Chapter Text
Hinata stood outside the tavern, standing on his toes to peek in through the window, nose and fingers pressed up against the glass. His eyes barely reached above the windowsill, catching the merry sight of patrons clinking drinks and tables swarming with the animated conversation shared between adventurers and travellers. Hinata’s eyes sparkled, hazel reflecting the warm tavern light, and his small mouth was left open in silent admiration. He could see them, the adventuring party of Karasuno village. He had to join them.
Tightening his cloak around his shoulders, Hinata pushed at the door, determination coursing through him, swelling like a fuzzy warmth at his core, only to stop short when the door wouldn’t budge. He pushed again in his confusion, only to startle when a presence took over him.
“It’s a pull door, idiot.”
Embarrassment crept up his back in hot waves. Even the crows laughed at him from the roof of the tavern. Hinata looked up, catching a glimpse of a tall, lanky blond man and his green-haired friend, standing behind him like a shadow. Hinata had a retort on his tongue, but the tall meanie pushed past him without much care, pulling the door open and stepping into the tavern without looking back. His green-haired friend had the sense to smile apologetically, and muttered a quick, ‘sorry about him’ and ran after his friend. “Wait up, Tsukki!”
Tsukki? He was a big meanie, Hinata decided.
“I knew that!” Hinata shouted at the back of Tsukki’s head, but the heated moment passed, and Hinata slumped his shoulders, reaching for the door and catching it before the heavy wooden frame closed all the way. There went his big entrance. Hinata slipped into the tavern with less confidence, tapping his fingers together, and fumbling with his cloak, but the fire of his determination still burned strong. He searched the tables with his eyes, trying to find the adventuring party he’d spotted from the outside. It was much warmer inside the tavern, and he had the stone fireplace to thank. Orange light flooded the tavern from overhead lanterns and candles that decorated the wooden tables. Hinata hung up his cloak by the door, on a rack already holding a few other varied coloured cloaks and a couple of funny-looking hats.
Turning around, Hinata spotted the leader of the adventuring party, and his excitement returned, only to freeze and shrivel up at the sight of the mean blond-haired giant speaking to the team. Tsukki.
“Gah…” Hinata shut his eyes and grit his teeth, trying his best not to pull at his own hair. Why did Tsukki have to be over there?
Hinata dropped his hands from his head and they curled into fists at his side. “I can do it,” he breathed, trying to get over his own embarrassment. “I can do it. I can do it.”
He kept muttering the mantra all the way over to the adventuring party’s table and planted his feet by the closest chairs, and stood tall, commanding attention. He’d only just interrupted a conversation between Tsukki and the party leader, who had confirmed they were recruiting members for the party. That’s about as far as he planned, so with all eyes on him all of a sudden, Hinata froze.
This was the Karasuno team. Hinata didn’t know them all, but he recognized the brown-haired giant, a scary man with incredible brute strength. He recognized the elusive, silver-haired second in command. Best of all, he recognized the party leader with short dark hair and dark brown eyes. He wasn’t as big as the giant sitting beside him, but the leader had a commanding presence, bigger than himself. Hinata swallowed, throat dry, trying to find words. Daichi beat him to the beat.
“Oh... hello, young one. Are you a squire or some wizard’s apprentice?”
“What?!” Fire returned to Hinata’s soul, and he snapped back into himself. He shook his head violently before straightening. “No! I’m Shoyo Hinata and I’m actually a wizard!”
Daichi laughed, and his smile was so warm and reassuring. Hinata felt himself relax and the rest of the table was at ease, too.
“My apologies,” said Daichi, keeping a warm look on his face. “You’re in luck. We’re actually recruiting magic users for the party. You look a little young for a wizard, but we’d be happy to consider you for the team all the same.”
“Really?” Hinata nearly shouted, excitement getting the best of him. “I have pretty strong powers and I really want to join the team so I can practice more and win the Spring Tournament with you.”
Daichi nodded, gesturing to a nearby chair. Hinata took a seat and let out a quiet ‘oh’ as a drink was pushed his way.
“Hot chocolate,” the silver-haired man said with a smile. “I’m Sugawara by the way, but you can call me Suga.”
“Shoyo Hinata,” he replied with the hot drink between his hands, instantly warming up his palms. He already felt so at home with the team and he’s barely exchanged a couple of words. They didn’t mind him sitting at their table and talking to him. Daichi pulled his chair up and cleared his throat.
“So, Hinata,” he began. “Why do you want to join the tournament?”
