Chapter 2

When Scott walked into the waiting room, everyone looked at him, wondering why everyone was in an uproar. He just shrugged and found a chair in the corner, ignoring everyone. Scott looked at Slimy with a smile.

"We did it, Slimy, and we are beginning our journey," Scott said, his messy black hair covering part of his eyes.

Slimy jumped in excitement, thinking about all the different types of magic it would get to eat. Scott and Slimy chatted while the other candidates were judged whether they were worthy of joining the Magic Knights or not. Scott was knocked out of his conversation when the short teen entered the waiting room.

"Yuno!" The short teen yelled, waving his hand towards the teen with the four-leaf grimoire.

Yuno was leaning against the wall next to Scott, which Scott didn't even notice until now. His lean build towered over him, and his messy black hair made Yuno look like Scott's older brother. Yuno had a slight smile on his face while looking at the short teen.

"Asta, I see you also made it," Yuno said cooly.

"You know it. I can't let my rival get ahead of me." Asta declared. "But, what's that on your head?" Asta pointed at Yuno.

Yuno looked up and saw Slimy looking down at him. Scott quickly looked at his hands, and to his horror, Slimy was missing. Yuno scooped up Slimy from his head and put him at eye level, Black eyes meeting golden eyes.

"I believe it's his," Yuno said, gesturing to Scott, who stared bewildered at Slimy's behavior, A red tint forming on Scott's face.

Asta's eyes went wide in recognition.

"AH! I remember you! You were the one who used that incredible slime magic!" Asta yelled in excitement.

The red tint on Scott's face went nuclear, making him look like a tomato. Everyone in the waiting room turned towards them, curious about all the commotion. Scott shakily nodded at Asta and then turned to Yuno.

'God, this is embarrassing.' Scott panicked in his head.

Yuno then held Slimy with one hand and pointed his finger at Slimy's mouth--a ball of wind formed from the tip, the size of a yul.

"You wanted some magic, right? Well, you can have some." Yuno told Slimy, which surprised Scott. He would have thought he would have been a snob kind of guy since he was so powerful.

Slimy didn't hesitate and chopped down on the ball of wind, a satisfied look on his face. As it was digested, Scott felt his grimoire shake in its case. Yuno then handed Slimy over to Scott, who took him without hesitation.

Scott held back a cough as he felt his limits hit with that last bit of magic. 'I just have to hold it in for now,' Scott grimaced internally. He took a deep breath to center himself before speaking.

"Sorry about Slimy. He couldn't help himself," Scott said, shaking Slimy like jello.

"It is fine. My name is Yuno, and this short guy's is Asta." Yuno introduced.

"Hey! Don't introduce me as a short guy. But yes, my name is Asta." Asta introduced while holding his hand out.

Scott took his hand before answering. "My name is Scott, and this is Slimy," Scott introduced.

As they shook their hands, Scott noticed how muscly Asta was. 'Maybe I should start working out,' Scott thought. After the handshake, they got to talking.

"Your magic was so cool!" Asta exclaimed, a big smile on his face. "I wondered what you would do when the guy summoned a giant knight. And the way Slimy jumped in and ate that arrow!" Asta continued with stars in his eyes.

"Yes, it was interesting. I've never heard of magic that can use more than one attribute type." Yuno committed.

Scott's face returned to a tomato as they praised him, a shaky smile on his face. Slimy was also blushing red like he was turning into his fire slime form.

"Well, how my magic works is that whenever Slimy eats a magic type, like ice, he gets a new form of that attribute," Scott mumbled, embarrassed from having so much positive attention on him.

"I have a question. Why did you turn Slimy back to its green form during your fight to eat the ice knight and archer?" Asta asked his hand on his chin in thought.

"Well, he can only eat the same attribute he is, but he can eat any from his base form," Scott answered, calming down a little.

Asta nodded in understanding. Then Scott also thought of a question.

"What kind of magic do you have, Asta? Your fight was too short to understand what it was." Scott asked.

Asta rubbed the back of his head before speaking.

