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Chapter Text

"Asta, a little help here, would ya?" you yelled. "I can't carry this by myself!"

"One more minute!" You let out a loud groan and looked out into the field at your friend, still doing pushups. You reluctantly bent down to pick up the heavy basket when a gust of wind lifted the basket into the air. Smiling, you turned around to see Yuno with the basket hovering over his hand.

"Thanks, Yuno," you said. He smiled back.

"Not a problem," he replied. "Why didn't you just use your magic?"

"Training purposes only, remember?" you replied. He sighed.

"You won't be able to use it for training purposes if all of your physical strength is drained," he countered. You pouted.

"It wouldn't have been drained without your help. Just.. slightly faltered," you replied.

"Mhm." An irk mark appeared on your forehead.

"Shut up, you handsome jerk!" You crossed your arms in annoyance. God, how could he be so reliable and so annoying at the same time? Yuno chuckled and sent the basket over to Sister Lily, who has unclipping a set of clothes from the clothing line.

"One thousand! Okay, (Y/N), I'm coming!" You deadpanned as the sound of Asta's screams got louder. You turned over to see the sight of a tiny grey dot become a sprinting figure heading towards you before a gust of wind sent it up into midair before falling face-first into the ground.

"A little late, Asta," you said, zero reaction showing in your expression as you felt yourself levitate and float towards the wind user. You giggled. "As protective as ever, I see." You gazed up at Yuno with a teasing look as he looked away, clicking his tongue.

"Heh, handsome jerk can't handle a tease?" you asked, winking at him.

"Hey, that's my line!" Asta exclaimed.

"It's fine if I borrow it, right?" You smirked as he stood there, scowling. However, the scowl quickly faded into a bright smile as his focus turned to the person behind you. You let out a knowing sigh. "Asta, please don't do anything-"

"Sister Lily!" Asta yelled, dashing past you and Yuno. You turned around to watch the madness of the day.

"Sister Lily! I am blessed to be in your presence! Please marry me! Please marry me!" Despite his constant screaming, Sister Lily simply smiled.

"No," she replied.

"Asta, Sister Lily is a woman of the cloth, meaning she can't get married," Yuno added. You chuckled.

"That's not gonna stop me from trying!" Asta replied. "Please-"

Sister Lily quickly interrupted his blatant rant by casting a spell from her grimoire. A giant fist of water emerged from her hand and sucker-punched the short male into the ground. However, as soon as she did, she gasped.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking!" she said, putting her grimoire away.

"Don't apologize for stopping an idiot," you said.

"Hey, mean!" Asta exclaimed, getting up and wiping the mud off of his pants.

"I mean, she's not wrong," Yuno added. "Sister Lily wouldn't be interested in you, anyway. You're loud, short, obnoxious, and immature. You're basically not appealing to women in any way." You tried hard to suppress your giggling as Yuno walked away.

"Hey, why don't you come say that again, you handsome jerk?!" You decided to escape the madness by walking off into the forest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You loved training at night. You could get all of the peace and quiet you needed in order to think that you wouldn't really get during the day. You loved Asta and the kids with a passion, but they were very rowdy. It was impossible for you to concentrate like that.

You panted as you summoned another large chunk of ice toward the target on the tree. Wiping the sweat off of your forehead, you prepared to summon another one when a familiar voice interrupted your focus.

"It's getting late. You need to get some sleep, (Y/N)." Sighing, you turned around to face Yuno.

"Just a few more minutes. I'm so close," you replied motioning towards the three open targets you had left. Yuno simply crossed his arms.

"We're getting our grimoires tomorrow. You need to actually get up in the morning," Yuno replied.

You scoffed. "I get up in the morning!"

"Near the end of the morning, (Y/N). And that's if you're lucky. Sister literally had to drag you out of bed today."

"I can get up in the morning if it's an important day!" Yuno blinked. He wasn't all surprised by your behavior. If there was anything you and Asta had in common, it was your pure stubbornness.

"Uh huh. Regardless, you still need sleep," Yuno replied. "Not even Asta is up this late training. You really should start training in the mornings with him."

"You know I'm not a morning person."

"And this situation is exactly why," Yuno said. "You stay up too late training at the wrong time."

"Tch." You averted your gaze, pouting.

"You're pouting like that because you know I'm right," Yuno said, smiling triumphantly.

"Shut it, you handsome jerk," you replied.

"Is that always gonna be your scapegoat in an argument with me?" 

"Let's just go inside already!"

"Couldn't you have started with that?"

You growled, shoving Yuno out of the way as you made your way towards the edge of the forest. You could hear him chuckling in the background as you walked over the fallen twigs and leaves.

Chapter Text

You were suddenly awoken to repeated shoving and as soon as you heard the yelling, you groaned.

"(Y/N), wake up! Today's the day we get our grimoires!" Asta yelled. "Wake! Up!" You turned around to see him with his hands still on you.

"Asta, quit shaking me! God, I'm up, I'm up!" you mumbled. Asta backed up and smiled.

"Good, now hurry up and come on!" he replied. You sat up, yawning and stretched your arms out before getting out of bed. You notice Yuno standing at the doorway smiling at you. You smiled back.

"Alright, let's get this over with."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first thing you noticed when you walked were the variety of grimoires on every tall shelf. You stared at your surroundings, mesmerized by the sight.

"Woah, every grimoire is different from the other..." you said. "I wonder which one I'll get."

"I know," Yuno replied. You continued to look around until you noticed a starry-eyed Asta doing the same thing. You chuckled at him. You swore you would never know where he got all of that energy from. Yuno just clicked his tongue.

"Welcome to the ceremony, young ones."

You stopped and looked up. The ceremony has just begun. In the next couple of minutes, you would have a new grimoire in your hands. Your very own grimoire. The thought made you both excited and extremely nervous. Your hand clasped together with Yuno's and your fingers interlocked with his as you kept your eyes on the head of the tower.        

"Now then, is the future Wizard King amongst us?"

As much as you hated to admit it, you weren't really listening. You were too anxious to get your hands on that grimoire. But, at the same time, you were also nervous for Asta. You know how much he wants this, but he has no magical powers. Would a grimoire even come to him?

Your thought were interrupted as a light blue glow floated towards you. Your breath hitched as you realized this was your grimoire hovering in front of you. Letting go of Yuno's hand, you reached out yours to grab it. The book was huge and slightly heavy in your hands. It was a beautiful cornflower blue with a silver three-leaf clover in the middle.

"Woah.." you said, smiling. "Look, Yuno-"

You suddenly stopped at the sight of a blinding glow in front of your friend. You stood there, in awe as the glow dissipated and the grimoire dropped into Yuno's hands. You took another step to get a closer look and when you saw the cover, you gasped. A four-leaf clover.

Your eyes widened. 'A four-leaf grimoire... Damn, Yuno. I knew you were powerful, but still...' you thought.

"I'm going to become the Wizard King," Yuno declared. Everyone in the room cheered for him. You stood there smiling, proud of your best friend.

"Um, my grimoire's not coming."

You turned to see your friend staring up at the head of the tower, a look of confusion on his face. The crowd began to murmur and whisper, turning your smile into a frown.

"Seriously? That's gold."

"First, he has no powers. Now, he doesn't even have a grimoire? Pathetic."

"What a loser."

With your grimoire tucked in your arm, your open hand balled into a fist as you growled. Asta is your dear friend, and everyone was making fun of him simply because he had yet to gain his magical powers. The temperature of your hands began to drop before a warm hand clasped around your closed fist.

"Calm down," Yuno said softly. "I know it angers you, but there's nothing you can do about it. Just let it go." Your expression had yet to change, but you opened your fist to clasp your hand into his.

"I can't just let it go, Yuno," you whispered harshly. "How can you expect me to stand around while Asta gets made fun of?"

"I know it's hard. But, Asta is strong. He knows people ridicule him," Yuno replied. "He always pushes through and never gives in to their insults. By losing your cool, you're giving them what they want. If he can brush them off, so can you."

You took a deep breath as your hands began to warm up again.

"Good," Yuno said. "Remember our exercise."

You nodded as you squeezed his hand in a repetitive pattern, counting to ten in your head. 'One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six... Seven.. Eight... Nine... Ten.' Taking one last breath for good measure, you let go of Yuno's hand. You looked back up at him mouthing the words "thank you" to him. He simply replied with a smile before looking back at Asta. You sighed as you did the same.

You really did feel for your short friend. Yuno was naturally gifted, and you had an extreme amount of mana ever since you were a young child. But, you knew deep down inside that even though Asta didn't have powers now, he wasn't going to give up. Being stubborn was one of his positive attributes, after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You walked down the alleyway with Yuno, never taking your eyes off of the book in front of you.

"Wow..." you said. "I can't believe I got a grimoire."

"Well, ever fifteen-year-old is supposed to get one," Yuno replied.

Your cheeks flushed red. You were not supposed to say that out loud. "W-Well, it's just the shock and emotion you feel when you get a grimoire that you end up saying those words!" you rambled. "Leave me alone!"

Yuno chuckled at your pouting face, but the banter was interrupted when Yuno stopped abruptly, holding his arm out in front of you signaling you to stop as well. Confused, you looked in front of you to see two men standing in front of you. Judging by their clothing and stance, they seemed to be nobles, and one of them did not look happy.

"H-Hey, you don't have to go that far," the calm one exclaimed, trying to calm down his clearly livid friend.

"We should've been the stars today," the angry one exclaimed. "And yet... this peasant receives a four-leaf clover?! I'll just..." The angry noble held up his grimoire and opened it. You took a defensive stance, preparing to use your magic, but Yuno motioned for you to stop. You look up at him to see an assuring look telling you that he would be fine. Sighing, you closed you grimoire, deciding to trust him.

