Threatened by a ruthless demon
Humanity was on the brink of extinction
All hope was lost till one mage stepped forward...
He was hailed as the Wizard King and his story became legend.
***
The sun rose over the horizon as the village slowly started to wake up and begin their daily harvest. Asta had been the first to wake up with a yawn as that's how mornings normally started for him; although after he opened his eyes, he noticed that a certain girl and a handful of kids had been missing from their spaces.
Immediately Asta started to panic as he shouted, "THEY'RE GONE!!"
At the sound of his voice, Feodora and Yuno immediately jumped out of their spaces before they noticed why he had been freaking out.
"Where are the kids!?" Feodora exclaimed.
Asta had shouted, "DON'T TELL ME THEY WERE KIDNAPPED!!"
"Wait--" Yuno said, looking around, "--Where's Prism?"
They were soon taken back by the sound of laughter coming from outside. The three of them scrambled to the window and saw Prism having long changed out of her night wear to her own outfit, arriving while riding along with Adrien and the kids; the kids looked like they had the time of their lives as Prism helped them all down once Adrein had set himself on his stomach.
Asta sighed with relief, "Thank God!"
"What the heck is she doing with them?" Feodora had wondered.
"I'm not sure." Yuno replied.
The three of them changed out of their nightwear before they headed outside just after Prism helped Recca climb off of Adrien; upon closer inspection, they saw the children's hair in a bit of a mess as it looked like they had just woken up from their sleep.
"That was amazing!" Recca said to Prism.
"I told you guys he was fast, didn't I?" Prism said with a smile.
"The way he jumped that river was cool!" Aruaru added.
"It wasn't even that big." Nash said.
"Can we do it again!?" Hololo asked.
"Of course you can!" Prism replied, giving each of them a pat on the head.
It hadn't been long before she noticed Asta, Yuno and Feodora standing right in front of them. "Oh morning guys!" She said with a wave, "Lovely weather today, don't you think?"
"What in the world were you doing!?" Asta asked.
"Taking Adrien out for his morning run." Prism replied with a smile, "The kids saw me setting up his saddle and they asked if they could join me. I just couldn't say no to their adorable little faces."
"Morning run?" Yuno said.
"It's one of our daily routines." Prism explained, as she removed Adriens saddle, noticing how ruined and ripped it was, "Your village has plenty of open fields for him to run around in. It's bigger then any other plain I've seen!"
"You guys should've seen it!" Recca said, "Adrien ran so fast, it was like we were the wind!"
"He even cleared a whole river on our way back!" Aruru said.
"I still think it wasn't as big." Nash said.
"Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun!" Asta said with a smile.
"Okay--" Feodora said as she rubbed her eyebrows before she turned to Prism, "--You can't just go taking the kids on some joy ride on a creature they've never seen before!"
"Oh no, it's okay." Prism reassured her with a smile, "Adrien may not look like it, but he loves to play with children. He's especially gentle around babies, so I guess you can say he's sort of like a nanny."
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT AT ALL!" Feodora shouted, "LISTEN TO WHAT OTHER PEOPLE TELL YOU DAMN IT!"
"What she means is--" Yuno said smacking Feodora on the head making her freeze, "--You'll have to run it by Father Orsi or Sister Lily, next time you want to take them for one of your… Routines."
"Yuno and Feo have a point." Asta added, "It's fun for them, but it'll cause them to worry if they don't know where they are. They may not look it, but they can turn into worrywarts."
Prism appeared to be processing before she soon replied, "Alright then that's fair. Next time I'll be more considerate."
"SERIOUSLY!?" Feodora shouted, "JUST LIKE THAT!?"
Lily soon came out from the doors as she looked relieved to see them there. "There you all are!" She said, getting their attention, "Come now, hurry and have your breakfast before you start on your chores."
"Yes Sister Lily!" Everyone excluding Prism said.
Though Prism looked intrigued by this as she had a smile. "Do you mind if I help out around here?" She soon asked Lily.
"But you're our guest." Lily said, "We couldn't trouble you."
"It's no trouble at all Sister." Prism reassured her, as she moved her bangs out of her face, "I don't mind doing chores, in fact I find it fun and relaxing. Besides, it's the least I can do for you and Father Orsi for allowing me and Adrien to stay here."
As the wind blew, her hair ended up covering most of her face; she nearly ended up stumbling out of shock before she moved most of it out of her way allowing her to see more clearly as she laughed sheepishly. Lily couldn't help but laugh as well as she helped her out.
"I guess I'm not used to having hair this long." Prism said as Lily fixed it up for her.
"Well--" Lily said, fixing her up a bit, "--I can help you with it, in exchange for assisting us with the chores around here."
Prism's expression brightened at this, "I think I would like that!"
After they had their meal, and once she helped the others out, Prism had sat on a chair that had been set up as a set of cloth had been set around her. With the help of a pair of scissors, Lily began to cut her hair to a proper length allowing the loose strands to blow into the gentle breeze.
It took her a while, but she had gotten it to an appropriate length; her once long silver hair had now reached to her shoulders as Prism had noticed in the reflection of a mirror Lily had provided for her. Her bangs once long overgrown now had been short so that it wouldn't cover her eyes. Prism couldn't help but be in awe by this as she looked at herself once she removed the cloth.
"What do you think?" Lily asked her.
"You really are talented Sister Lily!" Prism replied with a smile, "Now it just needs a final touch--!"
She soon rummaged through her pockets before she had taken out a red tie; she handed the mirror to Lily after asking her to hold it before she took most of it back, tying the hair back as now she had a short ponytail that was messy as the particle revealed her small pointed ears.
"There we go!" Prism said with a smile, "Now it's perfect!"
"My that look really suits you!" Lily commented as she set aside the mirror.
"It's all thanks to you!" She said, "I don't think I had good brabers back where I'm from--" She soon shrugged a little, "--Wherever that is."