The Spring Tournament was held every four years. Smaller games and festivities were held in between the years. From jousting to team challenges, the games attracted a large crowd, especially if the party participating hailed from a notable town or village such as Seijoh. The silver knight Iwaizumi and his bonded familiar may be from a small village west of Aoba Castle, but the Seijoh party always had crowds filling in the stands at their matches.
It was uncommon, rare even, for a non-spell-caster to have a familiar, and yet the silver knight had a bond with one of the most powerful beings in all the realm. The Great Demon King Oikawa enjoyed the tournaments and dominated the games, and with the Demon King on their team, Seijoh saw one victory after another, bringing fame, wealth, and power to the party.
Familiars tended to be creatures of magic; spirits infused with a fountain of power and tethered in between worlds. Demon familiars were dangerous, volatile, and treated with extreme prejudice.
Any spell-caster with a demon familiar had to prove his mettle on a constant basis and demonstrate the utmost control over the relationship. Some say the silver knight had tamed the Great Demon King in his youth and others say Oikawa had already taken over the Seijoh party. But there were mere whispers in between the excitement brewed from watching the games. Hinata had yet to watch Seijoh in action.
Hinata had been a boy when he watched his first tournament. If he closed his eyes, he could still imagine it clear as day, watching the Karasuno party from days of the past bring vigour and intensity to every game. There was one party member, they called him the Small Giant because he wielded just as much power as a giant for a man his size. No one really knew what became of the Small Giant after the man went missing, retiring from the party. Hinata wanted to win and be better, the best. He wanted to reach heights he’d only dreamed of during the day and night. He closed his fist hard around the wooden tankard, determination seeping into his voice, eyes focused.
“I want to win and prove I have what it takes to be a member of the Court.” The table fell into a surprised silence. Most people joined the games for the rewards, armour and cash prizes. The highest honour received from winning the tournament, of course, was an invitation to become a member of the Royal Court. The deafening silence was broken by a humourless laugh.
“Just sounds like another wannabe who did magic once and thinks he has what it takes,” said Tsukki. “You don’t even look like a wizard.”
Hinata looked at Tsukki again. The man was dressed in a long navy robe tied with an orange sash; a book clung to his side, and he had a component pouch on his belt. Hinata barely looked the part with his crumbled cream-coloured tunic and dirt trousers. But looks aren't everything.
“I’ve participated in festival games before! I’ve even competed against a mage and a demon familiar,” Hinata shot back, remembering how he stood up against the demon familiar. He had never seen such power before, but as much as it terrified him, he’d never been more inspired to get stronger. Hinata had competed, but he lost badly. Tsukki didn’t have to know that. If this meanie was a wizard, he might just steal his spot on the team. “You don’t sound too happy about the tournament. Why are you joining the party then, Tsukki?”
“My name is Tsukishima,” he corrected severely and sighed. “For the money, why else? There’s no way we’re actually going to win the entire tournament, but if we win a few games, there’s enough prize money in it to be comfortable for a while.”
Hinata’s stare turned to one of confusion. “Why wouldn’t you want to try your best to win?”
“Have you seen the competition?” Tsukishima chuckled dryly, gesturing to air as if he could conjure said competition. “We’re ants compared to those giants. We’ll be lucky to win even a handful of games.”
“We’ll certainly try our best, though,” said Daichi, cutting in with a laugh. “We may all be a part of the adventurer’s guild for different reasons, but we can still have a good time. We’d be happy to have new faces join the party. In fact, we’re kind of short on members. Tsukishima, Tadashi, Hinata and– oh, Hinata, where’s your familiar?”
“What?” Eyes wide, Hinata looked both sides of him, as if he could find something to stand in for him but deflated, and rubbed his neck. “Oh, uh, I don’t have one.”
Daichi knit his brow together, and Hinita felt his hope vanish like a puff of smoke when Daichi closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m really sorry, we can only recruit spell casters with a familiar or a spirit bond. Tournament rules.”
“Wait–!! I’ll find one, then will you let me join the team?”
“You idiot,” Tsukishima interjected, unwantedly. “No one can find a familiar in one night, especially not a beginner like you.”
Hinata was going to find a familiar in one night. He was going to find a familiar if it killed him.
Well- maybe, not that extreme, but his determination was unparalleled. Daichi had said that as long as he came back with a familiar, Hinata could request to join the team again.
So Hinata had ventured out into the forest on the edge of the village that night to find his very own familiar. He was short on supplies, but he shouldered his satchel and trudged on deeper into the forest anyway. He ignored the crows overhead and walked deeper and deeper into the forest until he couldn’t even see the stars in the night sky. The darkness unnerved him, but the little wizard kept a firm grip on a torch. He held the torch ahead of him, and the orange glow brought him some small amount of comfort, even if it barely illuminated a few paces ahead of him. He saw just enough not to trip over any uprooted trees or bump into any trunks.