"Hey!" The nervous noble tried to stop his unstable friend, but to no avail.

"I'll just have to turn it to ash!" the angry noble yelled. Yuno shoved you behind him just as the angry blonde shot flames at you and Yuno. Using his wind magic, he blew out the flames without breaking a sweat.

The once angry noble now stood there with shock. He looked toward his nervous friend. "Do something!" he shouted.

"But..." His friend hesistated.

"Do it!"

Before they could try anything, chains suddenly came flying at the two, binding them into the stone walls.

At the sight, your eyes widened, and you moved from behind Yuno. You noticed a man walking towards the two of you. The man had long, raven hair and a scar on his left eye.

"I can't let you go and burn that," the man said. "Don't bother to resist. My Creation Magic: Binding Iron Chain restricts the magic and movements of the one it captures." He stopped a few feet in front of you and Yuno.

"Who are you?" Yuno asked.

"Until recently, I was a pretty well known Magic Knight called Revchi of Chain Magic," he began. "But, I got kicked out, so now I'm just a wretched thief. And I'll be taking that grimoire." Before you and Yuno could try anything, chains shot up from the ground binding Yuno and grabbing his grimoire.

"Yuno!" you shouted. You got ready to attack the stranger, but chains shot up and bound you before you could move. With no way to use your magic, you were both trapped.

Yuno, staying calm as ever, spoke up. "Revchi, was it?" he asked. "It's pointless for you to steal that. The only one-"

Revchi interrupted him. "The only one who can use a grimoire is the one it chose," he said. "However, underground collectors are buying grimoires with four-leaf clovers for insane prices. A four-leaf clover may have chosen you, but you only just received it. You're still just a little chick." Revchi held up Yuno's grimoire proudly. "How unfortunate for you that I happened to be here. Your legend is going to end before it even begins."

You growled, but when quiet when you saw his gaze change focus. You gasped when he realized what he was looking at. 'No... He wouldn't.'

"Hey, that pendant looks like it's worth something, too," he said. "I guess I'll be taking that." He reached out to grab it, but froze when he heard yelling behind him.

"Hold it!" Asta yelled. You looked around for him, but saw nothing until he crashed into the wall, falling headfirst into the ground. You winced at the impact. However, unsurprisingly, he got right back up and pointed at Revchi.

"What do you think you're doing?! I've come to save..." Asta stops. He noticed the nobles trapped in chains and looked back towards Revchi. "Huh? Who the hell are you?!" he asked. "That's Yuno's grimoire! Why do you have it? You thief!"

The man turned around and looked the male with an unreadable expression. "Aren't you the pathetic little brat who wasn't even given a grimoire?" he asked.

"Oh, you remember me!" Asta exclaimed. "Yeah, I'm that pathetic little brat! A grimoire is precious to the person who received it! Give it back to Yuno, you jerk!"

Revchi only chuckled. "The outside world is a place where crooked deeds like this can be overlooked," he said. "But, you'll be dead before you find that out for yourself." He began to flip through the pages in his grimoire, and yours and Yuno's eyes widened, realizing what he was about to do.

"Asta, run!" Yuno yelled. Revchi summoned chains, preparing to strike him.

"I'm not going to run from a disgraced loser like him!" Asta sprinted towards the stranger, dodging every chain sent at him, making it behind Revchi. Asta raised his fists to punch him but gets held back by the chains from behind. He still refused to let up.

"I'm not done yet!" he yelled, trying to take a step closer.

"No... You're finished," Revchi replied. He flipped through a page in his grimoire and struck Asta with multiple chains at a time. "Chain Creation Magic: Dance of the Pitless Viper!"

Asta went flying into the wall. Revchi pinned him there with a right foot on his shoulder. "Thank you for that useless struggle, brat," he teased.

"Not yet," Asta said. "I'm not finished... I'm going to be... the Wizard King..." he mumbled. Revchi fought back laughter.

"You? The Wizard King?" he said in disbelief. "I have the ability to find out just how much magical power one has with these chains. And you have no magic whatsoever."

Your eyes widened in shock. You couldn't believe what you were hearing. It was true that you couldn't sense any mana from Asta when you met him, but you figured he was just a late bloomer. You never even imagined the possibility of him not having any magic at all.

"You must've been born that way," Revchi explained. "No wonder you couldn't get a grimoire. To think that you lack even an ounce of magic in this world where magic is everything. What a priceless find!"

You clenched your fists in anger, You were gradually losing your temper, but you didn't care. It didn't matter anyways, since you couldn't do anything with the chains restraining you like this.

"To think that someone so pathetic existed," Revchi teased. "You won't even be able to find a job let alone become the Wizard King! I'm sure your friends over there mock you, too. You can't do a thing in this world. Just give up on everything. You were born a loser!"

"Hey!" Yuno shouted.

Revchi turned around.

"Who are you calling a loser?" Yuno said. He then turned to Asta. "Asta, it's true that you won't be able to become the Wizard King, no matter what."

If you could move your hands, you would've facepalmed. Way to boost morale, Yuno.

"You hear that? Even your little friend is telling you it's impossible.," Revchi said.

You took a moment to think and calmed down, realizing what Yuno was doing. "He's no loser. He's..." Yuno began. "Asta's my rival!"

"Him? Your rival? This brat who has no magical power whatsoever?" Revchi asked. You noticed Asta grab Revchi's ankle in determination and smiled.

"Not... Not yet."

The thief backed up, shocked by the sudden change in attitude. Asta slowly got up.

"Sorry you guys had to see me looking that pathetic," Asta said. "Just a sec... I'm gonna kick this guy's butt!"

A dark ominous mana filled the area, making you shiver. A grimoire suddenly appeared in front of Asta and you Yuno and Revchi stood there frozen when you saw the cover. A five-leaf clover. The grimoire opened to a page, and a giant rusty sword emerged from it.

"I knew it," Yuno said. "There's no way Asta wouldn't have been chosen!"

"Your... magic?" Revchi asked as the sword planted itself into the ground. "But, you didn;t have any magic within you! What in the world is that grimoire?!"

The thief drops Yuno's grimoire as Asta grabbed the handle of the sword and stood up. "W-What is that grimoire? That sword! Just who are you?!" he demanded. Asta picked up the sword. The thief finally lost it and opened his grimoire again. "You little wretch with no magical powers!" he yelled, sending more chains towards Asta. However, when Asta sliced at them with his sword, they disappeared.

Your eyes widened in shock. Just what is this power? Asta swung his sword at Revchi for a final blow, and he went flying into the wall, unconscious. You looked back at Yuno and noticed the chains binding him have vanished. You looked down at yourself, seeing that your chains were gone as well. Smiling, you looked back up at a panting Asta.

"I built up my muscles since I couldn't use any magic," Asta explained. "Looks like they came in handy after all."

You watched as they playfully bantered with each other, just like always. Watching from the background was a little bittersweet, knowing that in a few days, they would most likely be separated. But you knew that even thought they're fighting for the same goal, nothing would come between their friendship. You smiled.

"Come on, you two. Let's get back to the church. We've been here long enough."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You summoned more shard of ice towards Yuno as he shattered them with ease. Panting, you prepared to strike him again, but Yuno put his hand up, stopping you.

"I've helped you, but that's enough for tonight. You need to get some sleep," Yuno said. Much to his surprise, you didn't argue. Instead, you sat down against a nearby tree and stared at the starry sky. He sat down beside you.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. You smiled, shaking your head.

"Yuno... Do you remember the day we first met?" you asked. He raised an eyebrow.

"Where's this coming from?" he asked.

"Well, in a few days. we'll be leaving to take the Magic Knights entrance exam," you explained. "Our lives are gonna change drastically. I just... wanna take this time to reminisce, I guess."

"Well, to answer your question..." Yuno began. "Yeah, I do."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Stupid snow...' you thought as you walked through the empty town of Hage Village. You looked around at the buildings and missed a step, causing you to fall face-first into the snow. You pushed yourself back up. You kept walking along the street when you heard faint sobbing in the distance. Confused, you followed the sound and stopped at the corner of a building. You peaked your head around it and saw a little boy on his knees in the snow in front of a man holding what looked like necklace in his hand. It appeared as he had attacked the young boy and stolen it from him.

"You miserable little brat," the man said. "Where do you get off having something this extravagant?"

All you did was watch was the boy got ridiculed, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Yuno!" You jumped, as another little boy ran onto the scene through the thick snow. The man struck the boy immediately, but what shocked you was how he refused to let up. Despite getting beat up, he continued to run towards the thief, and eventually, the man just gave up, dropping the pendant and leaving. You didn't hear much of the conversation afterwards as you saw one of the boys' heads turn and ran away from the scene immediately.

'So Yuno's your name, huh...' you thought as you ran back to the forest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

More tiny shards of ice came out of your hand and towards the hanging targets from the tree. You placed your hands on your knees, panting.

'Keep going... I need to be strong enough to survive on my own...' You continued summoning more ice towards the targets.

Meanwhile, the people at the church looked at the forest in confusion.

"My god, where is all of that noise coming from?" Father complained.

"Father, relax. I'm sure whatever's causing the noise will stop pretty soon," Sister Lily replied.

"If the sound's coming from the forest, I'm not so sure," Asta said, pointing to the trees.

"Let's leave it be for now. It's late, so we all need to get some sleep," Sister Lily said.

"All right!" Asta replied. "Yuno, let's- Yuno?" Asta stopped when he noticed that his friend was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You panted as you sent more ice into the trees. Your magic was getting weaker, and you know you needed to quit soon, but you stood up strong, preparing to carry on. However, when you heard the sound of cracking branches, you froze.