"Don't worry Prism." Lily reassured her, "I'm sure wherever your Village is will come back to you."
Prism had nodded before she soon asked, "Speaking of which--I noticed a couple of Villagers out and about on the fields. Did I by chance come by during a harvest?"
"Well, we're preparing for a harvest." Lily replied, "Our village is best known for growing only the finest vegetables and potatoes. Most of them are sold and traded to the Clover Kingdom to help sustain our Church and its people."
Prism seemed to have flinched at the name Clover, "Is that so? Though--" She soon noted how runned the Church looked, "--I take it, you don't really get much of anything from the trade."
Lily seemed to have smiled, "That may be so but we're grateful with what little we have."
"That is true!" Prism said, "One small thing will make a big difference. At least, that's what my mother and father always told me."
"Your parents sound very smart." Lily had commented, making Prism giggle a bit.
"SISTER LILY!"
The two of them recognized the voice belonging to Asta as he had suddenly taken them back when he had rushed towards Lily in particular. She slid on his knee before he presented her with a small pink flower. "Mark my words!" He said, "I will become the Wizard King and make you happy someday!" He soon showed the flower off to her, "So please marry me!"
Prism couldn't help but look shocked by this sort of thing as her jaw dropped slightly, "A-Again?"
"Oh boy…" Feodora said as she had been nearby, cleaning the laundry, "... Can't wait to see how this turns out."
"I'm sorry Asta." Lily said to him, "But I'm a sister to everyone."
Asta fainted at this while Prism couldn't help but jump at this sort of thing. Though she saw he had been quick to recover.
"NOT YET!" He shouted.
"Um… I'm sorry." Lily said awkwardly.
Asta let out a groan before he bowed his head, "I'M NOT GIVING UP YET!"
Prism watched as he continued to bow his head while Lily expressed her apologies. "Does--" She said while turning to Feodora, "--This happen often with Asta?"
"Like clockwork." Feodora said as she set aside the basket having finished cleaning everything, "He's so hellbent on getting Sister Lily to marry him, even though it's forbidden."
Lily seemed to have gotten fed up as she got out a blue book, from what Prism could see as her eyes brightened with awe as it glowed a blue glow.
"Water Creation Magic--" She said as the water she had manifested formed that of a fist, "--FIST OF LOVE!"
The fist thrusted hard into the ground creating a crater and making Asta cry out in agony making Prism jump again. Feodora couldn't help but give a laugh as she slapped her knee.
"And Sister Lily strikes another blow!" Feodora said with an amused smile.
"I-Is he okay!?" Prism exclaimed in a panicking sort of way.
"He's fine!" She said, "This happens all the time too!"
"SERIOUSLY!?" Prism yelled, "THAT'S NORMAL AROUND HERE!?"
"O-Oh my!" Lily exclaimed, as she ran over to him, "I'm so sorry Asta! I used my magic grimoire without thinking…"
The kids came around the corner, as Recca started to clap. "Well done Sister Lily!" Recca said.
"No mercy whatsoever." Nash said with his hands behind his head.
"I-It just sort of happened…" Lily said.
"Uh…" Prism said awkwardly, "... Shouldn't we do something about Asta? I don't think he's moving."
"Relax." Feodora said, "He'll be alright in three, two--"
"NOT YET!!" Asta shouted as he jumped from the ground making Prism jump at the sight. Just then Asta was smacked to the ground again as he fell in the same spot as Prism looked surprised; though she saw it had been that from Yuno.
"Sheesh." Nash said, "How many times is she gonna dump you?"
Asta soon recovered as he ran straight up to him, "How many times are you gonna get in my way too Yuno!?"
Yuno gave it some thought as he soon replied, "Why? Because you're too loud, too short, obnoxious, and immature."
Each of those words pierced Asta like an arrow as he hit the ground hard, again. "You basically won't appeal to women in any way." Yuno added.
"Ha!" Feodora said, "Talk about hitting it where it hurts!"
"IS THAT WHAT YOU SAY TO SOMEONE YOU GREW UP WITH FOR FIFTEEN YEARS YOU FANCY JERK!?" Asta yelled.
"That was wind magic…" Prism soon said in awe, before her eyes sparkled, "... You have wind magic!"
"Yes." Yuno said as he noticed her expression, "Have you… Never seen this before?"
"If not, then you're seriously out of the loop." Feodora said.
"N-No, I've seen it before!" She replied, "It's just that, the only other person I know that has wind magic is my mother!" She let out a laugh, "You even have the same control as her! That's just insane! I didn't think there was another person like that in the kingdoms!"
"Your mom has wind magic!?" Asta said in awe.
"Yeah!" Prism replied, "She's a pro with it too, kind of like Yuno! Why if she wanted to, she could summon a tornado with the snap of her fingers!"
The kids had been in awe of that sort of thing, as Yuno looked shocked to hear this sort of thing. "Hey--" Feodora said sarcastically, "--Maybe she can use it to dry the laundry instead of hanging it to make the work faster!"
"Is that supposed to be you asking politely?" Yuno said sarcastically, "Someone alert the news."
"Oh just shut up and help me!" She said with a hiss, "You agreed you can help out once as a condition for our little bet from yesterday!"
"I know." He said.
"HEY NOW!" Asta yelled, "WE'RE NOT DROPPING THIS YOU KNOW!?"
"Wow!" Prism said, impressed, "You don't know when to quit, do you?"
Yuno let out a sigh as he turned to Asta, "How many times must we say it? Sister Lily is a woman of the cloth, therefore she can't get married."
"Not to mention you're fifteen." Feodora added, "You can't marry at that age and you know it, Dum-Dum."
"Shut up!" Asta said, "Why I oughta--" He soon pointed towards him, "--YUNO! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A FIGHT!"
"And I decline." Yuno immediately responded.
