Chapter Text
“Give me your grimoire kid,”
Yuno being restrained and chained after receiving his grimoire left the tower but was attacked by a man who manipulates chains.
Feeling tired Yuno closed his eyes and recalled the time when he was ambushed after delivering letters to nearby villagers all around Hage village. It was a snowy night when the cold would hit its icy temperature, though he was young he still wanted to help Father Orsi as he had been sick the past few days.
Unfortunately, he had been ambushed by some guy who had been desperate for cash. The man successfully got Yuno’s necklace which was the only precious thing he had.
It was the only thing that could trace him of his past, his dead parents.
Which is why it was the first time he lashed out at someone and fought back. He was unsuccessful but he fought with his might until someone would eventually come to his aid.
Yuno was about to get obliterated by the man until he saw someone appear behind him and tried to attack the man, seemingly trying to get his necklace back. It was his childhood friend Asta and even though he was small and is still a child, he wasn't afraid of the man who had the upper hand against him.
Over and over again Asta was being beaten up, never backing down still standing up and receiving new injuries as he repeatedly shouted to give Yuno’s necklace back.
The man who was overwhelmed by this attitude decided that it wasn't worth it so he begrudgingly threw back the necklace and immediately left so that the villagers wouldn’t be alerted and find him stealing.
“You didnt have to do that you know.” Yuno was stopping himself from crying when Asta returned his necklace to him. “Then you should have fought harder silly.” Asta chuckled as they lay rested on the ground, although it was freezing cold at this hour they felt warm in each other’s presence.
Asta looked up at the dark starry night with no stars to be found but the gentle snow falling on them. His thoughts are empty, and he likes looking up at the sky now and then, especially at night when the stars are visible. Yuno then looked at Asta as he remembered that his friend liked to say wishes to the stars as if they would do anything.
“Asta, once again you’ve protected me. It’s something that I will always be grateful for but from this day on, I’ll no longer be someone you have to protect. I will become stronger so that one day I will become Wizard King and protect people who are being hurt by others!” Yuno looked at Asta with determined eyes, after seeing Asta being beaten down but still rising. This encouraged Yuno to aim for the same dream he heard Asta shout every day.
“Then starting this day you will become my rival!” Asta declared as both boys looked at each other with snow falling.
That day, Yuno stopped crying. He was somewhat of a crybaby back then, often crying over the simplest things which had some people fawn over him. (mostly sister lily) He was emotionally wrecked back then and can be sensitive at times. However, that day made him let go of that emotion and carry on a new one.
Wake up
Right...Yuno still has to deal with this situation. He was being chained and despite having a 4-leaf grimoire, he could not move his arms to cast a spell or cast anything in the matter. Yuno hated this feeling, he felt like he was going back in the past, and he didn't want to feel weak again.
He needed to do something, but what could he do, he was in an isolated area where there was no one around the area. He wanted to shout and scream as loud as he could to alert someone or anyone at the matter.
This feels hopeless
Yuno, Wake up!
Still closing his eyes, Yuno couldn't help but wonder why was he called a lucky one when all his life he needed to survive.
Hage village is located in the forsaken realm, the hardest place to live in. Farmers every day had to work and they could not let themselves be sick or else it would result in them not having food for months.
Yuno was thankful for the people who he grew up with. They loved him and he loved them as well, but their living conditions made it hard for them to strive for a peaceful life. Their money is scarce and everything has to be on a tight budget if there is so much of a slip-up, it would be a disaster for them.
He and Asta also had to take care of the other children as well, it wasn't hard but it wasn't easy. They were also orphans like them and as the oldest kids, they had to be the ones to calm them down whenever they had their emotional outburst.
The kids would cry and question why their parents left them, it was hard for the two brothers because they also wondered that but they kept it to themselves.
Why was Yuno remembering all of these right now? He needed to do something, he shouldn't ponder all these memories at this time, He didnt want to die.
YUNO WAKE UP!
WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING AT THIS TIME!?
He ignored the previous voices that came before as he thought they were just his imagination. There is no way Asta would find him here, it’s ridiculous, he shouldn't hope on Asta every time he faces danger.