“This should be far enough,” he whispered to himself, letting the satchel slip from his shoulders. He kicked away leaves until he had a clearing to work with and looked back and forth, searching for a prop for his torch. He blinked and spotted a twist of roots above dark soil, so he planted the wood of the torch down, giving himself light while he worked.
In the mess of twigs and leaves, Hinata poked around until he found a suitable branch, a big and strong one, and drew a deep circle in the dirt. He added a few markings and stepped back to admire his work. Satisfied, he crouched over his supplies and set the candles around the circle. He hummed while he worked, an upbeat tune, mostly to keep himself company in the darkness.
Familiars existed in the cracks and crevices of their world. Wizards, witches, and spell-casters of any shape or form could summon a familiar from the depths of these shadows. Some found familiars from the safety of their room and others took to the forest in search of truly powerful familiars.
Hinata heard about the powerful creatures of magic lurking deep within the forest. The moon had been high and nearly full, a bright white against the black sky. He assumed that meant something good. To be fair, he’s never properly studied moon patterns or read a book on how to perform a complex ritual. Willpower has to count for something though- right?
Besides, Hinata wanted to show off his powers. But before he could do that, he had to find a familiar. Not just any familiar, but a powerful one!
Of course, he knew it was their choice to reveal themselves. But once they make themselves known, Hinata would recognize the familiar in an instant, whether it was in animal form or not. He had been surprised to learn that Tadashi was Tsukishima’s familiar. They were a bonded pair, but Tsukishima didn’t seem to care all too much about the tournament.
Apart from the games he participated in, Hinata did not have much experience observing the bond between familiars and spell-casters. Tsukishima and Tadashi had been the most recent bond he’s seen up close. They confused him. Tadashi had been friendly, but Tsukishima was so cold and annoying.
Still, Hinata wondered what it must be like, being bonded with a familiar. It’s meant to be one of the deepest bonds you’d make in life — if all goes well. It was a relationship of give and take, push and pull, one of equal footing. If all goes well tonight, Hinata might just find his fated familiar. Not just some random creature of magic- but an actual, deep bond.
“Scary,” he muttered and bristled, a shiver crept up his spine and he wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or not. “Whoever you are,” he said, determination seeping back into his chest. “We’ll be the strongest pair in the kingdom.”
With the circle complete, Hinata stepped back and began the spell. Candle flames flickered and danced on the wicks and wax trailed down the length of the candles in slow, small glops, freezing all too soon and well before reaching the bottom. Reciting the spell, Hinata closed his eyes, holding out his hands as he felt the energy in the forest.
If he concentrated hard enough, he could almost touch the magic in the forest and the creatures surrounding him. He was not alone, but it was okay. He was searching for a familiar and hoped one of them would answer his calling. Hinata startled, sensing the heavy presence before it appeared. He felt fear grip his heart, something was wrong, but it was too late to cut the ritual short.
It happened all too soon. What was once a quiet forest of the night turned into a cacophony of chaos. The winds whistled and howled, cutting through Hinata’s clothes down to his core, sweeping through the forest floor like a wild river. The candle flames wisp into nothing, and torch fire struggles to survive before it, too, dies, leaving Hinata in pitch-black darkness.
“Oh, crap.”
Crows cawed above and all around. Heard, not seen. Loud, impossibly loud, but distant, too. Hinata couldn’t make sense of it, but he wanted to see again so he focused his power to his hands, setting them aglow with the same orange light that had touched his torch. Hinata held a flame in his hand, and relief washed over him a little too soon. He froze. There hadn’t been a figure standing in the circle two seconds ago. Hinata raised up his hand, but before he could cast a light on the shadow, the creature moved first. A flurry of crows surged from the ground up, by the hundreds, breaking a clearing through the trees until they reached the sky, leaving behind a hole in their wake, wide enough to see the stars, and moonlight poured in.
Hinata was busy blocking his head from falling branches. When the storm of crows disappeared, he looked up again. The figure picked itself up from the ground, pushing himself from a knee, and stood up at full height. Much taller than me, Hinata noted almost bitterly, but as soon as the moon painted over the person’s complexion, jet black hair, ice-cold gaze, and that face- impossible! Hinata almost seized up but threw his arms up in between fighting ready and protection. He recognized the demon, but he never imagined that he would summon him as a familiar.
"K-Kageyama Tobio–!"
The Prince of Darkness himself.