"WHY THE HELL WON'T YOU ACCEPT!?"
"Because it's a waste of time."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"
"Oh give it a rest Asta." Nash said, "There's no way you can beat Yuno anyway."
Asta soon got into a battle stance as Prism couldn't help but look with awe. "Prepare for my ultimate--"
"Asta hold on." Nash started to say.
"--ATTACK!" Asta shouted as he thrusted his hand forward, only for Prism to see that no magic of any kind had been produced which had shocked her.
"You can't use magic." Nash soon said which shocked Prism even more.
Asta let out a yell, "I'M NOT DONE YET!"
Aruaru laughed, "You're so funny ,Asta!"
Nash let out a sigh as he shook his head, "It's hard to believe someone at your age can't use magic."
"Hey now--" Prism said, "--Isn't that just a little bit harsh?"
"YEAH!" Asta shouted as he turned to Nash, "THE HELL'S YOUR PROBLEM!? HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO YOUR ELDERS THAT WAY!?"
"Shut up." He said, before he produced a flame, "Magic is basically everything in this world. It's only natural for someone to be born with it. You're the only one I've ever seen who can't use it, Asta."
"Kid's not wrong there, shorty." Feodora said leaning against the fence post, "I know I said it would be interesting to see a person with no magic become a Wizard King but he's got you pegged."
Asta's eyebrow twitched slightly at this as he let out a growl, "I'll have to show you what I'm really made…"
The kids looked at Asta oddly as Prism couldn't help but have the same look; though she nearly fainted on the spot when Asta started to do sit ups at an unnatural speed. "HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT!?" Asta shouted as he did the sit ups at a rapid speed, "I KNOW HOW TO DO SIT UPS REALLY FAST!"
"Oh yes, we're ALL impressed." Feodora said sarcastically.
"Seriously, what's the point of this?" Nash had asked.
"Whoa--" Prism said as her eyes sparkled a little, "--That's awesome!"
"Wait, you're actually impressed!?" Feodora said to Prism, shocked.
They soon felt a gust of wind blow by. The group had been quick to notice that it had been coming from Yuno as he had the pile of laundry circling in a green light and wind that had been produced by him. Everyone couldn't help but look with awe at this as the kids gathered around Yuno, as they usually did.
"Wow!" Aruru said, "Yuno is so cool!"
"That's Yuno for you." Nash said.
"He's such a great help!" Lily added.
At this Asta paled as his jaw dropped, though it wasn't long before he snapped out of it and dashed towards the front entrance taking Prism back a bit though she was quick to follow behind him. "Then--" Asta said as he grabbed a hold of the axe, stopping in front of a stump where a piece of wood had been standing vertical, "--Leave the wood chopping to me!"
Yuno beat him to it as he used the wind to chop the wood making Asta freeze up and Prism just looked plain shocked; once again the kids had been in awe.
"And that's another point for Yuno!" Feodora said writing it down in a notepad she had gotten from her pouch that had been attached to her brown belt.
"Seriously--" Nash said, "--I don't understand how you guys are the same age."
"Really you are?" Prism said intrigued.
"Yeah, didn't you notice we're fifteen?" Feodora said to her.
"Hey cool! We're a year apart!"
"YOU'RE FOURTEEN!?"
Asta glared over at Yuno and stepped towards him with the axe in hand--
SMACK!
Prism let out a small scream as she saw Asta fly back a few feet when the door smacked in his face suddenly; turns out it had been done by Father Orsi, though to be fair it had been accidental.
"YUNO IS THE HOPE OF THIS CHURCH!" Father Orsi exclaimed, practically in tears, "Why I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up joining the Magic Knights Yuno!"
"There he goes again…" Feodora thought in her head as her eyebrow twitched slightly, "... That damn old man."
"He said his name twice…" Prism thought awkwardly.
She turned over to Asta who had been in a fetal position on the ground; his face had been buried in his knees, as her expression couldn't help but soften, before she looked to her own hands. "I guess… I'm in the same boat as he is now." She thought as she gave a small sad smile.
"Cheer up Asta." Lily said, patting him on the shoulder, "The award ceremony is tomorrow. I'm sure once you receive your grimoire you'll be able to use your magic then… Probably."
"Sister!" Asta said practically in tears.
Lily jumped at the expression he had made, knowing fully well what was going to come next. It was then she had hatched an idea, as she handed him some money, "Asta, since Prism is new to the Village why don't you have her go down to the market with you? You can show her all the sights in Hage Village!"
Asta stood up as he brushed off the dirt off his clothing, "I guess I could, that is if Prism's up for it!"
Prism gave it some thought before she looked at her ruined saddle, "Well--" She started to say, "--I do need some more thread to patch Adrien's saddle, and--I do want to see more of your little village."
"Great!" Asta said before he hooked his arm with hers, "Let's go then!"
They were about to go along the dirted path however they felt a nudge from Adrien, as he let out a whimper. Prism gave him a pat on his nose, "Sorry, you're gonna have to wait here for me. Something tells me the others wouldn't be cool with seeing you like Asta, Feodora and Yuno were. You can play with the kids while I'm away, bud."
Adrien let out a huff as he walked away from her; Prism couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Asta asked.
"Yeah, he's just sulking." She replied, "I'll make it up to him if we find him a souniver though."
Father Orsi soon turned over to Feodora, "Why don't you go with them?"
Feodora couldn't help but give him a look, "Why the hell do I gotta with them, old man!?"
Father Orsi had told her, "Because you need to help more out around here! And don't call me old, respect your elders!"
"I'LL CALL YOU WHATEVER I WANT YA OLD GEEZER!" Feodora shouted.
"OLD GEEZER!?" Father Orsi exclaimed, "I'M NOT THAT OLD, AM I!?"
"WHY DO YOU THINK I'M CALLING YOU OLD, OLD GEEZER?!" She shouted.