"Whoever's watching me, just come out. I-I know you're there," you said, raising your voice. You mentally scolded yourself for stuttering after trying to sound tough. You heard the sound get louder behind you and you turned around. A little boy with black hair and amber eyes stopped in front of you. 'The kid from last night? Yuno?'

"Who are you and what do you want?" you demanded, pretending you didn't know him.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that everyone could hear you from outside of the forest, and I went to find the source of the noise," Yuno replied, lowering his head. Your defensive stance slightly faltered, surprised by how timid he was.

"Oh. Sorry for being so loud," you replied. You noticed Yuno look up at the ice-covered trees. "Sorry, that was my doing. It should melt in a few days."

"N-No, it's fine," he said. "You didn't cover many trees."

You both stared at each other awkwardly for a few minutes before Yuno finally broke the silence.

"I-If you don't mind me asking..." he began. "What are you doing out here this late?"

You froze at the question. You didn't know how to respond. Should you lie? You only knew his name, and he didn't even know you at all. If you lied, he wouldn't be able to tell. But, what if he could? You never were a good liar, and you wouldn't know what would happen if he found out you were lying. You hesitated, but finally answered his question. "I use the late hours to train since the chance of anyone spotting me is low," you replied. It was the truth, but you didn't tell him the reason why you didn't want people to find you alone. You just couldn't risk it.

"Oh... If you don't mind me asking, why don't you want anyone to find you?" Yuno asked.

You had a feeling he wouldn't give up after you gave him such a vague answer. Still, you hoped that he wouldn't have asked this question. You knew you had no choice but to lie. If you told him the truth, you'd be sent back home. To a living nightmare.

"M-My mother is dead... is dead... My dad... died a few months ago..." you replied. Yuno gasped.

"I... I am so sorry..." he said. "I..."

"It's fine," you said. "Please just leave me alone. We can pretend this never happened." You turned around to continue when you felt a hand wrap itself around your wrist.

"W-Wait..." Yuno said. "I... I think I can help you..."

You turned your head. "What do you mean?"

"I-I live at a church. All of the orphans in Hage Village live there, too. D-Do you want to come back with me?" he asked.

A ray of hope shone through your mind. You could finally escape the months-long nightmare you've been enduring. All you had to do was say yes.

You nodded. "Okay."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Yeah, I guess you stalked me back that night," you said, chuckling.

"Honestly, I was terrified. I thought I was gonna run into a bear and get killed," Yuno replied.

"I remember how timid you were when I met you. It was so cute," you said.

"Cute?" Yuno asked, smiling.

Your face flushed a bright shade of pink and quickly stood up.

"Not like that!" you exclaimed. "It was like, like-- you get what I am trying to say!"

"Actually, I don't, but whatever helps you sleep at night," Yuno replied, standing up. "Come on, it's late."

"Just one more time?"

"(Y/N)."

"Fine."

Chapter Text

You flipped to the first page of your grimoire and smiled.

"Ice Creation Magic: Winter's Rock!"

You held out your right arm, and a massive, mountain-like ice carving erupts from the ground, angled toward the trees in front of you. Exhaling, you turned in the opposite direction, and repeated the same spell over and over until you had little space left.

This spell was one of the first three to show up in your grimoire. Considering you only had it for a day and a half, you were pretty proud of yourself. But, now was not the time to slow down. The Magic Knights entrance exam was in days, and you had no time to waste.

'Have to keep going... I'm pretty sure Yuno and Asta are working twice as hard.' You looked around for a way out of the icy mess you created when a lightbulb appeared in your head. You flipped to another page in your grimoire, planting your feet into the ground.

"Ice Creation Magic: Frostbite."

You watched as the ground around you turned to ice, slowly spreading out into all of the ice mounds. You climbed over one with ease and clenched your open fist, destroying all of them.

Frostbite was one of your favorite spells so far, because that way, you could avoid slipping on your own creations, and it could throw your opponent off guard long enough for them to slip. Chuckling, you got ready to cast the last spell you knew when your grimoire began to float out of your hands. Confused, you tried to grab it back, but to no avail as it stopped right in front of you. It began to glow a blinding bright blue and you covered your eyes with your arm as a silhouette formed in front of the book. When the glowing dissipated, you slowly brought your arm back down to your side, only to jump back in shock, dropping your grimoire when you realized what was in front of you.

A male no bigger than your fist floated over your grimoire. He had stark white hair, with small wings the color of snow fluttering with him to match. The fact that he had wings and popped up out of your grimoire only added to your shock, and you screamed out of reflex.

"Woah, woah, woah!" the tiny male exclaimed. "Calm down. No need to freak out. I'm not gonna hurt you."

"I'd like to see you try, weirdo!" you replied. Yeah, he was tiny and possibly harmless, but you took no chances. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Spirit of Ice and Snow," he replied. "You can call me Yukio."

"Spirits? What are you talking about?" you asked.

"There are six of them out there, including me. And I chose you," Yukio replied. "It's an honor, really, to be chosen by one of the six Spirits."

"Um, okay," you said. "So, what are you supposed to do?"

"I help enhance your magic, basically. Since there are only six of us, it's very rare for a mage to be chosen by a Spirit. Especially one so young," Yukio replied. "You look no older than... sixteen. When did get your grimoire?"

"Actually, I'm fifteen," you said. "And, I got my grimoire a day and a half ago."

Yukio gasped. "That's insane. The last time I came across someone like that was... centuries ago," he said. "You're impressive, kid."

"Don't call me kid," you said. "How am I gonna tell-" You stopped as you came to a conclusion in your head. You're not gonna tell the kids of the church, or Father, or Sister Lily. For now, you weren't gonna tell anyone you were chosen by a Spirit. You would tell Yuno and Asta at some time after dinner.

"Hey, do you think you can hide somewhere until dinner is over?" you asked. "I don't want anyone knowing about you yet. Maybe back in my grimoire?"

Yukio snorted. "Just because I was summoned in front of your grimoire doesn't mean I came from inside it, you weirdo," he replied. You pouted.

"Oh, be quiet, Frosty," you retorted. "Can you just hide anywhere?"

"Is your bag big enough to hold both me and your grimoire?" Yukio asked. You nodded, remembering that you had asked Sister Lily to fix it after it had tore on a branch, and she altered it to make it a little bigger. "Perfect!" The tiny guardian then flew right into your bag faster than you could even blink. You sighed. Well, that was definitely something.

You opened your grimoire yet again to cast the last spell inside it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tomorrow's the day Asta, (Y/N), and Yuno set out for the royal capital," Father declared. "We need to send them out with a bang!"

"Father went to all of the surrounding villages looking for tatoes," Sister said. You smiled. Of course he would.

Asta looked at Father with starry eyes. "Father!"

Father gave him a weird stare. "What's that look for? This isn't just for you!" he said. "Actually, it's mostly for Yuno and (Y/N)." Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Nash nodding.

"Father!" Asta exclaimed.

"Well, you know.." Father began, clearly trying to explain himself out of the mess he made. "Yuno and (Y/N) might make it into the Magic Knights, but you're..." He stopped, not knowing how to put it. Eventually, he placed his hand on Asta's shoulder. "Asta, there's no need to be embarrassed, even if you fail the exam."

"Huh?" Asta asked. You watched as he whispered something in Asta's ears. "Are you trying to encourage me or make fun of me?!"

"You can come back at any time," Father continued. "Your home is this church. No matter how crappy or poor it may be, it's your home." You knew that was meant for Asta, but you took that last part to heart. Leaving everyone behind would be really bittersweet, knowing you wouldn't know when you'd see them again.

"I'll be lonely without Asta here. Yuno and (Y/N), too."

"We're all family."

"Y-You should say that to Yuno, too," Asta said, pointing at Yuno. "Tell him he can come back whenever he wants."

"Yuno will be fine," Father replied.

"What do you mean?!" Asta asked. You sighed, deciding to just drown out the conversation entirely, only laughing when Asta gets another water fist to the face.

"All right, let's eat. We have stewed tatoes, tato tempura, grilled tatoes, fried tatoes, stir-fried tatoes, steamed tatoes, Hage-style boiled tatoes, tato juice, and even special tato pudding!" Sister Lily explained. Hearing the cheers of all of the children, you smiled. You were really going to miss them.

You looked up at Yuno, who was sitting next to you. "So, you ready for our lives to change forever?" you asked.

"Don't be so dramatic," he replied.

"Oh, will you quit with that for one day?"

"Quit doing what? Telling you the truth?"

"Tch."

"By the way, you're not training tonight."

"What? Why?!"

"We have a long travel tomorrow. No way am I letting you run yourself into the ground like you normally do."

"Hmph. Helicopter handsome jerk."

"I can't tell if that's a compliment or an insult."

"Take a guess."

"Think you can lay off the attitude just this once? Tonight is special."

"Then stop getting onto me for training at night!"

"You train too late at night. Once, you slept till the afternoon."

"I told you I'm not a morning person!"

"Gee, I wonder why."

"Shut up."

"Don't tell me to shut up. You started it."

You glared at Yuno.

"Geez, you two argue like an old married couple," Nash said.

You took a deep breath to keep from flushing bright red. "Shut it, Nash!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Take care," Father said.

"You too, Father," you said. "I'm going to miss all of you little guys!" you added, hugging all of the children.

"Come back soon!" said one of the children.

"He'll be back soon... Asta, that is," Nash claimed.

"Nash!" Asta yelled.

"But, you know... If, just if, and it's a very huge if..." Nash began. "If you get into the Magic Knights... I'll believe in possibilities. I'll believe I can become anything. And then one day, I'll get into the Magic Knights, too... No, never mind."

