Secret

The birds chirped in the trees, filling the air with a melodic sound. The sun's rays glittered off the river of Kikka, creating a beautiful shimmer. The people of the town enjoyed the warmth of the sun while taking in the pleasant scent of the flowers in bloom. It was a beautiful day in the town of Kikka, one that seemed almost too perfect to be true.

It was a tranquil day in the Medical Ward, and the old man almost found himself lulled to sleep by the refreshing winds entering through the open window.

It was peaceful.

The gentle breeze that came through the window was refreshing and soothed the old man's tired body. He glanced at Fuegoleon, saw the Captain peacefully sleeping, and smiled. Despite the hardships of battle, the people of Kikka had been granted a moment of peace and tranquility. The old man was thankful for this small respite and allowed himself to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Until-

"АНННННН!"

"My head! It's going to break!"

"Are you just not satisfied until you're fighting something? Huh?" Yami scowled at Asta as Rowan walked beside them.

"My body moved on its own!" Asta exclaimed.

"We can get his head checked out as well while we're at it," Rowan said, motioning towards Asta.

"Tch. Well, whatever. You both already fought anyway. We'll just have this guy look you both over. " Yami then turned a corner, still carrying a complaining Asta in his grasp as Rowan followed.

As they walked into the room, the old man looked up from the table and smiled at them. His face was wrinkled with age, and he had a kind and gentle look about him.

"Hey, Yami. Come on in." The old man waved slowly, the group fully entering the spacious room.

"This is the old guy who doesn't fit in with this grand tower. He's exactly what he looks like: the country's best quack doctor. Well, he stuck my arm back on for me the time it almost came off. He's a great recovery mage. Let him take a look at you." Yami said, motioning towards the old man.

"I'm Owen, and as a recovery mage, I work directly under the Wizard King. It's a pleasure to meet you." The old man continued. "Let me take a look at you and see if I can help."

***

Rowan was surprised with the short amount of time it took for his injuries to heal, given the severity of them. Rowan thanked Owen and smiled, feeling relieved that his injuries had been taken care of.

Owen then waved his hand and chanted, "[Water Recovery Magic: Quale Operation]!" In an instant, a swarm of jellyfish appeared and surrounded Asta's arms.

"They got you good, didn't they? My spell sees through the body of the person it envelops, so I'll be able to get a clear look at the affected areas and heal them accurately. Still, you've got some amazing muscles on you. It's impressive that you managed to survive such a powerful attack without any serious injuries. You must have trained hard." Owen said.

"Thank you, sir!" Asta said with a smile.

Owen stopped and removed his glasses. "Asta... I'm sorry..." he said with a heavy heart. "It's likely that there's an ancient curse on them. On top of that, the bones are shattered... I'm sorry, with the magic we have now, I can't heal you. I can do my best to reduce the pain, but I'm sorry... I couldn't do more for you."

****

"Okay, guys. Some of you probably noticed, but lately, we have raked in so many stars that our black stars are down to zero." Yami said. "Since that's all thanks to you, bums... GO EAT MEAT!"

"Wow, Captain! Thanks for the treat!" Magna exclaimed with a smile. "Check that out! Captain Yami, treat us... Today's a big day! I'll eat enough to make up for the guys who aren't here!" He said, clapping his hands together as he headed towards the meat.

"Magna! Wanna try to kill each other for this meat!?" Luck shouted as he strode forward, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"As if I'm doing that, idiot!"

Vanessa laughed heartily as she watched the members of the Black Bulls bicker over meat. "Meat and booze! It just doesn't get any better than this!" she said, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

Asta proudly held up a spoon and a boul with his feet and smiled. "Check it out! I learned to eat with my feet!" he exclaimed, wiggling his toes enthusiastically.

Rowan's face was as if he was in a deep thought, wondering if there was a way to help heal Asta's injuries.

"Finral, show us a trick!" Yami said as Finral created two portals, one in front of him and one behind him. "Secret technique! Suicide fist!"

"Bwa ha ha ha! Alright, Charmy! You're next!" Yami laughed as he looked at Charmy. "Secret technique! Instantly disappearing meat!" In the blink of an eye, the food had vanished.

"What!? You just ate it in an instant!" Magna shouted in disbelief.

Asta slowly stood up and said, "Well... I'm pretty wiped out from today. I think I'll call it a night."

"Yeah, well, go rest up. Great work, everybody!" Yami said, eyeing Asta.

With a nod, Rowan said, "Well, I need to go and train too, so I'll see you tomorrow, everybody." He flashed a quick smile, then turned and left the room.

Noelle looked around the room at her teammates. Her brow furrowed in worry. "Listen... Did they seem a bit strange to you?"

Finral, over hearing their conversation, he decided to speak up. "Everybody... Listen. I overheard something... When Asta was getting healed. The doctor said Asta's arms wouldn't ever go back to normal."