Yuno soon bonked her on the head, making her flinch. She glared over at him, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR MR KNOW IT ALL!?"
"Just stop complaining and go with them." Yuno told her.
"AND WHY THE HELL SHOULD I LISTEN TO YOU!?" Feodora shouted at him.
"Because you lost a bet yesterday and you've been slacking off the past few days." Yuno told her, "It's time for you to pull your own weight."
Fedora's eyebrow twitched slightly as she growled; though one look from Yuno's eyes and she seemed to have instantly caved.
"I'm not doing this because I like you, I'm doing it on the condition of that dumbass bet." She mumbled to him as her face had been a little red. She walked past the two of them stomping slightly as she did, "You two coming or what?"
"Ye-yeah okay." Asta said, before he turned to Prism, as he took her hand, "Come on! We'll show you all the best spots!"
Prism smiled at his enthusiasm, "I'm looking forward to it!"
Thus the three of them set off towards the market their Village had provided. As they walked along the path Asta had been more then happy to show her the best spots in the Village and where he had usually trained, and the best picnic spots as before they had entered the local market.
Prism had been in awe at the sight.
True the market had been small, and it didn't have that many things, however she thought it had been just plenty. Most of the stands she could see sold clothes, crops from their own gardens and even more potatoes as it had been what they had mostly grown from their gardens.
Some of the other stands had all sorts of other trinkets as well as weapons, jewelry and flowers. She looked at the many people around as many of its people had chatted with one another. She knew the village had been small, but she could almost swear there had been almost a hundred.
"Bime i elena…" Prism said softly as she had been in awe by the sight, "... This is incredible."
"Isn't it?" Asta said, "It may not be the royal capital, but we make due with what little we have! Not to mention they have some pretty cool stuff here!"
"I can see that!" Prism said with a smile, "Though I've never seen so many people in one place before!"
"You should see this place when Christmas comes around." Feodora said.
"Which stand do you think has the supplies one might need to fix her saddle?" Prism asked curiously.
"We can try a bit further down here!" Asta said, pointing in a certain direction, "Come on, I'll show you!"
They started to venture down the stands as Prism looked over each and everyone they had passed, till they reached where they needed to be. Though as they made their way Asta had flinched as he couldn't help but feel like something had been watching. He looked over his shoulder though saw there hadn't been anything behind him, which he couldn't help but find odd.
"That's strange…" Asta said, scratching his head.
"Hey dum-dum!" Feodora called out, "The hell are you standing there for?"
"I uh--" Asta started to say, "--Thought I saw something."
Feodora looked over to where his eyes had been, though she saw nothing just as he did. "You sure you didn't eat one too many pot-potatoes this morning?" She asked him.
"YOU KNOW I DIDN'T!" Asta yelled.
They were soon drawn to the sound of Prism's voice as they saw her by the stands that had contained all sorts of cloths and yarn like material as she had been examining it. "This cloth is so smooth!" Prism said as she noticed the soft texture, on the white red cloth, "And what a magnificent combination of color!"
"You've got some good taste Miss!" The man behind the stall said, before he showed her a set of cloth that had the colors of blue and light purple with golden diamonds along it, "Though I think this will suit you more. You can make a beautiful dress that'll go with the extraordinary silver hair of yours!"
"That's very kind of you to offer Mister but I'm afraid I'm only here for materials for a saddle." Prism replied just as Asta and Feodora arrived, "The one I have has seen better days."
"Oh-ho, a rider, eh?" The man behind the stall said before he gave some thought, "I think I have a better idea." The man replied before he started to go through behind where he sat; he soon took out a brand new large brown saddle as they looked at it with awe.
He said, "Just had this delivered from the Kingdom Capital itself! It's made with the finest leather and juniper wood! It'll be sure to last you for as long as you need it and is even water resistant!"
"Bime i elena!" Prism said softly as her eyes sparkled, "It looks almost brand new!"
"That's because it is new genius." Feodora told her.
"It looks so cool~!" Asta said as his eyes sparkled.
"And because you have one of a kind beauty and taste--" The man soon said, '--I'm even willing to give you a bargin sale! Half price the yuls, and I'll even throw the latest materials to fix it up if it ends !"
The three of them looked a bit shocked at this as their expressions brightened. "Do you really mean that?" Prism asked the man.
"Of course!" The man said.
"Sounds like a fair deal to me!" Asta said, "We'll take it!"
Asta soon went to retrieve the money he had gotten from Lily before they left, though before he could get it out he noticed something moving around in the back of Prism's hakama jacket which couldn't help but take him and Feodora back.
"Is something the matter?" Prism asked, noticing the expression on their faces.
"Your jacket--" Feodora started to say.
"--It's moving." Asta finished.
"Huh?" Was all Prism could muster.
The two of them jumped when they saw a white tail appear in the back of her neck and that was when Prism felt a tickling sensation. A small creature with big blue eyes and white pupils looking like that of a lemur popped out of her jacket as it had white ears as its body had white fur and light blue streaks.
"WHAT THE HECK!?" Asta shouted.
"WHERE DID THAT COME FROM!?" Feodora exclaimed.
Prism soon noticed the creature as she gave a laugh. "Hello little one." She greeted before she allowed the little creature to crawl on her shoulder, and crawl into her arms as she cradled it, "I was wondering when I would start seeing one of you."
"Holy crap!" Asta exclaimed, "I didn't know you had another pet besides Adrien!"
"Seriously, where have you been keeping him!?" Feodora shouted.
"Aw, aren't you adorable?" Prism said as she nuzzled the little creature's nose with her own, "You're the most precious thing I ever did see!"
"YOU'RE IGNORING US!?" Asta and Feodora shouted.
"My word, would you look at that!" The man said, "That's a fine little spirit guide you have there! And it's a spirit of the light element no less. That's considered one of the more rare ones!"