"Hold up!" you said. "You can't talk like that and just back out!" you said.

"I'll be waiting for you!" Asta replied to Nash. You sighed, shaking your head. Never a dull moment with these two.

Yuno turned around, preparing to leave. "Well, I'll be off."

"I better get going, too. Don't miss us too much!" you teased. You turned around to follow Yuno.

"Hey, wait, Yuno!" Asta yelled as he caught up with you two. "Answer me, you handsome jerk! Just because we're rivals doesn't mean we can't get along!" Yuno proceeded to walk ahead, leaving you and Asta behind.

"Hey, Yuno!" you said, running up to him. "I'm not your rival! Don't leave me behind!"

He chuckled. "Sorry. It's hard to see you and Asta since you're both so short."

You punch him hard in the arm.

Chapter Text

The journey was a long one. For half of a day, all that Yuno and Asta were doing was running. And you, not wanting to be left behind, were forced to join in on, because at your pace, you'd lose them pretty quickly. The rest of the several-day trip was spent walking(thank god-). The three of you were currently climbing up a hill when Yuno suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"What's the matter, Yuno?" Asta asked.

"Look," Yuno replied. You stood next to both of them at the top of the hill and smiled at the sight before you.

"We made it," you said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You stepped into the arena where the Magic Knights entrance exam would be held, palms sweating with both nervousness and anticipation. Today was the day you would be watched from every angle to see if you were worthy of being a Magic Knight. Shaking your wrists, you turned to Yuno.

"So, which Magic Knights squad would you like to be a part of?" you asked, wanting to get your mind off of the intrusive thoughts entering your head.

"I think I would like to be a part of the Golden Dawn," he replied. "I want to join the squad that would bring me the closest to my goal. What about you?"

"Well, the Golden Dawn would obviously be my first choice," you replied. "But, if not that, definitely the Blue Rose Knights. I've heard of their captain before, and she sounds really cool." In all honesty, you had no idea which Magic Knights squad you truly wanted to get into. Out of the nine squads you could be a part of, your goal was to find one particular squad. However, the name of said squad had yet to be known to you. So, you had no idea which one to aim for.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of chirping. You looked around you and saw several flocks of birds flying about near the rest of the examinees. However, when you tried to call some over, none came. They seemed to want to avoid you and Yuno.

"Hey, what are these birds?" you heard one of them ask, trying to shoo them away. You gasped.

"Oh!" you exclaimed. "I remember reading about these. They're the famous anti-birds. The weaker your magic, the more they're attracted to you."

"Hm," Yuno replied. "I guess that makes sense. Now we know why Asta's running from a whole flock of them."

You turned around, and indeed Yuno was right. Your tiny friend was sprinting like hell away from what seemed like hundreds of the small birds. You cringed. "Yeesh."

As you looked around, you took notice of some of the girls fawning over Yuno. Clutching your grimoire bag, you scooted a little closer to him. You didn't know why, but something about all of those girls staring at him just made you uncomfortable.

At the sound of flapping wings, you looked up to see all of the anti-birds flying away. Confused, you looked up, and your eyes widened at the sight of all of the Magic Knights captains taking their seats. One look at their faces and you could tell. They were ready to judge every last person here.

A blinding green light appeared, and dark clouds formed above the arena. You watched in awe as giant tree branches descended from it, forming brooms for every examinee in the area. One branch holding a broom stopped in front of you, and you happily took it.

"We will now begin the Magic Knights Entrance Exam."

You looked up at the source of the spell, and you couldn't believe your eyes. In the middle stood the captain of the Golden Dawn, the best Magic Knights squad you could get into: William Vangeance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We will now have you all take several tests," William began. "The nine of us will evaluate your performance, and then we will select the candidates that we would like to add to our squads."

You gripped your broom tight in anticipation.

"If chosen you will join that squad. If you're chosen by more than one squad, you may choose the squad you would like to join. On the other hand, those who are not chosen by any captain are not qualified to join the Magic Knights."

You felt your palms get sweatier. You knew that you and Yuno were pretty talented magic-wise, but there was always the chance that no one would pick you, and you would be going home. That was the worst-case scenario. The last thing you wanted was to be left behind.

You shook your head. No. You've worked too hard for your nerves to get the better of you. Not when you've made it this far. You were going to make into the Magic Knights, no matter what.

The first test was a simple one. You just had to get on your broom and fly. It was a tiny struggle getting on it and floating for the first time, but you caught the hang of it pretty quickly, and soon you were standing on it. Not only was it simple, it was fun.

You laughed as you flew in donuts on the edge of the arena. "This is so cool! I never imagined I could fly on a broom like this!" you exclaimed. Having fun wasn't your only reason for flying like a maniac. You could feel eyes on you from every direction, and you knew there was a chance that you caught the attention of the Magic Knights captains. The more eyes on you, the better.

The next was the magical ability exam. That was even easier than the first one. Next was the magical ability control exam. Considering you had been practicing on targets you made since before you met Yuno and Asta, that was a piece of cake. The creation magic exam had to be the easiest one, though. You didn't have to worry about hitting targets or focusing on aiming your ice in one particular spot. You could just have fun with it. And fun you had. The developmental magic exam was a little trickier. In order to keep from letting loose you needed to focus your magic in one hand. You lost a little bit of control on that one, but you had no worries.

Then came the final exam. You needed to find a partner to engage in combat with. This was the most important exam because if you lost the spar, it would affect your examination heavily. You looked around to see who might be free. Choosing a good partner would be key if you wanted to impress the Magic Knights captains. You turned around, grabbing your grimoire in reflex when you felt a hand grip your shoulder. Standing in front of you was a man a few inches taller than you. He wasn't hard on the eyes. In fact he was quite handsome - until he put on a flirtatious grin that nearly made you cringe, but you decided to be polite.

"Um, hello there," you said. "Are you looking for a partner?"

"Why, yes," he replied. "I was hoping I could be yours, beautiful. And maybe afterwards, we could go for drinks?"

You fought back the urge to sigh. You thought these people could tell you were not at the age to be drinking. Either way, you weren't interested.

"Um, sorry, but no thank you. I don't drink," you replied. You saw his grin falter a little, which was good. That meant he took the hint.

"Hm. Alright, fine," he said. "You should be lucky that a noble like me even asked. But, who cares? I'm going to destroy you when we spar anyways."

You clenched your fists as he walked away. You took another deep breath, calming yourself down. That was fine. You were going to prove him wrong in just a few moments.

You watched as a group finally ended their spar. You and your partner were the last group left. You stepped onto the platform, grimoire in hand. You knew this guy's taunts meant nothing, but it still made you nervous when everyone's eyes were focused on the battle. You would be leaving the last impression before the exam ends. But, the question is: would it be a good one?

You looked around and saw Yuno, who smiled, giving you an assuring nod. You smiled back and looked forward at your opponent, knowing you had this in the bag. You watched, opening your grimoire as the man in front of you began to cast a spell.

"Time to end this before it begins. Let's see you counter this, peasant!" he exclaimed. He raised his arm, and you rolled your eyes. "Water Creation-"

"Ice Creation Magic: Winter's Rock!" You raised your arm, and several ice mounds appeared around the noble, its sharp peaks going through every crevice of his body, preventing him from moving. You watched as his grimoire dropped to the ground. Smiling, you walked towards him, ignoring the gasps and murmurs from the people around you. "Oh, I wouldn't touch that ice if I were you," you said, placing your hand on one of them. "Ice Creation Magic: Frostbite."

You watched as another layer of ice proceeded to spread across the icicles from his hand. You chuckled as you saw the man freak out when the ice spread to his feet, and then his ankles.

"Yeah, that frost will soon cover your entire body from head to toe, leaving you a frozen statue," you said. "Unless, of course-"

"I yield!" he screamed. "I yield, I yield! Just please, stop this!" Smiling, you broke both spells and watched as he fell to his knees, clutching his chest.

"Next time, don't mock someone who could put you on your knees without breaking a sweat, 'kay?" you said. You walked off of the platform, a proud grin on your face. As soon as you saw Yuno, you ran over to him and gave him a huge hug, which he reciprocated.

"How was that?" you asked. Yuno clicked his tongue.

"You have to ask?" he replied. You stuck your tongue out at him and released the hug. You smiled at him and interlocked your fingers with his again. You knew that after this, you would likely be separated. You wanted to enjoy what little time you had left with him.

Finally, the time came. It was time to find out what Magic Knights squad you would be in, or if you were even accepted at all. You watched as people's names were called, and were dropped left and right.

"Number 32, no offers."

"Number 40, no offers."

"Number 45, no offers."

"Number 67, no offers."

The list went on, with only the occasional few getting offers from only one or two Magic Knights captains. You unconsciously squeezed Yuno's hand a little tighter.

"Next, Number 164." You let go of Yuno's hand and watched as he walked up to the front, facing the captains. You gasped as every Magic Knights captains raised their hand for him. You've never smiled wider in your life. You knew how powerful Yuno was, but not every mage gets requested for every Magic Knights squad. No matter how much you knew about his power, you were proud of him.

"Please allow me to join the Golden Dawn," Yuno said.

"Way to go, Yuno!" you said. He turned around to look at you and smiled.

"Next, Number 165."

That was you. Taking a deep breath, you walked up to the front, looking up at the captains. You got hands from four captains: William Vangeance, Nozel Silva, Charlotte Roselei, and Fuegoleon Vermillion.

You didn't know who to choose at first. But, you decided to choose the one that would bring you closest to your goal. And, you knew that with this squad, you wouldn't be alone in your journey.

"I would like to be a member of the Golden Dawn."