"Huh...!? Vanessa exclaimed in surprise.

"Wha... What're you talking about!?" Magna said, his face a mask of shock.

"If the Clover Kingdom's top recovery mage says so... Then it's the truth." Yami said solemnly, his expression serious.

Everyone in the room was silent, their faces a mask of shock as they absorbed the news.

"That's way too rough!" Magna shouted in frustration, throwing his hands up in the air.

Vanessa frowned deeply as she thought of Rowan and what he must be feeling.

"That kid has no magic... And now he can't even use his only weapon!" she exclaimed, her voice dripping with emotion. "Rowan must also be so frustrated about this."

****

The night was silent, only broken by the sound of the gentle breeze blowing through the trees outside.

Asta tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep as his mind raced with thoughts.

He got up from his bed and walked up to the window, and looked out into the darkness. In the distance, he could see the faint outline of a tree that had just fallen to the ground.

***

With a determined expression on his face, Rowan was swinging his Moonblade in a powerful arc as a trail of purple aura followed behind him.

Suddenly, the trees, in his way, became illuminated by the powerful purple aura. With a powerful swing of his sword, the trees were cut down in one swift motion.

"Tch. I need to do something," Rowan muttered to himself as he continued to swing his sword.

Neve flew by his side with a worried eye. She watched as he continued to practice with fervor.

Neve flew over to Rowan and said in a concerned tone, "Rowan, you're overdoing it."

Rowan shook his head and continued to practice.

Nero watched him from one of the tree's branches, and her beady eyes were emotionless.

Suddenly, a voice came from the darkness. "Hey! I see you're not slacking at all, huh?"

Rowan stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of the voice and looked up to see Asta standing in the darkness with a round smile on his face.

"Of course," Rowan smiled. "You think I'd let you get ahead of me?"

"Well, that's good," Asta said with a smile.

Asta put on a brave face, but Rowan could see a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Rowan smiled and then called out to Asta, "Come here, Asta."

"Huh?"

Asta followed him, confusion written on his face. When they arrived at two large rocks, Rowan gestured for Asta to sit on one of them. Asta complied, not sure what Rowan had planned.

Rowan leaned in close to Asta and said in a whisper, "Do you want to know a secret?"

"What?" Asta asked, curiosity and anticipation washing over his face.

Rowan took a deep breath, and a distant look appeared on his face. "I can't increase my mana reserve anymore."

"What do you mean?" Asta asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"It means I can't increase the amount of Mana I can store," Rowan replied with a smile, "You once asked me why I use a sword, this is the reason I can only use what I already have."

Asta still looked confused as Rowan shook his head, trying to explain further.

"You remember in the underwater temple, after the fight with Vetto, my heart started to glow?" Rowan asked Asta, who nodded.

"That's what happened when my mana started to overflow, and it's also the reason for all my years of traveling. I was searching for the cure for this!" Rowan said, smiling.

"During that time, a witch asked Captain Yami to free Vanessa from the witch's queen, and I happened to be there at the time. She told me that there was a witch who could cure my problem. I asked Captain Yami to take me along with him, but even she had no idea what it was."

While still adjusting to all the information Rowan just revealed, Asta asked, "What happened after your heart started to glow?"

"Who knows, maybe I'll die." Rowan chuckled. "I had to experience it to know that."

"You'll dieeee?" Asta exclaimed in shock, his eyes wide as he looked up at Rowan.

"Of course not, Ideo-" Rowan stopped suddenly as if recalling something and looked at Asta. "Asta, you go back to the headquarters. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait a minute," Asta said, his voice rising in anger. "What're you talking about? Explain it to me, you jerk!"

"I'll explain to you later, just don't give up!" Rowan said as he activated his spell "[Ice God's Thundering Foot]" and flashed away, leaving Asta standing in the same spot, confused and frustrated.

"NOBODY'S GIVING UP, NOT NOW! NOT EVER! YOU DIDN'T GAVE UP, I WOULDN'T EITHER!". YOU THINK YOU CAN MESS WITH ME AGAIN HUH? Fate? YOU THINK YOU Can TAKE AWAY MY ARMS AND I'LL JUST GIVE UP? WELL, I'VE GOT NEWS FOR YOU! I'M ALL FIRED UP! I'M GONNA FINDA A WAY TO HEAL MY ARMS OR FIND STRENGTH OTHER THEN THAT! I'M NEVER GONNA GIVE UP, AND I NEVER GONNA LET MYSELF GET DEPRESSED AGAIN! I'M GONNA KEEP FIGHTING 'TIL THE VERY END!" Asta's eyes burned with rage as he yelled into the night.

A smile spread across Rowan's face when he heard Asta's shout from behind.