Asta and Feodora did a double take at this as their jaws dropped. "Did he just say a rare spirit guide!?" Asta shouted.
"Spirit guide, as in--" Feodora said, "--Spirit magic!?"
"You must have a strong amount of mana little miss." The man commented with a smile, "For it to already have a physical body it's extraordinary!"
Prism gave a nervous laugh as she replied, "Ye-yeah that's right sir!"
"You must have a pretty good grimoire under your belt!" The man said, "Then again I wouldn't be surprised! With magic like that you could get into the Magic Knights!"
They soon noticed that Prism's expression changed slightly at this as she looked to be saddened. Though they saw her lose this, her expression had been replaced with a smile, "I… Actually, I don't have a Grimoire yet sir."
"What?" Asta and Feodora both thought in unison as they looked to Prism, just plain shocked.
"Really?" The man said surprised, "Then you must be incredibly lucky little miss!"
"... Yeah." Prism replied as even her tone seemed to change, "I guess I am."
Asta and Feodora noticed the look she gave as Asta soon paid for the saddle. They had soon exited the market area with the saddle in tow as they couldn't help but look at the animal on her shoulder with curious eyes.
"A rare spirit with the element of light--" Feodora said amazed, "--I'd never thought it would actually be true."
Asta said, "Does he really belong to you!?"
"Well…" Prism said, "... Not exactly."
Feodora raised her eyebrow at this sort of thing, "What do you mean by not exactly?"
Prism started to get nervous again as they noticed she had gotten startled when a person had passed her by. "Is something wrong Prism?" Asta asked, "Are you feeling sick?"
"You look a bit off." Feodora added.
Prism sighed with relief before she shook her head as she calmed down. "It's only fair since you're gonna find out anyway and--" She gave them a small smile, "--And you guys seem like you know how to keep a secret, but--"
"But?" They both said.
She looked around as she noticed how nervous she became again. She soon whispered to them, "It's not exactly a thing I can say out in the open like this. It's supposed to be a secret between myself and the Village where I live."
"For real?" Asta asked, "I guess that's why you're a bit on edge."
"If it's something that gets you jumping like a frog then it must be something important, right?" Feodora asked.
"Ye-Yeah." Prism replied, "You guys, wouldn't happen to know somewhere private we can talk? Preferably somewhere that's not near the church?"
Asta and Feodora looked to one another before they both looked over to the demon skull just on the edge of the village; Prism's eyes followed as she found herself transfixed by it again. "Feo and I always go up there to train everyday." Asta said, "We can go there if you want."
"It's basically remote and no one will bother us." Feodora added.
"If it means we won't have anyone else listening in, and the chance of more of these little guys coming around, then it's fine." Prism said.
"More?" Asta and Feodora said, confused.
"WAIT!" Prism exclaimed, making them jump before she started to shiver, "That skull--I-It's not like--Haunted up there is it?"
"Oh no, it's perfectly safe!" Asta replied, "Why do you ask?"
Prism had sighed with relief, "Oh thank goodness!" She soon realized something, "If you don't mind, I'd like Yuno to know about this secret too. It wouldn't be fair to keep him in the dark about something important, especially since he was with you both when you found me and Adrien yesterday."
"Sure of course!" Asta said, "Let's go get hi--"
"Why don't you take our new friend to the monument?" Feodora said, as she took the saddle from Asta, "I'll get the know it all and drop off what we bought at the market."
"But that saddle's really heavy." Prism said in a worried tone, "Are you sure you can carry that?"
Fedora merely scoffed, "Please, I may have lady arms but I am stronger than I look." She soon gave a wave, "Go ahead and save a good spot for us Dum-Dum. You can even show her that shortcut you found last week to get her up there faster."
Asta's eyes brightened before he took Prism's hands, "You're gonna love this!"
Prism giggled at his enthusiasm as she allowed Asta to pull her in a random direction, "This shortcut sounds like fun!"
Feodora watched as Asta pulled her along the pathway that had been provided before she started to make her way back with the saddle over her shoulder.
It didn't take her long before she reached the church again, as it had already turned into the afternoon. Though as she approached the church she noticed an odd stranger over at the entrance. He appeared to be a young man around the same age as she had been.
She noticed the robe he had been wearing as it had been in the color of black.
"The Black Bulls? The hell are they doing out here?"
As she had gotten closer, she could hear him conversing with Father Orsi and Sister Lily.
"Excuse me, but have you seen this girl?" The boy asked as he showed them a sketch of a familiar girl. Though the sketch itself was very realistic and detailed as Father Orsi and Lily looked at it oddly.
"Oh my..well—" Lily started to say.
Father Orsi had given his reply, as he sounded a bit awkward, "Uh--Has this girl done something wrong?"
The young man replied, "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say Father. Do you know if you've seen her anywhere? If she's wandered through here perhaps?"
Father Orsi and Lily looked to one another as they had a look of worry; though it hadn't been long before Lily gave their answer, "I'm very sorry, but we haven't seen her around here."
"I'm afraid we can't be of more help." Father Orsi said.
Feodora could see the young man looked dejected, "I see." He soon bowed, "I apologize for taking up your time."
Feodora was about to approach them though stopped when she heard the sound of a quack. She looked down and saw a little duck with his head fur combed to the side as it looked to be holding a stick like a baton.
"It's—?" Feodora said, making a cringe like face, "—A duck with a stick?"
"Quack!" The Duck said, sounding strangely aggressively, making her jump.
The young man seemed to notice as he called out, "Addeline. Let's go."
"Hey--!" Feodora said to the young man, "--Is your bird buddy on something or what?"
The young man replied as he picked up the duck, "Oh don't mind Addeline, she can get aggressive sometimes. Maybe temporal?"