Chapter Text

"And then the guy had the gall to make a move on me. Like, seriously?" you said, walking down the hallway with Yuno. You had just made it to the Golden Dawn's base, the place that you would officially call your second home. Yuno was currently quietly listening to you ramble about the exam.

"Didn't matter though. He was all talk. I saw him when he got called. He didn't get into a single squad," you said. "Looks like some other poor soul will have to deal with his nonsense when he tries again next-"

You were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat, clearly to get your attention. Standing in front of you was a man in a Golden Dawn robe. He had a slender build with light blue hair with most of it parted to the sides, and dark glasses with rectangular frames. Judging by his judgmental stare, he was most likely a member of the Golden Dawn for a while, and that he was most likely an absolute prick.

He pushed his frames up to his nose before speaking. "So, you two are our new members this year?" he asked. "What's your name?"

"It's Yuno," Yuno replied.

"(Y/N)," you added.

"Hmph," the man said. Your stoic face turned into a slight glare at his attitude. "I'm Klaus Lunettes. You're neither a royal or a noble, but a peasant from the boonies, and he let you join our squad. What in the world is Captain Vangeance thinking?"

"Well, there's nothing you can do about it, is there?" you asked. Klaus sent a sharp glare your way, one that you happily returned. You'd only known him for thirty seconds and you already did not like this guy. He looked back at Yuno.

"Don't get a big head just because all the captains raised their hands for you at the exam," he said. "You won't be accepted as a member of the Golden Dawn that easily."

You opened your mouth to say something when Yuno spoke up. "I'll see to it that you accept me soon," he said. You fought back the urge to give a "what the heck" look and simply kept your gaze focused on the man in front of you. Klaus turned around.

"That's some mouth you have," he said, walking away. You took several deep breaths as you and Yuno followed him down the hallway. You walked up several flights of stairs and down another hallway before stopping in front of a door. Klaus opened the door and you and Yuno followed him through it into a bedroom. You wanted to look at the room in awe, but decided not to show any kind of emotion in front of Klaus. It would be the best way to keep your emotions in check.

The room was beautiful. It had everything: a comfortable bed, and huge window to look out of with a gorgeous view, and a nice wooden desk for personal use. It even had a chandelier.

"How unfortunate," Klaus said. "This room is wasted on you. Tomorrow, I'll be lecturing you on your duties as a Magic Knight. I'd rather not be your instructor, but the captain ordered me to do so, and as such, I have no choice."

Yuno said nothing. Honestly, if there was anything you admired about him, it was his ability to keep a cool head with people like Klaus.

"Are you listening?" Klaus asked.

"It's Yuno," Yuno said. "I have a name, and it's Yuno, Klaus."

"I'm your senior," Klaus replied. "You'll address me with respect." Yeah, right. You get what you give, prick.

"Understood," Yuno said.

"Hmph. Don't be late," Klaus said, walking to the doorway of the room. "I still need to show you to your room, (Y/N). Follow me."

Rolling your eyes, you reluctantly followed, waving at Yuno one more time before walking out of the room. Luckily, you didn't need to walk in hostile silence for long, since your room was right next to Yuno's. He opened the door only to be met with a girl sitting on the bed, grinning happily. She winked at him, as he sighed, clearly annoyed by her behavior. The girl, noticing you, gasped and ran over. She was around your height, with short, crimson hair and dark gold eyes. One look at her and you could tell she was the more extroverted type.

"Are you our new recruit?" she asked.

"Um, yeah," you replied.

"Talia, we talked about this," Klaus said. "You can't break into people's rooms when you're bored."

"Uh, hello? This room didn't belong to anyone yet," Talia replied. "Besides, when I heard we were getting another female recruit that was close to my age, I had to know who it was." She turned to you. "Speaking of which, what's your name?"

"(Y/N)," you replied. "Talia, was it?"

"Talia Katyra. Starting tonight, we're friends, 'kay?" she said, resting her elbow on your shoulder. She rolled her eyes when she heard Klaus sigh from the entrance. "Oh, don't be such a spoilsport. Don't you have other lives to dull?"

He chose to ignore Talia's comment. "The same thing I said to Yuno applies to you, too, (Y/N). I expect you to be there on time tomorrow," he said, walking away.

"Finally, he's gone," Talia said. "Sorry about Klaus. I don't see why he acts like such a stick in the mud all the time."

"Please, I had to bite my tongue when I first met him," you replied. "Where I come from, if you acted like that in front of Sister Lily, you got sucker punched with her water spell!"

Talia burst out in laughter. "You're funny, you know that?" she said. "So, you come from a church, I'm assuming?"

"Yep. Raised there my entire life," you replied. "Kinda bittersweet being away from it now that I'm a Magic Knight. Speaking of which, I need to write a letter to them tomorrow." You looked out the window, smiling when you saw the gorgeous view, then turned back to Talia with a curious look on your face.

"By the way, this is probably obvious but, are you a noble?" you asked. She smiled.

"Yep!" she replied. "I come from the House of Katyra. Let me guess, you're wondering why me, a noble, was able to guess your home life so easily?"

Your cheeks flushed, and you looked away, nodding. You didn't want to sound rude by asking, but she knew what you were thinking anyway.

"Don't worry, I'm not taking it the wrong way," she said. You looked back up at her, sighing with relief. "It's natural for you to ask that. I mean, as a noble, everyone expects me to be sheltered from that kind of stuff. The reason why I know so much is because I like to travel."

"Travel?" you asked.

"Yep! Before I became a Magic Knight, I loved visiting different places in the kingdom," Talia said. "My parents always refused to go because I would always go into the Common or Forsaken Realm most of the time. So, one or two Magic Knights would always accompany me.

"My first time heading into the Forsaken Realm was a real reality check for me, and it really made me appreciate everything I had. I would sometimes even help the townspeople with their work. It helped me understand the importance of hard work.

"Since I became a Magic Knight, I haven't had time to travel as much as I used to, so I only visit on my off days."

You smiled. There were a lot of nobles that always looked down on commoners and peasants like you, Yuno, and Asta. But, Talia was different, and you could tell. She wasn't like any of them at all.

Maybe Yuno wouldn't be your only friend on the squad after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day was pretty easygoing. You went to the lecture with Yuno(and on time, so Klaus couldn't say a word), and just spent the rest of the day training. However, the next day, you were called to see William Vangeance, the captain of the Golden Dawn.

"Morning, girl!" Talia said, running up to you. You smiled.

"Morning, Talia," you replied.

"So, where are ya headed?" she asked.

"The captain requested to see me," you said. "What about you?"

"Same thing," Talia said. "You think it's your first mission?"

"Probably." You stopped in front of the giant double doors and pushed them open. Waiting for you on the other side was William and his vice captain, Langris. You were pretty iffy on him because you hadn't really met him yet, and Klaus didn't exactly leave the best first impression. You stopped in front of the steps that William was standing above and knelt, your hand on your heart. Talia took her place beside you and did the same.

"Good morning, Captain," you said.

"Good morning, (Y/N)," William replied. "I'll be quick. This mission will be simple. Your goal is to find and capture a conman known as the Snatcher. He's known for seducing women in the Noble Realm, then stealing their valuables. We have gotten multiple reports about the man, but all we know about him is that he has a single scar on his left hand. Talia will be accompanying you on this mission."

Knowing that Talia would be joining you did make you feel a little better, but your nerves were still at a significant high. This was your first mission. Would you be able to hold your own if he decided to fight back? What if he wasn't alone?

"I can already tell you're wary about this, (Y/N)," William said. You raised your head to look at him, but chose not to say anything. "You're probably wondering why I chose this for your first mission. I made sure to take note of you during the exam. Your combat skills are nothing short of exceptional for someone your age. I know you'll be able to hold your own." He walked down the steps and stopped in front of you. "I need you to not only have faith in me, but yourself as well."

"Yes, Captain," you said. You stood up, preparing to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing, (Y/N)."

"Yes?" you asked.

"If he decides to flee and makes it out of the Noble Realm, report back to me. Don't chase after him," William said. You nodded as Talia stood up and walked over to you.

"Yes, Captain."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walking through the Noble Realm still felt so foreign to you.

It wasn't as lively as the Common Realm, but it certainly didn't feel as empty as most towns in the Forsaken Realm. It was at that perfect medium that you would normally enjoy if it weren't for all of the eyes on you.

Seeing as you probably wouldn't be able to catch the guy in broad daylight, you and Talia decided to wait until the evening to look for him.

You and Talia were currently walking through the city streets, and it seemed like every five seconds you could hear someone talking about you. Since you both were wearing your Magic Knights robes, everybody that saw you knew that you were a part of the Golden Dawn, but not everyone agreed with the decision. You've grown used to people judging you for your status in society, but that didn't mean it never bothered you. You'd be lying if you said that walking through those streets didn't make you uncomfortable.

"Just ignore them," Talia said, pulling you from your thoughts. "They're just a bunch of close-minded, self-righteous jerks who don't have the ability to see through the surface of people. Besides, we don't have time to deal with their crap. We have a mission to focus on."

You nodded. Talia was right. You needed to focus on the task at hand, which was finding the conman known as the Snatcher. You looked around at the various buildings. "But, where would a conman be hiding?" you asked to yourself.

"Well, didn't Captain Vangeance say he seduces women, then runs off with their belongings?" Talia asked, turning to you.

"Yeah, he did," you replied.

"Well, there's only one place I can think of where women of his standard would accumulate in the Noble Realm," Talia said, pointing to a nearby building. It was a bar.

You lightly smacked your forehead. "Of course!" you exclaimed. "Bars are practically a breeding ground for flirts like the Snatcher." You followed Talia inside and gasped. The place looked amazing.