"I'm not entirely sure what it is. I can summon a big sword," Asta admitted.

"Well, you did well against the bug guy." Scott committed.

They continued talking for the rest of the time. Scott learned Yuno and Asta are from Hage and live at the same church. They both strive to be the Wizard King, which Scott thought was admirable. He told them about him living in Kikka with his uncle. After a few minutes of talking, an official entered the waiting room.

"Okay, the captains are waiting for you outside. Go to the squad you're assigned to." The man instructed.

Scott looked at both Asta and Yuno and gave them a slight bow.

"It was nice meeting you two. I hope we get to work together in the future." Scott said. His dark red eyes were brighter than usual.

Asta gave him a thumbs up, and Yuno gave him a slight bow.

"Yep, I hope we do!" Asta cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

Yuno nodded to that.

They then started following the official. After a minute of walking, they were outside of the Colosseum. It was an early night. The moon was peeking over the roofs--lights from the building illuminating the night sky. Most merchants had packed up for the day, but others stayed open, hoping to get any last customers.

Everyone started splitting off into their squads. Scott looked around, trying to find his. His eyes landed on the butler-looking man behind the captain during the exam, but the captain wasn't there. Scott approached the man who bowed at him.

"Hello, my name is Walter. I am Young Rill's butler and the vice-captain of the Aqua Deer. Sorry that Rill isn't here to greet you. He had some business to attend to." Walter introduced.

Walter was a tall older man with short gray hair parted on the left side. He has a large scar running across his forehead and a large mustache.

"It's nice to meet you, Walter. My name is Scott, and this is Slimy." Scott introduced back.

"Thank you for choosing to join our squad. Rill is very excited to meet you in person." Walter explained. "He is very interested in meeting someone with magic similar to his." He continued.

Scott tilted his head to the side before asking.

"Similar magic to mine? What do you mean?"

Slimy jumped up and down on Scott's head in excitement at meeting someone with similar magic. Walter chuckled before clarifying.

"He can use multiple attributes too, you see."

Scott's eyes went wide, his dark red eyes shown in excitement. Slimy started drooling at the thought of eating so many different attributes. Scott then looked at Slimy in admiration.

"So that's why you chose this squad, huh?" Scott asked Slimy. Slimy wiggled back and forth in response, ruffling up Scott's hair.

Scott then looked around and saw that everyone had found their squad. The moonlight highlighted them as they flew or warped to their headquarters. He then turned back to Walter, a question on his mind.

"Am I the only one that joined the Aqua Deers?" Scott asked.

Walter nodded, then answered. "Yes, Rill only raised his hands for you and Yuno."

Scott wouldn't admit it, but he felt pride that he would be on the same level as Yuno.

"If you guys are ready, I will take you to the base," Walter asked.

Both Scott and Slimy nodded, excitement filling them.

Walter then put his hands out in front of him, and a soft pink glow appeared on his hands. Then, a brown door with a golden barrier appeared before them. Walter approached the door and opened it. Flowing pink energy was what was on the other side. Scott's eyes widened with excitement at seeing a new type of magic.

"My magic is called Door Magic. It allows me to make doorways to different locations or objects I'm familiar with." Walter explained.

Walter then gestured for them to go into the door. Scott looked at Slimy, who was preparing to jump at the door but not to go in. Before Slimy could jump, Scott put his hand on him, and Slimy disappeared. Walter gave him a questioning look.

"Slimy was about to eat the door," Scott explained, blushing at Slimy's intentions.

Walter gave an understanding nod.

Scott then walked into the pink energy. It felt surreal, like he was traveling fast but wasn't moving simultaneously. When he could see again, he was in front of a three-story mansion. It was white with dark blue and gold accents. Behind him were well-kept hedges and a fountain in the courtyard's center.

The surrounding area of it was forest and a pathway that led to a town that Scott didn't recognize. The air felt thinner than Kikka, and he felt the winds were more assertive here, too, as it ruffled his unruly hair.

'We must be higher up.' Scott concluded.