Feodora looked over to the duck called Adeline as she glared at her. "Seriously, I think Addi here is out to kill me." Feodora said as she still cringed.
"Quack!" Addeline shouted again, making Feodora jump back a little.
"Now now. Don't be like that." He told her before he bowed again, "Sorry for bothering you."
As he left, Feodora could hear him mumble softly, "I'm gonna end that womanizing son of a---"
"Sounds like that guy has his own problems." Feodora thought, "But—I haven't seen Magic Knights since I was first brought here. Was he asking about who I think it was?"
"Oh Feodora!" Father Orsi said, as he noticed her along the path, "You're back already?"
"Yeah, just dropping this saddle off." Feodora replied as she gestured to what had been over her shoulder, "Is Yuno still here?"
"He's with the children, and--" Father Orsi replied before he said awkwardly, "--That girl's beast. He's playing with the kids out back."
"Where's Asta and Prism?" Lily asked, "Are they still at the market?"
"Nah." Feodora replied, "He took her over to the usual training spot in the village. I'm just here to pick up the nerd since Prism wanted to have a picnic up there."
***
Prism had shown a bit of hesitation as they had gotten to the demon skull monument. She had to admit, it had been a lot bigger then she had previously thought; though then again everything always looks small when you're standing at a distance; Asta could see that she had looked uneasy as he looked back.
"You okay?" Asta asked.
"Ye-Yeah, totally fine!" She replied as her legs had been shaking, "I-I-I'm to-to-totally scared or anything!"
Asta could see her body tremble, as she gave a nervous smile; Asta reached out towards her as he gave a smile of reassurance.
"Take my hand." He said to her, "It'll be okay."
Prism looked to the skull, before she turned back to Asta; with a gulp she took his hand, and he started to lead him towards a path that looked to be hidden within a set of vines. The hill had been steep as they started to make the climb. She found herself nearly tripping a couple of times, though Asta had been able to catch before she could hit the floor.
"This is a shortcut?" Prism said, a bit shocked.
"Yeah, I know--" Asta said as they started to resume walking, "--It is a pretty tough hike, but getting down this way is a fun part."
"I don't know about you, but I'd rather not experience the fun part right now." She said.
She ended up tripping again, as Asta had caught her again, though this time she nearly dragged him along with her. "Are you okay?!" Asta asked concerned.
Prism gave a nervous laugh, "So-Sorry! I'm not really used to hikes."
"You never went on one before where you live?"
"We got no reason to. Our Village doesn't have mountain terrain, at least I think it didn't. I've never hiked any sort of mountain or hill before. I'm not sure if I'll be able to make the climb."
Asta started to think on this before he had gotten a solution. "I got an idea!" He said, before he turned over so that his back had been facing his back towards her, "You can ride on my back! I can take you to the top!"
Prism looked a bit concerned at this, "Are you sure?"
"Of course!" He replied with a smile.
Prism had shown a bit of hesitation again, though she soon climbed onto his back; he adjusted her slightly, making her bounce a little. "Alright!" Asta yelled, "Let's do this!"
He was about to make his way up the hill, though he nearly tripped on himself though he kept himself steady. "Whew!" Asta said with a laugh, "That was a close one!"
"Are you sure this is okay?" Prism asked, "Am I too heavy?"
"Don't worry about it!" Asta told her, "This is nothing for me! Now let's head off!"
Prism had been taken by surprise when Asta started to run up the hill at a speed that had almost had her feel that she had been riding along Adrien's back. It had been a bit strange though it was the same kind of feeling of freedom she had, like she had been flying. She had to admit she found it to be fun as Asta ran along the shortcut towards the top.
Before she knew it, she found themselves at the top and inside the skull. No, it seemed like she had been standing in her very own greenhouse. There had been a tree growing from within, as many birds, and all different types had been; one of them had been a blue and white bird that appeared to have a droopy look.
She could smell the flowers and hear the birds sing, whatever they had to offer as the sun even reflected off of the leaves.
"Wow…" Prism said in awe as she climbed off Asta's back, "Bime i elena…"
"That's not even the best part." Asta said, as he took her hand again.
He soon guided her over to the large opening that had been its mouth, as it had been the original path towards the Village; there she had gotten a clear floor. From there she had gotten a great view from miles around; from the ruins towards the village and the marketplace; She could see the sun at its highest point and the clear blue sky, almost as if the sea itself had been above her.
"This is breathtaking!" Prism said, amazed, "It's like I'm in a fairytale! I can see why you come up here Asta! How long have you been coming here?"
"Since I was a kid." Asta replied as he put his hands behind his head, "Like I said, this is where I usually train! Feodora comes up with me too and we often have spar matches from time to time!"
"Really?" She said curiously, "Even though you don't have magic you still train?"
"Not yet I don't!" Asta said, before he started to throw punches, "But once I get my Grimoire, I'll get my magic, get into the Magic Knights and become the next Wizard King!"
Prism looked a bit more confused as she twiddled her thumbs a little, "So… What are Magic Knights anyway? In all the excitement, I kind of forgot to ask."
"You really don't know?" He asked, surprised.
In return, Prism had shook her head; at this Asta started to explain, "The Magic Knights only house the best of the best mages from all across Clover Kingdom! They help protect everyone too! And once I succeed as a Wizard King, things are gonna start changing around here!"
"The Wizard King, huh?" Prism said, her expression changing slightly at the mention of it.
"Yep!" He said, "That way people will look out for each other even if they're peasants or royals!"
Asta soon noticed the look on Prism's face, as it looked like she was going to cry at any moment; he couldn't help but look worried at this. "Hey?" Asta asked, "What's wrong?"
Prism seemed to have snapped out of her trance before she had her smile again, "I'm alright! I was just thinking about something!"
Asta looked a bit confused, though just before he could say anything they had soon heard the strangest sounds. Asta jumped when he saw what had been at Prism's feet; she seemed to have noticed them too as she couldn't help but giggle as even the one around her shoulders noticed them too.