"It's the nicest bar in town," Talia said. "I should know, I've been here on missions before." She walked up to the waiter standing at the front. "Table for two, please."

The waiter nodded and walked through the room, leading you and Talia to a table at the very back near a window. You thanked the waitress and sat down.

"Now, where would this conman be?" Talia asked, looking around the room for anyone who seemed to be flirting with someone.

"There is a chance he's not even here. He could be somewhere completely different," you said.

"I know," Talia said. "I just didn't want to rule this place out yet. Nobles come here very often, so there's a chance the Snatcher could be here if he happens to be one."

You could tell Talia had two very different personalities. She was a really chill, laid-back person who loved to have fun outside of work. But, as soon as she's hit with a mission, she's a completely different person. She's completely focused on the task in front of her, and nothing else. You admired that about her. You looked around the place a few more times, but saw nothing suspicious.

"I don't think our guy's here," you said. "Maybe another bar?"

"Yeah, alright," Talia said. "Let's get out of here, we don't want to waste anymore time than we already have."

You both got up and headed for the door, thanking the waiter at the front before leaving. You make it one block down only to be met with a familiar thorn in your side.

"Well, it seems we meet again, beautiful."        

You groaned, this time out loud. Standing in front of you and Talia was the same guy you went up against in the Magic Knights Entrance Exam.

"Who is he?" Talia asked.

"He was my sparring partner in the entrance exam," you replied. "He's also a nuisance."

"Ouch," the man replied. "I was just heading home and happened to run into you. I see you made it into the Golden Dawn. Very fitting for a woman as powerful as you."

"Oh my god," you mumbled. "Come on, Talia. We don't have time to waste on him."

"Oh, come on," the man said. "I'm willing to give you another chance. Maybe over a drink?" He took your hand in his, bringing it up to his lips and pressing a kiss to the top. You almost pull your hand back in reflex, but froze when something on his hand caught your eye.

It was a scar.

"We have gotten multiple reports about the man, but all we know about him is that he has a single scar on his left hand."

An idea formed in your head as you looked back at him. "You know what, why not?"

Talia looked at you, shocked. Why in the middle of a mission? "(Y/N), we can't-"

"It's okay, Talia. What's a drink or two?" you replied, sending a wink her way. She nodded, getting the hint. This was their culprit. She sighed.

"Alright," Talia said. She turned to walk away. "Call me when you're done."

You sent a flirtatious smile the noble's way, allowing him to take your hand and lead you back to the bar.

Chapter Text

Spending time with the noble was... definitely awkward, to say the least. At least for you, it was. You asked him questions about himself to keep him talking as long as possible while making sure to deflect any personal questions he'd ask about you. No point in sharing your home life with some stranger who was about to be arrested.

You walked out of the bar with the noble, his hand in yours. "Spending time with you was pretty enjoyable, Alexander," you said.

"But of course," he replied. "It wouldn't be right to call myself a gentleman if I didn't make sure you were enjoying your time with me. I would love to do something else with you if you have the time."

You smiled. "Actually, I do," you replied. "There's a place that I want to show you before you go back home. Follow me."

You made your way out of the city streets down a pathway leading to a dead end. Alexander looked at you, confused.

"This is the place you wanted to show me?" he asked. After seeing you nod, he asked, "Why?"

You held out your arm. "Because it's the perfect place to arrest people without causing too much a scene," you replied. "Ice Creation Magic: Hail of Fury!"

Alexander watched in horror as dozens of sharp icicles appeared above him. You raised your arm over your head and brought it back down, watching as the icicles rained down on him. You held back a bit on this spell, so it would be enough to subdue him and cause minor injury at most, but not enough to kill him.

You slipped your grimoire back in your bag and grabbed your communicator. "Talia, I've got him. We're in the alleyway behind-" You gasped as water spears came flying towards you through the dust cloud, grunting as you went flying into the wall beside you. You stood up, preparing to counterattack when webs made of water bound your hands to the wall. Across from you was your grimoire, in its bag. The strap ends were torn. One of the spears must have snagged it while it was on your body.

You glared at the man walking towards you with his grimoire levitating beside him.

"So," Alexander began. "I guess this means you know who I am."

"Knew the moment you took my hand, Snatcher," you replied. You struggled against the webs holding your hands, but it was no good. Your grimoire was too far away to be used, and your hands were stuck.

        Alexander chuckled. "You're too perceptive for your own good, beautiful," he said, stopping a few feet in front of you. "The Snatcher has always stolen valuables, but maybe it's time for him to start stealing nosy women who don't know how to mind their own business." He walked closer to you and took your cheek in his hands. You did your best to resist, but there wasn't much you could do except wait for help. Although, since you couldn't get your message through to Talia, you doubted help was coming.

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?" he said. "I can tell you and I are going to have lots of fun togeth-"

"Wind Magic: Towering Tornado!"

A giant tornado flung the noble into the air and you watched as a steel coffin wrapped around his falling figure. You felt the webs around your hands disappear and you looked in front you to see Yuno, Klaus, and Talia with grimoires at the ready.

"I got your message the moment you contacted me," Talia said. "I was going to come get him by myself, but when your message cut off so abruptly, I had a feeling something went wrong."

"Thank you, guys," you replied. "I don't know what I would've done if you guys hadn't shown up." You looked down at your body and winced at all of the lashes it took from Alexander's attack.

"Are you alright?" Yuno asked, walking over to you.

"Yeah, I'm fine," you said, rubbing your arm. "These are minor scratches."

"Those are not minor scratches," Talia replied. "You must've really took a hit from this asshole. Mimosa can help patch you up when we get back to the base." You nodded.

"Hmph," you heard Klaus say from beside you. "How did you get yourself into such a mess?"

"I'll explain when I give the report to Captain Vangeance," you replied. "For now, we need to get this guy back to the capital."

You looked over to Yuno, intending to banter with him like you normally do, but stayed silent when you saw the look on his face. You could clearly tell he was trying to hide it, and if anyone else were to look at him they wouldn't notice. But you did. You could see it in the way his hand was in a fist and how he was intensely staring at the bound noble in front of him.

There was worry behind his amber eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You asked Talia to give the report to William after Mimosa healed your wounds. You had something you needed to take care of first.

You softly knocked on the bedroom door. "Hey, Yuno?" you called out. "Are you in there?"

"Come in," you heard him say from behind the door. You pushed the door open and walked in. Yuno was sitting at his desk with a paper in front of him and a quill in his hand. You walked over to him and stopped at the side of his desk.

"You writing a letter to Hage?" you asked.

"Mhm," Yuno replied. "But I have a feeling that's not why you're in here." He set his quill down in the ink container and turned to face you.

"Well, for one, I wanted to thank you for saving my butt back there. I was completely caught off guard. Wasn't like me at all," you said. "I also wanted to ask... Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?" Yuno asked.

"Well, you seemed pretty tense out there when you saw me," you replied. "Was there something wrong? Did you notice anything? Anything we need to report?"

"No," Yuno said. "It had nothing to do with the mission."

"Then what was it about?" you asked. You were concerned about Yuno. He had never acted like that before. Even when you two were facing Revchi, he kept a cool head through it all. Something about this mission just seemed... different.

Yuno sighed. "You took an unknown opponent head on on your own, and I found out from Talia that there was a chance you'd been compromised," he said. "I was worried."

Your breath hitched. Yuno wasn't the type of person to admit that he felt any kind of negative emotion. He normally just kept it to himself. This was the first time he had opened up to you about his negative feelings since he was a little kid. You grabbed his hand, gesturing for him to stand up.

"I understand," you said. "I got myself into trouble plenty of times, but this was the first time it was serious. I'm sorry I worried you. It was never my intention." You held your arms out and, once you knew it was okay, pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for protecting me."

"Didn't I tell you already?" Yuno said. "I'll always be there for you, no matter what." Feeling you freeze up, he looked down at you. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," you said. You pulled him closer, trying to ignore the butterflies in your stomach.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Psst. Psst. Wake up. Wake up. Waaaaaaake uuuuuuuuup."

You grumbled, turning over in your bed and opened your eyes, only to be met with a tiny male fairy fluttering his wings in your face. You yelped in surprise, jumping up in reflex, only to sigh when you see it's Yukio.

"Seriously, Frosty?" you asked, rubbing your eyes.

"For the last time, my name is Yukio," he replied. "And it's your fault to begin with for sleeping in so late. I've been sneaking around the base, and every new recruit has been asking where you were."

Your eyes widened. "You were sneaking around the base?!" you whisper-yelled. "Yukio, I told you to stay hidden! What if someone saw you?!"

"What? It's boring staying in the stupid bag for so long," he replied. "Besides, since it's broken, I can't follow you around inside it anyway." He crossed his arms, proceeding to fly in circles around your head. "But that's besides the point! Your captain wants to talk to you, so get your butt up!"

You swatted him away from your head and turned to the edge of your bed. "Alright, alright. Geez," you replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You ran up to William as he walked down the hallway, calling his name out. He turned around to see you and smiled.

"Good morning, (Y/N)," William said.

"Good morning, captain," you replied. "I'm so sorry. I did not mean to sleep in so late."

"Don't worry, you're fine," he said. "I got the report from Talia."

Your eyes dropped to the ground. "I apologize," you began. "It was my own fault. I was caught off-"

When you felt William's hand on your shoulder, you stopped, planting your feet into the ground. "(Y/N), you did very well," he said, smiling.

You looked over at him. "Really?" you asked. "But, I lost. Didn't she tell you? Yuno and Klaus had to come save me-" You stopped when you saw William lift his hand up, prompting you not to talk any further. You nodded, closing your mouth.