“HEY YUNO, STOP DREAMING AND GET YOURSELF OUT OF THOSE CHAINS,”
Yuno snapped and opened his eyes, seeing Asta holding a large sword that looked old and dark. It looked rusty, then he saw something floating beside him.
It was a dirty grimoire with a red and black aura surrounding it.
A five-leaf grimoire?
Yuno looked shocked, although he didn’t know what its full capabilities were he knew that a 5-leaf grimoire resided in a demon. Would Asta be using demon powers now? But this shouldn't matter now, right now he needed to focus on his situation.
Asta lunged at the chain man who dodged but sustained some damage. The man was quite skilled but Asta was speeding up.
Swinging the sword, the chains immediately broke as it tried to restrain him but Asta easily deflected it and is now running towards the man.
“HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO MY BEST FRIEND!” Asta continues to swing his sword with each aim to hit the man who controls the chains, this happens for a few more moments. Yuno is still struggling to get out of his chains but he managed to loosen up a bit.
Yuno can move his arms for a bit, stretching and realizing his left arm he gathers mana around him as he collects magic to cast wind to free himself from his chains.
He then looks at Asta who is still fighting the man, Yuno is quick to his aid and supports his best friend, using Win to push back his attacker they had the upper hand for a moment. “Asta are you-,”
For a moment, they had the upper hand and as they planned on restraining the man, call the knights and had him taken away. It was just a moment, and that moment changed everything.
In a split second Yuno sees Asta right behind him, he had a few scratches but nothing severe. He was smiling as Asta mentioned about having a grimoire at last, he can use magic and achieve his dreams of becoming a wizard king.
Then everything flashed before Yuno’s eyes. Chains suddenly appeared behind Asta it sent him flying through the wall. The chains ran through his body as he was being pierced at the most vital parts of his body.
Asta needs medical aid quickly,
Yuno just stared at what happened, and then he snapped.
His body wasn't in his control anymore as his emotions and instincts ruled over as he watched himself casting spells on the man. His chains continued to attack Yuno but this time Yuno felt different. It’s like he knew how to move properly as he continued attacking the man relentlessly.
WIND MAGIC: TORNADO FANG
The wind moved swiftly as the man didnt see it as a threat, he even laughed at the display. So much for a 4 leaf grimoire, he’s got weak spells But he didnt anticipate the following moment. He was bleeding in his chest area.
Yuno wasted no time as he continued to spam the same magic. He wasn't thinking straight, he needed that man dead. It was for hurting his brother.
The man tried to cast his chains but each attack grew weaker, he was running out of mana. He thought that it would be easy to attack a scarwny kid who happened to have one of the most powerful grimoires.
And the kid with that strange book. It was his first time seeing suck grimoire and he thought it was nothing to worry about. But when he fought with the short kid earlier as swords struck his chain, draining his magic away. Now he was fighting the kid whose mana erupted and attacked him with powerful wind attacks. It’s been a while since he needed to fight someone this powerful, he could easily be at rank with the captains.
He shouldn't be thinking of this, I guess it’s time to escape and it’s not worth continuing his assault, he should retreat and go back to lead his squad.
WIND MAGIC: TOWERING TORNADO
His chains disappeared and he was now being lifted in the air by a tornado, the winds then felt stronger until it tore some of his skin off. It was painful, it was dizzy he needed to get out, he shouldn't be defeated by this peasant!
But he couldn't do anything and before he could cast any more magic, the tornado suddenly stopped and he fell fast on the floor.
He lost his consciousness and stopped breathing.
Yuno wake up
Yuno finally snapped out of his torment, what was he doing? This isn't like him. Seeing the man on the ground, he wasn't moving and he wasn't breathing. Blood splattering around.
Yuno just killed a man.
A man who attacked him and tried to kill Asta. ASTA!
Yuno quickly ran to Asta’s place, his body left holes as the chains that ran through his body disappeared. He checked his pulse, but there was none.
In a desperate attempt, he even tried to perform CPR on his brother but it was too late.
His brother wasn't breathing and his body is cold.
Yuno shouldn't have been slow, he shouldn't have been weak. He hated how slow he responded to the situation and here he was facing the consequences. His brother was dead, his body was cold.