The creatures' appearances appeared in the form of gerbils as they looked to have a set of wings, as each one of them had a different color as they nuzzled her ankle. One looked to have its fur entirely made of clouds, one had its wings made from lighting, while the last one had been gray and silver, almost as if he had been metal.
"WOW, THERE'S MORE!?" Asta exclaimed.
"Yup--" Prism said as she kneeled down as she started to pet them and allowed one of them to climb up into the palm of her hand, "--See why I preferred that we had been alone?"
Asta soon saw two more creatures appear out of thin air; one looked to be a bunny with wings in an unnatural color of aqua green and blue sapphire bug eyes, while another looked to be a type of serpent as it had wings similar to that of a dragonfly as it wrapped itself around Prisms neck before it nuzzled itself into her cheek, making her giggle again.
"Are--Are all these spirit!?" Asta said in awe as his eyes sparkled.
"Uh-huh." Prism replied as she scratched underneath its chin before petting the little bunny that had been flying with bug wings, "Every single one of these guys are Spirit. As long as they know you won't hurt me, they won't hurt you."
All the creatures looked to Asta, making him flinch slightly. The little gerbils soon ran up to him as they hopped onto his jacket and shirt before they climbed up onto his shoulders, as they started to nuzzle his cheeks, making a tickling sensation; he started to laugh.
"Hahaha--Hey!" He said, as he fell over on the grass, "Cu-Cut that out--Haha--That tickles!"
Prism gave a chuckle as she said, "They like you Asta."
Asta had said through his laughter, "You think so?"
Just as he said this, the bunny with dragonfly wings soon crawled into his shirt till his head popped out in the neck of his shirt. "I know so." Prism replied, giving the bunny a pat on the head.
It hadn't been long before Yuno and Feodora arrived, and following behind them had been Adrien. They were taken back by the creatures that seemed to have gathered around them; Feodora looked to be holding a picnic basket and along Adrien's back he had a blanket.
"Well what do you know?" Feodora said, "They multiplied."
They had soon set up the blanket as well as food as they all gathered; the little creatures had been nearby as they had been long Adrien's back and neck while he slept. It was then Prism told them something that the three of them seemed to have found hard to believe.
"You didn't call these spirits here?" Yuno said to Prism, shocked.
Prism nodded, as the little gerbils sat in her lap and slept, and the serpent-like creature had been resting along her shoulders, "These little guys just come to me every now and again. They always have been since I was a baby."
"That's insane!" Asta commented, as the bunny slept in his own lap, "Yet so cool!"
"It's still strange though." Feodora said, "The only way for someone to get a Spirit is by accessing a Grimoire. And even that's considered rare. How can this be?"
"Well--" Prism said, adjusting herself slightly, "--There might be a good idea of how that may be."
Asta raised his eyebrow at this, "What do you mean?"
Prism fidgeted a little as she still appeared to be nervous. Though after awhile she took a deep breath, before she started to speak again, "My dad told me this story once, and yet even now, I still find it hard to believe. A year after I was born, there were days where the rains never came to pass, and it nearly killed the crops in our village. During that time, he said I had been stricken with an unknown illness. It didn't cause me any pain as far as he and my mom could tell, but… I was mostly quiet, and I didn't utter a sound for a long time. My eyes stayed shut, like I was asleep."
The three of them looked shocked by this, as each of them had been wondering if she had been really talking about her life right now, compared to how they have seen her thus far.
Prism soon continued, "The mages that had healing magic in my village did everything they could, but… Because it was so new, they couldn't figure out what the cause of it was, and told them I was going to die soon. He told me, my mom prayed to the Gods every night to save me."
"It must've worked--" Asta said, "--I mean, you're still here!"
Prism chuckled, after Yuno gave Asta a smack on the head, "I guess in a way it did. One night, the village was invaded by Bandits, forcing my family and the other elves and mages to fight them off; it took everything they had to drive them away. In the scuffle a Spirit from the wilds broke into the house, finding me in the cradle. The Spirit my parents saw that day was a rare fire phoenix and when they ran to protect me, they saw the most incredible thing."
They saw her eyes start to sparkle with awe, "They saw a robe made of flames of its wings around me like a blanket. It wasn't burning me in any way, and before they knew it for the first time in weeks I opened my eyes and I started to cry again. My parents knew that I would live from the sound of my voice, and they themselves couldn't help but shed their own tears. Even the drought seemed to have ended when I was healed."
The serpent creature soon arose from its slumber, as it unraveled itself from her neck, before it started to fly around them, "Since then, the Spirit always seemed to find me, and take a liking to me even though I don't have a Grimoire. Sometimes they're big, sometimes they're small, and each one of them possesses a unique and rare element. Many of the Villagers often tell me, my mom's prayer worked, and the Gods alone had blessed me with more then just mana. I was always told I was lucky."
Asta's face widened in shock before it turned to starstruck as he said "W-WOW! TH-THAT'S SO COOL!"
"You really think so?" Prism said a bit shocked,
Asta nodded as he said "Y-yeah! You're so lucky! What I wouldn't give to have a Spirit Guide!"
"Wait--" Yuno said, "--Why did you lie to that man earlier in the market? You said the light spirit belonged to you."
"Because I would go against my parents's wishes." Prism replied, "Everything in life has a price, and this had been no exception. It was because of my gift that many people outside the village tried to kidnap me, so that they could use me to get the powerful spirits for themselves. All the others thought about was power for themselves. If anyone outside of the village saw one of these Spirits out in the open, I told them that they belonged to me and just let them believe what they wanted to believe."
"Guess that explains why you were so jumpy earlier." Feodora said, "With your gift even people from neighboring kingdoms would want what you got."