"Yes, it's true that you lost when you engaged in combat with the Snatcher," William began. "However, you managed to corner him and force him to fight you, instead of giving him the option to run away. And, you made sure to contact Talia when you cornered him, so even if you failed, backup would've arrived to finish the job."

You nodded. You didn't really know what to say.

"You can't blame yourself for every possible thing that happens to go wrong," he said. "You'll stress yourself out for no reason at all. For your very first mission, you did good."

"Thank you, Captain," you replied. William sent you a smile and continued walking. You gasped, remembering something, and walked back up to him. "Um, Captain? Do you have a little bit of time?" you asked. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

He stopped again, turning to you. "I should," he replied. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

You gulped and took a deep breath. "Did you... know a woman named Amanda?" you asked. "Amanda Meriam?"

William kept up his soft smile, but you saw it slightly falter after you said the full name. "Yes, I did know a woman with that name," he replied. "Why?"

"Well... She's my mother."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You grunted as more giant shards of ice erupted from the ground. Quickly, you knelt down and cast another spell, causing ice to spread from the ground to the ice shards. You snapped your fingers and the ice shards shattered into tiny pieces. You raised your hands as icicles formed in the sky above you, and you quickly lowered it, sending them all down in front of you. You cast your Frostbite spell again and snapped your fingers, shattering the fallen icicles.

You've been practicing the same routine for over an hour now. You hadn't gotten any new spells in your grimoire yet, and until you did, you decided that you were going to work on perfecting the ones you had. That mission would be the last time you ever let your guard down like that. You would make sure of it.

You hadn't truly practiced with the Frost Spirit yet. Ever since he appeared in front of you for the first time, he had just been discreetly amplifying your magic from your grimoire bag. No one seemed to question it, and as long as Yukio stayed hidden, it wouldn't be an issue.

"Um, don't ya think you need to take a little break?" Yukio said from behind. You turned around to look at the tiny fairy floating in front of you.

"Not right now, Yukio," you replied. "I'm in one of the best Magic Knights squads now. I need to focus on getting stronger."

"(Y/N), I can see it in your eyes," Yukio began, fluttering around your head. "If you don't take a break, you're going to exhaust yourself."        

"I'll be fine, Yukio," you replied, rolling your eyes when you heard him sigh. But, when you hear footsteps coming, you freeze. "Hide, Yukio!" You swatted him away, and he hid back in your torn bag, getting the hint.

"Hey, girl!" Talia said, walking towards you. "I could feel your mana from a mile away. What are you doing?"

"Training," you replied. "Is there something you needed?"

"Yes, actually," Talia said, placing a hand on your shoulder. "You're coming with me."

You raised an eyebrow, confused. "Talia, I just said that I was training. I'm a little busy right now."

"Nope," she replied. "Don't wanna hear it. I've only known you for a couple of days, and I can already tell you are the kind of person that will burn themselves out if left unattended for too long. I'm bored, and I wanna head out somewhere."

You deadpanned at your new friend. "Talia, can't you find someone else? I really need to perfect these spells."

"Nope. No way am I letting you train yourself into the ground," Talia replied. "Because, at that point, it's not training. It's exhaustion. It's unhealthy and bad for not only your body, but your magic as well."

You crossed your arms, looking off to the side. "Come on, (Y/N)!" Talia exclaimed. "You just finished your first ever mission! That calls for celebration! Neither of us have any missions today, and we don't even have to worry about Mr. Four Eyes trying to ruin our fun!"

You bit your lip. Talia's offer was tempting. Now that you think about it, you hadn't seen Klaus, Yuno, or Mimosa around in hours. Where were they? "Now that I think about it, where is Klaus?" you asked.

"He's leading Yuno and Mimosa on their first mission," Talia replied. "They have to transport some noble to the Heart Kingdom or something. They won't be back for a while." She tugged on your arm, and you deadpanned. It was like dealing with a five-year-old. "So, come on! It'll be so much fun, I promise! Please?" You sighed when she gave you the puppy-dog eyes.

"Fine," you said. You rolled her eyes when you saw her devious smile.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. Talia grabbed your hand and led out of the base. Stumbling, you made sure to grab your grimoire bag in case of an emergency. Talia grabbed her broom and mounted, making it float. "Hop on!"

You mounted Talia's broom, taking a seat behind her. "Where are we even going?" you asked as the broom levitated high above the base.

"Well, now that we're besties, you need to look the part," Talia replied. Confusion spread across your face. What did she mean 'look the part'? "I almost never wear my uniform, and the captain doesn't seem to have a problem with it. You don't seem to have one either, so I might as well get you out of those torn clothes. We're going shopping."

"Okay..." you reluctantly replied. You looked out at the many towns you passed up. It really was a gorgeous view from up on the broom. You would have to try it on your own sometime.

The broom slowly made its way towards the ground, landing in the middle of a bustling town. You looked around as you hopped off of the broom. "Where are we?" you asked.

"We're in the town of Nean," Talia replied, stretching her arms out. "It's one of my favorite places to shop. Most of the store owners know me by name." She took your hand and proceeded to lead you through the streets, stopping in front of a clothing store and walking through the front door. You looked around at all of the beautiful options. You were surprised that clothing this high quality was even available in the Common Realm.

"Talia, this is all very nice," you began. "But, there's no way I can afford any of these right now."

She chuckled. "Who said you were paying for it?" she replied. "It's all on me. Now let's find you something cute!"        

Before you had a chance to react, you were being pushed into one of the dressing rooms. "Just sit tight for a sec!"

There were a lot of options you liked, and a lot that you didn't. Some that Talia chose were just plain crazy. After the tenth outfit you made it clear that the outfit needed to be something durable and something you could fight in. Eventually, you landed on one that you found interest in.

"Come on, (Y/N)!" Talia exclaimed from outside. "What's taking so long? I wanna see the look!"

You jumped, coming back to reality. You had been so distracted by how the outfit looked in the mirror that you completely zoned out. You pulled the curtain back and walked out, revealing your new look to your friend, who gasped with delight.

"This is it," she said. "This is the one." She ran over to the front desk where the owner was standing. "How much for this outfit?"

"Wait wait wait," you said, grabbing her wrist. "Are you sure? I can always come back and pay for this myself when I have the money. You don't need to do this."

"Honey, of course I'm sure," Talia replied. "Now, stop asking questions and just enjoy yourself. You don't get very many off days in the Golden Dawn."

Talia was right. All that this trip was for was to get you to chill and have fun. The only thing stopping you from doing that was you. A smile crept onto your face as she laid the coins in front of the clerk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, I just got an idea," Talia said abruptly as you walked down the street.

You turned to look at her. "What is it?" you asked.

"Why don't we go visit your hometown?" she suggested. You raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" you replied. "It's pretty far out. We might not get back to the base before sundown."

Talia waved her hand dismissively. "Who cares? As long as we make it back, the captain won't care. I haven't been to Hage Village yet either," she said. "Plus, don't you miss your family?"

You clicked your tongue. You really did miss all of the children and Sister Lily back at Hage. You had sent a letter to them yesterday, but you wondered how they were doing. Besides, one visit couldn't hurt, right?

"Alright," you said. "Let's go to Hage."

Chapter Text

You sighed as you got off of the broom, stretching your arms out. As you looked around the town, nostalgia began to fill your head. You had only been gone for a couple of months, yet it already feels so good to be back at your childhood home.

"Alright, where's the church?" Talia asked, putting her hand to her forehead to block out the glare of the setting sun.

"This way," you replied. This time, it was your turn to take Talia's hand and lead her away. You knew the town of Hage like the back of your hand with how long you've lived there, and you made it back to your church home in a matter of minutes. When you saw a familiar face hanging laundry, you smiled brightly. "Sister Lily!"

Sister Lily turned around, gasping in surprise, before smiling back and jogging up to you. "(Y/N)!" she called out. You pulled her in for a tight hug, not even noticing her slight struggle against your death grip. "(Y-Y/N)... Can't breathe..."

You quickly let go, backing up. "Sorry, Sister," you said.

"You're okay," she replied. "How have you been? What are you doing here?"

"We decided to take a quick trip here," you replied, motioning to your friend. "It was my friend Talia's idea. Talia, this is Sister Lily. Sister, this is Talia."

"Hello, Talia," Sister Lily said to her, smiling. "It's very wonderful to meet you. Thank you for taking care of (Y/N)." You noticed the way that Talia's eyes lit up from her words.

"I-It's no problem, really," Talia replied. "We were out shopping, and I thought it would be nice to stop by." She motioned over at you. "What do you think?"

Sister Lily's eyes widened in delight. "Oh, (Y/N), you look beautiful," she said.

You blushed, looking to the side. "Thanks," you replied. "How are the kids doing? Father?" you asked, scanning the area for them.

"Oh, I think they're playing with Father in the church right now if you want to go say hi," Sister replied. You heard Talia gasp from behind you.

"You have more kids?" she asked. You nodded, smiling. This girl was obviously a lover of children. "Aw, show where they are! I need to meet the little guys!"

Sister Lily let out a soft giggle, beginning to lead you and Talia inside, but stopped when she sees a giant steel carriage slowly descend from above. You recognized the mana immediately and cocked an eyebrow in confusion. What is Klaus doing here?

The carriage landed on the ground, and you got a good look at who was there. Standing in it was Klaus, and standing on either side of it was Mimosa and Yuno. Sister Lily gasped, running over to him.

"Yuno! Welcome back!" she exclaimed. Behind you, you heard Talia groan.

"Great. Four-Eyes is here," she said. "Let's see how quickly he screws this up." You chuckled, walking over to the four standing in front of you.

"You two have grown so much," Sister Lily said.