If only I was STRONGER at that time….
If only I had been FASTER….
If only I freed myself from the chains EARLIER…..
If only I didnt try to CLOSE MY EYES….
If only I wasn't WEAK….
IF ONLY I HAVE BEEN STRONGER BEFORE….
He touched his face, realizing that tears flowed down his eyes. He hated this feeling, he promised to never cry yet here he was, hopeless, weak, and now knowing what to do in this situation. Yuno tried to stop his tears but was unable to do so because he also couldn’t contain them anymore.
He needs that release,
Yuno needed to cry for his brother.
For a moment Asta was alive, and for a moment Asta’s body began to cover itself with a dark aura, Yuno’s tears continued to flow and he started panicking because he didnt know what was happening.
His hands try to remove the dark aura but are unable to do so, he can’t see Asta’s body anymore as the grimoire is also out of sight. It was then for a moment did Asta completely disappeared. Why do bad things continue to happen to him?! WHY HIM?
A few minutes went by and the aura slowly disappeared with no Asta in sight, his body gone and the only thing remaining was his bandana that Asta wore when he was young. Nothing remained of Asta besides that.
Yuno held on to that bandana, holding it tightly, his tears continued to flow.
Then he continued to cry, his words escaping his mouth as he only wanted to cry without talking and such. But now as he was alone, he couldn't help but curse at the man that caused it all, he cursed fate for giving him something that he doesnt deserve, a four-leaf grimoire that claimed to have good luck but nothing good came to him.
He reminisced on the times when he and Asta were little, despite Yuno being the older one, he was the weaker one among them, Asta had guts and never giving up was his magic.
When he and Asta used to explore the giant skeleton cave where they discovered many plants unknown to them they would play for endless hours as they had their little adventures.
It wasn't fair, he and Asta were dropped off on the same day at the church, it was what Father Orsi had told them, despite not having the same parents, they were each other's family. All these memories came running back to him.
He reminisces on each memory he has.
When he saw Asta with his sword and grimoire, he was more than proud that despite his brother not having any mana, he was given a grimoire.
But his life was taken away so swiftly before their adventure truly began.
Yuno continues to cry as tears never seem to end until he hears someone from a distance, he recognizes that voice from anywhere. "Sister Lily.” She appeared right before him and saw the sight at hand. There was a man, crushed to the ground dead. Yuno is crying and Asta is not with him.
“Yuno what happened?”
As he heard Sister Lily’s voice, he couldn't help but cry even more. She then comes to his side, hugging him and trying to comfort him.
They were like this for a few more minutes until Yuno started to talk.
Sister Lily listened to every detail of what happened. After Yuno talked, sister Lily then began to cry.
Her little Asta is now dead because of a man trying to kill Yuno and steal his grimoire. She took care of them both and now that one of them was gone, she hated this feeling.
This day they lost someone important to them.
It was hard to announce to everyone what happened with Yuno and Asta, but after a few hours of crying and comforting, Sister Lily eventually broke the news to the rest of the village.
Everyone was mortified about it. The villagers knew these kids and they were like family to them. No one took it well.
Father Orsi was the one who tried his best to hide his suffering. When Yuno saw the man’s eyes when Sister Lily announced the news, Yuno saw his eyes shaking and knew that he didnt take it well.
Despite Father Orsi not showing enough care and love for Asta, Yuno knows that he secretly loves the boy but won’t admit it.
Although Yuno killed a man, and reported it to the knights. Yuno explained and gave evidence of his innocence due to the history of the knight doing crimes beforehand. It’s safe to say that Yuno didnt face any consequences but only a warning.
He then found out the man's identity. His name was Revchi Salik, a former knight, and captain of the Purple Orca
This was unbelievable, how could he…..
Yuno always looked up to the knights due to what they represented in this country. Although they haven't received much help from them. The stories he heard when he was young encouraged him that he too would become a magic knight.
He felt disgusted that knights like him existed.
This is the truth he needs to face,
And the truth is that he needs to do something about it.
This system…. It needs to be changed and I’ll become Wizard King to achieve that!