Prism looked confused by this sort of thing before Yuno spoke up, "Do you think… If people knew your secret, would they try to take you away, or hurt you?"
At this she started to look a bit uneasy, "... A lot of people tried. My mother and father were always there to protect me when I was a child, though as I grew they knew I needed to protect myself, so I'm not entirely helpless!"
She soon stood up from the blanket before she went over to Adrien; she took the bows and arrows and the sheath that had been attached as she took them back over. "I was taught everything I needed to know about hunting and fighting, when it comes to our arsenal!" She said as she showed her bows and arrows.
"You know how to use that?" Asta asked, amazed.
"Yup!" Prism said, "Courtesy of our resident archer in our village! My mother though--" She soon took her sheath, as she drew the weapons; from the single sheath, they revealed to have been a pair of hook swords as they looked in awe, "--Taught me how to use these babies!"
"The hell is that!?" Feodora said, shocked.
"They--Look like swords!" Asta said as his eyes sparkled.
"But, they have hooks on the end." Yuno pointed out.
"They're called hook swords." Prism said with a smile, "They're a bit different from the regular swords, not to mention they're lighter than any other blade making them easier to move. Plus it's really great for fishing!"
"No way, that's so cool!" Asta said in awe.
"What about in terms of magic?" Yuno asked her.
They noticed that Prism had started to become nervous again, as she twiddled her thumbs, "Well yeah--I was taught how to control my magic, but--" She fidgeted a little as she set aside her weapons, "--I haven't been able to tap into it. Not since yesterday."
"Wait, seriously?!" Feo exclaimed.
Yuno said, "Do you know the reason behind that?"
Prism shook her head, "I'm not sure why. For someone's magic to just go away hasn't happened before--At least as far as I know."
""Wait then what about that thing you did yesterday!?" Asta asked, "That wasn't magic?!"
"You mean where I sneezed and flew several feet in the air?" Prism said, earning a nod from Asta, "That, I'm not sure what it was. But I know that wasn't ma--"
Prism was soon cut off when she felt her nose start to itch, making them flinch. She pulled her face a couple of times making them pull back a bit. Although, it looked to have been a false alarm as she--
"AACHOO!"
The three of them fell back as Prism rocketed high into the air as her voice echoed; though she ended up hitting the ceiling of the skull before she started to fall back towards the ground. Luckily after Yuno had recovered he caught her with his wind; by the time she had gotten on the ground, she had a noticeable bump on her head.
Asta had exclaimed, "OH CRAP! ARE YOU OKAY?!"
"Ow…" Prism said as her eyes practically spun in her head, "...That's gonna take some getting used to."
"Are you sure you've never had this before?" Yuno asked.
"Nope." She replied as she rubbed her head, "I'd wish I knew there was a way to get my magic back, but something like this never happened. Maybe I have to play the wait game or something…"
"Or--" Asta had said, "--What if there was another way?! THROUGH THE CEREMONY!"
Prism looked a bit shocked at this sort of thing as did Feodora and Yuno. "The Ceremony?" She said confused, "Where you get a Grimoire? You really think I can get my magic back with a Grimoire?"
"Yeah!" Asta replied, "We'll get our magic together!"
"But won't her age be a problem?" Feodora asked, "Last I checked you had to be fifteen to get into the ceremony. She's only fourteen!"
"I'm sure after we talk to Drouot he'll make an exception!" Asta said with a smile.
"Drouot?" Prism said, "Who's Drouot?"
"He's the master of the Grimoire Tower in our Village." Yuno told her, "Tomorrow's the day everyone who has turned the age of fifteen will receive them."
At this the young girl looked a bit worried, "Are you sure it'll be okay?"
Asta nodded his head as he replied, "If we go to him tomorrow and talk to him before the award ceremony, then everything will turn out just fine!"
Prism gave it some thought as even the small creatures, and even Adrien had been waiting with anticipation on what her answer would be. She looked to her own hands before she played with her medallion around her neck. It hadn't been long before she gave her answer.
"I guess it couldn't hurt to try." She said as she scratched Adrien on his nose, "If it means there's a chance I can get my magic back, then I'd say it's worth the shot."
Asta gave her a pat on the shoulder as he said with a smile, "That's the spirit! Now--What do you say we work on that--Thingy? So this way you won't go flying away when you sneeze again!"
"What about the chores at the Church?" Prism asked, "Don't you still need to help out?"
"Don't worry! Sister Lily and Father Orsi won't mind!" Asta said as he pulled her to her feet, "Come on, I'll even help out!"
Prism felt herself getting dragged not too far from their spot before she could protest. Feodora couldn't help but chuckle slightly as she smiled, "Well, that girl ain't so bad afterall. At least Asta made a new friend that's close to our age."
Yuno had said with a small smile, "Maybe a new rival--No, she's more like a sibling."
"Another sibling huh?" Feodora said. She couldn't help but laugh a little as she watched the two of them work as Prism tried to use her trick again while the Spirits hovered, "Well--I don't see the harm in having one more to add to our strange little family."
***
-Outside of Hage Village-
Many of the Magic Knights had been on the ground nearly dead around what had been left of the tree as a person stepped over them examining what had been left of the trunk. Chains had been around the man as he looked within the tree as he saw the withered roots as it looked like it might have connected to something.
"Well, well, well--What do we have here?"
The man had gotten out his Grimoire as a set of chains appeared. They wrapped themselves along the roots as they glowed slightly.
"This definitely wasn't an ordinary tree--It was keeping something alive."
He smiled, "No--More like someone."
The chains glowed again as it appeared to have revealed a trail heading across the lake and towards a trail. "So--" He said, "--The treasure beyond the mist held the First One the whole time. And judging from the tracks they're definitely nearby."
He soon walked over to a broom nearby as he hopped up onto it before it had started to lift him into the air and began to follow the tracks of mana.
"That bounty is as good as mine!"