"I haven't changed," Yuno replied. "It's only been two months since I left."

Lily tilted her head. "Really?" she asked. "But... Yes. Your face has matured. You look more like an adult." Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Yuno smile, and you did the same. It wasn't often you got to see him smile so genuinely. You snuck another glance at him while they were talking. He really had a beautiful smile.

"We're stopping by briefly during our mission," Yuno said. He turned to look at you. "But, what are you two doing here?"

You subtly pinched your thigh to bring yourself back to reality. "Oh, um, Talia and I were out shopping, and decided to stop by," you replied.

"Oh," Yuno replied, taking a quick glance at your outfit. "I like it. It suits you."

"Oh, um..." You looked away to hide your flushed cheeks. "Thanks." However, you noticed a noble walking over to Sister Lily. He looked really familiar. Was he...

"Hey..." you began, pointing towards the noble kneeling before Lily. "Isn't that the guy you crushed during the entrance exam?"

"Yes it is. Don't mention it," Yuno replied.

Giggling, you nodded. "Okay." To think that was the guy Yuno had to transport for his first mission. Talk about hilarious coincidence. He may be acting like a noble gentleman now, but he was a real jerk during the entrance exam. You had to hold in your laughter when Lily accidentally sucker punched him with her Holy Fist of Love. In your mind, he kind of deserved it.

"Yuno! (Y/N)!" Upon hearing the noise, you jolted, and turned around to see Father and the kids rushing towards you and Yuno. Talia's eyes lit up from behind you.

"Oh my god, they're so cute!" she exclaimed.

You stood back, watching as everybody interacted with one another. Another wave of nostalgia washed over you. This is what home felt like. And to think, you almost never would've had a place to even call home. You would've never gotten to eat the amazingly dry tatoes every day, or play with the kids until they deemed themselves too tired to continue.

You almost never would've had Yuno in your life.

Yuno was your saving grace that one particular night in the woods. Without him, you wouldn't have a family as close knit as this. His exceptional magical prowess inspired you to work harder. He helped you with your anger management issues. Even when you felt you didn't deserve it, he always showed you kindness.

You never really understood what it was, but Yuno felt like more than just a friend to you.

"(Y/N)." You jumped, realizing that everybody had gone inside except for Yuno, who was currently standing at the door waiting for you.

"Huh?" you replied. 'Real smooth, (Y/N). Real smooth.' you thought.

"Salim managed to convince us to stay for dinner," Yuno said, reaching out his hand. "Are you coming?"

You nodded, intertwining your fingers with his. "Mhm."

Chapter Text

It wasn't a normal dinner. At all.

It turned out that Salim wasn't as gentlemanly as he made himself out to be. He had hired bandits to kidnap Sister Lily and back Yuno into a corner as some form of revenge for what happened at the entrance exam. The bandits, however, stood no chance against you and Yuno and were defeated with ease. They were swiftly arrested, including Salim, except for one. He must've found an escape route, because no one could find him.

You were required to show up when Captain William had called Yuno, Klaus, and Mimosa. You weren't officially part of the mission that was assigned to them, but you happened to be there and chose to fight alongside them, therefore your name and Talia's were included in the report. The five of you had earned a gold star from the Wizard King for Salim's arrest.

"What's troubling you, kid?" Yukio asked from beside your desk.

"Nothing," you replied, staring out the window.

"It didn't have anything to do with what happened the other day, did it?" Yukio questioned. "Cause if so, it's really not that big of a deal. You happened to be there, and you chose to help out. Don't look into the whole gold star thing too much-"

"That's not it, Yukio," you responded, your tone indicating there was no room for argument. The Ice Spirit buzzed around your head.

"Then, what the heck is the issue?" he asked, stopping right in front of your face.

"It's none of your concern," you insisted, getting up from your chair. You headed toward the door and looked back at Yukio. "Please try and stay hidden this time. I need to ask the captain a question, and I don't need you flying around causing trouble again."

"Fine," he grumbled, settling himself into the hood of your robe. "But, I've been meaning to ask you something, too. Why don't you want anybody seeing me?"

You sighed. "Because, if one person knows, then soon everyone's gonna know," you began as you walked down the hallway. "People already know me due to the entrance exam simply because I'm a commoner. And my seniors already hate me enough as it is. Imagine how worse it's gonna get when they find out that someone like me was chosen by a spirit. I'd rather not go there."

"Really? That's why?" Yukio asked.

"What answer were you expecting?" you replied. "I'm a person, not a puzzle."

"I don't really know, but definitely not that one," the ice spirit answered. "Judging off of how long I've gotten to know you, well I guess..." he trailed off.

"You guessed what?" you asked.

"I guess you didn't really seem like the type that cared about what people think," he said.

Your hands clenched into fists. As much you wanted to pretend that you didn't care, you did. No matter how hard you, Yuno, or Asta tried, you would never be accepted by the nobles or royals of the kingdom. And that angered you.

"(Y/N)! There you are!" Mimosa said. "Are you about to train?"

"No, I need to ask the captain a question," you replied. "Is he here?"

"I'm afraid not. Sorry," she answered.

You sighed. You probably shouldn't have expected anything else. Vangeance is the captain of the best Magic Knights' squad in the Clover Kingdom. Of course he'd be busy. You turned around to make your way to the back of the base - which you now use as a training ground.

"It's fine," you said. "I'll catch him later."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Cover yourself in mana, then condense it.'

You stood still, hands by your sides with your eyes closed as your tried to focus on completely covering yourself with your magic. Rather than focusing on pure attack power, you opted to work on magic control today.

You were born with an alarmingly excessive amount of mana, and as you grew, so did your power. This made it much more difficult for you to control your magic than it would be for others. There have been many occasions where you accidentally froze an animal or a giant tree. Now that you were a Magic Knight, control was something that you needed to work on more than ever in order to prevent innocent civilians from getting hurt.

You took a deep breath and exhaled when you felt your skin cool. 'You're holding back, (Y/N). Don't suppress it, just control it.' You took another deep breath and a burst of mana broke your concentration, sending ice spikes everywhere. You fell to the ground and groaned in frustration. "Almost had it..."

"Your mana control is atrocious," you heard a man's voice say behind you. If you could even call him a man. "Though, I shouldn't have expected much from a mere peasant."

You begrudgingly turned around to face him. "What do you want, Klaus?" you spat. "Don't you have better things to do than bother me?"

Klaus scoffed, pushing his glasses back up. "You do realize you are not the only one that likes to train here, correct?" he shot back.

"Well, I got here first, and like you said, I'm not the best at controlling my mana. So sharing the space might be difficult," you replied. "I'm afraid you might have to go somewhere else."

"Seeing as I'm your superior, I think you should step aside," he said.

You crossed your arms. "I don't see you as my superior."

You would've laughed at the way Klaus' eyes widened if he didn't piss you off so much.

"How dare- You and that foolish boy Yuno are exactly the same," Klaus said.

This time it was your turn for your eyes to widen, but they quickly lowered into a deadly glare as you balled your hands into fists. "Say that again," you said, daring him to speak. He could talk bad about you all he wanted, but you would not stand by and let him degrade Yuno like that.

"Alright," he replied. "Yuno is still incredibly new to the Golden Dawn, yet he acts like he has it all under control. He refuses to listen to any of his superiors other than his captain, and he has zero respect for me or anyone else. The only thing he can defend is his power. So like I said - he's a foolish commoner who simply got lucky. Just like you."

"(Y/N), wait-" Yukio whispered from behind, trying to get your attention without being seen but to no avail.

"How dare you," you growled. "Foolish? You will not speak about Yuno that way." Your magic was reacting to your anger. Ice and frost were beginning to blow all around you, and your mana was flowing uncontrollably.

You either didn't notice or simply didn't care.

"As if you're anything special," you spat. "Ever since we've gotten here, all you've ever done is look down on us, and for what? Because we're peasants? Because we're not like you? That's pathetic! What kind of childish bullshit is this?! Yuno may not come from nobility or royalty, but he is a better Magic Knight than you will ever be!"

It didn't stop. No matter how hard you tried it wouldn't stop. The yelling, the anger - it was all going into your magic and you couldn't stop it. Your mana kept manifesting as ice and frost all around you, and it kept getting bigger. And bigger.

And bigger.

The mana surrounding you was enough to fill both your bedroom and Yuno's. You couldn't control it anymore. It wouldn't stop. This was it. You were about get someone hurt and possibly take part of the base down with them.

All because you couldn't control your anger.

You were about to give up when suddenly, everything went still. The ice and frost had disappeared, but the raging mana was still there. You gasped when two hands took yours.

"Breathe with me, (Y/N)." The voice. The mana. You knew who it was immediately.

You looked up at Yuno, and he smiled softly back at you. "In for three," he said, taking in a deep breath. You followed. "And out," he said, exhaling. You did the same. You followed Yuno in the breathing exercise five more times, and slowly but surely, you could feel your control coming back.

You inhaled and exhaled one more time before stepping closer to him.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"So much better," you replied, squeezing his hands. "Thank you."

"I could feel your mana from a mile away," he explained. "I had a feeling something was wrong."

"I'm sorry," you said, looking down at the ground. "I just promised that I wouldn't worry you or get myself into trouble and here I am losing control of my magic again. I let off an obscene amount of mana that probably would've killed Klaus and taken part of the base with him had you not come to help me."

"That doesn't make you a bad person," Yuno replied. "Control is something that you simply have to work on. Don't beat yourself up over it."

You felt a lump in your throat and tears threatened to spill over. "I just don't want to be a burden to anybody," you said.

"You're not a burden," Yuno said quickly. "Don't ever say that again."

He pulled you into another tight hug.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text