.
"I'm sorry... I don't know anything," Fana apologised.
"You went through that?! I didn't know a single thing, and I...!" Mars scowled.
"Mars, you don't need to feel bad about anything!" Fana said with concern. "After all, we did meet again!"
"Right. And I'll never let you go, not matter what," Mars said sincerely as he squeezed Fana's arms in reassurance.
"...uh-huh! Let's stay together forever!" Fana said, quickly moving away from Mars.
"Y-Yeah!" Mars replied with his arms still up.
"My, my! Is it me, or is it heating up over there?" Vanessa teased.
"You're not the only one, I think something's just about to bloom," Yuna smirked.
"Yes. Childhood friends, tragically torn apart and reunited by destiny..." Finral said. Then, he began to cry blood. "That's really great!"
'He's crying tears of blood?!" Asta thought.
"What's the matter, Mister Finral?!" Asta asked.
"I'm jealous and envious and bummed out!" Finral replied.
"Huh?! Don't you have any childhood friends, Mister Finral?!"
"No!! None that are that cute like Yoshiko and Fana, dammit!"
"I'm not jealous at all, all right?!" Noelle shouted as she slapped Asta in the face.
"What was that for?!" Asta shouted. "Besides, didn't you have Ryuko-nii with you?!"
"W-W-Well, yeah! But Ryu-nii was more of a brother than a friend!" Noelle said.
"I'm with Noelle on that," Ryuko said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "To me, Noelle's like a little sister than a friend,"
"And me? Am I not your little sister too?" Yuna pouted.
"You do realise that you can have more than one little sister, right?" Ryuko asked.
"Hm..." Yoshiko growled as she hugged Noelle away from Ryuko.
Ryuko looked at her before pulling Noelle back. Yoshiko hugged Noelle back. Ryuko did the same thing again. And so did Yoshiko. Then the two pretty much had a tug-a-war with Noelle.
"Oh, dear. Looks like we know who the favourite person is amongst the siblings," Vanessa teased.
"That's not-! Stop it, you two!" Noelle shouted at them.
"Still I wonder why the Eye of the Midnight Sun came to the Witches' Forest," Vanessa pondered.
"! There's an intense thought still in my mind... 'I'm going to reclaim the magic stone'!" Fana said.
"A magic stone?!" Asta and Vanessa shouted.
"There's a magic stone in this forest! We've got to hurry and see the Queen!" Noelle shouted.
"No, before that, we have to save the ones we left behind-Domina, Mariella and the injured witches!" Franzel said.
"We'll go two ways. Yoshiko, Ryuko and the dragon royals should come with us to check on the injured while everyone else go to the Queen," Mahiro said.
Then, both he and Franzel froze upon feeling a rise in mana.
"Impossible... his magic was gone!" Franzel said upon looking in the direction they had originally came.
Then, they saw shots of powerful magic come towards them. Ryuko and Haruto immediately got in front Yuna, Noelle and Yoshiko.
"Everybody run!!!!" Franzel roared.
But it was too late. The magic came down on them, sending everyone away from each other. Ryuko grabbed the nearest person to him, shielding them.
"Ah!" Noelle shouted as she held Ryuko's haori.
Yoshiko got hit in the back after she stopped a spell from hitting Yuna.
"Hrk!" She shouted as Yuna caught her.
"Yoshiko!" Yuna shouted.
Everyone was on the floor either knocked out or too injured to get back up.
"Man, oh man. That was some crazy magic. It took a while to absorb it," a boy said entering from where the magic came from. "Thanks for the feast~! I really did think I was gonna die,"
"Lardos! Your magic power was gone!" Franzel shouted.
"No... it was gone but he absorbed it slowly," Mahiro said.
"Correct! I radiated it all, then took it back in. You're really good at magic detection, teach but you trust it too much," Lardos said. "Wow, though. Why oh why... Why does every blasted one of you put your lives on the line to protect others, huh?"
He looked over and Mars who covered Fana from the attack with his mineral magic.
"That's what let's me kill you, y'know!" Lardos shouted as he released another attack.
Mars looked in shock, not being able to attack or defend. However, Asta managed to come in time and block the attack with his magic.
"Wouldja look at that? Something weird just got in the way," Lardos said. "It's nothing to do with you, guy. Butt out, m'kay?"
"It's got tons to do with me! He's my friend!" Asta shouted back.