"Welcome to the headquarters of the Aqua Deers," Walter said, exiting the door portal before it closed and disappeared behind him. "Most members are asleep right now, so you will be introduced to them in the morning." Walter continued.

As they walked to the front door, Scott heard crickets chirping and owls hooting through the windy night.

Walter then opened the front door, and a scent of vanilla wafted gently into his nose, making him take a deep breath through his nose. Scott entered and saw them in an open living room with red-plush couches and study tables. Dim lamps lighted it on the walls. 'Wow, this place is huge.' Scott thought in amazement as they continued upstairs to the second floor.

"The first floor has the kitchen, dining room, and living room. The second floor is the living quarters for the members and staff, and the third is for Rill and his family." Walter explained.

"Oh, Rill's family lives here?" Scott asked curiously.

Walter chuckled before answering. "Well, this is their mansion, after all."

Scott's eyes widen at that.

"After Rill became the captain of the Aqua Deer, he and his mother decided to make their mansion the next base." Walter continued.

Scott nodded, then looked around. They were in a hallway with doors on both sides of them. He also noticed paintings lined up in between the doors on the wall. Scott couldn't see them clearly because it was too dark, but he could tell they were by the same artists. Looking back, he saw they were at the end of the hallway. A big window illuminated them with moonlight. The walk felt like it took around five minutes.

"This is your room," Walter gestured to the door on his left. "We can discuss getting your belongings you want to bring tomorrow. If you need anything, I'm down the hallway, the second door on the left from the hallway's entrance." He finished before bowing and heading down the hallway.

Scott sighed in relief at finally getting to his room. He opened his door and saw what was inside. A bed in the corner, a nightstand next to it, and a dresser with a mirror were at the foot of the bed. A window was next to his bed, moonlight filtering into his room. A significant study table was next to the front door. Scott sighed in relief at seeing that. 'No more studying my grimoire on the floor.' Scott cheered in his head.

He set his grimoire case on his desk and started getting undressed. Scott looked into the mirror when he took his shirt off. His lean body was covered in moonlight, revealing to the world his dark past. His chest and arms were covered in scars, the moonlight highlighting them. He grimaced, remembering every single one and the pain each caused him. The mood turned somber as his mind started to play flashbacks of painful nights. The air felt still, as if the world held its breath, waiting for him to spiral downwards.

'I was worried that I wouldn't have made it ba-,' Scott thought before he was abruptly cut off.

He was hit with violent coughing. He covered his mouth with a hand, trying to stop but failing. After a minute, it finally stopped. When he pulled his hand back, he saw blood and spit on his palm. 'Shit, I thought I could handle that much.' Scott grimaced before another violent wave of coughing hit him like a truck.

Scott curled into bed, the moon casting a silver glow upon his lean frame. The silent room now echoed with the guttural sounds of his coughs--a muffled explosion shattering the stillness.

His hand covered his mouth, attempting to stifle the violent coughs, but the effort was futile. Each hacking breath sent waves of pain through his body, a relentless reminder of the scars, both visible and concealed.

As he coughed, the room seemed to hold its breath as if waiting for the storm to pass. The air felt thick, laden with the weight of his struggles. In the dim light, his dark-red, usually dull eyes now reflected the agony he tried to conceal.

Between coughs, his mind drifted to memories of pain, a montage of sleepless nights and haunting experiences. The moonlight turned somber, mirroring the melancholy of his thoughts.

A flash of anger surged within him as he thought about the person responsible for his suffering. Determination replaced the pain in his eyes, and a whispered vow escaped his lips. "I won't let her hold me back. I will get stronger."

The coughing persisted, each convulsion tearing through him like a jagged blade. His breath, now ragged, carried the weight of suppressed agony. He wrestled with the pain, telling himself it was nothing, that he could endure it.

"I can deal with the pain. This pain is nothing," he repeated in his mind like a mantra, a desperate attempt to convince himself that the physical torment would make him stronger.

The room held onto the echoes of his suffering until the early morning hours, a testament to a resilience tested by both physical and emotional scars.